Chapter 12: Harvest Festival Days

Zelda kindly asked Link to not treat her formally or to refer to her as 'princess' as best as he could. He tapped his chin as they spent the first few moments whispering between each other as to a nickname she could take.

"What's something close to you that you wouldn't mind?" Link asked.

"Sheik," She said in a whisper as her eyes seemed to zone out.

"Sheik? Like the Shiekah who served the Royal Family?" Link asked.

"I guess so… for some odd reason the name came to me naturally. Like some form of déjà vu that hit me wanting me to use it," Zelda said holding one side of her head as a long bang drooped forward.

Link brushed her bang back behind her ear and she smiled at him nodding her head in thanks. Both looked around as she curiously came to a table that sold strange knick knacks. She picked up a bottle with purple jelly as Link held her hand gently to put it down shaking his head.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Purple chuchu jelly," Link said a bit irked, "it has properties that aren't sure. You can get poisoned by it or become greatly healed. It's a mystery to the drinker."

"Oh," she said alarmed putting it down.

She walked with him once again and followed him closely as they neared different tables that she looked on with curiosity. Link would notice his shadow too would disappear for a quick moment as it looked like he was at another table looking over goods. He just hoped that nobody would notice.

"This is interesting," she said looking at a table with an odd merchant whose face and body was covered in a sweltering full body boar skin cloak.

"Do you like?" it asked in a strange voice that sounded like as if a cat were attempting to talk. Zelda held a pair of green gem earrings that had gleaming fangs from the bottom. "Rupee 45 that," it said pointing.

"That's," Link said taking one from Zelda. He held it up to the light and looked as the gem gleamed. "It's made out of a leevers!" Link said inspecting the tooth and the green gem to realize it was the eye.

The person nodded and Link looked closer at them. Link knew what it was. It was a female bulblin telling by her eyes. Before he could say anything Zelda looked at Link and placed it against his ears. She gave a giggle and tilted her head.

"What do you think ma'am?" Zelda asked smiling kindly.

"It make look a warrior where I from," the lady said in a cackling laugh.

"It suits," she said as she took out rupees from a pouch in her sash to pay the lady.

"You're not like the rest of your people, are you?" Link asked as the lady's eyes seemed to look at him.

"Most my people monsters. Most people think my people monsters. New tribe form soon. We bring goods and peace like," the lady said with a squint in her eyes that meant a smile.

Link smiled in return as Zelda handed him the earrings. Link curiously looked at them as he placed them on as he put his metal hoops away. It only brought back funny memories as to how he got his ears pierced and the reaction from Bo and Rusl who thought of him like their son. Link thanked her and began to tell her of the story of how he got his ears pierced.

"It was when the village was selling in the castle market. I was about 13 and Ilia and I saw a place where people were getting their ears pierced. Ilia was afraid so she didn't dare but I teased her saying she was a wuss and I went in and used what little allowance that Bo had given, originally I was supposed to get candy and toys, to get my ears done. When I came out, it hurt a bit but they gave me a small bottle of red potion to put on his ears to prevent infection until my ears got used to them and I had just simple ball post earrings. Ilia told on me, though, and I got the worst whippings ever. What's worse is that I refused to take them off so they gave me double chores but I liked them too much to give them up. So they gave up and let me keep it."

Zelda giggled at this. He too smiled as she touched his long ears. It felt oddly good and he shivered.

"We Hylians have these ears as a gift from the goddesses. It allows us to hear the words of the gods and spirits," Zelda said brushing her hand against his cheek.

Link smiled feeling a bit more interested in who he is. Where he lived, people were mostly Humes and for a while, the kids would always ask why he had funny ears compared to them. He always wondered how it'd feel to be normal until he set foot in Hyrule to see that the majority of population there had pointed ears. What Zelda told him made him feel better about himself and even made him consider the thought of what would happen if he were to move to Hyrule City. It made him wonder if he could experience things and find out more about himself since he wasn't so well schooled. Just in general, Uli had all taught the children how to read and write but not much about history or legends.

"That reminds me," Link said softly, "Long ago there was a war when I was just born… I lost my mother and father to it. Do you know what it was, Zelda?" Link asked this as he was holding a notebook bound by metal spirals. Zelda looked down with a sign as Link noticed tears began to well in her eyes. Link came up and brushed her eyes. "It's ok, if you don't want to talk about it," Link told her.

"No, just that it's sad to know that you lost both your parents in such a way. It was when we were both young and just barely old enough to know our fates. Gannon's followers of bandits and monsters went out of control. They wanted revenge for their leaders fall and had planned a whole long while to claim what was his in preparation for when he will come back. They had heard of two children who were born recently with the marks of the goddesses. I was about three at the time and I think you were just born," Zelda said looking at him.

Link looked around and took her hand. He told her how they probably need to sit for a moment while she tells the story. He went to the picnic area where people were selling food. Link noticed the great big yetis there with their own stand.

"Uh," Link said standing right before their shop.

"Ah! It Link, ug!" Yeto said greeting him.

"Ah~, hello Hero," Yeta said in all her sweetness.

"Hi hewo!" said a younger voice.

"Hi!" said the second.

"Hi!" squeaked a third.

Link gasped taking a step back from their stand. There stood three kids. Two who looked like Yeto as the third was a sweet image of Yeta. Link smiled looking at them as they were so cute, they looked like small bears you could pick up and hug.

"These our kids," Yeta said with a happy blush.

"Yeto Junior who come out first, ug, Yetogu who come second, an' lil' Yuki, ug, daddy's lil' girl," Yeto said picking up Yuki who fit in the cup of his large hands as she giggled rubbing her head against Yeto.

"Hero want ice cold snow drink? We have many flavors, and we sell bottles of delicious soup!" Yeta said smiling as the two boys ran off to go to crush ice. Both held mallets as there was a large ice block in a larger ice tub.

"Uhnm," Link said looking up at the menu having a hard time reading their horrible handwriting, "strawberry ice and a blueberry ice."

The kids began to hammer away crushing the ice into fine slush. Yuki hopped from her father's hands and he took a large coconut which he cracked like an egg and gave to Yuki the large bowls of halved coconuts. Yuki scooped up ice into the halves and Yeta took the ice filled coconuts and poured freshly made syrup of blue and red in each bowl and mixing in actual berry chunks into the ice. Linked watched at how happy the family worked together. He could only think on if that's the life that he wanted as well as if it was the life he could've had if his parents were still alive. Link was about to reach into his pouch to pay but Yeta shook her head.

"Link close to family, ug," she said kindly, "first order free, you have free order of soup left too. Then pay."

Link nodded smiling as he took the large pieces to Zelda who sat at a table. She looked at it curiously as she had never seen such a food presentation. They even had small little umbrellas and strange twirling straws. Link too had never seen something this delectable. Link had the blueberry as Zelda had strawberry. Both took a bite of theirs and smiled nodding to each other as to how tasty it was. Then Zelda held a spoonful to him and he smiled and ate it but when she tried to pull the spoon out he was stubborn to letting go. She laughed as he reached his spoon to dip into hers more but she smacked his hand he let go laughing as she just dipped her spoon into his to take a taste. Both laughed as Zelda looked at him seriously for a brief moment.

"The war was to take the children who bore the symbols of the goddesses. I prayed to the goddesses who responded to me. It surprised me as a young girl seeing the goddess of wisdom, herself, appearing to me. She told me of who had the other symbol and to warn them to get away. I told my father and he received word. A noble woman whose husband was a high ranking knight. They heavily guarded her and rode off into hiding in a carriage with her child," Zelda said looking up in the sky, "may she have her peace, your mother. When she found out how the monsters were going to take you and what she risked to have you live."

Zelda wiped her tears gently away with her hand as Link felt tears well up hearing about his parents. How he was glad Gannon was gone from the world and how his minions, like Zant, too have fallen. It would help lessen any chance for anybody to hunt after a person like him and prevent somebody from having the same fate. Life was a cruel thing but hearing this set his mind at ease as to his parents. Zelda gently brushed his tears that fell with out him knowing away.

"Oh, heh, thanks," Link said taking his arm to brush at his eyes. "It eases my mind now knowing my parents were good people," he said with a deep sigh smiling.

Zelda took a bite again of her strawberry slush and then held another scoop out to Link. Link wiped away one last tear and ate it. He smiled at her and she smiled at him.

"Link, you're always welcome to the castle. You can also live there like your parents did before you as well. Also you're welcome, like Shad, to explore our libraries and archives as well," Zelda said kindly placing her hand on his.

"Thank you princess," Link said looking at her. Both looked at each other for a moment. She felt her heart fly as Link reached out for her face. "You have something on your face," He said brushing her cheek gently…


AN: On Next CH….