AN: I haven't been writing at all- I'm in college, and I've been a slacker :D I think I'm entitled, damn it! Alright- here's the first chapter to my longest finished Zelda fanfic so yall can quit looking at the teaser.

Warnings: some swearing, I think? Probably not yet. ... reads AN whoops.

In the land of Hyrule, there echoes a legend. A legend held dearly by the Royal Family that tells of a boy...

A boy who, after battling evil and saving Hyrule, crept away from that land that had made him a legend...

Done with the battles he once waged across time, he embarked on a journey. A secret and personal journey...

A journey in search of a beloved and invaluable friend...

Over the course of his travels, he once more found himself taking up a sword and shield to defend the lands he had come across...

For many years, the hero continued on, righting wrongs and smiting evil with his sword and righteous heart, no matter the cost, no matter the circumstances...

In deep forests...

High in the mountains...

Across the seas...

Even through time...

And finally, one day, the hero laid his sword and shield to rest, joining them in his eternal slumber, his conquests immortalized, his name a sacred word...

But just as our hero was taking his rest...

Evil awoke once more...

The Legend of ZELDA

Land of the Gods

Chapter One:

Hyrule, 50 years after the great battle between Ganon and Link

"I am so delighted to have finally built this statue in memorial to Link," said the queen to her faithful, slightly new attendant. The other woman nodded, smiling slightly. "Are you sure it is in his likeness?" She looked over the life-size statue, the clear, sharp eyes, the strong jaw, the proud stance. The queen smiled, nodding. "He looked this way when... when I last saw him." The attendant blinked, turning to look at the queen. "You saw him as an adult, Your Highness?" Zelda nodded, her hands folded together. "He was.. ... my sweet Goddess, was he handsome..." she murmured, making the sign of the Triforce across her chest, a touch to either shoulder, and then to the forehead. The attendant looked longer at the statue. "But he was a child when he left these lands." Zelda shook her head. "Ampa, do you know not of the legendary Ocarina of Time?"

"Pardon me, Your highness, but I believed that to be a fairy tale. A myth." Zelda shook her head once more. "It did exist once. But after Link defeated.. well- after he became a hero, I had it destroyed, so none would crave its power once again." The attendant raised her eyebrows.

"Goddesses, do I wish Link were here to see this." Zelda looked at Ampa, a hand to her eyes.

"Are they absolutely sure.."

"Yes, your highness, his funeral is set for tomorrow." Zelda lowered her gaze. "I hope he was happy the way he went... peaceful in his sleep, not.. not a shameful defeat in battle..." She broke into tears, and Ampa embraced her.

The Spirit Temple- home to Nabooru and her children

"Push!"

The soon-to-be mother groaned, squeezing the sides of the bed tight, biting her lower lip as sweat ran down her face.

"Push! Just a few more, Morbuto, just a few more!"

She grunted with renewed vigor, her body pushing as hard as it could. There were a few gasps of surprise, and a loud wail of a baby. Morbruto smiled a little as she collapsed back onto the bed.

"I... I want to name her..."

"Um.. actually.."

She rose up off the bed immediately again, her eyes sharp. "What is it? What's wrong? My baby?"

"It's a male."

"Wake up, Hero."

He opened his eyes slowly, pure white flooding his vision. At first he believed it to be a harsh light, but it was not making him wince. He sat up, standing slowly on his feet and looking around. "Hello?" Out of impulse, he moved to grasp his sword and shield, finding that they weren't there. The crick in his arm from stretching that way had also gone. "Young hero, savior of lives and worlds. Stand, and know me..." He continued looking around, his body feeling warm and fresh around him, like he had taken a hot shower after many cold rainy nights in the mud. He looked down at his body, wonderous of this dream, and blushed, seeing his nudity- his young nudity. And all of his scars had faded into nothing. "But- I'm an old man." He continued to look around, trying to find the source of the voice. The brilliant white began to dissipate, and he discerned it as no more than fog.

"No, my son," the voice murmured. "You are reborn as what you always were, a young good-hearted being. No longer are you a mortal.." Golden, hair-thin beams of light rose from the ground, joining together and taking the shape of a woman with warm blue eyes and long hair of the same shade. She wore a white dress, and seemed to float, though her legs moved. Link blushed furiously, trying to hide as much of himself as possible.

"Be calm, my child." Nayru said gently, smiling at him. She placed her hands on Link's cheeks, bending down- she was at least twice his height- and kissed his forehead. His inhibitions, his fears, and his embarrassment faded, his mind calmly accepting that he was dead, and a Goddess was before him. She smiled wider, an expression that could make the sun weep. "Come with me, my son." She pulled her hands away from his face, raising a palm upwards to take his hand. Link took her hand, spying a white shirt on his arm, and looked down at himself again. He was in white- a white short sleeved tunic over a white shirt, and white pants. His feet remained bare, and his hair was not in a hat. Nayru dipped her head slightly, indicating he must go with her as she turned to glide/walk. Link followed next to her, even though it didn't look as if they were going anywhere with the fog. But the white mist was rapidly fading, and Nayru stopped unexpectedly. Link moved for a few steps, gasping as he fell through the clouds, landing gently upon a triforce-shaped platform atop a pillar of water. "I am in.. the temple of light." he murmured, looking up and seeing only blackness. But her voice still rang through to him. "Yes. This is one of the few physical realms where the spiritual realms can manifest." There was something else about the temple, nagging at him, but he abandoned the thought for now. He looked around, gasping when a green shimmer of light appeared over the forest medallion platform. It took on a shape, and Saria was standing there, smiling. She looked exactly the same, except for a touch of laugh lines on her face. "My old friend," she said, clasping her hands together. The green aura collected at her shoulder blades, streaking out and forming wings of light. "It is good to finally see you again. I have been wondering when the Goddesses were going to re-awaken you. I was a fool for not realizing.." she lowered her eyes, but raised them again, smiling still. "How long have I been dead, anyway?" Link asked, staring.

"50 years," spoke a new voice, a blue shimmer forming over the water medallion platform. The voice was rich and feminine, and Link recognized it. Ruto folded her arms, the light blue wings flaring from her back. She frowned, and her eyes flickered with fire. "You kept me waiting for 50 years, and then you go and DIE before coming back for our marriage, and then I have to wait another 50 YEARS for you to WAKE UP! What kind of husband ARE YOU?!" Link grimaced, stepping back. She grinned afterwards, and laughed. "I suppose I'll forgive you." The grin stretched into a sad smile. "We did miss you back home, you know. ... In Hyrule." Link looked down at his feet, still unsure. Ruto tried to patch her bad joke. "I'm sure you would have made a horrible husband anyway; running around all the time, off on adventures, coming home half-dead..." She sighed, shaking her head.

"SWORN BROTHER!" A voice bellowed, even though Link was right in front of its source. Red energy snapped and sparked, Darunia stepping forth with a grin. "It's good to see you again! I thought I never would!" He boomed with laughter, Link swearing he saw other pillars ripple. "Surprising, that after all these years, our mountain is still peaceful! Oh, sure, the occasional Dodongo shows up, but I simply take up the great Megaton hammer- ... oh. Well, I.." The great king looked at his body. "I suppose I can't do much of that any more, can I? That's up to my son and his descendants now. You met him once, remember?" Link nodded, smiling. "I do remember." A flash of purple light wavered in the corner of his eye, and he turned to meet Impa, her arms folded. "Hello, Link. It is good to see you once more." She smiled. "You did us all proud, you know. I would not have expected any less from you. When I saw you as a child, I knew you would do great things."

"We all knew it, really." said Saria, smiling at him. Link smiled back. "It is good to see you all again- but where are Nabooru and Rauru?"

"Rauru," said Darunia, "is up in heaven, conversing with the Goddesses over important matters. As for Nabooru..."

"She re-entered the mortal realm of earth. There have been troubles among the Gerudo as of late," Ruto filled in, her jaw tensing. The air seemed to change, it took on a serious tone. The reunion was already over. Link looked around. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"50 years ago.." the Zoran queen stated, "a man was born to a Gerudo tribe. This would not have been a problem, but it had not yet been 100 years since Ganondorf was born. So you see- he was born early."

Link nodded, looking at her the whole time. "What does this have to do with me?"

Impa closed her eyes, Saria lowered hers, Darunia cleared his throat, and Ruto winced. "We need you to be ressurected on the mortal plane to defeat the new force of evil."

Link stared at Ruto. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked at her harder, as if trying to read a blurry sign. "Excuse me? I have to -what-?" She bit her lower lip, and Saria decided to take over for her. "Yes, Link, we need you to once more take up a sword, and defend Hyrule against it's newest threat. Right now, Rauru is talking with the three Goddesses, who will give us the power to transport you to Hyrule and bring you back."

"We suspect you'll be surprised," Impa stated, "much has changed there."

"Epona, your faithful horse, wanders in greener pastures.."

"We will supply you with a new horse, don't you worry."

"... the proper equipment, well, you still have all your old weapons, they're in the Royal Vault, so it will be hard to get them from there..."

" ...certain that Farore, Din, and Nayru will assist you..."

"Navi cannot assist you now, so we will grant you with a new guide..."

Link shook his head slowly, sitting down on the Triforce platform. The sages quieted immediately. Saria looked down at the water pool, stepping onto it slowly. A tiny aura of green surrounded her foot and assisted her as she walked across to the platform, touching Link's shoulder.

"We can do that?" Ruto muttered, surprised.

Link looked at her, his hands clenched tightly into fists. "Just what the hell is going on? First, I die, then you wake me up, putting me back in Hyrule and telling me that... that I can't stop, even after I'm dead!" He took a breath, letting it out slowly. Saria hugged him tight. "It's okay, we understand that you're overwhelmed. But we are wiht you every step of the way- and you will always have help." Link nodded, smiling a little. "Thank you, Saria." He stood slowly, wincing as a bright light flooded the ceiling. It didn't hurt, however, and he watched as four forms, three massive, floated down gently. Rauru was the other form, and he settled on his platform, soft yellow wings flaring. "Good to see you, Link." He nodded, looking back up at the three goddesses. Nayru, of course, was above him, her wavy blue hair floating gently in the air. Din was there, her hair long and straight, and so red it seemed to emit its own glow. Farore's green hair was swept back from her face. Save the color and stylings, they were exactly the same, in their white robes, emitting a soft golden glow. Link looked back to Rauru, seeing his arms up in the air, summoning the medallion of light. "I give this to you- to aid you on your quest." It shimmered in the air, before bursting into a million tiny points of light, falling over him and seeping into his skin, filling him with warmth. The other sages lifted their arms, blessing him with their medallions as well. Each one broke and slipped into Link's skin, warming him more. At the end, Rauru again lifted his arms, granting Link with the spirit medallion. Link closed his eyes, his body feeling renewed, and solid. The pillar seemed to stretch under him, the circle of water spreading out, and the sages moving away as the Goddesses floated down at a corner of the Triforce. Din lifted her hands, palms upwards, and her body began to glow with a red heat. "I bless you, my child, with the gift of strength. Use it well!"

A powerful heat wrapped around him, and he was lifted into the air, his eyes widening as his body was suffused with red light. "I bless you, my child, with the gift of knowledge! Use it well!" cried Farore, also lifting her hands palm-up, and Link took on a green glow, his mind feeling as if someone had given it a good dusting.

"I bless you, my child, with the gift of courage! Use it well!" Nayru declared, her hands going up. A blue shimmer started at Link's feet, engulfing him completely. The lights took on a white shine, and he closed his eyes. He was rising up in the air, the light protecting him.

"When you land, you will be greeted by new friends. From then on, you must decide what to do."

"You will have all you need, weapons, magic, and assistance in many forms..."

"We bless you, Link...

The savior of Hyrule, and the worlds as we know them."

Review please!