Categories > Games > Zelda > The Switch of Fate
The Switch of Fate
By: USA Tiger
Disclaimer: The characters of The Legend of Zelda series belong to Nintendo.
Chapter 8
Rauru watched as Mako and Fado disappeared in a flash of ice blue and light green lights. They had informed him the day before that Link, the chosen Hero of Time, was close to waking. Since then, the three sages had worked quickly to prepare for the boy and his fairy's awaking after seven long years.
Those years had not been kind to Hyrule. With the murder of her father, Zelda had taken control over the throne with the help of the two witches Kotake and Koume. Both Hyrule Castle and the town surrounding it had been destroyed, everyone who managed to escape running to Kakariko Village while Zelda had a new castle, more like a tower, built in the old castle's place. In Kakariko Village, all the Sheikah had left, leaving space for the people who escaped the castle town to live while the shadow elves retreated to their other hidden villages. The Sheikah did what they could to combat Zelda and her forces but bit by bit, Hyrule had been corrupted.
Lake Hyila was now dried up and the all forests were overrun by monsters. Both Zora's Domain and Lake Zora were recently frozen and who knew what Lake Floria looked like at this point. Death Mountain had a ring of fire around its top that didn't bode well for anyone.
Still, Link would be awaking any minute now, ready to put things to right while he awaken his fellow sages of Fire, Forest, Water and Spirit as Impa already knew she was the Sage of Shadow. Rauru turned to the teen laying on the floor of the chamber. He was dressed in a forest green tunic and hat, styled after the Kokiri tunic he wore as a child. The tunic and the boots were a gift from Fado who returned to his fellow Kokiri and had them make them. Mako on the other hand took the old Zora scale Link won as a child and had them fashion into earrings, which had a metallic blue sheen to them once they were done. Complete with the white shirt and breeches and the fingerless gauntlets they found, Link managed to look impressing.
Rauru's ears perked up as he heard Link groan softly.
"Link, wake up Link, the chosen one," Rauru called, smiling softly as Link's blue eyes fluttered up then sat up with a soft groan. Navi woke up as well, her wings fluttered before she rose up in the air, a blue light surrounding her.
"Who... who are you?" Link said, jerking slightly as he heard his voice. It was deeper than he remembered it being, what had happen to him? "Where am I?"
"I am Rauru, one of the ancient Sages. Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm. This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Zelda's evil forces," Rauru explained as Link picked himself off the floor. "The Master Sword, the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time, was the final keep to the Sacred Realm. Link... don't be alarmed. Look at yourself!"
Link blinked at the command and looked down, letting out a yelp as he realized he was a long further from the floor than he was use to. He looked at his hands and down his front before turning to look at his back over his shoulder. Navi bounced in the air as she looked over her charge.
"Look Link! You're big now!" She said "You've grown up!" Link just looked at himself in shock that should be impossible! Well, impossible if he was a Kokiri, but since he started this journey, he had begun to suspect that he was anything but. He was lost in his thoughts for a few moments until he realized that Rauru was speaking again.
"... old enough, the time has come for you to awaken as the Hero of Time! But remember," Rauru said, gravely looking Link. "Though you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace, Zelda, the false queen of Hyrule, used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm."
"False queen?" Navi asked. "But... but the Great Deku Tree... and then that Sheikah boy said..."
"Zelda did indeed kill her adopted father seven years ago," Rauru confirmed, making Navi sag, Link had been right then when he told her they couldn't trust the princess.
"Adopted?" Link asked, making Rauru nod.
"The queen had been the wife to King Dhanphos's head knight but the marriage was known to very few. When the knight was killed during the war, his majesty offered to marry her so the child would not be accused of being born out of wedlock," He explained. "He treated Zelda as his own, even giving her the scared name used by the royal line. The queen died when Zelda was barely a year old from an attack on the castle, it was what prompted the king to end the war and unite Hyrule once more.
"And now that Zelda has obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light and used its power, she has become the Queen of Evil. Her evil power has radiated from the temples of Hyrule and in seven short years, transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters. My power has little influence here in the Scared Realm, namely this chamber. But.. but there is still hope. The powers of the remaining sages are out there, sleeping. When the powers of all the sages are awakened, the Sages’ Seal will contain all of Zelda's even power in the void of the realm."
Rauru straighten his back and looked the young man in front of him in the eyes. "I, Rauru, am one of the Sages and your power to fight with the Sages makes you the Hero of Time! The Hero chosen by the Master Sword!" Rauru reached into his robe and took out a small golden medallion with the same symbol he remembered seeing on the floor of the Temple of Time. "Keep my spirit with you. Find the other sages and add their might and power to yours." He handed the medallion to Link to looked at it for a moment then tucked it into his pouch.
Suddenly a circle of blue surrounded Link's feet and teleported him and Navi out of the chamber. A moment later both the now teenage boy and the fairy were standing in the chamber where he drew the Master Sword 7 years prior.
**
"Link... we're back in the Temple of Time. But have seven years really passed?" Navi said, flying to look at down at Link. "I don't think you'll be able to use some of the weapons you found as a kid." Link rolled his eyes, that was obvious. "Let’s get out of here!"
Link nodded and stepped down off the platform that held the sword's pedestal. He stopped before he reached the door... he had the feeling someone was... watching him. He grabbed the hilt of the Master Sword and drew it and his shield, turning around to face whoever was behind him.
"I've been waiting for you... Hero of Time," A slight muffled male voice said as a figure stepped out of the shadows. Link looked slightly wary but more curious than anything at the man standing in front of him. Slender but muscular, wearing skin tight armor with the Sheikah symbol on his chest. The young man was also wearing a hood that kept most of his golden blond hair back baring the section that was swept in front of his right eye and a mask that hid the lower part of his face. Link looked up into the other's ruby red eyes and realized he had seen them before.
To Link it only felt like a few hours, but he still recognized his friend.
"Sheik?" He asked, lowering his blade finally. The other's eyes seemed to smile before the young man reached up, grasping his mask and pulled it down.
"Link," Sheik said with a grin, he had missed the other boy greatly. "You've grown, I thought Kokiris was unable to grow up," he said teasingly.
"I think I was misinformed about who and what I am" Link said, placing the Master Sword back into its scabbard and stepping back up the steps to see Sheik eye to eye. "You’ve grown too... what are you doing here?"
Sheik's lips quirked slightly in a sad smile. "I felt it was partly my fault that Zelda and her witches were able to kill the king and take over Hyrule, so I've trained these last seven years to help you on your quest."
"It wasn't either of your faults," Navi said as she flew between them. "Zelda had me tricked, I really thought she right and Ganondorf was after Hyrule and the Triforce. If Link had done as I asked, we would have handed the Spiritual Stones over to her or she would have given us the Ocarina of Time to open the door."
"That's nice of you bug," Sheik said, looking at the blue fairy. "But we still opened the door and I gave Link the final key. So we have to save Hyrule and put it back in the hands of the true royal family. I am to act as a guide for you Link, though I can't enter the temples with you, it's the role of the Hero of Time to awaken the Sages. But I can help outside of the temples."
"Guide how?" Link asked.
"Clues and hints to each temple, I can't tell you straight out how to get to each one, it's part of your test of the Hero to find them on your own. But when you reach each temple, or figure out where it is, I will be able to teach you the scared songs that will allow you to teleport to each temple should you want to return," Sheik said. "There are five temples: one in a deep forest, one on a high mountain, one under a vast lake, one within the house of the dead and one inside a goddess of the sand."
Link repeated the locations softly under his breath; it gave him an idea where he should look.
"Thank you Sheik," Link said to Sheik who nodded and pulled his mask up over his face.
"One of the Sages is waiting in the Forest Temple, a girl who I'm sure you know. But you'll be unable to enter the temple at this time," Sheik said. "I suggest heading for Kakariko Village, there you will find something that can help within the grave of the old grave digger. Be safe Link, Hyrule is a lot more dangerous now than it was when we were children." Sheik stepped back and took out a Deku nut, tossing it onto the floor, sending up a bright flash of night that blinded Link for a second as the other blond teleported away.
***
Link decided that he hated ReDeads more than he ever hated Dodongos. They were creepy as well and to be honest, he was a bit afraid of them. Those screams they made... Link shivered slightly as he remembered the screams the ReDead made. It was also a shock to see what had happen to Hyrule Castle Town, everything was destroyed and there was that large tower like castle where Hyrule Castle use to be...
He looked out at Hyrule Field; it didn't look all that different than it did seven years ago.
"Wow, those clouds look ominous," Navi said, looking upward to the sky where dark clouds hung. "I swear... I can almost feel the evil presents in them."
"Let’s just go to Kakariko," Link said, running in the direction of Death Mountain and the village under it. The run didn't seem to take as long as it did when he was child and guessed it had to be the new longer legs he had now. Once in the village, he felt relieved to see that Kakariko Village was mostly the same as it was before. There were a couple of buildings he could see and remembered the builders that had been running around his first visit to the village.
He did notice that a lot of the people he remembered from his youth from Hyrule Castle Town now lived here and that he couldn't see a single red eye person in the crowds.
"The Sheikah must have all left," Navi said, noticing it as well. "Zelda would have wanted to kill them, they must have run to save themselves." Link nodded in understanding and started to wonder, he remembered that the graveyard was in the back of the village.
****
Link watched the ghost composer Flat disappeared in a flash then looked at the headstone that was in between Flat and his brother Sharp's graves. He hadn't found the grave keepers gave yet and had been making his rounds to each grave to find it. At the head of the graveyard, which where he was now, he encountered two ghostly brothers who had been composers for the Royal Family.
"Well, I think we should do what they said, anything from the royal family should be a big help," Navi said. Link nodded and stood on top of the tri-force symbol on the ground, playing Zelda's Lullaby. The sky seemed to darken and the rain started to come down harder. Link looked around worried only to be knocked back as lightning struck the large gravestone in front of him, knocking him down with a yell.
Link sat up and looked at the space where the grave had been a moment before. The grave was only a pile of rubble surrounding a hole in the ground. He got up, brushing the dirt off his legs and tunic then step closer to the hole.
"What do you think is down there?" Link asked.
"I don't know," Navi said. "Only way to find out is to jump down." Link hopped into the hole down to the chambers down below. Link quickly found out what was down in the chambers... more ReDeads. Link shivered as he dodged one of the screaming monsters, panting as he dove into the tunnel after them.
"I hate those things," He complained, shuddering in fear.
"Link look!" Navi yelled, flying over to a large, grave like monument. Link followed over and read the words inscribed out loud.
"The rising sun well eventually set. A newborn's life will fade. From sun to moon, moon to sun, give peaceful rest to the living dead," Link read then saw the song itself. He took the Ocarina of Time out and copied what he saw on the stone. As the last notes rang out he swore he felt the power from the song and unknowing to him, it changed from day to nighttime outside.
"Link look, there's more to the poem," Navi said, hovering over the rest of the inscription. "Restless souls wander where they don't belong, bring them calm with the Sun's Song. Maybe you can use the song against the ReDead."
"Let's go try it," Link said, giddy with the idea he would be safe from the undead outside of the chamber. He played the Sun Song again and grinned as the ReDead froze in place once the last notes were played.
"Come, let’s get out of here," Navi suggested, Link couldn't argue with that and ran past the ReDead quickly in case they started moving again. "Wow, it's night time already! That song must have a stronger power than I thought," The fairy said as Link climbed out of the hole. Link agreed as he brushed the dirt off of himself and looked around. He only had a few more graves to check for the grave keeper’s.
**
The Kokiri raised teen panted as he ran after Dampé, the ghost was fast! He saw the door ahead of them start to close and he dove under it, rolling out of the way to keep from being crushed by the stone door. His stocking cap fell off in the process, making Link reach back under the door to grab it before the door could close all the way.
"That was close,” Navi said as Link put his cap back on. Link just grinned; it had been a bit fun. He climbed onto the platform that Dampé was floating over.
"You were very quick to be able to keep up with me!" The ghost said in a gravelly voice. "You're the first person to ever make it! You can have my treasure I found when I was alive, it's called the Hookshot! Doesn't that sound cool! I'm sure it will help you," Dampé pointed to a treasure chest. Link opened the chest and grinned as he saw the hookshot at the bottom of the chest.
"Thanks Dampé," Link said as he placed it in his pouch Sheik gave him when they first met.
"I live here now, so come back again sometime," Dampé said, waving before disappearing in a flash of fire.
"I bet this is what Sheik was talk about, now we can get into the Forest Temple," Navi said as they exited the grave though the only door. Link blinked as they ended up in the windmill that was in front of the graveyard in Kakariko. Down below was a balding man that was playing a phonograph with an angry look on his face. Link shared a look with Navi then jumped down from the platform to the turning wheel below. The blond stumbled as he landed; the slow moving wheel had thrown off his balance a bit, then rode it around to the man.
"Sir? Are you ok?" Link asked as he stepped off the spinning wheel in front of Guru-Guru.
"Grrrrrr! I'll never forget what happened on that day, seven years ago! Grrrrr!" Guru-Guru said with a loud angry growl, pumping the crank of his music box even faster. "It's all that ocarina kid's fault! Next time he comes around here, I'm gonna mess him up!"
"Ocarina kid?" Link repeated. "What happen seven years ago?"
"A punk kid with an ocarina came in one day and played a song that started to make it rain in the windmill," Guru-Guru said, his eyes all but growling in his anger. "It made the windmill spin to fast, it drained the well. Grrrrr!"
Link became curious and took out the Ocarina of Time front his pouch.
"Like this one?" He asked, holding it up so the older man could see it.
"What!?! You've got that ocarina! What the heck!?" Guru-Guru said, both confused and angry at the same time. "That reminds me of that time, seven years ago! I'll never forget this song!" He started turning the crank again on the music box, playing out the tune slowly. Link couldn't help but repeat the song, wondering if it would really make it rain inside. There was a slow rumble of thunder and flash of lightening as it started to rain. The wheel in the middle that turned the windmills arms started to spin faster and faster, making the arms spin quickly outside as well.
Guru-Guru screamed in anger and chased Link and Navi around the windmill for a moment before he ran out of breath. He cursed at the teen loudly as Link made a break for the door and ran out.
"Don't you ever come back or I will mess you up!"
***
"Do you know a place where I can stay the night?" Link asked one of the villagers. It was late in the evening and he wanted to get some sleep.
"Oh, the lady in that house there lets travelers sleep for a small fee," The villager said, pointing to one of the houses in the front of the village. Link smiled in thanks and ran over to the house.
"Hello?" He asked as he opened the door.
"Oh, good evening dear," The woman at the stove said, turning around. Link just managed not to react, the woman was.... not very pretty looking. "Looking for a place to sleep? We don't get new visitors very often."
"Yes, please," Link said as he got over his shock from the woman's looks.
"Well its 20 rupees a night. You can have the bed next to that poor man over there," She said, pointing to a set of bunk beds on the other side of the room. Link gave her a red rupee and turned toward the beds. He gasped softly as he recognized the man sleeping on the beds.
"Is that Talon?" Navi asked as she noticed the man as well.
"Oh him?" The woman said, glancing in Talon's direction. "I think he use to work at the ranch but lost his job. He's always just lazing around, morning, noon and night. He's an awfully carefree guy during such hard times." Link nodded slowly and walked over to the beds.
"Talon?" He shook Talon's shoulder, trying to wake him up. But Talon just kept sleeping, mumbling about Malon and her worrying.
"I don't think he's going to wake up," Navi said as Link gave up and sat down on the bed he rented for the night. "I bet if we had that demon bird of yours, we could wake him up that way."
"Cluck isn't a demon bird. You just don't like him because he tried to eat you," Link said in amusement as he lay down. "... What do you think happen to him? Why is Talon here and not at his ranch?"
"I don't know," Navi said as she landed on Link's chest, her light going out.
"I hope Malon is ok... I'm going to check on the ranch tomorrow," Link said softly.
"Link, we don't have time for that. We need to get to the forest temple," Navi said with a shake of her head. Link scowled at the fairy.
"No, we can make time to check on Malon and the horses to make sure they are alright," He said firmly. Navi sighed; she already knew Link was not going to change his mind over this. She just hoped that this side trip wouldn't hurt them in the long run.
**
The next morning, Link and Navi left Kakariko Village and trekked across Hyrule Field to Lon Lon Ranch. The sky seemed to be overcast over the ranch and everything was quite baring a few soft neighs from the horses. Link peeked around the corner at the corral where the horses were kept during the day. He could see the old ranch hand, whose name he never really gotten, standing in front of the gate which was locked so the horses were trapped inside.
"Didn't they get to run outside the corral before?" Link whispered to Navi.
"Yes," Navi said as they ducked out of sight. "It's like they're in prison now. I didn't see Malon, let’s check inside." The pair checked the house first but Link didn't find any clues to where Malon might be. Next he checked the stable where he hit the jackpot.
He almost didn't recognize her at first, like Sheik Malon had grown up, turning into a pretty teenage girl.
"Hello?" He said, trying to get her attention. Malon, who was cleaning a stall startled at the sound of his voice.
"Oh, a visitor! It's been a long time since we've had a visitor here. Where did you come from?" Malon said, her voice was soft and to Link, it seemed like she wasn't the spunky girl he met when they were children. Link didn't get a chance to answer as the girl continued. "Since Zelda became queen, the people in the Castle Town have gone. Places have been ruined and monsters are wondering everywhere."
"What happen here? What happen to Talon?" Link asked. Malon smiled sadly, gripping the broom she was holding tightly.
"Mr. Ingo took over the ranch 5 years ago; he's just using it to gain Zelda's favor. Everyone... everyone seems to be turning evil. Dad... he was kicked out of the ranch by Mr. Ingo. He let me stay but if I disobey Mr. Ingo, he will treat the horses so badly. So there's nothing I can do," Malon said, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She missed her father and how much fun it use to be running their family's ranch. Lon Lon Ranch had been in their family for years. (1) Her ancestors use to only raise cows and provide milk for all the villages but Talon told her that his father had a way with horses and soon the ranch raised the finest in all of Hyrule. Their few cows were locked up in their barn and their horses were locked in the corral during the day, all thanks to Mr. Ingo.
Link's blue eyes harden; he was going to make this right. He was going to make sure the ranch was given back to Talon and Malon.
"Don't worry, everything will work out," Link told her, squeezing her shoulder in comfort and heading outside to confront Ingo. Malon watched the boy leave; there was something.... very familiar about him.
**
Author note: And now we begin the second part of the game. With the new information from Skyward Sword, the only way Zelda could be evil if she wasn't a blood descendant of the Zelda from SS. Therefore, this Zelda was adopted by the king.
(1) In Minish Cap, there was a Lon Lon Ranch and these versions of Malon and Talon had to be the ancestors of the OOT Malon and Talon. The MC Lon Lon Ranch only had cows and one horse and between that time and now, they had to have started to raise more horses than cows.
And on a second note, I'm looking for a beta to proof read this fic before I put it out. Lots of people have been pointing out my grammer sucks in all my fics. It was never my best subject in school. So if anyone would like to beta for me, drop me a line.
Edit 7-22-14: Fixed all the little mistakes I could find.
By: USA Tiger
Disclaimer: The characters of The Legend of Zelda series belong to Nintendo.
Chapter 8
Rauru watched as Mako and Fado disappeared in a flash of ice blue and light green lights. They had informed him the day before that Link, the chosen Hero of Time, was close to waking. Since then, the three sages had worked quickly to prepare for the boy and his fairy's awaking after seven long years.
Those years had not been kind to Hyrule. With the murder of her father, Zelda had taken control over the throne with the help of the two witches Kotake and Koume. Both Hyrule Castle and the town surrounding it had been destroyed, everyone who managed to escape running to Kakariko Village while Zelda had a new castle, more like a tower, built in the old castle's place. In Kakariko Village, all the Sheikah had left, leaving space for the people who escaped the castle town to live while the shadow elves retreated to their other hidden villages. The Sheikah did what they could to combat Zelda and her forces but bit by bit, Hyrule had been corrupted.
Lake Hyila was now dried up and the all forests were overrun by monsters. Both Zora's Domain and Lake Zora were recently frozen and who knew what Lake Floria looked like at this point. Death Mountain had a ring of fire around its top that didn't bode well for anyone.
Still, Link would be awaking any minute now, ready to put things to right while he awaken his fellow sages of Fire, Forest, Water and Spirit as Impa already knew she was the Sage of Shadow. Rauru turned to the teen laying on the floor of the chamber. He was dressed in a forest green tunic and hat, styled after the Kokiri tunic he wore as a child. The tunic and the boots were a gift from Fado who returned to his fellow Kokiri and had them make them. Mako on the other hand took the old Zora scale Link won as a child and had them fashion into earrings, which had a metallic blue sheen to them once they were done. Complete with the white shirt and breeches and the fingerless gauntlets they found, Link managed to look impressing.
Rauru's ears perked up as he heard Link groan softly.
"Link, wake up Link, the chosen one," Rauru called, smiling softly as Link's blue eyes fluttered up then sat up with a soft groan. Navi woke up as well, her wings fluttered before she rose up in the air, a blue light surrounding her.
"Who... who are you?" Link said, jerking slightly as he heard his voice. It was deeper than he remembered it being, what had happen to him? "Where am I?"
"I am Rauru, one of the ancient Sages. Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm. This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Zelda's evil forces," Rauru explained as Link picked himself off the floor. "The Master Sword, the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time, was the final keep to the Sacred Realm. Link... don't be alarmed. Look at yourself!"
Link blinked at the command and looked down, letting out a yelp as he realized he was a long further from the floor than he was use to. He looked at his hands and down his front before turning to look at his back over his shoulder. Navi bounced in the air as she looked over her charge.
"Look Link! You're big now!" She said "You've grown up!" Link just looked at himself in shock that should be impossible! Well, impossible if he was a Kokiri, but since he started this journey, he had begun to suspect that he was anything but. He was lost in his thoughts for a few moments until he realized that Rauru was speaking again.
"... old enough, the time has come for you to awaken as the Hero of Time! But remember," Rauru said, gravely looking Link. "Though you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace, Zelda, the false queen of Hyrule, used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm."
"False queen?" Navi asked. "But... but the Great Deku Tree... and then that Sheikah boy said..."
"Zelda did indeed kill her adopted father seven years ago," Rauru confirmed, making Navi sag, Link had been right then when he told her they couldn't trust the princess.
"Adopted?" Link asked, making Rauru nod.
"The queen had been the wife to King Dhanphos's head knight but the marriage was known to very few. When the knight was killed during the war, his majesty offered to marry her so the child would not be accused of being born out of wedlock," He explained. "He treated Zelda as his own, even giving her the scared name used by the royal line. The queen died when Zelda was barely a year old from an attack on the castle, it was what prompted the king to end the war and unite Hyrule once more.
"And now that Zelda has obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light and used its power, she has become the Queen of Evil. Her evil power has radiated from the temples of Hyrule and in seven short years, transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters. My power has little influence here in the Scared Realm, namely this chamber. But.. but there is still hope. The powers of the remaining sages are out there, sleeping. When the powers of all the sages are awakened, the Sages’ Seal will contain all of Zelda's even power in the void of the realm."
Rauru straighten his back and looked the young man in front of him in the eyes. "I, Rauru, am one of the Sages and your power to fight with the Sages makes you the Hero of Time! The Hero chosen by the Master Sword!" Rauru reached into his robe and took out a small golden medallion with the same symbol he remembered seeing on the floor of the Temple of Time. "Keep my spirit with you. Find the other sages and add their might and power to yours." He handed the medallion to Link to looked at it for a moment then tucked it into his pouch.
Suddenly a circle of blue surrounded Link's feet and teleported him and Navi out of the chamber. A moment later both the now teenage boy and the fairy were standing in the chamber where he drew the Master Sword 7 years prior.
**
"Link... we're back in the Temple of Time. But have seven years really passed?" Navi said, flying to look at down at Link. "I don't think you'll be able to use some of the weapons you found as a kid." Link rolled his eyes, that was obvious. "Let’s get out of here!"
Link nodded and stepped down off the platform that held the sword's pedestal. He stopped before he reached the door... he had the feeling someone was... watching him. He grabbed the hilt of the Master Sword and drew it and his shield, turning around to face whoever was behind him.
"I've been waiting for you... Hero of Time," A slight muffled male voice said as a figure stepped out of the shadows. Link looked slightly wary but more curious than anything at the man standing in front of him. Slender but muscular, wearing skin tight armor with the Sheikah symbol on his chest. The young man was also wearing a hood that kept most of his golden blond hair back baring the section that was swept in front of his right eye and a mask that hid the lower part of his face. Link looked up into the other's ruby red eyes and realized he had seen them before.
To Link it only felt like a few hours, but he still recognized his friend.
"Sheik?" He asked, lowering his blade finally. The other's eyes seemed to smile before the young man reached up, grasping his mask and pulled it down.
"Link," Sheik said with a grin, he had missed the other boy greatly. "You've grown, I thought Kokiris was unable to grow up," he said teasingly.
"I think I was misinformed about who and what I am" Link said, placing the Master Sword back into its scabbard and stepping back up the steps to see Sheik eye to eye. "You’ve grown too... what are you doing here?"
Sheik's lips quirked slightly in a sad smile. "I felt it was partly my fault that Zelda and her witches were able to kill the king and take over Hyrule, so I've trained these last seven years to help you on your quest."
"It wasn't either of your faults," Navi said as she flew between them. "Zelda had me tricked, I really thought she right and Ganondorf was after Hyrule and the Triforce. If Link had done as I asked, we would have handed the Spiritual Stones over to her or she would have given us the Ocarina of Time to open the door."
"That's nice of you bug," Sheik said, looking at the blue fairy. "But we still opened the door and I gave Link the final key. So we have to save Hyrule and put it back in the hands of the true royal family. I am to act as a guide for you Link, though I can't enter the temples with you, it's the role of the Hero of Time to awaken the Sages. But I can help outside of the temples."
"Guide how?" Link asked.
"Clues and hints to each temple, I can't tell you straight out how to get to each one, it's part of your test of the Hero to find them on your own. But when you reach each temple, or figure out where it is, I will be able to teach you the scared songs that will allow you to teleport to each temple should you want to return," Sheik said. "There are five temples: one in a deep forest, one on a high mountain, one under a vast lake, one within the house of the dead and one inside a goddess of the sand."
Link repeated the locations softly under his breath; it gave him an idea where he should look.
"Thank you Sheik," Link said to Sheik who nodded and pulled his mask up over his face.
"One of the Sages is waiting in the Forest Temple, a girl who I'm sure you know. But you'll be unable to enter the temple at this time," Sheik said. "I suggest heading for Kakariko Village, there you will find something that can help within the grave of the old grave digger. Be safe Link, Hyrule is a lot more dangerous now than it was when we were children." Sheik stepped back and took out a Deku nut, tossing it onto the floor, sending up a bright flash of night that blinded Link for a second as the other blond teleported away.
***
Link decided that he hated ReDeads more than he ever hated Dodongos. They were creepy as well and to be honest, he was a bit afraid of them. Those screams they made... Link shivered slightly as he remembered the screams the ReDead made. It was also a shock to see what had happen to Hyrule Castle Town, everything was destroyed and there was that large tower like castle where Hyrule Castle use to be...
He looked out at Hyrule Field; it didn't look all that different than it did seven years ago.
"Wow, those clouds look ominous," Navi said, looking upward to the sky where dark clouds hung. "I swear... I can almost feel the evil presents in them."
"Let’s just go to Kakariko," Link said, running in the direction of Death Mountain and the village under it. The run didn't seem to take as long as it did when he was child and guessed it had to be the new longer legs he had now. Once in the village, he felt relieved to see that Kakariko Village was mostly the same as it was before. There were a couple of buildings he could see and remembered the builders that had been running around his first visit to the village.
He did notice that a lot of the people he remembered from his youth from Hyrule Castle Town now lived here and that he couldn't see a single red eye person in the crowds.
"The Sheikah must have all left," Navi said, noticing it as well. "Zelda would have wanted to kill them, they must have run to save themselves." Link nodded in understanding and started to wonder, he remembered that the graveyard was in the back of the village.
****
Link watched the ghost composer Flat disappeared in a flash then looked at the headstone that was in between Flat and his brother Sharp's graves. He hadn't found the grave keepers gave yet and had been making his rounds to each grave to find it. At the head of the graveyard, which where he was now, he encountered two ghostly brothers who had been composers for the Royal Family.
"Well, I think we should do what they said, anything from the royal family should be a big help," Navi said. Link nodded and stood on top of the tri-force symbol on the ground, playing Zelda's Lullaby. The sky seemed to darken and the rain started to come down harder. Link looked around worried only to be knocked back as lightning struck the large gravestone in front of him, knocking him down with a yell.
Link sat up and looked at the space where the grave had been a moment before. The grave was only a pile of rubble surrounding a hole in the ground. He got up, brushing the dirt off his legs and tunic then step closer to the hole.
"What do you think is down there?" Link asked.
"I don't know," Navi said. "Only way to find out is to jump down." Link hopped into the hole down to the chambers down below. Link quickly found out what was down in the chambers... more ReDeads. Link shivered as he dodged one of the screaming monsters, panting as he dove into the tunnel after them.
"I hate those things," He complained, shuddering in fear.
"Link look!" Navi yelled, flying over to a large, grave like monument. Link followed over and read the words inscribed out loud.
"The rising sun well eventually set. A newborn's life will fade. From sun to moon, moon to sun, give peaceful rest to the living dead," Link read then saw the song itself. He took the Ocarina of Time out and copied what he saw on the stone. As the last notes rang out he swore he felt the power from the song and unknowing to him, it changed from day to nighttime outside.
"Link look, there's more to the poem," Navi said, hovering over the rest of the inscription. "Restless souls wander where they don't belong, bring them calm with the Sun's Song. Maybe you can use the song against the ReDead."
"Let's go try it," Link said, giddy with the idea he would be safe from the undead outside of the chamber. He played the Sun Song again and grinned as the ReDead froze in place once the last notes were played.
"Come, let’s get out of here," Navi suggested, Link couldn't argue with that and ran past the ReDead quickly in case they started moving again. "Wow, it's night time already! That song must have a stronger power than I thought," The fairy said as Link climbed out of the hole. Link agreed as he brushed the dirt off of himself and looked around. He only had a few more graves to check for the grave keeper’s.
**
The Kokiri raised teen panted as he ran after Dampé, the ghost was fast! He saw the door ahead of them start to close and he dove under it, rolling out of the way to keep from being crushed by the stone door. His stocking cap fell off in the process, making Link reach back under the door to grab it before the door could close all the way.
"That was close,” Navi said as Link put his cap back on. Link just grinned; it had been a bit fun. He climbed onto the platform that Dampé was floating over.
"You were very quick to be able to keep up with me!" The ghost said in a gravelly voice. "You're the first person to ever make it! You can have my treasure I found when I was alive, it's called the Hookshot! Doesn't that sound cool! I'm sure it will help you," Dampé pointed to a treasure chest. Link opened the chest and grinned as he saw the hookshot at the bottom of the chest.
"Thanks Dampé," Link said as he placed it in his pouch Sheik gave him when they first met.
"I live here now, so come back again sometime," Dampé said, waving before disappearing in a flash of fire.
"I bet this is what Sheik was talk about, now we can get into the Forest Temple," Navi said as they exited the grave though the only door. Link blinked as they ended up in the windmill that was in front of the graveyard in Kakariko. Down below was a balding man that was playing a phonograph with an angry look on his face. Link shared a look with Navi then jumped down from the platform to the turning wheel below. The blond stumbled as he landed; the slow moving wheel had thrown off his balance a bit, then rode it around to the man.
"Sir? Are you ok?" Link asked as he stepped off the spinning wheel in front of Guru-Guru.
"Grrrrrr! I'll never forget what happened on that day, seven years ago! Grrrrr!" Guru-Guru said with a loud angry growl, pumping the crank of his music box even faster. "It's all that ocarina kid's fault! Next time he comes around here, I'm gonna mess him up!"
"Ocarina kid?" Link repeated. "What happen seven years ago?"
"A punk kid with an ocarina came in one day and played a song that started to make it rain in the windmill," Guru-Guru said, his eyes all but growling in his anger. "It made the windmill spin to fast, it drained the well. Grrrrr!"
Link became curious and took out the Ocarina of Time front his pouch.
"Like this one?" He asked, holding it up so the older man could see it.
"What!?! You've got that ocarina! What the heck!?" Guru-Guru said, both confused and angry at the same time. "That reminds me of that time, seven years ago! I'll never forget this song!" He started turning the crank again on the music box, playing out the tune slowly. Link couldn't help but repeat the song, wondering if it would really make it rain inside. There was a slow rumble of thunder and flash of lightening as it started to rain. The wheel in the middle that turned the windmills arms started to spin faster and faster, making the arms spin quickly outside as well.
Guru-Guru screamed in anger and chased Link and Navi around the windmill for a moment before he ran out of breath. He cursed at the teen loudly as Link made a break for the door and ran out.
"Don't you ever come back or I will mess you up!"
***
"Do you know a place where I can stay the night?" Link asked one of the villagers. It was late in the evening and he wanted to get some sleep.
"Oh, the lady in that house there lets travelers sleep for a small fee," The villager said, pointing to one of the houses in the front of the village. Link smiled in thanks and ran over to the house.
"Hello?" He asked as he opened the door.
"Oh, good evening dear," The woman at the stove said, turning around. Link just managed not to react, the woman was.... not very pretty looking. "Looking for a place to sleep? We don't get new visitors very often."
"Yes, please," Link said as he got over his shock from the woman's looks.
"Well its 20 rupees a night. You can have the bed next to that poor man over there," She said, pointing to a set of bunk beds on the other side of the room. Link gave her a red rupee and turned toward the beds. He gasped softly as he recognized the man sleeping on the beds.
"Is that Talon?" Navi asked as she noticed the man as well.
"Oh him?" The woman said, glancing in Talon's direction. "I think he use to work at the ranch but lost his job. He's always just lazing around, morning, noon and night. He's an awfully carefree guy during such hard times." Link nodded slowly and walked over to the beds.
"Talon?" He shook Talon's shoulder, trying to wake him up. But Talon just kept sleeping, mumbling about Malon and her worrying.
"I don't think he's going to wake up," Navi said as Link gave up and sat down on the bed he rented for the night. "I bet if we had that demon bird of yours, we could wake him up that way."
"Cluck isn't a demon bird. You just don't like him because he tried to eat you," Link said in amusement as he lay down. "... What do you think happen to him? Why is Talon here and not at his ranch?"
"I don't know," Navi said as she landed on Link's chest, her light going out.
"I hope Malon is ok... I'm going to check on the ranch tomorrow," Link said softly.
"Link, we don't have time for that. We need to get to the forest temple," Navi said with a shake of her head. Link scowled at the fairy.
"No, we can make time to check on Malon and the horses to make sure they are alright," He said firmly. Navi sighed; she already knew Link was not going to change his mind over this. She just hoped that this side trip wouldn't hurt them in the long run.
**
The next morning, Link and Navi left Kakariko Village and trekked across Hyrule Field to Lon Lon Ranch. The sky seemed to be overcast over the ranch and everything was quite baring a few soft neighs from the horses. Link peeked around the corner at the corral where the horses were kept during the day. He could see the old ranch hand, whose name he never really gotten, standing in front of the gate which was locked so the horses were trapped inside.
"Didn't they get to run outside the corral before?" Link whispered to Navi.
"Yes," Navi said as they ducked out of sight. "It's like they're in prison now. I didn't see Malon, let’s check inside." The pair checked the house first but Link didn't find any clues to where Malon might be. Next he checked the stable where he hit the jackpot.
He almost didn't recognize her at first, like Sheik Malon had grown up, turning into a pretty teenage girl.
"Hello?" He said, trying to get her attention. Malon, who was cleaning a stall startled at the sound of his voice.
"Oh, a visitor! It's been a long time since we've had a visitor here. Where did you come from?" Malon said, her voice was soft and to Link, it seemed like she wasn't the spunky girl he met when they were children. Link didn't get a chance to answer as the girl continued. "Since Zelda became queen, the people in the Castle Town have gone. Places have been ruined and monsters are wondering everywhere."
"What happen here? What happen to Talon?" Link asked. Malon smiled sadly, gripping the broom she was holding tightly.
"Mr. Ingo took over the ranch 5 years ago; he's just using it to gain Zelda's favor. Everyone... everyone seems to be turning evil. Dad... he was kicked out of the ranch by Mr. Ingo. He let me stay but if I disobey Mr. Ingo, he will treat the horses so badly. So there's nothing I can do," Malon said, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She missed her father and how much fun it use to be running their family's ranch. Lon Lon Ranch had been in their family for years. (1) Her ancestors use to only raise cows and provide milk for all the villages but Talon told her that his father had a way with horses and soon the ranch raised the finest in all of Hyrule. Their few cows were locked up in their barn and their horses were locked in the corral during the day, all thanks to Mr. Ingo.
Link's blue eyes harden; he was going to make this right. He was going to make sure the ranch was given back to Talon and Malon.
"Don't worry, everything will work out," Link told her, squeezing her shoulder in comfort and heading outside to confront Ingo. Malon watched the boy leave; there was something.... very familiar about him.
**
Author note: And now we begin the second part of the game. With the new information from Skyward Sword, the only way Zelda could be evil if she wasn't a blood descendant of the Zelda from SS. Therefore, this Zelda was adopted by the king.
(1) In Minish Cap, there was a Lon Lon Ranch and these versions of Malon and Talon had to be the ancestors of the OOT Malon and Talon. The MC Lon Lon Ranch only had cows and one horse and between that time and now, they had to have started to raise more horses than cows.
And on a second note, I'm looking for a beta to proof read this fic before I put it out. Lots of people have been pointing out my grammer sucks in all my fics. It was never my best subject in school. So if anyone would like to beta for me, drop me a line.
Edit 7-22-14: Fixed all the little mistakes I could find.
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