Chapter 5: Navi

Link woke up instantly, his face covered in sweat, his eyes only able to detect darkness. Link felt the ship sway as the ocean pushed it forward, and he heard the wind as it guided the boat to its destiny. He lifted his head and glimpsed toward the door. A lone light shone through the room.

"I'm sorry to have startled you," said the Fairy.

"It's all right," Link assured. "Can I help you?"

The Fairy looked perturbed, as if she could not find the words to speak. "Link…My name is Navi…I have been on the island nearly all my life, but I have been waiting for you, I know, for even longer. Where I came from, before…the island…the story of the Hero of Time was a cherished one. I was named after the Navi of legend. Have you heard of her?"

"Yes," Link answered. "She guided the Hero of Time through his journey, till the very end."

"Precisely," the Fairy answered. "I don't think you know, but Navi is not a common name for a Fairy, despite its fame. I think that…it is my destiny…to repeat what has happened…to fulfill my name. You are not the Hero of Time, but there is little difference. Whether you control the power of time or wind, it is what you do with that power that defines you. That is why you, Hero of Winds, are going to do great things. I can feel it. You have already told me that you have gone through a long journey, but there is more…so much more."

"How do you know?" asked Link, recalling his dream. "Ganondorf is gone. He is no longer a threat. The Triforce will remain in pieces."

"I know because of the Hero of Time. You two share something I cannot describe. Though a thousand years separate the two of you, you are intertwined; you are one. You truly are the Hero of Time reborn."

"What does that have to do with my journey? The Hero of Time's quest ended. He claimed his peace when Ganondorf fell."

"Ah, but that is not true, Link." Navi smiled. "After Link's adventure was over, and peace took hold, he went on one last journey. He went to find a lost friend, the Fairy that I share my name with. He went to a land called Termina, where he fought yet another evil, saving yet another land."

"So maybe my journey isn't over yet," Link admitted.

"And so you must listen to me," Navi pleaded. "Take me with you. Wherever you will go, I can guide you. Across deserts, over mountains, through forests, it does not matter. I was meant for greater things than this, Link."

The Hero of Winds thought for a moment. Listening to the wind howl outside, he realized that it would be beneficial to have a Fairy by his side. "All right, Navi. You may come with me and Tetra. But only if you realize the danger you may be heading into."

Navi smiled, beaming. "Of course!" There was silence for a moment as Link yawned, yearning to sleep again. He sat up from his bed, wiping his dreary eyes. He rose to Zelda's bed beside him. She seemed so peaceful, her chest moving consistently up and down with each breath. It was like nothing was afflicting her. But her body gave off the markings of something vile, something deadly, and Link was shown her danger. Link quickly looked away, out through the window onto the sea. He saw as the waves crashed against each other, white foam coating the ship as it carved through the sea. But even through the swirling black waters Link could see Tetra, begging him for help, begging him to find a cure for her illness.

Link looked back into the room, his eyes meeting Navi's. She could see that he was hurt.

"The Hero of Time too had someone he loved. It only makes sense that those we cherish are always the ones in danger. You share so much with him, Link. Even today is yet another similarity that binds you and the Hero of Time together."

Link looked up. "What?"

"Well, he went on a long journey to find a lost friend named Navi."

"How does that relate to me?"

"You did so as well. You just weren't aware of it."


Below the dry comfort of the upper deck, down where water dripped, where the ship's veering turns caused the most turbulence, the witch without a broom schemed. She dared not sit down, for tiny leaks in the cracks of the ships allowed water to penetrate inside. Water now covered the floor –not enough to alarm her, but enough to cause her discomfort. But Maple did not wish to sit. She did not wish to take contentment. Comfort and security were not things she expected, much less accustomed with. She was used to sleeping where no one else dared to walk; she was used to taking the chance no one else dared to contemplate; she was used to drinking the water no one else dared to look at.

They are dead.

No, it isn't true. They will come back. They will come back.

Maple turned her head upwards, hearing new voices from above. Water escaped into her boots as the winds continued to thrust the ship onward.

Was that compassion she heard? Was that love? No, these emotions were foreign to her now. Those wraiths, those ghouls, stole it from her. Her pride, her love, her promise, all ripped away. And what was she given in return? A path to destruction. A path to witchery and distrust.

Though these people are not the ones who maimed her past, they have attempted to harm her future. Maple saw the way they eyed the Fairies, her slaves. They had taken them aboard the ship. They had abducted them! Maybe they are not as bad as the ghouls, but they are no friends of mine, Maple mused.

They are dead. The voice returned.

Maple cuffed her ears, her legs swishing through the shallow water as her back finally hit the wall. But the voice repeated. It echoed. It did not miss a beat in its tune of sorrow. It is eternal.

"How I long to have again that which is lost from me," Maple said, attempting to drown out the ghost with her own voice. "This vessel will be the path to what should be rightfully mine, I know. But the people aboard this place…I don't know yet whether they are friends or enemies."

The voice was too much. Even Maple's attempts to overtake it with illusions and fabricated realities were not enough in the face of the truth. Even the water, even the voice of Link, even the wind, is not nearly enough to take the knife away from her back.

They are dead. They are dead. They are dead.

Maple fell to the floor, sobbing, her legs now submerged in water, her eyes now covered in tears, drowning her hope.

And they are not coming back.