A/N: Alrighty, sorry in advance for the beast of an author's note, but I have information. First off, standard disclaimer, I do not own The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, or any of its stuff. Secondly, if you have not played both games, I highly recommend you do as there are MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS for both! Thirdly, I have made some slight modifications to the story. For instance, I know you play the Song of Time before the stones were placed, not after. But this is a fanfiction after all; I'm gonna make some changes. But, for the sake of authenticity, I will try to retain as much similarity to the games as I can, hence why there are spoiler alerts. The major dialogue you would see in cutscenes in the game is exactly the same…unless I thought better of it (which I do in later chapters by adding in some general stuff). But it doesn't really matter, I guess. Enjoy the fanfic!
The Heroes of Time and Twilight
Prologue
It was a bleak day for Hyrule. To anyone who didn't know the tragedy that had just occurred, it appeared to be a normal afternoon. The sun was shining, its light dancing through the branches of the tall, thick, healthy-looking trees. The breeze was lightly racing through the world from the east, causing ripples in the grass. The water under Hyrule Castle Town's drawbridge was still gurgling merrily.
But the afternoon held a dark secret.
A lone boy clothed in green walked along the drawbridge, heading for the safety of Castle Town. He wore a hat and tunic with two brown leather belts: one on his shoulder and one around his waist, with the shoulder belt supporting his sword and shield. Brown leather knee-high boots protected his feet, and a thick gold bracelet adorned his left wrist.
His blonde hair was mostly hidden by his green windsock-like hat, but his bangs could easily be seen and were slightly fluffed up, parted in the center. They directed attention to his long, elf-like ears. His blue eyes scanned the world, searching for any signs of danger. In his hands, he clutched a blue ocarina with three gold triangles around the mouthpiece: the Triforce.
The boy, who seemed no older than twelve or thirteen, appeared far too sad for someone his age. He could not erase the troubling images from his mind, but perhaps it was for the best; if he could remember Hyrule's current issues, then he would become even more motivated to protect the world. He disregarded the appearance of the town, focused only on one thing: getting to the Temple of Time.
He passed through the stone entryway and began slightly jogging for his destination. His boots made light tapping noises on the cobblestone streets. He entered Castle Town.
The residents of the town had no idea what had happened, it seemed. They were all still merrily continuing their business. Shopkeepers shouted in the streets, encouraging passersby to halt and examine their wares. People competed with one another, pushing and shoving each other around in the hopes of purchasing specific items before someone else could snatch the merchandise from them. A young girl chased a chicken through the streets. A woman and her dog lazily waited around. A couple danced near the fountain in the center of the plaza, oblivious to everyone around them because they were so absorbed in themselves.
The young boy dashed towards the back alley, trying not to disturb anyone in his haste. It was then that he encountered the first citizen who was also aware of the day's flaws.
A soldier sat on the ground, leaning against the stone wall. He was covered from head to toe in strong armor, and his face was hidden behind an iron helmet. In his hands he gripped a spear.
The armor hadn't been enough, it seemed. The young boy could see blood on the soldier's waist area, and the knight's breath was heavy.
"Unnngh…are you the boy from the forest…?" the soldier asked.
The young boy nodded.
"I-I-I've finally met you… I-I-I have something to t-t-tell you…"
The young boy waited, concern in his eyes. He couldn't speak; his words were locked in his throat. He wanted to ask the guard if he should call for help, but he couldn't make himself move. The soldier might be dead before he returned with assistance. If that were the case, then it would be useless to worry the townsfolk. He had no choice but to wait for the knight to finish his statement.
"Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, betrayed our King… Zelda's nanny, Impa, sensed danger and escaped from the castle with our Princess… I tried to stop Ganondorf's men from chasing them…but…" He didn't need to finish; it was evident that he hadn't been enough. "The Princess was…waiting for a boy from the forest…that's you… She wanted to give something to the boy. If you received it from the Princess…hurry to the Temple of Time…."
The soldier coughed and his body twitched. He collapsed and slid down the wall.
The boy's eyes widened. He was still frozen, his mind trying to understand what had just happened. From his shoulder, a ball of pure blue light fluttered into view, supported by glass-like wings: a fairy.
The fairy spoke. "He's not moving anymore…."
The boy looked at the ground. He was too late. He needed to head to the Temple of Time before any more casualties occurred. He steeled his nerves and dashed through the alley, knowing exactly where he needed to be.
. . . . .
The door of the Temple of Time slid open. Written on it in Hylian was a simple message: stone statue. The wind whistled through the trees growing nearby and echoed through the crumbled temple entrance. Two statues stood guard just outside the door, holding hammer-like spears. A short distance away from them, sitting on the faded mark of the Triforce, a black wolf waited. The beast got to its feet and raced towards the open entrance, delighted that he had finally completed the horrendous puzzle and could now enter the true Sacred Grove.
His eyes were a deep blue, and his fur was so black that it reflected green in the light. However, his belly, paws, and underside were white, as were the strange markings on his face. On his left front paw, he wore a thick metal cuff with a snapped chain affixed to it. Blue, ring-shaped earrings adorned his ears.
On his back sat something that appeared to be a female humanoid creature. Her arms were black with cyan designs spanning them, and what looked to be little spikes protruded from them here and there, with two larger spikes jutting out from her shoulders. Her stomach was white but tinged faintly with blue, as was her right leg and the lower half of her face. More cyan designs traced up her legs and across her large, pointed ears. Her orange-red hair was tied back into a ponytail, resting in five thick sections on her neck. The ends of her hair were tinted yellow, and if someone were to look closely, it almost seemed like her hair was hand-shaped.
She wore a strange helmet that looked like some kind of artifact from an ancient race, but it was broken. A section of it covered her left eye, but her right was still perfectly visible, and revealed itself to be vivid red.
The girl and the wolf both shared the same expression: hopeful anticipation. The beast dashed into the open doorway, his eyes scanning the world. A large rock was off to his left, with ivy growing over it. Mysterious light filtered through the thick trees, and fog covered the ground up to the wolf's elbows. The area was fenced in by a large wall of earth, but that didn't matter. He could see what he had come there for in the first place, as could the girl he was with.
In the center of the Sacred Grove, a sword protruded from a stone pedestal. The handle was a light mixture of blue and purple, wrapped with crisscrossing green ribbon.
The wolf approached the blade for a closer look.
The crossguard had been designed to resemble wings, and a yellow diamond-shaped gemstone engraved with Hylian lettering was set in the center. Gold swirls rested beside the gem, and more led to the blade, running almost parallel with the Triforce design etched into the steel. The blade itself wasn't as intricate as the handle, but it was still quite unique to say the least; it started off somewhat narrow, before increasing in breadth and prominently displaying the mark of the Triforce, and then transitioned back to a more normal width.
The beast sniffed the blade curiously. It looked so intricate, but could it really be what he was sent here for? Was this really the Blade of Evil's Bane?
A pale golden light began to glow from the pedestal, reacting with the wolf. Immediately, the light flashed, blasting him back as the sword began to radiate power. The girl on his back went flying and was completely knocked out of his view.
The wolf growled, glaring at the ground. He could not allow himself to turn back now, not with all he had been through previously. He still had people he needed to save…among them Princess Zelda herself. She had died for Midna—his impish companion—and him. The princess had instructed him to come here and retrieve the sword, and that was what he was going to do. He could not allow any setbacks. He needed that sword.
The wolf let out a ferocious bark, which echoed through the Sacred Grove. The sword glowed brighter, but the wolf was not deterred. He transitioned to a howl, his body turning vantablack. The world around him became a blinding white, and he was aware of little black squares bursting from his body. His curse was breaking.
Behind him, his companion held out her hand as a strange black-and-orange object formed from the stray black squares. She stared at it, momentarily confused, before she looked back at the wolf before her.
He was no longer a wolf. Instead, a boy of about sixteen stood there, hands resting on the hilt of the sword. He was glaring at it, grunting lightly from the effort at attempting to pull it out. The light from the pedestal had drastically died down, but it was still glowing in response to the young man. He began to lift the blade, the sound of the metal echoing as it was pulled from the stone. Then, without any further difficulty, the young man drew the sword entirely—the glowing light following the blade momentarily before completely fading. He examined it, holding it in his left hand.
The young man's blue eyes were slightly lighter now that he was no longer a wolf. His hair was dirty blond, and had been parted to the left. He still wore earrings even as a human, and his ears were long and pointed.
He was clothed in a green tunic and hat, both of which had unique stitching along several seams. He wore a white shirt underneath his tunic and bronze chainmail, with a belt around his waist and another over his shoulder to secure his sword and shield. Blue fabric protected both of his forearms—with a leather bracer strapped only to the left one—and fingerless leather gloves guarded his hands. His pants were a faint cream color, and were tucked into his knee-high leather boots. On his back rested a blue shield with the Hyrulian insignia on it, as well as the Triforce framed in metal.
The young man raised the sword to the air, and the fog around his feet began to clear, racing away like ripples on a pond. His impish companion crossed her arms in front of her to shield her eyes from the rushing mist. The day seemed to brighten, and the world around them felt a lot more pleasant and hopeful.
The imp girl lowered her arms. She stared at her Hylian companion, awed.
"The sword accepted you as its master…" she said.
The young man studied the blade before he decided to give it three good test-swings. His impish friend appeared out of his shadow and rose up in front of him, causing his face to flash with surprise. She smiled.
"This is the embodiment of evil magic Zant cast on you," she explained, holding out the object that had formed after the curse had broken free from him. She examined it disdainfully. "It's definitely different from our tribe's shadow magic…" She noticed her friend's look of curiosity, so she said, "Careful…if you touch it, you'll turn back into a beast!" She closed her tiny hand, and the object immediately disappeared. "This thing is too dangerous… It's probably for the best if we just leave it here, huh?"
The young man studied her, not sure what to make of her statement.
"But on the other hand…" she said, looking up and considering her words carefully, "if we kept it, you'd be able to transform into a beast anytime you wanted…" Looking back at him, she gave him a mischievous grin. "Yes, since Zant was kind enough to give this to us, we should be thankful and use it all we can! If you need it, just call me. I want to keep a low profile so I'll hide in your shadow when you're human, but I can change you whenever. You can be a wolf anytime you like! Also, thanks to this thing, you can warp whenever you want by switching into your wolf form…"
The imp girl floated over to the young man's right shoulder and rested her hands on him. "Hey, but listen, Link. I've got a little favor to ask…"
Link directed his full attention on her.
"Would you mind coming with me to find something called the Mirror of Twilight? It's hidden somewhere in Hyrule… Yes, the Mirror of Twilight… Our last potential link to Zant!"
Link smiled and gave her a light nod.
The girl floated away from him, looking nervous. Wordlessly, she fell into the ground and disappeared into his shadow. Link's smile faded and was replaced with his usual expression of challenge that he gave to the world. He turned around to face the way he had come from, scanning his environment one more time. Then, also wordlessly, Link raced out, heading for his new destination, wherever that may be. He and his companion had but one objective now: find the Mirror of Twilight and defeat Zant!
. . . . .
The Temple of Time was a very elaborate building. The floor nearest to the walls was made of grey and black marble tiles, forming a checkered pattern. However, the rest of the ground was composed of only the grey tiles, and they were tilted slightly, making diagonal lines across the surface. Stone pillars rose up from the floor and supported the ceiling high above. Light filtered in through the windows, illuminating the lonely temple.
At the entrance to the temple, part of the floor was raised to resemble a hexagon shape. The insignia of the Triforce was displayed prominently on its surface, with a smaller, more intricate design resting in the center. At the far end of the room stood an empty altar-like platform, made of the same material as the floor but now topped with black marble. Three empty notches indicated that something belonged there, further accompanied by Hylian lettering that explained the missing contents. Beyond the altar, steps led to a stone door with strange markings. Above that, a giant display of the Triforce was set into the wall; its triangles were black like the altar.
The only color in the room was from the two red carpets: one at the entrance, and one in front of the altar. Aside from that, the entire temple was a bleak grey.
The boy knew there was no reason to linger here; he had to hurry. He and his fairy companion raced across the temple with no time to lose, coming to a halt in front of the altar.
The boy placed three precious stones framed in gold in their rightful positions on the altar. One of them was a large, round emerald; the second was a diamond-shaped ruby; and the third was three round sapphires, unified together into one object by the gold.
The boy clutched the blue ocarina in his left hand before he brought it to his lips. He began to play very intricate notes, which echoed through the temple, the noise reverberating off of the walls. The melody started off low, then shifted into a different kind of low pitch, then transitioned to a slightly softer note, before repeating the sound. He added a few more notes before he put away the ocarina and waited expectantly.
In front of him, the Triforce on the wall turned gold and started to glow vibrantly. The large door began to tremble before it split in half and began to slide open, revealing another room.
The boy entered the new room and quickly took in its details. Its floor was composed only of grey tiles, and thin columns clinging to the walls supported the ceiling. Light poured in from a large window far above, illuminating the center of the floor. Stairs led to the lit floor, and another raised hexagon could be seen. The insignia of the Triforce spanned its surface, and a sword was sheathed in a pedestal resting in the very center. The boy quickly raced towards it, only to be stopped by his fairy.
"Link, isn't that…?!" The fairy fluttered away from him, showing him the way to the blade. She bypassed the first set of steps, completely disregarding the multiple circular designs on the ground. She rose to the next set, coming to a rest beside the weapon. Her light rippled across its surface. "It's that legendary blade… The Master Sword!"
His fairy immediately returned to him and Link dashed forward, his eyes focused on the weapon.
It was unlike any sword he had ever seen, including the one sheathed on his back. The handle was dark blue with a tint of purple, and had a unique grip. The crossguard formed what appeared to be wings, and a yellow diamond-shaped stone was melded between the handle and the blade. The blade's shape was also unique. It started off relatively narrow before it quickly broadened, as if someone had cut from its sides close to the handle. It was buried in a pedestal with the Triforce emblazoned on it.
Link took hold of the handle. This was what he needed. This was what he was instructed to take…by the Princess of Hyrule herself! He gripped it tightly, concentrating. His shoulders tensed and he tore the blade from its pedestal, lifting it high into the air. His fairy fluttered near him, watching him closely.
Light burst forth from the ground around the sword. The Triforce on the floor turned blue and also shined intensely.
Then, without warning, the world turned white. The boy was aware of something that should have been beyond his consciousness. A man who looked to be in his early twenties was standing in the blinding light. On his forehead, he wore a yellow gemstone with chains spreading back into his vibrant red hair. His thick eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, or perhaps they connected; it was hard to tell. He wore a black outfit with segments of brown and white. Several gold objects protruded from sections of his attire.
His gold eyes had a menacing glint to them, and his smile was cold.
"Geh, heh, heh!" the stranger chuckled. "Excellent work! As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time! You have led me to the gates of the Sacred Realm… Yes, I owe it all to you, kid!" With that, he laughed once more, and the entire world became nothing more than a white glare.
Link could do nothing. With a shock, he realized that the world around him was fading to a startling black, but he was helpless to stop it. He began to feel faint. His eyes closed and darkness flooded his vision.
. . . . .
Link stared down at the pedestal, briefly glancing at the words engraved on it. He looked to the Master Sword in his hand, and then back at the ground. He took two steps forward and thrusted the blade down, returning it to its rightful place. How long had it been since he had drawn this blade? He didn't know for sure, but he guessed it to be only a few days, or maybe a week. Even so, he needed to fix the Mirror of Twilight, and to do that, he needed access to the Temple of Time.
Link heard a strange noise coming from outside, most likely triggered by him striking the pedestal. He retrieved the blade from the stone before sheathing it and running out to investigate.
He had entered the Sacred Grove with some minor struggle, but he had walked into the inner area of the forest without so much as a peep from any monsters. Now, however, he had the misfortune of encountering his dreaded foes, the Twilit Messengers.
There were five of the ugly brutes. The moment Link touched the Triforce mark on the ground, pillars rained from the sky and fenced him in. Now, as he glared forward, he watched the beasts fall from the sky one by one and slam into the ground, unharmed.
They were as large as horses, and although they were humanoid, they chose to crawl, using their oversized arms to drag themselves forward. Red markings, similar in design to Link's impish companion's cyan ones, traced their way across the Messengers' bodies. Tentacle-like cords protruded from their spines, as well as their horrifying shield-shaped faces.
But Link was used to battling these creatures. He had encountered them many times before. Although they were still threatening, he had grown stronger and more courageous throughout his adventure, and was no longer afraid to face his enemies.
He drew his sword and shield and began attacking the beasts, taking on one at a time before turning to face the final remaining two. Bats swarmed at his body, so he bashed them aside, causing several to explode in a puff of dust. Link leapt to the side as one of the Messengers swung its oversized arm at him. The second one merely waited, watching the Hylian Hero closely.
Seizing his opportunity, Link immediately spun in a circle, his blade slicing through the two monsters with little resistance. They let out pained screeches and collapsed. The remaining bats Link had missed quickly fled from him. The monsters on the ground burst into little black squares, which floated up into the sky and formed a cyan-and-black portal far above.
Link sheathed his blade but remained where he stood, taking in his surroundings now that things had quieted back down.
The Sacred Grove seemed like it had been a nice place at one point in time. High walls rose up and pierced the sky, broken and decrepit. Large windows would have allowed light to stream through them, but all of them were shattered and disintegrating. Ivy and trees sprouted from one wall, leading to a path Link had traveled through previously. A broken balcony with bent railing jutted sharply from the wall in front of him: his destination.
Stairs would have provided quick access there, but they were crumbled and dangerous. The debris was incredibly tall, as if someone had piled up the remains on top of itself, making it impossible to climb. But it didn't matter. After all, a hole in the wall had opened up some time ago, and he would be able to climb up the remains of that instead.
Link darted into the hole in the wall and pulled himself up a pile of debris before he climbed onto a higher section of ground, watching the small birds in front of him flutter away. He turned his attention on the balcony, glaring at the double doors that visibly led to nothing. A statue, much like the two in front of the main part of the temple, had once barred the way of the doors; now that Link had struck the pedestal of the Master Sword, it was gone. He approached the doors, taking note of the Triforce insignia and Hylian writing on them: Time's Door.
To Link's surprise, the doors began to open by themselves. He stared at them, wondering what was happening, but retaining a good poker face. The world beyond the doors shimmered a strange color, washing the world in a black-and-white hue. Regardless of the oddity, Link approached the doors and entered them, not allowing himself to turn back. He had to fix the Mirror; there was no other way to restore peace to Hyrule.
He entered the building and looked around curiously. The world shimmered before his eyes, dancing like a mirage. The image slowly began to clear for him.
Behind him, the doors rumbled, then closed, erasing all traces that the Hylian Hero had ever been there.
A/N: A little requirement…if I don't get any reviews then I won't bother with the next chapter, which is where it gets really, really good (at least, in my opinion…) because Link meets Sheik. I'm fine with corrections and suggestions, but y'all will have to be nice because I don't like destructive criticism…and y'all don't like it either when you get it, I know that. So be nice…ish. Yeah.
