Disclaimer: Do not own Zelda, but I do own Link.
A/N (1): I kinda left you all hanging with this fic, huh? Sorry for the lack of updates, it wasn't because I was busy, I just totally lost interest in this fic. Not to worry though, I figured out why. Chapter three sucked major deku nuts, so I decided to revise it, in other words, write it over. Please tell me what you think!!!!
A/N (2): *looks at one of the reviews* You're right, this fic COULD be a lot better! Thanks for bringing that to my attention! I'm sorry it didn't live up to your taste. What can I say? You win some, ya lose some! @____@
Title: Mistaken Identity
Chapter Three: A look to the Past
"Ganon!?" I questioned, obviously not believing what the Mirror Shield revealed.
Zelda remained still, silently looking at the parchment in her hands. It seemed that the news of Nonag actually being the famous Gerudo thief brought her into a state of shock. I didn't try to snap her out of it, after all, this was the person that brought Hyrule to its darkest days in history. He was also the reason why I lost those seven years of my life. Even though I got them back, my life would never be...normal again. I would always be plagued by abhorrent dreams of him.
"Damn your bloody eyes!" I angrily grabbed the scroll away from Zelda and threw it into the pond.
Zelda awakened from her trance and looked at me, "Link?"
"How does a pathetic man like Ganon escape a void like that!?" I stood up, watching the paper sink into the depths of the pond. "I remember you telling me that it was all over and now Hyrule would be safe again, but it isn't. He's back and I know he's out for revenge."
"Slow down," Zelda brought herself to her feet. "This isn't the right time to get frustrated."
"Oh, so when is it? When he brings the Hyrulian people to their knees again!?"
She shook her head violently. "No! No! How can you say that? I know what Ganon is capable of and I will NOT see him repeat history! I've been through it once and I cannot bear to see it again. Don't you remember!? I almost risked my life to save Hyrule!"
I turned away from her. "...as did I."
"Link, I know-"
"No!" I faced her again, "you don't know! There were times when I almost died! Died, Zelda! And for what!? Hyrulians treated the Kokiri people like spit! Why save them, huh!? Why? Because it was my destiny! I was and still am the Hero of Time! Nothing will change that...EVER! Not even sending me back in time! That part of me will never disappear. What were you thinking!? Maybe if you didn't send me back in time he would have never escaped!"
Zelda bit her lip, clearly holding back tears. "I know you're confused, but it was for the best-"
"For who? Look where it got us!"
"I know!" Tears stained her pulpy cheeks.
"Do you?" I didn't want to make her cry, but my anger got the best of me.
She stepped forward angrily. "How dare you!? If you forgotten, I was Sheik! Along with keeping Hyrule in order, I helped you on your quest to defeat Ganon. Don't you dare tell me that I don't know!" She wiped a tear away, but kept her current position, "I didn't want to send you back, Link! I told you that when I held that ocarina. I didn't send you back for me, it was all for you! I wanted you to live those seven years! You would never get that chance anywhere else!"
"I told you that I didn't want to go!" Everything seemed to be coming back to me.
Her eyes lowered from mine. "I couldn't go back on my decision."
"Couldn't or didn't want to?"
"I couldn't," she whispered, "It wasn't my place...it was the sages."
"Do you even believe that?" I asked as she raised an eyebrow objectionably.
"I do, in fact," she folded her arms, "and I will stand behind my decision."
"Just remember that your decision might result in the loss of a lot of lives." I walked toward the pond and looked at my reflection. "The Hero of Time is no more. There is no way I could be the person I was back then." I fell to my knees and dipped a hand into the ice cold water.
"Do you want to save the Kokiri people, your own flesh and blood?"
I stopped and watched the water ripple, "what?"
"If you can't be the Hero of Time, who will save them?" She questioned, stepping forward.
"I..." I looked at my reflection, realizing that I was their only hope. "I will...me...Link.."
"So will the Hero of Time," Zelda knelt beside me, "if you let him."
Not knowing how to respond to her statement, I kept my eyes fixed on the water.
"How will we find him?"
"Ganon?" I turned toward her, "wouldn't he be with your father?"
"No, he's too...father!" She jolted upward and looked toward the direction of Hyrule Castle.
I stood up and put a hand on her shoulder, "I don't think Ganon is up to anything yet."
"Link! This is all my fault!"
"Zel-"
"You were right! I'm to blame for Ganon's return!" Fresh tears scattered down her face, "you wanted to stay and be with your new friends, but the sages talked me into sending you back. I could have dismantled their judgment, but I wanted...." She crashed into my arms, "I wanted you to be happy."
I buried my face into her hair, the redolent smell of lilies flooded my nostrils. "No, it's not your fault. I...I should be grateful that you wanted to give me my life back. I shouldn't have blamed you...and I'm...sorry.." There was no more words after my apology. We just stood there, holding each other as if we were the other's crutch.
"Link..." She whispered as I opened my eyes and ran a hand through her hair. Everything about her seemed so familiar to me, though my memory was shot. I remembered the feel of her hair, the smell of her, even her touch brought back memories. Could I have loved her in the past? Were we together? I know I would have to wait to ask that question. Now, we needed to destroy Ganon before he turns Hyrule Castle into his again.
As I looked on toward the pond, I noticed that part of it was shaking furiously. "We're being followed.."
"Huh?" She asked as I pulled away delicately.
"Maybe Nonag is up to something," I looked around for any signs of life, "it's coming from Hyrule Castle."
*Let me go check*
Navi was about to be on her way when a dozen Hyrulian soldiers appeared on a cliff, their weapons in hand. Deja Vu? Not quite. This time there were no trees or high buildings in sight. Not even Kaepora could fly us to safety. We would have to fight this time.
"I'll handle this," Zelda turned to the soldiers. "Lower your weapons! That is an order!"
The soldiers did not obey. Instead, one stepped forward, "we only follow the orders of Nonag."
"Nonag has already gotten to them, Zelda!" I yelled, but she did not step down.
"As the Princess of Hyrule, I order you to lower your weapons!" As she stepped forward, they equipped their weapons. "This is your last warning, soldiers! I will not repeat myse-" At first I could not see what happened, but then I realized that one of the soldiers had fired an arrow.
"ZELDA!" Though it was too late, I ran up to the fallen princess. Her eyes were closed and her left shoulder soaked in her own blood. "Zelda! Wake up! You're going to be okay!" It was no use, unless my words helped reassure myself. Tearing off a piece of her sleeve, I pressed the cloth to the wound in hopes of stopping the blood.
*Link! She'll be okay! You need to worry about your own life now!*
Grabbing the Mirror Shield, I gave one last look at Zelda before charging at the soldiers with a Kokiri sword, which was given to me by the princess early on. The soldiers fired their weapons, but oddly enough, I dodged all of them and went in for the kill. Slicing my way through two of them, I ran toward another pair of men who looked ready to fight. I plunged forward to stab one, but they dodged and grazed my right arm. The damage was mild, but I would have to be careful next time. I stepped back and then jumped forward for an aerial attack. Alright, three down, nine to go. I'm on a roll.......
"AHHH!" Three men charged toward me, spears handled above their heads.
*Link! Run!*
For once, Navi was right. There was no way I could plow through those men unharmed. I ran away from them, trying to lose at least two of them. My plan would have worked if it wasn't for the other six who blocked my entry. As I turned around, the three were now encircling me.
*Link!*
"Anytime now, Hero of Time," I whispered as I tightened my grip around my weapon.
Looking around for any sign of escape, my eyes rested upon the limp body that was Zelda. Naryu, I couldn't give up now. Zelda believed in me, I couldn't let her down. But, what could I do? I didn't have the longshot wait the Mirror Shield! It had to have the ability to....
"You'll never win, boy!"
The dark man went in for an attack, "this is where you meet your creator!"
As the man brought his fist toward the fairy boy, the boy lifted up a glass shield, which blocked the man's attack, but also..
"It has the ability to reflect it!"
Raising the shield to the belt on my waist, I waited patiently for one of the soldiers to attack. Finally, one of the men charged forward and struck my shield. They found themselves plunged back with their own attack. "Ha! This isn't so-"
"Nonag wanted you preferably alive, but you can't always get what you want." I barely heard because I had plummeted over the head by one of the soldiers. "Any last words, little Kokiri boy?" The man drew his blade toward my neck, where it pierced the outer layer of my skin. "Well?"
"I.." It was hard to talk, even breathe for that matter, with the blade so close to my throat.
"It's not your time yet, Link!"
The man that had pinned me down was thrown to the floor by a Gerudo woman, around my age...maybe older. She looked down at me and smiled, "looks like you could use some help." She put her hand out to help me. "Seems I came just in time."
I accepted, "who are you?"
"Nabooru," she answered as she turned away from me and threw her dagger into the chest of one of the soldiers. "I came as soon as I heard that Zelda was injured." She looked over to Zelda and then back at me. "Look after her, I'll take care of them."
I nodded gratefully as I trotted over to where Zelda was. The cloth I had put on her wound had now soaked in her blood. This wasn't good. I knelt down next to her and looked at the arrow sticking out of her shoulder. I had to take it out before....no I couldn't think like that.
"Is she alright?" The Gerudo woman dropped to her knees and put two fingers to Zelda's wrist. "It's slow.."
I looked down at Zelda sympathetically, "what are we going to do?"
"First," she took out a small red bottle. "This is potion. Brewed from rare herbs and boiled in enchanted cauldron, this will restore her vitality and any magic she may have lost." She titled the bottle into Zelda's mouth until it ran dry. "Alright, now it's time to get the arrow out."
"What will you-?" I stopped when she grasped the arrow firmly and pulled it out.
"What?" She threw the arrow to the side, "did you have a better way?"
I shook my head as she took out a handkerchief and placed it on her wound. "Will she be alright?"
"Apparently you don't know Zelda that well." She caused me to raise an eyebrow.
Link! Get out of here! Now!
"You! You're a...sage.." My outburst made her turn and look at me.
"Yes, Link," her frown warmed into a smile, "I knew you would remember me."
I did remember, but not too much. "Did you hear about Ganon?"
"Yes." She did not elaborate on her answer. Instead, she brought herself to her feet and looked around. "We need to find a safe place before night falls." I only stared up at her. "Ganon will be sure to send more soldiers this way. Do you have any place in mind?"
"No," I looked back down at Zelda. "Not from what I remember."
"My horse is out in front."
I scooped Zelda into my arms, "where will we go?"
She placed her dagger back in its sheath, ignoring the question I asked before her. As I started walking, I forgot that Kaepora was waiting patiently by the pond. "Thank you, Kaeopora. Tell me, will I see you again?"
"Hoot! Yes, I'm only a talon away. Hoot!" He spread his wings gracefully. "Be careful, Link."
I watched him go, his words fresh in my mind. "Link! Place Zelda over the saddle!"
"Huh?" I turned around to see Nabooru already on her horse. "Alright." Placing Zelda on the horse, I got on myself and Nabooru was off into Hyrule field. Again, I asked where were we going, but she would not answer. Instead of worrying about our next stop, I replayed Kaepora's words in my head. Hmm...be careful? Did Kaepora know something I did not?
After a few minutes passed, Nabooru stopped the horse in front of a fenced-in ranch. She jumped off the horse and said, "this is Lon Lon Ranch. This should be a good spot to stay the rest of the night." I jumped off and dragged the horse inside, where we walked through a narrow passageway. This narrow passageway, however, opened up into a huge ranch.
"Back so soon?" A young girl with red hair walked out of a small building carrying a small pail of what looked like oats. She walked toward the horse and said, "how are you doing? I'm sure you treated Nabooru quite well, eh?" She smiled and patted the horse gently. That's when our eyes met. She slightly blushed, "how rude of me! Hello stranger, I'm part owner of this ranch. The name's Malon. And you are?"
"Link." I answered as I brought Zelda into my arms again.
"Oh my!" Malon stepped back, horrified, "whatever happened to her?"
Nabooru put a hand on Malon's shoulder. "No need to be alarmed. Listen, do you have a place to stay here? It's kind of getting dark and there was no other place to turn to." Nabooru voice sounded so cold as she spoke. Almost as if she didn't care about Zelda, one of her fellow sages.
Still looking at Zelda, Malon nodded. "There's a room upstairs that no one uses."
"Can you show me?" I asked, slightly daunted by Zelda's weight.
She signaled me to follow her, while Nabooru took the horse toward the ranch. As Malon opened the door and led me inside one of the small shacks, an old man sat by a lamp reading to his...cuccos? Malon turned to me, "don't worry about papa...he's very attached to his cuccos."
"Well, what do we have here?" The man looked up with a genuine smile.
"This is Link," she turned to me, "he'll be staying here for the night."
"Talon, put it there," he took his hand back, "oh...you can't."
Malon cleared her throat, "follow me, Link."
The room was a decent size. It had a bed, two dressers, and a window. As a put Zelda delicately on the bed, Malon opened the window to get some air into the musty place. She looked back at me and said, "I'll go fetch a pail of water so you can clean the wound."
Hearing the door close behind her, I dragged a small bucket next to Zelda's bed and sat down. It seemed that the potion had not taken effect. Her face was still deathly pale and her pulse was still slow. Could she really be dying? What if the arrow was poisoned?
"Here you are," Malon crept into the room and placed a pail of water and a washcloth by my feet. "Do you need any help?"
I shook my head, "thank you, Malon. For everything."
"You're welcome." She curtsied and walked out the door.
Dipping the washcloth into the warm water, I slightly ripped Zelda's shirt and placed it on her wound. "Zelda, you can't die." As I held the cloth down, I started thinking about the argument we had. What was I thinking? Zelda was the closest thing I had to a real friend...and I was pushing her away.
"I'm sorry, Zelda," I placed the cloth back into the water. "You were there for me during my quest. You saw how lonely I was during those years...that's why you wanted to send me back to live with the Kokiri people. You were right in your judgment. I shouldn't of..." I scrunched the cloth tightly, letting the excess water stream out.
"Link?" I sniffed, not realizing that Nabooru had stepped in. "Is everything alright?"
I threw the cloth back into the pail and stormed out of the door. I needed air. I needed to get away...
I found myself at the ranch, staring at the horses trampling across the plateau freely. "Anything I can get you, Link?" Before I turned around, I knew it was Malon. She had this sweet voice to her that couldn't hurt a skulltula. "How's that horse ride?" I pointed to a foal with a white mane.
"This one? She's a great horse." Malon clasped her hands together, "she hasn't been out for awhile, would you like to take her around the track a few times?" I nodded as she walked toward a barn and brought out a saddle. "She'll be ready in a moment."
I heard that you found my dad! How did you like the castle? Did you see the princess? Hee Hee!
Was that Malon? No, it couldn't have been.
Oh, Epona! She's grown fond of you, fairy boy!
"Here you are," Malon walked up to me and handed me the reins. "Use carrots to make her grow faster."
I nodded as she pointed toward a pouch on the mane's back. Hoisting myself onto the horse, I whipped the reins gently and watched her break into a trot. "Alright, I know you can do better than that!" Yes, I was talking to a horse. I whipped the reins once again and she picked up speed. "Good, YAH!"
She was a good horse, better than the one's back at home. As she quickened her pace, I spotted low fences up ahead. I smacked her hindquarters and she rapidly jumped over the first two obstacles with ease. She was a very good horse. "Alright, here come another two."
Losing myself within the track, I forgot about all my worries. But one wouldn't disappear from my mind. Ganon. What if I couldn't awaken the Hero of Time? With Zelda in her condition, who will help me? What if I can't beat him this time? He was a tiny thread that wove itself into everyone's web.
After covering the track about four times, I brought her to a gallop and we slowly moved toward Malon, who was brushing one of the horses. Jumping off the horse, I walked toward Malon. I wasn't alone though. The horse brushed its muzzle against my arm affectionately.
"Oh, she's grown fond of you!"
My head jerked up at Malon's words. "It was you.."
"Beg your pardon, Link?" She asked as she placed the brush down.
"No, nothing." I turned to look at the horse, "is this horse called Epona by any chance?"
Her eyes traveled to mine. "Y-yes, it is."
"That's a nice name," I turned away from the bewildered girl.
"How....How did you know her name was Epona?"
I smiled weakly, "wild guess."
I could tell she knew I was lying. The way she talked to me afterward was evidence enough. I didn't mean to lie to her. It wasn't like I could just go tell her that I actually knew her in the past, but I was sent back with the ocarina to re-live my life. It would be a sight to see though.
After saying our goodbyes, I rested against the barn wall, watching the moon and the stars decorate the sky. Though it was a beautiful sight, it brought a frown to my face because it made me think of what would happen if Ganon ever got to rule Hyrule...again.
"Nice night, huh?"
Blue eyes met blue eyes. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"I'm a necromancer," she looked at me softy, "besides, the damage wasn't that bad."
I knew Zelda could cast magic spells to cure the weak, but this was a different story. Did she even have enough energy to cast a spell like that? Saria used to tell me that it took a great amount of energy to cast very difficult spells. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Fine," she slowly made her way into a squatting position, "now, tell me what happened while I was doused."
"Didn't Nabooru fill you in?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She shook her head, "she was already sleeping when I woke up."
"Well.." There really wasn't much to tell her, except for the fact that we had a new member to the team and that I was getting more and more visions about my past life as the Hero of Time. She only listened patiently as I finished telling her everything.
"That's rational," she looked at me, "the new people you are seeing are triggering old memories."
I nodded as she continued, "I had a couple of visions too..."
"About Ganon?"
"I'm not sure," she sighed sadly, "One...was with an army of Gerudo...and some Hyrulians." She held her head. "Another was with a man talking about connecting the two rivers of Hyrule together so he can have full access to all of Hyrule. The last vision was weird....it had some guy making potion...with his own blood."
"Own blood? Sounds like Ganon."
Zelda nodded, "but...why?"
"Who knows," I yawned, "I mean, why did he escape the sage void?"
"I was thinking about that too. The only way you can escape a void is if the person who created the void...opened it again." She looked toward the sky, "but there has to be another way. None of the sages wanted him to walk this earth again...we knew what destruction he brought.."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Link!" She held her shoulder, "you really have no faith in us sages, do you?"
"It's not that," I sighed, "you just can't always forsake the impossible."
"Maybe so, but who would really want to bring Ganon back?"
~To be continued...~
I should be able to update more often with my new sense of direction. Hopefully, it's better than what I had up before. Please tell me what you think, your comments are greatly appreciated. Well, until next time friends.....
Jellybob 15
