Zelda hauled her bag of human treasure up to the surface. The blonde mermaid found so much great stuff in the old ship wreck; Gonzo will be pleased. She swam to the rock the seagull liked to hang out on and waved to get his attention.
"Hey there, Zelda!" Gonzo half fell down to the shore, his goggles flopping into his eyes.
"Hi, Gonzo," Zelda called back. "I went into that old ship wreck Sheik found, and look what I picked up." Zelda upturned the bag she was holding and let its contents spill onto the rocks. She brushed the shiny jewels, metal things, and reflective piece of glass out so Gonzo could see them all. Gonzo was a total expert in all things human related, so Zelda always went to him whenever she found something new under the water.
"Ah, I see you've found a reflecto-gizmo," Gonzo picked up the reflective piece of glass. "Those humans like to look at themselves and make weird faces in these things."
"So it's like a mirror?" Zelda asked excitedly.
"Absolutely not," Gonzo answered happily. He moved on to the next piece before Zelda could get a straight answer
"Oh, lookie there. Now this is really something," Gonzo picked up a small silver trident-like object.
"What is it?" Zelda asked.
"It's a dinglehopper," Gonzo said holding the dinglehopper up to the sun.
"Wow," Zelda gasped. "A dinglehopper. What is it used for?"
"Well some humans of high class like to use them to style their hair up all nice," Gonzo brushed the dinglehopper through his feathers for show.
"Princess Zelda!" a sudden voice called. The blonde mermaid turned to see her fish friend, Sheik.
"Hi, Sheik," Zelda called as the fish swam toward them. "I went out to that ship wreck you found at look at all the stuff I picked up. This is a reflecto-gizmo, and this-"
"There's no time for that, Princess," Sheik said a little out of breath. "The king is looking for you. He says there's a storm coming in, and he wants you at the palace as soon as possible."
"Oh alright," Zelda sighed. "I'll see you later, Gonzo."
The princess ducked under the water before she could hear his reply. Sheik swam on ahead while Zelda lazily drifted through the water. Her father was so protective sometimes. All she wanted was to swim at her own leisure and explore whenever she wanted, but no, she was a princess, and a princess had responsibilities. Zelda sighed as she swam toward the palace. She was the youngest child; she didn't see why it mattered if she spent a little extra time adventuring instead of wondering aimlessly about the palace. She didn't feel like she really belonged there, like a fish out of water or something.
Zelda smiled and looked up toward the surface. She guessed that was why she was so fascinated with the humans. They didn't have tails or swim about the ocean like she did. They walked around on the ground. Zelda flipped so that she could see the rays of the setting sun as they reflected across the waves. She would give anything to meet a human, to walk around with one on the ground and feel the sun dry her skin.
Suddenly bright colored flashed caught her eye. She stopped and gazed up toward the surface. What was making those lights? Zelda smiled brightly; there was only one way to find out. She darted up to the surface as fast as her purple tail could carry her.
As she got closer, Zelda saw a shadow across the surface. A ship, she realized with excitement. She had never seen a human ship in person before; Father had forbidden contact with all humans. Zelda's brow furrowed. Would she really defy her father's order? She shook her head. This is what she always dreamed of.
Zelda breeched the surface not too far from the ship and looked up at the flashing colored lights in the sky. They exploded in a series of crackles and sparks that made the princess smile. She swam toward the ship. She could hear music and laughter aboard. Were they celebrating something? She pulled herself up along the rope to a ladder. The princess reached the top of the ladder and peered out across the deck.
The first thing she noticed was that all the humans appeared to be men. They were dancing around the deck. Zelda smiled at seeing their legs move. It was so graceful she couldn't help but sigh at the sight. Then the crowd parted and a younger blonde man appeared. Zelda sat up straighter. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. His blonde hair was shaggy and falling in his gorgeous blue eyes.
"Prince Link!" someone called, and the man turned. Zelda's smile grew even wider. He was a prince! "Play us something on your ocarina."
"Yes, Your Highness," someone else called. "Play."
The handsome prince smiled sheepishly as someone who looked like a servant brought him a small blue instrument. The prince began to play music like Zelda never heard before. The song filled her soul with its beautiful tones and warmed her heart. Without realizing, she began to hum along, harmonizing when she didn't know what note would come next. Suddenly, Prince Link stopped playing.
"Who was that singing?" he asked looking around. The crew members gazed back in confusion, and Zelda ducked her head so she wouldn't be spotted.
"No one was singing, Prince," one of the men said.
The prince looked down with a small chuckle, "I must have been imagining it them. Now back to our merriment." The music started up again, and the men began a new dance.
Zelda wanted to pop back up and yell that it had been her singing, but the sudden stench of a gathering storm caught her attention. Sheik's words from earlier came back to her. There was a storm coming, probably a big one if her father had requested her to return to the palace. She cringed. Her father was going to kill her for not returning before the storm.
She looked back at the humans. They seemed completely unaware of the coming storm. Should she try to warn them somehow? A flash of lightening streaked across the sky. The men yelled in shock. It was too late to warn them now. Zelda took one last glance at the handsome prince before diving back into the sea. The waves were already so choppy, and rain was beginning to fall. Zelda looked up fearfully at the ship. It might not make it through the storm. She swam out a short ways, which became harder as the waves grew larger and larger.
Lightening flashed, thunder filled the air, and Zelda could hear the distant yells of the men aboard the ship. She turned around to see a strike of lightening hit the main mast of the ship. She gasped in horror as the main mast caught on fire. She hurried back toward the ship, but as if in slow motion, she saw the ship get hit by another strike of lightening. It was too much for the already splintered wood, and the ship fell apart before her eyes.
She screamed and swam as fast as she could to the wreckage. A dark silhouette against the still raging fire of the wrecked ship caught her eye. It was the handsome prince. Zelda cried out to him, but he didn't move. The body slipped under the water, and Zelda scrambled to catch him. She wrapped her arms around his torso and hauled him back up to the surface. The prince was heavy, and Zelda almost lost her grip on him twice, but as the sun was rising, she brought him to the shore near one of the human villages.
The prince did not stir during the whole journey. Zelda feared the worse, but the faint pounding of his heart reassured her. She placed him carefully on the shore. He looked so calm and peaceful in his sleeping state. Zelda couldn't help but reach out and touch his face, caressing from brow to chin. The prince turned his face into her touch, and Zelda almost squealed in delight. She stayed with him on the sand, humming the song he had played on the ship earlier. It was a soft song, almost like a lullaby.
"Look over there!" she heard someone shout. Zelda looked around wildly; she had forgotten they might not be alone. The blonde mermaid dove back into the ocean and hid behind a rock.
"Link!" the same voice shouted. Zelda could see the girl who was running toward the prince now. She was young and had the same honey blonde hair as the prince. "Link, wake up."
Link stirred with a low groan and finally opened his eyes, "Aryll?"
"Link!" the girl shouted happily as she tackled the prince in a hug. "We heard about the ship wreck and feared the worse. Father will be so pleased to learn you are alright."
"Did you see someone else here?" Link asked looking around in a daze. "I thought I heard someone singing, just like last night."
"I didn't see anyone, Link," Aryll shook her head sadly. "I didn't hear anything either, just the waves splashing. Maybe you hit your head. Do you feel alright?"
"Yes I'm fine," Link said as he stood up shakily. He was still looking around the waters. Zelda ducked behind the rock where she was hiding, although all she wanted to do was swim up to the prince and reveal that it was her who was singing.
"Princess Aryll?" a voice yelled.
The young girl turned toward the noise, "I'm here, and I found Prince Link." She turned to her brother. "Let's get you back to the castle."
Link nodded and followed, but his eyes were still scanning the waves. There had been someone; he just knew it. She had been beautiful, like an angel, and her voice was unlike anything he had ever heard. The prince turned in defeat. He would find her eventually, he swore to himself.
Zelda emerged from behind the rock once she heard their footsteps fade. She wanted to follow them, to walk on the ground with them and stay close to the handsome prince. She looked down at her tail. The purple scales shown in the sun. Many were envious of her rare purple scales, but Zelda would give anything in that moment to trade her tail for a pair of legs. She looked to where the prince had walked off.
"I'll meet you again, Link," she whispered. "And I'll walk along the ground with you like a normal human."
She turned and began to swim home, her mind occupied by the handsome Prince Link.