A/N:

Change of POV – the story will be in third person until further notice. You'll see why.

Enjoy!

Chapter 13

"Destinies That Bind"

The light of the morning sun kissed the rough cobblestones of the Capital, Hyrule's most prosperous city, as its citizens awoke from their slumber. The main square was usually a bustle of activity at this time, but not today, for the inhabitants of the city felt drained of energy – it was as if they all had the same terrible nightmare.

The same could not be said for a young traveller, garbed in a patched green tunic and wearing a peculiar hat, as he walked through the main square. Suspicious eyes followed him as he wandered without any purpose, travellers usually did not come into the main square armed with a sword. The man's gaze was downwards, and although he bared the same exhausted look as the others, it was for a different reason: this man had recently lost a friend in battle and might lose another one.

With downtrodden eyes the man approached a nearby stand and asked for a loaf of bread. The plump lady nodded and asked, "Where are you from, honey? You do not look like you are from around here," she gestured towards his clothing, "Your clothing style is certainly an...unusual choice,"

The young man smiled, "My name is Link, and I am not from around here," he hesitated and decided to twist the truth a little, "I am visiting a sick friend,"

The woman's expression turned sympathetic and handed Link his loaf, "I am sorry to hear that, darling," she paused, "That will be five rupees please," Link handed her a blue rupee and left for the castle.

As Link walked towards the castle, his thoughts began to wander. He had been in the Capital for three days, having previously gathered the Light Vessel and lifting the curtain of Twilight in the region. Upon his return to the light world, Terra was lying face down in the dirt, seemingly unconscious. He was informed by the nearby Light Spirit, Lanayru, how to get to the Capital in order for Terra to receive treatment. The Light Spirit did not know what was wrong with Terra, only that she had been touched by an evil curse. With that information in hand, Link gingerly strapped Terra to Epona and set off in the direction of the Capital. He expected suspicious stares from the local folk upon reaching his destination, but never expected to end up under a Hylian soldier escort to the grand castle. News of his exploits had evidently spread to the Royal Family, as Princess Zelda herself ordered Terra to be taken to the Castle's infirmary and requested Link's presence the next morning.

That is how Link found himself in the Royal Throne Room, bowing on one knee in front of the Princess. Zelda placed a hand over her mouth and let out a small giggle despite herself, he certainly is handsome. "I thank you for your presence, Link. I know not why you have come, though I suspect you are wondering why I requested an escort for you and your companion?" Linked nodded, and Zelda continued, "It began with a dream, where a dark being swallowed up all the good in the world, leaving only darkness and despair in its wake. The dark clouds parted where two figures – a male and a female – stood. I believe you and your companion are those individuals," she paused, "In fact, I am sure of it, which is why I requested your presence. I had to see you for myself, though I never suspected your companion to have such grave injuries. What," she hesitated, "happened?"

Link thought for a moment, "Princess, have you ever heard of the Twili people?"

"The Twili?"

"Yes, they are a race that is unlike our own, existing in another dimensional plane. At least," he paused, "that is what its Princess told us,"

Zelda looked pensive, "I have never heard of the Twili people, what does this have to do with your companion?"

"She was injured during a battle with an evil force, an evil force that which killed the Princess of the Twili people,"

"And these Twili people want, what? War?"

Link balked, "No, I don't believe so. But this evil force is what has been invading Hyrule recently, changing the skies and plunging everything into Twilight,"

"Twilight," Princess Zelda muttered, "I have heard that term before. One moment," Zelda cupped her hands over her mouth and called, "Eleon!"

Within moments, a bearded man strode into the Throne Room, "Princess?"

"Ah yes, Eleon. Explain to me again, if you would, what is Twilight?"

The man, Eleon, ran his fingers through his graying hair nervously, "The Twilight? Certainly. It is said to be a force, or a state of being, that is not of this world. It is said to be in another dimension, and legend states it has its own race of people living within it,"

"This young man before you, Link, has claimed to have been within the Twilight, and not only that, he claims this Twilight is threatening to take over Hyrule,"

"That is not possible! The Twilight is only a legend, and it has never been found,"

Link coughed, "Excuse me, Princess, but that isn't entirely accurate. Twilight had already taken over Hyrule, and if it was not for Terra and I's efforts, it would continue to remain in it," he paused, "In fact, this area was once underneath the curtain of Twilight, and was just recently lifted,"

Eleon gasped, "So the legend is true, then! But how did you survive," he narrowed his eyes, "Those that are captured by Twilight are said to have never returned,"

Now how do I explain this? Link thought. Before he could utter a word, Eleon gasped and examined Link's hand, "Why is this mark on the back of your hand? Is that the Triforce?" he looked at the Princess, "Don't you have a similar mark on the back of your hand, Princess?"

"Yes, but I hardly see what -"

"This is a sign," Eleon exclaimed suddenly, "In the Hero of Time legend, it is said the Triforce was split into three pieces. One of those pieces, the Triforce of Wisdom, has existed in the Royal Family for generations every since that time. The Triforce of Power chose an evil master, while the Triforce of Courage was given to the Hero of Time,"

Zelda sighed, "I know this story, Eleon. What does this have to do with the Twilight?"

"I believe the Triforce pieces act like some sort of protection against the Twilight, protecting its bearer against the harmful effects of it. If what this young man says is true, this area was already plunged into Twilight, which would explain my horrible dream last night, but I digress," Eleon continued, "Perhaps why you do not believe in the Twilight, Princess, is because your Triforce piece protected you from it, so you were unaware of its presence,"

"Maybe, but -"

Zelda shot Eleon a look of annoyance, but Eleon spoke excitedly, "What does it feel like, Link? When you were protected by the Triforce of Courage?"

Link scratched his head, feeling self-conscious, "I'm not sure. I guess it hurt a little, but whenever I entered a region underneath Twilight I was forced to assume the form of a wolf," he paused, "My companion, Terra, had the form of a hawk,"

"Does Terra have a Triforce piece as well?" Zelda asked.

"It is impossible, Princess," Eleon countered, "The only remaining Triforce piece is the Triforce of Power, and that was given to the Evil King, Ganondorf, in the legend of the Hero of Time. It is said to still be in his possession, even after being sealed in the Sacred Realm,"

"I did not notice a mark of any kind on her hand," Link remarked.

"There must be some other power protecting her then. Perhaps it is just the favour of the Goddesses," Eleon stated.

"Regardless, you are welcome in my Throne Room anytime, Hero. I have business to attend to. Feel free to roam about the castle at your leisure," Zelda said, in a dismissive tone.

"What of my companion, Terra?"

Zelda's face softened, "She is in the infirmary, recovering. It seems she has developed fits, or seizures of some kind, and twitching. She has been unconscious since you brought her here,"

"By your leave, Princess, I'd like to take Link to my study to answer any questions he may have,"

With that, Eleon whisked Link away to the basement of the castle. Normally one would expect the basement of a castle to house the dungeons, but this particular castle's basement was home to a massive library, containing thousands of books on any subject you wished to master. Eleon gestured, making a sweeping motion with his hand, "Welcome to my study. Welcome to the library,"

Link had an incredulous look on his face, "You are a librarian?"

"Among other things, yes. I am also a historian," he paused, "Now, what else do you wish to know?"

Link opened his mouth to respond, but Eleon cut him off, "I assume you know the creation story, involving the three Goddesses?"

Link nodded; it was a story he was told as a child in Ordon. Din, with her strong flaming arms, created the crust of the Earth; Nayru gave law and order to the world with her wisdom, and Farore created all the creatures that would uphold that law. The three Goddesses then left for the heavens, leaving three golden triangles at the point in which they left the world – it was called the Triforce. It is said that whomever touches the Triforce is granted whatever they desire.

"Did you know there is a fourth Goddess?" At this information, Link balked in disbelief.

"Well, now you know. And knowing is half the battle as they say," Eleon winked, cleared his throat, and elaborated, "Before the land of Hyrule was discovered, thousands of years ago, there existed a city in the sky. These people were ruled by the Goddess Hylia, whom granted them large birds to travel on, like how we use horses today,"

"A young man, not much older than yourself in fact, was the first to discover the land below in a terrible accident. Nobody in the sky city had believed him, and he was seen as an outcast, but the man spent many of his days on the land. He quested to save a princess, whom had been captured by a great evil that was once sealed away by the Goddess Hylia herself. This princess," Eleon paused, "Was named Zelda.

"The reason why Hylia isn't well known, is because unlike Din, Farore, and Nayru, her power is passed through the blood. After the Hero defeated the great evil – some legends refer to it as The Imprisoned – the Hero and the Princess settled the land of Hyrule, eventually turning it into a kingdom. The Goddess Hylia's power was passed throughout the generations in the royal lineage for thousands of years,"

"In the Hero of Time's legend, it is said that the Triforce split into three pieces – one of which is inside you – when the Evil King, Ganondorf, touched it," Link nodded, recalling this story from before, and Eleon continued, "Sometime after this, one of the Royal Kings had a child out of wedlock. This child, too, possessed the power of Hylia. Since then, the power of Hylia has been diluted, and thus her influence, but she is still present even today. But, unlike the pureblood of the Royal Family, the half-royal bloodline did not entirely possess the power of Hylia, yet they were said to have mysterious powers. They had the ability to communicate with birds, and occasionally turn into one when their life is threatened, but they need to possess the mark of the sky to do so,"

Link was speechless; he was still digesting all the information he was given. He suddenly felt tired from the information overload, thanked Eleon for his time, and left for the infirmary to check on Terra's condition.

Upon his arrival in the infirmary, he accidentally saw a nurse undressing her naked body, giving her fresh clothes to wear as her previous clothing was covered in blood and vomit. He noticed a magnificent tribal marking on her back that resembled a hawk of some kind, and made a mental note to ask Eleon about it later. He quietly slipped away to give them privacy and returned to the library, the words of Eleon echoing in his mind: The mark of the bird...the mark of the bird...

He could not find Eleon amongst the many shelves of books in the massive library, so he decided to look for the information himself. Now, where would I find the history section?

It took him a few hours, but he finally found the proper section. He sighed, facing the towering full shelves with distain, Now I just have to find the right book...

By chance, or perhaps it was fate, the second book Link randomly pulled out was titled 'Hylia and her History'. He delved into the information, searching for any mention of the hawk mark he saw on Terra's back, preferably with a drawing of it. He found what he was looking for, and with a finger on the page, he traced the ancient Hylian script as he read:

Among other powers, the half-blooded families possess the ability to communicate into birds, or in grave situations, turn into them. Typically, the ones that are able to transform possess the mark of a bird. This mark enables the bearer to heal much faster, and while it isn't a Triforce piece granted by the Three well known Goddesses, it functions in a similar way as the Triforce pieces. It is said the essence of Hylia herself is present in each person who has the Mark of the Bird, but this is unknown as the known bearers were lost to time.

Link looked up in shock. Not only was Terra a descendant of this half-blooded line, but she too had the power of a Goddess roaring within her, essentially binding their destinies together.

A/N: You see what I just did there? Hah! Extra points if you get numerous other references to things in this chapter, but if not, that's okay. It was merely for my amusement, anyways!

And I know, I know...some of the history involving Skyward Sword and Hylia is off. But – creative license!

Just as a bit of humour: Eleon's initial name in my outline is Super Exposition Man. I got so used to calling him that, nearly every time I wrote his finalized name in this chapter I typed 'Super Exposition Man' instead. Even now, writing 'Eleon' is still weird to me!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I thank you for reading.