This is but one of the legends of which the people speak…
Long ago, in the days after the Hero of Time departed from Hyrule, his labor finished, an evil wind began to blow throughout the land. The ancient sages listened to the whispers on the wind and knew that their seal upon the King of Evil was weakening, so they gathered together to decide what could be done to save Hyrule.
"The Hero of Time will surely come to our aid in this most dire hour! With my brother's help we will triumph even should the evil king return!" cried the Sage of Fire.
"How like him to be late! Perhaps this time instead of waiting for him we should seek him out?" said the Sage of Water.
"But where could he have gone? The creatures of the forest all say they have not seen him…" said the Sage of Forest.
"Do not worry, little one. He is not yet among the dead. Perhaps the princess knows where he is?" said the Sage of Shadow.
"Aw, forget him! Let's just do this ourselves! We're all-powerful sages now, aren't we?" said the Sage of Spirit.
"I believe that the Princess Zelda would know best the Hero of Time's whereabouts, let us consult her," said the Sage of Light.
So the Sages went to find the Princess Zelda, who, having heard the whispers of evil on the wind, was gathering her people together to prepare them for the journey she had seen them taking in her visions. When the sages told her of their search for the Hero of Time, the Princess grew grave and told them that she did not think he would be returning to the land of Hyrule and that they must prepare the people for their journey to the mountaintops.
So the sages returned to their domains to spread the word throughout the land: "Prepare for the rains."
The Sage of Forest, Saria, returned to her people and spoke to them. But the Kokiri were dismayed to hear that they must flee, for they could not leave the forest. So they cried out to the Great Deku Tree saying "Save us, Father! Save us from the rains!"
The Great Deku Tree heard his children's cries and began to grow swiftly. He soon grew taller than all the other trees of the forest; then, so tall he touched the very clouds in the sky. At last, the Great Deku Tree grew so tall that even the birds of the sky could no longer nest in his canopy, for he had grown taller than the mountains themselves. The children tried to climb his branches, but he had grown so tall that they could not reach the top and grew tired. The children cried, thinking their father had abandoned them and, sorrowful that they could not escape the rains with him, they cried themselves to sleep among their father's roots.
But the Great Deku Tree had not forgotten his children, and in their sleep he took them unto himself so that they became part of him. In the morning, strange seed pods hung from the Great Deku Tree's branches. For many months the seeds hung there safely- sheltered from the battering rain and the raging floods by his great leaves.
When at last the rain stopped, the seeds fell from his great branches and the Kokiri woke safely in a new world, bearing new forms which were light as air and better suited to such a world. The Kokiri rejoiced and, floating on the wind, played among their father's branches! All except the Sage of Wind, who had stayed behind to pray for the Master Sword.
When the Sage of Fire approached his people to tell them to prepare for the coming rains they were pleased, for they already lived high in the mountains and would be safe from the floods. But, nevertheless, Darunia feared for them because they were heavy as stones and could not swim, so he cautioned them to stay far from the water's edge. When the rains began many foolhardy Gorons who had not heeded his warnings drowned and were swept away by the strong currents. So together the Gorons began to build many ships and learn the ways of seafaring so that they could live and prosper even among the dangerous waters. When the floods finally stopped, the remaining Gorons were well-prepared and prospered in the new world as seafaring merchants.
When the Sage of Water returned to the Zoras to tell them of the news they laughed and said "What have we to fear from floods?" and went about their lives. But Princess Ruto impressed upon her people that the waters that were coming would not be like the pristine waters of Lake Hylia and could spell disaster for them. When the rains began and the lakes began to merge with the seas, many Zoras died, unaware that the salty ocean water was as deadly as poison to their delicate gills.
So he of the cavernous belly, Jabu-Jabu, took them into his wide mouth where they stayed until the floods had passed. When the Zoras looked out upon the new world they cried out in despair at the vast ocean that now engulfed the land, for they could not live in such salty waters.
"Surely we will perish in this sea of death!" they lamented, wailing their sorrow to the heavens.
So loud were their cries that even the great dragon, Valoo, heard them from his mountain perch and flew down to them, saying "Why does water's kin lament so? Are you not made glad that this world is so well suited to your form?"
"O great dragon, we will surely perish in these salty waters! For we can only live in the purest of waters and Lake Hylia is no more! If only we could fly like you, great dragon! Then we could live above these treacherous waters as the people of the land do!"
The great dragon thought a moment, then gave to each of them a scale from his hide, saying as he did so "Take this gift, people of the water, and be changed so that you may continue to prosper even amidst this poisonous sea!"
When the Zoras took hold of the scales they were changed into new, winged forms. Able to fly on the winds now, they took to the sky with the great Valoo's blessing and followed him to his mountaintop home, where they, too, roosted among the cliffs. And thusly were the Zoras saved from destruction; all save the Sage of Earth, who had stayed behind to pray for the Master Sword.
When the Sage of Shadow returned to her people she commanded them to climb to the top of Death Mountain, where they joined the Gorons in learning the arts of seafaring and joined in building boats. When the rains came all were spared except for those who had made themselves deaf to Impa's warnings and refused to move. Those who survived spread amongst the islands like leaves on the wind, and thusly did they name their town "Windfall" when all was settled.
When the Sage of Spirit returned to the Gerudo to warn them of the coming rains they scorned her, laughing and saying, "Who could conceive of such a rain? We are people of the desert and know better than to believe in the fortunes of water witches. Should it rain so we will rejoice and merely drink the desert dry again!"
When the rains came the Gerudo set out their barrels and collected the precious water, not fearing the floods and expecting the rain to end soon as it always had before. When the rains still did not stop after many days, the desert was quick to flood. Many fled, seeking shelter outside of the desert, but the wise followed Nabooru and headed for the Desert Colossus, where they built boats atop the Goddess of the Sand's outstretched palms. When the flood waters finally reached them they were well-prepared and lived to see the waters rise, engulfing even the Desert Colossus. The few wise Gerudo who had survived looked out upon the new world and, seeing only a new kind of desert, wept bitterly for their loss. Whispers on the wind say the remnants of the Gerudo became pirates and that their ancestors sometimes still roam the seas continuing the tradition…
While Princess Zelda was busy preparing her people to flee to the mountaintops, The Sage of Light, Rauru, and the King of Hyrule were plotting together for a way to save Hyrule.
"I know my daughter has seen this land covered in darkness in her visions, but I believe we can yet save it should we make a stand. And it is for this that I ask for your help, honored Sage" said the King.
"What would you have me do, Great King?" asked the venerable Sage.
"Though the Sages' seal is fading, we still have the Blade of Evil's Bane and I believe that with the Sages of Earth and Wind praying to keep its power strong, we might use it to slay the King of Evil once again."
"But how, Great King? Only one worthy of the title of Hero of Time may wield the Sacred Blade and he is nowhere to be found!"
"Was it not the Hero of Time's courage in defending Hyrule that allowed him to wield the Sacred Blade? Think you that I have less desire to defend this land than he, honored Sage? Surely I have more desire to see this land prosper than one who has forsaken it! But should my courage prove insufficient, I would ask of you to stay and wield the sacred light arrows alongside me. Between us two, we should have enough wit and mettle to match the Hero himself!"
The Sage of Light was uncertain of the wisdom of such a plan, but he was stout of heart and would not see his friend, the King, die abandoned for his foolish valor. So he agreed to stay with him and fight the King of Evil at his side.
The Princess Zelda tried desperately to make her father see the error of his ways, crying out in anger at his stubbornness "Father, can you not hear the whispers on the wind!? Have you made your ears deaf to the calls of the goddesses!? I have dreamed dreams of the evil that comes and have seen that retreat is the wisest course! This land is already lost!"
But the King would not heed his daughter's words, saying only "Take refuge in the mountains with our people, my dear, should it set your mind at ease. But I shall not forsake this land which is ours by the will of the goddesses."
Plead as she might, the King would hear no more of leaving and grew only more determined as the evil clouds drew nearer and nearer.
When the King of Evil returned, the land became covered in darkness and all who had not fled with the Sages grew fearful and cried out to the goddesses to save them. They tried fleeing to the mountains but many were killed whilst they fled or drowned by the divine rains that had begun to flood the land. Only the King and the Sage of Light remained steadfast, foolishly; and when the King of Evil came for them they were quickly overwhelmed, for the Blade of Evil's Bane did not shine with the power to defeat evil in the hands of the King. Outmatched and seeing the folly of his ways, the King wept and pled with the goddesses to save his kingdom no matter the cost. Amidst the battle, in his heart of hearts the King heard their answer:
"Foolish and proud mortal, you did not heed our warnings and so the end of your reign is just. Take solace that your mistake shall be drowned along with the evil of this land" decreed the Goddess of Power.
"Could you not hear the wisdom in your daughter's words? Had you but listened to her advice you would be spared" decreed the Goddess of Wisdom.
"Misguided child, can you not see that your kingdom is already saved? What is a kingdom if not its people? Had you understood that which your daughter knew you could have left this land behind safely" decreed the Goddess of Courage.
The King knew the truth of their words even before he heard them spoken and was ashamed that he had turned away from what he knew in his heart to be true for so long. In that moment he felt that this was his just reward and mourned that his fate had been made by his own hands. His only regret was that he had brought his miserable fate down upon his friend, as well.
The battle raged on and it soon became clear that the King and the Sage of Light could not win against such a fearsome foe. The King began to falter and fell back, weary, against the Pedestal of Time. But just as Ganon was about to slay the King, the Sage of Light ran between them, taking the Blade of Evil's Bane from the King's grasp and thrusting it into the Pedestal.
Mortally wounded by the blow meant for the King, the Sage of Light used the last of his life to bind his power to the sword and stop time for that place, so that his friend and the land he had fought so hard to protect might not perish, but might one day be revived. The King of Evil roared furiously as the spell took effect and he and his wicked magic were sealed away…for a time. The King of Hyrule had only a brief moment of shock before he, too, was frozen in time by his friend's spell. It is said that the goddesses, moved by the Sage's sacrifice, vowed that when the time came, they would restore the flow of time to the King and thereby honor the dying Sage's wish for his friend to live again.
Meanwhile, the Princess of Destiny watched from the mountaintops along with her people as the land was flooded by the rains. Thinking her father dead, she wept as though her tears were the pouring rains; her grief flowing out as part of the raging torrent. So great was her heartache for the father she'd been unable to save, that the Triforce of Wisdom was cleft in twain to match the brokenness of her heart. Feeling she no longer deserved its power when she could not even save her own father, she cast one of the pieces into the sea, praying that it would reach him in the depths below.
And that is how the era of the kingdom of Hyrule passed away beneath the waves of the Great Sea.
A/N: Hmmmm, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter so I may edit it in the future. The next chapter is sort of a continuation of this one but I liked it better as a separate chapter, so check it out! As always, if you like it leave a review and lemme know and if you don't, well, you can still leave a review, I guess, as long as you're not a dick about it or anything.