With the memories I'm focusing more on the story of Link. With less stuff in the canon about him there's more to explore but the chapters aren't only going to be in Link's POV. I could but I want to explore Link's father and Zelda as well and keep some thoughts and feelings of the hero a mystery.

Obviously the younger Link and Zelda are far different to the one we see in the first memory but that's kinda the story I aim to tell.

Chapter 2- By Water's Side

All was calm in Hyrule. Light skimmed across Lake Siela causing it to shimmer with a brilliant golden light. The only sound in the air was the quiet humming of crickets and the gentle lapping of the lakes water onto the stone supports of the bridge beneath them. Bryne leant back on the wall of the bridge tapping his foot impatiently. Epona stared at him from the other side of the bridge with that annoying bemused look the horse somehow managed to put on. He ran a hand through his dark brown hair.

"You know I hate these things". He turned his head towards her expectantly.

Nyssa sighed coming towards him and hugging his arm tightly. Resting her chin on his shoulder she looked up at him with big kind sapphire eyes. It as though she had no idea what the effect of simply looking at him had.

She squeezed his arm. "Who would think the great Knight Bryne, protector of the King and greatest swordsman in all of Hyrule…scared of social events?" Her voice was filled with humour instantly putting him at ease once again.

"If I knew it was in the job description I would have thought twice about joining the order in the first place," he said with the brutal honesty he was famous for. She turned her head to look out over the lake resting her head on his broad shoulders and dirty blonde hair cascading across his back.

"You'll be fine, I'm sure the King will do most of the talking all you have to do is stand there and look tough," she murmured.

The knight glanced over his shoulder hearing the sound of rocks falling behind him a bemused look falling on his face.

Nyssa continued, "Besides you're so busy these days we hardly get to see you anymore, first it was the Yiga clan and now the Queen…"

"She'll get better, she has to." His face looked on resolute as ever.

She allowed a grin to form on her face. "And there's Link too, he was so excited to get out of Hateno and go on an adventure with his father, to see Zora's Domain for the first time," she said fondly.

A chuckle escaped his lips, "We'll be lucky if he doesn't scare all of them out of their homes."

Nyssa looked across at the bank on the southern end of the lake and squinted. "Speaking of which where is Lin-"

"HYAH"

She let out a loud shriek as the small child jumped up from the side of the bridge behind them and at his father, lunging at him with a wooden sword. Bryne easily grabbed it out of the air looking at his wife with an amused smirk. Link now dangled from the sword which Bryne held outstretched to his side.

"Did I get you Pa?" Link dropped to the ground in front of them grinning up proudly at him. The four year old was more causing more trouble each week, climbing almost everything he came across and almost giving his Grandpa a heart attack several times. Not to mention the bruises Bryne now had from the boy's insistence on practicing sword play. He tried to pretend the hits didn't hurt, most didn't, but the child was unusually strong and skilled for his age.

With great effort Bryne managed to get his smile under control, "Maybe…if I hadn't of heard you five minutes ago slipping on the stones".

The boy groaned, sticking his bottom lip out and dropping his head in disappointment.

"Where did you get this anyway?" Bryne asked the boy looking at the wooden blade curiously.

"Grandpa gave it me before we left…" Link muttered.

Typical enabler, that old man had given the Knight more than enough trouble over the years, even now Bryne, the greatest Swordsman in Hyrule, was still a little scared of the farmer.

"Linkoln Hateno, what did I say about scaring people, goddess you almost made me heart explode," Nyssa fussed over the boy brushing the twigs and dirt from his hair. He had taken after his mother more than him in appearance, his eyes and hair matching hers. Only now Link's hair was dirty in the literal sense.

"Look at your new shirt too…we've got to be at a formal dinner tomorrow with the King himself".

The Boy's previously clean white shirt was ripped in several places and covered in grass stains. It seemed as though he was cultivating his own eco-system in his hair which was a tangled mess of leaves, twigs and likely bugs too.

"Will the fish be there?" He asked expectantly looking up at her with his wide sapphire eyes just as bright and brilliant as Nyssa's.

"Yes they will be, just remember to call them by their names and not by 'fish people'," she replied. Link nodded firmly. "And don't get any more things on your shirt or there'll be no food for you at the meal".

Link gasped at the sheer prospect of missing food. Bryne laughed at his despair. "I couldn't even begin to think of a punishment cruller," he mocked her causing Nyssa to sick her tongue out at him in retaliation.

Somethings don't change… Not that he ever wanted them to.

He ruffled Link's messy hair "C'mon champ, I do plan on getting there at some point in the next five years. And with that Link sped off, racing down the road towards Kakariko Village. Walking over to his horse Epona, Bryne felt a sudden urge course through him, as he turned to face his wife.

"I know I'm all over the place these days, but I want you to know that wherever I am or wherever you go, my true place is here with both of you." Taking the reins of the steed he kept eye contact. "In a few years I hope that things will settle down and we can be together like all those years ago".

She smiled at him, with that unfairly beautiful smile and took his hand leading him down the road after their son.

"Love you too"

Link was still in shock. He had spent a good hour at the beginning of the trail of the Zora River, looking over the strange glowing lights at the bridge, much to the amusement of the Zora guards who he had attacked earlier mistaking them for monsters. But now in the main domain night had fallen and the city had lit up shining into the cloudy sky. Link had never seen a place of such beauty. The towers of blue light rose into the sky far above him more colossal then anything he thought possible.

They had arrived before the King of Hyrule much to Link's disappointment but, the Zora Princess Mipha had agreed to show him around the Domain showing him each building laughing at the constant amazement he showed.

They had been in the training grounds for some time and Link had begun to test out the new skills his Father had taught him. After just half an hour of training the Zora Knights were struggling for air and murmuring under their breaths at him. It was rare for people to keep up with his boundless energy save for his Ma and Pa.

"You like the Domain?" She asked him peering down at him curiously. His father had explained that it was rare for outsiders to be allowed into the Domain and as such few Zora's had actually ever even seen a Hylian such as himself, let alone a child.

He grinned up at her showing his newly missing tooth. "It's so cool; it'd take me days to explore it properly."

She smiled back at him. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of time for that you are here for a full two weeks".

He frowned a sudden thought had popped into his mind. "How do you breathe up here if you're a fish?" Link asked. Her face widened in surprise at the randomness of the question but, she began to laugh softly.

What's so funny?

"Link for the third time, Zora aren't the fish you find in your pond, we are of both the water and the air. As such we can inhabit both. In many ways we are closer to the Hylians then our finned friends."

Link looked at her again with wonderment, "I wish I could breathe underwater, Ma doesn't even let me go diving anymore, not after I got stuck in the well…"

He rushed to the side of the walkway to watch the Zora warriors glide along the river beneath them, shooting up the waterfall on the side of the cliff. "You are a curious child," Mipha spoke with an already growing fondness in her voice. "But it is time to return to your father. Do you want to see the throne room?"

Link nodded firmly slightly disappointed that his exploring would have to be put on hold until the next day. Mipha led him up the stairs towards the throne room. Link made sure to take two stairs at once, having to practically leap between them.

Can't have her think I'm slacking

His father was there in front of the thrones discussing something with two of the Hylian guards and King Dorephan.

Mipha cleared her throat. "Father I've finished the tour with Lin-"

Link rushed forwards, he was going to get him this time. With the best battle cry he could muster he jumped onto his father's thigh, making the other guards almost leap out of their boots. The knight simply scooped him up in his arms once again completely unfazed. "Better luck next time champ".

Dorephan's laughter echoed around the chamber. "My…never in my long life have I seen something with so much energy," he bellowed.

Bryne looked down Link who stared up at him with a stupid grin on his face. Rolling his eyes he dropped the boy down.

"You don't know the half of it." He grabbed Link's shoulder. "C'mon champ it's time to see the great King of Hyrule".

Here goes nothing.

Bryne walked down the walkway to meet the King. Nyssa had joined him once more and he was glad for her company. It definitely made the social events far more bearable. He was simply glad it was the Zoras this time; he had always gotten on well with Dorephan and counted the King as being among one of his few friends. It would be far easier than any visits he had done to the Rito. Seggin had also managed to put his mind at ease, by going into great detail on how well guarded the damn place was.

They don't call him the Demon Sergeant for nothing.

He probably didn't even have to be there for security but he knew that wasn't why he was there anyway. To Rhoam he was a friend not a Knight. Hell if it wasn't for the King he would've been herding goats somewhere rather than being accepted among the Hylian elites.

"You know a smile could go a long way. For once people might think you're not on the verge of killing them," Nyssa had clearly noticed his intense expression, the one he made when he was thinking a little too hard.

"Wouldn't want them to think that," he retorted. Link still had that stupid grin on his face and there was no mistaking the cheeky glint in the corner of his eye. This would be the first time he would see the King and his family.

Please Hylia let him be a normal polite boy for once. He knew it was an impossible request, Link was beyond normal.

"Bryne!" the King's voice boomed across the walkway.

The Knight immediately fell to one knee, giving Link a good slap on the head when he failed to do so himself.

"Rise you damn fool, I told you didn't need to do that anymore" The King's voice did not decrease in volume despite the fact he was now only a meter in front of him.

"I'm afraid I'd quite like my head to remain on my shoulders." Bryne replied dryly. He looked over the King's company. Of course there were the seven members of the elite royal guard hovering behind him like a bad smell. Oh and don't forget his useless advisors also attached to him like a leach to an arm. The King himself was a larger than life character in the literal sense of the word and towered above them all.

He held a kind smile but Bryne could see the bags under his eyes and the wisps of grey in his hair, most would not notice but he did. The King was stressed.

Right next to him though stood Princess Zelda. She was just as small and was only four years of age like Link but already stood as straight as an arrow, head held in a way that already commanded authority. The Knight frowned. No queen, she must've been in worse health then a few weeks prior.

"Where are my manners" The King came forwards to them, "Nyssa as beautiful as ever." He took her hand planting a firm kiss.

"And who is this strong young man" Rhoam bent down to address the wide eyed boy, who with closed eyes and a grin replied, "Link!"

The King chuckled. "Very good, very good." He turned gently to look at his daughter still crouched down. "This is Princess Zelda…"

The princess approached the boy slowly. "Hello Link…" Her voice was soft in tone and no soon after her words had been uttered the Knights son had turned a shade of red never seen before on the child. Zelda giggled as he shrunk behind his mother peering out from the side of her blue-green dress.

Thank the Goddess, we've found something that scares him.

"Anyway enough of this it's time to meet that old croon." Rhoam spoke with clear fondness in his voice. The best way to describe the two King's relationship would be complex at best.

Bryne cleared his throat. "Sire, I thought perhaps it may be best for me and my family to retire for the night we've had a long day of travelling and a rest is needed for the feast tomorrow." A voice inside him groaned, he was rambling, speaking for extended periods of time was not his forte.

The King laughed placing to hands firmly on his shoulders. "Of course my friend." He brought the Knight in close whispering in a tone firm yet desperately urgent. "Put your family to bed and then come find me in the throne room there is something important we need to discuss."

A sudden rush of fear flooded through his body. It was a rarity for the King to sound so serious. He nodded firmly to the King and led Nyssa and Link to their quarters, looking back quickly to see the King's troubled face studying him intently.

The Zora's had been quite generous in hospitality. The room was beyond spacious and hardly what the family was used to. Two beds sat at opposite ends of the room a silk sheet curtain separating each from the centre of the room. At the centre of the table lay a bowl of assorted shells.

I'm going to get sick of seafood by the end of this week aren't I?

Bryne looked back at his son. By some miracle all the exploring, the climbing, the attacking had left the boy exhausted. Nyssa sat by him bringing the green silk covers over the child's small body. Link let out a big yawn. "Can you show me how to swim like the Zora tomorrow Ma?"

She smiled kindly down at the boy. "Ma doesn't know how to swim but your father will teach you when he has some free time".

Link frowned. "He never has free time."

The statement caused a stab of guilt to hit Bryne's gut, though he wasn't wrong. Since the rise of the Yiga he had spent far too much time from them. It tore him apart to not be there to play with his son, to comfort his wife. With a child like Link she sure as hell needed it.

"We'll be here for a whole two weeks together, I'm sure he'll have time tomorrow. And just remember in the evening we'll get to dine with the King and the Princess," Nyssa said softly.

Link shrunk back into the bed nervously at the mention of the girl.

"It's time to sleep little hero, more adventures await you tomorrow". Nyssa kissed the child's forehead as his eyes slowly locked shut.

Nyssa sighed gently stroking his forehead and turning to Bryne her eyes sparkled at him from across the room. Drawing the curtains on Link she walked carefully across the room resting on Bryne's chest gently.

"Well that was certainly interesting." She spoke into his shirt, arms tightening around him.

"Just think instead of threatening to take away his food you can threaten to leave him in a room with a four year old girl," he replied chuckling to himself.

"Bryne!" putting on as much fake outrage as possible she nudged him with her head. "He's never seen a princess before. I think our little hero might be in shock."

He grinned, "I'm sure the feast will be more than interesting now."

There was a long pause between them, sure silent pauses weren't unusual for Bryne but he could tell when Nyssa was deeply troubled. "The King looks stressed…" Her voice was muffled by his tunic but he took his hands and glided them over her hair gently.

"The only time he's ever been like this was…" Bryne said. He knew what the King was going to ask of him in the throne room and shuddered at the thought.

"You're not going to be coming home again are you?" She looked up at him now eyes filled with sadness. His wife had read his mind expertly, she was far too good at doing that.

"Nothing is decided." His voice was firm but deep down Bryne knew what she said was true. That dream of leaving the Order and staying at Hateno would turn into a fantasy as soon as he entered that throne room.

"Can't we just go now leave it all behind, be a family you don't need to fight his battles Bryne there are others who can take your place." Her tone was one of desperation.

"You know that's not true, I can't just run away." He hated that, his damn sense of duty. It always seemed to screw him over, always stopped him from getting what he truly wanted. He withdrew from their embrace holding her at an arm's length firmly. "I need to go, we'll talk about it though I promise. Just try not to worry about it."

"I know, I know." She smiled weakly at him.

Bryne let her go walking to the door. He hesitated slightly, considering turning around quickly. But instead he just sighed, walking out into the cool night air.

Rhoam was where he said he would be, stood at the foot of the throne deep in discussion with Dorephan. Though the two were equal in size now, Dorephan would eventually grow to be almost five times the size of the Hylian King. Bryne remembered meeting the Zora King's father when he was in his twilight years, they couldn't even fit him on the already enormous throne.

"My Friend! You are here just in time," Rhoam roared, holding his arms up high ushering the Knight forward.

Bryne moved forwards standing in front of the Kings expectantly. Dorephan would not meet his gaze and stared away from him looking over the Domain. Both Kings were known for being relatively carefree when compared to their fierce spouses but now looking at them Bryne felt the air was stale with tension and gravity.

"You requested we speak sire?" Bryne asked. He couldn't help but let impatience slip into his voice, he wanted desperately to be anywhere but here, perhaps back at his quarters with Nyssa.

"They found it Bryne…" The Knight had never known the Kings voice to be so quiet, so sorrowful. "Three more too, though they have not been recovered fully yet."

Bryne looked at him desperately and when he spoke his words rasped out, "That does not mean that the fortune-"

"Bryne…" The King cut him off breaking eye contact and turning to the glowing lamp he now leaned heavily on. "We were fools to ignore the fortune teller, to stand idle so long. These mechanical beasts they are proof that the worst is coming." His intense expression broke suddenly, "My wife, she fights hard but she is losing to this disease. I have faith in my heart but deep down I know it is only a matter of weeks before she succumbs to it." His eyes closed tightly. "I should be there with her, Zelda too but…" His eyes turned back to Bryne looking over him intensely. "I must act as a King above all else, especially with so much at stake."

Dorephan remained eerily quiet, refusing to appear present in the conversation. It seemed the King was fine with his absence his attention remaining unequivocally on Bryne. "I have no right to ask this of you, after all you have done for me, for my Kingdom. But, I need you to come back to the castle; I need you by my side. Please be my Captain of the guard once more," Rhoam asked, but it was clear that he did not want to order the Knight against his will.

Bryne had known it was coming, ever since greeting the King at the entrance. But, preparation did little to help. The request seemed to suck all life from his bones, to pierce his dreams and bring his already cynical mind back down to the harsh reality.

He knew it was a futile battle but Bryne opened his mouth to protest. "My family… They need me. I have not been there for them since Link was born. I don't want Link to grow up without his father."

Rhoam remained resolute, face unfaltering. "Bring your family to Castletown, they will be well looked after, from what I've heard your boy will-"

"I'll speak with my wife." Rhoam gave continued to look at him expectantly and the Knight sighed. "I gave you my word all those years ago I will not betray that now."

Rhoam breathed out heavily as though he had been holding his breath from the start. "Thank you friend, you are one of the few people I can reply on these days. This will not be an easy undertaking."

Dorephan finally joined the conversation. "You have my support too Rhoam. These are dark times indeed, I fear we fell complacent for too long not, oblivious to the signs". He looked to the King. "If we fail it will be our children who suffer."

The thought of Link crept into Bryne's mind. His energy, his curiosity, his sheer recklessness, to imagine a world without them was truly terrible. If all that was predicated was to come true then all that he loved and had worked so hard to preserve would be destroyed in but a few weeks. Deep down however, he knew he was not the hero prophesised to defeat Ganon; Bryne was now past his prime. But if not him then who?

The three men stood in silence for a while longer.