Legend of Zelda: Her Precious Possession

Reminiscing in the Rain

Chapter 2: Reminiscing in the Rain

The next morning, Link awoke to the shining rays of the morning sun; his eyes gently fluttered open, greeting the new day with a yawn. Gradually, he stood up from his propped up position against the tree, brushing the accumulation of dirt off of his tunic.

"Hmm..." He contemplated the current state of his clothing. "Could do with some cleaning."

It was true, after having battled countless masked monsters, Link's Kokiri Tunic had seen better days. 

"How about it, Epona?" Link asked, untying Epona's reins from the tree. She’d eaten away a sizable patch of grass overnight. "Would you say my clothes need washing?"

The young chestnut mare snorted in what appeared to be agreement, having awoken with the dawn, same as her master.

"On that note, I could probably use a bath. You too, for that matter," said Link as he inspected his gear, Epona flicking her tail in apparent annoyance at his comment. "It's nothing personal, Epona," Link reassured her, rummaging through his saddleback to inspect his equipment. "The Great Deku Tree taught me the importance of personal hygiene, and I took his lessons to heart."

As Link inspected his gear, he noticed that his water skin was getting empty. "Guess we need more water too. Not a good idea to wait until we come across a local source though, could take too long. I guess I better break out the ocarina."

If there was ever a keepsake Link cherished most from his homeland of Hyrule, it was The Ocarina of Time. A mystical instrument of divine and regal origin, any song played on the coveted instrument had unique properties. Link had never been more relieved when he got it back after its theft at the hands of Skull Kid. It had been a final parting gift for Princess Zelda when he had left Hyrule, losing it would mean losing a piece of himself.

As he placed the mouthpiece to his lips, Link began tapping at the tone holes, playing the haunting melody known as the Song of Storms. Each time he played a note, a luminescent pillar of golden light surrounded him. Not a second after he put the Ocarina away, a great downpour descended from the heavens, blanketing the area in a steady rainfall.

"Perfect, just what we need," commented Link to himself, as he casually slipped out of his tunic and draped it on a nearby tree branch, thus allowing the rainwater to wash over it and rinse it clean.

Link had no intention to weather the rainstorm he had conjured in his undergarments, so he swiftly dressed into another tunic, although this one was far different from his usual. Rather than forest green it was ocean blue, and the enchantments on it were unique to it. One of its basic functions was to allow the wearer to breathe underwater, and while that wasn't an issue at the moment, (it was only raining after all) it also had other properties, such as protecting the wearer from the adverse effects of saturation for too long. Link could stand in the rain for hours on end without the risk of hypothermia while wearing it and still benefit as the rain washed the filth from his body and the Kokiri tunic.

But, again, this wasn't the only reason he had conjured this rainstorm.

Link placed his six bottles out in a row, their open mouths catching the rain water. Once the storm passed, Link would use them to refill his waterskin. In the meantime, there was Epona to attend to.

Taking a horse brush from his saddlebag, Link began to brush his horse's coat; Epona remained still as he gently scraped the bristles over her form, gradually cleansing her. While he did so, Link allowed his mind to wander, mainly around the Zora Tunic he now wore and its origins. This was not the first time Link had worn such a garb, but he was a grownup then, so the first Zora Tunic he had worn while adventuring in The Water Temple no longer fit him, now that he had regressed into a child again.