AN: Hey, that was fast! …It still doesn't really make up for how long I've put this off, though… Umm, please don't expect me to update a chapter a day (I don't want to disappoint anyone and I can only update as fast as I can type, after all), though I'll try to crank them out at a decent pace (heck, I feel like working on the next chapter now anyway). I couldn't think of a good title that relates directly to the goings-on in the chapter, so I named it 'full circle' in reference to the fact that this chapter, Chapter One, begins right where the official manga left off. It's a lot more related to the manga this time, at least in my opinion, and I'm doing my research so things make more sense. For example, matching monster types and/or appearances to Four Swords and/or Minish Cap wherever possible and planning on making an actual conscious effort to make a sort of solid 'map' of this version of Hyrule's geographical layout. More on that at the bottom; time for the story!
Many thanks to: inuyasha 303 (AKA LannaMisho on DeviantArt) for inspiring me to write again and Kankoku-ssi for sticking with me even after the two-year hiatus!
Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ. That's why this is a fanfiction.
Enjoy~!
Chapter 1: Full Circle
~Eleven months later...~
"Heeeelp!" a voice cries from a tavern near Castle Town's harbor, accompanied by crashing and the sounds of chaos.
"Father, hurry! It's the pirates again!*" one of Hyrule's youngest knights calls over his shoulder before darting into the alleyways as planned while his companions continue down the main road on horseback. His now-famous green tunic flutters in the wind generated by his passing as the young hero hurtles down the well-known shortcut—he takes it quite often during the fishing season and knows it by heart.
The building is quickly surrounded by the mounted knights while the boy on foot heads inside to join the brawl, his fellow warriors moving to secure the safety of the civilians.
"You never learn do you, Jago!" the blonde teen in question laughs, leaping into the fray with sword and shield at the ready.
"Same fer you, Left-handed Hero!" the pirate leader grins, a bag slung over his shoulder in one hand and his trusty blade in the other. "I'll win some day, an' until then, this 'ere port will be a stop along the route fer me an' me crew!"
"You can do it, honey!" the water girl the dark-haired pirate had tried to kidnap mere days before Gufuu's escape from the Four Sword a year and a half ago cheers, a marriage band sparkling on one finger to match the one the rough-and-tumble seafarer wears on his own.
The General, captain of the knights, can't help but stare at her in surprise.
Soon, the fight is over and the two combatants are both winded. The victor is the boy in green.
"Sheesh, Jago, aren't you a bit early?" he pants, sitting on the ground to catch his breath. "That sack's too bulky for the fish your crew usually brings in, too…"
"You okay, honey?" the water girl-turned-pirate's wife asks her husband after checking up on the crew.
"Aye, jus' th' usual scratches, luv. Nuthin' t'worry yer dear little head 'bout."
"Honestly, if you intend to make an honest profit selling goods here from now on, discipline your men," the General sighs, stepping forward. "Keep this up and we will not be able to be so lenient with you in the future."
"Aye, aye, Lord Knight, so ye've said an' so I've heard," Jago answers wearily. "Wot can I say? Me men 're a tad too fond of th' drink."
The rest of the pirate troop is tied up and ready for a night spent in the dungeons to sober up, watched over by the other knights.
"Now, down to business. What strange oddity have you brought this time?" he asks, motioning to the bag Jago still hangs onto even now. "It is… squirming."
"Aye, this?" the old pirate sighs, the cheer gone from his voice as he plops the bag onto the ground, stoically ignoring the thrashing of whatever's inside. "Goddess-damned scum tore holes through all our fishin' nets an' attacked th' ship… We may be pirates, but I'll be damned if'n I dannae when ta bring summat t' the attention of ye law-keepers."
"What? Are you saying there's something even you can't handle, old man?" the blonde teen asks in surprise.
"Y'could say that. Here, see fer yerself."
With that, Jago pulls the drawstring of the bag open and turns it on its end, sending a blue-scaled fish-creature spilling out to thrash angrily in the dirt, glaring balefully at everyone present with its single eye. Its mouth is tightly bound with rope so it can't spit, the sturdy seaman's knots tied in key points in the coils binding its entire body holding it firmly and rendering it fairly harmless.
"A River Zola*!" the blonde exclaims in surprise. "Why would one of those be in the ocean? We made sure to wipe out as many as we could, too…"
"Link, go report this to His Highness the King," the General orders. "I and the others knights shall take care of things here.
"Yes, Father," the blonde teen, Link, answers, his hand momentarily clenching around the hilt of his sheathed sword as he turns on his heel and breaks into a run, back towards the castle.
'Ugh, what's the matter with me? Ever since I went back to being just me again, I've been getting annoyed by my own name… It's so weird. Part of me just wants to yell, "I'm Green!" each time someone calls me Link, but that doesn't make any sense! Red, Blue and Vio are part of me, and so is Green… But why do I feel like that's wrong…?'
"This is troubling…" the General mutters to himself. "Yet another monster report. The frequency of it is rising as well…"
Later, in the throne room, the famous left-handed hero, Link, kneels before the King and Princess alongside his father, the General and Captain of the Knights.
"Hmm… This is worrisome indeed," the King pronounces gravely. "Not only have sightings of monsters been increasing in the recent months, but my precious daughter, Zelda, has once more been dreaming of a Hyrule covered in dark clouds… Zelda, if you would?"
The Princess straightens in her seat. Bags pool under her eyes, evidence of many nights of restlessness and little, if any, sleep.
"Each night in these past weeks, each dream has revealed just a little more to me up until three days ago…" she begins, fighting back a yawn. "Since then, the dream has been exactly the same each night. Just as it did when the seal on Gufuu* was weakening, the first presented me with the sight of black, foreboding clouds spreading over Hyrule and blotting out the sun. However, with each dream that followed, I was shown more…"
"Zelda told me of her dream the third night, explaining that, though she had initially believed it to be a mere nightmare, each successive vision revealed something new. As such, we agreed that it would be kept private until the Goddesses had shown all they wished to show my dear daughter," the King adds.
"After the clouds, I saw the Palace of Winds from afar and heard faint voices drifting through the clouds, calling out a warning in a language I could not understand. I saw the Demon Gufuu's black wings furled tightly around a blurred figure, then a dark silhouette—I believe it was a woman—reaching towards me with an aura of hatred, though I did not see myself…"
She pauses, yawning.
With each word, the warriors' faces grow more and more grim.
"I saw… I saw time running backwards, victory warped into defeat by that hate-filled silhouette…"
"Zelda, I know you worry for the boy, but you must tell him," the King coaxes. "General, I am sure you and your son have already realized the reason for this private audience…"
"The last thing I saw… was the Four Sword Sanctuary," the Princess finishes hesitantly. "The Four Sword wasn't there…"
"As your son is its chosen wielder, it is only fitting that he be the one to investigate, and that I consult you first, as you are his father, General," the King continues. "Of course, he will be accompanied by—"
"Your Highness, I mean no disrespect, but I believe it would be wiser to move quickly. It will take time to organize a proper expedition and I am already quite familiar with the area," the blonde hero in question quickly interrupts. "Therefore, I humbly ask that you allow me to go alone."
"Link!" both his father and Zelda gasp, startled.
"Do not interrupt His Majesty!"
"But it will be dangerous!"
The King laughs heartily. "I see you are as brave as always, boy. Very well. When do you intend to leave?"
"I will need a bit of time to prepare… I will head out at dawn tomorrow," Link answers immediately.
"Son—"
The General falls silent as Zelda leaps from her seat and grips her childhood friend tightly by the arm, dragging him off to her chambers.
"H-hey, Zelda—!"
"Excuse me, Father, General; I would like to have a word with him in private," the Princess says with perfect composure, mixing coldness and etiquette as only an angered Royal can as she drags her struggling friend out of the chamber. "Please excuse us."
"Children grow up so quickly… Don't you agree, Your Majesty?"
"Ah, indeed they do. It happens right before our very eyes, and yet it seems as if it were only yesterday when they were small…"
"What were you thinking?" the Princess yells, making her best friend flinch. Her anger has taken precedence over her tired state, turning her from a sleepy, demure Princess to a raging storm of Royal ire.
He backs up a bit, wary of the potential effects of her infamous temper combined with her current sleep-deprived state.
"Z-Zelda, calm down! It's not like I'll be out investigating all alone! You know that!"
"I don't care; you'll still be alone until then! Alone, overconfident as always, and vulnerable to all sorts of dangers! You're not invincible, Link!"
The teen's hand finds itself clenched around the hilt of his sword.
She notices it, her anger immediately draining away to be replaced by concern. "Link?"
Clench.
"Link, why are you…?"
He uneasily avoids her gaze as his fingers twitch a third time, letting out a long, shaky breath.
'I can't take this anymore… This uncomfortable feeling…'
"Green…" he murmurs.
"What?"
"Zelda, please… Just… just humor me, alright?" he says quietly, his cerulean eyes remaining fixed on his brown boots. "Just… call me Green. Not Link."
"But why? What's wrong? Why won't you look at me, Li—"
"I told you; I'm Green!" the troubled hero yells, the words spilling out before he can stop them.
Stunned silence fills Zelda's little study. Link is staring at his hands as if they belong to someone else. The Princess steps forward, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"You've been keeping something bottled up again, haven't you?" she asks gently. "You know you can tell me, so please just let it out."
He finally looks up, meeting her eyes.
"…Ever since I—we—returned the Four Sword to the Sanctuary, I've felt so strange. Whenever I hear my name, it… it doesn't feel right. My father has been getting really worried—sometimes I won't even hear him when he calls me at home until the third or fourth time he calls me. I tried explaining it to him, and he does call me Green now when we're at home, but he got this weird, sad look on his face when I asked him to and wouldn't explain why. The worst part, though is that each time someone calls me "Link", part of me…"
"Go on," she coaxes.
"…Part of me… Part of me gets so… so angry. I feel like whoever said it is just ignoring their existence somehow, even though I know that isn't true… It's bad enough one of us is seen as a monster! And you know what's even weirder? When they disappeared, I didn't feel any different. Not one bit. I don't have any of their equipment, either. It's like—"
"Do you miss them?" Zelda interrupts.
He stares at her, looking almost insulted. "Of course I do! How could I not?"
She smiles a bit sadly and pushes him towards the door. "Go on, then. I should know better; there's no stopping you when your mind's made up, not when you've got that stubborn look in your eyes… Green the "Determined Link", brave leader of the Four Sword Heroes dressed in a tunic dyed the vibrant shade of Hyrule's fields and forests!"
A real, untroubled smile slowly spreads across his face and he lets out a surprised little laugh. "Hahaha! That title you came up with sounds like something Blue would get all puffed up about! Heheh… Thanks, Zelda. I needed that more than I even realized…"
She catches his sleeve as he turns to go.
"Wait!"
"What is it?"
"Green… Promise me one thing, okay? Once you've reunited with them again, please come straight back to the castle. I have… something I need to return to one of you."
"Vio will be overjoyed to hear that, I'm sure," he answers lightly, his expression becoming solemn again after a moment.
"Let's make it a deal instead. One month. If we're not here in one month, feel free to come after us, guards or no."
"Wh-who told you I've been training?"
"Impa*," he answers flatly.
"Oh…"
She breathes a sigh of relief.
'It's been quite difficult to keep everything under wraps, but it seems my secret is still safe. If any of the castle servants found out, it would be all over Hyrule in days!'
"Anyway, I've got one condition, though," Green continues, his voice bringing Zelda's attention back to reality. "Before you start searching, bring "it" to the Four Sword Sanctuary."
"I accept, but I admit, I'm curious… Why a month?"
He looks out a nearby window, staring up at the clear blue sky. "Because, one month from now, it'll have been a year since the Four Sword was returned to its shrine; a year and a half since our first adventure. Besides, you said your dreams had to do with time, right? There might be a connection to it..."
She smiles brightly and this time it reaches her eyes. "Well then, get going, O Hero! Return here in one month or less, or I'm coming after you! Clock's ticking!"
"Hahaha! Understood, O Princess! Just you wait; we'll be back before you know it!"
The sun is setting as Zelda watches her childhood friend and savior dash down the path between the castle and the town proper, headed for the cottage by the forest he shares with his father to ready himself for his journey. Left alone in her bedroom for the night, she goes to the wall above her bed and opens a hidden compartment.
"One month… I hope it won't come to that, but…"
She takes the small, tightly sealed bottle that rests within and raises it to her eye level to peer inside.
Tiny sparks of light swirl and flicker, appearing more like weak, ephemeral stars than the embers of a fading flame as they spiral in a hurried, frantic stream that, if it was any faster, would likely blur into a coiling streamer of light rather than the cloud of individual motes it truly is.
"I have such a horrible feeling about all of this. Even you agree with me, don't you? Your sparks are shining more brightly and moving with far more haste than usual—has something stirred you from your sleep? He would surely be quite angry with me if I let you fade away, Shadow Link… Tell me, are they walking straight into danger? What has made you so agitated?"
The glimmering pinpricks that are all that's left of the shadow of the heroes whirl in silent, ever-changing patterns within their glass sanctuary, offering no answers. The princess laughs softly in spite of herself, the sound a wry chuckle devoid of any true amusement.
"I must be going crazy; talking to a bottle like this. Even if you could hear me somehow, you couldn't possibly answer…"
She puts the bottle back in its hiding place with a sigh.
"The four of you had better come back, for his sake as well as mine..."
All she can do now is wait.
AN: Well, I guess Jago gets a bigger role this time! The pace is both slower and faster than in the original, too, even though the same amount of time will pass between Shadow breaking the Dark Mirror and his revival/reawakening: a year and a half. Quicker in that the intervals are different, but slower in that the chapters are ending in different places this time. I decided to give a reason for Vio to have had any time to research bringing Shadow back in the first place, so half a year of monster-cleanup and rebuilding works… Also, I've taken to explaining some things here at the bottom, marked by asterisks in the main story. That way, my references make more sense and the explanations don't break up the flow of the story. From now on, I'll just do it here below my main 'note'. Please review and I hope ya'll are enjoying the revamped story. …Yes, I like saying ya'll. Shadow says it in the scanlation of the manga and you past readers already know I kept it as his speaking quirk in my fic… Again, review please!
Pirates: That quote is a bit of a mash-up between the online scanlation of the Four Swords manga and the 'official' paperback form I own a copy of. In the paperback, he says "Father, hurry! Bandits!" and in the beginning of the story Jago's band are referred to as bandits as well. However, just LOOK at Jago. He looks like a pirate. He dresses like a pirate. He acts like it, too. In the online scanlation, he is referred to as a pirate, not a bandit, and in my mind, this fits better. The water girl/pretty girl Jago tried to kidnap in the beginning of the manga reappears in the last scene and appears to be cheering… I decided to put a twist on this, as well as the bag Jago has over his shoulder in the scene, and so this new, very much altered beginning was born. You may want to look into the manga to understand what I'm going on about… I'm pretty sure free scanlations can still be found online if you can't afford to buy the two volumes.
River Zola: I checked on the Zelda Wiki, and the aggressive River Zora, a recurring enemy in the Zelda series, is sometimes referred to as the River Zola by fans to differentiate it from its peaceful, civilized relatives. This particular description of it matches its appearance in the Four Sword games. The 'Zola' name originates from a mistranslation of Zora in one of the earlier Zelda game's manuals back before the 3D games (3D most likely referring to Ocarina of Time) when Zoras were just an enemy and not a separate race of Hyrule as well.
Gufuu: Sorry to any new readers who were confused by this! In the online scanlations of the Four Swords manga (which is what I read before I got my paper copies), the Wind Sorcerer/Demon is referred to by what I think is probably Vaati's Japanese name, Gufuu. I looked up name meanings and discovered the meanings of the two characters making up the name: Fuu is wind and Gu (this form, anyway) is storm, so Gufuu literally translates to 'wind storm'. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the meaning is 'hurricane', which still makes sense… The one these Four Sword Links faced is Gufuu. There is a reason for this, but you'll find that out in a later chapter.
Impa: That's right; I'm including Impa in this! Even if she doesn't make an actual cameo, she'll be present as a background/side character. It's one of her Sheikah incarnations, not the chubby, motherly handmaiden of Oracle of Seasons/Ages. …Really, it may be a sort of mix of the two… This fic's Zelda decided to devote her studies to both magic and the Sheikah arts, wanting to learn to defend herself in case another threat ever befalls Hyrule. She's sick and tired of sitting on the sidelines while Link gets in danger for her, regardless of whether the enemy is angry bees from a hive their younger selves accidentally disturbed or a powerful villain/monster. So, yep, this fic's Zelda will be less of a damsel of distress and more self-sufficient. Like in the original version, she'll be taking initiative more often and may even appear more. She will not be outright adventuring alongside the party, but she won't be helpless, either.
This Hyrule's Geography: Hyrule Field will of course be the hub from which other regions are most often reached, and the layout will probably be some mix of Minish Cap and Four Swords (once I FINALLY look up the map layout of Four Swords) plus some improvising. After all, the Four Swords game I'm familiar with consisted of separate levels instead of the usual overworld exploration, so I kind of NEED to improvise. So far, I've worked out:
-Hyrule Castle is separated from Castle Town by a small section of field like it is in Minish Cap.
-The Four Sword Sanctuary is in a separate area than Hyrule Castle. Seeing as it was reached through a portal in Minish Cap, I will go with the idea that at some point it moved from its gap between dimensions to Hyrule proper, since otherwise it would have been impossible to get in unless the gate between Hyrule and the world of the Minish was open. I haven't decided where exactly it is, but it is definitely outdoors. The four Elements are still on their pedestals (hey, they're even shown briefly in the FS manga) and the partly-repaired Dark Mirror is behind the altar where the sword is.
-The Minish Woods is present (though its layout will probably be different) and is located south of Lake Hylia (because it's south of Lake Hylia in Minish Cap). It and the Lost Woods are two different forests in this fic. The run-down temple in it I mentioned in the prologue is the Deepwood Shrine where MC Link got the Earth Element.
-The Palace of Winds in my fic drifts through the sky rather than have a tower tying it to the ground, and, unlike in the second Four Swords game, it did not collapse when Gufuu was defeated. The Wind Tribe (from MC) may make an appearance, but even if they don't, they're around somewhere and are the reason why it remains afloat. Currently, the Palace is sticking close to the Minish Woods. Why? Go ahead and guess~! Sky-Tall Tower is the Palace's tallest spire and is probably the central one, too. Now that the evil's gone, it's back to being a wind shrine. The Wind Palace is where MC Link got the Wind Element. Kind of ironic/nostalgic that Vaati/Gufuu calls it home, huh?
-I'm not sure if the Temple of Droplets or Cave of Flames will be in this fic, but I'm pretty sure the Wind Fortress won't be… The Temple of Darkness from the FS manga is in this Hyrule, though.
Aaaaand that's it for Chapter One! Please review!
