Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 1: Accidents Happen

Author's Note: There's a permanent hiatus until further notice, sorry guys. As you'll find in a lot the later chapters, a lot of personal matters had been happening, and they're bearing down even more than before. I'm not giving up on this story though, I've put a lot of thought into it over the years and I fully intend on finishing it at some point or another. I'm not the greatest writer, just warning, but what I am writing is written with love, I guess you could say.

When I can, I'll be editing, and in some places probably completely rewriting, the story to try and make it a bit more coherent. The story is weird and kinda doesn't make sense at parts. I never knew when to give away hints at story and the climax is sorta in the middle of the rising action. Funnily enough, the idea for the story was originally a Doctor Who/LoZ crossover, but very little, if any, of that original idea is still hidden deep between the lines. It was/is a way for me to vent frustration and have freedom from the toil of daily life. Each of the characters have a place and backstory, albeit sometimes obscurely. Each of the locations are mapped out excessively in my head.

To make it easier, the story takes heavy inspiration from Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Zelda II, although nothing is explicitly 100% the same to the games.

I understand that it's not a story for everyone. It's kinda really violent in places and contains mature themes. It'll probably be frustrating and hard to read at parts. It's not even halfway finished. I appreciate everyone who gives it a shot. Really. I do. I put a lot of hard work into it for someone who really, really doesn't know much about writing. (And, granted, I started when I was young which you can probably tell.)

As per last time, you really don't need to review/favorite/follow; I don't mind either way.

The little boy stepped forwards carefully down the steep cliff side. It'd been a dare; he looked back to the top, where two older boys stood. They shooed him farther. He looked down at the path. He took another careful step forwards. Small pebbles shifted underneath his feet. He muttered to himself. Why had he done this? Everyone knew that this path was endless.

The path that the boy, named Link, was walking, was really only walked by the Sages. The journey was said to take your entire life. The Sages walked it after reaching the age of the peak of their magic. The last thing they learned was the Sealing magic.

He took another step and swallowed hard. The pebbles were changing to sand as he walked. He looked back up at the boys, who yelled words of encouragement. Link yelled back, "No, I can't do it!" He turned and began to walked up the steep path. The boys above 'booed' and began to throw pebbles.

As the pebbles flew, they hit other stones and pebbles; the beginnings of a landslide. Link ran to get out of the way, but slipped on sand. He clutched at the ground as his body slid to the edge of the cliff. "H-help!" He shouted. The older boys ran; whether to get help or just escape from the accident, Link didn't know.

Link grabbed at a small tree, but it just got uprooted. He shut his eyes tightly as he slipped off of the edge. Pebbles and shocks showered his face as he fell, the rock slide having grown bigger.

There was a fairytale in Hyrule about a young girl that fell down into a bottomless moblin cavern and found her self in a nonsense world. Link had always shrugged off that story, it was too unbelievable. Now Link felt like he could relate; only, he wasn't really falling... It was more like floating.

Link floated down for what must have been hours. He landed gently on his feet. The bottom of the chasm was amazing. The entire place was carved out of a black rock, but very ruggedly. There was a glossy path where the feet of countless Sages had walked.

Link gasped when he looked up; there was flocks of pale glowing birds nested into the walls of the pit. A group took off, making the darkness above look filled with stars. Reaverting his eyes, Link decided a direction and took it, following the glossy path.

After some time of walking, and having taken in his mysterious surroundings, Link came across a very large door. It was made of the same stone as the chasm and had intricate, beautiful designs on it. It showed the journey of a crawling babe down a zigzagging path. At the end of the path, the babe was an old man. Next to the carving of an old man was a symbol three triangles places in the form of another triangle.

As Link reached out to touch the door, it opened. Dust came raining down atop of him. Through the crack was a pitch blackness. Link heard a chirp from behind him; still amazed at the darkness in front of him, he ignored it. It came again, and Link turned. A single glow-bird, as Link decided to call them, stood there. It chirped again, hopping forwards.

"Hello," Link spoke. He flinched as his voice echoed into the darkness behind him. The bird repeated his word after the echo died out. It was a soft sung note.

"Um... You can speak?" The bird sung back to him again after he spoke it. It slightly annoyed Link. "Do you know what is in there?" The bird repeated again, but his head cocked. Its wings spread and it flew over Link's head into the darkness. It hovered a few feet in, almost waiting for Link to follow.

Link ran after it. The bird flapped ahead, only stopping temporarily to wait for Link whenever he fell behind. They continuously did this through the dark tunnel, the bird's light only shining bright enough for a few feet. Link tried to ignore the fact that the tunnel was probably a lot larger.

After they had done this race for quite some time, Link began to slow down. He panted at the bird to wait, even though he knew that it would anyways. He dropped to the floor, weary and tired out. The bird landed at his feet. "We there." It sung. Link looked at it confused. He hadn't said that. Well, yes he had been asking the bird continuously over the entire time he had been in the tunnel... but not then. It had said it on it's own. He frowned.

The bird began to fly again. Link hurriedly stood, "Wait!" He called, but the bird had already started off. He ran trying to catch up to it, only to crash into a wall. He felt it; it was smooth, and had a handle?

The door opened easily. At first the light was blinding, but it subsided to make a man visible. Link stared dumbfounded as the bird flew in behind him. It landed at the feet of the man. He wore a long, white cloak. The cloak was tight and bound to the man by hundreds of buckles and chains. He was hung from a particularly thick chain that was bolted into the roof somewhere far above. Both of the man's eyes were shut tight, swollen from tears.

Link was shocked. He never imagined this to be what he would find. Link flinched when the man's eyes opened. One eye, the left, was a light blue. The one on the right was an unnerving red. "Zelda," the man whispered, the corners of his mouth turning up into a twisted smile. One of his eyes, the blue one, shut. Each of the chains and the buckles dropped, and the cuffs that bound his hands and legs released. He stood; the cloak around him fell back revealing a black tunic that reached his knees.

The man rubbed his wrists; two black, fingerless gloves were on his hands. Link stepped back. The doors behind Link slammed shut. The man's voice reached Link's ears, "Now why would you want to leave?"

"I-I..." Link stammered.

"And why would I let the one who released me go?" the man looked up at Link. He motioned for Link to come closer. He took a few cautious steps. "Why are you down here, boy?"

"I-I fell... There was a cliff and..."

"No, why are you here. In this room?" The man kneeled in front of Link. "You could have turned back, you know... Big large, scary tunnel?"

"I-I don't k-know."

The older man scowled, "Because you have Courage, boy!" He grabbed Link's hand and turned it over. On the back of it were three triangles that made the shape of a larger one. It was just like the carving on the door.

"It's j-just a birthmark," Link stammered to tell the older man. He tightened his grip on Link's wrist.

"It is as much of a birthmark as I am a fisherman!" The older man shouted, letting go of Link's hand; though he more like tossed it. "What are they teaching you up there on the Surface? That's the Triforce!"

"The what?" Link looked at the man in the face now, the red eye still bothered him, but curiosity got the better of him.

"The Cycle! The Triforce of Courage, Wisdom, and Power! Farore, Nayru, and Din! The Hero of Time, the Princess, and the Warlock!"

Link frowned, "But that's just a children's story." The man's eyes erupted with fury. The emotion looked alien in the blue eye, but the red eye savoured it. "The Legend of Zelda," Link continued a little longer, looking away from the man.

There was a sing-song chirp, from the glow-bird, that came from behind the man as he muttered, "...of Zelda..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he whispered, "Up on the Surface... Who is the Queen?"

"Queen Harkinian died years ago... Only the King lives."

"Tell me," The man continued, "What was her name."

"It was Malon." The man sighed at Link's answer. "But..." Link wondered. Was he asking about... "The Princess' name is Zel-"

"-da," The man muttered. "Figure's she would be a princess again."

"'Again?'" Link asked.

"The Cycle, boy. It has started again, otherwise you wouldn't have the Triforce." The man turned back to the glow-bird. He reached out his hand, gently, and the bird hopped onto his finger. The bird chirped happily before flying back into the dark abyss.

"Come, boy. I have work to do." Link watched as the man stepped into the shadows, immediately disappearing from sight. He must have turned around, because Link could see his one red eye glowing. "I said come."

Link nodded and followed him. The only way he was able to keep up was because of the bird. The bird could now say, "Come," because of the older man. Whenever Link was too far behind, it would say, "Come," and Link would hurry faster.

The bird stopped. "Wait," it sung. The darkness gave in to a bluish-dark light. They had gotten out of the tunnel and into the original chasm. Link could see the glossy path and the other flocks of glow-birds. They began to walk again.

Their guide glow-bird chirped happily as it flew higher above them. Apparently, it hadn't liked being in the tunnel any more than Link had. He turned to the man who had been from the tunnel. He frowned. Who was this man?

"Who-"

"Don't ask," the man answered bitterly before he even finished. Link opened his mouth to ask again, but closed it again. It probably wouldn't do too much for him. The older man sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose, "You may call me Gannon."

"Gannon... Gannon," Link tested out the name. "That name sounds familiar..."

The older man - Gannon - chuckled, "I suppose to you, it would."

"Why were you trapped down here?"

Gannon gave Link a look that told him not to press his luck any further, "The Surface doesn't like people like me." Link's eyes flashed to Gannon's red eye, but he looked back quickly at his feet. Gannon grinned, "I see you understand why."

Link's head bowed farther as he felt Gannon's gaze burn into him. "Never look down to anyone, boy."

"My name is... Link, actually."

"I know; I just don't care." Link looked back at the man surprised, but Gannon wasn't looking at him. He was looking up at the darkness above them thoughtfully. It was like he was searching for something... Then it hit Link.

The boy grabbed a black pebble from beneath him. He looked for a flock of the glow-birds. There! He threw the stone. The flock flew up into the air, and then dived at Link. He yelled running. Gannon watched amused as Link was pecked by the angry birds. They flew into the air again.

Gannon walked over to the bruised boy, a grin plastered on his face. "You deserved that, you know. They never did anything to you."

"I wanted them to fly," Link told him, pointing into the air. Gannon, confused, looked up. The birds looked like stars... The man's smile disappeared. "That was what you were looking for... Wasn't it?"

"Get up, boy. There is no time to dawdle." Gannon walked away. Link struggled to get up, but forced himself to. He looked over at Gannon, following slowly behind. It was worth it so that he could see the stars...