A/N: So I have returned from a long respite. Hopefully I will be here to stay. I intend on making this fic pretty long, somewhere along 20-25 chapters. If we keep going with this format, the chapters might all be pretty long too. I'm going to set up a blog where I'll have notes about the story and my OCs and link you to it as soon as I can.
Disclaimer: Don't own the Zelda characters, just my own.
Chapter 1: Birthday
"Liiink!"
The shrill sound of a familiar female's voice rang through his pointy Hylian ears. He responded by rolling over and covering his head with a pillow.
BANG! The distinct sound of a door slamming open and footsteps foreshadowed Link's least favorite thing about having friends. His covers and pillow were suddenly wrenched off of him and Link became all too aware of the world of the conscious.
"Link, wake up, ya big oaf!"
The pillow came slamming back down on his head and Link groaned lazily with discontent, but otherwise didn't budge. The young blond heard a frustrated huff and braced himself for another hit, but was slightly surprised when instead was met with the sound of footsteps retreating from the room.
Link relaxed, smiling to himself, and almost returned to the world of slumber…when he remembered something. He shot up from his bed, just when the "pest" from before returned, toting a bucket filled to the brim with water, presumably cold water knowing her, sloshing dangerously close to the rim.
"Nooo, Nina! I'm up, ok? I'm up!"
The girl, now identified as Nina, sighed, setting the bucket down on the floor and tossed her medium-length brown hair off of her shoulder.
"Good," she said with a devious smile, "I knew I would only have to do that once in your lifetime to get my point across that I mean business."
Link shuddered, glancing into the clear depths of the water filled bucket, remembering the first time Nina had splashed him with water when he refused to get out of bed.
"And now that you're awake and I have your attention…."
She paused, which made Link bring his attention back to her, just as her arm slammed into his chin, with the rest of her body colliding forcefully into him, tumbling the both of them back onto his bed.
"Happy birthday!"
Link gasped in surprise and pain, and just as quickly as she had tackled him, she sat back on her haunches beside him. Link sat up, rubbing his head disorientedly just as she shoved a small box into his face. The young blond blinked and crossed his eyes to look at the object just inches from his nose.
"Go on, open it!" Nina egged, forcing the box into his hands and waiting with barely contained excitement for him to open it.
Link bit his lip, then carefully pulled the green ribbon wrapping the box, unraveling it, and let it fall onto his bed. He lifted the cover and peered inside. Inside the box lay a green and brown figurine made out of…?
"Bomb wicks!" Nina answered his unvoiced question. "It's made of the string we use for bomb wicks in the shop. It's…supposed to be you! I made it myself…" she trailed off as he lifted it from the box and stared at it with wide, curious eyes. "…do you like it?"
Link returned his attention to her, his face splitting into a warm, genuine, maiden-swooning smile. "Yeah, I like it a lot. Thank you Nina," he replied.
Her face turned bright red with embarrassment at his sincerity, but she looked pleased. He turned it over in his hands, marveling at the detail. It was about three inches in length, with the body, like she said, made entirely out of the stringy off-white material used to make bomb wicks. It looked exactly like him: green tunic with matching hat and brown belt and sword strap made of cloth, big, googly blue eyes made out of blue stained glass, golden blond hair made of cuckoo feathers dyed gold.
He grinned again. "I'll keep it with me as a lucky charm."
Nina grinned too, letting out a happy sigh. "Well, I'm glad you like it, otherwise you'd be paying for all that wick I used to make it!"
Link gave her a bland look as she hopped off his bed. She smoothed down her green V-neck blouse then spun around to face him, hands on her hips.
"So! How does it feel to be 18?"
Link scratched the back of his head, still gazing at the wick figurine. "I dunno…not much different from 17, I guess," he said, somewhat unconvincingly.
Nina snorted. "You're such a terrible liar Link! You're totally excited and just trying to hide it!"
Link smiled and laughed half-heartedly. "Ha, I guess you got me."
In actuality, deep down in his irrational center, he couldn't help but get the feeling that somehow, by some divine guiding force, he would be forced to relive his childhood again; stuck in some never ending loop of fate…
"…so hurry up and get dressed so we can go so see Kalen!" Nina's voice interjected into his thoughts.
Link blinked, looking up at her, thoughts of destiny and timelines dancing slowly back into his subconscious. "Oh right."
"I'll go get Epona ready for the ride." Nina turned to head out the door, nearly tripping over the bucket on the floor. "You can even use this water to wash your face. Aren't I a great friend to have brought it in for you?" she said sarcastically on her way out.
Link swung his legs over the side of the bed and stared at his reflection in the bucket. He didn't feel like he looked a day older than from when he had done battle with Ganondorf at the age of 17 in the alternate future the Master Sword had created. The blond poked at his cheeks and forehead, making various faces into the water.
He had led an overall carefree life after returning to his childhood. Officially leaving the forest at age 13, as he was too big for his Kokiri treehouse, Link built a homely little cottage on the outskirts of Hyrule Castle Town near a small gathering of trees. He spent his days, when not traveling all over Hyrule, practicing his swordplay with his friend Kalen, or his archery, making wooden targets.
Link had met Kalen and Nina when they were all young and they had been close friends ever since. After returning to his own timeline, after defeating Ganon, Link hurried to the castle to warn Zelda about the evil Gerudo king. As a result, Link was known throughout Hyrule as the messenger that had averted a crisis, rather than as the Hero of Time. He was still loved and called a Hero, though Link wondered how the people could accept his tales so easily with little to no proof. To amend for his guilty conscious of not giving the people the full story, Link made it his duty to travel around Hyrule, lending out a helping hand whenever needed; much to the annoyance of Nina and Kalen who felt he was a little too selfless.
"You just don't understand," Link would tell them whenever they would shake their heads as he charged head first into any heroic situation, "I have this burden upon my shoulders. I have to be there for the people. That's the only way I can live up to my title as a "hero."
And Nina would sigh and say, "No, Link. There is no burden. You've done what you had to do already. You're just a normal guy now. Do normal guy stuff! This is your life. Isn't that why Zelda sent you back?"
The irony of Nina saying those things always annoyed Link, since she only half-believed his stories about awakening the sages and battling Ganon. Kalen on the other hand, had always hung on every word that came out of his mouth as he told his stories of his adventures. Though the boys were the same age, Kalen always looked up to Link, revering him as a hero, but at the same time treating him like a normal guy, if that was even possible. You would just have to meet him to understand.
Link knelt by the bucket and dipped his hands into the water. "Cold as ice," he muttered out loud, shaking his head. He splashed a bit onto his face, cringing at the feeling of icicles rolling down his cheeks. He grabbed a towel and dabbed himself dry, then proceeded to get dressed.
The young hero had just barely tightened the belt of his tunic over his beige pants, when he heard a blood-curdling scream outside.
"Liiiink!" cried Nina's voice.
Link's hero instincts kicked in instantly; he grabbed his Gilded sword mounted on the wall above his bed and was out the back door.
The back of his cottage faced a small stream that was fed by the moat just outside the gate of Hyrule Castle Town. He had built a small stable for his beloved mare Epona close to it for easy access to the water for washing and drinking. Nina sat about five feet from the bank, with her back facing Link.
Link ran up to her, concerned as she didn't react to his presence. "What? What's wrong?" the golden blade bearing young man demanded, looking all around for some sign of a threat.
Nina lifted a weak arm and pointed forward. Link followed her gesture and for the first time, looked into the light babbling brook. His eyes widened in horror. There, washed up on the bank, face up, was what appeared to be a dead body.
Link dropped his sword, the loud clang of it landing on the stony surface startled Nina out of her stupor, and ran into the stream. As he approached, he could now identify that it was the body of a young woman who looked about his own age. Her long azure tresses spread around her like a blanket, covering most of her upper torso. Thankfully it did, as her clothes were in tatters, her body bruised and bloody. Link sloshed into the water, kneeling so he could scoop the young woman into his arms.
"Don't touch it!" Nina squealed, suddenly right behind him.
Link ignored her protests, because now that he held her, despite the cold water that splashed all around the both of them, he could feel her warmth. The young hero turned to his childhood friend, a fiercely determined look upon his face.
"She's alive."
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