Everybody Has a Dark Side
Prologue
History's Way
"For the Hero of Time, the Ages never end; and thus it shall be until darkness is vanquished. When darkness raises so shall Time's Hero, and when darkness falls the Hero shall finally find rest."
—From The Goddesses' Promises
Forty-Eighth Chapter
Seventh Paragraph
On The Hero of Time
In the midst of the Second Age the Hero of Time was born. He was son to a knight of the revered kingdom of Hyrule. But great wars swept the lands, and many lives were lost. In the last battle of the Great Wars the mother of this still infant hero escaped the chaos by entering the forbidden forest. There she pleaded with the deity of the forest, The Great Deku Tree, to raise her son.
This was an unheard of act, a Hylian being raised as a Kokiri, a creature of the forest watched over by the Great Deku Tree. But the wise Tree looked upon the child with compassion. The Great Deku Tree agreed to raise the child, the woman died knowing her son would be safe.
The lad grew, an outcast of Kokiri society, for he was a boy without a fairy. Every Kokiri had a guardian fairy assigned to them by their father, The Deku Tree. But the young boy named Link had no fairy.
One day he was called to stand before the great guardian of the forest himself. Navi the fairy brought him before the Great Deku Tree, as Link was presented with his destined future. Link learned that he was not Kokiri at all, but Hylian, and a very special one at that.
The Deku Tree had been cursed by an evil man, a man that had haunted Link's dreams in recent months. Despite the young lad's efforts to save the Deku Tree he still passed away, but not before instructing Link to return to Hyrule, the land beyond the forests, and find the Princess of Destiny. Reluctantly Link obeyed, leaving behind his one friend, Saria. He wondered if he'd ever see her again.
Link and Navi met many people and faced many challenges. These trials brought Link to face monsters of all sorts. There were the redead, the lost souls that wondered the mortal world. There were creatures such as King Dondongo that terrorized the peaceful Goron; the rock eating peoples of the mountains. Link also met the Zora, the water dwelling peoples, and helped their Lord, Jabu-Jabu, a great fish that kept a guard on the people.
All that he met, and all that he faced had one thing in common, they had all had contact with Ganondorf Dragmire, Prince of the Gerudo Thieves. The man had traveled from the east to meet with the King of Hyrule, to pledge his peoples' peace to the land, but Ganondorf had other plans. He wished to enter the Sacred Realm so that he might take possession of Hyrule's greatest treasure, the Triforce.
The Triforce had been a gift from the Goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru before they ascended into the heavens. Din, with her flaming arms, crated all matter putting the earth together. Nayru poured out her love on the land, creating the laws of the earth. And Farore, with her rich soul, created life forms that would uphold the laws. Each goddess left a piece of themselves behind in the golden triangle. Din contributed Power, Nayru her Wisdom, and Farore great Courage.
The Triforce was commissioned by the Goddesses to grant the wishes of the first to touch it. The Goddesses power would look into a person's heart and grant their deepest desire; whether they were good...or evil. If a person's desires were of evil intent though, the Triforce would weigh that beings desire, and then split into three pieces. The piece of the Triforce most reflecting that person's desire would remain with them, while the other two would find those chosen by destiny.
Link and Zelda knew that Ganondorf must be stopped from gaining the Triforce, and the children took it on themselves to thwart the evil man's plan. Link entered the Temple of Time and drew from the pedestal the sword of evil's bane, the Master Sword. But Link was just a child, not yet old enough to become the Hero of Time, and the Master Sword put him to sleep for seven years. While he slept, and the princess hid, Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm; for Link had unwittingly opened the doors for the King of Evil.
The power of the Goddesses split when the Gerudo chieftain touched it. His black heart sought power, and thus the Triforce of Power became indwelt in the Gerudo. The Triforces of Wisdom and Courage hunted down new owners. Wisdom came to rest with the Princess of Destiny, Zelda of Hyrule; and Courage chose Link, the boy hero from the forest, now the Hero of Time.
Seven years passed under the rule of Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil, and the world was turned into a black abyss while the people waited with failing hope for Time's Hero to return. Link awoke, Navi the fairy ready to lead him on adventures once again; the two set off to free the ones that could seal Ganon into the Dark Realm.
The Sages of the Forest, of Fire, and Water, Shadow, and Spirit, had to be awakened by the Hero before their powers could be used against the Evil King. Rauru, the Sage of Light, guided Link with words of wisdom as he sought out and fought to free the remaining Sages.
Link faced unspeakable horrors as he passed through the Temples freeing Saria, Sage of the Forest and Link's childhood friend; Darunia, Sage of Fire, leader of the Goron, and Link's sworn brother; Ruto, Sage of Water, princess of the Zora, and self proclaimed fiancé to Time's Hero; Impa, Sage of Shadow, nursemaid to the Princess Zelda, and last of the Sheikah; and Nabooru, Sage of Spirit and princess of the Gerudo Thieves. Time's Hero was once forced to fight his own dark spirit, manifested into a solid reflection of hate, anger and sadness. But no matter what he faced he still came out the victor.
Finally it was time for Link to face the Great King of Evil. Zelda with him, Link fought his hardest battle yet, desperately trying to stop Ganon and take back the Triforce of Power. Link's final blow brought Ganon to the ground. Zelda called upon the help of the six Sages, and the seven of them opened a portal to the realm of Darkness. Weaving Time, Light, Shadow, Fire, Water, Spirit, and Earth they were able to lock Ganondorf away where his evil could do no more damage. Sadly they were not able to retrieve the Triforce of Power. For, by the Goddesses' law, the golden power could not be taken unless relinquished by its holder.
But the fight was over and Link and Zelda weaved Time's Magic to return to their childhood years. Upon returning they found that Ganondorf was not there, and that the Deku Tree's young sprout, which had shown up in the future, had already made its appearance. Time seemed permanently altered though those years would not be lived as the Hero of Time, the Princess of Destiny, and the Sages of the Temples would always remember them.
Memories of those lost years never faded, not even in the hearts and minds of the people of Hyrule. Link found he could not live with the recognition he received from people that should never have remembered him. But people did remember the alternate future that had been shrouded in darkness, and praised the young hero for saving them from having to truly live such a fate.
Link did not feel he needed the admiration, nor did he want it. The boy hero left to find other places to visit and other adventures to have. As the Hero of Time, though, darkness was drawn to him. Link fought other monsters in different lands; saving others from destructions then leaving before he was pelted with other unsought praises.
He traveled thus for almost three years before returning to Hyrule. Upon his return Link pledged himself to the King and his daughter, Zelda, and became a knight of the realm. Life has been relatively quiet since, but darkness never dies; it merely sleeps.
