Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Zelda: Facade of the Living ❯ Depths of the Psyche ( Chapter 4 )

-Favored by the Goddesses, the Hylians are endowed with many magical qualities. Natural spell-casters, they are an extremely intelligent and industrious people.

These qualities, and more, allowed them to quickly become the dominant race in the land of Hyrule, firmly establish their kingdom, and form alliances with other races.

Perhaps the greatest asset a Hylian has is his or her mind.

It has many different powers that to this day still go untapped…



Chapter Four: Depths of the Psyche


Inside the farmhouse

The battle was over.

Broken swords and Moblin corpses littered the ground, turning the once green grass a sickly shade of red. Those Death Knights that had not been killed or wounded were called back by their masters.

It had been less than ten minutes since they had arrived at the ranch before they were attacked. The two mysterious assassins seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving behind only the destruction they had caused. For a short time, it seemed that the Renegades had triumphed.

But the victory was a hollow one.

Link was dying.

Princess Zelda cradled the wounded hero in her arms, weeping bitterly. She could tell that he was in the most extreme of pain. Link was struggling to breathe, and periodically shifting in and out of consciousness.

Everyone feared the worst.

"Please…please no," Zelda sobbed. "Not now, not like this…"

The hero gave out a yelp, his eyes beginning to glaze over. Tenderly, he brought up his bloodstained left hand and caressed her cheek. It hurt him greatly to do so, but by sheer will he kept it there.

"Don't…don't cry," Link whispered, his voice hoarse.

The Princess did nothing but firmly grasp his hand and continue sobbing. Suddenly, the young hero began to cough violently. Dark red blood began to pool at the corner of his mouth and spill down the side of his cheek. He then began to shake uncontrollably, so much so that Zelda nearly dropped him.

At that point, he once more became unconscious.

Gingerly, Zelda lowered him to the hard, wooden floor. Her eyes grew wide with fear, paralyzing the Princess and holding her in its iron grip. Seventeen years of life in a stuffy castle had made her totally unprepared for situations like this. Never in her wildest dreams had Zelda ever once thought about Link possibly getting killed.

He was supposed to be invincible.

The thought of having to live without him made her unbelievably sick to her stomach.

"This isn't really happening!" the Princess exclaimed, shaking her head back and forth.

Jade quietly approached her just as she had brought her knees up to her chest. He tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort, but Zelda quickly batted it away.

"Your Highness, he is not yet dead," said the Sheikah. "Perhaps there is still a way to save him."

Zelda gave him a look that told him she had already given up.


*****


The Sheikah boy let go of his princess and moved over to where Link was lying. He knelt down beside the fallen hero and checked to see if he was breathing or not.

To his surprise, he still was, albeit shallowly.

At that very moment, the Renegades, accompanied by Malon, burst in through the front door.

"Ha ha ha!" Zeta chuckled. "We cleaned em up! They're all dead!"

She wouldn't have laughed if she knew what had happened.

"What's wrong with Link?" asked the Zora. "Why the hell is he lying on the floor?

Annoyed by the archer's rudeness, Malon stepped around her to get a better look. When she glimpsed the hero lying on his side, the back of his white shirt stained dark with blood, she shrieked in terror. Running over to him, she grabbed his shoulders and shook, trying to wake him up.

Link didn't move.

"NO! Damnit Link, get up!!" Malon yelled, shaking him violently.

"Stop that!" Dreck nearly screamed. "You could kill him!"

The diminutive shrub man dashed over to Link's side. He pushed the farm girl away and began to examine the wounded Hylian. Protruding from the center of his back almost was the dark arrow.

Dreck furrowed his brow, and tried to think of what to do.

Although an experienced warrior, Dreck was also skilled in the medical arts. Born to a lower class family, his parents worked hard to put him through school. He seemed to have a nature that was distinctly suited for being a doctor.

Dreck graduated from a well respected Hylian medical school near the top of his class. It was later, during his tenure at the grand hospital of the University of Hyrule that he met his future wife. She too, was a young Deku, the only other one beside him who had chosen to be a doctor.

It seemed like a match made in heaven.

Later, they both served in the court of the Deku King in Termina, where many were treated. For quite a while, he and his wife lived in the swamp, healing Deku Scrubs by the hundreds. Eventually, Dreck learned more and more about the anatomy of other races, and he and his wife became very rich.

Their lives were great, and they were both happy.

One day, he felt it necessary to travel to Clock Town to buy more herbs for his practice. Dreck piled his belongings onto a wagon and set out for the Hylian settlement. His young wife implored him and implored him until he gave up and let her come along. They had made this run several times before, and she just wanted to be with him.

At the time though, the Fierce War had yet to end.

Horses appeared on the horizon, racing towards the undefended wagon. It was a band of Gerudo warriors who had been attacking settlements up and down the coast. The amazonian pirates saw fit to have one last raid before heading back to their fortress.

In the opening few moments of the battle, his wife, the girl he loved so much, was killed. They plundered his wagon, took everything he owned, and left the poor doctor for dead on the side of the road.

On that day, as Dreck gingerly cradled his love's mangled body, his oath to do no harm became invalid in his mind. He became a mercenary, training his small, weak frame until he was a powerful warrior, at least for a Deku.

The good doctor never took any money from the many bounties he had collected. Any money he was offered was either politely turned down or given away to the inhabitants of the nearest town.

All this had begun nearly twenty years years before, and he was still no closer to putting the grief behind him.

Dreck would get his revenge eventually, but now Link was his primary concern.

"Gonga," he said, "take him and put him on the crates over there."

Carefully, the big Goron lifted the limp form of the hero and gently placed him on top of a stack of wooden crates. He made sure to place Link on his left side, so he wouldn't be lying upon the arrow.

"Find something that will stop the bleeding!" Dreck yelled to no one in particular.

Everyone, including Malon and the Princess, searched frantically for anything that could help the injured hero. They tore apart crates, overturned shelves, and went through everything of value that could be found. Many different things had been broken before they all realized there were no medical supplies anywhere in the house.

"Hmm, what we need is cloth," Gonga said, looking thoughtful.

"We have stuff like that in the storehouse," Malon replied.

"Go get it then," ordered Dreck.

As the redhead bolted out the door, the Deku Scrub turned to the Princess. She was still distraught, and he had no idea how Zelda would respond to his request.

"I'm going to need your dress," he plainly stated.

Sure enough, she took it the wrong way.

"You would have me stand in my petticoats?!" Zelda exclaimed, trying to retain some of her dignity, even though tears were streaming down her face.

"NO!" the shrub man yelled. "For Din's sake, tear your dress so I can use it to stop the bleeding when I pull the damn arrow out!"

If it would help Link, Zelda would gladly part with her beautiful royal gown. She grabbed the bottom of it with two hands and tore the expensive fabric into several neat strips. Quite embarrassed at the fact that the bottoms of her frilly petticoat were showing, she handed Dreck the cloth.

"Are you positive you know what you're doing?" Princess Zelda asked, the concern in her voice evident.

"Yes, I've dealt with wounds like this a hundred times before," he replied. "Now get his tunic off so I can pull the damned thing out!"

Without hesitation, Zelda began to disrobe the hero. First she took off his bandolier, which might have stopped the arrow dead had it been hit instead. She took off his belt and threw it aside, then waited for Dreck to snap the shaft of the arrow so she could remove his tunic.

A sharp crack was heard, and the only thing left now was the arrowhead. Dreck pulled out the bloody piece of steel with the utmost care. He found something very peculiar about the arrowhead, and put it aside so he could examine it later.

Sure enough, the second he removed it Link began to bleed profusely.

"Argh! Damn arrow punctured his lung!" Dreck yelled.

Everyone gasped. A punctured lung almost always meant death. More and more crimson liquid was coming out of Link's mouth with every breath he took. If something wasn't done quickly, the Hero of Time would be no more.

"Is there anything we can do?" Zeta inquired, looking very worried.

"I don't think so," answered the Deku. "But we should at least make him comfortable."

Gonga picked the hero up carefully. He carried him across the room to a large pile of straw where he gently laid him down. The Goron folded Link's hands on his chest, then stepped away from the young lad.

"Rest well, Brother," he whispered. "Rest well…"









Ten minutes later

Nobody knew what was going to happen. The tension in the air was more than thick enough to cut with the Master Sword. It was still undetermined as to whether or not Link would live.

Dreck quietly paced the room, a doctor worried for his patient's health. He wanted nothing more than to heal his comrade, but he feared the wound was a fatal one.

Zeta nervously fidgeted, unable to sit still. She seemed angry that the first thing uttered by her was a joke, and it sickened her to no end.

Malon had returned with some cloth and some milk. When informed of Link's situation, she became extremely distressed, and shut herself up in her room. Muffled sobs could be heard from atop the stairs.

Gonga stood tall and dignified, and quietly watched over the man who had fought with him so valiantly.

He also stood watch over the Princess, who was busy tending the hero's wounds. Zelda had dried her tears and grabbed hold of her emotions. She would have to be strong if Link was to pull through this.

Dipping a piece of cloth into a bucket of cold water, Zelda placed it on Link's forehead. He had been steadily getting warmer, and it could be deadly should he develop a fever now.

The hero was lying on his back on the pile of dry straw. His tunic had been removed, leaving him with just his silk undershirt. Dreck had expertly tied the remnants of Zelda's dress around Link's torso, effectively stopping the blood loss.

And for the past twenty minutes, the Princess had not moved an inch away from his side, nor would she ever from now on.

Jade began to think of other possibilities as Zelda continued to tend to the Hero of Time.

"What else is there?" he asked Dreck.

"I haven't a clue," the Deku responded. "He's deteriorating quickly. Whatever was on that arrow isn't lethal. If it were, Link would already have died. There's something strange about it, something fishy…"

The Sheikah boy picked up the arrowhead that Dreck had removed. The sticky sweet smell of blood was still fresh in the air, but he brought it up to his nose anyway.

"Hey, there's definitely something here," Jade said.

"Let me see it then kid," the Deku answered, swiping the arrowhead from his hands.

After taking a whiff of it, he came to the same conclusion.

"I guess you're right. There's some kind of liquid on here," Dreck said, looking thoughtful. "It's some kind of paralyzing agent, not meant to kill."

"Great! And what is that supposed to mean?" the boy replied.

"It means he can't move a muscle. Whoever the hell fired this arrow wasn't trying to kill Link, only knock him out."

"But they hit him in the back. Why would they do that?"

Dreck scratched his head and furrowed his brow. He struggled to find an explanation and came up with the only one suitable.

"They want something from him," he said. "I don't know what it is, but Link probably has to be alive for it. There was so much going on at the time that I'll bet my hat whoever fired this missed. He got hit in the back instead of the leg."

"They missed?!" Jade exclaimed.

"Yeah kid. You don't shoot someone in the back if ya want to incapacitate them," said the Deku Scrub.

"That's true I suppose…" the boy replied, trailing off.

The conversation ended there. An awkward silence followed, and no one said a thing for the next few seconds. What to do about Link haunted their minds, and froze them into inaction. The poison would not kill him, only leave him unable to move, but his wound most definitely would.

Several different scenarios played themselves out in Dreck's head.

All but one led to Link's demise.

"I have an idea," said the Deku. "I don't know if it'll work though."

"Ugh…what is it now?" Jade replied in a rather cocky tone.

"Hylians are telepathic, aren't they?" asked the shrub man.

"What is telepathic supposed to mean?" the boy answered.

"It means they can read each others minds."

"Oh, great. So the hell what?"

Annoyed at the Sheikah's tone, Dreck felt he shouldn't have to continue explaining himself. But still, he felt that Jade would have at least some knowledge of Hylian culture from serving the Royal Family.

Evidently the boy didn't know a lot, but he still had somewhat of a grasp on the conversation.

"Okay, I know for a fact that there's some kind of procedure or ceremony thingamo that heals people," Jade said. "But it's only between Hylians I think. I don't know what it's called, and I don't know how long it'll take, but I'm sure it's really complicated."

All of a sudden, Dreck realized something. There was only one person who could possibly help Link at this point.

Princess Zelda.


*****


The two of them found the Princess sitting next to Link, holding his hand gently. She had since stopped crying, and now sat only in silence. Zelda was in a little too much pain to care what anyone had to say, and did not want to be bothered. That of course, did nothing to deter Jade and Dreck from closing in on her to ask for her assistance.

"Your Highness, may I speak with you?" Jade said in his most respectful tone.

Zelda shot him a look filled with daggers.

"Now is really not a good time," she said back, turning away.

"But Princess, we may have found a way to save Link," the Deku Scrub announced.

His statement made her head snap back around, hope brimming in her bright blue eyes.

"How?" she asked.

Taking a step forward, the Sheikah tried to think of a way to eloquently say that they needed her help. The Princess seemed like she wanted nothing other than to stay at Link's side, and it was doubtful she would do anything else.

"We need your help," said Dreck. "Do you know about the procedure that can link your mind to his?"

The Princess nearly laughed aloud.

"Tell me that you're kidding!" she exclaimed. "You're talking about the Merging Ceremony. That stupid thing takes over two hours to complete! Besides that, it's only used between betrothed couples to cement their wedding vows. I won't do it!"

All Hylians have limited telepathic abilities. Only those with the most developed skills can send messages, and then only to other Hylians. The Merging Ceremony itself was mysterious, and rarely used, as in the hands of an inexperienced person it could be very dangerous.

It was not to be undertaken by an amateur.

"But Princess, you are the only other Hylian here!" Jade almost yelled. "That Malon girl chose to lock herself in her room rather than face the situation, and her oaf of a father is asleep somewhere. Plus their farmhand moved to Labrynna years ago!"

"Don't raise your voice to me! You can't understand what I'll put him though if I join our minds," Zelda shot back. "The both of us will suddenly know everything about each other. All our fears, our secrets, our desires, everything comes out in the open! And if I do a rush job the both of us could end up completely insane!"

That made the Sheikah boy shut his mouth then and there. Her words were true. If she didn't spend the proper amount of time preparing herself then it was quite possible that something would go wrong, turning the both of them into invalids.

But the one thing the Hero of Time didn't have was, ironically, time itself.

"Your Ladyship," Dreck began, "he could expire any minute now. There's nothing more I can do to help him. If you want him to live, then you must take the risk."

Forced to accept the truth, and the responsibility, Zelda bit her lower lip. The ceremony would easily cleanse the hero's body of the poison and heal his wound, but could also do more harm than good. If she said a single thing wrong, or put her hands in the wrong place, Link would most surely die.

Still, she had to go through with it.

And now she would.

"Okay, but I've never done this before," Zelda admitted. "I'm not sure if I can do it correctly."

"That doesn't matter much," said Dreck. "You can do it, I'm sure."

The Princess narrowed her eyes at him.

"If that's what you want to believe," she snapped. "Right now, I don't care what happens to me. But if something goes wrong, and you feel the need to spare my life, then so be it…"

The Shiekah and the Deku, distressed by her words, distanced themselves. The other Renegades joined them, and they all watched quietly as Zelda let go of Link's hand and knelt down beside him. She unlatched her armor, took it off and put it aside. Zelda smoothed out her dress and sighed heavily, knowing full well that this might not work.

Placing both her hands on the side of his face, she began to chant in ancient Hylian.

"Gloshna ceptor Farore bintorosh ka. Xel'kant antobok dumvas ja!"

"Kaltoth mintak Din certen cal. Xel'kant anrobok dumvas ja!"

"Algomanta er Nayru santak ne. Xel'kant anlebok dumvas ja!"

They didn't know what she meant, but it was fascinating. Zelda began chanting the mysterious words faster and faster, and started rocking back and forth. Then, out of nowhere, she screamed loudly.

It was an unearthly shriek, all the way from the bottom of her stomach. Her body became rigid, her slender hands firmly gripping Link's face.

Out of concern, Jade ran over to the Princess.

When he looked at her eyes, he found they had no color.









Inside the mind of a hero...

White.

White was the only thing she could see.

Her hands and feet were nonexistent, and she could not even feel her body.

The only thing constant was the whiteness. It seemed pleasant, familiar almost. Floating around, she felt quite comfortable, like she could wrap herself up in it and go to sleep.

But where was she?

Zelda had expected to be immediately flooded with a million different emotions. But this was different. There was no horrible psychological impact upon her, only this numbing void.

It was so empty.

"Am I dead? I can't be...it's not possible..."

Her own voice sounded disconnected, like it wasn't really hers. Fear began to creep into her mind, eating away at her sanity.

She wanted it to stop.

"This isn't really happening!"Zelda said again.

As soon as those words ended, the plain white canvas all around her began to take shape. Of the thousands of different colors it could have turned, the first one it chose was green. The greenness itself split into hundreds of different shades of that color, and spread out all around her.

Zelda began to see what looked like trees. Tall and majestic, they soared into the heavens, obscuring the sun's bright rays.

Then she beheld a bridge spanning a small chasm, wood and rope by construction.

Figures appeared on the bridge, two of them.

One had blonde hair, the other, emerald. A boy and a girl, standing together on a wooden bridge.

"Oh, you're leaving..."she said quietly. "But that's OK, because we'll be friends forever...won't we? I want you to have this Ocarina... Please take good care of it. When you play my Ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit..."

Without another word, the boy took a few steps back. He then turned and ran in the opposite direction, a tear falling from his cheek as he left. The young girl had with her now only memories of days past.

"Saria and Link will always be friends…"

Zelda was heartbroken. She wanted to cry herself, but couldn't. Before the anguish overwhelmed her, she was whisked away to somewhere else. It made her feel dizzy, but she kept her wits about her and held on.



* * * * *



As things materialized, she couldn't help but wonder where she was.

Zelda was in a room now, made entirely of rock. Torches lit the room, throwing sparse shadows across the walls. In front of her stood the boy again, and in front of him was a massive Goron.

With a big bushy beard and spiky hair, he looked incredibly intimidating, much more so than Gonga. The scornful look on his face told of a man who was no mood for any kind of silliness.

From a small pouch, the boy pulled out his ocarina, presumably the one the girl had given him. He brought the instrument to his lips, but hesitated for a moment.

"Well, that's not quite what I was looking for...I wanted to hear...a tune...something...um...from outside the mountains...something...green...natural..."said the Goron.

At his request, the boy began to play a song so lighthearted and carefree that Zelda wanted to dance along with it. The notes permeated the air, filling her heart with joy, and the Goron's too apparently.

He was flailing his arms about like a madman, enjoying himself to the fullest possible extent.

Before she could have too much fun, Zelda was taken away once more.



* * * * *



Aquamarine.

That's the word she would have used to describe where she was now. Pristine blue water flowed all around her, obscuring almost everything else. It looked like it might be Lake Hylia, but it couldn't have been, as it was much too small.

Other than the water, there were several old trees sticking out of the lakebed. One of them had fallen over, and was big enough for a child to walk across.

And there were two children standing on the fallen log, yet another girl and boy. While she recognized the boy as the one she had seen before, the girl was a mystery. She seemed to be a Zora, as she was bright blue and nearly blended in with the water.

The Zora girl's face was only a few inches from the boy's.

"You! You looked cool...cooler than I thought you would, anyway... Just a little! Well, anyway, you saved me, so I guess I'll reward you. What do you wish? Just tell me..."

Princess Zelda laughed to herself as the boy toppled off the log when the girl advanced on him. It was truly funny as she watched him try to escape her, only to give up in defeat.

The charming scene was interrupted when everything disappeared once more.



* * * * *



"Where to now?"Zelda thought.

Her question was answered when the desert sun nearly blinded her. She still couldn't see her body, but she could feel the intense heat of the midday sun. It bore down on her, making her want to seek out somewhere cool.

Her wish was granted as she was whisked away into a brightly lit room. The brown walls of what appeared to be some kind of temple were scorched from eons of harsh desert sand beating against them.

On the far side of the room was what looked like a young woman. Rather dark in complexion, she was accompanied by the boy in green, who was standing quietly next to her. The both of them were staring at a hole in the wall that looked like maybe only a dog could crawl through.

"By the way, what is your name, kid?"asked the woman. "Link?! What kind of name is that?"

The young lady said a few more things, to which the boy nodded enthusiastically.

"If you can successfully get the Silver Gauntlets...I'll do something great for you!"

Instantly the boy turned a bright shade of red, then dutifully bent over on his hands and knees and crawled into the hole.

After that, the entire experience faded away and Zelda suddenly wasn't there anymore.




* * * * *



This time there was no color at all.

For a while, everything was blank, with nothing moving or happening in the strange void. Then a platform appeared. Around its edges, it had six circular symbols, each representing the elements of the world.

Forest.

Fire.

Water.

Spirit.

Shadow.

Light.

In the center of the ring was the symbol of the Triforce, the holy relic of the Sacred Realm. For a second, the empty triangle in the middle flashed brightly, and a beam of light came from the center of it.

Standing there was a man, dressed in a green tunic with a large sword strapped to his back. He seemed bewildered by his surroundings, as did the Princess. She felt just as disoriented as he did, and was beginning to understand what was happening.

Everything Zelda felt was coming from him. None of the emotions she had felt were her own.

The Princess gazed down and caught a glimpse of a man standing on the symbol of Light. A very fat man, he was dressed in dark red sage's robes with hundreds of little Triforce symbols embroidered on it.

"The Master Sword--the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time--was the final key to the Sacred Realm. Link...Don't be alarmed...Look at yourself...!"said the man. "The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch....Only one worthy of the title of "Hero of Time" can pull it from the Pedestal of Time...."

Something unexpected hit Zelda from out of nowhere.

Fear.

Fear of inadequacy. That she would be unable to stand up to the overwhelming evil forces arrayed against her.

"But, remember...Though you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace...Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm! He obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light, and with its power, he became the King of Evil...His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven short years, it transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters."the chubby man continued.

When he stopped talking, Zelda couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. The sage presented the man in green with a shiny yellow medallion.

Then the vision vanished into smoke.



* * * * *



Destruction.

Horrible, horrible destruction.

The City of Hyrule a smoldering wreck.

Burnt corpses, hideous in their trappings littered the ground.

When the man in green stepped out from the temple in the corner of town, they rose up.

They came towards him, craving flesh. They ambled towards him, moaning pitifully.

Oh, how they moaned.

How they SHRIEKED!!

Zelda was absolutely terrified. They were coming closer, and the man was surrounded by them. It dawned on her, these were the unfortunate souls who hadn't escaped from Ganondorf.

Ganondorf…

His castle filled the background, radiating evil.

The Princess felt a crippling sense of dispair as one of the zombies peered at her from behind its wooden death mask. Evil was running rampant, and all hope was lost.

When the man in green exited the city, the vision disappeared as well.



* * * * *



After that, the visions came quicker, and not so long. Disconjointed images bombarded her, one after the other after the other.

A fleeting glimpse of a horse race, and a girl saying her good-byes.

An old man giving away his greatest treasure.

The forest girl, explaining how she had to stay.

A warrior in blue, last of the Sheikah, giving guidance and wisdom.

Death Mountain, fiery and belching smoke.

A dragon vanquished. A people saved.

True Brothers reunited at last.

A shimmering lake, now depleted of its water.

A civilization frozen in ice.

The Zora princess breaking her vows when her world is safe.

A village almost razed to the ground by fire. A people resilient.

In the well, an ancient evil, waiting to take lives.

The darkness replaced by light in the Temple of the Dead.

A woman in stone, carved from desert rock.

Witches capturing a girl in the night, carrying her off.

The girl, brainwashed to serve the needs of her dark master.

Evil ones, two of them, very old. Redeemed in death and taken to be judged by the Goddesses.

The Sages awakened, six of them. But there is still one more.

The warrior in blue, the one who gave assistance, is not who he says he is.

A disguise revealed. A lovely princess in his place. But the deception was necessary, for evil lurks around all corners.

Courage must prevail, and together with Wisdom, will bring the misuse of Power to justice.

An evil king shut away in his tower, away from his subjects.

He is cold and unfeeling. All he wants is more power, and will do anything to get it.

Six barriers are broken by the Arrow of Light.

Hordes of demons fall, and the final showdown approaches.

Wisdom cannot help. She is imprisoned.

Courage and Power clash, their blows heard across the land.

Power defeated by the Master Sword. In death, he curses the other two.

Ganon's Tower collapses, but the heroes live. However, the ordeal is not over.

The holy relic gives life to the fallen one. But his body is warped, reflecting his mind and heart.

He is no longer a man, but a beast.

In one swing, the sword is knocked from the hand of Courage. Wisdom tries to retrieve it, but she is not destined to wield the sword, and cannot pick it up.

Arrows fly and hammers fall.

Darkness is stunned by light, and the sword is back in the hands of its master.

With the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Hero of Time destroys his foe, bringing the demon monster to the ground.

The Princess of Destiny holds down the King of Evil while the Sages prepare the Seal.

The incantation finished, Evil is locked away in the blackness of the Sacred Realm.

Peace returns to Hyrule, but at a price…


* * * * *



"I remember this,"Zelda thought. "It was the hardest part…"

It was hard for her to stand there, to watch herself. She didn't want to be confronted by this, but there was no other option.

She saw before her now the Hero of Time standing in front of the Princess of Destiny. Nothing was around them except the boundless expanse of the sky.

"Link, give the Ocarina to me..."said the princess.

From his pocket, the hero retrieved the little potato shaped instrument. He handed it to her, and she clasped it to her heart, accepting the feelings he had for her.

"Now, go home, Link. Regain your lost time! Home... where you are supposed to be...the way you are supposed to be..."

The song of the Royal Family came from the Ocarina.

Suddenly, the hero was gone.

So was the princess.

The flow of time had been changed.



* * * * *



What came next were more images, more feelings. A little slower, a little more deliberate, giving testimony to the lands the hero had saved.

A lost boy who made a mistake by wandering into the forest. Corrupted by greed and saddened by loneliness, he steals a mask from a traveling salesman.

"I just wanted someone to play with…"

The mask. It is evil, with a mind of its own. Darkness lurks behind its colorful facade, tempting those who wish to have control over men.

"Certainly, the Skull Kid had far too many weaknesses to use my power. A puppet that can no longer be used is mere garbage..."

Two fairies, one black, one gold. Brother and sister, the bond between them eternal.

"After all this time, Tael, you've gotten really stubborn. Just like someone else I know...

A tunnel, leading to Termina. The hundred plus miles spanned in the course of only a few seconds. The moon, huge and angry. It hangs in the sky, ready to plummet to the earth.

"It looks bigger than before. I don't like this…"

The town prepares for a spectacular night of fireworks. No one comes however, and the festival is ruined.

"You cowards! Do you actually believe the moon will fall? The confused townsfolk simply caused a panic by believing this ridiculous, groundless theory. You want answers? The answer is that the carnival should not be canceled!"

An adventure, plagued with danger looms in front of the hero. Four giants must he awaken to stop the coming destruction of the world. Masks that he must collect are spread across the land. Three will changed his shape, and even a fourth is rumored.

He journeys, destroying Evil's minions. Four monsters destroyed, their imprisoned spirits freed. They are gods, and will aid the hero in his quest.

Four giants return the moon to its orbit, and the mask is stripped of its powers.

Still the hero must journey, and leave his new friends behind.

"Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time...that is up to you."


* * * * *


Tired and weary, the hero has saved a land in peril, but failed to find the fairy who had aided him when he was in most dire need.

He heads back towards the land of Hyrule, but the power of the Triforce beckons to him from inside a strange castle.

Curiosity gets the better of him, and the hero wanders inside.

But the Golden Power is an illusion. The pieces disappear and the trap is sprung.

However, the trap had a purpose.

"When shadows fall on Hyrule, a hero shall appear. Is that hero you?"

The boy finds himself in Holodrum. Once more he is far from his homeland, away from his princess.

Impa, or at least someone with the same name, greets him. Perhaps a relative of hers? Either way, she is Zelda's handmaiden.

A dancer is met, one with flaming red hair. Din by name. She is the Oracle of Seasons. Her seductive form is more than enough to turn grown men into babbling idiots.

"You've awakened! Good! I worried while you slept! You're Link, right? I am Din."

A rod with the power to control the weather. It is a tool, not a weapon, which aids him in his quest.

There is a general who wants to control the world. His body armor is thicker than any other, and the man would easily crush the boy.

But the boy is getting older. He is becoming a man, the Hero of Time spoken of in legend.

The Princess of Destiny is captured by Moblins, but she is saved by the valiant one. With a kiss on the cheek, she leaves him to continue on his journey.

He must find the Essences, four of them.

The Essence of Time.

The Essence of the Sun.

The Soothing Rain.

The Changing Seasons.

After finding them all, the hero treks towards thee general's castle. How long the battle raged is not known, but the sounds of their clashing swords was like thunder, shaking the very pillars of heaven.

When their cries finally fell silent, it was the hero who emerged victorious.

The Oracle is safe, and Holodrum is at peace.

But the boy is still far from home.

He rides his steed hard, wanting nothing more than to see his friends again, to finally rest.

But a hero's work is never finished.

Again, the Triforce beckons to him.

Once more he is fooled.

"Accept our quest, hero! Save us all…"

He finds himself in Labrynna, a Hyrulian province now controlled by a mad sorceress.

There is a tree that can speak, and it has a crush on the young lad.

A singer is met, her hair is brightest sapphire. She is Nayru, Oracle of Ages. Her voice is so enchanting, it can sooth even the hardest of hearts, especially that of her protector.

"Ralph's been at my side for longer than I can remember. It's hard to imagine life without him…"

Her sister is a girl with emerald hair. They call her Farore, and she is Oracle of Secrets. The hero is helped again and again by her seemingly infinite knowledge.

"Whenever you hear of a secret, return here and I will reveal it to you…"

The sorceress desires Nayru's power, and takes control of her body. With the Oracle, she changes time, making herself ruler of the world.

A black tower is under construction. When completed, darkness will reign supreme.

The hero is given a harp. In time, he learns to play it beautifully, and can move back and forth through time.

Yet again he had to rescue the princess, Zelda. It seemed the older she got, the more of a target for evil she became.

To set things right again, he will need eight more Essences.

The Eternal Spirit.

The Ancient Wood

The Echoing Howl

The Burning Flame

The Sacred Soil

The Lonely Peak

The Rolling Sea

The Falling Star

Battling hard, and journeying back and forth through four hundred years of history, he collected them all.

All around him, the world changed as he did more and more good deeds. Families were reunited, and lovers brought together.

In the end, he fought the sorceress.

Her black magic was simply no match for the courage he possessed.

With the Oracle no worse for wear, order returns to Labrynna.

But it isn't finished.

The truth is revealed. Ganon, Lord of Darkness, was behind it all. Veran and Onyx were only his minions, sent to prepare the way for his return. Again two sisters appear, the witches he'd destroyed in anther lifetime have returned.

They have attempted to ressurect their master by lighting the flames of Destruction, Sorrow, and Despair.

Already, two of the flames burn brightly, and Zelda's murder will release Ganaon from his dark realm.

Thankfully, Farore, Oracle of Secrets, had removed the Blade of Evil's Bane from its place in the Temple of Time. She presents it to the young man, who must use the power to repel evil to cleanse Hyrule of injustice.

Immeasurable forces collide as the twin sisters fight against the young Hylian. But fire and ice are no match for the lightning rod that is the Master Sword, a blade enchanted with the very essene of the Goddesses.

Twinrova is defeated and Zelda is saved. But before the evil witches die, they sacrifice themselves in order to ignite the final flame and free their dark lord.

The King of Evil finally appears, in all his sinister glory.

But something is amiss. Since Zelda was not sacrificed, only the body of the evil Ganon was ressurected. However, even with his spirit still trapped in the tainted Sacrd Realm, his body still has an incalcuable amount of strength and power.

If not stopped, Ganon's earthly form will trample all the innocents of the world into submission.

Hundreds of blows are struck in the ensuing battle. The sounds of their blades crashing against each other were enough to shake the very pillars of heaven.

The broken, bloodied Hero of Time sees the opening he's been waiting for, and deals a mortal blow with the sacred Master Sword.

Ganon's reign ends in a brilliant flash of light and a scattering of ashes.

Finally, peace returns to the beleaguered land of Hyrule, and the hero can return to his lovely princess…



* * * * *



"It…hurts…"Zelda mouthed, doubled over in pain. "Make it stop…"

Her body had returned to her, complete with nerve endings.

All of them now were on fire.

The pain was unbearable. Movement was out of the question, it just hurt too much.

She looked down at her hands through the pain. They were bloody and smashed. All her fingers were broken, and it hurt to breathe. There were slash marks all over, on her arms and legs, on her chest and on her back.

Every part of her was in the most extreme pain.

These were not her wounds.

They were Link's.

In time all of them had healed, mostly through magic. But the memory still remained fresh in his mind. Memories of creatures that had bludgeoned him, thrown him against walls, tried to choke the life out of him. Every part of her was slashed in some way, be it from claws or from a blade.

Zelda could feel it, every single bit.

Through sheer determination, she reached around her back and felt around. It brought tears to her eyes to do it, but she could feel a hole right next to her spine.

It hurt so much that she began to flop around in the blackness, screaming with all air left in her lungs. There was nothing else except the color black, yet Zelda could easily see the blood on her dress.

She could feel it cooling on the floor.

She was dying.

It hurt to think, and the invisible floor was frigid. Perfectly ready to die and perfectly insane, Zelda, daughter of King Harkinian the Fourth, Crown Princess of Hyrule stopped moving altogether.

The fact that her many wounds were gone was of no consequence. She just wanted to go to sleep, to let nothing bother her.

The horrible pain was gone, but in a way, it was still there.

None of this had been what she expected.

It didn't matter though anymore. She and Link would both die together, with neither of them getting to tell each other how they felt.

But before the darkness could envelop her, Zelda heard a voice echo in the depths of her psyche.

"Thank you, my love. I will never forget this. Thank you…"









Real ity

The sun.

The bright light of the sun was shining in Zelda's face through an open window.

Dizziness quickly plagued her, followed by images swirling round her head.

Something unexpected came after that.

Laughter.

Raucous, whooping laughter.

When everything stopped spinning, the Princess finally laid eyes on the source of the raging guffaws.

Jade, Zeta, Dreck, Malon and Gonga were all standing around her, leaning on each others shoulders, laughing with tears of joy. People were hugging, knees were being slapped and everyone was jumping up and down.

"Ugh…" Zelda groaned. "What's going on?"

The huge Goron answered the question by picking her off the ground and giving her a bear hug, lifting her high in the air.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" he yelled, squeezing the air out of Zelda.

When Gonga realized what he was doing, he promptly put her down.

"Oops, sorry Princess," he apologized. "Didn't mean to."

"That's uh…that's okay…" she said back.

She was a little bit disoriented, but she shrugged it off and regained her bearings. Zelda turned around, expecting to see Link sleeping peacefully in the straw. To her great surprise, he wasn't there at all.

The only thing there was the armor that she had taken off earlier.

It just sat there, waiting for her to pick it up.

Just as Zelda was about to grab it, a hand reached out to stop her.

"Can I help you with that Princess?" asked Link. "It would be unladylike for you to have to put that on all by yourself."

His light tone of voice stunned her, considering all he had just been through. Instead of being sick, the hero seemed to be quite healthy. An overwhelming feeling of relief washed over the Princess as she laid eyes upon him. The brightness had returned to his eyes along with the redness in his cheeks.

Link was perfectly fine, thanks to her.

Then and there, something remarkable happened to them both. The experiences they had just shared gave them a new lease on life, and the power to change the world. Whatever this new feeling was, it felt really good.

It was joy.

Pure and unbridled joy.

"You're…you're really here," Zelda said incredulously.

"Well of course! Where else would I be?" he replied, raising an eyebrow. "You gave me quite a scare with you lying on the floor all passed out like that. I think you should be more careful."

The Princess frowned at him, half in jest and half seriously.

"Really Link, you're not funny," she grumbled. "You nearly die and I have to go out of my way to rescue you and then I don't even get a 'thank you'."

This time he just stared at her, peering into her soul with his cobalt blue eyes.

"But I did…" he whispered into her ear.

"I know," Zelda answered. "I know…"

Link proceeded to help the Princess to her feet. Dusting herself off, Zelda gave him the honor of letting him latch her silver armor back on. He enjoyed himself greatly, and wrapped his arms around her rather seductively so.

That prompted several jealous glares from Malon, who was watching them like a hawk.

"That farm girl really hates me," Zelda said jokingly.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Link retorted, his eyes rolling back.

"Hee hee, okay I'll be nicer to her," she said, batting her eyelashes. "She is one of your friends after all."

"Yeah, but do you think she'll she give us the horses for free?"









The next day: outside the ranch

It was wonderful.

Everyone had a horse. That is, everyone except Gonga. He would roll wherever they needed to go.

They all had food and Malon gave Link a spiffy new green tunic.

Malon was running a business, so they weren't free of charge. Seeing as had only ten rupees between them, the Princess had to give up her golden crown for horses and supplies. Not only that, but out of the kindness of her heart Malon gave Zelda her good pair of thigh high boots.

Now the Princess didn't have to walk around in her undergarments.

It had been a fair trade.

On top of her splendid white horse, Zelda rode up next to the Hero of Time.

"Now that you're in good health, where are we headed to next?" she asked him.

He scratched his head for a moment, not really knowing the answer.

"Hmm, anywhere I suppose. The question is where do we start?" Link replied.

"Well, we have to warn all the races, just in case Gorkhan tries another stunt," Zelda said thoughtfully. "It's either the Gorons or the Zoras, and I've always been partial to the Lake."

When she finished her sentence, the hero's face turned stark white. He backed Epona away from her, shaking his head the entire time.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, I mean the Zoras are very antisocial and such and we wouldn't want to bother them is all," he said very quickly.

The Princess narrowed her eyes at him until they were slits.

She called to her attendant.

"Jade! Come here!" she bellowed.

"Yes Majesty?" said the boy as he rode up to her.

"Give me your dagger and a rupee," Zelda ordered.

He fished around in his saddlebag and pulled out one green rupee and handed the Princess his rusty dagger. He watched in amazement as Zelda carved into one flat side a single notch and on the other two notches.

She held up the rupee.

"One scratch and we go to Kakariko," she slyly whispered. "Two scratches and we go to Lake Hylia."

With that, she tossed it high into the air. It twirled a few times, then plummeted to the earth, landing in the short grass.

Jade got off his horse and searched for the rupee.

He quickly located it.

"It landed on two!" exclaimed the Sheikah.

Princess Zelda wore a grin that went from ear to ear. To be mean, she stuck her tongue out at Link, turned her mount to the south and rode off.

"Lake Hylia it is!" the Princess yelled as the others began to follow her.

The hero slumped over in his saddle. It was happening again.

"Damn it, not her again…"Link thought.

He was about to do something else he would regret.


End Chapter Four




Proceed to Chapter Five