Chapter 1

This story begins when Hyrule was once again threatened by an even greater evil than ever before, the three Golden goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore, created a being to bring together all the great heroes from all the past ages. The goddesses intended to create another hero, but since the current hero was still living, they could not reincarnate the "hero's soul" once again. They picked a new soul, one that originated in an alternate world, and created a Hylian body for it. They chose the most ideal soul, not the strongest, not the bravest, but the purest of heart. Farore created the Hylian body to contain magic, much like Shadow Magic and Twili Magic. They needed a way to bond the soul to its Hylian body. Nayru decided to use one of the Hero's souls as a medium between Hyrule and new souls origin point. The goddesses intended the Hylian body to be fully prepared, mentally and physically, to save Hyrule, for the new evil was growing much too quickly and they needed to take immediate action.

As Farore hastily prepared the body, a darkness extended over Hyrule. The goddesses feared they were too late, and as Hyrule's guardians they swept over Hyrule and pushed back the evil. It collided with them, locking them into a head on battle. In a overwhelming flourish that shook all of Hyrule, the goddesses and the darkness battled until only one goddess remained. Knowing she would not remain victorious, Din attached the soul to the Hylian body and sent it down into Hyrule. In her final moments she cast a powerful spell over the darkness that would keep it at bay as long as her remaining life force would allow. A bright flash lit the stormy sky, then all was once again calm and serene in the kingdom of Hyrule.

~Year - After the Twilight Era~

Link knew this feeling all too well. The pure malice that hung in the air was on par with that of even Ganondorf's. As the fog thickened and the sky darkened Link's uneasiness only grew. He threw on his chain mail, grunting at the weight of the protective layer, grabbed his sword and shield and headed out into the dark of night.

It was pitch black outside, the moon and stars blotted out by a thick canopy of clouds. Link mounted Epona and raced out of the small village of Ordon. Other than the menacing sky overhead everything seemed to be normal in Faron Woods. Link slowed his beloved mare to a trot and continued deeper into the woods. He rode the entirety of the forest and nothing seemed out of place. The springs still gurgled along happily, the trees swayed in the gentle breeze, and nothing was wrong with the Forest Temple. Link was confused. The only other time he remembered the clouds being this thick was during his battle with Ganondorf. Perplexed, he turned Epona to head into Hyrule Field, but a bright light in the sky blinded him.

As the light faded, Link could barely see and small object fall from the sky. The unknown object landed deep within Faron Woods. Turning Epona once again, he rode in the direction of said object. As he rode closer he could see a rather large crater in the earth. In the center of the crater was an unconscious child. Link quickly dismounted and ran over to the child, tripping slightly over tree roots that stuck out on the sides of the crater. It was a small girl, only six or seven years old. She had long blond hair, but wore a purple Hero's Tunic. Immediately Link knew this child would have a difficult life. He carried the girl to Epona, set her on the saddle, and mounted behind her.

It was a long ride back to Link's humble tree house home. His mind ran rampant trying to think of a sensible reason as to why this small girl was clad in a Hero's Tunic, but came up blank. He grimaced at the memory of his journey, he never wanted this frail child to go through even half of what he did. Upon reaching his home, Link dismounted Epona and carried the child inside. He placed her in a small bed on the second-level of his treehouse, gently placing the covers over her. He looked up at the moon through the small window above and silently said a prayer to the goddesses that this little child would never suffer a hero's fate. Returning his gaze back to her lying below him, Link silently wished her sweet dreams before falling asleep on a wooden cot on the first level.

It was early morning when she awoke. The little girl rose off the small bed she slept on, the woolen covers falling to her feet as she stood. She yawned, stretching her arms high above her head. The early sun just barely peeked above a mountain range in the distance, shining in through a small window directly in front of her. She squinted, bringing her arm up instinctively to protect her eyes from the bright sun. She walked over to the window, her boots shuffling on the hard wooden floors. Standing on her tip-toes allowed her to barely peek over the wooden window sill. She saw a large forest, with a small village directly beyond a small grove of trees. The bleating of goats could be heard in the distance, and she could smell fresh pine gently floating on the breeze. Turning her back to the window, she caught the strong aroma of warm bread wafting up from the floor below. The sweet smell guided her to the bottom level of the small house, her small feet occasionally slipping on the wooden rungs of the ladders that connected the various levels of this house. Turning away from the ladder, she spotted a plate of rolls sitting in the center of a small wooden table.

Her eyes widened and her mouth began to water at the food sitting before her. Her immediate reaction was to rush to the warm bread and dig in, but part of her said not to. With a frown, she decided to check her surroundings first. Upon further inspection of the small kitchen area, she discovered two bowls of pumpkin soup, still warm, sitting on a wooden counter. The combined aroma of the sweet food was overwhelming. She couldn't stand it any longer. After grabbing a bowl of soup, and making her way to the small table holding the rolls, she began to eat.

One large mouthful after another, until finally she was finished. With a full stomach, she stood up and continued to examine the interior of the small house, leaving her dirty dishes on the small table. She found many interesting things, and many items that she had no idea their purpose. A long pole with a string on the end was the most peculiar. She wondered what this strange item could be used for. After several moments of fruitless pondering, she dismissed it to the back of her mind. She slowly worked her way to the back of the house, until she found what she assumed to be a lantern. She reached up and pulled it off a small shelf, almost dropping it on account of how heavy it was. After toying with it for a short time, she discovered that twisting a small wheel on the side ignited a bright flame. While staring at the small yellow flame flicker back and forth, a loud "THUD" arose from a black hole in the floor, assumingly leading to a cellar of sorts. With lantern in hand, she cautiously made her way to the dark hole. There was a ladder leading into the gap in the floor, and with unexplainable courage, she plunged down into the darkness.

The lantern illuminated the small basement room, casting dancing shadows against the shelves that lined the walls. Slowly walking forward, she discovered the source of the thud. A large pitchfork was lying on the ground, clearly knocked off the top right shelf. With a sigh of relief, she turned to head up the ladder, but a twinkle of light caught her eye. She turned and walked in the direction of the light, only to find a mirror propped upright on some large crates. She climbed the wooden crates and faced the mirror, seeing herself for the first time. Enticed by the piece of glass, she reached out to touch her reflection. A cold draft came from under the walls, blowing the lantern's small flame to a cold wick. She turned to face the lantern, but saw nothing. All around her was blackness. One hand still on the mirror, she looked around her for the exit, but to no avail. Everything had been plunged into darkness. Turning to face the reflective surface, she expected to see nothing but black once again, but what she actually saw truly frightened her.

It appeared to be a blackened reflection of herself, but looked nothing like how she remembered it in the light. It stared back at her with red eyes, and a twisted grin. She reached up her hands to touch her own face, only to find the reflection standing still. Her eyes widened and she grew afraid. She began to back away, but remembered the edge of the crate right behind, and stayed still. The image before her seemed to enjoy her terror, its grin turning to a smile. It appeared to lean forward and whisper, "Welcome home." She couldn't sit still any longer, she had to get away from the creature in the mirror. Panicked, she fell backwards, landing on the ground below. She tried to stand, but in her panicked state her attempts only resulted in her small boots skidding over the dusty wooden floor beneath her. She was convinced if she lingered in one spot too long, that darkness around her would reach out and pull her in. After several seconds of more skidding, she finally found her footing and stood. Turning around with her back to the frightful mirror, she ran.

She couldn't see where she was going, and in the back of her mind she reminded herself there was a pitchfork on the ground somewhere, but continued to run. Tripping several times, she turned around expecting to see the evil reflection right behind, but nothing was there. She knew she should be relieved, but knowing that creature was somewhere in this darkness only frightened her more. She stood and ran forward, closing her eyes in a futile attempt to forget the frightening image. Two steps forward, she ran into something, or someone. Ricocheting off the hard surface, she landed on the ground. Once again, when she opened her eyes she expected to see the terrifying creature, and at first thought she did. It appeared to be a person, barely visible in the darkness. Fearing her reflection stood before her, she froze.

As she lay frozen on the ground, the figure gently reached out a hand to her. It appeared to be a kind gesture. Hesitantly, she reached out to the extended hand. With a firm, but gentle, grasp she was pulled to her feet. This person's presence was calming, and she found that her fear from before slowly disappearing. The figure, obviously knowing this small room very well, calmly walked over to where to mirror sat, purposely avoiding the gaze of his own reflection. Grabbing the lantern, he twisted the small wheel. Warm light once again illuminated the room, lighting all the shelves and dark corners.

She relaxed, content in knowing the evil being was not chasing her, and she began to question whether it was ever there at all. No. She was sure of what she saw, even if knowing the being existed frightened her. A calm voice snapped her from her thoughts.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She did not know how to respond. She knew how to speak, and knew what to say. 'Yes' would be the sensible and simplest answer, but she found herself at a loss of words. Was she truly alright? She didn't really know. What she just witnessed obviously frightened her, but was she still scared? She felt calm, and more in control of her emotions and actions. In her frazzled state all she could think about was wanting to get away. She hated the malicious intent that practically dripped off that creature. It made her skin crawl just thinking about it. She shuddered, her whole body shaking for a brief second as she remembered the encounter. A grunt from the young man in front of her once again snapped her from her thoughts. She remembered that she still had not answered his question. Forcing an answer, she replied with a simple 'yes'.

Obviously seeing through her answer, Link wondered what had frightened the small girl so much. She simply stood directly in front of him, staring straight into his eyes. Her eyes were a bright shade of blue, that seemed to rival that of even the beautiful Lake Hylia. He laughed inwardly at how much she resembled him at that age. Smiling, he invited her to go back into the house, and with a nod she agreed.

She climbed up the ladder and walked straight to the small wooden table once again, taking her previous seat at the table. Link climbed up after her, at took the seat directly across from her. The girl sat there, seemingly staring into space. Sensing she was not going to start up any conversation, he began. He told her his name, and asked what her name was. She stared blankly at him.

"My…. name..?"

She was confused. Did she even have a name? She tried to remember, but came up blank. She didn't seem to have any memories at all. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember past waking up this morning.

"I don't have…. a name.."

Now Link was confused. She didn't have a name? He remembered that this child did appear to fall from the sky, so he didn't question it.

"Well, what can you remember?"

He figured this child might remember something, anything, about her past.

"Nothing.." she stated blankly, reverting her gaze to the wooden planks below her.

"Try to remember something, anything." Link suggested encouragingly.

She tried. She tried as hard as she could, but still came up blank. She slowly looked up, first at the table, then behind Link at the assorted trinkets on a small shelf, then finally into his eyes. His eyes were a slightly darker shade of blue than hers, but very blue nonetheless. As she stared into his cerulean pools, she remembered something. The glint of steel being held skyward as the sun reflected off its flawless edges. What appeared to be the end of a sword stood out against a bright blue sky. She tried to remember what the sword looked like, or who was holding it, but came up blank once again. She was ashamed at her failed attempts to remember anything of real importance. In her mind, a simple sword being held up meant nothing, but she answered him anyway.

"I remember… a sword. A sword being held up into the sky.."

Averting her gaze to the floor once again, she expected Link to be disappointed in her.

"A sword..?" He asked, slightly confused.

She nodded. "It had a small carving of three triangles near the hilt.. That's all I can remember.."

His eyes widened. Three triangles..? Could it be..? No. He quickly dismissed that thought. This girl, who has no memories simply couldn't have witnessed the Master Sword being drawn, could she..? He thought, and at first chalked it up to be nothing other that her remembering the story of the hero told by her parents, but could it be more? The longer he thought on it the more he believed the latter. This girl, who did appear to fall from the sky, with no injuries, wearing a Hero's Tunic, most likely was not all she appeared to be. He believed her, but grew even more worried for her. Despite his hoping otherwise, it appeared this child would suffer the cruel fate of a hero. She appeared so frail and weak before him, sitting with her head hung apparently in shame. He remembered when he was that age. He was an energetic child, always loved to play. He watched her sympathetically as she hung her head and rubbed the hem of her tunic between her index finger and thumb.

She was ashamed, ashamed that she couldn't remember any more. She wasn't even certain she had a past, much less remember one. What was she doing before this morning? Think… Think..! She put her small hand on her forehead in frustration, practically forcing herself to remember. Trees.. A thick canopy of trees, and the smell of foliage. As if on cue, several images flashed in her mind.

Link could tell she was struggling to remember more, but didn't expect her to do this. After hitting her forehead obviously trying to trigger memories, her eyes grew wide as saucers. He had no idea what she had seen, but he could tell by the horrified look on her small features that it was something she shouldn't have witnessed. A tear escaped her lashes, followed by another, and another, until eventually she was sobbing. Link had risen from his seat and tried to comfort her, telling her all manner of soothing things that usually calmed the children of the village, but his words appeared to fall on deaf ears.

She had put both hands over her face, sobbing violently into them, her whole frame shaking. Link could hear her whispering something inaudible. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a tight embrace, trying desperately to calm her. After several minutes of this, she grew quiet. Link felt her small frame go limp, and quickly pulled back to look at her, fearing the worst. He sighed in relief upon realizing she was merely sleeping. He wondered what she could have remembered that would cause her to act that way. He lifted her into his arms, her own falling over his shoulders, and climbed up to the top level of the small house. He held her with one arm, while climbing up the ladder with the other. Once finally reaching the top, he laid her down on the soft bed, before tucking the woolen blanket in around her. After once again silently praying she wouldn't be forced to endure a hero's fate, he climbed back down to the first level.

He retook his previous seat at the small table and thought. Thought of trivial things, such as how he would introduce this child to the villagers, but questions about this girl's past were first and foremost in his mind. He kept telling himself she had to have a past, it was just unnatural not to have one. Someone can't just pop into existence, right? He was reminded of the breakdown she had upon remembering something unpleasant and decided not to push her so hard. After all, she was still just a child. Based upon her age, she would have been only four years old when twilight took over Hyrule. He thought maybe her lack of memories were linked to those unpleasant times.

Link noticed the amount of lighting in his small house decrease, casting everything into a dark shadow. He looked out the window to find the sun ducking behind the horizon, how the time flys. He chuckled slightly as he turned back towards his small wooden cot. He didn't mind sleeping on the hard surface, in fact he preferred it towards a luxurious fluffy bed. As he lay on the cot, he remembered the year he spent sleeping on the cold ground with nothing but his own arms on which to rest his head. He remembered his sarcastic and witty partner, and remembered how he felt when she left him. He had been utterly heartbroken. She had been the only person who truly understood how he felt, having been by his side for the year and a half his journey lasted. The last thing he expected her to do was shatter their only means of communication. However, as he already knew, most things came unexpectedly with his impish partner. His thoughts continued to run rampant even after he had fallen into the comforting hands of sleep.