Hello, everyone! I've been knocking around this site for a bit (if two years is considered "a bit"), and thought I'd try my hand at writing a fan fiction for Legend of Zelda – specifically for Wind Waker, which may be my favorite GameCube game ever (if it's not, it's pretty close). (It's also the only real Zelda game I ever played, though I dabbled a bit with Four Swords and Majora's Mask, not continuing very far past the beginning in either – the former because I didn't want to do it by myself, and the latter stopped out of frustration from seeing the same moon crash five times because I didn't know what to do.) I wrote this with the intent of giving Beedle some attention, suspecting that he would be somewhat of an underrated character, but it was even worse than I thought – he's not even in the character list! D: (I ended up putting Medli as the second character simply because she's the character mentioned the most after Beedle and Link.) But, I'll cut my rambling short here; there's a story to read, after all. ;) Read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. I doubt I'd come up with something that brilliant.

He remembers when they first met.

He'd been wearing typical Outset Islander clothing, but with ruffled hair and eyes that hadn't completely shaken sleep, it made the clothes look like pajamas, the overall effect being that he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. To be frank, the boy had looked ridiculous. Beedle almost laughed.

But he didn't. He remembered the boy's sister - their family resemblance was undeniable - from when she'd come now and again to buy Hyoi Pears, remembered her bright-eyed enthusiasm about seagulls. It made Beedle like the boy from the beginning.

He bought two Pears and three servings of All-Purpose Bait. He had turned to go, then stopped, came back. He stuck his hand out, grinning warmly.

"I'm Link."

The two shook hands.

And then, quick as a flash, Link threw up a hand in farewell, saying he'd be back as soon as he could, heading back outside. He heard the splash, then the sound of sure and practiced swim strokes. Beedle absently wondered if there were any islanders that didn't know how to swim.

He was the only customer Beedle got that day.

The next time they saw each other was at Windfall Island.

The boy was clothed in a green outfit that seemed a bit too warm for the weather, but seemed strangely familiar... But Beedle couldn't place where he'd seen the clothes before.

His eyes had aged so much from the young boy who'd stumbled in only a day and a half before.

When he spoke, Link's voice sounded so much more muted, so much more serious.

"Aryll has been taken to the Forsaken Fortress."

And it explained everything.

Beedle had heard the rumors - girls with long ears being taken from their homes - so he told himself that it had only been a matter of time, that he shouldn't be surprised that they would kidnap her, too. But it didn't make him feel any better about the situation.

He told him what happened, about the Helmaroc King and the pirates and the Forsaken Fortress. Beedle had been able to tell that some things had been left out, but he didn't press.

He bought a Hyoi Pear and six servings of All-Purpose Bait.

When it came, even his smile was older - but more tired than anything else. "See you, Beedle."

The time after that was at Dragon Roost Island.

When he came in, his smile was truer, less strained. The tension remained, but he was more a cross of the two Link's rather than a new one. His burden weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he had learned how to enjoy life as he once had. The monsters had tried to eat away his childhood, his joy, and they had failed.

He told Beedle, near breathless, what had been wrong with Valoo and how he had put a stop to it. Beedle had already known that something had helped Valoo, simply because all of that pained roaring had stopped; he just hadn't expected the one responsible to be Link, of all people. But he knew he was telling the truth - even if it hadn't shown in his eyes, the scorch marks on the edges of his clothes told of what must have taken place.

Throughout the recount of the adventure, Link cradled a bottle in his hands; even though it was empty, he held it as if it were a precious jewel. When Beedle asked about it, Link had actually blushed, before saying that it had been given to him by a Rito girl called Medli.

Beedle had met Medli - she'd come to his shop ship to buy some Hyoi Pears in order to prepare a dish she'd heard the postmen talking about. Even from just a brief encounter, Beedle had come away thinking two things about her - she had a gentle smile, and she had a good heart. He'd had to try very hard not to snicker as Link talked about her in just a little more detail than he had some of the more important things.

He bought twelve servings of All-Purpose Bait. Beedle had just beamed - no one had ever bought that much before.

Link had once again promised to be back as soon as he could, and Beedle had found himself waiting for the boy's next visit. What surprised him, though, was that he wasn't waiting for Link to buy more things, but for the chance to talk with him again.

It got lonely in a place as big as the Great Sea. So having a friend, or something close to it, was always a wonderful thing.

The next few visits kind of melded together in Beedle's memory.

Link never told him the specifics of his quest, but he did go into a fair amount of detail about his adventures on the islands. Save for Forest Haven, the next several islands weren't inhabited - save for monsters, which Link didn't spare any details about his battles with those.

It had been hard to find out much about Forest Haven, though - apparently, there had been over fifty repeat incidents of falling into the ocean (not counting the ten times of falling off two different small waterfalls) due to inexperience with a Deku Leaf, and for about a half hour, Link had been reluctant to talk about anything even remotely related to it (when he finally did, he'd shuddered several times throughout the description). As it turned out, the Forbidden Woods weren't much of a paradise. Though the name had given Beedle something of a hint (Link had glared at him when he said this aloud).

One of the biggest things, of course, had been when that giant tower had risen out of the ocean after all of those yellow lights; now that had given Beedle something of a fright. And, of course, Link had just happened to come cruising by in that talking boat five minutes after the tower had shown up - and he and the boat had been heading inside. When Beedle had called him, Link had given a short wave before shouting, "I'll come by a bit later, Beedle! I have to pass my trials first! It's an ancient proving ground for heroes, and I have to get through it to save Aryll!"

And then he'd gone inside.

Beedle hadn't quite known what to make of that.

About an hour and a half after sunrise, Beedle had gotten a customer - and who else would it be, but Link.

He'd had a tear in his pants, revealing a skinned knee, and the sleeves of his shirt looked singed. He had a quiver hanging from his left arm, containing only two arrows. His right hand held an arrow that had been broken in half. Link's face was a mixture of confusion and pleading. He had said, "You wouldn't happen to carry arrows, would you?"

As it happened, Beedle did. With the dilemma solved, Link had relaxed, and he had seemed even more like that boy on his birthday than he had for quite a while.

There had always been something Link had said that time, or had tried to, that Beedle had wondered about: "I saw Hy..." He had cut himself off after that.

His words to Beedle before leaving had always been imprinted on his mind, mostly because of the determined promise that it was.

"I'm returning to Forsaken Fortress. And this time, I'm bringing Aryll back."

Both of them knew that he would not fail.

The visits after that had been happy times.

Link had almost bounced off the floor deck when he told Beedle that Aryll, and the other girls, had been set free.

Link wasn't quite sure about the whereabouts of the other girls, save for two - Maggie and Mila, the Windfall Island girls, since he had seen them there. Aryll remained on the pirate ship, even though Link didn't know why; he'd gone back to Outset, and she hadn't been there. But he hadn't worried, because he knew the pirates, and knew that they'd take care of her.

He was, however, worried about his friend, the pirate girl Tetra, for a reason he couldn't disclose. Only said it had something to do with the quest.

"Hm... Worried about her, eh?"

"Beedle."

Link had looked both affronted and embarrassed. And he'd blushed an impressive shade of red.

What he did end up saying was that he had to look for two sages, though he didn't say what for. He was excited about it, though - because that meant he'd probably get to explore the entirety of the Great Sea while he searched for them.

And he did. By the end of his search, and his tale, no one knew the Great Sea better than Link of Outset Island.

Getting to know them hadn't been all that easy, though.

The volcanic island had resulted in a tunic burned at the edges. The frozen island had resulted in a hat frosted with ice crystals. The Rito's platform had resulted in salt-water-drenched clothes. The fairies' island had resulted in a blushing Link that refused to give any details.

That wasn't all of them, and they weren't in that order - but it was hard to remember the exact sequence when there were so many things in the pattern.

Link had become more carefree during that time, and laughed more easily. And he still bought a plentiful amount of Bait and Pears.

Beedle thought it was a nice change. And he thought Link probably did, too.

"Beedle... Meet the Earth Sage." Link had gestured to the person beside him a little awkwardly.

"Hello, Beedle." Medli had bowed politely. "It's nice to see you, again."

Link's head had snapped to the side. "You know each other?"

Beedle had blinked his surprise. Medli, the Earth Sage?

Who saw that coming?

But Link had bought a Hyoi Pear, so all's well that ends well.

Also, the boy had seemed quite pleased to be in her company.

Beedle had said as much when Medli had been out of earshot, preoccupied with looking at the Shop Ship's wares.

"Beedle."

Again, that boy could blush an impressive shade of red.

"Try some Golden Feathers; she'll like those."

"Beedle."

After a second or two, Link had added, "... Thanks."

When he had come back from the Earth Temple, Medli had been gone.

"She has to say there," Link had said, his voice quiet and strained. "Otherwise this sword will lose its power." He pointed to the larger sword that had taken the place of his old one a while ago; Beedle could see that the hilt had changed, and the blade seemed to glow.

"Will she come back?"

Link hadn't said anything. Had only looked away, and sniffed.

The next time he'd come, it had been with a Korok, Makar. The Wind Sage.

Beedle could tell that Link's heart had been heavy, because this time he knew the fate awaiting the little one.

He had bought some All-Purpose Bait, and tried his hardest to smile.

When Link came to the Shop Ship one time, by the Tower of the Gods, Beedle knew something was different.

And he knew it for sure when Link said, "Beedle, I need you to come outside."

When Beedle had ducked under the roof and out into the night air, he had been met with the sight of the boy's eyes, more serious than they'd been in weeks.

Link looked once at the King of Red Lions, who gave a small nod. And then he'd looked back at Beedle.

"I need to tell you some things."

And before Link did just that, everything from that first day to when they had come out of the purple warp in Ganon's Tower, Beedle noticed something that hadn't been there before.

On the back of Link's left hand was a glowing yellow triangle.

Beedle's mind whirls from all of the details (they're all doomed - and who knew Tetra was a princess?). But even so, he can hardly come to terms with the fact that this boy - his friend - is about go back in there and be faced with what is surely his death.

"I'm not afraid." Link assures him, as if hearing Beedle's thoughts. "This is something only I can do. There isn't room for error. But I'm still not afraid."

Beedle wonders if it's the Triforce talking. "You're still just a kid."

Link smiles tiredly. "There'll be plenty of time to be a kid if we all survive this." He turns serious again, "But, listen, Beedle - I told you all this for a reason. If I... If I fail," he swallows briefly, "I need you to go and warn everyone. To try and get them out of here, away from the Great Sea. If Ganon wins, I doubt that any place will be safe. But it has to be better than staying right at the perpetual heart of evil. After all, if we Islanders can survive long enough, maybe another Hero of the Winds can be born." He chuckled wryly. "It's obviously happened at least once."

"You'll do fine. You always find a way, Link."

Link snorts. "You have more confidence in me than I do."

"I thought you weren't afraid."

"I'm not. That doesn't mean I think I can actually pull this off." Link shrugs. "Besides, I think that's mostly the Triforce talking. I'm surprised I'm not scared out of my wits right now."

"Well," Beedle holds up a pack of arrows, trying to force down the doubt and worry and panic, "whatever you do, better go in prepared."

Link finally gives a genuine laugh. "That's for sure."

He sells two globs of Green Chu Jelly, and buys several packs of Arrows and Bombs.

Before he goes, Link asks one favor.

"I know that with everything that's probably going to be happening, if I don't make it, this might be hard to do, but if you can... Please, take care of Aryll and Grandma."

Just as the pale sky and ocean of morning are changing into the bright blue of daytime, there is a horrendous crash - and the Tower of the Gods sinks into the sea.

It is one of the most equally terrible and amazing things Beedle has ever seen; he is simultaneously grateful he is here to witness this and wishes that he were quadrants away from this.

And then there's a Rito - Prince Komali - and a pirate ship - Tetra's - suddenly rushing to get over here, and Beedle knows why when he sees green clothes and blonde hair against the blue expanse of the ocean.

Even from down in his Shop Ship, Beedle can hear the joyful reunions taking place on the pirate ship beside him - Tetra with her crew, and Link with Aryll, Medli and Makar. Beedle just smiles to himself, and follows along, taking this as a sign that Link had won. Besides, it's just as well that he follows - from what he hears, they're going to be dropping some people off, and he was due for rounds at all of those islands.

Though, from the sounds of things - searching for a new Hyrule and all - it seems that Beedle will have to see to expanding his ship route.

After all, every Hero of the Winds setting off for distant lands needs a good Shop Ship.

... And done! Hopefully, that didn't turn out too bad… On a side note, the tense change at the end is intentional. I know it's probably incorrect, but I like it better this way; it's meant to seem like Beedle had been remembering all of his times with Link up to the point where they're talking before the final battle. I like it quite a bit, actually, but I'll leave it up to you guys to decide how good or not it was. On that note, please review and let me know what you thought of it! :) Only, please don't broil me too badly; it's my first try at a Zelda fan fiction (though I'd like to do some more Wind Waker oneshots, and even attempt a chapter story at some point). *resists urge to hide* Anyway, that's all I have to mention. Thanks for reading! :D