Connections

Summary: Takes place after Twilight Princess. Ganondorf has mysteriously been revived and a strange prophecy is uncovered that foreshadows a great war that will be fought by Hylians and foreigners. Rated for language, violence, and alcohol references

I do not own any of the Zelda characters. The non-Zelda characters are my own creations and may not be used without my permission.

Prologue

He pushed open the large doors at the entrance of his fortress. It had been around one hundred years since he came to this place called home. This time, however, he was all alone. The Gerudo had died out, unable to produce a male heir without him. The ones that didn't die moved out of the desert and Hyrule altogether. All that kept him company were the few remaining monsters that were left alive by the Hero.

The Hero. He thought back to the day he was defeated by the one wielding the Master Sword. I was so foolish, he thought. I focused my concentration on Midna, the Twilight Realm, and Hyrule, all the while forgetting about that boy, Link. He was dressed just like the Hero of Time, who also defeated me over a hundred years ago. His eyes were the same. He held the Triforce of Courage inside of him. I could sense it. Why did I not pay more attention to him!?

As he fumed to himself, he came across an old book. Despite the book's age, the bindings on the pages still held strong. He traced his finger across the writing on the cover, then slowly opened it. He flipped through the book until he came to a certain page, reading it over a few times. He grinned wickedly, then scowled and narrowed his eyes.

"How was I revived?" he asked aloud, obviously not expecting an answer. "The other world…something happened there to cause this." He then grinned again. "This page explains it all. I never thought it would happen, but it did. Hero of Time…Princess of Destiny…you thought you could keep this from happening, but you thought wrong. Even in your graves, I'm sure you're churning in agony with the knowledge of what will soon happen." He chuckled deeply, which soon turned into a booming maniacal laughter that echoed throughout his fortress. He gathered energy into his hands as the wind began to pick up around him, causing his cape to beat wildly in the whirlwind of energy. He threw his hands into the air, releasing the energy, the Triforce of Power glowing brightly on the back of his right hand.

She sat in her throne, facing the knights of Hyrule, who stood at attention in front of her. In front of the knights stood their captain, who knelt before her with his head lowered.

"Your Highness, I bring you good news and bad news," announced the captain. The princess nodded.

"You may rise, Captain," she ordered calmly. The captain stood up and faced her. "I would like to hear the good news first."

"Reconstruction efforts have been completed in the Goron Mines, and we will soon begin in Kakariko Village," reported the captain. The princess smiled.

"I am very glad to hear that," she spoke. Her smile then faded. "But…?" The captain's features turned serious.

"There have been reports of monsters coming back to Hyrule Field," he testified. "More monsters than we had when Twilight was enveloping the country. Princess Zelda, with your permission, we would like to increase security around Castle Town."

"Permission granted, Captain," replied Zelda. "When did the monsters start appearing?"

"Within the past few days, Your Highness," he answered. Zelda thought for a few moments, then cringed in pain as she gingerly placed her hand on her chest. The pain disappeared as quickly as it came, and she shrugged it off. "Are you all right, Princess?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she lied. "Send letters to Renado and Darbus explaining the situation and to have them increase security around their territory, and send another one to King Ralis of the Zora to increase security at Lake Hylia. If they see any suspicious activity, have them send a messenger to me immediately. Also, send a letter to Link of Ordon and have him come to Hyrule Castle. The remaining guards that are not in Castle Town will be dispatched to assist the Eldin and Lanayru provinces however you see fit."

"Right away, Your Highness," said the captain. Zelda blinked a few times, her vision becoming blurry. Her body began to feel numb and weak. She looked at the back of her right hand and the Triforce of Wisdom was glowing weakly. As soon as the glowing stopped, her eyes closed and she lost consciousness. The captain quickly ran up to the princess and caught her before she fell down the stairs. "Your Highness! Princess Zelda! Wake up!"

"What do we do, Captain?" asked a soldier, a bit panicky. The captain scooped up the princess and glared at him.

"Don't just stand there!" boomed the captain. "Get the doctor!"

He walked alongside his good friend through the woods, the two of them telling jokes and laughing as they walked back to their village. A year ago, Hyrule was saved by the Chosen Hero, Link. When he came back to Ordon, he was sullen and rarely spoke, but after about a month, he began to recover, and before he knew it, he was back to his old self again. He continued to work at the ranch, though he decided to continue wearing his Hero garb, to remind him of his travels and adventures with his dear friend, Midna.

Link became closer friend with Rusl since they both played a part in Hyrule's salvation. Rusl was also able to call himself the proud father of his newborn baby girl, who was growing up before his eyes. When Link went on breaks, Rusl would join him for a walk in Faron Woods, not straying too far from the village. They told each other stories of their past adventures and about life in general.

As they walked past the Ordon Spring, Rusl noticed that Link wasn't walking next to him anymore. He turned around to see Link putting a hand on his chest and wincing in pain. The pain soon ceased and Link felt like his old self again, though confused. Rusl rushed over to his friend's side.

"Link, is everything all right?" he asked. Link nodded slightly.

"Yeah, just a sharp pain in my chest, though," he replied. "It's gone now. I think I'm working myself too hard."

"Ilia will have a field day with you if she hears you say that," chuckled Rusl.

"I'd never heard the end of it from her, and then she'd start accusing me of pushing Epona too hard, too," laughed Link.

"I wonder who she likes more: you or that horse," snickered Rusl. The two men started laughing and continuing their trek back to the village. Link suddenly stopped again, feeling dizzy and weak. Rusl stopped and turned around again, rushing to Link's side once more. Link looked at the back of his left hand. The Triforce of Courage began to glow weakly, then faded away. He felt his body falling as his world went black. Rusl quickly caught his unconscious friend and shook him lightly. "Link!? Link!!"

She sat on the edge of the fountain in the pouring rain, staring at the ground blankly. Her long, brown, wet hair stuck to her body as her soaked bangs hid her face. What were once a nice, light green skirt and halter-top were now tattered and muddy from her journey. Her brown sandals had also seen much better days. The people of Castle Town walked past her without acknowledging her, though she didn't care. The events of what had just happened raced through her mind, getting jumbled up into her other memories.

She heard footsteps against the wet stone road, then no longer felt the rain pounding against her aching body. She blinked a few times to snap out of whatever trance she was in, then saw a pair of shoes attached to striped socks, which were attached to a large woman holding an umbrella over her and herself. The woman smiled.

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here in the rain without an umbrella," stated the woman. The younger woman looked up at the owner of the voice, her blue eyes starting to get some life back into them. The older woman smiled. "My name is Telma. I own a bar in the southern part of town. Why don't you come with me and we'll get you some dry clothes and a bed to sleep in?" The young woman slowly stood, but continued to look up at Telma.

"Liz," said the young woman. "My name is Liz." Telma smiled.

"Well, Liz, it's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted.