A/N: Alrighty, sorry in advance for the beast of an author's note, but I have information. First off, I do not own The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, or any of its stuff. Secondly, if you have not played both games, I highly recommend you do as there are MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS for both! Thirdly, I have made some slight modifications to this story. For instance, I know you play the Song of Time before the stones were placed, not after. But this is a fanfiction after all; I'm allowed to make some changes. But, for the sake of authenticity, I will try to retain as much similarity to the games as I can, hence why there are spoiler alerts. The major dialogue you would see in cutscenes in the game is exactly the same…unless I thought better of it (which I often do in later chapters by adding in some random stuff) or spellcheck told me I needed more stupid punctuation. Some people will know what's different, but it doesn't really matter, I guess. Enjoy the fanfic!
The Heroes of Time and Twilight
Prologue
It was a bleak day for Hyrule. To anyone who didn't know the tragedy that had just occurred, it appeared to be a normal afternoon. The sun was shining, its light dancing through the branches of the tall, thick, healthy-looking trees. The breeze was lightly racing through the world from the east, causing ripples in the grass. The water under Hyrule Castle Town's drawbridge was still gurgling merrily.
But the afternoon held a dark secret.
A lone boy clothed in green walked along the drawbridge, heading for the safety of Castle Town. He wore a hat and tunic with two brown leather belts: one on his shoulder and one around his waist. Brown leather knee-high boots protected his feet. His blue eyes scanned the world, searching for any signs of danger. In his hands, he clutched a blue ocarina with three gold triangles around the mouthpiece. His left hand wore a thick gold bracelet. His blonde hair was mostly hidden by his green windsock-like hat, but his bangs could easily be seen and were slightly fluffed up, parted in the center. They directed attention to his long, elf-like ears. On his back he wore a sword and shield.
The boy, who seemed no older than twelve or thirteen, appeared far too sad for someone his age. He could not erase the troubling images from his mind, but perhaps it was for the best; if he could remember Hyrule's current issues, then he would become even more motivated to protect the world. He disregarded the appearance of the town, focused only on one thing: getting to the Temple of Time.
He passed through the stone entryway and began slightly jogging for his destination. His boots made light tapping noises on the cobblestone streets. He entered Castle Town.
The residents of the town had no idea what had happened, it seemed. They were all still merrily continuing their business. Shopkeepers shouted in the streets, encouraging passersby to halt and examine their wares. People competed with one another, pushing and shoving each other around in the hopes of purchasing specific items before someone else could snatch the merchandise from them. A young girl chased a chicken through the streets. A woman and her dog lazily waited around. A couple danced near the fountain in the center of the plaza, oblivious to everyone around them because they were so absorbed in themselves.
The young boy dashed towards the back alley, trying not to disturb anyone in his haste. It was then that he encountered the first citizen who was also aware of the day's flaws.
A soldier sat on the ground, leaning against the stone wall. He was covered from head to toe in strong armor, and his face was hidden behind an iron helmet. In his hands he gripped a spear.
The armor hadn't been enough, it seemed. The young boy could see blood on the soldier's waist area, and the knight's breath was heavy.
"Unnngh…are you the boy from the forest…?" the soldier asked.
The young boy nodded.
"I-I-I've finally met you… I-I-I have something to t-t-tell you…"
The young boy waited, concern in his eyes. He couldn't speak; his words were locked in his throat. He wanted to ask the guard if he should call for help, but he couldn't make himself move. The solider might be dead before he returned with assistance. If that were the case, then it would be useless to worry the townsfolk. He had no choice but to wait for the knight to finish his statement.
"Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, betrayed our King… Zelda's nanny, Impa, sensed danger and escaped from the castle with our Princess… I tried to stop Ganondorf's men from chasing them…but… The Princess was…waiting for a boy from the forest…that's you… She wanted to give something to the boy. If you received it from the Princess…hurry to the Temple of Time…."
The soldier coughed and his body twitched. He collapsed and slid down the wall.
The boy's eyes widened. He was still frozen, his mind trying to understand what had just happened. From his shoulder, a blue orb fluttered into view. The orb looked like someone had made a blue ball of light and attached dragonfly wings to it.
The blue thing spoke, "He's not moving anymore…."
The boy looked at the ground. He was too late. He needed to head to the Temple of Time before more casualties occurred. He steeled his nerves and dashed through the alley, knowing exactly where he needed to be.
. . . . .
The door of the Temple of Time slid open. Written on it in Hylian was a simple message: statue. The wind whistled through the trees growing near and through the crumbled temple entrance. Two statues stood guard just outside the door, holding hammer-like spears. Slightly farther from them, sitting on the faded Triforce mark, was a black wolf. The beast got to its feet and raced towards the open entrance, delighted that he had finally completed the horrendous puzzle and could now enter the true Sacred Grove.
His eyes were a deep blue, and his fur was so black that it had green flecks of light in it. However, his belly, paws, and underside were white, as were the strange markings on his face. On his left front paw, he wore a thick metal cuff with a snapped chain affixed to it. Blue, ring-shaped earrings adorned his ears.
On his back sat something that appeared to be a female humanoid creature. She wore an Egyptian-styled helmet that was broken. Her orangish-red hair was tied back into a ponytail, resting in five thick sections on her neck. The ends of her hair were yellowish, and if someone were to look closely, it appeared as if her hair was hand-shaped. Her red eyes glared forward, though one of them hidden underneath her mask. Her arms were black with cyan designs spanning them like henna. Her body had what looked similar to spikes protruding from her shoulders, and smaller spikes were on her arms as well. Her stomach was white, as was her right leg. More cyan designs were on her legs and enormous black, pointed ears.
The girl and the wolf both shared the same expression: hopeful anticipation. The beast dashed into the open doorway, his eyes scanning the world. A large rock was off to his left, ivy growing off of it. Mysterious light filtered through the thick trees, and fog covered the ground up to the wolf's elbows. He was fenced in by a large hill of dirt, but that didn't matter. He could see what he had come there for in the first place, as could the girl he was with.
In the center of the Sacred Grove, a sword protruded from a stone pedestal. The handle was a light mixture of blue and purple, wrapped in a green ribbon that formed diamond shapes in the blank spots of it.
The wolf approached the blade for a closer look. The handle formed wings and had a yellow diamond-shaped gemstone with Hylian on it melded into the handle. More Hylian also spanned another part of the handle. Gold swirls rested beside the gem, and more led to the blade, running almost parallel with the Triforce design engraved in the steel. The blade itself wasn't as intricate as the handle, but it was still quite unique to say the least. It started off slightly skinny, quickly became thick and bore the mark of the Triforce, then immediately returned to being skinny. It did not become any narrower as it progressed beyond the Triforce, as far as the wolf could see.
The beast sniffed the blade, curious. It looked so intricate, but could it really be what he was sent here for? Was this really the Blade of Evil's Bane?
A yellowish light began to glow from the pedestal, reacting with the wolf. Immediately, the light blasted him back. The girl on his back went flying as she was completely knocked out of view. The wolf growled, face glowering at the ground. He could not allow himself to turn back now, not with all he'd been through previously. He still had people he needed to save…among them Princess Zelda herself. She had died for Midna—his impish companion—and him. The princess had instructed him to come here and retrieve the sword, and that was what he was going to do. He could not allow any setbacks. He needed that sword.
The wolf let out a ferocious bark, which echoed all around him. The sword glowed brighter, but the wolf was not deterred. He transitioned to a howl, his body turning vantablack. The world around him became a blinding white color, and he couldn't see anything. He was aware of little black squares bursting from his body. His curse was breaking.
Behind him, his companion held out her hand as a strange black and orange object formed from the stray black squares. She stared at it, momentarily confused, before she looked back at the wolf before her.
He was no longer a wolf. Instead, a boy of about sixteen stood there, hands resting on the hilt of the sword. He was glaring at it, grunting lightly from the effort at attempting to pull it out. The light from the pedestal had drastically died down, but it was still glowing in response to the young man. He began to lift the blade, the sound of the metal echoing as it was pulled from the stone. Then, as if it were no more difficult than walking, the young man drew the sword entirely, the light following the blade before completely fading. He examined it, holding it in his left hand.
The young man's blue eyes were lighter than the wolf's. His hair was a dirty blond color, and was parted to the left. He wore the same earrings as the wolf, and his ears were pointed like an elf's. He was clothed in a green tunic and green hat. The hat had stiches in it, as did several seams of his tunic. He wore a white shirt underneath his green garb and copper chainmail. Blue cloth adorned both of his arms, but only on his left arm did he bear a leather bracer. He wore fingerless leather gloves on his hands. He wore one belt around his waist and one around his shoulder. His pants were creamy-white, and he also wore knee-high leather boots. On his back rested a blue shield with the Hyrulian insignia on it, as well as the Triforce framed in metal.
The young man lifted the sword to the air, and the fog around his feet began to clear, racing away like ripples on a pond. His impish companion averted her gaze, appearing as if she were bowing to him. The light brightened and the world appeared much more cheerful.
The imp girl lowered her arms, which she had been using to shield herself from anything else that might have happened when her friend drew the sword. She stared at her Hylian companion, awed.
"The sword accepted you as its master…" she said.
The young man studied the blade before he test-swung it three times. He gave a look of surprise as his impish friend appeared out of his shadow and rose up in front of him. She smiled.
"This is the embodiment of evil magic Zant cast on you." She examined it disdainfully. "It's definitely different from our tribe's shadow magic…" She noticed her friend's look of curiosity, so she said, "Careful…if you touch it, you'll turn back into a beast!" She closed her tiny hand, and the object immediately disappeared. "This thing is too dangerous… It's probably for the best if we just leave it here, huh?"
The young man studied her, not sure what to make of her statement.
"But on the other hand," she said, looking up and considering her words carefully, "if we kept it, you'd be able to transform into a beast anytime you wanted…" Looking back at him, she gave him a mischievous grin. "Yes, since Zant was kind enough to give this to us, we should be thankful and use it all we can! If you need it, just call me. I want to keep a low profile so I'll hide in your shadow when you're human, but I can change you whenever. You can be a wolf anytime you like! Also, thanks to this thing, you can warp whenever you want by switching into your wolf form…"
The imp girl floated over to the young man's right shoulder and rested her hands on him. "Hey, but listen, Link. I've got a little favor to ask…"
Link directed his full attention to the girl, waiting expectantly for his companion to speak.
"Would you mind coming with me to find something called the Mirror of Twilight? It's hidden somewhere in Hyrule… Yes, the Mirror of Twilight… Our last potential link to Zant!"
Link smiled and gave her a light nod.
The girl floated away from him, looking nervous. Wordlessly, she fell into the ground and disappeared into his shadow. Link's smile faded and was replaced with his usual expression of challenge that he gave to the world. He turned around to face the way he had come from, scanning his environment one more time. Then, also wordlessly, Link raced out, heading for his new destination, wherever that may be. He and his companion had but one objective now: find the Mirror of Twilight and defeat Zant!
. . . . .
The Temple of Time was a very elaborate building. The floor near to the walls was made of grey and black marble tiles, forming a checkered pattern. However, the rest of the ground was composed of only the grey tiles, and they were tilted slightly, making diagonal lines on the ground. Stone pillars rose from the floor and supported the ceiling high above. Light filtered in through the windows, illuminating the lonely temple.
There was a slightly raised hexagon-shaped section of the floor. On it was the design of three triangles all joined at the points, with one on the top and two on the bottom, forming a pyramid. A smaller design was in the center of the triangles. At the far end of the room was an empty altar-like thing that was grey on the bottom but the color of obsidian on top. Three marks on top of it indicated that something belonged there. Hylian, the language of Hyrule, was written on the back of it. Beyond the altar, steps led to a stone door with strange markings. Above that was the image of the three triangles, known also as the Triforce. The triangles were black like the altar.
The only color in the entire room was from the two red carpets: one at the entrance and one in front of the altar. Aside from that, the entire temple was a bleak grey, reminding the boy of his mission. He and his companion, the blue orb that was obviously a fairy, raced forward. He halted in front of the altar.
The boy placed three precious stones in their rightful positions on the altar. One of them was a large, round emerald, the second was a diamond-shaped ruby, and the third was three round sapphires. All of them were wrapped in gold in different manners, but the gold was what made them even more elaborate and valuable. It was also what held the three sapphires together, forming one object instead of three.
The boy clutched the blue ocarina in his left hand before he brought it to his lips. He began to play very intricate notes, which echoed through the temple, the noise bouncing off the walls. The noise started off low, then became a different kind of low pitch, then transitioned to a slightly higher noise, before repeating the sound. He added a few more notes before he put away the ocarina and waited expectantly.
In front of him, the Triforce on the wall turned yellow and began to glow vibrantly. The large door began to tremble before it split in half and began to slide open, revealing another room.
The boy entered the new room and quickly scanned its details. Its floor was composed only of grey tiles, and thin columns clinging to the walls supported the ceiling. Light poured in from a large window far above, illuminating a certain part of the floor. Stairs led to the lit floor, and another raised hexagon could be seen. This time, in the center of the hexagon was a sword. The boy quickly raced towards it, only to be stopped by his fairy.
"Link, isn't that…?!" The fairy fluttered away from him, showing him the way to the blade. She bypassed the first set of steps, completely disregarding the multiple circular designs on the ground. She rose to the next set, showing him the black triangle in the floor that the sword was in the center of. Her light rippled across the weapon. "It's that legendary blade… The Master Sword!"
His fairy immediately returned to him and Link dashed forward, his eyes focused on the sword. He took in all of its details. It was unlike any sword he'd ever seen, including the one sheathed on his back. The handle was dark blue with a tint of purple, and had a unique grip. The guard formed what appeared to be wings, and a yellow diamond-shaped stone was melded with the blade. The blade's shape was also different from any other sword. It started off relatively thin before it quickly widened out, as if someone had cut from its sides. The blade then began to narrow back down. It was buried in a pedestal with the Triforce emblazoned on it.
Link put his hands around the sword. This was what he needed. This was what he was instructed to take…by the Princess of Hyrule herself! He gripped it tightly, concentrating. His shoulders tensed and he tore the blade from its pedestal, lifting it high into the air. His fairy fluttered near him, watching him closely.
Light burst forth from the ground around the sword. The Triforce on the floor turned blue and also shined intensely.
Then, without warning, the world turned white. The boy was aware of something that should have been beyond his consciousness. A man that looked to be in his early twenties was standing in the blinding light, grinning. On his forehead, he wore a yellow gemstone with chains spreading back into his vibrant red hair. His thick eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, or perhaps they connected; it was hard to tell. He wore a black outfit with segments of brown and white. Several gold objects protruded from sections of his outfit.
His gold eyes had a menacing look to them, and his smile was cold. His arms were folded and he was laughing maniacally. Link could even discern that the man had human ears that were pierced twice with gold earrings.
"Geh, heh, heh!" the stranger chuckled. "Excellent work! As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time! You have led me to the gates of the Sacred Realm… Yes, I owe it all to you, kid!" With that, he laughed once more before the entire world became nothing more than a white glare.
Link could do nothing. With a shock, he realized that the world around him was fading to a startling black, but he was helpless to stop it. He began to feel faint. His eyes closed and darkness flooded his vision.
. . . . .
Link stared down at the pedestal, reading the words on it, which made no sense. He looked to the sword in his hand, and then back at the ground. He took two steps forward and thrust the blade down, returning it to its rightful place. How long had it been since he had drawn this blade? He couldn't remember, but he guessed it to be only a few days, a week at the latest. Even so, he needed to fix the Mirror of Twilight, and to do that, he needed access to the Temple of Time.
Link heard a strange noise. He redrew the blade from its pedestal before sheathing it and running outside. He had entered the Sacred Grove with some struggle, but the inner area of the forest he had walked into without so much as a peep from any monsters. Now, however, he had the misfortune of encountering his dreaded foes, the Twilit Messengers.
There were five of the ugly brutes. Pillars had rained from the sky and fenced Link in the moment he had touched the Triforce mark on the ground. Now, as he glared forward, he watched the five beasts slam into the ground, unharmed. They were humanoid, and although they were as large as horses, they chose to crawl around like toddlers, using their oversized arms to drag themselves forward. Red markings, similar in design to Link's impish companion's cyan ones, traced their way across the Messengers' bodies. Tentacle-like cords stuck out of their spine, as well as their horrifying shield-shaped faces.
But Link was used to battling these creatures. He had encountered them so many times that, though they were still threatening, he knew how to kill them, which made his fear void. He drew his sword and shield and began attacking the beasts, taking on one at a time before turning to face the final remaining two. Bats swarmed at his body, so he bashed them aside, causing several to explode in a puff of dust. Link leapt to the side as one of the Messengers swung its oversized arm at him. The second one merely waited, watching the Hylian Hero closely.
Seizing his opportunity, Link immediately spun in a circle, his blade slicing through the two monsters, causing them to collapse. The remaining bats Link had missed quickly fled from him. The monsters on the ground burst into little black squares, which floated up to the sky and formed a cyan-and-black portal far above.
Link sheathed his blade and ran to a hole in the wall far in front of him.
The Sacred Grove looked like it had been a nice place at one point in time. Stairs would have provided Link easier access to his destination, but they were crumbled and dangerous. They were incredibly tall, as if someone had piled up the remains on top of each other, making Link unable to climb up due to the fact that the debris was taller than he was. But it didn't matter. After all, a hole in the wall had opened up some time ago, and he was able to climb up the remains of that, instead.
He did not move just yet, however. Instead, he studied his surroundings. He wanted to remember what this place looked like, in case this was the final time he saw it, as he did not know what would await him through the doors he had unblocked.
High walls rose up, piercing the sky, broken and decrepit. Ivy and trees sprouted from one wall, leading to a path Link had traveled through once. The walls were so high that, if Link had a giant bird, he was certain that he would have been able to fly it around in the temple if it was still in good condition. Large windows would have allowed light to stream through them. A broken balcony with bent railing jutted sharply from the walls above Link: his destination. The stairs would have led him to it, but now he had to run the old-fashioned way there.
Link darted into the hole in the wall and climbed a pile of odd debris before he climbed onto a higher section of ground, watching the small birds in front of him flutter away. He turned his attention on the balcony, glaring at the double doors that led to nothing. A statue, much like the two in front of the main part of the temple, once barred the way of the doors; now that Link had struck the pedestal of the Master Sword, it was gone. He approached the doors, taking note of the Triforce insignia and Hylian on them.
To Link's surprise, the doors began to open by themselves. He stared at them, wondering what was happening, but retaining a good poker face. The world beyond the doors shimmered a strange color, washing the world in a black-and-white hue. Regardless of the oddity, Link approached the doors and entered them, not allowing himself to turn back. He had to fix the Mirror; there was no other way to restore Hyrule to peace.
He entered the building and looked around, curious. The world wavered before his eyes, dancing like a mirage. It was slowly beginning to clear for him.
Behind him, the doors rumbled, then closed, erasing all traces that the Hylian Hero had ever been there.
A/N: A little requirement…if I don't get any reviews then I won't bother with the next chapter, which is where it gets really, really good (at least, in my opinion…) because Link meets Sheik. I'm fine with corrections and suggestions, but y'all will have to be nice because I don't like destructive criticism…and you people don't like it either when you get it, I know that. So be nice…ish. Yeah.