The Legend of Zelda: The Dream Walker
Chapter 1
"Prologue: Arrival"
By MEGAMANX411

Disclaimer: Please note that I do not own The Legend of Zelda license, nor do I own the Alundra license, they are property of their respective owners. This fan fiction is based off of both of those licenses. Note that this story features the adult Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, although it does not fit into the timeline of the series.

----Prologue----

Link is a famous hero from the land of Hyrule. He had fought to save the Princess Zelda numerous times, and had also saved the land from the evils of the monster Ganon. Link's duty has always been to be ever vigilant, to protect the Triforce from the forces of evil, and to rescue the Princess Zelda. That was his destiny. What he had been born into. Link had destroyed the evil, and started seeking new lands for adventure. Unfortunately, his expedition was not exactly successful, and he was far from home. Link, being a bit tired, decided to take a boat back home. This particular ship was called "The Klark", and this is where this story begins.

----End Prologue----

This story begins on a little boat at sea, called "The Klark". Link, the Hyrulian Hero, is on his way home from a little exploring. One day at sea, Link felt restless, and wanted to speak to the captain. He approached one of the deckhands.

"Excuse me?" he asked. "Where do I find the captain?"

The deckhand gave Link a slightly annoyed look, and then finally motioned over towards the general direction of the Captain's Quarters.

"He's in his cabin," he remarked.

Link, always being polite, gave the deckhand a smile, and a quick respective nod.

"Thanks!" he replied.

Linkwalked towards the captain's quarters, and slowly knocked on the door. The captain, Merrick, was a bit eccentric, and a bit of a risk taker. But that's why his ship was recommended to Link in the first place.

"Come on in!" Merrick shouted.

Link slowly made his way into the cabin, as if he were worried that he would be interrupting Merrick's work.

"Hello, captain Merrick?" he asked.

Merrick looked anything but amused.

"That's me," he said dryly. "What do you want?"

Link was a bit anxious to return home and see Zelda. There was a particular question on his mind, and he definitely needed to ask.

"When are we scheduled to arrive in Hyrule?" he asked, sounding rather excited.

Merrick simply shrugged, and then leaned back in his seat.

"I don't know," he replied nonchalantly. "It won't be for some time. Go to bed now, it's getting late."

Link hadn't really noticed the time, and was a bit too anxious to even consider sleeping. But it was for the best, he reasoned.

"OK...." he muttered, trying not to sound disrespectful.

Link headed off towards his cabin, and got ready to sleep. When Link dozed off, he had a dream. He saw a robed figure, shining brightly with a bright blue aura. He heard his voice.

"Releaser?" the voice asked. "Releaser? Can you hear me? I am the one known as Lars. I am a wizard. Listen closely Releaser. You are needed to save mankind. You are the only hope. A terrible evil plagues a village called Inoa."

The words uttered by the robed figure sounded distorted and echoed powerfully, as if he were a being not of this world. Link listened as best he could, but felt as though this wasn't meant for him. Then, another figure came into Link's dream. This one, however, was not emitting an aura of wisdom and kindness. He was a tall, shadowy figure...emitting evil and malice.

"You are a fool, old one!" retorted the shadowy figure. "No one can stop me now, Lars."

Lars seemed unaffected by this creature's arrival.

"Then, why do you come here and stop me from sending this message, Melzas?" he challenged. "You think the Releaser is of no threat, but you are afraid."

The being known as Melzas seemed to cross his arms. A large smile appeared on his shadowy face.

"Ha...afraid?" he questioned, as if the word were alien to him. "Why would I fear this 'Releaser'?" he asked, with noticeable hints of superior arrogance in his voice. "So...Lars...what is his name...or hers?"

Lars shifted his attention from Melzas back to Link.

"Releaser!" he shouted. "You are our last hope!"

Just then, Lars disappeared, and Link's dream shifted to another place, where he only saw Melzas.

"Haha...today it is Lars. Next, it is you, Releaser!" he threatened.

Link woke up from his dream, and noticed that the whole boat was shaking violently!

"What the heck is going on?" he shouted.

He rushed toward the door, but it was sealed shut. He tried ramming into it with his shoulders, but it was no use. The door was sealed shut. It wouldn't open! Link needed to find another way out. That's when he noticed a large gash in the left hand wall. He slipped through the crack, and left out the other room. Link got back onto the deck, and the deckhands were quaking in fear. The ship was rocking violently in a storm! The deckhand shot a worried glance at Link.

"Hold fast!" he warned.

Just then, Link noticed Merrick standing proudly on the deck of his ship.

"No storm has ever defeated The Klark!" he boasted.

Perhaps someone decided to play a cruel trick on Merrick, because as he uttered those words, something terrible happened. Just then, the ship snapped in half, and everyone spilled into the ocean.

Link awoke hours later, washed up on a beach. Link lay there, torn between a state of consciousness and unconsciousness. Everything seemed to be lost in a haze. Soon, an old, portly man approached him, and the dazed Link passed out. The man carried Link back to his home, and placed him in bed. Link awoke later, and he was surprised to see he was still alive.

Link slowly winced as he awoke from the bed, and then shot straight up as if he felt something were wrong. He saw a middle-aged man standing by his bedside, looking fairly pleased.

"Oy!" he shouted. "You are awake! This is progress. This is good! You know what I am saying?"

Link shook his head yes in response to the man's question, but was still confused as to where the heck he was, or who this man was.

"Um," Link stammered, "hello, but who are you?"

The old man started rubbing the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Oy!" he shouted. "Where are my manners? My name is Jess. I'm a blacksmith here in Inoa. Make my own hours, no big whoop. What's your name?"

Link seemed a bit too confused at the moment to form any sort of response, but he quickly overcame that feeling so he wouldn't offend the old man.

"My name is Link," he said politely.

Jess nodded approvingly.

"Link, huh?" he asked, sounding slightly fascinated at the name. "Well, nice to make your acquaintance Link! You rest up, I'll be downstairs."

As Jess walked back down, Link breathed a sigh of relief. He survived the storm! And what's more, this man nursed him back to health. He seemed like a very kind man, and Link was grateful. But he needed to get back to Hyrule; he didn't know what could happen when he was away. Link then remembered that Jess mentioned that this town was called "Inoa".

Link's eyes widened a little as the thought crossed his mind.

"Wasn't that...?" he asked himself quietly.

Link shook his head, and then headed downstairs. Jess greeted him once more.

"Oh, hello Link!" the old man said with a smile. "I suppose you might want to stretch your legs a bit? Well, don't be shy. Introduce yourself to everyone in town. They're all kind folk."

Link smiled in response. He didn't really intend to do so, but he figured that it couldn't hurt. What's the harm in being friendly?

"Thank you Jess, I will!" he said as he made his way out the door.