Legend of Zelda: Her Precious Possession

Prologue: Silence in the Forest

Chapter 1: Prologue: Silence in the Forest

After the harrowing events involving Skull Kid and Majora's Mask, Link departed Termina. He rode upon Epona, guiding her through the forest bordered around Clock Town, the thick canopy above shrouding both horse and rider in shadows. The thunderous sounds of The Carnival of Time were still audible through the trees behind him. Link had been offered the chance to take part in the festivities, for he was instrumental in thwarting the crisis that had not only nearly caused the festival to be canceled, but also full-blown brought about the end of the world, but he politely declined. Link knew he would have received a hero's welcome if he attended the carnival, but he was eager to get back on the road. Link had been on his journey prior to this most recent ordeal, and while he hadn't hesitated to assist when it became apparent that the people of Termina required his help, now that he was free to resume his quest unimpeded, he felt no need to stall for the sake of merriment. Needless to say, several of Link's new friends were sad for his departure, for he had not only saved all of their lives, but helped make their lives better. Kafei and Anju were especially indebted to him for their current happiness, as well as Cremia and Romani.

Of course, not everyone was too sorry to see him go. The fairy Tatl seemed most exuberant to see the back of him as he left.

"At least she wasn't ungrateful enough not to at least thank me for all I had done for her and her brother, Tael," Link said out loud to himself, recalling Tatl's show of appreciation as he rode away.

It was well past evening before the exuberant sounds of The Carnival of Time faded away, leaving Link in the silence of the trees once again, same as before, broken only by the occasional clopping of Epona's hooves. Soon after, Link decided to bed down for the night. He wasn't tired, per se, but the last time he had attempted to ride through the night; the lack of visibility allowed Tael and Tatl to get the drop on him. The last thing Link wanted was to be jumped by some wannabe thief again, regardless of whether or not they possessed an evil, all-powerful mask.

He fastened Epona's reins to a tree, where she could graze, leaning against the trunk while he sat on the soft ground with his hands behind his head. Sleeping out in the open would be a bad idea for any traveler without at least a bedroll, but Link's apparel, the Kokiri Tunic, was specifically fashioned for life in the woods, it sported several enchantments meant to protect the wearer against the elements, allowing them to at least sleep out in the open with relative comfort. Link gradually grew groggy as he relaxed against the tree, his mind steadily eased into the realm of sleep. He focused on the night sky above; the countless twinkling stars held within its midnight blue depths.

Their twinkling colors instilled a sense of nostalgic longing within him, for they reminded him of someone very special.

'Navi…I promise, I will find you,' Link thought to himself as he drifted to sleep, the last thing he saw being a shooting star streaking across the night, briefly believing it was Navi fluttering above for a second before slumber fully claimed him.

Unbeknownst to him, however, that shooting star was more than it seemed. It actually represented a companion from Link's past in more ways than his brief momentary comparison, but it wasn't Navi.

High above the tranquil forest where Link slumbered, the bright streak of light sailed across the sky. At the head of this extravagant phenomenon was a small luminous sphere that pulsated like a living heart, carried through the heavens by unseen forces. But this was no shooting star. It possessed not a heavenly rock at its core, but a tiny living consciousness.

The consciousness was wreathed in regret, loneliness, longing, and a love believed unrequited.

Some leagues from Link's camp, this sentience made landfall, settling upon the ground with all the flair of a falling flower petal. The small orb of light now rested beneath the leafy canopy, illuminating the surrounding area dimly. The orb pulsated with varying intensities, resulting in the surrounding trees being bathed in brief washes of intense radiance before receding back into the orb. Eventually, however, the orb ceased pulsating, shining dimly upon the ground and, out of nowhere, sprouted what appeared to be a long tail housing a small fin at the tip from underneath. A pair of diminutive flipper's formed on either side as well.  Two eyes as black as onyx fluttered open amongst the dim glow, directly above the flipper's. That's when the glow suddenly broke apart into tiny sparkling wisps; revealing a tiny spherical form covered in pearlescent white and blue scales.

The little creature looked around with its oversized, reflective eyes… which quickly filled with tears of anguish.