Power of a Name
by Marisa Mockery
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His name was not always Link. Nor was he always a hero.
Once, long ago, when the first Zelda was born and the first Ganon thought of power, there was a boy with brown hair who had a different name and was decent at a sword. Not good. Not bad. Just decent.
His name has been lost to time. It could have been Ashley. It could have been Enrique. It could even have been Bob. But his name was not Link, and he did not even wear green.
Until that day…
The day the Triforce was split for the first time.
It was a funny name, he'd always thought. The Triforce. Yet it was only made of two—the Triforce of Power and the Triforce of Wisdom. Yet it was called Tri, which meant three. Wouldn't there be a third?
Then he found out why it was called the Triforce. And not because it could split into three.
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"Boy," called a soft, loving voice. The boy, who had been practicing with his sword, blinked and looked around. "Boy," it called again.
"Who's there?" he asked, unafraid. This could be said of the boy: he was always unafraid. Or rather, if he was afraid, he didn't bother with it and faced whatever frightened him.
"Turn, boy."
He did. And knelt, though he had never seen her before. Her hair was a flaming green, as was the rest of her body. She did not bother with clothes, but clothes would have been sacrilegious on a Goddess like her.
"Mi…mistress…who are you?"
She smiled. "I am the Goddess of Courage, boy. The world is breaking because the Triforce is not complete. The world needs a hero guided by my token. The Triforce of Courage."
"Why…why me?"
"Because you are courageous, boy, and that is a rare thing, it is always a rare thing. Power is granted easily, and Wisdom merely has to give her powers to the Princess, but I have to find someone who is always courageous, but not courageous to the point of death. For courage is not dying, it is living to fight. You are that one."
The boy's head bowed. "Thank you, Goddess."
She snorted. "Do not thank. It is a gift and a curse. It is up to you to accept it."
"Gift and curse?"
"Yes. The gift is that your name will be remembered forever, as will your deeds. You will be the eternal legend. Your combat abilities will be enhanced so that you can always win, if you are clever, and I know you are. You will save the princess and possibly wed, if she likes you, for she will see the Triforce within you and know you are blessed by Me. You will be the Eternal Hero."
The boy felt dizzy. "Eternal hero…marry Zelda?"
"The curse is that the name that will live is not yours, and you will never die."
"Name aside, how's that a curse?"
"You will die in body, boy. But the next time Hyrule needs a hero…the next time my sister desires combat, and calls upon her own Triforce to summon entertainment…your spirit will be bound to the Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage to help the next summoned hero, and you will guide him with the others to victory. That is why your combat abilities are enhanced. It is not you alone fighting. It is every Hero in Hyrule I have summoned throughout Time fighting—past, future, alternate. There is no boundary to the Triforce or the Sword. You will be…Linked."
"My afterlife will be eternal combat, then."
"Yes. With occasional breaks to be with the one you love when you are not needed. I am not cruel."
"What will be my name?"
"Your name…will be Link."
The boy sighed. "That means something, doesn't it."
"Yes. It is a signal to those who know what you are, and what you will be. They will help you. You won't always understand why, but you will always have help, because of your name. However, because of your name, whenever a place or person needs desperate aide they will instinctively call on you. Your life will always involve solving someone else's problem."
"This is the curse?"
"Yes. Many have turned Me down because of it."
"What happens if I turn it down?"
"I try to find another in time. But Ganon has the princess, and time is short. I fear I may be too late. However, the decision is yours. It has always been and will always be yours."
The boy was quiet for a long time. The Goddess waited quietly as well, knowing even more than the boy how this would affect his life for eternity. But she had to ask, and explain. She always did, even when they were in the womb and their parents named them Link for a reason they did not truly understand.
"Yes," the boy said finally. "I will take your Triforce, and save the princess. I take the blessings and the curse. I accept it all, Goddess."
She smiled. The Triforce of Courage appeared in her hands, glowing a green as bright as she.
"Thank you, boy. I freely give you my Triforce, my Sword, and what powers I can grant to aide you. I give you my blessings and my curse. May all look on you favorably and may you kill your enemies quickly and without pain."
The Triforce floated in the air for a moment, then sunk into the boy's chest. He gasped, but it was of surprise, not pain. He looked at his hands in wonder.
"I…it feels like I…know…"
"Yes. You do. The other Links are giving you their knowledge now. They will always help you, even when others can't. Trust them."
The boy nodded. For some reason he'd lost his desire to speak. The Goddess knew it was because he was too busy listening. She smiled and handed him his sword.
"You will find a better sword, a Master Sword, soon, boy…Link. The others will tell you where to find it. They always put it back when they're finished, after all." He nodded again and took the sword.
The Goddess laughed, once, and disappeared. Link walked off into the forest, fighting the others' urging to get a green tunic and a long, green cap.
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Marisa's note: hey guys, hope you liked. It's mostly a one-shot, but let me know if you want to see more or not. Reviews are awesome, they feed starving writer-egos. Bye!