-"Zelda"-

It was a beautiful morning in the village. The birds were out chirping, the morning sun shone through the autumn trees as a slight breeze flowed through the valley, giving the morning a very peaceful mood. A young woman named Zelda stepped outside of her house, taking in the morning air with a smile on her face. She had pale skin, long brownish blonde hair and sparkling sapphire eyes. She wore a blue and white farm dress, and hanging from her left elbow was a basket containing some money and a book. She smiled and made her way down to the street, admiring the beautiful morning. Music in the background began to build as she did, building up to her singing cheerfully, "Little town, it's a quiet village. Every day like the one before. Little town, full of little people, waking up to say…"

"Bon jour! Bon jour! Bon jour, Bon jour, Bon jour!" Several of the villagers yelled to each other as they started on their morning activities. Zelda walked amongst them as she entered the village, walking towards the bakery as the baker prepared to sell, continuing to sing cheerfully, "There goes the baker with his bread like always! The same old bread and rolls to sell! Every morning the same since the day that we came to this poor provincial town."

"Good morning Zelda!" The baker sang in greeting to the woman, as she smiled, leaning on the counter singing, "Good morning mousier!"

"Where are ya off to?"

"The book shop. I just finished reading the most wonderful story. It's about a beanstalk and an ogre and has-"

"That's nice," the baker sang, now feigning interest as he called to his wife, "Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!"

Zelda shrugged smiling (used to people being indifferent to what she had to say about the books she read) and continued on her way towards the bookshop allowing herself to be absorbed by the pleasant morning atmosphere as various towns people all around her began to sing about her, "Look there she goes that girl is strange, no question. Always dazed and distracted can't you tell?"

"Never part of any crowd," One woman scoffed, another man adding in, "Cause her head's up on some cloud."

"No denying she's a funny girl that Zelda!"

Zelda continued to walk through the village, listening as the villagers sang to each other on mundane topics to create meaningless small talk.

"Bonjour!"

"Good day!"

"How is your family?"

"Bonjour!"

"Good day!"

"How is your wife?"

Zelda continued on her way, witnessing a woman hit her husband on the head with a rolling pin for making googily eyes at a younger and considerably more attractive woman. She overheard a woman exclaiming, "I need six eggs!" while hearing another man bargain with a fruit merchant, "That's too expensive!"

"There's got to be more than this provincial life!" Zelda sang, confident of what she was singing as she reached the bookshop going in. The shop keep was a man in his golden years, sporting overalls and a green shirt, having black hair and a mustache sprinkled with grey, and kind blue eyes that lit up upon seeing his most frequent client, greeting her, "Ah Belle!"

"Good morning Luigi," Zelda greeted the friendly man, "I've come to return the book I've borrowed!"

"Finished already?" Luigi chuckled, though not surprised that she finished in a day as she smiled, confirming, "Oh I couldn't put it down! Have ya got anything new?"

"Not since yesterday," Luigi answered smiling, pleased at being reminded at how she had read every single book in the shop at least once by now. She shrugged, saying, "That's okay. I'll borrow… this one!"

"That one? But you've read it five times!" Luigi pointed out, his smile unfading. Zelda simply replied, "But it's my favorite! Far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise-"

Luigi chuckled at hearing her enthusiasm, "If you like it all that much it's yours."

"But sir-"

"I insist!" Luigi said, wanting to reward his favorite customer. Zelda smiled, replying, "Well thank you! Thank you very much!"

Zelda smiled, walking outside, waiting no time to start reading her book. She read, captivated by the words on the pages as the townsfolk continued to sing about her, "Look there she goes that girl is so peculiar! I wonder if she's feeling well. With a dreamy far-off look, and her nose stuck in a book, what a puzzle to the rest of us is her!"

Zelda sat on the edge of the fountain, reading to some of the sheep gathered there, "Oh, isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part because… you'll see. Here's where she meets Prince Charming, but she won't discover that until Chapter Three!"

Zelda stood back up, continuing to walk, reading her book. As she passed by a wig/hat shop, a woman inside saw her, singing, "It's no wonder all know her as a beauty. Her looks have no parallel."

The shop keep nodded in agreement, showing her another hat as he sang, "But behind that fair façade, I'm afraid she's rather odd."

All the townspeople sang together, "Very different from the rest of us, she's nothing like the rest of us, yes she's different from the rest of us Miss Zelda!"

As Zelda walked up the path back towards her house, she heard several gunshots go off. She looked up and saw several birds fall from the sky and hit the ground. A small anthropomorphic green frog ran over to where they lay and picked them up, putting them in the sack he carried. He ran back over to the big, muscle-bound man blowing smoke out the end of his gun. He had spiky blue hair, and leaned back against a support beam standing in the shade. The green toad, Slippy, looked up at him admirably, exclaiming, "Wow you didn't miss a shot Ike! You're the greatest hunter in the whole world!"

"I know," Ike said confidently, looking into a mirror to admire how handsome he was as Slippy continued, "No beast alive stands a chance against you! And no girl for that matter."

"It's true Slippy, and I've set my eyes on that one," Ike confirmed, pointing at Zelda while she passed by, still captivated by her book. Slippy exclaimed, "The inventor's daughter?"

"She's the one," Ike said, smiling admiring her, "The lucky girl I'm going to marry!"

"But she's-"

"The most beautiful girl in town,"

"I know, but-"

"That makes her the best!" Ike exclaimed, looking down at him with the hint of threat in his eyes as he demanded, "And don't I deserve the best?"

"Of course you do!" Slippy agreed, not wanting to fight. Ike looked towards Zelda, singing, "Right from the moment that I met her, saw her, I said 'She's gorgeous' and I fell. Here in town there is only she who is as beautiful as me. So I'm making plans to woo and marry Zelda!"

As Ike took off to talk to Zelda, three women (one a blonde in a pink dress named Peach, another brunette in a yellow dress named Daisy, and the third a blonde in a blue dress named Rosaline) watched him go, sighing dreamily, singing, "Look there he goes, isn't he dreamy? Monsieur Ike, oh he's so cute! Be still my heart, I'm hardly breathing! He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!"

As Zelda continued to walk up the road towards her house, she made her way through the busy crowd, unknowing that Ike was not far behind, trying to make his way through the crowd with little success as various townsfolk continued to sing, "Bonjour!"

"Pardon,"

"Good day,"

"Mais oui!"

"You call this bacon?"

"What lovely grapes!"

"Some cheese."

"Ten yards!"

"One pound,"

"Excuse me!"

"I'll get the knife,"

"Please let me through!"

"This bread-"

"These fish-"

"It's stale!"

"They stink!"

"Madame's mistaken,"

"Well, maybe so,"

"Good morning! Oh, good morning!"

Zelda looked upon all these people going through their routine days like clockwork, reflecting, "There must be more than this provincial life!"

"Just watch, I'm going to make Zelda my wife!" Ike proclaimed getting behind a tree to surprise her as all the townsfolk watched Zelda walk to the outer edge of the village, singing, "Look there she goes that girl is strange but special! A most peculiar mademoiselle! It's a pity and a sin, she doesn't quite fit in, cause she really is a funny girl, a beauty but a funny girl, she really is a funny girl, that Zelda!"

Zelda knew the talked about her like this behind her back, and had for years, but she paid no mind, used to it by now as she continued up the path to her house. Ike stepped in front of her, stopping her in her path, taking her book away to get her attention, greeting, "Hello, Zelda. So pleased I could catch you this morning."

"Ike, could I please have my book back?" Zelda asked, trying to remain patient. Ike flipped through the pages impatiently, asking, "How can you read this? There's not even pictures!"

Zelda swiped up at the book as Ike lifted it higher out of her reach, answering, "Some people use their imagination when reading."

Ike turned to her, tossing the book behind him, saying, "Zelda, it's time you get your head out of those books and focus on more important things, like me."

Zelda ignored him, going behind him to pick up her book as Ike continued, "The whole town's talking about it. We're the obvious pairing. But you have to give up this thing with books. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas, wasting time not attending to her womanly duties."

"Ike, if you'd please let me go, I have to go home and help my father," Zelda said, forcing herself past him. Slippy caught up to them, commenting, "Crazy old Olimar? That old kook needs all the help he can get!"

Both he and Ike began laughing at this before Zelda exclaimed, "Don't talk about my father like that!"

"Yeah, don't talk about her father like that!" Ike ordered, hitting Slippy on the head trying to save face (futilely) before they all heard a loud crash from Zelda's house, no doubt old Olimar himself. Zelda rushed to the house to help her father, leaving behind Ike and Slippy laughing to themselves at this.

Well, as always, hope everyone's enjoying it so far. Let me know what ya think :)