i do not own the legend of zelda or affiliate with it in any way as anything other than a fan of the game series. That is all.

It was just after the stop of the moon's collapse. And right before the second attempt by vaati. I say second.. Because this is the story of the untold first... Let me explain...

Termina had been saved, the massive moon had been halted by the four giants of the cardinal points. And so Link with is forest green tunic set off, once more journeying forth.

This time with four masks in tow as he went through the lost woods. This forest seemed to connect to everywhere, everywhen, and every why if that could be possible.

The best way to explain it? Each place could be a different timeline. The only thing each and every one had in common for sure was the lost woods. With twists and turns and puzzles and parkour.

Link found that the lost woods were more than a single floor however... The roots made caverns and tunnels underground which monsters flocked to. And the branches made floors and kept you relatively safe. As long as you kept your eyes peeled.

As link wound his way through the forest. He thought about his adventures so far. Flung between past and present, thrown into another land, and now he wanders the lost woods once more, four masks in tow, he remembers the happy mask salesman.

"I thank you for returning my mask, you should keep the four you have left. As a reward for you're hard work in getting my mask back." He had said with that trademark smile and his usual clasped hands.

Link could only think of how many crazy people like this guy he'd met: the happy mask salesman, Tingle, the postman was kinda zany. A really dedicated guy. He'd even say Creamia if not for the fact that those aliens were real.

As Link walked on, for he had left Epona in the hands of Creamia, to help her with the milk run when she was older. She would become a beautiful young woman.

Link ducked under a low hanging branch, the lost woods were amazing. Not even his fellow kokiri knew what he did about it, or any who did it was obvious what had happened: they had never come back to the kokiri village. The land of hyrule in which they had come from. Lost... In the Lost Woods.

The truth of these magical woods was more than simple disorientation. It was able to do that because it was a forest outside of time and space. A place all it's own. With it's own inhabitants. Space and time in a place like this had no meaning. The only one who could freely travel it was someone who had wandered it forever, and the sage of the only building in this land.

And so it was that every now and again Link saw Saria. She would be smiling and dancing from one branch, one path, one reality... To another. She never said anything, she simply watched over Link and guided him along.

"If you stay out of the woods too long you'll grow up, and when you come back you'll become a stalfos Link." She said once before darting off among the branches.

A few times wolfos came and went. Even a stalfos wandered alongside Link. When they first met the stalfos simply looked at Link, eyes burning bright red before he knelt and bowed his head. It made no sense. Even when he spoke.

What the stalfos said was in a language of death. A language gone long from any world but this. It sounded guttural and yet refined. As if a barbarian had spoke like a knight. It sounded atrocious but the amount of respect inherent in it was obvious and well meant.

Link would learn eventually what it meant. But for now... It was a mystery. But they walked in companionable silence.

Soon enough they saw the moblins that were know to patrol the area around the temple in seven years. The stalfos glared at them and they simply snorted and moved on. No spear charging, no round abouting. Something said this stalfos would become something strong. Something terrifying. Something made from nightmares. And nothing would overpower him, but he respected this boy he walked with. Which only said he would be even worse some day.

Hours could have passed for all they knew. The clank of armor on bone as the stalfos kept walking. The quiet rustle of the soft forest green tunic on light chainmail. And the crunch of two sets of leather boots across loam.

They eventually came to an exit of the forest. Here the stalfos stopped. Again he kneeled before Link but this time his bones rattled as he cleared what could only be assumed as some ethereal wind pipe.

His voice was haggard and rough, but still understandable. "Some day you shall pass this way again. And when you do i shall then hail thee as master of our. Thy duty shall be to entrust another with the power to overcome great evil, and you will doubtless do it. Even as it saddens me to know what shall become of you great hero. Even though i was not the most respectable soldier in life, and less so in death, i know my true master shall appear one day to teach a new one to lead a world to light after dusk."

Link watched as the stalfos climbed to his feet and began walking out of the forest, his last words... "Return here one day you shall, but today is not that day young hero. This forest shall make the truth known to you some day. And i shall test your heir time... And again."

Link blinked and watched as the stalfos dissapeared into a thick dark mist, a mist with large trees with roots spreading far above the ground... And a monkey with a flower in her hair.

Link kept walking through the forest, heedless of the past entrance. And soon walked past a pedestal, a pedestal ages old stood there with an old sword. And a young maiden. When Link had passed out of the forest he wasn't sure.

But he knew this girl... Princess.. Zelda? She slowly turned. "Link, i knew you would come. I think the seal holding Vaati is weakening."

Link stood in shock, "Zelda...?" He stood there as Zelda tapped her foot impatiently.

"Yes Link now let's go check the sword!" She said before grabbing Link's hand and pulling him along.

Questions whirled through Link's mind, 'how many Zelda's could exist in the lost woods realms, how many Link's existed in the realms, and where was the one that was supposed to be here right now?'

Suddenly they appeared before the pedestal, it had a large crack that Link hadn't noticed when he had passed it the first time.

As they got closer to the pedestal it shattered, out came a dark cloud of ominous intent, and it grabbed Zelda and bashed Link into a tree, causing him to black out.

He woke up to find himself... Looking at himself! "Where is Zelda!? What happened? I'm five minutes late and all hell breaks loose. Nayru's sake." Said a Link in a blue tunic.

"Who are you?" Green Link said in confusion. He looked around and took in the sight, trees bent, and giant oaks at that, leaning all away from the sword, still standing in the cracked and crumbling pedestal.

"Obviously through some magic you are me and i am you. I'm Link, i'm sure you are too. We need a weapon to beat Vaati with come on!" Blue link dashed off and started looking around the clearing.

Green Link got to his feet and walked up to the sword, "the only chance we have..." Blue Link turned and saw green Link put his hand on the hilt. He rushed up quickly, "what are you doing!?" He said as he touched the hilt as well.

In a brilliant flash of blinding rainbow light the sword was unsheathed from it's resting place... And was held by four Links. Green, red, blue, purple.

Each link now had a mask at his belt, green held the fierce diety, red had the goron, purple the deku scrub, blue the zora.

As each Link dropped the sword except green, they patted themselves and found the mask they had.

Green Link was stunned, watching the sword in his hand before he noticed too late...

Each Link slowly donned the mask at their belt, Link screamed out too late, "DON'T!" But the damage was done as they each collapsed.

Green link knelt and looked at his mask. Before he realized it he was struck by the pain his friends were feeling and he slumped to the ground, face first into the Fierce deity mask.

All of them blacked out as the fierce deity soothed the pain with unconciousness.

They woke several hours later, darkness covering the realm. Vaati had worked fast, clouds of pure evil cloaked everything in darkness. It was a perpetual twilight as lightning flashed and rain fell.

They each looked around. A red hatted goron sat up. "My name... Is... Darunia?"

A blue capped zora rubbed his head. "I'm Mikau?"

Next a purple hatted deku scrub sat rubbing his nose. "I'm just a deku scrub... My father lost me when i was young..."

They each looked to the still human boy face down in the middle. His hat was green and faded to white. He moved and his face was shown, his clothing was white and green as well. His face had the typical red and blue markings, but... He was still but a child. His teeth were a little longer, his canine's more pronounced. He moved his hand and found the sword... It had become a double helix blade!

"I'm link... This mask has no memories. I'm the hero of ages. From one to the next i have saved the land time and again. And ... I... I never went to these places before... I know that. But.. I remember them.. A desert with cracks and crags, a mine with time altering stones. A sea of sand, a land set apart from hyrule, a vast unending ocean. So many memories not my own..."

They all got to their feet unsteadily. Then Darunia spoke, his deep base voice easily reaching all over the clearing. "Link... We need to go rescue Zelda. Mikau, what do you think?"

The zora stretched and his fins extended. "Wooooaaaah... Well... I think thats up to Link but yeah. We should go after the princess. But... How? I ... I think Vaati is on the clouds. The only way we could know where exactly is to clear the clouds though."

Suddenly the deku scrub spoke up. "Guys what about me? I don't even have a name." He said in dissapointment.

Link rifled through his pack, then noticed each of the others had a pack too. He pulled out the kokiri blade from long ago and handed it to the scrub. "How about skull? The mask you have came from a curse laid by a skull kid with a magic mask."

Skull clapped his hands and grabbed the kokiri dagger. Link knew he could spin indefinitely, and that a blade would only make his reach farther.

"We head into town to gather information. Check your bags, see what you have." Link said before going through his bag once more. He seemed to have everything. Except what Darunia, Skull and Mikau pulled out.

"Fire rod?"

"Ice rod?"

"Wind rod?"

Link grabbed his double clawshots and put them on, testing his ability to wield the helix blade with them on over his gold gauntlets.

Skull ran off and swung the wand of wind, "AUGH!" He screamed as he was flung skyward, his light weight easily 30 feet in the air, but the wand was holding his weight and he drifted down slowly. "Cooooooooool" he said as he landed.

Darunia started walking but began panting. "I need a faster way to move..." He said before curling up, the fire wand in hand he started to roll, suddenly he burst into flames with spikes sticking out, cloaked in flame he was a wheel of death.

Mikau scratched his arms, he felt tingly. When suddenly Darunia barreled towards him he extended his fin and was suddenly cloaked in electricity, Darunia kept grinding against the energy field, and then his flames were frozen just like Mikau 's energy. "No, that's cool skull."

Darunia sat down, "we can definitely save the princess. We have what it takes."

Link shot upwards into a tree and loomed about, his senses sharpened, his knowledge expanded. "Skull... Try spitting."

Skull looked about and spotted a large tree, he took a deep breath and spat, out whizzed a blob of venomous purple goop around a glowing bit of magic.

It struck the tree and part of it melted. "Whooooooaaaa. I'm venomous! Awesome!" He said with giddy excitement.

Link walked forward and started into the forest, his markings glowing lightly in the dark. Darunia followed, pulling the biggoron sword from his bag, "niiiice..." It was just an inch longer than the helix blade link wielded, which was nowhere near as long as it's usual length.

Mikau pulled the mirror shields from his bag, but something was strange. They seemed... Off, unwhole. He put one on each arm and they somehow fit to let his fins through, they seemed made for a zora warrior now!

Skull rifled through his pack and found the deku nuts and slingshot, disapointed he fired one off and it detonated like a small bomb. It was more powerful than some bright flash, it was explosive. As if it had been bred by deku to be like bombflowers.

Link pulled the bow from his pack, and seeing it all the others looked in their packs.

Link drew it back and felt holy light in his arrow. Letting it fly he nearly collapsed. Light arrows, but they took it out of him badly. Darunia fired and it exploded in flames where he hit, Mikau fired and the flames froze, skull tried to draw the string back and almost fired himself. So he put the bow back and pulled out something else, this didn't seem to be what any but Mikau was wearing.

They had little wings on the side and Skull put them on, he felt lighter than even before, and so he ran forward, he was fast as the wind.

"He put on the pegasus boots huh? Useful. Increase his overall speed. He can scout and when in doubt he can use his twirl with the sword and the wind wand and decimate. It would cost him his position though. With so much dust flying." Link mumbled to himself. Unaware Mikau was listening.

Darunia rolled up and kept pace with Skull rather well. Eventually Link put his pair on and Mikau and him dashed after them.

Soon they were out of the forest, and in the land of Hyrule proper. Mikau looked over at Link, "did you get taller?"

Link twisted about looking at himself, "i don't think so... Why?"

"You came to the bottom of my fin when we started. Now you're halfway up it." He said, holding his fin out. He was right, Link was taller!

"We'll figure it out later lets head into town." Link said before dashing ahead, he soon passed Darunia and Skull and found himself running along a path.

Soon they were all moving, and because Mikau seemed to know where he was going, he led them straight to town.

Once there they took in their surroundings, all while their surroundings took them in as well. People stared at the motley group of four different species.

However Vaati's magic hadn't gone unnoticed and all the faces showed fear and question, confusion and revulsion. Shop keeps wouldn't sell to them but for the bizarre guy at the bazaar.

The man was huge and had a hairy gut, it bounced when he spoke, and speak he did, his voice booming out loudly, "WHAT CANNA DO YA FER?" he said before clearing his throat, "Can i interest you in some of mah wares? We just got some clothes in... But uh... I feel like i may need to take them to the tailor for two oh ya."

Mikau grabbed a red tunic and it's chainmail and slipped it on, the dual mirror shields on his arms went through them fine. "I like it."

Skull hopped up and grabbed the counter just to peepeek over, and Darunia grabbed him and easily hoisted him up as he took a blue tunic and chainmail. "Got these in a bigger size?" He asked the bazaar man.

Skull grabbed one of each tunic and sat on the counter. "Got em in a size smaller?" He asked.

Link shook his head and simply moved behind the counter. The bazaar man laughed, "so you want the good stuff eh? Well we'll see what we can do. Thankfully you seem to be the right size, cause these ones can't be altered. It's magic crafted fabric, and only a magic sewer can make alterations."

Link nodded andthe bazaar man reached a thick hairy arm behind a curtain and pulled two sets of armor out. A bulky red one and a blue one with flippers.

Link hefted each of them and smirked.

The bazaar man raised an eyebrow, "not one person who has ever noted their presence could lift it so easily. Even i have trouble occasionally. Tell you what, half price all your items. Total comes out to 500 rupees." He said before leaning against the counter.

Mikau emptied his rupee bag out and out fell a silver rupee. "Thats a hundred." Said the bazaar man.

Darunia pulled a silver rupee from his pouch and tossed it onto the table. "Two hundred, almost there."

Skull dug in his pouch and pulled a purple rupee out. "250. You're halfway. Keep it up boys."

Link opened his pouch and pulled put a golden rupee. "Thats a 300 rupee! Deal is done." The bazaar man said, handing the purple rupee to Link while Mikau put his red tunic on.

Drunia handed the blue back to the bazaar man and after taking the money went behind a curtain and came out with one big blue tunic and two small tunics of blue and red which he traded with Skull for his regular sized ones.

Once outside the shop they each donned a tunic or stuffed it in their pack, Link simply put his away, as did Skull. Darunia and Mikau looked dreadful in the opposing colors, regardless of how smart it was, so they took their tunics off and stuffed them away.

They walked around town, browsing the merchandise. The three bow weilding ones bought a bigger quiver and filled them too, while Skull grabbed a bigger deku nut pouch and talked to the vendors. Everyone else filled on their deku nuts too.

Soon all their shopping was done and they headed out.

Once out of town they simply stood there, Darunia spoke first, "so what now? We're all geared up with no place to go..." His voice rumbled out like a deep avalanche.

Mikau scratched his head and tapped his foot, "well... If it's vaati all the lore says he's gonna try and take over the world or something. I know there is a wise man in the ruins and as a 'wise man' he should know more. So... I say we go see him."

Link checked a map he had bought from one of the shops earlier and tapped his ever growing canine. It grew slowly, as did the rest of him, but it was definitely longer than the start of the journey. "It's off to the east northeast from here." He said as he closed the map and started off, his pegasus boots taking him from standing still to sprinting all out in mere seconds.

Soon the others were following, and the group headed towards the ruins..