Life, a Course Uncharted
"Link! I see land!" The red-headed Marin called from the crow's nest of Link's ship.
"I see it! We'll be docking shortly." Link shouted back. "Hey Felicia wake up we're here." He nudged the small fairy sleeping in his hat on his head. They had been sailing for about two months when they finally reached home. With a direct course now chartable between Koholint Island and Hyrule, travel was now swift. They sailed into the harbor, docked, and Marin took in all the new and wondrous sights and sounds of the new land.
"Wow! All of this is so incredible, Link!" Marin awed, fascinated by the different trees, fish market, the sound of shipwrights repairing ships in the harbor or people milling about nearby, the smell of fresh fish and new scents on the air, particularly a nearby bakery with freshly cooked sweet bread. Marin inhaled deeply through her nose upon catching a whiff of the bakery.
"Link what is this mouthwatering scent I smell? Where is it coming from?" She was nearly drooling from the sweet delicious smell.
"Yeah, Link, what is it? Hurry up and take us to it, slow poke!" Felicia bossed him. She flew around his head like an annoying gnat until he caught her in his hat and let her out on his head.
"That, my dear Marin and Felicia, is a bakery. It has sweet bread so soft that it will just about melt in your mouth. Come on. We'll get some on the way to the castle. Zelda loves this bread." He started walking down the path towards the small seaside market area except Marin held a quizzical and slightly worried expression and wasn't walking.
"Link, who is Zelda?" Marin asked quietly. Link stopped and turned around to look at her.
"Oh Zelda? She's the queen of Hyrule. She runs everything around here. She's the one that gave me the ship to get to you. Oh yeah she wanted to meet you. She gave me the boat to bring you back. She's a great friend, that's for sure. You're going to enjoy meeting her." He replied and continued walking.
"Oh. She want to meet me? Me? Why?" She asked incredulously.
"That's exactly what I'm wondering. Why would a queen want to meet us? We didn't even exist until a few months ago." Felicia piped in from atop Link's noggin.
"Why, because you're his friends, of course. And any friend of Link's is a friend of mine." A blonde haired woman with purple raiment and the crest of the Royal Family on the front approached them from behind. "Greetings. You must be Marin. My name is Princess Zelda. I'm technically a queen but I prefer Princess. It has a nicer ring to it don't you think? Link has told me so much about you. And you must be Felicia. Pleasure to make your acquaintances." She bowed to them. "It's been a long time, Link. I'm glad you made it back safely." She gave them a sweet smile.
"So am I. Also, I may have uh, opened a new trade route to a previously nonexistent island." Link averted his gaze and smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Princess Zelda. Has Link really talked a lot about me?" Marin asked after she bowed.
"Marin," Zelda began, putting a hand on the redhead's shoulder and turning her attention to Link. "This poor, brave-hearted swordsman clad in green, as quiet as he is most of the time, he just would not shut up about you for two seconds when he talked to me. Every single time he came to me, it was always about the possibility of the existence of the Wind Fish, the existence of islands that shouldn't exist, or about the beautiful, lovely voiced, kind and caring redheaded girl from his dreams that he dreamed every single night. He dreamed about you each and every night for a year. He came to me and pleaded with me to let him go and find you. I knew that if he had and sliver of possibility of finding you that he would be the one to do it. Link has a knack for doing the impossible." She finished saying.
"Really Link?" Marin asked incredulously. Before Link could open his mouth, Felicia interrupted.
"That does sound like Link now doesn't it? Sappier than all the trees on Koholint and about as stubborn as a boulder when it comes to getting what he wants." She said.
"If you would, let me tell you something about Link as well, Princess. Link here, when he found out that we were all in the Wind Fish's dream, built a raft, took me out on it and even though he knew that there was no escaping the island unless the Wind Fish was woken up and we all vanished, kept on paddling until he could hardly unclench his fists or even move from the stress he put on his body." She took Link's arm. "This swordsman is as stubborn as he is pure of heart. And not only did he refuse to have it either one way or the other, kill all of Koholint and escape, or be trapped inside the dream forever, he woke the Wind Fish up and brought us all into existence! Can you get more stubborn than that?" Marin, Zelda, and Felicia, and Link all laughed at this.
"Come on, let's go get some bread! I've had nothing but fish and seafood for the past like 5 months. Let's talk while we eat." Link ushered them off the boardwalk and into the bakery.
"I have never tasted anything like this!" Marin proclaimed. "It's so sweet and fluffy!" She continued as she reached for more of the delicious golden buttered rolls.
"Best in the kingdom. I have the baker here deliver some of his breads to the castle every so often for me and the guards." Zelda commented savoring the smell of the golden bread.
"What about the king?" Link inquired. "No bread for him?"
"Afraid not, Link. I caught him conspiring to usurp the throne and take all the power for himself. So I had him and his accomplices exiled. Now it's just me and my loyal servants in the castle. While having a husband to share my thoughts with and turn to when the stress gets heavy at the end of the day, there's nothing like having a good group of friends who are loyal no matter what. But enough about me. What about you and Marin, Link?" Zelda explained to him and leaned forward towards Link as she asked her question with an eager curiosity.
"I never liked him anyways. What about us, Princess?" Link asked, slightly uncomfortable with the princess's sudden change in behavior.
"Yeah." Marin agreed.
"Oh, I think you two know." Felicia piped up currently in between helpings of rolls. She eyed the two very knowingly.
"Uh I'm not sure what you're talking about. You'll have to be more specific." Link requested, shifting nervously in his seat as he became more and more uncomfortable just like Marin was. Both he and Marin reached for the same roll at the same time and their hands brushed each other. Link nervously pulled his hand back and scratched the back of his head while averting his gaze from the furiously blushing Marin.
"Oh yeah. You don't know a thing, Link. I guess I have to do everything myself." Felicia half mocked them. She took another bite of her roll and floated up to Link's hand grabbing it. She pulled it over to Marin's beside him and wrapped his hand around hers.
"There. Now don't let go or I'll keep every single one of these delicious rolls from you." She threatened the previously blushing pair. The princess simply smiled smugly. Neither Link nor Marin looked at each other, but simply squeezed the other's hand gently.
Eventually, their posture slowly eased from rigid and uncomfortable to relaxed.
"And that's how I woke up the Wind Fish." Link concluded his retelling of the story of how he woke the Wind Fish and made it out of the dream.
"Sounds incredible. It must have been so hard to go through with waking the Wind Fish when you knew the cost. Yourself, or an entire island." Zelda thought aloud.
"You have no idea, Zelda. After I got back home, I couldn't sleep for an entire week because of what I knew I had done. And even when I finally did manage to sleep those few nights, it was always about all of Koholint asking me why I killed them.. Why I couldn't save them." Link fought to keep his composure. His voice was low and he couldn't find it within himself to raise his head. Especially not with one of the people he made disappear sitting mere inches away from him. Marin put her free hand on his opposite cheek and lifted his face to look at her.
"Except you did save us, Link. You are the sole reason we exist. Why I am sitting here beside you. You wanted us to live so badly that we eventually came into existence. Or at least that's what I guess is what happened. Either way, you have no reason to blame yourself." Marin soothed. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
"She's right, Link. You saved us. You saved us all from a life where we weren't actually alive. From a dream that we could never escape from. You saved us from nonexistence." Felicia floated up to his shoulder and hugged him around the neck as best she could although her arms only made it about half way around.
"Link, you are the most pure of heart person I know. I would even go so far to say you are the purest of heart in all of Hyrule. There is no blame to be given. So don't beat yourself up." Zelda consoled him.
"Yeah. I guess you all ae right." Link stated through tear filled eyes. "Thanks." He gave them a small but heartfelt smile.
"Good. But as fun as this homecoming has been, I must return to the castle to perform my daily duties. Kingdoms don't run themselves after all. Marin, Felicia, it has been such a pleasure meeting you two. I look forward to talking to you again. Link, keep her close. Marin, keep him out of trouble. And Felicia, don't eat too many rolls. This baker puts lots of sugar in them." Zelda departed and made her way to the castle to the north.
"Where to now, Link?" Marin asked him, still clinging to his hand.
"Well, I guess we could go to where I've been staying. I don't know if you could call it home but it's where I've been hanging my hat. It's nothing fancy though. Just a small shack out beside the ocean close enough to the castle so that if Hyrule needs me, I'm not too far away." Link replied.
"Sounds great! Let's go!" Marin exclaimed excitedly.
"So far, Hyrule is beautiful. How about we take the scenic route?" Felicia suggested. "I want to see the sights."
"I know just the place. Come on. It's not very far from here by foot. Let's go." Link led her by the hand down the beaten path.
"Link, this is incredible. We had forests and trees on the island but nothing like this. There's so much wildlife and so many different kinds of trees and plant life. It's so beautiful." Marin awed at the lush green forest and all its majesty.
"This isn't what I wanted to show you, Marin." Link slowed a little to let her take it all in but continued leading them along. They came across a small stream with a small stone bridge built across it where they stopped and admired the sounds.
"This is so peaceful. This is a lovely place." Felicia stated, taking in all the sounds of the forest and the gentle rush of the water. "This is wonderful."
"It really is." Marin sighed.
"This isn't it either. Just a little farther, you two." Link smiled and continued onward. They walked up to a crystal blue waterfall issuing out of the side of the mountain, cutting through the ground where it ran for miles to the ocean.
"This is so beautiful. There is so much to this land and we've only walked a short distance." Marin said, trying to take in the sheer beauty of everything she and Felicia had seen so far.
Yeah. But this still isn't what I wanted to show you. It's just a little farther." Link told them.
"What could you show me that could be better than this?" Marin asked in disbelief.
"You'll see." Was his reply. Felicia, who had been speechless most of the journey, spoke up.
"Link, you live around all this? You've been around this all your life?" She asked.
"Yeah. Whenever I fight, I fight to protect not just the people of Hyrule, but all this that you've seen so far. I fight to protect the beauty of the land and the lives of the people. Come on. Last thing I wanted to show you before we go home." Link answered as he gently lead them both up the mountain. "I want you to close your eyes for this one. Don't open them until I say so, okay? Don't worry. I'll lead you safely there."
"Okay, Link. If you say so." She gave him a smile and shut her eyes as he led her. He led her up the trail, under low lying branches, around large stones, and over fallen tree branches until they finally arrived at their destination where Link gently helped her into a sitting position.
"Okay, Marin. You can open your eyes now." Link said softly. Marin slowly opened her eyes to see the vastness of the land of Hyrule. As far as the eye could see, there was land. There was Hyrule Castle close by, looking over the citizens of the kingdom within its gray walls. There was the wide and far reaching expanse of the forests, rich with the symphony of nature led by the whispers of the wind and the songs of the various birds conducted by the tempo of time. The lakes and falls, crystal blue and teeming with aquatic life like the ocean. The rises and falls of the hills and valleys of the plains, reaching far unto the horizon.
"Oh, Link.." Marin's eyes filled with emotion that rolled down her face in warm streams. She covered her mouth with her hands and rested her head against his shoulder. Felicia stared wordlessly at the incredible beauty of the fiery orange hues of the sunset bathing the countryside in a wondrous glow. "It's so beautiful. I want to be able to see this every day. I want to see this beauty every day, Link."
"I see this beauty whenever I look at you, Marin." Link told her as he put his arm around her.
"You did not bring us out all this way just to say that, did you?" Marin asked staring at him incredulously.
"No, but now that you say that, I wish I had thought about that." Link admitted with a smile.
"Okay I think I'll give you two love birds some privacy. I'll be over in one of those trees." Felicia floated off into a nearby patch of trees to give the pair some alone time.
"This really is beautiful, Link." Marin said as she rested her head once again on Link's shoulder.
"Yeah. Especially when you're here." Link let out a contented sigh. "You know, there once was a time when I was fearless. I wasn't afraid of anything on that island nor any monster in this land. I fought with all my might yes, but if I had died, I knew that there'd be people in Hyrule to take my place in the army. But now.." Link trailed off.
"Now?" Marin asked.
"Now, I am scared out of my mind by the thought of dying." Link answered her and pulled her gently closer into him.
"What changed?" She asked although she was fairly certain of the answer. Link smiled and fell back pulling her with him so they were laying on their backs on top of the warm grass bathed in twilight.
"Well you see, I was off in search of stronger foes to test my strength and to get stronger in case any evil ever showed up again in Hyrule. I sailed off into the sea but this fierce storm completely destroyed my boat and I was cast into the depths of the ocean, certain I was to meet a watery grave. But I awoke to this beautiful girl with red hair and a beautiful voice." At this part, Marin smiled and snuggled into him.
"She cared about all the animals and her friends and she sang this amazing sounding song. Eventually, though, I learned it was all just a dream. And to escape the dream meant to also make everyone disappear, even the girl I fell in love with. I had a kingdom to protect though so with an aching heart, I woke up the dreamer, escaped from the dream, and in doing so, killed everyone on that island. But here's the good part. Apparently, I wanted them to be alive so much, that they finally did come into existence. I sailed back to that island and found her waiting on the shore for me. So I brought her back to where I was from along with this annoying fairy who helped me escape the dream. But the reason I am just so scared of dying…is because if I die, who'll be there to protect you? I have faced hundreds of foes without too much worry of death because there's always more like me in the Hylian army but…..there's none other like you, Marin. There will never be another like you. Which is why I can't let myself die. The thought of not being there to protect you is just…..I want you in my future, Marin. I want you to be part of my future. Whenever I look at my future, I want to see you there. If I dream about you, and I wake up, I want you to be there right beside me whenever I wake up. I want you to be there wherever I go. If I have to go into battle, I want to be able to know that you'll always be there when I get back." He put both of his arms around her and held her tight as tears threatened to fill his eyes.
"Don't worry Link. I promise I'll always be here. I want to be part of your future, too. Which is why I'll be here to take care of you if you ever come back from battle hurt. You're my hero after all, but even heroes need someone to take care of them. Be with them. Make sure they're okay whenever they come home from saving the world." She sat up in his arms and pulled him up after wiping a tear from his face. "Speaking of home, let's go. It's getting pretty dark." Link nodded in response and stood up helping her up as well.
"Hey Felicia, let's go home. We have plenty to do starting tomorrow. I have to build a couple more rooms onto the shack if all three of us are to call it home." Link waved at her to come on and they made their way down the mountainside to the coast where his small shack was.
"Goodnight Marin and Felicia." Link said from a blanket on the wooden floor.
"Goodnight Link." Felicia answered from her small makeshift bed in the window sill.
"Goodnight Link. See you in the morning. And thank you again for letting me have the bed. It really wasn't necessary though. I would have gladly taken the floor." Marin replied from the small single mattress on the floor dressed in a light blue nightgown she had brought from Koholint. She removed her necklace and set it on the floor beside her mattress. She snuggled under the covers and smiled happily at the thought that she and Link would be sharing this house and their future along with Felicia.
"I couldn't do that. Besides, I'm much more use to it than you probably are. Goodnight Marin. See you in the morning." Link turned over on his side and used his arm as a pillow and pulled the cover up on him as they all were lulled to sleep by the hypnotic sound of the waves crashing against the shore.
To Be Continued