The Legend of Zelda: Time After Time
Chapter 1: Princess of Courage
Seven Years Later…
Moonbeams filtered into the palace chamber, tinting the room in the soft colors of the gauzy curtains. A warm, gentle breeze wove its fingers through the cloth giving the material the illusion life as it rippled above the tile floor. The distant sound of falling water from the garden's many fountains blended with the melody of wind chimes dancing on the gentle breeze. Midnight at Hyrule Castle on a summer's eve could not have been more soothing than it was this night. However, because of her emotional state's stark contrast to the sleeping world, Princess Zelda Orianne only felt her agitation more clearly.
She had once again been awakened by strange and terrible visions, and although she had dreamed nightmares from her childhood, they were growing clearer, more persistent, and more frightening. The princess was more than ready to find some answers, and she knew that she wasn't going to find them here in Hyrule Castle Town. Sixteen years of living in the palace here – hearing legends of the Hero before she could even read them, and then scouring the libraries for all she could find of Hyrule's history, both officially and legendary – and she knew the resources of this city. The answers to the questions in her dreams were not to be found here. And because her line was known to have prophetic visions, she desperately needed those answers. Six years ago she and her mother had made the deal that if she performed perfectly as a princess she would be allowed to learn what she could of swordplay and the ancient arts of defense from the legends in addition to her regular courtly training. Now, for the first time since that day, she was going to deliberately break the terms of her promise and leave Castle Town without first gaining permission. In fact, she was even going beyond that.
Zelda drew the thick drapes across her windows before lighting a hand-lamp, and then set it down before the cedar trunk in which she kept all of her most treasured possessions. Using the key she wore on a thin golden chain around her neck, she unlocked the chest and lifted the heavy lid. The earthy smell of cedar was one of Zelda Orianne's favorite things about this trunk that she had inherited from her mother. It had a mysterious, ancient feel to it, and the wood-scent seeped into everything that she placed inside the chest. The first item she removed was a bag that she had found in the castle treasury when her mother had taken her there to tell her the history behind the most important items the Royal Family kept. She had wondered at first why such an ordinary looking object was there among jeweled armor, weapons, and other fabulous objects. The embroidered swirls and feathers on the bag were worn out in places, and the leather it was made of looked very old. But then she had realized that it could actually hold much more than it seemed, and the things one placed in it weighed hardly anything at all. (However, its space was not infinite. Zelda had tested exactly how much she could stuff into it to satisfy her curiosity one day soon after she had acquired it. The bag could hold a lot, but it definitely did run out of space, and it did become heavy.) No one had known where the bag had come from when she asked about it. One book she had found in the library related some of the embroidered symbols with a people of the sky, but she hadn't found anything more about them in all her searching through legendary accounts.
The second item the young princess withdrew was one she had found practically buried in the armory, and a rare find it was: a Shiekah bodysuit. The lightweight mesh was amazingly good protection, and Zelda Orianne had found the range of movement allowed by the second skin very useful in her sparring sessions. The princess had always wondered if this had been the very suit worn by her ancestor, Zelda Destine. That Princess had put on the disguise of a Shiekah boy for seven years while waiting for the Hero of Time to awaken. If it was not that original suit, perhaps other Zeldas had joined her in copying that legendary figure's alter ego, and this was an updated version of the Shiekah uniform. Regardless of what time it came from, it was useful. Zelda Orianne set it on the floor beside the bag.
Thirdly, the present princess removed a long, thin object and unwrapped it, revealing the sword and sheath of the Dawn Blade. This was the golden-hilted sword of Zelda Twilia, who had aided the Hero and Midna, the Princess of Twilight, in saving Hyrule from encroaching darkness that entered through the Twilight realm. Zelda Orianne had had to beg for possession of this particular sword, but because her mother didn't care nearly as much for relics as she did, when the young princess was old enough to wield the perfectly balanced, lightweight sword, she had received it as a birthday gift. Hyrule's present princess had only ever used it in practice of course, but she would feel safer with a sword from the legends at her side. She carefully placed the sword, sheath, and belt beside the Shiekah suit.
Her fingers brushed over a second suit while she was rummaging, and Zelda Orianne took it out on a whim. The interlocking scales of the light mail caught and scattered the light from her lamp in the cool colors of deep waters. She fingered the soft, durable azure cloth with a smile. This was Zora Armor, one of two sets in existence as far as she knew. This one had been made for her by her best friend, the Zora Prince Ruahti, so that she could swim as deep as he could and they could explore the lakes and rivers of Hyrule together. The other set was kept by the Zora royalty for the use of the awakened Hero, whenever he should appear. The princess felt extremely privileged to own this. If only she could take her thoughtful friend with her on this adventure! But she was heading to the desert, and the desert was hardly the place for a young princess, let alone a Zora. She wouldn't need this in that barren land, but she had plenty of space in her bag so she decided to pack it anyway. Who knew where her answer seeking might lead her, or if she would have time to come back here and get the suit if she did need its magic?
Finally, Zelda Orianne withdrew a small, blue velvet-lined pouch, and set it on top of her bag before closing and relocking her chest. She then slipped out of her nightdress, folded it, and began methodically putting on the pieces of the Shiekah bodysuit. She took care with every lace and tie, using the time that she spent dressing to mentally prepare herself for the path she would be taking. Once suited up, she braided her long golden hair back so that it would stay out of the way, and proceeded to wrap her chest, wrists, and ankles, completing the ensemble. She belted on the Dawn blade and placed the velvet pouch and a few basic objects into her bag along with the Zora suit before blowing out her lamp.
The last thing she did before leaving her room was to place on her pillow a sealed letter of explanation that was addressed to her mother. Even though she gave her reasons, Zelda felt a twinge of sorrow at needing to leave this way. However, after her father's accidental death while he was looking into the past and the matter of the Sages, her mother would never let her take this dangerous path. She knew that the Queen only wanted to protect her beloved daughter, but the young princess needed to walk this road.
Zelda Orianne slipped through the corridors of the castle like a silent shadow, coming to the armory where she grabbed her favorite bow and quiver and stuffed some rope into her bag. She wasn't as fully prepared as she would have liked to be, but she thought she must at least have the basics. Zelda crept outside the castle as the sky was just starting to lighten with the faintest hints of dawn, and drew out her velvet pouch. She opened it reverently, and let an ocarina slip into her hand. The instrument was a shining azure color and the golden insignia of the Triforce glinted near the mouthpiece. She fingered the smooth, cool ceramic of the instrument with care. The Ocarina of Time was usually entrusted to the Princess of Hyrule on her seventeenth birthday; which was also when she came of age and became the Triforce bearer. But her mother had allowed her to have it a year early, on her sixteenth birthday, because the younger Zelda so loved the legends of the Hero and had already learned to play the ocarina. She was sorry that her actions now would probably make her mother regret that trust, but she simply had to find the answers to these dreams, or they would drive her insane. She had been taught the melodies for each of Hyrule's six sages on the harp as a child, but she had never placed any special significance on the songs. That had changed when one day, just after she had inherited the ocarina, she had been thinking of Ruahti and played the Serenade of Water on the Ocarina of Time. A deep blue light had enveloped her after she finished the first bars of the melody and when she could see again she had been standing on the island above the Water Temple in Lake Hylia. Luckily for her, the Zora knew every waterway in Hyrule and had brought the princess home before she could be missed. However, she had locked that experience away in her memory should she need to draw on that information again.
Zelda Orianne double-checked that she had everything she thought she would need, and then brought the Ocarina to her lips. The mysterious strains of the Requiem of Spirit sounded into the morning and a soft, amber light surrounded her, spiriting her away to the desert
Princess Zelda found herself standing in the imposing heights of the Mirror Chamber at sunrise. The ancient chains that hung from the columns of the Six Sages still gripped the enormous rock that had once served as part of the door to the Twilight Realm. She was standing on the pedestal that still held the frame of the shattered Mirror of Twilight. She was really here. She also noticed that 'here' was really quite high up as she walked to the edge of the Mirror Chamber and looked down on the desert. It was going to take her some time just to get to the shifting sands, let alone traverse it and find the fairy fountain. She straightened, drew on her determination, and began working her way downward, beginning with a passageway leading off of the main chamber that came to a series of stairs. She would have to brave the guardians of the temple, but she let the knowledge that her task was essential buoy her courage and entered with little hesitation.
The sun was setting over the horizon by the time a weary Zelda made it to the sands outside the Desert Colossus. There was nothing like experience to let a girl know what things she should have packed. She was already wishing she had thought to bring food, a lantern, more water, and various other objects. She was also realizing how little experience she had with combat. She hadn't run into many creatures in navigating the Arbiter's Grounds, but she had run from far more than she had fought successfully. Her imagination could not even supply what the full force of a tainted temple under Ganondorf would have been like. Zelda respected the Hero even more after trying to successfully navigate that sand trap during peacetime – let alone in the middle of a war!
On the bright side, even though she was far more tired than she'd like to be, evening would be the most comfortable time to cross the desert to where the fairy fountain was supposed to be located. So, instead of resting, Zelda kept putting one foot in front of the other, slowly crossing the shifting sands of the Gerudo Desert. She wondered about the women who had established this place and chosen to live in this harsh environment as she walked. They must have had a great deal of courage and tenacity to survive here. Hoping that she also bore those necessary qualities for desert survival, Zelda trudged on through the ruins of the Gerudo society. She wondered what had happened to them. Like several other races of Hyrule, the Gerudo had disappeared from the histories and legends, practically without a trace.
Zelda Orianne thought ruefully that she could see why this enormous desert had been the birthplace of the King of Evil as she continued to trudge through the clinging sands. Ganondorf, the Gerudo-born enemy of all Hyrule, was part of her reason for being here in the home of the desert thieves. The echoes of his sinister influence haunted her as she trudged through the dunes. But when she paused to look this place had an eerie beauty to it as well – a sort of harsh, majestic splendor. Perhaps that was what the Gerudo Sage of Spirit from the legends had been like. If Ganondorf reflected the shadowed side of the desert, perhaps she had reflected its glory. Zelda shook her head and sighed. Her thoughts seemed to be running circles around the Sages as of late. And her dreams…she could recall them so clearly by now.
As the dream began she stood in the center of what she could only place as the Chamber of Sages from the legends. She gazed on blue light flowing around her like water from her place standing in the center of the shining golden symbol of the Triforce. Circling her on the ground were the Sages' Seals, shining with the bright gold of light, the emerald of the forest, the ruby of fire, the sapphire of the water, the amber of spirit, and the amethyst of shadow. However, much to her dismay four of the seals stood empty, only the Goron and Zora of fire and water stood side by side to her right. And she could feel deep in her spirit that three Sages were not enough to hold Ganon in his prison. The seals that protected Hyrule were weak, and she knew they could not stand for long. As she realized this, the world went dark around her and she saw with horror a twisted and evil version of the Hyrule she knew and loved. What she saw was different every time, and yet always the same. Through all her disturbing visions there was a distant deep-throated laughter, which she could only imagine came from Ganondorf himself. The missing Sages were the key to preventing her visions – she knew that much. But where could she even begin looking for them? She hoped the Great Fairy would be able to point her in the right direction.
With those thoughts in mind Zelda Orianne finally came to the southwest corner of the desert. There, a mesa marked the place where the Great Fairy's Fountain was rumored to be. She sighed heavily as she looked at the steep incline that led to the various levels of the mesa. She would need to rest before she even attempted to climb this obstacle. Zelda walked around the mesa, looking for a sheltered spot that would keep most of the wind out of her face. About three-fourths of the way around the mesa, the ground suddenly gave out around her, and she fell about eight feet down and landed with a splash in a shallow pool of water. Even though she had tried to minimize the damage by rolling, Zelda already felt some sore spots as she slowly stood. But other than a few bruises and being wet, she was unharmed. Moonlight filtered down from above and was enough to give her some impression of her surroundings. She was in a cave that held a small pool at the end where she was and had dry ground opposite her leading to what appeared to be a continuing passage.
'I suppose it's better than the sand and sun.' Zelda thought with a shrug as she checked her possessions and then proceeded down the curving passageway. She ran one hand along the wall as it got darker to make sure she wouldn't lose her way. Then, just as she thought she should either stop or go back a flickering blue light appeared on the walls in front of her, rippling in the patterns of water. She eagerly stepped forward, and a gentle chiming music sounded in her ears as she approached the light. Zelda sighed with relief and smiled as she stepped into a room of hanging vines and shining tile. A beautiful spring welled up in an elegantly carved stone pool where pink spots of light with wings flitted over the waters. She had found the fairy fountain. With a giggling chime one of the fountain's fairies flew over to hover in front of her nose.
"Princess Zelda?" the melodic voice asked, identifying her at once. "What are you doing here?" A few other fairies flitted around her and Zelda felt refreshed by the warmth of the fairy dust, easing her body and her spirit. She had to have come to the right place.
"I'm looking for the Fairy Queen. I need her advice." The princess answered the little sprite's query gravely.
"I have never known the Royal Family to come seeking my counsel." A deeper melodic voice sounded from the spring as the Great Fairy stood and unfurled her beautiful translucent wings. Her eyes sparkled like starlight and her hair gleamed like a river of molten silver as it fell down to her waist. "The Fairies are for the help of the Hero, not the Princess."
Looking upon the Great Fairy's beauty, Zelda wished she had thought to at least change out of her Shiekah suit and into a dress before standing in audience with this lovely being. She was acutely aware of her dirty and tattered state as she bowed to the Queen of the Fairies. "I know that my visit is unprecedented, but I also know you to be a being that the goddesses have gifted with courage, power, and wisdom. And so I came to seek your aid, for I did not know where else to turn."
The Great Fairy smiled and extended her arms to Zelda Orianne. "A wise answer, Princess. I will hear your plea. But first you need to rest and heal. My fairies will take care of you, and they will bring you to me when you are ready." After she had finished speaking the Great Fairy dissipated in a blend of colored lights, and Zelda found herself being told by several small fairies at once to remove her dirty things and bathe in the spring. They didn't even wait a moment before they started gently pushing her around and guiding her where they wanted her, and she was far too tired to argue with them.
Zelda Orianne awoke to the same faint chiming of the fairies that she had fallen asleep hearing. There were no nightmares in this place where she was surrounded by the beauty of the fairies' healing waters. She couldn't remember ever feeling more comfortable and well rested. The fairies had brought her to a spongy and sweet-smelling bed of greenery after getting her cleaned up, and she had fallen asleep within moments of lying down. She had been provided with a soft robe to rest in, and when she got up she found a change of clothes placed beside her bed of leaves.
By the time she had slipped into the simple but elegant gown of shimmering blue silk, the fairies had found her awake and insisted on doing her hair before they would take her to see the Great Fairy. Zelda couldn't help but smile at their chiming chatter and frequent giggles; it seemed as if they were all delighted to have a girl to fuss over. Their attention was sweet and not overbearing, and she found their company quite pleasant as they chatted to her and each other while combing and braiding her golden locks. When she finally met fairy approval, they led her through the tiled halls to a larger fountain than the one she had stumbled into previously. The Fairy Queen rose from sitting in the enchanted waters and waited for Zelda to come before her.
Zelda Orianne dropped a graceful curtsy as she stepped into the pool, leaving the comfortable shoes that matched her dress and her bag on the edge of the water. "Thank you for seeing me."
"It is my pleasure to be so respected by Hyrule's Princess. Come, child, sit with me and we will speak of your dreams." The Queen of the Fairies took the arm of Princess Zelda and they sat together in the magic fountain. Zelda Orianne told the Fairy Queen all of her dreams and all of her fears without reservation. If anyone in Hyrule could guide her, this woman blessed by the goddesses surely was the one who could. Talking with this great lady reminded Zelda of the times she would sit with her mother and speak of whatever was on her heart. She regretted that she had left with hardly a goodbye, and she hoped her mother was not too worried about her. Pouring out her fears and frustrations before the Great Fairy in the healing pool surrounded by soft lights and the chiming music of the smaller fairies, Zelda felt calmed. Although she wondered about the dire portents her visions had, here she could believe that any trial could be overcome. Here she would surely find the answers to her unsettled state, and the key to unlocking the secrets her dreams held. The Great Fairy was very serious as she spoke, and listened attentively, gently prodding her for the details of her visions, the changes in them over time, and generally not interrupting Zelda's telling. When the princess had finished all that she had to say, and answered as many of the Fairy Queen's questions as she could, the two let silence stretch between them and listened to the rippling of the water and the chimes of the other fairies' soft conversations for a few long moments.
"It seems that, as you've already determined, the Sages are the key to preventing Ganondorf from breaching his prison. However, as you also mentioned, several of Hyrule's races that the lines of the Sages were a part of have disappeared from our borders. To prevent the chaos of your dreams you will have to find the missing Sages, Princess," the Great Fairy spoke softly after a moment of thought.
"But, I've already been seeking clues to what happened to the Sages, and my father did the same before he died. Nothing new has come to light," Zelda Orianne protested.
"Perhaps you were not seeking in the correct places," the Great Fairy smiled softly at her young companion.
"My ability to search has been rather limited by my duties as a princess," Zelda admitted.
"You may find some clues to your answer at the Temple of Time."
Zelda's eyes widened. "You know where it is?"
The Fairy Queen laughed – a melodic sound of merriment. "I had forgotten that it was nearly lost to Hylians. Yes, it is deep in the forests in Faron's domain. I will bring you to Faron's Spring and the Light Spirit can aid in directing you from there."
"Then, that is where I shall go!" Zelda Orianne rose with determination. Her features also revealed her excitement. She had always wanted to see the Temple of Time. "Thank you, Great Fairy!"
The Queen of the Fairies stood as well and smiled at the young princess. "You may call me Rhianna, Princess. Your courage is admirable, but that alone will not be enough to get you to the temple. And so I shall grant you the power of Farore's Wind." The Great Fairy gently kissed Zelda Orianne on the forehead, and a warm glow flowed through her body as a soft emerald-tinted breeze surrounded the two of them. "You have already shown great courage in coming here. Farore's power should come very naturally to you. I have found pleasure in your visit, young Zelda. We shall see each other again. Safe journey, Princess."
Before Zelda Orianne had the chance to thank her again she found herself in Faron's Spring with the lemur-like Light Spirit looking down on her. All of her things were in her bag, which Faron handed her along with her shoes.
"What you seek lies to the North and through the Forest, Princess. Go with caution, for the woods house many mysterious creatures." The Light Spirit's voice was soothing as it sounded in her mind.
"Thank you, Faron!" Zelda curtsied respectfully, accepted her bag, and slid her shoes on at the edge of the spring before heading down the path toward the forest. Dawn was just starting to lighten the sky as the sun peeked over the trees of Faron's province. This would be the third day that she had been away from Hyrule Castle. Surely people were searching for her by now; but she couldn't be found and taken back – not before she had finished her task.
Zelda Orianne stepped with confidence along the forest path toward the temple, even though she had never set foot in this part of Hyrule before. Perhaps Faron was guiding her through its territory, even the overgrown caves she had to pass through were not as dark as she imagined they would be. When a noxious swamp blocked her way it seemed instinctive to call upon Farore's power and use the wind to keep away the poisonous mists. Even crossing the dangerous canyon that kept people away from the Lost Woods seemed like a smaller barrier as she trusted to the Goddess of Courage and allowed the emerald winds to teleport her across it in short jumps. She felt the weight of ages as she followed the path lain out for her. The trees grew older and larger as she progressed, and she could feel the magic in the very air.
The princess came to what appeared to be a dead end. However, as she gazed through the foliage, she found the symbol of the royal family engraved on the stone, and knew exactly what she needed to do. Once more, she unwrapped the Ocarina of Time and brought the instrument to her lips. She played the song that she had known from the cradle, the soft strains of the Princess' Lullaby. This song would identify her as an emissary of the Royal Family to the magics of this place. After she played a verse, she felt the power guarding the way activate, and a door opened to her. She didn't hesitate as she stepped through the gate and into the realm of memories forgotten: The Lost Woods.
The forest changed here. It seemed almost sentient, and the magics that ran through this place were so deep that Zelda could sense them without even trying. She also realized that these woods did not appreciate being disturbed from their slumber. The princess felt as if every step she took she was being watched and judged. A soft, bright melody played almost eerily at the edge of her consciousness here. As she stepped forward into a clearing in the woods, her presence was challenged by a curious creature about the size of a child. It wore a large hat and whimsical clothes that reminded her of fallen leaves. Its skin was so pale it was almost blue, and its eyes were points of glowing red-orange light that flickered over a wide smile. She connected it with the description of a Skull Kid from the legends. The Skull Kid blew a blast on a forest horn and eyed her warily; the lantern it held clinked softly as it swung back and forth and lit the creature's features in a ghostly blue.
Zelda didn't want to scare it away as it could probably guide her through the woods, so she again pulled out her ocarina. She played a fragment of melody and smiled at the strange child. It tilted its head and seemed to regard her curiously and then played its horn. She followed its lead on her ocarina. An instrumental game ensued, the melodies of horn and ocarina blending together in harmony. Afterwards, the child giggled and indicated that she should follow as it turned and skipped off through the woods. Zelda allowed herself a small sigh of relief for avoiding any real confrontation as she put away her instrument.
She followed the Skull Kid to the ivy-covered stone remains of an enchanted glade that led to the ruins of the Temple of Time. Reverently, she stepped through what might have once been a wall to enter the sacred grove. The Song of Time flowed up in her heart as she entered this hallowed place; it was almost as if she could hear the voices of past sages endlessly chanting the song. Sunlight streamed down through the trees that were now the Temple's only roof, creating dappled patterns of gray and green on the moss-covered floor and the parts of the walls that remained standing. Her steps took her through an archway guarded by ancient stoic statues to the circular clearing where the Sword of Evil's Bane rested in the Pedestal of Time. Its double-edged blade glinted brightly in the sun's rays.
This place – it was almost as if Zelda Orianne could feel it calling out to her. She closed her eyes, listening to the Temple and the Grove. Her memory was filled with the stories of Heroes Past and different times, the times when all of Hyrule's races had guarded the Sacred Realm. 'Please, goddesses, tell me the answer to my dreams. Show me where I might seek the missing Sages!' Her heart sought for her answers as she raised the Ocarina of Time to her lips and instinctively played the haunting melody of the Song of Time. As the melody filled her the call intensified and she felt herself surrounded by the cool energies of time, caught up in the flow and taken into the stream. A sapphire light wrapped around her like a blanket on a winter's day, and she disappeared from the Sacred Grove.
Author's Notes:
Well! This first chapter is finally up. I struggled a bit with getting it to where I wanted it to be, and I'm not sure if this is perfect but I'm fairly pleased with it. Special thanks to my boyfriend/beta for being a good sport about me forcing him to read/correct it. Hope you enjoyed!
Edit 7/16/08 - Thanks to Loyal Traitor's helpful advice I've changed the wording at a few points to hopefully make things a bit more clear and concise. His stories are a wonderful read, and I recommend you check them out if you've enjoyed mine.
