Chapter Text
Three years had passed since the defeat of Ganon. Three long and eventful years. For one person these years had become painful and she was aware that she was at fault for that fact. Queen Zelda was walking on Hyrule field, seeing the newly built Hyrule Castle stand proud against the sky. White walls with blue roofs. So different from the one she used to call home in her childhood. That one was gone, replaced by Ganon’s Castle that now no longer existed either. Painful memories. The loss of her Father and the one friend she could have counted on the most, the Hero of Time. Although he lived now in another time, it was no different from being dead as he was out of her life.
Her thoughts of self pity were distracted when suddenly the ground began to shake. Zelda gasped and turned around, hearing a loud and terrifying sound.
A massive wave of darkness, coming from the distance and growing bigger and bigger. It almost looked like water, but was pitch black. The outline of a dark and evil face seemed to push through the mass. Zelda turned and tried to run but the dark sea soon engulfed her Kingdom before beginning to crash down onto her.
Zelda screamed.
“What is it this time?!” A man asked, laying beside her. Zelda had woken up. It was a nightmare.
“It happened again, Ferdinand! It felt so real! I felt it in my bones!” Zelda cried.
Indeed it was a recurring dream. The facts of where they were now were all the same, but the dark flood was nonexistent. At least at the moment.
“Zelda… Are you sure you don’t want to get a doctor for that? You’ve been having those nightmares all the time.”
“No! I am not insane! My dreams are not just dreams, they are visions…”
“Visions… Well not all of them have to be visions, do they? You are still traumatized, my dear. That monster is gone.” He placed a hand onto her shoulder.
“You will never understand..” she turned away, refusing his attempt at comforting her.
While he did consider another attempt at calming her down, previous nightmares had shown that it was likely to be fruitless and so Ferdinand grumbled and laid down again. “Not for lack of trying…”
That was Prince Ferdinand of Hytopia, also titled King of Hyrule. A very fashionable man. Long light green hair. Tall. Generally a handsome man. Zelda and him had gotten married within the first year of Hyrule’s freedom from Ganon. It was for political reasons only, as this way Hyrule could receive aid for the rebuilding and indeed it was useful, as the capital and new Castle were built in record time. It was not a marriage of true love, but nonetheless one that brought them a child. A little girl also named Zelda, who was barely a year old at this point. Queen Zelda herself was still quite young and had to deal with the reconstruction of Hyrule, a political marriage and motherhood, all next to her own trauma and feelings of regret. Ever since the birth of little Zelda, the mental state of the young mother deteriorated increasingly. It didn’t help that Zelda and Impa were on worse terms, after an argument in regards to her choice of sending Link away. Impa had told her it was a bad idea - but at the same time that Zelda would have to learn to live with it now, as it could not be undone. It was the truth, but so painful to hear, that Zelda no longer confided in Impa as much as she used to. That meant her feelings were now eating her up, ripping and tearing at any stability she contained.
With a deep sigh, the young Queen stood up from their lavish bed. She took on a smooth white silk robe over her light pink nightgown and left the room. It wasn’t even bright outside yet, but she just couldn’t lay down when everything felt so bad and needed a moment. As she walked down the stairs of the grand entrance hall of the Castle, Zelda was met with something that was a painful reminder of her actions. A statue of the Hero of Time with his sword held up high. She had commissioned it, so that his memory would forever live on, but it hurt. He was celebrated and not present to enjoy it. She was not able to thank him over and over again, although she wished she could. And it was all her fault. Back then she had decided for him that he should go back to the past one final time, to go and be where he belonged. At home where he could be the child that he couldn’t be here and experience youth to its fullest. Link did not refuse. He would have probably accepted anything she forced his way. He was just like that. Never putting himself first. So warm in his smile and righteous in his actions. So accepting of fate.
Zelda stood in front of the statue and began to cry again. She felt selfish. Surely he must be happy out there, wherever he is. Maybe those nightmares of hers were a punishment for her own selfishness. So she thought. But at the same time, they felt too real. Too much like the ones she had when she was young. Her father did not listen and now her husband was not taking her seriously either. Link would have. But now she had no hero and seemingly no proper future. The darkness clearly represented Ganon and clearly someday he would break free with no one to stop him. She would try, but was aware it might never be enough. The prophecies never lied.
The brokenhearted woman couldn’t take it anymore and fell to her knees. Link deserved his happiness, but at the same time she felt she doomed her Kingdom, her people and her bloodline.
It was still so early that none of the servants were there to see their Queen cry. Perhaps Impa would have calmed her, but even she was not present. As she cried there, alone and hurting, dawn began showing itself and the first rays of orange-ish sunlight hit her face, also illuminating the grand statue before her. Zelda slowly looked up at him, at her Link made of stone. Her tears slowly came to a halt and she stood up. Her mind was made up.
Quietly she stepped back into the royal quarters. Ferdinand had fallen back asleep and Zelda was careful not to wake him as she unlocked a golden box in her boudoir. From it she removed the sacred instrument that she had used for drastic actions before. The Ocarina of Time.
With it in her hand, she moved to another room. That of her child. Little Zelda who was still asleep. A tiny baby.
The relationship with her daughter had not been the easiest. She felt some love for this child, but her own pain made it hard for her to be as loving as she could be. She had put an innocent life into a world that might not welcome it. That fact made it hard for her to bond.
“I am so sorry, my sweet child. You don’t deserve a world of ruin.” She leaned down to kiss her forehead. “It will all be over soon…”
Then in this moment of regret, fear and mental anguish, Zelda placed the ocarina to her lips. After a deep breath, she began to play the lullaby that her mother and Impa had played for her when she was little, but she had also played for her daughter when she cried. This time it was different, as Zelda infused her playing with magic, which made her glow in a bluish hue.
“Did you need to play this so early?” Ferdinand muttered as he walked into the room, rubbing his eyes. As his vision cleared, he saw that something was happening. “What?! Zelda NO!” He shouted and ran for his wife, but before he could even reach her, a bright blast emitted from her body, almost throwing him off his feet and blinding him.
“Zelda!”
Once the light and accompanying blur faded, Ferdinand saw that his wife was gone and their child was crying. “No… No!” He fell onto his knees. “What did you do?!”
Zelda had left this timeline. It was a drastic action and perhaps not well thought out. She wanted to change the future and undo her mistakes. If she was aware of the fact that this timeline would continue existing and the future of her descendants in this timeline was still doomed…? Pained minds can sometimes act in mysterious ways.
Next came a void in the sky. Ganon had just been defeated and Zelda was talking to Link, while Link’s fairy floated above them.
“Link, please give the Ocarina to me…” Zelda told the Hero of Time, who was covered in cuts and bruises from the heavy battle he just fought. “As a sage, I can return you to your original time with it.”
Link heard the words and his eyes opened wide. Return him to his original time? What for, he wondered. But he believed in Zelda’s wisdom and took the Ocarina of Time out of his pocket while Zelda held out her hand, ready to accept it.
Once he had placed it down, Zelda placed her hand onto his hand. She appeared to try and force a smile, when she felt ready to cry. “When peace returns to Hyrule, it will be time for us to say good-bye…”
In that moment Link felt tears well up in his eyes. To say good-bye, without ever having a moment of peace together. Yet he was willing to accept it, if Zelda thought it was the best for him. “Zelda…” he muttered under his breath, blinking the tears away.
Zelda smiled at him as the tears finally made their way down her cheeks. “Now go home, Link. Home where you are-”
Before she could finish her sentence, Zelda suddenly gasped painfully, her eyes opening wide. “Agh!” The Ocarina fell out of her hands, dropping to the invisible ground below. Luckily it did not fall into the void.
“Zelda!” Link shouted, grabbing her shoulders as it seemed she was about to fall back.
Then her gaze returned to normal. The Zelda of the future had reunited with her 17 year old self. “L-Link…?” She looked at her hero. The boy she had not seen in 3 years. The boy she thought she would never see again. “Oh Link!” she sobbed.
“Zelda…? What- What is wrong?!” Link was confused and worried.
“I can’t do this… You deserve happiness… you deserve to have your youth…. But… I’m scared of what will happen if I let you go…” Her words were filled with pain and fear. Fear of the known and the unknown.
“Zelda…” he was still holding onto her shoulders, but now gently wrapped his arms around her.
The young royal saw that kind and caring face of his and remembered their youth. The little boy who was listening to her and made her laugh with masks from the market. Could she really take away the childhood of this adorable little boy? Maybe the Zelda of the past would still be open to be happy with him. And yet the thought was too much. She cried into his shoulder, trying hard to contain herself, but it was impossible. The tears refused to stop. All while Link still held her.
Seeing this scene unfold, Link’s trusted companion Navi flew around them, leaving a trail of sparkles in her wake, like a line circling around the pair.
“Princess, I.. I don’t know what is happening, but I’m here for you.”
“Link..” She looked into his eyes. Throughout all of this, she was making choices. For her Kingdom and for him. But did Link ever have a choice?
“Link I…. I’m sorry. I ruined your life up until now… I shouldn’t make this choice for you.”
“Zelda, I know you mean well.”
“I do, but… that is not enough. So Link… “ She moved out of his arms and instead took his hands into hers. “I can take you back to your childhood, so you can regain those 7 years and grow up the way that you should. To experience youth in all facets. But… I can also let you stay here, but that would mean you lose all of those years forever. You will never be 10 years old again… or any other age before this one. You will be missing out on all these experiences you could have had…” She sniffled as she explained it.
Link understood that the second option meant permanent loss, but as he thought about it, he wondered what he would gain by reliving his childhood. A lot for sure, but Zelda seemed so upset at the thought of letting him go there, even if she tried to make the option sound better.
“If… I go back in time, will all of this be undone? Will you stop existing or go back to your younger self?” He asked, wanting to understand these options better.
“I don’t know what will happen in the past, but… I know I will continue existing. This ruined, but freed Hyrule will continue existing.”
“So you're telling me that… I will leave this world, but you will be alone…?”
As Link asked for clarification, Zelda looked down, nodding somberly. After all she knew that this was true in the most painful way.
Link suddenly chuckled, though he still had tears in his eyes. “How will you rebuild Hyrule without the extra helping hand of a hero?”
“Link…?”
“Zelda. I lost my childhood. But so did you in those 7 years of hiding. Maybe I’m still a child in my mind, but physically I’m older. So is my brain. I’m sure my mind will get there soon.”
As Zelda heard Link say that, she began to wonder. She was mentally even older now, but perhaps Link could indeed eventually match this maturity, if given enough time. Time she was willing to give him, if it came to it.
“Then tell me Link, what is it that you want?”
“I want to go and announce our win to our people, Zelda. You and I. We have a reason to party! Hyrule is free!”
He had made his decision and he did not seem unhappy about it. His enthusiasm made Zelda even chuckle through her tears. “Yes, I’m sure everyone will want to celebrate.”
“I hope so! And I hope there will be lots of food! I’m starving!” Link had shaken off the tears. The fact that he did not have to leave and part from this world filled him with joy.
Zelda felt that maybe this wasn’t so bad. It was his choice after all.
Navi also seemed to agree as she flew around them several times more, letting more sparkly particles rain over the two.
“Then let’s go, Link. Let us tell the others.”
“Yes! Let’s go!” First he picked up the Ocarina and then placed it into her hand. “My princess.”
The way he addressed her made her smile. She literally was his princess and yet it did not sound as if he addressed her as a literal princess. It was more affectionate. Like she was his princess only.
“I shall bring us to the temple of time,” she told him, before placing the Ocarina to her lips.
Soon light engulfed them and finally they went down to the land of Hyrule, to let the people know that the reign of terror was finally over.
And so a new timeline was created. One version of the Hero of Time had already been sent back to his childhood, creating one timeline. Another timeline also existed with the descendant of Zelda, but not with herself or a hero as she had sent him away and then later herself. And who knows if there wasn’t one in which the hero was not successful…
But this newly made timeline now had both the hero and the princess. Zelda’s actions created worlds with different outcomes. But if not for her messing with time to begin with, this would have been the only outcome.
Indeed the Hyrule of this timeline did have a future. Many generations passed by and Ganon did not return. Normally, when evil is about to return, one person is born to face him someday, alongside the person who carried the blood of the goddess Hylia. That cycle was broken for a while when the hero was removed from his time. Here it was different.
At the edge of the forest one could find a quaint place named ‘Korake Village’. Surrounded by trees, most buildings were made of wood and many worked in agriculture based jobs. One cottage stood out as it was made of stone with a light green-yellowish plant based roof. Smoke came out of its chimney and inside the home a blacksmith, tall and of a wider stature with dark hair and a strong beard, was finishing up his newest piece. Something that looked almost too lavish for the place it came from. A sword with a long thin blade and a golden handle.
One last move and the blacksmith could finally admire his finished piece. “Whew!” He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and knew he had to show this to a certain someone.
In another room, a young boy, about 13, was asleep in his bed. He had somewhat long blonde hair that was parted in the middle. On the sides he had long bangs that went a bit further down than his collarbone.
“Link! Link! Wake up!” The voice of the blacksmith called from the other room.
“Ugh…” Link groaned and slowly opened one eye, before shifting awake, rubbing both eyes and stretching. He wore a tan colored shirt and pants of a similar style. An outfit that he now extended by a pumpkin orange vest and leather boots. His hair was open and messy as he left the room.
In the other room, the general living and working space, he found the blacksmith with his proud work on the table.
“Link! There you are! Were you asleep again?”
“Sorry Uncle Baltus. Didn’t sleep so well.”
“What? Why so?”
“I had a strange dream - or at least I think I did. I only remember bits and pieces, but I know it was strange…”
“Hmm… well Link, you are awake now, so don’t worry about it! Instead come and admire this!”
“Woah!” Link looked at the sword in detail. “It looks amazing!”
“Doesn’t it? I’m sure it will be well received tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow…?”
“Wait.. Link did you forget?! This sword is a special gift! To the royal family! Don’t you remember? It’s the birthday of Princess Zelda tomorrow!”
“Oh! I mean I knew! But uh…”
“You forgot the day, didn’t you?”
Link scratched his head, smiling shyly. “Yeah, I did.”
Baltus sighed. “Well better to remind you now than tomorrow. You are coming with me after all! I can’t believe you forgot!”
“I know that much!” Link responded. “I just lost track of time…”
“Hmph. Well then I’ll be easy on you, my boy!” He ruffled through his hair, making it even more messy.
“Agh! Hey!”
“Don’t act like you didn’t have a bad case of bed hair to begin with!”
“Not like I knew!”
“Well anyway! Link, I think this calls for a celebration. Why don’t you go and get us some firewood? I’ll make us a nice hearty stew! You know, the one with lots of meat!”
“I am hungry… Okay fine I’ll go get the firewood!”
“Okay, but first brush your hair! And remember, don’t go too far into the forest!”
“Yeah, same as always…”
Link then went back to his bedroom and brushed his hair before tying it into a low ponytail. Then he passed by the main room once more before finally stepping out into the brightness of Korake Village.
Indeed, despite similar appearance, this Link was not the same Link mentioned earlier. While more of the story of the Hero of Time and Queen Zelda will be revealed at different points, they were people of the past. This was the Link of the present. And as he left his home, he was not yet aware that today would mark the entry into a quest of fate.