The Legend(s) of Link

Legend 1: The Hero of Time

Prologue: Nightmares and Curses

I stood facing a large gate. There was a moat, and a drawbridge that was raised. Keeping something out… or maybe in. Behind the gate I could see large buildings, silhouetted barely by lightning as heavy rain and the night itself made it hard to see anything at all.

Suddenly, the drawbridge lowered, and a white mare with a young blonde girl and someone…bigger… on its back ran past, the girl was looking beyond me, terrified at something coming from the same direction as she had.

As if summoned by my thoughts, a black stallion with armor and glowing orange eyes appeared, its rider a tall man with many expensive jewels adorning him. Reacting on some instinct I never knew existed, I pulled a short, dagger-like sword from its sheath on my back, and a worn wooden shield inlaid with the symbol of the Kokiri and faced him in a defensive stance. I had no idea what was going on, only that I couldn't let this man continue to chase after the others who had passed by me. A bright blue orb with wings fluttered over my head, making noises similar to a bell in fright or nervousness.

The man chuckled maliciously and reached out to grab me...

"Hyaah!" I shouted, rolling out of bed and leaping up into a standing position, only to come face to face with…

"Hello!" A bright blue ball of light chirped, fluttering about a little. It was obviously the same one from my dream, but what was a fairy doing here? "I was just about to wake you, but I guess Hyrule isn't as doomed as I thought." That threw me for a loop. What did I have to do with anything outside the Kokiri Forest?

I expressed my confusion in the only way I knew how: I cocked my head to the side. I could even imagine a question mark appearing over my green cone-like hat. The fairy sighed.

"Right, the Great Deku Tree told me you weren't exactly the talkative type. Anyway, I'm Navi, and I'm here to tell you the Great Deku Tree requests your presence." She didn't seem to be bothered by my silence, so I let out a smile. Maybe she'd be my companion once this Deku Tree business was over, maybe I didn't have to be the only Kokiri without a fairy anymore!

"Link! Are you awake in there?" Saria's voice called out, and in my excitement I sprinted out to the balcony of my tree house, almost slipping over onto the forest floor before I caught myself on the sturdy railing. I waved, before enthusiastically gesturing to Navi. "Oh Link, a fairy? You finally have your companion!" I nodded as if to say 'I know, right?' before I began to climb down the ladder to greet my best friend.

"Oh, hi! You must be Saria, right? I'm Navi." The fairy greeted, flying down to hover in place near Saria. I smiled, realizing that my friend and my fairy were going to get along. I already liked Navi, and Saria had been my friend for years, my whole life in fact!

"It's great to meet you Navi." Saria smiled politely. Sari had to definitely be the nicest Kokiri here, if not the nicest person EVER, she never gave me trouble for not talking like Mido did, and had taken the time to learn my body language, we could somehow hold conversations for hours just by sitting. She would play her ocarina, and I would happily listen, sometimes even dancing like a scared Deku Scrub much to our mutual amusement.

"We should probably go see the Great Deku Tree soon Link!" Navi fluttered over to me, settling on my conical hat.

I nodded, careful not to jostle Navi too much, before waving goodbye to Saria and setting off in the direction of the Great Deku Tree's glade. I even found a Blue Rupee while hopping across the creek, making Navi giggle a bit.

Naturally, I was in a very good mood as I walked up to the small tunnel that separated Kokiri village from the Great Deku Tree, but that changed when Mido came sprinting up outta nowhere, sidestepping in front of me like a crab no matter how I tried to get past him.

"Sorry Scrub! No idea why the Great Deku Tree wants to see you instead of me, Mido! You don't even have a fairy…" He shook his head at me, before Navi glowed harshly and flew in front of his face.

"Hey, I'm Link's fairy, Navi!" She bobbed up and down a few times to make sure he got the picture before fluttering down to my shoulder.

"...What." His jaw dropped, making us both laugh a bit, before he shook his head. "N-no matter! You still cannot go see the Great Deku Tree. You need a sword and shield before you even think about it!" I facepalmed and gestured to the fact that he was merely garbed in a Kokiri tunic, the same as mine, though without the pockets sewn on. "Who cares that I don't have them? You won't get past me without them." I let out a silent sigh, nod grudgingly, and trudge off to find myself a sword and shield.

On the bright side, the shop had a shield. More like a piece of bark with a red Kokiri symbol emblazoned on it, but I would take what I can get. The only problem? It costs 40 Rupees, and I only had a Yellow and a Blue on me. I was 25 Rupees under. I shuddered when I saw it was the exact shield I had in my dream, but it must be that I had seen it last time I was in the shop, right?

At least I had a rough idea where to look for a sword, and then I could cut some of the grass and see if anyone had lost Rupees in it (Or maybe they grew in patches of grass, I have no idea which). Nodding my head and smiling slightly, I walked up towards the Forest Training Center, near both my house and the entrance to the Lost Woods across the clearing. Once I was up there I began to look around, remembering that one of the Know-It-All Brothers had said a weapon sacred to the Kokiri people was nearby. Finding a small tunnel against the cliff wall, I crawled through…

And immediately had to leap out of the way as a giant rock rolled past. My shock was palpable and Navi was trilling like an alarm bell as the boulder… turned a corner? Just what was going on here?

"This place doesn't feel right Link…" Huh, thanks Navi. I never would have guessed. I followed behind the boulder for a little while, before sidestepping onto a set of stairs as the rock rolled the other way.

On the tree stump I walked up there was a treasure chest bigger than a Kokiri, and thankfully it was unlocked. Opening it, I bent over the top and pulled out my prize, holding it over my head with a dramatic flair as I enjoyed my success: A dagger sized blade with a wooden hilt, leather grip, and a ruby inlaid into a gold starburst symbol on its crossguard.

The Kokiri Sword. It is said that this blade was a gift to the Great Deku Tree, and was considered sacred to His first children, the first Kokiri ever. Nobody will mind if I borrow it, right?

"Uhh, Link? What are you posing for?" I sweat dropped and placed the sheath over my shoulder, so I could reach the blade at a moment's notice. "I guess it doesn't matter, now we just need to find enough Rupees for you to buy that shield." I nodded, heading back out of that strange tunnel and into the main village.

After 'farming' grass and chucking around rocks for a while, I finally found the last of the Rupees I needed to buy the Deku Shield, which cooly enough strapped to the sheath of the Kokiri Sword. Walking out of the store, now fully equipped, I headed for the Deku Tree's Grove, and as expected, Mido was still waiting, shuffling in front of me when I tried to walk through.

"Hey! I told ya Scrub, get a sword and shield, then I might let you through." I rolled my eyes and gestured to my back, where the sheathed sword and the shield lay, and to my surprise his eyes went comically wide, as if he hadn't seen the Kokiri Sword's hilt sticking over my shoulder. "A Deku Shield… And the Kokiri Sword?! W-well, this proves nothing, the Great Deku Tree still should have called for me rather than this Scrub…" He grumbled, stomping off back to his treehouse.

I look to Navi on my shoulder and shrug the other one as if to say 'what can ya do?' before I start on my way through the path to the Deku Tree's Grove.

I hate to say it, I really hate to say it, but Mido helped me out when he insisted I get a sword and shield, because there were a buncha Deku Babas that tried to nip at me as soon as I went into the small 'tunnel' towards the Grove, large carnivorous plants with thin stems and blue 'faces'. I swung the short blade as if it were a Deku Stick, unsure how to use it.

It was too short for that, but also heavier and sharper, slicing through the violent plant and causing it to burst into smoke and Deku Seeds, which I happily pocketed. Those things were pretty handy, bursting into flashes of light when thrown at the ground with enough force.

Saria and I had once used them to trick Mido into thinking I was a ninja, using the flash to run and hide while he was blinded. Granted, he eventually figured out what we were doing, but only after begging the Know It All Brothers to give him a hint.

I jumped back in surprise, shaking off the memory as another Deku Baba tried to nip at me. I should have known better than to take a trip down memory lane when around these things!

After getting an actual Deku Stick from this one, and a second Deku Nut as I continue onward, I finally arrive to the Deku Tree's Grotto, beaming and greeting the giant ancient tree with a smile and wave, the Tree had always been so nice.

"Oh... Navi... Thou hast returned... Link... Welcome... Listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee... Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares... As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it... Verily, thou hast felt it... Link... The time has come to test thy courage... I have been cursed... I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task?"

I blink in shock, mind whirring as I translate the old speech of the tree. My nightmares… they were caused by evil? Like, actual EVIL? And it cursed the Deku Tree? I shake my head to clear it, determination filling my eyes. The Great Deku Tree needed my help? I don't know what I could do that someone like Sari couldn't, but I'd do my best.

The Tree smiled in approval, either able to sense my willingness or having knew from the beginning that I'd help.

"You have my thanks. Now Link… Venture within me and destroy the darkness that has taken hold…" Its maw widened even further, reaching the ground as if it were a pathway.

Taking a breath and grabbing hold of my courage as best I could, I ventured into the shaded interior of the caretaker of the Kokiri…

Inside the Great Deku Tree...

Hey all, been a while huh? Don't really have too much of an excuse other than real life crud... that and Breath of the Wild coming out recently, which inspired me to get back to this story, the Legend(s) of Link. This will follow multiple Links in an alternate timeline than the trio of timelines that Ocarina of Time created. It won't tie in TOO much so if you have your own theories hopefully this won't bug you. This is also my first attempt at trying a First Person perspective, more or less because I feel this was a better way to express Link while also keeping him his good ol' Silent Protagonist ways. Let me know what you guys think!