For those reading this fic, give Moonlight97's fic, "Legend of Zelda II: Guardians of the Binding Force", a chance. It's pretty good as it's a POV of Link during Zelda II.

Update 2-27-23: I need to finish up Guardians of the Binding Force as that fanfic was really, really good and provided more of a story than the original Zelda II.

And thanks to those reading this rewrite. I should be finished soon and will update two chapters a week. Then, we'll get on the rewrite of Chronicles of the Sword and then the eventual finishing up of that story. Afterward, the third fic of this series will commence.

-miano53

"I don't have time to coddle would-be heroes. But since you insist...I will oblige."

-ancient wizard during the 2nd Hyrulian Civil War

Chapter Eight: Revelation

"Why? Why does this have to happen...?" Dame Lydia cried.

Aryll watched as her mother cried into a pillow in her bedroom. She remembered hearing that something bad had happened to her father but nothing more. Agitha, just as worried as she was, watched as their mother was inconsolable. Their grandmother and a few of the female elders stood outside the bedroom with them and muttered prayers under their breath.

Link was in his room, rocking back and forth on his bed. He held his head in pain and whimpered. Aryll began crying as what was going on was terrifying.

Her father was gone. Her brother had amnesia brought on by his irreversible brain damage and refused to speak most of the time. Her mother was crying and she didn't know what else was going to happen.

"It's going to be okay, girls," Granny Matilde said, hugging the twins.

"What's going to happen to us now...?" Aryll asked.

"I don't know. But we'll trust in the gods to see us through this..." Granny Matilde told her.

"I don't think they'll help us because we're cursed..." Agitha sniffled.

"Who told you that?" Granny Matilde asked.

Aryll responded with, "The kids at school and some of the adults. They said that Link brought a curse on us by climbing the mountain and disturbing the mountain spirits by being 'disopiedent.'"

"What? Why would they say that?" their grandmother asked.

17 Nabooru 1015, Nodor Household, midnight...

Aryll woke up from a nightmare and nearly released a scream. Unlike other ones, the dream was the memory of the day her father passed on. Not able to sleep, but unwilling to talk to her twin about it, Aryll laid on her bed in the top bunk and stared at the white ceiling.

The room itself was dim as a single gas lamp was lit, mainly to help Aryll sleep at night. It was also very cold as there was a blizzard howling outside. Due to the drafts in the room, she was cold and wrapped herself in three blankets.

'Why did it have to happen? I wonder...if Dad was still around...would Link...? Would Link be better off?' Aryll thought.

A clang was heard and Aryll jumped. She heard Agitha stir, but her sister didn't wake up. Wanting to know what was going on, the girl quietly got out of bed and tiptoed to her bedroom door. She cracked it open and saw the door to the attic creak open.

She exited the room, closed the door behind her, and saw Oni leaving. He heard her coming from behind and asked, "Can't sleep either?"

"No. Um...was that you?" she asked.

Oni shook his head and the two heard muttering coming from the kitchen. It was very angry sounding and Aryll grabbed Oni's arm.

"What is going on?"

The two jumped, turning to see Granny Matilde. She had sleep in her eyes and asked them again, "What is going on?"

"I don't know. I asked Oni. He said he hasn't a clue," Aryll told her.

"I just woke up, ma'am..." Oni said.

The trio heard another angry mutter and another crash. Granny Matilde walked into the kitchen, turned on one of the gas lamps, and gasped. Aryll and Oni entered and the girl gasped as she saw Link in the kitchen, tossing bottles and other things onto the floor. He had a frustrated expression on his face and Granny Matilde asked, "What are you doing, son?"

Aryll was afraid that a certain persona was "awake". Link turned to her with anger and asked, "What?"

"Not you again..." Granny Matilde asked.

Oni nudged Aryll and muttered, "So, is this...?"

She nodded and said, "That would be 'Nyx'..."

"Nyx" looked at Oni and asked, "Who're you?"

In a cordial manner, Oni offered his hand in friendship and said, "Ah! I'm Oni. I've been a houseguest and a servant to Dame Nodor."

"Nyx" scoffed and said, "Now you got a Twili here? I can't believe this..."

Oni was offended and asked, "What is wrong with being a Twili?"

"Nyx" was about to answer when Granny Matilde interrupted, asking, "What are you doing?"

"Don't you have anything else to drink but hot spring water and milk?" "Nyx" asked, sounding very frustrated.

"We have tea," Granny Matilde said, sounding rather calm.

"Why did you throw those bottles on the floor?" Aryll asked.

"Nyx" rolled his eyes and Granny Matilde ordered for the girl and newly appointed household servant to return to bed. Aryll was confused but did as she was told. The last thing she heard before returning to her room was Granny Matilde reprimanding the persona, telling him how precious milk and hot spring water were in the mountains.

"Aryll, are you coming over later?" one of her classmates had asked.

Aryll turned to her and then to Agitha. She muttered to her twin, "Do you think it's a good idea?"

"We understand if you can because of your brother," the second of their classmates told them.

"What do you mean by that?" Agitha asked.

"Well, ever since...y'know...that day..." a third started.

Aryll frowned and said, "Yeah? So?"

"He's been really weird! And my dad said that we should stay far, FAR away from him," the fourth told them.

"He's not weird!" Aryll yelled.

Agitha silenced her and told the four, "Well, you would drastically change too if you lost all your memory from a climbing accident."

"We...We didn't mean..." they said.

"Yes, you did. You find Link weird now and you think of him as a bad omen. I can see it in your expression," she told them.

Agitha left, heading for home. Aryll followed and knew that those girls were no longer their friends.

'First, I lose the brother I knew. Then my father. Now, my friends...Why? Why is this happening?' Aryll thought.

Later that morning...

Sad and not motivated to do anything, Aryll sat on the couch, holding a half-eaten bowl of oatmeal. She barely ate anything and wasn't in the mood for talking as she remembered that the day was the day her father had died trying to get to the capital to find a better doctor. He had taken a retinue of soldiers from the village and headed east, toward the capital. On that day, he was ambushed by monsters within the ice caves and was killed, and torn to pieces by monsters.

She remembered the day of the funeral, which was nearly a week after his demise. Everyone was in tears, save for Link as he didn't remember the man. Certain members of the village found it a great offense, not taking into account that the boy had amnesia. After a lengthy ceremony, her father and his retinue's remains were cremated and his ashes scattered to the winds. To keep their existence known, there was a grave marker in the village's graveyard near the chapel.

Her mother, Agitha, and Granny Matilde left, heading for the graveyard to pay their respects. Oni headed for the village's market, wanting to get more stuff. Link, however, did not leave his room, not even for breakfast.

Aryll figured that he was tired, after what had happened earlier that morning. Going back to her sad state, she thought of her father and how he would be the one to keep everyone's spirits up. Her mother would often tell her that her optimism was a reminder of Aryll's father.

Depressed, Aryll burst into tears. She sobbed loudly, laying her head on the armrest. As she did, the girl didn't feel any better. Instead, she felt worse.

"What are you crying for?"

Aryll looked in the direction of the voice and saw Link, or what seemed like him, standing at the side of the couch. He had an annoyed expression on his face and Aryll said sadly, "I'm not in the mood to deal, Mr. 'Nyx'...So, go away...Go back to sleep or something."

The persona wasn't having it. He walked to the front of the furniture and found a space to sit. He plopped himself onto it and Aryll began scooting away.

"Go away..." she said.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything," the alter ego told her.

She didn't know if she could trust him, as she only saw the "Nyx" persona a few times since it spawned. Aryll, scared, asked, "Um...are you...?"

"'Nyx'? Yes. Now, why were you crying?" the persona asked.

Aryll turned away, not wanting to say anything. "Nyx" gave an annoyed grunt and said, "All those times that you talk, you choose now to be quiet?"

"Hey! I have a reason to!" Aryll yelled.

He looked surprised at her outburst and Aryll continued her rant.

"I'm...I'm tired! I'm tired of all this! First, my brother nearly falls to his death and gets brain damage! Then my dad dies because my brother didn't get any better, even after taking all that medicine! Then I lose all my friends! Then everyone started thinking my brother's cursed! Then you and those 'others' showed up in my brother's head! And...!" Aryll cried loudly.

She began to hyperventilate, trying to get air in as she wailed. She managed to say, "I-I want you to go away! All of you weird 'others'...GO AWAY! Leave and make Link normal again!"

Aryll's sobs became uncontrollable and she could say no more. "Nyx" took the bowl that she had in her hands, placed it on the floor, and did something that the girl didn't expect. He took her and hugged her.

The girl thought his action was odd, but could barely ponder on it as her sobs kept coming. She buried her face in his chest and began wetting Link's shirt with her tears.

With a sigh, "Nyx" told her in a rather calmer than his usual voice, "I'm sorry, but it's not like any of us wanted to be here. Not like this anyway..."

Aryll stopped and looked up at the alter ego. He had turned away and an expression of guilt was on his face. He released her and Aryll wiped her face with her sleeve. "Nyx" kept silent and Aryll figured that it was prime time to ask a very important question.

"Um...'Nyx'..." Aryll started, sniffling.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Um...Why...Why are you so mean to Groose? And to Karane? And now to Oni? Why are you so...?" Aryll asked.

"'Racist'? A 'jerk'? Is that what you wanted to say?" "Nyx" asked.

Aryll nodded and the alter ego sighed.

"I don't really remember, but it's a bad feeling I get every time I see them. Like a phantom pain in my chest..." he started.

He stood up, saying, "And since you're being such a crybaby…

"My dad's death is a reason to cry!" Aryll yelled.

"Lighten up. I was just being facetious," "Nyx" said.

'A really dark reason to make a joke…' Aryll thought.

"Nyx's" idea was to go to the shrine in the graveyard for Aryll to pay her respects…and to get her to stop crying. Apparently, he didn't like her being melancholic, to which Aryll thought that was more of Link's personality waking up. If so, she hoped that he would hurry up and do so. As she was lost in thought, she didn't notice that "Nyx" had returned to Link's room to change into warmer attire.

Dressed in a blue sweater, black pants, and shoes, to which Aryll was sure that Link had nothing in blue as his favorite color was green, "Nyx" said, "I'll wait for you outside. Hurry up and get dressed."

While sitting with his family on the foremost pew in the Aboda Village Chapel, the young Link watched as four men carried various items into the chapel. One carried a portrait of Sigmund, the man called "Father". Another carried an urn. A third carried flowers called "snow lilies" and the last carried a large sword, belonging to Sigmund. Everyone wore black, including him, and were sobbing.

Link, not really remembering the man, just looked around. Some took offense, whispering various things and glaring. The boy turned to face the altar and heard, "Seriously, that family's gotta be cursed..."

"Yeah, like first the kid goes up to the Forbidden Place and falls. Then monsters started appearing here more frequently. And then his dad dies. If those aren't signs, then I don't know what is," another whispered.

The head priest stood in front and started the ceremony. He looked around, seeing the family and glaring at Link. With a sigh, he said, "We are gathered here today to celebrate the lives of Sir Sigmund Nodor and the 118th Hyrulian regiment stationed out here in Aboda Village. As with any Knights of Hyrule, they sacrificed themselves for the greater good. In Sir Nodor's case, he did so to help his family."

The congregation looked at the family, seeing Lydia crying silently. Granny Matilde, face covered with a veil, said nothing. Aryll and Agitha were melancholic while Link was confused.

What did he mean that his father "sacrificed" himself? The man was just ambushed by monsters while trying to get medicine and another doctor for Link. Especially since the villagers were more superstitious than anything else. And that meant that Link didn't have too many qualified people there to help him with his condition.

A sharp pain in his head and Link started feeling sleepy. Eyelids growing heavy, the boy tried to stay awake as most had their eyes on him instead of the priest. Within moments, he fell asleep, to the chagrin of the mourners and his family.

Aboda Village, graveyard…

Near the outskirts of town was a large snow-covered field, filled with graves, small shrines, and even a few markers covered with talismans. Not comfortable with being in such a place, as only the dead remained there, Aryll wanted to pay her respects to her father and get out of there. Granny Matilde, her sister, and her mother were probably still at her father's grave, most likely talking about what they remembered about him.

Joining her was "Nyx". The persona controlling her brother had given the idea to go, to which Aryll was confused. He never wanted to do anything that involved the family and even thought that they were an annoying bunch. So, the girl was surprised that he wanted to take her to see her father.

"Nyx" seemed not to be comfortable either, the persona looking around as if looking out for ambushes. Neither were armed and they were still within the village limits, so Aryll doubted that anyone or anything would try to attack. As they neared the grave marker, "Nyx" asked, "Was that guy so great? If he was that great of a knight, he shouldn't have gotten killed like that."

"He-He was. He was the only one that could see the good in a bad situation. Apparently, my personality comes from him. And he was the only one willing to find someone that could help…" Aryll started.

"The kid, right? I guess that Agitha was right…" "Nyx" said, looking at Aryll as if trying to gauge her reaction.

"She's not. No one knew that that horde of Bokoblins and Wolfos would be in there. And the ice caves are already dangerous enough without them," Aryll told him.

"Nyx" seemed…pleased with the answer and the two arrived at Sigmund's grave. The stone statue of him, with the man's dates of birth and demise, was surrounded by other graves, each with the symbol for the Hyrulian Knights. The statue depicted a man in armor, holding up a greatsword while riding a horse.

"I never thought this looked like Dad. More like a fable character than him," Aryll said, looking up.

"Aryll? Link? What are you two doing here?"

Granny Matilde spotted them as she and the others had returned from sprucing up the other graves. "Nyx" paid no attention to them and continued to look at the statue. Agitha was offended, saying, "Now out of all times you choose to come, Link?"

"Agi! He was his father too. Do not deny him from seeing him," Lydia reprimanded.

"Bu-But he's the reason Dad's…" Agitha started.

"NO! Link did not kill your father! STOP IT!" Lydia shouted.

"Besides, if he even tried to, I doubt that the kid would be here today," "Nyx" said.

The family fell silent and "Nyx's" attention turned to Granny Matilde, who glared at him. Lydia was shocked at what he said and Agitha shook her head, saying, "I knew it..."

"What?" Granny Matilde asked.

"Nyx" asked, "You know more than what you've been telling them, don't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Granny Matilde said.

"You do. You know what's really going on. Like why I'm 'awake' or why the 'others' appeared," "Nyx" said.

The elderly woman was surprised and asked, "How do you know of...?"

"Those notes left around the kid's room...and what Aryll said while she was crying. It's not like any of us wanted to show up like this. We just did," "Nyx" said.

Granny Matilde looked at Aryll and the girl felt a bit guilty.

"And don't blame her. As I said, I managed to figure it out before she said something because of the random notes in the kid's room," "Nyx" said.

Granny Matilde sighed and said, "I guess it's time then."

"Time for what?" Agitha asked.

"Follow me, please," the old woman said, turning to Link's alter ego.

He nodded and followed her out of the graveyard. Aryll, Agitha, and Lydia joined them and the girl noticed that they were heading for the chapel. As they passed through the village, she also saw the odd stares of the populace, as if they knew something was very off with Link.

Once at the chapel, the doors opened on their own and the family entered the dim house of worship. Aryll saw that the few priests were doing their morning prayers and rituals. Granny Matilde cleared her throat and the priests stopped whatever they were doing and turned to face the family.

"It's time," the old woman told them.

Their eyes lit up and "Nyx" asked rather rudely, "Time for what? Prayers to useless statues?"

"Quiet..." Granny Matilde told him.

"Ah, I see that 'Nyx' is awake."

Elder Sahasrahla appeared, along with five of the other elders that included Lady Umma and Elder Aginah. They bade them come with them, which they did, entering a hidden chamber behind the altar. The chamber was empty, lit only by torches, and had a downward staircase.

Elder Aginah took a torch and said to everyone, "What you see down here, do not tell to anyone. If anyone was to know, then the world will surely fall to the darkness for all time."

"So dramatic…" "Nyx" muttered, sounding impatient.

Everyone gave the alter ego an annoyed glance and Elder Aginah led the group into the lower chamber. There, Aryll gasped as she saw a giant magical circle in the room's center. Along the walls were small statues of different men, each of differing cultures, but with the same face. And that face was Link's.

The stone statuettes were in small indents on the walls and candles were lit near them. Flowers were also placed near a few of them and Aryll wondered what they were.

"These are statues of the various incarnations of the Hero. Each has appeared in this chapel since its construction nearly 900 years ago. But this collection is a small fraction of what is said to be in special...sanctuaries around the world," Elder Sahasrahla said.

"Nyx" nodded and said, "Now hurry up and tell the kid what's really going on."

He passed out, stumbling as he nearly fell to the floor. Moments later, Link's eyes opened and he looked around in shock.

"W-What...? Wh-where am I? Wh-What am I w-wearing?" he asked, noticing the change in color of his clothes.

"You're in a special room, one that only you can use," Elder Aginah said.

Link was confused and the elders sat in a circle, surrounding the magical one. Her brother was told to sit in the middle of it and he did. Aryll didn't get it and was worried. Agitha's face was that of least concern and Aryll didn't appreciate it.

"O-O-Only m-me?" Link asked.

The seven elders nodded and he asked why. Elder Sahasrahla was about answer when Agitha said, "Apparently, they believe that you're the Kingslayer reborn, right?"

Link's face fell and Aryll wasn't too shocked. She started connecting the dots after looking at the statues and remembering seeing the image of the Holy Relic on Link's left hand. Her thoughts were interrupted as Link began stammering even more than usual.

"Wh-What? I-I-I'm n-not a b-bad guy o-or any-anything. I-I..." Link said, looking absolutely terrified.

Granny Matilde grabbed his left hand and removed the ragged, open-fingered glove covering it. She looked at it and said, "I knew it. It's glowing."

The elders took their looks at it and nodded in approval. Granny Matilde took Link's other hand and removed the glove. She pulled up a bit of his sleeve and said, "And now the Mark of Farore should've appeared on his right wrist."

There was indeed a mark on his wrist. The mark of Farore was in the shape of two crescent moons and a circle right above them almost like the crescent moons were "eating" it. It was dark green in color and gave a weak glow, similar to the Triforce mark on Link's left hand.

Link pulled his arms back and said, "S-So? Any-Any-Anyone c-c-could have th-these marks."

"Actually, not just anyone could have them. The Chosen One is said to have the mark of Farore on his wrist, usually on the right. Even when he is reincarnated as a 'Lesser Hero', he still has the mark," Elder Aginah explained.

"B-B-But...w-why me?" Link asked.

"Because you need to fulfill your purpose," Granny Matilde said.

Lydia was distraught and yelled, "What purpose? To fight the 'Demon King'? Well, to my remembrance, the so-called 'Demon King' died long ago! And Gan's just unfortunately named after that horrid man!"

"But the Hero has been reborn for such a time as this," Elder Aginah told her.

"Reborn to kill my friend? And besides, sending Link to fight him will only lead to his death! Do you really want that? He's already faced death's door and barely came back. I've already lost my husband. I will not lose my firstborn!" Lydia shouted.

"Wh-What?" Link and Aryll yelled.

Agitha's face was one of shock, but it soon disappeared as she muttered, "Better that than living with someone as useless as him."

"AGITHA!" Aryll cried, not believing her twin.

The two began arguing loudly, as Agitha practically wanted her brother to march off against the unknown evil and fight the empire, which would surely lead to death or worse. Lydia argued against it, horrified that her daughter would say such a thing. Elder Aginah and the other elders were on Agitha's side, but none truly wanted Link gone. They just wanted him to topple the empire and usher in a new age.

All while they were arguing, Link's headache grew worse and worse. The group was so loud and their bickering didn't help.

"I...I...I d-don't want to die!" Link yelled, quickly getting up and running out of the hidden chamber.

Aryll followed him, hoping to calm him down.

Okay. So, Link's mother in this version caused him to become terrified in fulfilling his role as the Hero. And she wholeheartedly feels that the Heroes are traitors. Hmm...