A/N: After many years of being an inactive writer I've decided to jump back into it, mainly due to the large amount of free time I have gotten. While I am not continuing the Zelda story I had started, I am going to use a similar concept and storyline I had originally planed on using. With some slight alterations to the beginning and a renewed motivation to finish the story, I will get the chapters posted as soon as I can.

As always, I do not own "The Legend of Zelda" series, its characters or its scenarios, they are all own by their respective owners. This is a fan fiction purely for the enjoyment of others.

The Legend of Zelda

Ocarina of Time

Passing Ages, Changing Seasons

Destiny

Fires roared, the flickering flame was all that could be seen across the midnight sky. An evil chuckle bellowed through the air, leaving a frightening echo behind.

Wake up...

The child's eye's clamped shut and his breathing became heavy. Sweat was slowly dripping down his brow.

You have to wake up…

A man approached; each step he took sounded like bones being crushed beneath his boot. The dark skinned man lifted his hand before him, his open palm glowing with a strange energy.

Wake up!

The sphere of light grew bigger, the magical energy emitting a whirling sound. It suddenly shot forward, blocking everything in sight.

"Lazy boy, wake up!" Blue eyes opened wide, blond bangs sat in front of them from being pressed between a pillow and a forehead. The child was taking slow deep breaths as he tried to make sense of everything.

What was that? He slowly fell back into his bed, turning his head to the right to stare out the window. The sun was slowly rising over the tips of the trees. Was that.... just a dream?

"Please tell me you are awake… How can all of Hyrule depend on this lazy child!?" The young boy yelped with a startle, now learning that the voice he heard was not just in his dream, but that of a blue fairy hovering over his head. "I see you have finally decided to join us here in the real world." The boy slowly sat up, staring at the floating blue being through bed head hair.

This is going to be one of those days…

_~_~_~_~_~_~

As the sun peaked over the wooden fence, a cucco gave a loud crow that could be heard all across the land. That was all that was needed to cause the stirring of a young red haired Hylian, her limbs stretched out wide as she let out a soft yawn.

"Morning already…" The young girl groaned as she slipped out of bed and walked to her dresser. She quickly slipped off her bed clothes and put on a white farm dress with a blue design along the bottom and the sleeves, she also noticed the brown manure stain on the front. She let out a deep sigh, "Dad must have just thrown the laundry in the water again." She quickly began to fix the mess that was her hair, a small smile on her face. He can be so helpless sometimes. The red head put her hair brush down and reached for a yellow scarf and broach that sat on top of the dresser, her smile fading to a slight frown. Ever since mom died… She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on such thoughts. The girl wrapped her precious yellow scarf around her neck, attaching the broach to the front. "Alright… Times a wasting." She walked to the door, and opened it with a soft creak. Shutting it behind her, the young red hair looked around at the small farmhouse. She made her way to the door next to hers, knocking on it loudly.

"Dad? You awake? We have that big delivery to the castle tomorrow." Her voice was only answered with loud snoring. "Oh dad..." She shook her head, deciding that it was useless trying to wake him up. The girl walked downstairs, grabbed a quick bite and was out the door.

The bright orange sun was shining over Lon Lon Ranch, casting its beautiful glow on everything in sight. The red haired girl took in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of her familiar home. Her eyes caught glance of the cuccos who were already up, clucking as they searched for food. She nodded to herself and walked to the small barn to grab some feed. Once inside, the saw the familiar green shirt and pink overalls of Ingo, an employee of her fathers. He was already milking one of the cows, apparently growing frustrated at the bovine because it was being stubborn.

"Good morning Mr. Ingo." The girl said happily, reaching for the cucco feed. She received a grumble that she couldn't make out; it seems that was all she got from him lately. Shrugging it off, the girl walked outside and fed the cuccos, she then returned to the barn to let the horses get their exercise. "Alright," she dusted her hands off and turned to the cows with a smile. "Time to finish up the order for the castle." Humming the melody her mom had taught her, she grabbed a pale and a stool.

_~_~_~_~_~_~

The young boy travels through the twisting passage, on his back is the hidden treasure of the Kokiri Forest, the Kokiri Sword. He also wore green clothing like that of the other Kokiri children, a tunic and a hat that's tip rested gently against his back. Leading his way was the blue fairy which had awoken him from his nightmare. Other than instructing him to follow her, she had remained silent. The twisting passage had come to an end, revealing a large grove that was bustling with plant life. In the center was a large tree which appeared to have a face.

"Oh... Navi... Thou hast returned..." The young boy jumped when he had heard the voice, falling to the ground in shock. He could have sworn the voice had emitted from the tree. "Link... Welcome..." the voice roared gently "Listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee..." Link was unsure of what to do, he was listening to a talking tree, but part of him told him to step forward and listen. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and gave the Deku Tree his full attention. "Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless and full of nightmares... As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it... Verily, thou hast felt it..." Link looked at the tree with a puzzled expression.

"How… did you know about my nightmares?"

"Link… It is by fate that you and I speak now, that I tell you of thy destiny. Of course, fate is not everything; thou must also be strong and willing to rise up to a challenge. Link... The time has come to test thy courage... I have been cursed... I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Do you accept thy destiny? Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task?" Link's mind was racing, still trying to process everything that was going on. "Thou hast doubt... I can feel it, but I also feel thy feelings of thy heart... Thy answer I already know." A loud creaking filled the grove as the Great Deku tree opened its mouth wide. "Thou hast great courage, thy will prevail. Navi, thou shall accompany Link, aid him in his battle."

"Navi, I'm counting on your help." Link said as he drew his sword, charging forward into the Great Deku Tree.

"Link! Wait up!"

_~_~_~_~_~_~

The afternoon sun was getting lower and lower, the sound of the neighing horses filled the air at the ranch. The red headed farm girl wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm, smiling to herself.

"That's the last of the milk dad!" She called out to the chubby man in blue overalls. He turned around and revealed his bearded face complete with a small ponytail hiding behind his bald head. He smiled and let out a bellow of a laugh.

"Ho-ho! Nice work Malon! You really helped us out today! Don't ya think Ingo?" The skinnier of the two simply grunted, though Malon swore she may have heard "good job."

"I'm going to check on Epona, and then I'll get started on dinner." Her father nodded, causing Malon to run up and give him a hug. "I'll only be a little while." Her father couldn't help but smile, unfortunately Ingo was starting to get irritated.

"Talon! We need to get these crates loaded." Talon hurried over to Ingo, grabbing the other side of the crate.

"Oh! Sorry about that Ingo. One… two… three!" The two men lifted the crate and pushed it onto the wagon. "Ok, only two more to go." As the two men continued to load the wagon, Malon had made her way to the center of the ranch where the horses were grazing. Among all the brown steeds with dark manes, a small horse with a white mane was standing by itself. As soon as the horse caught sight of Malon, it galloped lightly towards her.

"Epona! How are you doing?" The small horse nuzzled against Malon's cheek affectionately, earning a rub on the nose from the red head. "You seem happy today girl, how about a carrot?" She asked her friend as she revealed the scrumptious treat in her hand. Epona happily ate the carrot, causing Malon to giggle. "I guess you liked it." The young girl looked up at the sky, the sun was going to be setting soon and she would have to make dinner soon. "How about one song? How does that sound girl?" Epona let out a loud neigh in approval. Malon's voice filled the ranch as she sang her signature song.

_~_~_~_~_~_~

With one last battle cry, Link's sword sliced through the eye of the parasite, Queen Gohma. It shrieked in pain as it writhed back and forth, finally crashing to the ground. The dark magic that had given her its power was now burning the Gohma from the inside out, incinerating what was left of the creature. Link dropped his sword as he panted heavily.

"That… wasn't… easy…" The young boy managed get out in between breathes, his hands resting on his knees. Flying around his head was the blue fairy Navi, buzzing with excitement.

"You did it Link! Nice work!" She landed on his shoulder before speaking again. "As first, I had my doubts, but I can see that I was wrong. Now we just need to-" Before she could finish, a blue light shone from across the room. As the two cautiously approached, what they discovered was a large circle glowing with the blue light. "Link… There is something strange about this," she turned to face the young boy, "maybe we… shouldn't…" He wasn't there. She frantically searched around, finding him already walking into the light. "Hey! Wait for me!" She flew after him, circling him a few times. "You should be more cautious!"

"Yeah, maybe." Link grinned. "But I just have a feeling that it's alright." As soon as both were inside, the light encased the entire room, blinding both the boy and the fairy. When the light faded, they were surprised to find themselves in the grove of the Great Deku Tree.

"Well done, Link..." The tree took a deep breath, as if he were trying to compose himself. "Thou hast verily demonstrated thy courage... I knew that thou wouldst be able to carry out my wishes..." It took another deep breath. Before Link or Navi could ask what was wrong, the Great Deku Tree spoke once again. "Now, I have yet more to tell ye, listen carefully…" Link sat down, giving the Forest Spirit his full attention. "A wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse upon me...This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile, sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule..." The grove disappeared and what appeared in front of Link and Navi was emptiness. "For it is in that Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of the gods..." In a flash, three beings appeared, their skinned shone like gold. Around each one was an aura of light, one red, one blue, and one green. "Before time began, before spirits and life existed... Three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule... Din, the goddess of power... Nayru, the goddess of wisdom... Farore, the goddess of courage..." The first of the goddesses left her hovering state and began to soar through the empty space above them; earth began to form beneath their feet. The Deku Tree's voice echoed as it seemingly came from the air around them. "Din... With her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth…" The second goddess of blue hovered high in the air, with a sudden flash, the blue sky appeared with an occasional cloud. "Nayru... Poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world…" The final goddess of green lowered herself to the ground, levitating above it as she flew past Link and Navi. Trailing behind her, grass grew from the earth. Fire Flies began to buzz through the air and a few furry animals could be seen hopping on the ground. "Farore... With her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law." The three goddesses came together, bowing their heads before they shot themselves high into the sky. "The three great goddesses, their labors completed, departed for the heavens." Suddenly, all three entities crashed into each other, but all that was left were three golden triangles. "And golden sacred triangles remained at the point where the goddesses left the world. Since then, the sacred triangles have become the basis of our world's providence. And, the resting place of the triangles has become the Sacred Realm." Everything faded to black, and the sacred grove of the forest reappeared. Link stood to his feet and Navi lifted off his shoulder.

"Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce... Thou must never suffer that man, with his evil heart, to enter the Sacred Realm of legend..." His breathing became heavier and more labored. "That evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power..."

"Sapped your power?" Navi asked in a worried tone.

"Because of that curse, my end is nigh... Though your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, I was doomed before you started..."

"What!?" Link yelled, his fists shaking. "Then… everything was for nothing!?"

"But do not grieve for me..." The tree's color faded slightly as it took another breath. "I have been able to tell you of these important matters... Thou art Hyrule's last hope…" The Deku Tree's voice was becoming raspy. "Go now… to Hyrule Castle... and take this stone…" From the branches high above, a green light could be seen between the leaves. It slowly lowered down into the awaiting hands of Link, a large green gem with a swirl of gold. "Known as the Kokiri Emerald, this is the Spiritual Stone of the Forest… At the castle, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny..." The Great Deku Tree took another harsh breath. "The future depends on thee, Link... Thou art courageous... Navi the fairy... Help Link to carry out my will... I entreat… ye... Link… Navi… Good...bye..." Everything had grown silent, and then a single leaf fell from the branch of the Deku Tree. More and more leaves began to fall, what appeared to be its eyebrows drooped down. The light that once shone in the Great Deku Tree's bark had faded. Navi floated forward, a sniffle could be heard from the little fairy.

"Good bye… Great Deku Tree." She turned back to the blond boy. "We should get going… We need to get to Hyrule Castle."

"Wait…" Link slowly approached the forest guardian, placing his hand against the bark. "Forgive me… Great Deku Tree, but I need your help… one last time." He drew the Kokiri sword from its scabbard.

"Link?" The blade hit the hard bark of the tree. "Link!? What are you doing!?" After some light chopping, Link ripped off a section of the Deku Tree's bark, it was hard and sturdy. The blond boy sat down and slowly carved the thick bark into a makeshift shield. Finally, he carved an image into the front of it; it looked like an outline of the Kokiri Emerald. Standing up, Link held the shield in his right hand, giving it a slight test.

"Alright…" Placing his sword and shield onto his back, his eyes held a new look of determination. "Let's get to Hyrule Castle!" He threw his fist up in the air with enthusiasm. Navi nodded as she flew forward, she then noticed that Link hadn't moved. Link scratched his head sheepishly. "Which way is Hyrule Castle?"

A/N: The story is starting out a little slow, but I am just trying to set the story and the plot into place. I'll be honest, the child time-frame will advance the story quickly while showing glimpse of Malon and Link's adolescent moments, they are just kids after all. I mean, they aren't going to fall in love as children, they don't know what that is at that age. If you are looking for a lemon, then I'm sorry but you won't find it here.

Another Quick note… I would like to thank my Beta Reader, aries2110, for helping me out. While we have both proof read the story, there is always the chance of a few mistakes slipping past up, weather it is a spelling and grammar thing, or if it is a facts thing with some info being wrong from a Legend of Zelda source. Feel free to point out mistakes, I won't hate you for it, it's the only way I'll improve as a writer.

A quick apology to those who read the chapter before I had a chance to replace the {Line Break}'s with something a little more decorative. I just think it looks better than having that written in there. I forgot to do it before posting the story.