Zelda's Search
Ch 4 - Beginnings

The Dawn Of

The First Day


- 72 Hours Remain -

I opened my eyes hazily, seeing a giant blue blur. My head throbbed. What just happened? The last thing that I remembered was playing my Ocarina of Time alongside Brian, Link's double. Then we fell through the white hole in the ground...Eh. My head hurt just thinking about it.

My vision cleared, allowing me to see the sky. I sat up and promptly sank. Back in the swamp. Great.

I swam to the shore, climbing out of the water, soaked. My dress felt twenty pounds heavier when it was wet. Too bad I had nothing else to wear. Brian must be where he started, too. But where was that? Probably in the mountains. I decided to wait until we met in the field, just wait there until I saw him riding by.

I did too much waiting, I thought. Nevermind that, I'd march straight to the town, and if he wasn't there, then I'd wait for him to get there. I was definitely not going into the mountains. Snow is bad.

I left the swamp, ignoring the Deku this time, and made my way to Clock Town. To my distress, Brian wasn't there. All was well, though; I would find him soon enough. I sat outside of the southern gate, waiting for him to ride past just as he had a few days ago.

"Zelda," someone said from behind me, sounding doubtful. I turned around and smiled.

"Brian!" I cried happily. "Or is it Link?"

"It's Brian," he said reassuringly, allowing me to hug him. "Um...I was worried about you, too?"

I laughed. "If that ever happens again, this is where we meet, okay?" I suggested mildly. "Then I won't be running around the country looking for you again."

"Clock Tower would be more convenient for me, if you don't mind."

"Sure," I said. "Well, come on. We've got to find Link right away." We started across the field, Brian in the lead, toward what he called the Great Bay. I hoped you could fish there, because Link really liked fishing.

We went to the shoreline, scanning the waves for Link. There were a pack of gulls off the coast a bit. I didn't think much of it until I heard a agonizing groan.

"Link!" I cried, running into the water with my newly dried dress. I swam a ways out, and found an injured Zora. Not Link, but still someone in need. I tried to drag him to shore, but only succeeded when Brian came out and helped.

"Will...will you listen to my song...?" he asked, drawing in quick, painful breaths.

"Of course," I said gently. With that, he leapt up, whipped out a guitar, and started singing a strange song that I missed most of the words to. After he finished, he collapsed, breathing heavily.

"Please...heal my wounds..." he gasped.

"I...um..."

"The Song of Healing?" Brian suggested. I gave him a quizzical look. "This mask seller guy taught me it once. It fixed this kid trapped as a Goron. Pretty cool, actually. It heals the victim's spirit and makes it into a mask."

I shrugged. "If you think it will help, then play it for him. I've never heard of it."

He nodded, pulling out his golden ocarina, and played the mysterious song. The Zora seemed to go into a deep state of concentration, then his body dissolved, leaving behind only a mask.

Brian picked up the mask gingerly. "Should I wear it?"

"I don't care," I said. "Go ahead."

He took a deep breath and put the mask on his face. He stumbled, leaning on me for support.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. He didn't answer; he bent over, clutching his stomach. Then, he stood straight up and screamed.

I screamed, too. His face looked like it had molded into the mask. I fell back, landing in the sand. Then I looked up and saw a Zora standing above me.

"Hey, this mask is cool," he said, in a somewhat aquatic voice. "It was a little painful, but it was all worth it. Check these fins! This is the best!"

"Brian?" I asked in disbelief.

"I bet I could swim wicked fast," he said, grinning. He turned around and jumped into the water, taking off faster than I'd ever seen anything go before.

I raised my eyebrows, completely weirded out. There was obviously something wrong with this kid. "Come back here," I yelled. "I need you to help me! We're supposed to be looking for Link, remember?" Naturally, he completely ignored me. I sighed, treading a bit into the water.

"Sorry about that," he said, suddenly right in front of me. I fell back and landed in the surf. "I don't know how to change back," he admitted after laughing at me.

"Take the mask off, genius," I muttered, taking his hand as he helped me up. "How hard could it be?"

"Well, there's not exactly a mask anymore," he said. "It's kind of part of my face."

I giggled. "Take off your face, then."

He sighed and, squeezing his eyes shut, put his hands on his face. He protested softly, but he was back to normal in a few seconds. "This is cool," he said, handing me the mask.

I shoved it away. "I don't want this thing on me! Eww, keep it away!" I cried, backing away. He laughed and threw it toward me, and I shrieked.

"You scream like a girl!" he laughed.

"I am a girl!"

"Oh, yeah."

I blinked. My childish instincts were returning; I was losing my adult sense of rationality. This scared me, and I became extremely withdrawn. Brian was concerned, but didn't say anything. He just led through a small cave-like opening and said, "This way to Zora Hall. I think you need that mask to get there. You know, to swim."

I said nothing, just stared in the direction he had pointed. I suddenly felt very insecure, like it was impossible to do what I needed to. Nothing I did so far seemed to have worked. I was so confused and afraid.

"I'll go, if you'd rather," he said, looking hurt. I realized he had been talking to me, I just hadn't been listening. I felt bad.

"I'm sorry, I'll go. Just thinking, is all..."

He handed me the mask, and I held it a few inches from my face, terrified. I knew it was going to hurt; I could feel it. Taking a deep breath, I put the mask on my face. Instantly, it felt like it was burning up. Red-hot scorches shot through my skin, and I screamed in agonizing pain. I felt my insides rearranging themselves to fit the Zora body, and did it ever hurt. I nearly lost consciousness, but I stuck it out, and realized that I was, once again, tall.

"You were right," I said after a moment. "This is amazing. I'll go to the Zora Hall, hopefully find the right place, and see if Link's there."

"Um...I figured something out while you were transforming," Brian said wearily. "Link can't possibly be there. He'd need this mask, but we have it."

I just stood there for a while, waiting for the realization to strike. I felt like an idiot. Why hadn't I figured that out? I can't be expected to know everything, though, could I? "It's alright," I finally said. "I was going to have to do this sometime anyway, I suppose." I changed back to my normal self, not quite as painful as a process, but still not pleasant.

Brian and I walked around the beach for a bit, not quite knowing what to do next. I started thinking again, which I knew was going to lead to no good from the beginning.

There was nothing for us here. All I needed to do was head back in time...well, really, forward in time...and stop the older me from playing the wrong note. Then I could prevent all this from happening. But I couldn't help but think that this was my fate, like it was supposed to happen this way. After a moment, I decided that I was crazy.

"I'm playing that song again," I said decisively, more to myself than to Brian. "I'll go back and stop myself from playing the song that sent me here."

"But then what will happen to you?" he asked, concerned.

"I guess I'll just dissolve away into nothing, or maybe I'll suddenly be the small me again," I suggested mildly. "Or I'll just snap straight to my original destiny and be living a normal, adult life, with different memories."

Brian was silent, walking alongside me toward Flame. "Will you remember me?" he asked finally.

I frowned. "I won't," I replied. I could feel the bitterness in his heart, angry that he wouldn't be in my memories. "You won't remember me, either. We'll live our separate destinies apart, never to meet again. I'm sorry; that's just the way it has to be."

"We'll play your song again in the morning," he said sulkily, mounting Flame. "I want to go with you to your final moments of..." He trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say.

I understood perfectly, somehow. He wanted to remember me, and I guess he thought that he'd squeeze every last second of out time...together. I felt touched and honored to have made this impression in such a short amount of time. We mounted Flame, and started off toward Clock Town. But we passed it and headed straight on toward the mountain.

"We are not going back up to that cave, are we?" I asked in fear.

Brian laughed mischievously, grinning. "Of course not," he said, in a syrupy tone. "I've got other snow-filled places you can stay."

"No!" I screamed, jumping down from Flame's back. The horse whinnied, grinding to a halt. Brian laughed at me again.

"Fine, we'll go to Clock Town this time, Your Majesty. Happy?"

"Extremely," I said, smiling. "Come on. The sun's starting to set."

We walked a ways, with Brian leading Flame, until it was very dark. We sat on the ledge outside the town walls.

"I'm glad you're smart," I said, gazing up at the twinkling stars. "We would have been killed."

"I know," he said. "Isn't it cool, escaping death at the very last second?"

"Um, right," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's cooler living without getting anywhere near death, though."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it really is. I should know."

Brian looked at me. "You're a Princess! What could you possibly know about almost being killed?"

I laughed bluntly at this question, and at the confused look on his face when I did. "Wow, have I got a lot to tell you," I said. I began the long story of mine and Link's fight for peace in Hyrule as the moon drew ever so slowly closer in the thick, midnight air.

º*End Chapter Four*º

I hope everyone liked it! Please review, and please suggest some twist in the events, as I have no idea what should happen next. You could call it writer's block, I guess...So please, do assist me in this time of need. I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!!

Oh...and something else I'd like to know, for those of you who do...Say you've got an Original story that you'd like to post that isn't exactly a short story (let's just say it had nine chapters ^_^). Also, it's not quite a novel, as it only has nine chapters. Where do you put it? Sorry, but I haven't got much experience with Originals. If you could help me with that, I would forever appreciate it! Thanks again!!