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Part 1 of Time Adrift at the Beginning
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2024-03-28
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2024-06-18
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The Fallen Time

Summary:

The Hero of Time fell once, but how? How did he fall and how did Ganondorf become simply Ganon? Surely the Sages and Zelda would have trapped him in a weaker form instead.

Link knows the answer even if he doesn't remember it.

Notes:

The first chapter is what I originally wrote for this idea. Link was a captive of Ganondorf's and spent years tortured before being killed by the Master Sword. Future chapters will show what exactly happened in more detail but for now this sort of 'end' point is all that I have completed.

Chapter 1: The Shorter Original Version

Chapter Text

"At last I have you, Princess. You and your companions hid well, but I knew having the hero here would lure you out eventually." Ganondorf was pleased.

Link wanted to twist and escape from here, maybe to go back to the forest he'd left... he didn't know how long ago but it had been years for certain. He was dragged forwards by the Stalfos, one on each side as though he could walk on his own with all the damage done to his feet and legs. The skin on the soles of his feet hurt at the simple thought of standing on his own forget about doing anything else and even if he could, the way the bones in his legs had healed would make getting more than two steps excruciating.

"We will never surrender to you!" Zelda cried back.

Link wanted to smile at that, at the defiance in her voice, but could hardly keep his head up. The potion he'd been forced to drink sapped him of his energy, something he expected given the dark orange color of it, and he was hardly able to stay aware of where he was.

The Hallway opened up to the ornate windowed room Ganondorf loved having him dragged to whenever he wanted to practice his magic on a living being. He shivered remembering the lightning that had been used last time he was in this room. Zelda and six others were being held across from Ganondorf who was laughing now. Link swallowed and tried to think of how he could get them free.

A glance towards Ganondorf revealed the Master Sword and Link vaguely remembered the Song of Time. That was it! He dug into his own magic reserves and carefully tugged at them, he had experimented some with his magic in the past. During his captivity Link discovered that if he was careful he could reverse time to an extent and now seeing Zelda and those he suspected were the Sages trapped as they were, Link knew he had to free them.

Working slowly, carefully, Link wound his magic around each of them to loosen the curses that bound them. As he freed them he felt each one working to help him free Zelda. Just as he finally freed her from the curse upon her something struck him.

Gasping Link looked and saw the Master Sword driven through his chest, as though waiting for him to be aware of it pain raced outwards and Link shuddered. The blade seemed to darken, his blood tarnishing the once gleaming silver metal, and he slumped hearing two voices screaming. A flash of light appeared as he slumped to the ground, the Stalfos dropping him and running away no doubt hoping to escape whatever would befall them if the Sages reached them.

Link pushed with the last of his magic and gathered the sword to himself, floating away from the Sages and Zelda. He could feel as she, the Sword, tried to grab onto him but he ignored it for now as he quickly left the room, left the whole place. He passed Kakariko and saw someone watching him, the man on the rooftop, as he drifted past with the sword. Finally he found a spot in the woods near the Village, the woods near the base of Death Mountain, and he dropped her, the Sword, where she ended up partially buried in the dirt... no in the stone that the dirt was turned into by whatever magic still remained.

Relieved that it was over, that for now the world would wait for a new and better hero to save it Link let go. He allowed her to grab him and drag him away, his only lament was that he had failed the next Hero beyond saving the Sword for him and even that hardly seemed like enough. Link closed his eyes, ethereal as they were, exhausted and ready to rest.

Then he opened them, looking around startled to see a glowing blue ball bobbing around him. Something deep in his mind seemed to scream that this wasn't right but it was swiftly silenced. Link looked around, glancing down at himself to see he was taller than he felt he should be and wearing white and green where he last thought he remembered green and brownish red. Shaking it off he turned to go, he had a Kingdom to save after all.

Chapter 2: Through the Eyes of a Child

Notes:

This starts with a what if. Namely what if Link was not sealed away for a few years at first? This is my answer and where things actually begin.

Chapter Text

A child, he knew what he was, was expected to save everyone. Link knew it was wrong, that it was cruel, but he still had to try. As Navi flew back to him from looking at the sword, Link ran across the room hoping that he could manage to do what he was asked to do. He could hardly lift the sword and yet slowly and surely it came free. Navi spoke so well of it, the Master Sword, but all he could see was another item he needed to fight the man with the evil eyes. He stared in wonder for a moment at the gleaming silver blade.

Someone was behind him. Link turned, trying to lift the sword so he could fight but it shook, the hilt was too big for him and the sword was too much so he had to lower it again as the tall man came into the Temple. It didn’t take more than a moment to recognize the man who had followed Zelda and Impa as they escaped.

“Good work, kid.” He was praised.

Link glared at him, he refused to be praised for failing Zelda like this. They had tried so hard to stop this man and Link had the sickening feeling that instead of stopping him they only made it easier for him to do what he wanted.

Lifting the sword once again he tried to attack him but was easily knocked aside. He tried again only this time the man shot some sort of energy blast at him and Link gave a cry of pain as what felt like lightning ran through him. He quickly shook it off and scrambled to his feet. Once there he looked at the room. The man was holding his hand out towards where the Master Sword had been, the Master Sword lay between the two of them, and Link himself was against a wall with Navi cowering under his hat and Zelda’s ocarina tucked safely in his pouch.

Zelda said that Ganondorf must not get the instrument, but Link knew that he would fail if he stayed. Giving the Master Sword, the weapon he kept being told was the only thing that could beat Ganondorf, a look he quickly and quietly left the Temple, tears filling his eyes. He had failed again. Maybe he should have grabbed that sword but he couldn’t carry it, and he couldn’t risk Ganondorf taking Zelda’s ocarina.

It was surprisingly easy to sneak out of Castle Town, no one was looking for a child to be trying to leave when there were so many others that seemed richer and more powerful trying to do so. Outside of the town Link tried to think of where to go, Zelda and Impa had gone towards the Lake but Link suspected that he wouldn’t find them. Not when they had been counting on him to protect the Triforce and the Kingdom. Swallowing thickly he turned towards the forest. Maybe Saria would know what to do.

Quickly, as quickly as his small legs could move, Link hurried towards the forest. Some instinct of his directed him to hide not long after he passed the river leading to the Zora’s Domain so he ducked into a small grotto that he’d found while exploring the field. Outside the grotto some power seemed to wash over everything and Link curled up under the Hylian Shield trembling, trying to not cry. Navi finally came out from under his hat and hovered in front of him.

“It’s okay Link.” She said gently.

“It’s not.” He replied, tears running down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them away but more came. “I failed again. Like I failed the Great Deku Tree.”

“We can still do it.” She said, her tiny voice didn’t seem convinced. Still she hovered there for a moment then tried to wipe away some of his tears herself.

Link pulled the ocarina out of his pouch and looked at it. “We need to get this to Zelda. Do you think the forest spirits would help us, or one of the Great Fairies?”

Navi chimed softly, almost sadly as she looked at the blue instrument too. “Maybe. We should ask Saria.”

Link nodded quietly but didn’t play Saria’s Song yet. He shuddered again as he thought about that power he’d felt after hiding in the grotto. Tomorrow, he would play it tomorrow and see if Saria had any ideas for getting the instrument back to Zelda.

“We’ll be okay.” Navi said, sounding sure of it.

“... yeah.” Link didn’t think so. He was really sure that he had just failed really badly and that it would hurt a lot of people, but maybe he was wrong… maybe.

Chapter 3: The Perlude of a Fall

Notes:

This is the result of me thinking about why the Goron and Zora are so different in A Link to the Past from Ocarina of Time.

Chapter Text

“Hey kid, where’s the fairy?” 

Link paused and looked at the old woman who had been speaking to him. He gave a small shrug and looked away, a little anxious about what he was asked and worried that they might be trying to get information from him to give to Ganondorf. It had happened a few times already but he had always managed to sneak away before the guards or monsters had found him.

“She is visiting one of the Great Fairies.” He replied quietly.

“Is that so?”

He nodded then tucked the fruits he’d just bought into his pack. It wasn’t much that he carried, a change of clothes and a ratty blanket along with what food he found and the few treasures he’d gotten while helping out before the King was killed. Still it let him hide a little better with the people here for now. Though the question made Link wonder if perhaps he should move on already, if they had time to question Navi’s absence then he had lingered too long.

Before anyone else could stop him for conversation Link slipped through the crowd, he needed to get a new whetstone and some oil then he could leave. The old sword he’d found near a dead soldier had served him well with the few monsters that he ran into now, though he largely avoided them so he wouldn’t have to fight a large group or end up being dragged to the Castle. It had quickly become apparent to him that Ganondorf was searching for him and Link had nothing to disguise himself. Even his accent gave him away and the less said about his clothes and weapons the better. Link simply looked out of place and everyone knew it so every little bit that let him hide helped.

Swiftly he darted out of the village into some surrounding trees, he’d thought about climbing Death Mountain and checking on the Gorons but his clothes offered little protection against the fiery rocks that rained down on him as he climbed. Besides, last time he visited he was told that they were delving deeper to hide inside one of their old abandoned Temples so the Gorons likely wouldn’t even be there… despite how much Link wished for a friendly face. His words of farewell last time, the warning of the Evil King moving against the few peoples still free, must have had some effect.

Passing near the Domain he frowned, noticing that the air seemed to be growing a little colder and he slipped past the destroyed fence intending on checking on the Zora. He knew the Kokiri Forest and Lost Woods had their protections fully active, the fairy magic he’d become saturated in with how often he visited the Great Fairies allowed him to slip through those unharmed though he avoided the forest there as much as possible so they wouldn’t get burned down. It would be just like the pig he tried to avoid to burn down a forest to try and kill or capture one child. Link refused to allow it to the best of his abilities.

 Finally reaching the top of the river where a waterfall hid the actual Domain he quietly whistled the song that would grant him access, the ocarina he carried still would make too much noise and draw attention. A light hop and he was inside and able to look around. The first thing he noticed was that the Domain seemed colder, the waters seemed to flow more sluggishly and the stones seemed to have an intense chill to them. Alarmed, he ran along the path to where the King sat. When he got there he felt a little relief seeing that the Zora King was still well but it was all too quickly replaced with worry.

“Your Majesty?” Link asked softly.

“Ah, Link. What brings you here today?”

“You.. I know you have been looking for a way to repay me for dealing with the monsters in Lord Jabu Jabu’s pool, I have come up with a way.”

“Have you now? Then speak. What is it you would ask of me?”

“I know it may seem like a great thing and entirely unnecessary but I ask you that you and your people move further upstream from here. The Domain grows cold, and the chill from it seeps into the walls. I fear for you and your people, Your Majesty, and I would ask that as my reward. I can think of nothing greater than the safety of those I wish to protect.”

The Zora King seemed to think about what Link asked, he studied him with his dark eyes and at last nodded.

“Those who can will go, and those who cannot will remain here or swim towards the sea. I will remain, my daughter has spoken at length about needing to shore up our defenses against the King and I will not leave before she is convinced likewise. Even so I will have word spread and those willing to move on.”

“Thank you.” Link felt relief settle in his chest and felt like crying. Here was one people that he would not have to worry as much about. Knowing that made it easier for him to slip outside of the Domain once again. There were enough grottos that he could reach from here that he wasn’t worried about himself either… except for that gnawing edge of loneliness where Navi and her company should be. Still it was better for her to be with the Great Fairy or with Zelda than with him.

Chapter 4: Courage in Darkness

Chapter Text

It was by chance that Link had gotten caught after five years of slipping past Ganondorf’s men. He’d asked Navi to stay with one of the Great Fairies to help get the Ocarina back to Zelda three years into his travels so he hadn’t known that the Moblins were outside the grotto he’d spent the night in. When he left the grotto he’d been hit from behind and managed to fight back a little, just enough to make them mad. The moblin that attacked him ripped the sword out of his hand and flung it away. He tried to defend himself from it with his shield but that too was torn from his grasp, the old leather strap breaking easily as it was yanked away. 

Left without sword or shield, Link was easily knocked to the ground where his pack was then removed from him, his few possessions taken and left scattered around in the dirt just outside of the grotto he’d taken to using for shelter, one between the Kokiri Forest and the Zora’s Domain. He spared a look at them and passingly was glad that he still had the ocarina Saria had given him. It wasn’t much but it was the last thing he had that truly had any meaning to him.

He cursed himself for leaving the grotto without checking, he almost always checked first or he asked a fairy to do so instead but the ones he’d shared his shelter with had been exhausted so he’d decided to go without stirring them or checking in case he woke them. Still Link could content himself with the knowledge that it had taken years before Ganondorf had managed to catch him. Link had managed that much, or was it that little? He wasn’t sure anymore, he wasn’t sure of anything since that day he left the Master Sword behind to try and survive.

Five years of traveling through Hyrule and slowly fixing what he could, of giving the people hope that things could improve. Five years of doing what so many feared to do and so many couldn’t. He missed his friends from the forest, from the ranch, really from everywhere all the time. He was so lonely without Navi but it was better that he was alone. No one was with him and he truly stayed nowhere so that they wouldn’t get hurt because he stayed there, not even the Great Fairies convinced him to stay for more than a night, and the grottos had become a home of sorts for a time.

Still as he was dragged through the ruined Castle Town Link nearly cried, so many people had died here, he could see the ReDead and almost feel the spirits that lingered here. After so much time spent with only fairies and the Great Fairies for company he was more attuned to the feeling of the living and the dead and he was sick as he felt just how that balance tipped here. Internally he wished that Aiyana, the Goddess of Time, would simply erase this all, that Zelda would be able to undo it and to give these people a better chance. Maybe she couldn’t though. Maybe Link’s failure had made it so Zelda couldn’t fix anything.

The path leading to the Castle was no better, if anything it was so much worse. Stalfos and Poe seemed to fill the area with malice and a lingering thirst for the lives that had been ripped from them. At last he was led into the castle, a bridge of dark energy forming the path inside, and up through the staircases to the tower where Ganondorf awaited. The room he was led to was lined with red tapestries and seemed to have a slight tang of copper in the air. Held securely between the two Moblins, Link silently stared at the man wondering how he could have won that day though the logical side of him knew that he would never have been able to do so. A child could only win with luck, and Link had never been very lucky. Not before he had a Fairy of his own and certainly not after he’d had one. Seeing Ganondorf here Link wished he had Navi with him, if only for the tiny bit of comfort she would give him.

“At last I have found it, the Triforce piece that has managed to hide from me. Now only one remains to be claimed.” Ganondorf said, voice darkly pleased. He seemed to study Link as though wondering how Link had whatever it was that he was after. “Soon enough I shall find Princess Zelda and then I shall have all of it!”

Link felt confused and knew his expression must have shown it since Ganondorf merely laughed at him. Why would someone need three pieces of the Triforce? Zelda hadn’t been clear on what it was and did aside from that it had been left by the Three Goddesses. A high pitched sound filled the room, one Link remembered from the past when Ganondorf blasted him with magic and Link tried to twist free of the Moblins. He failed to do so and instead got hit with the blast giving a cry of pain as he did so.

As the pain faded away, leaving him trembling as the aftershocks slowly faded, Link heard Ganondorf laughing. He knew that he was in trouble but he also knew that there was nothing he could do now. He had been caught and without help, help from someone that was as skilled as he himself was, he was as good as dead here. No one was coming for him, meaning that Link would have to figure out how to escape or survive on his own. Opening his eyes he looked up, his eyes held the same determination and resolve that he’d had since he had first been sent on this quest.

“You’ve got good eyes, kid. How about you join me instead?”

“Never.” Link replied sharply, his Hylian rusty and his voice hoarse from lack of use.

“Very well then. If you won’t join me then you can suffer what I do to my enemies.”

Link expected it this time, the surge of light followed by pain. He gasped weakly as he slumped in the hold of the Moblins. They seemed to laugh at his misfortune as they dragged him away. The Moblins led him back down the stairs only they led him further down and through hallways that Link was positive were not there when they went up to the tower. When they finally reached a place deep in the Castle where no light could reach they opened a cell and threw him into it.

Link laid there for a moment, angrily realizing that he was not just a prisoner now but he was meant to lure someone else in. He closed his eyes against furious tears and curled up on top of a pile of rags in the corner. Someday, Link vowed somewhere in his mind, someday he would get free and would save everyone. He owed them that much for having failed so long ago… he wanted to do it now but was too tired, it had been too long since he had truly rested so maybe he would try tomorrow…

Chapter 5: An Unfair Challenge

Chapter Text

How long it had been Link did not know, his time while in the Castle passed in a blur of solitude and pain. Some times he went days without seeing or hearing anyone while others he was kept in a haze of pain from lighting and fire and whatever else Ganondorf and his minions chose to give him. Link could say that he figured out a little of how to call up his own magic, Time Magic was tricky to control though Link called upon Aiyana, the Goddess of Time, for her help in doing so.

He’d managed to heal injuries that would have killed him with her help and his own magic. Sometimes when he was particularly desperate for food he could use his nature magic, one of the few remnants of his life in Kokiri Forest, and a blessing from the Goddess of Life, Farore, to grow something to eat though he seldom did so because he didn’t want the meager food he was given to be taken away.

Bitterly he wondered what it said that he had sunk so low that he would work to keep what little he was given by his enemy, but after the last time he had been dragged in and nearly killed for using his magic to heal himself almost completely Link figured that he should make that effort. He needed to live, something inside of him told him that. It told him that Zelda was still free too, though Link knew that since he was still here. He suspected though that Ganondorf was growing tired of his refusal to side with him and would soon take stronger measures to force his hand one way or another. A bitter laugh left him, his voice even worse than when he’d been brought here despite him talking to himself just to ease the silence a little.

As though answering his thoughts the door opened and the weak light from the hallways burned his eyes. Link hissed but did little else as he heard the door to his cell get unlocked, he had tried to escape before but it had gotten him beaten to the point he had broken ribs and nearly suffocated from them, that was his first real test of healing himself with time magic. Since then he waited patiently for them to come in and grab him. This time it seemed that Stalfos were the guard of choice, Link wondered with some amusement if the Moblins' failure to make him scream in pain last time caused them to fall out of favor or if they were simply being used for something else.

Upwards through the Castle he was carried. Link was torn between annoyance that he was the same height at eighteen as he had been at fifteen, and relief that he wasn’t expected to walk that far on a broken leg. Regardless of how he felt when he was carried into the room where Ganondorf was, the Stalfos left him in a heap on the ground before leaving. The Gerudo turned and smiled cruelly, visibly pleased to see the state Link was in.

“Well, boy, have you considered my offer?”

“Which one?”

“You work for me and receive no more pain.”

Link snorted and shook his head. “I am not naive enough to believe that. Besides, I already told you I will never side with you.”

“Indeed you have.” Ganondorf agreed mildly.

Link tensed but finally stood when he wasn’t attacked with another energy blast. After the twentieth time he’d found that just staying on the ground made the whole process less painful. Now he stood and eyed the tyrant warily.

“Let us have a fight then, if you win I will release you. If I win then I take what I want from you.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“No. Refuse and I will simply kill you.”

Link couldn’t die yet. He knew that, it resonated through his being like his heartbeat did. Standing he shifted a little, trying to figure out how he was expected to be any sort of challenge with his broken bones, both his leg and right arm as well as a few others he couldn’t quite focus on, and other wounds. Strangely Ganondorf did not attack him though and instead gestured towards Link’s right. Slowly turning his head, not entirely willing to take his eyes off of Ganondorf, Link noticed a bottle of blue liquid as well as a sword and shield on the table. Understanding that Ganondorf wanted some semblance of being able to say it was a fair fight he dragged himself over and picked up the bottle, downing the liquid in one go. The potion hurt as it forcefully moved bones and such back to where they should be and healed them. He gasped, leaning against the shelf as his body healed. As soon as it was done his instincts, ones he’d silenced for so long, screamed at him and he grabbed the sword and shield while rolling out of the way.

Something hit right where he was but Link was already on his feet, noting that the sword he held was not the Master Sword, that still resided somewhere else in the tower. On some of the darkest days he could almost hear it trying to speak to him.

It was not a fair fight at all, but he knew that it wouldn’t be. Instead he did his best to get his body to remember how to move, how to fight, and he took more injuries than he wanted. Somehow he managed to land strikes of his own but Link knew he was hopelessly outmatched now. He hadn’t been able to move this freely in too long for him to even possibly win, and it showed with how quickly Ganondorf was able to overpower him when they locked swords once. Link finally fell, to exhaustion not to his injuries or to an attack. Ganondorf stood over him laughing despite the wounds Link had managed to give him and held out his hand calling for something inside of Link.

He screamed, arching, as something tied to his very being was torn from him. A golden light hovered above him then flew towards Ganondorf, and Link was left lying there, eyes closed as he struggled to stay awake and alive after whatever that was had been taken. It was not yet time to die, and he knew that though that certainty was gone now. Whatever had been telling him some of the things he knew had been tied to that golden light and Link now had to rely on what he remembered and what he knew without it.

He knew he passed out when he woke once more in the cell, fewer guards were outside of it but he felt cold and strangely hollow. All at once he wished for someone, anyone to be there too. He had been fine being alone the day before but now he wasn’t. Tears ran silently down his cheeks as Link mourned for something he didn’t know and for everything else that he was even more certain he failed.

Chapter 6: Hope from Wisdom

Notes:

At the end it gets implied that Link sleeps with Malon. There is nothing overt about it but it is there. Also this is operating under the premise that Zelda is disguised as Sheik and Link is aware of that in some form here.

Chapter Text

He wasn’t sure how long it had been, the guards came in periodically to hurt him though Link seldom reacted to it now. A cool hazy numbness settled over him and it seemed to smother everything. 

Everything until he looked up as a familiar sparkle of magic washed over him. It wasn’t anything that most could detect, he knew that, fairy magic was something he knew well enough he could tell it was there in his sleep. Indeed it woke him from his half aware daze just in time to see two people sneaking into the room.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Link whispered, he recognized something about both people. It wasn’t much but it was enough that he wanted to reach out to them and protect them.

“Easy hero.” One of the figures said gently.

Link shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. “I am no hero.”

“You’re my hero, Fairy Boy.” Malon said, stepping forwards and lowering her hood.

Link inhaled sharply and pushed himself to sit up. Fire seemed to race up his arm but Link didn’t care. Here was one of the people that he felt that he’d failed most and she called him her hero. His eyes burned as he finally managed to sit up and he shook his head.

“What sort of hero is stuck in a cell unable to help?”

“An unlucky one.” The other stated, also lowering their hood. Link looked at them, noticing that they seemed familiar though he kept his mind from giving him the answer to who it was.

“Very unlucky then. He took it, some sort of golden light.”

“I… felt it.” The blonde figure confirmed and Link sighed, closing his eyes.

“I am so sorry… I failed everyone so horribly.”

“I cannot give you back what you lost. Only defeating him can do that. I can help ensure that even with this loss we will win in the end.”

Link looked at the figure thoughtfully. He knew, had been certain of, his failure had been catastrophic. It had resulted in Death Mountain erupting, no doubt hurting or killing those on it both Goron and others. The old Zora’s Domain freezing had no doubt had a similar effect. So many things had followed that one failure and now he was being offered a chance to save Hyrule in a different way.

“How long do you have?”

“Only the night. About a week ago the guards started coming here less and less.”

“Okay. Just… don’t visit me again. That goes for both of you.”

“Link…”

“No, listen, I’m not the one he wants now. I’m the bait and if someone else is caught too? Just imagine what will happen then. Do your best to stay safe and not come back.”

Link looked them both in the eye until they each nodded. Relieved he closed his eyes and utilized his magic a little to undo some of the damage done to his body. When he opened his eyes he found the blonde staring at him in awe and grinned a little.

“Aiyana has been very kind to me… but that won’t keep us for long.”

“Before we go we’ll do what needs to be done. For now I thought you might like to know things about outside.”

“Oh?”

“Oh yes! The Zora people managed to escape being frozen, many of them have hidden deeper in the waters. They have been attacking monsters and such since those are the only ones who go near some areas now.” Malon reported cheerfully.

Link felt relief wash over him. Even if he hadn’t managed to stop it he had managed to help protect the people. He idly wondered about the Gorons and if they had managed to escape too but he didn’t dare to ask.

“The forest children moved deeper into the woods, many changed by magic to become other types of beings though a few stayed near the edge and have begun growing up. We don’t know about the Gorons, they have not contacted anyone since before you were captured.”

“... Five years is a long time. I hope that Darunia managed to get them to safety like he’d hoped.”

The blonde seemed to smile at that and Link frowned at them wondering what he missed.

“You lost more than just the Goddesses’ power but it seems that your kindness and courage is simply a part of who you are. I am relieved.”

“I lost more?”

“Yes… it’s how I can ensure that there will be hope for the future.”

“Tell me no more. The less I know the less that can be taken from me.”

Malon looked near tears at that declaration though she said nothing about it, simply sitting next to Link, her warmth soothing him more than anything else had since he had last seen the sun. Seeming to fight with themself the blonde pulled out a flask and handed it to Link.

“Here, once you drink this you will be able to ensure our future… I only regret that you will miss a great many chances with it.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t… please don’t thank me for this. Don’t thank me for taking even more from you.”

“I’m thanking you for giving me hope that there will be a future for Hyrule even if it is a distant glimmer.”

Seeing the tears in the eyes of the blonde Link gave them a small nod before looking at the flask. Knowing that if he took it he would be alone again but if he didn’t that they truly would lose he hesitated. After a moment he looked up again, looking at both of them then he grinned and downed the flask. The blonde left the room and Link closed his eyes as he felt whatever was in the flask working. 

As he expected, drinking the flask did cut the visit short, and while Link spent a little while after that imagining what a child of his would look like he quickly smothered such thoughts. What Ganondorf could or could not do to a mind was unknown to Link and he would not risk the precious hope that had been given to him. He knew that his situation was unlikely to improve at all, the session of torture that followed the visit proved that clearer than anything else, but now he had hope that things would get better… some day.

Chapter 7: Reunited in Shadows

Chapter Text

Even though he told them not to return to see him, Link half expected that they would make another attempt. When time passed and they did not make another appearance he wondered if perhaps Malon and her companion had actually taken his advice to heart but he doubted that. Her companion was prone to doing what she thought needed to be done.

When the door at the end of the hallway opened his heart sank and Link got up to go to the door of his cell. Peering out he saw a cloaked and hooded figure making their way towards him. Muttering something under his breath, Link watched as they came closer. At last they stopped in front of him and bowed.

“Hero, I was asked to come see you and give you news.”

“If you are here then that is worse news than I could hope for.”

“She said you might think that, but He cannot read your mind.”

“There are other ways for me to give information that I wish to keep to myself.”

Impa sighed and nodded though she still removed her hood and stood there watching him sadly.

“We have been trying to undo what has happened, but it seems without your aid we are unable to do so.”

“There is no way for me to leave here without it being noticed.”

“I know.”

Link sighed and shook his head though he wasn’t that worried about it. Zelda had a way to ensure that the future was safe and Link would trust her in that.

“There is a child that was born. She thinks that in the future that child’s descendant will be able to help save Hyrule in your place.”

“The Potion.”

“Yes.”

“Well… I knew that there was something to it. Still…”

“She asked me to apologize to you for her.”

“I told her not to.”

“Would you like to know what has happened?”

“Not to the two of them.”

Impa smiled at him and nodded. Link noticed that she seemed to be relieved to hear that and he closed his eyes trying to figure out what happened that could have brought about that reaction. He ultimately decided he didn’t know and didn’t want to know.

“There are six sages, elemental guardians, and we discovered that the one from the desert has already fallen to the Evil King.”

“One of his own people?”

“Yes, she has been trapped in a suit of armor for now. I believe that he intends to strip away her power when he has found the one he searches for. He also captured the water sage, you know who she is.”

Ruto, Link knew without being told that it had to be her. Ruto was the only one of the Zora that seemed to have any true power. Link wished he knew where she was and that he could free her.

“She was attempting to cleanse the Water Temple on her own when she got captured. The same thing happened with the Goron Leader.”

Two of his friends? Link felt himself sink to the floor and bowed his head. He had a sinking feeling that the forest sage was in the same state and that he knew who it was. Impa knelt down and reached out to him.

“I know it’s hard but we still have two sages free.”

Link looked at her and smiled bleakly.

“No we don’t… if he knows and can get the forest sage too then it is likely that he knows all of them.”

“I’m sorry, Link.”

Link couldn’t say what it was that made him push her back from the cell doorway. Whatever it was he did it and she fell back into a shadowed alcove. Link quickly moved back from the doorway just before the door at the end of the hall opened again. For a moment there was nothing, a sense of foreboding overcame him then it retreated and the door opened again.

“You should go.” Link said again. He didn’t look at Impa, instead he moved back towards his ‘bed’ and closed his eyes. “Don’t come back and don’t send anyone else.”

“As you wish.”

“Impa… I am not getting out of here.” Link said plainly, he looked at her then and met her eyes. She seemed ready to argue with him about it. “I knew as soon as I got caught that I was not going to escape. Whatever I may wish, I am not going to go anywhere else while I am alive.”

“Don’t say that. We’re trying to figure it out, I swear to you we are trying.”

“I know, I would rather you all stay as safe as you can for as long as you can.”

“... I am not sure how much it will help you, or if it matters, but the spell that I believe he intends to use needs the ones he is taking away power from to be free from all magics that are not their own for a moment before he begins it. If he does capture all of the sages then it is likely that he will want to gloat before he takes everything from us.”

Link said nothing, he was able to use that. Link knew that he could make good use of that when the time came. It was just a matter of practicing his time magic and being ready to use it at the right moment, they would need him to free them… his child and their children would need him to free the sages at the right moment.

“If you make it back out… tell Her that I can use that but everyone will have to be ready because there will only be one chance at it.”

Impa stopped and looked at him for an extra moment before nodding and turning to leave. She raised her hood and paused like she wanted to stay and say something else but she ultimately decided not to say anything. When she finally left Link hid his face in his knees trying to keep himself from sobbing as he now was able to think on that knowledge that he possessed. He had a child, there was a little boy or girl out there who was his and who he would never ever be able to see or hold or just be near.

Chapter 8: Back to the Start

Chapter Text

Something changed. Link knew that as soon as he woke up. There was an almost frantic energy that filled the air and monsters were rushing around the dungeons beyond the door at the end of the hall. He sat up and watched curiously as things happened beyond him and his sight. There was nothing for a long minute then the door he had been watching flew open. He was glad that he hadn’t wasted his energy on healing himself the night before after Ganondorf and his monsters had spent the day publicly torturing him as an example to the people that would dare to try and fight him. If he had then he might not be able to go through with his plan, and that was the most important thing now.

The light, faint though it was, hurt a little but not as badly as it would have if he hadn’t discovered the last of his innate magic abilities while working on honing his time magic. The Lizalfos that came to his cell hissed something to each other before dragging him out of the cell. Link felt relief that things were finally in motion and that soon he would be free from this entire situation one way or another. For a while now he had been waiting for Zelda to slip up. Link knew she would since he had, all he could hope now was that Impa had given her his message and she would be ready to strike once he gave them their chance. Impa… the Sheikah had been captured some time ago, that had been a depressing day when he had been told that so many of the Sages had been captured. At the time only Rauru and Zelda had been free, though Ganondorf had been careful to not outright tell him that.

While Link had been lost in memory and thought the Lizalfos stopped in what seemed like a reception room. While they were there Link was handed off to a pair of Stalfos, the undead beings easily picking him up and carrying him to the tower where Link could hear music coming from. He vaguely remembered Ganondorf playing a few songs on some instrument while he was twitching and bleeding on the floor during one of his torture sessions… Still that meant one thing, that Zelda was in the castle and things were about to be set into motion. He almost smiled at that, it would be over soon. His hands flexed behind his back and Link looked ahead, almost angry at how he had been used by both people for so long, but no… Zelda had asked for help, something that he had gladly agreed to give her. They had been so close too. If only he hadn’t been a child.

Up they went, the familiar hallways and staircases blurring into a hazy nothingness as Link began to focus on what he needed to do. There was a subtle gathering of power that he had to start as soon as he was dragged into the room, and if he missed it then things would go wrong too quickly for him to manage to fight against. As it was, Ganondorf might notice him doing something and stop him before he truly started. The closer they carried him the more Link just wanted to leave and go away, back to the forest he left so long ago, his mind said there was too much that could go wrong. Too much that had gone wrong.

At last they reached the top of the tower and Link had to fight the urge to twist away and kill the Stalfos carrying him. There was no time for that, and as it was he couldn’t walk on his own now. His feet had been one of the targets of the day before so walking and standing was entirely out even if he felt like tolerating the way the bones had healed wrong so many times.

“Well, Princess, it seems that you have finally run out of hiding places. You and your companions hid well, I admit, but I knew that keeping your precious Hero here would draw you out eventually.” Ganondorf’s voice came through the door.

The Stalfos paused before opening the door for a Moblin to come over and force Link to drink something. He gagged and choked a little on whatever it was, the orange color was unfamiliar to him but he figured it was something to keep him from freeing himself and attacking to free the others. Once he finished the potion and was trying to focus on the patterns of the carpet the Stalfos opened the door and Link began to gather the magic he needed for the spell he was going to use. He couldn’t be distracted by anything, not even the conversation in front of him or else it would definitely be noticed.

“Say whatever you like, I will not surrender to you!” Zelda snapped at Ganondorf angrily.

Link almost smiled at that, he felt so happy to hear her voice again and to hear the defiance that she directed at their foe was a relief too.

The Hallway opened up to the ornate windowed room Ganondorf loved having him dragged to whenever he wanted to practice his magic on a living being. He shivered remembering the lightning that had been used last time he was in this room. Zelda and six others were being held across from Ganondorf who was seated at the instrument Link heard earlier and laughing now. Link swallowed and tried to figure out the timing of what he needed to do. Impa met his eyes and gave a tiny nod which told him that she had spread his message to Zelda and the other Sages. That tiny gesture reminded him of the hope and joy he felt when Zelda reassured him that she had a plan.

A glance towards Ganondorf revealed the Master Sword and Link vaguely remembered how heavy it was when he held it. For a moment he wondered why he focused on that but he saw Ganondorf reaching for it. That was it! Ganondorf was going to use that against him. Link smiled sharply, the expression undoubtedly out of place with how he looked and how the situation seemed.

“Oh? You think you can still win? Let me show you why you can’t.” Ganondorf said and he held up his hand. 

The two glowing triangles seemed to pulse for a moment before the one on Zelda’s hand appeared and was yanked out of her body. Link hoped that it hadn’t been as painful for her as it had been for him, and by her expression it hadn’t been. While that happened Link saw that the magic around all of the other Sages had vanished and the monsters released them to back away. That was what he needed, the curses and such affecting the Sages had gone away for a moment.

Weaving his magic to the spell he wanted and sending a brief prayer to Aiyana he channeled it properly. He wanted them free, just for a minute, and at full power, which they were. As he released the magic, freeing all of the Sages and the Princess, Link felt something hit him. His body jerked and he gasped, his eyes focusing on the image in front of him. The Master Sword, the blade and hilt darkening but spattered with red, held by Ganondorf whose body was also blackening and seemed to be shattering apart revealing a piglike person there instead of the Gerudo King. Voices were screaming, several calling his name as he slumped to the ground. The Stalfos ran from the room trying to escape while the Sacred magic that Zelda and the Sages called on forced Ganondorf away from Hyrule.

Using the last of his magic, Nature and Light both, Link pushed himself to keep going. He felt himself separate from his body and grabbed the Master Sword trying to stop her from ending in a worse state. He could feel as the Sword tried to grab onto him, no doubt trying to save him though he was already dead. He had one last task to accomplish if he could, to get her away to safety. The next Hero, his descendant, would need her help and the castle was no place for her to be. He passed Kakariko and saw someone watching him, the man on the rooftop, as he drifted past with the sword. Finally he found a spot in the woods near the Village, the woods near the base of Death Mountain, and he dropped her, the Sword, where she ended up partially buried in the dirt... no in the stone that the dirt was turned into by whatever magic still remained.

Relieved that it was over, that for now the world would wait for a better hero to save it, hopefully one older and able to wield her against Ganon, Link let go. He allowed her to grab him and drag him away. Faintly the sound of an old half remembered song flowed over him. Link slowly recognized it as the Song of Time and felt that it was fitting. As the world faded away Link watched numbly as a blue and white light both surrounded him. His truest lament was that he had failed the next Hero. They would find everything in this state and he had done nothing for so long… even saving the Sword for him hardly seemed like enough to make up for years of nothing. Link closed his eyes, ethereal as they were, exhausted and ready to rest.

Then he opened them, looking around startled to see a glowing blue ball bobbing around him. Navi? He wanted to reach out and hold her, he missed her so much for so long. Something deep in his mind seemed to scream that this wasn't right but it was swiftly silenced. Link looked around, glancing down at himself to see he was taller than he felt he should be and wearing crisp snow white and Kokiri green where he last thought he remembered green and brownish red. He held the Master Sword in his hand, wondering at being able to hold her in one hand when he was sure he shouldn’t be able to. Shaking it off he turned to go, he had a Kingdom to save after all.

Chapter 9: Can You Change Fate? Part 1

Summary:

This is one of two or three chapters covering how Link's Memories of the alternate future might affect him as he goes through the Temples. Not sure if I'll go through things in Majora's Mask as well since it's been a while since I last played that game but we'll see.

Chapter Text

Forest

Link couldn’t help but feel like he was somewhere he had been before. Every turn and step felt familiar as he followed the path through the temple. He almost seemed to know what monsters were supposed to be there and how to defeat them. With the gigantic hand monsters he felt his side hurt like one of them had gotten its claws deeply into his side before but he didn’t remember it having happened. Still he knew to duck after he slashed it causing it to split apart and then he immediately used Din’s Fire to get rid of them completely. It was no surprise when the chest appeared and he knew that Navi was confused and worried at how easily he went through this dungeon.

If Link allowed himself to think about it he would be worried too. He didn’t allow himself to think about it, and so he just kept going. He kept moving through the dungeon and found the dungeon rather easy to solve. It wasn’t until he reached the end, the room with all the paintings, that Link stopped feeling like he had been there already… even if he couldn’t remember how he did that. The fight against Phantom Ganon was hard to predict, and Link wasn’t sure how to deal with him.

“Hey! Shoot him with your bow as he comes out of the painting.” Navi told him and Link felt surprised that he hadn’t thought of that already.

Pulling out his bow he took a shot just as the Phantom came out of one of the paintings and he watched as it returned to it. Relieved that he figured that part out he easily kept shooting him as he left the various paintings until finally it seemed like the Phantom was tired of being shot at. As the horse disappeared Link felt worried because now he wasn’t sure what to do again but as the magical blast came towards him some instinct came forward and he slashed his sword to send it back at the Phantom. There it was again, that sense that he had done this before.

Link knew with certainty that he had never fought against the Phantom and he only remembered Ganondorf attacking him with magic that one time but it felt like he knew without a doubt how it would affect him if the magic hit him. Shaking that off he focused on not missing and soon defeated the Phantom. Watching it get banished between dimensions was horrifying, the thought that these beings meant so little to Ganondorf that he would dispose of them so easily was sickening but Link felt that he should have expected it.

He felt tears running down his cheeks as he thought about how little living things meant to the man and how much hurt had happened because of that. When he stepped onto the blue light platform and was moved to the Chamber of Sages he felt like crying harder. There was Saria, he knew without a doubt that she was the Sage he was trying to free and that he was going to lose her here. His shoulders shook a little as he fought back his sobs at this latest loss, another thing that felt familiar but left him feeling more hollow than anything else. He felt like he would lose and lose and be left with little or nothing in the end. All Link could do at this point, staring at his friend as she watched him with sorrow and love, was hope that if he gave enough it might make the difference for someone. It didn’t seem like enough though.

Fire

The path to Goron Village was familiar, Link was looking forward to seeing Darunia even if that echo of a feeling kept telling him that he wouldn’t get to see him again. His left hand itched and he had to fight the urge to scratch at it. As he descended to the city itself his heart ached when he saw that it was largely empty and he both felt worry and relief. It was almost as though he felt it should be empty since that meant the Gorons were safe but that it shouldn’t because there was no reason for them to be missing.

After stopping the only obvious person and talking with them, Darunia naming his son after him made Link both proud and sad, Link headed to his Sworn Brother’s room. As he started moving the statue that was usually behind the Goron Chief he felt a wave of heat and was glad he had been given a heat resistant tunic by the young Goron. It helped him even make it to the temple, a place he felt he should know about but that was utterly lacking that sense of familiarity that the Forest Temple held.

The first sight of Darunia had him tearing up a little but Link managed to keep himself from crying as he promised to help his brother’s people. Each Goron helped him a little and Link was relieved to think about Darunia’s son having them back to help him and comfort him… that did nothing to keep him from worrying because he felt like Darunia would be gone after this too. It seemed to echo how he felt when he saw Saria in the Chamber of Sages.

Each fight seemed to strengthen the sense of loss and each room he cleared felt like he was setting himself up for something horrible. Still Link kept going because he promised little Link and Darunia both that he would save the Gorons and that he would help Darunia. All he could be grateful for was that the various Gorons didn’t try to hug him and that they all hurried out of the temple and back to the village. Link hoped someday he might know how they got across the gap without a hookshot or something of that sort but he doubted it would happen. Still when he reached the final room and saw the dragon flying around he felt his heart break because he was having to fight a friend to save a friend.

Link nearly sobbed as he landed the first hit with the hammer, trying to stun Volvagia. It left him sick when he realized what he would have to do, that he would have to slay his dragon friend. It was important though, so many people would be hurt or killed if he failed here. Darunia was nowhere to be found but Link could only hope that meant that he was safe instead of gone, that echoey feeling said that he was still alive but Link wasn’t sure he trusted it since it said he had never been here before.

After he landed the final blow Link collapsed to his knees and pressed his forehead to Volvagia’s head. He wanted to cling to it and to keep it safe, one thing from his friend that he could keep with him, but he knew better. It would only hurt more later and Link couldn’t slow down too long, Hyrule needed him to act and save them all. Swallowing thickly he stepped onto the light and was in the Chamber of Sages again. Darunia didn’t seem surprised when Link simply started sobbing, and he waited patiently for him to calm down enough to reassure him that he was okay with things. While Link could accept it he still hated that Darunia was stuck here for now, that Darunia couldn’t be there for his son and that Link had lost someone else he cared about.

Still he tried to smile and seem like he accepted it. It must have worked because the next thing he knew he was back outside the temple and he could go tell little Link what happened and try to reassure him that his dad should be back… Link hoped that he would be back because if not then he would never forgive himself for causing someone to lose their parent again. It was bad enough that the Kokiri lost the Great Deku Tree; he couldn't bear the thought that little Link lost Darunia for good too.

Chapter 10: Can You Change Fate? Part 2

Chapter Text

Water

Finding the Zora’s Domain frozen over was once again unsurprising but it didn’t feel familiar, unlike how he found the Kokiri Village overrun by monsters. He looked around hoping to find someone who was not frozen so he could ask questions but everyone was frozen. It seemed lucky that the King was frozen to the side of the entrance to the sacred pool behind the fountain. Link went back there and his heart seemed to sink when he found that Lord Jabu-Jabu was frozen as well. He did notice that the entrance to the Great Fairy Fountain was not frozen over and quickly went to it hoping she might be able to help him.

As he got about half way over to the Fairy Fountain, Link noticed there was an opening that he hadn’t seen before, or that he didn’t remember seeing, and cautiously made his way there instead. Inside was freezing and Link shivered as he made his way through the caverns. Whenever he found the blue fire in various spots he felt that he would need it, Navi confirmed that, and so he took it with him so he could melt the red ice covering things inside the Domain. The blue tunic that the Zora King gifted him felt familiar though it felt off that the King gave it to him instead of Ruto, Link took a moment to ponder that but quickly shook it off and hurried to the Lake, once more trusting that feeling of needing to be there.

Entering the Temple felt odd to him and Link found his way easily through it. If once again felt like he had been there before and each step was known to him. Not even the battle with his shadow felt new though the treasure was new and once he found that it was through pathways he didn’t feel like he had passed through before. Each step was new and even fighting the boss was new though that felt far too easy after fighting his shadow. Link paused after he dealt with the boss and stared at the ceiling of the room wondering about how much would change now. Everything was starting to feel like the world had shifted a little. Link felt like his innate magic, the Kokiri’s cleansing magic, was changing the world ever so slightly and it was causing ripples of change. Sighing Link shook his head and moved towards the light, once more feeling that aching hollowness of loss and ignoring it because this had to happen. He wiped his face just before he stepped onto the platform and allowed it to take him away.

Seeing Ruto and knowing that she was staying was bittersweet because Link hated knowing that he couldn’t keep his promise to her but he was happy that she would be able to help the Zora from there. Hopefully her father would be able to deal with it a little better than some others, but once more Link blamed himself for failing to be in time to save her. If only he had never opened the Door of Time then maybe none of this would have happened. After Sheik left and Link was staring out over the newly restored waters of the Lake he wondered if maybe Zelda should have found someone else to be her Hero… someone older and able to be the Hero because he felt far too young to truly go against Ganondorf. Sighing he tugged at his hair before he climbed to his feet. It was time to go, and he had two more Temples left before he could fight the man again…. Hopefully this time he would succeed, and that thought felt as odd as the feeling of having been to the different places.

Shadow

As Link approached Kakariko Village he saw it burning and his heart seemed to sink. The sight of smoke and fire frightened him but he also knew that it was a sign of something worse. Lifting his ocarina to his mouth, Link played the song he’d learned earlier during his visit when he’d gotten the hookshot and called up a storm. The rain poured down on the burning village, slowly putting out the flames, and Link raced forwards towards the Well where he spotted Sheik standing.

Everything here felt new in a way that was a little frightening but also it just made him more determined to get through it and help out if he could.

Seeing his friend getting picked up and thrown around worried Link more than he wanted to admit. It felt like he was about to lose one of his only friends and the simple thought terrified him. As he turned to face the blur of darkness with his sword and shield ready Link instinctively knew he wouldn’t be able to do much and somehow he spread his magic around himself and Navi to protect them a little from whatever it was before he too was picked up and thrown around. Hitting the ground hurt badly but he felt like his magic had shielded them from whatever it was as he blacked out.

Waking up felt horrible but hearing that Impa had gone ahead and that Sheik was worried only spurred him on. Somehow he got up and was about to go to the graveyard but Sheik mentioned that there was an item he needed but didn’t have. That led to Link asking around and hearing about the lens of truth that had once belonged to a person who lived over the Well. He wasn’t sure why but Link felt that he needed to return to the Temple of Time and the past, so he did so. It was quick work returning to Kakariko and there he found the Well full of water instead of empty like in the future. Uncertainly he went to the windmill and played the Song he’d learned there. Immediately the windmill began turning faster and faster. 

Down the Well he went. Down there he learned more than he wanted to about the Sheikah and the Royal Family. Link entered trusting them and hoping that it would work well and he left feeling that he never wanted to help them again. The darkness and rusty spots everywhere lingered and the screams that seemed to echo after the ReDeads and such just made it worse, that was nothing compared to the Dead Hand. Shuddering he went to the forest, trying to replace that intense darkness and chill with something bright and lively. It seemed to work, at least Link felt like there was warmth seeping back into him as he stayed there for a time. It reminded him of something, but whatever it was he felt like the warmth had never returned.

Still he had to go back, had to save Hyrule. With that in mind he went back to the other time period and he traveled to the graveyard before entering the Temple which left that chill and sickening feeling clinging to him deeper than the Well had. When he finally got to Impa after beating the boss Link was shaking and crying silently. It had been awful, Link never wanted to go through that place ever again, and he felt relieved that he hadn’t felt that echoey sense that he had been there before. One time was enough, more than enough. Impa had been kind enough to allow him a moment to compose himself before she requested that he protect Zelda for her. Link agreed because he doubted that Zelda knew what was in those awful places and he hoped beyond hope that the final Temple would be nothing like this one.

Chapter 11: Can You Change Fate? Part 3

Notes:

This is the last part for Ocarina of Time, it does cover everything after the last temple in some way. So if you don't mind Spoilers then continue otherwise you might want to skip the Ganon's Castle section.

I am still not entirely sure I want to do Majora's Mask in a similar format because I see it as taking a LOT longer, and Link having a lot of trouble because he gets impatient with it and wants to be free of the time loop. Either way there will be a chapter covering the Moon and Link getting the Deity's mask... and his memories unsealed.

Chapter Text

Spirit

Getting through the Gerudo Fortress without truly hurting or killing any of them was difficult but Link refused to hurt those who truly did not deserve it. They may be Ganondorf’s people but Link was aware that many people committed horrible acts in the name of their leaders, he wasn’t sure how he knew that only that he did. So as he freed the Carpenters and defeated the Gerudo Guards he was careful to only defeat them or knock them out. As the last one appeared and gave him a pass Link felt relieved because it meant he wouldn’t hurt them anymore.

The desert felt strange but in a way similar to the Lost Woods. He was grateful that the Poe was willing to guide him on behalf of the Great Fairy and made sure to visit her and thank her in person before he went to check the Temple. It was frustrating when he found that his way was blocked and that he couldn’t even manage to get past the first room. He did notice the smaller pathway that a child could enter and wondered if this was similar to the Well. Deciding to check it out he left to go back to the Temple of Time and felt relieved when he found Sheik who greeted him and taught him the musical shortcut to it. 

When he reentered the Temple as a child and saw Nabooru she felt familiar to him, that same echoing feeling but nothing else about the place held that same familiarity. It was both a relief and not because he felt an ache when he thought about Nabooru, like he would never really get to know her but he wanted to. It reminded him of how he felt when he knew that he wouldn’t see Saria again. Still he kept going to get the Silver Gauntlets, having a dizzying moment when he saw the creature guarding the door to them.

The two witches made his head hurt and his body felt both hot and cold. Shaking a little he almost jumped down to try and rescue her. The three were gone before he could ignore the feelings the witches gave him long enough to act. There was nothing left to do so he returned to the Temple of Time again to return to the future time.

This time he had the Gauntlets and was able to get through the Temple, some rooms seemed familiar in a way that was almost enough to bring up that echoey feeling but never quite right. When he freed Nabooru and she disappeared into an orange ball he felt triumphant, like that was the way to keep her safe and it allowed him to focus on the two witches. They were surprisingly difficult to fight at first but when he realized he could reflect their magic back he decided to try it against Ganondorf. They were supposedly his mothers, so he should fight the same way. That feeling in the back of his mind seemed satisfied with that conclusion.

Ganon's Castle

Finding out that Sheik was Zelda was not as surprising as he felt it should be. He hardly saw her but he knew that it was her anyways. That more than any of the rest of his adventure so far makes Link feel like something isn’t quite right. Still he knows better than to hurry after her no matter what Navi says. That something that he has come to trust says that he will be fine to take a couple of days before he goes to the castle so he goes to the Ranch to rest for a day then gathers supplies for the battle. That instinct tells him to take a couple of fairies along and a blue potion. He doubts it will be needed but does so anyway.

When Link enters the castle every step is familiar and he knows about doorways that he is sure he never saw. It makes getting up to the tower easy, but some times he has to stop and breathe through some pain from injuries he doesn’t have or to calm himself from enemies that are not there. At last he reaches the door while trying not to think about that phantom pain or why the Light Arrow spell that Zelda gave him felt so easy to use compared to his other arrow spells. It was almost as easy to use as the three spells the Great Fairies gave him, and that almost scares Link though he ignores it as well as he can since he can’t keep waiting to fight Ganondorf.

He enters the room.

There Ganondorf is, playing a song that feels familiar.

Zelda is looking horrified and not for herself.

Golden light fills the room.

The back of his hand feels warm. It is so distracting that Link misses the way Ganondorf’s magic affects Navi.

Link feels warm, like he hasn’t since he drew the Master Sword. It feels warm and like something that had been missing or sleeping is back and awake. The echoes of feeling quiet. Instead a light airy voice that sounds like a cross between Saria’s and the Great Fairy’s comes to him reassuring him that Link can defeat Ganondorf. It reminds him that he got this far and did so well. So Link readies his sword and prepares himself. He is already moving when Ganondorf sends magic through the floor causing some of it to fall. That feels familiar but not enough to distract him. Link knows to send the magic back, there is a faint tingle and ache that makes him wonder if getting hit will hurt as badly as it did back then or if it is worse. Even the multiple attack he sends back with the help of the Great Fairy’s gift of the Spin Attack. Step by step Link finds he knows what to do and seeing Ganondorf getting hit and stunned by the Light Arrow is more satisfying than Link expected that it would be.

Somehow he does it, and it turns out that he is right that he doesn’t need the blue potion. Neither does Zelda as they travel through the collapsing tower. They both make it safely to the bottom and out the door. As they look back Link is horrified to see Ganondorf free himself from the rubble. The fight resumes, Navi helping Link find Ganon’s weak points. He feels sickened seeing the beastly form of his enemy still somehow Link manages to defeat him while only needing the help of a healing fairy once. After it is done Link gives Zelda the blue potion so she can recover her energy, he isn’t sure how much power she used to help seal Ganon but he knows she looks exhausted and he wants to help her since there is a lot to still do. He cleansed the land but there is still the rebuilding to do.

Before he can offer to help, Zelda asks for the Ocarina back and while he doesn’t really want to return it, that feeling is whispering a warning that he is about to lose again, Link does so because it belonged to her. Zelda proves him right and sends him back in time. Once again staring at the Master Sword Link feels dizzy as though something more happened than he expected. It leaves him so distracted that he doesn’t hear if Navi tells him something before she flies away, but nothing could distract Link from the sight of his friend leaving him like she is. He reaches a hand after her but knows he still has something to do before he can follow her. Swallowing down his reaction to this latest loss following so many others, Link turns and goes to find Zelda, she will know what needs to be done and he will do what he can to help her prevent all of that from happening.

His friends will be safe even if he will lose them too… and Link is okay with that. He has to be.

Chapter 12: To the Moon and Back

Notes:

This is the last chapter of the Fallen Time, an epilogue of sorts.
Also if you're wondering... Link is more or less falling into an apathetic depression at the end of his Termina quest because of how many times he has had to redo everything and the Fierce Deity's emotions are super strong and vivid compared to his own at this point. He does get better again but it takes time.

Chapter Text

At first Termina had been a relief.

The echos were gone, there was no sense that things were changed and wrong. There was no overwhelming sense that Navi should be with him but was gone. Sure Link had Tatl but she was so different from Navi. She had been so harsh at first that Link had been relieved when they finally found a balance between them. It had only taken him over a year, almost two years, of constant repeats before she had finally warmed to him but Link just wanted his fairy. Over time that had faded too. The constant sense of failure, constantly having to turn back time and redo things left him feeling numbed to everything.

No one remembered what he did, no one remembered him. Over and over again Link helped and saved and brought things to people all for it to amount to nothing. Link felt like crying when he realized that at first. By now he lost track of time, he couldn't tell how long he had been in this cycle or how often he had failed to defeat Majora. The being inhabiting the mask was too powerful for him to defeat with just what he had. Maybe if he had the Master Sword Link could manage to defeat it but that was a long way away from Termina.

Of course when he first saw them Link wasn’t sure what to expect when he finally reached the moon and played the games that the moon children wanted played. He just hoped that his latest quest was almost over. They had taken the masks he had worked to gain and left him with only vague memories of each form he borrowed. Distantly it felt like relief to know that soon he would be finished with this and could keep looking for Navi. He knew she was out there somewhere, he could still sense the bond they shared somehow though it had dimmed over time since he had last seen her. Yet when the last child presented him with a new mask instead of asking for more Link had wondered about it.

The Mask had seemed strange and forbidding to him. Link stared at it and tried to talk to the being within it for almost a full cycle after he got it but there was nothing. He didn't feel right to just rush into a fight with a being he knew nothing about and so he tried again and again to speak with the being inside the mask. There was nothing at all until he chose to complete the Temples of Termina once more and to help everyone he could again. Then he felt the being’s awareness and he could almost speak to him.

‘Enough Child!’ The being snapped at him when he tried to talk with him once more.

“Why? Is there a reason you will not speak with me?”

‘I see no need to speak with a flicker of life.’

“Surely even you have compassion on others.”

‘Compassion? Why waste such energy on those that only inflict harm?’

“Not everyone is like that!”

‘No? See for yourself.’

Link felt something, some wall, that existed in his mind shatter. He gasped and collapsed to the ground. Above him Tatl bobbed worried. He could distantly hear her trying to tell him to get up and that if they waited too long the Giants wouldn’t be able to keep the moon from crashing down onto the world but Link couldn’t react to her.

His whole body felt like it was burning and freezing. It felt like his bones were breaking and healing wrong and like there was lightning running through him. Link whimpered and curled up, the mask held loosely in his hand where it was facing towards him as he tried to keep from crying.

Everything settled into place. Running through the Forest Temple with Saria while they tried to find whatever was spreading darkness over the forest. They tried to free it so the Deku Tree’s seed could grow but it was already too late. He remembered following Ruto through part of the Water Temple, only part because he couldn’t reach the rest and he tried so hard to help her during that brief visit to the place. He even remembered having to fight the Iron Knuckles in the Castle and being mocked when he lost because he could hardly hold the sword he had been given steady.

The mocking and jeers of the people who he tried to save as he was tortured publicly was all there. Link shuddered and pressed a hand to his face, finding it wet. He shook with a small sob as he tried to find something, anything, in that darkness to show that compassion was worth it. He remembered the golden warmth being taken from him but that led to that flicker of light.

“Zelda… Malon… you asked me about compassion.”

Link focused on the two women and how they cared. That brought back Saria who had apologized and promised they would always be friends, who kept answering him even after she awakened because he called her needing to hear a friend. It brought back Impa who even after he tried to convince her not to come back or have anyone come see him again managed to get someone to bring him food and medicine when he truly needed it.

“They make it worth it.”

‘... why do you cling to this scrap, Child?’

“Because even if it is just a scrap, just a small glimmer, it is still light. It still proves that not everyone is cruel and compassion still has meaning.”

‘A handful proves nothing.’

“Then lend me your strength properly and let us see. Let us see if there is anyone who has compassion worth us fighting to protect them.”

Link felt the Deity’s surprise and almost smiled. He knew that once again he would be alone after this was over, he always was, but he had to try and redeem others to this being because it seemed cruel to leave him convinced that there was no light left to save and reach out to.

‘Very well. My name is Kishin, use it when you have need of me.’

“I am-”

‘Farore’s chosen champion, Aiyana’s Blessed, and-’

“Someone who needs your help. I have tried to stop Majora from destroying everything, but I can’t. Won’t you please help me, Kishin?”

‘... put on the mask when you face Majora and I will end this fight for you.’

“Thank you. It may not mean much to you, but there are so many people that you will help save… and just… Thank you.”

Link got up again, holding the Mask tightly to his chest. Tears fell on it, but he smiled. His mind felt numb, he felt everything distantly now even the sorrow and pain that the newly restored memories should have brought. Tatl was silent as she landed on his shoulder as though she sensed the change he just caused but she took off again as he turned towards the last of the Moon Children again. This time he knew he would manage it. He stepped forwards and when the room shifted to the multi-colored room from before when he’d lost and lost and lost because he didn’t have the power to stop Majora, something he wondered if he did have but couldn’t reach now, Link raised the mask to his face.

There was everything. Surges of anger, and worry, and joy, and fear. Everything was so bright and hot that Link wanted to recoil from them. He felt almost sick as he felt the surges of emotion and power that ran through him leaving him so tired and weak when the mask was finally removed. Somehow Link managed to pick up Majora’s Mask and return it to the Salesman. He was relieved when the Salesman turned to go and was surprised when he was asked to play. The numbness was still there but he played with the Skull Kid feeling more and more happiness and sorrow. The thought of losing more was almost too much… and then the Salesman gave his final words of advice for Link.

“Whenever there is a meeting, a parting shall follow. But that parting needs not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while… that is up to you.”

Link wondered about that as he traveled away from Termina’s Clock Town but he decided to think about it later when he saw a glowing doorway ahead. He could almost taste the fairy magic that helped create the portal and decided that maybe he could find Navi if he went through it. He hoped he would, and maybe he could find proof that Kishin would believe that there was a place for compassion too, that people were kind and compassionate still.

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