Hello Fanfiction. Thanks for taking the time to read this story. Quick author's note, this is the sequel to A Pair of Unlikely Heroes which you need to know, Malon joined Link in his adventure to save Hyrule so there will be mentions and connections to it. You do not have to read that story to understand this one but if you have some free time, you should check it out. Anyways, enjoy this chapter... er, story!
Link Goes Home...
"The Great Evil King Ganondorf... beaten by this kid?! Link... raaahhhh!"
Link clutched the Master Sword in his right hand, kneeling to the ground in exhaustion from the fight with Ganondorf which had just concluded. The Sages and Zelda were now using their powers to seal the man into the Sacred Realm.
"I will find you Link! And next time... I will kill you!" Ganondorf growled as the doors closed, sealing Ganon under the Pedestal of Time.
Zelda let her hands fall to her sides and closed her eyes as a big sigh of relief escaped her mouth. She opened her eyes and looked around for the Hero of Time, who stood ten feet away from her, embracing the Heroine of Time, Malon, in a hug.
"Oh Fairy Boy, we did it! We finally did it!" Malon exclaimed while squeezing the Hero's life out of him.
Zelda smiled seeing the expressions upon their faces, knowing exactly how happy they were to be done with their laborious adventure. She slowly walked over to the two who separated from their embrace once they saw the princess approaching them.
"Your highness." they both said in unison, kneeling on one knee.
Zelda chuckled, "You just saved all of Hyrule and you are still talking to me with such formality?" he put her hands on Link's side, ushering he stand at his feet, Malon following suit. "Please, if anyone should be kneeling in respect, it should be me." Zelda gave a small curtsy of appreciation to them. "Thank you Link and Malon... Thanks to the both of you, Ganondorf has been sealed inside the Evil Realm. Thus, peace will once again reign in this world... for a time. All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule... and the hardships you both faced... was all my doing."
"Zelda, that's not-"
Zelda put a hand up, "Please allow me to finish." she said calmly to Link. "I was so young... I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm. I dragged the both of you into it too. Now it is time for me to make up for my mistakes... You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time... However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed..." Zelda looked into Link's eyes, shedding off a small smile. She placed her hand in front of her, "Link, give the ocarina to me... As a sage, I can return you to your original time with it." Link obediently pulled out the Ocarina, turned to look at Malon, then placed the instrument in Zelda's outstretched hand. "When peace returns to Hyrule... It will be time for us to say goodbye... Now Link, go first and go home. Regain your lost time! Home... where you are supposed to be... the way you are supposed to be..."
Link stepped forward, letting go of Malon's hand and stepped in front of Zelda, facing her directly. She smiled lightly at the Hero clad in green.
"Goodbye Link." Zelda said as she placed the ocarina on the crevice of her mouth.
Link looked at Malon and smirked. "See you in seven years... seven years ago that is."
Malon smiled as Zelda started playing. The entire time, Zelda stared into Link's eyes. Beginning to get transfixed by them. As she played the final note, she became so transfixed that she didn't pay attention to the notes that she tooted and out came a note that screeched an incredibly high note. Zelda let out a gasp as the light started shimmering around him.
"Oh no no no no no!" Zelda desperately said as she tried replaying the Song of Time at an incredibly fast rate but too late. Link was already gone.
Malon looked at Zelda with concerned eyes.
"Z-Zelda... what just happened?" Malon said weary eyed.
Instead of giving a reply, she quickly played the song, correctly this time, and Malon disappeared into the dark sky.
Car horn s blazed in the crowded streets below as the morning rush had started running. Link rubbed at his eyes as the crusty lids slowly opened and he turned in his bed grabbing the air next to him.
"Oh Malon... can you finally believe it... it's over!" Link suddenly stopped feeling around, noticing that the bed was empty besides him. "Malon?" Link sat up searched the room for his companion. "Zelda said that she would take us back but... where am I?" Link mumbled to himself. He looked around eyeing the strange surroundings in the room he sat in.
Link scanned the area carefully. He saw this thing hanging in the middle of the room, turning in circles. The thing gave off a small breeze making the room just cool enough to be tolerable. (A ceiling fan) He looked just besides him, noticing a strange rectangle sitting beside him on the small nightstand next to his bed. The box had numbers on it and looked as if it were supposed to be some sort of clock (An alarm clock). He stared at the strange contraption in front of him. A giant box like thing, sort of like the clock next to him, but this thing displayed a moving picture! He walked up to it to examine it but there wasn't anything behind it that projected the picture onto the screen.
There was still one thing missing...
Navi!
Link realized his fairy companion was nowhere to be seen. He frantically searched the cramped room but Link sighed. She was gone.
Link went to the closet and saw his tunic hanging nicely in it. He pulled on his clothes and grabbed his shield and the small ornate butter knife, better known as the Kokiri Sword. Reaching for the handle, he twisted the handle and headed for the stairs. He jogged down them and entered the last room in the dungeon, or as the sign said, the Marriot Hotel at Hyrule.
This room was arranged in such a way that it resembled the layout of the Bazaar in the Market. Link walked up to a cheery man who stood behind the counter, reading a book to pass his time.
The sound of his boots clanking against the lobby floor was all the man needed to know a guest was approaching him.
"Hello sir, welcome to the Marriot. How can I help you today?" the man asked in a friendly smile.
Link just stood there, confused as ever.
The man stared at him and attempted to end the awkward silence occurring.
"Um… sir, if you don't mind me asking, why are you dressed in such weird garb?"
Link looked at the man offensively. Never before had his clothing been considered funny looking. In fact, the women back in his time considered his attire to be classy and... sexy.
Link didn't want to get into an argument and proceeded to ask the man a question,
"Could you please direct me to the castle? I need to speak with the princess."
"P-Princess!? What are you talking about? The last time I checked, we run under a DEMOCRACY!" the man said in a mocking sort of tone. "Anyways, I can tell you where the old castle is anyways." He reached around to the other side of the desk and reached toward a pile of maps stacked neatly on top of each other. "Alright, the hotel is here," he circled the position with a red pen. "and the castle is way up here in the northern part of the city."
Link grabbed the map, "Thank you."
He stared at the map and started making his way to the front door but the front desk man called out to him.
"Would you like me to call you a cab?"
"Um... what's a cab?"
"Your serious right now aren't you? Oh... how do I explain this... It sort of like a car that takes you anywhere you want to go for a small fee."
'What's a car?' Link thought but to escape embarrassment, just asked for a simple horse.
The man told him to wait a few minutes and the carriage would be here. True to his word, five minutes passed by and Link was told his "ride" was here.
Link stared around in awe as he took his first steps outside the building. Everywhere he looked, he saw automatically run carriages moving across the streets or cars as he had been told they were. Lights, bright flashing lights hung upon a myriad of signs suspended up quit a bit above the road. The thing that impressed him the most were the humongous building that soared to incredible heights and seemed to scape the edges of the sky. There were many vendors along the sidewalks selling various articles of clothing, toys for children and... hot dogs. The only thing that seemed familiar to him was the horse and carriage parked just outside the hotel.
Link walked up to the carriage and sat down inside the wagon. He looked all over for driver but Link couldn't distinguish him anywhere in the crowd. He waited another minute and grew impatient. Link walked up to horse, and stared at the brown beauty in front of him. He went to the small piece of rope bounding the horse and carriage together and unhooked the two. He climbed onto the horse's back, grasped the reins in his hand and kicked the sides of the horse. The four legged creature obeyed and started walking forward. Link pulled on the reins and turned the horse around.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Give me back my horse!" A fat man shouted out from the crowd and started chasing after Link.
Link whipped the reins and the horse sprinted away from the hotel. He had no sense of direction in the city as there wasn't a single landmark or building Link could recognize. He ran alongside the cars, the various car horn s blaring around him, no doubt aimed at him. He continued along the same street he was on and his decision to stay was reaffirmed when a sign appeared on the side, giving directions to the castle.
Link galloped along for what seemed like hours. He had so many questions to ask like what happened to Hyrule and what happened to his beloved friend Malon and companion Navi? Oh, hopefully Zelda could clear up some of these questions. But there was a question that he wanted the answer to the most.
Link remembered the sages sealing Ganondorf, and the promise Zelda made to him to return him to his original time. This was clearly not the world he remembered from his adolescence so what went wrong? And, did Malon make it home okay or was she somewhere in this vast city, confused and lost just like he was?
Link veered off to the right side of the road, following the signs that eventually lead him to the Interstate 70 entrance ramp.
"Whoa girl." Link pulled the horse into a halt as he stared at the highway in front of him. The cars were zooming past him at incredible speeds. There was no way Link would be able push the horse to run that fast but he had no other options. The sign said to get onto the highway and Link intended to do just that.
Kicking the sides of the horse, Link sped onto the highway and made his way into the center lane, no doubt cutting many people off at the same time. An assembly of horns honked at the crazy scene but Link ignored the atrocious sounds and galloped forward.
A red Porsche drove up to the side of the window and rolled its windows down.
"Hey buddy, nice ride! Hahahaha." The window rolled up and off sped the car, leaving a cloud of debris in Link's path.
This man sounds a lot like Ingo' he thought but kept galloping forward, waving his hand around him to clear up the air that contaminated his path from the Porsche.
Many horns and crude comments later, a sign appeared on the right side of the highway.
Point of Historical Interest
Hyrule Castle
This was it! Link veered the horse to the right lane and galloped onto the exit ramp. As he galloped over the tiny hill on the exit ramp, the tops of the castle came into view. The many towers with their blue roof beauty pierced the Hyrule skyline, standing tall and magnificent in the mid days sun. A smile formed on his face just as it had the first time he had seen this castle.
Link continued to follow the signs, twisting through the many roads and streets until he galloped into the Castle Parking Lot. He rode to the entrance before dismounting the animal and watched it run away, back into the many streets that weaved around in the city.
Link stared out at the castle. Judging by the distance from him and the castle, he estimated that he was approximately standing somewhere in the old town Market.
What was once filled with buildings and houses had turned into a desolate area of concrete and cars parked in long lines that extended far off into the distance.
He turned in a circle as he tried remembering the old town in its heyday. Memories of his first time walking into the town flooded into his mind. He remembered the booming town full of all the capitalist maniacs that never left their stalls. He remembered the fat lady who stood every day in the same spot watching her dog run circles around her, and the dancing couple who yelled at him when he asked the silly question of the whereabouts of the princess and the old lady who definitely had a hearing disorder. But most of all, he remembered the little red haired girl. The girl who changed his life forever. The only nice one who helped him out when he needed it and ultimately, the girl who he would never be able to forget.
"Oh Malon... I'll get back to you somehow. Somehow..." Link muttered to himself, tears threatening to break through his eyes any second.
Link rubbed at his sore eyes realizing that he would need to stay strong and try not to become emotional if he wanted to have a chance at getting back to his own world. He walked up to the castle and around the corner to the gate of the castle which after all these years had somehow survived all the devastation. He was about to walk through when an employee put his arm in front of Link, prohibiting his access to castle grounds.
"Whoa there. You need a ticket to enter pal."
"Uh... a ticket? To enter the Castle?"
"Now don't play stupid with me pal. The ticket booth is right over there." The man pointed in the direction of a small hut where a line of people stood waiting for this... ticket.
Link walked to the back of the line and patiently waited his turn until ten minutes later, he found himself next in line.
"Next!"
"Hello... Um, I-I would like to get one ticket please."
"Alright, that'll be twenty bucks." The lady inside the kiosk answered in a very bored and monotone voice.
Link pondered at this for some time. 'What is a "buck"? I thought that was some sort of animal, not a form of currency... and besides, all I have is a wallet full of rupees.'
"Can I give you twenty rupees instead?""
"Haha, very funny." the lady said sounding Like Roz from Monsters Inc. "Now pay up sir. There is a line full of people waiting behind you."
"No, I am serious! All I have are rupees!" Link argued.
"Um sir, where do you come from?"
"Well, I lived in Kokiri Forest for-"
"Wait, you Lived in Kokiri Forest? That's so cool! I am from Neverland and I eat dinner with Captain Hook and I have a fairy that can make me fly!" The lady said in a very sarcastic tone.
"No really, I am!" Link pleaded.
"Sir Kokiri Forest is just a myth. I mean really, a whole village that is inhabited by children who never grow and have fairies as lifelong companions. You really think there was place like that that existed?"
"It was and still is a real place!" a frustrated Link replied.
"So if you really are from there then, where is your fairy?"
"I... I don't know. She wasn't there when I woke up."
"Sir, I have dealt with a number of whack jobs in my life working in this kiosk but you sir, have just made the top of the list. Now, either pay up, or step out of line."
Link, angered and insulted by her insult, stomped out of line, trying to hold back the punches that threatened to swing at her any second.
'Ugh, now what am I going to do?' he thought.
"You could always use the vines." a voice whispered into his ear.
Link looked around for the person who said that but no one stood within ten feet of him.
'That almost sounded like-"
"Tee hee."
"Malon!" Link gasped as the familiar giggle hit his ears.
Link desperately looked around and briefly caught sight of a head of red hair that twirled into a group of people. Link started running after it, squeezing his way through the groups of crowds, trying to track down her down but eventually ran right up to the cliff face Link had climbed eons ago. He turned around one last time to look for Malon but couldn't spot her anywhere in the crowded area. He sighed and turned to the wall, grasping the one vine in his hand and slowly climbed up it.
Was his brain playing tricks on him? Or was Malon really there?
Link tried to get her out of his mind but as much as he tried, her face kept sweeping back into his mind. How could he just forget about her? He went on an entire journey with her to liberate Hyrule and she was probably the closest person to him. She knew everything about him and he knew everything about her. How would he ever be able to forget Malon?
Link tried to focus on the task at hand and climbed to the top of the cliff. Not wanting to attract too much attention, he crawled his way over the gate and hopped down the other side, thankfully, unnoticed.
He wanted to blend in so instead of running solo through the castle, he walked to a group of people touring the castle.
"Welcome to Hyrule Castle. Before we get started, let's get to know each other a little better so each of you, tell me, where are you from?"
Link heard some really weird kingdoms he had never heard of before, like London, England, New York City, Denver, and other strange places.
"What about you sir?" the guide asked Link,
Not wanting to get into another argument about Kokiri Forest simply replied, "Oh, you know... just from around here."
"Well alright then! Now that we got to know each other a little bit, let me introduce myself. I'm Meghan and I will be your tour guide today. I majored in history and have been studying history pertinent to Hyrule for ten years so if you have any questions today, I am the best one to ask." the perky girl who didn't look a day over 21 said.
"Well, let's start the tour!"
Link followed the group up to the castle and crossed the drawbridge into it. He realized that this was actually his first time entering the castle the right way! Well, the right way not counting climbing the vines to sneak into the castle grounds.
They walked down the main hall which Link peered up to look at the ceiling high above them, adorned with magnificent looking chandeliers. On either side of the hall, shining silver armor stood straight up. The walls were painted a creamy white outlined in a dark, navy blue on the bottom of the wall. The floor was made of marble but a red carpet with a yellow border welcomed the guests into the castle.
"Well, here we are the Main Hall. This is the entrance to the main part of the castle and lead straight into the throne room at the end of the hall. Now, even with how majestic this castle is, it isn't the original. The first and original castle was torn down about 750 years ago. We know this because many artifacts have been found depicting the castle on fire and burning to the ground. Also, the samples of the material that this castle is made of dates back to that time too, which helps asses that this is the second castle to be built in Hyrule. We aren't sure if the castle actually burnt down or not, or what the motive was to destroy the old one either."
Well, Link knew the motive for the castle being destroyed. Ganon wanted complete control of Hyrule and tearing down the symbol of hope and peace in Hyrule would make the process all the easier.
"The original Royal Family ruled for many years and ruled all of Hyrule but one of the members never had an heir to rule her thrown. Does anyone know who this is?"
A child loudly blurted out the answer. "Princess Zelda!"
"Correct! Princess Zelda took over the kingdom just after a terrible hardship had struck the kingdom and helped reunite the kingdom and made it prosper once again. But she never married. The only reason anyone can get for this puzzling question was found inside of the courtyard. A small letter was found tucked under one of the bricks and read, 'I will wait for you, the defeater of evil and savior of the kingdom. Until you return, I shall stay as I am. But alas, we will never meet again due to my mistake. I'm sorry.' The last part of the letter was torn off but only one word from the torn off part of the letter remained. That single word was the four letter word, love. Was this mysterious defeater of evil and savior of the kingdom Zelda's true love? Well, we may never know."
'Defeater of evil and savior of the kingdom. That is me but... Was Zelda... in love with me!?' Link thought.
"Let's continue, shall we. Now, since we're on the topic of Princess Zelda, we should talk about the legendary Hero of Time."
"Don't you mean Heroes of Time?" Link interjected, curious to hear what they had to say about Malon too.
"No, no there was only one. The Hero of Time."
"But there was a Heroine of Time too."
"I'm sorry but I don't recall ever hearing about a Heroine of Time. History only remembers one. Now, anyway, the Hero of Time..."
Link stepped away from the group, and faded to the side of the hall. He just couldn't believe it. Malon had been there the entire time, fought through all the trials the temples had to offer, and suffered all the losses Link had had to but history couldn't even put the effort in to remember even her name.
Link was so confused. Nothing made sense and he needed answers. But Zelda wasn't here. She wouldn't be able to help him... unless... no, Zelda wouldn't do that... would she?
Link thought hard about it. 'Would Zelda have left clues behind to help me out?'
It was worth a try. The only place where he could think she would leave him any help was in the-
"Excuse me sir but could you please direct me to the Castle Courtyard?"
"Yeah, it is just through the doors on the right up there but you cannot go in there. The last family to rule under royalty of this place before handing it to the government asked that nobody enters that area for reasons unknown. No one except the royal family has stepped foot in that room for twenty five years."
"There's got to be some exception to that rule."
"Well, unless you can somehow show any ties to the royal family, then I don't think there is a way in... The king is here today in the gift shop taking pictures and signing autographs so you could try asking him for permission but I highly doubt he'll give it to you. Sorry."
Link thanked the guard and after receiving some directions, was on his way to the novelty store. He was easily able to find the store for one reason, a line out the door filled with eager tourists wanting a picture with his majesty. Link proceeded to the back of the line and slowly shuffled his way forward. One person would step up next to king, shake his hand, turn for a picture, and would leave all in about thirty seconds, but Link needed more time... way more time.
Time slowly ticked on by and after about a half hour, Link was finally next in line.
"Thank you sir, enjoy the rest of you day... Ah hello sir, what's your name?" the chubby fellow wearing the garb of royalty asked him, which he assumed was the king.
"Link."
"Oh... uh hello Link... sorry, I was just thinking for a second." He said after pausing and looking at him with a funny face. "Alright, smile."
The cameraman adjusted the camera, zooming in and out on the two; Link used this time to his advantage.
He leaned up close to the king's ear and whispered, "I need to get into the courtyard."
"And why is that?" he whispered back to him.
'It's in regards of Princess Zelda. And I know you won't believe an ounce of what I am saying, so..."
Link reached into his pack and pulled out the fairy ocarina that Saria had given to him what seemed like eons ago.
"Oh, I see you bought the replica ocarina from the shop!"
"Link ignore him and placed the ocarina between his lips and gently started blowing the sacred song passed down by the Hyrulian royalty, the song that showed his connection with the royal family, aka Zelda's Lullaby. Link played the sweet melody through the quiet room, as the soft song flowed into everyone's ears. He approached the final note and pulled the instrument from his mouth.
He glanced around the small store, eyeing the many tourists who started applauding him but mostly focused on the wide eyed king. After the two stared at each other for a little, the King regained his happy personality and looked over to the crowd awaiting their fair share of thirty seconds next to him.
"I'm sorry my good people but this picture session has concluded."
A wave of groans and growls hissed around the room but the king immediately grasped Link's arm and pulled him close to his mouth.
"I need to ask you a few questions, Link. Come with me."
The King got out of the seat and started walking to the door right behind him. they shut behind Link and he was immediately interrogated by the king. The king turned and stared directly into Link's eyes.
"How do you know that song?"
"What do you mean your highness?"
"Oh cut the crap. Who and where did you learn that song from?"
"You will never believe me..." Link trailed off.
"Tell me anyways." He replied, still staring Link in the eye.
"Well, to start off, I'm not from here."
"Okay and?"
"No I mean not from here like as in not from this time."
The king raised one of his eyebrows.
"And well... I learned that song from Princess Zelda's attendant."
"What was her name? The only people who know her name are descendants of the royal family."
"There are two things I know about her. One, she is the sage of the Shadow Temple and two, her name is Impa... one of the last of the remaining Sheikah."
"I... I'm impressed. Well, I need to ask you some more questions because... you might be him."
"Who?"
"I'll tell you if you can answer all these questions correctly."
"Well. fire away."
"Ahem..." he cleared his throat. "First questions, where are you from?"
"Well, I grew up in Kokiri Forest but I found out I was a Hylian the entire time so I... I don't really know where I was born."
"You're one for one so far. Okay, next question. What was the name of your horse?"
"Epona, the fastest and best brought up horse that I got... or that Malon won back for beating Ingo in a horse race at Lon Lon Ranch."
"Well, you answered the next question which was how you obtained the horse so next question. What happened the first time you entered the courtyard and drew you slingshot on the window on the left?"
"A guard got furious and tried to blow me up with a bomb."
"Ha ha, did that really happen?" the king asked while chuckling loudly.
"Yes it did. All three of us got so scared when that happened."
"Ha ha ha. Alright, let's move on shall we? Okay, who did you rescue from the inside of Jabu Jabu"
"Ruto, princess of the zoras and sage of the Water Temple."
"Alright, just two left. Was there a Heroine of Time? If so what was her name? If not, then who was the second hero?"
Link paused, thinking for a second back to the tour.
"Before I give you any doubts, there is a Heroine of Time. She is named Malon. But in the tour I took, they only mention one Hero, me. You know as well as I do that Malon is the second hero but why doesn't anyone but you and me remember her?"
"Link, even I don't know the answer to that question. I would... well, let's finish with the last question before I go on telling you all the secrets in the royal family. Even though by now I believe you to be the one I am looking for, I must finish with the last question." The king readjusted in the tiny room. "Alright, finally, who watched over the Hero and Heroine s adults?"
Link smirked, knowing that Zelda would eventually throw in a somewhat sentimental question in the quiz show.
"It was her, Princess Zelda. She disguised herself as Sheik and aided us two on our journey. We wouldn't have ever been able to accomplish some of the tasks without her aid."
"I can't believe it." The king exclaimed in a stunned tone. "All these years I always thought the story of the princess and the heroes was... just another bed time story but..." the king looked at Link, "here you are. The Hero of Time." The king bowed to the green clad man. "It is quite an honor."
"Hey stand up now. I don't need any of this royal treatment." Link placed his hands on the shoulders of King.
"Sorry, I am just... wow. I cannot believe that Zelda actually did that."
"Did what?"
"Well, my father told me the story of the Hero in green, the Heroine and the princess who saved all. The tale went on that the Hero and Heroine met as children and accomplished impossible tasks saving many different peoples from disaster. They eventually opened the Sacred Realm but they hadn't known that a vile man with wicked desires followed them into the chamber with them. The triforce broke into three parts, courage, wisdom and power. The Heroes couldn't fight back because the unforeseen occurred. The Sacred Realm trapped the heroes in the room for seven long years, in which time, the king of evil spread his evil doings to the far reaches of the land."
"Sir, I am quite familiar with the story of my adventure."
The king chuckled, "I forgot who I was talking to. Anyways, long story short, the heroes, or well you and Malon awoke and kicked Ganon's butte. Anyways, the sages sealed Ganon into the Sacred Realm and as a favor, the princess promised to send the heroes back to their childhood to be able to live their lost years over again. However, as the princess played the ocarina, she forgot to pay attention on her notes, as she became transfixed on the Hero. She slipped on her last note and instead of going seven years back, he was transported to sometime way in the future... or I guess, to the year 2014."
"What happened to Malon?"
"The princess zapped her back to her past."
"Wow... that's a lot to take in..." Link trailed off.
"I understand. I couldn't ever imagine being in your shoes. One moment, you just accomplish the greatest task in history, and the next, your way the heck in the future."
The King and Link sat in silence as Link thought about the story he had just been told.
"Oh, before I forget, Zelda instructed to whoever found the Hero, they must hand over the cherished prize of Hyrulian royalty." The king reached into his pocket and fished out a musical instrument that Link could recognize from a mile away. "This has been in the family since the passing of Princess Zelda but..." the king reached out both of his hands to Link. "I entrust you, the legendary Hero of Time with the sacred Ocarina of Time."
Link reached into his hands and grabbed the instrument... the weapon that changed Link's life. Grasping it in his hands, Link examined the blueish, purple ocarina. Not a scratch could he find on the age old instrument. It felt as just yesterday he had held it in his hands when in fact, it had been ages ago.
"I still don't get one thing. If you know about Malon, why doesn't anyone else no about the presence of the Heroine of Time?"
"Zelda had for some reason asked that the royalty never release the fact of the heroine's appearance in the telling of the tale. And as the years wane away, the people's story change and ever so slightly, she disappeared from public eye."
"That's... kinda sad. I mean, she doesn't get any credit for her hard work."
"Zelda was one of the most brilliant people to ever rule Hyrule. She wouldn't have hid her name for no reason."
"I wish she was here right now. I have so many questions I want to ask her."
The chubby king chuckled.
"Oh yes... I forgot to give this to you too." He handed over a small leaflet of paper. "It was handed over from Zelda along with the ocarina"
Link grabbed the paper and turned it round, putting the ocarina away inn his pack.
It read, 'To you, the hero of Hyrule. Go to where we first met and remove the brick binding away the long lost history of us two.'
"Mr. King sir... I know only royalty is allowed into the courtyard but you must make an exception."
"Why is that?"
"Zelda wrote in this letter to go to the place we first met and that would be in courtyard. She said she left something behind for me there."
"It all makes sense now."
"What does?"
"The courtyard has been blocked off since the castle was handed over to the government. Zelda asked that certain rooms remained untouched and that was one of those rooms."
"She didn't want any of the equipment she left behind to get destroyed or misplaced or even stolen."
"Exactly what I was thinking."
"Well sir... will you please let me in then?"
"Of course. It is because of you that no one has entered that place in years anyways. It wouldn't make any sense if I blocked your access. Come one," The king rose from his comfy seat. "Let's go and see what she has saved for you."
Link and the chubby king walked out of the small room and back into the main part of the gift shop. Waves of eyes washed from all around the store and all stared at Link and him. Many glared at Link as whispers of "he's the one who didn't allow us to take a picture with him" and "Ugh this guy again" hit their ears.
The king chuckled as he heard these murmurs from around the room and told the boy behind him to just ignore these people. They walked out of the store and immediately turned into the Main Hall. They walked up to the door that had been locked and blocked by a staff member but as soon as his eyes and the king's met, he moved from his position and walked off to another part of the great castle.
He fished in his pocket once again but this time grabbed out a ring with rusted keys
hanging around them. He inserted one into the key hole and opened the door. He stepped to the side, allowing Link to enter first and shut it behind him.
"Well, if I remember correctly, the courtyard should be..."
"This way" Link finished the sentence for him, pointing in the direction where a tunnel was carved by an overpass of a higher level of the castle.
Link lead the way into the center of the courtyard, pausing for a second, floods of memories breaking into his mind, causing a smile to form across his face.
It hadn't changed in any way since he had last been in there. The red rose bushes stood tall on either side of the courtyard, surrounded by hundreds of small, banana yellow flowers and ocean blue tulips. The grass, although a bit long, was still a magnificent key lime green. Hundreds of other flowers. roses, tulips, pansies and other types littered the floor, but not so overbearing that they covered up the grassy green lawn. The clear pools of water sat motionless around the borders of the courtyard as the tall walls soared up high around the chamber. At the end of the room sat four steps that led up to a small platform with a window suspended just a short way up.
Link took few short steps forward to the base of the platform and stared up the few steps to the window.
"Alright, the brick binding away our long lost history... What the heck could that possibly mean?" Link asked the king, who looked just as confused as Link did.
Link walked up the stairs and knelt down to examine the under part of the window.
"The brick binding away.." Link murmured to himself while examining the bricks under the wall. They all appeared to be the same creamy white but... one. One appeared to be fading away to a grayish sort of color. Barely indistinguishable but there was definitely a difference.
Link reached to his sheathed butter knife, the Kokiri Sword, and grasped it in his right hand. He started gnawing at the cement part binding the bricks together, slowly chiseling it out.
"The letter... said to... go to the place... where we... first met... and well..." Link said between his attempts to break out the brick but stopped and turned to the king showing off the brick that he took out of the wall. "This is where we first met. Right here in this very spot. Oh ho ho..." Link said in a little chuckle. "I remember that moment very well. Malon and I snuck in through a small hole on the outside of the castle. We had to sneak past a lot of guards just to reach here. Zelda had her back turned to us so Malon decided to be the daring one. She tiptoed up to the turned around lady and when she was just a foot away from her, she whispered boo, right into her ear. Hahaha..." Link said remembering old times, "You should have seen the look on her face. You wanna see a startled look, then scare the living crap out of a princess who thinks the walls of a castle are impenetrable."
Link turned his back to the king and reached his arm into the now dug up brick wall, exposing a small object wrapped up in a scrap of paper. He immediately unwrapped the object and as soon as the smallest part of purple coloring was seen, Link immediately smiled, happy he wouldn't have to go back down... there again. He brought it out of the wrapping and held it up in the light. It looked like a magnifying glass that had a purple frame, but instead of being a clear piece of glass filling the inside of the frame, the shard was dark blue with a strange looking symbol painted in a barely visible purple centered perfectly on the glass.
"Is... is that the legendary..."
"Lens of Truth?" Link asked finishing the sentence for him. "Yes, it is."
Link brought it down from the glimmering light and opened up the paper the lens was wrapped in.
Exactly 59 years since Link's disappearance
I still await you Link. Even after I grow old and weary, I sit here every day, thinking about you. I know anything I do will never wash away the scars I bled upon you all those years ago. From our first meeting, all I ever thought about was the safety of the kingdom, but not once did I ever pause to think about the safety of the one resurrecting Hyrule to its former glory. And if there were any moment in time I could ever go back to, it would be that one; the first moment I ever saw you and Malon. Kids, way long ago, blind to the dangers the world had to offer; it would be that moment in time I would go back to and right my wrongdoings. I shouldn't have ever brought you into the chaos the fates tried throwing at Hyrule. And because of that, you have jumped so far into the future. I fear I may never see you again. Link, not a day goes by that I curse my mistake I made after your fight with Ganon. I know you will never forgive me for my mistake but Link, if at all possible, find it in your heart to accept my apology. I know you will not reappear for centuries down the road and as the fates play with my thread of life, threatening to snap it at any minute, I know my time is limited, which is why I must help you find your way home through the waves of time. Link, I have left wrapped the Lens of Truth that Malon went and grabbed from the bottom of the well as a child. Please use it to look around the courtyard for more clues that I have left hidden from the naked eye.
Link's eyes sparkled with the tears that almost broke through the damn in his eyes but he wiped them away. There wasn't any time for weeping about the past.
Link folded the paper in half and stuck it in his pack. He lifted the Lens of Truth and gave out a wimpy shriek as his eyes crossed with the King's figure whose presence Link had totally forgotten about. He looked up at him and gave a small smile before peering back through the lens. He gazed about the room and spotted a little chest nudged into a small crevice at the entrance of the circular courtyard. Link put the lens down and noticed immediately that a wall filled in the spot where Link had seen the chest at.
"Here," Link tossed the Lens of Truth to the King, "take a look at that area on the wall."
"What am I looking for?"
"Trust me, you'll know when you see it."
The chubby fellow looked at the wall, then put the lens up in front of his eyes, giving out an immediate gasp. Link laughed a bit to the reaction of the king to the hidden nook.
"That thing sure has... mysterious magic to it."
"I'd have to agree with that sir."
Link proceeded down the steps and onto the grass, walking towards the crevice hiding away the chest. He grabbed his Kokiri Sword and immediately began working away at the wall. No sooner than a minute later, three bricks stacked upon one another crumbled to the ground, exposing light to the hidden away chest. Link grabbed the wooden box, blowing the hundreds of years of dust off of it and rubble that had fallen on top of the box off, placing it lightly in the grassy area around him. Link tried opening it but found the box to be rusted shut. He reached for where he had dropped his sword and used it to pry open the wooden chest.
The lid of the chest rested on its backside, showing off three colorful objects. A green emerald held in place by a gold band, wrapping itself around the core forming a slightly sad looking Y. The other looked like a single husk of corn. The gold casing wrapped around the bottom of the red jewel held inside. The last shined off a brilliant ocean blue, three separate diamonds twinkling in the gold lining holding them together. These were the three stones Link's childhood memories assorted around. The Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby, and the Zora Sapphire.
Link picked them up out of the box, blowing the hundreds of years of dust off the delicate relics, and placed them gently on the grass next to him. He looked back into the chest, spotting two folded sheets of paper sitting gently next to each other. Link grabbed them both out of the box and began reading the first one.
20 years and 10 months since Link's disappearance
How they managed to do it in a span of one week, I'll never know. It took me almost 20 years to obtain the stones and Link and Malon do it in a week… I guess that's what I get for not being a Hero of Time and simply just a by standard trying to accomplish a task that was never set forth for the average Hylian. No one, not even Malon knows that the stones have been gathered and I plan to keep it that way.
Malon has disappeared in the last months and I have yet to see her this year. The last I saw of her, she talked of a land hidden away from the world, hidden deep within the forest where few, if any, ever venture. She had called it by the name, Termina, which sounds dangerously close to Terminal, or Terminate. Oh by the Goddesses I hope she manages herself well.
As for Link, the memories have slowly started coming back. I was unable to recall any events of the other time of which Malon said I sent Link to the wrong era, but slowly and slowly, his face has appeared, littering my thoughts of his adventure with Malon to save Hyrule. Every day, more seeps into my mind and although I still cannot remember sending Link away, I'm sure everything will come back eventually. You both suffered through a lot and for it to end in a foolish mistake that I cast upon you, I cannot even imagine the emotions that coursed your minds. If I ever do remember the events that took place between Link and I…
The rest of the diary entry had been scratched out or torn off, making the end unreadable. Link swapped out the letter for the other one and began reading it.
Exactly 59 years since Link's disappearance
Link, I am leaving in possession of countless diary entries that I believe to be of great importance in your journey back. Some of them contain hints, clues, or other valuable knowledge; others will possess something to read in your pastime for fun, something to take your mind off of the tragedies you will surely face. Each one is encased in an envelope with the appropriate time to gaze your eyes upon but some contain no such date, meaning you may wish to read them as you please.
Link, one last thing. You must be warned. The only way for you to bridge the gap separating our times is to open the Sacred Realm and lay down the Master Sword when it, along with Hyrule, is at peace. The first moment you pick up the sword, Ganon will escape from his confines of prison and he will pounce again on Hyrule. You must destroy him, once and for all by reawakening the spirit of the sages. Link, be cautious on your journey and please come home soon.
Love,
Zelda
Link put the rest of the letters in his pack along with the three stones.
"So… what are you going to do?" the King asked looking at Link who just put the stones and letters in his pack.
"Sir, I must be honest. In order for me to get back, I must allow Ganondorf to roam Hyrule. If I do that, this peaceful land will become a toxic paradise of evil."
"I understand."
The king turned around and paced the courtyard, thinking of Link's request.
"You… will be able to stop him though, right?"
Link nodded. "I have done it once before and I am confident that I can do it again."
His look of fret turned into a smile.
"Then who am I to get in the way of a boy trying to get home."
"Actually, I'm sevente-"
"You have my permission."
Link smirked. "Thank you sir."
After the long talk, the king escorted him out of the castle and bid him good luck on his journey. Link walked out of the castle and turned around to get one last look at it. He couldn't believe that the small town he came to know had become all of this. He saw the king waving to him and Link returned his act of kindness. He then turned his head and started making his way to the Temple of Time where hundreds of years later, he would open the door and enter the Sacred Realm once again.
Author's Note: This chapter is actually re-edited from the original one and includes more references to A Pair of Unlikely Heroes. This story will be mainly about Link this time. Just know that Malon will be referenced and may even appear as a reincarnated character since this story takes place in modern day Hyrule. Anyways, click on to the next chapter.