Tears of Pearls

Tears of Pearls

Disclaimers: Legend of Zelda owned by Nintendo.
Lyrics by Savage Garden.

And we stare each other down
Like victims in the grind
Probing all the weakness
And hurt still left behind
And we cry
The tears of pearls
We do it, oh we do it...

Ruto gazed into Link's blue eyes. She knew what they would say - what they had always said. He's a Hylian, you're a Zora, it's not going to work...
But she didn't care. She loved him, she loved his spirit, at the same time so fierce yet so gentle. There had to be a way, she was certain. Some way. Somehow.

She would have him.

Dimly, she became aware that his voice was drifting into her ears. "Come on, Ruto... it's not like that! You can have the stone back," he argued. "It's not that I don't like you - but you're just a friend. I'm sorry, but that's the truth."
"No! Link... you can't..." she protested, but it was too late. He'd already jumped through the waterfall and out of her world. Silently, she picked the shimmering sapphire off the floor and held it tight to her chest. "Don't leave me," she whispered, tears forming in her deep amethyst eyes.

Is love really the tragedy
the way you might describe
Or would a thousand lovers
Still leave you cold inside
Make you cry...
These tears of pearls...

The boys pushed around her, fin-to-fin. Each and every one of them wanted a chance to get closer to the princess.
{The princess}, she thought. {Is that all I am? Do they only care for me because I'm royalty? Is a single one of them concerned for me as a person?
And the only person I care about with all my heart... rejects me.}

She fled through the rocky corridors of Zora's Domain. If only there was a way to get away from this madness...
If only she wasn't who she was, then maybe she'd have a chance.

In the end, she collapsed onto the stony floor of her chambers, and broke down in tears, wondering how fate could be so cruel.

All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearl devotions
we keep locked away from all the world

There was a slow knocking at her door. "Who's that?"
"A friend." That wasn't very helpful.
"Go away!"
"Are you sure? I know what you want, and I know something that could... be useful..."
She paused. "Okay... come in." {How did he get up here, anyway? Only royalty should be able to come this far...}
And whoever this man was, he wasn't royalty. He wasn't a Zora, even. A Hylian...
{Like Link...}
...but the strangest Hylian she had ever seen. A grinning man, a pack of masks slung across his back. Instantly, Ruto disliked him. He didn't look trustworthy, and Ocean knew what tricks he had pulled to reach her chambers. She backed away, bringing her arms up ready to call on a Zoran shield. As a Royal Family member and a Sage, she had enough magical power to protect herself, if she had to. But the stranger made no moves to come near her. Instead, he stayed back and grinned that unnerving grin.
"What are you doing here?..."
"I'm only here to help, Princess."
She sighed, in a tone like rippling waves. "Help? How? What can you do for me, then? Tell me that, if you can."
The stranger laughed. "What do you know about Link? About his past?"
"I know he's my hero - and that I love him."
He shook his head. "Youthful love - sometimes it is so hard to decide what it means. But if you really believe in its power - I can help you. But did Link ever tell you of the power of something I know all about? The power of a mask?"
{What's he on about? If he's going to help me, he should at least come out and say something.} "No. He didn't. So what do you mean, then?"
"Come here..."
She walked over, and looked on in amazement as the salesman began to empty his bag. "We have two options here. Either make Link into a Zora - or you a Hylian."

Well I could be the tired joker
pour my heart to get you in
Sacrifice my happiness
just so I could win
Maybe cry...
These tears of pearls...

{Make me...} "How?"
"The magic of a mask, is that it can change who you are. Masks exist that can change more than just your face. Link knows all about these - he is in possession of four such artifacts. One of these allows him to inhabit the body of a dark warrior, one a Goron, one a Deku Scrub - and the last, you might be pleased to hear, is a Zora."
"He could become..."
"I wouldn't advise it. You would risk everything by forcing him to change for you - you would have no chance of securing his affections. And in any case... the Zora who he becomes has another love. On the other hand... aha!" He reached into the depths of his pack, and retrieved one mask out of a multitude. "For you - if you will take the chance," the salesman grinned.
{Ancient Seas, this guy is annoying me. But... if it means that I could...}
Ruto reached out, and her webbed fingers locked tight around the smooth polished surface of the mask. She looked down at the wooden face of a Hylian girl, then back up to look at the strange friend she had made - but he had gone. {Tough luck. I only wanted to thank him.}

She paused. What was she supposed to do now? Just... put it on? Was that it?

The wooden surface touched the soft scales of her skin...
And she screamed, as every atom in her body decided to do something else at the same time. This was pain beyond pain, this was horrible... this was something she had chosen to do herself, but she had no idea... it would be like this...

In a split-second, the pain vanished, and she relaxed. What had happened? Wait. She looked down at herself, feeling her new body in confusion.
{I'm... a human? A Hylian?} She reached unfamiliar fingers up to run them around her head. Where once it had widened to a flattened triangle, she could now feel long pointed ears. Checking over her new form, she noticed clothing. Uncomfortable - but she guessed that in this body, for whatever reason, she would have to follow the same rules as they did.
{As we do, you mean.}

Link rode away from the falls, after pausing on his way back from the river. There. That was done. And he still felt awful - but there was nothing else to do. Some faint memory of someone else's tickled the back of his mind - some impression of Mikau's, left there after his many transformations to share that shape. [As Zoras went...] But that was irrelevant. She was only a friend. [Or is she?...]

The sun set slowly - and illuminated a fellow traveller, coming from where he had just been. A girl his age? Maybe a year or two older, but he wouldn't have expected to see another kid out on their own, especially defenceless. Odd, too, that he hadn't passed her on his way... He spurred Epona on to catch her up.
As he pulled closer, he saw a huge smile break out on the girl's face. He could have sworn he'd never seen her before, yet somehow, he was hit with a sensation of intense 'deja vu'.

She ran up to him. "Hi, Link!"
"Huh? Do I know you?"
Her beaming smile faded, and she shook her head. "Uh - no. You don't."
"So - who're you?"
"Ru..." she started. "Er - Rhia," she finished. "And of course, I know who you are."

He gestured, and she climbed onto Epona's back behind him. Link glanced round. This newcomer, this Rhia, seemed familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. But somehow, he knew he could trust her. They rode onwards, and towards shelter. As they progressed, Link felt somethign strange around his waist. He looked down. Rhia, nervous, had grabbed hold of him. He blushed slightly, seeing the pretty blue-haired stranger's grip tighten as Epona sped up.

"What's the matter? Haven't you ridden before?"
"Horseback?" she piped up. "Uh. No."
"There's nothing to be scared of..." he protested - but he began to guess that she was not holding onto him through nerves.

Your kisses are like pearls
So different and so rare
But anger stole the jewels away
And love has left you bare
Made you cry...
These tears of pearls...

Eventually, they reached their destination. Link dismounted, and helped Rhia follow. She giggled, and put her arms around his shoulders.
"Come on!" he insisted. "I don't even know you!"
"Sshh..." she whispered. "You can trust me..." Like an old friend, she smiled softly and hugged him. He grimaced slightly at her directness, but... there was something about her that he couldn't put his finger on. Gently detaching himself from her grip, they talked. She seemed defensive - not having answers to any of his questions. The only thing he could gather was that she came from somewhere wet - while she seemed to know all about him. She seemed particularly interested in the magic masks he kept close at hand - his Zoran alter-ego appeared to be her favourite, although he didn't put any of them on.

[This is strange. It's like... we've met in a different life...]

Barriers broke down, and words flowed like wine throughout the night. They could have known each other forever, rather than a matter of hours. In the end, as dawn broke over the desert, she pulled him into her arms.

The two young lovers' first kiss lasted seconds - but each second shone like a jewel in the morning light.

All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearl devotions
we keep locked away from all the world

They stepped back, eyes locked still. "That was wonderful..."
"The same here, Rhia. But, one thing."
"What?"
He began to laugh. "Do you know why my mouth's started to taste of fish?" She gave a nervous grin, and laughed along.

Slowly, it dawned. Those violet eyes... the way she came from somewhere wet, her fascination with his masks, the whole feeling of deja vu...
He turned his back. "You've lied to me, haven't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your name's not really Rhia at all, is it - Princess?" he snapped.
She stepped away in alarm. "No, Link. It's not. You've guessed who I am, haven't you?"
He began to run. "You've been deceiving me, Ruto! I don't know why I trusted you?" He leapt onto Epona's back, and galloped away, blind to what was behind him.

[She betrayed me! She lied... she...] He paused. [She loved me. And perhaps... I loved her, too. I just needed to see past our differences. But what do I do now?]

His thoughts were interrupted by a scream. Quickly, he turned Epona around to return to where he had just left. Blue hair flying, Ruto tried to fend off a monster. As a Zora, her own defences would have protected her - but in this form, she was helpless. As he watched, the monster's claws tore through her chest. Furious, fierce, Link ploughed into the attacker to save her...

But it was too late. By the time he'd driven the monster away, Ruto had collapsed to the floor in a scarlet pool. Link had no medicine to spare her, no healing fairy to his aid...
The only thing he could think of to do to her was the same thing he had to the injured Mikau. He lifted her head into his lap and, reaching for his ocarina, played the song that would soothe her suffering.

One last time, their eyes met. "Why did you do this, Ruto? Why did you give everything up just..."
"Because I loved you..." she whispered, with a fading breath. "And love... always finds... a way..."

We twist and turn where angels burn
Like fallen soldiers we will learn
That once forgotten, twice removed
Love will be the death...
The death of you.

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