Hello and welcome to Twilight Dream: a collaboration piece that incorporates the Twilight Princess story line along with a few original ideas. Do enjoy, and critique is very much appreciated.

Written by Kittygirl57 and Hanyou-Neko-Yumi (aka Dark-Elf-Kana [Deviantart])

Disclaimer: This story is entirely fan-made. The Legend of Zelda is owned by Nintendo. I, in no way, claim ownership.

The eyes of a warrior—a strong, faithful warrior—are like beads of determination, fear, anguish, and courage all melted together. They fall upon the sight of danger, focusing on every foe he encounters. They may grow large with zest, terror, or fortitude. The warrior himself may need endurance, courage, or a simple relief from what dangers that surround him, but all is dependent upon his own doing and the sword at his hand. Only he chooses between life or death, as long as his wit is strong and his feet are quick.

It was not very long ago when one man, deemed to be The Hero of Time, along with his close friends and accomplices, set foot into the boundaries known as the Kingdom of Hyrule. It was a land subdivided into many areas, making it a very vast kingdom—so vast, in fact, that its inhabitants tend to underestimate its immenseness. There's one thing many Hyrulians don't know, and it's that Hyrule is far bigger than they can even comprehend.

In the ruins of a once beautiful castle during Hyrule's darkest days, a great battle commenced. It was a battle between the very essences of good and evil. It was a very critical battle that would determine whether the once thriving Hyrule would be restored, or fall before an evil ruler who would allow its glory to perish.

The beast, letting out an angry, clamoring roar that shook the ground beneath them, charged at Hyrule's only hope with furious claws and serrated teeth. His eyes were piercing mad like daggers, locked on the hero with intent to kill. Compared to him, the hero was a tiny speck of nothing, yet he fought like no other with the gods on his side. When the battle seemed to never end, it was then prolonged when the beast thrust one mighty paw at the hero's sword, sending it soaring out of the ring of fire in which he was enclosed. The hero suddenly felt every ounce of courage withdraw as his defenses drained. Before the beast could take him out, a great screen of light shrouded it, preventing it from making another move.

"Link!" Cried the princess, "Hurry! Your sword! Grab it while he's immobilized and administer the final blow!"

His mind whirling, Link darted to retrieve his sword and sped back to the beast where he made the final blow. The wind picked up suddenly as the unseen power of the sages built up around them. With its last ounce of strength, the beast tried to fight, but the battle was already over. A wide raging portal opened up and sucked the beast in with remarkable power. The hero stood back and watched as the portal extinguished the beast's power, returning him to his original state.

"Link!" Snarled Ganondorf, his eyes wide with fury, "Don't think you've seen the last of me—for I will return!" Close by, two of his once trusted servants stood as spectators. "How dare you betray me." He looked to them, "I guarantee you'll regret this!" With that, the evil ruler disintegrated into the portal, after which it disappeared completely.

Several yards away from where the portal had opened, Link, his accomplices and the princess were crouched behind a boulder. As Link peered over the boulder into the distance, a white ball of light emerged from behind, "He's gone. Gone for good."

"Thank the gods," spoke the accomplice who stood up, dusted herself off, and sighed.

The princess rose and looked to them with deep blue eyes, "Come." She stepped back, her hands raised, as a column of light fell over her. She turned to the others and beckoned them—even Ganondorf's two former servants—into the column. Slowly, they all followed, and the light carried them up into the Sacred Realm.

"I don't know how I could ever repay you, Link. You have done Hyrule a great favor—which was to fulfill your destiny as the Hero of Time." She turned to his friends and smiled, nodding graciously, "As a token of my appreciation for all your devotion, your names, as well as Link's, will be honored by the royal family for years to come." The princess put out her hand, "May I have the ocarina, please?"

Link nodded, handing her the Ocarina of Time. The princess raised the precious instrument up to her lips and began to play her lullaby. For a moment, they stood there watching her play. When that moment passed, they all were shrouded in light that seemed to come from the heavens, lifted them up and sent them out of the realm where they stood.

"Farewell… Link."

After Ganondorf's downfall, the land was given back to the royal family that had originally ruled it, who later restored it to its former glory. As for the hero that saved Hyrule from further devastation: he was returned to his home as a youth to be able to live a normal, peaceful life. He lived along with two life-long friends, Kana and Shiroko, including a new addition—who was more of a counterpart rather than a friend. Before the kingdom's overturning of power, he and Kana had served Ganondorf up until it came to the point where Kana was forced to betray her beloved friends. It was then that Kana and her partner defied his orders. Kana returned to the loyalty of her friends, and her partner-a being that had always been evil-turned against evil itself all in her favor. Upon restoring the kingdom's rightful order, the three friends—including their new accomplice—returned to the land where they had lived all their lives before setting out to fulfill their destiny as the heroes of Hyrule:

Kokiri Forest.

This all sounds so nice, now, doesn't it? A valiant hero from a humble forest village rises up to save the land from a tyrannous ruler. After all: fairy tales always end on 'happily ever after.' What Link and his friends do not realize is exactly how fortunate they are to be alive, because this is no fairy tale for them. Link was chosen to be the 'Hero of Time' because his family still has a contract with the royal family. It was Link's great grandfather who swore loyalty to the king by giving four generations of children to serve in the special ranks. Down the line, Link's father was a soldier under the king's command-the top of his class, no less. He was highly skilled and rivaled by few. After a grueling battle that nearly destroyed the entire Hylian population, his father desperately tried to hide his precious child in the forest so that Link would never have to experience the bloodshed that marked the kingdom's history. Despite his efforts, however, the king still found his son. A deal is a deal, and breaking it was his final mistake.

Thankfully the royal family was merciful by giving Link the opportunity to live a normal life. This mercy, however, is short-lived. They are still watching him, still waiting for the day to call upon him-because they will. They know a time will come again for the honorable 'Hero of Time' to have to stand up and unsheathe his sword yet again. They know it will happen again, and again, and again, and that's exactly what they want.

Link may have friends to assist him, but they are only so strong. They don't have the Triforce of Courage, the Master Sword, or his lineage. They do have persistence, and this is all they need to pique the king's interest.

"...your names, as well as Link's, will be honored by the royal family for years to come."

Thank you for reading!

Got critique? Dooo iiitttt!