The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Present
I do not own the Legend of Zelda or any of its characters.
Chapter 2
Zelda looked at the strange boy in her lap. 'Link?' she wondered, 'who is that? And why did he call me "your highness"?' He looked equally confused. "Do I know you?" she asked, trying to get some information out of him. He furrowed his brow in concentration, and then looked at his surroundings again. A thought seemed to dawn on him and he looked at Zelda, panic stricken, rising up and grabbing her shoulders and asking quickly, "Where is Hyrule Castle!" Zelda, scared by his sudden outburst and that he had grabbed her stammered, "Uh….we-well….I…uh….Hyrule vanished a long time ago…."
His face fell. His earlier panic was replaced by horror and disbelief. "N-no. That can't be right….I was fighting in Hyrule field, I SAW the castle burning, I…" He struggled to remember, what had Ganon said to him before he had fallen asleep? Something about 'the one of royal blood'? He hadn't noticed that Zelda had retreated to her friend during his thoughts. "Zelda, this guy freaks me out!" Malon whispered, "He's obviously insane!" Zelda responded, "Think about it. I hear a strange voice, follow it to a hidden glade in the Great Forest, and he suddenly appears from inside a tree." Malon sighed, "O.K. so we're insane." Zelda rolled her eyes and was about to say something else when they heard Link shout, "The one of royal blood!" Both turned to him, "Huh?" They both inquired.
Link didn't seem to notice them but repeated the curse, "Until the one of royal blood shall find you, forever shall we sleep…." He sank to the floor and hung his head. Who knows how long he's been out of commission. Months, years, decades even. But that didn't concern him; the only thing he thought about was the last part of Ganon's curse. 'At that time, you and I shall finish this endless cycle of death and rebirth…' Zelda and Malon glanced at each other and asked him, "Who are you exactly?" Link sighed, he might as well explain as best he could. No telling where, or rather when, he was. "My name is Link. I am a Hylian knight, born in the year of the Great War before the King of Hyrule united the country. I am known as the Hero of Time. During my final battle with the evil king, Ganondorf, he placed a curse on me that caused me to sleep until a descendant of the royal family found me. I don't know how long I have been asleep, but I do know that the evil king will return since I have awoken."
Zelda gasped. Some of her father's old books talked about a Great War, but that happened over a thousand years ago. Could this guy really be over a thousand years old? "So, this guy, this evil king or whatever, he isn't gonna like, come back right 'now', is he?" Malon asked, hopefully. Link shook his head, "There's no telling when he'll reappear. He might have already risen and is gathering an army somewhere, resurrecting his old minions." Malon gulped, "Oh…" Zelda asked, "Is there any way we can stop him?" Malon grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear, "'We'! Are you seriously gonna believe this guy's story! He could be some weird serial rapist or something!" Zelda looked at her friend like she was stupid, "Does he look like a serial rapist to you?" Malon looked over Zelda's shoulder at Link. Sure he looked pretty beat up, and definitely had that aura that said 'I will kill you if I had to.' But overall, he seemed like a nice guy. Handsome to boot. "Alright, I guess not. But still, what can we possibly do?"
Link spoke up, "Right now, it might be a good idea to get out of here." He sounded worried. He was standing, sword and shield in hand, looking into the bushes. Zelda and Malon both stood and asked, "Why? What's wrong?" Link didn't have to answer, because at that moment a large black shape jumped out of the bushes at the two young women. They screamed and closed their eyes, waiting for death. "Hyaaah!" They opened their eyes to see Link grappling with the beast. It was lean, with sharp teeth, and resembled a wolf. The creature snarled and snapped at Link, trying to get at his throat, but Link pushed up with all his might, which was a lot more difficult than usual considering he had lost one of his golden gauntlets, and used his shield to bash the creature in the face. The disoriented animal staggered around for a few seconds before Link drove his blade into the creature's side. It fell without another sound. Link withdrew his blade and wiped it on a cloth he kept in his pouch, just in case. That's when he noticed the Master Sword looked…..different. It was no longer the deep purple it once was. Instead it was a teal-ish color. The blade was shorter, and its familiar, wing shaped hilt was gone. It no longer glowed with power. Zelda and Malon recovered from their shock, "What was that thing?"
Link tore himself from his sword and replied, "A wolfos, a deadly creature that usually hunts in packs." Both girls looked over their shoulders and into the bushes, "So there are more of them?" He nodded, "We need to get out of here now! Where did you two come from?" Zelda looked in all directions frantically but she couldn't see any signs of where they had entered. "I-I don't know!" Link could hear the other wolfos closing in, he looked everywhere for a sign that would tell him where to go. 'Master….this way…' Link turned and saw a figure floating in the distance. She looked like a humanoid crystal. Her 'body' was a light blue and her 'clothes' were dark purple and black laced with green on her leggings.
She pointed in a direction and floated away. Not taking the time to question it he sheathed his sword and shield, grabbed the girl's hands and took off into the woods. He heard the howls of the wolfos as they gave chase. Up ahead he saw the outline of the mysterious girl floating a couple of yards ahead. "Where are we going!" Zelda yelled. "Just trust me!" Link replied and kept following the floating figure. Soon they saw a light growing brighter as they raced towards it. The wolfos hot on their tails not five feet behind snarled and barked. They kept running faster and faster until finally they burst through the trees and past the first few buildings. When they finally stopped running they tried to catch their breath. Malon asked him, "How did you know which way was out?" Link was panting heavily, "I don't know. Did you see the girl too?" Malon looked at Zelda, who was equally confused, "What girl?" "The one that….never mind. We need to go somewhere safe." He began looking around. What kind of houses were these? They were made of some kind of stone. Not like the mud and thatched houses he was used to seeing.
Zelda spoke up, "We can go back to my place. My father has some old texts that might help you out. He's into ancient history and stuff like that. I'm sure he'd love to meet you." Link nodded, "Lead the way." Malon immediately asked, "Zelda what about school? Professor Shad will be extremely angry if you didn't show up without a good excuse." Zelda turned to her friend, "I think an evil king coming back to destroy the world and an out of time knight are a good enough excuse. But I don't think that he'd believe that so I'm gonna go with a sore throat or something." With that she walked away, indicating for link to follow her. Malon looked back from the direction to school, and Zelda, then decided to go against her better judgment and cried, "Wait up!" She ran to catch up to them.
Back in the forest, the wolfos were bowing their heads and whimpering. A man with black armor was sitting on a makeshift throne and was listening to the beasts as they told him of their failure to capture the three teens. He chuckled, "There, there, my friends. No need to worry, I should have known you were not enough to capture the 'Hero of Time' and the 'Princess of Destiny'. I shall deal with them myself. For now, I must attend to other matters. It seems the Master Sword has lost its power after being asleep for so long. The perfect opportunity for me! Hahahahaha!" He cackled with laughter, the deep, booming sound of his voice resounding throughout the area. The wolfos howled in excitement.
Zelda, Malon, and Link walked up the stairs to Zelda's house. "Woah. Not exactly a castle, but still." Link commented as he strode through the doorway. Zelda took off her shoes and waited for the others to do the same, "So, if I'm supposed to be the descendant of a princess, how did you know her?" Link was in the process of taking off his large leather boots when he stopped. He seemed lost in a happy memory, he smiled sadly. "Like I said before, I am a Hylian knight. We're usually commanded by our princess directly." He lied. It wasn't exactly a lie. It was true that 'his' Zelda gave her orders to the knights personally, but that wasn't the whole truth of their relationship. Zelda shrugged and began to think of how she'd explain this to her father. Link finished taking off his boots and looked around the entryway. It was definitely unlike the houses he had been in, but then again, things change with time. He knew that better than anyone. He then found himself staring at Zelda. There were a few minor differences between the two, but there was no doubt. She was of the royal bloodline. The only thing that bothered him was her clothes. This must be a very strange place because back in his time, dresses were never that short! Or revealing….
He shook that thought from his head. He may be an eighteen year old man, but he still had respect for women. From somewhere in the house they heard a deep voice humming what seemed to be a lullaby. Link recognized this as Zelda's Lullaby. "Father? Can you come here? I need help." The humming stopped and the man slowly entered the hallway. "Zelda? What are you doing here? Did something happen?" He asked worriedly. Then he noticed Link and did a double take at his odd clothing and armed appearance, "And who might you be?" Zelda walked over to her father and took his hand, "You might want to sit down. This will take a while." The aging man looked from his daughter, to Link and nodded, allowing Zelda to lead him into the living room.
~Hours later~
Zelda's father, Kaepora was his name, was staring at Link with great interest and concern. "So you're from the Great War era!" He asked excitedly. Link nodded. "And you say a great evil is rising now that you have awakened from your slumber?" Again, Link nodded. "This is extraordinary! And distressing." He leaned forward and placed his chin against his fist, "How can we stop something as evil and powerful as that?" Link spoke up, "There is only one weapon that can defeat him. The Master Sword." Kaepora looked up, "The evil destroying sword? That was lost for centuries…..oh right." He noticed the blade at Link's side. Now Malon spoke up, "So all we have to do is find this Ganondorf guy, you do your fancy sword swinging, and the world is safe again, right?" Link didn't answer. He simply looked at the blade. Kaepora noticed this and asked, "Is something wrong my boy?" Link sighed, "Actually, there's a problem. For some reason, the Master Sword has lost its power."
Everyone in the room looked at the sword now. "So what you're saying is…." Link nodded gravely, "Yes, this sword is useless against the evil king as it is now." Everyone sighed. Zelda began to think. Could there be a way to fix the sword? "Link, is there a way to restore its power?" Link was about to answer when a bright light surrounded the sword. Everyone shielded their eyes. When it died down, they saw a figure standing in front of them. It was the girl Link saw from earlier! "Who are you!" Kaepora asked. The girl disregarded him and looked at Link. "Hello, Master. It's been a while…" All eyes were on Link and the mysterious girl that suddenly appeared. "And you are…?" Link had no clue as to who she was. However, somewhere in the back of his mind, he recognized her. "My apologies master. I mistook you for your ancestor. My personal designation is Fi. I am the spirit that resides within the sword. And you are my master."
Link and company gazed at the girl named Fi. "As to your previous question, there is a way to return the Master Sword to its former state." All began to listen closely. "You must find the three sacred flames of the goddesses that are hidden somewhere in this land. They will temper the blade and return its power to vanquish evil." Link thought for a moment. He had no idea where to begin looking for something like that. The world had changed too much. "I think I have some old manuscripts that spoke of three sacred flames somewhere in my library. It will take some time to find them. Until then, please feel free to stay here." Link nodded gratefully, "Thank you." Zelda spoke up, "What will he do all day father? We can't let him roam the streets dressed like that, he'd cause a riot!" Kaepora thought for a minute and said, "It might be better if he went with you to school for the time being."
Zelda almost fell out of her chair, "Huh! Father you can't be serious!" Link watched this exchange with intense curiosity. "He'd never be able to blend in!" Kaepora nodded, "Yes, but it would be a faster way to get him up to date. He could also learn the layout of Hylla and the surrounding provinces." Link nodded, "Plus I have to keep an eye on you. Ganondorf will be after you as well." Zelda's pulse quickened with fear, "Why me?" Link held up his left hand. The Triforce symbol was glowing. "Because, to complete the Triforce, he needs all three pieces. I have the Triforce of Courage. Ganondorf holds the Triforce of Power. You, Zelda, hold the final piece. The Triforce of Wisdom.
Malon piped up, "So that's why she's the top in her class! She cheated!" Everyone in the room looked at the girl dumbstruck. Zelda still didn't like the idea, but began to see the sense in it. Kaepora clapped his hands and stood, "Alright! It's settled, Link will accompany you to school until he gets a lead. For now, I will make us something to eat!" Link perked up at the mention of food. Malon said goodbye and went home saying she couldn't stay and that she'd have to explain to her father what happened. After she had left, Zelda took Link to one of the guest rooms. "You can sleep here. Father will have dinner ready in a little bit." Link nodded and proceeded to remove his equipment. Zelda watched him from the doorway as he began his routine of checking his inventory. He laid his sword and shield in the corner. Then he removed a pouch at his side and began to take items out of it. Zelda stared as he pulled out items twice the size of the bag. There was a bow, a huge hammer, and many other things.
"How do you carry all of that stuff in that tiny thing?" Zelda asked. Link looked up, "Hmm? Oh, the pouch is enchanted. I got it when I was a boy and still lived with the Kokiri…" He stopped. Sadness began to wash over him. Zelda looked at him sympathetically. "Zelda! Link! Food's ready!" Link snapped out of his sad state and hurriedly walked out of the room. 'Well at least I know food is a good way to get him going.' She chuckled to herself and walked towards the dining room. As she passed the courtyard that made up the middle of the house, she felt a dark presence lurking in the shadows. She turned and looked all around but saw nothing. She shrugged and kept walking but stayed alert. A dark figure was crouching atop the roof, and with a leap, disappeared into the night.
After dinner Link made his way back to his room and took off his tunic. It was torn and dirty. He would need to repair and wash it later. He removed the cap from his head and shook his dirty blonde hair. He put his clothes to the side and looked around the room. He saw a simple drawer in the corner of his room with a small flower in a pot on top of it. On the ground there was a mat with a quilt on top of it. He figured that this was how people slept in this era and lay down to sleep. He slowly closed his eyes and descended into his dreams, worried about what the next day would bring.
Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Zelda was getting ready to sleep as well. She was brushing her hair when the glowing symbol on her hand caught her eye. So much had happened that day. She wondered about the boy. He looked around her age but his eyes made him seem much older. He was also very handsome… Zelda felt her cheeks turn red slightly and she shook her head furiously. She barely even knew the guy! Still, she felt as if she had known him a lifetime. She considered these thoughts as she soon fell fast asleep.