Chapter 4

A Changed Future

Link rubbed his head. How? Shouldn't he be dead? How was he was he here? What the hell was happening? The confusion must have shown on the hero's face because the red haired girl giggled.

'You look funny when you're confused.' She said smiling. Link looked at the girl, half smiling, half dumbfounded. He remembered her. He remembered her very well. The cute little girl who showed him introduced him to his faithful steed. Her voice echoed in his head. That voice… He always thought of her singing whenever he was in serious trouble. The very thought calmed his soul.

'Malon…' He muttered while smiling. The girl giggled slightly.

'Oh looks like someone remembers me. You still look the same. Well, your clothes do anyway.' She walked up to the tired warrior and put a damp cloth onto his forehead.

'You always seem to end up here when there is trouble don't you. Don't worry, you don't have to explain. Your friend told me everything when he brought you.' Link pulled himself up to sitting position causing the damp cloth to fall onto the bed sheets.

'Where did she go?' He asked quickly. Malon flinched back slightly.

'Woh, chill out. She? SHE was a guy you idiot. You must have really hit your head. HE is in the stables with your horse. What's the hurry anyway?' She smiled flirtingly at the hyper hero on the bed. She blushed slightly.

'We have all the time in the world.' Link got up then froze and stared at the singing angel. Is she hitting on me? He thought. The strapping man stood there sheepishly. He shook his head to get out of the trance Oh… I haven't got time to flirt damn it. He ran out of the room.

'Maybe another time okay?' He whispered in her ear as he ran out. Malon sat down on the bed, staring longingly at the door the hero just ran out. The sun shone through the window and a small sparkle slid down her cheek.

Link ran out of the front door to the main stables. His heart was pounding. Finally, he could see her again. The stable door flew open as the panting hero scanned the room for his beloved friend. There she was. Sheik was sat next to the beautiful brown horse, Epona. Link smiled and walked over to masked fighter.

'What's with the disguise Zelda? Don't tell me you like looking like a guy.' The young warrior chuckled at his own joke but soon stopped as he saw the dumbfounded look on his rescuer.

'What are you on about?' Sheik asked. Link looked at the fighter strangely. Before he could answer, Sheik answered for him.

'Oh I know, Zelda told me about you.' Chuckled Sheik. 'I guess I've got some explaining to do. Well… erm… I don't know how to explain this…'

'Explain what?' Hurried the curious Hylian.

'Well… Lets start by saying I'm not Zelda. There have been... lets say… changes.' Link look at Sheik blankly. His blank expression soon changed to a smile.

'This is one of those games isn't it?' said Link slyly 'or you have to keep your identity a secret because of some monster or whatever.' The hero stood up proudly, as if he had figured out a complicated riddle.

'Nope, I'm seriously not Zelda.' Link slouched again. Let me explain it to you. When you put the master sword back into the pedestal of time, things returned to what they once were. You had changed time so that Ganondorf never took control of Hyrule and things became peaceful once again. Of course, one cannot completely change time. The timeline had to fix itself so that certain events still happened. Because Zelda never needed to become her alter ego, Sheik, to hide form Ganondorf, I was born. Some other things may have happened but I don't know about them.' Silence. The green clothed hero did not move. He began pointing at Sheik and tried to say something but all that came out was some strange gargling noise.

'I'm guessing you're trying to ask me how I know all this?' Chuckled sheik. The hero nodded.

'Well Zelda heard of a Sheikah child being born. She found out where I was, knowing that I would be the Sheik of this timeline. You should know that it is very rare to find a pure blooded Sheikah in this day and age.' Link nodded again. 'Well that's about it really. That mostly all I can tell you.' Link opened his mouth again. 'No I don't know where Zelda is, but she isn't in the castle, that's all I know.' Link closed his mouth again. An awkward silence followed the end of the conversation. Link looked at Sheik.

'So what was Dark Link doing at the temple and where is everyone from the town market?' He questioned.

'The towns folk are all okay, they fled to different parts of the land, some are in Kakariko and some in Termina. As for Dark Link, I'm guessing he was waiting for you in there. You being the former hero of time and everything, plus you…'

'What do you mean former?' link interrupted. Sheik looked shocked at the heroes' question.

'You don't think that you are still the hero of time do you?' Sheik asked. Link nodded slowly, almost sarcastically. Sheik shook his head.

'You can only be the hero of time once. It isn't like a job opening. People can't just choose to pull out the master sword. It is a sacred thing that even the gods cannot control.' The handsome warrior began to look irritated.

'I'm the hero of time, I've saved other places as well, so I must be destined to save the world.' Sheik went to speak again but stopped before he said anything. He knew he could not argue with a hardheaded fighter like this. Link folded his arms in triumph.

'So I'm guessing Ganondorf is back. No biggy, I'll just get the master sword and go and get rid of him.' Sheik shook his head again.

'You cant. Its not possible to get to the master sword anymore.' Link looked at him perplexed.

'Why not?' he asked.

'The stones have been destroyed. The princess thought that if she destroyed them, it would stop the anyone from thinking they had a chance at obtaining the Triforce.'

Link sat down in gasped in disbelief.

'We're screwed then. I don't know any other way of defeating Ganondorf.' He buried his face in his hands. Sheik stared at the floor with a certain concentration in his eyes.

'Maybe…' He said. Link looked up.

'Maybe what…?' he asked.

'Maybe the ring of heroes. I heard legends from my mother and father about a safeguard for the stones. If they were ever destroyed, then the Temple of Heroes would appear somewhere in Hyrule, containing the last known key to the sacred realm. It is extremely dangerous though. This temple was created by the gods to prevent anyone or anything from getting the ring. It house a monster almost as powerful as Ganondorf himself.' Link stood up with a glint of adventure in his eyes.

'Has anyone ever seen this monster?' link asked.

'No…' Replied Sheik. Link smiled at the confused fighter.

'Well then, let's go find out then.'