Chapter Two:

Embrace

The connection shared between two people when embraced is an experience that holds no permanent grounds of emotion. The people who share such an embrace are oftentimes similar to one another; whether it is their appearance or age, yet, for every pair that as ever held one another in the other's arms, each bond retains its own special meaning by the composition of the hearts of those who share them. The heart within makes the embrace unique, and made eternally impossible to replicate.

As Link holds the strange, red-haired, girl tightly in his arms, he wonders what sort of heart lies within this girl. She was so angelic in appearance that it seemed inconceivable her heart were made of anything but purity. If anything were certain, it was that he did not deserve the comfort of someone so compassionate.

The afternoon sun yawns in the sky, starting its decent along the western sky. The rays from the weakening sun felt cool in the sea breeze. Link cannot bring himself to let go of her, feeling as if letting go would slip him away from the peace he had finally found.

But had he found peace? This moment was so perfect he dreaded the fact that he could ever lose it. There were still so many unanswered questions, and for all he knew, this was still just a dream; a dream that was so intoxicating, he felt like he could slip far away from it at any moment.

It was winter in Hyrule. The trees were crooked and bare, covered by thick layers of snow and ice, and the streets were strung with festive decorations to celebrate the coming of the new year. It was Link and Zelda's favorite time of year. There was always so much to do; from playing in the snow to decorating the castle, and most of all, divulging in the glorious edible treats of the season.

Yet there was one thing about this particular time of year the two children found most enjoyable. It was something new to the people of Hyrule that fortunately they could afford to do themselves: ice skating.

Zelda had snuck the two of them from the castle bringing him to a secret garden hidden in the valley of the great mountains behind the castle; a secret hideout of sorts, just for the two of them.

The garden was surrounded by tall, thick evergreen trees, creating the enclosed secretive atmosphere. Between the trees there was a small lake, which at that time of year was covered by a thick layer of ice.

"Quick, Link! Get your skates on it's freezing just standing out here, let's move! I don't know how you're not dying in that stupid tunic of yours." Princess Zelda was dressed in an assortment of thick coats the outermost a slick white coat made from the fur of a white wolfos that matched her pants of the same material. She had a neatly tied pair of white ice skates with material made from dodongo scales and complete with sleek metal blades that gleamed in the moonlight. Standing in the snow, she wobbled slightly trying to keep her balance while scolding Link.

Link, of course, did not have such a fine pair of skates; in fact the princess was probably the only person in Hyrule who did. Link did not even have a coat to wear either, but that was mostly by choice. His tunic was more than enough to keep him warm. The skates Link did happen to own looked rather flimsy and weak, such that the blade might fall off as soon as it made contact with the ice, and they were so hard to fit tightly around his feet that he was quite used to Zelda becoming impatient with his struggles.

Link finally managed to tie his last skate. Zelda was now jumping up and down in place, rubbing the sleeves of her thick coat. "A-Are y-you f-f-finally r-read-dy?" She said through chattering teeth.

Link raised his head to look at her with an impish grin. In a flash of green, he stood up and grabbed Zelda, lifting her into his arms as she screamed at him. Drowning out her curses with his own laughter, Link ran smoothly in his skates across the rigid piles of snow towards the pond. With a graceful leap, he struck the surface of the ice and skated forward placing Zelda down on her own skates but holding her waste as the two raced along the ice.

The air was cold, but as Link guided the princess around the surface of the lake, the temperature faded to the back of his mind.

Link held on tightly to her waste, easing Zelda in different directions as she tried to keep her balance. Eventually she began to calm down from the initial shock of hitting the ice.

Sensing Link's grip beginning to loosen, she quickly turned her head to give Link a demand: "You better not let go of me."

Link pondered her request for a moment, sarcastically twisting his face to contemplate it, before giving her a light push away from him.

Waving her arms frantically in circles in a meaningless attempt at holding her balance, Zelda slid along the surface of the ice only a short distance before coming to a stop.

Link continued to skate in precise circles around the princess as she quietly prayed for safety from the goddesses. "Congratulations Princess, you've finally skated on your own! And might I awe in the gracefulness of that performance; such finesse, such confidence, I'd have thought you'd been skating for years."

Zelda cautiously opened her eyes, realizing she had come to a stop. Taking a deep breath, she loosened her arms from their petrified position, but in so doing, finally lost her balance and fell hard onto the ice. Link skated in front of her, bending down in a crouching position to look her in the eyes and laugh.

"Ow, Link. I told you not to let go." She said, wincing through the pain in her backside.

Link sucked in his fit of laughter. "Well, in all seriousness, you finally did it on your own even though it wasn't the prettiest thing I've ever seen," he said with a supportive smile.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I? It felt good to be free like that."

"Free, huh?" Link said; his smile fading.

Zelda stopped massaging her hip and looked curiously at Link.

Link suddenly let out a wide grin. "At least now you'll have a reason to have the only pair of real skates in Hyrule!" He rose to his feet grabbing Zelda's hand and pulled her up with him.

The moon had given them a quiet light under which the surrounding trees rustled in a calm dance. As the pair continued skating around the frozen clearing, thin grey clouds began to swim through the sea of stars and over the silver light of the moon. The already chilled air started to sting Link and Zelda's faces as they slid across the ice.

"Let me try it on my own again, okay?" Zelda asked Link as she shoved off from his grip.

Link stopped on the ice and folded his arms with a smile. "Well, let's see it then."

Zelda could not avoid waving her arms for balance at first, but soon stood upright and struck off from the ice with a clean kick. Slowly she maintained her balance as she skated away from Link.

Zelda reached the other end and clumsily came to a stop before turning around to look at Link with a bashful grin.

"Good! Now come back to me a bit faster," Link said.

Zelda took a determined stance and kicked off back towards Link. She was going a lot faster than before; making strong strides as she picked up speed on her return glide. She could see Link watching her in admiration as she got closer. She closed her eyes and let out a triumphant giggle.

But with her eyes closed, she could not see the crack in the ice in front of her. As her skate crossed over the small gap, the point stuck into the face of the ice tripping Zelda and sending her crashing into the ice. The weak ice was not strong enough to withstand the force of her fall, thus Zelda was sent plunging into the frigid water.

Link stood stunned for a moment but snapped himself into focus, racing over to the open hole in the ice, diving headfirst into the water. Zelda hadn't fallen far, giving Link enough time to hold his breath in the deathly cold water in order to grab a hold of her. Link grabbed Zelda's waist and pulled her to the surface of the water, getting all of his strength underneath of her body in order to push her out and onto the thick ice above. Link could not hoist himself up as well and was forced to retreat beneath the water. Frantically, he darted around the solid surface of ice in front of him trying to stick the point of his skate into the façade. Finally striking a sturdy point, Link lifted himself up and out of the water, rolling over right beside Zelda.

Coughing up what felt like ice, Link quickly got up and examined the princess; her eyes were closed, but she was breathing rapidly as her body shivered for warmth. "It's okay. You're going to be fine, Zelda," Link said as he picked her up and held her close.

The connection between the two of them was like nothing they had ever experienced. It was an embrace out of necessity, one in which both of them couldn't have survived without. Yet, perhaps there was something a little more in each of their hearts that night; something more than just vital warmth. An emotion, such as love, could be as vital as body heat; even if it remains hidden deep within. Thus, the terms behind an embrace are never completely decided; it is only the result that shines the brightest.

Link feels the soft smooth cloth of sheets as he lifts his head from beneath a fluffy mountain of feathers. He is lying in a bed; a bed that appeared to be the same one he awoke from not long ago (or at least what felt like not that long ago). Looking around he recognizes the familiar arrangement of the lonely furniture of the small house. This time however, he is not alone.

The red-haired girl sits next the bed in one of the wooden chairs from the table. She stares blankly towards a window at the back of the house, watching the light of a candle dance in the nighttime breeze.

Link squirms beneath the sheets lifting himself up against the wall behind him. The girl casually turns to him. Realizing he is awake, she frantically fiddles around a nearby stand gathering a small slice of bread and placing it on the rim of a pale blue bowl. Steam rises slowly from the yellow liquid sloshing around in the bowl. "You're awake! Here please take this" the girl says hastily.

Link reaches out for the bowl, taking it without saying a word. The girl watches intently as he grabs the wooden spoon and swirls the fluid, stirring small bits of green from the bottom.

She wasn't going to stop looking at him until he took a sip, Link thought. Reluctantly, Link gathers a large spoonful of green flakes and raises it to his lips. The flakes looked like little bits of leaves, but describing them as green would be a far cry from the truth. Clumped together they were black in color with a slimy looking texture.

Link notices as the girl slides forward in her seat slightly, still watching Link with pleading eyes.

With a deep sigh, Link pours the mixture of green flakes and yellow broth down his throat. The clump of flakes immediately sticks to the lining of his throat, sluggishly beginning a long decent to his stomach leaving a trail of gooey excess in its wake. The yellow liquid stings his tongue with a bitter splash of flavor. Link's eyes start to water as he struggles to swallow the food he had been given.

"How do you feel?" the girl asks with concerned eyes.

"Perfect," Link coughs, "that stuff really helped."

The girl claps her hands together and lets out a beaming grin. "Wonderful! If you ever get sick again I can give you some more!"

Link grimaces, letting out a weary chuckle. "I'd rather just not get sick again."

"Oh, well of course we'd rather have that!" the girl giggles. She grabs the bowl from Link. "I don't think you were ready to get up today. It's my fault; I should have been watching you until you woke up."

Link looks seriously at the girl. Maybe now he could finally get some of the answers he had been looking for. "What happened today? I feel like I've been in some sort of dream this entire time."

The girl's face turns red. She quickly shifts her eyes to look at the floor. "Do you remember hugging me?"

A hug? Yes, he remembers an embrace. Link shivers slightly. Was it cold? No it was warm. "By the beach?" he asks.

The girl nods, keeping her eyes locked onto the floor.

"Yes. But everything feels so scattered. I woke up in this house, but no one was around. No one was in this village. I thought I saw something out at sea. Then I heard your song."

"You heard my song?" the girl says softly, her face completely red.

"It was beautiful. I felt like I was long departed from the world."

"But you're not. You're right here. You're alive." The girl was looking at him with an enamored expression.

How could he know for certain what had happened since the storm that night? She couldn't possibly know anything. "I want to believe that. But I still don't know what's going on here."

The girl places a hand on one of Link's outstretched feet that were still covered by the bed sheets. Her face had returned to normal and she wore a relieved expression. "I didn't want to say anything to you. I wanted to make sure you were feeling well enough to hear what I have to say."

Link looked away from the girl, his eyes clenched in annoyance. "I think I'm ready to hear it."

The girl kneels down off of the chair she was sitting on and reaches underneath of the bed. Link hears the sound of metal scraping against the wooden floor. The girl surfaces from beneath the bed, pulling a large metal object up and placing it upright in front on the floor.

"Where did you get that?" Link jumps up from the bed and onto the floor, grabbing the shield and furiously looking it over.

The girl knelt beside Link as he continued inspecting the shield. "I found you on the beach several days ago, Link. A lot of things had been washing up on the shore, and one day, I happened to find you there amongst a pile of broken pieces of wood. This shield showed up a few days later, while you were still asleep."

Link turns the shield around and runs his hands over the surface. He finds the indentation near the bottom where he etched his name long ago. "This is how you knew my name."

The girl nods at him.

Link sits back against the side of the bed, sighing deeply. "Then it's real."

"Of course you're real Link. You can't give up on yourself."

Link rests his head back onto the edge of the soft bed. She is right. Even though his journey has seemed like nothing but misfortune, grief, and loss, he was surely still alive, meaning he still had something left to do. "You're right…" Link raised his head up to look at the girl, "…I wish I knew your name, so that I could tell you this properly."

The girl's eyes grow wide as she gasps. "I'm so sorry, how rude of me." She looks into Link's eyes with a comforting gaze. "My name is Marin."

Link slid closer to the girl and wrapped his arms loosely around her. "Thank you, Marin. You saved me."

With surprised eyes and a startled smile, Marin returned the embrace. "I told you. You're going to be all right now."

The blonde-haired, blue eyed young man and the beautiful red-haired maiden held each other close inside the small lonely house. It was both a spontaneous and necessary embrace, one which neither could explain. Their hearts were close, but still remained hidden, only sharing the vitality of the moment. Whether or not the feelings would eventually reveal themselves was left open to the future; a future that was guaranteed by the essential connection that had been forged between them.