The Legend of Zelda Fanfic 4/1/06

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Prologue

When Link stabbed the great Ganondorf on the day the sea rose, he knew his fate had been sealed. He knew that by sliding the mythical blade of legend into the body of the Gerudo Thief, he was binding his fate into a knot that could not be loosened. And as the King of Evil's body slowly transformed, no longer human, it occurred to him that the legacy he bore was like no other. For with the Hero's Sword in his hand, and with the Triforce of Courage in his heart, it would always be up to him to destroy evil when it came forth from the darkest corners of the earth. And so when the King of Red Lions bade Link and Tetra farewell, sending them off to find the next Hyrule, it was all too obvious that Link's journey was not yet over.

Link would never forget that day. He would never forget the look on Ganondorf's face when the Hero's Sword pierced through him -oh the self-pity that flowed through him, the omniscient sense of failure that was evident in every way. How he laughed in irony at his own misfortune. His words, "The wind is blowing," were all too true. That day did not mark the end for Link and his adventures. Rather, it was the turning point, the change of the winds.

Link looked down into the black pools of water as the ship sped by them. It was a cold night, and the winds blew every-which-way. The sea was dark, weathered, and unforgiving. With the winds buffeting it, conjuring violent rapids and ominous waves, it was a pity to see it in such a proud yet defeated state. Something about it reminded Link of the great Ganondorf.

Chapter 1: The Witch Without A Broom

So long had Link's journey been, so long had the seas gone on, refusing to cease their endless monotony. The quiet of the ocean breeze surfeited Link's anxiety, but it only masked his fears, bottling them up to later be released. He would often stare out into the fogy horizon where he could see for miles, only for his eyes to behold what he had already known. Forever the ocean went on. Forever their journey had been.

How long ago had Ganondorf finally been eradicated from their lives? One year? Two? It seemed like an eternity by now. They even doubted occasionally the validity of their quest. The King of Red Lions had left them with a simple message the day Ganondorf had been overthrow: find the next Hyrule. But what if there was no Hyrule to find! What if the only land on the entire planet was buried under the ocean plane!

Such thoughts made Link dreary. He looked up from his haunting daydream to see Tetra, or could she be Zelda? Link no longer knew what to call her. At times she seemed like the old pirate gal he once knew, but then her skin would lighten, and her hair would braid together, and she would be Princess Zelda of Hyrule. In any case, she was the same person inside. Even if her crew was no longer beside her –gone from them like their home- she was who she had always been.

The King of Red Lions was no longer with them, gone with the home they had left behind. His boat was the last remnant of his existence, but it was only a pretense, a shell with nothing within, a mask with no face behind it. They kept his boat on the ship to remember him by, but sometimes they did not need it at all.

"Find the next Hyrule," he would say in Link's mind. "Claim it to be yours. Drive all evil away, and paint the land gold." He would often appear in Link's dreams, only to disappear when his eyes opened.

"Look!" Tetra shrieked, pointing out into the fog. "Land. I see land." As they drifted closer to the sandy shores, the mass they had seen farther out to sea began to take shape. Indeed they saw solid earth, but the land was not large enough to bring forth a new home for Link and Tetra. It was an island, no larger than a small town, a forest within.

Link and Tetra landed briefly, only to restock on freshwater, and to find edible food if possible. Link looked into the gloomy forest as he refilled his canteen. Suddenly something appeared. Glowing dots illuminated the forest until the entire sky was lit. They swarmed forth and rushed up to Link. The light blinded him, and he dropped his canteen, the liquid spilling across the ground. One of them touched him, and Link fell to the floor, his back dampened in the water he had spilled.

He looked up one last time to see a dark face towering over him. A woman, not Tetra, gleamed down to him, a dark smile across her face. She had a black pointed hat on her head, casting a shadow across her face. Her clothes were tarnished and worn, as were her boots. The glowing balls, as Link now saw, were Fairies. They crowded around the woman in unparalleled fear. She pointed a finger upward, and a few of them forced Link to his feet. She extended one wrinkled, bony hand forward, but Link refused to take it. She smiled.

"Welcome, traveler. My name is Maple, the witch without a broom," she forced Link to shake her hand, leaving a greasy mark on his palm, "and these Fairies are my slaves."