The Legend of Zelda: Paradise Calling
Author's Notes:
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Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda or any of the established franchise characters. Link, Malon, and co. are the intellectual property of Nintendo and are not used by this author for any profit beyond his own personal – and sometimes twisted – amusement.
This story is rated PG-13 for romance, sexual themes/suggestions, language, violence, and thematic elements. There are adult themes at work here, and it may dip into the R rating occasionally, but there will be no NC-17/X material here. You have been warned.
Please note: This story is based loosely on the Ocarina of Time videogame, but some facts have been skewed slightly, either as an acquiescence to realism, plot, or merely to suit the author's maniacal purposes. Now then, let's see if I can make an original story out of an already over-abused plotline, shall we? Enjoy!
Introduction
Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Everyone knows how this story ended. The Hero found the sacred blade, acquired his noble steed, gathered his comrades-in-arms, scaled the castle, saved the kidnapped princess, and defeated the King of Evil in glorious, bloody combat. It wasn't easy, and the Hero suffered grievously, but in the end it was the combined forces of Courage and Wisdom that stood counter to the Dark Lord's Power. The Hero's deeds will echo and reverberate throughout time, even long after he is taken to again walk with the Goddesses.
The beginning of this story is another matter. No one really knows where he came from, or what dreadful fate befell his parents. He was just a babe when he was found in the Sacred Forest, chilled and swaddled in a nursing blanket, crying and alone, his mother's blood cooling on the ground. Any normal child would have died well before dawn, but Fate, it would seem, had a plan for this particular boy, and he was taken in by a tribe of forestfolk known as the Kokiri and raised as one of their own until his tenth namingday.
It is the middle of this story, however, that deserves the most attention. As in all epic stories, the Hero was beset from all sides by hardship and danger. The tales tell of him facing a monstrous dragon with naught but a cumbersome battle hammer, of crossing a sea of burning sand with no shelter from the merciless sun save his well-worn shield and an enchanted looking glass to guide the way. Indeed, if the tales of his triumphs were taken for its entirety, one would think that the boy faced nothing but skirmish after devious temple after pitched battle, with no rest or respite in between. It would be foolish to assume that the boy did not once despair in his year-long quest, for only something inhuman would not.
There is, however, a very important part that is usually glossed over; that of the acquisition of the Hero's horse. Although the Hero could cleanse a Sacred Temple in a matter of days, it took him over three months to acquire his horse, a seemingly very simple task if ever there was one. How hard could it be, really? Day one, acquire horse and ride off into sunset, the end. But it didn't happen that way. Scholars and bards from across the land have composed volumes on his feats of daring, his swordsmanship, his wit and his guile. Every tale has been told, and told again, and retold until nearly the entire kingdom could recite the stories of the Hero's quest by heart... except for one.
What you hold here in your hands is that tale. It is a tale of love and rekindled friendship, of two souls forged in the fires of hardship and bonded together by the strings of Fate.
'Ah,' I can already hear you say, 'But even in the forsaken kingdom of Hyrule there was bound to be dozens, perhaps hundreds of people falling in love during the seven long years of the Dark Lord's reign. What makes these two so special?'
Because the boy was a Hero, blessed by the very Goddesses Themselves so that he might bring the war torn kingdom back from the brink of total annihilation. But he was also a hero of the people, never letting his own selfish desires overcome the needs of those around him, and thus the Goddesses granted him a blessing to aid him in his quests...
The girl was a hero too, in her own way.
She never stepped foot inside of a temple, nor did she slay the lesser Demons that guarded them. (Although there was that nasty bit with the Bulblins and the gargoyle...) And yet she played a greater part than anyone could possibly have known. She would be his guiding light in the dark days to come, offer him a comforting shoulder to lean on when discouragement set in, and tend to him when he was wounded. She became his sole beacon of hope when all seemed bleak and lost, and in return she would be welcomed into his heart, the symbol on which he would draw strength from and focus all of his energy into defending and protecting when his darkest hour drew nigh...
This is a story that bridges those three missing months in the Hero's life, without which he would have very likely not succeeded in his quest. It is also a story of a rancher, of the wrongs committed against her family and her personal quest for vengeance and salvation.
This is a story that is rarely told. Amidst a war torn kingdom, the Hero of Time and a simple ranch girl discovered a love that would blossom and grow to transcend even time itself.
This... is their story.