A/N
I would just like to announce that this is my first Legend of Zelda story. It's based on Ocarina of Time. I added a BIG twist, so I hope you like it!
I hereby disclaim all characters and the game. They are copyrighted to Nintendo. I did not, nor will I ever, attempt to steal those rights.
Chapter One: The Army
Link surveyed his army, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked as if they had any fighting experience. There were a few buff men, though they obviously hadn't the faintest clue how to hold a sword... To his surprise, the children seemed to know more about fighting than the adults did. They held a sword nearly correctly, or if they weren't using sword, their bows.
A few of the women tried using axes, and though they blatantly didn't know what to do with them, they were stubborn enough to try it in battle. The other women stayed in the back, medical kits and staffs at the ready, although none of them looked very proud of it.
He sighed to himself, preparing to go through the training exercises with them. How did he wind up in this situation again?
Oh, right. It all started seven years ago, on his tenth birthday, the day he received his fairy...
- -
After a night spent tormented with nightmares, a fairy by the name of Navi approached him, announcing he was the 'Chosen One'.
"Come on, Link! You're the Chosen One! Oh, I'll explain later—come on! Let's get to the Great Deku Tree!"
After acquiring a sword and a shield, he'd approached it, and in the end—killed it. He hadn't meant to, of course, but ridding its curse meant letting it die. Many of the Kokiri blamed him for the tragically unavoidable event—especially Mido. So he left the Forest, and whether the Deku Tree had told him differently, he would have anyway. Saria then stopped him, delayed him, to give him something.
"It's not much, I'll admit, but... please, take this ocarina I made for you. And when you play on it, remember us, remember the Kokiri... and remember me."
He traveled onwards, bearing her words in mind, and still today they were engraved into his memory. He'd faced many challenges—even just narrowly escaping the engagement of the Zora princess, Ruto—but finally, he had all three Spiritual Stones, which he would use to save Hyrule.
Princess Zelda, the rightful king's daughter, gave him the Ocarina of Time while escaping Ganondorf, and soon Link encountered the fearful man face-to-face. After being taunted for being childish and weak, he was able to grab the ocarina and stumble into the Temple of Time without any more problems.
There, he met the Sage of Light, Raoru.
"Come, Link... you are the Chosen Hero... however, you are not yet of age. Even heroes must be at a certain age in order to fulfill their destiny. You should sleep, and when you awaken, it will be the time..."
Link's response?
"No."
That was all he said, before turning around and leaving the poor man with a look of sheer disbelief on his face. According to the Great Deku Tree, he'd already accomplished some of his destiny—thus proving Raoru wrong. He didn't have time to argue with someone who so wrongly protested the Great Deku Tree's teachings.
All these years, he'd been building a reputation. Helping out others in need with even the smallest things. He wanted the people to know they could rely on him. If he'd just suddenly appeared out of the blue, no one would trust him.
And now, he had exactly the reputation he needed... in order to overthrow Ganondorf.
- -
That was how he'd achieved this high-ranked position of trust. Not many were able to convince anyone, much less almost all of Hyrule, that Ganondorf needed overthrowing, and no one was going to come do it for them. 'Almost all of Hyrule,' of course, refers to Gerudo Valley, which has long been in favor of Ganondorf's reign.
...Although, he would always wonder whether that was because they truly wanted Ganondorf to rule, or because Ganondorf made 'deals' with them. He shuddered at the thought every time he remembered it and resolved that he would never know, nor would he go looking for the answer.
Done reminiscing, he reached into his pocket, retrieving his ocarina. Despite the fact Zelda herself had given him the Ocarina of Time, he did not feel comfortable with it. It felt like something of great value, beyond his understanding. So he used Saria's.
"Remember us, remember the Kokiri... and remember me."
He blew a high G on the ocarina; all heads turned to him. "Greetings. I'm Link, if some of you don't know." His voice was quiet and mature, but they all knew how loud he could be if he grew angry. "You've all been called here today, because we are going to overthrow Ganondorf. You are determined to get rid of him. He murdered the king, the one you loved and trusted! He even sent the princess into hiding, and today no one has the faintest clue about her whereabouts!"
He clenched his fists, relieving the experience. "You all hate this man! He destroyed your country, turning it from the wonderful lush garden it was into this rocky, barren wasteland! And if that wasn't enough, he's not ruling Hyrule, he's conquering it!"
Shouts of agreement rang through the crowd, and he knew he said everything just right. Now they were psyched, motivated.
"In order to get rid of him, you have to train." His voice returned to its quiet state. "You must. Not only for the sake of Hyrule, its kingdom, and its princess—but for those you love, as well." With that, ordering was his job. "Pair up with another and practice. I have the archers' training grounds down below, and the swordsmen will train with the Gorons on Death Mountain."
No one trusted the Gorons, but they all trusted Link. If he trusted the Gorons, then they would, as well. For now, at least. If it were to get rid of Ganondorf, then by Nayru, they'd trust those Gorons!
Link then set about a routine, traveling from group to group, to group to group. He made sure not to tire, and that Malon and several other of her girlfriends were bringing everyone food, water and cloths to wipe away sweat. Though he didn't dare admit it, he was proud that they were working so hard.
Finally, at eleven in the evening, they retired to their homes. Those from other places, such as Lon Lon Ranch and Zora's Domain, stayed at the inn, or with whomever was kind enough to allow them into their house. The Gorons simply returned to their Death Mountain cavern—probably to get a bellyful of those delicious rocks, he figured.
Link loved Kakariko Village, he really did... but something made him want to punch somebody. He felt it whenever he came here—a burning desire to hurt someone... He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He would much rather have had trained these people at Lon Lon, but Zoras did not take to being that much inland, and the Gorons preferred remaining close to their precious horde. Besides, the Kakariko villagers probably did not want to leave their land to become what they needed to be.
With a sigh, done with the day, he collapsed against a tree, still surrounded by shrubs—just as he remembered from when he was ten. He was worn out from all the running around, and he never did like jumping back and forth. Although, this was what he was going to do. It was to get rid of Ganondorf, so it... must be done...
"Link?"
His eyes flickered open, although he could not remember when he closed them a second later. He then snapped fully awake when he saw who stood before him: a small child, clothed in green...
"It is you." She sighed, as if in relief. "I haven't seen you in so long..."
"Saria?" he shook his head. "What...? No, I know I asked for the Kokiri to come—I didn't think you would—I don't want you to get hurt!"
"Take a good look at me," she recommended, gesturing to her body. He did, and gasped—she was transparent! "I can't come here, but I can send a fraction of my power here... just enough for you to see me, at least a little bit." She smiled fondly. "The forest spirits told me of your achievements... I had to see the Link I adored..."
"Saria..." Tears bristled his eyes at her words, but he tried to ignore them. If he wanted information, then... "Why...? What do you mean by 'you can't come here'? The Kokiri claimed they couldn't, but they weren't deterred by the outside world—if anything, they became stronger."
"It only applies to Sages," she revealed hesitantly. "The Great Deku Tree told us this to prevent any Sage from leaving. To prevent anyone from being treated unfairly."
Link shook his head. "I don't understand... W-where's Mido?"
"He's with me," she replied, her smile widening. "You care for him, Link?! That's great! Wait until he hears how Link still remembers him!"
He huffed, embarrassed "No, no, it's not that! He was... he was the leader, right? I figured he of all the Kokiri would come, and he is the strongest..."
"He's staying here for me, Link." His eyes widened—why did that bother him, if he knew he didn't love her?—but she didn't stop there. "I can't even leave the Lost Woods. Most of the Kokiri simply left the forest just to get away from the monsters."
"I—" he was cut off by her sudden scream of pain. Immediately, he jumped up, swinging out his sword from mere instinct. "Saria?!"
"Link, help me—come to the Temple!" she cried, and her next scream was cut off—she abruptly vanished.
He was panting out of fear, knowing what he had to do, but yet scared to do it. He'd been in dungeons and surrounded with peril many times, but...
A small, white ball of light flickered in front of his eyes. He sighed, feeling a little more relaxed. He hadn't seen Navi in a while, and he needed her now. But before he could ask her what to do, she spoke the two words he did not want to hear.
"It's time."