The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time

Part II: The Return of a Hero

Chapter 1: The Return

It has been seven years since Ganondorf took control of Hyrule. Seven years the land of Hyrule was under the evil spell. Seven years since the people of Hyrule saw their only hope in saving Hyrule disappear. Seven years since the last hope has crossed any person's mind.

The Hero of Time disappeared once he reached his destination in the sacred realm. Some of the people believed that Link had betrayed them all and left them to rot under the rule of Ganondorf. There were a few that believed Link would come back and save them all.

Ganondorf's evil spread into every mountain and valley of Hyrule. The very ground people stood on was not safe. The few remaining soldiers of Hyrule were protecting Kakariko Village. It was the last remaining place the humans could live. It was in a vulnerable spot, also. The simple country town was transformed into a fortress which was under constant tests.

The Hyrule castle had become so entrenched in evil, many living things feared to be near it. Ganondorf used his sorcery to cast a spell on the castle itself. The foundation and the castle were floating in midair above a pit of fiery lava. This was obviously a form of defense against any forces that had come to claim the castle from Ganondorf. Even though Ganondorf had built his army so big that nobody dared challenge it. The ground shook when the army traveled.

All hope was indeed lost for the people in the land of Hyrule. Only one person believed that there was still hope for Hyrule. His name is Link, and his time to awake has come.

Link opened his eyes to see a strange man standing in front of him. The man had a powerful presence. Link felt as if he was in the presence of a god.

"Link," the man said, "Your time to awaken is upon us."

Link looked around. He didn't know where he was. He felt like he was in a dream. He was standing on a platform in the middle of a vast darkness. The man in front of him was decorated in jewels and nice clothes.

"Your time to awaken as the Hero of Time is now."

Link looked at himself. He was a grown man. The last time he was conscious he was a small child. This was a big change for him.

Link realized he was floating. The man in front of him was looking over Link carefully.

"You look healthy," he said, "I think you are ready."

"Where am I," Link said, shocked at how much his voice had changed.

"This is the Sacred Realm," the man said, "and my name is Rauru. I am one of the sages in the Sacred Realm."

Link was humbled.

"I speak for the gods. The three goddesses need for the hero of time to challenge Ganondorf for the land of Hyrule," said Rauru.

Link nodded as if he understood.

"You must unite the people of Hyrule. Only then will you be able to obtain the strength to defeat Ganondorf's army," Rauru continued.

"I need to build an army," Link asked.

"We need an army that can overcome Ganondorf's forces," Rauru said.

"What else do the gods need me to do," asked Link.

"That is all that is needed right now," Rauru asked.

Link felt himself be lowered. His feet hit the ground. It felt good to stand up again.

"Good luck, Link," Rauru said to him.

With that Link started floating higher and higher into the air. He kept his eyes on Rauru who did the same. A beam of light then came from above Link that lifted him higher. Link's vision got brighter and brighter until he couldn't see anything. He then felt like he was weightless and he fell asleep.

When he came to he was standing in the very last place he had been when he left Hyrule. The Temple of Time looked the same as it always had. Link looked towards the ceiling to see if he could figure out how he got here. There was nothing up there. Link remembered the Master Sword. He pulled it out of it's sheath to look at it. It was the perfect weight, perfect balance, and sharp edges.

"It's a magnificent weapon," came a voice from the door that leads into the Master Sword's room.

Link gripped the sword and pointed it towards the figure standing there.

"Who are you," Link demanded.

"I am Shiek," the mysterious person said.

"What are you doing here," Link asked, still holding his sword up.

"I'm just making sure that you arrived safely."

"How do I know I can trust you," Link said.

"Don't, I don't care," Shiek said, "but I do expect you to follow through with what the gods ask."

Link eased his sword down. He looked Shiek over. All he could see was an eye; Shiek's face was covered otherwise. Link could see blonde hair showing a bit from underneath the coverage. Shiek was dressed in skin tight armor; the kind used for sneaking around. The strange emblem of an eye was painted on Shiek's chest armor.

"What do you want," Link asked.

"I'm just here to help you," Shiek said.

"Okay, then," Link said, "Where am I supposed to go first."

Shiek pause for a second, and then said, "Just follow me."

Link followed Shiek to where Hyrule Castle used to be. They were on top of a cliff looking down on what used to be Hyrule Castle.

"Is the entire castle floating," asked Link.

"Yes, Ganondorf casted a spell on it," Shiek answered.

"What else did he do," Link asked looking Shiek dead in the eye.

"There is too much for me to tell you. It's best if you learn it by yourself."

"I thought you were supposed to help me," Link said.

"Some things you just need to see for yourself," Shiek answered.

Link looked back at the castle. The entire area was cloudy; there was no sunlight to be seen. He looked around to see the clouds went on for miles in each direction. He hoped everyone was okay.

Link turned around to see Shiek gone.

"Where-," Link said.

He was by himself. He looked over his shoulder. Navi wasn't there. Link was so used to Navi being there. Where is she? She wasn't in the Sacred Realm with him. She had to be somewhere. He had to tell her he was back.

Link ran for the city gates. The gates still looked like rubble from the battle seven years ago. There were skeletons lying everywhere with Hyrule armor. Link took one of the shields from a skeleton. The body of the skeleton had shattered when Link touched it.

He looked up and saw the sky was still cloudy. Link's surroundings just seemed evil to him. He always had the feeling like he was being watched. The place just creeped him out, especially with the dead soldiers lying everywhere.

Link was glad to finally get out of the gates. He stood on the ground of Hyrule field for the first time in seven years. He took a good look around. He could barely make out Lon Lon Ranch. To his left he could see Kakariko Village. He looked to the wall on his left. He saw the boulder that had crushed Sir Ravin's body. There was nothing but a dent in the wall and the boulder was now a couple of feet away from the wall. Link walked over to the boulder and put his hand on it.

The boulder was not balanced. Link gave it a little shove. It rocked once. Link pushed it harder; it was closer to tipping over this time. He pushed it with his body and the boulder flipped over.

"What is that," Link said to himself.