A/N - This is one of my favorite chapters! I hope everyone who is reading this story will pay
attention to this note. The little poem/prophecy thingy here? As the story progresses, read it and
you will see how it was so cleverly written. It was hard to write, especially rhyming. I also like
this chapter because we meet Marin! I love Marin ... she is so ... me!
Also, for anyone who cares, I added a certain scene to this chapter that was not here before. I
decided I want Link and this girl to have more of a ... *snaps fingers, trying to think of a word*.
Well, I want them to "know" each other better. Anyway, it is cute so I like it. I don't know why I
didn't leave it before. I guess I had decided that this part was waaaaaay too cheesy, but i fixed it
so don't worry. Anyway, please have fun reading my story! - MarinK
Chapter Ten
Finding Our Pasts
After finding the monster, defeating it, and escaping to the world above, they were both
exhausted. Their majesties sent both of them to separate rooms, servants and healers in with
them night and day until Link finally knocked one of them out in frustration. Then they had to
give an explanation of what had happened, and also revealing how Zelda and the girl had known
about the place. When it was all over the only thing left to do was look at the one, last scroll.
The girl had picked it up at the last moment and had held onto it. Written upon it was a
prophecy or poem of some sort telling about the cure. It read:
For one who seeks to know the truth,
To find the cure unknown.
What you shall need is not a sooth,
Or magic from the dead and bone.
The pieces simple, the price not high,
Three things of far, three things not sold.
The place to find them, you need not fly,
Is reached only by those not old.
Far away, from the island of the sun,
The path so clear, though you do not see.
The girl will meet you, and give you each one,
A small silver feather, and a drop of her sea.
The final question, do you have the nerve,
To battle the monster, you must be braver.
Are you the one who does not serve?
Are you their sought after savior?
The one weapon you can play
The soft melody of Melody,
But more than that we cannot say.
Though some know not her to be
Shall your friends weep, and be mourning?
Can you defeat evil as one,
Without them adorning?
Only then shall your prize be won,
The Mystical Flowers of Morning.
It was long and almost none of it made sense to either of the teenagers, or the king and queen. One night the two of them stayed up, trying to figure it out. Both their heads were close together, almost touching, as they looked at the scroll.
"Well, the 'cure unknown' has to be the cure for the Siesta Flower," the girl muttered, "because they said that was the only cure they didn't know." This did make sense, but it was only a small portion of the puzzle.
"Is reached only by those not old . . . ." muttered Link, staring at the paper.
"And what we need are a silver feather, a drop of this girl's sea, as well as that flower of morning, which seems hardest to get, since you have to get past a monster . . . ."
. "From the island of sun . . . . ." Link was oblivious to her, as she was him.
" . . And we already battled a monster, didn't we? That shadow horse or whatever it was. And what could possibly be worse than that?"
"The path so clear . . . . . . the girl will meet you . . . ."
"And to me, it looks like the monster is guarding that flower. But why? It isn't magical is it? I mean it said that you wouldn't need any magic at the very beginning." She sighed and placed her head on her shoulder, the night howling outside, and the fire crackling beside her.
"I have it!" The girl was so startled that her head slipped and her chin bumped her knees painfully.
"What have you got?" she muttered, rubbing a spot on her left leg.
"I know where we have to go! We have to go to Marin's island ---"
"--- who is Marin?" she asked, cutting in sourly. Link didn't bother to answer though, intoxicated with his brilliance.
"Koholint!"
-*-*-*-*-
They stayed up until it was very late, Link explaining all about Marin and Koholint, how he had gotten there and saved it from monsters and such.
"So is she another one of your girlfriends?" she said after a while.
"Well, not really, but all of my friends are girls." Link thought this was a good way of putting it, but the girl shook her brown hair. So, he does have a girl friend, she thought angrily, Well, next time I'll know better than to fall in love with a hero! She slowly got up and left without another word, head down. Link started after her, then thought better of it, walking down the stairs to take a walk, alone.
She slammed the door to her room, throwing her clothes on the floor and changing into a soft cotton nightgown for bed, telling herself how much of a fool she had been, how he could never have liked her anyway and was just being polite. For the first time in years, she felt like crying, not from a memory, but from an emotion that had just popped up without warning. Trying to distract herself, she opened her brown knapsack and smiled at the two paintings she pulled out. They wouldn't want me to be sad, she thought. She kissed them both and placed them gently back into the bag. They didn't seem to fit but then she found the wind chime, blocking them.
Setting them down, she pulled out the forgotten wind chime. The wavy colors, the clear vacancy of thoughts, the smooth and cold surface. She strolled to her window and hung it on a stick that had formally held a birdcage. At once, the magic held a breeze to play the calming notes of her mothers lullaby. She hummed with the song and sat at the window, gazing into the slightly stormy sky. I love the smell of rain, she thought soundlessly. She sat down in one of two chairs, so fixed on the night sky, she didn't hear anything going on around her.
Thinking about her mother began to bring up slight fears in her aching body. Her mother loved her father so much and they both had died. Secretly, somewhere deep (either her soul or her toes), she believed the same fate would await her if ever anyone loved her, or if she loved them. Besides, she thought while brushing her hair, Link didn't love her. Maybe he liked her enough to be friends but not love. He could have any girl he wanted.
Setting her brush aside, she began to braid her long hair. Tying it securely with a ribbon, she walked onto the balcony, her mother's melody playing in the breeze. She leaned over her balcony, that was overgrown on one side with thorny rose bushes and a large tree reached up even past the railing around her balcony. She looked to see how far down the roses went, when she saw Link, walking alone in the garden. The light rain made a little ting sound on the stone.
Smiling, watching him stride around, bumping into a man and bowing slightly, making a
few remarks and eventually sitting down on a stone bench, covered in ornate designs that she
could not make out from where she was. He sat there, pulling on his now damp blonde hair and
suddenly turning around. It took her a moment to realize he was watching her too now. He stood
up and began towards her window. Blushing furiously, she walked away from the balcony and
sat on her bed, the heavy drapes around it closed tightly.
-*-*-*-*-
Walking around in the gardens, Link wondered why this girl was different. Certainly, Link had maintained very close friendships with many girls but this felt different. Smiling, he remembered how they had met in the woods. They had hated each other and now ... what was happening? Somehow I feel she is in love with me, thought Link, but it can't be ... can it? I mean, I love her but is it my imagination that makes me think she loves me back? She seems afraid of me at times, yet she clings to me in times of desperation. Finally, Link decided he was just plain mad and it was too late to think about such things.
Walking quickly, not thinking of or watching where he was going, he bumped into the Duke Roald.
"I -I'm sorry, your Grace. I wasn't watching where I was walking," said Link, slightly bowing in his embarrassment. The Duke was a kindly old man, round about the middle, thinning hair and a broad face, great for smiling and laughing.
"You too I see?" Duke Roald said heartily. "I was bitten by the Lady Gwendoline, how about you?" Link stared at him, a bit startled. He shuffled his feet.
"I'm not sure I quite understand you sir ..." remarked Link slowly, considering his words and looking utterly confused.
"Bitten! Lad, I could see it in your eyes." He chuckled and hiccuped a few times. "Some people may use more elegant terms but I seem to fancy 'bitten' to 'smitten' or 'love-sick swain,' don't you? Good luck with you lad! It looks like rain doesn't it?" he chortled, heartily laughing as he went. Link sat down on a stone bench, rose bushes surrounding him in this small alcove, a drop or two of rain dripped down his hair. He pulled on his hair in large handfuls as if to rip it out. Was love always this frustrating? He looked up at the stormy rain skewn sky, then to the east to see how light it was becoming. As he did so, his eyes stopped on a balcony. A girl in a white nightdress was watching him. It was her. His beloved friend with no name by which to call her. He stood up and began eagerly towards her balcony, but she flushed and walked swiftly away.
He paused. More rain fell, in sheets now. He shivered, wondering what he should do,
whether or not to go see her. Deciding against it, he walked back to the door in which he had
come out from only to find it locked and the guard gone. He was probably shifting duty and it
would be another half hour before a guard returned. Icy rain poured onto him, his clothes would
be soaked through in a moment. He looked back at the balcony and began towards it again,
slightly pink in the face and not just form the cold.
-*-*-*-*-
Her eyes slightly wet, the green-eyed girl curled up on her bed, pulling her ornate quilt up around her. As she began to fall asleep to the rumbling thunder, a rustling woke her. She peeked out the slight gap in her curtains to see Link, climbing up into her balcony from the high tree. She lay back down, her eyes wide open as she thought wildly. He began walking across the floor, his squishy foot steps sounding, water dripping.
Link pulled back the curtains, the girl trying very hard to pretend she was asleep.
"Are you awake?" he said softly. She didn't move, didn't dare even breathe. Link brushed the hair from her face that had escaped her braid and kissed her cheek softly, making the girl shiver slightly from the cold. Then, after a long moment of silence, he kissed her lips. A feeling of slight terrifying goodness swept over her, making her open her eyes. When he released her, he saw the look of terror in her eyes. Link's face went red as a beet.
"I-I ... the door was locked and I-I uh, couldn't get back in the castle. Your balcony window was open ..." he stopped, thoroughly embarrassed at his explanation. He knew she wasn't thinking about how he had gotten inside her room. She sat up, shaking.
"Link, I -- that was just so --" she stopped. Both of them sat there, pink cheeked and bright eyed. They both stared at each other, wondering what the other would say. The silence was complete. Finally, Link stood up, saying "I should be going, it's late. I wouldn't want to leave a watermark in your chair." He walked away, closing the door behind him.
Melody laid back down, staring at the ceiling of her canopy bed, wondering what would
happen tomorrow. Even though the sun's first light was coming, sleep claimed her and the
strange melody of her wind chime crept into her dreams.
-*-*-*-*-
"Melody. Come my child, the night is nearly gone!" The girl's eyes opened and stared. She wasn't in the palace. In fact, she wasn't anywhere she knew of. She had been laying on the shore of a piece of land, perhaps an island, on a golden beach. And there was a women standing above her, with golden hair and eyes that were . . . she gasped. Just like mine, she thought.
"Yes," replied the women.
"I didn't say anything," she said, sitting up and looking around.
"Didn't you think your eyes looked like mine just now?" she said, frowning.
"Well, yes," she murmured, baffled. How had she known?
"We are linked by our magic," she answered, yet again, " and our link is even stronger because you are my daughter."
"I can't be!" she said, her temper rising in her. "My mother died from a very fatal illness!"
"Yes, I did," whispered the women, her voice serious, yet still kind. "I died one night, happy to leave my pain. When I woke from death, I found myself here on this island. I travel here by night and am a whisper in the wind by day, so no one knows I am here. Until you came," and she smiled warmly.
"No," said the smaller girl, "My mother is dead. She died from a fatal sickness."
"I know I did, but --"
"You are NOT MY MOTHER!" she yelled and ran away from her, tears streaming down her cheeks, her mouth full of a bitter liquid from biting her tongue. She tripped in the sand and fell, her face covered in little grains of sand stuck to her tears. How could that woman be so . . . so . . . general about it? And she wasn't her mother!
Then the sound that filled her ears made her heart leap for joy. It was her mother's song, sung by her mother. She shifted into a sitting position and watched the woman, sitting there on the shore line. All of her doubts were lifted when she heard that song. Somehow she just felt it was the truth, somehow in her heart there was no doubt. Her heart recognized the voice, her mother's voice. How could she have yelled like that to her mother? Slowly and solemnly, she walked over to her.
She just sat there, staring at the sea and singing the song through before looking at her daughter.
"Melody," she said.
"What?" answered the girl.
"Your name is Melody."
"But I don't have a name." Her mother shook her head.
"That is what I wanted to name you. I was hoping your father would think of it, but he never did. I didn't want him to agree just because I thought it was nice. I wanted him to know it was the perfect name for you." She smiled yet again, then took a short glimpse at the horizon where the sky was growing lighter.
"Melody," she said, quickly, "You must save the princess. The Mystical Flower of Morning . . ."
"How did you know about that?" she asked.
"Remember, I can see your thoughts. With practice you can see mine. But now you must listen! The only way you can get to the Flower is past the monster and you need to remember this. The only way to get past is to --" And then she dissolved in the air, as if she had never been there at all. Melody stood up and looked about. No one, but her was on the shore and there wasn't any civilization nearby. She began to run, searching and calling, but it was no good. Where had she gone? And how was she to get home?
Dizziness suddenly washed over her and she fell onto the sand, her eyes barely making
out the first rays of sun.
~*~*~*~*~
"So who's the sleepy head now?"
Melody sat up and looked about. She was back in the palace, the sun rising in the sky. It must have all been a dream, yet it had been so real. She was so focused on her thoughts she hadn't noticed Link's comment. Then she jumped. Memories of last night flowed back to her.
"Are you going to sit there all day?" he asked, tugging on her arm. He was acting as though nothing had happened. Melody's heart sank. Perhaps he didn't really love her. Perhaps she had dreamed it ...
"Hmm?" she asked, distractedly.
"I said, we need to get going. Link pulled her to her feet and she came out of her daze. They were only a foot apart. She drew back.
"What happened last night?" she said quietly, trying to pull her hand away. His grip remained firm.
"Well, I was just -- and you were so --" he said but couldn't continue. So she hadn't been dreaming after all!
"Why did you kiss me?" she went on bluntly. The death-grip on her hand tightened at her words. Link didn't seem to notice, just stood there.
"I don't want to talk about it ... not just yet." Melody nodded at him and decided to go on being angry about him barging in. She pulled her hand away and stepped back form him.
"And don't come barreling in like that in the morning. You know I hate that. Don't you have any kind of human feelings? Next time just knock!" she said angrily, "And I am not you anymore, I'm Melody!"
"Your what?" he said, confused after her long speech. She shook her head and grudgingly told him about her dream, explaining that her name was Melody now.
"But that can't be," he said, frowning.
"I know, but --." He stopped her.
"No, it's just that you seemed to think it felt real right? As if you where actually there?"
"Yes," she said slowly, wondering what he was getting at.
"That is just the way I felt about Koholint." Was he saying that she had been on Koholint? She didn't know how to get there though.
"It couldn't have been," she said, matter-of-factly, "You said you had to know the way or . ."
"Or be called," he finished for her. He looked at her thoughtfully. "And she probably knew where to find you because her song was playing, that wind chime." It sort of made sense, if any of it had made sense.
"But how can you travel to an island in a dream?"
"I don't completely understand it myself, but your just gonna have to trust me." The question was, did she trust him? That was the one thing she didn't know. But what choice did she have?
They both went down to breakfast and told the king and queen about their plan and what
they had discovered last night. Hesitantly, they agreed, seeing there was nothing else that could
be done for now. Quickly, Melody and Link returned to her room where they both laid down
and tried to fall asleep.
*** Half an Hour Later ***
"How in Nayru's name are we suppose to fall asleep?" Link grumbled.
"I don't know," Melody said, thinking. "Maybe we can listen to my wind chime. That helped me ... last night."
"I suppose it's worth a shot," Link sighed, obviously doubtful. She ignored him and picked the chime up out of her knapsack and carefully hung it on the wooden pole as before. Then she returned to the bed, the music already playing.
After a few moments passed, Link's eyes began to droop. Guess she was right, Link
thought as he yawned. In another minute they were both sound asleep.
~*~*~*~*~
"Where are we?" said Melody, looking at her surroundings. They were in a vast world of grayness with many holes all around her.
"In the place before dreams," answered Link, right next to her. Instead of walking, he sort of floated over to one of the holes and paused, waiting for Melody. Then they both went through the hole, into a swirling vortex of gray fog.
Melody had to shut her eyes to keep from being sick. She held onto Link's hand, not daring to let go and be thrown away from him, becoming lost. Then she landed on something a bit squishy and soft, as her feet sank into it. She opened her eyes and saw that it was sand. Looking around even more, she saw that this was the very spot where she had been with her mother!
Frantically, she let go of Link and began to search around and then remembering that since it was day, she would not be here.
"Link? Link, is that you?" A small figure was running towards them. From what Melody could see it had to be Marin. She had long flowing red hair, eyes as blue as the sea at night, and a perfect figure. Just what any boy could want, thought Melody, a bit jealously.
The girl rushed up to Link, not noticing her, and gave him a big hug. Link hugged her back and Melody felt a slight pang in her stomach, her cheeks going a bit pink.
"Oh, I've missed you so much!" said Marin, still hugging Link.
"I missed you too," said Link as they finally broke their hug. Marin looked over and saw Melody, dressed in the same red outfit that she had worn before.
"Who's this?" she asked, not the slightest bit of resent in her voice.
"This is Melody. Melody, this is Marin." At least she hasn't gotten too mad yet, Link thought, looking at her scowl and pink cheeks.
"Oh, hi Melody!" Marin said walking over to her. She seemed excited about meeting someone new, an always-be-happy expression on her face.
"Hello," said Melody, a bit stiffly.
"We were wondering if you could help us Marin," said Link, trying to change the subject.
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Well it is kind of a long story but --"
"Oh, lets go back to my house to discuss it then," she said, grabbing his hand. "Might as well be comfortable." She pulled Link along, with Melody behind them.
When they reached her small and perfect little house, they stepped inside to a room with some wooden chairs and a small table. Also there was a small birdcage in the corner, with many little birds fluttering about inside it, singing a beautiful song. They sat down, as Marin ran to get some drinks and such for them. When she came back, Link explained everything as fast as he could, having already told it many times. When they had finished, the sun was overhead and Marin had a peculiar look on her face.
"We have a legend similar to that, but I thought it was just a story." Marin seemed to be getting at something.
"What is it?" asked Link.
"Every year we have this, er, ceremony where we act out this old legend about two strangers, a boy and a girl, coming here on a quest. A maiden is chosen to give them a silver feather and a tear drop for them in pity for their fate. Then they go on to face the monster of the island, yet it is the girl who wins against it, and then the maiden presents one of the golden sun flowers, which I am guessing is supposed to represent your Mystical Flower of Morning."
"So people act out our quest, that we are doing right now, every year?" Link was astonished. So Marin knew exactly what they were going to do.
"Well, they never really face the monster," she said, "It is much to dangerous. They also don't get the real flowers either though I have heard they are extrodinary."
"Marin, what is the monster?" asked Melody, slowly, knowing that they were going to have to face it.
"It is a monster of vines and plants. It guards the small patch of flowers on all sides in a pit. Anyone who has even been down there has died." Her voice was very solemn at these last words. Melody felt a bit nervous about that. The last time she had faced living vines was when they had nearly killed her. She wasn't really looking forward to another round of it.
"Are you saying that you've always had this monster? Why didn't you ever tell me about it?" Link felt a bit hurt by this.
"I just thought that this one would be too much for you," she said smiling, "I wouldn't want to lose my best friend, now would I?" At this, Link shot a look at Melody that had I-told-you-so written all over it. Okay, so maybe Marin wasn't Link's girlfriend. Melody was now very embarrassed about her little tizzy last night, fretting over nothing.
"So when does this ceremony start anyway?" asked Link.
"Oh, in a few weeks," said Marin, waving her hand, " but I can just get you what you need right now." She walked over to the cage and caught one of the birds and shut the cage again. To it's discomfort, she began to search all over it, pulling it wings open and shut again until, at last, she pulled out one of the downy feathers. She handed it to Melody and she saw that it was gleaming silver.
"Every bird on this island has at least one silver feather," Marin explained, seeing their strange looks. "Now all I've got to do is make myself cry," she said a bit indignantly. It seemed to Melody that she didn't like the idea of crying.
Marin sat there for about ten minuets, squinting and blinking here eyes, trying to squeeze out a tear into a small bottle she held.
"Oh this is stupid," said Link, getting up. He walked over to Marin and stepped on her sandaled foot very hard.
"OW!" shrieked Marin, her eyes watering with pain. Link grabbed the bottle and scooped up a few of her tears in it.
"Ok, now that's done," he said, restraining his laughter as Marin stared at him with anger. "Can we go face that monster now?"
Marin silently stood up. "Okay, but I'm warning you," she said, as if scolding Link, "It is a lot worse than it sounds."
They followed her over to the door and left, Marin slamming it so that it hit Link as he went out. The last leg of their journey had begun.
