An Ocarina's Power

Lake Hylia was peaceful at night. Everyone was relieved.

Link's body ached from the chaos from earlier in the day, where he nearly died while failing to stop Lord Jabu-Jabu. Navi urged him to rest after the ordeal, talking about how he had to heal so he could help again.

"Claudius has to change his mind," said Navi. "He just has to…somehow."

Link quietly nodded. He gave her no words. What else did he have to say? Claudius and the sentries went about their business after the commander relieved the forest boy of his duty.

They wanted to contain their guardian on their own. Link no longer had a part in that. He understood how they felt.

Scores of sentries dressed their wounds in bandages on the emerald shore. Female healers held their hands over cuts, slowly closing them with soothing strands of teal light.

Every soldier looked weary. Their expressions seemed blank and vacant, as if Jabu-Jabu stole more than a bit of their health.

Each heart of the sentry must have been wounded. Every mind must have been dazed. Link's heart sank as he failed to find a difference in the army's demeanor.

The stars twinkled in the midst of a violet sky. Dark clouds drifted high above the world, veiling and unveiling a glowing moon.

Link couldn't appreciate the beauty. He tried to sleep earlier but wandered from the hammock in his tent.

Jerome and Sheila slept in separate tents, sharing space with sentries and healers respectively. Neither of them spoke to each other still. The conflict continued.

Link couldn't stand the two of them being apart. He stayed up all night, wondering if everything that happened was his fault.

He went outside to look at the stars and they didn't soothe his worries. So, Link started wandering away.

The forest boy pulled himself away from Lake Hylia's shores. Green grass greeted Link as he made his way to a paved path which would have led out to Hyrule Field. Many a time, Link pondered running away.

That would have been easy. It wouldn't have been the first time he considered leaving. This time around, the solution to all Link's woes seemed to rest in just that–running away, avoiding the mission, leaving the burdens behind. Besides, it wasn't as if the Zoras wanted him to take on any of their problems.

Link stared at the road beyond Lake Hylia. Darkness awaited. Dangers lurked in these hours, though Link was quite safe given the nearby Zora Army.

If Link ran, he could go home to the woods. The Kokiri knew by now that the Great Deku Tree's death wasn't his doing, but that of Ganondorf and Queen Gohma, the creature that poisoned the forest guardian's roots to the point of death.

If Link ran, he could run all the way home. Everyone there would accept him.

Peace could finally come into his life. Navi could stay by his side, soothing his pain, soothing his sorrows. Darkness awaited Link beyond Lake Hylia…and he would leave his new friends behind.

Jerome and Sheila would stay in Hyrule forever. Hyrule wasn't their home.

Trevor was lost. Rebecca was missing as well. If Link left, there was a good chance that the two of them would never be found.

What can I do? Link thought. Nothing at all. It's hopeless. All of it…hopeless.

Even Link was scared. He faced fears before but this was a nightmare come true. Once upon a time, he had a guardian of his own.

Link slumped against one of the rock walls bordering the pathway to Hyrule Field. He buried his face in his hands, feeling heavier than ever before. It was as if his body were made of stones.

Link brought his ocarina along and nothing else. Navi was fast asleep at the camp, having found rest amongst the Zoras.

Link needed his own sense of peace. Music was a way to do it. He realized anything would do in this moment, so Link pulled it from the belt wrapped around his tunic and performed melodies to no one.

He played random keys. He thought of small tunes from the woods that he always remembered fondly.

Link recalled dancing with Darunia to the sound of a band that backed the song Saria taught him. He eventually caused himself to do just that; to play the melody his best friend helped him love so much with all his heart.

He played the song Saria taught him. A melody that bounced through the air as if it were dancing. The notes brought Link joy and he needed it so badly. And so he played on and on and on and on…

"Link…"

The voice felt like Link was being pulled from a dream. He was asleep and closed off from everything, then a gentle whisper jolted his senses.

Link looked around. He thought about how impossible it was to hear whom he heard. Saria couldn't have possibly been at Lake Hylia. Link was the first Kokiri to dare come out of the woods ever, as far as he knew at least.

Before writing it off as his imagination, Link looked down at the ocarina. Power. Saria said an ocarina had power beyond anything imaginable.

Hyrule was a land of magic and wonders. Why couldn't he believe in the magic coming in the form of his most prized possession?

Link played Saria's song. Loose leaves flew in the wind. The grass swayed and thin trees in the distance leaned as if to bow to nature. Though the night was cool, Link felt a different texture in the weather…a warmth he knew and yet found out about for the first time.

"You're learning, Link…that's good."

Link closed his eyes. They both stung terribly. He let out a small laugh, as if something were truly funny about all this.

"The ocarina you hold has amazing power," said Saria. "The music we play will keep us together."

"You weren't lying," Link whispered. ¨I…always believed you."

"I'm so glad to hear from you. How's your adventure, Hero of Hyrule?"

Link remained quiet. He heard his best friend sigh. He wondered if their very minds were connected, making it easy for Saria to know what Link's mind hid away.

"It's hard, Link," Saria said. "Everything you're doing is so difficult. The adventure is so hard."

"But why?" Link wished he could see Saria face-to-face. He wished she could comfort help. Hug him. Tell him everything would be alright. This would have meant everything to him. "How is anything going to get better?"

"I can't be the one to tell you that."

"I wish you could."

"I do too. Oh, how I wish I could…"

"…I…sometimes I want to run away."

"But then nothing will get better, Link. Do you truly want that for yourself?"

"I don't know what I want anymore."

Then, there was more silence. Link only heard the wind. He waited for Saria and the wisdom she clearly had.

Suddenly, Link cried. His tears became endless, like a long rainstorm. The streams ran down his face, met at his chin, then plummeted to the grass beneath him.

Saria waited for him. Link imagined the hurt on her face. He'd even seen it before, years ago. He used to tell her how he felt about not having a fairy. She saw and always defended Link from the bullying of boys like Mido when Link was growing up in the forest. Saria understood Link's pain far better than anyone else in the world. She was always there for him, as good friends should be.

"Oh, Link…" Saria whispered. "What I would do to take all of this away…" Link heard her take a deep breath, then sigh. "Link…play the ocarina. Play anything that's on your heart. Let the music take the pain away."

Link wondered for a moment. Could that really happen? Playing music to soothe problems? To make them go away?

"Trust me," Saria said, as if she read his mind. "Play your ocarina. Get lost for a moment, Link. It's OK to be lost sometimes…"

Link believed Saria, as he always had. He lifted the ocarina, pressing the mouth piece to his lips. His fingers decided which notes he would play. A melody waltzed through the air, harmonious and peaceful. It took him a moment to realize that he was playing the Hyrule Royal Family's song, the lullaby Impa sang to Princess Zelda when she was a baby.

Link couldn't tell anyone why he chose that song in particular. The moment just seemed right. It was as if the song was a part of who he was and always had been.

Zelda's lullaby felt natural in every way, shape and form. As soon as the song poured out into the night, Link did feel at peace. His tears dried up and the heartache died down.

"Link…?"

He recognized the voice instantly. It was another girl, another familiar person Link had gotten to know very briefly but felt a strong connection to.

The ocarina's power continued to astonish Link. There were no bounds to what it could do. Proof of this came now. After all, Princess Zelda forged a connection with Link now.

"Zelda…" Link said. "It's…it's me. I…called you with a song."

"A song?" Zelda sounded like someone in pure disbelief. "The royal song. The lullaby. It has that kind of power?"

"Yes," Link said, in disbelief himself.

"I…I shouldn't be astonished by this. You're on a mission to save Hyrule, after all…Link, I sense someone else with us. A friend."

Link laughed as his body warmed. "Her name's Saria. She's from the forest, like me. We're both Kokiri!"

"Both Kokiri…?" Zelda's voice trailed off and it seemed as if she left. "...Hello, Saria. I'm Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

"It's an honor." Link imagined a smile on Saria's face as she spoke with royalty.

"The honor is mine. I can see your nobility. You and Link are alike. You care about the world and care about how to save it."

Saria chuckled. "You're a hero too, then. You're the princess of destiny, your highness. We're glad to be on this journey with you."

"Good…good. Link, how goes the mission?"

"I…I'm stuck. I don't know what to do."

"...You have a spiritual stone."

"Yes."

"The Spiritual Stone of Fire?"

"Yes…how did you know?"

"I…I'm not sure. But somehow, I just knew. You conquered the beast on Death Mountain and you've made it it up to this point with the Zoras. They've trusted you to fight alongside them. Link, you're yet to fail. You're on the verge of victory."

"No I'm not…I…I don't know where else to go, Zelda…"

"You just have to take the next step, Link. It's a must, if you're to be victorious."

"How do you know I'll win? How can you think I'm able to do it?"

"You're the hero the Zoras need right now. No one else will be able to do what you're able to do. I see no one else but you. Just have faith, Link. Always…"

Link wiped the tears from his eyes. He didn't know why the change suddenly came. Zelda's words resonated with him–echoed even. The confidence in her voice gave him a rush of the same feeling. His heart surged with a need to fulfill his duty.

He had to save Ruto. He had to save Hyrule. No matter what, it was Link's job to save everyone. He wouldn't forget that anytime soon.

We believe in you, said Saria. I believe in you. And so does Zelda. Everyone in the forest is waiting for you to come back home…and you will, won't you? You'll be back with us, where it all began?

"Always," said Link. He smiled now, as if the journey were already done.

Then we shall see you soon, Zelda declared. Good luck…though I don't believe you'll need it.

"Thank you…"

He listened for Saria and Zelda…but couldn't hear them. Their voices faded away. Neither girl said goodbye and Link's heart sank at the chance that maybe he wouldn't hear from them or see them again…

But he had a feeling that this wasn't true.

He wouldn't let it be true.

Link was going to save Hyrule.

Link stood up. He looked at Navi, who seemed taken aback by the wonders that just happened. She was a fairy, an unbelievable sight in her own right and yet she found out there were more wondrous miracles in this world beyond her existence.

"I…Navi, I'm happy to have you by my side."

Navi smiled warmly at her charge. "I couldn't have chosen a better friend to guide…although you're not going to need me someday."

"Don't say that. We'll always be together. It's the Kokiri way."

Navi looked away, keeping her kind expression. She closed her eyes as she turned back toward the lake.

"You're a hero in your own right," said the fairy. "A companion isn't going to shape you into the person you're meant to be. That's you and no one else. You just get a lot of help along the way."

Link nodded. Navi was right–he had to shape his own destiny, no matter who stood in his way or helped him. Others could open doors; it was up to him to walk through them and soar from there.

He thought of the lake. Danger lurked beneath the water's surface, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. Link would find a way to overcome the challenge below.

"Navi," Link said. "Let's go to the commander. We'll talk along the way."

The boy and his fairy made their way back to the encampment. Zora sentries stood along the emerald shoreline, standing at attention with their spears and swords in hand.

Before the gathering of soldiers was Commander Claudius. He spoke with with authority, pacing back and forth between the ends of the long line of his regiment.

Claudius' stern demeanor intensified since Link last saw him, tightening like his webbed fists, which trembled with a determined fury.

"You're better than the circumstances," Claudius said. "We knew this was to be a great challenge, a powerful resistance to our might...but we still have that might. Do not forget this! You're the sentries of the River Zoras! You're the greatest water nation in the world! No other country can make such a claim. Prove our reputation to be correct! We will get our guardian back. I swear it."

Link waited for Claudius to finish. When the commander did, he turned to the forest boy and allowed his expression to wane. His regal stance was still bold and proud.

"commander," Link said. "I want to be more useful."

Claudius nodded, though his expression kept hold. "How would you be more useful? You've done enough, I said. I don't see what more you can do to help us."

"I want to be put in the water." Link saw Claudius' jaw fall. Both lips parted as he blinked his cerulean eyes.

"Put me on a boat," Link continued. "Where I can be closer to Jabu-Jabu. Let's bring my friends to mix as well. They have powers that can help us all."

Link waited for the commander's refusal. When the Zora scratched his chin, the weight on Link's shoulders lightened.

"It seems you have a new plan," said Claudius.

"I do," Link replied. "And if you'll hear me out, we'll get Jabu-Jabu out of the water the next time he comes out. I promise you that much."