A/N: This is the first LoZ fic I ever wrote seriously. It actually was started about three years ago and has been finished on and off after having survived through three hiatuses and a serious consideration of scrapping. But I decided to give it another chance, and am actually quite pleased with the results. Rated PG-13 for violence and Link's surprisingly dirty mouth; warnings include angst, sadness, violence, Link/Zelda pairing (no citrus), and alternate realities. The timeline I'm basing things on is a quasi-alternate-reality of my own creation: I base most if not all of my Zelda fanfiction on the idea that all the deeds done and chronicled in the Zelda games (with the exception of the Wind Waker for obvious reasons) were the deeds of one brave young lad chosen by Destiny and the three Goddesses as the Hero of Time, the Legendary Hero. Oh. And I don't own Linky (more's the pity) or Zelda or any of the game's other characters. They are copyrighted to Miyamoto Shigeru-san and Nintendo, the lucky bastards. I own, however, sole copyright of each and every one of my original characters. Steal them and I will hunt you down and break your elbows. Remember: A vague threat is no one's friend.
-Act I-
A Twist of Fate
2
After hearing Impa's grim foreshadowing, Link went straight to the Hylian military headquarters to see a friend. He stalked right into the military barracks, surprising several soldiers into attention. He waved them off and strode purposefully into the office of the commanding general of the Hylian Army, his longtime friend, General Kiron. "I take it you've seen Impa," Kiron said gravely after seeing the look on his friend's face.
Link scowled. "It's almost like she's vanished off the face of the earth, this time. The Sages can't even make heads or tails of it." He shook his head. "I don't like it."
"I'm not overfond of it, either. How can we help, my friend?"
Link thought for a moment. "Have you got a map?"
Kiron nodded, and pulled out a large, rolled-up parchment which he opened and laid flat on the table in front of him. In the center was a large diagram of the Kingdom of Hyrule, with the large field in the middle, and the surrounding settlements and districts laid out in color. "What do you need?"
"Search parties," Link replied shortly, "and lots of them." Then, he started pointing. "Send an expedition up to the top of Death Mountain. Talk to Darunia. I know he's the Fire Sage, but he still keeps his place in Goron City in case of visitors. He'll find Goron Tunics for your people so they won't burn up in the crater. Send them all over that mountain, Kiron, and don't leave any stone unturned. Stick them in the Fire Temple-yes, I know it hasn't been used for years, but put them there anyway.
"Send people to Kakariko Village, and start asking the villagers questions. They're not friendly to the point of going out of their way to talk to you, but they won't run and hide, either. They'll tell you what you need to know. And get the Lens of Truth from my saddlebags and send a search party inside the Shadow Temple. And please tell them to be careful. That place is dangerous." Link sighed. "I almost killed myself in there. It's damned near impossible to get through that thing without the Lens of Truth. Make sure they have it." Link squinted thoughtfully.
"See if you can get a few soldiers to go to Kokiri Forest unobtrusively. No uniforms, no weapons. The people there are willing to help, but they're distrustful of outsiders, too. Just be nice. They're innocent, but they will tell you if they've seen anything. Send a small party in through the Lost Woods, to the Forest Temple, too. It's tricky, but not impossible to navigate. Ask Saria.
"Find some Zora Tunics and head for the Water Temple. And while we're on the subject of water, send some people over to Zora's Domain (Thank the Goddesses it finally thawed out) and ask King Zora if he's seen anything." Link paused for a moment.
"Are we still on good terms with the Gerudos?" he asked next.
Kiron laughed shortly. "If by 'good terms' you mean that they've stopped arresting our trade caravans and diplomatic convoys, yes," he said. "But they're never gonna be overtly friendly."
"Close enough. Send some people down to the Valley and ask them what they've seen. If they give you any hassle, have them come talk to me. Take a convoy out through the Haunted Wasteland-believe me, it sounds worse than it is, just follow the flags-and fish around in the Spirit Temple. I want your men scouring the entire world if they have to." He frowned. "Did I miss anything?"
Kiron didn't answer right away. "No, not that I can think of. Don't worry so much," he said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "if she's anywhere in Hyrule, she'll be found."
Link nodded. "I'll be out looking, myself, Kiron. Tell your people to stay out of my way," he said grimly. "They're not going to want to be in my path if I find out anything's happened to her."
"I'll inform the troops." Kiron smiled. "They'll all make sure to be far, far away from you just in case anything happens." Kiron was silent, but Link knew his friend well enough to see that he had something else on his mind.
"Is there anything you wanted to tell me?" he asked quietly.
Kiron struggled with it, wondering if he should bother the Hero of Time with such aggravating news. Do I tell him? Finally, he did. "Some of Jiro's nobles are blaming you, Link," he muttered darkly.
Link shot to his feet from the stool he'd been sitting on. "What?!" he bellowed, livid. His mouth moved, but no sound came out, and his face just got redder and redder.
"Calm down, Link." Kiron said, realizing that he shouldn't have said anything.
"Calm down?" Link echoed, his fists clenched. "Calm down?" His face was getting redder by the minute.
"Yes. Calm down."
"How dare they?! After everything-who is it?" he asked, dreadfully quiet. "Who said it? I'd like to have a word with them…in a dark alley someplace." It was grated through clenched teeth.
"Oh, please, boy," the grizzled general growled. "These are the same stuffed-shirt idiots who went into collective apoplexy the first time you brought the princess back, remember?"
Ah, yes. Link did remember. When Zelda had been taken hostage by the evil sorcerer Ganon, the Kingdom of Hyrule had spiraled immediately down into collective panic. Jiro, the king, had naturally sent the nobles, knights, and lords of his court out to search for her, but as it usually goes, the nobles had all gotten so soft from years of peace and prosperity that not a single one of them was willing to risk his life to save the princess. Upon realizing that his court was full of cowards and there was not a thing he could do about it, Jiro upped the reward for his daughter's return to an excess of half the kingdom.
Enter Link. Without a thought to himself, the fearless fourteen-year-old trudged up Death Mountain to Spectacle Rock, blasted open the entrance and made his way into the dark dungeon to do battle with Ganon himself. Equipped with nothing more than a standard large shield and the Magical Sword he obtained from a wizard on Death Mountain Trail, he single-handedly felled Ganon and saved the day. Kiron chuckled to himself as he remembered the reactions of the so-called nobles and lords on the fateful day when Link had come traipsing into the throne room of Hyrule Castle with the princess in tow.
Already deafening, the howls of protest and greedy anguish grew to ear-splitting levels when the "nobles" all realized that Link was not willing to accept any reward. He took the princess home, and without so much as an extra rupee to his name, disappeared back to his simple home in an obscure corner of the massive Kokiri Forest. Kiron was sure that Link had probably been able to hear the nobles' screams from his forest home.
"You still remember that, huh?" Link smiled, his anger subsiding.
Kiron laughed outright. "How could I forget?" he asked, still chuckling. "I think the screams from those numbwits could be heard from the top of Death Mountain to the bottom of Lake Hylia. You didn't happen to hear them from Kokiri Forest, did you?"
Link laughed. "I think I might have."
Kiron laughed with him, and then both men grew sober once more. "You don't have to worry, Link," Kiron repeated his earlier statement. "If she's anywhere in Hyrule, we'll find her."
"If one rock anywhere looks out of place, tell me immediately," Link emphasized. "She's not gonna slip through my fingers again."
-Act I-
A Twist of Fate
2
After hearing Impa's grim foreshadowing, Link went straight to the Hylian military headquarters to see a friend. He stalked right into the military barracks, surprising several soldiers into attention. He waved them off and strode purposefully into the office of the commanding general of the Hylian Army, his longtime friend, General Kiron. "I take it you've seen Impa," Kiron said gravely after seeing the look on his friend's face.
Link scowled. "It's almost like she's vanished off the face of the earth, this time. The Sages can't even make heads or tails of it." He shook his head. "I don't like it."
"I'm not overfond of it, either. How can we help, my friend?"
Link thought for a moment. "Have you got a map?"
Kiron nodded, and pulled out a large, rolled-up parchment which he opened and laid flat on the table in front of him. In the center was a large diagram of the Kingdom of Hyrule, with the large field in the middle, and the surrounding settlements and districts laid out in color. "What do you need?"
"Search parties," Link replied shortly, "and lots of them." Then, he started pointing. "Send an expedition up to the top of Death Mountain. Talk to Darunia. I know he's the Fire Sage, but he still keeps his place in Goron City in case of visitors. He'll find Goron Tunics for your people so they won't burn up in the crater. Send them all over that mountain, Kiron, and don't leave any stone unturned. Stick them in the Fire Temple-yes, I know it hasn't been used for years, but put them there anyway.
"Send people to Kakariko Village, and start asking the villagers questions. They're not friendly to the point of going out of their way to talk to you, but they won't run and hide, either. They'll tell you what you need to know. And get the Lens of Truth from my saddlebags and send a search party inside the Shadow Temple. And please tell them to be careful. That place is dangerous." Link sighed. "I almost killed myself in there. It's damned near impossible to get through that thing without the Lens of Truth. Make sure they have it." Link squinted thoughtfully.
"See if you can get a few soldiers to go to Kokiri Forest unobtrusively. No uniforms, no weapons. The people there are willing to help, but they're distrustful of outsiders, too. Just be nice. They're innocent, but they will tell you if they've seen anything. Send a small party in through the Lost Woods, to the Forest Temple, too. It's tricky, but not impossible to navigate. Ask Saria.
"Find some Zora Tunics and head for the Water Temple. And while we're on the subject of water, send some people over to Zora's Domain (Thank the Goddesses it finally thawed out) and ask King Zora if he's seen anything." Link paused for a moment.
"Are we still on good terms with the Gerudos?" he asked next.
Kiron laughed shortly. "If by 'good terms' you mean that they've stopped arresting our trade caravans and diplomatic convoys, yes," he said. "But they're never gonna be overtly friendly."
"Close enough. Send some people down to the Valley and ask them what they've seen. If they give you any hassle, have them come talk to me. Take a convoy out through the Haunted Wasteland-believe me, it sounds worse than it is, just follow the flags-and fish around in the Spirit Temple. I want your men scouring the entire world if they have to." He frowned. "Did I miss anything?"
Kiron didn't answer right away. "No, not that I can think of. Don't worry so much," he said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "if she's anywhere in Hyrule, she'll be found."
Link nodded. "I'll be out looking, myself, Kiron. Tell your people to stay out of my way," he said grimly. "They're not going to want to be in my path if I find out anything's happened to her."
"I'll inform the troops." Kiron smiled. "They'll all make sure to be far, far away from you just in case anything happens." Kiron was silent, but Link knew his friend well enough to see that he had something else on his mind.
"Is there anything you wanted to tell me?" he asked quietly.
Kiron struggled with it, wondering if he should bother the Hero of Time with such aggravating news. Do I tell him? Finally, he did. "Some of Jiro's nobles are blaming you, Link," he muttered darkly.
Link shot to his feet from the stool he'd been sitting on. "What?!" he bellowed, livid. His mouth moved, but no sound came out, and his face just got redder and redder.
"Calm down, Link." Kiron said, realizing that he shouldn't have said anything.
"Calm down?" Link echoed, his fists clenched. "Calm down?" His face was getting redder by the minute.
"Yes. Calm down."
"How dare they?! After everything-who is it?" he asked, dreadfully quiet. "Who said it? I'd like to have a word with them…in a dark alley someplace." It was grated through clenched teeth.
"Oh, please, boy," the grizzled general growled. "These are the same stuffed-shirt idiots who went into collective apoplexy the first time you brought the princess back, remember?"
Ah, yes. Link did remember. When Zelda had been taken hostage by the evil sorcerer Ganon, the Kingdom of Hyrule had spiraled immediately down into collective panic. Jiro, the king, had naturally sent the nobles, knights, and lords of his court out to search for her, but as it usually goes, the nobles had all gotten so soft from years of peace and prosperity that not a single one of them was willing to risk his life to save the princess. Upon realizing that his court was full of cowards and there was not a thing he could do about it, Jiro upped the reward for his daughter's return to an excess of half the kingdom.
Enter Link. Without a thought to himself, the fearless fourteen-year-old trudged up Death Mountain to Spectacle Rock, blasted open the entrance and made his way into the dark dungeon to do battle with Ganon himself. Equipped with nothing more than a standard large shield and the Magical Sword he obtained from a wizard on Death Mountain Trail, he single-handedly felled Ganon and saved the day. Kiron chuckled to himself as he remembered the reactions of the so-called nobles and lords on the fateful day when Link had come traipsing into the throne room of Hyrule Castle with the princess in tow.
Already deafening, the howls of protest and greedy anguish grew to ear-splitting levels when the "nobles" all realized that Link was not willing to accept any reward. He took the princess home, and without so much as an extra rupee to his name, disappeared back to his simple home in an obscure corner of the massive Kokiri Forest. Kiron was sure that Link had probably been able to hear the nobles' screams from his forest home.
"You still remember that, huh?" Link smiled, his anger subsiding.
Kiron laughed outright. "How could I forget?" he asked, still chuckling. "I think the screams from those numbwits could be heard from the top of Death Mountain to the bottom of Lake Hylia. You didn't happen to hear them from Kokiri Forest, did you?"
Link laughed. "I think I might have."
Kiron laughed with him, and then both men grew sober once more. "You don't have to worry, Link," Kiron repeated his earlier statement. "If she's anywhere in Hyrule, we'll find her."
"If one rock anywhere looks out of place, tell me immediately," Link emphasized. "She's not gonna slip through my fingers again."