There is a fairly brief author's note following this chapter. Barring some sort of calamity on my end, I will be uploading a new chapter every other week.
- - - - -
Prologue: The Hero Steps Out
Scattered across time, a thousand boys take up swords against evil, forging a legend. Each story has its own world, its own evils, its own challenges. But all of them have a Link. A hero who from the moment of his birth was fated to save their world. This thread winds its way through every possible reality, every Hyrule, every world that needs a hero.
But destiny only extends so far. Eventually the story ends, leaving the heroes to complete their time upon the mortal coil. Most adapt easily to peaceful life, some search for new adventures. At the end of a story, however, the hero's work is done.
Unless something interferes.
Faint music floated down the cliff, winding its way around rocks and protruding branches. The haunting melody curled over dusty paths, slowly approaching the gates of Hyrule City. Even in the bustling crowds the people could hear the music, quiet notes cutting through the general hubbub. Some of the older Hylians smiled and went about their business, though the younger looked around for the source of the music. Most would never find it, though a few would look over the walls, toward Hyrule Castle, and the cliff beside it.
If they looked carefully enough, they might see a figure by the edge of the cliff. Many days he would be calmly sitting on the rock, playing a melody so beautiful that it softened even the hardest of eyes. It was so rare to see him playing that it was almost a local legend; everyone had to believe the legend itself, of course, but to catch a glimpse of one who had lived through the actual events...
Slowly Link pulled the ocarina from his mouth. He glanced down at it wistfully, running his hands over the smooth blue surface, fingering the golden Triforce icon briefly. How often did he get a chance to sit here alone, to relax for just a moment?
Beginning another song, Link played as he simply gazed out over the cliff, over the waters that separated Hyrule from the rest of the world. They lapped against the rocks below, softly, it seemed to him. Out here it was peaceful, quiet. If they would let him just live, he would have been happy. But such things were not allowed him. He was the Hero of Time, after all.
It was his job, and he enjoyed it. Had he been allowed to continue his life from before, trekking across the land and fighting monsters, he would have been happy. But such was almost unread of, these days. Not after going back in time. Instead he played his role as hero through endless political drudgeries.
There were only two shelters from this new world. The first was here, outside of the castle, and the second was on the training grounds. Two places where he could truly be himself, without what everyone else required of him.
Not that he was going to complain about his life. No, he was far too old to complain. Link smiled somewhat thoughtfully, pausing his tune to close his eyes and just feel the breeze through his hair. Old. He wasn't old yet. Barely over twenty in physical years; young enough that the elder Hylians still considered him a child. But it wasn't possible to go through the ordeal of a battle for the entire world, to traverse time, to see all of Hyrule cloaked in darkness without growing much older than one had any right to be.
Again Link played, losing himself in the music. It would not be long before something else required his presence again. Of that much he was certain. Lately he had been feeling apprehensive, sensing something that he couldn't quite define but knew was coming. Forgetting about such things, Link brought the music to a lingering end.
"I still love that song."
Glancing to his left, Link saw Zelda sitting on a nearby rock, just watching him. He smiled slightly at her and replaced the Ocarina of Time in a pouch at his side. Closing her eyes, Zelda seemed to lose track of time for a moment.
"It isn't quite like the lullaby that Impa used to play for me," she reflected. "You added your own flavor to it, made it a real masterpiece."
"I had good material," Link answered, though the end of his sentence drifted into a sigh. "I suppose there is something I have to do now?"
"Not this time," Zelda shook her head slightly. "I just wanted to join you out here."
"Ah." Link nodded and glanced out to the horizon again.
"Though I did have something I wanted to talk about." Link glanced to Zelda to find her frowning thoughtfully toward the sky. "You've felt it, haven't you? A climate of evil descending upon this realm..."
"Yes." Link absentmindedly fingered the hilt of the sword at his back. "It doesn't feel the same, though. There's something that doesn't feel like it's from Hyrule... not even from this world. I get the feeling that whatever is coming will be of far greater stakes."
"That's a good way to define it," Zelda agreed softly. "I know what you mean; it's just hard to explain it."
Abruptly both their heads snapped around, glancing toward the source of a disturbance that echoed in their souls. They looked just in time to see a sphere of darkness expanding, beginning to eclipse the sky, overlapping all of Hyrule and approaching at a rapid rate. Instinctively Link rose to his feet in front of Zelda. His blade was flashing in the sun and his other hand rested just over his heart.
Swiftly the sphere blew past them, and Zelda had to brace herself against what felt like a bitterly cold wind. When it passed, however, she discovered that she was fine, and the warmth of the sun overhead had returned. Nothing seemed damaged, there was no evil presence, everything was exactly the same... but Link was gone.
The door to the pub smashed open, banging against the wall. Two bulky men crowded through the entrance, ducking under the doorframe, and noisily made their way toward the bar. A group of Hylians sitting around a table glanced up from their cards; a few drunks near a corner looked at them confusedly; most of the patrons turned to them with vaguely surprised expressions; the bartender set down the cup he was drying and sighed. Only one man failed to react, sleeping in a drunken stupor at the end of the bar.
"Give me a Goron Rockbuster," the first of the men growled.
"Same here." The other slapped his hand on the bar conspicuously.
"Got cash?" The bartender didn't blink at the men towering over him.
"Course I do!" the man growled, as if suggesting such a thing was the height of absurdity. He slammed down a few glittering rupees. "Snap to it, ya lazy bastard."
"That's a strong drink," the bartender commented, filling a large mug carefully. "Take it slowly."
"Strong? This ain't strong!" the second of the men guffawed. Taking his mug, he took a swig and smirked toward the bartender. The next moment he made a slight choking sound and steadied himself on the bar with one hand. His face turned bright red, but no sounds came from his mouth. Eventually he wheezed, "Not... strong at... all."
"Now who's this bum?" the other demanded. "Get him outta my seat."
"I don't have any bums in my establishment," the bartender answered quickly, "or at least I didn't. Who are you talking about?"
"No bums, eh? Then who's the damn fool slumped at the end of the bar?" He thrust a thick finger at the slumped figure in the plain brown tunic. Immediately the bartender turned back to another glass, swiftly drying it and not looking up at the two giants before the bar.
"I suggest you find other seats, gentlemen," he said softly.
"Like hell I'll find another seat!"
"We always take the corner!" the other man asserted gruffly.
"Some fool in a working man's tunic with a rusty old sword is gonna take our place?"
"Keep quiet," the bartender snapped. "You can respect the rules or I'll have to order you out."
"Who's gonna stop us?" one of the burly men sneered. "You?"
"This guy ticks me off," the other rumbled. He stomped across the length of the bar toward the figure that remained slumped on the barstool. Reaching him, he slammed a fist down into the counter beside him loudly. "Get up and move!"
"Be quiet," the figure mumbled, not opening his eyes.
"I'll show you quiet!" the giant Hylian roared. Pulling a large sword from his back, he raised it into the air amid noises of mild surprise from the entire bar. Before anyone could stop him, the man swung his blade down, aiming to sever the offender's head from his body.
At that moment the slumped body moved, jerking up from its slumped position. As the blade swung down he smashed the back of his hand into the flat of the blade, sending it skidding. Before the larger man could even look startled, his nose and a fist combined in a disturbing crack. He flew through the air, crashing over a chair and collapsing to the floor.
Leaning back against the bar, the mysterious patron glanced down at the fallen man. With a slightly sleepy nod he got to his feet and moved down the bar. Walking beside the other brute, he found the unconscious man's drink, took a long stick out of his mouth and downed it all in one go. He set the mug down heavily in front of the bartender and returned the stick to his mouth.
"I'll clean up in a sec," he muttered. "Put the chair on my tab."
"Hey, little man," a voice rumbled over his shoulder. He turned to look disinterestedly. "I don't like it when people hit my friends."
"I don't like it when people lack basic hygiene," the man answered without turning. For a moment the brute made a choking noise, then he slammed a fist into the other's back, aiming to smash him into the bar. Instead, the slender man merely staggered and then grinned over his shoulder lopsidedly. Gasping in pain, the huge man held his shaking hand, his knuckles bleeding.
"Now, in retrospect, that was a pretty stupid idea, wasn't it?" the man asked dryly, working his stick to the other side of his mouth.
"What's your damn back made out of?"
"Magically enhanced mail, at the moment."
By the time the smaller man had turned from the counter his sword was drawn, pommel glancing across the other man's forehead. Before the body had completely fallen the sword was back in its sheath. As the brute dropped to the ground, the bar's patron calmly dragged him and the other man out the door, then hurled them into the street like they weighed almost nothing.
He returned to the bar moments later and sat down by the bartender, first drinking the remaining Goron Rockbuster. The bartender just nodded to him.
"Thanks, Link."
"Not a problem," Link shrugged. His eyes seemed surprisingly clear and focused. "Some people just need to be reminded they're overcompensating for something. Do I have anything left on my tab?"
"I'll consider your bouncer action as payment for the chair," the bartender answered. "See you around."
"Yeah, I'll be here opening time tomorrow." Link took a few steps away from the bar before a black wave swept across the room. Everyone in the bar shuddered collectively and when they looked again Link was gone like he'd never existed. There was an extremely long silence as everyone glanced at each other, eyes shifting. Eventually the bartender picked up another glass and expressed the feelings of everyone.
"Well... crap."
Whistling softly, Link strolled across the lawn toward the door of the small cottage. Again, moving across the soft grass, he marveled at how light he felt. Almost like he would float away. Even several years after, he still wasn't quite used to it.
No longer did he have a heavy shield and a sword on his back. No longer did he carry large pouches of seeds. There was no more need to wear a combat-fit tunic. He'd kept it anyway, though, more comfortable in it than anything else. But without so much equipment constantly on his person he felt as light as air.
Entering the door quietly, Link set the sack of firewood he was carrying next to the fireplace and hung his hood up on a hook. Stretching with a short yawn, he breathed in the air around him. Something smelled especially good today. As he wandered into the kitchen he discovered the something was on the stove, being stirred by his wife as she hummed softly to herself. Creeping across the floor noiselessly, he slid his arms around her from behind.
"Welcome home, Link," she responded calmly, quite used to his lurking.
"Hello, Din," he greeted her warmly. "How was your day?"
"The usual," she responded, gracefully turning and embracing him fully. "How about you?"
"Nothing that amazing. I had to travel half-way across the country to find everything I needed, but it wasn't too much of a problem. It's just good to be home."
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes or so."
"That was nice of you."
"Longer if you don't let go of me."
"Nah, not enough motivation."
Laughing softly, she kissed him. He readily responded and they remained there for a quiet eternity. Closing his eyes, Link just lived in the moment, holding her close to him, tangling a hand in her long red hair. Abruptly Din's eyes opened and she pushed away slightly.
"...something!" she gasped. Instantly Link's face was serious, eyes narrow.
"What?"
"I'm not sure what it is, but it's coming this way quickly!"
Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Link moved toward his sword resting by the door. His hand was almost touching it when a black wave broke through the entire house, sweeping over them and dropping the temperature dramatically. Din summoned a warmer wind even as she opened her eyes. Her husband was nowhere to be seen.
Putting a hand to her head to focus, Din felt for his familiar presence. It was nowhere. Wherever he had been taken, it was beyond her reach, beyond all elements or seasons. So far away...
Stepping out onto the balcony, Zelda shivered slightly as a cool breeze blew past her. It was such a lovely morning. Moving to the edge, the princess of Hyrule swept her gaze over the courtyards below. At this early hour, there were no people, no troublesome problems, no petty meetings. This was what Hyrule was meant to be... an unbroken land of peacefulness. A slight smile appeared on Zelda's face.
"Nice view, princess... especially from up here."
There went the smile, and the mood, and the morning.
"Dammit, Link! Get a new script writer and stop leering at me!" she snapped upward. Whirling huffily, Zelda vanished from the balcony. One of these days she'd remember that Link lived in the Triforce tower above her and loved nothing more than to ogle her from that vantage point. Eventually she'd get used to it and put on more than a shift...
Chuckling to himself, Link stepped back from the edge of his own balcony. She'd never learn, and he'd keep capitalizing on the fact until she did. Turning and moving into his own room, Link stretched and glanced about it briefly. Boring, as usual. In the center of the tower the Triforce glowed just slightly, soft blue light dim in the morning sun.
"'ello, Triforce," Link muttered as he walked past it toward his bed. "Stupid triangle."
As usual, it did not answer. He was glad it didn't, as he wasn't in the mood for cryptic rhymes right now. How odd it was, being imprisoned by a blue triangle resting atop a pedestal. Sure, it was his job to protect it, but couldn't it get out of the house from time to time?
Sitting back on the bed, Link idly threw his pillow at the triangle, knocking it off the edge. Worthless thing. How much would it matter if anyone evil got their hands on it, anyway? Getting up, he retrieved his pillow and set the Triforce back in its place, grumbling continually. He could see a few uses for it... but it was hardly terrifying power. It didn't feel quite right for something like that to be the Triforce.
There was no way he could get back to sleep now, not after seeing Zelda. Might as well get to "work." Going to a wall, Link strapped on his shield and sword, considered his bow and other items, but decided to leave them. Equipped. Not like it really mattered.
Opening the large wooden door to his room, Link began walking down the stairs. He got a fair distance before a squeaking voice drove him to a halt.
"Stop right there, buster!" Sprite growled, as best a fairy could. Rolling his eyes and folding his arms, Link let the floating fairy stop him. "What do you think you're doing? Someone has to protect the Triforce!"
"Sure someone does," Link answered. "Seriously, though, it doesn't matter. Maybe Ganon would try to steal it again... big whoop. Maybe some monster could attack... they've never beaten me before, have they? Maybe some- what is that coming this way?"
Sprite, despite her better judgment, turned just slightly. In an instant Link was sprinting down the stairs, laughing maniacally.
"Hey!"
"Get over it!" he called back. "What's the worst that could happen?"
A wave of darkness swept past the tower, momentarily quenching Sprite's light. When she returned to her normal state, Link was gone from the stairs as if he had never existed.
"That stupid boy," Sprite muttered, fluttering after him. "Did he actually jump off the side of the tower?"
Picking up speed, Sprite continued down the spiraling stairs at a rapid rate. She'd catch up to him eventually. It was some time later that she met Zelda on her way up the stairs. Both of them stared at each other for a moment, glanced over the side of the tower, then sighed heavily. This couldn't be good.
"Bad storm, eh Link?"
Glancing down from the rigging toward the head of the boat, Link merely grunted. Speaking was somewhat difficult when one was handling the entire yard, hoisting a sail by oneself, and adjusting several ropes at once. Finishing his task, Link slid down one rope toward the ship, ignoring the burn on his skin.
Stepping to the front of the small vessel, Link put one hand to the masthead and glanced forward. Lightning flashed darkly, waves lapped up over the deck with massive force. Ahead of them, a solid downpour of rain loomed.
"A terrible storm it is."
"The sea is angry," the boat told him sagely. "Something is not right, and the powers far beneath the sea have become enraged. Their wrath thunders over the heavens."
"Do you know why?" Link asked, tying one of the ropes to a ring at the side of the ship. "Does it concern me or the village?"
"Nay, lad. It is far greater... something much deeper into reality."
"Ah. It's not my problem, then. Right now we should focus on riding out this storm."
"We must focus on one thing at a time, yes," the boat answered him. Whatever else it said was cut off by a particularly vicious and dark wave that crashed over the ship. When it had passed, the ship determined that it had not taken on too much water and continued. "But you should perhaps be concerned with greater things."
There was only silence in response. Straining to look behind it, the ship waited for a hand to guide it further. Nothing followed. "Link? ...Link? Link!"
An unnatural calm seemed to rest over the clearing, an aura of reverence that could not be broken. Dozens of trees surrounded the small space, each gnarled and ancient. They all seemed to bow toward the center of the clearing in respect.
Unassumingly the stone sat, moving as little as it had for centuries. Grass was growing all around it, thick and lush, as if the clearing had been forgotten. But the stone itself was clean and unmarred, only slightly worn by time, proving that it had been well kept. Time had done nothing to wear away the inscription carved deep within the rock:
Link
Hero of Hyrule
May he rest in peace
There was silence for time immeasurable, for little changed in the small clearing. Abruptly a terrible force tore through it, making the trees tremble as if from a powerful wind. When the disturbance had passed, the clearing returned to as it had been before. But now the ground before the tombstone was torn away, leaving a gaping hole. Within the hole there was absolutely nothing.
Frantically the fairy beat its wings, trying to escape. What it was escaping from it could not fully understand, but it knew that time was running out. Buzzing forward as fast as possible, it darted around a rocky outcropping and continued speeding low over the rocky ruins. Ever since it had arrived here it had felt something... and now that something had vanished completely.
Finally it saw light, grass, something other than these dark ruins and shadowy clouds. With a burst of joyous speed it flew over the ground toward the freedom the simple grass and trees offered. Almost there, the fairy gave a slight cry and rose into the air, flying free...
A white glove closed around it firmly, crushing its wings almost instantly. Vainly it struggled against the light fingers and found itself completely helpless. It was lifted before a shadowed face, split in a gleaming smile. The instant the small being's eyes met that smile the broken wings ceased their fluttering.
White boots. Tight grey leggings. Colorless Kokiri tunic. Long white hood. Pointed ears. Grey eyes. Terrible grey eyes. Shuddering, the fairy winched its eyes closed in an effort to keep away from the horrors that it saw within.
"You are becoming almost disappointing," the being murmured down at the tiny creature in his hand. "There are so few challenges any longer. Once the Gorons fell no one has showed any spine. No one except him, but you obviously know nothing of that."
As he spoke, the monster slowly ripped away each of the fairy's wings, making it scream in pain. Dropping the bloody parts to the ground, the light figure began slowly tightening his hand, snapping the fairy's bones ever so slowly. The line that served for a mouth twisted slightly. Loosening his grip, he let his victim writhe in pain.
"You'll pay for all this, Link," the fairy cried. "Some day..."
"Will I?" Link's grin twisted further, his eyes gleaming with a cold light. Abruptly all cruelty vanished beneath the surface of his face as he glanced to the side. After a moment of watching with narrow eyes he tossed the fairy's dying body aside.
"A strange madness," he eventually muttered. "Very well." Snapping his fingers, he waited impatiently as a skeleton approached him from the shadows behind him. The creature moved to one knee immediately and Link turned to stare down upon it.
"My lord?"
"Get all my equipment. I will be going away for a short time."
"Why, my lord?"
"It is not my will. I assure you, whoever is responsible will suffer for their offense. Now hurry."
Bowing a final time, the creature moved back into darkness. In a few minutes it returned, carrying a large amount of equipment. It staggered under the weight as Link swiftly gathered his weapons about him. Strapping on the final item, an ornate white sheath, he stiffened his limbs and waited.
A sphere of darkness swept past him, leaving the Stalfos alone in the ruins. The last the undead eyes had seen of its master was the beginning of a laugh.
Rock eroded. Water cycled from the ground to the sky. Winds circled the globe. The earth itself trembled just slightly as tectonic plate shifted. Light and darkness danced as the sun crawled across the sky. Men and beasts lived and died and returned to the elements.
The world did not touch the dark figure atop the cliff. His silvery-blond hair did not stir in the wind, nor would light or shadow dare to approach him. None of the creatures moving on the surface of the planet could draw his gaze from the distance, piercing above a dark cloth drawn over the lower half of his face. A black tunic covered all of his body, nearly absorbing the shadowy sheath upon his back.
When the sphere of darkness swept through his being he did not blink. After a long moment his eyes shifted to watch it expand until it faded from the world. The blue eyes moved down to the earth below, seeing beyond it. As they rose something changed, a shimmer of an emotion like an old friend returning after a long absence.
Then there were only shadows.
The man leapt high, narrowly avoiding the monster speeding for his feet. In midair he changed directions, barely landing on the edge of the narrow platform. Immediately he jumped again, crossing the chasm falling away endlessly beneath him. Upon landing he was instantly forced to jump over another enemy. Now the hard part.
Sharp edges whistled through the air around him as he simultaneously leapt over a slicing blade and ducked to avoid the spikes covering the ceiling. Kicking off the ground, he hurriedly jumped again, narrowly avoiding the fireballs shooting from the lava beneath him. He landed on the edge of the conveyor belt and pushed forward, hoping another fireball wouldn't form before-
"Link!"
"Gyah!" Immediately the man slipped backward, dropping off the conveyor belt and into the lava. Flashing brilliantly, he vanished into the air. At the same moment a large red crystal struck the floor and clattered to rest. Grumbling, Link reached to pick it up. "Aw, Mom... I almost had it that time!"
"I've called you several times," his mother told him crossly, standing in the doorway of his room with her arms folded. "Couldn't you hear me?"
"Erm..." Link scratched the back of his head nervously. "I guess I was kind of involved with the game."
"Yes, you were." His mother shook her head. "We should never have bought you that fool thing. Anyway, I need you to go downtown and pick up some meat for dinner. We just ran out today."
Link pulled himself to his feet, making the unbelievable amount of energy this required quite obvious. Snorting dismissively, his mother vanished down the stairs. Moving to the crystal screen at one end of his room, Link tapped the rune that controlled the magic power outlet to the machine. The words "Game Over" faded away as he picked up the controlling crystal and set it carefully beside the screen. New combinations of magic and technology were always terribly finicky; he couldn't afford to lose the system a few weeks after he bought it.
After adjusting his pants and t-tunic in his mirror, Link thumped down the stairs. His mother was in the kitchen, working with the rest of dinner. Seeing him, she stopped and began rooting through a leather pouch at her side.
"This should do," she told him, handing him several light red bills. "Meat shouldn't cost more than two twenties."
"Yeah, whatever," Link yawned, taking the money and depositing it in a pocket. The youth was soon gone, leaving the door clapping closed loudly behind him. Rolling her eyes, his mother sighed and went back about her work. Teenagers.
Outside, Link continued on, glancing about randomly at the city around him. Absolutely nothing was happening, which was basically head-line news around here. If he had the choice, he'd stay inside as long as possible. How dare she tell him to run an errand? For crying out loud, it was summer; if he didn't have to go to school he didn't want to leave the house.
A horse blew past Link on the street, running dangerously close.
"Watch where you're going!" Link yelled after him, knowing his words probably wouldn't reach their destination. Stupid rich jerks. They could afford to buy horses and go joyriding; they'd probably just get bailed out by their rich parents if the City Knights caught them.
"Where are you going, punk?"
Hearing the voice, Link froze. Fearfully he turned to see the exact person he did not want to see walking toward him. The much larger youth was sneering at him, several of his meat-headed buddies strolling along with him. Not good.
"Still hoping the big and ugly look will come back into style?" Link asked, smirking at the direction of his larger classmate. Growling, the older boy rushed forward, grabbing him by his collar and lifting him off the ground.
"You trying to pick a fight, Link?"
"No, not really," he answered, doing his best not to seem nervous.
"That's good, because I'd wipe the floor with your ass." He gave a sneer that was unpleasant even by sneer standards. "The only way a scrawny little punk like you could take me down is with magic and- oh! Guess who got a D in Intermediate Magic last year?"
"At least I know that two divided by seven isn't fourteen!" Link choked back. "Were you in a sophomore math last year? Were you even in remedial math?"
Rauru's face was inventing new colors on the lower end of the spectrum, making Link realize that he might have gone too far. The meaty boy raised a large fist behind him, aiming to bash it directly into Link's teeth. His hand began moving, when suddenly a wall of shadow and a freezing chill swept past the entire group.
Suddenly Link was falling. He couldn't completely describe what he felt, as if it was just beyond his comprehension, or in a direction he couldn't fathom. Instead of falling toward the ground, he fell backward endlessly. There was nothing to stop him, nothing he could catch, nothing but a drop through fathomless white space. It extended on and on and – Link winched his eyes shut to try and keep out the blankness...
But then he was standing on something. Opening his eyes, Link discovered he was looking into a thick wall of vegetation. Slowly he turned around himself, finding that he was in a cluster of tall, old trees. Green leaves formed a tight canopy over his head, letting only small shafts of sunlight through.
"What the hell is going on?" he muttered, putting a hand to his head. Moving to a tree, he kicked it with his shoe and succeeded in hurting his foot. Okay, that had been a bad idea. These things were all real, then, not an illusion.
Why was he here, then? He knew there was teleportation magic, but it hadn't felt anything like magic. Then again, his larger friend hadn't been lying: he sucked at the subject. And where would there be with so many trees? Almost all of them had been used in factories, if he remembered his history correctly. Sleeping during class didn't help his memory any.
More importantly, why would anyone have teleported him anywhere? He wasn't complaining about avoiding the blow that had been sure to come. Still, at the moment he was just standing in a bunch of trees, feeling rather stupid. No one appeared to explain what was going on and he felt like the universe let him down somehow.
Sighing, Link moved forward through the gaps in the trees. Might as well start exploring and find out where he was. It was slow going through the forest as the ground was covered in roots, but he made himself keep walking. Up ahead he abruptly saw firelight and he had to force himself not to rush toward it.
Moving carefully atop the roots, Link made his way toward the flame. It was farther away than he had thought, but he still reached it relatively quickly. There was a fire built in the center of the clearing, cooking some piece of meat on a spit over it. Realizing how hungry he was, Link moved forward toward the meat-
Suddenly his feet were dangling in the air, kicking uselessly. A strong and rough hand had closed around the back of his shirt and was holding him effortlessly above the ground. There was something sharp and cold at Link's back that felt to him almost like the point of a sword. Not the best of starts.
"Just a kid," a voice muttered, as if mildly surprised. The next moment Link's feet hit the ground hard. Immediately he turned toward the person who had grabbed him and discovered he was facing a slender man taller than himself. He was wearing a simple brown tunic that looked to Link like something out of a history book. One hand was firmly pointing an average-looking sword in his face, though he imagined average wounds would be good enough.
"Who are you?" Link demanded, moving back slightly before realizing he had nowhere to go but the fire.
"I have the sharp pointy object, I ask the questions," the man answered flatly. He was speaking standard, grammatically correct Hylian, but with a strange accent. Nothing he had heard before, even in a melting pot like Ruto City. "But my name is Link. What's yours?"
All thought of accents was blown out of Link's head. He mind stumbled over itself for a few moments, resisting the urge to babble incoherently.
"My name's Link too, sir."
"Don't give me that," Link answered, eyes narrowing. "Keep that up and I'll take out your vital organs with a spoon."
"No, honestly, my name really is-"
"Hey! Neither of you can be Link! I'm Link!" Both of them turned toward the new arrival, Link surprised and Link bringing his blade to bear. Link was standing between two other trees, his chest puffed up and a glittering blade in hand. Seeing their gazes move to him he grinned and struck a heroic pose.
"Oh, hell," Link muttered, throwing up his hands. "This just gets better and I'm surrounded by idiots."
"You say your name is Link too?" Link asked the new Link hesitantly.
"I am the one and only Link! You must be imposters!"
At that moment another figure stepped into the clearing, likewise wearing a green Kokiri tunic. Immediately all Links turned to look at him suspiciously.
"Uh, hi," Link said in a friendly fashion. "It seems there are a lot of us Links running around. Glad to meet you." Link glared at him viciously; Link raised an eyebrow; Link cursed and glanced back down at the fire. There was a long silence as Link watched Link watching Link and Link turned the food on the spit.
"Well," Link said, scratching the back of his head, "this could get confusing."
- - - - -
Yes, they'll get other names soon.
The characters in this story are from the various games and other sources, including my imagination. Except for explicit sequels, each game has a different Link and these are in parallel dimensions, not chronologically related (more of this will be explained later in the plot). I'm a Zelda fan too, but I've taken some artistic liberties. Please bear with any changes or extrapolations that aren't to your liking. I promise you I'm trying to make a good story, nothing else.
Also, I hate to say this because everyone does and it gets old, but feedback is always nice, even if just you're just noting you read the chapter. I put it online so other people could see it, after all.