Author's Notes: Hey all! Summoner Angel here! Long time no post, eh? I haven't posted anything on here in forever, but now I'm back from outer space…ahem…anyway, here's my first attempt at LoZ fanfic action! I love LoZ so I'm praying that I can write a decent story that lives up to the beauty of this awesome series. Read and enjoy, but don't forget to review! Good or bad, its all appreciated! DO IT!
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Legend of Zelda: Gems of Power
Prologue:
In the time of peace Hyrule experienced between the fall of Ganon and his return to power (between OoT and MM), Link came back to his homeland, expecting a break from heroism. Unfortunately what he found when he returned was an evil sorcerer in place of a king and a missing princess. As always, it is up to Link to save the day and rescue the princess. Oddly enough, the people of Hyrule are fine with their current condition, having been fooled by the magicks of the sorcerer. How will our hero go about saving the day this time? Who will he turn to in Hyrule for help on his "last quest"?
Chapter 1: Homecoming
Home is sunlight filtering down through the freshly unfurled leaves, the last storm's raindrops trickling down tree trunks and onto the springy earth, a chorus of birdsong somewhere in the treetops. In the distance, if you listen closely, you can hear the giggle of forest spirits as they play in the air. The magick is thick and warm, inviting like a welcoming hug from your mother. This is home. All these thoughts rushed into the Hero of Time's head as he led Epona back into the Kokiri Forest. It had been seven years since he had even set foot in Hyrule, very much nonetheless his childhood home.
After Zelda had sent him back to his own time when they had defeated Ganon, Link had plunged into a deep depression from which he found no escape. His ten-year-old self was feeling the loss and pain of a seventeen-year-old, the loss of true love and he couldn't handle spending anymore time in Hyrule. So, he set out for many other lands where he could try to forget everything. He saved many kingdoms and had found many new friends, but nothing came close to those he had in Hyrule. He was, after all, a Hylian himself.
Epona's hooves clumped slowly on the soft, rain soaked earth and the early morning sunshine sparkled through the shock of blonde hair that fell from Link's green cap. Suddenly, the hero stopped, startling the even-keeled horse a little. She narrowed her intelligent eyes at him as he stretched his arms over his head and yawned loudly. He was always tired, as the horse had learned over their years together. Link then laughed loudly and listened to the echoes of his voice bouncing around on the trees. Or were the forest spirits laughing with him? Thrilled that he was finally home or at least close to it, Link leapt onto Epona's back and urged her forward. She broke into a steady canter and Link whooped joyfully.
They broke out of the trees and into a clearing where Link brought Epona to a halt and dismounted. He hadn't ever stumbled upon this clearing before and he had lived in that forest for nearly ten years. He patted Epona's side and she went off a little ways to graze and rest. Furrowing his brow in thought, Link studied the strange patches of dirt where no grass would grow, the overturned logs, the expansive nature of the clearing itself. He was walking around slowly in that clearing when he came upon a clear waterfall tumbling down from a little cliff. Realization broke upon his face in an instant and he was overwhelmed with the shock. This clearing with its dips and rises, its dead trees and young grass, it had once been the Kokiri's village. But where were the Kokiri?
Anger and confusion at this startling turn of events forced Link to sit down. Epona glanced over at him, sensing his tragic pain; she trotted over to him and nuzzled his neck. He turned and stroked her face, whispering something in ancient Elfish, the language of the Kokiri. Epona, having spent the last half of her life with this man, responded and lay down as well. "Epona," Link breathed. "We have to find out what happened here. We have to find the Kokiri and ask them why their village is gone." He said all this to her neck where he had buried his face. Epona whinnied softly and stood, bringing her shaken rider with her. He mounted and when he raised his face to the warm sunlight, he had transformed. He was no longer the upset youth he had been mere seconds ago, now he was the strong hero he had been so many times for this land of Hyrule and other kingdoms all over the world.
He steered Epona towards the entrance to the Lost Woods and leapt off her back as soon as they reached it. He nodded to her and she knew to wait for him. He'd summon her with his ocarina if she wandered too far. Link climbed the wall that led up to the Lost Woods and jogged into the winding pathways. From memory or habit he found his way all the way into the Woods, where the Sacred Forest Meadow began. Surprisingly, he found the maze in front of the Meadow completely peaceful; no foe challenged him yet and he silently praised the goddesses. That was a really good sign. His warrior instincts were alerted anyway and his hand lingered on the hilt of his sword which was strung across his back, underneath his shield. His blade was nothing like the Master Sword, but it was enchanted with strong evil-warding spells and other strengthening spells in case he needed to battle anything more powerful than a Wolfos on his journeys.
Link slipped quickly up the stairs that led to the Meadow, his heart thundering in his breast, his breath coming in short bursts. He was more nervous than scared really; he was worried that he wouldn't find Saria or any of the others hiding up there from some kind of dark evil force. As soon as he reached the Meadow, he sighed loudly and removed his hand from his sword. There they all were, the Kokiri in all their childish glory, living as they normally would. They had constructed another village, much smaller and more cramped than the original, but it still functioned quite normally, from what Link could see. The laughter of the Elf spirits caught his heart and wrenched it; he had once been one of those green-garbed children, running about without a care in the world. How he missed those days.
One of the girls giggling and playing near the Forest Temple entrance spotted him and hailed him with a call and a wave. "Hey! Link!" All the Kokiri that were outside heard her call and they turned and ran to him, laughing and chattering. He knelt so he could see their eyes and faces better, answering their rushed questions with happy responses and short stories. They all sat there and talked for several minutes before Mido came out of the largest hut in the new village and stomped over. Link, who looked just like another one of the Elf children crouching there and wearing green, stood up when Mido demanded to know what was going on. The Kokiri all laughed at how tall Link was in comparison to Mido, who glared them into silence.
"So, Link, you finally decided to come back, huh?" He barked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot while his fairy darted around Link's head. Link laughed at the excited fairy and at Mido's indignant expression. "Yes, Mido, I am finally home." He answered confidently, daring Mido to say something mean so all the others could report it to Saria. At the thought of Saria, Link moved away from the angry Mido in search of the green haired girl. Some of the Kokiri followed him, but most of them grew tired of that game and they found other things to play with. After searching the entire village and finding no sign of Saria, Link plopped down on the Forest Temple's stone medallion with a sigh.
A fairy darted out of nowhere and landed easily on Link's shoulder. It cleared its little throat and waited for Link to look down. "Well, hello there, little revered one." Link greeted the fairy with a tiny bow. She laughed musically and zipped around to his other shoulder. "You don't remember me, do you Hero of Time?" Link's brow furrowed with thought and his bright blue eyes darkened slightly as he thought back to his adventures in Hyrule. A smile darted onto his lips and he jumped up happily, sending the fairy flying around him. "Navi! Of course I remember you! How could I ever forget?" Navi's musical laughter rang out and she and Link talked for a while about how things had been in Hyrule for the past few years.
Link was concerned that Navi had not mentioned one thing about the King or his lovely daughter during her entire speech about how Hyrule was. She also hadn't said anything about why Saria was nowhere to be found. "Navi, what about the Royal Family? How are they?" Navi, who had been jumping from Link's knee to the top of his head, stopped on his knee and stared up into his emotive eyes. "Well, Link, I haven't said anything about the Royal Family because there isn't one anymore. The King died several years ago and after that, Princess Zelda disappeared." Link's eyes widened, a cold stab of pain shouldering its way into his chest. "What?" He gasped, urging Navi to continue with a silent nod. The fairy sadly continued. "Yes, one day she was just gone and no one knew where she went. A group of advisers took over the rule of the land for a while. But, recently, a powerful sorcerer from the Cold Mountains has taken over. He was elected by the people, so they are all quite content."
Link was still in shock over what his former companion had just told him. In the space of a few years, centuries of the Royal Family's traditional rule had been entirely erased and replaced with a democracy. And, to top it all off, Zelda was nowhere to be found. His hero instincts kicked in and he was about to suggest that Navi come with him to find and save the obviously kidnapped Princess, but he still had many other questions to ask. "So, why are the Kokiri living here, by the Temple now, Navi?" He asked this burning question to calm his thundering heart and to quell the urge to run off to the rescue. Navi sighed and leapt into flight. "Because the new ruler of Hyrule doesn't like other magicks being so close to his sphere of influence. He pretty much banished the Kokiri here." Link was outraged. "What? He can't do that! The Kokiri have lived here in this forest since before the Cold Mountains even existed! They were the first people Nayru placed on this world!"
Navi bobbed her orb-like flying self in agreement. "That's why Saria isn't here." Link steeled himself for what Navi was going to say next. He didn't want to hear about Saria sacrificing herself for their people. "She's in the Castle Town trying to appeal to the courts about the case of the banishment. Mido wanted to go, but she told him to stay here and take care of things. He's really upset that she got to leave the Forest and he didn't." Link narrowed his eyes suddenly. "But the Kokiri can't survive without the magick of the Forest keeping them alive." Navi landed on Link's shoulder as he stood again. "I know! She wouldn't listen to reason. Her fairy has already returned to say that Saria has one more day and then the magick of the forest will leave her and she will die." That was all Link needed. He hurried from the Meadow and the new Kokiri village, thoughts racing. He had returned to Hyrule to live out the rest of his days in peace, but he had found that the whole kingdom was in turmoil. Zelda was missing, some upstart was ruling with a sorcerous fist, and Saria was going to get herself killed if she didn't come to the Forest by the next night.
Navi was bobbing along with him as he ran back into the clearing that had once been the village. Epona was drinking from the pond, waiting for his return. "Link! Please bring her back safely!" Navi cried, flying back into the Lost Woods. "I will, Navi. I promise. I'll bring them both back safely." He spoke this oath more to himself than anyone else as he mounted Epona. The horse sensed his need for speed and she broke out with a spirited whinny and galloped towards the exit of the forest. Here we go again, Link thought wistfully. All I wanted was to live out my years in the Forest with nothing but peace to guard against the pain of my past, but now I have to plunge right back into adventure. Some homecoming.