Like I said before, this is now Part 2: Awakening to Destiny. (I
don't own Zelda...just borrowing it for this story...I'll return it when I find
the receipt).
*$*
Part 2: Awakening to Destiny
**
Ch. 22: The Open Sea
Zelda leaned heavily against the wall for support, sighing heavily. Damn those subjects, she thought. She had sworn to herself she would not show emotion towards their comments, but with Airaen running away...no, she reminded herself, she's answering her calling, her destiny.
It was enough. She knew she couldn't take their comments anymore, and today had been the worst. She had lost her composure, she knew, but a part of her was glad; in a way, she wanted to go back to them and scream at them a bit more, but thought it best to calm herself down first. Demon, eh? she thought, If they think Airaen's a demon, wait till they see her mother's wrath! Demon-spawned...an inhuman wretch that didn't deserve to live...they were glad she was gone...Zelda's blood boiled at the very thought of it.
No wonder Roh had decided to leave so quickly the day after Airaen left.
That poor boy, she thought, He loves my daughter dearly...he misses her a lot. She could feel tears coming, but shrugged them away. It's only been three days...she'll come back soon. I know she will.
She sank down to the floor and sighed, thinking, Where does she belong, though? What did she see in that prescient vision of hers to ask for forgiveness for it? What does she plan to do...with herself?
**
"I'm sorry, Perigan," Airaen said as she dismounted, patting the horse on his neck, "but you'll have to go home, now. You can't follow me where I'm going." Her voice betrayed sadness, a sudden fear. She tried to fake a smile, but utterly failed.
Perigan snorted, then pushed on towards the beginning of the high cliff. Airaen shook her head and pushed him back. "No, you've got to go home, Perigan. You can't come with me," she said a little louder.
But Perigan refused; he neighed, then pushed past her towards the cliff, trying to climb up in vain. Angry, Airaen grabbed him by the reins and pulled him back. Perigan whinnied and pulled away from her, trying again to climb, then stumbled back. Sadness winning her over, angry tears spilled down Airaen's face. "You...you stupid horse!" she cried, her voice trembling with tears. "Go home! You can't come with me, Perigan! Idiot! I said go home!"
She grabbed him by the reins and pulled him back with all her might, then pushed him towards the road. Turning, she tried to climb up the jagged cliff when Perigan came up behind her, whinnying loudly. At a loss, she came back down and placed her face against his, crying softly. "Perigan, please...don't make this any harder than it already is, old friend," she whispered. The horse's tail twitched in irritation as he pushed his face against hers. "Forgive me, my friend," she said, pulling away and wiping away her tears with her hand, "but you just can't follow me. I have to go alone. You must understand: I must go alone."
Surrendering, Perigan, his tail drooping, moved towards the road again, then, as he reached it, looked back at her. Smiling ruefully, she said, "I swear by my blood, Perigan, I will come back; as soon as I do, you'll be the first to know. I swear it."
There was a briefness of understanding in the horse; then he turned and galloped away.
Sighing, Airaen, turned back to the cliff, a jagged piece of rock that stretched to the sky. Her vision had revealed to her that the sea lay over those cliffs. Biting her lip, she climbed up each crevice of rock, each jutting out parallel to the ground. It would be tedious work, she knew, but she had to move quickly.
**
"Link? Are you awake?"
Link looked at Zelda with an odd look of mixed emotions. "I've rarely slept," he answered, his voice dull.
"She hasn't come back, beloved," Zelda said, admitting it to herself. "Not after five days has she come back."
Link sighed heavily, sitting up in the bed and crossing his arms. "I at first thought that this was nothing new, you know, her running off like this. She used to do it all the time, anyway," he said, more to himself than anything else.
Zelda stared at the ceiling. "They're glad she's gone," Zelda said, scorn clear in her voice. "Those...those bastards are glad that their little 'abomination' is gone." She clenched her fist in anger.
Link sighed, then stared ahead of him, his eyes sharp and alert. "She's got something to do," he said, "and she'll stick with it. That's just who she is...she's like you, oddly enough. Nothing like me at all. Boisterous and strange, maybe...a little rough around the edges at times...but she has a softness to her that few get to see. Naw, she's not icy or cold or anything. She's just tough, and a little hot-headed, but she's our child after all." He closed his eyes as the tears came down his face.
Zelda placed her hand on his, whispered, "Link..."
"Damn," he said, his voice choked with tears, "I just...I just don't want her to be anywhere near that Ganon, but...I know she's got to. I had my time, and now it's hers. But, she's different. She's prescient...a blend of that little bit of a prophet that's in you, Zelda, and then my bit of a fighter's blood. That's got to amount for something..."
He paused, then said quietly and slowly, his voice shaking slightly, "My heart tells me she won't come back for a long time."
He leaned back against the pillow and gave in to his sorrow. Zelda drew him to her, trying to remain strong for his sake, but knowing she couldn't hold out for that long.
**
"Damn!" Airaen cried as she slipped again. Her pants were ripped a little; her hands were bloody from grabbing at the rock. She had been climbing for goddess knew how long, and had only made it halfway. Sighing, she pushed onward, putting all faith in her hands.
Her nails scratched at the rock surface as she climbed, biting her lip. She moved in a constant motion: grab, pull, lift....grab, pull, lift...grab....pull....lift. It was an endless motion, a frivolous chore that beat into her awareness as a hammer beats a nail.
Grab, pull, lift...
The sun was already setting, casting long, dark shadows. She sighed, thought, I should stop before it gets too dark to even see anymore. Don't want to miss my footing completely.
She looked around in the fading darkness, holding on to the rock wall for dear life. A ledge off to her right some feet away looked rather cozy. "Ha, looks like I've got a bit of luck after all!" she said with a smile.
Sliding her hand along the rock wall, she dug her nails into it, then swung her foot over. Inching slowly, she got close enough to step onto the ledge with her foot. Gritting her teeth, she pushed off, stumbling onto the ledge, sliding a little before she was able to sit down. She sighed as she pushed her back against the rock wall, closing her eyes against the aching in her limbs. Her stomach growled. "Well, I guess I might as well get something to eat," she said aloud. After rummaging in her pack, she pulled out a loaf of bread; splitting it in half, she placed one half in her pack, then ate the other half, sipping from her waterskin.
Looking up, she saw the cliff-top towering above her still. All that climbing, she thought, and I've barely even gone past halfway.
The sun gone down completely, Airaen wrapped her cloak around her, then curled up and went to sleep.
**
Light from the rising sun splashed across Airaen's face. Grumbling, she opened her eyes, shielding them with one hand before she sat up with a sigh. Her limbs ached, her hands full of scratches from the climb. She stared at the scar on the back of her hand with a frown; then, ripping a piece of cloth from her already-ruined pants, she wrapped the cloth around her hand, securing it by tying the ends together. It was a little sloppy, but it felt secure on her hand, almost a comfort. The buried hand, she thought. She sighed.
Quickly, she ate the other half of the bread and drank a quick sip of water, then stuffed her traveling cloak in her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. Stretching, she turned and, with a rather glum look, grasped onto the rock wall and climbed in the same, endless pattern.
Grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...
She kept her eyes on the top as she slowly climbed towards it. Her hand swung up to grasp a bit of rock. Turning to nothing but dust, the bit of rock collapsed in her hand. With a small cry, she began to lose her balance, her arms flailing. Screaming, she flung forward as she fell, her hands scraping down the rock until they found a firm piece of rock that jutted out from the wall.
Her feet dangled beneath her in the open; her arms felt as if they were slowly being pulled out of their sockets. Gritting her teeth, she swung her feet against the wall. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest; perspiration slipped down her back. Placing her foot on a secure piece of rock, she pulled herself up, her arms shaking in the exertion. Swinging her arm up, she grasped another firm piece of rock and pulled herself up, securing another foothold, then pulling up with her other hand. Each hand was bleeding rather badly, but she ignored it, focused only on climbing.
Grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...
It was going to be a long climb.
**
"Something the matter, Sire?"
"Hm?" Roh looked up from his untouched meal, the sun's setting rays glistening off the wall. Many of his servants stared at him now with a look of concern.
Roh shook his head. "No, there's nothing wrong."
He hated lying to his people, but he didn't want anyone to know he had cried that day. It was rather sudden, but he had seen the familiar spot on the beach he had spent with his father as a young boy, found it as empty as the house felt.
And then the tree where Airaen had helped him...
He gritted his teeth. Crying twice in one day is not becoming, he thought with a grimace. "Go on and finish," he said to his servants, "I'm not very hungry."
Where are you, Airaen? Where did you go?
**
"Wow...I'm...I'm almost...almost to the...the top!" Airaen said, breathless as she looked up. The light was fading around her, but it was true: the top was a mere few feet away from her. Hope returning to her, she climbed a little faster, ignoring the shaking in her muscles, the harsh ache. "Almost there...almost there!"
She pulled upwards again and again, securing a foothold here, grabbing a bit of rock there; she allowed her mind to grow dull as she focused on the pattern, the world around her fading away to nothing but her and the next bit of rock.
Grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...grab...
Her fingers grabbed at nothing but air. Surprised, she looked to find herself dangling at the very top. Laughing, she pulled herself up and over the top, rolling away from it until she came to a stop on her back. She laughed again, breathing hard, her body aching. "Ha...I did...I did it!"
Letting the wind ruffle her hair, she stood and looked out over Hyrule in the fading sunlight. Yawning and stretching, she turned and looked down.
The sea lay before her, sparkling from the setting sun. Gold mixed with red and blue in a feast of light; the sea itself sparkled and danced before her as the wind brought to her senses the smell of the ocean. The open sea, she thought.
The cliff now rolled down to the beach below as a well-kept path cut into the slanting side in a criss-cross pattern until it reached the bottom. Down at the beach lay a small house. The cliffs surrounded it in a cove, isolating it from the rest of the world.
Happy for the change of pace, Airaen turned one final time to her homeland. It was then that she realized its true beauty and passion as the last rays of the sun vanished from it. I'll be different when I come back, she thought, but I'll come back.
Quickly, she made her way down the path in the fading light, eager to get to the small house at the beach.
**
"Who is it?" a grouchy old voice called from within.
"Please, sir," Airaen pleaded, "open the door. It's cold and I need a place to stay for the night."
The door opened to reveal an old man in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of trousers. He looked as if he had been rudely awakened. "Do you have any idea what time it is, kid?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.
She nodded, said, "Yes, it's rather late at night. But, you see, I traveled here...I just climbed over the cliff for two days, then I walked down that path for another day or so...I'm very sorry to disturb you, but I need a place to stay until the morning, and a boat as well. Please sir, it's urgent."
The old man leaned against the door, crossing his arms. "You...traveled here? Climbed the cliff, eh? What for?"
"I need to cross the open sea to an island. It's rather urgent," she answered, wrapping her cloak tighter around her to fend off the cold.
"Cross the sea?" he said in disbelief. "No one in Hyrule has ever crossed the sea. But, if you want to try it, be my guest." He sighed. "Alright, you, come on in. I can make you a nice bed on the floor. I'll assume you're hungry?"
She nodded.
Sighing, he said, "You're in luck. I've got some soup left. You can have that. Come on, don't stand there like an idiot, get in!"
She moved quickly inside. The house was a small, one-room place with a roaring fire off to the left. A bed lay to the right with a window overlooking the sea. There was a table cluttered with notes, maps, and books.
The old man was taking a steaming pot of soup over to the table, brushing away his work to make room; turning, he went to the cabinet and took out a bowl and spoon, then set it on the table. He looked up, then raised an eyebrow at her. "Well? Come on, I won't bite. Take your cloak off and come have some soup. If you're good, I'll let you have some banana bread."
She smiled, bowed, then sat at the table, placing her bag and cloak on the ground next to her. As she sat down, she said, "My name is Airaen. What's yours?"
The old man raised an eyebrow. "So you're Airaen, eh? My brother wrote about you in his letter to me. You don't seem as hotheaded as he described, though. Airaen is a unique name."
As he said this, she thought, I've changed quite a bit since then, haven't I? Not as childish...an effect of my awareness?
"My name," the old man continued, "is Kait. I'm an observer on this beach; I collect data and notes about it then send it to my brother to analyze in his laboratory. And now I hear you want a boat for crossing the open sea, am I correct?"
Airaen nodded.
"You're in luck," Kait said with a wave of a hand, "I've got a boat fit for just that...it's a one-man boat, too. Do you know how to sail?"
Airaen remembered to the exact detail the little tips the sailors had given her when she was in Sidar. "Yes, I know a little bit," she replied.
Kait raised an eyebrow. "No one's ever crossed the ocean before; not even I have ventured further than the reef. I suggest you be careful."
She nodded, then dove into her soup, grateful for its creamy, yet salty, taste. "This is good," she said between bites.
Kait smiled sternly. "Aye, it's an old recipe of my family's. It's a chowder, but I put clams in it since I live right by the water." Airaen nodded then took a long drink of water.
**
Airaen lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. The open sea, she thought, No one has ever dared to leave Hyrule's shores...why? It just shows plain fear in its people.
Her makeshift bed on the floor was warm, comforting. She rolled on her side to stare at the table not too far away from her.
Mother. The thought came to her so suddenly it drove a tremor through her. When she was young, she would cry herself to sleep for the comforting arms of her own mother. She knew there was a connection between mother and child, an unseen bond that connected the two in psyche that spanned beyond human understanding. Such a bond did not exist between any other two beings. She knew it, had always known it...but knowing that she had no such thing drove such a sadness through her.
I have no such bond, even now.
She chided herself for the inane thought, knew she was being childish, felt those silly tears coming; she clenched her fist, thinking, I must not cry. I will not cry. Quickly, she covered her face with her pillow so as not to awaken Kait from her sobs.
**
"So, you need a boat, am I right?"
Airaen, looking up from her breakfast, nodded. Still standing by the fire, Kait replied, "Well, I guess that means you need some food and the like, am I correct? I've got some dried meat, some bread, and a lot of fruit. You can have that. I can give you some jugs of water, too."
"Thank you," she replied as she stood up, then brought her bag over to him. He took it, then went through many of his cabinets, taking out a few items here and there, measuring them in his hand, then placing them in the bag.
"Go on and get yourself ready," he said.
**
The morning rays of the sun lay strewn across the beach, playing across the serenity of the water. Airaen enjoyed the sea breeze, its peacefulness and reassurance. The old man tapped his foot impatiently in the sand.
Sensing his impatience, she turned to him and said, "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" She smiled, then waded to the boat as it swayed a little from the water. "And you're sure this thing's safe?" she asked, looking at the rickety boat, the sail blowing slightly in the breeze.
"Can you swim?"
Airaen, paling, turned to him; waving his arms in mock defense, he replied, "Oh, I was just kidding is all. Of course it's safe and seaworthy. Just make sure you bring it back whenever you return."
Narrowing her eyes at him, she stepped into the boat, placing her now- heavy pack under the seat. Then, securing the sail, she allowed the wind to take it out to sea. Turning, she waved at the old man who stood on the beach with his arms crossed, a frown on his face. Kicking at the sand, he returned a rather quick wave, then turned back to his house, closing the door behind him.
The open sea glistened in the sunlight, beckoning her to it as the wind kicked up and drove the little boat onward.
*%*%
"Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread, through shadow to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight. Distant shadows cloud and shade. All shall fade. All shall fade."
Billy Boyd (Pippin) in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (this being a part from the traveling song in Tolkein's book The Fellowship of the Ring.
Ch. 23 coming soon...stay tuned. (Thought song would be a good tie-in
thing...*shrugs*)
*$*
Part 2: Awakening to Destiny
**
Ch. 22: The Open Sea
Zelda leaned heavily against the wall for support, sighing heavily. Damn those subjects, she thought. She had sworn to herself she would not show emotion towards their comments, but with Airaen running away...no, she reminded herself, she's answering her calling, her destiny.
It was enough. She knew she couldn't take their comments anymore, and today had been the worst. She had lost her composure, she knew, but a part of her was glad; in a way, she wanted to go back to them and scream at them a bit more, but thought it best to calm herself down first. Demon, eh? she thought, If they think Airaen's a demon, wait till they see her mother's wrath! Demon-spawned...an inhuman wretch that didn't deserve to live...they were glad she was gone...Zelda's blood boiled at the very thought of it.
No wonder Roh had decided to leave so quickly the day after Airaen left.
That poor boy, she thought, He loves my daughter dearly...he misses her a lot. She could feel tears coming, but shrugged them away. It's only been three days...she'll come back soon. I know she will.
She sank down to the floor and sighed, thinking, Where does she belong, though? What did she see in that prescient vision of hers to ask for forgiveness for it? What does she plan to do...with herself?
**
"I'm sorry, Perigan," Airaen said as she dismounted, patting the horse on his neck, "but you'll have to go home, now. You can't follow me where I'm going." Her voice betrayed sadness, a sudden fear. She tried to fake a smile, but utterly failed.
Perigan snorted, then pushed on towards the beginning of the high cliff. Airaen shook her head and pushed him back. "No, you've got to go home, Perigan. You can't come with me," she said a little louder.
But Perigan refused; he neighed, then pushed past her towards the cliff, trying to climb up in vain. Angry, Airaen grabbed him by the reins and pulled him back. Perigan whinnied and pulled away from her, trying again to climb, then stumbled back. Sadness winning her over, angry tears spilled down Airaen's face. "You...you stupid horse!" she cried, her voice trembling with tears. "Go home! You can't come with me, Perigan! Idiot! I said go home!"
She grabbed him by the reins and pulled him back with all her might, then pushed him towards the road. Turning, she tried to climb up the jagged cliff when Perigan came up behind her, whinnying loudly. At a loss, she came back down and placed her face against his, crying softly. "Perigan, please...don't make this any harder than it already is, old friend," she whispered. The horse's tail twitched in irritation as he pushed his face against hers. "Forgive me, my friend," she said, pulling away and wiping away her tears with her hand, "but you just can't follow me. I have to go alone. You must understand: I must go alone."
Surrendering, Perigan, his tail drooping, moved towards the road again, then, as he reached it, looked back at her. Smiling ruefully, she said, "I swear by my blood, Perigan, I will come back; as soon as I do, you'll be the first to know. I swear it."
There was a briefness of understanding in the horse; then he turned and galloped away.
Sighing, Airaen, turned back to the cliff, a jagged piece of rock that stretched to the sky. Her vision had revealed to her that the sea lay over those cliffs. Biting her lip, she climbed up each crevice of rock, each jutting out parallel to the ground. It would be tedious work, she knew, but she had to move quickly.
**
"Link? Are you awake?"
Link looked at Zelda with an odd look of mixed emotions. "I've rarely slept," he answered, his voice dull.
"She hasn't come back, beloved," Zelda said, admitting it to herself. "Not after five days has she come back."
Link sighed heavily, sitting up in the bed and crossing his arms. "I at first thought that this was nothing new, you know, her running off like this. She used to do it all the time, anyway," he said, more to himself than anything else.
Zelda stared at the ceiling. "They're glad she's gone," Zelda said, scorn clear in her voice. "Those...those bastards are glad that their little 'abomination' is gone." She clenched her fist in anger.
Link sighed, then stared ahead of him, his eyes sharp and alert. "She's got something to do," he said, "and she'll stick with it. That's just who she is...she's like you, oddly enough. Nothing like me at all. Boisterous and strange, maybe...a little rough around the edges at times...but she has a softness to her that few get to see. Naw, she's not icy or cold or anything. She's just tough, and a little hot-headed, but she's our child after all." He closed his eyes as the tears came down his face.
Zelda placed her hand on his, whispered, "Link..."
"Damn," he said, his voice choked with tears, "I just...I just don't want her to be anywhere near that Ganon, but...I know she's got to. I had my time, and now it's hers. But, she's different. She's prescient...a blend of that little bit of a prophet that's in you, Zelda, and then my bit of a fighter's blood. That's got to amount for something..."
He paused, then said quietly and slowly, his voice shaking slightly, "My heart tells me she won't come back for a long time."
He leaned back against the pillow and gave in to his sorrow. Zelda drew him to her, trying to remain strong for his sake, but knowing she couldn't hold out for that long.
**
"Damn!" Airaen cried as she slipped again. Her pants were ripped a little; her hands were bloody from grabbing at the rock. She had been climbing for goddess knew how long, and had only made it halfway. Sighing, she pushed onward, putting all faith in her hands.
Her nails scratched at the rock surface as she climbed, biting her lip. She moved in a constant motion: grab, pull, lift....grab, pull, lift...grab....pull....lift. It was an endless motion, a frivolous chore that beat into her awareness as a hammer beats a nail.
Grab, pull, lift...
The sun was already setting, casting long, dark shadows. She sighed, thought, I should stop before it gets too dark to even see anymore. Don't want to miss my footing completely.
She looked around in the fading darkness, holding on to the rock wall for dear life. A ledge off to her right some feet away looked rather cozy. "Ha, looks like I've got a bit of luck after all!" she said with a smile.
Sliding her hand along the rock wall, she dug her nails into it, then swung her foot over. Inching slowly, she got close enough to step onto the ledge with her foot. Gritting her teeth, she pushed off, stumbling onto the ledge, sliding a little before she was able to sit down. She sighed as she pushed her back against the rock wall, closing her eyes against the aching in her limbs. Her stomach growled. "Well, I guess I might as well get something to eat," she said aloud. After rummaging in her pack, she pulled out a loaf of bread; splitting it in half, she placed one half in her pack, then ate the other half, sipping from her waterskin.
Looking up, she saw the cliff-top towering above her still. All that climbing, she thought, and I've barely even gone past halfway.
The sun gone down completely, Airaen wrapped her cloak around her, then curled up and went to sleep.
**
Light from the rising sun splashed across Airaen's face. Grumbling, she opened her eyes, shielding them with one hand before she sat up with a sigh. Her limbs ached, her hands full of scratches from the climb. She stared at the scar on the back of her hand with a frown; then, ripping a piece of cloth from her already-ruined pants, she wrapped the cloth around her hand, securing it by tying the ends together. It was a little sloppy, but it felt secure on her hand, almost a comfort. The buried hand, she thought. She sighed.
Quickly, she ate the other half of the bread and drank a quick sip of water, then stuffed her traveling cloak in her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. Stretching, she turned and, with a rather glum look, grasped onto the rock wall and climbed in the same, endless pattern.
Grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...
She kept her eyes on the top as she slowly climbed towards it. Her hand swung up to grasp a bit of rock. Turning to nothing but dust, the bit of rock collapsed in her hand. With a small cry, she began to lose her balance, her arms flailing. Screaming, she flung forward as she fell, her hands scraping down the rock until they found a firm piece of rock that jutted out from the wall.
Her feet dangled beneath her in the open; her arms felt as if they were slowly being pulled out of their sockets. Gritting her teeth, she swung her feet against the wall. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest; perspiration slipped down her back. Placing her foot on a secure piece of rock, she pulled herself up, her arms shaking in the exertion. Swinging her arm up, she grasped another firm piece of rock and pulled herself up, securing another foothold, then pulling up with her other hand. Each hand was bleeding rather badly, but she ignored it, focused only on climbing.
Grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...
It was going to be a long climb.
**
"Something the matter, Sire?"
"Hm?" Roh looked up from his untouched meal, the sun's setting rays glistening off the wall. Many of his servants stared at him now with a look of concern.
Roh shook his head. "No, there's nothing wrong."
He hated lying to his people, but he didn't want anyone to know he had cried that day. It was rather sudden, but he had seen the familiar spot on the beach he had spent with his father as a young boy, found it as empty as the house felt.
And then the tree where Airaen had helped him...
He gritted his teeth. Crying twice in one day is not becoming, he thought with a grimace. "Go on and finish," he said to his servants, "I'm not very hungry."
Where are you, Airaen? Where did you go?
**
"Wow...I'm...I'm almost...almost to the...the top!" Airaen said, breathless as she looked up. The light was fading around her, but it was true: the top was a mere few feet away from her. Hope returning to her, she climbed a little faster, ignoring the shaking in her muscles, the harsh ache. "Almost there...almost there!"
She pulled upwards again and again, securing a foothold here, grabbing a bit of rock there; she allowed her mind to grow dull as she focused on the pattern, the world around her fading away to nothing but her and the next bit of rock.
Grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...grab, pull, lift...grab...
Her fingers grabbed at nothing but air. Surprised, she looked to find herself dangling at the very top. Laughing, she pulled herself up and over the top, rolling away from it until she came to a stop on her back. She laughed again, breathing hard, her body aching. "Ha...I did...I did it!"
Letting the wind ruffle her hair, she stood and looked out over Hyrule in the fading sunlight. Yawning and stretching, she turned and looked down.
The sea lay before her, sparkling from the setting sun. Gold mixed with red and blue in a feast of light; the sea itself sparkled and danced before her as the wind brought to her senses the smell of the ocean. The open sea, she thought.
The cliff now rolled down to the beach below as a well-kept path cut into the slanting side in a criss-cross pattern until it reached the bottom. Down at the beach lay a small house. The cliffs surrounded it in a cove, isolating it from the rest of the world.
Happy for the change of pace, Airaen turned one final time to her homeland. It was then that she realized its true beauty and passion as the last rays of the sun vanished from it. I'll be different when I come back, she thought, but I'll come back.
Quickly, she made her way down the path in the fading light, eager to get to the small house at the beach.
**
"Who is it?" a grouchy old voice called from within.
"Please, sir," Airaen pleaded, "open the door. It's cold and I need a place to stay for the night."
The door opened to reveal an old man in a shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of trousers. He looked as if he had been rudely awakened. "Do you have any idea what time it is, kid?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.
She nodded, said, "Yes, it's rather late at night. But, you see, I traveled here...I just climbed over the cliff for two days, then I walked down that path for another day or so...I'm very sorry to disturb you, but I need a place to stay until the morning, and a boat as well. Please sir, it's urgent."
The old man leaned against the door, crossing his arms. "You...traveled here? Climbed the cliff, eh? What for?"
"I need to cross the open sea to an island. It's rather urgent," she answered, wrapping her cloak tighter around her to fend off the cold.
"Cross the sea?" he said in disbelief. "No one in Hyrule has ever crossed the sea. But, if you want to try it, be my guest." He sighed. "Alright, you, come on in. I can make you a nice bed on the floor. I'll assume you're hungry?"
She nodded.
Sighing, he said, "You're in luck. I've got some soup left. You can have that. Come on, don't stand there like an idiot, get in!"
She moved quickly inside. The house was a small, one-room place with a roaring fire off to the left. A bed lay to the right with a window overlooking the sea. There was a table cluttered with notes, maps, and books.
The old man was taking a steaming pot of soup over to the table, brushing away his work to make room; turning, he went to the cabinet and took out a bowl and spoon, then set it on the table. He looked up, then raised an eyebrow at her. "Well? Come on, I won't bite. Take your cloak off and come have some soup. If you're good, I'll let you have some banana bread."
She smiled, bowed, then sat at the table, placing her bag and cloak on the ground next to her. As she sat down, she said, "My name is Airaen. What's yours?"
The old man raised an eyebrow. "So you're Airaen, eh? My brother wrote about you in his letter to me. You don't seem as hotheaded as he described, though. Airaen is a unique name."
As he said this, she thought, I've changed quite a bit since then, haven't I? Not as childish...an effect of my awareness?
"My name," the old man continued, "is Kait. I'm an observer on this beach; I collect data and notes about it then send it to my brother to analyze in his laboratory. And now I hear you want a boat for crossing the open sea, am I correct?"
Airaen nodded.
"You're in luck," Kait said with a wave of a hand, "I've got a boat fit for just that...it's a one-man boat, too. Do you know how to sail?"
Airaen remembered to the exact detail the little tips the sailors had given her when she was in Sidar. "Yes, I know a little bit," she replied.
Kait raised an eyebrow. "No one's ever crossed the ocean before; not even I have ventured further than the reef. I suggest you be careful."
She nodded, then dove into her soup, grateful for its creamy, yet salty, taste. "This is good," she said between bites.
Kait smiled sternly. "Aye, it's an old recipe of my family's. It's a chowder, but I put clams in it since I live right by the water." Airaen nodded then took a long drink of water.
**
Airaen lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. The open sea, she thought, No one has ever dared to leave Hyrule's shores...why? It just shows plain fear in its people.
Her makeshift bed on the floor was warm, comforting. She rolled on her side to stare at the table not too far away from her.
Mother. The thought came to her so suddenly it drove a tremor through her. When she was young, she would cry herself to sleep for the comforting arms of her own mother. She knew there was a connection between mother and child, an unseen bond that connected the two in psyche that spanned beyond human understanding. Such a bond did not exist between any other two beings. She knew it, had always known it...but knowing that she had no such thing drove such a sadness through her.
I have no such bond, even now.
She chided herself for the inane thought, knew she was being childish, felt those silly tears coming; she clenched her fist, thinking, I must not cry. I will not cry. Quickly, she covered her face with her pillow so as not to awaken Kait from her sobs.
**
"So, you need a boat, am I right?"
Airaen, looking up from her breakfast, nodded. Still standing by the fire, Kait replied, "Well, I guess that means you need some food and the like, am I correct? I've got some dried meat, some bread, and a lot of fruit. You can have that. I can give you some jugs of water, too."
"Thank you," she replied as she stood up, then brought her bag over to him. He took it, then went through many of his cabinets, taking out a few items here and there, measuring them in his hand, then placing them in the bag.
"Go on and get yourself ready," he said.
**
The morning rays of the sun lay strewn across the beach, playing across the serenity of the water. Airaen enjoyed the sea breeze, its peacefulness and reassurance. The old man tapped his foot impatiently in the sand.
Sensing his impatience, she turned to him and said, "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" She smiled, then waded to the boat as it swayed a little from the water. "And you're sure this thing's safe?" she asked, looking at the rickety boat, the sail blowing slightly in the breeze.
"Can you swim?"
Airaen, paling, turned to him; waving his arms in mock defense, he replied, "Oh, I was just kidding is all. Of course it's safe and seaworthy. Just make sure you bring it back whenever you return."
Narrowing her eyes at him, she stepped into the boat, placing her now- heavy pack under the seat. Then, securing the sail, she allowed the wind to take it out to sea. Turning, she waved at the old man who stood on the beach with his arms crossed, a frown on his face. Kicking at the sand, he returned a rather quick wave, then turned back to his house, closing the door behind him.
The open sea glistened in the sunlight, beckoning her to it as the wind kicked up and drove the little boat onward.
*%*%
"Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread, through shadow to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight. Distant shadows cloud and shade. All shall fade. All shall fade."
Billy Boyd (Pippin) in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (this being a part from the traveling song in Tolkein's book The Fellowship of the Ring.
Ch. 23 coming soon...stay tuned. (Thought song would be a good tie-in
thing...*shrugs*)