"Ooow" Link groaned, holding his head in his hands.
"Master Link! Just what kind of tomfoolery are you up to in there?!" Mrs. Grainshold, the landlady, demanded shrilly from behind his door. "Now come on and get out of bed Master Link. You said so yourself last night, you need to make an early start today."
Link was silent in the hope that if he ignored her long enough, she might go away.
"Right. I'm coming in there, and I'll get you dressed myself if needs be!" She said, reaching for the door handle.
"Oh No No! I'm fine! Lis-" Link started.
"-Is that Master Link talking?" She cut in. "No, it couldn't be. Surely, if it were him, he would have answered me earlier wouldn't he? Master Link would never ignore me would he?"
Link could feel the sarcasm just oozing off of her words.
The door handle turned quickly, and the door swung back on it's hinges to hit against the wall with such force that Link was half afraid of the ceiling falling down around him. Noticing that she was actually intending on coming in, Link grabbed at the blankets and modestly covered himself as best he could.
Mrs. Grainshold was a matronly lady, her bosom rocked with ever step she took. And when she became flustered, it would shake so much as to put Death Mountain Volcano to shame. Link was terrified.
"Right young man. Time to get up. It's a beautiful day, and you must be on your way." She said, taking a grip of the blanket Link was holding around his waist.
"Mrs. Grainshold!" Link protested.
"Don't be foolish child. I've had two husbands to whom I gave birth to five children. And three of them were boys. I don't believe you've got anything I haven't seen many times before."
"Bu...but!" Link fumbled.
"Oh all right." She sighed. "You've got three minutes. If you're not up and out by then, I'll come in and invite the whole town to watch me pour a bucket of ice cold bucket of water around you in your birthday suit."
Link knew all too well that Mrs. Grainshold didn't know meaning of the word "threat". And never before had she used one. She dealt in statements of fact. She was a legend in the town of Hyrule; particularly remembered for the time she hoisted the mayor's undergarments up the flag-pole in place of Hyrule Cities traditional colours; to the cheers of many towns-folk, after he had insisted that all non-Hylian traders from other cities must pay a tax for the privilege of selling within Hyrule Cities walls. The mayor had been furious, and issued a public statement to the ends that no such actions would have an effect on his stance. The tax had been quietly dropped a few days afterwards.
Link finished preparing rather quickly after Mrs. Grainshold had left; slipping on his red Goron One-Piece tunic. This had been a present from Mrs. Grainshold after he had outgrown his last one. When he'd first worn his old Goron tunic in front of her, she balked and complained that he'd catch his death if he went about wearing skimpy little things like that. The next day, he had found a new Goron tunic in his size amongst his other clothes. Knowing that it must have been dreadfully expensive, Link felt that the least he could do was to thank her - but she was to have none of it; claiming that she'd had it lying around unused for years, and it would be of more service to him than it would filling up space in her wardrobe. Link, of course, didn't believe her. He had just finished tightening the strap of his scabbard around his chest when Mrs. Grainshold walked in again.
"Ahh. Nice to see you up dear." She greeted him in an altogether more friendly tone. "Sorry I had to be so rough on you earlier, but you're really not a morning person." She chuckled.
Link grinned. "That's OK. If you hadn't of woken me up, I'd likely have slept on. And I really do have to be off soon."
"Where are you off to today? I don't think you ever got round to telling me."
"Malon has told me that Goron traders are very scarce these days, and those that do arrive tell tales of a some kind of monster on Death Mountain. Something that many are afraid to go past. And I," Link said as he hefted his sword. "am going to go see what it is."
"Well...be careful, all right?"
"Yeah, of course." Link said as he walked up to the window.
Drawing back the thin lace curtains, Link took a look at the morning sky. A few wispy clouds streaked across the blue; the sun hovering above the skyline, slowly making it's way upwards to the top of the sky. Looking down on the streets, Link could see merchants start to set out various wares on their stalls; middle-aged women clustered around the waterfall in Hyrule City square, talking and laughing with each other, occasionally taking the time out to complain at a young boy, who chased around the square laughing and shouting for somebody to catch his dog. A young couple danced together in the street; regardless of the lack of music, seeming only to have eyes for each other.
Mrs. Grainshold stepped up beside him, and also looked out the window.
"We have you to thank you know..."
"Huh?" Link asked.
"Don't play play Mr. Modest with me Master Link. I know damn well that you're very much more than you seem."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Link blushed.
Mrs. Grainshold gave him a look that spoke volumes about her belief in his previous statement. Then shrugged, "If you want to play it that way...fine. Just don't expect anyone else to believe you though. There's something special about you Link. Everyone knows - and feels - it whenever they're around you."
They were both silent for a moment, until Mrs. Grainshold spoke up again, "Well, this is getting you no-where fast Master Link, you'd best be off now."
"Yeah," Link walked across the room, towards the door.
"May the Goddesses watch over you..." Mrs Grainshold started.
"And may the light of the Triforce guide you." Link finished as he stopped walking for a moment.
"Don't be a stranger."
"Oh don't worry about that. You have the cheapest room rates in all of Hyrule." Link grinned as he started to walk away again, "I'll not be staying anywhere else."
"You couldn't afford anywhere else." Mrs Grainshold muttered as Link reached the door. She couldn't see his face, but she hoped he was smiling.
Link sighed as he closed the door on what had been the closest to a home he had found in years. Kokiri Forest just wasn't an option anymore. Things had changed too much...he had changed too much. Thoughts of Kokiri Forest brought back memories of his childhood; it was sad, to think how he had grown apart from his childhood friends – especially Saria. He tried to keep in touch with her, but things where different now. Time, Link mused, must really have an agenda of its own; he was the Hero of Time now. It was his destiny to protect Hyrule against the darkness. Time had chosen him for that task, a task that needed - and frequently called for all that he could possibly give...and sometimes more. People thought that Link was the Hero of Time; but he knew that there was no "Link". Link was a child, who had lost his way a long time ago. Time just wanted a hero, the fact that there seemed to be a person attached was a minor inconvenience to it.
Saria saw that too. When she looked at him, she could see the Link that she once knew, trapped by by a shell of duty, destiny and a feigned strength. She could hear his unspoken question, "Why me?", And it tore her apart inside that she had no answer to give him. The happy go lucky Hero of Time facade, no matter how convincingly Link played it, was no hindrance to her. She could see past that, into his soul...and she saw a little boy, her best friend, who just wanted the pain to stop.
Link rarely saw her anymore. How could he? How could he see her when he knew the pain it caused her. He could see the tears that threatened to spill every time they were together. They were burned into his memory; unshed crystal tears framed by her sad little face, sitting on the tree stump deep within the Lost Woods. That had been the last time they had seen each other. And what he realized that day had shaken him to the very core. Something that Saria had known all along. That if Link was to see just one of those tears was to fall from her eyes, he would find himself again. The hero facade that he had kept for year after year would fall away as dust as Link found his place at the side of his friend. And Hyrule would be left without a guardian – just when they needed one the most. Saria had looked as if she wanted to ball her eyes out.
He needed to be strong. Hyrule needed him to be strong. Link just wished destiny had picked someone else.
But Link's quiet, introspective mood was interrupted by another tight clenching pain in his chest. It seemed as if his entire upper body was caught in some kind of vice. A thudding ache that enclosed his chest. Yet, at the same time, there was a sharpness to it, as if a dozen or more blades had pierced him. A strangled cry attempted to escape, but Link caught it and clamped his mouth closed. No weakness, he thought to himself. His hands clutched at his chest as he fell onto his knees. He clenched his eyes shut, his mouth closed, and tightened every muscle in his body into a tight knots. Desperately, Link tried to remember what he had done the last time to make it stop, but his memory was unclear, blurred by the intensity of the pain. On and off, the same pain had been coming to him over the past few days - getting worse each time. He was beginning to get light headed, and the world around him started to spin. Link was slowly drifting into unconsciousness, his muscles started to relax and the pain seemed to dull as he slowly drifted away from the waking world.
As Link further lost his grip on consciousness, strange pictures filled his head, of another like him, but...different somehow; as if he was seeing a reflection of himself in another body. He could see Ganon, laughing at him. Even in this disoriented state, he lashed out at him, but the image fell away and the laughing faded away in a cruel echo. A young child flashed into vision, a boy with eyes that spoke of an unnerving determination and hatred. The child looked him back, set his jaw and walked off in the opposite direction.
Surrounded once again by the cold, bleak darkness; a distant trill with a bright, almost musical quality caught at Link's ears. He also noticed a feeling of warmth on his back, and turned to see an inviting light in the distance. The light seemed infectious as it quickly spread towards him, casting a greenish hue onto the darkness. Together, the light and song became stronger; shattering his darkened prison. Saria. The realisation hit him like a blow to the chest. Even in his dreams she was there for him. He could try to avoid her, he could try to forget; but she would always be there.
"It's not your time yet." Her voiced echoed in his mind. He couldn't see her, but it felt like she was all around him. "Relax," she soothed, and started playing her song again. For a while, he was content to listen to her song, to let it wash over him and rejoice in the peace it brought. For this moment, Link and Saria could be together again. But it couldn't last, and eventually the music started to fade.
"Saria!" He called.
Link turned around, searching for Saria.
"Saria!?"
"I'm here." She answered from behind him.
Link turned quickly. "How? How long have you been there?"
"Link, we don't have much time..." she lowered her head
"Saria, you're fading. What's happening?"
"It's time for you to go back Link."
"I...I don't want to go back!" He pleaded with tears filling his eyes. "I want to stay here. With you."
"Soon. I promise." She answered, almost invisible now.
"I...love you." He whispered, almost choking on the words.
She smiled. It was the first Link had seen her smile like that for many years. Then everything was gone.
Link awoke in the wooden hall outside his room, with no trace of the dreadful pain from only moments ago. He noticed his left hand clutching the Ocarina of Time and wondered if he was holding it before he was unconscious. Not that it mattered. He lifted himself from the ground and slipped the ocarina back into his tunic. It was time to leave. He made his way quietly through the inn, careful not to wake any of the other guests. Mrs Grainshold's front door made a squealing noise as he opened it; Link noted that he'd have to remind her to have that fixed.
The day truly was beautiful; even more so than it had looked from his window. Link took a moment to enjoy it. A small breeze came in from over the city walls, lifting some fallen leaves from under the trees. They fluttered on the ground in front of Link, coming to a rest as the breeze stopped.
"I love you," the words floated around in his head unanswered. Spoken just as they had been torn apart. He sighed, she probably hadn't even hear him. He looked down on the leaves again; his heart leaping as recognition hit home.
The words "I know" spelt clearly by the fallen leaves. Link grinned and walked on; another faint breeze lifting the leaves again as he walked past. Drifting higher into the air, they circled him for a moment before being carried away.
To be Continued.