A/N: Hello everyone! This is Clairae speaking.

This story takes place after the Ocarina of Time. The main story will be about two total different reincarnations of Zelda and Link.

I do not own the Legend of Zelda, obviously.

Enjoy!

(Prologue)

A deep racking cough tore through his body, making him spit up blood. He glared at the splotch of crimson on his hand, angry at the world. No… he was angry at himself.

He was supposed to be the knight in shining armor, a hero, a man worth looking up to. Instead, he would die here, shunned and forgotten by all the people of Hyrule. What would happen to the people he loved? He pictured it in his mind's eye and shuddered. No, he would not let that happen.

The hero pushed himself up, his sword hanging loosely in his hand. His shield had been lost during the battle, but it didn't matter anyway; he doubted he would be able to hold it with his bloody arm.

"Link!" the princess of Hyrule called in panic as she ran towards him, her dress in dirty tatters. "What are you doing? Stay down so I can heal you!"

Link looked towards the princess and smiled sadly. He couldn't rest when his friends were fighting for this victory. He needed to win now or never.

He closed his eyes and summoned the last of his willpower; some liked to call it courage. Then, he charged the beast. It was a blur. Link dodged the swine's large swords, as he closed in on its weak spot. He was running out of breath and his arm was bleeding so much. It would be close, but he would make it.

Just as the hero reached the beast's tail, a giant sword swung out of nowhere. Link barely managed to dart out of its way, but he had made a crucial mistake. He had forgotten the monster's other sword. It struck him suddenly and without a warning, sending him flying back. A rib cracked.

The princess was by his side before he even realized what had happened. Her hands glowed with golden magic as she kneeled down by his body. She was tryinh to heal his broken form. "What the hell were you thinking, you… you idiot!"

Link wanted to laugh so badly because that was the first time he had heard Zelda curse. But he didn't, since he had the feeling he would hurt himself more. In fact, every time he took a breath pain coursed through his body.

"Zelda," he croaked. "He's coming."

She whirled around, her eyes blazing with an indescribable wrath. Gannon, the beast, was approaching them slowly, his lumbering pace a mocking to the duo.

The princess hastily threw up a barrier to fend it off, before returning to her healing. "Link… why?" she asked now that her anger was spent. Her voice cracked as she spread her magic throughout his body, "Why couldn't you just rest for a few seconds?"

"Zelda, you know I can't do that," Link whispered sadly.

Salty tears dripped down her face. "This," she said with sobs racking her voice, "this is so unfair. Why me and you? It could have been anyone else…"

A loud boom suddenly resounded around them as the monster slammed its fists into the barrier. The princess nearly screamed in anger as if the monster was breaking her instead of the shield.

"Shhh," Link murmured softly. "If it had been anyone else, I would have never met you. I'm glad I did."

She sobbed harder still, trying to heal him. He could feel her power tingling through him, trying to stop his death. But it was far too late, he knew. Death had already gotten a hold of him.

"Where's Navi?" he asked tiredly. He had lost sight of his trusty friend. He wanted to hear her shrill voice at least one last time, not that he imagined he would ever want that.

"She was hurt so she went away to quickly heal," Zelda replied. She continued to push her magic to heal him, all in vain.

"Stop," he said in a cracked whisper. "You can't heal me. You can already… feel death spreading through… me so stop. Save your energy to fight another battle."

The princess broke down then. Her magic stopped suddenly, making him feel numb and broken. She wailed into his blood stained tunic, pouring her feelings out.

He tried for a smile and gently smoothed her straggly hair. "I've always loved you, Zelda. Maybe not at first…but I soon found that you were a kind and amazing… woman."

The young woman wiped away her tears and pulled Link into what would be his last hug. He could feel all the emotion she tried to convey without her words. He knew what she thought of him too.

Then suddenly, he could feel her lips brushing against his. A small feeling of warmth spread through his numb body before it faded.

Everything started to fade. The last thing he felt was a tingling in his left hand. The goddesses were thanking him for his bravery…

Then the barrier shattered into a million pieces. The magical remains dissolved away.

There Zelda kneeled down on her knees facing away from the beast who had started this all. She felt an undeniably and terrible grief rack her body as she stared at her dead hero. Shuddering gasps escaped her lips as she tried to regain the feeling in her body.

The beast began to speak, its voice low and terrible, "Look at you now, Princess. Or maybe I should call you Zelda, since your kingdom is mine now," the monster boomed at her. "Your hero is dead, and his triforce piece is mine. You are alone now. No one can help you."

The princess stared at the ground, her anguish slowly being replaced by a terrible anger. She spun to her feet and let out a horrific scream. It ripped through her throat, tearing at her vocal chords.

Gannon stood still, shocked beyond greed.

After her bout of madness halted, she smiled sadly. Her mind was broken and she couldn't conjure a back up plan. It was the end.

Out of nowhere, a voice resonated through her head: Zelda, my chosen, listen to me. You must not let Gannon take your triforce piece too, lest he destroy this land. You must seal yourself away until another hero appears.

Zelda nodded in confirmation. It was worth a try.

"Gannon, I suppose this is goodbye," she told the beast.

The giant pig roared in confusion. What in the world was she talking about?

The princess stood up and crossed her arms to form an x. A golden wind started to swirl around the girl and the pig, forming a gentle tornado. She closed her eyes, and opened them again, revealing golden orbs instead. The monster couldn't move, not because he didn't want to, but because the magic stopped him.

Link's body vanished as Zelda murmured a prayer, "Please place the hero's body somewhere were he can rest, for eternity."

Then she started to rise up, surrounded by her golden wind. "Gannon, I cannot allow you the last triforce piece. Whatever happens after I am gone, you will never hold your reign on this land for long. A man and woman will be born and end your terrible reign. They will kill you," Zelda announced in a voice that sounded like the goddesses themselves. "Farewell."

The six sages suddenly appeared around her, closing her in a rainbow of colors. Then she vanished in the wind, sealed away from the world that wanted her.

Gannon was left alone, in a battlefield with nothing but dust…