Disclaimer: I don't know why I bother with these things any more... I'm
sure no one even bothers to read them. I know I don't. But anyway. This is
the part where I tell you I don't own anything that anyone else has a claim
on, and that all characters I create are purely fictitious, except when
they aren't. But telling you who is who wouldn't be very nice, now would
it?
Chapter 8: The Missing Link
Night was falling by the time I made it back to the gates of the Village. I wasn't thrilled by the prospect of traveling in the darkness, but the thought of going back to the inn was even more repulsive, so I figured I'd take my chances with whatever waited in the night.
Sword in hand, I padded down the steps, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Absently, I wondered what Link was doing. As if in answer, I heard a shout, and the clash of swords from down the river. Cursing, I ran along the stream, trying not to skewer myself on my sword.
It didn't take me long to reach the source of the sound. I found Link, sword drawn, locked in battle with an armored skeleton. Snarling, I hefted my sword and charged towards them recklessly. I hefted my blade, and lopped off the skeleton's arm, leaving him vulnerable to the sharpened edge of Link's steel. The skull hit the ground, and rolled, gazing up at me with vacant sockets. The rest of the specter cracked, and collapsed.
"So much for Kate Moss." I joked. Link glanced at me blankly. Right. Pop culture references in an imaginary world are NOT appreciated, I guess. "Never mind. Are you okay?" He nodded, and I sighed. This one-sided conversation thing was getting old. "Where are you headed?"
"C.c..ca..castle." Hyrule castle... Huh.. Zelda, no doubt. Although, he hadn't remembered her when I had mentioned her before... Had they met, then? How long had I been in the Sanctum?
"Oh. Okay, then. I guess I'll be on my way, then. It was nice seeing you again. Oh, and thanks, by the way, for the rupees and stuff. I... " I sighed. "Never mind. Anyway... maybe we'll cross paths again." I paused, leaving him an opening to invite me to come along. I knew he probably wouldn't, but I couldn't help but wish. He just watched me, quietly. "Okay, then. This is me, leaving." Come on, Link... "G'night." I turned, and started to walk away, pausing every so often, just in case. Was he stupid, or did he just not care?
"W...w...wait!" I stopped, and turned, heart pounding. This was the part where he told me he needed me, that he wanted me to come, and that he never wanted to be without me again, right??
"H..h..h..he.here..." He held out a small pearl-colored object, potato shaped, and covered with holes. It took me a second to realize it was the Fairy Ocarina.
"Won't you need this?" He smiled at me, and held up another, and I almost smacked myself. The Ocarina of Time. Of course! I didn't know he'd kept it.
I nodded, and took the small woodwind. "Thank you, Link." I felt myself tearing up. Saria had given this to him. Did he not remember her, either? I put it in my backpack, noting absently how it never seemed to get any heavier, no matter what I put inside it, and forced myself to smile. "Well, I guess..."
"C...c...come w..w...ith m..me?" I almost gasped. That was impossible. Link traveled alone. That was the way it had always been, and the way it always would be, right? But then, why had he allowed me to stay at the inn with him? This was getting more complicated by the second. And yet, another visit to Zelda's palace would help shed some light on the path home. And who knows? Maybe I'd locate another of the three oracles?
"Sure." I smiled at him, and shouldered my bag. Sheathing my sword, it occurred to me that I had been pretty confident when wielding the weapon. Especially since I'd never even held a sword until two days ago. I smirked to myself. Why shouldn't I be adept with a weapon I'd never seen before? It happens in video games all the time, right? And what was this but a video game gone horribly wrong? Focus, Colt... Zelda first. Philosophical musings about the reality of RPG worlds later. "Well... To the castle, then?"
Link grinned at me, and gestured. "R..r..race?" Well, he was certainly an enigma... I barely had time to nod before he took off down the sloping grass, leaving me panting to catch up with him.
The trip back to the castle didn't take nearly as long as the trip from had taken two days before. Perhaps it was the companionship? I found that as we traveled, I was becoming more adept at translating his gestures, and that he didn't need to try to speak as often. As the castle loomed into sight, Link motioned for us to rest. Gratefully shrugging my pack from my shoulders, I threw myself under a nearby tree and tugged my shoes from my aching feet.
Link smiled, and opened his pouch. He tossed me a sack of small red berries that reminded me vaguely of cherries. Then, he settled under the tree, and dozed off. I took that moment to examine my new ocarina. I had seen copies of these being sold in a magazine ad, and had purchased a small one for Zeke, who fancied himself something of a musician. I had ended up spending more time with it than he had, finding that I could toot out all my favorite melodies from Ocarina of Time.
The ocarina I held now was of better quality, made of a material that shimmered in the dawning light. I had never understood why Link had found it necessary to exchange the ocarina for that nasty blue one, but hey, I didn't write the script. Or had the script been written at all? Did the story somehow transfer itself from this world into mine? Was my history taught as folklore here? All this inter-dimensional crap was making my head hurt, so I shoved it to the back of my mental filing cabinet, and resumed my appraisal of the ocarina.
Glancing at the slumped form of my companion, I stood, and walked a couple yards towards the castle, and placed the ocarina to my lips. The sound that issued forth sent shivers down my spine, and before I realized what I was doing, I found myself playing the Ballad of the Windfish, a song I had spent weeks obsessing over, trying to find the right fingerings. The song floated through the air, and I could almost hear Amy's voice, so faintly that I couldn't be sure it wasn't just the song echoing back from across the plains. Suddenly, a second sound filled the air, a smooth tone, not as bright as my own. It flowed in and out and danced harmonies around my song, picking up the melody and playing off in variations. The sound brought me to my knees, but I kept playing. The song seemed to pull itself out of me, and I had no choice but to try and keep up.
Finally, after what seemed like eons, but may have been no more than three or four minutes, the song came to an end, and I collapsed, tears filling my eyes. For a brief moment, I had seen something that defied description. I had fully understood what was happening to me, and it had both scared and excited me. But, as swiftly as the revelation had come, it was gone, leaving nothing but a vague recollection of something felt, an echo of a feeling that defied words. Link stood a few feet away, his ocarina in hand, gazing at me in wonder.
"You felt it, too, huh?" He nodded, and frowned. "Has that ever happened before?" He shook his head. "Didn't think so." I stared down at the ocarina in my hand. It looked so innocent, so mundane. Who would have guessed that it possessed such power? Link's hand fell on my shoulder, and he nodded his head towards the drawbridge of the castle even as it lowered to greet the day. I stood, shakily, and placed the instrument in my pack. "Okay," I said, proud that my voice was steady, "let's get moving." We walked towards the open maw of the castle, and neither of us said anything about what had passed between us. We didn't have to. I already knew. And suddenly, I wasn't so sure I wanted to go home after all.
Chapter 8: The Missing Link
Night was falling by the time I made it back to the gates of the Village. I wasn't thrilled by the prospect of traveling in the darkness, but the thought of going back to the inn was even more repulsive, so I figured I'd take my chances with whatever waited in the night.
Sword in hand, I padded down the steps, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Absently, I wondered what Link was doing. As if in answer, I heard a shout, and the clash of swords from down the river. Cursing, I ran along the stream, trying not to skewer myself on my sword.
It didn't take me long to reach the source of the sound. I found Link, sword drawn, locked in battle with an armored skeleton. Snarling, I hefted my sword and charged towards them recklessly. I hefted my blade, and lopped off the skeleton's arm, leaving him vulnerable to the sharpened edge of Link's steel. The skull hit the ground, and rolled, gazing up at me with vacant sockets. The rest of the specter cracked, and collapsed.
"So much for Kate Moss." I joked. Link glanced at me blankly. Right. Pop culture references in an imaginary world are NOT appreciated, I guess. "Never mind. Are you okay?" He nodded, and I sighed. This one-sided conversation thing was getting old. "Where are you headed?"
"C.c..ca..castle." Hyrule castle... Huh.. Zelda, no doubt. Although, he hadn't remembered her when I had mentioned her before... Had they met, then? How long had I been in the Sanctum?
"Oh. Okay, then. I guess I'll be on my way, then. It was nice seeing you again. Oh, and thanks, by the way, for the rupees and stuff. I... " I sighed. "Never mind. Anyway... maybe we'll cross paths again." I paused, leaving him an opening to invite me to come along. I knew he probably wouldn't, but I couldn't help but wish. He just watched me, quietly. "Okay, then. This is me, leaving." Come on, Link... "G'night." I turned, and started to walk away, pausing every so often, just in case. Was he stupid, or did he just not care?
"W...w...wait!" I stopped, and turned, heart pounding. This was the part where he told me he needed me, that he wanted me to come, and that he never wanted to be without me again, right??
"H..h..h..he.here..." He held out a small pearl-colored object, potato shaped, and covered with holes. It took me a second to realize it was the Fairy Ocarina.
"Won't you need this?" He smiled at me, and held up another, and I almost smacked myself. The Ocarina of Time. Of course! I didn't know he'd kept it.
I nodded, and took the small woodwind. "Thank you, Link." I felt myself tearing up. Saria had given this to him. Did he not remember her, either? I put it in my backpack, noting absently how it never seemed to get any heavier, no matter what I put inside it, and forced myself to smile. "Well, I guess..."
"C...c...come w..w...ith m..me?" I almost gasped. That was impossible. Link traveled alone. That was the way it had always been, and the way it always would be, right? But then, why had he allowed me to stay at the inn with him? This was getting more complicated by the second. And yet, another visit to Zelda's palace would help shed some light on the path home. And who knows? Maybe I'd locate another of the three oracles?
"Sure." I smiled at him, and shouldered my bag. Sheathing my sword, it occurred to me that I had been pretty confident when wielding the weapon. Especially since I'd never even held a sword until two days ago. I smirked to myself. Why shouldn't I be adept with a weapon I'd never seen before? It happens in video games all the time, right? And what was this but a video game gone horribly wrong? Focus, Colt... Zelda first. Philosophical musings about the reality of RPG worlds later. "Well... To the castle, then?"
Link grinned at me, and gestured. "R..r..race?" Well, he was certainly an enigma... I barely had time to nod before he took off down the sloping grass, leaving me panting to catch up with him.
The trip back to the castle didn't take nearly as long as the trip from had taken two days before. Perhaps it was the companionship? I found that as we traveled, I was becoming more adept at translating his gestures, and that he didn't need to try to speak as often. As the castle loomed into sight, Link motioned for us to rest. Gratefully shrugging my pack from my shoulders, I threw myself under a nearby tree and tugged my shoes from my aching feet.
Link smiled, and opened his pouch. He tossed me a sack of small red berries that reminded me vaguely of cherries. Then, he settled under the tree, and dozed off. I took that moment to examine my new ocarina. I had seen copies of these being sold in a magazine ad, and had purchased a small one for Zeke, who fancied himself something of a musician. I had ended up spending more time with it than he had, finding that I could toot out all my favorite melodies from Ocarina of Time.
The ocarina I held now was of better quality, made of a material that shimmered in the dawning light. I had never understood why Link had found it necessary to exchange the ocarina for that nasty blue one, but hey, I didn't write the script. Or had the script been written at all? Did the story somehow transfer itself from this world into mine? Was my history taught as folklore here? All this inter-dimensional crap was making my head hurt, so I shoved it to the back of my mental filing cabinet, and resumed my appraisal of the ocarina.
Glancing at the slumped form of my companion, I stood, and walked a couple yards towards the castle, and placed the ocarina to my lips. The sound that issued forth sent shivers down my spine, and before I realized what I was doing, I found myself playing the Ballad of the Windfish, a song I had spent weeks obsessing over, trying to find the right fingerings. The song floated through the air, and I could almost hear Amy's voice, so faintly that I couldn't be sure it wasn't just the song echoing back from across the plains. Suddenly, a second sound filled the air, a smooth tone, not as bright as my own. It flowed in and out and danced harmonies around my song, picking up the melody and playing off in variations. The sound brought me to my knees, but I kept playing. The song seemed to pull itself out of me, and I had no choice but to try and keep up.
Finally, after what seemed like eons, but may have been no more than three or four minutes, the song came to an end, and I collapsed, tears filling my eyes. For a brief moment, I had seen something that defied description. I had fully understood what was happening to me, and it had both scared and excited me. But, as swiftly as the revelation had come, it was gone, leaving nothing but a vague recollection of something felt, an echo of a feeling that defied words. Link stood a few feet away, his ocarina in hand, gazing at me in wonder.
"You felt it, too, huh?" He nodded, and frowned. "Has that ever happened before?" He shook his head. "Didn't think so." I stared down at the ocarina in my hand. It looked so innocent, so mundane. Who would have guessed that it possessed such power? Link's hand fell on my shoulder, and he nodded his head towards the drawbridge of the castle even as it lowered to greet the day. I stood, shakily, and placed the instrument in my pack. "Okay," I said, proud that my voice was steady, "let's get moving." We walked towards the open maw of the castle, and neither of us said anything about what had passed between us. We didn't have to. I already knew. And suddenly, I wasn't so sure I wanted to go home after all.