Long ago, near the very dawn of the Realms, including Hyrule and Termina, a man was born. He found the secret to ultimate power and immortality, He used it to bring every Nation into war against each other. But what this man did not expect, was that the Goddesses were very involved with the planet at that time. A young man was sitting on the ground, shining the blade he had never known how to use for a war he did not want to fight, when a woman, cloaked and veiled, walked up to him. She asked him, "Why do you fight against your brothers, those whom you once sworn to protect?"
Now, of course, the man was very confused, not knowing whom the woman was or where she came from, yet he answered her truthfully anyway, hoping it might make a difference, that he was being forced to, as the King of the Land had somehow been injured by the Kings of the others overnight. "And," he added in an afterthought, "They have cursed my sister, and will let her live only if I participate in the battle."
The woman then asked for the man to lead her to his sister, as she was an expert on curses and maybe she could help. So she was led to the home, and she saw the maiden on the bed, barely in her teens. Gold light issued from the strange woman's hands, then she apologized, saying that there was nothing she could do, and that it did not matter if he joined the army or not, she would sleep forever.
The man then fell to his knees, forgetting the fact that the woman was there, and begged Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, to give his sister life, even if he was never to see her again. He would willingly give his life to bringing peace--true peace--amoungst the warring nations.
"Well said," the woman whispered, and he turned around to face Nayru, shining Golden in all her glory, "You have proven yourself worthy of leading the armies of the Gods, along with a select few others." And he immediately felt the Power of Din, the Wisdom of Nayru, and the Courage of Farore rush through his veins, body and soul. Suddenly, he was in the midst of battle, wielding powers he had no idea he had, and was not afraid. Suddenly, he knew everything.
When the war was won, the Heroes who had ended it sealed the entrance to each world with a spell, one that would never fade. Only they or their kin, and only then those with a righteous heart and mind, could pass between the worlds. Long ago, their kin were shunned and killed off, being called 'witches' or 'demons'. The Goddesses were not happy with this concept, and promised that when the maiden was awaken, the ability to travel the worlds would be given to others than just the Skull Kids, trapped souls of the Kin of the Heroes. They gave the responsibility of protecting the gateways to the Kokiri, and made them eternally children.

Some say the maiden sleeps still.

The Guard shifted uneasily as he watched the cloud of dust coming in from the Lost Woods. Things hadn't stopped going wrong since two years ago, when he was sent up to check on the Princess. He shook his head, forcing himself to forget about what happened. He looked up at the dust cloud again, and relaxed when he found it to be a horse and rider. The boy was around seventeen, his blond hair falling down partly over one eye, bow in hand. A quiver, sword and shield adorned his back, a huge bag of rupees claimed a position on his belt, along with some sort of contraption that the soldier had no hope of recognizing, and an ocarina that looked very familiar...
The boy dismounted from the steed and walked over to the guard. "Hello," he began, "Beautiful day for a ride, isn't it?"
"Yes," the guard answered, "I think that it would be, save for the fact that I must stand here and guard this bridge."
"That would be a problem, wouldn't it?" the boy frowned, and the guard realized that he looked oddly familiar...
"Yes, anyway, are you passing through?"
"That would be great, thanks," the boy answered, and the gate was lowered so he and his mare could pass through.

The bartender did not bother to look up when the door opened. Probably just the usual customer, anyway. He heard the sound of boots heading his way, pause, then move over to the left. That was quite odd, nobody sat there but him, and he'd already come in. He looked up, seeing a handsome man of around seventeen wearing a green tunic with a white shirt and white leggings underneath. A sword and shield were positioned on his back, both made of materials most likely not found in Hyrule, at least from what he knew. Both men in the corner were in deep conversation, so he walked over to the two.
"Hello, sir?" he asked, and both men looked up.
"Oh, yes, I'll have a light wine, if you don't mind." the newcomer smiled as he spoke, crystal blue eyes glinting in the sparse lighting of the bar. After a while, both newcomer and him paid for their single drinks and left. Seeing the size of his rupee wallet, the bartender wished that the newcomer would visit often.

It was early morning when the two of them finally finished their laps of Hyrule field, on horseback, of course. They had talked the whole time, telling each other about the time that he had been away. Link looked over at his friend, who was distressed about family problems. Link couldn't help on that subject. He's never known his family. He hadn't bothered to tell his friend so, but he knew that as long as he listened quietly, making occasional words of comfort, that was really all that was needed. They rode the horses into Kakariko village, dismounted, and walked towards Sheik's home.
"Don't you think that you should go home?" Link asked, earning a glare from his friend.
"What, back to him, insisting I've got to marry before I'm twenty, so that I have plenty of time to breed? Seriously, He talks about me like I'm one of those stupid, yappy things everyone calls a Dog!" Sheik was furious at the thought, and Link smiled at his friend.
"Not fond of pets?" he asked, and Sheik's red eyes rolled.
"Cats aren't a nuisance, and I don't really consider horses pets, if you catch my drift." then there was a knock on the door, and Sheik walked over to open it. There stood a very traumatized Kokiri child with deep green hair.
"I hate it when people give me a wrong address!" Saria ranted, "I just walked into that stupid House of Skultulla! I got tackled by one!"
"Don't worry," Link assured her, trying hard not to burst into laughter, "I've just got to find one more Golden Skulltulla, then the curse on the big guy's lifted."
"He was pretty nice, though." Saria had to admit, green eyes flashing, "He even gave me the right address, unlike that stupid punk, why I otta..."
"Saria, why did you come here?" Sheik cut her off, and immediately realization dawned on the young Kokiri.
"Goddesses... Link! Someone's trying to get the Kokiri Emerald from the Deku Tree! They're gunna burn him!"
Both teens in the room ran out the door, Link grabbing Saria by the arm and dragging her out of the house.

"I don't know where the Emerald is, so leave them alone!!!" Mido shouted, struggling to get the grip around one of the Know-It-All Brothers' neck loosened. The man was strong, but he held only a sword, not like the one who had come the day before.
"Hah! Likely Story!" the man snarled, and his Kokiri friend started to turn blue from lack of air. Of course, Mido had no idea where the Emerald was kept, except that the Great Deku Tree had given it to Link for safe keeping. And Link...well, no one had seen Link since he went off 'searching for a friend' seven years ago...Mido felt really bad, having shouted 'Good riddance!' after him, and he was positive that was the Reason Link hadn't come back.
"He's right, you know." a strangely familiar voice from the Entrance of the Kokiri Forest announced boldly, and all heads turned.

"Yeah, so let him go!" Saria ordered, and the stunned assailant dropped the Kokiri.
"Who are you?!" he demanded, backing away cautiously.
"Who needs to know?" demanded Sheik, red eyes full of anger. The assailant was obviously not planning on fighting with an adult, the Kokiri being a race of children. Link thought that it just might be the arrow that was aimed for the man's forehead at the present moment that made him so stunned.
"What do you want the Spiritual Stone for?" Link demanded, eyes narrowing. He had a bad feeling about this man. "So that the one I am to wed may be found again." upon seeing the confused looks upon their faces, he continued, "I was to wed the Princess Zelda, but she was kidnapped two years ago. I plan on luring the kidnappers into the Sacred Realm, if they wish to claim the Sacred Triforce, where I will then leap upon them and demand that they give back the Princess. It's really a genious plan, I tell you!"
"You're an idiot for even trying," Link started, "You'd need to convince the Goron and the Zora to give up their own Sprirtual Stones, and I know for a fact they won't like you just barging in and taking it, like you're trying to do here."
"Well, if you wish, I could avert to force..." the man snapped his fingers as he spoke, and maybe a quarter of the Hylian army jumped out of the trees and bushes, surrounding them.
"I'd swear, but there's children arou-" Sheik started, but was cut off by a string of heavy curses from Mido. Sheik shrugged in a "I tried" way and continued with an extreemely colourful line of words. Link glared at the man who threatened the Land of Hyrule with Ultimate Destruction and who did not know it, regretfully lowering his bow.
"That's better," the man began, "Take them all into custody."

The Kokiri, Link and Sheik were both shoved into the Throne room, and even though it was his first time being there, he did not spend the usual time he took to gaze in wonder at each new place. He simply looked straight ahead at the twin thrones, one empty, and one which upon sat who Link guessed to be the King of Hyrule. The King was dressed in rich gold and red, with a shining crown filled with gems upon his head. He was not quite what Link expected, a man with a large stomach and a rusty blade by his side, but a man with greying black hair and what must have been once well-toned muscles. He was holding a well-kept and used blade, one not particularly suited for a king, but Link had to admire the passion the King had for the blade. Link still had the Kokiri's sword in his bag, although it was too small to use.
"My Lord," the man began, "I ask for permission to search these people for any trace of Princess Zelda's whereabouts."
"If you ask politely maybe we'll tell." Sheik retorted, earning a kick from the guard behind.
The King seemed to be inspecting Link for a moment, shook his head and then boomed in a loud, kingly voice, "Do you know the whereabouts of my daughter, the Princess Zelda?"
"Depends on how much you pay us," snapped Sheik, earning another kick.
Link did not want to lie, and also did not want to give away his childhood friend, so he stayed completely silent, not even flinching as he was kicked several times repeatedly for not giving any answers.

The King of Hyrule shook his head. The boy had been beaten continually for hours but showed no sign of pain or giving up. The other one and the children looked completely distressed over the boy's beating, but even so, the boy showed no signs of giving up.
"Stop," he announced, and walked over to the boy, then continued, "I will ask you one more time, Where is my daughter?"
The boy looked up at him defiantly, and the King found himself looking into the boy's crystal blue eyes, seemingly ageless. He'd seen those eyes before, but from where, he couldn't place.
"You will pay for your insolence!" the King snapped, ordering his Archer over with a small flick of the wrist, "Guards, bring him over here!"

Link was shoved over to the side, and he stood up. The archer was taking aim. No one was guarding him, out of fear of being hit with the arrow themselves. Link stared stubbornly into the eyes of the archer, who paused, as if to wonder why he should be killing someone without any proof that anything was done wrong, and was about to let loose the arrow when Link announced, "I know where the Spiritual Stone of the Forest is."
Everyone froze, and Link smirked. He had valuable information, they couldn't afford to Kill him. He nodded his head in the direction of Sheik and the Kokiri and demanded "Let them go and we'll discuss this."
Moments passed by, then the King snapped "Well, you heard him! Hurry up! Escort them back to the place you found them!" The guards scurried to obey the newest order, and once the doors were closed behind them, Sheik had to follow the guards tug willingly, having no ability left to help Link get out of that throne room...

"...Do you really have to follow me around?" Sheik asked the guard, her red eyes flashing in annoyance. Without the magic in her hood, her eyes would be a dark blue, but she needed to disguise as much as possible of herself. 'Whenever you need it...' Impa had told her when Zelda was given the Sheikah outfit, magicked for almost every purpose. She missed her guardian very much, but even so, she refused to bow down to her Father's vicious rule, no matter what the contract spoke of. "Yes, sir." the guard replied blankly, making Sheik mutter a curse in frustration. How was she supposed to save Link if she was always followed? She had to lose him, somehow...
"What?" Sheik asked, not having paid any attention to what the guard was saying.
"I said that you are going to get us lost. This forest is bewitched, you know." at that comment, Sheik rolled her eyes non-chalantly, but even she didn't know where she was going. She'd never been into the forest before that day, but she had a strong feeling that she'd been there before. The two walked into a glade, which had an exit that was sealed off by a gate, and grass growing up to her knee in some spots. The guard walked foreword a couple of steps, holding his spear out in case they were unwanted guests. "It seems safe." the guard announced, turning around to face his charge. At that moment, a large, gray Wolfos emerged from the grass, howling with the anger of being disturbed. With a curse, the guard flung himself at the creature, and Sheik took the opportunity to leap over the gate and run. She ran through the trees, hoping that there was a way out.
She ran into a glade, her heart pounding, and realized she'd hit a dead end. She looked down at the large stone pad that resembled the ones she had seen in the temple of time and Lake Hylia, then up at the broken steps that came out of what looked like some sort of large bird house. She heard the guard coming, and instinctively jumped up onto the roof of the birdhouse. She peered down from the roof, and then suddenly a vision flashed before her eyes.
Link ran into the meadow, sword drawn, stopped, then walked over to the stump and looked at it sadly, as if something was missing...
...The guard cursed loudly as he looked around the glade, thinking he'd gone the wrong way...
...Not knowing that what she saw wasn't really happening, Sheik lept down from the bird house. Link whirled around to face her...
..."Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" the guard demanded. Sheik began to walk towards him, then paused right in front of him. The guard shook his head, thinking that Sheik was retaliating, and hit her on the side of the head with his spear. Sheik crumpled to the ground, head swirling with visions.

"...So, tell me again... Where exactly have you hidden the spiritual stones?" the King of Hyrule asked, rubbing tired eyes in disbelief.
"Just like I told you. One's in the Fire Temple, the other in the Water Temple, and the other one is constantly travelling with a good friend of mine." Link announced, wondering how her could get Nariko to get her claws out of his back without the jury noticing.
The King sighed, leaned over to listen to something that one of the people beside him whispered in his ear, nodded, then turned to face Link, announcing "Why did you hide the Spiritual Stones?"
Link rolled his eyes, knowing that they wouldn't believe him, then answered, "Because someone with an evil heart would seek to destroy Hyrule."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Well, if this is true, then, this one with the 'evil heart', what is their name?" the King asked, brows furrowed in frustration. This case clearly wasn't going anywhere.
"Ganondorf, your Highness."
The King briefly looked like he was going to burst out laughing at the riddicule, then signalled to one of his servants, who brought out a Link's pack, not without difficulty. "In a gesture of gratitude for your honesty, We will now give back your items and weaponry, unsearched and exactly as it was when we took it from you." Link weighed the sheath a bit before strapping it to his back, not wanting to pull the blade out, just in case they would think he was threatening them. He reached into his pack, grinned as he saw everything was there, and snuck the Longshot (he had modified the Hookshot he found in Termina to reach longer distances) out of his pack so that none could see it.
"I thank you for your hospitality, your Highness, but I truly must take my leave. Places to go, people to see." Link announced, and the King shook his head.
"I am afraid that is not possible, young man."
"Ahh, but it is." Link announced non-chalantly, the swiftly brought the hookshot to reach the wooden frame of a window, and there was nothing the court could do.

"You over there! Halt!" a guard shouted, and Sniper cursed. Great. He never wanted to do this favour for Sheik, but his friend had trained him and helped him cope with the death of his brother. He owed a lot to Sheik, who had just gotten him thrown in jail.
Oh well, he thought as he pulled out his Shadow Sword, a Broadsword, at least he could go down with a fight. Then, a horse rampaged by, white mane and tail flying because of it's speed. Soon, the horse came running back, this time with a green clad rider.
"Get on!" the rider shouted, and Sniper could only obey. The two sped through the town, the horse easily manoeuvring the crowd. They stormed over the drawbridge before it began to close. The rider sped on, ducking as they were bombarded with arrows, into the Gerudo Valley. The bridge had collapsed, or at least part of it, and Sniper briefly wondered just how crazy this guy was. The horse sped up, and, in spite of himself, Sniper's eyes widened.
"You're not..." he began, but it was too late. The horse jumped the bridge, and Sniper barely avoided crying out as an arrow hit him in the leg. He cursed loudly for not wearing anything more than kneepads over his jeans and for actually doing Sheik this 'favour'.
"You all right?" the rider asked, looking back and widening his eyes at the arrow stuck in Sniper's leg.
"I'm fine." Sniper snapped, and the rider turned around muttering something along the lines of "if you say so" under his breath. The horse stopped in the Gerudo Fortress, where they couldn't be seen, and the rider helped Sniper dismount. As Sniper sat down, the rider rummaged through his bag, finally pulling out a small, brown-hilted dagger.
"I need to get the arrow head out." the rider explained when he saw Sniper stare at the dagger with wide eyes. Sniper groaned inwardly, cursing Sheik yet again, but accepted the leather strap to clamp his teeth on to avoid crying out. The rider dug the arrow out with a suprising amount of pain, not suprising because it was agonizing, but suprising because it only caused as much pain as the pulling of a tooth, not pulling something made from iron and wood out of your skin.
The rider then handed Sniper a potion, telling him to drink it. Sniper obeyed, holding one hand to his leg to keep back the flow of blood. He shivered as the potion magically wound its way through his body to the wound, and, upon finding it, fused the skin together. Sniper frowned as the rider helped him up.
"Link, mercenary for hire." the rider greeted, shifting his shield better onto his back, and, to Sniper's suprise, a black ball of fur and bones jumped onto Link's shoulder and rubbed against his neck. "...This is Nariko, and," gesturing to the horse, "this is Epona."
"Sniper."
"Hey, you!"
"Oops," Link muttered, and lept back on the horse, Sniper following close behind as Gerudo guards ran towards them.
"You're under-"
"Nope," Link interrupted them, rummaging around in his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper, showing it to the Guards. the Gerudos frowned at it then suddenly saluted.
"Sorry, Link, sir."
"Didn't know it was you, there, Link. Haven't seen you in a while."
Link smiled at both of them, nudged Epona, and they trotted into the fortress. Sniper stared, wide eyed and open mouthed, at Link. He had a Gerudo membership card? Where did he get that? Oh well, he thought, his face resuming its normal blank expression, it wasn't his problem to worry about. He had done Sheik his 'favour' (or more like it was done for him), so he had one more pain off his neck.

Neither knew that Sheik was in serious danger...

Sniper heard the faint call of a wolf. He whirled around, easily disarming both blades of the Gerudo he was practicing with, and listened. Yes, it was Urza. He howled back in reply, and the Gerudo looked at him like he was crazy. Not like he cared. The big wolf came pounding towards him, and he could tell something was wrong.
**Hidden One is hurt!**
Even with his telepathic bond to the big wolf, it took a moment to comprehend what Urza was saying. Animals didn't call people by their given names, but called them according to what they smelled, looked, or acted like.
"Sheik's in trouble?!" he asked the wolf, alarmed. Urza insisted on calling Sheik 'Hidden One' for reasons that even Sniper couldn't comprehend. The wolf nodded, and Sniper wondered whether or not he could borrow a horse. He'd never make it in time by foot, but the only reason he was even allowed in there was because of Link...
"What's wrong?" Link asked, coming down from the horseback archery course. Sniper hated to ask people for help, but it was really the only way.
"Sheik's in trouble, and I need your horse."
Link tensed, bit his lip, then shook his head, "Epona won't let anyone ride her unless I'm on her too. And I'm coming too. It's my fault Sheik got caught up in all this."
"We can lend you a horse." the Gerudo he had been practicing with suggested, "But the only one we can afford to lend you is a little wild."
"Let's talk to Nabooru." Link suggested, and the four (including Urza) ran off towards the Archery Course.

A black Stallion ran around the corner of the Hidden Gerudo Stables and reared, shaking off the Gerudos trying to hold it down with little trouble.
"That is your horse."
Sniper turned around to stare at the Gerudo who had spoken. He had never even ridden a horse before the escape from the castle, let alone tamed one!
**You really are in trouble this time, master.** Urza gave Sniper a wolf grin as he spoke.
**Shut up!** he told the wolf, causing it only to laugh.
The Horse reared again and snorted, then announced boldly **So, the Hylian knows the language of the Beasts? Maybe he shall speak naught else when he meets the language of my hooves!** and the big horse stampeded towards Sniper, causing all near him to scatter, Gerudo, Hylian or wolf. Sniper grabbed his broadsword, the Shadow Sword, and used it at the last moment to vault onto the stallion's back. He held onto the horse's mane with one hand, putting his sword away with the other as the Stallion reared, trying to throw him off. He smacked the rear of the big horse with his free hand, directing it with his other. He led the horse several times around the corral, until both he and the stallion were laden with sweat, and he finnaly pulled the beast to a full stop.
**I hate to admit it to a Hylian, but I hath suffered defeat. I surrender my freedom to thee, master.**
**That's lovely.** Sniper muttered sarcasticly in reply while he dragged himself off the horse, standing up strait with great, but hidden, difficulty.

"I always wanted to do this." Link muttered with certain satisfaction as he notched an arrow to his bow, which immediatly caught flame. The Gerudos had trouble liting their own bows, having to use real flames instead of magic from low torches, so they wouldn't be seen. They needed the element of suprise on the attack of the camp, so that Link and Sniper wouldn't be seen as they made their escape. Once everyone was ready, Link let the arrow fly. The tent he aimed it at immediatly caught fire, and was soon followed by thousands of arrows from the Gerudo army. Link lept upon Epona with greatly practiced ease and sped across the bridge, followed closely by Sniper and surrounded by the Gerudos. The Gerudos provided the perfect distraction for the two teens, the Hylian army not prepared for a raid, and many were just managing to get their pants on, let alone their armor. Link laughed as they rode out into Hyrule Field, then began to pick up speed, heading towards the Lost Woods. Zelda, I'm coming... he thought as the Lost Woods came into sight.

"You got a plan?" Sniper whispered, eyeing the guards with a certain disbelief.
"Nope. So far I've gotten pretty far without one, so I never really plan what I'm doing." Link whispered back, looking at the guards' positions, pacing habits, and (from past experience) judging their eye sight.
"How far do you think we'll get?" Sniper asked, obviously making judgements of his own.
"We'll get there easy enough." was Link's calm reply.
"How can you say that? They're all over the place!" "They only see you if you're about two meters in front of them and holding a bomb."
"How can you say that?" Sniper asked, looking at Link.
"Trust me." was Link's only reply, then he pulled out an ocarina and started to play the Song of Storms quietly. The rain poured down on the guards, who shivered and looked around for a way to get a little less drenched. Link then ran right along the path in the center of the forest and down to his old treehouse, where he heard Sheik was staying. He climed the ladder swiftly and quietly, looking around before he stepped into the house. Sheik was lying (as best as her adult frame would let her) on Link's old bed, made for a child instead of an adult. He started to walk towards her when he heard something behind him. He pulled out his sword and whirled around to find a guard standing there, holding a spear out towards him.
"Your knife can't hurt me, boy!" the guard laughed and lunged at Link, who easily sliced the flimsy peice of metal in two. The guard stared dumbly at Link's sword, obviously wondering how a clear blade could slice through metal like a hot knife through butter.
"A metal as weak as that," Link began "could never stand up to pure Diamond." Diamond is the hardest mineral known to anyone, and Link had more than enough rupees to get the blade of his sword made out of the mineral. Link then grabbed a Deku nut from his belt and flung it down towards the ground. By the time the guard could see again, Link and Sheik were long gone.

Link slowed Epona to a stop after an hour or so of riding. He looked around and smiled. This was the place. Around seven years ago, while searching for his ex-fairy partner Navi, he fell off a startled Epona and was robbed then turned into a Deku Scrub by a Skull Kid possessed by Majora's Mask. He partnered up with one of the Skull Kid's two fairy companions in order to get the Ocarina of Time back so he could become Hylian again. He soon found that the Song of Time was more in Termina than just a melody to open the Door of Time, as it was in Hyrule, But it sent him back three days in time, the exact amount of time that he had been in Termina. In order to repay the Happy Mask salesman who helped him, Link set out on a quest to gain Majora's Mask from the Skull Kid, and saved the World of Termina from certain destruction (in other words, the moon falling on top of it).
He dismounted as he spoke to the other two, "Wait here. I have to talk with someone." Sheik frowned at him, while Sniper remained emotionless, but Link could have sworn he heard the younger teen complaining silently about the fact that the saddle on Crosten was not made to suit a male. Link ignored them and walked over to the entrance. He noticed that there was a plank stretched out across from him, bearing the sign 'Termina Below'. Link smiled to himself. He took the Ocarina of Time, pressed it to his lips and began to play. The song echoed around the walls of the eerie passage, enhancing the sound of the ocarina to match that of even the Deku Pipes.
"Link!" he heard, and was soon tackled by a Skull Kid and two fairies.
"Hey, wait a minute, you're not Link!" he heard Tael, Tatl's twin brother, exclaim, and the other two jumped off of Link.
"I am!" he insisted, but the purple fairy was unmoved.
The white Tatl eyed Link suspiciously, then announced "I think that he's Link.
Link nodded and smiled at the fairy, then pulled the Deku Scrub mask out of his bag. "Want me to use it?" he asked, hoping they would believe him with the mask alone. After learning the Song of Healing from the Happy Mask Salesman, he had changed back from his Deku Scrub 'prison' to a Hylian, but he gained a Mask from the experience, which enabled him to change back and forth from a Hylian to a Deku Scrub, however painfully, and it wasn't the last of its type.
"I knew it!" Tatl teased her brother, who stuck his miniature tongue out at her.
"You got real big!" the Skull Kid looked at Link with awe as he spoke, causing the teen to laugh.
"It has been seven years." was Link's embarrassed reply, then he continued, "I've got some friends with me. We got charged with kidnapping the princess back in Hyrule, and we need a place to stay."
"No problem!" the Skull Kid laughed, "I think we could convince Anju and Kafei to give you a room at the inn..."
"Or we could make poor Mr. Link-goro sleep outside in the rain again!" Tatl intervened, and the only two who actually knew the joke - Link and herself - laughed. "We'll tell ya later.&quoot; Tatl giggled, "So, Link, where's your friends?"

The Skull Kid jumped around joyously as they reached the end of the well-hidden, spiraling staircase that was only revealed by chopping the brand-new sign in half (something only Link would do). The walked into the tiny chamber, and Link looked at the Deku Flower, which enabled his Deku Scrub form to hover for periods of time, and smiled as he turned towards the door. Inside of the Clock Tower hadn't changed at all, the river flowing through it was there, the waterwheel that had absolutely no obvious purpose, the stairway that hung over the river, and the over-all dreary appearance of it all. They led the horses up the ramp, the Skull kid swung open the doors, and the odd group walked out together into the light.

Dawn of the First Day
-72 hours remain-
People bustled about South Clock Town, regardless of the strange group who just walked through the doors with the Skull Kid. The horses immediately ran out of town, knocking over the guard who stood there. Link muttered "Serves him right." under his breath, then saw the partly-made building in the center of the square. He turned to Tatl and asked "What day is it?"
"Three days before the Carnival of Time, why?" Tael asked, and Link looked up for a split second, then looked back down again.
"At least we can enjoy ourselves this time around." the other fairy suggested, and Link smiled. The fairy then continued, "We got a lot to catch up on, right?"
Sniper glared around South Clock Town, hearing a few comments from the dog nearby, mostly about food or lack of companionship from his master. "I'll meet you guys later." he announced and walked off. The town couldn't be that big, he would find the inn eventually.
**There are many new things here, master. ** Urza announced in awe, causing Sniper to roll his eyes. Urza, although smarter than the average wolf, was still a pain to put up with some times. Sniper walked into a grassy part of the town, with a single tree and a path that wound its way around and up the hill. There was a ring of small bushes with one in the center near some sort of stone slide, and someone his age was leaning against the wall opposite what obviously was a exit of the town. Sniper walked over to the bushes, and immediately felt a presence of some sort. He frowned and knelt down by the bush in the middle, pushing back the leaves on the bottom. There was a small black object poking out of the soil.
**Urza, what is this?** he asked, and was suddenly blown back by a creature coming out from the ground. Sniper got to his feet quickly, drawing the Shadow Sword with practiced ease. The black 'object' poking out of the ground was actually the black ear tips of the animal, which was something like a fox, only a bright yellow with a slanted face, and several tails. The creature laughed, or giggled, more like it, at Sniper as he looked it up and down.
"I will not harm you, dragon-man." the creature teased, and Sniper wondered how it was able to talk the same language as him and why it called him 'dragon-man'. He wondered if it had to do with the small shield attached to his arm, which had a Dragon inside of the Triforce for a design.
"What are you?" Sniper asked, putting his blade away. The creature giggled again, rocking back and forth. Sniper frowned at it.
"I am a Keaton, dragon-man who speaks the language of the beasts. You are new to here, I can see. What are you ?"
"A hylian with a big sword and a short temper at the moment, Keaton." he replied hotly.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." the Keaton was an odd creature. How could someone not know their own species?
"Fine then, hylian-with-a-big-sword-and-a-short-temper-at-the-moment, if you insist." the Keaton replied, the name spoken rather quickly in comparison to the slow, cool mood the rest of its speech set, "We shall talk. It has been some time since I have met one who speaks the language of the beasts."

"...Link?" she asked, looking up at the ceiling.
"Yeah?" he asked, looking over at her. Zelda--Sheik, he reminded himself, had her hood off, which somehow kept her whole body from looking feminine. Her eyes were now that deep, ocean blue he had always known well, endless waves which he gazed upon with willing yet humble eyes... Link cursed himself mentally for being poetic, reminding himself yet again that she did not remember the alternate future. He knew that she would only consider him a friend, nothing more, and pushed his feelings aside, no matter what the alternate future had held.
"How did you know it was me, in the bar?" she asked, still looking at the ceiling, shimmering blonde hair draped about her shoulders like a sash... Link stopped himself from thinking up a poetic phrase and tried to think of a reasonable excuse.
"I... thought... that..." he sighed hopelessly and gave up.
"...Was it that obvious?" she asked, turning to look at him. He looked back at her and shrugged, so she continued, " He didn't even recognize me, but you knew who I was from the start... How?"
He bit the inside of his lip and shrugged in answer, returning his gaze to his blade, which he was polishing. Hopeless was the only word to describe himself.

Night of the First Day
-60 Hours remain-
Link stood out on the balcony of the Stock Pot Inn, watching the figure of Sniper followed closely by the wolf Urza coming towards the Inn. He could smell rain, was it more than coincidence? Maybe he was cursed... it had rained the second day on his first stay here, why was it going to rain again? He kept looking up at the sky, which seemed so empty all of a sudden. Empty... the great, red-eyed moon that threatened the fair land with merely its presence, let alone the sight of it, was gone, back as a small, glowing silver object in the night sky.
He cursed quietly about being poetic, looking up yet again at the sky. He sighed, looking down at his boots again. He pulled the Ocarina of Time from its holder on his belt and pressed it to his lips. He began to play a melody, one that had earned him many a good meal and a roof over his head when he was too young to be taken seriously as a mercenary. It rose and fell, causing all who could hear to pause and listen. The melody was strong, yet subtle, haunting, yet soothing, sweet, yet sour in all its own ways. When he clipped the ocarina back onto his belt, he felt calm and relaxed, but still on guard, as he had been since he came to Termina.
"That's a beautiful song, Link." he heard from behind him, and he whirled around to face Sheik, her hood on and her eyes red once again, golden blonde hair dulled to more of a golden copper.
"Thanks." he muttered, leaning against the wall once again. He felt slightly nervous that she had heard, but she seemed not to notice. "Where did you learn it?" she asked, and Link frowned. He had no clue where he learned it, he had known it all his life.
"Saria taught me."
"Oh."
They stood for a while, looking at the stars, completely silent. The Fairy twins and the Skull Kid could be seen coming down the road, happy to see Link again, whether or not he was grown up.
"Saria didn't teach you that song, did she?" Sheik asked, looking over at Link.
"No."
"Then where did you learn it?"
Link shrugged casually. Sheik rolled her eyes at him, then looked out at the street. He followed her gaze and saw the thief, Sakon, prancing along.
"I though he would have learned his lesson by now..." Link muttered. Sakon had robbed Kafei of his Wedding Ceremony Mask before Link's first visit to Termina, and Link had helped to gain it back. Link could tell by the look on Sakon's face that he was planning on mugging Sniper, who had stopped outside the Milk Bar and was examining the sign.
"Be right back." Link muttered and jumped off the balcony. He landed silently, creeping over to walk behind the prancing thief. As soon as the thief was nearly upon Sniper, he found two blades threatening to take his life- a belt knife from his would-be victim and Link's diamond sword..
"I thought you already learned your lesson, Sakon." Link scolded the thief, who hadn't changed much over seven years. Sniper merely rolled his eyes.

Dawn of the Second day
-48 hours remain-
Sheik cursed quietly. Rain. She hated rain. It had always prevented her from getting out of the castle, most guards not liking the idea of getting wet, and she wasn't allowed anywhere without them. Although it had aided in her escape, she still had a grudge against rain.
"You look cheery this morning." Link commented sarcasticly as he walked out the door, followed by herself and Sniper.
"Where are we going?" Sheik asked, ignoring his comment, but really didn't care. As long as it was out of that cursed rain.
"We're going to the swamp in the south, then to the mountains in the north." he answered, Nariko leaping up onto his shoulder.
Sheik nodded, hoping it wasn't raining there as well.
Outside of Town, Link pulled out his ocarina and played a song. Epona came running, followed by the other two horses. Sheik hopped on Damon with ease and waited for Sniper to crawl onto Crosten, trying not to laugh at the fifteen year old's antics. After a few moments, they set off towards the south. They cut through a few bushes, Epona trampling a green blob at the same time, ran under an over-turned log half buried in the ground, and passed a tree with an odd drawing on it. They passed through a small area with several large trees in it. Soon they came up to a small area with a wooden bridge that lead to a building that had some sort of ferry underneath it. Lily pads were littered around, as if they were made for use as a pathway of some sort.
"This is the swamp?" Sheik asked, looking around in disbelief. It was awfully small.
"Not all of it." Link replied, dismounted and walked across the little bridge. He climbed up the ladder that led to the front door of the building and shouted for the other two to follow. Link paid the old lady, and the three climbed on the ferry. Link looked as if he had done so countless times, and was extremely bored with the sights of the swamp. Sheik glanced around at the scenery, trying not to look like the awed Zelda that she was inside. There were a few pots that had smoking contents, obviously and advertisement of some sort, Huge flowers that Sheik felt dwarfed by (one with a sign on it, much to her confusion), a waterfall that fell down in one thin stream. Sheik resisted the urge to reach out and feel the water with her hand, somehow finding the beauty of the place almost... romantic... The ferry came to a stop outside what seemed to be the entrance to some nobleman's palace. Upon seeing a sign, she discovered that it was the Deku Palace. Link nodded in reply to the old woman's query ("Will you be disembarking?") and the three walked onto the dock. Link walked into the Deku Palace, followed by Sheik and Sniper. Two small Deku Scrubs were obviously guarding the entrance, chatting with a monkey.
The monkey suddenly stood very rigid, then turned around slowly to face them. The monkey cocked his head in confusion, then ran over to Link.
"It's been a while." Link greeted as the Monkey sniffed him. The Monkey jumped up and down happily, shouting several things all at once that only Link seemed to understand.
"You no understand my meaning?" the Monkey asked suddenly, but before Sheik could stammer out anything, Link had nodded in reply, and the Monkey had bounded off through the entrance that the Deku Scrubs were guarding.
Link saw the confused expression on her face and explained "He's going to tell the Deku Royal Family that we're here."
Sheik sighed and leaned against the wall to wait.

After introductions were made, they were asked to stay for lunch. Of course, they could only agree, not haven eaten anything since that morning. Link was a bit embarrassed about the huge feast they prepared, but he knew that they considered themselves forever in his debt. The whole table was covered in many different varieties of swamp foods, which all happened to be fruits and vegetables. Link chatted leisurely with the Queen (formerly the Princess that Link had saved from the cursed temple seven years ago, but now married and in control of the swamp), never forgetting to give the proper courtesies. The three were sitting cross-legged at the table, the chairs too small to support the three hylians and the table too small for them to do otherwise. Soon the meal was finished, and the three took their leave, with a very satiated Nariko and a very unhappy Urza (wolves are carnivores, Deku Scrubs are vegetarians). The three took the ferry back while listening to the complaints of a very unhappy Koume (or Kotake... he could never remember which witch she was), mounted, and rode off towards the north.

Night of the Second Day
-36 hours remain-
Link sighed as he looked around at the mountains in the Springtime. He dismounted at the entrance and left Epona to graze. He ran across the series of bridges, looking down into the water and keeping his blade ready. A wolfos appeared, and Link got ready to dance. The wolfos pulled a full circle around the green-clad warrior, then dove in for the kill. Link dodged the attack with ease and ran towards the creature's back and pierced it's flesh, killing the wolfos in one blow. Link whiped his blade on the grass and continued on.
They entered the Goron city, and Link admired the many slopes and passes of the winding cliffs before continuing on. He walked into the Goron town hall, paying no attention to the series of wires that once was the chandelier. He walked up the path that wound around the circular room and looked into the bedroom. He saw the elder's son, now much older than the crying baby Goron that Link had once known. He smiled and walked back out of the stone hall, where his friends were waiting outside. He now knew that all was well in the mountains.

Back in town, Sheik heard that song again. She got up out of her bed and walked over to the balcony, where Link was playing his ocarina yet again. It was the same, haunting song he played the night before. He put the ocarina away, and she smiled at him. He turned around, frowned at her, then went back to leaning against the wall and staring at the stars. She almost felt something deep within herself tug painfully at the fact that he was ignoring her for the moment, but mentally shoved it away. Link seemed to be in his own little world, as if reliving a past experience, but that seemed all he had been doing the whole time they were there. Reminiscing about the past... something she refused to do on a daily basis. It seemed as if he willingly chose to remember, but the memories seemed painful to him. Why would he remember something if it was so painful to do so? So that he wouldn't forget?
"Where did you meet Sniper?" he asked, snapping himself out of his own trance. She was startled a bit, but shook her head.
"I met him in Kakariko, a few days after I ran away."
Link nodded. After a while of silence, he decided to speak up again "Is that his real name? Sniper?"
She shrugged. "I've never heard him called anything else. He sounded like he had a name before that, but nobody knew what it was...
'We found him, in the burnt down village not too far away.' they told me. The village had suffered a severe attack, and at first they thought it was the Gerudo. But the village was too small, two houses at the most, really, and the people who lived there had no real valuable assets. 'The boy' they called him, and he seemed not to care. I asked to see him once, and they let me in. He looked a wreck. He obviously hadn't eaten in weeks, his face was completely emotionless, and he couldn't be any older than thirteen and he looked like he was planning to kill someone!" Sheik shook her head, and continued, "So, I asked him his name, and he told me 'What does it matter?'. So then I pulled out a huge sword I had bought earlier, and placed it in his hand. He looked at it, and frowned, and I told him 'If you want to learn how to use it, I can teach you.' So I taught him. We trained, and I got to know a bit about him. His brother had been killed in the raid and he never knew his parents. A year after we started training, he gave me a name. Sniper. I'll never understand him completely." she sighed, finishing the story. After a while, the two went back inside.

Link couldn't sleep. He knew it had nothing to do with learning Sniper's past, he just could not sleep. Sleep...
He could hear Zelda toss and turn, mumbling in her sleep. Since they had to share a room, they all slept with their clothes on, Link just in his breeches, Sniper in his jeans, and Sheik in the whole outfit. Sniper called her crazy, but she just ignored him. Link looked over at her. What was she doing?

She was trapped... and there was Link, hands on the crystal prison, only half listening to what the evil king was claiming. He had a confused, lost, almost scared look on his face as he looked at the crystal prison. Zelda tossed around in her bed, nightmares plaguing her. He pounded on it, his muscles tense, his body shaking.
"Let her go, Ganondorf! This is between you and me!" he demanded, and Ganon laughed evilly.
"Zelda, what's wrong?"
Flash. Link moved to protect her as a crashing sound came from the center of the wreckage. He ran forwards, Master Sword drawn, and suddenly a ring of fire surrounded the wreckage. Ganondorf emerged from the wreckage, eyes glowing, and raised his hand, the Triforce symbol glowing.
"Zelda, wake up!"
Flash. Link was hit by one of the swords Ganon carried. He was shaking with pain. She screamed. He rolled to one side, avoiding the blade aimed for his head. He rolled again, then leaped to his feet and drew his bow. Light energy lit up the area, and Link released the arrow. It flew towards its target, Ganon's face, and found a mark. The great beast screamed hideously, standing rigid with pain. Link took his chance and dashed towards the unprotected tail of Ganon. He brought the Biggoron's Sword down upon it, and the mighty beast fell to the ground. The flames died down, and she called out to Link. He ran towards the fallen Master Sword and grabbed a hold of it. He ran back to fight again, but before he could arm another arrow, he was blown back by the twin swords of the enraged Ganon. She screamed...
...and she bolted awake, a thin film of sweat covering her body. Link was sitting on the edge of her bed, and had obviously been trying to wake her up. Without paying any attention to what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around him, shaking with fear. At first, he seemed startled, but soon gave in, letting her sob and cry and pound his body for all she was worth. Neither of them knew that Zelda's dream was a memory long past. Lucky for them both, Sniper slept like a log.

Dawn of the Final Day
-24 hours remain-
Link sighed as he drew back the light arrow and aimed it at the large block with the sun on a blue background. It disappeared as soon as the arrow touched it, and Link walked inside. He saw that the Re-Deads were still there, much to his dismay, but as soon as they saw him they started to dance. Link walked through the door they were guarding and put the old and worn Garo's mask away.
"Who dares enter my chamber...?" the creepy voice asked, and Link grinned.
"That never scared me before, King Yigorse, and it never will." he replied, and the King stood once again.
"Ah, one who brought the light to the darkened realm of Ikana, I see you have returned. Your light has not died, I can see."
"It's in the job description." Link replied, still smiling, "Is all well, Lord of Ikana?"
"We have not been troubled by darkness for seven years, young hero. I see that you have been through hard times since we last met."
Link chuckled a little before speaking, "Not near as hard as those three days I spent in Termina seven years ago."
The King laughed, and Link politely took his leave, deciding that he should be getting back to his friends.

"Be right back." Link muttered as he waded into the water in the ocean. Sheik looked out at the ocean and, before she knew it, Link dove in. She glanced around frantically, looking for the green-clad figure. She saw only a Zora leaping in and out of the waves.

Link promptly took off the Zora's mask as soon as his feet touched land, not wanting to cause trouble with Mikau being back. Mikau was a Zora guitarist of the band the Indigo-Gos, who Link had found dying in the ocean during his original stay. The Zora could not be healed, so Link helped lay his soul to rest, and the Zora was turned into a mask, enabling Link to change his form into that of the Zora's. Link walked into the Zora Hall and was seen by a Zora. The Zora told him to pay a few rupees for attending the Rehearsal of the Indigo-Gos, so Link paid, his wallet only lightened a small amount. He leaned against the wall and listened. The Zora were performing fine without Mikau, another Zora having taken his place. After the 'Ballad of the Wind Fish' was finished, Link stayed a bit longer and listened to gossip. Luckily, nothing was wrong in the sea. Times were peaceful, and Link could be more at ease. But... what had scared Zelda so much that night? He didn't ask her about it, knowing that she wouldn't want to talk about it, but he could have sworn he heard her mumble Ganon once or twice. But she didn't remember, nobody remembered but him and few others. Very few. He shook his head and dove into the water at the entrance, putting on the Zora's Mask once again. He swam out to meet Sheik and Sniper, pausing before he reached the surface to remove the Mask. He climbed out of the water, soaking wet, and smiled at them, then they headed back to town.

Night of the Final Day
-12 hours remain-
Link looked around from under the Don Gero's Mask, unsure of why everyone wore masks on the occasion. It was to 'honor the giants' or something like that, but Link still didn't understand it. He shook his head. He looked around for the Bremen Mask among the crowd, which he had lent to Zelda. She was borrowing an outfit from someone, apparently, but she still needed a mask.
He soon spotted the bird-shaped mask in the crowd, adorned upon a pale face. She was wearing a white silk kimono with a deep navy blue sash about her waist, and she wore a ribbon of the same blue in her hair, keeping most of it out of her face. She soon noticed him, and walked over to speak with him. He could see couples dancing around the square, and his eyes widened when he saw Zelda smile.
"You're not..." he began, but she suddenly grabbed his arm and began to drag him towards the square. He knew the dance well, he had watched it from the shadows, but he never actually danced before. The dance was a swift one, with lots of spinning and movement, and Link was unsure that he was actually doing it. When it finally ended, a slow, peaceful song picked up, which Link immediately recognized as the Song of Healing. The dance then wasn't really a dance, just swaying back and forth. Link sighed. Even if she didn't remember, Link would make sure that this wasn't the last time they danced.

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