The Wind Waker

XX

LINK FELT the warmth of sunlight on his face, and raised his hand to shade his eyes. He climbed to the top of the stairs, and found he was at the summit of the tower. It had an angled wall around the edge, higher on one side than the other.

Link slowly, cautiously walked up to the edge. Miniscule, wispy waves crashed below, with sparkles of sunlight reflecting back up at him.
He quickly backed away. Being so high up made him feel as though some ethereal force was going to grab him and launch him into the ocean.

Link had already been tossed into the ocean by a gigantic bird, and he was not keen on challenging the providence of the goddesses.

He looked back behind him, and saw a gigantic bell. A very gigantic bell. It was raised high above the top of the tower, and had ornate designs embossed in cast metal. Link walked up to where a simple, thick rope hung from it, swaying slightly in the breeze.

Ring the bell.

Link looked around. There was no one there. A northerly wind gusted past him.

Ring the bell.

Link approached the rope, and yanked it. It barely budged.

Ring the bell, the wind seemed to say again.

He stretched his arms, and then began to climb up the rope. When he got halfway between the bottom of the bell and the top of the tower, he tugged hard on the rope, putting all his weight into it.

The bell lurched, and a booming ring pounded against his ears. It echoed across the great sea, becoming the only sound he was able to hear.

He continued pulling on the rope, ringing it more. With every ring, it sounded like a thunderclap, then faded into a humming, singing voice.

He blinked, and he almost collapsed as he found himself instantly transported to the King of Red Lions far below.

"Ughhhhh," Link groaned unsteadily. "I'm not really used to this whole magic thing..."

"Prepare yourself Link," the King of Red Lions directed, "for it shall be but a moment, and you will see the abilities of the goddesses truly manifest."

Link was about to ask what he meant, before he was interrupted. An amber glow began to permeate from beneath the surface of the water. Soon, the glow became stronger and stronger. It seemed to stretch upward until it cloaked the outside world from their view, encapsulating them in a cocoon of light.

The sound of the waves were muffled, then silenced. The light rippled then began to fade, and Link saw that the great sea had vanished.

Or rather, the surface had.

They descended into the mysterious depths of the ocean. He stared in awe, holding his breath, seeing rays of sunlight shoot down through the water, shimmering through the liquid.

It was a gigantic, expansive world, completely obscured from the view of those on the surface. Link began to feel his lungs heaving for air.

"Breathe Link," the King of Red Lions said.

He released his tense muscles, and relaxed as his lungs tasted air once again. Oddly, although it appeared there was no boundary between them and the water, there was still air for him to breathe, and he felt no water on his skin.

Link gripped the mast, and looked out into the dark, blue, underwater twilight. The darkness was replaced with light.

An expansive land unfolded before him, undivided by seas, but instead was a single, large plain, flowing not with waves....but with grass.