Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own the characters or land in Legend of Zelda games. However I do own the following characters: Linweh (Princess of Telthar), Lir (Prince of Telthar), Nightrunner, Maiku, Rimar, and the entire land of Telthar and the people within it. Enjoy the story.

Legacy of a Hero

Chapter 1 - The Night Sky

"As long as there is a princess named Zelda and as long as there is an evil menace to be freed from the Void of Evil then there will be a boy dressed in a green tunic with a magic swrod by his side to vanquish that evil." Or so the legend goes...

Faded blue eyes stared up at the star lit night sky, the moon hung over the western horizon, and he couldn't help but feel insignificant compared to the vastness of the night sky. It was a time of peace in the land, there was no war, no danger, and he was able to relax. His body had been freed from the endurance of a long hardship but it never kept his mind from wandering towards what the future held. This Hylian was unsure what to do in a time of peace, he had been helping Kakariko Village build new homes for their growing population but it still did not keep his mind at peace. The very air within the village seemed to radiate with something, there was something amiss in the village, and the hero couldn't quit figure out what it was.

He abruptly sat up from the rooftop that he had been relaxing on, he let his blue eyes wander over the sleeping village, and the thought crossed his mind about what had been occurring in the village that would put him in such a state of unease. The well's seal wasn't broken, the male was about to look away, but he caught the sight of a familiar blond haired Hylian. She wore a long beautiful dress with the Hyrule crest on it but his blue eyes widened in shock of her present state. The female was pregnant and it appeared that she was ready to burst from her clothing with such a large stomach. He was in shock at her current state but he didn't recall hearing about her being in bed with anyone else but the last time that he saw her was six months ago. Could it really be?

He leaped from the rooftop to land on another one that was close by, the warrior followed the princess of Hyrule as she strolled through the village, she entered Impa's house, and he immediately darted across the rooftops until he was able to land on top of the appropriate house. He crept down the side and peered through the open window with one eye as he kept his body flush against the outside wall. The princess was on her back with the doctor examining her, his fingers curled into fists as he realized that she avoided seeing him because of her condition, and this only angered him. I have never felt such anger before, at least not towards any one that wasn't my enemy. How can she do this to me? How could she not tell me this? Link ground his teeth together as the anger only boiled beneath his calm countenance, Zelda had lied to him about her pregnancy, and he had believed her. What a fool I was! Link couldn't do anything but wait until the birth would start or end but he still couldn't fathom why she would want to keep it a secret. He sat down, pressed his back against the side of the building, and placed his head in his hands. The savior of Hyrule couldn't wrap his head around the fact that the princess of the land, the one that he saved, had lied to him, and kept this pregnancy a secret from him. I believe he's mine. With that thought the first scream broke through the silent night and Link desperately wished that there was some way he could have helped her.

She kept a secret from you! How dare you patronize yourself for thinking that you would want to help her through this. No, this is hers alone to deal with, replied the voice of his darkside. Link shook his head, ever since that one time in the Water Temple, the voice was with him but he shoved that voice aside. Now was not the time to think about his own problems when there was a child about to be born into the world. Her screams were broken up by heavy breathing and panting while the doctor gave her instructions to breathe then push and breathe again. Link kept his head in his hands, his fingers gripped tufts of his hair as if he was going to rip them out but he ground his teeth and forced himself to never move from his position. Her screams nearly made his heart burst at the fact that he couldn't help her but his darker side kept reminding him that she kept her pregnancy from him and Link held onto that. It was an arduous task for the hero to sit there and do nothing while the princess was in labor, after what seemed an eternity Link could see that the moon had coasted towards the other side of the horizon, night was almost done. Silence engulfed the village, there was a slapping sound, and finally the cry of an infant breached the silent early morning.

The doctor explained that he was going to retire for a bit while she enjoyed her new infant, Link peeked over the window once more, and decided that now would be a good time to have a look at the infant. He stood up from his position and watched as Zelda placed the small baby in a crib before putting herself against the pillow on the bed in order to gain her own rest. Once her eyes closed, he slipped into the room stealthily, Link crept towards the infant in the crib, and he squatted down. A soft expression met his face, it softened the age lines as he gazed down at the pale infant, and the small mop of blond hair on the top of his head. "You are precious little one," whispered Link. The baby stirred, turned its head towards the hero, and opened its eyes. They were a very vivid green like one of the fairy's lights from Kokiri Forest. His own blue ones widened at the sight but softened just as instantly since the baby gave a toothless grin. Link reached his hand over the crib towards the infant, the baby took his index finger in his two tiny hands, and began to chew on it.

Link's face softened even further, he slipped his hand out of the infant's grasp, reached into the crib, and pulled out the baby. Their short time together that they had was special to Link, he cradled the child against his chest, the infant leaned its head against his chest, and listened to the older man's steady heartbeat. Vivid green eyes slowly fluttered closed at the steady rhythm of Link's heartbeat and he held the infant close to his face. He placed a gentle kiss on the forehead of the infant as the hero of Hyrule replaced the warm bundle back into the crib. Calloused fingers pulled the blanket over the child so that he would be warm but he wanted to give him something to show that he was special. His dark side spoke up, Why not give him a Triforce symbol? Or a piece of cloth? Something that you can give him to keep him comfortable as he grows up. Link kept thinking about what he could possible give the child and he finally thought of something. A long piece of leather was pulled out from his side pouch, and he looked on his person for something that resembled the Triforce. Link kept looking until he found something that would work. He reached behind him, pulled out an arrow, and yanked the steel tip off as quietly as he could. He replaced the stick in the quiver, and began to wrap the leather strip around the arrowhead. It was a special arrowhead, he was the only one that used them, and once he was sure that steel tip was secured, Link leaned down in the crib, and gently wrapped the necklace around the infant's neck. It was crude but beautiful and he hoped that the child would wonder about it, the only piece to his missing father, and Link tucked the arrowhead under the blanket. The hero stepped away from the crib and headed towards the window where he leaned against the wall and watched Zelda sleep.

It wasn't long before she woke up, feeling something different in the room, her blue eyes fluttered open, and they riveted onto Link. The man that saved Hyrule had changed, his hair was lighter as was his eyes, and his skin more tan than she remembered. He even looked bulkier than before, it was clear by the way the tunic hugged his form whereas before it was rather loose. "Link..you look different," came her whisper.

"Why did you hide this from me?"

"You..." she couldn't find her voice as the male's faded blue eyes locked onto her form. She allowed her gaze to wander over his form and she noticed that he still held the mirror shield on his back, she recognized the red trim. "Don't you want a Hylian shield?"

"No. I earned this shield in the Desert Temple and I will not be rid of it. Now answer me, why did you hide this child from me?"

"I didn't want you to be distracted since you were patrolling Hyrule."

His eyes narrowed at her, "That's dung and you know it! Your excuse does not give you the right to hide the birth of my child from me!" His voice was still quiet but the anger was present, he kept his voice down so that he wouldn't wake the child up.

"What would you do had you known? Would anything have changed?"

"YES! Everything would have changed! I would have been there to help you and to help raise him."

"Would he be a warrior? A farmer? A blacksmith? A stable hand? What would you raise him as dear Link?" It was then that he turned his back to her so that she saw her own reflection in the mirror shield while he looked out at the stars. I can't see his face now but...

"Does your father know?"

"Yes and he assumes that the father is someone from another family. Prince Garth from Munray is his suspicion. But now you didn't answer my question."

"Everything." She tilted her head in confusion, "I would have taught him everything that I know and everything you listed is everything that I know, blacksmithing included."

"How do you know blacksmithing?"

"I make my own arrowheads, Zelda. I learn from others that know the trade so he would have learned everything from me. That's how I would have rasied him." He kept quiet as did she just as the night began to lighten. "Do you want to hear a story?"

"I suppose."

"There was a husband and a wife that lived in Hyrule Castle Market. One day the wife bore her husband a child, a male child but that very same day, war had struck the market. The husband went into the fray to protect his wife and child while the mother fled the market with the infant. He died in battle while she was gravely wounded during the escape. By sheer will, she made it to a forest inhabited by children, and they helped her to their guardian. She pleaded with the forest guardian to raise her child, to care for him, and he agreed. But soon after the agreement, she passed on, knowing that her child was safe. The forest, in turn, raised the child as one of their own and never told him anything until years down the line."

"What a sad story. Why would you tell me this?"

"For a sage you don't seem to see a lot of things that are in front of you. Besides, it's a true story." He was quiet for a time, "The children were the Kokiri, the forest Kokiri Forest, the tree guardian was the Great Deku Tree, and the infant child...that was me." She gasped as he looked over his shoulder at her, "I never found out until after the Forest Temple and the Deku Tree Seed was safe."

"Such a long time and so much hardship not to know who you are."

"Yes and now you will do the same to this child. I assume that you'll hide him, won't you?" Zelda held a mixture of shock and confusion on her face. "A princess without a husband and a child is frowned upon by other countries. The best place to hide him would be somewhere no one will be able to find him, not even me."

"You don't want to see him?"

"I'll find him again. No matter where you hide him, I will find him again. Do you have a name for him?"

"No, I wasn't sure if it was to be a boy or a girl. Do you?"

"Maiku." With that said, Link turned away from her, took in a deep breath, and leaped through the window from Impa's house. Zelda's cry was inaudible which caused the child to wake up and begin crying as well just as the sun rose over the horizon. Link hit the ground and bolted for the exit to Kakariko Village, he had something to discuss with the king before Zelda had a chance to ruin everything. "I have to hurry." Once Epona was in sight, he jumped onto her back and the pair sprinted towards the castle which had just lowered its gates. The Market was empty and that gave Link an advantage with Epona, she galloped through the main paths until she reached the castle entrance. He bolted off of her back which caused her to rear up but he didn't have time, he would comfort her later, and sprinted to the throne room.

Link was panting as the king entered and he kneeled in front of him. The king patted his shoulder, "No need for that. You are my equal and always will be. Hyrule owes you a great debt, what can I do for you?" When the warrior stood up, the king noticed something strange about his demeanor, "What is it?"

"Zelda had a male child today." The king nodded, "His name is Maiku and...he's not Prince Garth's, the boy is my son." Astonishment crossed the king's face but he soon smiled and nodded once more while keeping his hand on Link's shoulder. "She's going to hide him away and I want you to put him somewhere that I will be able to find him."

"Did you give him anything?"

"I made a necklace that holds one of my arrowheads."

"Very good! It will make him wonder about his father but at least he'll know that he has one. What's a good place to hide a child from everyone but easy for you to find him?" The two thought about it but Link was still panting from the sprint through the castle courtyard. "Ah! I have it! Lon Lon Ranch!" The Hero of Time stared dumbfounded at the king, it was such a perfect place to hide a child. "Yes? Good idea?" He numbly nodded, "Good good. Now that's been settled, what are we going to do about this elite guard that you spoke of days ago?"

"Um...they would be hand selected by me. I will go to Telthar and train with their own soldiers, they are the best when it comes to stealth and techniques that involve shadows. I believe they were only second to our Sheikah."

"You're quite right my boy. Now, I will go ahead and send an owl over there with a letter stating your arrival. I want them ready with everything that you'll need. Stay as long as you need but do inform me of any changes in their castle."

"I will. I have some attire that would be perfect for these guards."

"Very good, what will they be called?"

"Since Hyrule was thrust into twilight many years ago, why not call them 'Twilight Guards'?"

The king thought about it for a moment and nodded, "That's a great name! Fearsome and mysterious all at once. Perfect. But people will be able to see them?"

"Yes, I believe it's better that way. We don't want to resurrect the Sheikah since we don't have anyone alive to teach them the ways. But I can learn something close to it from the soldiers of Telthar and bring it here."

"Very smart. I like that idea. Go and pack now. Zelda will be bedridden for a while and I want to make sure that you have everything ready. Remember, Maiku will be at Lon Lon Ranch when you get curious." Link nodded with a grateful smile as he left the throne room, "Be careful and do not hold a grudge against her. She's not worth it Link."

He was riding Epona to Kokiri Forest to get his gear, it was a place that was safe for him, and his mind turned to Lon Lon Ranch. You should've thought of that first you dimwit but I guess you were upset. "Yeah..." Well the king is a great guy. You should be happy with that so what are you afraid of? Link sighed and stated, "I can't feel the presence of Oni anymore." You don't think? "I do...no one even knows about you so how would they know about him. And it does seem possible, if I was able to absorb your soul and his, it would only make sense that one of you was passed on." But why not me? Why him? "You're my dark side, he's not. Oni is...something else..." It frightens you? "Yes. It frightens me a great deal. What about you?" Yeah. Me too but I don't think we should feel frightened at all. Oni's good, I can tell. "Should I trust your judgement of what 'good' is?" I guess not. There was laughter in his mind and Link couldn't help but laugh out loud as well. The Deku Tree had told him not to be afraid of his dark side or of the presence of Oni but embrace them. Since then Link has always had them but now Oni was missing and he feared that he had entered the body of his son. Perhaps he'll protect him like I do you sometimes. "We can only hope."

-::::::-

Rays of sun shone down upon the deck of the ship, it had nearly taken one month to cross the Sea of Clouds in order to go to Telthar. The hero only hoped it was all worth it and that the necklace he made for his son was still with him. Blue eyes stared down at the passing waves until he heard someone approaching him from the side, he glanced up to see the captain of the ship, a man with no hair on his head but a short beard on his face. The man dressed in a long sleeve white shirt, a brown vest, and matching pants with black boots. He leaned on the railing with Link and waited a few minutes before wanting to speak with the warrior.

"Ya seem bothered. Something I can help with?"

He sighed, "I'm not sure. My son...was taken from me and placed somewhere else."

"I see. Do you know where he was taken?" Link nodded, "Then that's good. You can always see him no matter what."

"But he won't know me."

"Sure he will!" The hero looked into the amber eyes of the ship captain and looked confused. "If you see him, visit him, and talk with him then you'll see that you still have an influence on him. I know it's hopeless now but give it time, you'll see. Besides, you can still watch over him even if he won't know that you're his father."

"How?"

"By making friends with the people that take care of him. He'll see you on some sort of regular basis and will associate with you. That's all I can help you with, Link."

He smiled at the captain, "You've helped enough. Thank you."

"By the way, why was he taken from you?"

"This you'll have to keep a secret." The man nodded and Link whispered, "His mother is Princess Zelda and since we're not married..."

"I understand now. So it was your suggestion?" Link nodded, "Then everything will be fine. Does he have something of yours?"

"Yeah. I made a necklace using leather and one of my arrowheads."

"Nice gift."

"Do you really think so?"

"Uh-huh. It shows that his father is a great man. Your arrowheads are beautifully crafted since you make them yourself. He won't learn about it yet but he'll know that he's special and that his father is watching over him somewhere."

Link smiled, "How do you know all this?"

"I was taken from my father too." He was in shock about this but the captain nodded and lifted up his right wrist. There was a bracelet on it, "My mother told me that my father gave this to me when I was but a baby barely able to walk. I know he's out there on another ship. That's why I'm a captain and as long as I have this to show proof of who I am, then I know that I'll meet him but I think he's just scared."

"What do you mean?"

"I keep finding letters from my father, gifts, things like that in my cabin. So he knows who I am because he's watching over me but I think that he's scared now. He's been hiding for so long that he's afraid of what I might do if he told me but I wouldn't harm him. I forgive him for not coming forward because, in the end, he's still watching over me." Link nodded with a smile, "But don't be afraid to tell him. Only tell him when you believe that he's old enough to know but never be afraid. My father can afford to be afraid but the son of a great hero like you should know his lineage."

"Thanks. I won't be afraid to tell him but I think the hard part is keeping it a secret."

"Aye. I bet it is but you have strength and he has your strength so you'll be fine." Link smiled again and thanked the captain. "Your a guest on my ship so I treat you as my own. I'm always willing to help even my crew here. If they have a problem they know that they can come to me any time. So, anything else bothering you?"

"Yeah. But...it's hard to explain."

"Do the best you can." Link proceeded to tell him about his dark side and Oni, about how he had absorbed them during the course of his adventures but now it was all different. He didn't feel the presence of Oni anymore and he and his dark side are both worried about it. "That one I can't help you with. I'm sorry but you know who can?" The hero looked at him, "Telthar's king and queen. They know more about the spiritual workings of the world than anyone else. They'd be able to help you." Link nodded and they parted ways. He felt refreshed and somehow relieved, Link felt as if he could take on Ganondorf again. Yeah right! You're so OLD now! The cackling laughter only made Link grin as he turned away from the Sea of Clouds and started to help the crew out with their chores on the deck.

-::::::-

Sunlight bounced off the squared shoulder armor that held a swirled design that was part of the Hyrule Castle insignia. It gilded the golden armor and passed over the sapphire gem and eventually glistened off the silver chain mail. One gloved hand gripped the main rope to the mast of the ship as it glided across the Sea of Clouds. Faded blue eyes squinted in the bright sun as the port to Hyrule appeared on the near horizon, it melted from the misty clouds that floated across the water, and a smile tugged its way onto his lips. A voice called from the crows nest, "HYRULE PORT DEAD AHEAD!" There was much rejoicing from the sailors as they finally reached their destination. It had been a long time coming and he hoped that his son had not found out anything about his lineage but he doubted it very much, the boy would only be five years old. Such a long time to not be able to see him. I had forgotten how long it takes to learn something new. There was a silent cackle in the back of his mind and he knew it to be the shadow that followed him everywhere, the one that was named Dark Link but he only went by Shadow. Heh, interesting choice of names for him. His red hat flowed out behind him with the wind currents that were guiding the ship back to the harbor, he relinquished his position at the bow of the ship to help the crew prepare for docking.

"You don't have to help us sir," stated one of the sailors.

"Nonsense. You were kind enough to stay in Telthar's port for five years, it's the least I can do." The sailor smiled at the hero as he reached out with his gloved hands towards the rope. The ship docked into the harbor, the warrior was the first one off the ship, and his boots made a hallowed thud on the planks. Merchants and citizens alike gave him a wide berth of respect as the sun glinted off various parts of his elegant armor. He entered the marketplace, glad to see that it was much more busy than when he had left, the trade had been picking up, and he saw Gorons and Zoras alike selling wares. It was pleasing to see how well they were getting along with the Hylians and villagers from Kakariko village. Link passed by the fountain when he saw a toddler sitting on the edge of the stones, swinging his small feet to and fro. There was no one around the child so he decided to see if he was lost or if someone had simply left him there to wait for their return. The Hero of Time looked at the toddler and asked, "Is this seat taken?" He shook his head so the older man sat next to the small child, "Are you lost?"

"Yeah. I lost my mum."

"I'm sorry to hear that. How about I help you find her? Will that cheer you up?" Link watched as the child looked up at him and gave a tentative nod. Strong arms picked up the child and rested him on his left hip, his arm was wrapped around his backside for support and comfort, and he noticed how the child grabbed onto his shoulder armor for balance. He smiled, "Where shall we start?" The toddler pointed to a stand of fruits so he headed over to start asking questions. Within minutes, Link realized that it was going to take awhile so he looked at the child, "This could take awhile so can you tell me your name?"

"Maiku."