A/n: This chapter is by far the saddest one, and the shortest. We know Link is acting really strange, and unlike himself-- hint, part of the plot.
The next two chapters are completely planned out. The next one will end with hope, and the one after that will be happy, but that is all we are saying. We hope you can bear with us and the sadness until then, but honestly, it just wouldn't be as good as a story if we didn't add in some realistic issues-- such as pain. Good thing humor is also a realistic issue.
We took down the corrective chapter, hopefully everyone read through that. If you need us to post it again, just ask.
Lectaelf- thank you for your reviews, and yes, Link is getting aggravating, but there is a reason, and you will still love this hero by the end of the story, we promise. And yes, we understand that there are lives outside of fan fiction, we would be worried about you if you didn't. However, we are very grateful that you can find time to read the story, and we can honestly say that we're very happy that we can find time to write it.
Here is the story.
Chapter 31: Unexpected Goodbye
The festival party had moved to the Milk Bar where several performances by a group known as the Gorman Troupe dazzled them all. Damien and Aura had instantly recognized the name. Apparently, the brother of the Gormans from the horse farm owned a traveling circus that performed every year at the festival, a tradition that had begun seven years ago.
Aura held up her glass of milk to pass through a crowd on her way to Naomi, Arian, and Damien at the barstools. She joined her friends with a gleeful laugh.
"You know, Donald has nothing on this guy!" Aura joked despite the fact the two looked identical. Though all of her friends laughed, Damien was the only one who laughed with the knowledge of her joke's origin.
"Tell me, is it the long, curly mustache, or the comb over that does it for you?" Damien asked jokingly. "I can do mustache, but I'd rather keep the hair on my head." He patted his dark curls. Aura smirked.
"Naw, I like you scruffy."
"Scruffy?" Damien asked, not entirely sure whether or not she was being serious.
"Scruffy." Aura confirmed, and continued with a rather absurd statement. "With warts too." Damien hoped she was kidding, but her tone made it hard to tell, however, his fears were relinquished with Naomi's addition to Aura's joke.
"Ah, yes. One right in the middle of his forehead." She placed a thoughtful hand on her chin while Aura concurred. Damien looked from one to the other and joined Arian in laughter.
Four children, presumably the offspring of the jesting juggler twins and the twin dancing sisters, were the concluding act of the Gorman Troupe, flourishing a juggling dance just as Link came into the bar. Naomi was the first to notice him enter, and then the attention of the entire bar was attracted to him as many deku shrubs jumped to the boy upon his entrance.
Link ripped the Keaton mask from his face, revealing his surprised expression. The deku scrubs continued to huddle around his feet.
"Thank you, hero!" They cried. Link's countenance did not reveal any sign of appreciation for this extroverted gratitude. Instead, shame seemed to express itself through his mood and manner, but mostly, at the moment, bewilderment overwhelmed him. He wondered what he had done to deserve this.
"You drove the bad men away from Clock Tower!" One yelled out, answering his unasked question.
"Now we are free!" They were jumping up and down with excitement. The Gorman leader was laughing joyously as he came to give some closing remarks. He publicly greeted the hero, once the dekus left him to join the celebration once more. This Gorman brother recognized Link from many years ago, remembering how the hero had helped him. Such a dramatic entrance turned the hero's cheeks red, though not from modest embarrassment.
For once the fairies were silent. They did not swirl around Naomi as they normally would have as she approached them. Naomi, being her normal nosy self, immediately inquired as to the whereabouts of Amy. Link did not answer, a tense anxiety welled up inside of him as he stared into Naomi's worrying eyes.
"I… she…" He tried to say as the audience fell silent, listening to Gorman's wonderful announcement, one that neither of these two were paying any attention.
Naomi continued to stare at Link, also not noticing Lulu getting up onto the stage, met with many cheers. It was during this eruption that Link blurted out the truth, but Naomi couldn't hear. The applause faded and Naomi asked him to repeat.
"Amy's gone…" He said as if he were ripping a bandage from a flesh wound. Naomi didn't understand, and now her concentration was absorbed by Link, and not by Lulu who was about to add to the joyous cause for applause with another, surprise announcement of her own.
"Amy left, she went back home." Link said in a single tone, his expression remained unaltered but his eyes looked to the floor, unable to bear the girl's stare. Naomi became drained of emotion herself, as the news seemed to hit her like a roaring wave. Link longed for her to say something, he thought anything would be better than this disheartening silence.
"I-I can't believe she wouldn't even say goodbye…" She finally said. Link's hopes were dashed; anything was not better than nothing.
No conclusion could be brought from this conversation, for the announcements that the two had missed were of dire consequences to one of the two. While Naomi had been wrapped up in Link's saddening news, Lulu had been announcing her surprise performance, one in which she would be accompanied by her children on their instruments, and by another, young songstress.
The crowd burst into applause and the spotlight centered on Naomi. She looked up from her dismay in utter confusion, only to be dragged onto the stage to Lulu's side.
"This was the surprise I had for you." Lulu whispered to her empty friend. Naomi smiled frailly, nothing seemed to matter to her right now.
"We are going to sing an original piece, a Duet of the Bay." The Zora announced. Her children were all excitedly looking to Naomi to begin. The Pirate girl new exactly what piece Lulu was speaking of, though she had been unaware that the Zora children had made an accompaniment to it.
Naomi wasn't thinking. She looked to Lulu, and merely did as she was told. The audience disappeared before her eyes, and she leaned into the shell-shaped microphone. Beginning the smooth song to lull the audience into awe.
Link was informing the others of the despair to hang before them while the sweet notes caressed the air around them. Each took the news differently, but each with some despair. Aura looked more shocked, and then merely let herself be captivated by the music, not wanting to think of much anything else. Damien looked to his feet, listening, but in a state of meditation. Arian was also silent, none were ready to respond to Link's news. It was unexpected, coming at a peculiar time. None knew how to respond.
All they could do was listen to the sweet melody that seemed to wrap them in some distant comfort. The tune stretched out to the Great Bay entrance in East Clocktown. A shadow passed over the moon. Amy stood there, staring into the distance. Her face blank, and heart and mind too heavy to do much else but sit. A red stone softly gleamed in her cupped hands, held on her chest.
A relatively small dragon, an old friend, came to perch before her. Ignus, a slightly larger beast now, instantly felt Amy's mood. He nudged her lovingly, for her regretfully also had sorrowful news to tell her.
"Gone Amy…" He said. His voice was slightly more mature, but in his sorrowful state he had reverted back to his original broken Hylian. "City gone…"
Amy snapped out of her previous sorrow only to enter a despair that seemed to delve deeper into her soul. Her home was gone?
She shook her head, patting Ignus on his neck.
"What? It can't be, I've only been gone for… for… a week, or so…" Amy suddenly wasn't sure how long she had been gone, her heart beat raced and she quickly climbed onto the dragon's back.
"We have to get home." Her voice was strained and she fought back tears with all her might.
Hurry Ignus."
The small dragon didn't say anymore. He extended his wings and thrust them from the ground, feeling the urgency his rider held deep within.
A great release from troubled send
The tide recedes, the day doth end
A worried night from day complete
Hurry now where souls do meet
A single tear fell from Naomi's eye as her song finished. The crowd was silent, an appreciation that far exceeded an uproarious applause. Within this silence all could hear the great beating of wings and a low roll of a sorrowful, but beastly groan.
A/n: We told you it was sad. Next one coming, hopefully soon since school is over now (Both writers are now officially out of High School!! Yeah! Hopefully, however, by our writing, you didn't know that we were still in High School… really hoping… maybe possibly…)
Please R&R!