Chapter 18: Minstrel of the Wind

Author's note: Good job to Base Guardian for correctly guessing! Besides that, thank you to Silverwing365 for yet another great review, to Rider of the Whales for staying one of my two most loyal reviewers, and to Hazelholly for the advice.

Red was sure he was going to die. But then, he felt a small, slender hand grasp his own.

He suddenly felt like he was rising. Rising back into the basket. He wasn't gliding on the currents of the wind like he would in the hot air balloon. He was truly flying. Flying freely. Flying as though he had wings.

He opened his eyes to see in shock that the girl who'd rescued him was using her wings to get him back into the hot air balloon basket as Link and Blue watched in shock. She set him down in the basket, but before she could leave, he grasped her thin wrist in a gentle yet firm grip. Red wanted to know who this was, mainly to thank her.

"Thanks," he began. The girl blushed and looked away. Red took this opportunity to take a good look at his savior and realized in she was his age, though a little bit shorter. She was wearing a pretty blue dress and on her back, between her wings, a small lyre was visible. She had red hair, red eyes, and a large, yellow beak. Red had never seen anyone like her before.

"What's your name?" he asked.
"Medli," she replied. She then looked at the sky nervously. "I am a Rito."
"Mmm," Link nodded. "I've heard of them."
"You seem nervous," Blue said quietly. "What's bugging you?"
"More like, why are you awake?" Link mumbled. Medli just nodded and began her story.

"I am a Rito, as I said. Because of that, I can tell a change in the weather. Because we are a flying race, we must know these things, yes?" Red nodded.

"It's been weird," she continued. "This morning, all was normal until those black clouds rolled in. Then I feel like I went to sleep, except I couldn't remember the dream. Just now, I was waking up, realizing that it seems as though no time passed, but the Wind says otherwise. I heard it calling to me, saying 'Medli, Medli! I've woken you from a five-thousand-year sleep to aid the heroes! Go!' I looked at the sky and realized it was an odd color, but I spread my wings and took flight anyway. And then I find you!"

"Indeed, it is strange," Link replied. "It seems as if the different spirits, goddesses, and the like backing us are awakening those who will be helpful to us."

"And Medli just saved my life," Red smiled and let go of her wrist. "Thank you again, Medli."
She smiled once more and spread her wings. However, one wing opened oddly and dislodged her lyre. She gently set it right and turned to the heroes once more. Seeing this innocent gesture made Red think of something. That girl he'd had a vision of before the start of the freeze, now that he thought of it, had had a lyre as well.
"Can you play?" he asked Medli, indicating to the lyre.

"I can," she smiled. Red realized that she seemed to be the cheery sort. She was constantly smiling, something Red liked quite a bit.

"Play something for us," he begged. "We don't get enough music around here. Blue doesn't exactly use his ocarina a lot, if you know what I mean."

Medli laughed and pulled her lyre off her back.

"Any requests?" she asked.

"I don't exactly know much music," Red replied, blushing.

"Okay, then. I'll improvise," she smiled gently and put her fingers to the strings. Link and Blue both leaned forward, though Blue was distracted a moment later when he realized that a huge, black winged thing was following them. He motioned to Link, who hit it with the boomerang. Red, though, was not distracted. He was amazed by what Medli could play.

Oh, he kept conducting, but he was now conducting her. She strummed the strings, twisted her fingers, and created nearly magical harmonies with her music. Red could almost feel himself dancing to it. As a matter of fact, in his mind's eye, he was dancing. Not only was he dancing, but he could see Link there, too. Link was dancing with Zelda, except that she was his age. He could tell that the two were obviously happy together. Zelda's head was resting on Link's shoulder as the two ballroom-danced around the room, oblivious to Red.

Suddenly, Red realized that in this vision, Link and Zelda weren't the only couple dancing together. Red had a pretty dance partner as well.

It was Medli.

Just then, her lovely melody ended, leaving Red still in a trance-like state. What had it meant when he was hand in hand with Medli? And Link and Zelda? Did that mean that it would all be okay? Was that a glimpse into the future? Why wasn't Blue there? Was that a fragment of his own imagination? Or had Medli sent it to him with her music?

It will all come in time, hero.

Red started at the voice. Was that in his head, or what?

"I think we are almost to the Ghost Ship, which is currently docked at Lake Hylia," Medli interrupted Red's chain of thoughts. "My music has led us here. I sense that that is where you wish to be right now."

"Too true," affirmed Red. "We wish to rescue Linebeck, Guardian of Oceans."
"Yes, I have heard of Linebeck," Medli affirmed.

"How did you know that we wanted to be here?" Red asked shyly.

"When I play the lyre, sometimes, the music shows me things," Medli replied, blushing. "I looked into Red's heart and saw where he wanted to go."

Red's cheeks flushed. Had she seen his little daydream?

"Medli, shall you help us in our quest?" Link asked. "We are the heroes known as the Links."
"But there should be four of you," she replied.

Red felt sadness. Link was never going to learn . Didn't he see? Didn't he realize? Then Red remembered that no one other than he, not even Anjean, had seen what had really happened. None had seen Vio's horror. None had seen him struggle. None had seen Dark Link's resignation. None had seen the sadness in Vio's eyes.

Or had he? Was it just that he didn't pity shadow Link? Red had received the most of Link's capacity for emotion. Maybe that meant that he knew the different dimensions of emotion better. Maybe that meant that he noticed things that others didn't.

Maybe that meant that he had the greatest capacity to heal his darkened teammate, too. If it was possible.

Shadow Link had a terrible headache, and none of his 'teammates' were willing to help.

He'd gone to Aghanim, begging to be helped, but Aghanim had just refused to use his magic on him. Gufuu had been unwilling to help either. He still blamed the little bit of Vio that remained for veiling him from Vaati. Shadow Link had been so desperate when Ganondorf's greatest followers had refused him that he'd gone even to Bellum, to Malladus, to Cole, to Ganondorf himself, even to Zant. Only Zant had even offered to help him, but his advice had surprised Shadow Link.

"Turn to the light a little. It wouldn't hurt," Zant had said. "It may even help you."

Wasn't Zant supposed to be evil? Wasn't Zant supposed to hate any mention of light? Wasn't he supposed to tell Shadow Link to stay away from the light? Wasn't he supposed to be insane? However, when he'd asked Zant what he'd meant, Zant had been cryptic as usual.

"I didn't say anything," he'd said. "Shut up, helpful, you just wanted to see his cheeks turn red," he'd said to himself a minute later.

Shadow Link couldn't help but wonder. Was there more to Zant than met the eye?

And about turning to the light…

He tried standing near the few light sources in the darkness, but nothing happened. He tried calling on Vio, but he found to his surprise that too little of Vio as an individual was left for him to properly call on him. He couldn't have meant Link. Link hated him.

But wait! Red pitied him! Maybe that's what Zant had meant. Maybe he wanted Shadow Link to visit Red!

However, Shadow Link didn't want pity.

Author's note: couldn't resist throwing that last scene in there. And Gufuu? That's another name for Vaati, in case you didn't know. It's also the name I'm giving to evil Vaati in this.