AN: I'm going to be honest, I'm not too happy with how this one turned out, nor with how long it took me to actually get it done. Be warned, there is a LOT of exposition and set up in this chapter so sorry if it isn't overly exciting.
Link stared at the stranger silently, his mind racing.
"Try me, is he being serious right now? Then again, he doesn't seem to know who I am. Maybe it would be nice to have a listening ear without someone fawning over me."
The Hero shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought as he looked back to the floor.
"No, that wouldn't do any good. This guy is clearly a spirit of some kind, what was it he said, 'even the children of the forest no longer recognize this song'? So, either he's some forest spirit himself, or another lingering ghost of the past."
Link carefully studied the hooded man with the corner of his eye. The stranger was still leaned forward not moving an inch, his crooked grin still present on his lips.
"If I had to guess it would probably be the latter. He reminds me too much of King Rhoam with the 'mysterious cloaked stranger act' to be a forest spirit. Something tells me only Hylians could be so overly dramatic and un-original. Still, I've found what the source of that 'whistling' was, I should probably go let the Koroks know it's nothing to be afraid of."
Taking a deep breath, Link rose to his feet before turning to face the man.
"Thanks for the offer, but I should be going. I came here to find out what those sounds were, since it's only some hermit playing an ocarina the Koroks should calm down."
As the Hero turned to leave, the man shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back.
"Suit yourself, but may I at least play a song for you before you go? I don't get much company out here and I've missed playing for people."
Link stopped at the door, slowly he turned his head to look at the stranger before giving a small nod.
A grin made its way across the cloaked man's face, "Excellent, I know just the one for someone like you!"
The man gently raised the ocarina to his lips before gently beginning to blow into it. As the first notes began to play, Link felt himself tense up and his eyes widen.
"This song, this is the song from my dream!"
The stranger watched as his guest seemed to freeze in place. A sly look appeared on his face as he slowly drawled out, "Do I have your attention now?"
Slowly the new arrival turned around, and the man could make out the smoldering fury that lied within those blue eyes. He had clearly gotten the message across.
"I see that you don't seem to be a fan of the Elegy of Emptiness, I wonder why that is? Could it be that maybe, you've met with a terrible fate?"
Link stood at the door, shaking slightly as he tried to calm himself down. He hadn't expected to hear that song from his nightmare ever again, and now here was a spirit that knew it.
"Does that mean he's connected with that dream? Is he responsible for it, or is it some kind of sign from the Goddess? If the former, does that mean he's aware of me and my relationships with the champions? Was he there 100 years ago or has he been watching me only recently like the Princess?"
Calming his temper, Link fully turned to the cloaked man and folded his arms. The best way to answer this question was to simply ask.
"That dream, were you the one that caused it."
The smirk from the stranger never faded as he once more leaned forward, hands hanging between his legs.
"You catch on quick. I'm not entirely sure of everything you experienced but apologies if it was too horrific for you."
Suddenly Link felt his bile rise. Here was a someone that seemed to be keenly aware of him and his circumstances. He had been observing him for Hylia knows how long and never made any contact attempt until now. His privacy had been completely violated and he wasn't liking it one bit.
"You've been watching me. This whole time you've been watching me and observing my life. Then you used my own experiences to create a nightmare out of my doubts and fears," Link growled out, slowly losing the battle to control his anger.
"Yes and no," the stranger commented airily as he leaned back to stare at the ceiling. "I may have sent the dream, ensured that the Elegy of Emptiness would play a part in it, and attached a small message at the end, but I didn't directly shape the entirety of it. Something like that would only be possible for a being like the goddess."
Link felt a little calmer after the explanation, though he maintained his glare as the stranger continued speaking.
"So no, I didn't 'create a nightmare out of your doubts and fears', I have no idea what it is you saw."
A smug look made its way across the man's face, "that is, unless you'd like to talk about it."
Link's eyes narrowed further; the stranger's aggravating behavior had almost completely worn out his patience.
"I didn't come this way to discuss my feelings with some weirdo in a tree," he snarled out.
The hooded man shrugged, "I know, you came because I wanted you to. That's why I reached out to you through a dream. I needed a way to get you to stick around after you found me, though I wasn't expecting you to find me by helping the children of the forest."
The stranger paused for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought.
"I suppose I should be glad that the Koroks forgot the old song of the woods and pointed it out to you," the man continued thoughtfully before shrugging once again, "Oh well, it doesn't matter too much."
Standing up the stranger stretched slightly before settling his gaze directly on Link, the Hero still standing silently at the doorway.
"You see, I have a request that I would like to make to you."
The Hylian Champion was silent for a minute, his fists trembling slightly before he sighed and folded his arms.
"Why should I help you with anything, all you've done is torment me, spy on me, and now you're claiming that you manipulated me as well," he spit out bitterly.
The man rested his left hand on his hip, "Because I can offer you the opportunity to obtain what you want the most."
"What I want most," Link repeated in disbelief, shaking his head, "how would you even know what that is. You may have been watching me for some time, but you said yourself that you don't know what my concerns are. What could you possibly know?"
The man raised his right hand and pointed towards the Hero, "Correction, I said that I didn't shape your dream into your doubts and fears, not that I didn't know what they were."
"As for what I know," the man let out a mirthless chuckle, "I know that you are looking for an escape, a purpose. That you can't stand how your life has turned out, that there is no one around that can understand you. You feel useless, that the world is going to move on without you and you will be left completely alone."
Link's scowl continued to deepen as the stranger continued to speak, "I know you feel out of place due to the state of your memories, but most of all I know that you're tired of people looking up to you, never trying to know the person instead of the hero."
The stranger shrugged, "Personally I don't see what all the fuss is about. You really aren't that much of a hero, you failed to save the land 100 years ago after all and the princess had to pick up your slack. Pretty disappointing I would say."
Something inside Link snapped at those words, all the frustration he had been bottling up had reached its breaking point. Between the hero worship, the dwindling need for his assistance, and lack of progress on his memories he had been dangerously close to breaking. Now hearing this unknown spirit mock him after reading him like an open book had finally pushed him over the edge.
"Shut up, is this just some joke to you?! You weren't there 100 years ago, you have no idea how far I pushed myself to save Zelda, to save Hyrule! I may not remember everything, but I remember enough to know that there was nothing more I could have done! I was prepared to fight until my last breath, if need be, and if it wasn't for Zelda then I damn well would have! So, what right do you have to berate me for "failure" if there wasn't anything else that I could have done?!"
The man was quiet for a second, Link opened his mouth to continue but was promptly cut off.
"You don't get it do you? First, effort does not equal success, so you tried your best; you still failed when you were needed. Your friends still died, and Ganon's creatures ran rampant for a century. Second, you didn't do all you could, if that performance was truly your best then you are a disgrace to the title of hero," the stranger spat out venomously, the air taking on a slight chill.
The man folded his own arms before continuing, "Trust me, there are no jokes in what I've been saying. You were and still aren't worthy of your title as the Hero of Hyrule. You really want to know what more you could have done 100 years ago; I'll tell you."
"The reason that you failed, that you didn't do all that you could do comes down to one simple thing. You lost that day, let down the whole land because you. didn't. care," the figure stated, enunciating the last three words.
"You didn't care about Hyrule, you didn't care about the people, just as now you had no purpose of your own. You fought because you were told to fight, and like a good little boy you followed orders. Never showing emotion, never dropping your guard, you acted less human than those guardians. On that day 100 years ago, Hyrule lost because instead of the hero fighting for them, they had a soldier simply fulfilling his duty."
The words struck Link hard as he felt his rage melt away, he felt as if ice had begun to form in his veins as he began to consider the man's harsh rhetoric.
"That was the difference between your fight against Ganon recently and 100 years ago. When you woke up, alone and not even knowing who you were, and Zelda called out to you; that is what sparked the fire. You had personal investment in winning, even if you didn't realize it at the time. As you regained memories of your friends and how they needed your help, it gave you the drive you needed to come out victorious. All because now instead of it being your job, it was what you truly felt like you needed to do, you cared."
The man then scoffed and shook his head, "But now you've reverted. You wander around looking for someone else to give you a purpose, some sense of validation. You no longer have any purpose and are now wallowing away in your misery and self-pity."
The Hylian Champion felt his legs buckle, falling to his knees he felt as if the world had begun to spin. The hard accusations against him weighing heavily on his mind, and despite his best efforts he couldn't find much to refute them. Was this spirit right, was their loss a century ago really his fault?
The stranger began to speak again, his next words snapping Link's head up in shock.
"You are just like me."
Silence reigned for a minute after the man's confession, finding his voice Link managed to quietly speak.
"Spirit, who are you?"
The man recoiled slightly, a hint of surprise in his voice, "Wait, you know that I'm a spirit? How did you..."
Link tilted his head in slight confusion, "Well it's kind of obvious. You're all alone in a secluded area, you haven't had visitors in a long time, you are trying to be all wise and mysterious. Couple that with the hood and cloak and it's a dead giveaway, I mean you had to know that King Rhoam did pretty much the same exact thing when I first woke up right?"
The spirit was completely still, not saying a word before,
"THAT SON OF A MOBLIN!"
Link blinked in surprise, not expecting that response at all.
"I've waited centuries, patiently biding my time, anticipating this moment for so LONG, and that old coot goes and beats me to it?! I had it all planned out, it was going to be so mystical, so dramatic, so epic! And then I get beat to the punch!?"
The hero watched in disbelief as the man continued to rant to himself, still having trouble keeping up with the sudden shift in tone.
"Um...are you ok," the Hylian Champion asked tentatively.
Remembering that he had an audience, the spirit straightened before quickly composing himself.
"My apologies lost my cool for a second there," he chuckled weakly before becoming serious once more.
"Now, since you already know that I'm a spirit, there really isn't any more point in hiding my identity. I would suggest you cover your eyes."
A bright blue flash illuminated the room as Link turned his head while raising his arm to block his vision. As the light died down, the hero lowered his arm and looked at the new form the figure had taken.
Link stared in shock at what seemed to be almost a mirror image of him. The stranger was roughly the same height and build as he was, had sharp blue eyes with blonde hair. Unlike his own however, the man's hair seemed to be slightly straighter than his was and instead of parting in one direction, the stranger's hair seemed to form a double arch on his forehead. The spirit's attire changed as well, no longer covered by the cloak the figure was clad in a green tunic with white leggings and brown boots. As with the rest of the spirits he had met, there was a faint blue glow about him alongside occasional blue wisps of flame that danced around.
"I suppose I should introduce myself," the doppelganger began, "My name is Link, the Hero of Time."
Link's eyes widened, "Wait, your name is Link too, and you said the Hero of Time? Are you one of the previous wielders of the sword that seals the darkness that the Great Deku Tree mentioned?"
The Hylian champion watched as the spirit's eyebrows slightly rose. The deceased hero turned his head to the left and started muttering so low that he couldn't be heard clearly. Though Link did make out what sounded like 'annoying old spirits' and 'spoiling everything'.
Once again, the spirit Link turned to face his guest before answering his question, "Yes, I was. During my time I used the Master Sword to fight against the darkness that threatened Hyrule. During my adventures I had to travel not only all over the land to defeat the King of Evil, but even through time itself, thus giving me the title Hero of Time."
A slight pain shot through Link's head as he remembered some his conversations with Zelda. Occasionally she would bring up stories of the Master Sword watching over its owner even while they were 'adrift in time', though he never thought it was literal.
"You travelled through time," Link began cautiously, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
The deceased hero sighed before sitting down on his bed once more. "Yes, and I know what you are thinking right now."
Pausing the spirit gestured over to the chair Link had been sitting in earlier, "Before you ask, please have a seat, it's more comfortable than the ground. While your question does involve my offer from earlier, there is a lot that you need to know first."
Link blinked as he realized that he was still kneeling on the floor. Standing up, he promptly made his way over to the chair before sitting down, staring intently at the spirit of the former Hero.
"Let me begin by explaining what exactly happened during my journey to save Hyrule," the Hero of Time began.
"I wasn't very old when the task fell upon me, I would say possibly around 9 to 10 years old. I lived here in this very forest, growing up believing that I was one of the children of the forest."
At Link's questioning look the spirit explained, "At that point the spirits that would become the forest took upon the form of children that never aged known as the Kokiri. It wasn't until much later that they changed into their current form."
Link nodded his head to show that he understood, his attention completely focused on the dead hero's tale.
"After being summoned by the Deku Tree of my time, he informed me that an evil man had placed a death curse upon him. Informing me that this man was after a great power called the Triforce that was left behind by the Goddesses who made the world: Din, Nayru, and Farore. He tasked me with preventing that man from ever obtaining that power. With his final breath he gave me one of the keys that would lead someone to the sacred realm, the resting place of the Triforce, and tasked one of the fairies of the forest to assist me with her wisdom in any way possible, her name was Navi."
Tearing up slightly by mentioning his old friend, the spirit took a calming breath before continuing.
"Together we travelled to Hyrule Castle, and after some sneaking around we managed to meet with the Princess Zelda. Yes, the princess of my time was named Zelda as well," the ancient hero spoke, cutting off the question he saw forming on the Hylian Champion's face.
"She warned us of a man named Ganondorf, who she believed to be seeking after the Triforce for evil purposes. Wanting to protect her kingdom, she asked me to help her in getting to it first. From there Navi and I travelled to the other prevalent races in Hyrule, the Gorons and the Zoras, and after helping them out managed to obtain the other two keys needed to enter the sacred realm."
"What about the Rito or the Gerudo, surely you would have run into them too," Link interrupted before he could stop himself.
The Hero of Time leaned back, tilting his head to look up to the ceiling, "At that time, the Gerudo weren't the honorable people that you know today. They were a clan of thieves, led by the one man born to them in 100 years: Ganondorf."
Link was silent as he took in that information, "I guess that's where the belief that Calamity Ganon once took on the form of a Gerudo originated."
"What about the Rito?"
Link watched as the ancient hero quickly dropped his head into his hands and let out a loud groan.
"That is a long and convoluted explanation, one that requires details from the end of my quest to answer. Suffice to say for now, the Rito didn't exist in my time."
"Okay, I wonder what that was all about," Link thought with raised eyebrows at the other hero's reaction.
"Now, after getting the last of these keys I headed over to Hyrule Castle to meet back up with Zelda. Only to have them pass by me on horseback as they fled from Ganondorf who had just attacked the castle. Noticing me, Zelda made a desperate move and quickly entrusted me with the very thing Ganondorf had assaulted the castle for, the final piece necessary to find the Triforce: The Ocarina of Time," the spirit said as he raised the blue ocarina for Link to see.
"With the necessary items in hand, I made my way to where the entrance of the sacred realm was located: inside the Temple of Time. There after using keys alongside the ocarina I was able to make my way to the final lock of the sacred realm, the Master Sword."
Link's eyes widened before narrowing at that revelation, "Wait the Master Sword was in the Temple of Time guarding the sacred realm? How did it get to Korok Forest then and why didn't the realm open when I obtained it 100 years ago?"
The Hero of Time let out a small chuckle as he lightly tossed the blue ocarina in his hand, "The Temple of Time that exists today isn't the same as the one that existed in my time. The same with Hyrule Castle and many of the other settlements. Time passed, the city decayed, and eventually a forest grew over the location. Though I'm not sure if Korok Forest is in the same location as the old Temple of Time, its possible that some previous Hero simply placed it there to rest as it was the most suitable location for it to recover its strength."
The ancient hero straightened once more, "As for the sacred realm not opening for you, that is because the door has long since been opened, with the path to it being hidden within the world. There came a time when the Triforce was removed from it, splitting into three pieces representing power, wisdom, and courage. Since that time, the pieces finally made their way together again and reside within the land of Hyrule. With the Triforce no longer dwelling within the sacred realm, the goddesses repurposed it which I'll go into more detail about later."
Lightly shaking his head, the spirit let out a sigh, "Unfortunately it still held the Triforce when I pulled the Master Sword. Despite it the blade accepting me as its wielder, the sacred realm judged me to be too young to enter into it. To prevent me from stepping foot into the land where the Triforce was, my Spirit was sealed away into the Temple of Light, a sanctuary hidden within the sacred realm, for seven years. Ganondorf, having suspected me of holding the keys to the sacred realm, followed me was able to enter and obtain the Triforce unopposed."
Following that statement the ancient hero paused, giving Hylian champion the chance to ask a burning question that had come to him.
"You said the Triforce was a great power that the goddesses left behind," Link began slowly, "and from the way you've been speaking it seems it's obvious that it was a very bad thing for this Ganondorf to get his hands on it."
"Very bad is an understatement but go on."
"You never mentioned it, so I have to ask, what exactly does this Triforce do?"
The spirit stared directly at Link, "It is said that whoever obtains the Triforce will have whatever wish they desire granted."
"Whatever whish they desire granted," Link whispered out before straightening himself, "and you said that Ganondorf got his hands on it?! Is that where Ganon comes from?!"
The Hero of Time raised his hand to stop the Hylian champion from rambling on, "Yes and no. There was one little detail that I found out later, if anyone without a balanced heart attempts to make a wish on the Triforce then it will split into three pieces and leave that person with whatever component they believe the most in. The other two pieces will then seek out worth holders that represent the remaining ideals. In Ganondorf's case, he was left with the Triforce of Power, with the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage selecting the Zelda of my time and myself respectively."
"You once had a portion of the Triforce?"
"Yes, though I was not aware of it until right before my confrontation with the new King of Evil. After seven years passed, I was finally released from the seal that had been placed upon me and found myself within the last stronghold of the sacred realm that Ganondorf's evil hadn't reached. There I met an ancient sage by the name of Rauru who told me more about the legend of the Triforce, the sacred realm, and what had happened to Hyrule. He informed me that the sacred realm was like a mirror, and that it would take upon the form of the heart of whoever entered it and placed their hand on the Triforce. Since it was Ganondorf, it turned into a land of great evil and darkness instead of a paradise."
"Wait, I thought you said that the sacred realm was repurposed after the Triforce was removed fom it. Is that what you meant by that," the Hylian Champion asked in confusion.
Link blinked as he saw the ancient hero's eyebrow twitch as clear frustration settled his face.
"We'll get to that later, that has to do with the Rito situation."
"Okay, there's definitely something big that I'm missing here."
"Now where was I, ah yes: Rauru. Following the update, he let me know that there were 5 more sages that needed to be awakened in various temples that were scattered through Hyrule. To reach these temples I needed to travel through forests, over mountains, under water, even through time itself to reach."
The Hylian champion leaned forward once more, paying rapt attention once the spirit mentioned travelling through time.
"The princess, in disguise as a Shiekah at that time, informed me that if I were to replace the Master Sword back into the pedestal that I pulled it from, I would return to the moment right before I pulled it for the first time. By doing so I was able to use knowledge and abilities I learned in the future to overcome obstacles that hindered my progress in vanquishing Ganondorf. This was the first form of time travel that I was aware of and utilized, and the only one that directly involved the Master Sword."
"The first kind? How many types are there," Link wondered before another thought struck him.
"Wait, why didn't you just stay in the past, Ganondorf would never be able to enter the sacred realm if you didn't pull the Master Sword."
Link gave a nervous chuckle as he saw the ancient hero's eyebrow twitch once again.
"Because multiverse theory is a bitch," the Hero of Time muttered
"Excuse me?"
The spirit let out a small groan, "Better time than any I suppose. Long story short, by travelling back and forth between my 'past' and 'future' the two timelines started to diverge. So, no matter which time I was in, the other still existed, just without me in it. So, by staying in the 'past' I was dooming the 'future' to Ganondorf's rule."
Link sat blank faced, "Oookay."
"Trust me, it gets worse. Anyway, after awakening all the sages, Princess Zelda revealed herself to me and told me about the current location of the Triforce pieces. She then gifted me a portion of her sacred power to bestow the Light Arrows upon me, which I'm sure you're familiar with."
The Hylian Champion gave a slight nod as his fight against the Calamity's malice form flashed through his mind.
"She then was immediately captured by Ganondorf who had been patiently waiting for her to get careless and lower her guard," the spirit continued, shaking his head.
"Ganondorf challenged me to come and face him in his castle, located right where Hyrule Caste once stood. I made my way to the top where the King of Evil was waiting for me, the captured princess on display above his organ."
Link raised a questioning eyebrow at the last statement, prompting the ancient hero to give a chuckle.
"Yes, Ganondorf the King of Evil was actually a skilled organist. Guess he got bored waiting for seven years."
The Hero of Time tilted his head back, a faraway look in his eyes, "After a hard-fought battle I managed to defeat him. Zelda was freed and all seemed well, until Ganondorf showed just how sore of a loser he really was. In a last-ditch effort to kill us, he used what we thought to be the last of his power to try and bring the castle down on top of us. Zelda and I made it out not a moment too soon, the castle collapsing shortly after we exited."
"Again, we thought it was over until the King of Evil burst from the remains of the now destroyed structure. He was beaten, bloodied, seemed to be barely alive, but much more than anything he was livid. Calling on the Triforce of Power, he transformed himself into a giant beast named Ganon."
"Looks like my earlier assumption about Ganondorf being the source of those Gerudo rumors were true," Link mused.
"With help from Zelda alongside the other sages, we were able to seal Ganon away in the sacred realm, ending his reign of terror on Hyrule. This leads us to the second form of time travel that I encountered. The Princess, expressing remorse for her many mistakes such as leading Ganondorf directly to the Triforce and dragging me into the whole thing, asked for the Ocarina of Time back. Using it she sent me back to in time to a point before I had even met her, giving me the chance to warn her about what was to come."
An emotional look made its way onto the ancient hero's face, "This is also the point where my longest friend and companion, Navi the fairy, finally left me. She left without so much as a word, and I always wondered why. Her departure, along with other factors, led me to embark on a new adventure in hopes of finding her again."
Raising the instrument once more, the spirit continued, "As a parting gift, the princess gifted me once again with the Ocarina of Time. While I don't possess the same powers as the princess, I've had a very, very long time to prepare. You might have guessed by now, but my offer is this: I can send you back in time to before Calamity Ganon revives and give you another chance to stop him."
Link sat in a shocked silence, his mind racing at what his ancient predecessor had told him.
"Go back before the Great Calamity? Is this real, or is he trying to trick me? Is he even who he claims to be?"
Finally, Link found his voice as he stared directly into the spirit's eyes.
"Why me? Why, after all of this time, am I the one that you are making this offer to?"
The Hero of Time gave a small chuckle as he folded his arms, "I think I already gave you that answer."
At the Hylian champion's questioning look the ancient hero continued, "It's because I see myself in you. Remember what I said your main flaw was?"
"You, said that I didn't care, that I wasn't filling the role of a hero but a soldier," Link said with bitterness in his tone.
"Exactly, I was no different than you in that regard. I had no personal drive to save Hyrule I was merely following the Deku Tree's dying wish. As a result, I never really got close with anyone during my travels. This also led to me not finishing the job properly," the Hero of Time said, heat rising into his tone
"Finish the job properly, what do-?"
"I LEFT GANONDORF ALIVE," the spirit yelled as he threw his head down in anger, startling the other hero.
"I could have done more, I could have made sure that he was finished, dead, gone! But no, I stopped when the princess told me that everything was over. That I had done enough, that I was a hero! Once would have been bad enough, yet I go and do it again! Instead of making sure it ended right then and there, I instead left Ganondorf imprisoned, but alive, when I got back to my own time! And what happens as a result? In both cases he breaks out and wreaks havoc on the world once more, and a different hero has to pick up my slack!"
Link was silent as he watched the spirit took a few deep breaths to calm himself before sitting up straight.
"I've also seen just how out of place you feel in this time due to the state of your memories. Too many to let you fit in with the current generation, but too few to fit in with those that know you from the past. While not in that exact situation, I can relate to your pain."
"My situation was almost the exact opposite of yours, instead of being the only one who didn't remember anything, I was the only one who did. My entire adventure was something that only I was aware of, none of the people I had met along the way, none of the few friends I had made, even Zelda herself knew about what had happened. This is what led me to leave Hyrule in search of Navi, I couldn't stay there being the only one who knew the horrors of what could have happened. I ran into the same problem in the next land I visited, Termina. Again, I found myself traveling through time and experiencing things that only I remembered, and despite growing somewhat closer to the people there than I did in Hyrule, I couldn't bring myself to stay."
"After my second adventure, I eventually found Navi again, and what I found broke my heart. Even she didn't really know who I was, that was the reason why she left. She was a forest fairy that suddenly found herself outside of her home with a strange boy, and in her confusion, she simply began to try and find her way home. From there, I wandered never really finding a place to call home, never feeling like I fit in anywhere."
The spirit paused, and once more met Link's eyes with his own.
"I see so much of myself in you that I can't stand it. I want to give you the chance that I never had, to find a place to call home. I want you to be able to be more than a soldier dutifully waiting for his next assignment, but to have a true purpose that is important to you."
Link felt tears well up in his eyes at the spirit's emotional speech, before quietly wiping them.
"He seems sincere enough, I don't think he's lying to me. Still, he did mention that he wanted something from me in return, there's got to be more to this than he's letting on," the champion thought as he stared at the floor pensively, hand resting on his chin.
As if reading his mind, the Hero of Time continued, "I you're wondering if there's some sort of catch to this? You're right, there's a couple of conditions that you need to know about."
The spirit raised a closed fist to chest level before extending his pointer finger, "Condition one: I want you to take me with you."
Link's head shot up as he stared at the spirit in disbelief, "Excuse me what?!"
"If you agree to let me, send you back in time, I want you to take me with you," the Hero of Time responded plainly.
"Ok, but why?"
"I've been trapped in this forest for almost my entire afterlife, I'm bored! I want to go on another adventure! Plus, while your skills are great for fighting other soldiers or monsters one on one, they are abysmal everywhere else. You'll need someone to teach you some better moves."
Suspicion crawled into Link's mind, "You're trapped here? Can't you leave on your own? Most spirits I've met have at least that much freedom."
"That's another long story that I'll tell you should you agree to my offer. Short version is I kinda ticked off the goddesses by playing with powers that I didn't fully understand."
"Ok, ignoring the whole 'breaking out the prisoner of the goddesses'," the champion began sarcastically, "what are the other conditions?"
The Hero of Time, pointer finger still extended, rose his middle finger as he continued, "Condition two: Barring your agreement and parts of this conversation, I'll need to seal your memories of everything that has happened to you since you awoke in the shrine of resurrection."
"Again, why," Link said, folding his arms.
"Have you not been paying attention at all? If you went back with them, you would just be repeating the exact same thing that happened to me. You would never be able to look at your friends and colleagues the same way, especially those who you've seen the spirits of!"
Link visibly recoiled as the weight of the words sunk into him, "Damn, I didn't even think about that."
"There's another reason for sealing your memories, or at least making them feel like nothing more than a bad dream. Due to the length of the time jump, the only way to go that far back is to create a new timeline much like what happened in my journey across Hyrule. The goddesses aren't going to be overly pleased with its sudden appearance and will be looking for the cause. If you start acting too different from normal, it will be a dead giveaway."
"Alright, so far the conditions boil down to freeing someone the goddesses themselves imprisoned, and then doing something that will piss them off," Link deadpanned.
"Yep, you're a sharp one aren't you," the Hero of Time shot back with an evil grin.
"Why do I get the feeling that his main motivation for doing this is to try and mess with the goddesses," Link thought exasperatedly.
"Besides that, even with my memories wouldn't they already know? They are the goddesses after all?"
The Hero of Time waved dismissively, "Only Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, is omniscient. Luckily for us, she's also a hopeless romantic so she'll most likely keep quiet if your love life shows great promise. The only other one that might be able to narrow it down would be the goddess of time, but she's so backlogged on things that it would take her a long time to get around to it. Plus, she owes me a few favors."
Link stared at the ancient hero in disbelief, "Are you messing with me right now?"
The spirit merely shrugged in response, eliciting a groan from the champion.
Raising a third finger the Hero of Time continued, "Condition three: the doors between the two timelines will be sealed just like they were for me. Should you go through with it, you will never be able to come back to this time."
"Why would that be such a big-," Link started before he stopped; a series of thoughts coming into his mind.
"Earlier he said that when the timelines diverged, that both existed at once just without him in it. He also mentioned that both times he left Ganondorf alive someone else had to finish the job for him. Does that mean?"
"I see that you've realized what the implications of this are," the ancient hero began solemnly, "while going back to the past won't cause those you've met to no longer exist, it has another serious consequence. Should you leave, this timeline will continue on without you."
Link paled as the full truth came to him.
"That's right, by going back to the past you would be leaving this timeline without its hero."
