Ch. 1: The Return
Link and Zelda had, in the few weeks following Dark Link's reappearance, become friends once more. They could be seen together almost everywhere. They had also taken in Jalsin like a son that they never had. Although Jalsin's family was alive and well, he never wanted to stay with them because there was no adventure there. He took after Link instantly and tried to imitate everything about him from the way he walked to a wooden sword strapped on his back. Link had managed to teach the boy a few of the basics, how to ride a horse, how to sword fight, and how to shoot arrows. The day that Jack returned, Link was out with Jalsin, teaching him how to aim with a bow. Zelda was taking a break and was combing her hair in a small hand mirror. As she combed it, she realized that something was blocking the sun. She looked more closely and screamed.
Link jumped up, heart pounding through his chest, feeling like it was trying to escape. He drew his sword and started to run to where Zelda had been sitting when he wandered off. He was, for a second, distracted by the fact that little Jalsin was mirroring his every move. But he had no time for random thoughts and scrambled up the hill. When he reached the top, he was relieved that Zelda was still there and unhurt. She was sitting with another man who had fallen on the grass in front of her. When Link approached, Zelda looked up.
"Oh Link, I'm sorry I scared you. But I was frightened for a second when he came up behind me. I realized who he was but then he just collapsed. " She said apologetically.
"Who's he? What's going on here?" He asked, still jangled.
"It's Jack, don't you remember him?"
"I thought you sent him back to his own dimension or something?"
"I did. Or at least I think I did. Maybe something happened."
Link knelt down and turned Jack's unconscious form over on to his back. Jack looked totally exhausted, as if he'd run full speed across Hyrule field. They lifted him up and set him on Epona as best they could. Jalsin finally made it up the hill as they finished tying his feet to the stirrups.
"Who's that uncle Link? Is it a bad guy? Did you beat him up? Why you tying him up to Epona? Can I beat him up too? " Queried the boy, almost faster than Link could keep up with.
"No Jalsin, it's not a bad guy. It's Jack, he's returned for some reason."
"Jack's back? Yeah! He's such a fun guy. I wanted to see if he could fish with me but then he left. Now that he's back, he can play too! But why you tying him on Epona? Did he do something wrong?"
"We don't know what happened to him Jalsin. I think you'd best to go home for now and when he's better, we'll let you come and see him." Said Zelda, kneeling to the boy's height and tousling his blonde locks.
"Okay. I'll see you guys soon. Bye uncle Link. Bye Aunt Zelda." Said Jalsin, giving each a kiss on the cheek before running off towards his home.
"Now what do we do, Link?"
"Well, we take him to the castle and see if we can't get him back to health. He looks like he got beat up or something."
Link hopped on Epona behind the slumped body of Jack. Zelda got on her white horse, Ice Walker, and they rode as fast as they could to Hyrule castle. It took several days for even the best doctors to get Jack to a point where he could talk. They said it was a miracle he'd even survived the ride to the castle. It was as if every inch of his body had been brought to the edge of absolute shut down. He lay propped in the bed, sleeping, when Link and Zelda entered the room.
"Should we wake him up?" Whispered Zelda anxiously.
"Let's let him rest for a moment. I think we have time."
They didn't have to wait long, as Jack awoke suddenly from some distant dream. He looked around blearily and saw that two people were standing over his bed. At first, he thought it was his parents. But as his vision cleared, he realized who they were.
"Jack, are you awake?" Asked Link.
"Oh no. I'm still in Hyrule, aren't I? Dammit all, why couldn't he just have left me alone?" Groaned Jack, rubbing his eyes.
"Who Jack?"
"Ganondorf. He did something while I was in that warp…hole and took me somewhere else. But it must not have been a permanent spell because all the sudden I was back at the fishing pond. I blacked out for a little while and when I woke up, I was still there. So I started out of the place but I didn't get farther than 200 feet from the pond before I saw someone sitting on a log. I tried to ask for help, but I collapsed and now I'm here. Please tell me this is a hospital in the states."
"The states? What are the states?"
"Damn, I knew it. I'll never get back home. I'm stuck in friggin' Hyrule 'til I die. And that will probably be real quick since I've pissed off Ganondorf."
"Jack, it's alright, we can just send you back. It's not hard, I'll just play the song of time again." Said Zelda.
"NO! Whatever you do, don't play that song for anyone. Ganondorf knows how to interfere and he'll kill whoever tries to go somewhere by it. He almost killed me."
"Well, that doesn't leave a lot of choices. The only way I know that we can safely travel through dimensions is by that song. And if Ganondorf is monitoring the paths, then I guess you really are stuck. Until we can stop him from interfering that is." Reasoned Link
"Great. Just great. Well, I guess I can only make the best of it. Where am I now anyways?"
"We got you back to Hyrule castle as soon as we could. The doctors say that if we had been any slower, you wouldn't have made it. The spell Ganondorf used must sap energy out of the traveler's body to fuel itself. You've been here for days now and this is the first time that you've awoken at all." Said Zelda
As she was saying this, a doctor had entered the room and began checking Jack's pulse and other vital signs.
"Hello Jack. My name is Klaven. I've been nursing you back to health. Tell me, do you feel any soreness?"
"No, not really. I'm kind of tired though."
"Well, that's to be expected. After all, your entire body was practically sucked clean of energy. Does this hurt?"
"Ow, yes that hurts. Is it supposed to?"
"Yep, just had to make sure that your nerves were still in order. One last thing, are you feeling light headed or dizzy?"
"No not at all."
"Good, then I'll prescribe you one more day's rest and then you're free to go. However, if you should encounter this spell again, I warn you that it will most likely prove fatal. I'm not sure how you survived at all but count yourself lucky young man."
With that, Klaven strode out of the room, and off down the hall. Zelda and Link also moved towards the door.
"Jack, I think that you should rest for now. Tomorrow we'll help you and discuss what the future holds." Said Link, wrapping his arm around Zelda's shoulder.
"Good bye Jack, we'll see you tomorrow." She said, before the two of them left, closing the door behind them.
Jack lay there, staring at the door for a few moments before another wave of exhaustion lapped over him and his eyelids closed on their own.
The next morning, Jack awoke to sun shining down on his bedraggled face. As he was about to get up, something pounced on his stomach, almost knocking the wind out of him.
"Jack, Jack! You're awake! Are you gonna come fish with me now? Wanna see the big fish I caught while you were gone?" Said a young boy's voice.
"Easy Jalsin, he's only just woken up. Give him some time." Soothed Zelda, lifting him off of Jack's stomach.
"No, it's alright. I'm up now anyways. How are you Jalsin? I never got to properly say good bye to you the last time and now here I am again."
"I'm fine, Jack. I caught a big old fish with uncle Link, and I'm learning sword fighting. And archery. And Horse riding…"
"Whoa now, slow down a bit. You're making my head spin. Tell you what, give me five minutes and then you can tell me all about it."
Jalsin ran out of the room to find Link while Zelda sat on the side of the bed.
"What am I going to do Zelda? I can't stay here forever. It just wouldn't be right. What if what Light Link said is still in effect? That someone's future will fall apart and everyone else will suffer. I couldn't live knowing that."
"I don't know what to tell you, Jack. But I do know that you wouldn't still be in Hyrule if you didn't have a purpose. Whether for good or bad, you are here and that's all that matters I guess."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better or worse?"
"It's not supposed to make you feel period. It's the truth. No one can just discard their destiny as if it were a bad card in a winning hand. If you're destined to kill someone important, even if it was me, I could tell you no different. It just a sad fact that we are destined to do great things. Some are not looked at as such, but they are taken in history's stride. I'm sorry that I have to give it to you so cold and flat but I don't think there is any other way."
"I don't believe that and you shouldn't either. Link has proved it time and again. Sure, he is the Hero of Time but destiny doesn't dictate what we do with it, it dictates the end. But if I weren't here, no one would have to worry that I might stab them on accident. Run them through with a sword because I couldn't tell the difference."
"It wasn't your fault Jack. It was supposed to happen. You fulfilled your role by ending the paradox. And Link's still alive, right? So there wasn't any harm done."
"But if it happens again, there isn't any safety net. No convenient paradox to save the poor souls if I kill someone else. I can't stay here but I can't go either."
"Then help us get you out of here. That's the only way. And if you damn all the souls in the universe, at least you'll have tried to avoid it. Does that make you feel better?"
"No, but I don't see any alternatives. I'll stay here and help I guess. But I warn you to watch my every move. I cannot trust myself until I know what Light Link meant."
Link entered the room, being led along by an exuberant Jalsin. Zelda stood up from the side of the bed and stared at Jack for a moment. Jack looked at her and nodded, having nothing more to say. Link was puzzled by this but Zelda gave him a nudge, indicating that she would tell him later.
"Well, I've done some thinking Jack. And I think that the first thing you're going to need to learn is how things work around here. I understand that your world has some passing knowledge of Hyrule, but that won't get you by. But I'll leave that up to Zelda. What I'll teach you is practical knowledge. Stuff you can do, I guess you could say."
"That sounds agreeable. Where do I start?"
"Well, why I don't I teach you about the geography and some of the more natural things of Hyrule. Link, go get me some maps and anything else you think is important."
"Right, come on Jalsin. You can help me carry them."
