Following Blondie

Chapter Three: Outsiders on Outset

When Aryll awoke the next morning, she felt tired beyond belief. She could scarcely throw herself out of bed, much less get dressed and ready for the day.

Grandma confirmed she wasn't sick, though, so Aryll was eventually tugged out of bed by the aforementioned grandmother, who was a firm believer in 'early to bed, early to rise.'

As Aryll shuffled around in the sand, too exhausted to really pay much attention to the island kids, something caught her half-open eye.

A speck in the sky, growing larger with each passing second, was heading for the island. Aryll was filled with a sense of apprehension, knowing this could not be good.

She'd harbored a healthy fear of most birds ever since her kidnapping, and so she was extremely relieved to magnify the creature in her telescope and realize that the flying thing was not a bird at all, but a Rito.

Aryll put away her telescope and waited for the Rito to drop down to earth, thinking that it was probably only the postal service. Aryll laid her head down on the sand and closed her eyes, hoping to take a quick nap.

Just as she felt she was drifting off toward dreamland and memories of her missing brother, Aryll was startled awake by a pair of hands, softly shaking her by the shoulders.

Aryll opened lifted her eyelids to see absolutely blood-red, positively glowing eyes staring straight into hers. She barely suppressed a gasp. The eyes were strangely unnerving.

Then the eyes moved away, and Aryll's vision could encompass the entire Rito belonging to the bright red circles. The Rito was female, with long brown hair and a harp that shone in the sunlight. Aryll squinted as light spots danced in front of her eyes when she accidentally stared at the instrument.

"Um…excuse me?" Aryll muttered, half-apologetically. She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. It was a puzzling situation. And the fact that she couldn't help but gape at either the eyes or the harp was not helping.

The Rito nodded her head in a bow. "My name is Medli, and I come here to represent the Rito tribe."

Aryll, still dealing with the dawning comprehension that this was not mail service, said, "I'm Aryll…um…how may I help you?" She smiled inwardly, proud she had remembered her manners. Grandma would be so proud.

Aryll wondered how the Rito girl could go so long without blinking, as Medli asked seriously, "I am here to see Link. Is he present?"

Aryll's eyes widened, as she felt what could have been wave of liquid ice washing over her, but was, in reality, a mounting suspicion that something was horribly, horribly wrong.

"W-well…no, he isn't. Um…why do you ask?" she questioned, trying to act as though nothing was wrong. It would be weird if she started getting all freaked out for apparently no reason in front of a visitor.

"There have been many storms for months now. We Rito find it extremely hard to navigate in such abysmal conditions. Your brother is the Wind Waker, and my people believe he can stop these twisters…if he is not causing them."

Aryll pondered on what Medli could mean by implying it might be Link's fault the weather was bad. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to decide whether or not she should get angry.

In the end, Aryll's loyalty to her family won out over etiquette.

"Now you look here you…bird-thing, you!" she shouted unexpectedly, "My big brother would never make storms to hurt people! He's a good person, and you've got no right to come to our home and pretend this is all his fault, because it's not!"

Neither of them spoke for few seconds after the outburst, Aryll staring fiercely ahead but finding herself loosing face as Medli's own remained calm and unfazed. Medli didn't look extremely offended as she said, smiling for the first time during her visit, "You know…I resent that bird-thing comment."

Aryll turned red and looked at her feet, her momentary bravery gone in the face of Medli's patronizing smile. "I don't care," she muttered.

"I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I'm sorry," Medli said. Aryll looked up.

Medli continued, "Link was on a mission for so long to protect you, Aryll, but I think you are doing a very good job of protecting him."

Aryll thought it felt kind of odd to have a stranger call her by her name, but didn't voice it, saying ashamedly, "Yeah, well…I don't think so. If I'd have done a better job he would be home safe. I shouldn't have let him go…I should have mailed the pirates…I should've…" A few tears slipped down the blonde girl's cheeks, and since Medli said nothing, Aryll continued.

"I let him leave…and…and I didn't even notice anything strange! Everyone else, they noticed the weather, but everything's been fine over here! I didn't even suspect anything! I can't believe it…I…I didn't even care! It was just like I didn't even care!" she sobbed out, having totally broken down into tears by that time.

Medli made a move like she wanted to go reassure the smaller girl, but stopped, realizing it was not her place. Instead, she asked, "So Link isn't here?"

Aryll, not trusting her voice, nodded silently.

"And you don't know where he is?"

Another nod.

"This is not good," the Rito muttered, as Aryll choked back a few sobs.

"Thank you for your time, Aryll. I will be on the lookout for your brother. Don't worry. He's bound to turn up sometime or other," Medli said, jumping into the air and flapping her wings, waving good-bye to Aryll before taking off for Dragon's Roost.

Back on shore, Aryll murmured to herself, "…Everyone says not to worry…but I just can't help it."

She looked to the sky, at Medli's retreating figure.

"Something bad is happening…"

When, later that afternoon, Aryll admitted Makar, the forest-vegetable-thing representing Forest Haven, to Outset Island, any shadow of a doubt in her mind that her brother was not in trouble was obliterated from her mind.

He, too, came calling about the horrific storms plaguing the Great Sea. Again Aryll was forced to admit to an outsider that their little island was missing its hero.

"Makar," Aryl began, having a thought, "I'm very worried about Link. First it was the pirates, then the Ritos, and now you… I need to get out there. I want to go find Link. Will you…come with me?"

Makar was not intimidating in the slightest, which was what lent Aryll the guts to ask. He also, obviously, was finding it difficult to fly anywhere without the wind on his side.

After all, he had told her the journey from Forest Haven had been three times as long as it should have been, and Aryll found new respect for Medli, who must have flown all the way from the north-east.

When Makar's face fell, Aryll quickly tried to tell him it was all right if he couldn't go with her, and that she was just asking, but he opened his mouth before her to propose an alternate solution.

"Actually, Aryll, I am too small. An off-breeze might render me useless to you. I would suggest a more…human companion."

Aryll began to panic, thinking Makar was going to tell the villagers about her plan.

"Oh, no no no! I can't ask anyone from the village…I don't want them to know I'm going."

"That's not what I'm telling you. I know someone who will be extremely helpful, but there is one drawback…"

"What?" Aryll asked.

"He is on an island far to the north, so we would have to sail all the way there. And also, well…I can't put it any other way…"

"Can't put what any other way?" the childlike curiosity spoke.

"Erm…well…he's dead." Makar said dejectedly.

"Dead?" Aryll was disbelieving. "Then, what am I going to do? How could a dead person possibly help me?"

"Let me explain," Makar pleaded. "He may be dead, but he is the old Wind Sage. I should be able to sort of…channel him."

"Channel?"

"I would switch places with him," Makar explained, "I would remain on Gale Isle in his place, and he could go with you. He is about your size, so he won't blow away. He won't be worried by the wind, either."

"Oh." Aryll said, at a loss. Then a thought occurred.

"Makar, what's his name?"

Makar looked to Aryll, knowing that as of that moment, the plan had been put into effect. He was resigning himself to an eleven-year-old's headstrong antics, and an indefinite stay in a tomb meant for someone else.

"Fado," he said…

"His name is Fado."