Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Legend of Zelda Series. This thought occurred to me while I was playing Skyward Sword. The Wind Waker is my favourite of the series and I also adore Twilight Princess. I would love to have feed back please.
Warning: In the present time, set years after Spirit Tracks, Link was born into a Female body. All other Link will be Male. Sheik take the pace of Princess Zelda, in the Present Sheik is Male.
~ An Echo across Time ~
The sky above them was a swirling mass of purple and black clouds. They were not yet releasing the down pour that they would surely unleash upon the ground. Lightning of all colours crashed around the pair circling each other in the middle of the huge spring. Both bore the stains of heavy battle.
"If you seek the Power of the Triforce so dearly then I shall give it to you." A soft voice murmured. "However know this: Only a Mortal Incarnation may obtain the Power, but should anyone wake the Courage it matters not what Armies or Power is beheld by Him, He will fall to the Courage."
Link looked out at the almost endless blue horizon, eyes moving from the deep blue of the ocean to the softer blue of the sky. Distantly she could hear the trains at the station coming and going. The Fishermen were trading stories about Monsters our at Sea, of Cyclones and huge Octopi. Link's mind was pulled back to that of her recent dreams. They all differed slightly but there was a similar theme through most of them; breathing underwater, flying through the skies, sailing the oceans, traveling across lands, fighting within volcanoes, finding Temples, wielding a glowing blade. But last night she had dreamt of falling into a black void. Hands had reached for her, some gentle most demanding, as she fell but none managed to hold her. Eventually she had landed in the center of Three Golden Triangles. A shining lights arose around her from each of the triangles before merging into one and entering her chest her. Left hand burned painfully as the same symbol she lay on formed on it.
When she had gasped awake she looked at her hand and for a brief moment she thought she saw the Triangles there only faded but they had vanished with the first stream of sunlight in her eyes. Link looked away from the sunny skies to her hand. There was a stabbing pain in it off and on all day. She had the feeling that something Evil was coming. She clenched her hand into a fist and ignored the sensations, closing her eyes to focus on the area around her. She heard the trains, the waves, the gulls, the people. She could smell the salt of the ocean.
"Hey! Link!" She turned and looked over at her friend, Malon. The redhead rushed toward the dark honey blonde. "Are you coming to the Festival of Hyrule?" The blonde blinked and blushed darkly. "You forgot huh?" She chuckled softly. "You've always got your head in the clouds Link."
"Sometimes it's good to escape." Link shrugged and blushed faintly.
"Anyway come on we've gotta get changed! We have to wear 'traditional garb' for our part in the festival. You're playing the part of the Hero aren't you? I don't envy you having to wear that gaudy green uniform."
"I've made a few adjustments to it." Link remarked weakly. Truly she had added a black cloak with the royal seal on the back in gold, light chainmail, strong leather boots, durable trousers, and a white linen undershirt to go under her mail. The tunic to be worn over the top was a deep emerald green along with the hat that would go with it.
"Yeah, yeah whatever." Malon brushed it off with a sly grin. "Here!" She presented Link with a bottle of red jelly. "You can pretend it's one of those old potions." Link smiled and accepted the gift but nearly dropped it as her hand gave a vicious throb. "Link?"
"I'm fine." She murmured through gritted teeth. "But I think I slept on my hand wrong." Malon nodded slowly before they headed to their homes, just down the street from each other.
Link tied her hair back in a braid and checked her earring. The tiny fairy that she had in her upper ear was a soft pink colour and her hoops were blue sapphires, a gift from her caretaker.
"Wow Link!" Colin, her adoptive brother murmured with bright eyes. His parents, Rusl and Uli, had taken in Link when her parents had passed on. "You look like a warrior!" Link smiled and finished lacing up her boots before pulling her cloak around her shoulders. Uli handed the soft green hat to Link and the teen pinned it in place before looking at herself in the mirror. She frowned slightly. She supposed that she looked like the Hero of Legend, the one that helped to found New Hyrule and the Train system across the land. There were also stories of another Hero, one of Time that also dressed like this. She turned and looked at Rusl as he held out a sword and wooden shield to her.
"I crafted these myself." He said and she nodded placing them on her back. "I adjusted the grip for you so it will be easier to hold in your left hand." She reached up and gripped the hilt before pulling it out with a flourish. Colin and Uli gasped before clapping. Rusl nodded and Link smiled, placing the weapon up.
"Thank you Rusl. Thank you Uli for helping me get dressed. I have to head out now." She waved and headed out the door. She passed many houses on her way toward the center of the city at the foot of the Castle. She had to help with the preparations for the Children's Show and then the retelling of the Goddess' Chosen Hero's Legend. Once she arrived at the Plaza she felt a cold chill slide down her spine that had her reaching for her sword. She didn't see anyone out of the ordinary but the feeling lingered. Link headed to see what Malon and Ruto had started working on. Ruto wasn't a Hylian like Malon and Link, she was a Rito. She was a descendant from one of the groups that had traveled from Dragon's Roost Island to help form New Hyrule. Ruto had the traditional beak like nose and pale skin. Her eyes were a bright red that was unique to her race. She was supposedly named after a long dead Princess from before the Rito swam in the skies but when they sored through waters.
"Are you ready for this?" Ruto asked playing with the necklace around her neck that bore the emblem of Din.
"No need to be so nervous I'm sure you'll do great!" Malon said happily. Something caught her eye and she gasped in delight. "Oh look it's the Princes, Sheik!" The other two girls turned to look at the young man.
The Prince of New Hyrule, Sheik, had darkly tanned skin and light blonde hair. He wore a strange outfit that bore an eye with three triangles above it and a tear coming down from it. The pants were a deep indigo and were loose but his top was black and tight. There was a white cloth wrapped around his shoulders that covered the lower half of his face, perpetually hiding it. The most shocking thing was that the Prince had ruby coloured eyes, though one was always covered by his hair.
"Oh what I wouldn't give for him to notice me and sweep me off my feet."
"Dream on, isn't he playing the role of the Goddess Hylia? Doesn't that make you his chosen warrior Link?" Ruto smiled and Link chuckled nervously. She glanced over and noticed Sheik staring at her.
"Go talk to him!" Malon shoved her. "Come on! You can put in a good word for me." Link stumbled slightly and glared at her friend before they went back to working and looked back at the Prince. He was still watching her but there was amusement in his eye. She rubbed the back of her neck and walked up to him.
"Long time no see Link." They hadn't seen each other since they were children and Sheik was sent off for 'princely' training. He hadn't worn the strange clothes back then and had been forced into a small crown. It had apparently been lost during his training.
"Yeah." She said gritting her teeth as the pain in her hand amplified.
"What's wrong?" He narrowed his eyes at her and she attempted to brush it off but noticed the triangles on her hand.
"Ah!" She gasped and clasped her left hand tightly. Sheik took it and looked at the lightly tanned skin. His eyes widened and he looked up at her.
"You?" He murmured softly in slight awe.
"What? You can see them too?" She asked and he took a bandage from a hidden pocket on his person and wrapped her hand tightly.
"Meet me after the performance. I have something important to tell you." He said before he rushed toward the Castle, vanishing almost instantly.
"Sheik wait!" She called but it was too late. She looked down at her hand and balled it into a fist, resolving to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Ruto and Malon teased her about scaring off the Prince but she barely heard it. She was thinking on her old friend's reaction to the mark on her hand. He had seen it too, which meant that she wasn't dreaming or crazy. But what could it mean?
Night brought a warm breeze that did little to warm the people of the Festival. Colin was dressed up in the Hero of Winds, the Hero that helped to found New Hyrule. He and Sera, a young girl in his class, were playing out the final battle when another chill raced down Link's spine.
"What's wrong?" Ruto asked softly as she noticed Link become tense and twitchy. Link shook her head slightly as her eyes continued to dart around, landing briefly on the Prince before she noticed something completely out of the ordinary. A man with silvery white hair was standing on one of the electric poles. His hair fell over his face but Link could see a purple shadow under his eye. He was wearing a white outfit with a diamond pattern on it. There was also a red cape around his shoulders. Link looked at the stage and realized he was glaring at Colin. She was moving before she knew what she was doing. She pulled up her shield and knocked Colin from harm's way. There was a silencing thunk as several knives hit her shield. She glared at the man who started to clap. The crowd was silent in fear. The white haired man smirked at her and chuckled.
"I just knew you'd never let anyone come to harm, though I didn't expect you to look like that. You never do seem to run out of surprises, eh Link?" His dark eyes seemed like bottomless pits and stared deep into her. She drew her sword and his maniacal grin widened. "You have always been so forward, and foolish!" He was in front of her in the blink of an eye, she barely had time to bring up her blade to black his black rapier. His long tongue snaked from between his lips and licked her cheek. She shuddered and knocked him back. Sheik joined her side. "Oh look it's the Goddess masquerading as one of her dogs." He seethed the last word with utter venom. One of the Guardsmen moved to join the fray but the pale man dodged him easily.
"Who are you?" Sheik demanded. Link noticed Rusl herding the civilians away from the stage.
"Oh that's right you don't remember me. Please forgive my rudeness and allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the Demon Lord Ghirahim." He mock bowed to them before raising his hand. "Let's take this conversation to someplace a little more privet shall we?" He snapped and suddenly the world became tinted in a deep blue green. There were white figures scattered around that held massive weaponry. Link looked around for the man, Ghirahim. She and Sheik were the only two in the strange world, it looked almost like a forest. "Welcome to the Silent Realm. Now I want to have a special conversation with Link so why don't you play with the Guardians, Goddess Dog?" Ghirahim snapped again causing the previously white statues to turn black and awaken. Then started to hover toward Sheik but Link didn't have time to see what they did as she was attacked from behind, a knife slicing into her arm easily biting through the light mail she wore. She hissed and glared at the Demon. He smirked at her and she charged forward. He blocked her easily and snickered gleefully at her. She knew she was in for a rough battle and hoped that the Prince would make it through his.
Ghirahim wasted no time and destroyed the wooden shield that Link held. She could hear the cracking of her blade and that made worry and fear cling to her stomach. She knew that Rusl was the finest sword maker in all of New Hyrule, that his weapon was close to shattering was cause for concern indeed. The Demon seemed to be toying with her. She could hear the sounds of the Prince defeating one Guardian after another but there seemed to be an endless supply.
"Pay attention Hero!" Ghirahim snapped and swung at her. Link managed a parry but it would be her last, her blade shattered before her eyes.
"No." She murmured softly in shock.
"Are you giving up so easily?" He laughed and she glared at him. She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, a small fragment remaining. Her hand began to glow again and she felt a jab of pain. She took a breath and embraced the pain before charging at the Demon, hoping to stun him for a moment. Indeed he seemed in shock but vanished in a whirl of black and gold diamonds before she could land a blow. She turned on her heel sharply and barely dodged the swipe aimed at her head. "You know I've always hated that hat of yours?" Link felt the hat fall off her head and her hair fall in an uneven mess against her shoulders.
"Link!" Sheik called out to her. "Link use the Power of your Courage!" She had no idea what he was talking about but she knew she had to defeat Ghirahim soon, both of them wouldn't last much longer and she didn't want anything to hurt her friend. The Demon laughed and tossed his hair to the side before raising his blade once more.
"Do come to me, Link. I'll see you run through." Link felt something in her hand and her pounding heart started to slow. She clenched her hand around her hilt and lifted it. There was a bright golden light and Ghirahim looked utterly baffled before the light consumed her vision. Once it cleared the Guardians had returned to their original colour and ceased their attempts on Sheik's life. Ghirahim was panting and he chuckled. "I wasn't expecting that. It looks like I'm a little rustier than I thought. Oh well. I'll have to kill the both of you later. Don't lose the Triforce Link, I'll need it." With a snap and a rush of diamonds he was gone. Link panted and looked down at her hand. All three triangle pieces were glowing proudly from the back of her left hand.
"What is this?"
"The Triforce." Sheik said softly. "I will explain once we return to our Realm." Link crossed her arms and was thankful that her hand no longer hurt but there was a warmth there that was noticeable.
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"There are specific stones that will allow us to travel between the Realms. Search here, I shall search the other side." He said before heading off. Link sighed and looked up at the navy blue sky. There wasn't a star in sight and it looked almost black. This world unnerved Link.
"Master…." She heard a gentle voice call, like a whisper in the wind. Link looked around. "…It is time we meet again." Link followed the echoes of the voice and came upon a large tree. Before it was a pedestal where a sword might be sheathed. Vaguely she recalled lifting and sheathing a blue tinted blade into many pedestals akin to this one. "Master." She shook her head, this was not the time to get lost in dream fragments.
"Sheik?! I think I found it." She called and he appeared beside her.
"Indeed. Punch it."
"I'm not going to punch stone." She looked at him as if he had gone mad. Sheik motioned to her hand.
"The Triforce will open the gate and allow us to return to our Realm." He said bluntly and she sighed before balling her hand into a fist and punching the rock. A white light surrounded them and Link glimpsed a meadow, over grown with grasses and flowers, with a familiar blade sheathed in the center of a Triforce symbol. But an instant later it was gone and they were once more on the stage of the Festival, however something wasn't right.
"Why are they all frozen?" Sheik inspected the guards as Link checked over Colin, Malon, Ruto, and Sera. She looked at Rusl, he was holding he sword at the ready. "It's as if they've become statues."
"I fear it is worse than that." Link turned sharply at the new voice and found an elderly woman with a slightly younger woman. Both were dark skinned although the younger woman had platinum blonde hair and bright red eyes the elder had white hair in a long braid wrapped around her head. "Their Souls have been entrapped in the Silent Realm."
"We were just there."
'There are many areas within the Silent Realm, child. It is likely that Ghirahim has banished them to one of the deeper locations to provide a distraction for you."
"Why me?" Link asked.
"You are the Hero, chosen by the Goddesses. The Triforce marks you as such." The Elderly woman said.
"Come we must prepare you to get underway." The younger one said.
Sheik watched as the Elder forced Link to ferry different items to and fro. Link did it without complaint, used to a life of servitude. It did not sit well with the Prince but he could not help her destiny.
"It need not worry you long, my Prince." Impa murmured.
"Have you developed the talent to read minds now?" He asked and she scoffed softly.
"Your emotions are on your face whenever it comes to her." Sheik said nothing and turned away from his mentor and friend. Impa was like a sister to him. Link was basically a stranger now but when they were young they had played together every day.
"She is innocent, she doesn't even know what she is Impa." Sheik murmured shaking his head. "You cannot ask this of me – of her – while she is unaware!" He turned back to face the young woman. Her red eyes were filled with concern and sorrow.
"The Cycle must be broken. As the Physical Manifestation of the Triforce she must be Sacrificed."