AN: Whoo, another chapter for me to bring to you. Those Pegasus Seeds were from the Oracle series by the way. Up until recently I hadn't played my Oracle of Ages for YEARS and I had never completed it. So I've been sending a lot of time playing that lately, as well as my little brother's Oracle of Seasons D and I felt I just had to include something from those games just to make this truly a story concerning all Zelda games. All I need now is something from Link's Awakening… Got any suggestions anyone?

Chapter 9: The Light of Defeat

Link's POV:

"Would you like to explain just how we're going to cross that?" I asked my new travelling partner as we both faced the disgusting and vile stench of the swampland, festering and bubbling for as far as the eye could see. Enclosed in a tight valley, slumped, swollen trees and overhanging vines lined the edges of the jagged truncated spurs chiselled out of the rock, directing the ribbon lake of stagnant waters down the chasm. Dragonflies hovered and buzzed over the stinking pits; few birds flew in the darkening skies; and everything was eerily silent.

"Hey!" Nabooru snapped. "How the goddesses was I meant to know there's a nasty swamp down here? Besides, we have to cross this if you want that other Triforce piece, and I hear there's some mighty good treasure over in Saria Town," she said rubbing her hands together gleefully.

"Nabooru," I said putting a weary hand to my temple.

"What?"

Sighing, I gently nudged Epona's flanks and with a cautious step she slowly approached the boggy dump. I felt her shiver as she placed one hoof after another into the foul peat, snorting and thrashing her head as she walked. Nabooru followed with the same repulsive behaviour from her own horse and together we trudged through the swamp, hands over our mouths, always keeping a watchful eye out for danger.

"You know, it's weird how they've named the towns after us sages. Perhaps they thought they could gain some sympathy from us to end Gannondorf's reign if they dedicated their towns to us…"Nabooru wondered aloud. "But then again we can't do much without the Triforce eh?"

I could feel her eyes looking at my back. "It's not your fault this happened; it's mine. As soon as I put my Triforce back together, everything will go back to normal," I said, hoping with all my heart that it would.

The bushes rustled on my left and I knew instantly we had company. I pulled Epona to a halt, and listened.

"Hey, why have we stopped?" Nabooru asked as her horse slopped through the swamp behind me. I held up my hand to silence her and unsheathed my sword. I slid off my saddle, grimacing when I felt my boots squelch in the green slim, but kept listening.

Above the movement of the insects; the breathing of the trees; and the gurgling of the swamp, I heard it. There was a low, snarling breath somewhere, hidden and masked from my sight. I moved out in front of Epona, scanning the valley wall for any activity, but found none.

Suddenly I heard another sound different from the first, a sharp whining of a blade on the wind. Nabooru called my name but I already knew what was coming. I'd felt this before, in the graveyard. The warrior, the Hero of Time, awoke from the deep alcoves of my mind and in a movement I thought to be impossible, my sword swung upward and deflected the projectile weapon in the blink of an eye. My eyes narrowed and the grunt became louder, screeching that its target wasn't now drowning in its own blood.

A loud wail then erupted from the overgrowth and from the sickly shades of green sprang a bruised yellow reptilian creature, clad in a torn, red tunic and armour plated shoulders, wielding large axes that seemed to magically multiply from its claws.

"Link, it's a Daira!" Nabooru shouted as she cantered past me, grabbing Epona's reins in the process. "Be careful!"

But before I could reply, the charging lizard hurled the magic axes toward me with deadly precision. I struggled to deflect each one, slowly being pushed backward toward the steep valley wall. There was no break in the endless onslaught, each one coming faster than the last, and my sword wouldn't be able to take many more blows…

I tried rolling to the side and running away from the break, but even that was too slow. The axes caught up with me frighteningly quickly and without a shield to defend myself, I feared my sword would soon break in two. But my hope was revived, the grimace set in my face dissolving when I saw Nabooru join the battle; her two, crescent shaped swords ready to unleash a blinding whirlwind attack. Keeping our only mode of transport safely away from the fray, Nabooru hopped off her horse and sprinted back through the swamp to my aid. I thought that we'd have a chance of defeating this creature. As the Daira was only concentrating on me, then it wouldn't notice Nabooru from behind… However that confidence came as quickly as it went.

In mid poise, the Daira turned around upon hearing the splashing and sunken footsteps of the Gerudo, and drove a sharp axe into her shoulder, dragging it slowly downward toward her heart with a mean smile fixed on its scaly face. I watched her in disbelief, eyes wide and mouth gaping, our faces mirroring each other's, as she fell to her knees.

Shock turned to sorrow. That sorrow melted to anger. And that anger began burning with a fiery hatred. Strength flowed to my muscles, and my hands itched to pierce the monster's skull in return. Sprinted toward the Daira, my feet felt as though they barely graced the swamp's surface. Nabooru was becoming more and more butchered, her bare skin being sliced open with ease, and I felt my anger mount to the tall zenith of Death Mountain itself. Feeling the energy pulsate through me, I leaped into the air and spun my blade horizontally in a blinding flash. The Daira tumbled down, caught in the eternal poise of mid-swing, the axe in its hand barely missing the red hairs of Nabooru's head.

Sheathing my sword, the loathing for the monster, for Ganon, and for this entire mess I'd caused, partially dissolved into an anxious worry as I picked up the battered thief and carried her quickly to the horses she'd ridden away from danger.

"I'm so sorry Nabooru," I muttered to her closed amber eyes. 'This is all my fault,' I thought, feeling the remaining hatred begin to root itself in my heart, resenting to be eradicated.

Taking a hold on her horse's reins, I jumped up into Epona's saddle, Nabooru lying in my arms. Small drops of rain started to soak my face, and all too soon the shower swelled to a torrent; the wind picking up and hissing in the trees. Kicking hard, our two horses sped off into the centre of the swamp, spewing the gruelling, liquefied remains behind us.

Eventually I saw the rising buildings of Saria town appear in the distance at the confluence of the swamp and another river. Galloping in through the gates, it wasn't far until Epona reared up at the site of the large gushing waters that tore down the middle of the town. Looking upstream, the river had become a deluge, sweeping away anything that lay in its path, swallowing fallen trees and unfortunate wandering animals in a muddy froth…as well as the bridge to cross to the other side…

"Please help us warrior!" a voice cried. A young woman dressed in a wet, blue dress that clung to her body hurried up to me, her hands praying for assistance. "Please, you've got to find Bagu! He's the only one who can fix the bridge! He lives in the forest just north of town. We can't get across to our homes if the bridge isn't fixed. Please, you've got to help us!"

Sighing, I turned our horses around without even so much as a reply.

Nabooru still lay unconscious as we rode in the spitting rain, shooting down from the black heavens. I saw the wooded trees up ahead and once we had arrived in the shelter of their canopies, the rain was a little less punishing. She was growing colder and colder as I held her awkwardly to me, but suddenly my heart was pricked in a greater fear as I felt my eyes droop, my concentration fall and my head become light.

'Oh goddesses, no," I thought with a rising anxiety. My vision began to blur and the trees merged into one long wall of wood and leaves; scenes flashed through my mind briefly as I squinted and hastily rubbed my eyes.

Yet my efforts were in vain. Slowly I felt myself become detached from this world, my mind lost in the rifts of broken time, leaving both the life of a sage and an entire village in the hands of fate…

---

A heavy rain lashed down on my back, my lungs inhaling the thick, wet moisture in the air. I could hear the splashing of water mingling with a strange fluid voice coming from behind me somewhere. Rubbing my head, I opened my eyes, desperately hoping to see the wooded trees of the forest. Unfortunately faith conspired against me and all around were high, mountainous walls plastered with green vegetation around where a large lake rested in the lowland basin. Two small islands along with two pools of shallow water crowned the centre of the waters, being strangely reminiscent of Lake Hylia…

But as I brought myself out of my daze, I saw a Zora who looked horribly familiar; her arms stretched out as she trod water, facing an assembly of the Zolas I'd encountered before. Their red gilled heads glared at her through the rain, their menacing eyes unblinking as she spoke. I could hear the brave voice trying to communicate with them, but ignoring her they threw balls out of their mouths at the intruder, singeing her white blue skin.

Inwardly wanting as much as possible to go back to where I'd left Nabooru, I couldn't help but call out and drive their attention away from the defenceless Zora, despite who it appeared to be. Each entity heard the sudden infringement on their home and large blue eyes widened when they turned round and saw me.

"LINK!" she cried as she dove under the water and exploded from the depths by my side. Wrapping her wet arms around me tightly, I almost toppled over in with her.

"If I'm going to help you, you're going to have to let go, Ruto!" I shouted trying to peel her away from me. But as I did so, I could see a faint shining light glowing at the bottom of the lake… Could it be?

Abruptly Ruto took my hand and dragged me back away from the water. "Don't hurt them!" she said worriedly. "It's not their fault."

We ran a safe distance from the lake, turning west into a large field. I could see the castle in the distance, the four white towers at each corner shining through the darkness of the merciless bullet rain. Ruto led me up a small hill and into an abandoned house without saying a word, being oddly silent for someone like herself.

"What's the matter?" I asked over the pouring storm as I noticed the down-turned mouth and burns mixed with bruises making an intricate patchwork all over her body.

She sniffed and opened the door, crystalline tears forming in her huge eyes. "Every thing is just so terrible! Where in Din's name have you been?" the Zora princess wailed, weeping softly into my tunic.

Saying nothing I placed a remorseful hand upon her shoulder as she continued. "Ever since you've been gone, Lake Hylia dried up again and Kakariko village had to be abandoned because of all the Zolas and monsters that begun to live nearby. The Lost Woods were destroyed, the princess has been captured…Everything is a total mess!"

I was speechless. The sneering rage mixed with the perpetual apprehension lodged in me grew further, increasing with every word the tumbled sometimes incoherently out of her mouth.

"Everyone has had to move to the west," Ruto mumbled. "The village had to be rebuilt and with all the rain we've been having, the Gerudos and their desert disappeared and a new Lost Woods formed up there. But none of the Kokiri remain either…That damn Ganon! He's wiped out nearly everyone!" she cried, slamming a fist against my chest.

Swallowing hard I fought back the tears threatening to fall. I wasn't even going to think of what happened to my home, my friends and family, how they must have felt, or the torture they underwent… Tears pricked my eyes as I thought of how everyone had been looking forward to the new hope of the Deku Scrub that grew in place of the long deceased Deku Tree. Their hope had been crushed along with the spirits of the people wanting a hero to save them, and the strength of a nation so plagued with monstrosity… Everything had been broken by the hand of one man…who I had let free…

"I'm sorry," I uttered, finding those, the only words I could say. "I'm so sorry."

"But you're here now Link. You'll save Hyrule won't you?" A hanging light of faith held in her voice as she spoke.

"I…don't know Ruto," I sighed.

"W-What?"

I breathed deeply. "All I do is apologise! I…I never do anything to make things better. Without my Triforce I'm nothing; another soldier among many… Without it…I can't do anything right," I said breaking away, not daring to look at her eyes.

"But Link," Ruto started.

"No! There aren't any 'but Link's when it comes to people's lives. If I make mistakes, people are hurt. If I don't do something, everyone will suffer. If I don't have the Triforce, people will die!" I said harshly.

Looking hurt, she cast her eyes downward. I turned my back to her, staring out of the window. Death Mountain loomed northwards beyond the great Hyrule Castle, dark clouds shadowing the peak and fighting away the sunlight.

"While you were gone, a new hero arose," she said quietly. "He too is called Link and all the sages thought it was you, back from the dead."

Her voice became less stable. "Princess Zelda too hoped with all her heart that our Hero had returned. But it wasn't you at all." I felt her tears run down her cheeks. "H-He rescued her many times from Ganon's clutches, each time renewing the horrible fact that perhaps you really had died. But he didn't have the Triforce."

Her words were now no more than an angry whisper. "He fought on, wanting nothing more than to save our country from Ganon and return peace to Hyrule. But you, you sit here moaning about how you need the Triforce to win. That boy didn't need it and neither should you! It's not just the power of the Triforce, but the hopes of every person in Hyrule, the strength of the sages and the will of yourself that makes your heart even worthy of possessing the Triforce. Right now, you don't even deserve to be called a Hero." And I felt the encroaching guilt and selfishness smack me in the face.

"I don't," I mumbled after a while. "I don't deserve anything." I looked out of the window, watching the small droplets of water stream down the glass. Everything was grey and black, stained with the impregnable darkness that had invaded and overthrown Hyrule's once golden kingdom. I had caused this. This was my problem.

And I was going to fix it.

Silently I crossed the room, past Ruto and back out into the storm, sword in hand. I had never known about this new hero risen from nowhere, and I remembered what Impa had said about the Triforce.

"Without that, Ganon will never be beaten, even by you."

Somehow the infallible nursemaid had been wrong, and for once the Zora princess had made a lot of sense, her words hitting me in a new way no one had ever made me feel before. I smiled, remembering her once being a very incoherent person. No…The Hero of Time remembered her as once being a very incoherent person. Sighing, I realised I would never truly know what had happened then. Maybe I wasn't meant to find out. After all, if time was turned back for everyone, then our memories would be erased too…

I reached the lake again quicker than I thought. One by one the Zolas poked their heads above the water, watching me with a wary eye as I approached the water's edge. Taking a deep breath I dove under, feeling the rain cease to fall against my back and batter my face as the cool liquid surrounded me in a sheltering cloak. There was something in that lake and I knew it could only be one thing…

Even underwater I could see the blurred image of light radiate from the depths. But everything else was nothing but water. I didn't see the Zolas dart toward me, scratching and clawing me as I swam deeper and deeper. And I didn't see the balls they threw from their mouths or the barrages of attacks they dealt me.

All I saw was the bright golden object below me and nothing else.

I kept swimming down, feeling my breath begin to deteriorate with each kick and pull. Bubbles escaped by the dozen out of my mouth and soon there were no more to blow. If I were going to amend everything I'd let happen, I needed to reach that sunlit fragment that slumbered in the lake's mouth. I needed to…

I breathed in gasps of air, refilling my lungs with the precious gas of life, even though it was drench in the coat of the rainfall. My head was aching, my eyes drowsy, and I wondered how I'd come so quickly from the suffocating lake to the stormy surface.

"You almost drowned," a feminine voice said beside me. Looking up I saw Ruto kneeling beside me, her fins flapping in the wind. "But you did it," she said, tears brimming in her eyes, a smile trembling on her lips.

"I…did?" I said, still breathing heavily. She took my hand and raised it up so I could see. Nearly half of that small triangle was alight with a brilliant glory.

"Goodbye Link," the Zora said sadly.

"What?" But before I realised what was happening, Ruto leaned down and kissed my cheek, her tears falling softly on my face before I was pulled away again into the black nothing of time.

AN: Just a quick note. For those of you who haven't played Link's Adventure on the NES, Bagu is a person you need to see in order to cross the bridge in Saria Town. The annoying guard won't let you cross until you've seen him ¬¬.

Anyway, I want to say a big thank you again to everyone who reviewed! I really hope this is starting to finally make some sort of sense now as everything is gradually being pulled together. And feel free to suggest a little something I could include from Link's Awakening in a review! hint hint