A/N: I'm going to change a few things for this story. Like at the end of The Windwaker game, Link and Tetra sailed away in search of that land that the king had told them about, well... in my story they never sailed out together like that. Tetra (Zelda) made him stay on Outset while she searched for the land. A few things might change later on in the story as I find I need to change them :)
Chapter 1:
The water swelled around my ankles, the sun blaring down on me. I sighed in relaxation. Ever since Ganondorf had been defeated life had been easy. I opened eyes and squinted up at the sun, my blonde bangs concealing it somewhat, but not much. I stretched my arms out in front of me, before grunting as I pushed myself to my feet. I yawned and turned, bare chested, back to my gran's house. Once my feet brushed grass I stopped and unrolled my brown pants, and then continued on my merry way.
"Hey, Link! Think ya could help me catch that darn pig? He broke the fence and got out again!" I turned and smirked when I saw Mr. Nagasi running down the slope from his house. Sweat lined his forhead as he ran, and when he slid to a halt in front of me, he was out of breath.
"You're getting a little too old to be running after a giant and obese pig there huh, Mr. Nagasi?" I laughed jokingly, patting his back. Mr. Nagasi laughed in reply.
"Yeah, I guess. But the wife won't let me turn him in to dinner or breakfast, which would be best, but oh well. But, do you think you could lend a hand, Link?"
"Sure." I laughed as I pulled my two gold bracers out of my pocket. I slid them on to my wrists and felt a tingle ripple up my spine. I knew it just signaled that now I was strong enough to lift up huge,monster boulder or... say, a giant pig? I remembered how I had had to freeze the top of a volcano to receive these bracers. How I had to fightmagtails and actually go inside the volcano to receive them. I cracked my neck and smiled at Mr. Nagasi.
"Alright, sir! Where's the pig at?"
"I saw him a few seconds ago over by the bridge."
"Alright! I'll be back!" I said and turned on my heel and started joggingdown the island. It was small, smaller than most anyway. Well, not including the bridge to the other half. Just this half alone was small. I passed Sturgeon and Orca's house, and smiled thoughtfully. Since I'd come back from my quest to defeat Ganondorf, I'd helped Orca train some of the little tykes in swordplay. After four years, though, the tykes had become fair enough to where I couldn't teach them anything extra without special items that I had. Orca trained them as far as he could take them.
I stopped behind a line of bushes as I spotted the giant, fat pig. I narrowed my eyes. He'd hated me ever since I'd thrown him Mrs. Nagasi's fence. I crouched down, and slowly crawled army-style underneath the bushes and through the tall grass. I was less than a foot away, hearing the pig's snorting and smelt the horrible smell of him. Eugh he was disgusting.
I leaped to my feet quickly and wrapped my hands underneath his stomach. THe pig squealed in surprise and fright as I hauled him on to my shoulders. I calmly strolled back up the island. My chest was now lined with sweat, and not even from exertion. Ever since my journey I'd been sure to stay somewhat in shape, though I wasn't in as great of shape as I had been.
Aryll had always scolded me while I was working out. "He's not coming back, Link, so just relax like you used to." But I'd never listened to her. Truth be told (if you say a word of this to Aryll I'll kill you), I wanted to stay in shape for whenever I went to visit Zelda. Or when she gave me a surprise visit as Tetra. I climbed up the slope that led to Mr. Nagasi's house, and when I reached the pen I took a deep breath, and with a grunt I tossed the monster pig in to the pen. He grunted and squealed when he landed in there, and glared at me. I smirked and waved calmly at him, taking my bracers off and shoving them back in to my pocket.
I walked and stepped up to Mr. Nagasi's front door, and knocked firmly, but not to loud. "Mr. Nagasi! The pig's back in the pen! I'll see ya later!" I shouted so that anyone inside could hear me. I then turned on my heel, but the voice that answered surprised me.
"Thank you, Link!" Mrs. Nagasi shouted back, and I cringed. Mr. Nagasi was in for a talk tonight. I shrugged and then bolted down the slope, leaped over a line of bushes, and up the steps to my Gran's house. I threw the door open and walked in, grabbing my blue shirt and slid it on over my chest. I wore the same shirt I had worn the morning Aryll was taken, though my Gran had made one in a bigger size for me. She did the same with my hero's uniform, though it was only for cases when Zelda arrived as Princess Zelda, on the anniversary of the day that we defeated Ganon together. Her father, who talked to me through my boat, forced me to wear it on those days.
"I'm home, Gran!" I called softly, so that she could hear me if she was awake, but also so that it wouldn't wake her up if she was asleep. I didn't hear an answer, so I figured she was asleep. Quickly I climbed the ladder up to my half of the house. I flopped down on my bed, and sighed. What to do, what to do. I rolled over and reached under my bed, my hand closing around the familiar scabbard of the Master Sword. I slid it out and dropped it on my lap, before reaching back underneath my bed and pulling out the Mirror Shield.
I rubbed my thumb across the front of the Mirror Shield, and smiled at the only chink in it. A small hole in the middle of the Triforce symbol on there. The only chink in my trusty shield, given to by Zelda's last light arrow... the one that defeated Ganon. I smiled and then stood off of my bed, picking my sword's scabbard up. I grabbed the sword's blue handle in my left hand. I took a deep breath, before slowly pulling it out of the scabbard. It hissed as the metal scimmed the metal lining around the top. I tossed the scabbard on top of my bed, and examined the sword.
It felt so natural to hold it. Of course, ithad been my pride and joy during my journey, and my last ditch effort. I waved it through the air a bit, before cutting across an invisible enemy in front of me. I smirked and stood back up, placing the sword back in its sheath and then replaced it and the shield back underneath my bed. I leaped what must have been twenty feet in the air and off my bed once Zelda's voice boomed through that necklace she had given me so long ago.
"Hey, Link!" She laughed, as she must've saw my reaction. "Did I scare you?" Yep, definetly saw that.
"Oh, shut up, Princess." I sniggered, she hated being called that. When we didn't have to dress up for that stupid anniversary crap she preferred being called Tetra.
"Shut up, hero." She replied, knowing I hated being called that in turn.
"Touche." I laughed, and she joined in. "So what's been keeping ya? Haven't heard from you in like, a month."
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Zuko, Niko, and Mako forced me not to talk to you though, 'cuz at that point we thought we were really close to the land that the King told us about. So they wanted it to be a huge surprise for the next time I talked to you, instead of revieling our suspicions to you. But, turns out we were dead wrong so I finally got to call ya today."
"Ah. Well hey, Gran still hasn't said anything since I've showed up so I'm gonna go find her. Talk to ya later."
"Ok. Later, Link."
I slid my necklace in to my shirt. I stood up from the floor and climbed down the ladder, before walking in to the kitchen. No Gran. Weird. I looked over at the bunkbed that sat in a corner beside the kitchen, where Aryll and Gran slept. Neither of them were there. So, that meant they were out somewhere. I sighed and ventured out of my house and outside. Sue, as usual, was out there carrying a pot on top of her head. I smiled warmly and approached her.
"Hey, Sue!"
"Oh! Hey, Link!" She said, smiling warmly at me, a faint blush creeping on her cheeks. "Anything I can do for you?"
"Yeah, uhm... I was actually wondering if you'd seen my Gran and Aryll around here?"
"Oh, last I saw they were climbing that slope to the forest. Aryll said something about wanting to show your guys's Gran the scenery out there." I growled in frustration. I hadn't taken Gran out there because even though the monsters were gone, the place was just a dangerous place for her to go. She could trip over anything in there. I growled in frustration and thanked Sue, before turning and sprinting down the island.
I sprinted to the bridge, across the bridge, and across the island until I reached the slope that led up to the bridge you had to cross to get to the forest. I took a deep breath and climbed it at a normal walk, and stopped once I reached the top, and stared across the ocean. Sometimes I just wanted to go back. Sometimes I wanted to grab all of my supplies, put it back in the boat, and sail away to find Zelda and her ship and join their quest. But I knew if I did so without telling Gran or Aryll, they'd be heartbroken. And if I did tell them they'd do everything in their power to keep me here.
I shook the thoughts from my head and turned to the rickety bridge. At one point I had cut it down after Aryll had been taken, so nobody else on the island would wander in while I was gone. Then after I came back I worked for about a week until I could put it back up. I crossed the bridge and slid in to the woods. I walked in calmly and unafraid, though a little nervous if anything. I hadn't been in here since Aryll had been taken. Although, she's been in here hundreds of times. She knew every inch of the forest like the back of her hand.
I knew no monsters thrived her, but still. I coughed to clear my throat, before cupping my hands around my mouth. "ARYLL! GRAN! YOU GUYS HERE?" I shouted, and waited a few seconds before smiling in relief when I heard Aryll shout in reply.
"Link! Over here!" But the smile was whiped off of my face when I heard the distress in her voice. I instantly sprinted around a corner towards her, and went deeper in to the woods. I leaped over a ledge and landed roughly, but on my feet. I stood up and looked around, spotting Aryll instantly. She wore the same red dress, though Gran had made her a bigger one too. Her blonde hair was no longer in pigtails or anything, it just hung down around her shoulders lightly. She was on her knees, huddled up in fear and looking at me.
My first thought was: Where's Gran? And then I looked passed Aryll and saw Gran laying on the ground, motionless. My eyes widened, and I looked at Aryll again and saw that she'd been crying.
"No." I breathed, and Aryll nodded and started crying again.
Then, I heard cold, ruthless laughing. It literally rooted me to the spot and sent chills down my spine. I felt a cold hand grip it and refused to release it. I blinked and looked passed Aryll again, towards my Gran's motionless body, and to the shadows beside her. Then I noticed him. A man in and covered by the shadows. All I could see were his two, blood red pupils. And then when he stepped from the shadows and in front of Aryll, I felt my heart almost stop. He looked exactly like me. He wore clothes that looked like the ones I'd worn on my journey. There were definetly differences though.
While he looked exactly like me, the only things that were different were his hair and eye colors, and the color of the clothes he wore. His hair was a light, ashy gray and his eyes were two orbs with blood red pupils. The shirt he wore under his tunic was light gray, same with his pants. The tunc and hat he wore were pitch black. I gasped for air, before finally being able to move and speak. My hands tightened in to fists and I gritted my teeth together tightly.
"What'd you do to my Gran!" I shouted in fury.
"I didn't do anything." He replied calmly. His voice sounded exactly like mine.
"THEN WHY IS SHE DEAD!" I shouted as my eyes shut closed in fury and tears began to stream from them.
"She saw me, and thought I was you, until she looked closer. And then, I told her some... riveting news... and she just, dropped like a rock." I ran forward at him. I didn't care that I didn't have a single weapon, but the kid talked about it so calmly as if people's grandmothers dropped dead in front of him everyday! How could I deal with that?
I threw my fist forward and the kid ducked underneath, before rolling away. When he rolled to his feet he pulled out his sword and his shield. I was shocked to see exact replicas of the Master Sword and Mirror Shield in his hands. I ran to Aryll, and got her to hold on to me, piggy-back style. Good thing I'd stayed in shape somewhat. However, the kid blocked are path.
"Who are you?" I growled.
The kid only smirked at me. "Why, I'm you of course.
"...Link."