THE LEGEND OF ZELDA:
Bell of Dreams

Written by Link III

Special thanks to Plastic Mario, Piccolo the Pixl, Pure-?, animemangavg, Yellow Magikoopa, The Dryest Bones, and all original Bell of Dreams staff.

Chapter I

The New Year Festival

A dazzling sun crested the horizon of the small Hyrulian town of Occidea, signaling the dawn of a new day. A rooster crowed, and a fourteen-year-old boy groaned and turned over on his side to continue sleeping.

A mop of tousled blonde hair sat atop the boy's head. A hand was splayed out on the pillow beside him, displaying his unique birthmark quite clearly. Three equilateral triangles, arranged in the shape of a larger triangle, were emblazoned on his left hand; his father had recalled seeing a similar image in an old book of fairy tales. Apparently, it was the symbol of the old superstitions of their ancient ancestors, but of those very few memories remained.

The door to the boy's room suddenly flew open, and a small form darted in, looking quite cheerful as she yelled at her brother.

"Big bro! Wake up!"

The boy opened one eye lazily to look at his sister, then shut it. "Go 'way, Jenna," he mumbled sleepily.

Undeterred, Jenna flung back the covers on the boy's bed. "I said WAKE UP, Link!"

"Go away," Link repeated, snatching back the covers and burying his head in the pillow again.

Jenna sniffed haughtily and put her hands on her hips. "If you don't get out of bed," the ten-year-old stated matter-of-factly, "Dad might just have to give me your sword instead."

The covers suddenly flew off the bed, and a blonde- and blue-colored blur could be seen departing from Link's room.

Smirking with satisfaction, Jenna followed her brother to witness the proceedings.

Link knelt before his father Elliot, his head bowed in respect. Elliot held in his hands a finely-wrought sword, the reflections of flames from the fireplace dancing across its blade. Behind him stood his mother, Leah, trying with no success to hide the tears of pride in her eyes.

"Tomorrow," Elliot began, his voice soft, but stern, "you become a man. The New Year after a boy's fourteenth birthday represents his coming-of-age. When this occurs, you shall enter into the service of the kingdom. For this purpose, you shall require a weapon…"

Slowly, Elliot lowered the sword until it was level with Link. The boy did not budge, but his eyes rose to look upon the sword.

"This blade has been in our family for generations. It has served six kings of Hyrule. Now, it shall serve a seventh. Treasure it dearly."

Solemnly, Link took the sword from his father's hands. He raised the blade into the air reverently, then placed it within its sheath.

At this point, Leah could not hold her pride and sorrow in any longer; sobbing, she hugged her son, crying "My baby!"

Jenna stood patiently in the background, waiting for her mother to cease her gushing. When at last Link was able to go free, Jenna tagged alongside him as he walked out of the house. They bundled up in their coats and stuck close together to combat the wintry chill.

"So, how does it feel?" Jenna asked, grinning. "You know, being a man and all."

"I'm not a man yet, Jenna," Link corrected his sister. "I've still got another day left."

They glanced upward as they passed by the Bell Tower. Preparations for the New Year Festival had been completed in the past week, so the whole town could take the day off. Regardless, everyone seemed tense. The more affluent folk of the town prowled their lawns, glaring at all passersby as if daring them to step foot on their property. Mothers desperately strived to keep their children from playing in the mud and dirt, to little success. Nobody wanted to appear any less than absolutely flawless for when the king arrived.

"It's not fair," Jenna suddenly grumbled. "I want to go to the festival, too…"

Link chuckled. "Don't complain. You only have to wait thirteen years. I, on the other hand, had to wait fourteen. Besides, I'm sure you'd rather have the opportunity to meet Princess Zelda during your first New Year Festival instead the smelly old king, right?"

Each year, a member of the Royal Family came to Occidea Town to ring the West Bell at the top of the tower to usher in the new year. Another one came to Orien City on the other side of the kingdom to ring the East Bell. For as long as Link could remember, the Royal Family members with this honor had been the king and some distant cousin; however, last year Princess Zelda had come of age, and so she had been the one to visit Occidea Town to ring the bell.

"That's true," Jenna admitted grudgingly. "But still…I want to see what all the fuss is about…"

"Don't worry, I'll let you know whether or not it's anything to get worked up over. I'm sure it's not THAT great."

They paused as an unfamiliar man passed by, his hands hidden in the folds of his cloak. He glanced at Link briefly; two olive green eyes and a rather small nose were all Link saw before the man hurried away.

"You see?" Link continued as they walked on. "We get all these weird strangers during the festival. Hardly what I'd call a great time."

After that, they walked in silence for some time until Link whiffed a strange scent.

He frowned, pausing. "Do you smell that?" he asked his sister. She sniffed at the air. "Yeah…it smells like…smoke?"

Worriedly, the two of them glanced around, searching for any sign of a fire. They saw nothing, however, and began to continue on their way when they noticed the source of the smell.

"Look!" gasped Jenna, pointing to the side of a house.

About a dozen orange oblong nuts, each the size of an acorn, lay propped up against the home of Troy, the local swordsmith. Three spikes were at the top of each one, and a faint crackling noise could be heard within.

"Ember Seeds," Link muttered, and hurriedly ran to move them away from the house before they could light. He had to tread carefully; any sudden movement could ignite them. Thankfully, none of them caught fire, and he smothered them with dirt to ensure that they wouldn't hurt anyone.

Once they were certain there were no more Ember Seeds around Troy's house, Link and Jenna knocked on the swordsmith's door.

Moments later, a grizzled face appeared before them; a long, ugly scar reached from Troy's chin to the top of his left cheek, giving him a decidedly fearsome appearance, but Link and Jenna both knew that Troy was one of the most kindhearted men in the town.

"What can I do for you kids?" he asked, looking over them. His eyes were drawn to the sword strapped around Link's back. "Aye, but one of you ain't a kid anymore, are you, Link?"

"Troy," Link said, "we found a pile of Ember Seeds stacked up against your house. Were they supposed to be there?"

Troy blinked. "Ember Seeds? Nope, those definitely weren't supposed to be there. Where'd you put 'em?"

Link and Jenna led the swordsmith to the spot where Link had buried the flammable seeds. Troy crouched down and dug up one of them; holding it between his thumb and forefinger, he squeezed it and it instantly caught fire; without showing any sign of pain, he smothered the flame with his other hand.

He stood up. "I suppose I owe you two one," he grunted. "Don't know how those got there, but if it weren't for you I'd be cooking right now. Let me know if you find out who left 'em there, a'right?" He waved and returned to his home.

"I don't like this," Link muttered, a dark look on his face. "The town's filled with strangers and something like this happens..."

Jenna looked nervous. "I think I'm gonna head back home," she said. "Are you coming?"

Link shook his head. "No, I want to stay outside for a little bit longer. I'll meet you back there later."

Nodding, but not looking very pleased at the prospect of heading back home on her own, Jenna walked off.

Link headed in the other direction, staring up at the clarion sky. Without paying attention to where he was going, he bumped into somebody, knocking them over.

"I'm sorry," Link gasped, holding out his left hand to help them up. "Here, let me…"

It was the stranger he and his sister had encountered earlier. Link now saw that he had a mane of wavy brown hair sweeping down to his back. The stranger took hold of Link's hand and began to get to his feet; then, he caught a glimpse of the back of the boy's hand.

The stranger's eyes widened, and an unreadable look crossed his face. He stared deeply into Link's eyes.

"Er…sir?" Link asked awkwardly, wondering what was going on.

Suddenly, the stranger broke eye contact and walked briskly off without thanking Link for helping him up. Wondering what had just happened, Link's eye caught a bag that the stranger had dropped when he had been knocked to the ground. Link picked it up and called to him. "Excuse me! You dropped this!"

The stranger ignored him. Link started to run after him, but just then, he noticed that a crackling sound was coming from the bag, and the acrid smell of smoke reached his nostrils…

Link peered into the bag, and what he saw confirmed his suspicions: the man had been carrying Ember Seeds.

"Wait!" he yelled again, but now the man was running. Link threw the bag to the side and chased after him. The man turned a corner, but when Link reached it, he had disappeared.

Sighing, Link decided that he would alert the town guard. He began to make his way back to his house. As he neared the Bell Tower, though, he saw a shadowy figure flit into the entryway. Link abandoned all thoughts of alerting the town guard and began running again.

There was nowhere to hide in the Bell Tower; it was just a straight ascent to the top, so once Link had the man cornered, he could…

Well, he could decide that when he got there.

After climbing several dozen flights of stairs, Link emerged, panting, onto the roof of the Bell Tower.

The stranger was nowhere to be seen.

The West Bell, however, was quite a sight.

A great, wrought-iron creation, it shined as if it had been forged only yesterday. A blue symbol crested the bottom, a short line that split sideways into two longer lines that ended by sweeping slightly inward. It sat at the other end of the roof, supported by a massive arch. All around it were seats, rising upward to where Link was now standing. There were enough to hold the whole town and then some.

"Come to have a look at the bell before the ceremony, have you?"

Link jumped in spite of himself. He turned around, knowing that the Bell Tower was usually off-limits and dreading the repercussions.

Behind him stood King Velmar Daphnes Hyrule himself, flanked by four soldiers.

Instantly, Link dropped to his knees. "Your majesty," he mumbled, his face glowing bright red.

"Oh, stand up, stand up," the king chuckled. "There's no need for such formalities here." As Link hastened to his feet, the king noticed the sword across his back.

"How old are you, boy?" he asked.

"Fourteen, your majesty," Link replied quickly. The king nodded. "I thought as much. You'll be entering into my service starting tomorrow, then?" Link nodded.

The king smiled. "Well, then, my boy, I'll see you at the festival. Get going, and keep out of trouble."

Link made to leave, then hesitated. "Sir?" he asked. "Did you by any chance see anyone wearing a cloak on your way up here? Or someone with green eyes and long brown hair?"

The king frowned. "No, I did not. Did any of you?" he asked his guards. They all shook their heads.

Link sighed. "Well, just to let you know, he tried to burn down someone's house. I don't think he's left, so could you tell the soldiers to keep an eye out for him?"

The king nodded. "That I shall."

Satisfied, Link left for his house again.

That night, Link and his parents made their way toward the Bell Tower for the festival; Jenna, sulking, stayed behind. They greeted their friends and acquaintances as they made the long ascent to the top. The floor just before emerging onto the roof had been remade into a ballroom; several couples were already dancing to slow music. Almost immediately, Elliot and Leah joined them. Averting his eyes from his parents, Link headed up to the roof.

The night was bitterly cold, but fires lit all around (by, Link noted with some amusement, Ember Seeds) helped to keep everyone warm. The king was nowhere to be seen, but guards were posted all around anyway. Link felt secure in their presence; there was no way the stranger could get by that security.

He sat himself down in a seat on the end and enjoyed the quiet sounds of the night. Gradually, more people began to join him, and a low buzz of conversation and movement began to resonate in Link's ear. At last, it was almost midnight; the crowd fell silent, and the king emerged. Everyone immediately dropped to their knees.

"Rise," the king called.

"We are gathered here tonight to usher in a new year of peace and prosperity…"

Link quickly stopped paying attention to the king's speech; it was all about how good the past year had been and how wonderful the coming year would be. Instead, he allowed his eyes to wander around the crowd to see who he could recognize. Troy was sitting several rows down from him, next to another boy with a sword strapped across his back. Link smiled; at least he wouldn't be alone in joining the Hyrulian army. He tried to see who else he could find.

"…cherish our time with our children…"

Link's breath caught in his throat. There, skulking through the shadows on the other side, was the stranger from before. Nobody seemed to notice him.

"…for it is limited…"

A quick look showed that the stranger was headed for the king; Link got up from his seat and started toward the king as well.

"…and they will find themselves without us before long…"

The stranger was almost there; Link hurried to get there before him.

"…so they must learn to survive without us."

Silently, the stranger emerged from the shadows and pushed the king out of the way; Link appeared a moment later and unsheathed his sword.

"Knave!" roared the king as he turned around and stumbled forward. "Who do you think -"

But the king's words were suddenly drowned out, as a strange bubble enclosed Link, the stranger, and the bell.

Staring at Link, the stranger smirked in triumph, and Link suddenly realized that he had played right into the man's hands.

Something jerked within him; he wasn't sure what it was, but all he knew now was that he was no longer moving of his own accord. Even more bizarre was that, in addition to his own, he was seeing three more perspectives at once.

Dazedly, he gazed down at his left hand. The three triangles were glowing gold, somehow; in one of his other perspectives, the same was happening to his right hand. In the third perspective, he watched himself approaching the bell, and in the fourth, he watched a girl doing the same thing.

He placed his hand upon the bell; on the other side of the kingdom, the girl did the same. A burst of light emitted from the triangles, and after that, he heard only one deep, resonating sound.

Gong.

Gong.

Gong…

The bells were ringing.