When I originally wrote this it had little to do with the story, was a one shot sort of thing. But (as with most of my writing) that changed and I just couldn't resist making it longer than it needed to be, one sentence led to another and ... oh my... remember having a seagull for a best friend is nothing but trouble... Though I am interested to see if anyone is still confused at this point, email me if you are, I'd like to try to figure out why. If your not and want to brag you know the ending; email me too…..Anyway reviewers: thanks! readers: thanks! thanks!
(I can't believe I written 32 vague references to disclaimers, oi!) Yes there really were 32 chapters at this point... oh my
Nagori, Saimon and Senkyoku
by: achitka
Chapter 10:
The Captain and the Bird Lady
Aryll sat on the rail of the pirate ship and scanned the skies. She knew they were too far out from shore for there to be any gulls flying about, but then, Jasper and Jake never behaved the way anyone thought regular seagulls should. They may look like any other seagulls, but they were just, different, especially with how they reacted to her. They were her very best friends.
After her mother died, and even though she was still very young, she lost interest in everything. Everyone on the island tried very hard to pull her out of that funk, but she was lost in her sadness and stubbornly refused to rejoin the living. She wanted her mother back. It wasn't fair that the Goddesses had taken her and Aryll was angry with everyone who continued to live while her mother did not.
She remembered the first time that pair of gulls landed on the beach, they sat and stared at her for a very long time, and she studiously ignored them both. When she got up to go home, they followed her and only stopped when she reached the porch of her home. Her mother, Aryll knew would not want her to be impolite, so she turned, bowed and thanked them before entering the house. The pair squawked as they flew off and Aryll didn't see them again for almost a week.
When they returned, they always found her on the beach alone. Again, they followed her as far as her porch, where she'd thank them and the pair would fly away. This went on for several weeks and after a while; Aryll found herself hoping the pair would come and sit with her on the beach. She'd even given them names, Jake and Jasper and little by little, they pulled her back from the loneliness she'd made of her grief and gave her back her happiness.
When her father was killed in a shipwreck, she almost fell back into that dark place, but this time it was her big brother who helped her keep her light. Link promised he'd never leave her and no matter where she went, he would always be able to find her, no matter what. Big words for an eleven-year-old boy, but Aryll always knew her big brother was someone extra special.
One year later, the Helmaroc King kidnapped her. Aryll shivered when she remembered the piercing cry and force of the wind created by the giant birds wings. The feeling of its claws as it snatched her from the bridge that led to the Fairy Wood. Link's horrified expression as he tried to catch at her. However, even as it carried off from her home she saw Jake and Jasper followed in the wake of the great bird and even though she was still frightened she was no longer terrified. Somehow, she knew it was those two that kept her safe even as she sat imprisoned in the Forsaken Fortress. Aryll was never sure why, but the moblins that guarded all the kidnapped girls, seemed very leery of the gulls and stayed clear of their cell. That, in turn, gave her the strength she needed to hold on.
She knew Link would come and just like he promised; he did. However, when the Helmaroc King captured Link, she almost lost hope. This was also the first time Aryll clearly understood what the gulls were saying to her. Telling her to calm, that her brother would return when he was stronger. She never questioned it. Most everyone who lived on Outset could understand the squawky, garish language of the gulls that inhabited the island. Aryll discovered then, that she'd an unusual aptitude for it. She'd always been able to pick out a few things here and there, but from then on she understood them as clearly as if they were speaking common.
Her thoughts wandered back to the ocean as she wondered again about Jasper. For quite a while now the gull had been missing and Aryll was starting to worry. It wasn't like her to be gone for this long. Jake still dutifully watched over the chicks, but she could tell he was beside himself with worry, well for a seagull.
Gonzo told her everything he knew of what happened them and while she was a relieved to know Jasper had been with the pirates, the gull wasn't now and Aryll couldn't shake the sense that Jasper needed her help. That feeling continued to nag at her and she almost wished she had her telescope, but Link probably needed it more than she did.
That got her thinking of her Grandma, even if Link was the Legendary Hero, nothing about this mess seemed to surprise her. Aryll was just two days short of her seventeenth birthday but she was a little irked when her grandma showed no concern that she was leaving the island with a band of pirates. Of course, they were Tetra's pirates, and her Grandma knew she'd come to no harm on this ship. Still when Aryll learned about Nagori, all the stories and legends, her Grandma told her since she was small; started to take on new meaning.
The Tower of the Gods; that was where her Grandma thought Tetra was headed and maybe Link too. She wondered how her brother and Al were doing and worried they might be in over their heads. Aryll recalled the stories Link told her of his adventures there and she sighed. He thought the place fascinating but it seemed a sinister place to her. Gonzo said the pirates had never been there but one of the parchments in Tetra's cabin showed its most likely location.
She was pulled from her thoughts by Nudge, who was up in the crow's nest. He waved and shouted something then pointed off toward something in the sky to the northeast. Gonzo climbed the ladder, being careful of a missing rung, and at the top pulled out a telescope and looked in the direction Nudge indicated.
His mouth dropped open and he shouted to Senza and the others on deck, "Man that catapult! We have incoming kargarok!"
Aryll looked in the direction Nudge pointed and thought she heard a familiar sound amidst the shouting pirates. They scrambled to take up their positions and several went below and returned carrying some rather large rocks. After setting them on the deck near the catapult, they returned below to fetch more. Gonzo came down the ladder and crossed the deck. He paused as he passed by her and noticed her standing next to a coil of rope.
"Aryll you should go below."
"No, I'll be alright and I wont get in the way, I swear."
"I promised your Grandma I wouldn't let any harm come to you," he said and gently pushed her in the direction of the door. "Please, I would really feel better if you went below."
Aryll sighed, then nodded and headed for the door. Gonzo was visibly relieved and turned toward the catapult. She reached for the doorknob and she thought she heard that familiar sound again so turned back. What she saw made her heart freeze; there, barely visible in front of the obnoxious birds was a small white shape. Flying as fast as its wings would carry it, Aryll squinted and realized it was a seagull being chased. Going below was forgotten as she ran over to Gonzo and took the telescope out of his hands.
"Hey! I thought you were going below."
Aryll looked through the telescope and focused on the seagull. It was Jasper! And she was hurt! "Gonzo, I mean, Captain, you can't fire that thing yet."
"What?"
"Jasper's in front of them and she's hurt, please she trying to make it to us."
"How can you tell it Jasper?"
"I recognized her call."
Gonzo gave her an appraising look for a moment then shook his head and said to the pirates manning the catapult, "Okay people listen up hold your fire until the seagull makes it this far, after that fire at will."
"What seagull?" one of the crew asked, "I don't see any seagull!"
"Just put a lid on it and get ready to fire!" he roared at them. They grumbled but returned to they're duties.
"We'll be cutting it close," Senza said looking at Aryll.
"Maybe, but I know you can handle it."
Senza grunted and turned back to the catapult. He calmly directed the others, and when the catapult was ready to fire, he signaled Gonzo.
"You're sure about this?" Gonzo asked Aryll with a worried look. She nodded and returned her attention to the erratic flight of the smaller bird. They watched as it flew this way and that in its attempts to out run the three kargarok following it. As it neared the ship the seagull fell into a dive, Aryll could tell there was no way she would be able to pull up in time.
"No!" Aryll cried and covered her eyes as the seagull dropped into the water next to the ship. Almost at once the catapult began firing and she ran to the side of the ship and looked for signs of the bird. There were a few feathers on the water, and without a second thought, she jumped in after her friend. The water was freezing and she struggled as she swam down a ways, salt water stinging her eyes as she searched for her friend. She popped up to the surface, took a gulp of air, and dove again.
Aryll spotted a bit of something shiny nearby and swam to it. It was Jasper. She grabbed the bird and surfaced again. The pirates had taken care of two of the kargarok, but the third was still out there and when it noticed her in the water it shrieked and dove straight for her. She dove under the water again, though it was much more difficult holding the seagull, the kargarok pulled up just above the surface and ran its razor sharp talons just under the surface in an attempt to catch her. She exhaled some of the air she when it's claw caught the side of her leg. The bird flew up for another pass so she used the opportunity to take another gulp of air and drop below the surface again.
The bird lined itself up for another run at her when, from the ship, a large rock sailed up and smacked into it. Unable to stay below any longer Aryll came back up to the surface. She watched in relief and the kargarok spun wildly out of control and hit the water with a huge splash. There were two other splashes nearby and a rope ladder was lowered. The pirates helped her on board and as she came over the rail, Nudge came over and threw a blanket over her shoulders. She was shaking and her teeth were chattering like mad, but as she sat on the deck, she checked the bird in her lap. Jasper's heart was still beating, 'Thank the goddesses.' she thought. Gonzo appeared in front of her then, and he looked angrier than she'd ever seen him.
"Don't you ever do anything like that again, you understand!" he shouted at her. "Next time your told to go below, you go! What were you thinking!" When she made no reply, he sighed in frustration and pulled the bandanna off his head. He still looked mad but when he spoke again his tone softened and he said, "Why don't you head to Miss Tetra's cabin and dry off."
"Alright." Was all she could think to say and she got up and started limping toward the door. She was surprised when Senza stopped her and pulled back the blanket. He looked concerned when he saw a five-inch long gash on her leg just below her knee. She looked down at the deck and realized there was a small pool of blood where she'd been sitting.
"Nudge? Come have a look," Senza said as he knelt on one knee for a closer inspection of her wound. "We may have a sewing job for you."
Nudge approached her and Aryll tried to stay as still as possible during the examination, but flinched a few times while he looked at the slice. Gonzo watched from a few feet away and frowned.
"Just wrap it tight," Gonzo said, "We're near enough Southern Fairy Island that it wont delay us to stop there."
"We could just use one of the fairies I collected on Outset." Senza said.
"No, we can't. I don't know how to use a fairy, do you?" Senza shook his head. "Anyway, I have a feeling were gonna need all the fairies we can get before this is over. Senza nodded and shouted to the helmsman on duty to change their course. Nudge looked at her with kind smile and lifted her off the deck.
"Come along then Miss Aryll, you really shouldn't be walking on that," he said and carried her to Tetra's cabin. He settled her on the chair, cleaned up the wound and wrapped up her leg tight with some clean linen. She thanked him and he smiled and left her to change out of her wet things.
After a moment she realized she was still holding an unmoving Jasper, so limping a little she set the bird on the bed and set about giving her a thorough examination. She was missing some of her flight and tail feathers but seemed otherwise sound. When she noticed then glint of something shiny wrapped around the seagull's foot, she untangled it and discovered a small crystal pendant.
Aryll held it up and looked at it in the lamplight, her eyes widened when she noticed it held a funny pink glow inside. Whatever this was, Jasper almost gave her life to bring it to her. Aryll put it around her neck and changed into some dry clothes. She was still shivering a little and lay down on Tetra's bed, thinking a nap would be good and promptly fell asleep, seagull neatly tucked under her arm.
She awoke later to discover that a blanket had been thrown over her and Jasper was up and walked around on the edge of the bed.
"Yeah I know how you feel," Aryll said as she sat up. She hissed, from the now burning pain in her leg. She moved it around and it eased a little. Aryll set her feet lightly on the wooden floor and set Jasper there as well. Looking at the desk, she noticed that someone changed the dressing on her leg, but left the pile of bloody linen on the floor. She gathered up the pieces and rinsed them out in the clean water she poured into the basin. Once done, she picked up the basin and emptied it into a nearby pail. Grabbing its handle she decided she was hungry so went down to the galley to look for something to eat.
It was full dark and most everyone who wasn't on watch, was asleep. Aryll knew her way around, she'd stayed on this ship once before. That was actually the only pleasant experience after her kidnapping. Once Link managed to set her free of the Forsaken Fortress, Tetra showed up and ordered Gonzo to take her back to her ship. Aryll smiled when she remembered the argument the pair had about that and how imposing Gonzo was to her then, he was so big. Of course she was only ten at the time and Gonzo at least seventeen but his often angsty nature made her think of him as a rather goofy sort. Still he was a handsome sort of goof. Of all the pirates, Gonzo was Link's best friend and he would often write to Link or her about this and that.
She was pulled out of her reverie when she came through the door of the small dining area. Aryll hesitated when she saw Gonzo there by himself, sea charts spread across the table as he drank a cup of tea. He was deep in thought and when a frown crossed his face; Aryll felt responsible for it and in her embarrassment almost turned back.
Jasper, however, had other plans and gave her an angry squawk as she marched into the room. Gonzo looked up from his charts and noticed her in the doorway. Aryll smiled weakly, and limped slowly the rest of the way into the room. She was even more mortified when he got up took the pail then helped her to a nearby bench all the while telling her she shouldn't be carrying pails of water about the ship with an injured leg.
"Are you hungry?" Gonzo asked.
She nodded and looked down at the table. She helped Jasper up on the bench and looked wearily at her when she squawked a question. After Gonzo disappeared through the galley door she said to the bird, "Will you stop? You don't know that." Both quieted when he came back with a plate of cheese and some biscuits in one hand and a bowl of cut up hoi pear in the other. Jasper made her way onto the table and began to eat. Gonzo got out another mug and poured Aryll some hot tea. She thanked him and he returned to his charts.
During the uncomfortable silence that followed, Aryll picked at her food for a bit, but she'd lost her appetite. Jasper finished her meal, walked over to Gonzo, and sat squarely in the middle of his papers. The Captain smiled as he stroked the bird's head. Satisfied the seagull walked in front of Aryll and started into a lengthy series of squawks that set her teeth on edge.
Aryll looked at her feathered friend and rolled her eyes. Jasper's head bobbed as she continued her furious squawking. Aryll made the mistake of interrupting the seagull only once when she said, "No, you're exaggerating, I did not..." This sent the gull's head to shaking furiously as she continued with her bird rant. Aryll sighed and hung her head, her attention returned to the Captain when he said, "Can you really understand what she's saying?"
Aryll blushed when she realized he'd been watching her and said, "Well, sort of..."
"Sort of?" Gonzo asked taking another sip of his tea.
Jasper let out a funny sound as Aryll glared at the bird and amended, "Yes I understand her and right now she's giving me the what for, for jumping into the water after her."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Aryll narrowed her eyes at the bird and chided, "something about the water's too cold and I'm lucky I didn't drown."
Aryll paused when she noticed Gonzo's frown return. "You know you put everyone in danger by doing that. You really need to think about that in the future."
She fell silent and thankfully so did Jasper. While she was half expecting another lecture from the Captain she was more relieved when it didn't come and she said, "I apologize Captain I know what I did was foolish, but I couldn't just leave her there. Truly, you had every right to yell at me, Tetra probably would have added galley duty or worse." He shook his head and she bowed hers.
"I thought about that," Gonzo said with a small smile. "But about the yelling, I'm sorry..."
"No, you're the Captain now. I should have gone below when you asked me to."
"That wasn't really what I meant, you see..." he stopped cleared his throat and she noticed he looked more nervous than she'd ever seen him. He pulled off his bandanna and mopped his face. "You scared the daylights out of me and well," he said as he fumbled for the words he was looking for. "You know I care about you... and your whole family," he added quickly, "a lot, and...Aryll..."
Jasper picked that moment to clap her beak and distracted her from what Gonzo was saying. Jasper said something that made the already mortified Aryll look over at the Captain in surprise. As it finally dawned on her just what he was trying to tell her, she blushed and smiled as he trailed off. Aryll reached across the table took his hand and said, "Me too Captain, me too."
Sleeping Beauties
After his boat spun to a halt, Link looked around looked at the tiny health fairies floating this way and that on the breeze. He opened his pack, pulled out the bottles with the fairies, and set them on the hatch. All three fairies no longer retained any of their usual iridescent color and appeared almost as clear as the glass in the afternoon light. Link picked up one of the bottles and looked carefully at the tiny health fairy inside. Her eyes were closed and her tiny wand barely shone with any light but he couldn't see anything else unusual. He sighed as he set it back with the others. Still, Link found it very unsettling to see them like that. Saimon popped out of his hat, flew a little sideways, and said, "How are you not dizzy after that?"
Link smiled but did not reply. Instead, he reached into his pack, pulled out his ocarina, and placed it near the bottles. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the song he heard within the images the King of Red Lions sent him. It was very similar to the song that drifted in over the water on Great Fish. He was still for a long time and did not say anything until something occurred to him. He opened his eyes and fixed them on the blue mote that floated in front of him and asked "Saimon?"
"Yes Wind Waker?"
"What do you really remember of your time as Kage?"
Saimon bobbed in front of him for a moment or two. He turned a curious orange color and said, "Very little."
"I wonder why?" Link asked himself. Another puzzle, so he took some time to ponder, in the quiet of the Fairy Queen's crater, on what he'd been told so far. What he decided in the end was, he was no closer to an answer. Saimon's memories, or rather Kage's most likely held the answers he was looking for. His stomach growled, distracting him long enough that he remembered to eat. He pulled a small packet of food out and munched on some dried fish and a salt water biscuit.
"Saimon, didn't any of the story Jabun told us remind you of anything?" he asked the fairy.
Saimon suddenly turned a brighter orange and looked fit to pop and Link decided he might hurt himself as he strained to remember something that was just out of reach.
"It's alright if you can't remember Saimon, there's obviously strong magic involved. I don't know what will happen if you force too much. Whatever is there is there, if it's missing well, we'll look for it someplace else." The fairy regained his normal blue and flew over the bottles and there he stayed while Link finished his lunch washing it all down with water from the spring.
"What was the last thing you do remember about it?"
Saimon did not reply right away. He drifted to the orangey glow and the fairy shivered. "Fear. An endless rain. A very bright light." the fairy quieted again and added, "great pain." Saimon drifted into a sickly yellow color and said, "then nothing."
That made sense, Link thought, so he asked, "How did you know where to find Al?"
"I do not remember."
"Can you remember anything about Al's father?"
"Only his name."
"Yes, you told me that already, but you also said I was a lot like him, in what way?"
"He too was very curious," Saimon paused and added, "and persistent."
Paradox, Link thought, and pressed the question further. "How could you know that if you only remember his name? Did you ever meet him?"
"Yes," Saimon said and brightened, but just as quickly drifted back into that strange orange and said, "No."
Second paradox.
"Well Saimon either you did or you didn't, which is it?"
"Both," Saimon said but sounded confused and his orange glow intensified.
"Did Al's mother ever mention him?" Link asked as he watched the fairy very closely, it was obvious this line of questions was causing a great deal of stress for the fairy, but Link needed answers.
"Yes," Saimon said and the orange subsided a little. "The Lady always said that he was a very good man."
"That's it?" Link pressed, but Saimon would not or could not answer. Finally, the fairy drifted back to his normal blue tinge and Link thought, Another damn wall.
Saimon still did not reply and Link decided Al's father must be the same as the man from Jabun's story and the weird little vision. If so, that would explain a lot. It was impossible to tell how much time passed between the Shadows entrapment and the golden-eyed man's second encounter with the Fairy Queen. Whatever the wish, the Fairy Queen meant for Kage and Kageri's bindings to last for as long as all those involved, survived. However, what if she only meant the bindings to last within Dalkin and Delia's lifetime? They were beyond that date by at least a few hundred years. It also didn't explain why Al seemed to be afraid of him when they first met.
Jabun said the young man in his story and the shadow were similar of face, but one was dark and one light. Link decided he must look similar to one or possibly both of them. His thoughts wandered and he said aloud to himself, "I wonder what happened to those dolls?"
"They are with Dalkin."
"Really?"
"He kept them with him in the hope they would help him recover his memories."
"Well, how would they do that?"
"I do not know, they have not moved in all the time I have been with him. Though his younger brother insisted that he keep them with him always."
Link rubbed his head and said, "There is way too much I don't know." He sat in silence for a while and mulled over all the new information he managed to pry out of Saimon. His only conclusion was; there was a huge gaping hole in what he did know and it was just too big for him disregard. Link decided to set that problem aside for now, there was one thing he wanted to know and he was sure Saimon could answer without being sent into any magical walls.
"Hey Saimon, how did you manage to get Tetra and me into that garden?"
"The ocarina." The fairy responded.
"Huh?"
"There was fairy magic trapped within it."
Link remembered the Great Fairy on Outset blew into it and that at least explained why she did that. "Saimon, you and Al didn't by any chance visit this island before you came to Outset did you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To see if Venus could fix me. She could not, but said she would think about it and send an answer soon."
"Oh," Link said, that confirmed his suspicions for the Great Fairy of Outset's appearance but still not Tetra's. "How did you find her?"
"Who?" Saimon asked.
"Tetra, you know the Princess."
"I did not find her."
"You didn't?" Link's interest was piqued.
"No, you did."
"I was unconscious, remember? How could I do that?"
"I merely asked for the one with whom you have the strongest connection and hoped they would be able to help."
"And you got her?" Link asked in disbelief.
"This surprises you?" Saimon sounded very confused.
"Keep in mind the last time I saw her I considered throttling her, and a few weeks before that she threatened to kill me," Link paused and laughed a little. "Actually, I think she tried to." He frowned and said, "Anyway, I figured we were pretty done with each other at that point. We just stopped talking to one another, like none of it mattered." And to himself he said, "I really got to stop calling her Princess."
"I do not understand," Saimon said. "Is she not the Princess?"
"Hmmm?" Link looked up again. "Yes she is," he said as he stood and stepped out of the boat. He waded across the little stream to stretch his legs and said, "But for whatever reason, Tetra was never very pleased by that idea." In passing he thought, 'It probably didn't help that you left her in that damn basement.'
"It is odd that she answered then," Saimon said as he bobbed around, still a little on the green side, but brighter in appearance. "You got along with her in the garden, yes?"
"Yes, we did manage to be civil that time didn't we," Link said amazed, "More of a temporary cease fire, really."
"I do not understand."
"As weird as this sounds, and even if we may not get along all the time, I just can't shake the feeling that whatever this is really all about. I'm going to need her with me to beat it."
"Does the Princess know this?"
"I think so," Link said looking up at the sky. "At least I hope so. That may be why she came the first time. Actually, I have no idea why she came at all. I am utterly clueless when it comes to her," Link said and looked back at the fairy again. "You see, I wasn't completely honest with Al when he asked me to describe that daydream I had on the ship. Before you two showed up, I'd been wondering where she might be and began to play a certain song on the ocarina. It's one I've been practicing because I wanted to play it for her. Of course I was assuming she'd speak to me again."
Link eyed the fairy, took a deep breath and continued, "Anyway, when I looked around, I was in that garden and there she was. I almost didn't recognize her, I've really only seen her in a dress like that, two or three times...but when she opened her mouth there was no mistaking who she was. I'm babbling right?" The fairy just floated without comment.
Link sighed as he sat beneath one of the trees and said, "I suppose I should get to the point. There's something about that song that calls to her. I didn't actually realize it until later and I can't really remember, when I remembered it. It was just sort of 'there' one day, all stuck in my head, just yelling to get out. I'm not even sure why I remember it so clearly, but I got a feeling that I should keep that to myself."
Link said nothing for a while, and his thoughts returned to the binding the Fairy Queen placed on Kage and Kageri. Every magical binding has a key...Link rubbed his eyes as he realized he was contemplating breaking it. If he unbound one of the tekuragari, there was the possibility he'd be causing more harm than good, but he needed Saimon to remember his time as Kage.
Link mulled a bit more and thought, Maybe that remembering song would work. It was a huge risk and Link wracked his brains but just couldn't think of a better alternative. When he noticed the sun was getting lower in the sky, he got up and went back over to the boat and gathered up the bottles and ocarina then returned to the tree.
"What will you do now?" Saimon asked.
"Fill up that hole, I hope...and Saimon?"
"Yes Wind Waker?"
"Try to remember the good in Al, okay?"
Saimon did not answer, but did turn a brighter blue. Link took that for a yes, raised the flute and hesitated again.
"Saimon? One more thing...I'm really, really sorry..."
Without another word, Link put the ocarina to his lips and began playing the version he pulled from the vision. The melody sounded happy and sad at the same time and Saimon lost his glow for a few moments and cocked his head as he listened. The fairy's eyes grew wider and though the glow returned it was that weird orange color again.
It wavered from orange to blue and back again until Saimon suddenly started to spin. Faster and faster, the fairy twirled into an ever-tightening circle in front of Link. This time though, Link didn't close his eyes and continued playing while he watched Saimon. Link knew it was all part of the same and if he was right, then this had to be done.
Saimon now shook and jerked back and forth, as if a puppet on a string. The blue did not return and the orange glow intensified as Link did not slow or stop playing. Just when the music reached it peak, the orange glow surrounding the little guy exploded away from him.
Link dropped the ocarina and dove to catch the now unconscious fairy, but just before Saimon hit his hands; a globe of iridescent magic surrounded the fairy. Link got up and carefully pushed at the globe. It floated there in front of him with Saimon still unconscious inside. Link gave a little sigh of relief as he brushed himself off and waited.
"Welcome Wind Waker."
Link turned to answer but took a step back and said, "Whoa."
Before him was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. She sparkled with more colors than he'd ever seen, set off by a pair of bright translucent wings. "Whoa."
The woman smiled and Link shook his head when a child's voice came from her mouth. "What you see before you is only the image of my former self." Venus said wistfully as she slipped back into her more childlike self. "I can no longer hold that form."
"The promise?"
"Yes," she said with a touch of melancholy, "but a promise made must be kept."
"Why did you offer it then?"
"I thought him ill-used."
Link thought it odd to hear Venus speak that way. He found it hard to remember her actual age when she looked so much like a little kid. "But wasn't it his choice in the end?"
"Yes, but the Goddesses did not like my interfering with the destinies of the Shadow's children."
"They weren't meant to survive were they?"
"No." When he frowned, she added, "Do not be fooled by the appearances of today, Wind Waker. Dalkin and Delia were selfish, unkind, and cruel hearted children. It was no accident that Hito chose them for his daemon. For my part, my appearance is a sort of punishment from the Three as my abilities are now limited to what they were at the founding."
"Is Saimon going to be alright?"
"He is no longer Saimon, but Kage once again. You have done what even Hito himself could not."
"It worked then?"
"Yes, you have broken the binding I placed on him. From this time on, he will have to decide what his future will hold."
So saying the Fairy Queen popped her bubble of magic and Saimon/Kage floated for a moment then seemed to wake up with a start. Confused and disoriented, he looked from one face to the other. A look of pure fright crossed his features and he flew off without a backward glance.
"I guess I won't be getting anymore answers from him. I really hope I did the right thing." Link said as his eyes followed the fairy's flight up and out of the crater. "Where do you think he's going?"
"I cannot guess his fate, though I hope his choices are good ones."
Link nodded and picked up one of the bottles, "Anything you can do about these beauties?"
"Open the bottles and release them."
Carefully Link opened each and as he did, their crystalline forms slipped from the bottles and coalesced into a silvery mist that surrounded him. Link felt immediately invigorated followed by a sharp pang of guilt. "Why did you have me do that if you knew that was going to happen?"
"Do not be saddened Wind Waker, would it have been any different had they used their energy to sustain you in battle? They were joyous to be able to fulfill their purpose." Venus looked up at the sky then and closed her eyes. She shivered a little and when she looked back at him, he could see she was not as at ease as before. "Please feel free to gather more. They will remain safe."
"What about Senkyoku?"
"She is with your sister."
Link just looked at her as if she sprouted an extra head. "How the...?" he decided to wonder about that later and determined to ask about something else, "Do you know where Tetra is?"
"The Princess has made her way to the Forest Haven."
Link nodded, so she was headed back too. He was pulled from his thoughts by something cold and wet on his nose. He looked up and realized it was snowing. The Childlike Fairy Queen looked happy once again.
"Our time grows short, Hito has discovered where I am and will take steps to insure I do not interfere with his plans again. You must leave here quickly." Link frowned as he rushed to gather his things. As he did Venus lightly touched his arm and said, "This last thing I will tell you Wind Waker; The Princess already holds the key to her prison deep within herself, but as yet either does not wish to or chooses not to recognize this."
Link nodded as he climbed aboard the King of Red Lions. He conducted the Ballad of Gales and fixed an image of Outset Island clearly in his head. As the boat began to rise, snow flew off in all directions as it spun. When he looked back, he noticed for the first time the strange glow that surrounded him and the ship. Link looked over the edge as the strange bubble popped only to see Venus imprisoned in a solid piece of ice. A frozen statue in her own fountain.
Breaking the Bonds
Saimon felt good, he'd done all he could to help the Hero and was puzzled when he said; "Try to remember the good in Al, okay?" The Wind Waker then raised the flute, and hesitated again. "Saimon? One more thing...I'm really, really sorry..." The Hero paused again briefly and Saimon did not answer, but the fairy thought, 'What was there to be sorry for?
Without another word, the Hero put the ocarina to his lips and began playing. The fairy listened and thought 'That is it! He has learned the song!' Saimon closed his eyes and a feeling of great joy filled his heart. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a voice call to him.
KAGE! KAGE! I CAN SENSE YOUR PRESENCE...
The fairy's eyes flew open wide, but everything was obscured by that angry orange glow. The Wind Waker seemed to notice the change but did not stop playing. That voice, he knew that voice and it frightened him. Still the Hero played on, seemingly oblivious to his distress. It was in this moment that Saimon realized he wasn't Saimon anymore.
KAGE!
The fairy heard a strange crackling in his head, like breaking a looking glass. Kage looked up at the face before him and immediately panicked and backed away, Gah! he thought, It is him! He'd been pursued for many months by that one! At first, his attempts to escape only sent him spinning out of control, into tighter circles, no matter where he flew that man was there, always right behind them.
Kage felt faint from all the endless spinning. The music that one played, it seemed to surround him as it gained momentum and without warning, the spinning stopped. It was replaced by a jerking sensation as he felt himself tugged this way and that. When he could no longer remain conscious, Kage looked past the man and saw the worried face of his mother. Then all faded from view.
KAGE
(Master Hito!)
AH the voice paused. SHOW ME WHERE YOU ARE KAGE
The tekuragari obeyed and shivered as he felt a wave of cold air blow by him and begin to dispel the warmth of the crater. Unable to remain awake longer, everything faded to black.
Kage woke and found himself within a bubble of magic. Disoriented, he looked around for his sister, Kageri, but she was no longer with him. He still felt weak and closed his eyes again.
COME BACK TO ME KAGE
Without warning, the bubble around him popped and Kage struggled to orientate himself and fly straight. As he flew out of the crater he heard a second voice, all it said was:
Everyone deserves a second chance, even these two. Remember me and forgive them.
Kage crested the lip of the crater and paused. He wondered at the young man below him who watched him fly away, but made no move to stop him. Kage realized this was not the golden-eyed one that had so diligently pursued him what felt like yesterday.
KAGE!
The voice yanked at his essence but still the fairy lingered at the lip of the crater. Perhaps things could be different as the golden-eyed one had said. "Everyone deserves a second chance, even me."