Hey, everybody, GengaJupite here! It's been a while since I started writing in a different fandom, but I've been planning this one for a while now. Just to clarify what I meant in the summary by not following the official chronology, this is sort of a cross-dimensional story that succeeds Link's Awakening and brings him into the Hyrule of Ocarina of Time. There won't actually be any OoT game content aside from the locations and characters presented. Hopefully that's straightforward enough, but if not…well, you'll understand once this starts going.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda. All rights go to Nintendo.


Awake in the Dream

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A melody of finality. A signifier of destruction. The final sendoff for a world that never existed. The sound rang throughout the black void where the Wind Fish had finally been freed from its nightmares. Each instrument floated in the air as if played by the very consciousness of the Wind Fish itself, building upon the layers and richness of the music as it continued to awaken. With each crescendo, the world itself seemed to shake, caught in a quake that would wipe out the dream entirely; however, a metaphor it was not, for this dream world truly would disappear, along with everything in it.

Standing atop the platform in the void, Link gazed forlornly at the world as it dissipated below him. His time on Koholint Island had been short, and from the very beginning his intention had been to leave. Now that the time to leave had reached him, however, Link found that his heart could not part with this land. The people of Koholint had shown him such kindness, such patience, such joy, and he never could have imagined that every single one of them was nothing more than a figment of a god's unconscious dreaming.

"Link…"

The hero spun around at the sound of a voice, her voice. Standing before him was the first person he'd met here, the one who saved him when he washed up on the shores of the island.

"Marin," he mumbled in disbelief. Was she truly here? It was impossible, wasn't it? Then again, this was still a dream, a crumbling dream in which no anomaly was too impossible at this point.

He wanted to speak more, say her name over and over, but the dryness of his throat caught any and all words that tried to escape. His vision began to blur as tears welled up in his eyes. She, like everything else on this island, was nothing more than an imaginary being created by the Wind Fish's subconscious, and would disappear just as everything else would. He couldn't accept it, wouldn't accept that it was true, but at the same time he knew there was no way to deny what was happening before his very eyes.

Holding the orchid in place, Marin smiled sadly at Link as she tucked her silky, auburn hair behind her ear. "We had a lot of fun, didn't we?" she said, her voice noticeably holding back a sob. "I'm going to miss it."

"No," Link choked out as he took a burdened step toward her. "Marin, please don't say that; don't act like…like this is the end. Y-You're real, I know you are!" Shakily grasping onto her shoulders, he cried out in vain. "See? You're right here in front of me! You're real!"

The more he denied the truth, the heavier his heart became, and Link soon found that he could no longer blink back the tears in his eyes. He tightly squeezed his eyes shut and felt his legs wobble as the truth overtook him. There had to be a way to keep her with him! Marin was no longer just a figment of the Wind Fish's imagination; she was now a piece of Link's heart, nay, his entire heart itself! If he lost her, he would lose everything.

Feeling Marin's arms gently circle around his midsection finally broke Link down to the point of sobbing. Firmly wrapping his arms over her shoulders, he buried his face into her sweet-smelling hair, allowing his tears to freely flow onto her fiery locks.

"Were you happy, Link?" she mumbled softly into his chest. "Were you happy that I found you on that day and brought you home?"

Attempting to control his breathing, Link nodded and looked at her through misty eyes. "It's the best thing that happened to me since I washed up on the shore. Of course I was happy; it made me happier than anything else in the world."

Marin looked up at him, the melancholic smile remaining on her face as she did so. "I see," she said simply, her own eyes beginning to glisten and shimmer. "I'm so glad…that I could do that for you. Link…you mean so much to me…and I had to make sure that I didn't let you down."

"Marin," Link sobbed, gritting his teeth while he fought back his overwhelming sadness. "I can't…I can't lose you. How can I go on living without you? We've only been together for a short time, but I can't even imagine life without seeing you every day. I…I…"

"Shh, it's okay," she soothed, rubbing her hands along his back. "Even if I don't really exist, I'll still treasure every moment we've spent together, Link. You can't stop fate, though, and this was destined to happen from the moment you first washed up on this island. Look around you now, though. The world is gone, and we're the last two beings left. That has to mean something, doesn't it?"

Lifting his head, Link gazed around to find that, sure enough, nothing but the two of them embracing one another in a black void could be seen in any direction. He had failed to notice Koholint Island's disappearance, though it mattered not, as the only part of this dream he still needed was Marin. Soon enough, though, she, too, would disappear like the rest of the island, the dream, had already done.

"Link," she whispered softly, her voice floating around them like a gentle breeze, "can you close your eyes? There's nothing left for you to see, so I want you to burn every sensation of this moment into your mind. The sound, the smell, the feel, all of it."

Heeding her instructions, the hero slowly shut his eyes and wrapped the auburn-haired beauty tighter in his arms. He would never forget anything about Marin, and taking in her tantalizing scent, her gentle touch, and her soothing voice at this time would only be adding to the collection of unforgettable memories he'd had with this amazing girl.

His body began to relax as the sound of Marin's humming filled the air. Enveloping him in the warmth of the familiar tune, Link, himself, began humming along, allowing his emotions to fill every note. A tear squeezed through his shut eyelid as he realized that this would be the final memory of his beloved Marin. His notes began to go off tune as his sad emotions overtook him, but Marin continued to keep him on track with her lovely, pitched melody.

So entranced by the melody of her song, Link would not have noticed that Marin had stopped humming had she not spoken, but as the words reached his ears, he heard them loud and clear.

"Thank you…and goodbye, Link…"

"Marin!"

Link's eyes shot open as he cried out her name, but they were met with an unfamiliar sight, and the brightness of the scene blinded him momentarily. When his vision had finally cleared enough for him to see, an overwhelming feeling of depression washed over him.

He was back at sea.

The rolling blue waves of the ocean dipped up and down, splashing against his face to leave a salty taste and feel. The soft, slender body of Marin that he had clung to so passionately was now nothing more than a wooden plank that kept him afloat. As he looked around the area, not a trace of Koholint Island could be seen. Only the wreckage of his small raft was around the immediate area, giving the impression that he had only been unconscious for a short period of time.

"No…no, no, no…" he mumbled, searching around the area for any sign of Koholint or Mabe Village.

It was like he had woken from a dream, only to find himself in a nightmare instead of reality. The endless blue in all directions taunted him, toying with his emotions and ingraining the reality of the situation he now found himself in. Link repeatedly shut and reopened his eyes, submerging his head beneath the water occasionally as if these actions would bring back the nonexistent island. Each time he looked upon the ocean, though, his heart sank in defeat a little more. It was hopelessly futile, and nothing he could do would bring back Marin or the island.

Paddling toward a larger, curved section of his destroyed boat, Link seated himself on it with his head hung down. An odd sound filled the sky, and Link gazed upwards as the sun began darkening, only to realize that it was the sound of the Wind Fish flying overhead toward some unknown destination. It flew slowly as if it were mocking him for the trials he had overcome to rescue it. It had all amounted to nothing, and what did he have to show for his efforts? A broken heart and the memories of people and events that never existed in the first place.

Despite waking up only minutes ago, the hero suddenly found himself feeling drowsy. Perhaps it was the stress of everything that had just happened – or rather had not happened – so he laid himself down, making sure to keep his head raised from anywhere the water might be able to get him. As the gentle sound of the waves soothed his weary mind and aching soul, the memory of Marin's song lulled him into a lonesome, dreamless sleep…

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

It was days before Link finally drifted onto a landmass of some sort, and the feeling of land beneath him seemed almost foreign. Waking up on the sandy shores of some unknown beach was quite the contrast to finding himself in a warm bed with a pretty girl in the room. With what little strength he had, the warrior struggled to pick himself up and slowly dragged his feet up the sandy dune before him.

The sight he was met with was more hopeless than he could have imagined. As far as the eye could see, the land was covered in nothing but sand. Thick clouds of sand and dust carried by the wind obscured the distance he could actually see, and it seemed as though he'd washed up on the shores of a desert. Looking around through his weary eyes, it didn't seem as though the ocean's shoreline would lead anywhere either, as the desert seemed to stretch on endlessly in all directions..

However, rather than planning out a logical way to move forward, Link simply stepped into the fury of the desert, allowing his feet to carry him wherever they would. What would be the point in planning? He was already malnourished, dehydrated, and on the brink of death, and with his true happiness being nothing but a figment of some god's imagination, he really felt there was no reason to try living any longer than his body would hold out for.

The heat was sweltering, and what small amounts of water still remained in Link's body were sweated out in large amounts. For most of the time, he kept his eyes shut to avoid the stinging grains from blowing into them. To him, the idea of sight was only a burden at this point, as he had no idea which way to head and had no intention of finding civilization out here. After seeing nothing but blue for days on end, the idea of seeing only sand provided little comfort, so rather than subjecting himself to the torture of sight, he simply wandered blindly.

It wasn't long before the desert had surrounded him on all four sides. Even if he had wanted to turn back, which he certainly had no reason to, it would be impossible to tell which direction to go in. The sands had shifted and obscured any sort of footprints he may have left, and on the rare occasions he would open his eyes the heat played tricks on his vision. With each step, Link felt his body weakening, as if sending the energy out through his feet where it disappeared into the ground. Finally, after what felt like hours of walking, Link collapsed to his knees, unable to take another step farther.

"What's the use?" he spoke aloud, spitting out the sand that blew into his mouth. "I have nothing left, even if I find some sort of civilization. All my memories with her…those months I spent with Marin are gone… No, they never even existed. I was stuck in a dream…a dream that only lasted for one night…"

He had no tears to cry, so instead he began punching at the sand in front of him, sending small waves of dust up into the air as he furiously pounded at the ground. How could someone live when their reason to live was taken away? He had thought he was done with adventuring and was finally ready to live like a normal person, only to find that the home he wished to return to was fictional. There was no home to go back to; he was alone in this world of reality.

Curling up in a ball, Link began to accept the fact that he would die here in this desert. If his body were ever found, he would be nothing more than a nameless man who fell victim to the extreme conditions of the desert. Death did not seem like such a bad thing anymore, though. If he died, there was a chance he would join Marin in a place where non-existent souls found refuge.

He smiled in a delirious manner. If it meant he could see her again, then he would gladly welcome death and spend eternity with the woman he loved. Unless there was a way to bring her into reality, then there would be no reason to fight for his life.

"You can't…"

The sound of Marin's voice filled him with energy, and Link sprang up, calling out her name above the hiss of the sandy wind. However, as he looked around, the orchid-bearing girl was nowhere to be seen, and it was apparent that he'd simply imagined her voice. Was it his subconscious trying to keep him alive? Pathetic. Even when he'd accepted his fate, his mind fought against him to go on.

"What's wrong with me?!" he screamed, dropping to his knees and striking the sand again. Why couldn't he simply die, let go of the world and pass on like any person stranded in a desert would do. He no longer had the will to live, so shouldn't he have perished long ago? Apparently not, as his body and mind did not wish to give up yet, regardless of what he ordered them to do.

From the corner of his eye, a flicker of red flashed momentarily, and considering everything else was some shade of brown or beige, it seemed to stand out quite a bit. Quickly casting his gaze in the direction of the source, his eyes widened, ignoring the sting of dust in his eyes.

There in the distance, the image of Marin seemed to be standing on the sand, smiling toward him.

"M-…Marin…?" he called. She didn't answer, but beckoned him over with her hand.

Was it possible? Was she truly standing that short distance away? No, it had to be the heat. His exhaustion and the conditions of the desert were playing tricks on him. It was like finding an oasis, only seeing her was infinitely better than any oasis could be. Even though he knew it was impossible, the urge to make his way toward her was unbearable, and his legs began moving automatically toward her image.

As he wobbled toward her, calling out her name, Link failed to realize that he was not getting any closer to the woman he loved. Even when his legs gave out beneath him, he continued to crawl across the blazing sands, ignoring any sort of burns he might be getting on his skin. Pain didn't matter; he had to catch her. The idea that she was a mirage no longer crossed his mind, and he had reached the stage of believing she was truly standing a short distance away, though he had yet to reach her.

His delirious hope of catching up to her came to a halt as she began to turn around, though. He felt his heart sink as her image turned around and began walking away from him. If he allowed her to keep walking, she would disappear for the second time in his life. He couldn't accept that, not when she was so close!

"Marin!" he cried, racing on his hands and knees like an animal to catch her. It seemed that with each movement he made, she would get farther and farther away, and before he knew it, she was gone from his sight.

Realizing that he had no idea where she had gone, Link collapsed in an exhausted heap. His entire energy reserve had been wasted in a futile attempt to catch a mirage, and in the end it hadn't paid off. Sprawling out on his back, he had somehow failed to notice that he'd wound up next to a flag post of sorts. The red fabric flitted about in the wind, and it was possible that this was what he had been chasing after all this time. What this flag signified was now irrelevant, however, and whether it was a marker for crossing the desert or simply a stray flag left from long ago meant nothing for a dying man without the energy left to move an inch.

Shutting his eyes, Link sighed, feeling the cold embrace of death stealing away his consciousness. "Looks like I'll be seeing you again soon…Marin…"

And with that, he fell unconscious, completely unaware of the figures rapidly approaching him…


Wow, that was way shorter than anything else I've written… I suppose it's more of a prologue than an actual chapter, but still, anything less than 4000 words for me is pretty uncommon.

Well, now that the story's been set up to start taking off, hopefully the whole LA/OoT Crossover thing makes sense, as I'm hoping it's obvious enough where he is right now. Next chapter will be Malon's debut, and the chapter should be significantly longer, as there are a number of things that will be going on in it.

Edit 6/30/2014: After recently completing chapter eight, it's become clear that this whole chronology-destroying crossover is still leaving people with questions of past events and whatnot, so I will clear that all up right here so that it does not continue to be an issue. To follow along with this story, forget everything you know about the official Zelda chronology/timeline. The events that happened prior to Link's arrival on Koholint are not important to this story, and thus will never be specified. Treat each game's events as their own separate entities, and, while you can certainly choose to believe that the other games happened (such as the events of A Link to the Past or the Oracle games), it's possible that there may end up being contradictions with those stories as this story progresses. All that needs to be known for now is that the events of Link's Awakening occurred, Link just awoke from the Wind Fish's dream, and he has now washed up somewhere – nothing more, nothing less. If and/or when you get to the future chapters and find out specifically where he is and what he mentions about his past before Koholint, continue to refer to this message, as it should serve as a reminder that the only specific events that have occurred are those of Link's Awakening.

Thanks to anyone who checked this out! Don't forget to leave a review!

-GengaJupite