Disclaimer: I don't own squat. The Legend of Zelda series belongs to Nintendo. But hey, that's life.
AN: A HUGE thank you to Glaciealis for reviewing and telling me to keep up the good work! It means a lot to me! Okay, this is where I start making things up instead of just novelizing. Hang on tight, in case this ride gets bumpy! Here we go!
Link was busy examining the room for the fiftieth time, when the mysterious child woke up.
Link placed all of his focus towards the new kid as he shook himself awake, and fluttered his eyes open.
Okay, Link, you can do this. You know what he'll ask. He'll ask where his parents are, and freak out when he can't find them. Then, all you have to do is comfort him and promise him you'll find a way out, planned Link.
But, the best laid plans, of Link and the world, seemed to be going astray lately.
As soon as Link managed to make eye contact with the blue eyed stranger, the air was forced out of his lungs as the newcomer pounced on Link and pinned him to the floor.
"AACK!" shouted Link, in pain and alarm.
Link tried to roll on the ground to break free, but the kid's grip was unbelievably fierce. The kid kept his hold on Link, clinging onto him like a leech.
Seeing that rolling wasn't helping, and being too terrified to be in the same room with the young maniac, Link kicked the kid in the gut. This finally got the kid off of him, so Link ran to the other side of the room.
Okay then, you wanna fight?! You got it! shouted Link's mind. We reached for his back to draw out his trusty sword.
Only to remember that he no longer had a sword.
The child, however, did have a sword in his hands, one that glowed bright yellow.
Link gulped, deciding that the only thing he could do now, would be to either talk to the kid, or get away from him.
Well, since the kid was charging at Link, sword in hand and screaming like a war soldier, Link decided running would come first.
Link somersaulted to his right, out of the way of the child's gleaming sword, which barely missed the shelf.
However, the kid was prepared. He sidestepped twice, up to Link, and thrust the sword straight at him.
Link ducked this time, hearing the crack of stone as the sword made a small dent in the wall.
Link kicked out his legs, making the kid trip. But immediately after, the kid latched onto Link again, even harder than before, and the second round of ground-rolling began.
Link had to kick the youngster off with both of his feet this time, and managed to scramble to the opposite side of the room, across the wooden shelf, while the crazy kid sat on the ground, slightly dazed from the force of the kick.
When the kid came to, he saw Link with a chair in his hands.
The terrified Link tossed the chair, pleading that it would do something to the child, but the kid effortlessly cut through it with his sword. While Link was frozen in shock, the kid sprinted towards him, leaped onto the table, dove off of it, and slammed Link down to the floor. By that point, Link had no fight left in him.
All of Link's physical and mental strength had left him, making it easy for the child to lift Link up by the shirt collar, and pin him against a wall.
The horrifying kid then proceeded to shout gibberish words at Link, which of course did not help with Link's mentality.
"Wha- wh- I don't-" spluttered Link.
This only angered the child, so he roughly slammed Link against the wall and continued to shout nonsense.
"I really don't know what-" Link panicked.
The kid yanked Link off the wall, and up to his face. He brought his right fist up, ready to punch Link right in the face, and kept shouting, even louder than before.
That put Link over the edge. In a surge of energy, he punched the kid in the gut, hard, sending him sprawling to the ground as Link got as far away from him as possible.
"LEAVE ME ALONE! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL ME!" Link screamed, in anger.
And with that, all violence ended, leaving behind one boy, fists clenched, in a corner, and another boy wheezing on the ground.
When the kid got up, he shook his head, to regain focus, and stared at Link, who had his fists clenched, looking as ticked as the child was, only seconds ago.
As the kid attempted to take a step closer to Link, the latter snarled. "You stay away from me! I won't let you attack me any more!"
The kid froze, and just stood there. Link took notice that all anger had left the new child. But that didn't matter. The child had badly injured Link, so he obviously wasn't going to immediately forgive the kid and start trusting him again. He would have to do something that wasn't painful in order to regain his trust.
The child sat down, crossing his legs, against the opposite wall of Link's position. He didn't take his eyes off of Link, though, which Link didn't like.
Of course, Link couldn't help but note that the child seemed much more sane than before he was kicked in the gut. But since he had know idea why, he remained wary.
"Alright," Link spoke up. "I have NO IDEA what that was about, or who you are, so you owe me some answers!" Link demanded.
The child solemnly nodded in understanding.
"So, first off, what the heck was that gibberish you were shouting at me?!"
The child tilted his head, making Link frustrated.
"Whaaaat. Weeerrreeee. Youuuu. Saaaayyyying-"
"Hey, knock it off," snapped the child. "I heard you the first time."
Link threw his hands up in the air, finding it unbelievable that he could've understood everything the kid had said to him, if he only remembered to speak English.
"I'm surprised that you don't understand the Hylian language," said the child. "I thought you were trying to trick me."
"Trick you? I was defending myself!" shouted Link.
"There's no need to shout," said the child. "It isn't going to get us anywhere."
Surprisingly, the child's tone silenced Link immediately, his voice expressing wisdom that no child should ever have at that point in his or her life.
"If I told you why I attacked you, you wouldn't believe me," said the boy.
"This morning, I defeated three pig-men, and my sister was kidnapped by a gigantic bird. Try me," challenged Link.
The child sighed. "I attacked because... I mistook you for my dark self."
Link stared at him. "If I wasn't all bruised up, I'd be laughing."
The child groaned. "I had a feeling you wouldn't believe me."
Then, the kid quickly dug around in his satchel and took out a bottle full of red liquid. He rolled the bottle to Link, telling him, "Drink this. It'll help with your injuries."
Link squinted at him. "You just tried to kill me. You can't expect me to just drink something that was given to to me by someone who wanted me dead. Especially if that drink is red."
The kid rolled his eyes, dug into his satchel, and took out another bottle of red liquid. Link stood in alarm as the kid proceeded to take his sword and slice his own hand. He then quickly downed the liquid.
Link watched in awe as the gash vanished from the kid's hand. The kid smirked at Link, and gazed at the other bottle, beckoning Link to do what he said.
Link gulped down the liquid as though it was his grandma's soup, ignoring the bitter taste. Link immediately felt like a million rupees.
"Better?" asked the child.
"Much better," responded Link, smiling slightly. "Thanks."
"Of course," responded the kid, catching the bottle when Link tossed it to him.
"Well, I guess I now have a reason to trust you," said Link. "But I'm not done asking questions."
"Wow. That's surprising," remarked the kid, sarcastically.
"Oh shut it," said Link, smirking. "Anyway, next question: where did you come from?"
The child gave Link a look that showed confusion about why he would ask such a question, but answered anyway.
"Well, I was raised in Kokiri Forest, but I was born in Hyrule. Recently, I've settled into Kak-"
"Waitwaitwaitholdonasecond," interrupted Link. "Did I hear that right? Hyrule?" he asked, skeptically.
The kid nodded. "Of course. You heard correctly. I'm surprised you're not familiar with the place."
"Well, I'm surprised with how out of it you are!" Link exclaimed.
"Excuse me?!" shouted the kid, deeply offended.
"Kid, Hyrule is gone! It's been gone for hundreds of years! Heck, I don't even know if the place is actually real!"
"Gone?!" exclaimed the child. "What happened to it?!"
Link stared blankly. "Nobody knows. Come on, you've heard the legends, haven't you?"
"No! Of course not! I don't know what you're talking about!" shouted the kid, extremely perplexed and annoyed.
Link gawked. "Well, you could've fooled me! With your appearance and everything, you seem like a fanatic over the legends. You even dressed yourself to look like the Hero of Time!
"Well that's because I AM THE HERO OF TIME!" the child spat in annoyance.
...
"If that's supposed to be a joke, it isn't funny," said Link.
"Joke? What joke? I told you the humble truth! Do you honestly think I would say that just to get a laugh?!" said the child, even more annoyed.
"Okay, okay, remember that conversation we had about Hyrule being gone for a long time? Well, the Hero of Time has been gone for an even longer amount of time than Hyrule. So, I'm going to need more than your word to believe you're the Hero of Time."
He won't be able to do it, thought Link.
The kid groaned, stood up, and walked right up to Link.
He clenched his left hand into a fist, and held it up, in order for Link to see a glowing symbol on the back of the child's hand, a symbol that looked just like one the ancient drawings depicted in the legends.
The Triforce of Courage.
Link stumbled onto the ground in shock.
All this time, Link was talking to the Hero of Time.
"Oh my goodness..." whispered Link.
"Believe me now?" said the hero, smirking.
"Y-Yes sir," responded Link.
"Good," said the hero, eyeing the suspicious vase on top of the wooden shelf. "Now, I think it's time for us to get out of this jail cell."
"How the heck are we supposed to communicate?" whispered the islander as he and the hero crawled through the small, newly revealed tunnel.
"What do you mean?" asked the hero.
"Well, your name is 'Link', I'm assuming?" asked the islander.
"That's correct" whispered the hero.
"Well, that's my name as well. Won't that get confusing?" worried the islander, exiting the tunnel.
"I don't see any trouble with it," answered the hero, also exiting the tunnel.
"Okay, maybe not for you, but it definitely will be hard for me," grumbled the islander. "We need nicknames. Do you have any?"
The hero became as red as Tetra's scarf. "I'd... Rather not say."
"Aw come on!" whispered the islander. "Your secret is safe with me!"
"'F-Fairy Boy...'"
The islander snorted in surprise and hilarity. "'Fairy Boy'?!"
"...and 'Grasshopper'"
The islander was having an extremely difficult time keeping himself together. How did the Hero of Time obtain such titles like 'Fairy Boy' and 'Grasshopper'? He'd have to look into it much later.
"Well, I'm obviously not gonna call you that. That doesn't fit you. Ooh! You travel through time, right?! How about, 'Time Link?!'" said the islander.
The hero looked back at the islander, and gave the name thought. He then smiled. "I think that'll do just fine."
Oh my goodness, I made the Hero of Time smile! screamed the islander's mind. This is AWESOME!
"But what about you?" asked Time Link. "You need a nickname too."
The islander grimaced in shame. "Yeah, right. You've traveled through time. Me on the other hand, figured out what a sail is, and that was only this morning."
Time Link smirked. "Well, I think 'Sail Link' suits you perfectly."
The islander froze in his tracks. "'Sail Link?' I LOVE IT!"
Time Link slammed his hand over Sail Link's mouth.
"SHHHHHHH!" scolded Time Link. "Do you want to get us hauled right back into jail again?! They could find that huge hole and close it off, making the hopes of escaping pointless!"
"You're right. You're right. I'm sorry," shuddered Sail Link.
Before they could move on though, a thought crossed Sail Link's mind.
"Ummm, sir?"
"Sail Link, you gave me a nickname. You might as well use it."
"Right. Sorry. Time Link?"
"Yes?"
"Do you have more than one sword?"
Sail Link and Time Link went through the door to find themselves outside. Sail Link held onto the yellowish sword from before, named the Gilded Sword, according to Time Link. Time Link, on the other hand, was holding a sword that was decorated with a purple blade and green vines, and was about the same height as Time Link himself. It was named the Great Fairy Sword.
"So you are trying to rescue your sister, who's in that room where the seagulls are flying around the window? Did I hear that right?" asked Time Link.
"Yes," answered Sail Link. "It would be a huge bonus if I could teach that bird monster a lesson as well."
Time Link stifled a chuckle. "Well, before we can storm the fortress, it would seem we will have to take out all of the searchlights."
"On it," said Sail Link, running ahead, only to be held back by Time Link.
"Easy does it," said Time Link. "You have a sword, yes, but you can't just run right into the sight of your enemies. You have to make them believe that they are up against a force of nature."
"Well that's easy for you to say," said Sail Link. "You are the Hero of Time!"
"Hush!" said Time Link. "Do you want every monster in this fortress to know that the bearer of the Triforce of Courage is in their domain?!"
"Sorry sir," replied Sail Link, humbly, even though he didn't understand why it riled Time Link up so much.
"I forgive you. Now then, our first searchlight seems to be up this ladder," noted Time Link. "Climb the ladder slowly and quietly, silence your footsteps, and when you see the hair on the monster's back, let him have it."
"Right," said Sail Link, gripping the Gilded Sword as he climbed the ladder.
Time Link kept watch, and waited in silence.
Soon after, he heard the pig-man, called a Bokoblin, according to the eye of truth, squawk in surprise. He heard a slice, a dice, and a stab, followed by a puff of smoke. This kid has a good handle on swordplay thought Time Link. I'll do what I can to improve it even further.
When Time Link saw two spotlights rise to the air and disappear, he knew the islander had succeeded. He smiled as he observed Sail Link climb down the ladder.
"That was scary," shuddered Sail Link.
"But you persevered. And that is amazing," said Time Link. "Come on. We have three more to go."
"Whoopee..." moaned Sail Link.
The two went through a tunnel, opened a door, and disappeared back into the indoor section of the fortress.
Time Link peeked around the corner to see two creatures, labeled Moblins, patrolling the area. Are those seriously Moblins? he thought. They look so less threatening than they do back home!
He returned to his original position to speak to Sail Link. "Alright, those two huge monsters around the corner are Moblins. They look pretty easy compared to where I come from. Do you think you can hide in a barrel until I'm through with them?"
Sail Link nodded, "Yes, Time Link. I'll be alright."
"Good. Stay in the shadows. I'll be back before you know it," said Time Link, drawing out the Great Fairy Sword and edging around the corner, while Sail Link placed a barrel over his body to hide.
Something that spooked Sail Link was the voice of Time Link whenever he fought, and even when he wasn't fighting. His voice was so different from his looks. When he shouted, he sounded... troubled. Full of experience, but troubled. And overall, his tone sounded much older than his actual age.
Being a man of his word, the battle was over before Sail Link knew it, and he found the barrel being lifted over his head. Link was soon staring back at the face of Time Link, smiling.
"The coast is clear," said Time Link.
Sail Link smiled, as he stretched out of his crouching position. "Alright. I'm ready to push on."
"That's the spirit," said Time Link, patting Sail Link on the back. "Shall we?"
They both entered the gigantic double-door, and continued onward.
The rest of the path carried on much the same. With each searchlight that came down, Sail Link was closer to saving his sister. Not only that, but he got to meet the Hero of Time. Best. Birthday Present. Ever, thought Sail Link.
Eventually, all searchlights were off as Sail Link and Time Link sidled their way across a narrow path to get to another set of double doors. But the double doors were only noticed by Time Link.
Sail Link, on the other hand, had his eyes set on his lost sword, lying in the center of the area.
The islander ran to his sword and picked it up, jumping with joy, when he heard the voice of Time Link scream "LOOK OUT!"
Sail Link somersaulted just in time to avoid an attack from a dull-green Bokoblin that was hiding in the shadows. It sneered at Sail Link, holding its own sword up. Sail Link gulped, seeing that the Bokoblin's sword was much bigger than his own.
However, Sail Link thought, smirking, this freak isn't wielding two swords.
Sail Link brought out the Gilded Sword, and used it to sharpen his training sword, while he glared menacingly at the Bokoblin.
The Bokoblin never even got a chance to swing.
When the spike barricades sunk, Time Link ran up to Sail Link, and shook him vigorously. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT RUNNING BLINDLY INTO ENEMY LINES?!"
"'D-Don't do it?" said Sail Link, dizzily.
"Right!" shouted Time Link, slapping Sail Link lightly. "Don't ever do it again."
"Yes, Time Link," responded Sail Link.
Time Link took a deep breath, before demanding Sail Link to give him his Gilded Sword back. Sail Link reluctantly handed the beautiful sword back to its original wielder.
"Alright," said Time Link, in determination. "Let's go save your sister."
They pushed the doors open, and walked inside.
The revealed room was especially tall, spiraling upwards and decorated with torches. The room seemed especially empty, until a gasp reached the boys' ears.
Turning slightly to the right, the boys saw a cage containing three little girls. And one of the girls was none other than Sail Link's little sister, Aryll.
Sail Link went to sprint to the cage, but Time Link held him back once again. When Sail Link turned around, he saw that Time Link's face had shifted to one of turmoil.
"Something's wrong," said Time Link, quickly.
A screech from above confirmed Time Link's worry.
"GET AWAY FROM THE CENTER!" shouted Time Link, yanking Sail Link back, in just enough time for the giant bird to come crashing down upon them, looking just as ferocious as ever.
In a swift motion, the bird had snatched Sail Link in its mouth, while Time Link cursed that he couldn't use the megaton hammer in his current body, much to Sail Link's confusion. The bird flew up into the sky, Time Link's shouts dying away.
Soon after, Sail Link saw himself in front of what appeared to be the front of a broken down ship, but it was lit up.
On closer inspection, Sail Link noticed the presence of a man. He seemed clothed in robes, and he stood very proudly. But what stood out the most was his gray skin and bright red hair.
This man looked downright threatening.
A nod of the man's head, and the bird flung Sail Link far away from the fortress.
So Sail Link found himself without hope, yet again, as he plummeted to the ocean below...
AN: Don't worry. Time Link will be back before you know it. See you all later!