Chapter 1: Outset Island

This is just one of the legends spoken of in ancient times. Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a wondrous kingdom filled with tall mountains, green lands, and peace. But one day, an evil man found the golden power, and using its power, he spread chaos across the land.

Then, when all hope seemed lost, and the hour of doom arrived, a boy in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he sealed the darkness away and gave the land light. The boy had to travel through time to save the land, and thus he was known as the Hero of Time. It is said the hero then vanished without a trace, and some believed that he was taken up by the goddesses themselves to be preserved until the day he was needed once more.

His story was passed down through generations until it became a legend. But then, some hundreds of years later, the world began to stir. A dark wind began to pour across the land, and the evil that had thought to have been sealed away now was free. The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them, and so they prayed to the goddesses to return the Hero of Time.

However, the hero did not appear, and, when faced by an onslaught of evil the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. In the final hour, as doom drew nigh, the people left their future in the hands of fate. There is then no record of what occurred after that, and the kingdom seemed to vanish overnight.

The legend of the kingdom was then passed down over generations, and it, too, became legend. None knew what happened to the kingdom and its people, and on one small island that rested upon the Great Sea, it became a custom to garb their children in green when they came of age. Clothed in the green of fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cast down evil. The elders of this island, which had come to be known as Outset, only wanted their children to know courage as the Hero of Time had.

"Onii-sama!" a girl shouted. She had rather short, blonde hair which she kept in little pig tails at the sides of her head. Her eyes were a beautiful forest green, and she wore a lovely, cyan dress that had flowers at the bottom of it. She had bracelets on her arms, and held her most precious possession, a telescope she had gotten from her father before he passed away.

The girl currently stood upon the porch of her house on an island known as Outset. She held the telescope up to her eye and looked around. Seagulls seemed to love this girl for some reason, as they always flocked around her. "Onii-sama!" she shouted again and huffed up, putting her arms on her waist in frustration. "Where is he? Onii-sama!" She shouted even louder, but still no one responded.

"He better not be sleeping!" The girl walked forward, heading down a path that led to a small bridge. Outset was actually two small islands. A forest grew atop the right-most island, and the only way to it was through a bridge that had been built that crossed from the left-most island and the right-most island. A second bridge then connected the two islands down at the bottom of the large mountain, where the land was more flat and had human life on it.

The girl stopped once she crossed a third bridge that led to a large lookout. She looked up and breathed in heavily. "Onii-sama!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. A scream could be heard from someone at the top. "So he was…" she spoke and huffed up. She grabbed hold of the ladder in front of her and began to climb up it.

At the top of the lookout was a boy of about sixteen. He had short, blonde hair that was somewhat messy, and seemed to puff up everywhere. His eyes were a handsome hazel, and he wore a blue shirt that had a crawfish on it, as well as a pair of brown pants. He groaned as he looked around, having been startled awake by his sister's voice. "Aryll?" he asked as he looked around.

"Link-onii-sama!" The girl shouted now that she was next to him. This startled him again and he jumped back. "Why were you sleeping up here?"

Link groaned. "I was tired, Aryll…" He slowly stood to his feet.

Aryll sighed. "Onii-sama, Grandma has been calling you now for an hour!"

"Why would she do that?" Link yawned.

"Because of today!"

"What's today?" Link rubbed his eyes.

Aryll gave a look that showed she was upset. "You don't remember? How can you not remember what today is?"

"I'm still half asleep, give me a break…"

Aryll sighed. "Onii-sama, it's your birthday! You're sixteen as of today!"

Link's eyes went wide, then his face showed a look of dread. "Oh no…" he groaned and flopped back, closing his eyes.

"Onii-sama, you can't go back to sleep!" Aryll shouted and grabbed him, shaking him.

"All right, all right, I'm awake!" Link spoke up and sighed. "Do I have to do this?"

Aryll nodded. "Grandma says 'On their sixteenth birthday, all boys get to wear the hero's clothes for a day.' Today is your sixteenth birthday, so that means you have to do it."

"But those clothes look so warm!" Link whined. "It's the middle of summer, and it's hot enough as it is!"

"They can't be much warmer then what you're wearing now." Aryll tugged at the long-sleeves of Link's shirt. Her own dress had no sleeves, and ended around her knees, but Link's shirt was long-sleeved, and he also wore a pair of long pants as well. "The shirt alone can't be too cool, since it looks like a sweater."

Link groaned. "I suppose you're right…" He sighed. "Fine, I'll go see Grandma." He turned and walked off, slowly climbing down the ladder Aryll had climbed up. He crossed the bridge, then followed the path back to his house. He groaned as he pushed the door open, then looked up. The house was two floors. The first floor held the kitchen and bedrooms, while the top floor held a small place for the family to get together and be with each other. "Grandma, I'm home!" Link shouted.

"Link!" a female voice spoke loudly in a happy tone. "Come on up, I've got a present for you."

Link groaned. "That's what I'm afraid of…" he muttered under his breath. He climbed the ladder that led to the second floor, and there he found his Grandma. She was an elderly woman, not much taller then Link. In fact, it was quite possible that she was shorter then Link by an inch or two. Her hair had gone white over the years, and she had a bit of a hunch to her as she stood. She wore a red dress, and her eyes were a hazel color, showing where Link had gotten the color of his eyes.

"Come on over here," Grandma spoke and Link walked forward. She grabbed some clothes off of the table and handed them to Link. It was a brown belt, a pair of green pants, a light-green undershirt, and a darker green overshirt, along with a green hat. "Here you go. These are the hero's clothes. Since it's your sixteenth birthday today, you get to wear them."

Link gave a groan. "Do I really have to?"

"Oh come now, it's only for a day. Besides, you'll look great in them."

Link sighed. "All right." He made his way downstairs and into his room where he changed. There were two bedrooms in the house. One was his and Aryll's bedroom, and the other was their Grandma's. Link's bedroom consisted of only a few things, a dresser, a bed, and various items for lights and things. There wasn't much use for toys on the island, as everyone knew everyone, and thus the children always hung out, but there were a few. The bed was big enough for two people, and even held two pillows on it. Link couldn't remember a single day since Aryll had turned two that they hadn't shared the same bed.

Link quickly pulled off his clothes, then pulled on the green pants and the green undershirt, followed by pulling on the overshirt. He pulled the hat onto his head, trying to work his hair so it would look smooth, yet the hat would still go on right. Afterwards, he wrapped the belt around his waist and clasped it as he walked out of his room. "I guess they aren't that bad…" he spoke.

Link made his way back up the ladder, and his Grandma smiled. "Very nice," she spoke, smiling. "Now, as you know, this is your sixteenth birthday, and as such, you are now an adult. Remember, the Hero of Time was sixteen when he defeated the darkness!"

"But, Grandma, why do we do this?" Link asked. "It has nothing to do with our island, does it? I mean…that kingdom existed a thousand years ago, and it vanished without a trace."

"Well, the Legend of the Ocarina of Time may have occurred a thousand years ago, but the kingdom only vanished a couple hundred years ago. On top of that, we have no clue what happened to the kingdom. We only know that we have carried on this tradition since the kingdom vanished. We do it in memory of the kingdom. Today, we have peace."

"But it has nothing to do with the Hero of Time…He vanished, and didn't even return when the kingdom needed him. Why is he so great if he deserted the land like that?"

"Well, the thing to remember is that peace filled the land. He was no longer needed, and so he left. Afterwards, it was a good six hundred years before anything happened again. Assuming he just left, then he would have been long dead…"

"Well, I guess that's true…but didn't the goddesses take him up?"

"No one really knows, Link. All that is known is that he defeated the darkness, then disappeared."

Link sighed. "All right…can I go now?"

"In a minute. Now, I am making your favorite soup today for your birthday party. On top of that, I am inviting everyone on the island to come celebrate with us. So, I want you to wear those clothes for the rest of the day. Be happy, show them off. Remember, you're an adult now. That may mean more responsibility, but it also means something else."

"What?" Link asked, a curious look on his face.

Grandma looked around, then got up close to Link. "You can look for a girl," she whispered.

"Wah!" Link shouted and jumped back. When he did, he jumped back a little too far and fell back, landing on the ground below. "Ow…"

Grandma walked to the edge and looked down. "You ok?"

"Fine." Link slowly stood up, groaning.

"Well, anyway, go find Aryll and watch over her for me for a bit. She may be a teen now, but she's still young."

Link nodded. "All right, she's probably by the lookout, so it should be easy to find her." He turned and headed out the door. The island seemed to have come to life over the last few minutes. People were now wandering the island, the kids were playing together, the adults talking, and everyone just seemed happy in general. Living on a small remote island was nice, since everyone basically knew everyone, yet, it seemed there were still surprises everywhere.

Link made his way to the lookout and looked up. "You up there, Aryll?" he called out.

"I'm right up here, Onii-sama," Aryll called back. Link climbed the ladder up and he saw Aryll looking through her telescope.

"Hey."

Aryll turned, looking at him through the scope. "Hey, Onii-sama." She looked over him. "Wow…I guess those clothes do look rather warm…" She moved the telescope away from her eyes and looked at Link straight now.

"Yeah…but I'm okay with it, I guess… They aren't as bad as I thought they'd be." He walked over next to her and bent over, putting his arms against the railing. Aryll did the same. She was only about a foot shorter then her brother.

"Hey, Onii-sama, I have a gift for you."

"Really?" Link asked as he looked at his sister.

Aryll nodded. "Close your eyes and hold out your hand." Link did as she said and she set her telescope in his hand. "Now, open your eyes."

"This feels like…" Link opened his eyes and looked down. "Your telescope?" he asked. "You're giving this to me?"

"Well…more like letting you borrow it for a day…" Aryll spoke. "But, yes, for today you can have it."

"But…this is your gift from Dad…you've had it since you were two."

"I know…" Aryll spoke and turned, putting her hands behind her back and looking away. "But, hey, it's just for one day. I'm sure you'll take good care of it. You're an adult now, right?" She sniffled a little and Link wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you." Aryll couldn't hold the tears and she quickly whipped around and stuffed her face into Link's chest. "I know you miss Mom and Dad…" He hugged her tight as he looked out as he remembered what happened to their parents.

* * *

"Keep pushing, Aryll!" a man shouted. He had fairly short blonde hair along with a small beard. He was dressed in a rather plain outfit, wearing a simple blue tunic with a pair of brown pants. His eyes were a handsome shade of sapphire. His hand was currently gripping the hand of a woman in a bed in front of him.

The woman before him, known as Aryll, was dressed in a simple sapphire gown while her fire-red hair, drenched with sweat, clung to her heaving body and blanketed her eyes. Her eyes were currently closed tight as she pushed with her body as hard as she could to try and bear the child that currently lied in her stomach and was trying to be born.

"You're almost there, Aryll," a woman spoke as she took Aryll's hand and squeezed it tight. This was Link's grandma, though she looked ten years younger, still having her beautiful, dark brown hair. "Just a little more."

Aryll screamed as she pushed once more, her body shaking and fighting to bear her child. Her other child of about six, a young Link, stood nearby, watching in amazement. It was then he saw it, the head of his baby sister slowly popping out. He was amazed at this sight, but he found himself unsure of how he should feel about seeing this. It was then that the rest of the child appeared, and Link's eyes went wide, a large smiling appearing on his face.

"Congratulations, Derek and Aryll, it's a girl!" Grandma spoke as she took hold of the baby.

Aryll's emerald eyes opened and she smiled. "That's…wonderful…" she spoke. Her face showed exhaustion. Grandma quickly wrapped the baby up and set it against the mother and Link quickly rushed over to see his new baby sister.

"Your sister's finally been born, Link," Derek spoke.

"Aww, I was hoping for a little brother…" Link spoke with a frown.

Derek chuckled. "Well, we don't all get everything we want."

"What are you going to name her?" Grandma asked.

"We were thinking about Marin, isn't that right, honey?" Derek looked down at Aryll, but her eyes were closed, and her head rolled to the side. In an instant, fear gripped Derek's heart. "Sweetie?"

Grandma quickly grabbed Aryll's wrist, and immediately her eyes went wide with shock. "Derek… I can't feel her pulse…"

Tears appeared in Derek's eyes and he quickly grabbed Marin. "Link, take Marin and wait outside."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" Derek shouted and set Marin in Link's arms. He quickly pushed Link out the door and shut it. Link stared forward for a moment, curious as to what was happening. His father had never reacted like this to his knowledge. "Let's try to get her heart beating, quickly!" Link put his ear to the door and he heard a couple of thumping sounds. "No, good, let's try again." He heard the sounds again, which then stopped a moment later.

"She's not breathing!" Grandma spoke from behind the door.

"Damn it! We've got to give her CPR, quickly!" Link heard the sound of glass falling to the ground and smashing, and he backed away a little.

Marin squirmed a little, and Link looked down at her. Slowly, Marin's emerald eyes opened, and Link stared at them with a smile. "Damn it!" he heard Derek shout from behind the door and Link looked back up at the door.

"Daddy seems upset…" Link spoke, then looked back at Marin. He heard once again the sound of something shattering from behind the door, then all went silent. Link turned to look at the door, noticing the complete silence. There was no noises, no words, not even the sound of breathing.

A moment passed, but it seemed like an eternity, and the sound of quiet sobs could barely be heard. Link tilted his head a little. The sounds were from his father, but what reason did his father have to cry? "I'm sorry, Derek," Grandma spoke. "There's…nothing more we can do…"

"No…this can't be…she can't be…"

"She's gone, Derek…"

Link looked at the door even more curiously. Who was gone? Why was his father crying?

"I…I want to do something…" Derek spoke. "I want to change Marin's name…"

"To?"

"Aryll…"

"I see…" There was then the sound of footsteps. "What will you tell Link?"

"I'll…think of something…"

* * *

It had been two days since Aryll's death. Link had become increasingly curious about what had happened, and why he had not been allowed to see his mother the last two days. He had asked many times, but his father just shoved the question aside. However, today Derek would have no choice but to finally explain what was going on to his son, for today was the day Aryll would be buried.

"Link…" Derek spoke as he knelt down in front of Link. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it, Daddy?" Link asked.

"It's…about your mother…" Derek began and Link tilted his head. "Remember how I said…she was sleeping?" Link nodded. "Well…she's not going to wake up…"

"What do you mean?"

Derek bit his lip and looked down. "Link…we don't know why…but after your sister was born…your mother…slipped away…She's…dead…"

"'Dead'?" Link asked, tilting his head a little more. He didn't understand at all. "What is 'dead'?"

"It's…where you go to sleep and you never wake up…"

"Why? Why can't you just wake her up?"

"You…can't wake her up…"

"Why not?"

"It's impossible…"

"Did you try?"

"Yes."

"Liar!" Link shouted suddenly. "You didn't try, did you? Mommy went to sleep, but you haven't tried at all to wake her up!"

"Link, you can't wake her up. There's no way to…she's dead…"

"If you tell her to wake up, she'll wake up! She always wakes up when you ask her to!"

"That won't happen this time…"

"Why not?" Link shouted. Suddenly, the door to their house opened and Link turned. There at the door were two men who were rather bulky in physique.

"We're here for your wife," one of the men spoke.

"Yes, you must be the undertakers from Windfall we asked for," Derek spoke as he stood up. "Please, right this way." Derek took them to Aryll's room, where they pulled Aryll onto a stretcher, then pulled a blanket over her. They then carried her off and Link watched in surprise.

"Where are they taking Mommy?" Link asked.

"They're taking her away, Link…" Derek spoke, closing his eyes.

"Well…when is she coming back? Are they taking her to someone who can wake her up?"

"No…she's never coming back…"

"You let them take Mommy away, knowing she won't be coming back?" Link yelled. Tears were now forming in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks.

"There was nothing I could do."

"You could have stopped them! Told them to go away! You let them take Mommy away!"

"She was already gone, Link!" Derek shouted and grabbed Link. "Your mother is dead, Link. She is never coming back, and there was nothing I could do!"

Link growled. "I hate you…" he spoke in a quiet voice.

"What did you say?"

"I hate you!" Link shouted. "Mommy is gone forever, and you didn't even try to stop them! I hate you! You promised Mommy would be okay, and that I'd see her again, but now I can't! I hate you! I hate you!" With those words, Link tore himself from his father and ran out of the house.

* * *

"The storm is getting worse…" Derek spoke as he stared out to the Great Sea. It had been three years since Aryll's death. Link had come to forgive his father after he matured a little more and learned exactly what death was. Baby Aryll had grown into a beautiful young girl, having blonde hair like her father and brother. Grandma had made her a pretty, purple, sleeveless dress which she now wore.

"Are you really thinking about taking on this dangerous mission, Derek?" Grandma asked as she stepped over to him. Her hair had begun to go gray now.

"Someone has to deliver the pearl to Greatfish Isle. If this storm really is magical…and the pearl really is the only thing that can stop it, then it must be delivered there."

"Why was the pearl even here?"

"I don't know…the pearl is supposed to be guarded by the Deity of Water, but if it is here, then that means something must have happened to him."

"Then what can we do?"

"I must deliver the pearl back to Greatfish Isle…If I do that, I should be able to give it to the Deity of Water, and he can use its power to end this storm." Derek turned to Link and Aryll, who were now playing in the sand not too far away. "But…I may not return…"

"You don't have to go, Derek, someone else can deliver the pearl."

"No…this is my task…I was given it by the Goddesses, so it is mine to complete. I cannot give my duty to anyone else."

Grandma sighed. "I understand."

Derek returned to his house and prepared his things for his journey. He planned to leave the next day, and when that day came, the island stopped to see him off. "Now, you two be good for Grandma, understand?" Derek spoke as he looked at Link and Aryll.

Link and Aryll nodded. "We'll be good, we promise," Link spoke.

"Good." Derek pulled out a small red telescope and held it out. "Aryll…take this…keep it with you always and never forget me, no matter what happens."

"Otay!" Aryll spoke and smiled, but Link did not. Derek's words had a sense of sorrow and worry within them that Link could sense. He knew the mission his father was leaving on, and he knew his father may not return. In fact, they were both fairly sure he wouldn't.

Link huffed himself up and hugged his father. "I love you, Father," he spoke.

"I love you, too, son," Derek spoke, returning the hug. He then hugged Aryll. "And I love you as well, Aryll."

"Love you, Daddy!" Aryll spoke with a grin on her face. The rest of the island did the same, hugging Derek and bidding him farewell. He then hopped upon his boat and pulled up the sail, letting the wind carry him out to the sea. Time would tell of how he reached Greatfish Isle and returned the pearl, but never returned.

* * *

Aryll's crying had nearly stopped by the time Link was done thinking of the past. She sniffled a bit, and Link picked her up and continued to hug her. The embrace would have continued, if it hadn't been for the sound of cannon fire. Aryll quickly turned her head and looked out. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I don't know," Link spoke and set Aryll down. They could see a large ship out a ways from them. He extended the telescope and looked through it. He saw the ship was a large, brown ship holding a rather bulky looking crew. Atop the crows nest was the black flag with the skull and crossbones. The ship was a pirate ship. "Pirates."

"Pirates?" Aryll asked, shaking. "Did they come to invade our island?"

"I don't think so." Link saw the cannon fire again, and he looked up in the direction the cannon was pointing. "Whoa!" he shouted. In the sky was a rainbow-colored bird of several feet in size. It was a gigantic bird, and he saw, in the clutches of the bird was a girl. She had short, blonde hair that went up into a sort of ponytail. Link guessed her hair was longer if it was let down. She wore a dark blue, possibly purple vest, along with a magenta shirt underneath, both that were sleeveless. He could barely make out a pair of long-white pants that ended halfway below her knees.

"What is it, Onii-sama?"

"They aren't invading. They are shooting at some kind of giant bird. It has a girl. She looks like their leader."

"We have to help them."

"I don't think we…wait!" Link watched as a cannonball struck the bird in the face, and it squawked loudly. The hit caused the bird to loose its grip on the girl, and Link's eyes went wide as he watched the girl plummet down. She crashed into the forest at the top of the island, and Link bit his lip.

"What happened?"

"The bird got hit, and it dropped the girl. She fell into the forest."

"We have to help her!" Aryll spoke. "She could be severely injured."

"I'll go," Link spoke. "You stay here." Link turned to run off.

"Wait, Onii-sama!" Link turned to look back at Aryll. "Be careful…"

"I will." Link turned to rush off once again, quickly grabbing the ladder and sliding down it. He needed to get into that forest, but he also knew it was dangerous. "Orca, please lend me your sword," he muttered as he rushed off to one of the houses on the island. He had to hurry, because if he waited too long, it was possible the girl might not survive.