Title: Festival of Waves

Pairing(s): Guess.

Rating: K+

Warning(s): Reference to girly parts.

Note(s): I have a headache; I am not responsible for any stupidity that rubs off in my writing as a result of this.

Chapter 3: The Sun Rises

"While you see a chance, take it. Find romance, fake it."

-"While You See A Chance" by Steve Winwood

Morning always came too soon for Link. The young hero tossed in his bed, restless as the sunlight poured in through the window, shining directly on his face. He groaned as his eyelids cracked open, feeling the heat of the sun's rays sting his eyes. He sat up, his head pounding, his neck sore. Needless to say, he was not a morning person.

Running his fingers through his messy hair in an attempt to tame its wild nature, the boy stood up, taking in his surroundings. He was surprised to discover he was no longer below the deck of Tetra's ship - then he remembered they had arrived in Windfall last night, taking up residence in the local inn. His shoulders sagged, relieved. He noticed one of his roommates, Komali, had already left - probably to take a morning flight. The other, Makar, was sound asleep, curled up in a ball under the bedsheets.

A big grin spread across his face, suddenly feeling invigorated with a burst of energy. He hurried to get dressed, ready to explore the marketplace. Windfall was ever-changing with its right hand in the world of trading, so every time he returned to the island, it seemed completely new to him. After stuffing his left foot into his boot, Link quietly headed for the door, not wanting to wake up the sleeping Korok. Just as he was about to turn the handle, Link heard a quiet voice behind him:

"Link?" murmured Makar groggily, sitting up and rubbing his right eye. Link glanced at the Korok and gave him a toothy smile.

"Mornin'. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said. Makar paid no attention to the Hylian's apology.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Just to the marketplace," Link explained, straightening up. "You're free to tag along, if ya wanna get dressed." At this offer, Makar looked torn. He wanted to be able to go out and spend time with his dear friend, but at the same time, he feared people would look at him funny, or point and laugh at his odd physique. He seemed to mentally struggle with himself for a bit before answering.

"No thanks... I might meet up with you later though," he replied quietly, pulling the sheet back over his head. Link tilted his head slightly, looking concerned; it wasn't like Makar to be so... melancholic. He was normally vivacious and adventurous, which was what usually got him into trouble in his seed-like form. Link ultimately concluded that the Korok was just tired after their long time spent at sea, and merely needed to catch up on sleep.

"... Well, alright. I'll see you later," the Hylian said, slipping out the door.

There was nothing Komali liked better than the feeling of wind rushing through his hair as the air current carried his wings far above the earth. He grinned as he flew over the bustling Windfall marketplace, quite literally getting a birds-eye view of the daily commotion. Feeling his wings were sufficiently stretched, the Rito opted for a landing near the edge of town - that is, until he spotted Medli picking sea flowers near the ocean.

Making a dramatic change in his direction, Komali swooped down to greet her, landing just a few feet away. Medli did not seem surprised by his sudden arrival at all, lifting one of her delicate hands to wave at him.

"Good morning, Prince Komali," she said politely, smiling. As Komali approached her, she respectfully stood with the flowers she had gathered in her arms.

"What are you doing?" he asked, almost immediately regretting asking it. "What a stupid question," he thought, mentally hitting himself. "She's clearly collecting flowers because she likesflowers, doy." Medli didn't seem to think so, and smiled offering him one of her vivid, blue flowers.

"There was an empty vase in the room Tetra and I are staying in; I thought it would be nice to fill it with some flowers since we're probably going to be staying there for a few nights. Might as well make it like home, right?" she said. Warmth burned in his chest as he accepted her gift, finding the situation somewhat ironic. Weren't guys supposed to give girls flowers?

"It's strange, I've never seen flowers like these before, though," she continued, holding them to her beak, sniffing them. "The ones back on Dragon Roost were only maroon, or red; these seem so foreign... supposedly, they only grow during Windfall's rainy season." He couldn't help but find this cute, how much she loved flowers; most Rito females were enraptured with the rare, golden feathers of Kargarocs. But not her. She loved whatever the earth had to offer in its natural state.

As Medli went on with picking her precious flowers, Komali plopped down on the damp grass, watching her. He couldn't help but remember how in his earlier years, shortly after he had grown his wings, he would boldly venture to the top of Dragon Roost, simply to retrieve the nameless, pinkish flowers that grew at its peak. At that time, he wanted to show how grateful he was to have her as a friend. And now, as he watched her hum to herself, he wanted to do the same. He wanted to reiterate how important she was to him as... more than a friend?

He shook his head. A friend she was, and a friend she was to stay. Rito law forbade him from courting her, and he would not dishonor his father. Nevertheless, he still desired to show her his appreciation. But how? Flowers, in his book, didn't cut it anymore. She wasn't materialistic, so any type of gift was out of the question. After all, actions speak louder than words...

Komali's eyes wandered to the sky, pondering the things that stirred in his heart.

The marketplace was much busier than usual. Link had to push his way through crowds of people in just trying to get across the street. He began to wonder if going to market today was a bad idea. As the Hylian found his way out of yet another compacted patch of people, he took in a deep breath. He briefly considered turning around and heading back to the inn, but this thought was squashed when he spotted Tetra browsing through bottles of ink at a nearby stand. He was about to call out to her when he had second thoughts; was he crazy? He and the captain had not been getting along lately so why would he even consider talking to her now? Link turned away, hoping to sneak off when he heard someone call his name.

"Link!" cooed a familiar voice loudly. The young hero mentally cringed, sure that Tetra would notice him now. And he was right: the blue eyes of his captain wandered over toward him, just in time to see a blonde, freckled girl tackle him with a hug. The sight of her arms around Link was more than enough to get Tetra's blood boiling. Her face heated up in her anger and she stiffly looked away to purchase her ink, though she still kept a watchful eye over the pair.

"Hello, Mila," Link said, patting the girl's back awkwardly. It had been several years since he had seen the young woman; she looked different, older. She had definitely grown up since he had last seen her.

"In more ways than one,"he added mentally as she pressed herself flush against him. Tetra's right fist clenched together tightly, nearly cracking the red rupee she was using to pay for her ink. After Mila pulled away, she took a quick step back, placing a more respectable distance between herself and the hero.

"So, how have you been?" she asked with her trademark smirk.

"I've been alright," Link answered honestly. "Been doing a lot of traveling."

"As per usual," she added flippantly. "Me? Well, you'll be happy to know that thanks to you, I've gone straight since my days sleeping on the streets. I managed to save up enough money working as Zunari's shop assistant to actually purchase a home for my father and I to live in. It's nowhere near as comfortable as our previous residence, but it's tolerable."

"That's great news," he replied, grinning nervously and wanting to escape as soon as possible. While he was enjoying this trivial conversation with Mila, he could feel Tetra's relentless gaze burning into the back of his head, and it was making him feel sick.

"I'm happy for you," he continued. Just then, Tetra stormed by, making her presence known to the two as clearly as she could without making a huge scene. Her blue eyes made brief contact with Link's, and then glared at Mila. Mila, in response, glared back, shifting her weight onto her left leg and putting her hands on her hips.

"What's her issue?" she asked. She recognized the girl as Tetra, the pirate who had safely returned her and Maggie to Windfall, but couldn't comprehend why she would have a bone to pick with her. If anything, she should have been the one upset with Tetra; after all, the pirate was the one who had "robbed" her father of his fortune.

"Nothing, just ignore her," Link said, almost sounding cold. Suddenly, realization dawned on Mila.

"Ohhh... I get it... This is a lover's quarrel, right?" she asked, a sly grin spreading across her face. Link's face tinted pink. Him and Tetra? What a ridiculous thought! If anyone thought he and and the stubborn, unreasonable, selfish captain were in some sort of dysfunctional relationship...

"I-It's not like that," he replied. Mila just laughed.

"There's no need to deny it! It's OK, it happens." She paused, and seemed to think for a moment. "No wonder she got so jealous... she thought I was hitting on her man!" Link found the thought of a jealous Tetra laughable, but was too embarrassed to speak up. Mila waved her hand dismissively.

"Ah well, what's done is done. But I think I know how to fix the situation..." Mila rummaged through her shoulder bag for a brief moment before pulling out an old, crumpled piece of paper and shoving it into Link's empty hands.

"Here, if you take her to this, you'll certainly sweep her off her feet," she said, looking quite proud of herself. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm actually late for work and I don't want to get docked pay. Well, see you later, Link!" And with that said, she left, disappearing in the crowd. Link looked completely bewildered. He sighed as he unfolded the paper, smoothing it out to discover it was an invitation to...

"The Festival of Waves"

Windfall Trade: Based off the fact that Link ran around trading with the traveling merchants for Zunari.

Mila: The rich-turned-poor girl who ran around stealing at night until Link stopped her.

Red Rupee: Value of 20.

Err... yeah. Please review; it lets me know that someone out there is actually reading this revision and enjoying it.