All righty then!! I am BACK and ready to get this story on the road. Oi, I haven't had too much time to work on much of anything lately. I had this big project at school and . . . hang on, I still have that big project. Crap.
Ah, well, I suppose it doesn't matter.
Juna: Ah, yes, yes, you idea of the stone thing. The actual explanation isn't in this chapter, but in the next. Actually, I wasn't planning on the disembodied Zelda/repressed memories thing, but I didn't want to reveal who Zelda is in the fifth chapter. That kinda just throws the suspense down the drain, doesn't it? Oh, it'll be a while before Link gets to kill things, I have to get through all the stupid explanations first.
Tom: Thank you very much for the praise, though I doubt you'll like this chapter very much (it gets a little strange later on . . . when Navi meets Zelda . . . ) Oh, and you're correct about the "hell" thing. Thanks for pointing that out for me. From now on (and, if I have the time later, I'll revise the first chapters) how about, "What the goddesses is going on here?" instead of "hell". If you don't like it, let me know, and I'll start thinking up another revision.
Disclaimer: Yeah, so I don't own Zelda. How many times have we heard this?
"So," I say. "We're . . . back."
Cheesy and cliche, yes, but sometimes you just need to get the point across.
Zelda walks up to where I am standing and puts a hand on my shoulder. And suddenly, I am reminded of the promise I made to her. I also have to go find Skye and Kenya. Too many things to do, so little time . . .
"Where do we start?" I ask. Zelda shakes her head. It's obvious that she doesn't know any more than I do about this whole thing. If what she told me is true (not that I doubt it is) then she probably doesn't have much memory of this time and place. "You don't . . . know this place, do you?"
"No," Zelda whispers, spinning around several times, trying to get her bearings. I turn, too, but only until I can see the house where the vine-things had been. It looks completely normal now, no sign that anything out of the ordinary is going on.
I sigh.
"Well, come on," I say, grabbing Zelda's almost ghostly hand. It looks pale and transparent, but it definitely has some solid form. I turn to look at her, trying to walk backwards. "How long can you hold this solid-shape thing?"
"I don't know," she says, allowing herself to be pulled by me. "Not very long, I wouldn't think."
That's going to be a problem, I can tell already.
"Well, isn't there something you can do?" I ask, continuing trying to walk backwards. It doesn't work, I trip. Zelda's hands shoot out and make a grab for me.
They pass right through me.
I try and ignore the cold feeling that washes over me.
I don't think it's working.
"That's an answer I was afraid of," I say, wincing as I pick myself up off the ground. Zelda blushes, looking at her hands. "Is there any way you could get the solid-shape back? It might come in useful."
"I would have to return to the Sacred Realm," she says, putting her hand through a stop-sign nearby.
That's a little unnerving, so I'm just going to look somewhere else now.
"I don't know," I say, biting my lip, trying to think of an answer to this problem. "Would there be any way that I could contact you? For you to find me from the sacred realm?"
"I think so," Zelda says. "It's called the mind-link. I've-we've done it before. If we're linked, then I can track your magical energy, and even speak to you, and you to me." I nod, slowing thinking of the possibilities.
"One thing," I say. "I don't remember how to do the mind-link."
"I think that I can awaken it in your memory," Zelda says.
Think? That doesn't sound very comforting.
"Let me try," Zelda says. Her hands move out toward me, and I close my eyes. There's a warm feeling washing over me, prying into my brain. I open my eyes and blink a few times before I can register what I'm seeing.
There's a blue light-I can only assume it's magic-flowing out from Zelda's body into my own. The prying intensifies, and I close my eyes again.
This had better work.
"I think that's it," she says. I open my eyes to see her pulling her hands away from me. Something feels different in me, as if something more is there. "I had to reawaken some of your magic for you to be able to do the mind-link." That's what it is, then. Magic. Very interesting. "You should know how to mind-link to me now. Call me when you're ready to start searching for your friends." She begins to vanish.
"Wait!" I yell, the realization that I don't know how to do the mind-link washing over me, making me panic. "What if I don't know how to do the mind-link thing?"
Too late, she's gone.
Well, that's crap. I turn around and get ready to walk home, glancing behind me to make sure that no vine-things are following me. Hang on, better yet. . . .
I dash into the house, wondering if anyone's there.
I come running out a minute later being chased by someone's angry mother.
Apparently she's not too pleased with the party that was thrown.
So I go with my original plan to go back home.
"Link!!"
Mother greets me with a large hug, cutting off my air for a minute or to before Dad comes into the room. He instantly says that we need to talk-in that calm scary voice that lets you know that your parents are pissed and don't want to yell at you. I gulp and follow them into the kitchen, head hanging. There's an angry squeak, and Navi jumps on me, running about my chest and shoulders.
"I'm all right, you little ferret, I'm fine," I say.
Oh, they don't know how much of a lie that is.
"She's been worried about you," Mother says. Navi sniffs at me and squeaks loudly.
"Really?" I ask sarcastically as I try to get the terrified ferret to settle down. "I couldn't tell."
"Link," Dad says, crossing his arms. "I want to know why you were out all night. You scared your mother to death."
"All night?" I yelp. Have I been in the sacred realm that long? It sure doesn't feel like I have. "Wow."
"What were you doing?" Mother asks, shaking her head at Navi, who's staring up at me, narrowing her eyes as best a ferret can. Well, I have quite a bit to explain. Where to start. . . .
"I, er, met someone, a girl," I said. Mother and Dad suck in their breath as two horrified gasps. "No!!" I say, going red. "Not like that at all! I . . . got sick at the party, I was really out of it."
"Why didn't you call?" Mother asks.
"I wanted to, but I couldn't hardly lift a finger," I say, praying my parents will buy the story. Heh, like they'd believe I was attacked by vine-things and saved by a disembodied princess. "I remember passing out, and when I woke up enough to see where I was, there was this girl."
"The girl took care of you, then?" Dad asks. I nod.
"That's what she said, at least," I say. "Once I was feeling better, she helped me out a little bit, getting me onto my feet, and walking me halfway home, to make sure I didn't pass out again."
"What a nice young lady," Mother says. I sigh. Zelda was nice, but what was I supposed to do when Mother wanted to meet her? "Link?" I look up; Mother's staring at me. I feel her put a hand on my forehead. "Oh, Link, you're burning up!! You go right to bed!!"
"But I feel fine!!" I say, jumping up. Navi bites me on the ear. I scowl. "You're on their side, then."
I swear, if ferrets could grin, then Navi would have the most smug look on her face right now.
"Off to bed with you!!" Mother says.
I'm sitting up in bed an hour later with a cup of tea Mother brewed me, and a few good books Dad lent me, when I decide to call Zelda. Let's review first, Dad's downstairs, watching the after-Halloween game, Mother's probably getting rid of the extra candy we always have after Halloween. (Halloween is one of the few occasions where my family buys sweets. Mother's anti-sugar woman.) Navi's downstairs with Dad-I can't have the ferret freaking out when Zelda appears and alarming my parents.
Now, how do I do this? I wonder. I sit for a few moments, head in my hands, thinking, before the strange feeling that Zelda called my magic comes back. Suddenly, it rushes up to my head. I . . . guess I should. . . . talk now.
*Link?* Hey!! That's Zelda's voice!! I did it!!
*Zelda?* I ask, just to make sure.
*I was wondering what was taking you so long!!* she says. I can hear relief in her voice.
*Sorry, my parents went psycho on me,* I say. *Supposedly I was out all night.*
*You were,* Zelda says. *I'm sorry, I should have thought about that.*
*It's all right,* I say. *I'm alone right now, so I guess you should come over here . . . to this realm, I mean.*
*All right.*
*But . . . please be quiet,* I ask. She doesn't answer, but a gentle breeze floats through the room, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I look up, and Zelda's there, clasping her hands together and muttering something. I smile for some unknown reason. She stops the chant, and looks up at me. For a moment she stares, slowly going red.
"Oh, Nayru!" she cries, turning and clapping her hands over her eyes. "I didn't realize you were in bed!!"
I didn't think I looked that bad.
"What do you mean?" I ask, getting up and putting a hand on her shoulder. She eyes me out of the corners of her eyes.
"I-in the time I come from, it's considered impolite to see someone in bed unless you are married to them," she whispers. She curls her hands into fists and puts them down by her sides. "We're not married, Link." Her voice is cold and rough, something I'm not used to hearing from her.
I guess I hit a sensitive memory.
"Well," I say. "In this time and age, it's all right, so come on, we need to plan this whole thing out." I grab her and make her turn to face me. She hangs her head, but after a few moments, looks at me. She's a bright red color. It'll take some getting used to for her, but it'll be fine. Either way, it's not like I'm undressed or anything. For some odd reason, I'm still in my Halloween costume. Mother never made me change.
"Do you hear something, Link?" Zelda asks suddenly, tilting her head, listening. I pause, then I hear it, too.
"Oh, shit!!" I exclaim. "My parents are coming!" The sound Zelda heard was the stairs. "Quick, under the bed!!" I grab her arm and toss her under the bed, dislodging the sheets in an attempt to hide her. I dive into the remaining blanket just as my door opens.
"Link?" my mother asks, coming into the room. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I say. "I think I might go out for a walk or something later." I notice she's got Navi in her arms, who's sniffing the air. I hope she can't smell Zelda, or I'm screwed. Mother clucks her tongue and begins rearranging the blanket on my bed.
"Don't overexert yourself, dear," she says. "I thought I left you with more than one blanket. Ah, there they are." She bends down to pick up the pile of sheets that's hiding Zelda, but I beat her to it.
"I'll take care of them!" I say, picking up the pile but hiding Zelda behind me. "Just go relax and watch the game with Dad!"
She shakes her head at me.
"Navi wants to be in here," she says. She sets the said ferret down on my bed. "She was going crazy, scratching at your door."
"Ah," I said. "That's because she loves me." I dump the sheets and grab Navi and squeeze her tightly, hoping Mother'll buy it. She shakes her head at me once more and leaves the room. "That was close." I dump Navi next to the sheets and walk around my room. "Why don't you take a nap now that you're in here, Navi?" I look over at her, smiling.
Sweet Farore, is she glaring at me?
"Come on," I say, spreading my arms as she jumps at me. She catches herself, barely, and begins to sniff at me. "You know I'm not hiding anything." I laugh and set her on the bed, turning my back to her, waiting for her to fall asleep or something.
"Actually, Link, I believe you are hiding something," says a high-pitched female voice that isn't Zelda. "and judging by the amount of magic radiating around your room, I'd say it's a big something." I whirl around and see Navi sitting up perfectly straight, glaring at me.
Din help me, the ferret's talking. . . .
I'VE GONE MAD!!!!!!
"I didn't know ferrets could talk," I offer weakly. Navi squints at me through her beady ferret eyes.
"I'm not a ferret," Navi says.
That should be a surprise to me.
Why isn't it a surprise to me?
"I'm-" Navi says, but is cut off.
"Navi?" Zelda asks, coming out from under the bed. She stands up and takes a good look at Navi before bursting into laughter. Navi makes a "huff"ing motion, trying to cross her small arms, with little luck.
"It's not that funny, Princess," Navi says.
"Y-you just look so . . . different from the last time I saw you," Zelda gasps in between bursts of laughter. "Oh, sweet Nayru . . . oh. I'm sorry Navi, truly I am." Navi tilts her head at the princess in sudden confusion.
"Princess . . . haven't you been reincarnated?" Navi asks. "Even if you are the Seventh Sage, all
the others have been reincarnated, even Link." Her eyes dart to me and back to Zelda.
"My soul was reincarnated," Zelda says. "This isn't a body, really. It's more of a solid form that I
can hold outside of the sacred realm."
"That really doesn't explain why you're not part of the new body," Navi says.
Is it just me, or does the ferret really seem to know what she's talking about?
"Something happened that knocked the current Zelda's memories out of her body," Zelda says. "I'm the memories. I don't know what caused it, though. Link thinks Ganondorf is coming back." She looks over to me, and I nod.
"Explain something to me," I say, before they can carry on with the conversation. "What exactly is going on with my ferret? Why do you two seem to know each other?"
"Well, I was about to explain before the Princess interrupted me," Navi said."I'm not really a ferret. The ferret form is just a disguise. I'm really a fairy from long-ago Hyrule. I keep the ferret form because in this day and age, it's uncommon to see a fairy." She turns to Zelda. "I swear, the magic has just died out of this place."
"How can you say you're from long-ago Hyrule?" I ask. "Why reincarnated like the rest of us?"
"Fairies are . . . immortals, of sorts," Navi says. "We can die from illnesses, or wounds suffered to our physical bodies, but we don't age, therefore we cannot die of natural causes."
"Uh-huh," I say. "Hang on. . . . You said something about the ferret form being just a disguise. What's your true form look like?"
"Like this," Navi says. She suddenly emits a bright flash of white light, and I am temporarily blinded. When I can blink the spots from my vision, I see a floating ball of light with wings.
No, hang on.
I look closer at it. Inside the light there is a small female body brushing silver glowing hair out of her eyes.
"Goddesses," I whisper, sitting down hard on the bed. "I think I liked you better as a ferret." I see the tiny lips smile at me before Navi speaks again.
"I know," she said. "When I first met you-the past form of you-you would have never been able to imagine me as a ferret." An interested look spreads over her face. "Actually, I don't think you knew what ferrets were. They're a relatively new breed, introduced to Hyrule less than a hundred years ago. Trust me, I lived through it."
"Yay," I say sarcastically. "This is so confusing."
"It's all right," Zelda says. "We find me, we return me to my body, and I can lock Ganondorf away again. You won't have to do much."
"That's what you said last time," Navi tells Zelda in a bored tone. I see Zelda's eyes turn to ice, but they defrost before she turns back to Navi.
"If we get going now, then what I say will be true," Zelda tells Navi, clipping her syllables, obviously angry with the fer . . . fairy.
Dang, it's hard to get used to that.
"Well then," Navi says. "Let's get going before this turns into last time."
I don't want to know what "last time" was like.