Chapter 7
"Open your eyes."
Slowly, Link opened his eyes, finding himself lying on the floor. Darkness surrounds him, making it impossible to see where he is as he moves on his feet. A gold light shines from behind him. The source of the light revealed itself to be the Triforce. The size appears around Link as it stands in the center of his vision. The young man moves closer to the shining relic, only stopping when he's less than several centimeters. The Triforce shined bright enough not to be blinded to one's eyes but also gave off a warm glow. He didn't know why but Link had the urge to touch it. His hand was less than an inch from the bottom right of the Triforce when it suddenly vanished, making Link jerk back.
Torches suddenly lit up on his side. Rows of torches were aligned down a grand hallway. Link slowly strolled down the hall. Not patient enough to walk down the extensive hallway, Link picked up the pace by sprinting to the end until he found himself in a dark forest area. Ahead of him were the backs of two figures at the edge of a river bank with their backs facing him, their faces concealed. One was wearing a cloak and was kneeling at the bank, while the other was a blonde woman that stood by the cloak figure's side, hand placed on their shoulder.
Lighting suddenly flashed, obscuring Link's vision. When the flash died, he was greeted by rain pouring down heavily. The rain made it hard to see where he was.
"Traitor!"
Link saw the figure of another woman, who gave out a scream of pain as a sword pierced her chest. She slumped to the ground as the blade pulled out of her torso. The scene became more transparent throughout the heavy rainfall as Link saw dead bodies scattered around him. There were all dressed in clothes similar to what Impa and Sheik wore. A group of people standing in the sea of corpses. There were like the red hair women that took part in the raid of Ordon Village. One person Link could make out was a dark hooded figure with a clear masculine structure. The figure darted his head towards the young man. He stared at Link with golden eyes that were filled with pure evil. The figure started charging towards him quite quickly. Link lifted his arms and closed his eyes as he braced for impact.
When he felt nothing, Link opened his eyes again and found himself in another dark area. Heavy footsteps could be heard all around him, but he couldn't tell which direction they were coming from. Link ran fast in the opposite direction to get away from the footsteps. Once he got far enough, voices started to whisper in his head. Most he knew, some unfamiliar.
First was Impa. "You are the one chosen to save us all."
Then a male voice in a cheerful taunt. "I don't see what Impa sees in you, boy."
Second, came the sound of Shiek shouting. "This is your fault!"
A woman begging. "Don't hurt me, please!"
Then a voice he hadn't heard in a long time. "Protect her, Link. You have to protect her..." He recognizes it as his father...
A deep gentle voice said to him. "Save Hyrule. Save her future..."
Then finally screams of Zelda pleaded, "Link, help!"
Link shut his eyes and got on his knees. He clutched his head as the voices kept running through his head. No matter how hard to block them out, they continued and never seemed to end anytime soon.
Then, the voices came to a sudden halt. Link refused to open his eyes until a gentle yet familiar feminine voice whispered to him.
"Open your eyes."
Something about that voice made him feel more relaxed. Link slowly opened his eyes, stood up, and saw he was in a different area. There were stone walls around him, lighted-up torches hanging on the walls, and stained glass windows stood high above. In front of Link was a sword on a stone pedestal with the symbol of the Triforce at the center of it.
Link felt drawn to the sword and walked toward it.
"Take it," the voice instructed when he was close. "It will aid you on your journey."
Link put his hands on the handle of the sword. With one pull, he removed the blade, and everything went white.
"Wake up, Link. It is time for you to rise."
Link darted up from the makeshift bed, breathing heavily. Looking to his side, he saw Zelda & Ilia, sharing a bed, sleeping on the other side of the tent. He gave a sigh of relief, but uneasiness still lingered in him. The dream kept replaying in his mind.
A sudden green light slowly brightened the inside of the tent when he considered returning to sleep. A small floating green glowing ball was just a few feet away from him. It appeared similar to the fairies Link had seen out in the wild, but it was too big to be a fairy. The green ball flew out of the tent.
"Follow me, Link…Follow me."
It was that voice again, more prominent. Link exited the tent while trying not to wake the girls. He looked around, but the green ball was nowhere to be seen. "This way..." Link still heard the voice and followed the direction it came from. With luck, he found the green ball at the camp's end. It flew into the woods. Link followed.
Unbeknownst to him, Zelda had woken up from his footsteps. She had watched him looking around and darting off. Grabbing her bow and arrows, she carefully followed Link throughout the woods.
"What in Hyrule is he up to?"
Link continues to follow the green ball in the woods. As he arrived at a forest clearing, the light had disappeared from his view. Right in the middle of it was a massive temple. It looked old as parts of the structure were chipped off, and vegetation was overgrown in some areas. There was even a round shaped stain glass window at the top center above the entrance. It may have been something grand when it was in its prime.
The Green Light caught the corner of Link's eye. The Light briefly shimmered at the front of the temple entrance before darting inside. Before Link could follow it, the sound of a twig snapping caught his attention. He turns in a defensive stance only to see, to his relief, Zelda.
"Zelda? What are you doing out here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
Link stood silent as he tried to conjure the words to say. "I...Something...guided me here." Link glances at the entrance. "And I think it wants me to go inside the temple."
"I see…" She looked at him quizzically. "Well, whatever reason you're going in there, I'm not letting you go alone. Who knows what could be inside."
"Fair enough."
The two friends both entered the temple. Echoes of their footsteps bounced around, indicating the inside to be quite massive. However, pitched blackness made it impossible to see.
"Wish I brought a lantern." Right after Zelda had said that, torches lit up from the wall to brighten the room, revealing a grand hall with a red rug down the center. Link and Zelda stared at each other in confusion. "I guess not."
"What is this place?" Link wondered as he glanced around.
"Judging by the structure of this place and the carving on the walls, this is an ancient temple. It looks like it had seen better days. Bet it was something back in its time."
They both looked around in every area of the temple. Never in their lives had they seen such a structure this great before. Suddenly, a green glow caught both of their attention. The glowing green ball that led them here was just across from them. Link ran towards it, but the green ball went through the wall behind it before he could reach it.
"Do you think there's a way to get past this wall?"
"There's probably some sort of secret switch," Zelda hypothesized. "Old temples usually have that. At least that's how it usually is in books."
The pair begins feeling around the wall, trying to find a switch, a button, something that could let them through the wall. As Link searched, he noticed an engraved Triforce on the center of the wall.
"Center..."
"Did you hear that?" Link nodded to Zelda. "What did it mean by the center?"
"I think it wanted me too…." Link instinctively lifted his left hand and pressed his palm at the center of the Triforce. The engraved Triforce glowed briefly before that wall section moved up, revealing a dark hallway behind it. Both friends looked down the hallway, unsure if they should proceed.
"Should we go in there?"
Link was hesitant, but his instinct told him that he should. "Yeah."
The two friends slowly walked into the dark hallway. On the other end, a bright white light shined. Link ran straight towards it with Zelda close on his heels. Soon they entered another room. Déjà vu crept upon Link as he observed this place. It took him several minutes to recognize this room as the same one from his dream. But that's not the only thing. The sword Link saw in his dream was also in front of them. It lay on the same pedestal. Every detail from the dream was the same as this sword.
The double-edged arming sword with a narrow ricasso, the vast but shallow fuller that is almost as long as the blade itself, the handle and grip of the sword had a shade of purple and blue, the yellow gemstone on the crossguard of the edge. And its own engraved Triforce symbol near the crossguard. All those details match the ones from his dream.
"I...I've seen that sword before."
"You know it too?" Zelda wondered.
"I had a dream about it. I saw different scenes. When things calmed down, I started to hear voices. I was trying to block them out when a voice told me to open my eyes. When I did, this room appeared, and so did that sword. Wait! How do you know about the sword?"
"I had a vision when watching you dueling Rusl back at the village." Zelda looked back at Link. "You had this sword and were fighting a man, but it ended before I could see who won...I think it was a vision of the future."
"Indeed it was."
The pair jerked their heads up and saw the green ball hovering over the sword. A sudden white flash emulated the room, blinding the two friends. They saw a humanoid woman hovering a few inches above the ground when the light died. She had green hair tied in a bun, along with matching color clothes and boots, and golden wrist cuffs.
"Fair Link. Noble Zelda."
"Who are you? How do you know our names?" Link demanded the strange woman.
"Do not fear me, young one. I bring you and your friend no harm. As to answer who I am: I am Farore. One of the three goddesses that created this land long ago."
The pair's eyes widen with shock. Then they quickly bowed.
"It is an honor to be in your presence."
"Please, no need for that, Noble Zelda. I have come before you, for there is something that I wish to share. We have been watching and guiding you both throughout your lives."
A sudden realization hit Link as he took in her words. "You mean...?"
"Yes, Fair Link. I was the voice who guided you here, to The Resistance, and to those clothes you now wear." Farore looked at Zelda. "I was also the one who led you to your friend long ago."
Link's eyes widened with shock at that revelation, but the goddess spoke further before he could respond.
"But now I'm here to guide you to a greater cause. For you will be part of a great destiny that will forever change the future of Hyrule." Farore gestures toward the sword behind her. "Come forward, Fair Link. Take this blade as destiny had foretold."
Link stood and stared at the goddess in confusion. Farore seemed to sense his inner conflict.
"I sense confusion within you, along with uncertainty about what your future holds. I suppose that's to be expected. By now, you have seen the true colors of The Evil King, Ganondorf Dragmire. Having witnessed his wrath for yourself."
Link looked at the ground in sadness as memories, still fresh, of the village attack went through his mind.
"Let me lower your anxiety with some information you want to hear." Farore paused for a brief moment. "Many from Ordon have survived the raid."
The friends jerked their heads up with a mix of relief and happiness.
"They have?" Zelda exclaimed the goddess.
The green goddess nods. "Sadly, some have been taken prisoner by Ganondorf himself. If you wish to save them, I would highly suggest you take this sword, Fair Link. Now that I have told you this, are you ready to accept this destiny and take this sword?"
Link didn't have to think about his answer as he darted toward the sword. He was only halfway when Farore floated a few feet above, still looking at Link, who stopped in his tracks.
"It would seem you have already made your decision." Farore slightly smiled. "In the name of me, my sisters, and Hyrule, pull the sword from its pedestal and raise it in the air!"
Farore hovered behind the sword, waiting for Link to claim it. Link looked back to Zelda. Her eyes alone told him to do what he felt necessary. Link moved towards the blade, not taking his eyes off it. He placed his hands on the sword handle at the foot of the pedestal. Using all his strength, he pulled it from the pedestal and pointed the blade skyward. As he did, the sword gave a bright glow.
"It is done," The green goddess declared.
Link lowered his blade to examine it. Zelda slowly walked to him to get a better look at the sword. Link felt a rushing sense of energy as his eyes remained on the blade.
"Impressive, isn't it?"
Link and Zelda turned around to see Impa standing at the entryway of the chamber.
"Impa?! How long you were standing there?" Link questioned.
"Long enough." Impa walks towards the group. The older woman brought her gaze to the goddess before she bowed. "Farore..."
"Dearest Impa." Farore smiled down at her. "It is nice to see you again. I believe you have some important things to share with these two."
"What is she talking about?" Zelda looked at Impa with an inquisitive look.
"I'm afraid I haven't been entirely truthful." She stood to her feet. "To both of you."
"What do you mean?" Link asked.
Impa looked away from the pair before she spoke. "Let me share something that was told to me when I was young."
"This great kingdom will fall underneath the control of the shadow of darkness for many years. Innocent lives will be shattered under this rule. But do not lose hope, for one day, a young man dressed in green will arise to vanquish the darkness and bring light back to the kingdom."
"What does that have to do with me?" Link inquired before Impa turned her gaze back at him.
"It's a prophecy that had been foretold by my people generations ago. You, Link, are that hero from the prophecy. You are the one chosen to save us all. Only the chosen hero can open this room door and pull The Master Sword from its pedestal."
"Master Sword?" Link looked at his newfound blade.
"Indeed. That is no ordinary sword. It was crafted by the first ruler of the land, Queen Hylia, and the power of the goddesses. Where we are right now, The Lost Woods is sacred ground. Those within it are hidden from the eyes of evil, including Ganondorf. It is how I managed to hide from him all these years. This temple has been here since the beginning of Hyrule. Its sole purpose was to house that blade in your hand until the chosen hero, you, Link, would come and claim it."
The older woman turned her head away from Link. "When I first saw you, I immediately had my suspicions. But I thought it was just wishful thinking, so I said nothing. I had shared this prophecy with many in the camp to inspire hope. We have waited for a hero for many years, but none has come. Some had already lost hope that the hero was real." Impa faced him again. "But here we are now in this chamber, with The Master Sword in your hand. This proves that the prophecy was real. I've always believed it to be. As did your father."
Link had not expected to hear those words come out from Impa. "You knew my father?"
The older woman gave a deep breath before speaking. "Years before you were born, Leal was once part of the royal guard of Hyrule. We worked closely for several years. He was the best soldier any of us had ever seen. But he left to find his own path a few years before Ganondorf's arrival."
"Dad never told me any of this…"
"Several years after Ganondorf rose to power, we both crossed paths, and he joined our ranks." A surprised expression grew across Link's and even Zelda's faces. "Yes. The trips he would take out of your village, he would come here to help us on our missions. He would often talk about his life since he left, including you. When you told me your name and that you were from Ordon, I knew I had to get you to safety."
No words came out of Link's mouth as he processed this new information. It still leaves him with one question. "What happened to him? Why hasn't he returned back to Ordon for seven years?"
A look of sadness and guilt swept across her face. Impa appeared to be hesitant to share. "Leal was on a mission with a group when they were led into a trap. They were ambushed by Ganondorf's troops. Everyone hardly had time to escape. Amid the chaos, Leal got separated from the group. I swear we've searched every place we could, but it seems he vanished. If Ganondorf is holding him somewhere, I don't know where he is. If I knew where Leal was, I would've rescued him long ago. I wanted to go to you to tell you his fate, but I did not want to risk Ganondorf finding out about Leal's connection to Ordon. I'm so sorry you must find out this way, Link."
The older woman covered her mouth as she tried to control her emotions. The pain in her eyes undoubtedly said it all. A lot of emotions swept through Link. Sadness, confusion, and anger. Yet did not express any of those towards the Shiekah. It was clear that whatever happened to his family greatly affected her.
"Dad was always looking out for others, including me. If he was part of the royal guard, that sense of duty never left him. He probably knew the risks, so I can't entirely blame you."
"Leal was a brave man and a good friend. Always putting others before himself. Leal always kept up hope when others started to lose it." Impa looked to Farore. "He believed in the prophecy and was dedicated to finding the legendary hero. Practically obsessed. Judging by your clothing, I guess he already figured it out."
Link looked down at his green tunic. Everything made sense now. His father never let him look in that chest for all those years. Not only that, it would explain why Leal let Link become a swordsman. And why he always encourages Link to be helpful toward others.
"You are correct, Dearest Impa," Farore spoke up. "Fair Link is indeed the chosen hero. However, he will not deal with this task alone."
Everyone looked at the green goddess as she hovered down to their level.
"The hero shall be accompanied by a young maiden of bow and arrow. This maiden will vanish on water but return with a great destiny. They both shall vanquish the darkness and restore peace back to Hyrule."
The goddess brought her gaze to Zelda. "M-me?"
"Yes, Noble Zelda. You are the maiden that will assist Link in taking down The Evil King. This part of the prophecy was hidden to keep you safe from evil if the hero in green had been compromised."
Zelda slowly recounted back to the day of her adoption revelation. Was the reason her mother gave her up because she would take part in destiny to save Hyrule? Could she not handle that burden? Or was it to protect her?
"Was...was that why I was given up?"
Farore remained silent for a short minute. "...That is something for you to figure out on your own, Noble Zelda."
"What about my father? Is he alive?" Link also inquired to Farore.
"That is also something you must find out for yourself, Link. I'm sorry, but I cannot reveal that information, even if I wanted to. I assure you, however, that you will get the answers you seek in time. For now, you two must prove yourselves with the title of Saviors of Hyrule. Once the time is right, you will face Ganondorf and end his reign once and for all."
"But...what can I do?" Zelda exclaimed to the goddess. "Link has a powerful sword, but how can I stand up to Ganondorf?"
Farore lifted both hands in front of herself. A golden glow emerged between them, revealing a golden archer's quiver with bright arrows floating above her hands. The golden quiver hovered over Zelda's hands. Zelda could only gaze at the arrows, noting their beauty.
"These are the Light Arrows, gifted by my sister Nayru. They cannot kill Ganondorf but can incapacitate him for a time. They can also repel even the darkest magic, including The Evil King's, and obliterate objects that normal arrows cannot. That quiver contains an unlimited supply of arrows, so there is no need to worry about running out just as long as you have the quiver."
Zelda placed the quiver on her back and looked at Farore with a thankful smile.
"There's one more thing I want to give you, Noble Zelda. Please step forward."
Zelda did what Farore had told her and stepped close to her. She was suddenly engulfed in a bright glow. Link reached for her, but Impa placed her arm in front of him with reassurance in her eyes. The light soon died down, revealing Zelda in an entirely new outfit.
Instead of wearing her villager clothes, Zelda was wearing a navy blue suit similar to Sheik's, only without the Sheikah symbols. In addition, she also had brown fingerless gloves like Link, red wrist cuffs, boots in a darker shade of blue, and a blue mouth mask. Her hairstyle had also changed. The bottom half was tied with two braids, each on the side of her head. A final accessory she was given was a small thin golden circlet crown around her head. One last change she noticed was that her archer's bow had transformed into a golden bow with elegant carvings.
Zelda looked in awe at her new attire and newly fashioned bow. Link also felt the same and couldn't help but find her rather stunning.
"I hope you find your attire best fitted for you." Zelda nodded her head toward the goddess. "Then, from here on, you both will carry on without me. I cannot see the future of Hyrule, but if you both succeed, it will once again reach greatness. I must return back to my sisters. We will watch over you both during this quest. I wish both of you good luck."
Farore turned back into the green ball and floated to the ceiling, vanishing from the site.
"Link. Zelda." Impa spoke softly, catching their attention. "I know there's a lot to take in right now, and I don't blame you both if you are overwhelmed. But if what Farore said is true, then you both could be Hyrule's only hope to be free from Ganondorf's reign. So many had lost hope that light would overcome the dark. You both can reignite it."
"How can we do so something like that?" Zelda wondered. "We're just simple ranchers against him and an army of his followers. Not to mention, he has dark magic."
"Some of the greatest heroes, both in fiction and real life, start as simple people like yourselves. It takes one flame to start a wildfire. All it needs is the spark. You both can be that spark to ignite the fire to burn Ganondorf's regime. Without that spark, the flames of rebellion cannot grow. As long as it remains that way, Ganondorf will continue to spread fear and destruction throughout the land, and more innocent lives will meet the same fate as your village."
"She's right…" Link settled. "If we don't do something, then who will? Our friends, you're parents, are out there, maybe even still alive. This could be the only way to help them." Zelda still had a look of unsure and doubt. Link took notice of it and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Zelda...I'm just as unsure as you are but know this. No matter what, I will always be by your side."
"And you both will not be alone," Impa spoke up. "You have me and the entirety of The Resistance to back you up. With all of us working together, we can take down Ganondorf."
Zelda stayed silent as she considered Link and Impa's words. "I'm not sure if I could take down a tyrannical king...But I will not stand by while innocent lives are lost to that monster. I'll do it."
Link smiled at Zelda and hugged her. "Just remember, Zel, we're in this together."
"We always have." The pair continue hugging for a little while before they cease it. They turn their attention to Impa.
"Now you both have accepted your roles, you must prepare yourselves."
"Do we really have what it takes to bring down Ganondorf?" Zelda asked.
"We will all help train you both with the skills you need to fight off Ganondorf's forces."
"And how do we know when we'll be 'ready' to fight Ganondorf himself?" Link asks.
"Only when the time is right." Impa glanced at the window high above the room. "Dawn is rising. We best get back to the others before they wonder where we went too."
All three made their way out of the chamber, leaving the pedestal where the sword once lay. All the while contemplating what would happen next. Whatever they'll face, they will prepare for it.
This is one of my favorite chapters I've ever written.
Much like the previous version, I use the 'Meeting Fi' scene from Skyward Sword as inspiration for this chapter (And had an earworm for Fi's theme). Meeting Fi is one of my favorite Zelda moments (I really hope SS gets ported to the Switch so that I can experience that moment firsthand). I also still wanted to reference Zelda being Sheik in Ocarina of Time so her look is similar to Sheik's getup. And Link's dream is still partially inspired from Rey's vision from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
But another improvement is that I actually gave some backstory on Link's dad, Leal.
As I mentioned before this story does not take place in any of the canon timelines, even the period when it was unified (I probably should've specified that). My reason is that aside from my lack of gameplay, I feel like I can do more without being limited. I hope you guys don't mind this.
As for what Farore looks like Type www. deviantart / alphagirl404 / art / Zelda-Goddesses-648740801 (its space out on purpose since this site seems to really hates links).
Favs, Follows, and Reviews are appreciated. (Also the old version of this story may be getting deleted soon).