*I wasn't sure if I was going to update this one or not. Then I decided to write some and see if I found interest again. I do not own Legend of Zelda or Dark Cloud.*
Chapter 1
Link kept glancing back at Monica and Max as he led them to Ordon. Unable to remain silent, he asked, "How did the two of you get here?"
Max shrugged. "We don't even know where here is."
Monica explained further, "There is a man, Liam, and he was in my father's room. We wanted to know what he was doing and he sent us here."
Link stopped walking and turned to face them. "You are not from Hyrule, I can tell that much. You are also not from the Twilight Realm. Where are you from?"
Max and Monica exchanged a glance, but Max answered, "I'm from a small town called Palm Brinks."
Monica added, "I'm from a time 100 years in his future."
The Hylian nodded. "The wizard was also from your time, Monica."
She nodded. "How did you know?"
Link shrugged. "Call it a lucky guess." In truth, it was only somewhat of a guess. Knowing Max and Monica were of different times, it had been relatively simple to guess the wizard being closer to Monica's time.
Max watched the Hylian, curiously, "For someone who has just met people from different times, you seem to be handling it pretty well."
Link started walking again, "Strange things happen here all the time."
"Strange things? Just what kind of place is this?" asked Max.
Link answered, "We've just had a lot of things happen as of late. You shouldn't have anything to worry about though."
Monica and Max exchanged a glance, but it was Monica who spoke. "So, where are you leading us?"
"To my village," answered Link. "It's not much further now. We just need to cross that bridge," he added, nodding toward the bridge.
"And then what?" asked Monica. "We need to find Liam."
Max nodded in agreement. "We don't know what he's up to, but it can't be good."
Link stopped walking and looked them both over. Max was in overalls, so he probably wouldn't have too much trouble travelling. Monica on the other hand…
Noticing Link eyeing her, she placed a hand on her hip. "What is it? Just spit it out already."
Link turned away and started walking once more, starting across the bridge. As he did so, he said, "We need to find you a change of clothes. What you're wearing now won't help you when travelling." Part way across the bridge, he noticed they weren't following him. With a sigh, he walked back. "Don't tell me you're afraid of heights," he muttered.
Monica scoffed. "No, but why should we trust you?"
"Monica…" began Max, "we don't really have anything else."
Turning to Max, she asked, "How do we know he's not working with Liam?"
Link rolled his eyes and sat off to the side, away from the cliff's edge. He could wait. It wasn't like he had anywhere to be. Well, it was getting late and Fado would probably need help rounding up the goats for the night...but that was a minor thing. Fado could certainly manage on his own. And Link lived alone, so there was no one waiting for him at home. It was just him and his horse, Epona. So, he just sat and closed his eyes, waiting.
"Monica, I don't see what other choice we have," said Max.
"We can go after Liam," Monica replied.
"And how are we supposed to do that? We know nothing about this place or how we got here."
Monica opened her mouth to argue, then stopped. She looked down at the blue atlamillia and said, "What if we've just traveled in time?"
Max frowned, but thought it over, considering it. His hand going to his own atlamillia, he said, "I thought these could only take us 100 years. This place isn't like anything we've seen before."
Monica shrugged. "Well, Liam must have done something. Maybe a new piece of technology?"
"But we didn't see anything. It couldn't have been that small...could it have?" asked Max.
"Maybe," Monica replied. "Either way, we need to figure out what he's up to."
Max nodded. "And the best way to do that, is to go with him," he said, gesturing to Link who was still dozing.
Monica sighed. "Fine, we'll go with him for now. Just until we find a solid lead to where Liam is."
"Alright, then," began Max, "let's go. Link?"
Link opened his eyes and stood up. "Have you two reached a decision?" he asked.
They exchanged a glance before both Monica and Max nodded. Monica then clarified, "We're only going with you until we know how to find Liam."
Link nodded. "Fair enough. Let's get going before it gets too dark."
With that, they started off across the bridge, Max trailing behind. He was off on yet another adventure. He couldn't help but wonder what lay in store for him. What kind of people would he meet? What kind of places would he visit? What new experiences were waiting for him? Despite knowing there was definitely going to be danger and that they needed to find Liam, he couldn't help but smile when he thought of what lay waiting for him. The people. The places. The adventure.