Hi, ya'll! I finished Link's Awakening(The remake) not too long ago, and I felt inspired by its ending. This is a one-shot story of sorts dealing with the end of LA. Spoilers ahead for everyone who hasn't finished or played LA.
A Sorrowful Dream
Link felt heavy. So, so heavy. He grasped onto the one thought that kept him going, the one thing that he knew he couldn't leave behind: Marin. Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and he found nothing but water all around him, with slight waves pushing him back and forth. He was clutching a piece of wood as if his life depended on it, and he loosened his grip to stop the digging pain in his hands.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The last thing he remembered was talking to the Wind Fish, and then a blinding light flashing around him. In a panic, Link looked behind him. There was no Koholint Island. He looked around frantically but found nothing, not even a rocky outcropping poking out of the endless ocean around him. It was true. Link stared in shock into the distance. Even though he knew that his adventures on Koholint Island were nothing but a dream, he expected to see something, anything that would tell him otherwise. There was nothing. He was alone.
Before Link could slip into despair, a ripple marred the face of the almost smooth water around him. Bubbles began to form a dozen meters from Link, and a massive shape rose from the surface of the waves. Flying into the air was the Wind Fish! Link let out a weak grin as he saw the mighty whale soar into the air, and locked eyes with the massive god of the winds. A deep sadness was in that eye, and a voice, the voice of the Wind Fish spoke into Link's mind.
"Oh, child, I am deeply sorry for your suffering. Don't let it control you, else you will be consumed by anger and sorrow. Please, remember those who you lost, and remember what you have been through.", the Wind Fish spoke. He glanced at the sky and let out a sigh.
"I am afraid that I must go. My time has come to go back to the heavens. Please, remember my words.". With that, he rose even higher, turning to show his belly as he flew towards the sky.
Soon, only a speck in the sky is all that was seen of him, and Link spent long minutes staring into the horizon. A gull's cry startled Link out of his thoughts, and he looked up in surprise. A seagull with white feathers flew above him with graceful gray-speckled wings. For a moment, Link swore he could see a familiar red flower on its head, but when he looked closer, it seemed to vanish. It let out a long cry, and flew off in the distance, towards a hazy line in the distance.
Link smiled sadly with tears in his eyes, and whispered quietly as he watched the seagull fly away.
"I promise, Marin. I promise that I'll remember."
The End