A/N: So this story is mainly being published despite not being finished, because it was sitting in my harddrive for so long whilst I focus on my original work. Might as well post it since it is better to be somewhere other than my harddrive, which may imminently and catastrophically crash at any time.

This story was actually written before BoTW came out, and my only Zelda games before that were OoT, MM, LttP and... I think Oracle that I somehow played on a plane's gaming system, though that system did not really work too well for long rpg games like Zelda...

My writing style is based off Japanese Light Novels, since I've read so many of them and have become more or less brain-washed into writing like them.

I first envisioned writing a female Link, and then thought to myself, what would a female Link's name be? Link's name was used as a 'link' between the player and the character, so my brain did a fart and said, "Why not Sync? For Synchronization". Yeah, never trust a brain fart, but the name stuck. So there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda or any Zelda related things.

Zelda

Mark of Courage

Chapter 1

Hyrule. A land blessed by the Goddesses who created it. A land that saw peace spread throughout the lands, and yet also saw the fires of devastation and chaos. It was a land that brought envy and pride, a land that promised riches and prosperity. And at times, absolute power. The legends speak of heroes who rose up in times of chaos, heroes who stood against the darkness and banished evil. The heroes all held within them a special power, a courage beyond measure, that enabled them to face evil and triumph. A hero is one who embodies courage and it is through courage that a hero is born. The Hero of Time. Everyone knew that name. It was a legend that was past down from mouth to mouth, the stories that children loved to hear as they grew up.

The story of a hero who stepped forward and fought against an evil so great that it nearly plunged the entire World into chaos. But the hero still faced the dreaded evil and vanquished it, breaking the curse upon the land and restoring peace and order. But no one knew where this Hero came from, his past, how he came to be, and even his name was forgotten in history. And just as sudden as this hero appeared, he vanished without a trace. The land knew peace once more but no one could find the hero who saved them. Some say he was the physical manifestation of the Goddess's will, others say he was the spirit of courage itself. And there are some who say he was simply a young man who became a legend through the bravery of his deeds. No matter what the story said, it all pointed to him being the young man who saved the World, and that the hero of time will once again appear when the land is endangered. If only it were true.

She awoke abruptly, her face covered in cold sweat. A dream? Or a nightmare? She had no idea. Sitting up straight, she tried to get a clear understanding of her surroundings. She was in a thick forest, lying down on the floor by a small campfire that was nearly out. How long was she asleep for? She had told herself that she should only get a small amount of sleep since these woods were dangerous. They weren't called the 'Lost Woods' without good reason. She ran her hand across her face, trying to wipe away as much sweat as she could and paused, taking a look at her hand. A black burn-like triangular mark that stained her hand. How long has it been since she had this mark? The moon was still high in the sky, telling her it was not yet morning. She must not have slept that long. The rustling sound of grass alerted her and she scrambled to her feet, grabbing onto the long sword that was leaning on a tree stump nearby.

She drew the sword from its sheath and held it as steady as she could. As hard as she tried, she could not shake that uneasiness that was within her. The rustling got louder, and seemed to increase in presence. Soon, all of the grass around her small camp site began to rustle with activity. She could sense movement from all around her. She was surrounded, and from the grass the green eyes of her enemy stared hungrily at her. With nowhere to run, she could only grip onto her sword tightly and prayed she would survive the night. One by one, her enemy made themselves be known. Large creatures covered with fur, their long teeth baring hungrily at her. A pack of Wolfos circled around her, studying her, waiting for her to be exhausted. She felt herself tremble with fear, and she tried to force herself to focus. But the fear that gripped her was too strong.

"... I can't do this, Brother... I can't. I'm not a hero like you... I can't be."

Seven Years Ago

The young boy slept soundly, as soundly as one can sleep. Dreams of an encroaching darkness plagued his nights, of Hyrule being consumed in fire and evil. And yet within all of that, there stood a single light. A girl. A girl who represented everything that was good and holy. That girl would be the one who would save the light.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

The young boy slowly awoke, sitting up in his bed, stifling a yawn. Looking at the one who woke him, he saw a young girl his age, with her blonde hair travelling past her shoulder, sitting on top of him.

"... What are you doing?"

He blinked a few times and the girl smiled.

"It's already morning."

The girl said, getting off the bed.

"We're going to the Castle town today, remember?"

He did remember but he could not say he shared the same level of enthusiasm as the girl. He slid off the bed and headed towards the chest of drawers that was in the room.

"I'll wait for you outside."

The girl said, heading towards the door and stepping out. In this small room, there were two beds and one chest of drawers. He shared the room with the girl and the drawers were shared as well. It wasn't unusual for them to share things, after all, they are siblings, not to mention twins. He got changed into a green tunic and pants and stepped out of the room. He headed down the stairs to the dining area and noticed that a loaf of bread was left on the table, most likely by his sister for his breakfast. Taking the bread, he took a bite from it and stepped out of the small two storey house. The house was located at the edge of a small village called Kashira village, which was built at the edge of the Lost Woods. It was a small village that consisted of ten families that were close-knit community.

"Ah, you're awake, good."

A voice called out to him. He turned and saw a tall, gruff looking man walk over to him.

"Heard from your sister that you were having a nightmare. Been having those quite recently, haven't you?"

The man asked, placing a hand on his head and ruffling his hair up.

"Well, now that you're up and about, why not help me with moving some of those crates onto the wagon? Quite a few goods need to be sold at the market so we need to hurry up and make a move before the Sun rises too high, otherwise we will reach the Castle by nightfall."

He turned and saw the said wagon with a pile of crates stacked up next to it. His sister was already starting to move the crates though given her size and strength, she looked as though she could fall over at any given time. His sister had always tried as hard she could to do things on her own. He sighed and walked over, grabbing the crate from her hands. His sister was caught by surprise by his actions.

"I don't need your help to do something like this."

She pouted as he placed the crate on the wagon.

"You don't need to do everything yourself, you know."

He said to his sister as he picked up another crate.

"Sure sure, not everyone can be like 'you'."

His sister muttered in response.

"Just do what you can, that's all any one ever asks of us. Ask Belias if you want."

"Riiight."

His sister said, looking for smaller crates to carry. Belias was the man who was as close as a father that the twins had. Ever since they could remember, Belias was the man who had raised them. A humble man who did simple jobs and yet tried his best to raise the twins. As such, the twins tried their hardest to help out where ever they could. To be honest, he has no idea why would Belias would go so far for a pair of twins that were not related to him.

"Link! Sync! Are you two ready?"

Belias called out, walking over with a small chest under his arm.

"Yup! We're ready!"

His sister happily replied, jumping onto the back of the wagon.

"Link? Are you ready?"

Belias turned to him with a smile.

"Yes, let's go."

Hyrule Castle town, the heart of the Kingdom, having the largest market where people from all corners come to shop and trade. Even from a distance the sound of the crowd could be heard. The noise from the market easily drowned out any other sounds and stood as a testament to the success and prosperity of the Kingdom. Belias guided the horse into the stables.

"I've gotten some people to come help with the crates."

Belias said, getting off the wagon and dusting his hands.

"So the two of you can go off and play. Just be sure to be back before Sun down."

Without another word, Link's twin sister, Sync, ran off. Link, realising that leaving his sister unsupervised in this busy market was a recipe for disaster.

"Go on, Link. Make sure you find Sync before she gets into trouble."

Belias said with a smile. Link did not need to be told twice and he rushed off. Looking for his sister in the busy market, Link realised the grand and daunting task that was as simple as finding a single person in a sea of people. He wondered through the thick mess of people, heading in a direction he hope his sister took. It wasn't long before he heard a loud commotion coming from the far end of the market. Link made his way there, praying to the three goddesses that it wasn't his sister. Reaching the part of the market where the commotion was, Link squeezed through the crowd that had gathered as onlookers to see what was happening. And what was happening, was not his sister, which was a comforting relief, to some extent.

"You broke my pot! I will have you pay me back for it!"

"And I'm telling you I didn't do it, you old man!"

What was not comforting was that the commotion was caused by a young girl around his age and the store owner of a certain stall. The young girl had bright fiery orange hair and fierce blue eyes that seemed like they could shoot light beams out of them if she tried hard enough. As for the owner of the store, he was a large man who looked like he had not gotten any exercise in years. Link did not know much about judging people just through their looks, but somehow he felt as though this store owner was not somebody who was considered 'good'. Grabbing onto the girl's arm by force, the man certainly did not look like he was anyone pleasant.

"Let go of me you old creep!"

The girl screamed at him.

"You litte brat! I will not let you go until you pay for what you broke!"

"I'm saying I did not do it!"

"You're a liar on top of being a thief!"

"I am not a thief!"

This was getting out of hand, and Link decided that he had to stop this, otherwise the crowd would just get worse and his sister may have gone off further. He stepped forward and faced the store owner.

"May I see what pot this girl has destroyed?"

He asked, making the store owner and the girl look at him in surprise.

"Hey! Are you saying I broke it?"

The girl demanded but Link ignored her for now.

"You want proof? I'll show you proof! It's this pot right here! It is a prize pot made by the largest of all Gorons, the Biggoron! It costs a fortune!"

The store owner pointed to pieces of broken clay that were scattered about on the floor. Link looked at the pieces before looking up to the displays.

"Is the pot from that shelf?"

Link asked, pointing up to the display shelves where a gap in the merchandise was.

"Exactly!"

The store owner said. Link smiled at this confirmation.

"Then this girl could not have done it."

Link stated flatly, making everyone puzzled by his sudden conclusion.

"What do you mean she did not do it? She clearly did!"

The store owner shouted furiously at him but Link merely pointed to the shelf calmly.

"First of all, from what I can tell, the pot does not look like anything Gorons would make, let alone the Biggoron. The markings and type of clay does not match what they are known for."

Link pointed out, making the store owner rather shocked.

"Secondly, this girl is not tall enough to reach that shelf, let alone try to knock it off."

A murmur from the crowds came as the store owner felt himself be cornered.

"S-she could have used a stone or something!"

The store owner tried to put forward another wild theory.

"If that were the case, then the pot should have fallen backwards, not forward and onto the floor like this."

The store owner was now being pressurised by the stares from the people who now were whispering things amongst themselves that did not seem to spell anything good for the store owner.

"F-fine! I'll let her go this time!"

The store owner finally relented, releasing his grip on the girl and closing the flaps to his stall. He would not be showing his face around here for some time.

"Right, now that that's done-"

Link was about to leave but the girl from before stopped him by pulling his sleeve.

"Er... t-thank you."

The girl shyly said, her face bright red as her eyes tried to avert looking at him directly.

"No need to thank me. I only said a few things that I was thinking."

Link smiled.

"I-I'm Maloni! My dad runs the Lon Lon Ranch!"

The girl blurted out, making Link rather confused. They were doing introductions now?

"Nice to meet you, Maloni. I'm looking for a girl who looks a little bit like me. Did you happen to see her run by?"

"N-no."

Maloni replied, her face still somewhat red.

"All right then, I still need to find her. See you around, Maloni."

Link smiled and ran off, leaving Maloni behind in a oddly starry-eyed state.

"... My prince..."

At the same time, Sync found herself no longer in town, but on a small hill overlooking the hill. She had no idea where she was or how she managed to get here.

"Are you lost?"

She turned and saw a figure standing further up on the hill, the rays of the Sun preventing Sync from seeing clearly. The figure seemed rather curious about her.

"... Are you-"

Link scoured the entire market but still could not find his sister. He tried to look for clues as to where she could have gone but so far he saw nothing that could even give him an idea. Then, from the far end of the market came the loud chime of bells. He looked up and saw in the distance a certain structure. A certain temple like structure sat on a small hill away from the market on its own. A temple? Link knew that he had no other options and made his way towards the temple. If anything, he could get a good view of the market from there.

After walking for a while, Link realised that the temple on the hill was much further than he first thought, and he was more or less out of the market area. He had heard that during the 'Hero of Time' era, the market was destroyed and that after that, Hyrule Castle Town had to be rebuilt and when it did, it grew nearly five times its previous size. The town had stretched far but the trail of houses stopped halfway up the hill to the temple. From cobbled roads to a dirt path. Buildings were soon replaced by trees and grass. But all of this was still within the walls of Hyrule Castle Town.

"Still... there's no one around."

Link noted as he made his way up the hill and closer to the temple. Now being closer, he saw that the structure was immensely large, built onto a large circle 'island' in the middle of a large circular lake of sorts that had a stone bridge built to allow access to the temple. The temple was almost as large the Hyrule Castle itself though it was clearly not as grand, nor was it as tall, still it was immense a sight to behold. Walking towards the entrance, Link spotted two figures standing by the doorway, one dressed in strangely suspicious brown cloak that covered the head as well, and the other was-

"Sync?"

Responding to his call, the younger twin looked up and saw him.

"Link!"

She called out to him before running over.

"Guess what! I learned how to make a stone skip!"

Sync giddily exclaimed, pulling Link over to the side of the bridge to show him how she threw the stone. Unfortunately the stone did not go too far.

"... Er... it's not suppose to be like that."

Sync muttered, her spirits dropping to an all time low. Sync was never able to control her own emotions well and her mood would swing constantly.

"Zeina! Help me!"

Sync turned to the cloaked figure, who walked over. The cloaked figure's cloak covered the head with a hood but Link could see the clear blue eyes reflecting a sort of tranquility that Link found comforting. The cloaked figure took a stone and threw it into the lake at an angle, causing the stone to skip in the water. Sync apparently found it to be the most amazing thing she had ever seen and decided to throw more rocks.

"So, you're my sister's new friend?"

Link asked and the cloaked person turned to Link, nodding to his question. It was at this point that Link and Zeina seemed to have a strange feeling running through their bodies. It was as though there was some 'connection' between them.

.

.

.

'Find the key who would start it all

Find the blade who will end the cycle'

.

.

.

The same deep voice spoke to both Link and Zeina and they looked to one another, realising that they were connected in more ways than one. The bells of the temple rung once more, making Zeina look up and then quick ran off into the temple without a word.

"Hey! Zeina!"

Sync tried to run after her new friend but apparently Zeina had locked the doors after entering, and Sync was unable to open the doors.

"... What was that all about?"

Link wondered out loud.

"Sync, we have to go back. Belias is waiting for us."

The twins sat in the back of the wagon as Belias directed the horse out of the castle and back on the roads towards Kashira village. And along the way, Link noticed that Sync was fiddling with something. A wooden flute.

"Sync, where did you get that?"

Link asked.

"Zeina gave it to me and showed me how to play it!"

Sync said happily, as she lifted the flute horizontally to her lips and blew on it. A sound came from the flute but it was hardly anything you could call a 'sound'. Rather more like a shriek from some dying creature.

"I will learn to play it well! You'll see!"

Sync cried defiantly. Link merely smiled.

"I'm sure you will."

Link could not really sleep as the events of the day still played out in his mind vividly. That mysterious girl, the mysterious voice that spoke in their heads. Only the first and last line were ever said, with the rest being omitted by some strange 'noise'. As he lay on his back on his bed, he thought about what he should do about this. There was something within him that was urging him to take action. But what action? He did not know what was going on? The snoring from the bed next to his made him smile a little. Best not to worry about such things and he closed his eyes, having thoughts about how best to get his sister to stop waking him up by jumping on him.

She barely got to take off her cloak when she felt someone approach her from behind.

"You went out again, your highness?"

She turned around and saw the dark figure step out from the shadows. Dressed in black and violet tight clothes with a mask that covered his mouth and a hood over his head, the man's dark red eyes stared sharply straight at her.

"... Is it a bad thing for me to leave the Castle once in a while?"

She asked. The man shook his head.

"It is not. I believe in your highness's kindness and eagerness to guide her people is greatly justified. But 'that' man is making his move."

That statement made her flinch.

"... I see. I am running out of time."

The next time the twins headed to the Hyrule Castle town was the following week, and it was just in time for a festival. Dubbed the 'Festival of Time', it was to celebrate the legend of the Hero of Time. As such, almost everyone was wearing green. The twins looked on eagerly ahead at the crowd from the wagon as it headed through the gates of the large city. With the festives that was going on, the number of visitors to the Castle had increased dramatically, and like the theme of the festival, everyone was wearing green clothes. Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, and even Gerudos. It was a rare sight to see so many people of the different races of Hyrule come together and for a celebration like this.

"Hey Link, everyone dresses like you now!"

Sync laughed. It was true that Link's favourite, and arguebly only, set of clothes were almost identical to the festival clothes.

"Now we match!"

Sync happily said. Sync never really liked wearing her own clothes, stating that Link's clothes allowed her to do more things. However she also had qualms about wearing green, the only time she did not mind was during such a festival, during which the adrenaline of such a large and loud party would easily drown out her complaints.

"All right, you two. Remember to stick close and don't wander off too far."

Belias warned them, Link making sure to hold his sister back before she could run off.

"The town will have more people than any other time of the year, what with the festival going on and such. Sync, I do not need to tell you again and again, do I?"

Belias asked the young girl, who seemed a little disappointed, but her excitement was not at a level where it would die out so easily.

"Now run along, you two. And don't forget, be back here by Sun set."

"Yup!"

Sync did not need to be told twice as she tore herself from her brother's grip and charged straight into the thicket of the crowd. Link had little choice but to follow. However it wasn't long before Link once again loses sight of his sister. With everyone dressed the same way, it was easy to lose sight of just one girl.

"... Sync..."

Link looked up and heard the distant chime of bells. The temple. Link quickly deduced that Sync must have gone back to the temple and wasted no time in heading back in the direction of the bells. Pushing past the crowd, Link found the path that led straight up towards the temple and given his pace, he caught the glimpse of the temple soon enough. Large and imposing like before, Link felt a strange form of dread emanating from the temple. In the distance, he spotted a small girl figure walking into the temple.

"Sync!"

He quickly ran over to the temple, determined to stop his sister. But just as he reached the steps to the temple, a hand grabbed his arm from behind, stopping him from entering. Standing behind him was a young girl his age, with long flowing golden hair and clear blue eyes. Link knew this person. But this girl is...

"Do not enter there."

She said gravely.

"Why?"

He asked and the girl released her grip on him.

"This temple was built upon the site of where a great evil was slain and sealed. Despite the gate to the World where he was sealed within being elsewhere, this place is still filled with the dark power that was released during his fall. This temple is built to ensure that that energy is never allowed to escape."

The girl explained, but Link was still determined.

"My sister went in there. I have to go get her."

The girl seemed surprised by this news.

"Your... sister? Sync?"

"As I thought, you are Zeina, aren't you? If that is really your name."

Link asked. The girl bit her lip but shook her head.

"Now is not the time. We need to get Sync out of the temple. During this time of the year, the anniversary of the evil's demise, the dark energies are at its peak."

Link had some reservations about getting help from a girl who lied about her appearance as well as her name, but his sister's safety came first. He went straight into the temple with Zeina following behind. The interior of the temple was just as grand as the exterior, if not more. The walls were made of pure white marble, the stained glass reflecting the rays of the Sun into the interior and illuminated the large hall. The ceiling was so high that the light could not reach it, casting it in darkness. The pillars that supported the temple stood silently in rows, seemingly watching the pair as they made their way further into the structure. It was at the far end of the temple did they find a large stone altar, engraved upon it were scenes of the famous story of the Hero of Time. And standing by its base was a familiar person. A girl wearing green.

"Sync!"

Link called out to his sister, who looked up.

"Link?"

Sync raised an eyebrow as her hand brushed against the altar, right at the engraving of the sacred symbol of the royal family, the Tri-force. At that instant, all hell broke loose. A strong blast of energy seemed to rush out from the altar, forcing Link and Zeina to step back. The energy was filled with rage and anger, manifesting in a dark wind.

"Link!"

He could hear his sister's cry for help. He squinted through the rush of dark energies that threatened to blow him back. Sync was trapped, her hand pulled in by the altar. Link had no time to waste as he rushed in and grabbed his sister. His left hand started to burn as he used his energy to pull his sister's hand out from whatever was trapping her at the altar. The energies seemed to react to his presence as it intensified but Link would not give in. Using the last ounce of his strength, Link yanked his sister's hand away from the altar. And the energies died out in an instant, leaving the temple like before. Zeina quickly ran over to the twins.

"Are you two all right?"

She asked, and Link nodded, looking to his sister, who had somehow lost consciousness. Zeina bent down and took a closer look at Sync.

"She seems fine, probably exhaustion... wait, that is-"

Zeina took Sync's right hand and looked at it. The same hand that was pulled in by the altar now had a black mark on it like a burn. In the form of the sacred tri-force but it was unlike them. Link felt his left hand become hot when he saw her mark and looked at his own hand. It was the same sacred tri-force, but it was lighter and he could feel a strange power pulsating from within.

"That is the triforce of courage."

Zeina told him, her eyebrows narrowing at the implications of what this all meant.

"... It is too early for the triforce to show itself... Link."

Zeina looked straight at him.

"I do not know what the Goddesses have in store for you and Sync, but whatever it is, you must prepared for it. Take Sync and ensure she never approaches this temple again. Her mark is not the of the trifoce but is something... else."

Zeina stood up and walked towards the altar and raised her hand to it. The symbol of the triforce lighting up on her hand.

"I will try to contain the energies as best I am able to. For now, take Sync and go."

Link wanted to protest, wanted to ask more but he knew that this was something he could not handle at the moment. He carried Sync on his back and headed out of the temple. If Zeina can contain whatever it is within that altar, then all the better, but if not... Link had a very bad feeling about what was going to happen.