Sunlight seeped through the cracked curtains, falling across the young face of the sleeping youth. Groaning he turned onto his side, pulling his pillow over his head to block out the light. He fought back a curse when he heard the muffled sound of a door being opened and closed. Soon after, footsteps began echoing throughout the small house, making their way towards the resting young man.

"Oi! Link!" The feminine but irritated voice called, "Get your lazy butt out of bed! Uncle needs your help in the shop!"

Link muttered incoherently as he turned over in his hammock, which hung suspended a good ten feet above the floor near the window. Cracking open one eye to stare down at the woman standing under him, glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

"Mercell you're being noisy." He said blankly, causing the young woman to scowl.

"Honestly," She sighed, shaking her head, "All you ever do since you got back is lay around all day. Can't you even drag your sorry ass out of bed to do your job?"

In response Link pulled his pillow over his head again, hiding his face from her view.

"Hero of Realms my ass!" Mercell huffed as she poked the underside of the hammock with a broom that was lying nearby.

"Ahhh fine!" Link grunted, twisting in his hammock as he was relentlessly jabbed, "I'll be there in a second!"

Mercell huffed on last time, dropping the broom and turning and heading for the door, "Uncle's already mad, you'd better not keep him waiting." She told him as she shut the door behind her.

"Hmmm." Was Link's only reply as he swung his legs over the side of his bedding, letting them hang freely as he rubbed his eyes. Yawning he glanced around his somewhat disorganized home. Books and papers lay scattered on the floor near his shelf and the kitchen was rampant with dirty pots and pans. His sword and shield lay in the corner, gathering dust.

Tearing his eyes away from his weapons he grabbed the latter next to his hammock and swung himself over it, sliding down and landing easily on the wood floor. Walking over to the window he threw the curtains aside, letting the morning sunlight spill into his house.

Outside the village was already bustling. Link could see the children playing under the shade of the Great Tree while their parents went about their individual jobs of keeping the village thriving. Some of the women were just starting to return from the nearby river, carrying large pots filled with fresh water. He managed to catch a glimpse of Mercell just before she disappeared into her Uncles shop.

Just as he was about to turn away he saw a bright flash of purple cut across the sky, splitting through the blue light lightning. His eyes widened as a cold chill ran down his spine. The blood in his veins suddenly froze, causing his body to stiffen.

W-What the..?

He blinked. The purple light was gone and the strange feeling had disappeared. Leaning towards the window Link squinted, trying to make out anything unusual in the sky. Seeing nothing he leaned back and frowned, scratching the back of his head.

Just my imagination?

Falling back into a chair link pulled on his boots before unwrapping a piece of bread and wolfing it down. Popping the cork off a bottle he quickly drank the milk inside before depositing the empty bottle back into his belt pouch. Standing, he walked over to his worn wooden desk, grabbing a pair of leather gloves and a bandana. Tucking them into his belt he trudged over to the door before opening it and stepping outside.


"For goddess's sake kid, I can't have you slaking off today. I've got a lot of orders to fill and I need your help to do it." The older man ranted as he hauled several sheets of metal over to the forge, the fire next to it burning hotly.

"Sorry gramps," Link replied, tying the bandana around his forehead to keep the hair out of his eyes. They were standing in one of the larger huts of the village. Tools and scraps of metal lay everywhere. Steam and smoke covered the ceiling. In the center of the room stood a large chimney that reached up into and out of the huts top.

"Sorry don't cut it." The old man grumbled, "You wanna apologize, work harder than you usually do, and by that I mean do a normal persons version of work."

Link nodded and went over to the forge and pulled on his cloves before picking up a mallet.

"Here, start hammering this into shape." Jiro said as he handed Link a pair of tongs, a large strip of white hot iron clasped between them. Link nodded again and set the molten metal down on the anvil. Raising his arm he brought it down hard on the white metal. Soon the sounds of clinking steel filled the room.

Jiro walked over to the fire and pressed down upon the fan, blowing air into the fire. As the fire grew larger he used another pair of metal tongs to place a rod of iron into the flames. After blowing the fan a bit more he turned around. Whipping sweat from his face, he glanced at Link.

"Hmph…Perhaps you're not such a horrid worker after all." He said with a small grin. Link smirked as he swung the hammer down again. Jiro nodded at him and returned to his own work. Link continued to labor on. For several minutes he beat the metal into its desired shape. Rolling up his sleeves he dragged his arm across his forehead, whipping away the sweat that was already starting to form on his brow.

Suddenly, he frowned when the sunlight shining through the window faded, the room becoming dark, save for the light given by the fire. Pausing in his work, he looked up, glancing out the nearby window. A cloud had moved in front of the sun. For a moment Link just watched as it moved across the normally bright blue sky. As he stared at the dark cloud his eyes grew distant.

"Hyaaaaaaaa!" a ferocious cry tore from his throat. An instant later, sparks flew into the air as his sword collided with an enormous black blade. Gritting his teeth the youth felt himself start to slide back across the top of the tower as the towering red haired man pushed forward with his blade, his mouth twisting into a psychotic grin.

Link's eyes narrowed slightly, looking away from the window and staring down at the burning metal on the forge before him.

It's been four months since then…Everything around here's gone back to normal.

The cloud finally moved past the sun, the light once again flooding the room. Slowly, his piercing blue eyes shifted back over to the window, staring out into the village.

Still…

What this uneasy feeling…?


Link sighed as he stepped out of the carpenters shop, pulling the sweat soaked bandana from his head and yanking the gloves off his hand. An orange light had fallen over the village as the sun began to sink beneath the forest's horizon. In the center, the Great Tree shrouded nearly half the village in shade. Below it, parents could be seen calling their children back home from supper. Watching them, Link smiled softly as the Children laughed, running around their parents playfully.

"Yo Link."

Link blinked in surprise and turned his head. A young man stood a short distance away, grinning and carrying a large sack over his shoulder.

"Fado." Link smiled, nodding at his friend. The young man stepped forward, casually dropping the sack on the ground and crossing his arms, his grin widening.

"Looks like old Jiro managed to drag you into work today." He chuckled, causing Link to laugh with him.

"Wouldn't want to make him too mad with me." Link replied, grinning. Fado laughed, shaking his head.

"That cranky old man? How could he ever get mad at you?"

A sudden girlish squeal made them both look over towards the Great Tree. A young boy was chasing his sister around the base of the tree, laughing and holding out a caterpillar. Fado smiled in amusement and cocked his head, watching the two run around.

"Things have really gotten back to normal haven't they." He said softly. Link nodded, watching the two children play.

"Yeah, looks like it." He replied. Fado's eyes shifted over to his friend, watching him.

"You sure you're okay? He asked, concernedly. Link blinked and looked over at him, his expression surprised for a moment before he quickly smiled again.

"Yeah…I'm fine." He said.


Link yawned as he let the door to his house fall shut behind him. Lighting a match he quickly lit several lanterns, flooding the dwelling with light. He kicked his boots off as he sat down in the chair, dropping his belt down on the table.

"Geez that Old man." He muttered, rubbing his shoulder, "Saving Hyrule was easier than working for him."

Standing up he walked over to his counter, picking up a canteen and taking a quick drink of water. Leaning against the wood he stared out the window, where the last of the light was disappearing behind the trees. Small orange dots of light could be seen throughout the village as the people began lighting their lanterns. A soft wind caused them to sway gently, the orange lights swinging in the breeze.

Yawning again he fell back into his chair, reaching for his belt to take out a piece of wrapped cheese. His hand had just wrapped around the pouch when something glinted in the corner of his eye.

"What the…"

A strange metal box was sitting on the corner of his table. It was made up of a kind of steel Link had never seen before, it was much more polished than iron and looked far to perfect and straight to have been made by human hands.

Hesitantly, Link reached out, his hand hovering above the strange object. Narrowing his eyes his fingers wrapped around the cool metal. Bringing it in front of his face he examined it. The metal was seamless except for two lines running diagonally across the top face of the box. Frowning, he ran the tips of his fingers over the top.

He nearly dropped it when the box started to glow, emitting a low hum from its core. Setting it down on the table he stood up and took a step back, half expecting it to explode at any second. He almost jumped when the top of the box suddenly sprang open, the four cross sections opening outwards. Blue light started to shine from the inside. Link's eyes widened when the blurry image of a man suddenly started to form inside the light.

"W-What kind of magic is this!?" He said hoarsely, unable to look away as the image became clear. The man had dark hair and calm expression, his dark eyes locking onto Link. As he smirked the Hero felt a cold chill run through his body.

Then the man began to speak.

"Greetings," his cool voice echoed in the small house, "Hero of Realms."

Link's eyes widened, taking a step back. His hand twitched, curling as if it were to wrap around his sword.

"I must say…I was greatly impressed with your final battle with the one called Gannon. You showed true strength and courage"

"W-Who the hell is this guy?" Link hissed through gritted teeth, "How does he know-?"

"Now I'm sure you're wondering who I am," The man chuckled. It was a chilling sound, "I go by many names…But you may call me…Master Hand…"

The man smiled again, though looking no less menacing than he did before, ""I am giving you this message, Hero of Hyrule…Because I have a proposition for you,"

Link's eyes narrowed slightly.

"A What?"

"I'm sure you're rather skeptical about all this. But don't be…" the man raised his hands, his palms facing up, "This could benefit you immensely…You see-"


"-I'm hosting a…tournament of sorts," The man known as Master Hand continued. Frowning, the young man with blue hair tilted his head slightly. Resting his head on his hand he stared down at the box sitting on the arm of his throne.

"I wish for you, Prince of Altea to participate. It would be an honor if you graced us with your presence."


Outside the window, stars speed by as the starship raced through space. A faraway green planet could be seen in the distance. The humanoid fox paid no attention to the sight, his gaze locked onto the hologram resting next to the ships monitors.

"It is a tournament of combat." Master hand explained, "The greatest fighters-"


"-from worlds you've never even heard of."

The eyes of the boy with wings lit up at the thought. Leaning forward in excitment as the man continued to speak.


"It will be a great chance to prove your worth and test your skills…Against the very best that have ever existed."

The man rubbed his chin and leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the crimson helmet that rested in his lap, the blue light of the hologram causing the gold symbol on it to glow.


"And I can assure you…The reward will be great…." The room was dark, outside the dash shield stars rushed by. The young blond woman sat with her arms crossed, watching the message with an emotionless expression.

"Your greatest wish, be it money, power…anything…It shall be granted. Do you have your doubts about this? I have power, far beyond even your own vast knowledge."

His words caused the woman's eyes narrowed slightly.

"The simple fact that you're watching this message is testament to that."


"Yes I know…you're not a material person are you…?" Master hand sighed as Link watched, not having moved from his spot. The man then lifted his head slightly, as if looking directly at Link.

"But I highly recommend you participate, my friend." He raised both his hands, "You can't tell me that the Hero of Hyrule is satisfied with making chairs and nails for the rest of his life?" Master hand smiled again.

"Think about it. When you've made your decision, I'll know. I look forward to meeting you in person, Hero."

The image suddenly flickered and faded, receding back into the strange device. Link stared at the device as he slowly sat down in his chair. After a minute he turned to look out the window, gazing at the rising moon. His blue eyes were suddenly sharp and alert, and his body coursed with an energy he had not felt in four months.

"A tournament huh?"


So about this new Link. I wanted make a Link that had all of the Link qualities yet still had his individual charactersistics that every one has. As for the title "Hero of Realms" ...Well OoT Link was called the "Hero of Time" and TP Link was called "Hero of Twilight" so i thought "Hero of Realms' sounded cool.

Thats about all i have to say this time. Review please!