Hello thar, again! I'm back in black (seriously, I'm wearing black right now) and ready to get the show on the road as some would put it. First of all thanks to my deux reviewers - it really helps motivate you when you see that someone took the time to say something about your story. It's actually what I was waiting for before I posted the next chapter.

Yes, though, Ganondorf isn't having the Power child (haha, that sounds funny). Someone else is, but I'll tell you right now, it isn't an OC. I absolutely hate OC's as prominent characters - it drives me nuts, but sometimes I have to do it.

Okay, all of that aside, this is chapter one, since the last one was the prologue with all its mysterious shit and such.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. Nintendo does, so back off bitches.

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"Hey Link! LINK WAKE UP!"

The shrill voice of something or other - he was too tired to bother to remember who it actually was - blasted through his ears as if it had been a cannon. He groaned, keeping his eyes shut for as long as he could. If he could stand his ground against evil, maniac usurpers with bad sword skills, giant eels, and overgrown flying lizards that breathed fire that lived in a floating city in the sky, he could stand his ground against the young ones of Ordon attempting to wake him up, right?

Wrong.

It was then that he became vaguely aware that he was being rocked forcefully from side to side in his cozy, warm bed. Not moments later, something small had climbed on top of his back - he had been lying face down in his pillow - and had began to hop up and down a bit on top of him. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back, and Link's own back in the process.

"OUCH!" the young warrior screamed in pain. A group of excited yet frightened squeals echoed in his ears as the pressure left his back and he heard the definite slamming of the door. Good. Riddance. Now he could actually try and pull himself out of Slumber Land and into reality.

The first thing to happen to him was the brief blindness, which caused him to panic until he realized a minute later that he was only face down in his pillow, a fact which the oh-so energetic ones had made him forget. After ten minutes, he finally managed to pull himself out of the warm comforts of his bed and into the brisk December air. He groggily got some soup on the fire and sat down in a chair to wait while it heated up.

His thoughts drifted back to his dream. It had started happening over two months and a half ago - actually, it had only occurred once, but his thoughts kept replaying the words of the goddesses over and over like a broken record player. It couldn't have really been the goddesses speaking to him, right? He must have imagined the whole thing up. He then remembered what Farore had said to him.

He couldn't really have a child, could he? He was a… he, for lack of a better word! There was no way. Unless he became a woman… but ew, no! That was impossible, too. Maybe not for the goddesses, but… It probably hadn't actually been them in that dream. If he could recall, that had been the night of his birthday party, and a few drinks had been passed around amongst the adults, including himself. Link finally decided hazily that morning that it had simply been an intoxicated, strange dream pulled together from his intoxicated, strange imagination.

Later in the morning, after having been properly fed, dressed, and rested, the young man ventured outside into the peaceful abode that was Ordon. It's size had seemingly increased after his quest to save Hyrule. It would seem that word of his living there and extravagant rumors had drawn some of the city folk to the quiet countryside. At least now they got a steady flow of trade between Castle Town and Ordon, and things were looking pretty bright for the town and Link as well.

Except for one thing that plagued him every other second, a subject that he had never told any of the Ordonians about because really, who would believe him if he told them that on his journey he had fallen in love with the princess of a dimension that was parallel to Hyrule and was inhabited by the descendants of a group of evil sorcerers who had tried to take over Hyrule almost a million years ago? Not to mention that he had been getting very unsubtle vibes from Ilia, and there was nothing worse than an awkward friendship like that. Couldn't she find some nice boy who had come in from Castle Town? Any of them would be better for her than him. Speaking of Ganondorf reincarnated…

"Hey Link! What's up?"

He visibly winced as the young girl ran up to him, batting her eyelashes in such a bad attempt at flirting that Link felt embarrassed for her. Behind her, a few older girls from the city were staring in disbelief as he actually talked back to her. She was still his friend, after all, and he hoped that for his sake and hers that this crush on him of hers was simply a faze, and that she would fall for one of the ex-townie boys. He noticed one, just now, looking at her forlornly. How sad.

"Um… well, the sky is up?"

"No silly, I mean what are you doing?"

"Well, I'm not being a cave dweller, and I'm not herding, and I'm not-"

"I like you."

They both stopped suddenly, Ilia blushing as red as Din's hair and Link staring blankly at her. The girls did a collective "Oooo!" and Link saw the town boy do an extremely dramatic sigh and begin to drag his feet back to wherever it was that he lived. Link still hadn't really cared enough to learn where all the immigrants, if you could call them that, lived.

"Um… that's great…? I guess?" The Ordon boy really had no idea how to respond to such a blunt statement, other than to try and look somewhere else. Somewhere else… like that rock. Yes, the odd little one jutting out of the hill next to the shop. He remembered it, suddenly - the moonlight shining down on his grey fur as Midna directed him over to the rock, then up onto the roof of the shop, all to get a sword and shield she would never use…

It was then that he suddenly felt a disturbance inside his body. An acidic taste rose up in his throat and the back of his mouth felt as if it were being tickled by a feather. Oh shit. He placed a hand over his mouth, and Ilia watched as he turned as green as his tunic.

"Link, are you…?"

That was it. He couldn't hold it anymore. Link removed his hand from his mouth a vomited all over the one thing in front of him - Ilia.

Very suddenly, a shriek of horror shattered his ears as the blonde girl threw herself into the stream, continuing to wail in her high-pitched voice. The group of girls that had been watching her before were now giggling and whispering to themselves, and Link suddenly felt a terrible guilt for embarrassing the young girl in front of the high-standard city girls. A few of the villagers ran outside to see what the hell is just happened, since, you know, having all the children in your village stolen at least once makes EVERYBODY really paranoid or something. Just your average "OEMGEE, WHAT IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN?" stuff.

Moving on, because Link certainly had no idea what to do now. He stood there in disbelief for a few moments before blurting out an excuse even he couldn't remember saying, and immediately running back to his house.

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The young man woke with a start from a loud pounding on the door. That had been some dream… or had it been one? No, it couldn't have, he distinctly remember, with a pang of guilt in his heart, puking his guts out on Ilia, and right in front of all those girls, too. The poor thing was probably devastated and would probably never speak to him aga-

The pounding was heard again. Right, the person at the door.

Link sluggishly got up from the chair he had dozed off in. From the strange half-light filling the room, he assumed it was late and twilight was already setting in. Twilight… As long as he lived, he would always love this time of day when he could almost picture her there scolding him for being so lazy, with her fiery red hair and matching attitude.

"MR. LINK!!! SPECIAL MAIL DELIVERY FROM PRINCESS ZELDA! PLEASE OPEN UP, SIR, I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE!"

Oh great Goddesses above, why did Zelda have to send the one Hylian that Link would not willing protect against savage beasts to deliver her "super-special-awesome" package? He sighed and opened the door.

"Thank you, Postman. Now please leave."

"BUT MR. LINK! ZELDA ALSO ASKED ME TO REQUEST THAT YOU MEET WITH HER IN A WEEKS TIME IN CASTLE TOWN, BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT NOT READ THE LETTER! THAT IS ALL. GOOD-BYE MR. LINK! ONWARD TO MAIL!"

Link watched too gratefully as the postman disappeared out of sight. Good riddance.

So Zelda wanted him back at the castle? But what for? Staring down at the letter in his hands, Link sighed, knowing he would have to read it to find out, which stank like a wild boar because he was dyslexic and probably the worst reader EVER, and Zelda had this obsession over huge words that no one could ever hope to understand. That was the price of royalty, though, he guessed.

Sitting back down in his chair again, Link tore open the letter, unfolded it, and began to read.

Dearest Link,

This is Zelda. I have something urgent to discuss with you right away that I think might apply to you, as well as all of Hyrule. Please, I would like you to be in Castle Town in at least a week's time, even sooner if you could. Sooner is better. Thank you.

Love,

Zelda

P.S.: If the fate of Hyrule isn't enough to get you out of your cozy little armchair there, there's something else that you would be interested in on a more personal level, I believe.

P.P.S.: If that mysterious after note wasn't enough either, I have muffins. Cinnamon muffins.

Well crap. He would have to go on yet another adventure, it would seem.

Oh well. At least there would be muffins.