Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Link: Lucky Number 13 ❯ So It Begins ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

You know, laying face first in the dirt is one thing, but when it begins to rain it's another. I've been laying here listening to the water in the moat and the rain beating down on me for an ungodly period of time. In that time I've come to reflect on my life. Once again brace yourself for a flashback.

It turns out my 3-day stay in Termina was actually a 15-day stay. I was more than a little flustered by this when I came back to the Kokiri and learned that. I decided that I would take Zelda her ocarina after I got a little rest from the trip. I awoke the next day to the beautiful face of the forest sage, more commonly known as, Saria.

"Where have you been sleepy head?" she asked, slightly knocking on my forehead.

"If you would let me get something to eat, I'll gladly tell you," I replied in a tone that was probably harsher than I would have liked.

She got off my bed allowing me to get dressed; she blushed slightly at my shirtless form. If I were a vain person, I probably would have felt a surge of ego, but I dismissed it as nothing and continued on. As we made our way to, of all people, Mido's house for breakfast, we somehow ended up discussing my adventures in Termina.

"Wow! You mean to tell me you do that all the time?" Saria asked me with childish amazement.

I, on the other hand, didn't see the big deal. I hit things with a sword, they died, and I helped a few people. Whoo hoo!

"Yep, that's it. It's nothing really major, though." I said it without thinking. If I stopped and thought a little longer then I may have realized that, to a person who can't leave a forest, traveling anywhere is a big deal. Notice that this was before the whole Ganondorf thing in this particular timeline, so she was blind to my Hyrulian adventures.

"Hey, how about you tell that story to the others sometime?" Saria had an infectious smile on par with Zelda's...

Zelda, I thought.

I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to bring her ocarina back.

"Yeah, uh huh, sure," I said lamely as Saria began to speak about something. "I have to go. Bye!" I shouted back to her, running full burst to my tree house to retrieve the artifact.

I threw open my saddlebag, and boy was I relieved when I finally saw it. I made like the wind running for the exit of Kokiri then.

She's probably in all kinds of trouble about this thing, I thought making my way into the field. I ignored the sudden onslaught of rain as I made it to the castle gate. Why is it closed? I remember thinking to myself.

No sooner than the thought was over did the gate slam open. And there came Impa, racing full steam with the princess under her arm.

"No! Not again! No, no, no!" I screamed in a frustrated agony, because this was merely the prelude to the storm that was my repetitive life.

Kaepora said Hyrule was safe. Why the hell was this all happening again? I turned then, knowing full well that I'd meet gazes with a face I knew all too well. Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo Thieves, sat before me on his mighty stallion, yanking viscously on the beast's reins to keep it in check. Goddess damn it!

"Boy," he shouted at me. "Did you see which way they went?" He snarled down at me from his black stallion impatiently as ever.

"Fuck you!" I shouted it… but I was used to my deeper voice. My childlike show of bravado seemed comical, even to me.

He laughed at me then, a weird mix of bass and genuine amusement composed the sound. "Such harsh words for a child," he chided with a false tone of authority. "Maybe I should teach you some manners?"

With that he powered up and fired, but ah, ah, ah. I'd lived this three times before. So I dodged, startling even him.

"Is that the best you can do," I taunted him, thumbing my nose to the shoddy effort. "You did better than that the first time we went through this." I spat at him, then. He looked puzzled by my comment, for reasons... hell I don't know. He just looked puzzled.

"Have it your way," the king of thieves chuckled.

Hey, I had a shiny new shield and sword from my stint in Termina; I was ready for him.

*Crack*

I was out like a light.

He hit me with a wave of energy, in the chest as usual, that made me wish that I took the first one. I awoke awhile later with a blistering headache and singed clothes. I've had worse, but it hurt all the same.

"What happened?" I groggily asked, as though there were spectators to answer. Slowly, I got to my feet.

"Ganondorf is after the Triforce. It is up to you to…" my eyes drifted upwards to meet Kaepora. He was perched on the closed gate of Castle Town doing that weird head rotation thing of his.

"What the hell do you mean it's up to me?" I swore at him. "You said that Hyrule was safe. Now, why is he back?" I was angry, more like irate. I was supposed to be done with this Hero of Time mess after Termina; I was supposed to be left alone to focus on getting with Zelda; I was supposed to get to be happy now. Then in a gesture that was clearly meant for intimidation, Kaepora took to the air and landed about a foot in front of me. I've faced bigger opponents, but something about a 5-foot-tall owl that is all the same unnerving. I showed my iron by not flinching a muscle as he lowered his absolutely huge head into my face.

"I told you, dear boy, you do not have to yell." His face unconsciously rotated until it was almost upside down.

"Fine," I told him through my clenched teeth.

He began to pace, more like hop as his tale began. "As I was saying, Ganondorf is after the Triforce."

"I know that much," I interjected sharply.

Kaepora continued speaking as though I hadn't. "The princess holds the key to the Triforce. So, I've arranged for Impa to hide her away from Ganondorf's ever watchful eye. Now it is time for you to take your place as the Hero of Time." I cringed when he spoke those last words. I thought maybe, just maybe, things would turnout different this time, but alas, time doesn't seem to like me much.

"Let's go, the sooner this ends, the sooner it can begin again," I said through a large and rather defeated sigh.

Kaepora did the freaky face thing again before taking me to the Temple of Time. My annoyance level furthered as it appeared that he didn't even know what I was talking about. I let it slide and made my way into the temple. Even though I knew what was to go down from there, I couldn't say that I was particularly thrilled about it.

"Damn I need the..." The twinkle of three swirling gems caught my eye, but I didn't retrieve them. Something was off. I knew what I had to do, but the odd circumstances and little things that were out of order made me stop and think.

"Go on, you don't have all day," Kaepora tells me with more bossiness than I remembered him to have. The anger resurfaced and temporarily stamped my judgment out of commission. I looked up at that owl on the windowsill, and for a split second I wanted his head. I shook it off, though. From there I went into my nice 7-year stupor... again! Do you know how annoying it is to get adjusted to a different height and weight over and over again? Of course you don't, it's not one of your problems.

I awakened 7 years later to listen to the BS story for the 4th time. Afterwards, with the Master Sword in hand, I stepped out into the corrupted world of new. First on my agenda this time: Get Epona. I was not running myself ragged again. I noticed the world was, unfortunately, just as dark and just as gloomy as always around the castle. So, making my way passed all of the usual garbage in the ruined town and back into Hyrule Field, I started jogging towards Lon-Lon Ranch. Call it an Epiphany, but a thought occurred to me: Why bother?

I stopped cold because it was a good question.

"Why not just go back and beat him before his third of the Triforce gets any stronger?" I asked myself aloud.

Before I even arrived at an answer, I took out the Ocarina of Time-seeing as I couldn't give it to Zelda before this all went down-and used it to warp back to the Temple of Time. I put the Master Sword back, rode the wave of time back home... well not really my home, but... oh you know what I mean. I was back in my youthful body, still strapped with my Great Fairy Sword and that hideous Mirror Shield from Termina. Over the course of three years, I wondered all over the place. I don't know why I exactly I did it, but I gathered most of my old weapons. Okay, so I do know why, but I did it years before they would be needed. It was also during these times that I started noticing Gerudo all over the place. They mainly stayed in Castle Town, but the occasional one would be spotted in Kakariko Village.

I was 13 at the end of those 3 years, the first time I had ever experienced this age... awake, anyway. I was about as big as I was at 17, so I figured now was a good a time as any to get the Silver Gauntlets from the Desert Colossus. I had stayed in contact with Malon consistently, and I even worked on the ranch part time. So when I asked to borrow Epona, I was met with a resounding yes.

"Have fun Link!" I remember her sweet voice trailing behind me as I rode away.

"You know, she likes you," Navi comment from under my hat. I almost fell off the horse because her voice surprised me so. This Navi seemed a lot quieter than the previous incarnations, so quiet in fact that I hardly even knew she was there.

"I know," I replied, grinning despite myself. I liked Malon. I just liked Zelda more... and speaking of her, I searched everywhere for her. Impa hid her well, but the funny thing is, when I did find her... Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I met the majority of the people I know in search of Zelda-the Goron and the Zora, mainly. Darunia wasn't as grumpy this time around, seeing as the food was still in good supply on Death Mountain.

Then... wait a second.

"Aaah!"

Gee, I've been out here longer than I thought. It's already sunrise, I notice, as the events of the night before slowly roll into my mind. I feel cold. Just had to roll out of the way didn't you? I find myself thinking, realizing that this pain could have ended if I had let the gate crush me. Oh well. I better go home... or that I think about it, as a new revelation has finally told me, I don't truly have a home, do I? The Kokiri have accepted me, but I know I don't belong there. I definitely can't live in town; I'll be too close to "her." Ha! Am I really so pathetic till I can't even speak her name? "Yes," I say, slowly getting to my feet. I take one more glance around before I set off on a journey, not in the name of time, not in the name of Hyrule, but a journey for me.

Author's Notes: Another one gone. Another one down. Another one bites the dust!