The Legend of Zelda: Link's Desperation

Chapter 3: Alone, yet Among Many

When Link rounded the corner, he saw Colin sitting on the ledge just like Rusl had said. He was just staring at his feet, and occasionally glanced at the water and looked at the fish that swam.

He noticed Link and looked up. A small smile appeared on his face, but nothing more. He watched as Link swam over.

It wasn't like Link was being conceited, but he definitely thought Colin would be as excited to see him as everyone else. Link reached the ledge and pulled himself out of the water.

"Hey, Colin," Link said after a moment of silence. Colin looked up and said hi, but nothing else.

"What's going on?" Link asked. Colin shook his head.

"Nothing much. Just relaxing. It's been a tough journey.

"Tell me about it..." Link muttered. There was another moment of awkward silence.

"Is something wrong?" Link asked. He was never one to console, but he really did care about Colin.

"...did you see the baby?" Colin asked after a moment. Link nodded.

"Mom's kind of... ignoring me. I understand, but I'm a little lonely." Link understood both sides, but felt sorry for him.

"That's tough, I understand. But I'm going to be here. If you ever need anything, just come to me." Link offered. Colin smiled, and thanked him.

"I think it's lunchtime. I'm going to go eat, and take a rest at home," Colin said. Link nodded, and Colin jumped into the water, and happily swam away. Link was glad he could help.

The huge boulder Rusl had talked about was in front of him; and he remembered using the hawk to get Uli's cradle back from a monkey. That was before everything.

Link didn't want to reminisce any longer. He jumped into the water and swam back too.

~~~

Later that day, Link was in his house. It had been a while since he was here. He looked at the photos he had hung up on his wall; a photo of his favorite goat, a picture of Fado, and some others. His fireplace had long been extinguished. He had always eaten at Rusl and Uli's or Fado's anyway. There were so many miscellaneous items in his home--a mop and bucket even though he never cleaned, a pitchfork hung upon the wall, and a nearly empty bookshelf. No matter how little time Link spent in his home, he still loved and appreciated it.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Most everyone in Ordon yelled from the foot of the ladder instead of climbing, so this was peculiar. Link recalled the talk he had with Colin; he assumed it was him, and opened the door.

Much to his surprise, it was not Colin at the door. It was Beth.

"Hey, Link," she said sheepishly.

"Hey," he replied, "what's going on?"

"Nothing much..." she said. "Can I come in, please?" This was the first time Beth had ever done anything like this, not that it bothered Link.

"Sure," he said without a thought. He turned and motioned for her to enter. She walked in quietly, her head down. She took a seat on Link's cluttered couch. Link was unsure what to do, so he pretended to tidy up.

"What did you need?" Link asked over his shoulder. He couldn't see her in the midst of his work, but if he could he would notice her wringing her hands nervously.

"I just wanted to ask you if you were okay," she said after a moment. Link paused and looked at her, puzzled.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" he half-lied.