Chapter 13: Harvest Festival Girls, Games, and Challenges
Link suddenly felt his hand burn a bit. He looked down and saw that Zelda's half was purple as the other half was still green. He looked around and saw Ilia sitting with Beth at another table close by glaring. Link felt nervous as he and Zelda finished their cool confections. She put the bowl aside sitting there wondering what she should do with it. Usually somebody would've come by to pick it up for her. Link noticed and picked it up for her and threw it in a disposal sack close by.
"Let's go," Link said nervously as he took her hand and went to the field where the games were.
Link felt a bit uneasy as the shady con people were mostly here. Before he knew it, some thief grabbed his rupee pouch. "Hey!" He shouted ready to chase.
But Zelda's thin light frame made her run faster after the perpetrator. Such great agility and strength came with such form as she dashed after the thief and pulled out a dagger from her sash to jump high and kick off his shoulder knocking him over and landing crouched over with dagger in hand ready in case, facing the person as they were stuck to the ground. Link caught up with them as people were looking at the scene. Zelda had her dagger and the man got up taking out a scimitar sword. He charged at her but she blocked with her dagger and pushed him with her shoulder as she reached again into her sash and brought out a metal chain and spun it. It grabbed his sword arm tight as he tried to slash at her. She tugged and snapped the chain tightening on the man's arm painfully and the snap that made him drop it. A few on duty guards noticed and grabbed the man as Link explained to them that his rupee pouch was stolen and that his friend, Sheik, had gone after to rescue it.
"That was amazing," Link said surprised as she smiled with a nod.
"You learn a lot more than lessons at the castle. The Sheikah, the ones that are left, teach the royals, who want to learn, how to protect themselves. They teach small moves as the rest they take for themselves. I think they're a great race. It's sad that they're fading out… but hopefully they will arise since you helped out," Zelda told him as she handed his rupee bag back.
Link nodded as Ilia and Beth came up with Colin who followed along side them.
"Hi, Link," Ilia said, taking Link's arm, coming up trying to be sweet as Colin and Beth were on the side of Zelda.
"Hi Ilia!" Link said surprised as she gripped his arm.
"Who's your friend?" She asked, "Is this your friend who you go treasure hunting with?"
"Ah… no," Link responded, he held his left arm out to introduce, "this is…"
"Names Sheik," Zelda said covering her face more with her scarf.
"My, you're quite a brave girl," Ilia said, "You are a girl right? I mean no offense... your appearance with such a small chest kind of makes it like you could be a boy…"
Link felt a wave of terror come over.
This could get interesting, Midna thought as she turned around looking over her shoulder from standing in front of a booth. His shadow was very faint as she left part of her powers there to keep up the disguise form she held. Hnm, she also thought sipping the juice from her strawberry slush, this is good. Should try to bring something like this back… I hope Link doesn't mind that I took some rupees from his pouch with out him knowing. What is this strange game…
Link looked around and noticed Midna. He looked down to see his shadow was lighter than the others as the lovely Hylian looking woman wondered the stands. He gasped as she waved at him. She looked like a normal Hylian with out the tiara on. Though her clothes were like what she wore except the top was a tight halter like Zelda's and men were looking at her noticing the lovely woman who wore a strange fashion of Orient style. Her red hair flowed as she turned once again to look at the game she was inspecting as her platform like sandals clopped with her steps. Midna turned to notice Link's expression as he too gawked at her. Then he looked at her pleading in his eyes for her to save him. It seemed as though a fight were to ensue between Ilia and Zelda any time soon if Ilia couldn't hold back a temper she inherited from her father.
Zelda kept her cool just ignoring Ilia as Ilia just held onto Link's arm possessively.
"Oh, Link!" Ilia said pointing at a game that had large cute monkey toys.
She ran over and pulled Link along side her. Zelda and the others followed up.
"Hi, welcome on in," the large gruff man said crossing his arms. He pointed carefully at the long range of targets. They varied in size and distance. "This is a range game. You have choice of bow and arrow, slingshot, and throwing daggers. Depending on what you choose depends on your chances. With daggers, you have to throw to the closer targets but the small ones double your points and chances to win a large stuffed animal. The close range and middle range are for the slingshot and same rules apply but the points are higher. And arrows are the longest distance. You can't hit anything close range and you have to hit middle to farthest. If you hit the farthest target where the lone gold balloon is, you instantly win."
"Oh Link, I'd love to have one of those stuffed animals," Ilia said sweetly looking at him with her eyes glittering," Especially one of those large monkeys."
"I'll try," Zelda said, "throwing daggers please."
Zelda paid 5 rupees to get three daggers. Each she threw hitting small targets on the middle range. The man popped a small party favor and rung a bell to shout out "Winner!" He handed Zelda one of the large monkeys as Ilia continued to bother Link. Zelda seemed to actually be in shock as she squished the toy curiously and played with it. Link opened his pouch and paid five rupees to get three arrows from the man as he pulled out his own bow.
"Excuse me sir," the interesting woman said as she wore a hawk like mask, "I believe you dropped this from your bag."
She took off the mask, it was Midna. Link blushed surprised at how beautiful she was. Though he had to admit, he liked her true self better as her pale skin made her look attractive in a mysterious way.
"Ah, thank you," Link said putting the mask on himself. The hawk eye mask tuned into his eyes as he carefully calculated holding his bow for quite some time. The balloon would bob up and down then sway in the wind. When he felt comfortable enough he shot it and it hit the balloon. He picked up the other arrows and shot smaller targets. He took off the mask and placed his bow back in place as the man cheered that they had another winner. Link received a large stuffed monkey, a medium monkey, and a small bear. "Uhnm," Link said looking at Midna as he handed the toys to Ilia, Beth, and gave Colin the small bear who gave a blush at Link.
"Names Andi," Midna said with a curtsy.
"Do I know you?" Zelda asked noticing the striking resemblance.
"No, I came from afar to see this fair and its legendary hero," she said putting her hands folded in front of herself.
"Why's that?" Ilia asked.
"I heard he is a great man from where I am from. As for me, I'm considered… a princess where I am from. I guess just because my family does better than the rest," she said nodding her head.
Link looked at her took her hand and kissed it gently.
"That'd be me," he said coyly.
"Oh wow!" She said as well faking it as they looked at each other's eyes playfully. "If you don't mind me asking, may I steal some of your time later? I'd like to hang around… a 'hero'."
Ilia gave Link a look and so did Zelda.
"Well, it'd be nice if we could all hang out, especially with my dearest friends," Link said nervously.
"It'd be an honor to hang out with such people. I mean, the hero, the princess, and the esteemed love," Midna said giving them away.
Both ladies gasped.
"Princess Zelda?" Ilia said nervously almost on the verge of tears regretting her rude behavior.
"It's ok, Ms. Ilia," Zelda said trying to calm the girl down, "I was under cover, I didn't want anybody to know where or who I was…"
It seemed to subside as the girls took comfort in each other's regrets. Zelda felt as though this girl was closer to Link than she could ever be as Ilia felt she held Link back from being with such a great person.
"Thank you," Link mouthed silently to Midna.
Midna nodded in acknowledgement.
"How did you know?" Zelda asked.
"Your hair, your skin, and your eyes," Midna said coming up brushing a once again loose strand, "such an appearance of a diamond in the rough. And for Ms. Ilia, how she holds onto her beloved is enough sign to say who she is."
"Actually," Ilia said sighing, "I'm not his love exactly… I'm just an admirer."
Zelda's heart lightened a bit at hearing this. Though she knew this girl had meant certain competition, it comforted her to know that it would be with somebody sweet and in a sense, befitting of him due to his raising. Though it couldn't compete with Link's hidden blood of a noble which gave Zelda a chance as well. Midna looked about and pointed at a game.
"What is that?" she asked as everybody followed.
Fyer and Falbi hosted their great cucco games. The game was that you were to jump into the cannon with a cucco. You hold onto the cucco as best as you can and they shoot you. If you let go of the cucco you instantly fall into the large net. The other options is that you fly up into the air as balloons are placed in the air with different tags as you grab them to receive points to see what prize you can win. The prizes ranged from small stuffed toys, to rupees, to strange prizes that couldn't even be described.
Link, Zelda, Ilia, Colin, and Beth had an amazed look inspecting the game. It was obvious it was a hard one watching people who did try and couldn't hold onto the cuccos. Then those who did held onto their cuccos has a hard time collecting balloons with what hand they had usually letting go landing into the net that was stuffed with soft cushions so that nobody would get hurt, seriously.
"This seems interesting," Midna said tapping her chin and walking toward the game.
"Hey," Link said grabbing her hand.
"Hm?" Midna hummed looking over her shoulder to look at him.
He held an inner conflict as Ilia and Zelda looked at him. Knowing that both were curious as to his actions to this woman and being so flirtatious with her must've been a given that something was with him towards her.
"That's a bit of a dangerous game," Link said cautioning her.
"As a hero, you were put into danger, doesn't danger sometimes excite one?" Midna said tilting her head.
Link blushed and looked at Zelda and Ilia. "Do you guys want to try this out?" Link said to them as he withdrew his hand slowly.
Zelda stepped forward with a nod, though looking a bit nervous. Ilia too nodded stepping forward kind of clutching onto Zelda's arm as the two girls seemed to get along together now. Colin stepped forward nodding his head as Beth just shook her head taking a large step back. All lined up as they paid the fee of three rupees.
"Ok honey dolls," Falbi said ever so flamboyant, "Choose a cucco~ make sure she's the one you want."
Zelda picked up a simple white cucco that began to flap about. She was surprised a bit and lost her grip on it. Ilia picked up a cucco carefully holding its wings down with her thumb and forefinger. She motioned to Zelda how to handle it properly and she picked it up the same way Ilia did. Colin picked up a brown cucco as Link noticed a strange brown cucco with a single yellow feather sticking out. This cucco's feathers have been dyed, Link thought picking it up as it didn't react like the other cuccos who flapped about. It seemed like as if it knew its meaning to fly. Midna picked up a black cucco, of course.
"Aren't these birds edible in your world?" Midna asked, whispering to Link, staring at the fowl face to face giving it enough a notion to not flock about in her arms. She began to pet it feeling its soft feathers.
"Yeah, but sometimes they're fun to mess around with. They don't exactly fly but their gliding ability is great," Link said smiling.
"Like the time you jumped off a roof with a cucco and landed into the water?" Ilia said raising an eyebrow with a giggle.
"A heh heh, you kids, hopefully you do better than the adults," Fyer said with a gruff chuckle, "Ok, four atta time."
Ilia, Zelda, and Colin agreed to go first all walking into the cannon. All waited a moment as Link and Midna watched. Fyer once again started the strange music box turning it as the occocco decoration show spun rabidly. Then KABOOM, the canon boomed with the three screaming. Ilia held on to her cucco laughing once it began to glide down, Zelda did too with her scarf flowing in the air as Colin too held on to his cucco. Colin saw a strawberry shaped balloon and carefully used his feet to reach out for the string catching the string with his toes. Ilia was too nervous to let go of the cucco in any form just enjoying gliding down. Zelda curiously reached for a teal balloon and got it putting her hand back on the cucco quickly. Zelda then again got another balloon when her finger brushed against it while gliding down as Colin caught three already with his toes.
As they were about to land Zelda shouted, "Oh no!" When her hand slipped letting go of one of the balloons.
"Got it~!" Ilia said reaching one arm away from her cucco grip and grabbing it before it flew back high into the air.
With one hand off her other hand slipped and she fell onto the pillows barely 6 feet above the net. Zelda and Colin let go of their cuccos too and fell. Ilia held out the balloon but Zelda shook her head with a kind smile.
"It's yours, you got a balloon fair and square," Zelda said nodding her head.
Ilia couldn't help but to blush. It seemed that Zelda was a kind person in many ways. She wasn't sure if Zelda had done that on purpose or not to let her get the balloon but whichever it was meant that she too accomplished the game. Falbi clapped for them as the strange purple bird flew down starting to talk to them.
"That was," the bird began to squawk.
Link gritted his teeth as Midna held an expression of disdain both remembering this annoying bird from their journey together. It was the bird from the fruit balloon game. It always insulted people in some way for its own pleasure.
"Pretty ok… still la-a-ame, 'cept for the kid. He just did o-o-kay," the bird said as Falbi took a balloon at a time inspecting the tag and handing each a colored card as he gave the balloons back to the bird to place back into the air.
"Now with those, honey babies, you get to choose a prize of your choice!" Falbi said taking them to the wall of prizes.
"We can wait, let's watch Link and Andi go," Colin said.
Midna and Link looked at each other raising an eyebrow and walked to the cannon area.
"Heh, ready cannon fodder?" Fyer said with a smirk as the door opened.
Link nodded and stepped on as Midna stood with a pause for a moment. He turned around and held his hand out to her as she took it and they got onto the platform where they entered the canon. Outside Ilia, Zelda, and Colin watched with great anticipation to watch their hero in action.
Inside the canon it was dark. Both breathed in deeply as he saw her amber eyes staring out.
"When the music ends, the cannon will explode. Hold onto your cucco and just fly down, you can grab balloons if you want," Link murmured to her.
"You're rambling, I heard the directions," Midna said as her glowing eyes faded for a moment when she blinked.
"Ah, yes," Link said nervously as their bodies were close with the fowls only separating them.
"Link," Midna said.
"Huh?" Link said.
"The music is about to," She said as he cut off her sentence with another 'huh?'
KABOOM! The canon exploded as Midna curled up in a fetal position holding onto her cucco as Link for a brief moment panicked as he had let go of his cucco and was reaching for it as it seemed to be flying away from him. Midna noticed as she held her cucco and floated down as Link was still airborne and was trying to grab the cucco that was actually flying higher than he was. Midna looked around at the rest as they seemed to panic at Link looking like as he were letting them down. Midna closed her eyes and for a moment things paused she pointed up at link as the frozen moment was very temporary and she couldn't hold it long. She floated really quickly and placed the cucco closer to Link's hands as she couldn't help but to giggle at the silly expression that Link had. She just floated back and held back onto her cucco and closed her eyes to feel as she floated down again.
Link with a scream and a gasp grabbed the cucco able to hold it. He breathed out as he couldn't help to feel that feeling like everything had paused again. He looked down as Midna floated with her cucco and she had grabbed already three balloons. He pointed his cucco upward, and just as he thought, it was a golden flying cuckoo with painted wings. It flew up a little bit but it took a while. Link grabbed about five balloons as Midna was at her seventh.
"This isn't so hard," she said as Link grabbed his seventh and eighth in one reach.
"You're using a bit of magic, aren't you?" Link said to her.
"Yes, why?" She asked nonchalantly.
"These games aren't supposed to use magic. It's a person's own skill," Link said as they were still pretty high.
She looked a bit threatened with out the thought of magic. She closed her eyes as she still kept her disguise but gasped. Her hands were gripping tighter to the bird and she felt the one hand that had the balloons entwined in her fingers slipping. She let go of the cucco and Link gasped as the fall was still quite high. He pointed the cucco downwards and she was able to grab his arm and swing up to rest holding him. She blushed lightly as he looked at her worriedly as they landed.
"You…" Link started.
"I'm fine," Midna protested with a voice that made him worry. It seemed like she was trying to tell him to get away from her.
Falbi looked at them as the purple bird flew down. But it began to hesitate with the glare Midna was giving it.
"Squawk! Good job both of you! Bye bye baby balloon!" The bird said as Falbi handed them their cards and it took the balloons back into the air.
"That was great!" Ilia said running up and hugging Link as Zelda patted him on the shoulder.
Midna just smiled as Colin looked at her. "You did good too, you know," Colin said to her.
"Thank you," she said softly holding the card as she went ahead and found many assortments of children's toys in which she was able to get with her points card and stowed them away in a bag.
Colin, who also went ahead with her, got a beautiful shattered rupee bracelet. He went up to Beth and offered to her and she squealed with glee hugging him. Midna smiled softly at the young teens' affections towards each other as she looked up and looked at Link with Ilia and Zelda. He smiled nervously at her as she just smiled gently in return and walked off to see more fair sights with out them lagging her down, in her own opinion.
"Hey, where'd Andi go?" Ilia asked as she turned in her card for something special.
"Yes, what a mysterious woman… Kind of reminds me of somebody," Zelda said in a stern voice as she held her scarf up more looking for her.
Link just had an expression of worry as he couldn't say what he was thinking. Something about the day made his heart hurt even more as he just gripped his chest. Zelda noticed and she held his shoulder gently as he looked at her.
"What's wrong Link?" She asked.
"Sometimes I get nervous thinking," Link just murmured as Ilia came up to him.
"Link," Ilia said softly as she opened up a box to him. There it held a pendant necklace. It held a copper looking coin with a hole in it.
Link smiled gently as she wrapped it around his neck yet realized something. His wolf pendant necklace had been missing since the night he and Midna hid in the field. This had him worried but he just tried to shrug it off as Zelda looked at the many prizes on the wall. Link looked around and saw something interesting but he just pushed it off his mind for a moment. Putting the card away in his pocket, they decided to continue to look around as Zelda traded her card in for a unique Ooccoo figure. She placed it away in a bag on her side and they continued on enjoying the day. Link kindly pulled Ilia to the side to talk to her for a brief moment.
"Ilia, I don't mean to upset you or nothing but," Link said scratching the back of his head as he looked over to see Zelda playing a dart game with Colin and Beth.
Ilia looked over past him and Zelda then looked back at Link. "I understand, hun, you have to serve our princess," Ilia said in an understanding tone despite his gem showing the color of uneasiness in her heart.
She placed a hand on Link's cheek and walked up to Beth and Colin and whispered to them. They nodded and all told Zel… Sheik goodbye and that it was an honor to be around them as they had to go attend something else in the fair.
Zelda smiled wishing them farewell as she and Link were able to spend more time together once again.
AN: Author's note chapter will be added...
