Some Things Never Change
Tetra made a grand show of her room when they reached the top of the stairs, intent on impressing the pants off of Link. He wouldn't even think twice about Zelda when she showed him how great of a pirate she was. She made him stand in the middle of the room while she rushed about, picking up small trinkets she had found in the castle- an expensive looking brooch, a scratched sapphire ring, some kind of pendant with three glittering and colorful stones. He examined them each with interest as she handed them to him.
"Now this is treasure," she announced proudly before going to get the next batch. He stood patiently in his spot and looked around. One treasure particular caught his eye. It wasn't very special or grand. Just a small blue thing, shiny and round. Like some kind of polished sweet potato with holes drilled in it. He walked over to it as if in a trance, looking over the placement of the holes intently.
"What're you lookin' at?" Tetra wandered over and peered over his shoulder. He ignored her and reached into the front of his hoodie, pulling out a small wooden pendant on a string. It had four holes in it and he compared it to the object he was holding. Could it be...?
"Oh, that old thing. I only keep it cos I thought this might be worth something," Tetra explained, tapping her finger against the gold band around the mouth piece. There was a small triangular design in matching gold and he ran his fingers over it thoughtfully.
"I think it's an ocarina," he said suddenly. Tetra gave him an odd look.
"An oca-what??" she asked incredulously as Link wiped the mouth piece off with his sleeve.
"Kinda like a flute," he explained in simplified terms. She rolled her eyes and wandered off again, not really caring much for the fine arts. Link put his lips to the mouth piece carefully and blew first without covering any of the holes. The shrill whistle caused Tetra to jump and hit her head on the shelf she had been digging through.
"ARGH! Damn it, what the hell was that!?" she turned around to glare venomously at him, rubbing her scalp to ease some of the pain. He smiled apologetically but she wouldn't have any of it.
"Sorry, I haven't played a twelve-hole in a while." She snorted and looked at the ocarina doubtfully.
"Yeah, sure. Like anyone could play that stupid looking thing."
"I can." He looked a little proud of himself as he added, "My grandma taught me how."
Link put his lips to it again and tested out a few shrill notes to find the keys. Tetra held her ears and grimaced. She was about to reach out and slap it out of his hands but stopped short when it actually started to resemble something like music. He closed his eyes and she stared in amazement as he moved his fingers surely over the little holes. How did he know which ones to hold?
A jittery tune that started out soft, but grew louder. Tetra couldn't help but tap her foot along to it, her head bobbing slightly. It was rather nice now that he had gotten the feel of it. After a few moments of playing, Link opened one eye and gave her a cheeky look. It was like he was challenging her and she raised her eyebrow, walking around him in a circle.
He leaned forward and blew a high note in her ear to annoy her, jumping away when she tried to kick in retaliation. She growled and tried it again, but he leaped out of her reach easily, light as a leaf on the wind. For some reason, a smile cracked her face and she chased after him. They hopped over her various treasures and Zelda's stuffed animals, Tetra trying to catch him and Link just barely evading every time. It resembled an odd dance more than a game of tag and grew almost frantic as the song picked up tempo.
Link played until he was out breath from running, the notes barely sounding like faint whistles on the ocarina. He plopped to the floor heavily and put the ocarina in his lap, trying to catch his breath.
"This would be a lot easier if we were outside," she grumbled, sitting down next to him and punching him in the shoulder. He faked a wince.
"Y' caught me," he commented breathlessly. She nodded proudly and leaned back on her hands.
"And I always will!" They looked at each other briefly, at their flushed faces and tousled hair, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"What- what's that song called anyway? I never heard it," she asked after she had gotten her second wind. Her stomach hurt from too much laughing, but it was a good kind of hurt. She hadn't laughed that hard in a while. Link stroked the ocarina fondly, a melancholy expression on his face.
"Saria's Song. Named it after my grandma cos it's the first song she taught me." In his head, he couldn't help but add and the last. Her grin faded and Tetra awkwardly folded her hands in her lap, instinctively understanding the unsaid words.
"Saria, huh? That's a nice name," she commented after a minute had passed. Link nodded in agreement and picked up the ocarina again. She didn't chase him this time, just scooted a little closer until they were shoulder to shoulder.
They listened to Saria's Song until her father called them down for dinner.
