Everyone in movies comes out of unconsciousness slowly, blinking blearily into some bright light. I seriously wish that was what happened to me.
I snapped awake in a panic; arms flailing for purchase on something, anything, to keep me grounded. I heard sounds of alarm from around me, people panicking from my frenzied movements. Everything was a blur of color and sound. Until a resounding voice brought me to a halt with a stern "Stop."
Something about that voice made me calm down. I clamped my arms to my side and took deep breaths until the world turned from a blurry collage back into its normal, recognizable form. I slowly realized that I was in the school infirmary on one of the beds. Cremia, Barnes, Telma the school nurse, and Headmaster Rauru were all standing over me, looking intently at me and probably saying something too, but I ignored them for the moment. My head shot back and forth as I looked for the source of the voice that had shaken me out of my panic. I relaxed as soon as I saw Zelda behind Cremia. For some reason, I knew it was essential that she was here.
"…feel? Look at me, Link, eyes up here." Blinking, I refocused on the voice bombarding me.
"What…? What happened? What's going on?" My voice hurt, probably from the screaming.
"You started screaming and then passed out, Link. Now, eyes here. Follow the light." I recognized the voice as Telma's and did as she asked, hoping that if I did she would stop shouting in my face. Likely seeing I was alright, the other three backed off slightly, though Cremia stayed close.
After a few minutes of various tests, Telma stepped back.
"He seems to be alright physically, if not reeling a bit," she said, though an air of concern still emanated from her. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'd best get back to class then," Barnes said shortly. "You caused quite the disruption. Don't do it again." With that, he left. As I followed him out with my eyes, I realized that Shade was also in the room, leaning against the wall and mostly out of sight.
"You alright?" I heard him call. I gave a short nod and the best Link smile I could manage, which probably wasn't great, but seemed to be enough for my brother, who nodded and left quickly, probably to spread the news. My thoughts, however, were immediately interrupted by a soft, wet mass that managed to get its arms around me even though I was still laying on the bed.
"Thank the Goddesses you're okay. When I heard you'd collapsed, I was so worried! You were unconscious for so long too!" Cremia sobbed on my shoulder. I did the math, which explained the softness on my chest. Hey, I might've turned Cremia down Sunday, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the female physique.
While Cremia assured herself that I was still alive, I looked over her shoulder to see Zelda, who had been extremely quiet thus far. She had a look of deep concentration on her face. I smiled lightly at her and raised my left hand from Cremia's back to wave slightly. Her tightly pressed lips curved upward slightly, but her eyes narrowed slightly as well. She was thinking. Hard. With an intensity I had yet to see in her.
It was kind of intimidating.
Finally, Rauru cleared his throat and Cremia detangled herself from me.
"Alright, Miss Lon Lon, why don't you wait outside for a few minutes. I need to talk to him for a few minutes, and then, with Telma's approval of course, he should be able to leave." Cremia paused, then nodded slowly and left, looking over her shoulder as if to make sure I didn't start panicking again. Or maybe she just didn't want to leave me.
Zelda moved toward the door as well. For a moment, it looked like Rauru was about to say something to stop her, but he said nothing. Telma also left the room, retreating into the nurse's office. Rauru sat down in the chair Cremia had vacated and stroked his moustache before speaking.
"Well, Mr. Forester, this is quite the strange occurrence. I'm told, and correct me if I'm wrong, you're giving a presentation in class and collapse screaming in pain, shortly thereafter you pass out. Sound right so far?" After a short nod from me, he continued. "Telma has told me that it's unlikely that you are on any sort of drug and overdosed, as she is rather knowledgeable of what those symptoms look like. Furthermore, there is a mark on the back of your left hand that your brother and girlfriend both say has never been there before. To go further, you're a month away from graduation and have been a diligent, popular student, making me doubt that this is an act of rebellion or senior pranking." Here, he paused for a second. "So, anything you can tell me about what happened that would help shine some light on the situation?"
"No, sir," I said, glancing down at my hand to confirm the triangle design was still there. It was, with the notable absence of the blazing light from before, making it look like an extremely detailed and precise birthmark. I flexed my hand briefly and was relieved to not feel any sudden pain. I looked back up to see Rauru watching me intently.
He knows more than he's letting on, something inside me said. I'd never been that great at reading people, but I knew I was right. I happened to glance at the clock on the wall and saw that school had been let out almost an hour previously. "If there's nothing else sir, I'd like to get home and I'm sure my brother would too." Rauru nodded slightly, now stroking his moustache again.
I raised myself from the bed and easily swung myself off onto steady legs. I took a few tentative steps to ensure I wasn't going to topple over, before walking directly to the door. Outside, Shade and Cremia waited, the latter of which threw her arms around me once again and kissed me to boot.
"You sure you're okay?" she asked as I detangled myself from her again.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it. Probably just a combination of a cramp and exhaustion. I've been staying up pretty late recently," I said to reassure her. I saw Shade tense out of the corner of my eye, but ignored him. He probably just recognized that I was lying out my ass. To prove I was alright to Cremia, I walked through the deserted hallways towards the doors. She seemed to calm down. "Did Zelda leave? She was in there when I woke up. And where's Sheik?"
"Yeah," Shade said. "I heard her say something about researching something. She said she'd text you later though." I nodded and, having left the school, started heading towards the parking lot. "Sheik went with her."
I hugged Cremia one last time before she finally relented and let me go home. The drive was mercifully quick, and it wasn't long until I was face down on my bed again, this time upside down. Of course, it wasn't five minutes before my phone buzzed in my pocket. Groaning, I fished it out and looked to see what had caused the disturbance.
A text from Zelda, it turned out. "You home yet?" it said. I punched out a short "yes" before dropping my phone and dozing off. Turned out getting knocked out really does you in.
I wasn't sure how long it had been since I fell asleep when I was shaken awake, but I knew it wasn't long enough. Before I could think, my arm shot out and, for lack of a better word, launched the current focus of my annoyance across the room. One indignant thump later, I vaguely heard what was probably Shade groaning.
"Dude, chill. Don't you think that was a touch extreme?" I didn't think the question was worth an answer. It was pretty obvious in my mind anyway. "Whatever," Shade sighed. "Zelda's downstairs. She's insisting she needs to talk to you. And she's clearly not taking no for an answer."
Now don't get me wrong. Normally, I'd care. I'm a caring person. But Zelda's name brought back flashes of light and pain, exactly what I was trying to avoid, so I made the executive decision to say, 'screw it,' and let myself fall back asleep.
I woke again some time later, my left arm hanging off the edge of the mattress. Something was keeping my hand pleasantly warm, and I felt it twitch in response. Then the warmth moved, and I realized with a start that the warmth was alive. I jerked up and away from the whatever-it-was.
Back and arms pressed against the wall like some weird lizard, I looked to see Zelda looking up at me with an intent look from the floor, her hands still stretched out to where she had been holding mine before she dropped them into her lap, where a notebook and pencil were sitting.
"H…Hi Zelda. What're you doing? In my room? While I'm asleep?" I stammered out. Normally, I wouldn't have freaked out quite as much, but it had been an extraordinarily weird day. Zelda blinked before dropping her eyes to the notebook in her lap. She shuffled through the papers a bit before stretching her hand out to me, holding a print-off. I warily took the page and looked at it, but basically stared through it as I tried to figure out what in the name of the Goddesses was going on.
"Have you ever heard of the Triforce?" Zelda asked, snapping me out of my reverie.
"Sounds vaguely familiar, why? And again, the hell are you doing in my room?"
"The Triforce, according to old stories, is the remnants of the Goddesses' power left in the world before they returned to the heavens. It is split into three parts: the Triforce of Power, the Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Courage. It is said to grant unimaginable power to the wielder of even one of the pieces and the ability to rework reality itself with all three. The Three, as they are also called, are often referenced in the old stories as wielded by the Demon King, Princess, and Hero in their many clashes. Can you guess what the symbol of it is?" At this, Zelda looked up expectantly at me. I didn't know whether she wanted an answer or not, so I didn't say anything. I couldn't help but glance down at my hand though. Zelda leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "Three triangles forming a larger triangle. Somehow, the symbol of the Triforce is on your hand. Any explanation for that?"
"No," I said hesitantly. I gave the mark on my left hand a long look. "But I think I know who has one."
The very next day, Zelda and I decided to skip lunch to have a little chat with Headmaster Rauru. It was surprisingly easy to get into his office. All I told his secretary was that I needed to talk to the Headmaster about yesterday's incident and I was basically thrown into the room, where Rauru sat almost expectantly.
"Ah, Link, good to see you again. I assume you've come to talk about yesterday's incident." Zelda moved from behind me so she could see Rauru as well. "And Ms. Harkinian has come as well. I suppose you helped Link realize what it was that he had on the back of his hand?" I turned to see Zelda nodding, looking just as confused as I felt. "Well," Headmaster Rauru continued, "have a seat and I'll begin explaining."
After sitting down and giving Rauru a moment to collect his thoughts, I opened my mouth to hopefully get some answers, but Rauru quickly held up his hand, signaling me to wait.
"Let me speak first. When I'm done you can ask questions to your heart's content. Alright?" I nodded slowly and Rauru continued.
"I suppose first of all I should say that I am not only the headmaster of this school. My family is part of a long line of historians and scholars for the Royal Family of Hyrule. I assume you both are at least somewhat familiar with the old stories and fairy tales of Hyrule?" Zelda and I both nodded an affirmative.
"There are many of these stories, told many different ways. However, at the center of it all, there are true stories from which all others came. My family has been tasked with recording The Legend, as we call it. A true account of adventures, crises, victories and defeats, heroes, princesses, and evils through Hyrule's long history. An endless cycle of evil and its defeat stretching back to Creation itself. All though the Legends are instances of tragedy, and every time, one rises to bear the mantle of Hero. According to the first of the recorded Legends, this Hero was one chosen by the Goddess Hylia, for which Hyrule is named. This First Hero fought a god and won, but as a god cannot be killed and will always return, the hero was trapped within an endless cycle of reincarnation alongside the god, with his purpose ever the same. Defeat evil reincarnated. Make sense so far?" Zelda and I nodded again, transfixed by the story. I had always loved the old fairy tales, so to learn they were true, at least to a degree, was amazing.
"In the first of the Legends, when the First Hero destroyed what we know as the Demon King, the Goddess Hylia took on mortality to assist her chosen hero. But as a goddess' soul can never truly die, so she has always been reincarnated alongside the Hero, to assist him in his fight against evil. Other beings have been caught up in this cycle of reincarnation, but the Hero and the Mortal Goddess have been the only ones to appear in every account of the Legend. Though the evil they face together changes, their souls are always the same and they always take on the same names." Here, Rauru paused and looked expectantly up at me. "The Hero's name, since the beginning of the Legend, has been Link." Rauru maintained his gaze on me. "He, or should I say you, are the steadfast shield of Hyrule against the eternal threat of the ancient god of evil, Demise."
Oh, sure. Of course. To put it simply, I was in shock. Thoughts whirled in my head, threatening to tip me over, mentally and literally. I'm the reincarnation of some old, demon-killing hero that pops up in history to kill shit and save the day?
"Nope, nope, too weird. Can't do it. This is crazy. Wait, does that mean that all those old heroes from the stories are actually me? Or another version of me? How is that possible?" I looked over to Zelda, hoping she had more luck making sense of this than I had. All I saw was the same look from yesterday, showing she was thinking hard. I looked back to Rauru, who was still looking at me. "Okay, hold it. Back up. So what if my name is the same as some old hero? I'm sure there are other guys named Link out there. And that's not even my real name! It's Linkoln! What makes you so sure I'm this reincarnation?"
"Simple. Your hand. In the Legend, the Chosen Hero is often marked by the Triforce, which the First Hero attained and used to destroy Demise. That mark appearing on your hand coupled with the recent heralds of a new evil in the world leaves no doubt in my mind. The reincarnation of Demise has risen, and you are called to defeat it, Hero." Turns out we should have included those stories in our report after all, the small unhelpful part of my brain said.
"Okay, so say there is some big bad in Hyrule. And I'm supposed to go kill it. You said that this goddess always appears to help out, right? So, where is she? Does this Legend give her name too?" Rauru seemed to smile lightly.
"It does indeed, but there is something else you should know about the Legend. We call it that because it traces the line of the Goddess Hylia, who began the cycle of reincarnation when she took mortal form. However, that is not its full title. We gave it the name the Goddess took when she was first born a mortal. The Legend of Zelda." After pausing for what I'm pretty sure was dramatic effect, Rauru smiled widely. "So as for where the reincarnated goddess is, I'd start by looking to your right."
That did me in. I leaned back in my chair and faced the ceiling, willing this absurdity to make sense of itself. Finding it unwilling, I turned towards Zelda. A shocked look sat on her face as she looked vacantly into the distance. "Zelda," I said, and her focus slowly shifted onto me. I couldn't do it anymore. Well aware that I probably looked insane, I burst into laughter. Rauru, to his credit, seemed to take it in stride.
As nice as it was to laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation, I couldn't ignore just how much sense it made. It was like something inside me was slowly nodding in affirmation. My laughter slowed and faded away, and I shifted back into a state between denial and acceptance.
"How do we know what you're saying is the truth?" Zelda asked, bringing me back to the present. She was looking steadily at Rauru, who had been sitting patiently behind his desk, still smiling. What is up with this guy? Does he find all this funny?! What the fuck?
Suddenly, Rauru's arm jerked and I saw the world slow down. I could see a pen flying from his hand towards Zelda, but instead of shooting towards her, it looked more like he had slowly tossed it at her. Without thinking, I quickly brought my hand up to grab it out of the air and reality took hold again. My arm was in the air and my fist clenched a foot in front of Zelda's face, holding the pen, though it was now cracked into three pieces. Rauru nodded towards me, looking at Zelda.
"There's your proof. Every hero has been blessed with enhanced strength, endurance, and reflexes, to ensure they can withstand the basic physical rigors of their quest. They're also have a near-instinctive urge to protect the Mortal Goddess from harm, as Link just demonstrated. Satisfied?" Zelda just looked at me in awe. I didn't blame her. I knew I had good reflexes, but this was absurd. Then I remembered last week at lunch. Somehow, I had known what Sheik had been doing even though I hadn't been looking at him. And I had just acted without thinking to "save" Zelda from the pen. Too many things were lining up with what Rauru was saying.
"So maybe what you're saying about Link is true," Zelda said slowly. "But what about me? What proof do you have that I'm this goddess?" I had to try very hard not to ask her if she had looked in the mirror recently. Fortunately, Rauru saved me from death by humiliation.
"No concrete proof unfortunately, only that your name is Zelda and are in close proximity to Link. However, I wouldn't be overly concerned about being the incarnation of the Goddess. Many Zeldas thru ought the Legend never knew their soul was that of the Goddess Hylia. Historically, the Mortal Goddess doesn't serve a major role in the Legends, usually providing support for the Hero. She often has magical prowess as well, but it is unsure if that is because of her ties to the Goddess or her possession of the Triforce of Wisdom, as is often the case." Zelda seemed satisfied with the answer and lapsed back into deep thought.
"So, wait," I interjected, "if the Mortal Goddess has such a small part in this Legend, why tell Zelda at all? Why not just me?" Rauru grimaced slightly.
"You make a good point, Link. I'm telling you both this because I believe this cycle to be particularly auspicious. As chroniclers of the Legend, we take careful note of any indications of the beginning of a new cycle. I've read over a dozen of the individual Legends, and none have had such dramatic foreshadowing of a new cycle as we are experiencing now. It's also been a particularly long time since the last Legend, over a thousand years instead of the usual few hundred. I fear that something is coming, possibly far worse than anything seen in the past. And if I'm right, then I have no doubt you both have a role to play in this cycle. That's why I thought it best to tell both of you."
Zelda, Rauru, and I sat in silence for a few minutes, all deep in our own thoughts. Finally, Zelda spoke up.
"So now what? If there really is this big reincarnation of evil coming, what are we supposed to do?" Again, Rauru smiled wryly.
"Now you train. And hope you're ready to face destiny when it comes for you."
Greetings all, your benevolent(?) overlord Aro here. I'm really struggling with funny ways to open this note, so let's assume I would have come up with something eventually and move on.
So, you wanted a new chapter? Well, I think I left some chapter in between all the exposition, but I'm not sure, so if you find it, please be sure to let me know. I do hope no one is rolling their eyes too hard at my "Legend of Zelda" thing. I wanted some way to justify the series name, and this was my way to do it. Still can't decide if I like how I did it or if it's just super cringe, but here it is, and that's the end of it. Also, everyone who noticed how often Link thinks of Zelda as a goddess, yes that was intentional and building to this moment. Cheers to you for noticing. Also a couple other things I tried to tie together, I'll let you figure out what they are.
Now, to reviews! Ultimate, I hope you're not dead from anticipation. Here's your dose of story for a few days. Use it wisely and be sure not to overdose. Not sure how you'd do that, but I'm sure you'd find a way. X, hell yeah I added it. You were the first person I saw that was really excited about the story. Not to knock those who came before you, but you were enthusiastic and I appreciated that. Plus it was a good idea and easy to implement. Nightwing, now you have your answer. But when will he get the-~~*Aro has been censored for purposes of the plot and because he can't give away spoilers. He has been warned against such infractions going forward. We are sorry for this interruption.*~~ It's going to be great, hope you're excited for everything to come.
Next chapter is...*checks chapters*...stuff! Very exciting and dramatic stuff! And things too! Glorious things! It'll be great, you will all either love me or hate me, and the reactions will be a great measure of how I've set up this story. Mwaahahahhaahhaha, I can't wait. That'll be out soon. Luckily, I have up to Chapter 11 written, with 12 coming along pretty well. After that, we get into parts that I'm actually excited to write, which will definitely help the creative process. Expect more story soon! Soon being Tuesday or Wednesday.
Alright, this has gone on long enough. Time to end this catastrophe and get back to writing. Cheers all!
-Aro