Chapter 1 - A Changing World
"Legends never die."
What an astute observation. Yes, it must be true. Though he didn't know it, Link's heroism would live on through the generations. Passed down from age to age, generation to generation, his memory would become as old as time itself. His fame would reach the corners of the kingdom, and farther still, all the way to the edges of the world.
And all because he took down the evil king.
Yes, Ganondorf was an evildoer of immense power and yes, only one person in Hyrule had to power to take him down, but was it really necessary to hold Link up so high above everyone else? Was it necessary to put him on the pedestal for all to see? Link didn't think so.
But they did put him on the pedestal. The Pedestal of Heroes. The podium of fame. He was put up there as an icon, a beacon of hope, an inspiration for all mankind and Link was there to stay. Once on the pedestal, there was no going back. Every aspect of his life would be thoroughly examined, and then mimicked, for a long time to come. He would be held in high regard for the rest of eternity; whether he liked it or not.
So, yes, Link's name would go into a place where there time is not. It would exist through time for all to see. For all to hear. For all to admire.
But, perhaps, there is something wrong with this observation.
Yes, Legends never die. But do they ever live?
That part had yet to be figured out. There were parades in the hero's honor all throughout Hyrule. There were days that the hero would wave to the crowd during one of Zelda's speeches. But what happened after all that, once everyone settled down once again?
The hero, too, would have to settle down. His name would be passed on through time, father to son and mother to daughter, but his body would stay right where it was before it all. But could he go back to living the way he used to? Could the others he used to live with live with him again?
No common person knows what goes through a Hero's head. They know nothing of the agonizing pressure that comes with picking between decisions that may very well put everyone at risk. They know nothing of the mental strength one must possess to even compete with somebody as powerful and intimidating as Ganondorf. They know nothing of the struggles he went through, physical as well as emotional, for the benefit of all of Hyrule. They knew nothing of the sacrifices he made, intentionally as well as unwillingly, for his fellow man and for his kingdom.
All that they knew was that he was a man of incredible power. And what can a man of incredible power do?
Possibly try to take over Hyrule again?
They did not know that Link was mentally strong. They did not know that Link would never succumb to the temptations of evil that came with power. All they knew was that, if he tried, he could kill practically everyone in Hyrule without so much as breaking a sweat.
Against his will, in the months after his defeat of Ganondorf, Link was shunned. He was pushed to the ends of society due to the fear of death and chaos.
The people of Hyrule had much to be thankful for because of Link, but they were also very fearful. Wars broke out all the time in Hyrule, mainly with the goblins or other minor threats, but people were killed all the time. These wars were sometimes as frequent as once every five years. So, naturally, the people became scared.
They became fearful of anything that might tip the balance in favor of war. And right now, that weight was Link. The always kind, generous, Hero Link. Saver of society as they knew it. Protector of all things righteous. He was the wind that blew away the dark storm. But now he was stirring the trees below as well.
He was given a spot at the bottom of society. Even lower than that of a beggar or a tramp. And he was the one that saved them!
And this was not only among the people he didn't know.
Princess Zelda hadn't invited him to the castle in quite some time. Renado hadn't returned his letter that Link had sent over a month ago. Ashei, Shad, and Auru had mysteriously vanished from Telma's bar after they had discovered that it had become one of Link's favorite hangouts. The doors to the Goron mines had been closed the last time he checked. The list went on and on.
Even Rusl, the closest thing to a father figure he ever had, looked at him in a different way. He would still speak to Link if spoken to, but never did he go out of his way to talk to Link. And when they did speak to each other, he held something in his eyes that he did not hold before; Fear.
There seemed to be only four spots in all of Hyrule that didn't make Link feel lonely anymore.
The first one was, naturally, his house in Ordon. There is no place like home to feel at home. Much of Ordon had stopped talking with him, but he still was able to find company there. Due in part to their innocence, and much to their parent's dismay, the Ordon kids still went to Link's house often. Link would, on many occasions, just waste the days away with Colin, Beth, Talo, and Malo, just like he used to before Ganondorf had ruined his life. Ilia, however, had taken a stance with her father and wouldn't speak to Link. That, or Bo had become really overprotective of her and made her stay away from Link. And that would be understandable, after what Ilia had gone through, but no less unbearable.
The second spot was the Zora's domain. Though many of the Zoras wouldn't so much as make eye contact with Link, he was able to find one person who would talk to him: Prince Ralis. Ralis had become much more open since everything had ended. He no longer grieved as much for his mother and he did not change at all in his thoughts about Link. He was perhaps the closest friend that he now had.
The third place was Telma's bar. Telma's gang was gone, but Telma stayed behind, and she was still the same. She had emerged as a very loyal friend, telling him on numerous occasions, "Don't worry, honey, they'll come around." She offered him all the support in the world. And she made a ton of money off him because he was now one of her only customers.
The fourth place, as weird as it may sound, was the roof of the Arbiter's Grounds. The ground around the empty mirror frame was home to the dried up remnants of many of Link's tears, the result of an emotion that had crushed him when Midna had left. The two had developed a fierce friendship by the end, and she would be the perfect friend that comfort him and help him through this very difficult time.
And that wasn't only from the amount of time saved traveling, even though that did really help. No, her personality is what he needed. Her "no shit" attitude and her sense of humor, even though insulting at times, always managed to put a smile on his face.
What he really needed was that one true friend. One that would stick by him and would always be there for him. He had Ralis and Telma, but they were caught up in other things as well, namely running a bar and running a kingdom. They couldn't always be there for him, not when he needed consolation in Ordon.
The land of Hyrule had changed. It is not the land that Link had fought so hard to protect. Not the same kingdom he had given so much for to keep standing.
He had not even been given the acquaintance of the postman in so long. The last time he had received mail was when Zelda had sent him a thoughtless and meaningless letter thanking him for attending a royal ball nearly three months ago.
And the worst part was that the kingdom hadn't learned its lesson.
They are setting themselves up for a disaster, just like last time. They were gradually letting their guards down. They had reverted to the same happy-go-lucky lifestyle they had before Zant and Ganondorf. They had relieved so many knights from all duties in the past couple of months. They hardly had enough to fill the streets of Castle Town anymore, let alone the rest of Hyrule.
And why would they do that? Because they felt they were on top of the world. They had beaten Ganondorf after all, right?
Pfft. Yeah right. While they continued to cut back, the real savior sat back and waited for the inevitable to come, and even considered not coming to their aid when it did come.
Some much money went into lavish decorations and not enough went into fortifications. It was like they were egging a potential attacker on. Truly naïve and utterly dependent on Link's saving abilities.
Not like Link had done much with his money either, though. He had made a fortune selling bugs to Princess Agitha during the war. That, combined with all the money he made on his adventures, made him one of the richest men in all of Hyrule.
And what ever happened to that money? Locked in numerous chests in his basement. What more could he do with it? Money can't buy happiness. Money can't buy a friend.
But the thing is, Link didn't need any reinforcements. He had the perfect blade and a sturdy shield. His trusty bow, sometimes with a bomb attached, was always true to his aim. His unique clawshots gave him the ability to make a quick getaway if he was ever threatened or caught off guard(Although, unfortunately, it would only lock onto specific prepositioned targets scattered throughout Hyrule, which always made Link question whether he really owned the only pair of clawshots in the land). His Zora Armor gave him the ability to breath underwater and his iron boots let him walk in the water's depths.
The list goes on and on. He was well prepared for any attack against him. And since Ganondorf's fall, not a day has gone by without Link taking a big chunk out of his day to train. Every day he would work on his fundamentals, as well as touch up on the seven skills the old Hero of Time had taught him.
He worked himself so hard that on a few occasions he had passed out cold in the heat of battle. He would then wake up minutes later and get right back to it. Never give up; never back down from a challenge…
And why did he do this while everyone else rested? Why get ready to protect a kingdom that basically got rid of you? The answer is actually much simpler than one might think.
Because Link loved his kingdom.
It was his kingdom and it will be for the rest of time, whether he was accepted or not. And Link be damned if he stood back and let it be taken over. Hyrule was in a difficult time, yes. It wasn't making the right decisions, that much is true. But the fact remains that he would always be there for his kingdom, no matter what the circumstances were.
There was perhaps only one person in all of Hyrule that had felt the same loyalty, the same devotion to her kingdom as Link did. Her name was Zelda, Princess of Hyrule.
How hard is it to rule a kingdom! Mentally, it was very strenuous and physically, it took a relatively large toll on the body, particularly in the form of lack of sleep. But Zelda never backed down. She stood there, by her kingdom, and made decisions that would help her kingdom. And though she had shunned the hero, she did it in the name of the common populace of her kingdom.
And even through the worst of times, Link held her in the utmost respect. No common man could ever feel the responsibility to one's kingdom as Zelda did to hers. Everything she did in life went toward the betterment of Hyrule. Once she took the crown as Queen, she could become the most recognized Hylian Queen in all of history.
That being said, Link hated her at the moment, for obvious reasons. Whenever this wore off, then they could become friends. Perhaps the best of friends. But at the moment, she refused to even reply to any of his letters.
And so, back in Ordon for the most part, Link was forced to try to lead a normal life again. One without weapons. One without risk. One without danger.
A life that now seemed boring.
The adventure had opened up Link's eyes. Never before had he seen Hyrule outside of Ordon's gates. There was so much to see. So much to do. So many people to meet. So many lives to save.
And here he was, forced to settle down again.
It might have been bearable if he had his friends and what he could call family by his side. But as it was, he only had the kids. And the kids could become quite annoying. Always hoping to see Link wield his shining sword, wanting to see him perform his moves as if he were some form of entertainment; no more, no less.
He shouldn't say that. There was one who had genuine interest in him. It brought a tear to his eye the day that Colin said he wanted to be just like him. And he meant it to. Not particularly fond of a blade, Colin had spent a lot of his time learning to ride Epona. With Link there mentoring him, he was becoming a formidable rider.
There was so much that he hadn't had the chance to tell Colin.
Link woke up that morning as if it were a normal day. The sunlight was pouring in from his window and the songs of the morning birds rang through the air. It was times like this that Link almost thought that all was back to the way it used to be. It had become a habit of his to hope things of this nature on sunrises like these.
But those hopes generally did not last long. They were just halfhearted attempts to justify what was going on in society and in Hyrule. They usually died down by the time the sun turned on him and became unbearably hot. One look at the now quiet, individualized village of Ordon usually brought him back down to reality.
Link began to go on his normal morning routine.
First, cook and eat breakfast. Easy - just stew up some of that stuff that Yeto had showed him how to make. Link had long since forgotten what he had called it, or if it even had a name, but it was delicious. Link looked back and couldn't help but grin; the memory of getting shoved by Yeto, who was desperately searching for ingredients, always brought a smile to his face. Getting the ingredients wouldn't usually have been so hard, with all the ingredients prospering in Ordon. Though, with the townsfolk ignoring him, Link always made sure to have plenty stocked up, so he did not have to endure the awkward situation of asking them for more.
Next, he would bring Epona to the spring and give her a nice bath. Not that she really needed a bath every single day. But it just gave him something to do, so that he wasn't pulling his hair out with boredom. This particular chore really made him appreciate the help that Ilia used to give him.
Then, he'd train on the dummies set up in front of his house. Durable little devils, they had withstood even the worst of Link's pent up rage. All of his shortcomings and miserable feelings went in hacking down that dummy, yet it stood to see another day, every day. 'More than Ganondorf could say,' Link would always think with a smirk when he walked away.
And his morning routine concluded with a refreshing dip in the springs to cleanse the blood, sweat and tears that had been spilt during the training session. Definitely the most relaxing part of the morning in Link's opinion, this cleansing also gave him a chance to escape the plaguing thoughts that invaded his skull for much of the day. The spring could be something of a refuge to Link, the refugee of public opinion.
This led up to lunch time, where the days would become unpredictable. Sometimes he'd sleep the rest of the day. Other times he'd go back and train again with renewed intensity and heartache. Or the kids of the village may drop on by. And at other times, he'd take a little trip with Epona to the forest, where the innocent residents didn't care about the power Link wielded.
And what an experience that would be! The little critters of the woods - squirrels, deer, all types of birds, and all the animals that you could imagine - wouldn't run away upon sight. Well, sometimes the little ones would, mistaking the lovable hero as a vicious predator; just like the rest of Hyrule.
But most didn't, and that made Link curious. He had noticed it on his adventure as well. Ever since he became the sacred beast for the first time, the animals didn't seem to fear him as much as they feared common people. He figured it was animal instincts; while his animal body had been left behind, he may have kept those instincts.
All the same, the animals didn't run and Link was grateful. Most would even creep closer and look at him expectantly, as if they could understand him and his situation. Some animals, particularly larger ones like deer, would sometimes stick out their necks for him to pet affectionately. Their form of consolation, Link had surmised.
But on this particular day, Link wouldn't be doing any of that in the afternoon. As soon as he finished his morning routine, he very important business to attend to.
Bucking up all the pride and dignity he could muster, and making sure his belongings were ready to go, Link made his move toward the gate to Ordon.
He was still a little winded from his workout, which was especially intense on this day. Link stopped once past the gates and took a look around at the now not-so-familiar town.
"It must be done! I'll be miserable the rest of my life if I don't…" Link mumbled quietly to himself before taking a step in the right direction.