Author's Note: This is a collaborative work between Kurai Renkinjutsu-shi and I. She wrote the entire story and the plot is hers. I am simply the editor, input, and she wanted me to be the one to post this XD Anyway, this fanfiction is pretty huge and I'm doing my best to edit it. We nicknamed it 'The Zelda Project' because it's over 200 pages O_o I hope you enjoy and stick with it until the very end. (It's worth it, I promise XD) Read, Review, Enjoy :D
Intro
Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace.
But one day a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself. With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom.
But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand…
…a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light. This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. This boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend…
And then… a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom. The great evil that all had thought had been forever sealed away by the hero once again crept forth from the depths of the earth, eager to resume its darks designs.
A small shadow child was beside him, and aided in his revival.
The people believed that the Hero of Time would once again come to save them… But the hero did not appear. Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate.
What became of the kingdom..? None remain who know.
The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath. And yet another legend was born. When two boys were to be born on the same day, it was said that the same darkness would resume its evil intentions twelve years later.
And so, on a certain island, it became customary to grab boys in green when they came of age. Clothed in the green of fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cast down evil. The elders wished only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend...=
A short elderly man pushed his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose, closing the ancient leather book before him. The book appeared as ancient as the legend itself, fragile pages hung by scraps and the cover of the book showed centuries of wear. A tall wooden staff rested nearby, propped against a neatly made bed.
"Grandfather, you're up late again?" A concerned voice asked as the door swung open. In walked a young woman, her thin body covered by a pink dress. She brushed her violet hair out of her face, her eyes filled with worry.
The elderly man rubbed his temples as the woman sat beside him. "I am trying to figure out if this legend is true… Please Sue-belle, do not bother me, I must find this out."
"Sturgeon, you should rest." A tall, lean man entered the room. His dark skin contrasted that of the other two and his stern eyes gleamed in the candle light. For his age, he was fit and it showed.
"Grandfather, won't you listen to your brother?" Sue-Belle pleaded as Sturgeon violently shook his head in protest.
"This is a dilemma that has run out of time Orca!" Sturgeon stood to his feet in sudden anger. Sue-Belle murmured softly, pleading for him to sit back down before he hurt himself. "Tomorrow those two will turn twelve!" His shout drowned out Sue-Belle's words.
"So that is what all these late nights have been about." Orca concluded, placing a hand on his younger brother's back, patting it. "You should relax, if this is bound to happen, it will happen. Besides, I will protect you." Orca grinned cheekily, even when Sturgeon slapped away his comforting hand.
"You're an idiot! You act only on impulse!""And you act only upon logic. With the little amount of life you have to live, and all the studying you have done… You have yet to learn one thing." Orca made his way to the door, opening it half-way."And what is that!" Sturgeon asked impatiently."To follow your heart instead of your head." Orca said before departing to his own home just downstairs.
"After all the knowledge I have gathered… He still treats me like he knows everything." Sturgeon grumbled as Sue-Belle giggled.
"He is your older brother, maybe you should heed his advice." She suggested, helping him into his bed. She tucked him in and walked for the door, glancing at him once more before blowing out the candle in her hand.
I miss Windfall… At least the people there are not so superstitious.
Sue-Belle stared out into the night, releasing a sigh as she frowned.
I miss Linda.
Chapter 1
Darkness enveloped an island, only the faint light of a few flames were there for guidance. Four corpses lay strewed on the blood soaked ground, two men and two women lying dead outside their homes. An elderly woman stood at her door in horror as she cradled a crying child, staring at the fresh corpses as they continued to bleed. Among the corpses, a young man lay with a wound clear through his chest. The wound interrupted a tribal style tattoo that spiraled from his left shoulder down his now gaping chest. Standing nearby, a young boy with black hair stared at his bloody covered body in disbelief.
"I always knew you were evil! We should have killed you the moment you were born! Now my son and his lover are dead." The elderly woman cried, pointing a shaky finger at the boy.
"I didn't d-do it!" The boy shrieked, tears streaming down his face as he began to sob. He buried his tear streaked face in his blood soaked hands.
"Liar! Your face has the scar of evil to prove it! You are marked for your crimes boy, do not ever forget!"
A gentle southerly breeze swept across the same island, the light of the sun illuminating the topography of the island. The island was large enough to sustain a small village, as it was divided into two major parts. One was the larger division, with the villager's homes, a dock, and watchtower. The second part was at a higher elevation, but was smaller than the first. The mountain was topped by a thick forest, a bridge connecting the two sections of the island. The watchtower was nearly half the height of the upper section.
On the top of this island, residing in the mountainous terrain, the same boy from the dream sat up abruptly. "AH!" He shouted, breathing heavily. His black hair stuck to his sweat drenched, tanned skin. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek, straight across a small, T shaped scar that pulsed with pain. "Why is it always that nightmare? Maybe… I really am evil, like the villagers always say." He murmured, placing a hand on his throbbing scar, this always happened after he had that particular nightmare. He shook his head, dismissing the notion. "There's no way. I would know if I was evil… Besides, I don't even look like the purpled haired kid… That couldn't be me." His purple eyes stared through the palm trees above him, taking in the dawn sky with a deep sigh. "Today's the big day… I wonder if they're going to kill me." He mused bitterly as his hair fell in front of his right eye, his left eye betraying his weariness.
He rubbed at his purple eyes before he rolled onto his stomach, pushing off the ground to stand to his feet. He stretched his lean body, yawning as he observed the sunken patch of grass where he had spent the night. He brushed the dust and residual blades of grass from his grey shirt and black shorts. He slipped on his black sandals, beginning his trek down to the village. "I wonder if Link is awake yet… He's sure to be in much higher spirits about this than I am."
While the boy with black hair descended the island, a young girl with blonde pigtails bounced eagerly on a porch. The house was on the farthest corner of the lower part of the island, sitting alone over the water.
"Grandma, can I go get Link yet? Please! Can I, Can I, Can I!" An elderly woman rocked back and forth in a rocking chair, sewing a light green sleeve released a sigh.
"Aryll, you should leave your brother be. It is barely dawn and besides, he took the night shift. If you disturb him now, you will surely agitate him." She chided, focusing on her delicate work. The girl grasped a small brown telescope adorned with small painted seagulls and raised it to her eye.
"But Grandma, Link is sleeping." Aryll tattled, staring through her telescope at the distant watchtower.
"HE'S WHAT! NOT AGAIN!" The elderly grandma exclaimed, standing to her feet so quickly that her sewing project fell to the ground in a heap, forgotten. She quickly snatched the telescope out of the young girl's small hands and looked out towards the watchtower. With the telescope, she could see a boy lying asleep on the floor of the watch tower, his messy blonde hair splayed out around his face as he slept.
"I swear, if the demon child doesn't get us killed one day, Link will." The elderly woman muttered as she made her way back to her rocking chair, gathering her project back up from the ground."Go wake your brother… And while you're at it, go get… him too." Her voice slowed, trailing off slightly.
"Grandma, why does everyone hesitate to say-?"
"I SAID GO GET THOSE TWO. NOW."
Aryll flinched at her grandmother's raised voice. "Y-yes ma'm!" She stammered before she hopped off the porch and ran across the beach.
She made her way across the small bridge that connected the lower east and west parts of the island. "Grandma shouldn't yell like that, she sounded like one of those zombie creatures Sturgeon told me about." She laughed softly to herself before her mind turned to more serious thoughts. "I don't see why all the adults see Vaati as a threat. He is just as nice as everyone else, maybe even nicer." She felt herself blush as she pulled herself up from a steep ledge. "Oh no, I better not think about that when I go get him… His presence just makes me-" Her thoughts were cut off as she ran into a second steep ledge, her focus having been on Vaati. She fell to her butt and shook her fist at the hill as she grumbled in pain."You okay?" Aryll's eyes drifted upward, taking in the sight of the black haired boy standing on the top of the hill.
"I, um, well, you see…" Aryll stammered, trying her hardest to put together a coherent sentence.
The boy tilted his head, a curious look in his eyes. "Are you sick?" He gestured to her face. "You're putting a red rupee to shame." Aryll's face heated up as the boy began to laugh, she stood to her feet in a huff.
"Who cares Vaati!" Aryll stamped at the ground, holding her small hands on her thin hips, puffing up her cheeks. "We need to go get my big brother. He fell asleep during his night shift again.""Remind me next time he's on the night shift to go and scare him like I do to everyone else." Vaati said as he laugher died down.
Aryll pulled a small blue gem out of her dress pocket. "I bet you this rupee that I'll beat you -" Before she could finish her sentence, Vaati dashed towards the watchtower. "No fair!" Aryll cried, racing after him, but found herself unable to catch up."Looks like I win!" Vaati sing-songed as he climbed up the ladder of the watchtower, Aryll close behind him.
Moments later, Vaati climbed over the top of the ladder, onto the floor of the watchtower. He wiped the sweat from his brow and took note of the boy asleep on the ground. The boy was splayed out in his orange pants and long sleeved blue shirt, a crawfish design across his stomach, which the sleeping boy unconsciously scratched at.
"He looks kind of… Dead." Vaati observed, parting the boy's blonde hair from his face. The boy's eyes had accumulated bags beneath them and his eyebrows knit together in a worried blonde boy slowly opened his eyes, humming in confusion. His eyes connected with Vaati's who was still leaning over him.
"Um…" Vaati awkwardly started. "Good… Morning?"
"What the hell are you doing!" The blonde boy shouted, pushing Vaati away. Vaati stumbled backwards, the force of the other boy's push being enough that he tripped over the low wooden railing and plunged into the sea. Aryll watched this happen from her position on the ladder and pointed, laughing as Vaati hit the water and surfaced, sputtering out water.
Aryll pulled herself over the top of the ladder, grinning at her brother.
"Good morning Link! Grandmother told me to wake you, since you fell asleep on your shift!" Link paid no mind to his sister as he stretched his body, basking in the early morning light.
"She's sooooo mad! You're definitely going to get it today!"
"Yeah, whatever." Link said quickly before he glanced around. "Hey, where's Vaati?" His eyes made their way down to the ocean, where Vaati was treading water.
"Brother! Have you forgotten? Today is yours and Vaati's birthday!" Aryll reminded him, her hands on her hips again. Link stood in silence for a long moment, blinking and tilting his head as he thought.
"OH YEAH! Vaati! How old are we now!" Link shouted down to his friend as he counted using his fingers.
"Why should I even bother? You threw me out to sea!" Vaati shouted before a small wave pushed him underwater.
"Because you're my best friend!" Link shouted once Vaati's head reappeared from underwater.
"Ugh. I swear. We're twelve now. Get down here so we can get this ceremony over with!"
"Fine, fine." Link pulled himself onto the railing before jumping off, landing in the ocean with a large splash. Vaati greeted him with a devilish smile and a splash of water to the face. Link sputtered and pounced on Vaati, the two beginning to wrestle in the water.
"That's enough you two, let's go!' Aryll shouted down at them as she slid down the ladder, her bare feet touching the wooden pier moments later. She sat on the edge of the pier, slipping her toes into the water as a warm breeze caressed her face. Vaati took note of Aryll and looked at Link, mischief written all over his face.
"You devil you. I know what you're thinking." Link whispered, containing the laughter that threatened to escape his lips. Vaati disappeared under the water, his outline making its way to the backside of the pier. Link swam up to Aryll, treading water in front of her.
"Hey Aryll, you excited for today?" He snickered knowingly.
"Of course I am. It's the one day I to pick on you and Vaati without you guys being able to do anything about it." Aryll answered as thought it was obvious, annoyance soaking her words. "Usually you two hit me saying 'respect your elders, respect 'em!' " Her voice mimicked Link's as she swung her small Aryll was distracted, Vaati climbed up the pier behind her, creeping silently, his hands out before stared past Aryll and couldn't hold back his grin.
"Hey, what's that evil face for? And where's Vaa-!"Aryll screamed as Vaati pushed her off the pier. She fell headfirst into the water and the boys burst into laughter. "That's not nice!" Aryll whined as she struggled to keep her head above water.
"Y-Your f-face! P-PRICELESS!" Link managed before breaking out laughing again, tears in his eyes. Vaati himself had fallen on the ground, hardly breathing he was laughing so hard.
"LINK YOU GET INSIDE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"Their laughter died down, faces stoic as they looked to the direction of the voice. Standing on the porch of their home was Aryll and Link's grandmother, hands firmly placed on her hips.
"Oooh, you guys are in trouble!" Aryll said with a grin, pulling herself onto the pier before running towards the house. "Grandma! Link helped Vaati push me into the ocean, I could've died!" She whined, turning on the water of the villagers had stepped out of their homes at the sound of the commotion and they all shuddered at the mention of Vaati's name. A large woman urged her two sons inside as they began to point and inquire about Vaati.
"Wow, that girl could definitely play a damsel in distress." Vaati sighed as he stepped onto the pier, helping Link out of the water. The two headed towards Grandmother's house.
"Tell me about it… When she turns twelve she's going to act like Princess Zelda for the day." Link said before they both stared at each other and cringed. "Link, come help me! The evil wizard captured me!" They both imagined. "Hurry up, it's my special day!" A drop of sweat ran down both of their necks as they shuddered in unison.
"Being whipped to death by the likes of her certainly doesn't sound pleasant." Link said.
"Agreed." Vaati twitched at the thought. "On the bright side, we have four years until then."
As the two approached the house, Vaati released a sigh, looking at his friend.
"You know… I wonder if this'll be my last day alive. While they dress you up like a hero, they're gonna tie me to a stake and burn me for being born the same day as you." He mused bitterly. Link jabbed at his arm gently.
"Don't be so negative! At least you get to be under the radar." Link encouraged. "I wish I had been born after you, then I would get to be the evil wind sorcerer!" He laughed. "You know how much I hate being the center of attention." Link cracked the door open.
"But I am the center of attention… Bad attention." Vaati thought bitterly.
"Grandma, I'm hoooome!" Link called before he was harshly smacked in the back of his head. "Owwwwww!" He groaned, clutching his throbbing head.
"HOW DARE YOU LET THAT DEMON PUSH YOUR SISTER!" Grandma shouted in Link's ear. When the word 'demon' was used, Vaati cringed.
"But who am I to judge what you are, under the eyes of the goddesses?" She muttered hissed with a cold look directly at Vaati. Link's eyes narrowed at her treatment of his friend. "Today should be the day you are cleansed of your evil omen…" She said, pausing for a moment before narrowing her eyes. "Or you become exactly what we've anticipated."
"Grandma, don't treat him-" Link protested, only to be interrupted.
"Respect your elders!" Her voice cracked in anger. She huffed and turned away from them, picking up a pile of some sort.
"Link, you put these on so we might perform the sacred ritual in a timely manner." She ordered, handing Link a green tunic, pointed green hat, white tights, and a pair of brown boots.
"Tights? Are you serious?" Link held up the snow white tights, a look of disgust on his ignored him, reaching into a small drawer. "And as for you." She hissed at Vaati, pulling out another stack of fabric.
"These are the clothes you will wear for the ceremony. If nothing goes wrong, you will be cleared of all accusations." Vaati was handed a purple hat, similar to Link's except the front was adorned with a red gem, surrounded by gold. He was also handed orange pants and sandals, along with a deep purple cape and tunic, finished with a golden belt.
"As soon as you both finish, go to Orca so he may perform the sacred rite."
"Hurry up already!" Aryll whined.
The two boys stared at the strange clothing in confusion, before glancing at each other in defeat. They walked into Link's bedroom, changing with difficulty, the clothing was foreign to them. They made their way outside, disappointed and downcast expressions across their faces.
"Wait!" Link's grandma burst through the door. "Link, get back here!" Vaati raised an eyebrow as Link was pulled back inside, he could hear Aryll fussing and teasing him.
"I am not wearing that!" Link shouted.
"You should be honored, the Hero also wore these!" His grandmother shouted back.
"He didn't wear those exact earrings, besides, it's a legend!" Link barked.
"This is a rite of manhood!"
"Not only one, but four! That's four too many!"
"Link's a cross dresser! He has tights, a dress, and now this!" Aryll's voice chimed in the middle of the argument.
Huh…? Vaati pressed his ear against the door.
"Aryll, hold him!"
"Aryll no!" Vaati jumped back as the doorknob was frantically tugged and turned.
"What gives!"
"I locked the door!" Aryll giggled.
"Hey let go!"
"On three. One. Two. Three!" A loud yelp resounded through the morning air and Vaati backed farther from the door.
"If you squirm, it'll only hurt more!" Three more cries were heard and seconds later, Link opened the door. His watery eyes blinked persistently as he covered his ears, not even attempting to hide the annoyance on his face. Aryll appeared in the doorway, waving goodbye to the two with a smile that emitted a rather sinister aura.
"Have fun you cross dresser!" Aryll taunted, receiving a harsh glare from Link as he walked past Vaati.
"W-What did they… do?"
"Nothing." Link grumbled, still cupping his caught a glimpse of something shining between his fingers.
"What is that?" Vaati tugged at Link's arm, revealing two hoop earrings that pierced Link's ears. The bottom hoop was gold, while the top one was silver, the same on both ears. Each of his ears were bright red, and they throbbed in pain, making Link wince.
"They… Pierced your ears?"
"They said it was part of coming of age." Link said as he gingerly rubbed his tender ears.
"Well…" Vaati raised an eyebrow as he fought his speechlessness. "For once, I'm glad to be second-born."
"What does that mean!" Link gritted his teeth.
"It means just what you think. I don't have to look like a girl." Vaati chuckled, stuffing his hands into his convenient new pockets as the two hopped off the porch and headed for Orca's.