FicWad

I heard the sound of dripping water before I came to. I was once again finding myself in the Chamber of Sages. I got up and saw Darunia and Arcanine, but Link was nowhere to be found. At that point, I must have had on a panicked expression because Darunia said this: “Don’t panic.”
“B-but where’s Link?” I asked and I felt tears coming on.
“Aw now,” Darunia said, “don’t start crying. Link was just very sick and very tired, so I asked my son, Link, to take Link to Kakariko Village and have someone take him in for a little while. Lux is there also, and I put Pasta back into his Pokeball seeing as he was beat up as well. He should be better in a couple of days.”
“But where did Shannon go?” I asked.
“Oh, Ganondorf’s daughter?” Darunia said. “She and her father have this annoying ability to just disappear in thin air, so she probably bailed out on your duel.”
Stupid coward, I thought and I looked at Darunia. “So, uh, are you okay?” I asked. “Sorry about your death and all…”
“Yeah,” Darunia said, “Volvagia basically destroyed me, and I knew that would happen, but I needed to protect my village.”
“Wait, are all the Gorons dead?” I asked. I was bit disheartened back at the Goron Village for Link the Goron was the only Goron in sight.
“No, they were all just locked up in the Fire Temple. Luckily, you came before anything bad actually happened.”
“Good,” I said.
“Well, all is not good quite yet. The Goron Village has been unkempt and Volvagia, when he came through, destroyed some things, so there will need to be some rebuilding. I’m confident that my son will get the village in the right direction, though. He’s really changed since he teamed up with you.”
“Well, I tried to keep him motivated. He was very timid when I first met him, but I honestly think that he toughened up when he met Link, seeing as he had never seen the man he was named after before.”
“That could be a factor, yes,” Darunia said with a smile, “but you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” I smiled at him and he continued, “He’s not the one in the most need of your service around here, however,” and Darunia’s face became stern.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The Zoras are probably a lot worse off than the Gorons were,” Darunia said. “Since that flood seven years ago, the water levels have never been the same. The flood kicked up a lot of rocks and dirt, so most of the river beds are filled with rocks that are blocking the water flow. Lake Hylia is so dry right now that only a small bit of water remains. Because of the water flow and some of Ganondorf’s punishment, the Zora Domain has been stuck in a wintery state. Most of them have been dead for years…”
“Is the King Zora-“
“I don’t want to know,” Darunia said. “Unlike us, they have been waiting for rescue for about five years. Last thing I had heard was that the Zora Princess, who tried to hold a rebellion against Ganondorf, has gone missing. I’m afraid that she might be dead.”
I thought about that for a second. If King Zora was dead, maybe he was the sage, but he was rather fat and lazy, so I wasn’t sure. Princess Ruto was actually very outspoken and maybe a little rude, so she seemed like a good fit. But, then again, most of the Zoras were now dead, so there were so many different people that could be the next sage.
“Now, before I give you this medallion, I do have some favors to ask of you,” Darunia said. “I need you to help my son and the rebuilding process of Goron Village. It probably won’t take long, but please, just watch over my son and help him. You’ve gave him so much confidence, but I hope that confidence doesn’t make him too cocky.”
“I’d be glad to help,” I said. I wanted to get that work done quickly however, because I needed to see if Link was okay. That was my biggest priority at the moment.
“Good,” Darunia said, “now, don’t lose this medallion. This contains my power, you know.”
I smiled and said, “I’ll take great care of it.”
“That’s my girl,” he said and he pulled a medallion out from behind his back. He handed it to me. It was red and had the Goron emblem on it and on the back was the Triforce.
“Now, get outta here,” he said and suddenly a beam of light surrounded me. That last thing I heard him say was this:
“I’m glad to say that you and I are now True Brother and Sister. Good luck and sorry that I can’t attend you and Link’s wedding.”

The beam brought me down to the throne room in Goron Village. I heard some commotion outside, so I jogged to see what was going on. In the middle of the lobby floor was a rock stage and in front of that stage was about fifty Gorons. On the stage was Link the Goron, speaking to everyone.
“Today we have been freed from Volvagia’s clutches,” Link the Goron said. “However, today is not a day for celebration. Your king, my father, Darunia is dead. But, we have to move forward, my fellow Gorons. Volvagia shattered our world and even broke some things. I understand that some of your caves in this village are in shambles. We need to work together and build our new lifestyles, which won’t really be different than before, but it’s time to start anew. I will take my father’s throne and be the best, toughest leader that I can be. I will not let you down and if I have, please tell me. Now let’s get to work.”
The Gorons jumped around and cheered, but soon got to work. Link the Goron had motivated them and become the leader that his father was, or at least he was on the way to being so. I waited for things to quiet down and then I approached Link the Goron and I bowed slightly. I didn’t really like to bow and all, but I had so much respect for him.
“King Link,” I said, which seemed to give him the shivers, but he held out his hand.
“My Sworn Sister,” Link the Goron said, “you can just call me Link. You did so much to help me and, without you, I would probably still being cowering somewhere in this village. And, I’m not quite King yet. I still need to figure out how to grow my father’s chops.” Saying that, Link the Goron rubbed the sides of his face, where his facial hair would one day be.
I smiled and said, “Well, I can see you’re doing a great job as King already. Anyway, I would like to help you and the Gorons out before I go off and do other things.”
“Awesome,” Link the Goron said. “What I think you can start at is making torches to light the village. Volvagia knocked most of them out, so there’s no lighting in here, or there’s very minimal to say the least. Some Gorons have already gathered up some wood upstairs to be turned in to torches. And actually, Link’s Scyther is up there right now and helping to cut the wood.”
“Alright,” I said with a smile and I took off to find Zucchini. I didn’t have to go very far, for Zucchini was on the second floor. He cut the logs of wood with grace and it was fun to watch. I walked over and greeted Zucchini once there was a small break.
“Hey buddy,” I said and then I noticed that Zucchini looked a little distressed and I immediately realized it was because Link was not with me. I sighed and said, “It’s okay, Zucchini. Link is a little beat up right now. We’ll go see him later today. Right now, I think we should help the Gorons. I know that Link is in good care.”
“Scy,” Zucchini said and he still looked distressed, but he soon snapped back for a Goron and brought over some more logs. I cracked my knuckles and smiled at him, trying to cheer him up a little.
I took a log and threw it over to Zucchini, who basically cut and smoothed it in the air. The newly cut stick dropped to the ground and I prepared to throw the next log towards him. This job didn’t take too long and I sat around with some Gorons to make these torches. I was given some small rope and the base of the burning area for the torch. Every torch I finished, I laid beside me and another Goron came and took it, just so they could place the torch in an area.
Once that was completely finished, I noticed that on the first floor, the stage had been dissembled and a couple Gorons were using strong clay to remake the pot that use to spin around in the middle of the lobby. Volvagia must have shattered the other one during his rampages through the villages. There was a lot of noise around me as Goron families began to move back into their old homes. I felt so bad for these people, but they were working fast enough that everything would be in order soon.
I went down to the lobby and then to the throne room to see Link the Goron who was surrounded by three Gorons who were taking notes. I could see food items on the list, so I knew there would be a feast of some sort.
“Oh, Ashley,” Link the Goron said, “welcome back. Gentlemen, this is Ashley Brandt, the girl that I helped save this village. She did a lot more than I did, honestly.”
“Now, don’t sell yourself short,” I said with a smile. “Anyway, what’s happening?”
“We wanted to hold a celebratory feast tomorrow evening. It would be a nice event after we rebuild this village. And actually, I would like for you and Link to be a guest of honor, if you don’t mind.”
“I think that can happen,” I said, “I just need to see how Link is doing.”
“Poor guy,” Link the Goron said. “I had some Gorons take him to Kakariko Village. I think they put him into the Cucco Lady’s home, or at least the new addition she has on her home.”
I had no idea who the Cucco Lady was, but I had an idea. Seven years ago, there was always a lady outside yelling about her chickens or something and it seemed she lived in a rather big home.
“Alright then,” I said. “I’m really worried about Link right now, so I think I will retire today and go and see him.”
“I understand. It is getting late. I don’t know, but you worried me there after you disappeared. You’ve been gone for almost twenty-four hours. Anyway, I will see you later, Ms. Brandt. The feast will start tomorrow at seven. I can’t wait to see you there.”
I smiled and waved goodbye and went on my journey to find Zucchini and then leave for Kakariko Village. It didn’t take long to find him, for he was helping cut some of the clay that would be used for the big pot.
“C’mon Zucchini,” I said, “let’s go see Link.”
“Scyther,” he said gleefully and we were on our way out.

Link the Goron was right. I had been gone for almost a day. That meant that I could’ve seen Link and helped him recover earlier, so I was a bit upset. The moonlight was rather bright that night as Zucchini and I made our walk to Kakariko Village. It was sort of silent out, except for some birds that made noises above us. It was a peaceful walk, nonetheless, and I became a little sad when we actually made it to the village.
I had an idea of what house the Cucco Lady was in, so I went to the house all the way on the other side of the village. I had noticed that there was an addition, which was right where the cuccos used to be kept. It was a big addition and must have held another room.
The front door to this house was off to the right side, so I walked up there with Zucchini and knocked lightly on the door. After a second or two, a tall, skinny lady with red hair opened the door. She had on a beautiful blue skirt, which matched her blue eyes.
“Hello?” she said, a little confused.
“Uh, hi,” I said, “I’m Ashley. I am Link’s partner. I was told that Link was being kept here.”
“Oh yes, he is,” she said with a smile. “He’s in the back here and your Raichu is in this room.”
The living room was right in the door and, to my surprise; there was a small cage that had cows in them. I thought it was a weird place to keep cows, but what did I know? Zucchini, of course, followed behind me, but shot straight for the door at the back where Link was.
“Um, Scyther,” the Cucco Lady said, “Link is sleeping right now…I don’t think you should go in there.”
Zucchini turned around and looked disheartened. I, too, was a bit upset for I desperately wanted to go and see Link. I needed to make sure that he was okay. Before I could ask if I was allowed to go in, Lux shouted in glee and came after me. He was in the cage with the cows, but was small enough to go in and out of it. He had some food in his mouth, but he didn’t care, and neither did I. I scooped him up and gave him a huge hug.
“So, uh, is Link alright?” I asked after the big hug.
“Oh, yes. He was just poisoned is all. I have an antidote for the poison he had, however. I think the poison was delivered to him by blade. He did have slashes on him. His stomach area is also a bit slashed up, so I wrapped it. He’s still a bit ill from the poison and I think all that he needs now is sleep.”
Speaking of sleep, I was exhausted. I wasn’t going to be able to see Link, so I just wanted to sleep the anticipation away.
“Well, since you’re going to sleep,” the Cucco Lady said, “your bed is in the same room that Link’s bed is in. If you go to bed now, just try to be quiet.
I put down Lux who ran back into the cage to get some more food. Zucchini couldn’t get in the cage, so Lux began to bring some out to him. I walked towards the door, which was under a set of stairs. “Well, goodnight,” I said awkwardly and I opened the door slowly and walked in just as slow. I gently shut the door behind me and there he was.
There was a small window towards the ceiling, which let moonlight bleed through. In front of me, below that window, was a bed and in that bed was Link. He didn’t have his hat on and I looked over at a table to see Navi asleep, so I gently took off my hat and grabbed Max, but not too firm. I laid him on the table by Navi and watched while they slept.
“Ash?” Link said quietly. His voice was hoarse.
“Yes?” I said and I walked towards the bed. I got a better look at Link, who wasn’t wearing a shirt. Wrapped around his sides were a bandage and it had some blood stains on it. I looked at his face and wanted to cry. He looked like he was in so much pain.
“Are you okay?” Link asked. “I was so worried that-“
“Worried about what?” I asked. “Link, look at you…you’re in more pain than I have ever been in.” I sat on the edge of his bed and watched him breathe slowly; his chest heaving up and down.
“You just had me worried,” Link said and he smiled a little and placed his hand on my leg. I looked down to see a Triforce glowing on it, but I dismissed that detail and just looked at his face and his body. He had so many cuts and bruises, but he still looked so strong. “You’re always jumping up and going on to the next thing,” Link continued. “Someone has to be here to protect you, and I failed.”
“If anyone failed, it was me,” I said quietly and I placed my hand on his bare chest and I could feel his heart beating. I didn’t know what was going on, but his heart and my heart were both beating heavily. There was a rather short pause at that moment.
“I’m really glad that you’re here with me on this mission,” Link said, “even though you can be a pain in my ass sometimes.”
“I’m glad that I’m here too,” I said. “I would have never met someone like you back at home.” I scooted a little bit closer to him.
Link smiled and actually pulled me down and I assumed he wanted me to lay with him. I turned around and laid right beside him, his left arm around me. I crossed my arm around his chest and laid my head on his shoulder. I felt comfortable there with him and nervous at the same time. I couldn’t believe what was going on.
The moonlight was shining on us perfectly, or at least I thought so. He was so warm, even with the bandages wrapped around him. Suddenly he wrapped his hand around my chin and moved my face up and he kissed me and he kept kissing me.
Now, I’m not really for all that smooshy love junk, but reader, I cannot write what happened at this moment not because I don’t want to, but because I couldn’t find the words to describe it. The kiss wasn’t that long, I suppose, but it was amazing.
We slept with each other that night…and by sleep I mean just sleeping not…well…ya know…and he whispered this to me that night:
“It doesn’t matter how many heart pieces I collect, you, Ash, make me feel more alive than ever.”

And we slept with the moonlight making a blanket on us, forgetting the trouble of Hyrule, Ganondorf, and all else in our restless minds.