108 years ago . . .

"Applicant 22. Clive?"

Clive went toward the center. He took a deep breath. "Here."

"Okay, why would you make a good leader?"

There was no King. No Zelda. Just a bunch of hopefuls like him. "I care."

The person interviewing didn't seem impressed. "Can you fight?"

Fight? "No."

The interviewer just rolled their eyes. "What is special about you?"

Oh, here was his chance! "I can turn time back." The interviewer looked at him like he was crazy. "I can."

"Sure. Any drawbacks to your power?"

"I can't do anything recent, and it's in a space of . . ." He pulled out the hairband from his ponytail. "About that big."

The interviewer looked like they wanted to throw him out. They sighed and moved the hairband to the ground over where a flower was dying. "There's your circumference, bring the flower back to it's prime."

Damn. "I can turn the area back a hundred years or more. No less than that." The guy wasn't going to give him a break. "It is time power." Clive held out his hand and concentrated. "Circumference will get better with age," he added. There.

The interviewer looked at the spot. "You got rid of the flower, it's just grass."

"It is grass that is over 100 years old," Clive tried to tell him. "There wasn't a flower in the space of where you put my hairband a hundred years ago." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the vision of the princess. Stunning. Just, getting air on the outside of the castle. "It is a useful power."

"You made a flower go away in a hairband. I don't think Hyrule runs on parlor tricks. Rejected. Applicant 23?"

What?! "As I get older it will only increase in power," he persuaded him. "The circumference will get bigger a little each year." He wasn't impressed. "It is isolated time, it's not a trinket power!" Guards came to take him away. "It's a useful power. It is! It is."

He was thrown away from the area where his friend Ivy tried to help him back up.

"How did it go Clive?" Ivy asked. "Were you great enough to be a courter to the princess? Are you going to get your family back into royalty?"

He just shook his head, dusted off his shoulders, and looked back. "That next guy has fire magic. Real magic that's large enough to make a difference. They probably all have magic that is so much better. Look at 34 in line, he is just oozing power."

Ivy looked. "Oh?" She shrugged. "I guess, but I don't like him. He's sort of a bully."

Oh, Ivy was trying to make him feel better. He had really tried to get back into the royal line. His great, great, great grandfather was the third prince to be born to a Queen Zelda. However, he fell in love with a commoner, so he snuck out and started a new life and line. The royal power of time was falling away though and they didn't seem to have much more power than average. Time would be so useful to get back in the line. Back where they should be. "Father won't be happy."

"Your father couldn't make it either," Ivy reminded him, "so he can't say anything. Besides. It looks like maybe this whole quest for being ruler is over?"

Clive dusted the rest of the dirt off of him. "Yeah, it's over. There wasn't even a chance I was taken seriously."

"Well?" Ivy got closer. "Then? Maybe you don't need some overdainty princess?" She pointed out. "Do you . . . um . . . since you will not be a courter, maybe you would like to go to Castle Town for a meal or drink? With me?"

"Ivy?" Was she really saying those sweet words? "Yes, I would love to." It would put a nice end to a pretty sour day of destiny.

"Sorry I am no princess," she said back to him.

Who cares? "My power can't do much anyhow." He pointed to a tiny spot on the ground. This time, a flower appeared. He grabbed it and gave it to her. "This flower was over 100 years old. It's destiny was 100 years in the future." He placed it in her hair. "To go right there."

"Oh, Clive!" She hugged him. "Thank you. I love this so much."

Some time later . . .

"I have to go now," Clive insisted to his wife. He watched her stroke her belly once. His second would be due soon.

"Can I come?" Clover asked him. His first born was excited to leave too.

"Hateno is far away," Clive said to Clover. "Just watch over your mom for me, okay?"

Clover whined but Clive just patted his head. "I can handle it, father."

"No, Clover. Stay home." He gave his wife one more hug and took off to Hateno. He was helping to build some houses down there in the little section. It was nice for those who didn't want to live so close to the hustle towns near the castle.

While he worked though.

His whole life changed.

Here. There were no monsters here. A gravesite that would be safe to visit. He had to risk a lot, and move a long way to gather them. His wife, and his son. They had been lost like so many others.

Clive placed his hand on the ground and watched a flower pop up. "This flower was made 100 years ago, Ivy. I brought it to the present again, to fulfill it's destiny." He placed it behind her ear. "To go right there." He placed her down along with his only born son. "Everyday, I swear. I won't give up. Not just centimeters I swear. I will strengthen the power of time I have. Each day, I will focus so much. I'll eat and sleep, and then I'll focus. I will focus. I will bring you all back. I promise."

For several years, Clive had eaten, had slept, and had lived near the graveyard he had placed Ivy and Clover in. He no longer cared about trying to get back into the royal line. His only goal in life was to restore what was lost. His wife and son.

If he wasn't reading about the journals of his ancient grandfathers, then he was focusing on the graves. Focusing on the sections. He did that up until he was 40, when he learned about something else he didn't understand.

His wife and his son could never come back there. Not because they weren't able to be restored, but because? They weren't there before they died. It wasn't bodies, it was body placement.

He traveled along the difficult pathway, and moved so carefully to get back to where he had been before. He tried to sketch out where the home had been, but there were so many ruins. Nothing but ruins. "I will do this, or I will die trying."

Time. The power of time. He held his hand out, right where his home had been. Twenty years of focus, of planning, and of knowing where she had not been laid, but where she had lived. He was pulling her out of time, to push her there.

He watched as the door of his home slightly came into being, and as little by little, his wife . . .

"Clive? Are you okay?" she asked as alive as the last day he saw her.

He had no more to give, but she reached toward him, and it's all he needed. "You are back, I brought you back!" He hugged her so deeply.

"You look so much older. What's going on?" She was no doubt noticing the ruins around her. "Clive?"

He gestured to the ground with ease and plucked her a flower. "This flower is from twenty years in your future. It's been waiting for it's destiny." He placed it behind her ear again. "To go right there."

"Future?" She hugged him and cried as he eventually explained everything to her. She felt her stomach too. "Did the baby return as well?"

"All is as it should be," he said. "I unfortunately could not get Clover." He looked beside her. "Not yet, but I will keep trying. It might take another twenty years, but I will get him back too."

"The whole kingdom is gone." She looked around again with a sigh.

"We can't stick around long, there are more monsters now in this world." He started to lead her away. "We will live in Hateno now. A place where people continue to live, it will be alright."

"Is this all we can do? For Clover?" She asked again.

"I know. I can't. I barely managed to get you," he stated. "You are bigger than a hairband, Ivy. Much bigger." He smiled at her. "Everyday I will work hard at bringing him back."

"Yes. I know." She smiled at him. "You're . . . much older than me. Makes me feel like a naughty wife, marrying a man nearly twice my age." She tried to stay cheery for him. "I don't remember any of the events you talked about."

"Of course not, this is the day I left for Hateno to you," he said. "None of that has scarred your mind." He held her closer as they moved more. "Don't worry about explaining anything, there aren't really any records of people anymore. They will just see us wanting to live there, and that will be that. You'll make new friends, and so will our new child."

Another twenty years . . .

It was tough at almost sixty, but Clive made it there one more time. He had left his son Clifford at home with Ivy, promising he would be extra careful. He was older now, and monsters could tear him up easily if he was spotted, but he had to risk it.

He had to risk it for Clover.

He held his hand out, back to where they had once been. Same location. Same everything. He focused all his power he had gathered to help.

He watched as Clover just stared at him. He looked around himself in a hurry. "Where's mom? What happened?!"

"Bad things, but she is okay, and so is your brother." Clive held his hand out toward him.

"Who are you?" Clover asked him.

Oh, he was so much older. Forty years older. "It's been forty years, Clover. Do you remember how I had time power? I focused it for all these years, and I brought you back."

"You can only do stuff in like a size of a hairband," Clover said. He pointed to the ground. "Like that."

Clive watched as Clover pointed to the ground. The size wasn't just a hairband. "You restored a tree, Clover?!" He looked toward his son and grabbed him, spinning in joy. At least he wanted to. He did reach his son and hug him though. "You have even deeper magic than I do."

"I couldn't do that before," Clover said. "It was a hairband, like you." He looked at his hand. "Maybe after having the gift, and having it used on you, it made it stronger?"

Clive didn't care. He just hugged his son. "Come, Clover. Meet your new brother and see your mother again." Clive took his son away from that area and traveled back to Hateno.

Clover's mother was overjoyed to see her young son again. "You are older too, momma," Clover had to say. "Not as old, but?"

"Your father is about sixty, and I am about forty. I am not nearly as old,"she chuckled. "The man behind me has been waiting to meet you too. He is your baby brother, the one I had in my tummy before."

Clover looked at the man. Twenty. "My baby brother is a man already."

"Yes. I am Clifford." He held out his hand. "I am very honored to meet you."

Clover shook his hand, but it felt strange. "This is really forty years in the future?"

"Yes," his mother smiled. "It's okay though, don't worry about the time. You are among your family again."

"Everything was lost. I saw . . ." Clover pointed away. "Home is ruins. There's . . . it's just endless . . ."

"You don't have to see it anymore. It's over," his mother insisted. "We are safe now. Nothing has ever happened again. It will be okay. Life is a little different, but we still have each other, just the same."

Clover looked behind him again. "Dad restored you and me, over forty years." He looked at his hand. In one swoop, he had fixed a tree. Math wasn't his strong point, but if he concentrated like his father, maybe? Maybe he could do more.

Maybe he could do much more. "I'm going to restore the whole kingdom one day!"

His father just smiled at him. He seemed happy, but not . . . with a strong belief. "We accomplish what we do with the focus and love that we have to give. Whatever you can do one day, Clover. I'll be proud of, but I'll be proud of anything you do. I'm proud of you, just for making it back."

Nice way of saying 'love you son but no way'. "Momma used to say when you were younger, your grandpa was part of royalty, and you tried to get back in."

"Ancient history," Clive said to him. "None of that mattered. All I cared about was getting my family back, and I did."

"Forty years later." Clover didn't mean to sound so mean, but it was true. It took forty years.

"If you have a will to restore this kingdom," his mother insisted, "then you must understand that time and patience is something you will need."

"I could never have done this without such a heavy goal," Clive told him. "I slept only six hours a night. I ate as little as possible. I spent most of my life and time focusing my energy, because my family back is all I wanted in the world. Not fame. Not fortune. Just, my wife and son."

"I have more power than you. You focused a lot, but I have way more power, because it was used on me," Clover said. "There are probably better ways that just putting love and focus to it. Maybe there's like amulets or something that will magnify it?"

"Oh, Clover." His mother picked him back up. "You are but a five year old with such limited knowledge of the world, and still you sound like your father had before he had met me. All the reasoning in the world couldn't stop him from trying to be a courter and ruling Hyrule."

Clover hugged his mother. Five or not, he understood the concept of power. His father did a lot of time and patience, just for two people. Forty years wasted on two people. "I want to rule Hyrule. I'll restore everything and rule Hyrule."

"Oh, the dreams of a five year old," his mother said dreamily to him, not believing him either. "Love and patience will take you where you need to be in your life. Just live your life, Clover."

"Just live your life," his father insisted. "Now that I've accomplished my goal, that's all I will do too." He sat down. "With my family back, safe and sound. All I ever wanted. Now, I can just rest too."

Twenty years later . . .

Clover opened up another treasure chest. While he appreciated his father for the work he did bringing him back? Clover would never accomplish his goal just with 'love and patience'. He didn't want to just stare in one section and focus his powers all day, he would never get very far. He wanted more.

Only five years later, when he was ten, did his father pass away. Most of his life, his father had wasted his life on concentrating for his power. Clover didn't want to do that. Last year, his mother had passed along with him. Clifford was still alive, but just like him, they were ready to move on.

Clifford had as much power as their father had, a hairband in size of time power. He traveled with Clover along safety areas, and hid out from monsters until nighttime, to reach treasures. Except, both had been raised in the safety of Hateno.

One day, Clover had been killed by a monster. Clifford had watched the gruesome incident and ran away. Like his father before him, Clifford started to concentrate on his powers, to try and bring Clover back. He started to see how much his father had given up on everything else in life to focus so hard.

He had stronger magic than his father, but it still took a good twenty years before he was strong enough to bring Clover back. It also put a terrible strain on him.

"Clifford?" Clover was confused at first. "What are we doing here again?"

"It was a safe place," Clifford told him. "Clover. You got carved up like nothing by a monster. No matter how careful we are, it's just too risky."

"Carved up?" Clover felt himself. "How long ago?"

"Twenty years. I did better than father could," Clifford said. "I wanted my only brother back."

Clover looked at his hand. He concentrated on the ground. He lit it up. He dragged it out more. And more. And more! "Clifford. I've been brought back twice. I can save Hyrule. I can save Hyrule!" Exactly what he wanted. "I am going to turn everything back, I can feel it. I'll start with home. The real home, the home I came from at five years old."

"Clover?" Clifford gave him a hug. "Slow down, brother. Even if you have that much power, it's not a good idea. Shine your power there, and you might hit mother or father. That would negate everything they ever did. They lived a long life, don't do that."

"True, true," Clover agreed. "Everywhere but the house then, I'll restore everything. It'll take some time, but I can do it. It'd be great if I had just a little more power though."

Clifford clapped him on his back. "Welcome home, Clover. You are still acting before thinking. I missed you. No more treasure hunting. Let's go home."

"We can change everything though, Clifford. All of the mistakes made, it can be reversed. And? I'll be the hero? I will be the hero! I will be the King of Hyrule, the one who restored it." Clover looked out around him. "Everything, it'll be mine. I will restore this whole kingdom."

"Clover." Clifford just chuckled. "First of all, people are living on top of the old, you'll uproot people. If anyone had saved someone's life previously and you shoved them into the future too soon, that person who died might have kin that stopped existing. Not everyone is dead, you could repull people that exist, and then they wouldn't exist here. There's too many problems. Not to mention, the evil that caused all this is still around. Bringing back people just to make them suffer again? It's not right, Clover. Forget about it. Maybe in smaller segments, but nothing big."

"At least home?" Clover asked. "Shouldn't I restore Castle Town?"

"It's huge. This world can't support that many people as it stands. All the crops and food and money-"

"I can bring back. Slowly, but I can bring back."

"Look? The world has spent a lot of time trying to get better," Clifford insisted. "The evil is still out there too."

"The evil." Clover looked toward the castle, covered in so much lava like stuff. "I'll make a deal with you, Clifford. I will wait to see if the evil leaves before I do anything. Or? I start saving Hyrule before I get extremely old. By the time I am seriously old, no one should be alive anymore that was in it."

"Hmmm." Clifford didn't look enthused. "You are twenty, Clover." He sighed. "Fine, brother. However, you need to start trying to focus. Work out problems that might arise. Focus, focus, focus."

"I can't focus." Clover tried to hide that. "I've tried before I just, I'm not-"

"I know it's hard. I know that from day one you've always had a lot more trouble focusing since I met you. I thought it was just because you were five, but it never got much better." Clifford came toward him. "It's one reason I always came with you, Clover."

"I'm fine as I am," Clover insisted.

"Clover? You have a lot of power, but you need concentration and focus to know what you want. What if you go back too far or not far enough? People won't be where they need to be at. You can't just shine the light anywhere and expect everything to be perfect. It will go back a hundred years, but it will go back much further too."

Clover knew what he meant. "I'll try. I'll get better." He made a small circle and shined light on it. "Once I activate it, it would be 101 years ago?"

"It'll be 101 years ago, 20 hours, 52 minutes, 4 seconds," Clifford corrected him. "You need to get it exact. Try and do 105 years, 32 hours, 20 minutes, 5.6 seconds."

"Down into points and seconds?" Clover didn't know about that one. He shined his light. "There?"

"That is 105 years, 22 hours, 5 minutes and 2.6 seconds," Clifford said. "Clover? You need to get better, before you do anything. Wait for the evil to pass, and wait for your age. Wait."

Wait. "I don't have much choice. Once the evil goes away though. All the signs. Once I get better." He hated saying that, get better. He had to get better. If he wanted to bring everyone back, he would have to be precise.

Present Day . . .

Clover got closer to the Princess's home in Hateno. Link had finally stopped visiting her at night. It was dark. Late. No one would bother anyone. The evil, all the evil, had been expelled.

He knocked on her door. It was closer to twilight than night, it shouldn't bother her much. "Hello?"

She opened the door. An absolute sight to behold. He envisioned longer hair, and different clothes. Shouldn't she have been daintier? A skirt or a dress?

"Yes, hello. May I help you?" She looked toward him. "Sir?"

"The evil has been purged from this land, for good. I can feel it." He bent down toward her. "My name is Clover. I am the ancient great grandson of one of the princes of one of the great Zelda's."

She only smiled. "Oh. That is a very distant relative then. How many ancients?" It was almost a tease. "Pleased to meet you. You must be new to Hateno."

"I used to live here," Clover said. His heart beat wildly. It was so hard to believe that she really was royalty, she looked so normal. Almost, attainable. She didn't even call herself Queen Zelda. She hadn't said anything yet. "It is good to meet you, Queen Zelda. I wish to speak more to you."

"It's um? It is already twilight," she told him. "Perhaps we could speak more tomorrow, Clover."

His name. The ancient princess of over a hundred years that took on Calamity Ganon, yet hadn't aged a day, spoke his name. "I want to restore Hyrule."

"Oh, well that would be wonderful. We can talk more about how you can help tomorrow," she insisted. "It's getting rather late though?"

Oh, she was certainly polite though. It was late enough she was trying to make him leave, oh so politely. If he left though, Link would return. He might not let her speak so close to her again. "Don't you have a bodyguard blocking you?"

"Blocking me?" Zelda seemed confused. "No, kind sir. Link is a friend, he doesn't block me. I walk up and down Hateno by myself."

"What is it you do here? Do you really teach?" he asked.

"Yes. I do." She was certainly getting irritated. "Tomorrow. First light, I don't mind. We can speak more."

Good. Good! "Okay. First light. Tomorrow. Thank you for listening, Queen Zelda." Bow, he should probably bow. She shut the door before he bowed. She didn't even care about bowing?

Clover left to the Inn for the night. At first light, as promised, he went back to her door and knocked.

She was a little surprised. "You really did take first light as the time? I am dressed. I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

"I can treat you to breakfast, it would be an honor." Clover bowed toward her again. He wanted to tell her all the glorious news. Everything that he could do. Her whole kingdom would be restored to her. Everything would be better. "I would like to escort you to Castle Town."

"Castle Town?" Queen Zelda was quite surprised. "I didn't plan on leaving Hateno today."

"Oh, but I have a particularly special surprise for you," he insisted. Feeling bolder, he took her hand. "An amazing gift to show you."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you well enough to just go with you. You could meet me there, if I was going there." She seemed irritated again. "Could you not show me this amazing gift elsewhere?"

Oh. "It would be a bad idea to use it in Hateno yet." Hateno would be one of the last places to restore. He didn't want anything dreadful to happen to anyone in the wrong vicinity. "I know. How about the smallest of samples?" That might make her come willingly.

Clover covered a good portion of her lawn. No, what if it was too much? A sample. He gave a space of 3 × 3 feet.

"Oh." The Queen looked delighted as several flowers came up from the area. "Oh, how wonderful. I had no idea you could grow flowers?" She pressed her hands together. "That kind of power would be perfect in some places. Is it just one kind, or can you do more?"

Flowers? She didn't get it, but she was enthused about it. Perhaps enough to follow him now? "Would you come with me now?"

"Oh, I will eat some breakfast and I will head toward Lookout Landing," she insisted, much more ready to deal with him. "I will see you there, Clover."

Oh. That lovely Princess. She had no idea what she'd really see. "I will see you there too, Queen Zelda."

"Really, just . . . I don't go by Queen," she corrected him. "

"But you are Queen." That made no sense. "Princess Zelda then?"

"Sure. Yes, I'm more often called that. Breakfast sir, Kind sir. I will see you later."

He watched her close the door. She should be Queen. The whole devastation probably made her feel insignificant now. She was very significant though. I will erase all of the strife from your life. All of these mistakes, all of that pain you endured. It'll all be gone. Then, she would be able to feel like she should be Queen. She would be Queen, next to him being King.

They would rule Hyrule together, right this time. They would do everything right, or he'd fix it for her all over again if she made mistakes. Very soon, she would know his true power, and pledge herself to him to restore her kingdom!