The Legend of Zelda
Legacy of the Sages
Chapter 5: The Emerald and the Girl, part 3
Link was rather upset. In his happiness to arrive, he had forgotten all about Rose. Rose, his best friend in the whole world; she must have been worried sick about him. He quickly ran off in the direction of the storage tower, when Karen suddenly ran into him.
"You're it!" she said teasingly.
"Sorry Karen," Link said, "I have to get going. I'll be right back."
"Wait," Karen said, "Where are you going?"
"It's urgent," Link said, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Now!"
Link ran off, leaving Karen standing alone, the kokiri silently wondering what could have caused her friend to leave.
Link quickly ran over to the Cucco pen, and opened the loose wallboard. He got over to the storage tower, and was just about to get up when he noticed something different.
The hole in the wall at the base of the tower was gone. It had been sealed up, repaired, completely cutting him off.
Link paced back and forth, wondering how he was going to get up to the top floor when he couldn't even get inside. As he paced, Darin flew up to him from the ranch yard.
"Karen said you left in a hurry," Darin said, "What's the matter?"
"It's Rose," Link said, "I had forgotten about her when we got here. I can't believe myself. Here I am, her best friend in the world, and after three days I forget about her. And now I can't even get inside the storage tower. What am I to do?"
"Well," Darin said, "I'm not a scientist, but I can give you some helpful advice."
"What?" Link asked.
"Try opening the door," Darin said, "It's unlocked. I checked."
Link wondered how Darin could have checked the door when he didn't even have hands, but he didn't care. He tried the door. Sure enough, it opened. Link could see that the room had been cleared out since he had last been there. He quickly dove through the hole in the wall, with Darin following closely behind, and got over to the ladder that led to the top of the tower.
The tower had changed a lot since Link was last inside. He guessed that since he defeated the PagRat and caused all of the Keese, rats, and Guays to leave, there wasn't a need to worry about keeping the tower closed off anymore. Boxes were stacked in different places, objects were organized and old debris and trash was thrown away. Link couldn't even see any blood from his last battle, though he considered it a good thing; he still hadn't really gotten over his first kill, and how the rat just sat there, lifeless on his sword, the very same sword he carried on his back.
Link got up to the third floor. The holes in the open room were boarded up, extensively repaired since they had first been used as a Guay rookery. Link went up the ladder to the fourth floor, and quickly opened up the trapdoor.
Instinctively, Link looked around for any signs of danger. Since his run in with the big Guays, he wasn't exactly too keen on seeing anymore any time soon. He suddenly heard crying over in the corner of the tower's open room.
Link looked over to see Rose, sitting down on the floor. He almost gasped in surprise as he saw Rose's hands in her face, the young girl sobbing quietly. Link quietly walked up without disturbing her, and was just about to walk over to her when his foot creaked on a newly-placed board.
Rose looked up, her face covered in tears. She saw Link standing before her, and almost saw him as a knight in shining armor. She quickly realized the state she was in, and started wiping her face off.
"Link?" she asked, "Is that you? I thought…oh no! Don't look at me, please!"
"Rose?" Link asked, walking towards her, "Why are you crying?"
Rose had wiped her face off, though some tears still fell down her cheeks. "It's nothing," she said, "How was your adventure. Did you meet anybody new on your travels? Link…please don't look at me like that…" She suddenly couldn't take it anymore, she broke into full out sobbing, covering her face with her sleeves on her dress.
Link walked over to where she sat, and sat down beside her. He couldn't explain why he did what he did next, but he just reached across Rose's shoulder, and held her in his arms, letting her cry on his chest. He couldn't help but feel how light she was compared to him, and how soft she was, and his body was wracked in an inner pain to see her cry. He didn't know why, but he just wanted her to stop, and never wanted to see her cry like this again.
Rose looked up into Link's eyes. Link saw her blue eyes gleam like sapphires in the afternoon light. Link always thought Rose's eyes were the most beautiful in the world, though he only thought of her as a very good friend.
"Rose," Link asked, "Are you alright?"
Rose just looked up into Link's eyes, and Link looked into Rose's eyes. Link was captured by Rose's eyes, which were glistening in the light as they had been covered in tears. The moment lasted for quite some time, and Link almost wished that it could last forever.
"Uh," Darin spoke up, "I hate to barge in here, but did somebody forget about little old me?"
Rose and Link turned at the sound of Darin's voice. They quickly parted, both of them blushing crimson, but Rose quickly laughed at the sight of Link.
"What's so funny?" Link asked.
"Your face," Rose said, still laughing, "It's gone so red that it's messing up your outfit!"
Link blushed some more. He was glad now that Rose wasn't crying anymore, though he had no idea why he did what he just did only seconds ago. He decided not to worry about it, and fell down laughing as well.
When they both finally got up, Rose immediately chided Link.
"Link," she said, "I can't believe that you brought a girl here. Who is she? Where is she from? How long have you been seeing her?"
"Is that what this is about?" Link asked bewildered. He laughed again. Rose was jealous because she saw him with Karen. Link had no idea why, but he just saw that as being hilarious.
"What's so funny?" Rose asked, obviously not amused.
"Karen's a good friend," Link said, "A great friend. Almost as great as you. I met her in the Kokiri Forest."
He explained about his adventure to her in full detail, with Darin giving in a couple of details himself when Link couldn't remember certain specific points. Rose gasped at every climax in the journey, and she cried a little bit when Link mentioned Navi. She was happy to learn about how Link defeated the MagniGhoma, and how he got the Kokiri's Emerald, which he showed to her.
"So," she said when Link was done, "You have to gather two other Spiritual Stones from the different lands of Hyrule, bring them to the Princess, and all the while stop seven power hungry sorcerers from summoning your ancestor's archenemy?"
"Yeah," Link said, "That's pretty much it."
"That's awesome!" Rose said. She became a little more suspicious now. "So, what part does Karen play into this dramatic event?" she asked.
"Karen's just a good friend who helped me out when I was in trouble," Link said, "She and Saria saved my life, so I'm making it up to her by showing her a little bit of Hyrule before she has to go back to the Kokiri Forest. She's only here to visit."
Rose looked relieved. Link didn't have time to ask why though, because she suddenly said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Look what I found this morning while you were away."
She pulled a red Ocarina from her pocket. Link was quite shocked, and all the same glad to see the instrument in her hand.
"That's great!" Link said in surprise, "Now I can teach you your first song."
"Wait," Rose said, "You want to teach 'me' a song?"
"Sure," Link said, "You taught me Epona's Song, so why don't I teach you one? However, I think that I need to get Karen over here for this one."
"Oh," Rose said, a little downheartedly, "Link? I wonder, will she like me?"
"Sure she will," Link said, "Let me go get her."
In truth, Darin was the one who went to get Karen from the other kids. Link simply got her up through the tower. When she met Rose for the first time, they both got on quite well, and Link could see right away they were going to be fast friends. Rose and Karen both found out that they both love animals, and Karen discovered that she and Rose had a common passion for singing. Link could hear them humming away, but then he brought them to the reason why he wanted them together.
"Karen," Link said, "Do you think you can teach Rose Saria's Song?"
"Sure," Karen said, "Why? Does she have an Ocarina?"
"Sure do," Rose said. She pulled it out from her pocket.
"That's great!" Karen said.
"Um," Rose began to ask, "What's Saria's Song? Is Saria the sage girl you met in the forest?"
"One and the same," Link said.
"Do you think she will mind if I played her song?" Rose asked.
"Of course she won't," Karen said with a giggle, "Just relax and listen to the music, and then see if you can play along. Link, back me up once she starts playing please."
She pulled out her Ocarina, and began to play the song. Rose did her best to play along, and after the third try she managed to get the hang of it.
Surprisingly, Link felt a tug on his mind, and a presence that felt like a basked of flowers entered his mind. Rose, Link thought, are you there?
Link saw Rose suddenly jump, but when she saw that Link's lips hadn't moved, she began to realize the powers within the song. She closed her eyes and a smile formed on her face. Almost immediately after, a stream of thoughts quickly entered Link's head.
Link, she thought, How are you doing that?
It's the magic of Saria's Song, Link thought, It can allow people to telepathically speak to each other, even at great distances. We can use this to get into contact with each other if we are alone!
Rose smiled. Her expression alone told Link everything about what she thought of the power to speak through minds. Link quickly sent out a warning. However, he thought, it's only limited to friends, like really close friends, or people with a lot of power. That's why I asked Karen to teach you this song, because that way you and I can talk to each other no matter how far away we are.
Though a mischievous glow behind her eyes died out, the smile remained. Thanks, Link, she thought.
The next day was one of mourning. Though only Dalon, Nalon, Link, Darin, and Karen were the ones required to attend the funeral for Navi, the entire ranch decided to partake in the death of the Hero of Time's greatest friend. Everyone came and said their goodbyes, even though they never met the fairy. Darin and Liann, both fairies who knew Navi in their lives, both said a small obituary they came up with. Darin said at the end of his, "I'll always remember you, mom."
When everyone went to leave, Link, Karen, and Darin remained behind for a short while. Rose came up to Link and held his hand. Link turned to Rose and just realized how much he appreciated her as a friend.
"I'm so sorry Link," she said, "And I'm sorry to you too, Darin. I can feel that somewhere, your mom misses you. I should know; both of my parents are dead, yet I can feel them all the time."
"Thanks Rose," Darin said, resting on her shoulder.
The two Hylians, the two fairies, and the Kokiri Girl all had one last look at the tiny grave that sat next to the unmarked grave of Link, the Hero of Time. On the small stone that marked her grave said; Here lies Navi, guardian fairy of Link, Hero of Time. Though fate had split them both apart, they will always be remembered for the rest of time. May both of them be treasured in heaven and be immortal through all time with our memories.
Karen and Rose spent most of their time together for the rest of the day. Though it was still a day marked by mourning for Navi, the ranch was still abuzz with life and activity. Karen and Rose went to pick weeds in the garden, while Link, accompanied by Darin, went to do some exercises that were meant to keep Link in shape. Though Link knew he would be no match for any sorcerer, let alone a group of seven at a time, he wanted to make sure he stayed in shape for any other creature he came up against.
They were up on the fourth floor of the tower. Link was practicing his sword movements, refining his jabs and slashes without taking out his arm, while Darin practiced some low level magic, using his wind powers to summon small gusts of wind. Sometimes he would summon tiny dust devils that would dance around each other; other times he would summon a small gust of wind that would make the leaves take on a specific pattern on the ground. He kept at it, using only minimal amounts of magic at a time, taking care not to go overboard.
"Why are you practicing in smaller portions?" Link asked, still making light jabs with his sword at imaginary enemies, "You do really well with your Farore's Gust without practice at all."
"True," Darin said, concentrating on levitating a small cluster of leaves on the ground, "But you and I both have something in common in our practicing; we both desire control. While you want to make sure that you can control your sword movements without dislocating your arm or feeling sore in the morning, I am trying to control my magical powers without wasting too much potion to recharge myself. Basically, I am trying to train my body to use magic with less potion."
Link didn't really understand much about magic, but he guessed that it pretty much meant the same thing.
Link took most of the day practicing, and then exercised Epona for a while. While he was doing that, Rose was teaching Karen to ride a horse. Karen sat on Windmane's saddle, doing her best to keep her balance. Windmane, who's calm and gentle demeanor made him the exact opposite of his half-sister, Epona, just trotted gently along, making sure to slow when he felt Karen start to lose her balance.
"See? It's easy," Rose said.
"I might just get the hang of this," Karen said, and was just about to laugh when she suddenly fell off Windmane's saddle, landing in the grass nearby.
"Are you okay?" Rose asked.
"I think so," Karen said, "That wasn't so bad."
"It could have been worse," Rose said, "You could have ridden Epona. Going that slow makes her agitated, so she might just buck you off for sport."
They laughed. Link looked down at Epona. She looked rather irritated at the girls for what they had just remarked. Link almost laughed himself, for he had almost misjudged his horse's intelligence. He lightly kicked her flank and did some more laps around the horse pen.
When the day started to draw to a close, Link, Karen, and Rose decided to sleep out under the stars for the night. Link lay back beneath a light blanket, with Karen on one side and Rose on the other. Darin was swirling around, playing amongst the fireflies in the night sky. Liana, though reluctant at first, followed suit, and the fairy pair danced about amongst the luminous insects.
Link kept thinking about the next day. It would be time to head to Hyrule Castle Town, and to visit Princess Zelda. He almost didn't know what he was getting into, but he felt that it was his duty to find out more about the Spiritual Stones, and what he was fighting against. He also felt that if anyone could help him find out more, it was her. He didn't know how or why, but somehow he just felt it.
He fumbled around in his pocket. He felt the strange tear-shape gem inside. He had been keeping the Moon's Tear with him for quite a while, not knowing where to put it. He knew he couldn't just leave it anywhere, or it might get stolen or lost by accident. He felt that he had to put it somewhere where he was confident that it was safe, somewhere where he didn't have to worry about losing it to anyone.
A sudden thought came into his mind as he lay there. He looked to the right of him to make sure that Karen was asleep. Sure enough, the Kokiri girl was snoring peacefully with the blanket she kept, her body lying gently on the grass. With that, he turned towards his left, to a barely sleeping Rose.
Rose had her back turned to him, though Link could tell that she was awake. She never slept unless she was on her back, and even then the covers would be loosely over her body. Link could see that her body was covered tightly by her blanket, which she clung with her hands.
Link shifted over to her, and tapped her shoulder.
"Rose?" Link asked.
Rose suddenly popped her head up like a child who was just caught with her hand in the cookie jar, then regained her composure and turned around.
"Link," she said, "I was sleeping. Why did you wake me up?"
"I didn't have to," Link said, "You were already awake."
"Was not," Rose said in denial.
"Come on, Rose," Link said, "I've known you all my life, and I know almost everything you do. Don't you think I would know when you were asleep or awake?"
She sighed. "Alright, you caught me," she said guiltily, "What is it?"
"Rose," Link said, reaching into his pocket, "I want you to keep this for me."
He pulled out the Moon's Tear. Rose stared at the jewel with her eyes opened wide.
"It's called a Moon's Tear," Link said, "It's a very rare jewel. It belonged to my great grandfather. Since I don't think I can find a safe place for it anywhere else, I want to give it to you."
Rose looked up at Link. "You want me to keep this?" she asked unbelievably.
"Yes Rose," he said, and put the jewel in her hands. Rose looked down at the palm-sized jewel, gazing into its smooth surface. Link looked as she held it tightly in her hands, and almost saw a tear glisten in her eye.
She looked back up at Link. Her eyes glowed brightly in the starlit sky. As always, they shone like a pair of bright Sapphires, though their surfaces glittered as they reflected the stars.
"Thank you, Link," Rose said, and she came up and hugged him. Link returned the hug, feeling her warm body across his. He could feel her soft hair caress his cheek, and her light body lean against his. They held their embrace there for who knows how long, letting the moment last in the darkness of night. As he hugged her, a warm feeling bubbled up inside of him like a spring of water. Though he was confused as to what it was, he could also feel that, no matter what, he would make sure that Rose would always be happy. He made a solemn vow never to give her a reason to cry like he did the day before, and that he would always be there for her.
Darin and Liana had stopped their playing to watch the two down below. Darin smiled, and looked over at Liana. She stared back, and nodded her approval at the pair. Darin was proud; his young charge was growing up faster than he realized. Darin knew though that he personally had quite a while to wait before he grew up: At least seven years had to pass before he would become an adult fairy. Though he wasn't young by normal standards, he was still wet behind the ears, though fairies, unlike most mortal races, could stand the wait.
Karen was also watching Link and Rose, though from beneath her blankets. She smiled; her two best friends cared for each other a lot. She now understood why Link had reacted so strangely when he left to get Rose from the tower. She quietly and politely turned herself around, and slept, letting Link and Rose's moment pass on into the still night…
Elsewhere in Hyrule, a pair of guards stood watch over the drawbridge of Hyrule Castle Town. They watched over the mighty walls of their charged kingdom, and stood like silent sentinels in the gloom.
Suddenly, a strange looking horse and rider headed to the castle from the direction of the east. The rider was soon accompanied by two more riders, who wore the formal attire for a pair of knights, though their garbs were nothing like the armor that the Knights of Hyrule wore. The armor was grey and blue, covered in ornate designs, had cloth sleeves, and ended in billowing capes. The helms that the riders wore both looked alike; classical knight helms with horns on the sides in the shape of crescent moons.
The rider and knights halted at the foot of the drawbridge. One of the guards came to the edge of the parapet, looking down on the trio of visitors.
"Who goes there?" the Knight shouted.
One of the knights below shouted up. "Hail, members of the King's court. We are prince Vaati of Minikus and company, seeking shelter for the night, and the council of your king."
"We do not know of any land called Minikus," the knight's companion shouted down, "only those with a royal seal can seek council of the king, and due to the recent uprising in Stalchildren-"
The knight was cut off when the strange rider in the center of the two knights reached into his cloak. Suddenly, his free fist glowed with magical power, and from out of his hand a sealed scroll shot out in the direction of the knight. With a gust of wind, the scroll landed promptly in the hands of the bewildered knight.
"How is that for your proof?!" the figure shouted out arrogantly, "Now do not waste my time any longer, and let us pass! We have urgent council with King Vladimir Hyrule, and it cannot be delayed a second longer!"
The knight opened the scroll, and was shocked. There, in plain written Hylian, was a universal order to any man of lower status to allow the man in question inside their city gates to meet with officials. It was signed with a royal seal, but it was none other than the official seal of King Hyrule the II himself, even though he was long dead!
The knight showed the parchment to his companion. After a quick nod, the first knight looked back down. "Hang on a second, your majesty," he said, "We cannot allow you to the king just yet, but we can at least allow you inside the gates. This won't take long!"
Down below, the figure gazed victoriously at his two henchmen. The men gazed back silently, undoubtedly believing that their master would accomplish this end of the mission in one way or another.
Perfect, the figure thought, Everything's going according to plan. But how else can it go than according when the great Vaati is the one doing the job?
He made an silent, arrogant laugh well up in his throat at the boost of his own ego, and then waited for the drawbridge to descend. When it had reached to the ground, Vaati strode inside Hyrule's gates leisurely, his henchmen following closely behind. The drawbridge closed behind them all as Vaati made his way to the inn for the night, and began plans for what he was about to accomplish inside of the castle walls…
To be continued…
Kerian: Wow...young love on one side of the land, and yet dark intentions not too far off! Sorry for the slight delay; I had to take a vacation for a while. Don't worry, everything's back up and running, and I would just like to say...THANKS for the reviews!
To Dii4star: I am glad you appreciate my work, though I can't guarantee a personal character for you...though if you Email me a request later I will explain why...(this goes for all fans; I do not like the idea of accepting requests for characters in my story for obvious reasons, so after this point I request that nobody does so...thank you)
To Galadriadhar: Thank you for reviewing. So far, I think you are probably one of the few people who have read both this story and my previous epic, and I appreciate the review. Thanks for your support!
To Ri2: No...Darin is not going to go evil like Vader. I said that Darin is like Anakin in the sense that they both didn't have dads for nothing more than extreme amounts of magic (or the force in Anakin's sense)...I won't give off anything more as far as my little Shadow Fairy is concerned save for that, so...yeah...
Again, thank's for the reviews, and more chapters to come soon! Also, expect to see our friend, the "Wind Mage" a lot in the future...
-Kerian