Author's Notes:

While I stick very closely to the HTTYD movie/TV show lore, I take liberties with the LoZ elements. Please read with an open mind, as if this were a new game.

New chapters on Wednesdays. The whole thing, 30 chapters plus Prologue, is written and will be posted!

The two boys limped through the sandstone canyon, the morning sun already drawing sweat from their backs. Sometimes the canyon was wide, as it was here, and other times so narrow only a narrow slit of cloudless sky was visible, and the boys had to pass through single file. The walls had a life of their own, swept up like frozen waves. Waves of fire, Hiccup thought. The sunlight bounced off them in shades of red and orange, cooking the travelers in a giant oven. He licked his chapped lips.

"It's actually better if you don't do that," Link advised. "Here." He stopped and offered his canteen. Hiccup balanced on his one foot and placed the opening to his lips. The water was warm but refreshing.

He wiped his mouth and handed it back. "Thanks. Do you come here often?" he asked as they resumed.

"Not if I can help it. This is the last shrine before hitting the desert."

"What's a desert?"

Link glanced at him as they hobbled along. "Uhh, it's this." He gestured at the lifeless landscape.

Hiccup grimaced. Having grown up with the ocean on all sides, he couldn't imagine the heat, the dryness, the never-ending sand and dust. His hands began to itch just thinking about it. "What a terrible place."

"Ganon is the Desert King," Link informed. "I don't doubt that he is trying to expand his territory."

"Looks like there used to be a river here." Hiccup pointed to a long depression snaking its way through the canyon.

"Hmm, I think you're right."

They followed the dry riverbed as it curved around the wavy walls. The heat made him just want to lie down. On top of that, Hiccup's whole body started to ache. Even though Link supported him, Hiccup still had to hop on his one leg. Last night had been a calculated risk, and as uncomfortable as he was now, every time he ran the scenario in his mind, he always made the same choice. Better to be down a foot than a captive. Nevertheless, as they continued around bend after bend, he began to grunt.

"You doing okay, dragon boy?"

"Yep. Tell me about Hyrule. What was it like before?"

Link described the different races who lived there: Rito soaring in the skies, Zora splashing the rivers, and Gorons mining in the mountains.

"And there used to be fairies, too."

"What's a fairy?" Hiccup exhaled.

Link looked up at the sky for several seconds and then chuckled. "You know, I don't know. They aren't native like the Hylians or other races. But if you can catch one and keep it with you, it will revive you if you die."

"That's handy."

"There used to be at least a handful of them at every fountains. But the fountains went dry, and the fairies disappeared. Silent Princess all died out, too." When Hiccup didn't respond, Link looked over. The Viking's eyes were as dull as the sand and his posture as limp as a ship's sail trapped in the doldrums. "Hey … let's take a break." Hiccup only nodded, but Link noticed the relief in his face.

The Hylian guided them to shady patch and helped the Viking to the ground. Hiccup closed his eyes and rested his head against the rock until Link prodded his shoulder with his canteen.

Hiccup shook his head. "I'm okay."

Link placed his hand on his chest and adopted a saintly expression. "If I had a durian on me, I would sacrifice my own well-being and give you all of it."

Hiccup cracked a smile then winced, touching his lip where it had split. He gave a weak but grateful shrug a took a sip. After rolling his chapped lips inwards to catch the moisture, he said, "So, fairies. Those sound pretty cool."

Link nodded. "They haven't been seen in years, not since the fountains went dry. But if anyone could get the fountains going again, it's the Princess." Hiccup looked up quizzically. "She's connected to Hylia. I mean, other princesses were, so she must be, too." It seemed like Link was trying to convince himself, and for a moment Hiccup saw the same doubt he had witnessed so many times on their journey darken his face. Link shook his head and it passed. He pushed himself to his feet. "Come on, we're almost there." Hiccup clasped his hand, and Link pulled him up.

Not long after, they turned the final corner, and the canyon opened up to a dead end large enough to fit the entire village of Berk. A massive landslide of boulders on the opposite side blocked the natural exit. In the middle of the circle rose a hill, and on top of that stood a building, similar in shape to the one Hiccup first appeared in but larger and instead of gray stones, it looked like this one was made of the same fire rock as the canyon. The riverbed wound around the building to where a barren fountain could just be seen peeking out. Hiccup tried to imagine this place as Link had described Hyrule, lush and green with fairies dancing above a splashing fountain. The thought just made him thirstier.

Sitting on the steps leading up to the shrine sharpening her sword was Impa. Hiccup caught his breath, and a smile burst across his face. Since everything he'd known had been stripped away for days, one familiar face felt like seeing an old friend.

"She's here!" Hiccup said, hopping faster. Impa rose to meet them, taking one limping step at a time. Her shoulder and lower leg were bound with white cloth, dark stains in the center of each. Where her single braid had been, only a few frayed hairs remained. Apparently, the Captain's threat had been true at least in part.

"You made it." The Sheikah's voice was stoic as always, but Link heard the relief all the same.

Link stopped in front of her. "Forbes was brave till the end." Impa caught her breath, looked away. "I'm sorry, Impa. I know you two went way back."

Her eyes were closed for only another moment. Tossing her head back, she returned to her regular detached manner. "He knew the risks. I'm glad to see you made it all in one piece," she said. Glancing at Hiccup's stump leg, she added, "Well, almost."

Link leaned in. "Where is she?"

Impa bowed. "Inside."

Link looked at Hiccup who nodded. Leaving Hiccup to balance on his own, Link sprinted up the stairs, three steps at a time, and paused on the threshold. On the far side of the room stood the statue of Hylia. Below the outstretched arms on the altar lay Zelda.

He dashed across the room, skidding to a stop in front of the altar. The princess looked so peaceful, her delicate hands folded over her chest, rising and falling with each breath. Her simple white dress, the same she wore the day she disappeared, was clean of the dirt and smoke. Her golden hair lay scattered across the stone, framing her restful face. She was exactly as he remembered her. Had she not aged? Where had she been? How did she come back?

Hesitantly, he reached out then stopped. He feared that if he touched her, she would vanish. Instead, he pulled up a stool and sat near her, hands clasped. Is this how she had always found him? A playful smile tugged at his lips.

"It looks like it's your turn to be the sleepy head," he said sweetly, "but I need you to wake up now." The princess lay unchanged.

Impa and Hiccup hobbled in and stopped a few paces behind him.

"I found her like that," Impa said. "None of my efforts have been able to rouse her."

He leaned closer. "Please, Zelda. I can't do this without you." Nothing. Slowly, he reached out to touch her hand. The Triforces of Courage and Wisdom grew bright on their hands, but the Princess remained unchanged.

The stool squeaked as Link abruptly stood up. His heart raced as he scanned the room. "Do we need to light torches or shoot gems?"

"I've already tried," Impa reported.

"What are we missing?" he shouted. He ran into a side room where the sound of smashing pottery ensued. Impa rolled her eyes and left Hiccup leaning against a wall. Following the sounds of destruction, she said, "For the last time, the answer isn't in the pottery."

Hiccup hopped to the altar. He held onto the stone platform for support and looked at the princess. He didn't know what he'd expected. After all he'd heard, maybe someone imposing, dripping in gold with a great big shield. Instead, the beautiful face of a young lady rested before him. Her blond hair trailed over her shoulders like golden waterfalls. There was nothing royal about her appearance save for a simple golden headband on her forehead.

"Uhh, Princess," he started. "We could really use your help right now. Could you wake—" He paused, noticing a triangle glow on her hand. He recoiled. The glow faded. Curious, he leaned closer. Her hand began to glow again. That must be the Triforce of Wisdom. His eyes flicked down to his left hand and went wide.

"Liiiink?" Link and Impa were arguing in the back room. There was a cracking sound. Hiccup flinched as one of the gems on the bracer began to glow and splinter.

He shouted. "Link! Get over here. QUICK!"

Link groaned and ran over to the altar. What does he need now? Can't he see we're trying to— He froze seeing Hiccup's terrified expression, his left-hand glowing. Link shook his head and placed his hand on theirs. The Triforce of Courage glowed through the fingerless gloves. The light grew brighter, unbearably bright. They shielded their eyes.

The gem on the bracer shattered in a burst of energy that sent Hiccup tumbling to the floor. The light faded.

Link blinked and stared at Zelda. Her folded hands rose and fell, a deep breath. Her eyes fluttered open. She looked about, her eyes coming to rest on Link. His own were wide and expectant.

Grasping his hand, she smiled. "I knew you could do it," she whispered.

Her gentle voice. It was real. Not in his head, not a memory. She was really here. Before he realized what he was doing, he had pulled her in for a tight hug.

Reason returned to him a moment later. She's royalty. Show some respect! He tried to pull away and kneel as his station demanded, but she held him there. He felt her exhale against his chest and realized she wanted him to stay. So he held on, savoring this moment, the moment he'd dreamed of for so long.

"I missed you," she whispered.

A shock ran through him. She missed him. He was speechless. He had thought of her every day since they had met, but to think she missed him, too. She pulled back, running her fingers through his short ponytail. "You've grown," she said with a smile. He still couldn't find words, so he responded with an awkward grin and a jerky nod.

The princess turned her warm smile on Impa. She reached out toward the Shiekah. "Thank you, Impa."

The warrior bowed. "Your Highness."

Link's voice finally returned to him. "How— how did this happen?"

The princess straightened the folds in her dress. "I could only be awakened in the presence of all three pieces of the Triforce. You retrieved the one who bears the gift from the goddesses." Her brows furrowed as she looked around. "Where is he?"

The three leaned over and looked on the far side of the altar. Amidst a scattering of amber shards, Hiccup lay panting on the floor, pale as marble. Shakily, he held up his left hand which bore the undeniable symbol of the Triforce of Power.

/

Kogah stood at attention, his hands clasped behind his back. After traveling all morning on a stolen horse, they had made it to Castle Hyrule. Kogah forced himself not to sigh. Over the years, Ganon's forces had tirelessly desecrated every beautiful part of the throne room. Still, shreds of its former glory clung from the broken banisters or watched from shattered statues.

In his periphery he took stock of the long hall: the horde of bulblins guarding the doors, the empty throne before him. Where was the Witch? She was usually lurking somewhere around here. Not seeing her made him even more uncomfortable. Though the afternoon air was crisp and dry, a bead of sweat dripped down his cheek and into his Yiga uniform. Sometimes it was a relief to be wearing a mask.

Vabblin crouched next to him. "It cannot be as bad as last time," it purred. Kogah bristled at Vabblin's assumption. Judgment would descend on whoever Ganon decided to question first, regardless of rank. Vabblin continued, "Ganon cannot afford to lose any more agents by his own hand. Though, again," he mused maliciously, "sometimes he surprises even me." Kogah winced. The last time he had failed, Ganon had made him pick which five Yiga would pay. He kept their masks hidden in his belongings.

Kogah glanced to the right as the oak doors creaked. Six bulblins emerged, pushing the double doors open, and between them, head erect, strode his master: the Desert King. Though he always wore his full armor in public, he no longer carried a sword. He hadn't needed to since the takeover. Kogah stared at the tiny triangle glowing dimly on the King's left hand and clenched his fists behind his back. Beside him, skittering on all fours like a beetle, came the Witch. Her overgrown fingernails clicked along the broken stonework, and wisps of white hair drifted out from under the black hood. Kogah suppressed a shudder; she always gave him chills.

Taking a seat on the throne, the Desert King's amber eyes, like coals setting his hair and beard a flame, shifted between the two persons before him. Kogah tried to keep his shallow breathing steady as those terrible eyes rested on him.

The bass voice rumbled from the throne. "Report, Vabblin."

Kogah breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the bulblin.

It sniveled. "The Hero has been sighted. We tracked him to the Lost Forest where the Deku Tree"—it paused to spit on the ground—"is no more." The Desert King nodded. "He still carries the Master Sword but travels with a new companion, a boy. We captured the companion and were questioning him when …" Ganon leaned forward. "… when the Hero arrived."

The Desert King spoke slowly, like twisting a knife in a wound. "Where is the Hero now?"

Vabblin fidgeted with its robes. Its long snout curled downward. "We are … uncertain."

The King rose, and the tracker stumbled through its words. "They escaped through the portal and destroyed it behind them." Ganon slowly descended the steps. "It is beyond my range; they must have traveled very far." The king continued his approach. Vabblin's raspy voice grew thin. "If you give me a few days, I can pick up the scent. He will not evade me again." It cowered in the shadow of the Desert King.

"No, he will not."

Ganon clenched his left fist, and the triangle flared. The scores of bystanding bulblins ducked behind windowsills and broken beams. It took all of Kogah's willpower not to flinch as a gleaming tusk plunged into Vabblin's body.

The Triforce faded. Ganon snorted. He kicked the tracker's corpse, and the bulblins scrambled to remove it. The burning eyes turned on the Captain. They had not yet fully returned to their natural amber color and glowed with hints of red.

"What do you have to say?" the King growled.

Suddenly, Ganon collapsed. A collective breath was taken by the onlooking bulblins. Kogah stood by as dozens of minions rushed to his aid. The Desert King brushed them away like rats, allowing only the Witch to help him to his knees. She inspected his left hand, her pale bony fingers looking even more skeletal than normal as she turned the heavy hand this way and that. Every trace of the Triforce had vanished. Ganon's amber eyes went wide, and his labored breathing quickened.

In a moment, the small triangular glow returned. He quickly rose to his feet and stepped away as if that area was cursed. The Witch remained at his side.

He clenched his fist. The Triforce remained dull. No tusks, no glowing eyes. No Power.

"What … has happened?" Ganon demanded, his voice shaking.

The wide hood obscured most of the Witch's face, all but the toothy mouth which twisted into a smile. "A development."

The King rose to his full seven-and-a-half-foot height, his shadow engulfing Kogah. The King's dark leather gloves crunched as he clenched his fists. Kogah's mouth went dry as the usurper towered over him. Triforce or none, Ganon was still a force to be reckoned with, and Kogah knew he had more powers than just the Triforce at his disposal.

"Tell me, Captain, what developments have occurred." The King glared down at him. "Or will another test of your loyalty be necessary?"

Kogah's throat went dry. The five Yiga had been forced before the Witch. Red mist drifted from her pale fingers. With the wave of her hand, they screamed, buckling at the knees, but only their masks hit the ground. Their bodies crumpled to ashes and blew away in the breeze.

The Desert King now awaited an answer, but Kogah wasn't sure if he believed the evidence himself. Both Impa and the boy had claimed the same outlandish tale, and the Hero had teleported to the same shrine that poor Hylian had described. But it was so absurd, impossible. As absurd as the report your men brought you last night? Why they didn't bring in Impa?

He swallowed and hoped Ganon would buy it. "I arrived after the incident, but I am told that the Hero is in search of … Princess Zelda." Whispers resonated throughout the chamber.

The Desert King scoffed. "He may search, but he will not find her."

"I have reason to believe she is alive."

The Desert King scowled. "If this is a ploy to save your precious clan—"

"It is not."

Kogah could feel the amber eyes boring into him even through his mask. He clutched the metal behind his back, still hoping he wouldn't need to use it.

The King turned slowly. He climbed the dais to the throne, sat down, and rested his head in his hand.

"She survived," he murmured. He believes it, Kogah realized. Could it be true?

Ganon looked to the Witch. She shook her head.

"The Triforce of Wisdom alone could not have done what we just experienced," she croaked. All eyes returned to the Captain.

Kogah hesitated. The boy had spoken truth: he had no part in this struggle; he didn't deserve the trouble that was coming for him. A dark shadow passed over his memories. Hyrule Castle on fire. Master Jin lying at his feet. None of them had deserved what came to them. He had to protect what was left.

Kogah continued without faltering. "The Hero's traveling companion wore an unusual bracer." The King inclined his head forward, his pointed nose and red hair making him appear like a fiery hawk. "The bracer was Hylian," Kogah said, "but the boy is from somewhere else. Possibly another world entirely." His unseen eyes flicked to the Witch. She didn't flinch.

He continued. "He seems to know very little of current events and merely wants to return home."

The Desert King gripped the armrest. His voice was so low it shook the pavers. "Is that all?"

Again, Kogah hesitated and clutched the metal behind his back. Even now, he could hear the boy's gut-wrenching scream from the Fortress tower. Hadn't he been through enough already?

The King snapped his fingers, bringing Kogah back to the present. Immediately, a squad of bulblins hustled a Yiga clansman in and made him kneel before the Witch. Kogah caught his breath. Why did it have to be Risso? The young man was just a few years older than the Hero. He had actually been too young to become a full member, but on account of his exuberance, skill, and Kogah's own recommendation, Master Jin had made an exception.

Risso trembled as the Witch's bony hand reached for him. Red mist gathered at the gnarled fingertips. "Captain," Risso begged, his voice quivering.

Kogah lurched forward. "That won't be necessary." He approached the throne, holding out what he had been clutching behind his back. "We also … recovered this … It belongs to the companion." He knelt before the King, presenting the boy's mangled metal foot.

Ganon's sneer turned into a faint smile. "Is that enough?"

The Witch took it reverently. "It will suffice."

Ganon nodded, and the bulblins dragged the whimpering Risso away. Kogah breathed a sigh of relief. He had saved one boy by condemning another. Even after all these years, the tradeoff made him sick.

/

Hiccup lay on the floor of the shrine, gasping and trembling. Moments before as the light grew around them, he had felt like he could do anything. The entire Archipelago awaited his command. He saw himself driving out the Dragon Hunters, sinking their armadas and burning their outposts. No one dared stand against him. Hiccup the Indomitable.

Then the gem shattered. Like the time he fell into the well, he was alone and lost, seeing only the faintest light disappear. And those grand, terrible thoughts, those weren't his. Where did those come from? He stared at the mark on his hand. The triangle faded to a dull glow, matching the other two triangles, and he felt the power draining out of him like the tide rushing back to sea.

The girl slipped one delicate foot off the altar and knelt beside him. "It's you." She beamed.

He blinked, tearing his eyes from his hand to her face. His heart was still pounding, the adrenaline still surging through him. He focused on her eyes. Blue, like the ocean. He imagined the waves stretching on forever and forced himself to breathe.

"What do you mean?" Impa asked.

The princess took the Viking's shaking hands and smiled. "You're the one Hylia promised, the hero from across the worlds." She helped him up and guided him to the stool. He sat, clutching the edge of the seat as the room spun around him.

Impa's hand gripped the hilt of her blade, her eyes narrowed. "How did you come to have this power?"

"I … don't know," Hiccup stammered. "This … wasn't there before." He twisted his hand around. The Triforce of Power was just as clear as the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom were on Link and Zelda's hands.

He gulped. "The Sage said I have a gift I could use three times." He held out the bracer. The two yellow gems closest to his hand sparkled, but all that remained of the third were a few amber slivers clinging to the bronze fitting. "I guess that's one down." He didn't believe any of this, did he?

Impa glowered. "This is unprecedented. There cannot be four wielders of the Triforce." She whipped her sword from its scabbard. Hiccup nearly toppled off the stool, leaning as far as he could away from the blade pointed at his throat.

"Impa!" the princess shouted.

The Sheikah glared at Hiccup. "How do we know he is not a spy or some disguised version of Ganon himself?"

Link, who'd been silently standing by, put his hand on her shoulder muttered, "If he were Ganon, he would have killed us by now."

She held Hiccup's gaze one, two, three seconds more before lowering her weapon. "Hylia has made a mistake," she said darkly. "How can he be expected to march into battle with us, a battle we lost when we had full strength?"

"Maybe that's why I have the Triforce of Power?" Hiccup suggested weakly. What am I saying?!

"The Triforce is granted to one within whom that trait already exists," she snapped. "You are not strong. You do not deserve this honor."

He flinched. He agreed with her, but still … Hiccup glanced toward Link who was now leaning against the altar, arms crossed. The hero wasn't even looking in their direction, preferring to stare at an amber shard on the floor.

Finally, the princess spoke. Though she looked no older than he—younger, in fact, if he had to guess—she had the gravitas of a queen. "I know Hylia heard my prayer, and this is how she chose to answer it." She looked at Hiccup. Her eyes were kind and earnest. "If he is willing to battle with us—"

Hiccup shrugged and nodded.

"—I suggest he starts training."

The hilt of Impa's sword clanged as she threw it into the scabbard. "A tree cannot grow without a seed. I cannot develop what is not there. At least, not with the time we have."

"What do you mean?" the princess asked.

Link pushed himself off the altar with the heel of his boot. "She means that in two night falls the Blood Moon will rise." Hiccup had told him of his mist-dream and Vabblin's reaction on their long walk that morning.

The princess paled. "But it's not due for another few years …" She froze as realization set in. "Already. It's already here," she breathed. Clearing her throat, she asked hoarsely, "What do they plan to do with it?"

"Does it matter?" Link asked. "If they are excited about it, it can't be good."

Hiccup tugged at the bracer. As always, it remained snug against his skinny arm. He flicked a broken amber piece off the leather and heard himself speaking before he finished thinking. "I know I'm not what you expected or wanted, but what choice do we have? Ganon will destroy your kingdom if we do nothing."

As the words left his mouth, he realized sometime between being carried off by the shadow beasts and sacrificing his leg into the device's voracious gears, he had decided to throw in his lot with these folks. Every crank of the chains on that terrible table tested that choice, forging it into a resolve stronger than Gronckle iron.

The princess placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up and met her smile.

Impa rolled her eyes. "Come on, then." She grabbed Hiccup's arm and led him hopping out of the shrine.

Zelda started to follow, but her eye caught Link slipping into a side room.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Ari Lewis and Luke for beta reading!