The Reign of Something Different

Chapter One:

Reflections: Ferocity's Rebirth


Link has been sealed in the Chamber of the Sages, Zelda." Impa spoke, watching Hyrule's princess for a reaction. "Now we only need wait seven years."

"Yes, but Gannandorf finding the sacred realm was not what we had planned." Zelda frowned. Impa saw a familiar gleam in her princess' eyes, a look which meant that Zelda was thinking of taking matters into her own hands.

"You must not do anything rash, Princess," Impa said sternly. "You do not have the power needed to fight and win against Gannandorf's minions."

"But I can't sit around and do nothing!" Zelda lost her temper and glared at Impa. The Sheikah watched the young princess impassively. "Last time I stood back, and now Gannandorf is in the sacred realm. I can't just sit back and watch him destroy Hyrule."

"But what can you do?" Impa asked. "Without jeopardizing your life, Princess, what can you do? Link is safe in the Chamber of Sages. Not even Gannandorf can get to him now."

"What about after Link comes out of the Chamber?" He'll be seven years older without having lived those years!"

"That is the price that must be paid," Impa said simply.

Zelda sighed, looking downcast, and Impa left her charge alone. Zelda had been more and more pensive lately, so Impa knew that now she wouldn't have responded to anything Impa said anyway.

For a long time Zelda stayed in the small room. They were in Impa's house, a quaint cottage secluded deep within the Kokeri Forest. The room in which Zelda sat was a library, with many shelves of books, all of which were connected to the Sheikah in some way. Zelda herself had been reading a history book of the Sheikah before Gannandorf arrived at Hyrule Castle yesterday. Impa had left the book on a table, and Zelda found her thoughts drifting toward its contents.

The Sheikah believed, as some other races did, that they were descended from the deities that created the world. Unlike the other cultures, they believed that instead of three creators, there were four. The goddesses created the world and its first inhabitants, but while Farore created those that would uphold the laws, they were all spirits, connected to and dependent on nature. Din thought there should be races of creatures that were not dependent on nature, but Nayru said there should be a balance of creatures. Still, Farore argued that she had created all the beings that should be allowed to live on the world. From this dispute was born the fourth deity, a god who was the balance between his goddess "mothers," possessing Farore's mischief, Nayru's wisdom, and Din's temper. It was because of his temper that he was called Fierce by the other creators. He settled all of the disputes between his mother goddesses, and he created the Sheikah in his image. When the "triforce" was created, the three gold triangles were held together by a fourth triangle in the middle, a triangle made of a pure black rock called onyx.

The Fierce Deity, as he was called by his creation, the Sheikah, was enthralled by the actions of his people. So close did he become to the early Sheikah that the goddesses became suspicious of his actions. They believed that their son was plotting against them, trying to teach his people skills that would allow the Sheikah to control the world, and so they threw him to the earth, and imprisoned his power and spirit inside a mask. Anyone could invoke his powers by wearing the mask, but wearing the mask only created a duplicate of Fierce's power for the wearer's use. This was Fierce's final punishment, to be forced to watch as mortals wielded a copy of his power, and unable to help them. Many died because the power was too much for them.

But the goddesses were not done yet. In order to assure that Fierce's powers were not reborn within one of his creatures, they removed his piece of the triforce and shattered it, leaving the triforce Zelda was familiar with.

Zelda moved along Impa's cottage, deep in thought, going to what would be her room for who knew how long. She walked into the room and was immediately drawn to the fireplace. Every room in the cottage had one, and every fireplace had something on a mantel above it. In this room the mantel decoration was a carving of a boy with long white hair, dark clothes, pale skin, red and blue war paint, and smoldering eyes. He did not look angry, just betrayed. Zelda moved closer to the carving. The face seemed more prominent than the other features, and for some reason, Zelda felt compelled, as a young child might be, to touch that face.

Her fingers grazed over smooth wood, and as they did, the triforce on her hand blazed.

"Hello, Little One," said a rich tenor voice. The voice was kind, but born of a stern mindset, like Impa's, but male. It sounded of Digongo's roaring and battle raging, but was also quiet, as if the full voice would be too much for a mortal to survive hearing.

Zelda did not fear the entity to whom the voice belonged. Nothing made any type of logical sense, but she was still a child, young enough to believe in fairy tales and extraordinary happenings. And just like any other child she knew that this was the Fierce Deity that she spoke with now.

"You need not fear me, Little One. I am very weak. Without the powers of another goddess, I will cease to exist. Only my power will still be trapped here." At the mention of the power of another goddess, Zelda looked down at her hand. The triforce was still glowing faintly.

"Could I help you?" she asked softly. She felt a being's eyes move to look at her hand, and then she heard a gasp of surprise.

"Nayru's power. So, all of the creators' powers have been reborn." Zelda felt, rather than saw, the being smile.

"Except the Fierce Deity," Zelda murmured.

The being sighed. "That is to be expected, with there only being one of my people left, and she doesn't seem too keen to have children."

Zelda smiled. "Not now, anyway. But you said something before about using the power of another goddess. Could you create someone.....or something....like that?"

"I could. By working through the power of one of the goddesses, I could create a Sheikah to carry on my power and soul, just as you, Princess, carry Nayru, the King of Darkness carries Din, and your Hero of Time carries Farore."

"You know Link?" Zelda asked, but inside she was jumping for joy. Another triforce piece would mean another to fight against Gannandorf. Maybe she could help Link after all.

"I know of the Hero of Time." The Fierce Deity said softly. "I have watched all mortals for many centuries."

"You shouldn't have to be locked up like this, I mean no respect but you are a god after all." Zelda pointed out with a child's logic. "Why don't you create a being for yourself? I would be happy to help you-"

"If I assist your Hero in the fight against Gannandorf." the god finished for her. Zelda blushed and looked down at the floor. "Do not be bashful little princess, it sounds like a fair trade to me, but no one must know of my identity. I need not worry about Nayru because she would not intrude on the privacy of her reincarnation, but if I appear too many times to Link, Farore will figure out who I inhabit and will seek to destroy that being. I don not wish to endanger any more of my people."

Zelda thought for a moment. "We can fool them! If you can just check up on Link every so often, and make sure that he is all right, and hide what you really look like, we could fool everyone into thinking that you are me-"

"By switching places in front of him." The Fierce Deity sounded pleased. "That is a good idea. I will create this new Sheikah in my image but with many of your features so no one will suspect when we switch."

"It's perfect!" Zelda laughed like the child she was, clapping her hands together. "Let's do it now!"

The Fierce Deity laughed. "If you insist, Impatient One. Close your eyes, and relax."

Zelda did so, gasping slightly as she felt a power course through her veins. It didn't hurt, it just felt.......weird. After a while, the power disappeared.

"You can open your eyes now," a voice said, but this time the voice sounded real, more alive, and had lost the sound of roaring animals. It was the sound of a living voice.

The princess opened her eyes to see a male replica of herself, but taking a closer look, she began to notice the differences. The Fierce Deity had created a male Sheikah who dressed in formal Sheikah garb. Where Zelda had the golden triforce on her hand, a single triangle seemed to have been cut on his hand and scared over, a black mar against pale skin. The Sheikah had red eyes and platinum hair, as opposed to Zelda's blue eyes and golden hair, but in body shape, he looked just like her.

"There will be some changes in seven years," the Fierce Deity remarked, "but we can just say it was a very good illusion on your part."

Zelda nodded. She could see that the Sheikah boy in front of her would grow to be a warrior in seven years, a perfect guardian for the Hero of Time.

"But what should I call you?" Zelda asked. "I can't call you the Fierce Deity."

The boy smiled. "No, you can't." He thought for a moment. "Just call me Sheik."