So, I've been going through Skyward Sword since I got my hands on a copy of the game and have been able to emulate motion controls in Dolphin (by the way, a total pain in the ass). As I was playing in the early game, literally a little less than an hour and a half in, there's mention about how the entire LoZ series operates: the embodiment of the goddess (chosen vessel) and the chosen hero. This is mentioned by Fi who was around when Hylia was around the first time around. Meaning that there was a chosen hero all the way back before Skyloft was risen up into the clouds.
This got me thinking, mainly because there's not a lot of info before Skyward Sword in terms of information other than "Demise rose from the earth and the Goddess Hylia sent her people into the sky to protect them". That gives theorists and those who have interesting story ideas to think about this pre-game timeline's events. Ergo, this is going to be a Breath of the Wild post-game story, with flashback memories from both Link and Zelda about this "hidden" time in Hyrule's far distant history.
Summary: In the aftermath of Calamity Ganon's sealing by Zelda, the reunited duo start to have odd dreams of a time long thought to be myth about the origins of their country and endless war against the Calamity.
Pairings: pre-Skyward Sword Link/Hylia, Link/Zelda
Rating: I wouldn't expect it to exceed T.
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my copy of MS Word and my PC rig. The Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo, I only own the idea which is about to come forth. See the foreword for the rest of the disclaimer.
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Please note that I have essentially copied and pasted my entire opening from that Hyrule Homeowner sidequest idea. I sort of imagined that they would start the same way anyway. So, for those of you who have read that recently, you can skip down to the section divider I use for the new content.
This was it; this was the moment he was waiting for. Link summoned Revali's Gale and flew into the sky with the assistance of the glider he got from the specter of King of Hyrule. Time slowed for him as he let go of the glider and pulled out the Bow of Light and aimed it at the physical manifestation of Calamity Ganon's boar-like form's head. Or, more specifically, the giant orange angry-looking eye in the middle of its forehead. As the light arrow hit the eye, the Calamity reeled in pain and started to thrash about. Link landed on the ground in a roll. Something definitely got dislocated on impact. As he did, his eye exploded in a bright flash of golden light and that light flew into the sky in an orb before landing on the ground. The orb cleared to reveal a blonde-haired woman wearing a white dress. Link recognized her as Princess Zelda, a young woman that he only saw in his fragmented memories.
She glowed with an otherworldly golden light. He had seen this once before, that being when she had stood in front of him against an onslaught of Guardians and brought forth her Power of the Goddess to completely destroy them. The Calamity roared at her in an attempt to scare her off, but she didn't budge. She didn't even blink twice at him. Link felt a primordial fear but stood firm in his placement. The Calamity roared again and rose into the sky like it had been before Link had activated the first Sheikah Tower, and it charged at Zelda. She started to glow brighter until it was borderline blinding and he had to cover his eyes. In the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw the mythical Triforce appear in front of her. A gold sphere started to grow from it until it encompassed the Calamity in what would be best described as a golden sun. The golden sun then shrank into nothingness. The Calamity was gone.
The red sky that had been influenced by the Calamity's Malice had slowly changed back to the blue sky that he had remembered from his fragmented memories as well as mere hours before he faced the Calamity in the heart of Hyrule Castle. "I've been keeping watch over you all this time…," Zelda began as Link started to approach her, the Master Sword returned to its place on the small of his back. "I've witnessed your struggles to return to us as well as your trials in battle." Her voice was even more melodious in person. "I always thought- no, I always believed- that you would find a way to defeat Ganon." She turned around to face him. "I never lost faith in you over all these many years… Thank you, Link… the Hero of Hyrule."
"Thank you, your highness," Link responded. It was the only thing he could say, her voice matched her physical beauty.
"May I ask, do you really remember me?" she asked hopefully.
"A bit, I went to the places that were shown in the images on the Slate," Link replied as he pulled out the Slate. "I remembered the things and places before all of this. But not everything," he admitted.
The two of them stood in front of Hyrule Castle, its damaged and weathered ramparts leaving a depressing feeling in Zelda. "Perhaps your memories before the Calamity could be recovered just like this castle."
"Yeah, maybe so…" Link muttered, not entirely sure. Anything from before the Calamity was shrouded in shadows. The two of them started to walk away from the castle. Far above them, eyes watched them as they departed. Zelda turned around to look near the central spire of the castle and Link turned to see what she saw, but he saw nothing. "We should probably make our way to Kakariko Village. While Ganon may be gone, that doesn't mean his followers aren't."
"The home of the Sheikah?" Link nodded. "I agree, we would be safe there."
They headed to his horse and rode in tandem together from the Castle Town ruins, the Sacred Grounds, and Hyrule Field. During the slow ride, Zelda didn't say a word, she just took in the destruction and silence. As Link had arrived in the cover of darkness to scale the Castle ruins to reach the throne room, his battle with the Calamity had lasted that morning. At midday, he took a short rest, they were at least half-way to Kakariko as they pulled up to the Riverside Stable. Just over his shoulder, he could see the Great Plateau towering above in the distance.
"You haven't said a word since we left," Link remarked.
"It's just... so much to take in," Zelda replied somberly. "When I approached Ganon all those years ago, my mind was so narrowed that I didn't see the entirety of the destruction he wrought."
"Not even while you were watching over me?"
She shook her head. "I was too preoccupied with keeping Ganon at bay. The moments I spoke to you were moments that either I gained the upper hand momentarily and could rest, or he gained it and gloated." The horse trotted towards the stable itself and Link stopped before the stablemaster. "Why are we stopping?" she asked.
"Just a pitstop to resupply," he answered. He looked to the stablemaster, "Is Beedle in?"
The stablemaster adjusted his glasses and saw the young woman on the back of the horse and noticed one of his patrons. He also noticed that she was remarkably beautiful and wearing a white gown. Something that everyone noticed, but most paid no heed. "Master Link, you returned," he remarked. "I knew you headed towards the castle last night and thought you done for, with that giant boar and all that light over the hill. And you appear to have returned with a young maiden, did get married?" he laughed.
Zelda blushed at this comment. Now that she looked at it, her attire was… maidenly, something that one may wear on their wedding day. Although she saw her mother's dress, that ensemble was elaborate. "No, just an old friend I met on the way back," Link fibbed with an uncharacteristic smile she hadn't seen before. "Just stopping in to resupply before hitting the road again."
The stablemaster waved him off and Link hitched his horse and helped Zelda down. While she normally didn't need assistance, the simple white gown and the looming exhaustion she was feeling were adding up, so she didn't fight it. "Why did he think we were married?" Zelda asked as they entered the stable's human living quarters.
"I attended a wedding not too long ago; they keep the attire simple. It's not like there's a booming textile industry to supply large swaths of material. Must've thought that was the case."
"You brushed it off so easily."
"Old Terrance is like that, he likes to mess with people in ways it doesn't hurt them," he waved in dismissal. "You can take a seat if you want," he said as he spotted the traveling merchant Beedle, "this won't take long."
She took a seat as she saw Link do business with the abnormally large-nosed man carrying a bag that looked way to massive for someone of his frame to carry. Link put forward a lot of monster parts, which the man happily handed over Rupees. Link then asked for things that the man set on his little table. There were a few things and they appeared to be arrows, cooking materials, and what looked like animal parts. He proceeded to look at her and eyed her up and down before asking for one more thing. She blushed in embarrassment as the man that she had an eye for eyed her in return. The traveling merchant reached into his pack and pulled out a set of clothing that had a blue hue to it. This seemed to be insufficient as direct trade and Link pulled out more Rupees to pay it off. Once the merchant was satisfied with the amount of payment, he nodded and Link left with a pile of folded clothing.
He set the clothing on the table Zelda was sitting at. "What's this?" she asked. She knew what it was, more or less why he was giving it to her.
"Travelling clothes," he answered. She took them and saw that there was a pair of leggings, a shirt, and a cloak. "There's a changing room over there." He pointed towards a set of stalls near the entrance of the stable. She was about to ask why but Link continued. "What you're currently wearing isn't suitable for long distances. Plus, traveling clothes will make you more inconspicuous."
"Inconspicuous?" She knew what the word meant, but not what he was getting at.
He proceeded to talk in a hushed tone that only she could hear. "While the Calamity may be defeated, his minions, like the Yiga, are still out there and if they saw you defeat him in the gown you wear now, they may make an attempt on your life well before we can reach safe haven in Kakariko."
She nodded and went to the private booth where she proceeded to strip down and redress herself in the newly acquired clothing. The first thing that she noticed about it was that it was definitely not like the old clothing she used to wear, where it was luxurious yet durable. This was relatively comfortable but the primary purpose was for durability and utility, meant to last a long time before you were forced to replace it. 'Are things really that desperate?' she asked herself as she placed the hooded cloak on her shoulders.
She proceeded to fold her white gown, a possession that her mother once owned if what Impa had told her was correct, and exited the booth. She handed it to Link who placed it in his travel pack. They didn't dawdle there much longer, except to eat a small meal that Link procured from some of the ingredients he procured along his journey. It was like being back in the castle's kitchens once more with the Master Chef that she had watched when she was younger. It appeared that Link's skill in cooking was part survival and part learned skill that she suspected that he knew from before the Calamity. Not many words were said, mostly just her taking in the surroundings and how peaceful it was, and uncomfortably eerie. They climbed back upon Link's horse and continued to Kakariko.
Keeping a regular pace and keeping an eye on everything and nothing at the same time, they rode on. The countryside blew by in a litany of silence and nature. As they got closer to Kakariko, there were a few Sheikah tribesmen that waved to Link. He politely waved in return. It was almost sundown when they arrived in the village proper. The village itself had changed little in the one hundred years she was in the Sacred Realm fighting Ganon. It was almost like it was untouched by the Calamity itself. Either the Sheikah that were here a hundred years ago were proficient enough fighters to prevent damage to their village, or they were able to rebuild in such a way that anyone who was there during its destruction would have seen the current state as indistinguishable from the old one.
Link stopped the horse near a staircase that led to a building in the center of a lake that had waterfalls flowing behind it; she recognized it as being the main home of the clan head, the de facto mayor of Kakariko. He disembarked and Zelda followed. He handed the horse's reigns towards another Sheikah and he approached the two guardsmen. "We're here to see Impa," Link announced. The two looked to each other before shrugging and letting Link and Zelda pass. Zelda did raise an eyebrow at Impa's name being mentioned.
The duo climbed the stairs towards the building and a small gathering of Sheikah gathered to watch. They knew something was going on but didn't know what. Link opened the door and allowed Zelda to enter first. "Princess Zelda, it's been a long time since we last saw each other," Impa greeted. "After all these years, you've returned," she said with a smile.
"Impa?" Zelda asked as she approached her former handmaiden and bodyguard. "You're so…"
"Old?" she barked out in laughter. "That tends to happen as the sands of time fall. But time has been kind to you." She gestured towards one of the padded cushions in front of her current seat. "Come, we have much to discuss."
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"Wake me… when you need me," a grizzled male voice said through strained breaths.
Link opened his eyes, but something felt off. Immediately he was blinded by a light and was forced to cover his eyes. The first thing he noticed is that his arms were covered in odd armor. It was a black, drab armor and held an oddly shaped weapon in it that had weight but lifted it with little effort. It sort of looked like a deformed crossbow that one could hold in one hand. He heard a war cry and turned to see bokoblin charging at him with a dragonbone spear. He pointed the weapon and pulled the trigger which made a loud bark, a metal shell left the escape port on top, and whatever it contained slammed into the bokoblin's skull, causing grey matter to explode out the back of its head. The evil creature took a few more steps before falling to the ground in a crumpled heap, dead. It then evaporated away as all evil creatures did.
He stood up and in a voice that was not his own cried out, "Oorah!" A war cry that summoned a legion of soldiers behind him on horseback, charging into the breach, crying out with their own war cries. The only beings he recognized were humans in chain and plate armor, the others looked so odd. The dark creatures staggered as primal fear took over, a fatal mistake as many fell to the cavalry charge.
There was a dark chill over the battlefield and his senses told him that it was just over the hill. A shadow, bleeding like a cancerous, flowing river crested the hill revealing the Demon himself, Demise. Some courageous armored men charged towards him and were slapped aside with the flat of the jagged sword he bore, the impact killing them instantly by the impact.
The body which Link inhabited didn't hesitate to grab the reins of a horse and rode it towards the entity which was causing Link's neck hair to stand on end and his instincts were screaming at him to run in the complete opposite direction; but yet, he rode towards it. He pulled out a large bastard sword and, somehow, held it in one hand like it weighed nothing. The demon and Link crossed blades and they matched each other blow for blow.
"You certainly are powerful, human," Demise acknowledged that the body Link inhabited was exemplary in comparison to the other soldiers. "But you are no match for me!"
He parried one blow and managed to get a single small score on Demise's arm. "I don't know, I think I'm doing pretty good," the grizzled voice mocked.
Demise growled in anger as the fury of his blows intensified. While the blows never made contact, the power behind them caused him to stagger backward. They crossed swords again. "Why won't you die!?" Demise angrily called out.
"Easy. I'm the distraction, bitch!"
Demise's eyes widened, realizing that his focus had been on the abnormal fighter in front of him instead of the powerful, godly presence behind him. The smirk on Link's face grew but suddenly fell as the jagged sword was plunged into his body. It was ripped out as Demise tried to stab at the godly presence behind him. However, he couldn't defend himself against the beam of light which slammed into him, causing him to fizzle out. But both of them knew that this wasn't the end of this war. The feminine figure ran to the downed Link and pulled him to her breast.
"Guess we didn't get him, huh?" he coughed in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"No, my knight, we didn't," the melodic, feminine voice replied. "You are wounded."
"Yeah, it's getting hard to breathe too. I think one of my lungs is shot."
The skin on Link's face started to get pale. "I need you."
"No, you don't," he reassured. "You got this, it's just one final push and this war is over. Just wake me… when you need me," he said as he faded away.
Like woke up in a cold sweat and looked around him. He was still in the main room of the house Impa had in Kakariko. He didn't have a massive gaping hole in his chest, and he didn't have an odd crossbow on the ground next to him nor a bastard sword. It was all surreal. What in Hylia's name did he just see?
To be continued…?
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That's all I have for this idea. I'll be completely honest, I kind of shat this one out; it's not my best work. But it was something that I really want to get the idea down and out there. Maybe, someday in the future, I'll come back to it and do it properly. Let me know what you thought about the new content though as, as I said, the first part was pretty much a copy and paste rip from a previous idea I worked on.
As for ideas that are sort of in the pipeline, I have a Control/Persona idea that I'm outlining, but it really depends on how I like the end of Control considering I picked it up on launch day on Steam and am a few hours in. Liking it so far, hopefully it keeps up the interesting concept. I have another Legend of Zelda idea based on another's idea and hopefully, I can put my own twist on it. I've also had this Star Wars idea floating around for a few months involving Earth in Star Wars which revolves around a highly idealized first contact scenario playing out positively for us humans here a few decades prior to the events in Episode I to allow for some interesting ideas to maybe come out of it. The eleventh volume of Black Lagoon dropped as well; I'd check that out too if you get the chance. Speaking of manga as well, the Persona 5 three-volume manga, "Mementos Mission" is supposed to be coming to the West soon too. My buddy of mine got me a copy of Fate that I've been trying to find time to play/read, so we'll also see how that plays out as well.
If you're looking for some interesting things I'd check out "TempleOS Hymn Risen remix – Dave Eddy" on bahamas10's channel, it's pretty good and a tribute to the one and only Terry A Davis (also the track is pretty fire. That's what all the kids say these days, right?). Also, Drachinifel for your maritime videos, I've been enjoying those. The story about the USS Johnston and Taffey3 at the Battle of Samar is just too insane to be real, but it is 100% true. Nyanners also has some funny videos and the person who comes up with the titles is a comedic genius. "Catgirl trucker takes you on a cursed roadtrip and slowly descends into madness", sounds like my kind of video.
Enough rambling though (as it is late enough as it is and I tend to do this when it gets late), let me know what you thought about this idea as well as any other content suggestions that I happen to be looking/reading/watching during the finalization of these ideas. If you like them, I may add more of those suggestions for your consideration. But until next time in whatever I do next.