"Hey there!" chirped the quaint figure behind the counter. She wore brown overalls over a blouse in flowing warm colors. An array of fishing poles on display behind her expressed her apparent career. "Welcome to the fishing hole. I'm Hena. It's 20 rupees to go fishing alone, or you can get yourself a lesson with this charming and savvy guide for 100." She tucked her thumbs into her suspenders and smiled, which lit up her good-humored face.

Link took a few absent steps from the doorway, peering around. He took in the pictures lined along the wall, an empty fish tank, and a dry canoe. He thought for a long moment before asking, "I have to pay to take you on a boat ride?"

The pretty young woman looked offended. Her sweeping brows met in a frown. "Of course not!" she exclaimed. "You pay for my priceless fishing tips and the pleasure of my company."

Link nodded noncommittally. He had still not looked at her once, and Hena took his inattention as further insult.

"If you'd rather not pay, I don't have to let you fish in my pond at all, sir."

He turned his head and met her pouting expression with clear, steady eyes. "I want to fish," he said.

"Well, then, what'll it be? The price is 20, or 100 for a lesson."

Link was moving to stand in front of the wall where a shelf stood at waist height. He picked up a painted wooden block with a mazelike pattern on it.

Hena brightened up and came round the counter to join him. She pointed to the block. "That's Rollgoal. The rules are on the other side. It's 5 rupees to play, and I'll give you 10 if you win," she explained. She tilted her head and fixed large brown eyes on him expectantly. "So?"

Link fingered the bead that rolled around the depression in the wood block. "What about free tips instead?" he suggested.

"You want to pay for a lesson by winning this?" demanded Hena. "Then my advice wouldn't really be priceless anymore, would it?"

"100 rupees isn't priceless, either," pointed out Link.

"You know what? Fine, pretty boy. You clear that level on your first try, and I'll let you take a spin in the canoe with me, free of charge." Hena crossed her arms and faced Link squarely in challenge.

"Okay," he said, and his eyes sparkled slyly.

He took the block in both hands and as she watched, he started the ball rolling.

...

Link pushed the canoe away from the dock and hopped in before it could travel too far. His landing rocked the little craft dangerously, and Hena's hands shot out to grab the sides. "Watch it!" she cried.

Link found his balance and sat down on one of the low benches toward the center of the canoe. "Sorry."

"First you cheat me out of 100 rupees with your little bet, and then you try to capsize my craft, too! The nerve," Hena huffed, heatedly resettling her hat over her ears.

Link looked hurt, but when Hena glanced at him from beneath the brim of her hat, her expression wasn't really angry. "You'd better impress me after all that trouble," she added.

Link's frown slowly eased, and then he shrugged at her as if to say 'we'll see.'

He picked up his rod from the bottom of the boat and reached for the hook. Hena was eyeing his lure suspiciously. "Sinking lures are absolutely prohibited in my pond," she said preemptively. Link picked up the hook and held it up to her, assuring her that he had no sinking lure.

As Link baited his hook, he looked around the pond, taking in the scenery. The water was clear, beautiful aqua, like the heart of a gemstone. Around the grassy perimeter of the water marched sprawling trees whose white flowers caught the light of the sun and twinkled like stars. In the background of Link's perception, the dull, calming roar of a waterfall was audible. The sky above their little craft was deep blue, shot through with tatters of cloud. The pond had an aura of isolation, but in a good way. Green cliff walls rose up along the back shore of the water, blocking out the world—shielding Link from his worries. It was a welcome relief.

Link cast out his fishing line and settled back on his bench. Then he said to Hena softly, "Tell me about this place."

She had been gazing around the pond as well, taken by its beauty. It took a second for his words to reach her, but then her brown eyes came back into focus. "Oh!" she said. A smile broke across her tanned face, and she sighed. "This fishing hole is my life. My whole family has always loved to fish—well, except my lazy brother—and it was gifted to my grandfather a long time ago in exchange for a great service to the Hyrule royal family."

At the mention of a great service to Hyrule, Link's thoughts clouded.

She continued on, oblivious to the change on his face, "I don't even know what it was, but the princess gave him this pond, and it's been passed down ever since."

'The princess' gave Link shivers. He shouldn't be here. He had a duty to fulfill. He pushed feelings of darkness away. "Aren't you the youngest?" he asked Hena.

Hena spread her arms in a grand shrug. "Iza or Coro could have inherited it if they wanted, but I've always been the most in love with fishing, and this place." She looked up at the sky and smiled again as if the two of them were sharing a joke.

Link contemplated how much Hena's attitude had improved after only a short time on the water. He was about to ask her about it, but something interrupted him. A tug on his line stole Link's attention and he reeled in sharply, but a second later the presence was gone.

"Did you hook something?" asked Hena with excitement, sitting forward on her bench.

Link watched the ripples spread out from his bobber for a moment. Then he shrugged and shook his head.

"Oh. Phantom pulls, probably; I've had it happen before, too," Hena dismissed it.

Link drew in his line and cast it out further again. There was a long pause while Link waited for a fish to bite and the only sounds on the pond were the lazy lapping of water and the faint hiss of a breeze in the star-flowered trees. Then he remembered his question for her:

"Why do you love fishing so much?"

Hena sat back and crossed her arms over her overalls, seeming to think deeply about that. Her eyes searched the heavens, reflecting the color of caramel in the sunlight. "I don't really know," she said. "Something about the challenge. Plus the atmosphere." She took in a deep breath of the sweet air. "I could spend days on the pond and not notice, it's so beautiful. You know?"

Link nodded silently. He did understand the comforting nature of the atmosphere; the pond was isolated, pretty, temperate—but he did not have days to spend lost in relaxation. Suddenly sad, he looked away.

After a moment he could feel Hena's gaze on him. "What about you, pretty boy?" she asked, her eyes narrowed curiously. "Why did you come here?"

Link took his time twitching his fishing pole so that the lure spun just above a shadowy spot in the water before he answered, "Heard about the charming guide."

"That's real funny," Hena said with an edge to her voice. "I meant actually."

"I—whoa!"

Link felt another tug on his line, but this time it was no 'phantom pull.' Something pulled hard against the line and Link jerked his arms back to set the hook. Hena gasped and began shouting in excitement and stood up on her knees to get a better view of the water. Link began reeling furiously. The canoe was rocking dangerously and sending large ripples over the calm pond surface. The fish at the other end of the hook felt big. Challenging. Link's focus was on his catch as he drew it slowly closer, fighting rapid jerks and movements in the line. That only made Link want to land it more. He became absorbed in the fight.

"Watch out! It's going to jump," called Hena suddenly. She broke Link's concentration.

When the fish jumped, its fat body seemed to soar in slow motion. Link failed to drop his pole and keep the slack out of the line until too late. When he finally snapped into action, he reeled in hard just as the fish hit the water again, making the line suddenly pull taut and yank Link off balance. Hena, on her knees at the side of the canoe, was in just the right place to send the craft over its limit. The canoe creaked to the side and capsized.

Water rushed over Link's head and he squeezed his eyes shut against roiling bubbles. His hearing went muffled, and he felt cold water thrust its fingers under his clothes and into his mouth and nose. He had to drop his pole as he flailed his arms to bring himself upright. Finally his head broke the surface of the pond, and he coughed and shook his face free of droplets. Breathing hard with the shock of the chilly water, Link looked around. "Hena," he called, his voice rough from swallowing water. He scanned the water around him. He couldn't see her.

Link took a deep breath and plunged under the water. He opened his eyes, ignoring the sting, and peered around. Underwater, the pond was just as beautiful as it was on the surface. Shafts of light cut through the depths and turned the dark blue turquoise, and the light and shadow created swirling patterns on the white sand floor. Colorful coral inhabited the dips and swells in the sand at the deepest points. And, to Link's relief, there was Hena.

Rather than struggling for the surface in panic as Link had done, she was treading water in the midst of the pond, taking in the secret landscape of its depths. Her eyes were once again bright caramel, and her blouse billowed about her as she reached to touch a passing fish. Link stopped stroking and she looked across at him, and their eyes met. He motioned upward.

He kicked to the surface, and a moment later Hena's head broke the water beside him. She went to take a gulp of air, but sank under again and choked on water. Link grabbed her waist quickly to haul her head above water again. "Are you okay?" he said.

"Yeah," she answered, and coughed. She pushed his hands away and swam slowly for the overturned canoe, obviously still collecting herself. Link kicked out and followed her.

"Sorry," he told her as she reached the craft and took hold of it, "for tipping the boat."

Hena clung to the bottom of the canoe, giving him a sideways glance. "That's all right. It puts things in perspective."

Link didn't know what she meant by that, but he remained silent. He stroked to the opposite side of the canoe and helped Hena propel it toward the shore. The sky above was losing its blue luster and becoming more gold as the sun fell toward the clifftops. It struck the pond at an odd angle, making the water look molten. The reflection off the sparkling ripples make Link squint against the intensity as they pushed through the golden pool.

Finally they reached the shore and were able to put their feet on solid ground again. Link dragged the canoe onto the grassy slope, and Hena helped him turn it rightside up again. Then she flopped down next to it.

...