Chapter 1: A Disturbance in Hyrule Village
The red autumn leaves of Faron Woods danced lazily in the air, before gracefully landing on the crisp grass or, if they were so inclined, kissing the calm water at the base of the Great Tree. The harmonious songs of cicadas were long gone, and the air began to take a chill, an augury of approaching winter. The Kikwi enjoyed a Faron devoid of bokobolins, thanks to the efforts of the goddess's chosen hero, who was stretched out on the grass, awake, though his eyes were closed.
Of all the lands of the Surface to which he journeyed, Faron was his favorite. Although the beauty of Lanayru in the distant past was admirable and a close second, Link was not fond of how artificial it felt when he activated the timeshift stones to see it, and genuinely traveling to the past was no longer an option, as remaining Gate of Time had vanished at the conclusion of the Skyloftians' journey.
A lot had happened in the three months since Link defeated Demise. Link and Zelda, of course, had chosen to live on the Surface, and, along with Groose, they had convinced the other residents of Skyloft to move down there as well. A cozy, bustling village had been constructed, and columns of smoke could be seen wafting above the tree-line, coming from the chimneys of the many homes.
Stretching his arms above his head, Link sat up and leisurely got to his feet, brushing dirt off his plain green pants and the back of his beige shirt. It was early evening, and Link figured it would be best that he head back home. If he were late for dinner again, he knew that Zelda would be miffed. He chuckled at the thought. In his opinion, an angry Zelda was a sight that invoked mixed feelings. The way her cheeks flushed red was adorable, but her glaring eyes spoke threats that demanded to be heeded.
Link walked back along a narrow dirt path that he was sure was the fault of his many strolls to the base of the tree. Tiny birds chirped at him from tree branches, and seemed resolute to keep their distance. Link couldn't understand why they loved Groose of all people but not him-memories of catching them in his net conveniently evading his consciousness.
From a distance, Hyrule Village looked like a collection of tiny, relatively identical wooden houses with lanterns hanging above their doors. But as Link approached, the quirks of each structure evoked the nature of its inhabitants. Strich, for example, had welded tiny metal dragonflies and butterflies to his lantern that hung next to his door, while Mallara's porch was notably unkempt. Link observed the former-demon Batreaux watering flowers that had planted next to his domicile, and when he looked up from his task, the two waved to each other.
"You should probably hurry home, Link," Batreaux smiled wearily.
"Am I that late?"
Before Batreaux could either confirm or deny the hero's question, a familiar voice cut through the air.
"Link!" Zelda's call had yet to sound aggravated; a good sign.
"Coming!" Link hollered back. He smiled at his neighbor. "Have a good night, Batreaux."
"You as well."
Link quickened his pace, and as the view of his and Zelda's house neared, he saw the young woman standing in the doorway. Backlit by the lamps in the house, her slight frame and the waving gesture of her outreached arm were accentuated. Link's lips parted, and curved up into a grin, and the hero closed the remainder of their distance with a jog. When he reached the door, he leaned down and planted a kiss on the goddess-incarnate's forehead.
"How late was I this time?"
"You're fine, Link," Zelda smiled at him in a way that had made his heart melt. "I first called five minutes ago, but that's alright. How are the woods?"
"Quiet, beautiful," Link followed Zelda into their domain, shutting the door behind them.
The house's interior was decorated simply. Shelves and cupboards in the kitchen were full of ceramic bowls and plates, as well as wooden flatware carved by Link. The dinner table had a vase full of flowers at the center of it. In the living room was a fireplace, and chairs and cushions that Zelda and Link had made together. The bedroom was adjacent to the living room, with only a wooden screen to divide the rooms, and hung prominently on the wall beside the bed was Link's Hylian Shield, received from the dragon Lanayru, and his adventure pouch underneath it.
In the kitchen, the smell of a rich, vegetable stew invigorated the air. Link specifically detected the scent of cumin.
"How was your day, Zelda?" he inquired. She gave him a sort of nervous smile, causing him to raise his eyebrow.
"I've been getting visions." She absentmindedly caressed a lock of her hair. "About a visitor coming soon. It's difficult to describe." Noticing Link's concerned face, Zelda added quickly, "While it seems serious, it didn't seem like they would be dangerous. I don't think it's anything to worry about."
Link smiled at her brightly. "Well, then, everything's alright then, right?" Zelda returned Link's gesture. Promptly she moved towards the cupboard, to grab bowls to fill with their dinner, but Link shooed her away from it: "You've already done all of the work, let me do that."
Just as Zelda sat down and Link was about to ladle dinner into their bowls, someone knocked loudly and emphatically against their door. Shortly thereafter, a voice bellowed:
"Zelda! Link!" Groose's voice had a tinge of panic to it, and the two inside only exchanged a brief glance before Link hurried to the door. Upon opening it, Link was greeted to the sight of a very tall, very concerned, red-haired man. Link hadn't seen this level of concern coming from him since...
When he suddenly showed up after Zelda awoke from her slumber in the back of the Sealed Temple.
"What's happened, Groose?" Link immediately tensed, his face hardening into the serious visage that adorned his features all too often during his quest.
"I was just at the temple! You know, putting flowers near Grannie's memorial, just saying hi to her," Groose started, and Link nodded once. "And just as I was about to leave, I heard a strange, sharp sound I can't describe coming from the courtyard. So, I went to investigate it." Groose paused briefly, running his fingers through his pompadour. "I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw this gigantic black sword stuck in the dirt."
Link felt his heart start pounding, and sweat form on his brow. "Was the blade...jagged?"
"Yeah. Kinda looked like diamonds." Groose looked a little puzzled, but Link knew why. Groose only had the briefest chance to see that sword, and he was justifiably more concerned with making sure that the beautiful blonde sitting at the table didn't fall to her death. Whereas for Link, he had a whole fight for that blade and its image to permanently leave its mark on him. He had the scars and nightmares as proof that it did.
Without hesitation, Link dashed to the bedroom, and pulled his knight's outfit from underneath the bed and his adventure pouch off the wall. After throwing the chainmail and tunic on and strapping on the pouch, he stuck his left arm through the leather strap on the back of his shield and gripped the metal handle.
"I'll be back," Link said gruffly, and briskly strode towards the door.
"Wait, I'm not letting you go by yourself!" Zelda ran after him, and tugged the sleeve of his shirt when it was in reach. The hero turned to face her.
"I'm not letting you get hurt."
"Excuse me, but you're a swordsman without a sword, and I'm a former goddess who's been practicing her magic. I am going with you," Zelda put her hands on her hips, and Link saw that dangerous glint in her eye. He sighed loudly.
"Fine." With that, Link walked out the door towards the temple.
"Just a minute!" Zelda yelled after him, futilely. "Ugh!" She turned to Groose, pleading, "I'm sorry, Groose, but would you please watch the soup pot? I don't know how long this is going to take and I don't want the house burning down in the meantime."
Groose smiled. "Sure thing."
Zelda ran after Link, her long hair flowing wildly behind her, calling out to her friend from over her shoulder, "Thank you! Oh, feel free to eat some as well!"
Glancing around her as she ran, Zelda saw that many of the villagers seemed to be peeking out of their windows at the hero marching towards the temple who was suddenly wearing his knight's outfit after months of disuse, and the daughter of their elder running after him. When she caught up to the brown-haired teen and began walking next to him on his right, she remarked to him in a hushed voice:
"We're making a spectacle and worrying everyone."
"I think the reappearance of Demise's sword is something to be worried about," Link replied dryly.
"I agree," Zelda brushed her hand against his, smiling gently when he turned his head her way. "But it's nothing we can't handle together, right?"
Link continued to look forward. The horizon was a soft blend of vermillion, cerise, and peach, while when he looked above where the brilliant star was disappearing, cerise melded into a vibrant plum. He could see the profile of the Goddess Statue, backlit. Behind him, he knew, the sky was a deep blue that would blacken as soon as the bright orb before him faded from sight. When he lived on Skyloft, Link could never imagine the allure the Surface possessed, and how at sunrise and sunset the sky seemed to be nothing more than the sun's canvas. A world this wondrous and precious needed to be protected.
Link outstretched his right arm, his hand searching for and then gripping Zelda's left. As he reached the door to the Sealed Temple, he squeezed her hand tightly.