Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda, Zelda, Link or any other character mentioned in this story. This story was written for a fanfiction contest and I do not seek to make any money from it.
Terms from the game not explained in the story:
Triforce: An sacred object which gives great power to its owner. The term may be used to describe the object as a whole or one of its three parts: Power, Wisdom and Courage.
Hylian: The primary race in Hyrule. They are essentially human, save that they have pointed ears.
Great Deku Tree: Guardian spirit of Kokiri Forest; creator of the Kokiri and some fairies.
Kokiri: A race born of the Great Deku Tree who live only in the Kokiri Forest. They appear as Hylian children, never aging beyond ten years old.
Goron: An armadillo-like, rock eating race native to Hyrule's mountains.
Keese: A small, bat-like creature.
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The Trials of Heroes (and the Fairies who Love Them)
By
Jeff Hastings
Dreams were a kind of torture for Navi. Most nights she would see the past unfold again and be able to do nothing to change what had happened; other nights she saw the world as she wished it to be, only to have it stolen at dawn. Thankfully, tonight her dream was one of the former.
As usual, she saw everything from the beginning. She saw herself being created for the orphaned Hylian baby who had been left among the Kokiri. The pain she felt when her creator, the Great Deku Tree, denied her the right to become the child's companion fairy still shook her. She was too different from her sisters, he'd said.
She saw how, eleven years later, desperation forced her creator to summon the boy and how she and her charge had tried, and failed, to save the Tree.
She watched as her charge fulfilled the Tree's last wish and delivered a sacred stone to the royal family of Hyrule. He'd had only five things to his name then: a slingshot; a plank of wood he used as a shield; an ocarina given to him by a friend; a small magical bag, about the size and shape of a quiver, left to him by his late mother; and a large knife that looked like a sword in his too small hands.
She saw him accept the Princess' request for him to retrieve the other two sacred stones; a task that would made most trained knights balk. She could do nothing but watch as the young boy faced months of dangers no one, let alone a child, should ever have to face.
In the end, as always, she saw her charge's victory reduced to ashes as the evil Ganondorf used the stones to steal the Triforce of Power; saw the great Sage choose her charge as the Hero of Time and, at the same time, deem him too weak to take up the mantle. To that end, the Sage forced the boy to sleep for seven years to gain the strength needed to face the challenges that lay ahead.
At every turn Navi begged, pleaded and screamed for her charge to turn down the challenges. To simply say 'no' and leave the tasks to those who had been trained to undertake them. Her screams were always silent however; it was all in the past.
Even if she could have told him to refuse, she doubted he would have done so. It wasn't in her charge's nature to turn down those in need.
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"Link, you're an idiot." Navi, the fairy, muttered as she woke from her dream. The fairy opened her eyes to total darkness, but she knew from experience that her bedding was a light gold in colour. She noted that it was damp today and considered what that meant as she stretched her lithe body.
Muttered curses streamed from the fairy's mouth as realization dawned on her.
"Good morning to you, too." A familiar voice said from beneath her bedding. It was Link. The Hero of Time and her best friend. "I was about to stop for breakfast. Would you like some?"
"Please." The fairy said as she stuck her head out from under Link's hat and had to blink at the sudden light. Navi sighed when what she saw confirmed what she'd suspected a moment earlier: They were still in the Water Temple. More to the point: Today was their fifth day in the dismal, watery, maze-like, cavernous, underground building.
She looked down at the young man on whose head she'd spent the night. He was a strong and, admittedly, handsome man of eighteen now. He had long, blonde hair, which doubled as a nice bed. He dressed in clothes similar to those of the Kokiri: A short sleeved, blue tunic and matching pants, both of which showed off his athletic build.
Link also wore a hat that looked like a stocking cap. Navi had told him time and again that he would look better without it, but there it remained.
It was easy to forget, even after journeying with him for almost year, that he was really only twelve. He had been forced to mature very quickly and now was truly the man he appeared to be.
Navi would never forgive the Sage for stealing those years from Link, or Zelda for putting him in the position for it to happen, even if it had been necessary. Granted, he was able to return to the past, and weeks spent in one time passed in the space of a breath in the other, but Link only ever returned to recover from the many injuries he received on his quest.
For the sake of both their sanities they referred to these times simply as 'vacations.'
Navi also noticed a trail of water leading from where Link stood to a pool she hadn't seen before. He'd been exploring while she slept. That worried her.
Not that she was afraid of drowning. The innocent looking blue outfit that Link wore was magically treated to prevent the wearer from drowning as well as protecting against hypothermia. This included her while she was safely under his hat.
What worried her was that Link had broken a pact made long ago. They'd agreed that one would keep watch while the other slept and only move forward when they were both awake. Having Navi watching Link's back, not to mention helping to keep track of direction, had saved them both more than once; and Link knew it as well as she did. He only ever broke the agreement when he was getting nervous or frustrated.
She considered scolding him for it, but after five days in a waterlogged temple she felt the same. Instead, she simply crossed her arms on his long hair, laid her head on them and asked, "Find anything?"
Link didn't answer right away. He glanced around to ensure that the room was free of danger before pacing to the near wall and slumping to the floor against it.
"We're making progress." He said with a sigh.
Navi sighed as well, pushed herself out from under Link's hat and stepped onto the hand he'd raised to help her. Once on the hand she stretched again, flaring her wings this time and noting, with no small amount of satisfaction, that Link blushed slightly and tried very hard not to stare at her.
Navi couldn't blame him. He was a healthy young man and she had the body of a beautiful young woman; with a few exceptions.
Even though she had the proportions of a normal woman, the fairy stood a mere five and a half inches tall. A double set of six inch long, iridescent wings -- much like those of a dragonfly -- spread out from her shoulder blades. She was also blue. Everything about her was blue. Her short-cropped hair was the colour of cornflowers, her eyes were a clear sapphire, and her skin was a soft powder blue. Even her clothes were blue; though not by choice.
Whenever a fairy flies she gives off a light that's a few shades lighter than the colour of her skin, and is bright enough to read by. Unfortunately, anything caught within the corona of light made by a fairy will slowly, but surely, be dyed that colour. As a result, anything Navi wore became a very light blue within three days. This included the short, backless dress -- the standard for fairies -- she had on. It had been a rich lavender when she'd made it on their last 'vacation.' Now, however, it was that same, old, tired blue; just like everything else she owned.
Nonetheless, she thanked the Great Tree that she was a Deku fairy and not one of the smaller, pink, fountain fairies.
It was true that the fountain fairies were veritable miracles of nature. They were able to bring someone back from the brink of death, were unable to feel pain and instantly reappeared at their fountain if they ever died; but they were also phenomenally stupid. They were perfectly content to sit in a bottle for months on end until someone needed to be healed; then they'd overexert themselves, die and reappear at their home fountain, waiting for the next person with a bottle to come along… or a potion maker.
A little known secret of the miraculous red potion -- the staple of every potion shop in Hyrule -- was that it was basically fountain fairy blood and filler; not that the fairies minded. If a potion maker showed up at their fountain, spent the day filling bottles and left a jar of honey they'd thank him for the honey and ask him to come back tomorrow.
The idea made Navi's stomach turn over, but she kept the secret from Link lest he stop using the potion.
Navi turned to Link, noticing the way he pressed his right shoulder against the cold stone wall. He'd been badly burned by a dragon a month ago and hadn't completely healed yet, even after taking a 'vacation' to recover. Navi's own meager healing powers had reduced the downtime from possible months to three weeks before he was ready to travel again.
Even if fountain fairies were stupid there were times Navi envied their power. Just the same, the thought of having her clothes turn pink made her skin crawl.
Not that fountain fairies wore clothes.
Navi blushed at that thought and kicked off Link's hand to hide it in her own light as she flew away. A fairy wasn't supposed to feel that way about her charge, she scolded herself as she fluttered gracefully to the stone floor. It wasn't natural; and it wasn't fair.
Despite what she felt for him she would be damned before she started something they couldn't finish. Link had had enough of that already.
Navi could only sigh as she watched as Link pulled their food from the magical bag she knew held all of their possessions, some larger than the bag itself. He then filled two cups he'd made from acorns, one with milk the other with honey, and gently placed them in front of her. A small piece of bread and a single blueberry followed.
For Link it would have been less than a mouthful. For Navi it was almost more than she could eat. She thanked him and looked up at the small loaf of bread that made up Link's breakfast. It would have kept her full for a month, and yet she knew that he would still be hungry afterward. It was another small but undeniable reminder that she was being foolish and that such thoughts were, if anything, dangerous. She forced it from her mind.
She was barely starting in on her blueberry when the other thought she'd been avoiding took control of her mind. She ate without tasting her food as it bounced around in her head. After a while she realized that Link was looking at her expectantly.
"Hmm? What?" The fairy asked, shaking her head to clear it.
"The milk," Link repeated patiently, "Is it still good?" He pointed at the acorn cup resting on her lap.
Navi blinked at the cup. She hadn't even realized she'd been holding it. She quickly put on a fake smile and nodded, "Yes. I guess it's one good thing about being in a cold cave: It keeps the milk fresh." She took a sip for show, "Remember the Fire Temple?"
Link didn't blink; he just cocked an eyebrow at the little fairy. "Less than a day."
An awkward silence fell on the pair. Neither ate. Neither spoke. They simply stared at each other. Navi's eyes dropped first.
"Navi?" Link asked at last, "What's the matter?"
Navi tried to ignore the question. She tried to keep her eyes on the floor and pretend Link wasn't sitting there.
She could feel his eyes watching her. She knew that his brow would be knit in a combination of confusion and concern. She knew that he would wait there patiently until she caved in and told him everything and until she did those dark, gentle eyes would stay locked on her.
This is exactly why fairies aren't supposed to have emotions. She told herself bitterly.
The little fairy wrestled with her thoughts. She couldn't bluff and tell him that it was all because of being lost in the temple for a week. He was smarter than that.
She couldn't tell him that her favourite dream was the one where she grew five feet taller and married him. At best it would be a strain of their friendship.
That left only the thought that had distracted her to begin with. It was something they should have talked about months ago anyway. "Link." She said, slowly raising her eyes to meet his, "Have you thought about what..." She almost said 'we're', "...you're going to do when all this is over?"
Link's eyebrows shot up, then his eyes narrowed, then he turned away, "No." He answered with a sigh. "Maybe I could help Sheik rebuild the Sheikah." He paused in thought, "Or maybe help Malon at the Ranch."
As Navi resumed her meal she noted that he hadn't mentioned returning to the Kokiri. They both wanted to return, but as an adult he wouldn't be accepted among them. Navi could return, but she didn't want to leave Link; even if all she ever was to him was a friend. She thought about his answers.
Sheik was the last survivor of the Sheikah people, sworn defenders of the Hyrule Royal Family. He was a man about Link's age. He was a friend and ally to Link who had helped him now and then in the fight against Ganondorf. By the same token, Navi was certain Link didn't realize that the young man was in love with him.
Sheik's face was always covered, but there was no denying what she saw in his eyes. More than once Navi had wished Link would look at her with the same intensity that was in Sheik's eyes every time he looked at Link.
Malon, on the other hand, was the daughter of a ranch owner that Link had helped now and then, both as a child and since becoming an adult. She was a kind soul who loved animals and saw Link as her knight in shining armour.
The two finished their breakfast in silence, but Navi could feel that the tension had lifted. Link began to store their supplies again.
Navi kicked off the ground and hovered to get some warmth back into her body after sitting on the cold, damp floor. Her soft light filled the room as she did. "I think you'd be better off with Malon." She said seriously.
Link looked up from his daily inspection of his gear. He had to squint to look at his friend. "Why do you say that?" Navi was relieved to hear only curiosity in his voice.
Navi fluttered over to him, "I don't want you to have to keep fighting." She told him honestly, her voice quiet. She grinned widely then, though she knew Link couldn't see it, "That, and she got pretty."
Link didn't answer, he just suddenly got very interested in what he was doing in the bag. Navi moved to hover just over his head. She saw the hint of crimson on the tips of his long ears and felt the heat rising from his face. He'd noticed too.
The little fairy had to smile. Marrying Malon really was Link's best option. Ranch life would be hard, but peaceful, and she knew that the girl would love him. The fact that he was interested in the girl did a lot to ease Navi's worries for Link's future. She also felt a pang of jealousy.
It also meant that she'd have to tease him about it. It's just what friends do.
She landed a few paces in front of Link and put her hands on her hips. "Are you thinking naughty thoughts about Malon?" Navi demanded and tried not to smile when Link's blush deepened. For all the maturity he'd gained in the past year Link was still shy around women, or even when talking about them. As a result, it was Navi's favourite subject.
"Running your fingers through her long, red hair..." Navi continued, tossing her own cornflower locks up, though they were too short to fall back over her shoulder.
"Navi!" Link choked as the blush deepened some more.
"Wooing her with great feats of strength..."
"What?" Link was confused now. Malon was definitely attractive, but she was no pampered princess. She was a healthy girl who had a habit of unintentionally showing him up whenever he and Navi helped out on the ranch.
"Impressing her by getting sat on by cows."
Link tried to glower at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "That only happened once!" He countered. He'd caught on. Navi recognized the look in his eyes even behind the failed attempt at a glower. She jumped and flew backward to try and avoid the inevitable.
"Sweeping her off… Mph!"
Link held his now squirming hat in front of his face. "Are you finished?"
The hat stopped squirming and a muffled 'Mm-hmm' was heard from inside it.
Link dumped the fairy onto his hand before flipping his hat back onto his head. "Feeling better?"
Navi nodded, "Much." She took to the air again.
"Good" Link said, standing and strapping his bag onto his back underneath his shield such that the opening could just be seen over his right shoulder. He left the top of the bag slightly open for easy access to his equipment. "You can help me figure out where we are."
The fairy rolled her eyes playfully as she flew onto his shoulder. In every stronghold they'd explored so far there had been a map of the floor plan and a compass that keyed onto magical items. Neither she nor Link could fathom why they even existed, but they didn't complain.
Link thrust his arm into the bag up to the elbow and produced the map and compass they'd found two days ago. He held them out for Navi to see.
The fairy glided down to land on the map, her tiny frame too light to damage the tough parchment, and took the compass in her arms. She imagined that she probably looked as awkward as Link would if he tried to hold a bass drum horizontally across his chest.
"There's an item two rooms that-a-way." She said, nodding to a door opposite the pool from which Link had entered the room.
Link sighed and shook his head. "I still don't know how you do that." He rolled up the map, and slipped it and the compass away.
Navi, who was now flying again, shrugged and replied, "I'm a fairy?" Link shot a glare her way. It would have been a lot more imposing had he not been forced to squint to look at her. "I'm smarter than you?" She guessed, laughing.
Link opened the door and would have rolled his eyes at his friend had he not been forced to shut them. An unexpected brightness poured through the open door blinding the pair. When they could see again, they realized that they were outside.
They were in an ankle-deep lake whose shores were hidden by fog. A small, stone building with a single, barred door stood fifty feet directly in front of them. When Navi looked back at the door through which they'd come she found that it, too, belonged to a small, stone building that faced the other. Halfway between the two buildings was a small island, maybe ten feet across, which was inhabited by a single, dead tree.
"Where are we?" Navi heard Link say, echoing her own thoughts. She drifted slowly toward the island and heard Link's feet splash as he followed her. There was something wrong with this place, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. A quick glance at Link told her that he was on edge as well.
The fairy flapped her delicate wings to gain some altitude and perhaps get a better view of their surroundings. She didn't get far. At a height of perhaps five yards her head struck something hard and unyielding. Pain shot down her neck and spine, stealing the air from her lungs. Stars filled her vision as her body went numb.
Navi knew she had to be falling, but she felt detached from it. Everything happening around her felt like it might be nothing more than a faded memory. Somewhere in the distance below her she thought she heard someone calling her name. Air rushed past skin that may or may not have been hers and caused goosebumps.
A flag went up somewhere in her stunned mind. Air... Rushing... It was important, but why? Her thoughts were swimming in molasses, unable to make the connection.
The second impact shocked her back to reality and brought the thoughts together with a click she could almost hear. She was on her back; above her she saw Link's worried face staring at her. He had caught her. She tried to speak, but there was no air inside of her. A fit of choking coughs was her reward for her effort.
"Navi, are you alright?" Link asked the injured fairy he held. Navi would have laughed if not for the coughing and pain. She tried to turn onto her side to ease her fit, but her own wings prevented it. "What did you hit?"
She shook her head, it wasn't important right now. "...Wind..." She choked out between coughs.
Link's brow creased in confusion. "You hit wind? How?"
Navi drew in a rattled breath, "... No... Wind..." She managed and saw understanding dawn in Link's eyes.
The air was stale and smelled slightly of mildew; just like every room in the Water Temple. There was no wind, no breeze. Neither the air nor the fog had moved or shifted at all unless they'd caused it. Everything was an illusion, which meant that danger could come from anywhere.
Link's left hand shot up with practiced speed to grasp the hilt of the Master Sword and pull it from the scabbard on his back.
A faint swish of water came from behind Link. He spun around, cutting a wide arc through the air to force his opponent back a step. At the completion of the swing both Link and Navi stared in shock.
Link's opponent was a being formed of shadow as solid as flesh and shaped exactly like Link. It was even armed with shadow versions of Link's own sword and shield. It would have stood even with Link had it been standing on the ground.
It wasn't on the ground, however; it was standing on the flat of Link's sword, which the young man held at full extension. Shock at both the casual grace and the weightlessness of the shadow opponent was enough to stay the young warrior's hand a moment.
Dark Link didn't wait for him to recover. It dropped to a knee, driving its dark blade down between the bones of the Hero's forearm. Link screamed in pain.
The Master Sword fell from Link's useless fingers to be driven into the water beneath feet that had never left its surface. Dark Link pulled its blade from Link's arm, letting him fall to back into the shallow lake. The fall shook Navi from Link's good hand and into water that came up to her neck.
The little fairy splashed feebly toward the tiny island, reaching it in time to see Link use the tree to drag himself to his feet. She shook her wings to clear enough water for her to fly. Dark Link hadn't moved, it still stood on top of Link's sword. Its expressionless face watched, patiently, while Link composed himself.
Link held its gaze. His left arm hung useless beside him, he was dripping water and blood onto the illusionary earth of the tiny island and a dissipating red cloud in the water marked where he'd fallen.
Navi took flight to try and steady her nerves as she watched the standoff. She fought down the urge to cry out to her friend; it wouldn't help. Her breath caught in her throat when Link's hand started to move. His right hand crept slowly, so slowly that Navi wasn't sure at first if it was moving, up to his chest. His hand traveled to one of the straps holding his shield to his back, then to the other, tightening them snugly to his body. Next, his hand moved to the strap holding his bag in place. He thumbed the buckle open and let the bag slide out from under the shield and onto the ground.
Link's eyes never left his Shadow double.
From the corner of her eye Navi saw Dark Link's back leg tighten the same way Link's did before he attacked. "Watch out!" She cried, slamming her hands over her mouth as soon as she'd said it.
She needn't have bothered, Link was already moving. He dropped to a knee, his good hand disappearing into the bag, then he rose and spun.
Dark Link darted forward, its dark blade slashing left to right. The sword bit lightly into Link's side before being knocked away by the shield as it came around. The Hero didn't falter.
Momentum from his spin tore the bag from Link's hand and threw it out across the water; items falling from it to become flotsam in its wake. Only one thing stayed behind in Link's hand: The Megaton Hammer, legendary weapon of the Goron people.
And it was moving at deadly speed.
Twenty pounds of enchanted iron slammed into the side of Dark Link's head. The force of the blow would have decapitated any human but it barely fazed the Shadow. Link twisted his body to harness what was left of his momentum and brought the hammer straight down.
Had Link been able to use his left hand the Shadow would not have been able to dodge. Instead the hammer crashed into the earth. The resulting shock wave cleared away all the water in a two foot radius and shook the ground enough to knock Dark Link from his footing.
Dark Link, now lying on its back, threw up its shield to block a third swing of the hammer. The dark shield shattered under the force of the impact leaving its arm bare. Link raised his tired arm to bring the hammer down one more time.
Before it could fall, the dark blade flicked out to slice deeply into the side of Link's calf. The Hero fell again, losing the hammer.
Navi darted nervously through the air as she watched both warriors rise to their feet. Link moved his shield to his right forearm as he did.
She'd always hated when Link fought. Usually the only thing she could do to help was point out the weaknesses of his enemies, but what could she say now? 'Conquer yourself?'
The ruby glint of a red potion bottle caught Navi's eye as it bobbed among the scattered items. She smiled and took off toward it. This was something she could do.
Navi knew she couldn't have lifted a full bottle at the best of times, but pushing it was a different matter. She swooped down, braced against the bottle's short neck and pumped her wings furiously toward her injured friend.
"Hey!" She called when she'd pushed the bottle close enough for red wisps of blood from Link's leg to kiss the glass.
Navi felt a flush of pride when Link glanced down and gave her a smile of thanks. His foot snapped out to drive Dark Link back a step, giving him time to snatch up the potion. He wrenched the cork out with his teeth and drained the bottle in one draught.
The fairy drifted away as she watched the familiar miracle. In less time than it took to say, Link's body became whole again. Severed tendons in his arm reconnected, returning the use of his left hand. Bleeding stopped, wounds closed and colour returned to his face.
Puckered, red lines remained in place of each injury. The potion replaced blood and closed wounds, but deep healing took time.
The Shadow leapt at Link. The Hero dropped low to bring his shield up hard into the Shadow's gut, his renewed strength sending it sprawling. With the same motion Link slid out his foot and kicked up to send the Master Sword flying clear of the water and into his restored hand.
Link didn't give his opponent time to rise again. He pounced on the sprawling Shadow, his sword coming down.
Dark Link, desperate now, drove his dark blade up.
Navi screamed.
New blood dripped into the water.
The warriors stayed locked in a terrible moment in time. Link's blade was struck through the Shadow's head. The tip of the Shadow's dark blade emerged from the small of the Hero's back. Then the shadow, sword included, evaporated. Link dropped unceremoniously into the water.
The illusion of the lake vanished, leaving behind a large stone room. A harsh stone platform rose from ankle deep water at its center.
Link rose slowly, his hand on the new wound. He staggered to the platform and collapsed backward onto it. Navi darted over to him.
His breathing was short and shallow, but he still managed to smile at her and say, "It's not that bad. Just give me a minute." It was a bald faced lie and they both knew it. Link's eyes glazed over as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Navi forced herself to be calm. This had happened once before. Everything would be fine. One of Link's other bottles would have some more red potion, or a fountain fairy. She'd get it to him and he'd be okay.
She took off toward the mass of floating items. A total of three bottles bobbed in the water, all empty.
"That's okay." Navi said aloud, "There's still one in the bag."
She snagged one of the loose straps of Link's bag, dragging it through the water toward the platform with every ounce of strength in her tiny wings. Her breath became ragged, her body burned and sweat poured down her face, but she didn't care nor did she let up.
An eternity passed before she'd managed to haul the heavy bag onto the platform, but she wasn't done yet. She grabbed the bag's bottom and hammered the air with her wings to lift it. She only managed to raise it a few inches, the strain blinding her behind a field of stars, but it was enough. She heard the clatter of the boomerang, the hollow thud of a bomb and, finally, the tink of the last, precious bottle. She let the bag drop and looked to that glass jewel.
Milk.
The bottle held perhaps two mouthfuls of the same milk she'd shared with Link not half an hour ago.
She fell to the ground, her wings just stopped working. Tears that had nothing to do with her fall slid from her sapphire eyes. She screamed in frustration and sorrow, the emotions fueling one last burst of strength. The boomerang beside her was twice her size, but she used it to smash the offending container to pieces.
Spent, she fell to her knees in the white liquid now pooling around her. She wept, listening as Link's breathing started to slow.
"I'm sorry." She said to her friend, "There's..." She trailed off, noticing a growing swirl of red in the pool of white. It was blood. She must have cut her leg on the glass.
The blood of a fairy.
Her eyes snapped wide. She was a Deku fairy, not a fountain fairy. No one had ever tried it before. Would it work? Would she be reborn afterward?
Did she care? She knew that if she didn't at least try she would be joining her friend soon enough.
The fairy grabbed a small shard of glass and flew over to stand on his chin. He was dreadfully pale and cold beneath her feet.
"Link, I don't know if you can hear me, but it's better this way." She slit her wrists and let the first tiny droplets fall into his open mouth. A few moments later the tiniest bit of colour began to return to Link's face.
The tiny fairy smiled sadly as she laid down. She let her arms dangle into Link's mouth so that every precious drop would land where it was needed, even after she passed out. As her body grew cold she said in a weak voice, "Link, I..." She stopped, even now at the end she couldn't say it. Instead she kissed the lip upon which her head now lay. "Goodbye."
She slipped into darkness moments later.
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Navi woke to the kiss of sunlight on her face and the caress of a summer wind through her hair. Her tired eyes opened and were treated to a view of the noonday sun.
She stifled a groan as she pushed herself to sit up. Aside from the cramps and bone-deep fatigue of overexertion, not to mention the throbbing ache in her arms and leg, she felt drained, as though the life had been sucked from her tiny body. In a way, it had.
Despite the pain, Navi felt hope begin to grow inside her. If she were alive then someone had to have carried her out; it stood to reason that that someone was Link. It had worked.
The fairy forced her rebellious eyes to focus and took in her surroundings. She found herself lying on a bed made from Link's blue hat on a small island in the middle of Lake Hylia. Ten feet away, Sheik sat with his back against a tree. Link's head lay on his lap, one hand gently stroking the Hero's blonde hair. Sheik's red eyes, all that could be seen of his face, were half closed in contentment.
Navi blushed, the sudden movement of blood making her dizzy, and quickly dropped her eyes. She saw her arms and injured leg had been bandaged with tiny strips of white cloth that were as well wrapped as any human could have managed on a fairy. The hope she'd felt before became gratitude for the young Sheikah.
She lifted her eyes again to see Sheik looking intently down at Link's face. His hand no longer stroked Link's hair, but instead cupped a cheek; the thumb running along the Hero's mouth. Navi held her breath as Sheik's other hand rose to the clasp that held the cloth over his mouth and nose. With a gentle flick the veil fell away revealing Sheik's face to the fairy for the first time.
Navi studied that face as it lowered towards Link's. The features were fine, delicate, very feminine and seemed somehow familiar... Recognition hit Navi like a blow.
"You!" The fairy spat as she leapt to her feet. She saw 'Sheik' turn toward her and gasp, noticing for the first time that she was awake. Then Navi was aware only of falling as the darkness took her again.
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Navi awoke again to find herself lying once more on the soft cloth of Link's hat. Princess Zelda sat near her, still dressed in Sheikah clothing, the veil again in place but the glamour she'd cast to change her eye color was gone. Blue eyes now looked down at her with concern, shame and perhaps a little fear.
When the fairy pushed herself to sit, the princess placed one of her acorn cups in front of her. It was filled with a golden liquid. "Here, drink this." She said simply.
Navi cautiously sniffed at the cup's contents. Honey with a few choice herbs added; exactly what a fairy needed to recover. On any other day she'd have refused the princess outright, but today need forced her to drink deeply from what was offered.
Zelda watched the fairy drain the cup. "Thank you." She said to the fairy sincerely. Navi just looked at her in confusion. Zelda clarified, "For what you did in the Temple. You saved him."
"I," Navi stressed the word as strongly as she could, "care about him."
A hint of anger creased Zelda's brow before being replaced by a longing expression. "So do I, but," Zelda sighed. Navi felt anger build again; she expected an explanation of how royalty and commoners don't mix, instead the princess simply said, "I'm to be the seventh Sage."
Confusion at the statement swallowed Navi's anger. The look on her face seemed to surprise Zelda.
"You don't know?" There was a slight quiver in the princess's voice, but it was more of a statement than a question.
Navi studied the princess, then looked nervously over to where Link slept, his head now resting on his bedroll. She turned back to Zelda, "Know what?" She asked suddenly afraid.
Zelda tried to hold the fairy's eyes, but turned away. Navi was certain she saw a tear vanish below the line of the veil. "When all of the sages are gathered we will seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm; however, we will be trapped there as well. For all time."
The small cup fell from Navi's hands, "But Saria and Darunia are Sages..." She began.
"Ruto will become one as well." Zelda cut in.
A new wave of anger and a sense of betrayal filled the fairy, "But they're his friends. Link loves them!" She shouted, ignoring the wave of dizziness that came over her.
Zelda didn't look at Navi, "And they love him. So, too, will the other two Sages. That is how it works." She said sadly.
Navi blinked at how calm the princess seemed. She, herself, was furious. "That's not fair. After everything he's suffered because of you, you can't ask him to give them up too. He doesn't even know you're alive!"
Zelda stood up and crossed her arms. Her eyes found their way to where Link still slept. "I know my mistakes, what I've done to him" She said carefully. Zelda then shook her head sadly. "There's not even a reward waiting for him. All I can do is to minimize the damage I've caused."
The princess sighed and continued "That's why I haven't gone to him, told him who I am. I'd only be something else for him to lose. All I can do is watch over him." She finally turned back to Navi. "When this is over I believe I can return him to the child he was. If we remove everything to remind him of what has happened then perhaps he will forget about all of this, all of us. Let him believe it to be a bad dream and get on with his life unburdened by the horrors he's seen." There was a brief, uneasy silence. Zelda's gaze became beseeching. "Navi..."
"No!" The fairy snapped, not needing to hear the rest. "I'm not leaving him."
Even beneath the veil Navi could see Zelda's mouth open to respond, then close. The princess looked away. Finally she said softly, "Navi, I'm asking you to think of what's best for him." There was a pause before she added, "As you did in the Temple." Zelda walked toward where Link lay and placed a bottle of red potion beside the sleeping man. "Have him drink this when he wakes up."
Zelda took two steps away from Link before pulling something from her belt and casting it to the ground. A bright explosion flooded Navi's eyes with light for an instant and, when it had passed, Zelda was gone.
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Sunset found Navi gently running her fingers along the angry red line that marked where the dark blade had passed through Link's arm. "So much pain." The fairy muttered.
She'd found herself thinking long and hard about what Zelda had said. She realized that the princess had been right; and she'd never be able to forgive her for it. Navi knew that she'd hate the princess for as long as she lived.
"Mmm. What was that Navi?" Link's weak voice asked.
Excitement and joy filled Navi as she took flight and ended up giving Link's nose a heartfelt embrace.
"What happened?" Link managed.
Navi had giving this a lot of thought as well. "Sheik saved us." She said, a slight twinge of guilt pulling at her heart. She flew off and gently rapped the side of the bottle Zelda had left, "He said to drink this." He did.
"What happened to you?" Link asked, noticing Navi's bandages.
"Keese." She lied quickly, she hadn't expected the question. She quickly changed the subject. "I guess we've got another vacation coming, huh?" She said, teasingly, "You want to stay with Malon this time? She owes us."
Link nodded weakly. "I think I'd like that." He started to push himself to his feet, but was scolded back down by Navi.
"No, Link, you just rest for tonight. The ranch isn't going anywhere." She waited for Link to lower himself back down. "You just sleep and forget about what happened. I'll be right here." Link was asleep in seconds.
The fairy landed beside her friend's face and whispered, "For a while, anyway." She risked giving him a kiss on the cheek. At the very least, she mused, after she left she'd look forward to her dreams.