...Dreams really are the stuff of hope...or is your hope only the stuff of dreams...

Chapter Ten:
Fairy boy


Lunnaei returned from her bath to find her Grandpa nowhere in sight. After she changed into the nightgown Madam Lon lent her, she crawled into an over-stuffed chair set in the corner of the room with her writing kit and a blanket. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like for the Hero as he entered the Temple for the first time. In her over-active imaginings, she thought she could hear those voices. Three distinct voices, yet the same...

...Link...Chosen...You...Are the one...Chosen...Link...Hero...Chosen...

An owl outside the window hooted making her jump. The clock on the mantle told her she must have dozed off, so she set to writing the last part of her Grandpa's story. She just put the finishing touches on it, when she heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in," Lunnaei said and set the journal on the small table nearby.

"All settled in?" Malon asked.

"Yes, thank you, Madam Lon."

"Gods child, if you must use a title, just call me Ma'am. Madam Lon makes me sound so old."

Lunnaei couldn't help herself and let out a giggle. Malon smiled and looked around the room. "Grandpa not back yet?"

"No, I hope he's not lost."

"I wouldn't worry too much 'bout that, your Grandpa knew his way around this place pretty well," Madam Lon said as she sat on one of the beds. "Truth told, things haven't changed all that much since his last visit."

"Really?"

"Really, so don't go worryin', he'll turn up." Malon turned the other bed down and went to the window to close it.

"Madam...I mean Ma'am, can you leave that open?" Lunnaei asked.

"You sure you won't get cold?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Alright then, goodnight Lunnaei."

"Goodnight."

When she reached the door, the older woman stopped and without looking back asked, "Tell me Lunnaei, did your Grandpa ever talk about this place?"

Lunnaei thought about that and said, "I'm not sure. In most of Grandpa's stories, the places and people didn't always have names." Now she wondered why and Lunnaei thought Madam Lon looked a little sad. "If it's any help, he's never told me stories about himself. Almost all of them were about the Hero and his adventures."

Madam Lon turned back then and asked, "By hero, do you mean the Hero of Time?"

"Yes Ma'am. When we reached the ranch, he was telling me about the Hero's first visit to Castletown."

"Was he now," the older woman said and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I've written out all the ones he's told me during this trip," Lunnaei said as she picked up the journal. "You're welcome to read them. Seems he's been leaving out a lot of details, 'cause he thought I was too young."

Madam Lon laughed as she took the journal and said, "That certainly sounds like Rinku." She flipped back to the first page and asked, "You really don't mind?"

"No, not at all," Lunnaei said and yawned.

"Thank you, Lunnaei, I'll have this back to you in the mornin'. You should get to bed; you look fit to fall over."

"Yes Ma'am," Lunnaei said and climbed into the bed nearest the window. A light breeze blew through it and Lunnaei took a deep breath. This bed felt perfect and Madam Lon helped her rearrange the blankets. When the older woman got up to head back to the door, a question that had bugged Lunnaei since dinner floated up and she asked, "Ma'am? Did you know the Hero?"

Madam Lon paused as she considered her answer. "Any particular reason you'd like to know?"

"I'm just curious, I guess, but you would have been around then, right?"

"There's a good chance," Madam Lon said with a wry smile.

"So..." Lunnaei just let it hang there.

"Truthfully, I can't say I met the Hero more than once or twice, but I don't know if there's anyone that really knew him. He was a quiet sort, kept to himself that one." Madam Lon looked past her out the window and said, "Never met a boy more melancholic."

While not the answer Lunnaei expected, she could tell that was all the information she was going to get when the older woman turned back to the door and said, "Good night, Lunnaei."

"Good night Ma'am and thank you." Lunnaei yawned as the door latch clicked shut and she fell quickly asleep.


Lunnaei started when she found herself quite suddenly on top of a small outcrop. She'd no idea how she got there and realized nothing around her was in focus, including the nightgown Madam Lon had lent her. Maybe this is all a dream, Lunnaei considered that as she looked around and took in the scenery. To the left, she could see shapes she assumed were a town in the distance. She could even hear the sounds of everyday life as they floated up the hill. Behind her, stood the spires of a great castle, the base of which remained hidden behind a high wall and many trees.

The sounds of someone singing on the road somewhere below her caught Lunnaei's attention. The voice was distinctly female and she listened as the singer continued her wordless tune. Lunnaei moved closer to the edge and looking down, saw a girl. It was difficult to tell the girl's age since Lunnaei could only see the top of the girl's head. Her deep red hair shone in the afternoon sun and Lunnaei found herself humming along with the girl.

The song stopped when a young boy approached the girl. Dressed all in greens and browns, Lunnaei thought his outfit quite adorable until she noticed the sword and shield strapped to his back. Lunnaei started to get that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and watched nervously the odd little scene that played out in front of her.

"Hey, your clothes! They're... different..." the red haired girl said. Lunnaei blinked as the red-haired girl spoke, her gentle tone held that twang she's noticed earlier in Stewart and Madam Lon's voice. The voice sounded slightly hazy but was still clear enough to understand. Her surroundings remained fuzzy though and her attention went back to the pair as the girl said with a slight tilt of her head, "You're not from around here, are you?"

The boy said nothing; he just fidgeted until a fist size ball of light emerged from his green conical hat. The blonde haired blue-eyed boy tilted his face toward the light and Lunnaei stifled a gasp. She knew that face or at least those eyes, they were too familiar, but she became distracted when the girl below her said breathlessly, "Ohh...You're a fairy boy from the forest!" The girl clapped her hands together with delight and said excitedly, "My name is Malon! My dad owns Lon Lon Ranch! Dad went to the castle to deliver some milk, and he hasn't come back yet... Are you going to the castle, fairy boy? Would you mind finding my dad?"

It all came out in a rush and the boy just blinked and looked to the ball of light again. After a moment, he looked back at the girl and nodded.

"He must have fallen asleep somewhere around the castle. What a thing for an adult to do," the girl said and giggled. "Oh yeah, if you'll look for him, I'll give this to you. I've been incubating this egg very carefully," she said as she held a small blue egg out to him and giggled again.

The boy took the egg and placed it, oh so gently, inside a small pouch he had strapped to his waist. The frown on his face turned into a small smile and the girl blushed and said, "My dad is really troublesome, for an adult, isn't he?" This time the boy did not look to the fairy light; instead, he continued to stare at the girl. Lunnaei wasn't sure but she thought the boy turned a little redder when he nodded as well.

Lunnaei felt the oddest sensation when her perspective shifted from above the pair, to the top of the stony wall further up and on other side of the road. She felt somewhat dizzy and pushed back a wave of nausea the quick change brought on. Lunnaei shook her head to clear it and when she was able, watched the boy as he spoke with the guard on duty at the large gate she now found herself next to. The guard told the boy the castle was off limits and did not let the boy through so he turned and walked back the way he came.

Well, Lunnaei thought, he gave up on that idea quick. She sat for a time hoping she'd wake up soon, the sun was going down and Lunnaei had no wish to remain there. So she wandered further down the wall toward the castle and passed the gate. She sat now with her head on her knees, wishing she were any place else and realized the red haired girl named herself Malon. At about the same time she heard a wolfos bay in the distance.

Night descended and Lunnaei lay back on the grass as she watched the moon crawl across the sky. She jumped when she thought she heard the quiet click of a door latch and paying closer attention to the gatehouse, saw a sliver of light at the base of the door. The light dimmed and she heard rather than saw the door on the castle side of the gatehouse open. It closed again just as quietly and heard the dim fuzzy sounding clank of metal on metal. Movement on the wall below her, made her scramble for the cover of a nearby bush and what she saw surprised her.

The boy was back. He pulled himself all the way up and dusted himself off. To look at him, she guessed he was somewhere between the ages of eight and ten years old. It was hard to tell with boys though; boys never looked, let alone, acted their age so she didn't feel sure of her assessment. She also concluded this boy must be Link and one day he would become the Hero of Time. There wasn't any other answer that fit. Of course, she'd heard so many stories about this boy, he seemed like family to her, That must be it, she told herself even though she knew this didn't explain away the familiarity of his eyes.

Lunnaei noticed the boy's blond hair tended to obscure his features, being so long in the front. She lost sight of his face completely when he paused and looked down at his pouch. Something moved within it and the boy carefully reached in and pulled out a small blue-feathered chick. The egg Malon gave him, hatched. His expression up until now appeared mostly gloomy, and Lunnaei found herself smiling when the boy smiled as he pet the small bird in his hand.

Even in the dim light of the moon, she saw on his bare arms and hand the marks, scratches and scars the boy already gained from his quest. She'd always believed the Hero untouchable as well as invincible. It never occurred to her that the boy hero had suffered any hurt. She realized that was a stupid thing to believe. No one could do the things the Hero did without getting hurt sometime.

After the boy placed the chick on the brim of his hat, he cracked another smile when it stayed there without complaint. It even cheeped every now and again. When he looked back at the castle, his look of sad determination returned. Abruptly the boy took off into the darkness, guided only by his fairy light and Lunnaei felt that quirky shift again.

Now inside the castle walls, she found herself atop a pile of large crates. Each of them were marked with a large cows head, but Lunnaei couldn't remember where she'd seen that emblem before. She managed to orientate herself in time to see that boy come around the corner. He was soaking wet and dripped as he and his fairy discussed the large man lying in their way.

Lunnaei wasn't really sure that was what the pair were doing but, she decided, it must be, since the only sounds she heard were the boy's soft speech, the loud snores of the large man and what sounded like wind chimes. Grandpa said the Hero could talk to his fairy...so it must be true. Otherwise, he was talking to himself...a lot.

Lost in her thoughts, she gasped when the ball of light flew up to where she sat and floated there for a moment. Lunnaei felt a jolt of panic, when the boy looked up to where the fairy hovered. She let the breath she was holding escape only after the fairy returned to her charge and the pair returned their attention to the sleeping man. The boy brought the chick on his hat down to the sleeping man's ear and waited. It had grown but looked more like a miniature cucoo now. When the sun peeked over the castle walls, the cuccoo crowed, startling the large man from his sleep. And with barely a: "Huh, Wha? Thank you very much," the man took off toward the town. The boy shook his head and shrugged when the fairy flashed, he then set about moving the large crates.

The world shifted again and Lunnaei found she herself growing accustomed to these weird scene changes. What she did not expect was to find herself perched on a window sill. Once she calmed down and loosened her death grip on the decorative gargoyle, she realized she could see most of the castle grounds from here. The boy steadily made his way toward some unknown destination. Castle guards were everywhere and Lunnaei watched, amazed at how well he avoided detection by any of them.

When he moved out of her line of sight, she expected the scene to shift again. When it didn't she decided maybe if she leaned out a little she would be able to see around that last corner she'd seen the boy take. This didn't work, and she lost her balance and felt herself falling. She braced herself for a rough landing, but instead, she opened her eyes to find herself lying in the grass of a small garden.

A young girl, of maybe ten years, in very formal attire stood tiptoe near a window. A few moments later, the boy entered the garden. He stood and stared at the girl, his fairy flashing all the while. He smirked as the fairy dove into his hat and he moved closer to the window. His smile made Lunnaei feel that odd familiarity again and she wondered anew. Why am I dreaming all of this now? None of it made any sense to her as she sat in up on the grass and watched the two children.

The girl at the window turned suddenly and Lunnaei was struck by how very pretty she was. Even with most of her hair hidden behind an elaborate headdress, a few blonde hairs were visible and her soft blue eyes stopped the boy in his tracks. Now he just stood, staring. Neither said a word until the fairy once again vacated his hat and flashed.

"Oh? What's that?" she asked him and not giving him time to reply she asked, "Is that...a fairy! Then, are you... Are you from the forest?" The boy only nodded in reply and she asked tentatively, "Then...then...you wouldn't happen to have the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, would you! That green and shining stone..."

The hero hesitated, then produced the object. Any doubts Lunnaei may have had about this boy's identiy as the hero, vanished as she gazed at the glowing green stone the boy held up. At first, it appeared wrapped in gold, but looking more carefully, Lunnaei realized the material was wood, just very brightly polished wood. It wrapped around the gem like a tree root.

"I had a dream," the girl continued, "and in the dream, dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule. But suddenly, a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds, and lit up the ground. The light turned into a figure holding a green and shining stone, followed by a fairy. I know this is a prophecy that someone would come from the forest. Yes, I thought you might be the one..."

The boy looked back at his fairy, she was flashing furiously and Link shrugged.

The girl blushed cutely and said, "Oh, I'm sorry! I got carried away with my story and didn't even properly introduce myself! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. Here I am going on about prophecy and I don't even know your name."

The boy still said nothing and his fairy flew squarely into his forehead. His head tipped slightly back and he glared at the ball of light. He rubbed the spot and said after clearing his throat, "My name is Link."

"Link...strange...it sounds somehow... familiar. Okay then, Link...I'm going to tell you the secret of the Sacred Realm that has been passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule. The three goddesses hid the Triforce containing the power of the gods somewhere in Hyrule - the power to grant the wish of the one who holds the Triforce in his hands. If someone with a righteous heart makes a wish, it will lead Hyrule to a golden age of prosperity. If someone with an evil mind has his wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil. That is what has been told... So, the ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from evil ones. I was spying through this window just now." The girl turned and peeked through the window for a moment and said, "The other element from my dream. The dark clouds, I believe they symbolize, is that man in there! Will you look through the window at him?"

Lunnaei's perspective shifted drastically and she found herself inside the castle not three feet from the Gerudo King. The man was not looking in her direction but knelt, head bowed to Hyrule's King. She looked back to the window in time to see Link's small face appear and he froze. Lunnaei looked back and went still herself; Ganondorf was looking at her, or rather through her at the boy in the window. She never understood until that moment what her Grandpa meant by a look of gleeful cruelty...she did now though and Lunnaei shuddered.

Once again, her perspective shifted her back out into the garden and she saw Link as he sank slowly to the ground. He appeared shaken and as he looked up at the Princess he asked, "Have you told anyone about this?"

"Yes. I told my father about my dream...However, he didn't believe it was a prophecy. But...I can sense that man's evil intentions! What Ganondorf is after must be nothing less than the Triforce of the Sacred Realm. He must have come to Hyrule to obtain it and, he wants to conquer Hyrule, no, the entire world! Link...now, we are the only ones who can protect Hyrule!"

Lunnaei noted that Link continued to stare at nothing, but the Princess, caught up in her plans, did not seem to notice.

"We must not let Ganondorf get the Triforce!" she said vehemently. "I will protect the Ocarina of Time with all my power! He shall not have it! You go find the other two Spiritual Stones! Let's get the Triforce before Ganondorf does, and then defeat him!"

Link gave an unenthusiastic nod to the Princess, as if resigning himself to his fate. He stood up then and the Princess handed him a letter and said, "One more thing, Link, take this letter... I'm sure it will be helpful to you."

Link took the letter and turned to go. He went pale as a ghost when he looked into the imposing red eyes of the woman who now stood blocking the exit. As far as Lunnaei was concerned, that woman appeared from nowhere and her warrior's stance made her look impossibly tall. Her silver hair and the tattoos below her eyes made her seem that much more dangerous. Arms crossed and a stern look upon her face the woman stared down at Link. The boy regained some color when Navi flitted in between her charge and the woman.

The woman, however, ignored the fairy light. She fixed her gaze on the boy and said, "I am Impa of the Sheikah. I am responsible for protecting Princess Zelda." She cocked an eyebrow at him and said, "Everything is exactly as the Princess foretold. My role in the Princess's dream was to teach a melody to the one from the forest." She pulled out an ocarina and said, "This is an ancient melody passed down by the Royal Family. I have played this song for Princess Zelda as a lullaby ever since she was a baby. There is mysterious power in these notes. Now listen carefully..."

Lunnaei stared at the boy's ocarina and felt weak. Small, tan and green, she realized it looked just like...she shut down that train of thought and listened as the boy had no trouble easily picking out the notes the guardian played for him. Lunnaei knew the song as well, and marveled; the hero already knew that song or at least a part of the melody. Impa gave the boy an appraising stare and smiled.

"You are a courageous boy," the Sheikah said. "You are heading out on a big, new adventure, aren't you?" The boy hesitated before nodding. "The song I just taught you has some mysterious power. Only Royal Family members are allowed to learn this song," The boy looked up at her as his fairy popped back into his hat. "Remember it. It will help to prove your connection with the Royal Family."

Lunnaei yawned and rubbed her eyes. She felt quite sleepy and when she opened her eyes again she found herself back on Hyrule Field. Link stood a few feet away with the Sheikah as Impa pointed toward the slopes of a mountain to the east.

"Take a good look at that mountain. That is Death Mountain, home of the Gorons. They hold the Spiritual Stone of Fire. At the foot of Death Mountain, you will find my village, Kakariko. That is where I was born and raised. You should talk to some of the villagers there before you go up the mountain. The Princess is waiting for you to return to the castle with the stones. All right. We're counting on you."

Lunnaei watched the boy once the Sheikah departed. His expression looked so lost. His fairy flashed, but he ignored it and sat down in the tall grass with apparently no intention of moving from that spot. The fairy flashed very brightly and the boy flopped backward, arms outstretched, staring into the sky. He remained still and silent for a very long time.

"That man in the castle...he's the one from my dream, Navi," Link said to the fairy. "I know I'm the boy I see standing in the rain...Someday I'll have to fight him, maybe even kill him...I don't know how I'm going to do that...The Princess thinks we can stop him...maybe she's right..." He fell silent again.

Lunnaei fidgeted as she picked at the grass and wondered how much of this dream she could trust. It sure felt real...but it's still just a dream right? Lunnaei felt that familiarity pull at her again. When the boy cracked a wicked half smile in response to something the fairy said, she forced herself to put together the answer she could no longer reject. She'd only seen that devilish grin on one face in her whole life.

Grandpa.

Her attention returned to the boy, his smile was gone again and he said, "Do you think I'll ever get to go home?" The fairy flashed her reply and Lunnaei felt his anguish when he replied in a very soft voice, "I don't think so either."

The dream world faded and Lunnaei found herself awake and once again in bed. She glanced at the empty bed beside hers and looked at the clock. It was almost midnight. She climbed out of bed and rested her chin on the windowsill. So many questions were running through her head she was having a hard time sorting them all out.

The only thing Lunnaei was certain of was that her Grandfather was the Hero...or maybe it was the other way around. The more she thought about it the more confused she became. She looked at the bed again and wondered where he could be, it wasn't like him to be gone for so long, and Lunnaei asked herself, "Who are you now, Grandpa?"


"Luna," the Potter said as his eyes fluttered open. Something happened, something odd, he just was not sure what.

"So Rinku, you have a good nap?"

He turned his head to look at the speaker. Malon sat next to him, her expression made him just a bit nervous as he realized, he was still in the middle of the pasture. His thoughts drifted back again, but this time they recalled a pleasant memory of the last time she'd asked him that question. He felt himself blush and he cleared his throat as he sat up and said, "Yes, thank you Malon, it was very restful."

She didn't move when he rose from grass and started to walk back toward the house. The Potter stopped in his tracks when she said, "Stewart finally told his mother of his plans to join the Regulars..." The Potter turned back and saw Malon's small frown.

"That must have been quite a talk you two had." She paused at his pained expression. "I don't blame you, Rinku. I've known 'bout it for a while. He always had his head all-full of valor and destiny. Gods know the boy's had his mind made up since he was twelve," Malon said as she shook her head. "But I'd so hoped he'd outgrow that. Guess I was wrong. Whatever you said made an impression though, never seen that boy so serious and not a peep out of him about his destiny."

Neither said anything for a time and Malon rose from the grass and moved closer to him. She took his arm with practiced ease and said, "Well, whatever the change, when you go to the Temple, would you make an offering for him and ask the Goddesses protection?"

"I'm not planning to go to Castletown," the Potter said carefully.

As they walked back to the house Malon asked,"You're not? Why else would you come to Hyrule all the way from Durstin?"

"I have commission work in the Eastern Province," the Potter insisted.

Malon smiled. "Whatever you say, fairy boy."


A/N: Portions of the dialogue are taken from text dumps from the OoT. Once again it is late - 12:56am on 01/02/06 - responses for the last chapter I will add to the forum.