Years Away
By Joker's Specter

Chapter One: Termina Behind; New Places Ahead

As it says above, I published this story on 05-07-03. However, as of 02-07-11 I've begun to go through and rewrite the entire thing. I am not changing anything major; I'm just going through and correcting errors, adding more descriptions, extending certain scenes, rewriting dialogue here and there, fixing personalities, and trimming off any fat that wasn't necessary. For anybody who has read this in the past, if you want to skip rereading it, then that should be fine; none of the major plot points will be changed with the exception of one: In the original version, Navi did not come back in time with Link. That is an error that I have since fixed.

One thing I would change that I am not changing are the names of Tifa and some of the other characters. As unoriginal as their names might be, readers who used to read the story might not recognize the characters if I renamed them. So despite being unoriginal, I do have a reason for keeping them that way.
-Joker


Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda is owned by Nintendo.

A lone figure exited the treeline of a forest and rode out onto a large, grassy field upon his faithful horse, Epona. The boy in green clothes expressed relief as he saw the open grasslands that signaled his final departure out of the odd realm of Termina. While he definitely had some interesting experiences, found new useful equipment, and made a few new friends, he still had a quest that he was determined to get back to.

Link, the Hero of Time, had to find Navi the fairy, his friend who had endured so much with him and helped him save Hyrule.

Originally, he had almost no clue where to look, except that the Young Deku Tree said that he could sense her in a far away land. How she came to be there was beyond both Link and the Young Deku Tree's knowledge. The last thing Link had remembered of Navi was that she seemed a little down in the moments before she disappeared. It was bizarre; not only was she there one minute, and gone the next, but Link couldn't figure out what could have happened other than her flying away on her own.

And if that were the case, why didn't she come back? Was she in trouble? The young boy needed to find out.

"Well, Epona," said Link, his voice sounding a little weary despite the content expression on his face, "It looks like we can finally get back to our search for Navi."

The only response Link got from Epona was when the horse sped up a little.

A smile spread onto Link's face as he held onto Epona tighter. "Looks like you want to find her as much as I do, girl," he said.

Epona threw back her head and whinnied loudly; she hadn't been able to run through a clear field since they had left Termina. She was ecstatic, and made sure Link knew it by taking him on the ride of his life.

Link laughed and spread his arms out, feeling the wind on his face. Several times he had to grab his floppy green hat so it wouldn't fly off. "Okay Epona; let's go get Navi!" he exclaimed.

They rode like that for hours, never slowing down. Epona's stamina was phenomenal as both her happiness to be out of Termina and the forest, and her determination to find their long lost friend mixed into a feeling that fueled her beyond her normal limits. The sun had began to set long before Epona decreased her pace.

Finally, with the sun minutes from disappearing behind the mountains in the distance, Epona slowed down to a trot, prompting Link to raise his head from where it was resting on Epona's soft mane. They were nearing a mountain range that stretched before them as far as the eye could see. Patches of trees dotted the landscape, grouping mostly around the mountain base. The wind that rolled off of the mountains and into the valley was cool and fresh as it rushed against the adventuring pair.

"It's getting a little cold," Link stated, climbing off of Epona to stretch his muscles.

Epona snorted, and then made a slight nodding motion with her head, finishing the act off with rubbing her nose against the side of Link's head.

Link reached up and rubbed Epona's snout as his blue eyes scanned the landscape around him. "I think we should stop somewhere in those trees that border that mountain range. I don't know what lurks out here, so it could provide us with cover," the hero explained. "Then tomorrow when we begin travelling again, we can move along the mountain base. Maybe we'll come across a town."

A whinny sounded beside his pointed ear. Link looked over to his horse as she stared at him with a big, black eye.

"Okay, okay. I'll build a fire, too," he said, unable to resist grinning. Epona was way too smart for her own good.

Epona trotted excitedly, and then allowed Link to climb onto her again. After a few minutes more of riding, they approached a grouping of trees that would provide adequate covering. The tall pine trees were packed tightly enough that from a distance a fire couldn't be seen, and Linked silently hoped that their smell might throw off the scent of the burning wood.

"You just rest, Epona; you've been moving all day," said Link as he jumped off of Epona's back. The grateful horse settled down next to the spot where Link planned on building the fire as the young boy wandered off in search of firewood.

The Hylian returned three minutes later with an armful of suitable firewood. He carefully placed the firewood down in the center of the clearing, and constructed a makeshift fireplace with rocks and mounds of dirt. He'd done it plenty of times since leaving Hyrule; it was a natural skill to him now.

"And finally, our flint and steel," Link joked as he unstrapped his bow from off of his back and pulled out an arrow. After notching the arrow in the string, Link closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, the tip of the arrow sparked and flashed. The rapid popping sparks quickly exploded into a raging flame, engulfing the front of the arrowhead and lighting up the surrounding tree stumps.

Taking a step back, Link pulled arrow close to his chin, aiming at the firewood. Once he was confident he wouldn't accidentally make a shishkebab out of Epona, he released the enchanted projectile. There was a burst of flame, overtaking the fireplace and much of the surrounding area, just coming short of Epona's hooves. She didn't seem to be bothered by it, as she laid her head down and watched the spectacle. As the fire-burst died down, it was replaced by a roaring fire in the middle of the circle of rocks. Link put his bow on the ground next to a log, and then unequipped the rest of his gear that would cause discomfort while sleeping.

Epona watched as Link approached her, and then closed her eyes as he sat next to her. "Good girl, Epona," he commented as he laid back against her and placed his hands behind his head. His blue eyes gazed up at the trees, and then up higher towards the night sky. As he studied the stars, he couldn't help but think they look remarkably like millions of fairies hovering above him.

"We're coming for you, Navi," Link promised as he closed his heavy eyelids, "even if it takes all of my life..."

!-S- -O- -N- -G- -O-!
!-F- -T- -I- -M- -E-!

Link woke up several times in the middle of the night. The first time was due to the fierce cold that had washed over them as the fire died away. The young boy finished putting out the fire, so as not to attract predators, and then grabbed a bundled blanket from his things to cover Epona and himself with.

The second time Link awoke was from an unpleasant dream. Link rarely had good dreams. He wasn't sure if it was because he was consistently in danger or because some higher power wanted him to suffer, but for whatever reason, nightmares plagued his subconscious thoughts as he turned control over to them in his dreaming.

The nightmare he experienced just before waking up involved a horrific blending of villains he'd encountered in the past. Most prominent were Ganondorf and Majora. For some reason, they were gigantic. Taller than the highest tower of Hyrule castle. As Link rode on Epona away from them, they seemed to fall over onto him, always right behind him. Their hideous growls spewed forth minions from their mouths, projecting demons and obedient servants of death and destruction, all with the intent of slaying Link.

But instead of him, it was Navi. The fairy took Link's place, and the wave of evil overcame her, engulfing her sapphire glow.

The nightmare had made Link shiver from the moment he awoke. His palms were all clammy, and his chest rose and fell rapidly as he panted hard, staring wildly into the darkness. A feeling of dread overcame him as he wondered if the nightmare was a signal that something terrible had happened to Navi. It sent uneasiness throughout every part of his body.

Then he felt the warmth from his companion and the blanket draped over both of them, and soon he calmed down enough to drift off into an uncomfortable sleep once again.

It didn't last long, as he was once again raised from a restless sleep. However, it wasn't because of dreams... It was because of a noise he heard nearby.

The snapping of a branch.

He knew he wasn't crazy, because Epona was wide awake as well, her head staring off into the woods ahead of them. An eerie feeling washed over the wooded area as Link tried desperately to pick up any more sounds.

A footstep sounded directly behind him.

Before Link could so much as turn his head, a bag was thrown over his face. As he struggled to remove it, somebody much larger than him tackled his small body to the dirt, hard.

He heard Epona moving around beside him to stand up, followed by a rough-sounding male voice shouting, "Somebody get the horse!"

"Epona!" Link shouted between grunts as he attempted to wrestle his face away from the rough burlap sack that was draped around him. A strong hand held his head into the groun.

The next sensation the boy felt was a heavy, blunt object colliding with the back of his skull. His eyes immediately rolled back as consciousness left him.


End: Chapter One: Termina Behind; New Places Ahead