The Snow Maiden

Family Reunion

Somehow, Nani had coaxed him back outside after dinner in the name of digging out houses with the rest of the village. Kane had settled down and was shoveling along with the rest of them, but he had yet to put his shirt on, and his once pasty skin now glowed bright red. Behind him a man who had been caught in the blizzard the night before played a beautiful brass trumpet among the village children, who danced and laughed in the new warmth. Link had yet to talk to the newcomer. He felt anti-social as it was.

"I think that guys a merchant." said Kane as he threw a glance over his sunburnt shoulder.

"Hmm." said Link. Nani heaved snow behind her, the sunlight playing on the gloss of her ponytail.

"That's all you're going to say? Don't you think it's weird?" asked Kane.

"Weird?"

"Well, yeah! What kind of music merchant comes all the way out here when everyone knows we're as poor as dirt and snowed in."

"Aren't you guys really good at the sales thing? Cheese and cow-hide and all that?"

"Sure, but," Kane dug his shovel into the snow, "why would he come out here to sell instruments for stuff like cheese? Don't get me wrong, our cheese is stupendous, but really."

The sound of the horn peeked at a climax of a playful jig and the children cheered. Nani smiled, and the sight warmed Link just a little bit more. Gods, there was really something about this girl. Then it hit him: the winter had ended the curse was broken. There was no other reason for him to be there now.

He couldn't help but notice the color in her cheeks brought on by exertion. Her lips were red with cold and heat.

He just stopped himself from saying something stupid in front of Kane. No one in the family knew about them yet. Din, he didn't even know entirely what had grown between them. All he knew was that at the thought of having to leave his heart nearly fainted, and it wasn't because of any fondness towards these grubby houses and stale bread.

But this was her home. He couldn't ask her to leave her family just to be with a man she barely knew. And he had to report to Zelda and had obligations to so many, not to mention he had no clue what he'd do if she did say yes. Would they just travel together? Though all those empty hours just walking along with her sounded heavenly, what could it lead to? What if he found out it wasn't love that he was feeling? Could he send her home? What would her village and family think of her then, leaving for so long to travel with a man?

He then realized he had been standing for a full minute just staring stupidly at the red door they were unearthing from snow. Kane looked at him in concern.

"Hey, you okay?"

He jerked into action. "Oh, yeah. Fine. Just thinking."

Kane's eyebrows rose sympathetically. "It's okay to miss him, you know."

This lost him. "Him?"

"Shadow."

Link said nothing to this. He had been hoping not to fall into that cycle of thought again.

A commotion interrupted the tedium of their shovels and they turned around curiously. A dark figure could be seen approaching the village, carrying someone bundled in a black cloak. A few men had already dropped what they were doing to meet the figure. Link too left his shovel, concern tightening his chest. Don't tell me these poor folk had been caught out in that death-like freeze, he thought. The trumpet behind him had fallen silent.

The light of the setting sun laid an amber glow over the land.

When he made out the black clothing, he came to an abrupt halt. It couldn't be...