Sea Spirit
By Asika
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All Legend of Zelda original characters and settings are copyright to Nintendo. All fan characters and non-original plot lines and settings are copyright to Asika.

Author’s Note:

This is a fanfic containing the elements of Legend of Zelda video games. It is a random combination of equipment, ideals and other such things that are found in Legend of Zelda games,although I primarily use that which is found in Ocarina of Time. If you see that I have Link possessing certain items that did not come from the same game, DO NOT email me about it. I type this note now to tell you that there WILL be things from different games in this story, and if you do not like this idea, then stop reading this now and don’t bother me about it later. Just so you know, Link in this story is about 18 years old our time.
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~The Hylian Hero...he is the one destined to make the journey and deliver them...~

A vision...of a small boy and a blue aura in a small room. A brief flash of long blonde hair and a scream. A feeling of utter helplessness and despair, underlaid with determination.
~You will find your answers in the town of the sea’s tears...help them, hero.~

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He came awake instantly. A quick shake of the head to bring total awareness, and then he raised an arm to support his head.

“Another dream...what can it mean? The town of the sea’s tears?”

Link looked around. He was still where he had settled in for the night, nestled securely in the branches of a large and leafy tree. Below him, he heard the gentle snort of his mount Epona. All was as it was when he had retired.

“The town of the sea’s tears...” he repeated to himself. “What is meant by that?”

A few rays, hints of the coming morning, poked over the horizon and partially lit the land. Link turned his attention eastward, towards the sunrise...and the direction his dreams had led him.

Almost audible was the crashing of distant waves...was he truly approaching this ‘town of the sea’s tears?’ Only time would tell.

He nimbly jumped down to the ground and walked up to Epona. The Master Sword was still strapped securely to his back, and his bow and quiver were still hanging from his saddle as he had left them. A quick patting down of himself revealed that all equipment was still in it’s proper place.

“Well then, Epona, shall we go see if we can’t find my mystery town?” he said, patting the horse fondly on the nose before he mounted.

The wide path was easy for Epona to travel on, and Link allowed her to set her own pace. At a light gallop, they continued on as the sun rose to a hazy half-circle and colored the land a light orange. Gazing around himself, Link took in the scenery and committed it to memory. He had never been this far south before, so everything he saw was new to him. Exotic flowers winked at him from beside the worn dirt path he now traversed, and the trees here seemed to grow more lithe and taller than those back home, though they were no less stronger or sturdier. It all seemed strange, and yet familiar to him.

Allowing himself to relax partially in the saddle, Link turned his attention back to the road. It was beginning to narrow, and become rougher.

“It appears that no one walks here often,” he thought to himself. He slowed Epona when old but still deep wagon ruts began to appear. He did not need Epona losing a shoe or injuring herself by stumbling into one of those ruts.

The sun was just beginning it’s climb into the sky when the trail disappeared entirely, and Link was forced to dismount and lead Epona forward on foot.

The sounds of distant ocean waves still carried to Link’s ears on the wind, so he knew he must be getting close...but close to what?

He paused when the trees, before being confining and leaving him a very narrow walkway that forced him to walk single file with Epona directly behind him, suddenly opened into a brief clearing. Link hung Epona’s lead on a nearby tree branch and walked into the clearing cautiously...it seemed out of the ordinary, a clearing in the middle of a dense forest.

He whirled and brought the Master Sword from it’s sheath when the bushes across the clearing began to shake violently.

“HA! I’ve got you now Breni! You won’t be stealing eggs from OUR coop again! ” a childish voice shouted, and then a small boy leapt from the foliage. He was short, with messy blonde hair and dressed in loose pants and was barechested but for a blue vest that was all but falling off him. His eager grin quickly faded to a look of terror when he spied Link, armed, standing across the clearing.

“V-V-V-Vitanre! ” he screamed, and started to scramble away.

“Wait! I’m not going to hurt-“Link hurriedly said, stepping forward and starting to return the sword to the sheath upon his back.

All the boy perceived was Link raising that great sword, and tripped and fell over backwards. “VITANRE! ”

The bushes exploded as a dark blur leapt out of them and over the cowering boy. Link quickly backed away, and studied the figure that stood before him now.

It was a female, about his height and age by appearances. Her hair was held back from her face by a dark green cloth wound around her head that hid her ears and upper neck. Dressed in a rough, short green smock the same color as her headcloth and tan leggings beneath that, she was wielding a fine-looking scimtar. It’s scabbard was hanging from a belt about her waist, showing that she was not petite. Infact, by the looks of her lean body she was quite used to laboring in a field or such.
She had dark, intense eyes that seemed out of place in her pretty facial features...which weren’t quite so pretty now considering they were twisted in a furied glare that was meant solely for Link.

“Darian, run,” she called to the boy behind her, bringing her scimitar up into an offensive position.

“You, put away your weapon,” the girl ordered Link, starting forward. Her feet, clad in soft leather boots, made no noise upon the ground.

“Wait, this is all one big misunderstanding,” Link said, sheathing the Master Sword.

“Why were you attacking my brother?” the girl went on harshly. “By all means I should kill you where you stand, foul waylayer.”

“Waylayer? Miss, I assure you I meant the boy no harm. I am Link, and am new to these parts,” he said. He held out his hands wide to show that he indeed meant no harm to anyone. “I was following the path when it disappeared. I kept going in a straight line and ended up here. The boy jumped out of the bushes and startled me, so I drew weapon. As I went to put it back, the boy screamed.”

“A likely story, but I’ve heard worse. Drop all your weapons on the ground, sir,” she said, eyes narrowing.

Link paused, a bit unsure.

“I will not hurt you unless you give me trouble, now place all your weapons upon the ground now,” she said in a somewhat softer tone.

Link carefully reached up and unstrapped the Master Sword. His heart skipped a beat or two when he laid it on the ground, but then he undid his belt and placed the entire thing on the ground next to it.

“There, I am totally defenseless,” he said when he had finished.

The girl stepped towards him and gathered up his things, throwing his belt over her shoulder and strapping the Master Sword across her back, much like Link himself preferred to carry it.

“Now, we are going to the village elder. She shall decide whether or not you are telling the truth. Walk,” she ordered, coming around behind him and lightly tapping him with the flat of her blade.

“What of my horse?” he asked. He didn’t turn around immediately, but he heard the nickering of Epona and the rustle of a tree branch. Turning his head a bit, he saw the girl untie the reins from the branch and click to the horse. Epona grudgingly followed the girl.
“It shall be following, now walk.”
Link oblidged. He followed her directions, which came in the form of light taps with the flat of the blade on his shoulders, depending on which way she wanted him to go.

“Where are we going?” he asked, after they’d walked on for a while.
“My village,” came the simple answer.

“I am Link, I was raised in the Kokiri Forest,” he went on, trying to spark a conversation.

After a few moments, she replied. “I am Vitanre, guardian of the Sea Shrine and of the Merilarmes village.”

After that, try as he might, Link could not get the girl to say anything more.

It was nearly midday when the two came onto a cobblestone road. With the girl prodding him onward, Link turned to his left and followed the road. In the distance, he could make out what looked like a great stone archway and a tall wall of the same sort of stone.

“Is that the entrance to your village? The archway, I mean,” he said over his shoulder.

“Yes. We are proud of our stonework and carpentry here in Merilarmes,” came the reply.

As they drew nearer to the archway, Link spied a crows cage hanging by a heavy chain from a thick plank of wood jutting out from the wall. In the crows cage were the skeletal remains of two human-like beings.

“We are also proud of keeping our forests and shorelines free of pirates and thieves,” she chuckled, seeing Link’s involuntary shudder at the sight of the bones in the cage.

As they walked, the forest slowly disappeared, giving way to scrub grasses and sand. The sound of the ocean was clearer than ever now, ocassionally punctuated with the clanging of a bell.

“Is this village a fishing village?” Link asked.

“That is one of our main incomes, yes. Keep moving,” Vitanre said.

They passed under the archway and entered the village. Link’s eyes kept moving, constantly looking at everything around him. Buildings of wood and the same stone as was in the wall crowded the streets, with vendors standing in every available space they could find, peddling things from finely made boots to items that looked like they simply picked them up off the ground.

The air smelled pleasantly of salt and water, and a warm breeze off the sea blew through the streets. Through the throng of people and buildings, Link spied ships and a large dock on the other side of the village, and saw the white-topped waves hitting the shore continuously.
People were everywhere, but they quickly made room as Vitanre and her capture came through. Several called out greetings and crude jokes about the two young persons, but she ignored them all and kept Link moving through the crowd until they reached a building that was shorter than those around it , and had a small stage-like platform infront of it.

Vitanre handed the reins of Epona to another man nearby, pushed Link up the few steps onto the stage and made him drop to one knee with her blade resting on his shoulder.

“Now, when the elder comes out you will bow, and when the time comes you shall tell her your side of the story,” Vitanre said. “If she decides that you are telling the truth, then you will be set free and you shall have my most sincere apologies.”

“You are only doing your duty to your town. No apologies are needed,” Link said. He thought he heard a quiet snort from her, but it didn’t sound disbelieving or hostile. In fact...it kind of sounded like she was amused by him.

A small crowd had gathered behind them, and before them the only door of the building opened.

“Vitanre, guardian, what brings you to my doorstep?” an ancient woman stepped out onto the stage slowly, walking with a cane of driftwood.

“I caught this man out in the forest, Elder,” Vitanre said. “When I arrived, he had drawn sword on Darian.”

“Darian, eh?” the old crone moved closer, her cane tapping loudly on the stage. Link watched her approach. He respectively nodded his head at her, and she nodded back, blinking slowly. “Tell me young man, what say you?”

Vitanre gently tapped him, telling him it was time to talk.

“I am new to these parts, madam,” Link started. “I was leading my horse through the woods when the path disappeared, when I came to a clearing. The boy jumped out of some bushes and startled me, so I drew sword, since I know not what sort of creatures dwell in this area. He was frightened of me, and screamed when I tried to resheath my weapon.”

The woman made a sound, and Vitanre hurriedly unstrapped and handed over the sheathed Master Sword. She took it from the young woman carefully and, awkwardly leaning upon her cane, pulled the Master Sword free. Her eyes widened when she studied it.

“Go on, sir,” she said, sliding the sword back into it’s sheath and keeping hold of it.

“When I tried to explain myself, the one by name of Vitanre came to champion the boy. I laid my weapons at her feet and submitted, for I truly wish no one here any harm,” Link finished.

The Elder fixed Link with her gaze, and Link felt as though she were searching his very soul. At length, she finally nodded.
“I find no thoughts of deceivement within you. You are free to go, and...” she paused.
Vitanre removed her weapon from his shoulder and allowed Link to stand. She handed him back his belt and things, but the elder still held the Master Sword.

“You are Hylian, yes?” she asked.
Link nodded as he strapped his belt back on.

“Good sir, what is thy name?”

“I am known as Link, madam,” he answered.

The elder nodded. “Link...yes, I do believe...I request that you share in our village’s hospitality. Vitanre shall guide you around, and this evening I ask that you return here and talk with me.”

“I would be happy to, madam,” Link said, smiling. He reached for his sword, but the woman held it beyond his reach.

“You shall have thy sword returned, when you come see me tonight,” she said.

Link nodded. “Very well then.”

He turned around, and blinked at the crowd that had gathered without his notice. They began to disperse, and then Vitanre tapped Link on the shoulder.

“My apologies, Link, for my treatment of you,” she said when he turned to face her. “You were indeed telling the truth.”

“It’s alright, really it is,” Link said. “You were only doing what you felt was right. I would have done the same thing were I in your place.”

She smiled slightly. “The elder has charged me with guiding you around our village, if you so wish.”

“I would like to look around,” Link said, nodding. “I’ve never really seen the sea before.”

“It’s not so spectacular if you’ve been living near it all your life,” Vitanre replied, motioning for Link to follow her off the stage to the street.

He followed and matched her pace as she strode off, back towards the market area they’d passed when coming through the village. Link listened intently as Vitanre pointed out different things...an armory shop there, a potions shop there. The first building you came to in the town was the inn, and the one next to that was a shooting gallery that most of the village visited in the evenings.

“Archery contests and swordsmanship competitions are held there nightly,” she said as they passed.
“Sounds like fun,” Link said, pausing by the door, a piece of paper mounted on the door. It was the standings of a week’s worth of contests.

“Eh, that’s an old list, you wouldn’t want to read it-“Vitanre said quickly, coming back to yank him away.

“Vitanre, YOUR name is top on every event,” Link said, laughing.
“Uh, yeah,” the girl said, blushing. “I’m not much of a fisher, so I practice other things...look Melina is giving out those sweet cakes she makes ” She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the list.

Later, both with a sweet cake in hand, they walked down to the docks.

“That’s my father’s boat,” Vitanre said, licking sugar off the tip of one finger and pointing. The boat she singled out was large, with ports for oars down the side and a large mast with the mainsail currently folded. “It’s the largest ship in the village, and many men go out each day upon it. It’s the only boat that’s never capsized or been damaged in a storm. Safest boat in the village,” she said proudly.

“Have you ever been out on the sea in it?” Link asked, studying the boat.

“A few times, although I’m better at tying off the mainsail and manning the oars in stormy weather than I am with nets,” she said sheepishly. “I really am not much of a fisher...”

Link smiled, letting his gaze sweep over the other ships moored in the docks. He let his eyes follow the shore line, until they came to cliffs. He saw how everything was set up now: the docks were in a cove of sorts, sheltered from storms by the cliffs he was now looking at. The mouth of the cove had large rocks jutting out of the water, which served as a breaker for large waves.

“How do the boats get out past those rocks?” he asked, finishing off the last of his sweetcake.

“Oh,” she remarked. “It’s high tide now, very dangerous to get past. The waves would split your hull on those rocks in a heartbeat. The boats can only get out to sea at low tide, when the water is easiest to navigate.”

“So they fish during low tide?” Link aked, puzzled slightly.

Vitanre giggled. “No, they get out of the cove at low tide, and fish when the tide comes back in and they’re far enough out that they’re in no danger of being dashed against the rocks.”

Link nodded. “Ah, I see now.” He turned his attention back to the cliffs, and noticed something odd. There appeared to be a cave in the cliff face...and steps leading down to it.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing. Vitanre followed his finger and ‘ahh’ed when she saw what he was looking at.
“Oh, that’s the entrance to the Sea Shrine.”

“Sea Shrine?”

“Yes,” Vitanre said. “It’s an old legend in our village. We are protected by the great Sea Spirit from the worst storms, and only the guardian of the Shrine can speak with the Spirit.”

“But...didn’t the Elder call you the guardian?” Link looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
Vitanre brushed a stray hair off her shoulder and sighed. “Yes, I’m the guardian of the Shrine. It doesn’t mean much, to be guardian really...I just keep the place clean. Would you like to see the Shrine? We have time before the sun sets.”

“Of course,” Link answered. “Lead on.”

Vitanre lead him down the shore, and up a rocky incline that seemed to never end. Finally, Link realized they were on top of the cliffs. She lead him to a stairway carved into the stone of the cliffs, and started down them at a quick pace. Link followed, considerably slower. Vitanre reached the cave entrance before him, and turned around to watch him carefully climb down.

“Sorry, I’m used to the stairs...” she said.

Now inside the cave, it began to grow dark and since the cave was only a few yards above the high tide line, it was rather moist. Link heard Vitanre fumble with something, and then his eyes met light. She’d struck flint and stone onto a treated torch and it’d caught fire.

“Now we have light. You should see this place at sunrise, the cave opening faces east,” she said, motioning for him to follow her deeper into the cave.

A few feet, and the gray stone began to take on a blue hue; the stone was painted the same color as the water outside, Link realized. He heard the faint sound of dripping water, along with the roar of the water outside as they continued farther back into the cave. The ground began to angle downwards, and they finally stopped before a large iron door.

“Hold this a moment,” she said, shoving the torch at Link. He took it as she grabbed the handle and pulled. With a loud grating sound, the door swung open and light spilled out of the doorway to meet them.

“We don’t need that now, put it there,” Vitanre said, pointing from the torch to a bracket in the wall next to the open door. Link secured the torch there and followed her inside.

He gasped silently as he looked around. The entire place was painted blue, and sparkling bits of crystal glinted in the light from several torches that ringed the room. In the center of the room was a roiling basin of water cut into the stone, and above that was an altar before a sparkling statue of a human-like being. The statue itself was made of the same sort of crystal that was randomly set into the walls, and it was carved to appear eerily life-like. It looked to be a cross between a human male and a Zora that was rising up from the sea on a wave with his arms upraised and his face turned up towards the sun. It was a handsome, spectacular statue.

“That is our Sea Spirit, the mighty Jarom,” Vitanre sighed. She walked around the fountain and sat against the foot of the statue, leaning up against it and staring up at him.
Link looked at her. “Do you speak with Jarom?”

Vitanre paused, then shook her head. “No...it has always been said in legend...that...”

“That what?” Link asked, coming around the fountain himself to sit next to her.
“That...that Jarom speaks with true guardians,” she said quietly. “I have never once heard his voice...I pretend, when someone asks me about it, but I know the village elder knows that I do not hear Jarom...I suspect soon she will strip me of my title and cast me from the village.” Vitanre hugged her knees to her chest.

“Are you sure? You seem to be well-liked by everyone here,” Link said.

Vitanre smiled bitterly. “I have no friends here besides my little brother Darian...people talk to me, but they treat me...differently. My father has never allowed me to have any friends, and it was he that suggested me for the title of guardian...being guardian of this Shrine is a lonely life. I often speak only to this statue for days at a time.”

“Your father won’t let you have friends?” Link asked, puzzled. “But, why?”

Vitanre suddenly looked horrified. “I shouldn’t have said that...no, please don’t ask me that.”

“Alright then, I won’t,” Link assured her. He, too, looked up at the glittering statue of Jarom. “A statue is hardly a friend...”

“He’s a good enough listener, I guess...” Vitanre chuckled. “I sometimes entertain the thought that he’s listening to me, but can’t talk back...”

“So, how long do you stay within this Shrine?” Link asked, sensing that a change in subject was needed.

“I normally stay here two weeks at a time, with a week off afterwards,” Vitanre said.

“You stay here alone, for two weeks at a time? How do you stand it?” Link asked, amazed.

“I talk to him,” she gestured up to the statue. “And sometimes, when he can get away from his chores, Darian visits me.”

“Darian? Wasn’t he the boy I accidently frightened in the woods?”

“Yes,” she smiled fondly. “He means the world to me.”

Link nodded. “I know what it’s like to care deeply for someone close. I can tell you are protective of him...after all, you challenged a complete stranger in the woods just because he startled the boy,” he chuckled.

“I really am sorry about that,” she laughed. “I don’t normally search the woods for people to bother, it’s just that this is my week out of the Shrine and Darian wanted to play in the woods, so-“

“This is your week out of the Shrine? And I made you come back in here just so I could see it. I apologize,” Link interrupted.

Vitanre looked at him for a time, until he began to shift uncomfortably.
“It’s not your fault. We do what we are meant....destined...to do...although, in this case I think the fates have made a mistake,” she added thoughtfully. She glanced towards the doorway, and then jumped to her feet. “It’s sunset! You should be at the elder’s house by now! ” She turned around and yanked Link to his feet.

“Come on! ” she all but dragged him out of the shrine, pausing only to shove the soor shut and grab the torch, before pulling him along and up the cliffside stairs. When they were on solid ground, she allowed Link to run without her assistance, and she lead the way back into the village and to the elder’s home.

Both arrived, slightly winded, and when Vitanre raised her hand to knock the door swung open, revealing the hunched form of the elder.

“Ah, it is Link and Vitanre,” she said, squinting up at them and toothily grinning. “Please come in.”