Hello there and welcome to my new fanfic, Land of the Twili! This was somewhat inspired by MoonDrake's story Wolf Curse, so you will probably find a few similarities between the two if you've read it. Obviously, it's like a sequel to the game Twilight Princess, although it will occasionally reference the events of Ocarina of Time.

I'm not going to be doing couples in this one. It's not a romance, so there isn't really much of a point in bothering...

Well, that should be about it for the author notes. On with the story, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One: Memories

Sunset in Ordon Village… They say it's one of the most beautiful, peaceful scenes in all of Hyrule…

Link chuckled to himself as he thought over this statement. True, the small goat ranch with only the soft sound of bleating to break the stillness, accompanied by the bright colors that dappled the sky overhead, had a wonderfully soothing effect on the troubled mind. Still, for him, the best part of the day came just after sunset – at twilight.

"Hey Link, you mind giving me a hand over here?" Fado called, snapping the young man out of his reverie. The two were within the ranch with Epona, and Link was supposed to be bringing the goats in for the night.

"Oh! Right," the stablehand replied with a sheepish smile, vaulting onto his horse's back. Why do I have to keep zoning out like that at night? he mentally chided himself. That was two years ago, and Hyrule's been at peace ever since! You'd think I would have gotten over it by now, with everything back to normal.

He knew that wasn't true, of course. He knew that there was something special about him, and princess Zelda, and that cutthroat Ganondorf – that they had some sort of divine power that destined them all to play major parts in the everlasting battle between good and evil. He wasn't sure what exactly Ganondorf's story was, but apparently he and Zelda were some sort of reincarnations of past selves who had received the power centuries ago. Hmm… Maybe I'll ask Zelda about that story next time I see her, he considered. If anyone knows about ancient legends, it's her.

It didn't take Link long to herd the goats into their stable. As the last of the beasts was locked into its stall, the sun disappeared beneath the earth and Hyrule was bathed in only a soft glow. Fado grinned. "Looks like you finished up just in time," he commented. "There goes the daylight."

Link replied with a wan smile, but on the inside his emotions were reeling. Twilight always thrilled him with a resurgence of vivid memories, but at the same time it saddened him. He missed his old friend Midna, and often wondered why she had thought it necessary to destroy the Mirror of Twilight, the only connection between their two worlds.

Fado looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, we're going to be bringing some goat milk into town for market soon. Want to come?" he offered. "I know you like visiting the princess."

Link nodded. "That sounds good. You know I'm always up for a trip," he replied. With that, he dismounted Epona and began preparing her for bed as well, while the elder ranch owner began to lock up for the night.

Finally, it was time to head home. Link strolled through Ordon Village, waving and calling good-nights to the friends and neighbors he had grown up with. Soon, he reached the foot of the ladder leading to his small house and began to climb up.

About halfway up the ladder, Link paused. Something wasn't right, though he couldn't quite catch what it was. He strained his ears, listening for anything unusual. There – a soft whooshing sound, somehow different from wind, was coming from a ways behind him, near the middle of the village. He turned to see if he could catch a glimpse of whatever was making that sound.

Whatever he had been expecting, this definitely wasn't it. Link watched in disbelief as a black portal opened just above the trees. An instant later, large dark things fell through the strange portal onto the ground below. At the same moment, a terrified scream from Beth pierced through the night air. Link knew that this could only mean one thing.

Shadow Beasts!

Hmm, that was shorter than my chapters usually are. Oh well, the next one should be up soon enough -winks- Please review, this is my first Zelda fanfic so I want to know what people think!