Chapter 12 – Link's Legacy

Princess Zelda, with a cup of hot tea from the trees of Kokiri Forest, walked over to her bed in Hyrule Castle, as night fell upon Hyrule. Every waking hour, she thought about Link, wondering where he was and how he was doing. She never feared that he could be in trouble after defeating Ganondorf. She had confidence that if anything stood in his way he could get through it.

"Hello, princess."

"Hey, Impa."

"Going to sleep early tonight? It's only nine o'clock. The market isn't even closed yet."

"I'm exhausted, Impa. I've done a lot today. Picked up some milk at Lon Lon Ranch, looked over the new amendments to Hylian laws that my father will pass this week, took the horse out to Hyrule Field to get some exercise, and wrote Link a letter. It's been a long day."

"You wrote Link a letter?"

"Yeah. It's been almost a month since he left."

Unknown to Link, only Termina was affected by the Song of Time. Hyrule's time passed normally, and was never reset. Link was in for the longest three days of his life.

"Do you even know where he is?"

"No, I don't. I'm going to give this letter to Kaepora Gaebora, who will fly across the countries and locate Link, and then give it to him."

"You really think that old owl can do that?"

"I sure do. Kaepora Gaebora knows the lands very well, and from the direction Link left Hyrule from, the Lost Woods, is the land of Termina. It's quite a long way off, but that's the only you'll hit if you head that direction."

"Wow. You're right. I completely forgot about that, since I haven't actually left Hyrule since before you were born, and when I did leave Hyrule, it was through the Death Mountain range towards Miakal."

"I know the lands well, Impa. Also, Terminian government officials came here once several years ago, for a conference with my father and many of the Hyrule Castle officials. Don't you remember?"

"I was in Kakariko Village at the time, but I do remember."

"Well, I have confidence that Kaepora will find Link eventually. Sometimes I can feel Link's presence. I believe it is when he plays the ocarina. The one song I told him to remember before he left was the Song of Time."

"That's probably the best one."

"Indeed it is."

"Well, I should go, Zelda. I have some work to do before I can get my beauty sleep. Your dad is quite a tough boss."

Zelda chuckled, "good night, Impa."

"See you in the morning."

Impa walked out of Zelda's bedroom and down the corridor towards the Hyrule Castle throne room, looking at the portraits of old Hyrule Castle kings and queens from the past. Impa herself began to think about Link, who she had not actually thought about very much since he defeated Ganondorf a year before. The reason being she never actually saw him. Link came by the castle once after returning to his original time, but thereafter he spent most of his time in Kokiri Forest, despite the fact that he was a Hylian.

The only places Impa ever went outside of the castle were Kakariko Village and Lake Hylia. She very rarely ventured into the forest. It was quite a long way to travel from the castle, anyway.

Impa remembered the day Link sealed the evil spirit of shadow, Bongo Bongo, into the evil realm. That was the day she awakened as the Shadow Sage. That was the day that evil had been deprived from the Kakariko graveyard and the spirits that continuously tormented Kakariko Village were sealed.

"Impa! Welcome back! It's been a long day for us, so I just have one more task for you. Don't worry, though. You can complete it in the morning," said the king.

"Yes, your majesty."

"I need you to travel to Kokiri Forest and gather the items in the Hero of Time's old home."

Impa was somewhat shocked. "What? You want me to steal Link's things?"

"No, not steal. Link told Zelda that we could take those things, because he doesn't want them anymore. I can show you the letter he left."

The king handed a small document to Impa.

Dear Royal Family of Hyrule,

As you know by now, I am leaving Hyrule for an unknown period of time. It will, however, be temporary. Many people have asked me why I am leaving. The truth is, I cannot give a legitimate answer. The only thing I can say is that I seek adventure. But I promise all of you, I will return. I have decided to leave all of my weapons that I own at my home in Kokiri Forest, because I do not have any intentions of fighting any battles like I did here. I am only bringing my Kokiri Sword and a shield that I made myself, called the Hero's Shield. I am bringing these things just in case I need to defend myself.

I grant permission to the Royal Family and any other appointees of Hyrule Castle to access my home. I would rather the Kokiri children not enter my home because they could be dangerous with those weapons, except for Saria. All I ask of the Royal Family is to not destroy or give away any of the weapons, because most of the Hyrulean population does not have legal access to such weapons. Feel free to use my home for any purpose, but please do not tear it down. These are my requests.

Thank you, Zelda, and the rest of the Royal Family. I will be returning soon.

Link

"I see," said Impa.

"Yes. We're actually planning to preserve some of the weapons, such as the Fairy Bow, the Megaton Hammer, and the Golden Gauntlets. They're now symbols of Ganondorf's defeat."

"I understand, your majesty. I will leave first thing in the morning."

"Thank you, Impa! You are a noble servant."

The king tossed a red rupee to Impa as a tip.

"Thank you, your majesty."

Impa walked down the opposite corridor to her castle bedroom.

Impa and Zelda weren't the only ones in the land of Hyrule thinking of Link. Some others missed him just as much, and wondered when he would be coming back. Saria's life continued in the forest, although she spoke to Link at various times. Darunia was very busy, but peaceful, as he maintained Goron city. Ruto was still impatient for Link to come back to her and marry her, as he had promised. She could not just forget about it. She only saw Link once after he defeated Ganondorf.

But one person who frequently thought about Link was Malon.

"You still up, Malon?"

"Yes, dad. Don't mind me. Get some rest. It's a big day for you tomorrow."

"Just checkin' up on ya. You remembered to feed the cuccos, right?"

"Yes, dad."

"Okay then. See you in the mornin'."

Talon walked downstairs from the ranch house to his bedroom. Malon was sitting in her room just thinking of Link. Since Malon was not one of the sages, she was completely unaware of the events that took place in Link's adulthood. All she knew was the fact that Link saved Hyrule in another dimension of time and is now declared the Hero of Time.

Malon so deeply wished she could have witnessed the events, no matter how terrifying they might have been. There was something about Link and his heroic nature that she just loved. She missed Link so greatly, and wished she could have spent more time with him before he left.

Then, it clicked.

Malon had almost forgotten. Termina. Link told Malon he was heading south through the Lost Woods, which ultimately led to Termina. Malon knew the land very well, since she had visited Termina several times on certain occasions. She went to visit two certain people, who she did not get to see near as much as she desired.

These two people were relatives of Malon, who resided in southwestern Termina. They lived a life very similar to that of Malon's. They tended cows, raised Cuccos, bred horses, and enjoyed the same ranch life Malon got to enjoy. These girls lived in Hyrule for the first two years of their lives, before a rather disturbing event took place.

"That's it, Talon! I've had enough! You have proven to me that you can't raise girls! All you can raise are stupid Cuccos! Ever since we inherited this ranch, all you have done is mess with those stupid birds, and completely ignored your family! I can't take it anymore! The girls and I are moving out of Hyrule!!"

"Kiomada!! Wait! Give me another chance! I was only tending these Cuccos so they wouldn't get out of hand like they do in Kakariko Village."

"It's not just the Cuccos, Talon! It's this whole stinkin' ranch! Ever since we moved here all you have cared about is the ranch! You hardly even spoke to your family!"

"Kiomada…"

"No, Talon. This is it. We're leaving."

"No!! You can't take the girls with you! I don't even know where you are going!! They're my girls too, you know!"

"I can't leave them to be raised by a man who cares about chickens more than he cares about his own daughters!!"

"That's just your ridiculous assumption!"

Just then, their oldest daughter walked into the house. She was a young girl, confused about the situation, and worried for her baby sisters.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Cremia, we're leaving."

"What? We're leaving?"

"Yes. Get your sisters and we're leaving Hyrule tonight."

"They're asleep."

"Well, wake them up."

"Is daddy coming?"

"No. He's staying here."

"Mom, what's going on?!"

"Nothing! We're moving to a ranch in Termina, away from Hyrule!"

"I don't want to live in Termina!"

"Listen to Cremia, Kiomada! We all should stay here!" said Talon.

"I don't think so, Talon. The girls and I are leaving tonight."

Talon knew how hard it was to negotiate with Kiomada. He knew Kiomada had always wanted to leave Hyrule ever since she moved there as a little girl. This was just the last straw giving her a legitimate excuse to leave.

"Kiomada, at least let me keep one of the girls. That's it."

"Why should I leave any of the girls with you if you won't take care of them?"

"You don't understand. I love the girls more than anything, and it would be cruel and unfair for you to take them all with you. If you don't leave one of them with me, I will notify castle officials that you broke Hylian law by taking my daughters without approval!"

Kiomada sighed and accepted. "Fine, take one of the twins. Cremia is too old to change her life like this. Take your pick."

"It doesn't matter to me. I don't prefer one over the other."

"Fine. You take Malon."

Talon didn't respond.

"Talon, if you ever have a change in heart and decide you do want to raise a family, you will know exactly where to find us. I will let Romani and Cremia see you on holidays."

That was it. Malon's separated sisters lived in Hyrule, and took over the ranch after Kiomada decided she no longer could run a ranch herself. Kiomada named the ranch Romani Ranch, after her younger daughter. Sadly, both Romani and Cremia eventually forgot Talon after they stopped visiting Hyrule. Kiomada did not want her girls to be clueless about the status of their father, so she told them that Talon passed away shortly after Romani was born, so they would let it go. While it is seemingly cruel to do such a thing, it was for the girls' own good, so they would not worry about him.

After that, Romani and Cremia maintained Romani's Ranch in Termina. Cremia and Romani did not remember their lives at Hyrule at all. They did, however see Malon when she visited, but they never saw Talon. Thereafter, Kiomada continued living in her own part of the ranch near the doggie track, a place maintained by her. Cremia and Malon simply lived their lives by milking their cows and delivering it to Clock Town.

"So if Link is in Termina, he's got to somehow stumble upon the ranch. I've got to write Romani!"

Malon pulled out a piece of Deku Paper and began to write her sister whom she hadn't even seen since before she met Link.

Morning rolled around with a beautiful Hyrulean sunrise over the mountains. It was another great day in the country of Hyrule.

By 8am, the Hyrule castle market was sprawling with people and businessmen. It had grown very much since Ganondorf's defeat. People were walking up and down the cobblestone to the places they had to be. Impa began to trot through on her horse through the central road of Hyrule Castle Town. She sped up after exiting the town square and proceeded across the drawbridge into the countryside.

She began to head east, towards the forest, in her task to pick up several of Link's belongings and return them to the castle. Impa felt like it had been ages since she got to ride through Hyrule Field. The field was the so peaceful, like Lake Hylia in the early morning. It was beautiful. She looked to her left as she passed Death Mountain, seeing the large volcano from a distance, with the ring of clouds circling it. She could even see small buildings from the growing Kakariko Village to the left before the mountain range.

Recently, Hylian officials had established transportation routes throughout the field, since anywhere could lead to a different sect of Hyrule. Signs were posted up everywhere to aid traveling salesmen.

NORTHERN HYRULE FIELD

KOKIRI FOREST – Continue Straight
KAKARIKO VILLAGE/DEATH MTN. – Head North
HYRULE CASTLE – Opposite Direction
LON LON RANCH – Head South
ZORA'S TRIBUTARY – Take the Left Road at the next fork

Impa knew her way around the land, but it was a much longer trip to the forest than she thought. The field was much larger than she thought. Had it really been this long since Impa went anywhere?

It was peaceful in the forest, as usual. Saria was doing her daily work, feeding the Deku Tree Sprout, and tending her shop in the southern sect of Kokiri Forest. In her new shop she sold herbs and crops from the Sacred Forest Meadow, which could be used to make unique Kokirian teas, and also be used as medical treatment for wounds.

Mido was no longer the head honcho of the Kokiri children. At a Kokirian council meeting shortly after Link left, the residents of Kokiri had a majority vote outlawing head children, because the Great Deku Tree always taught that all Kokiri children were equal, and many of the children were tired of being bossed around by Mido. As a matter of fact, the Kokiri Children Council of the Lost Woods, an organization started by Saria, established a set of laws for the residents of the forest to abide by. Each copy was posted in shops and other public places in the forest.

After a couple of hours passed, Impa finally arrived in Kokiri Forest. She pranced through on her horse and proceeded over to Link's home.

There was a sign in front of Link's house, with the Kokirian Laws posted on them, with an important part in red…

DOCUMENT OF OFFICIAL KOKIRIAN LAWS:

SECTION IV:

Any non-Kokiri or non-residents of the Lost Woods shall not be allowed to enter sacred landmarks of the forest, including, but not limited to: the Great Deku Tree, the former home of Link, and the Forest Temple. Any people wishing to enter must have a signed permit by the king of Hyrule OR written permission from the Kokirian ambassador in Hyrule Castle.

To override this limitation, please see Saria of Kokiri Forest.

"Oh, great," said Impa.

Impa knew she could easily just go ahead and climb up to the door, because Kokiri children wouldn't be able to do anything about it. But, she had respect for Link. After all, he was the one who freed her from the Shadow Realm beneath the graveyard.

A young, innocent Kokiri child named Flido walked by on the dirt path near Link's home.

"Hey, you!"

"…yes?"

"You, come here for a second."

The child was somewhat afraid of Impa's appearance and curious about what she wanted from him, but he decided to comply.

"You know whose house this is?"

"Yeah. It's Link's. The hero of time. I never actually met Link. I live on the other side of the forest and never saw him when he actually lived here-"

"Okay, okay. Do you know where Saria is? This sign says I have to talk to her."

"Saria's at her shop on the west end of the forest. It's up on a hill."

Impa sighed with exasperation.

"Okay. Thanks, kid."

Flido scurried off, not wanting to speak to such an outsider any longer.

"Now I've gotta walk to the other side of the forest again."

But, Saria wasn't in her shop. As a matter of fact, her shop was closed for the day. Saria was busy doing something else. She was in the Sacred Forest Meadow, once again, near the Forest Temple. The Kokirians had commenced a project to inhabit the Forest Temple and declare it an official Kokiri Sanctuary. Saria and several other Kokirians were constructing a stairway leading up to the temple.

Impa was out of luck. She had no idea how to navigate herself through the Lost Woods, especially since the Hylians hadn't put any signs up around the forest leading the way. Feelings stirring up inside her made her know that she didn't want or even need to consult Saria. She was ordered by the king, so she had her rights.

Impa immediately turned around and headed back to Link's house.

As she approached, she had a much more laid back feeling inside of her, letting her feel sure she could do this and then head back to the castle. She scaled the old ladder to the tree house and entered.

The house was just as it looked when Link actually lived there. There everything was… the legendary Hylian Shield, The Fairy Bow of the forest, the Gorons' Megaton Hammer, the Longshot of the Zoras, the ghostly Hover Boots, and the ever-sacred Mirror Shield of Desert Colossus.

"Wow. So… let's see. I need the Golden Gauntlets, the bow, the hammer, the shield… Oh, heck, I'll take it all."

Impa began to gather everything that once belonged to Link and prepared it for the king. She knew he would be so proud.

There was a book on the table in the middle of the room. It just had an engraving of the Triforce on it. Impa, overcome with curiosity, decided to open it…

LINK'S JOURNAL

Impa flipped to a random page.

Twenty-frist day of the Month of the Gerudo 465 – Hyrulean Calendar.

Wow. I don't think anyone could fathom what I've been through over the past several months. I had to go inside the very ruler of the forest: the Great Deku Tree, and battle one of the most decrepit and terrifying creatures I have ever seen. It was my first true battle, so I was especially frightened. Then, I had to venture into one of the dark caves of Death Mountain: Dodongo's Cavern, and battle a monstrous, fire-breathing dinosaur. Then, the worst of all came. I went over to Zora's Domain and actually entered a great big fish, to save the Zora princess, then I had to fight an electric anemone that had been growing inside the fish for a long time. It's been crazy. Unfortunately, it doesn't end here. Zelda told me I had to go to the Temple of Time near the castle after I collected all three stones. I'm not sure what's going to happen after that, but she told me something about this instrument passed down by the Royal Family called the Ocarina of Time. Maybe I'm supposed to find that in the temple or something.

Truthfully, I have no idea what will happen once I put the stones in the temple. Hopefully that will be the end of my quest and I will be able to come back home and live my life. Oh well. I'll see Zelda when I go to the temple. She promised she'd meet me there. I plan to hike across the field to Hyrule Castle this afternoon. However, I heard from the Kokirian Ambassador that they had to close the drawbridge for some emergency in the castle. Wonder what's going on. I hope it will be down by the time I get there, so I won't be stuck out in the field at night. Hmm. Well, I guess I'd better get going so I can make it before dark. I sure am excited about seeing Zelda again.

Impa vividly remembered that moment. It was shortly before dusk when she and Zelda fled Hyrule Castle to escape from Ganondorf. She could barely even see Link since she was so concentrated on getting out of the castle. Chills went down her spine, but then she decided to flip some more pages.

Eighth day of the Month of the Zora 466 - Hyrulean Calendar.

It's been quite an interesting past few years. I did some things I would never even dream of doing in my lifetime. I got the three Spiritual Stones and then traveled to another dimension of time, seven years into the future, and collected six spiritual medallions, then defeated Ganondorf, the prime threat to Hyrule in all of it's history. I don't want to sound arrogant, but that stuff is pretty big. The funny thing is, after Zelda returned me to my normal time, everything reset to the way it was after I placed the three stones in their spots in the Temple of Time, except Ganondorf was gone. Nobody actually knew what happened except for me, Zelda, Navi, the six Sages, and Ganondorf, of course. Oh well.

Life has been great since his defeat. I've been able to return to my home here in the forest and am content. However, I'll never forget what the Deku Tree Sprout said to me after I saved Saria from Phantom Ganon. He told me I was no longer a Kokiri, but a Hylian. We all know what that means… I am growing up. So… does that mean I should no longer be living in the forest? I don't wish to leave all of my Kokiri friends behind, but I feel that it is my niche in Hylian society to live elsewhere. I was thinking maybe Hyrule Castle Town, Kakariko Village, or Lake Hylia Village. I don't know yet, but I will decide soon. Sometimes I wonder what it is like outside of the nation of Hyrule. Is it the same? Different? I hope to explore outwards someday, but I still wish to keep Hyrule my home.

"Okay, I shouldn't be reading this anymore," Impa said to herself, as she closed the book.

She placed all of the items in her knapsack. The Megaton Hammer put a significant amount of weight to it, but Impa was sure she could manage. She walked back outside and climed down the ladder. Luckily, no pesky Kokiri children spotted her.

Impa got back on her horse and trotted back into Hyrule Field. The only thing on her mind, however, was Link's Legacy that he had left in Hyrule. She could not forget him and finally realized what an impact he had left. Now, she was beginning to feel like Malon and Zelda. She even wanted to write him a letter, or better yet, use her power as the fifth sage to visit him, just like Saria did.