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Flowing Serenade

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    While you sat, you wondered about your friends' recent strange behaviors, the eerie chance encounter with the witches and shadow girls, and Cremia's mysterious illness. You were so absorbed in thought that you hadn't noticed a homeless Goron has been walking around the perimeter of the park... Or the black leather jackets coming and going consistently from seemingly random streets. You did not notice the purple t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts with elegant and intricate "B" emblems on the fronts and/or backs. Nor had you consciously noticed the garish yellow tuxedo that stepped out of a limousine, or the cyan bandannas and wristbands that huddled together beside sports cars. 

    All that, which marked the local riff-raff, suddenly started standing out after the Goron's umpteenth lap around the skate park. You had sat there for so long, engorged on thought, as if in shock - and quite rightly so - that the scenery around you had started to turn into a story of self-evident lies, drama, and mystery.

 

    The afternoon had slipped right underneath your nose. But for a moment, of sudden lucidity, you felt like you could see through reality; as if a divine force compelled you to act on, and solve, the many Hyrulean problems you encountered. Your eyes widened with consciousness as you watched some more, now with intent.

    A Black jacketed thief had picked the Yellow Tuxedo's pocket, whom had come to launder money with a Purple Brawler as part of a reward to his gang for "cleaning up" the Cyan Racers up north in Mafia territory, which had moved in on the Black Thieves' claim and forced them out into the west, outside of town and opened their turf up for the Mafia.

    Even though it took most of the day for these events to transpire, even though you had paid no direct attention to any of the events until now, so caught up in your own recent experience, you were suddenly and mysteriously aware of all of this... Though you had no genuine proof that what you thought you saw was truly real, you felt it in your Heart to be true...

    ... and then, as if on cue, the Goron took off his perimeter path to approach you, standing directly in front of you, almost menacingly, just waiting for you to look up at him.

    You feel scared for a moment and slowly look up to meet the homeless Goron's eyes… no, his belly. You had to crane your neck back to see his grin. The fear melted quickly away when you saw friendly eyes and a sly grin, just as the Goron spoke "Hi! My name's Link. You homeless, too, kid?" It was the beginning of evening now, when you looked around and noticed many derelict Hyruleans approaching the park one by one from all directions and noticed the smell of hotdogs coming from under the bridge behind the Goron Link. You shook your head to answer the Goron and looked behind him, where you saw a line forming from under the bridge.

    The Goron's smile beamed; happy to help anyone down on their luck, even if they weren’t homeless too, and saw an opportunity to explain the situation to someone who wasn't up to date. "Ah, the homeless feed. Great people, they come out here every evening and cook up some cheap grub for those of us who have no money. They even accept original Rupees as exchange, not just that fake paper stuff they have now, with the pictures of the royal family on them and stuff. They seem real grateful for those Rupees."

    You fetched a 5r bill from your pocket, sporting an elegant Princess Zelda on the front.

    "Yeah... They don't care about that stuff, no real value for what they do, feeding people. They don't reject it though - I'm sure they buy more food with it, but they don't seem to want any funny money. I suppose they have a better use for the Rupees, you think?" The Goron continued as he sat beside your bench with a merciless thud.

    "You've been sitting out here a real long time for someone who isn't homeless. You got anywhere to go? You're sure to be hungry! ... Tell ya what, I'll give you the rundown on how Downtown Hyrule works... ... If you bring us back a couple hotdogs each?"

    You smiled and got up, getting in Line.

 

    It was a long wait, for so many people had shown up. You'd had no idea that so many people in Hyrule were homeless or drifters. Fascinated by the hospitality of the group serving food, you are feeling eager to see them, who they are. Only a few people left ahead of you before you could make out their faces. 

    A familiar looking young Hylian girl about your own age and an older tattooed woman with stark white hair, who looked Hylian as well, were busy going back and forth between a van with supplies and the tables they had brought along to set up. Featuring a small propane stove and paper plates and plastic silverware, they'd put out buns and condiments for people to self-serve before they handed out the 'dogs. You slop mustard, relish, ketchup, onions, and chopped peppers into four buns while the person ahead received hotdogs from the Hylian woman. Now that you're next, the Hylian woman exchanged places with the younger girl who was coming back from the van with more hotdogs to put into the boiling pot. You feel that she is incredibly pretty. So much so, that you forgot you were in line for food, for a moment, and did not understand what she meant when she asked, "Four?"

    You blink a couple times. "You look like you must be really hungry! Better make it five!" She was so kind, and put a fifth bun on your plate, filling all 5 of them with hotdogs. She smiled at you, even with her eyes, and made you feel so strong and important in that brief moment.

    You beamed at her, smiling back with your eyes too, before getting bumped ahead by the impatient line behind.

    The Goron, Link, was waiting patiently and watching you, the Hylian Link, the whole time, which you just noticed while carrying the 'dogs back to the bench. "Ooh! Extras from Zelda, huh? I done saw that! Lucky kid, you are! She must like you!" He teased; you blush a little and grab a hotdog. 

    Goron Link left it at that and fulfilled his end of the deal, "Alright, kid. homeless or not, you got a lot to figure out if yer gonna hang around Downtown for long times like this. Lucky I'm here protecting this here park! Else the Purple Brawlers might see fit to make an example of ya and kick you around. They consider the industrial bloc by the river to be their turf, and have moved into the commercial buildings across the street, recently. If nothing else, that church right across from us will be safe for you. No one goes in those places anymore unless they still believe in the Three Golden Goddesses. Doesn't matter what you believe though, the place is still protected from on high. No Brawlers, Mafia, Thieves, Racers, or Moblins ever go in there if they are not innocent, themselves." He ate one hotdog, in one bite. "mmf, not bad for being rock-free..." he grumbled to himself. "So, first thing's first, kid: Stay well away from the Purple ones with those fancy B's emblazoned on their colors. They are working with the Mafia, those ones wearing those awful yellow tuxedos. You might want to keep your distance from them too, but they won’t even notice you unless they think you are in possession of something of value to them. I heard a rumor that they own Hyrule from the underground, manipulate the Moblins and other monsters and that's how they booted the thieves out of northern Hyruletropolis... But anyone who knows the stories knows that they would have to belong to Ganon for that to be true! Ha! haha!" he laughed at the notion that Ganon would use anything but his own monsters, and ate his second hotdog in one bite just like the first. You were barely half way done with your first.

    "Well! That's that, I guess. Unless..." Goron Link licked his lips and grabbed his tiny belly - so small for a Goron! "You gonna eat that?" he asked about the fifth hotdog. You hold up the plate and offer both hotdogs to the Goron, who takes that as an indication of payment for more advice.

    "Then you need all the information you can get, huh? Guess the next thing you want to watch out for is the Racers. They race against the Mafia, who have a few guys in yellow jumpsuits. It's kind of a big deal at the stadium to see them compete, but that's only the side you're 'supposed to' see. What goes down on the streets is much more dangerous and full of violence. Street races is how the mafia picks the winners and losers. All betting at the track is fixed from the start. The mafia doesn't care about the racers' turf, just the drivers; the ones skilled and stupid enough to get involved at the track in the stadium. The Cyan Racers, on the other hand, are as mean and tough as the Brawlers. Both sides fight for territory. Like I said, the Brawlers recently took some commercial turf near here. Was Cyan territory last week. Might be Cyan again next week." He ate both hotdogs in one bite. The food didn't seem to be worth his time, like gulping down air. He looked miserable, disappointed by the food instead of fulfilled by it.

    You remember the rupees you'd put in your satchel with the bottle and pulled out the large purple one. The Goron's eyes widened as if he'd just witnessed a miracle.

 

    "JUNKFOOD!!!" he shouted. "It's no Rock Sirloin, only just better than candy, but I'll tell you anything you want to know if you can keep 'em comin'!" Goron Link hopped up and stomped a happy dance, shaking the ground beneath him, then held out his hands expectantly. You hand over the sizeable rupee, and watch, incredulous, as the Goron eats it. As if grinding it into a thousand pieces, he gnashes and chews.

    Smaller brown rupee shards sprinkled off as well as one blue rupee and 3 small green rupees.

    "YA-HOO!" He shouted triumphantly, "First real food in a week! No one has brought in any rupees this big for a long time! Anything purple or bigger is actually nutritious for a Goron! Used to be, once in a while, folk would give Zelda and Impa some rupees for their service, and they would turn around and feed 'em to me when they turned purple! A Goron can’t survive off of the same food everyone else can! Which is also why you'll never see a Zora down here at the feed. I stick around 'cuz I'cn keep the violence out. I might be starving, but no one but a Goron can beat me! So as long as I'm here, the homeless feed goes on as scheduled, the Brawlers and Racers leave everyone alone, and since no money is exchanged, the Mafia never cared to begin with. ... And cuz you fed me a wallop of rock candy today, I'll start you off with a great tip. The Thieves in black, and they sometimes wear leather jackets, are homeless just like the rest of us. I told you about the Mafia kicking them out of their old turf, right? Guess they had something valuable? Beats me, but they are not as bad as they look. Rumor has it they're working with the Gerudo clan, out in the desert. One of 'em, looks like a ninja, comes around here once in a while, but never talks; stays as out of sight as possible, and leaves as invisibly as they come. Seen 'em see me seein' 'em once, and they disappeared into the traffic. Guess they don't like bein' seen! Ninjas... But I seen this one doin' trade with other thieves, so they must be the same team, huh?"

 

    Goron Link rubbed his belly some more and smacked his lips. "I don't suppose you know where you can get more of those? I don't care for the green ones, and the brown aren’t even good tasting. You can keep most of the crumbs if you want." He said, picking up the blue "crumb" that fell off his purple meal. "The Moblin police make sure to remove any and all shrubs and stray rocks from the city, leaving me with nothing to scavenge for..." and he chomped the blue rupee. "It'f wheirfd." he said, with his mouth full. "I don't understand why they'd started doing that, because now I might have to leave and go live in the desert! Getting rid of me can't be their sole purpose!! It’s just a skate park!"

(❤️❤️❤️½)

    You pull out the rest of your rupees and handed them over, smiling. Goron Link stomped about and praised, then gobbled them right up, leaving no "crumbs". You pick up a handful of brown rupees and the three green rupee "crumbs" left on the ground from his purple 'crumbs', then nodded in departure, and slowly walked home, taking in the environment; keeping watch on the activities around you, eyes open for the first time. You sat at that park well past sundown before realizing the time.

 

    When you finally get home some time past 22:00 that night, your mother was waiting at the kitchen table, worried sick. You'd opened the door and tossed your satchel beside it but your mother was in a joyous panic, "Oh, Link! You're home! I was so worried about you! Where have you been all day? I got a call from Cremia saying you'd been a big help at the ranch, but that was all I've heard from you since! That was twelve hours ago!" She ran up and squeezed a worried motherly embrace around you, then sighed with both relief and regret.

    "You're growing up fast... Too fast for mom to keep up with you anymore... I guess it's time you got some more freedom, huh?" She said with a smile but a heavy heart. "Your allowance isn't going to be enough for you anymore, and I thought of you when I saw this Olde Hyrulean style wallet. I was so worried about you, but I thought it through. I think the wallet helped me come to the conclusion that you're going to be an adult someday." She continued, speaking more for herself than for you. "I think you'll be better able to learn about growing up with a bigger wallet..." She said handing it over. "It's not much, but I'd feel better knowing you had something to stay in touch with your 'mommie'..."

    Inside it was a GameBoy. You stare at it for a while before pulling it out. "You can only call home right now, but if you bring it to me later, I'll add your friends' numbers, but you need to only use it in emergencies. Okay?" You stare at it a moment longer before looking her in the eye and nodding in affirmation.

    At the dinner table, a cold plate of pasta sat on the table in front of the chair you would have sat in that evening. "You can still warm it up, it will still be good, I had it covered when you didn't show up for dinner." She said, as she was ascending the stairs. "I'm going to bed, and so are you, as soon as you finish eating, washing up and changing into your jammies." You smile and roll your eyes - both sarcastically amused, and genuinely happy. Plus, the pasta was great, and just exactly what you needed.

 

    The next morning, you are abruptly awoken by a familiar game tune coming from an unfamiliar location. You fumble around the desk and find the new phone. It was ringing at 6:00 AM. You open it up and put it to your ear, but it had gone silent and nothing happened. It made another sound, just a sound, not a tune this time, right in your ear. You studied it a moment and saw, on the tiny GameBoy screen, "1 new text". So then you fiddle with it and find the text.

    It read:

    "I forgot to explain it better: You cant actually make any calls except emergency calls - you can text me, and when i add your friends' numbers, you can text them too. but phone calls are limited to me and emergency services only. - going to the store, we're out of eggs and batter. be back soon!

~mom"

 

    You groan loudly and roll over back into bed, lie still for a moment, groan some more, and lazily sweep your feet over the edge of the bed and slouch. You rub your forehead and groan yet again as you begin stretching your arms out behind you and leaning from one side to the other, and groaning, protesting this hope-dashed awakening; having hoped you could have slept in. Hopping out of bed, you reach for your toes and then arc your back and fall against the bed. Then you lay awkwardly a while, leaning against the side of the bed a moment before shoving the new phone into your pocket and heading down the stairs.

 

    There was still cereal and milk in the cupboards, so you make yourself a quick breakfast, but taking time to enjoy it. You're finishing your food shortly before your mom returned with groceries. While mom put away, some fruit and bread, you help put the eggs and batter away, and your mom noted the cereal was still out, "Since you've already eaten, no eggs and waffles for you! Put the cereal away, hon." As you grabbed the cereal, a Moblin siren could be heard approaching, and a squad car coming from downtown sped past the neighborhood, lights flashing, chasing a speeder. 

    You stared out the window, while your mother wrenched her hands together, worried. "I might know I have to let you go, but a mother never stops worrying for her children, Link." She approached from behind, "Promise me that even though I'm going to let you make your own decisions..." she put her arms around you, "Promise you'll stay safe. Promise you'll let me know you're alright every night. Send a text with your new GameBoy at least once a night." She hugged you a long time before you left the house.

 

    You were walking north, headed for downtown, several blocks from home, maybe a quarter of a mile, when you passed an elderly woman who sat, hunched over, with a torn blanket acting as a shawl over her back, on the curb at a busy intersection. As you get close, you can see she is holding torn cardboard with bold black letters "Need Food, Anything Helps". You place a hand in your pocket and grab some money, but hesitate, recalling what the Goron had said about it not having "real value".

   You hesitantly pulled out roughly 13r in paper money and held it out to the old woman. She snorted and coughed, but said nothing, taking the money. You could now see she was much older than you had originally thought, as if she was as old as time itself. You awkwardly open your new wallet and look inside. The old woman abruptly belted "So what! ...Don't care about ME at all; do ya!" She was glaring.

    You withdraw the 3 green rupees with a certain tinge of melancholy, and the woman's expression changed, softened. She watched the rupees intently, her eyes widening as you hand them to her; as if she'd been given mana from heaven. She smiled a toothless grin and put the rupees away in the folds of her clothes, happily cocking her head side to side, as if retracting her previous venom and forgiving herself. "I spoke too soon!" she giggled in her raspy voice. "Today you will have Okay Luck. Watch out for your friends next week!" She spoke cryptically. You try to ignore it, but feel good for helping the old woman out.

    Downtown, the skate park is empty this early in the morning, but beginning to attract attention. The patrolling Goron slept, curled up like a rock, under the bridge. Traffic was only beginning to pick up in the streets, and you can see your friend, Krystal, walking high above, across the main bridge and on her way down to the main street. You bolt for the bridge, hurrying to the intersection to meet her. She sees you and her eyes widen with her smile, "Link!" she called out as she dashed toward you.

    You met up at the intersection and Krystal excitedly spoke while you caught your breath, "What are you doing way out here so early? I don't think I've ever seen you downtown so early like this before!" You grab your GameBoy and open it up to show her the text you'd gotten for a wakeup call. "Oh wow! You finally have a phone too! You have to text me! Here's my number-" she started showing you how to save her number and abruptly noted the message about input lock, "Oh, looks like you can’t just text me, gotta confirm it first... and its passworded, so I can’t do that for you... Did you do that, or your mom? No sweat, I'll write mine down for ya." She smiled.

    Abruptly after she exchanged her note with you she blurted out, "Hey! Come to the shop with me! Someone dropped off the coolest thing I've ever, ever seen! Just this weekend! You'll want to check it out before someone buys it any day now! I wanted to show you so badly that I’m surprised I forgot to mention it earlier!"

 

    You accompany your friend to The Trading Post, a store her mother owned in the mall, which Krystal ran and managed when her mother wasn't there. Which typically accounted for morning opening time and generally helping with everything after school got out - and during the summer, there were days when Krystal did the whole job alone, from opening till closing. The two of you had first met there as small children, before Krystal was old enough to help out around the shop, when your mother had brought you in to pick your own birthday gift. You'd chosen a small tan ocarina, but had to fight with Krystal for it because she felt it rightfully belonged to her. In the end, she agreed you could have it and "gave it" to you, as a token of your establishing a new friendship, and have shared it ever since... Currently, Krystal kept it in a glass display by the register and took it out to play once in a while.

    When you arrived, Krystal held up a finger, asking for a moment, and ran through all the opening duties. She unlocked and turned open the mall gate barring the store, flipped on the light switches, checked the register and safe, did a quick bank inventory, and, finally, sat behind the register, smiling at you. "This is going to blow your mind. I want you to buy it... if you can. I've been holding on to it all week, no one's checked it twice but I can’t just give it to you, ya know. But... This one is pretty amazing." She said, pulling out a large glass heart. "Some old lady brought it in here, asking for a silver rupee! Can you believe that? I thought she meant 100r cash, but she looked at me funny, trying to explain what a rupee was! I tried not to laugh at her, and then I had to explain that we don't exchange rupees and the best I could do was money. She seemed real angry, but was happy enough to take the 100r I offered..." she trailed off intentionally, "Which... is why I can't just give it to you, it’s hard to keep the shop open these days, and as much as I want you to have it, I can’t keep it on hold for free. Not that you knew till now... but... If you want it, you'll have to either buy it, or pay the holding fee, 10r per day. The lady said it was called a 'Heart Container', and was worth more than she was asking, which seems funny since she was so happy to take the money, regardless." 

    You frown and think hard. 

    You knew you still had almost enough to buy it from your allowance, but were short by about 20r. you pulled out this cash and counted it. Krystal smiled huge "I'll let you pay it off! That is plenty!" She said, grabbing it out of your hands, mid count, on the spot, without shame. You recoil offensively, but do nothing - more an act than actual offense.

    "I'll just pull up a tab for you. I know you're trustworthy, so i won’t tax you for it either." She winked, as she filled out some papers and handed over the Heart Container. You hold it up and look inside the glass. The red heart inside immediately glowed gently, and in the center you could make out the symbol of the Triforce etched into the red material behind the glass slowly light up.

    You focus on studying the pattern of the Triforce and notice one triangle begin to glow solidly and softly, turning from glowing red to gold.

(❤️❤️❤️❤️½)

    Krystal saw the dim light and started to ask what it was when it flashed bright and caught her question a squeak in her throat. The Triforce inside had grown to the full size of the red inner heart, and in the empty center displayed visions of one of your Spirit Link's past adventures; a young girl with cropped green hair sat on a tree stump, playing a wooden ocarina, looked up and met your eyes. She smiled and waved, and the Heart Container disappeared. Krystal didn't see anything except a flash, a strong glow, and then - then nothing! The whole thing disappeared entirely! She breathed heavily, trying to form a single word, "Whhh" struggling, but not hesitating for even a moment, "Wh-hha-aht?!" She was staring wide eyed. She couldn't move or speak, that was all she had left. 

    You are not far from her state of shock either. 

    Had you not woven words with Gerudian witches in the woods, nor awakened to dirtier dealings downtown and discussed the details with a derelict Goron, you'd have been utterly freaked out by this. So, as such, you were able to find some stability with one hand, oblivious yet calm, and lean against the counter Krystal sat at with the cash register. You just stare out into space behind her, as if some fixed point light years away had your undivided attention.

    The two of you sat in silence for a long time, unable to comprehend what had just occurred, neither of you having applicable words to speak, and only questions could form briefly in mind before creating more questions that could not even be asked much less answered, let alone grasped.

    A frustrated customer waited for two whole minutes before politely clearing her throat, recapturing Krystal's attention from her shock. The lady bought a trinket and left, muttering under her breath about the service. Krystal's return to reality was alone, and she nudged you to join her. You blink a few times and stand upright at the counter. 

    "You have no idea what happened do you?" Krystal finally asked, almost nonchalantly. You can only shake your head, still dazed. You notice someone sitting in the mall outside the shop as you shake your head, and slowly return your gaze to an occupied mall bench. A chill runs down your spine when you notice the purple T-shirt underneath an unzipped black hoodie, but no specific thoughts could form on the matter. 

    Krystal breaks your concentration, "This is going to be a rough day, Link, I think I need to close up and just go home... I can't even think. Not... Not after seeing... that..." Her thoughts were evolving mid-sentence and she looked to the floor and toyed with her toes. "Would you mind if...? Can you walk me home?" Without even thinking, you nod, still too shocked to recall, off hand, that you have never even seen where she lives, let alone been invited to her home.

    Across the river, a few miles from the ranch, you and Krystal silently stroll beside each other, one caught up in worry, the other in contemplation, yet both of you unaware of being followed. Krystal tugged on your shirtsleeve when you came up to an intersection and stoplight. "I've... never brought anyone back to the house with me before..." She started, unsure of how to finish. "You... you were..." She struggled, sighed heavily, and looked away, then quickly changed tactics, "You met the forest witches! ... It’s the only answer. They trusted you to help Cremia, so I have to... I can trust you too. I should expect you think I'm a terrible friend all these years having never truly trusted you, huh?"

    You place a hand on her shoulder. She turned to meet your eyes, and you gently close them and shake your head. When you opened your eyes, tears came down Krystal's face and she hugged you. "I live in the forest,” she said into your shirt, “why don't you lead the way? If you think can find the witches again, that is." She smiled, and dried her tears (and her nose) on your sleeve - as a prank but also to put herself in a better mood.

    You recoil animatedly, but didn't actually care since you knew she needed to smile, and so played along; and smile she did.

    The smile kick started the journey as Krystal nudged you into the river park beside the 3-way pedestrian intersection where you'd taken pause. "You know the Double LR is roughly east of here, so just keep going northeast till things look familiar. Normally I'd take the trails, but..." She looked around and then whispered "I think we're being followed... plus I want to see if Koume and Kotake remember me..." You abruptly stop and look around. "shhsh!" Krystal whispered, "Keep walking...!" You bent over to adjust your shoes, trying to look as nonchalant as possible, then continued.

    After nearly 2 miles of pathless forest, small unkempt trails started winding and braiding through the forest, and Krystal picked the path to walk. "We're close to the ranch. Does any of it look familiar, Link?" Your response was clearer to you than to Krystal as you picked up the pace and started marching. You recognize the path the fairy had led you, and began to jog... Not only retracing the steps, but the pace you took as well. "Link! Hey!" Krystal called out from behind, "Wait up!" She said as she began to chase after.

    As you neared the Witches’ Hut, Krystal had sudden second thoughts: "wait, maybe I should..." She started to mumble as Midna and Twila emerged from the camouflaged forest home. "That's not Koume and Kotake...!" She whispered sternly. You smile back at her and emerge from the forestry, holding up a hand in a frozen wave for the twins. "Link...!" Krystal "shouted" in a whisper.

    "Who's your friend?" Midna and Twila mutually asked. You turn around to smile at Krystal, who hesitantly approached, then, with a combination of courage and anger, approached Midna and Twila directly. "Where's Koume and Kotake? They've lived here all my life. I've never met you two." The twins exchanged a glance mixing concern with doubt. "We've lived here with our aunts all our lives and we've never met you-"

    Kotake emerged on her broomstick from the tree home, half cackling; half scolding, half teasing. Uncharacteristically, plain speaking, she carried on. "Enough! None of you children remember each other because you were too little!" Koume, rather, used her magic to appear beside her sister with a puff of smoke and a cackle. Kotake turned to glare at her. "It's no surprise you'd forget! Such rivals you were!" Koume spoke, ignoring her twin's glare.

    Both Koume and Kotake then looked toward you and greeted you simultaneously, "Hello, Link."

    All of you went inside the tree home, and were greeted with the sweet and pungent smell of brewing potion mushrooms. "Cremia is doing well, no? We must apologize, my sister and I. It’s tragic." Kotake began, followed by Koume, "You see, Cremia is one of very few remaining Hylians who are sensitive enough to be affected by the subtle workings of magic." Taking turns talking, "We had maintained a long and lasting friendship with her after we showed her how to make her own potions, but as the years went by..." They swapped, "... The mushrooms ran dry, and we've been searching for them all over the forest, to give to her, without a problem... until three years ago."

    Twila and Midna cut in, "That's when a lot of strange things started happening; here in the forest, in corners and dead ends of Hyruletropolis, around the depths of Lake Hylia and it shores, in the Gerudo Desert Wastes, and even deep within Death Mountain. Here, the forest denizens have taken to eating up all our mushrooms and uprooting as many bushes as they can find. In the desert, our family has stopped contacting us; the last thing we heard was they were run out of their home and left to survive in the wastes. A lot of activity in the last three years has left our dear aunts terrified of the implications." Their concern for their aunts was both touching and insulting, to which Koume snapped, "Terror nothing! We're not scared, just concerned!" Which Kotake argued, "Concerned enough to stay locked in our home in the woods and staying well out of sight!" They began to bicker, hovering on their broomsticks, shaking spoons at each other, heading back to the cauldron. "Witch!" one snapped as they dispatched the brew into separate bottles, followed by "Hag!" from the other. Twila and Midna both turned to each other and agreed, "Don't ever let me get like that!" simultaneously.

    Back outside, Twila and Midna hovered over the dead and ashen fire pit, Krystal and Link sat across from each other around it, and the four of them chatted about what they were going to do. No one could come up with any answers, and Krystal remembered she needed to get home.

    "We'll take you." Said Twila and Midna. "Thanks, really." Krystal started, "But we'll be fine. Take care of your aunts. Link will take me home. Right, Link?" She finished, nodding to you: Nodding to her. You all waved to each other, the twins retreated into the house, and you and Krystal disappeared on the trails leading back to her home. "We should hurry. Lead on… That way." Krystal directed.

    Deep in the woods, the trail started to become overgrown, and Krystal stopped you. "Hold on. We're almost there, but this is where it gets tricky. We have landmarks we have to remember to find the house. No visible trails lead there." Krystal took the lead and beckoned for you to follow her. You passed a few hollow and creepy-looking trees, wrapped around a boulder, which hid another tree, just off an overgrown path from another nearby park - a fishing-hole.

    She wound around the warped trees, then the larger fat tree, which blocked the view of a small slope into an underground chasm behind it, leading further off the beaten path and well beyond sight. As you descended behind the tree, they out of your sight and you out of theirs, a Purple Brawler emerged from behind while he lost sight of your path. He stood around awkwardly, looking for the two kids he'd just lost. He peeked into bushes and around large boulders, scratched his head, then belted out loudly and angrily in defeat before pushing along the trail in hopes of finding his target.

    "What was that?" Krystal said, looking back toward the distant but sharp and angry outburst from behind you. You look back a moment, turn, and shrug, then push on. The tiny chasm was easy to enter from behind that fat tree, but the ceiling began to close up overhead almost immediately. You were in more of a crawl space of a tunnel than a mere crack in the ground and had to crouch in places. "If we kept to the trail back there, we'd eventually wrap around back toward the river. Great fishing spot that way. There are also Forest Zoras who live near there. They seem to keep to themselves, but are said to be very dangerous if provoked. No one knows much else about them though, not even Ruto." The tunnel-chasm began to open up ahead and sunlight poured in, along with shadows of branches. Tapering into the Earth was a giant rock jutting in like a sheathed dagger, leaving the exit with a steep climb.

    "Careful here, it's easier leaving home than coming back!" Krystal giggled. She veered to the left and used a thick vine to stabilize her climb up the steep rock face, then tossed the vine in your direction when she got to the top, "It's easier on the side, but as long as you keep ahold of the vine, you'll be fine." She said, gesturing to the left side she'd climbed, then climbed down on the other side. When you reached the top, Krystal was nowhere in sight, while a large log cabin sat in the middle of a sunny glade, surrounded by thick stone and fat trees, submerged in a steep bowl-shaped depression in the Earth. One way in, one way out. The front door sat ajar and you suddenly feel an irrational tug of panic in your chest. You quickly clamber down and run to the front door with haste.

 

    You bolt through the door and fall over Krystal, rolling into her mother and knocking her to the floor as well. Krystal fumed, more confused than furious, "Link! What was that all about?! You just knocked my mom to the floor!" Her mother began laughing: A rounder, curvy woman with long, braided, green hair, and a nearly identical face to her daughter. Krystal grinned and stood up, offering her hand to her mother so to help her up as well. You stay on the floor, too embarrassed to get back up.

    "Mom; this is my friend, Link. We met-" Her mother interrupted her with a stiff, upright open palm. "I remember Link, you two first met when you two were too little to remember. It's nice to see that you've reconnected and become friends again!" She smiled. Krystal was sarcastic “At the shop? On his birthday?”

    "Oh! My name is Saria XI.” Her mom distracted “The women in our family have all been named after our ancestor, because she had been a Sage of the Forest Temple and I'm the eleventh generation. Krystal's father named her... Before I had a chance to explain any of this, so we left it at that..." She trailed off. Krystal hugged Saria, "It's okay mom! I love my name as much as I love yours!" Saria smiled halfheartedly then realized Krystal was explaining something important before everyone found themselves on the floor. "Oh! what was that about closing the shop early, Krys? You've never had trouble with customers befo..." Krystal interrupted, "It wasn't a customer, exactly... But... Something happened to distract me, and without focus, it will be all of the customers. So I figured it'd be better off if we closed early, rather than have bad service all day."

    Saria was still confused and becoming a little upset, "I don’t understand. What could have possibly distracted you all day long? Was there an electrical short in one of the light switches, or the register get stuck again?" Saria folded her arms, "You know how to fix the cash register, dear..." Krystal was getting impatient, "It wasn't anything technical!" and she looked over to you, in hopes you could bail her out. Her urgent look was enough to do the trick, though for the wrong reasons. Her mother snickered, "It's okay, I'll let it go. Just don't make a habit out of it, okay? Maybe you can teach Link how to run to shop together?" She winked. Krystal suddenly realized that her mother was trying to hint at something, and she groaned long and loud, "MOOOO-oooooooo-OOOOMMMM!" Then pushed her mother into the kitchen, "Link, you know the way? I think you ought to go home..." She vainly fought herself from blushing. 

    You smile and wave at them on their way into the kitchen, leave the cabin, close the door behind you, and take in a deep breath. 

    You stepped off the porch and looked into the trees and skies overhead. Another sigh of relief, then took off at a steady pace.    

    You backtracked from the cabin to the crevice, back to the overgrown path, and cautiously peeked around the tree and boulder. When you were sure no one was around, you hurried down the path, toward the ranch, running as quietly as possible. In your haste, you catch up with a furious and shady fellow and slow down, trying to keep your distance. The man stomped and shouted “quietly” at himself as he trudged along, so you held back and waited, giving the man ample time to put distance between you.

    More casually now, you take the paths' scenery and atmosphere in as you stroll, enjoying the feel of the woods. This casual pace made the departure trip thrice as long as your arrival time, and the sun was careening into the west, nearly exhausting the afternoon. Emerging from the woods close to the ranch, you could see a group of Brawlers gathering by the intersection where you and Krystal had entered the Woods. Waiting to see what they were doing, you assure yourself they weren't a threat only after several of them dispersed into town and only two remained, casually jeering at traffic. After waiting so long, you finally travel back across the bridge, into downtown.   As you passed the two remaining Brawlers, you hear one of them mutter something about you being "a little green punk." Up ahead, on the opposite end of the bridge, you could just barely make out a dark figure hopping over the railing and vanishing. You run ahead to get a better view, then slow down and watch once you are close enough to make out the Ninja wrap crawling alongside the edge of the bridge. You watch; fascinated by the grace by which this mysterious person leapt from the bridge into the trees nearby and vanished toward the skate park. You run ahead again and followed the bridge across the side path to halfway across before you were confronted by a museum separating the bridge path to the main intersection by the front of the park from the street below, bordering the rear. You hurry down, here, to the park, but could make no sign of any mysterious Ninja in the area. Goron Link on patrol, the familiar blue van under the bridge had just arrived, and several (newly) familiar faces started to show up from around downtown for the free food. You decide to stick around and people-watch again. You wander over to the other end of the park from the bridge, on the empty end, and get comfy in a quiet corner bench.

    Goron Link stopped to chat with a couple on a stroll, Zelda hurried back and forth under the bridge, no signs of brawlers or mafia, the sun was starting to light the dusk horizon with orange and yellow hues, and no signs of Ninjas either. You decided to stretch out and stood up in front of the bench. Doing a few stretches; forward bends, side twists, and deep breathing. As the couple departed from Goron Link, he raised his hands in a cheer and let out an audible "yahoooph!" as he gobbled up a small gift. You smile to yourself, and touch your toes, and inhale deep.

    The park breathed and sighed as people came to eat and dispersed slowly into the falling dusk. You remained mostly by the park bench all evening, and approached the van under the bridge only at the very end of the feed. Impa was washing the fold-out tables off and gathering up any napkins, utensils, plates, or other resources left behind as Zelda loaded them into the van or threw away rubbish. You walk around one table, toward the van and wait as Zelda loaded a box of canned chili into the back. She heard your approach and turned around to face you, standing awkwardly beside. 

    You stared at each other for a moment; and Impa noticed, waiting for Zelda to return. Finally, she approached, and formally introduced herself and Zelda, "Hello, Link. You've grown a lot since we were all last together. I am Zelda's attendant, Impa."

    Zelda noticed herself staring at you and interrupted Impa, "I don't suppose you'd remember me either, I barely remember you, when we were so little..." She trailed off. "My name is Zelda, we were all really little when all our parents last met together at the Double LR. I remember you, Link, and our friends, Ruto, Krystal, Malon, and the twins, Twila and Midna... I think Marin is the only one of us old enough to remember anything more than that though." Impa had resumed the cleanup while Zelda talked.

    She mentioned playing games with each other at the ranch long ago, drinking fresh milk straight from the cows, chasing cuccos, and expressed enjoying the wonders of meeting horses for the first time. No more than 2 minutes in, Impa cleared her throat and indicated toward the tables and gas stoves. Zelda politely excused herself, but you helped by carrying the collapsible tables into the back of the van.

    Impa thanked you for your help and entered the driver's seat, while Zelda lingered to talk. "Thank you for the help, Link. I hope you can come help us tomorrow evening; I can give you Impa's cell number so you can stay in touch with me.” You take the number she wrote down and waited awkwardly. Impa broke the silence and called for Zelda.

    You wave goodbye as Zelda climbed in, waving back, and they drove off. Before you could, or perhaps would, turn around to return home, a cyan racer sped past and followed the van a moment before revving past them and disappearing. You look back in the direction the car had come and noticed some Cyan Racer jumpsuits walking toward the park from the formerly Brawler shops across the street. Goron Link had noticed too and approached you under the bridge. Gently, but sternly, he said, "Relax, kid. They're just leaving. You should go home too."

    There was solemn gravel in his voice.

    You headed back toward home while fiddling with your new phone, sent a text to mom with the time and your location, then sent another asking to add Krystal's and Zelda's phone numbers to your contact list along with at least Impa’s number. Along the trip home, you notice the same old lady with the blanket shawl walking out of a small store, near home, and decide to take a look inside. The shop owner was a kind, stocky man with shiny widow’s peak forehead, lustrous blue hair on the back of his head, and a happy demeanor. He turned and greeted you right away, revealing a large yellow fox mask. "Hello, kiddo!" he nearly boomed from behind the mask, perhaps trying to startle the kids who came in or just thinking he needed to compensate more than necessary for his voice behind the mask.

    Still loudly, but muffled, "You have the look of a smart kid, so I'll tell ya a little secret!" He placed the reverse side of his hand beside his mask, pushing it aside to show his mouth, and leaned in as you approached the counter, lowering his voice theatrically. "There's a magical mask salesman coming to town soon, an' he'll be setting up shop in here. I've got a special deal to promote him by giving away this free mask!"

    You smile and put out your hands, but the shop keep continued on, pulling back and letting the mask fall over his mouth again. "But there's a small catch, you see. I need to make a living here, yeah?" he spoke up again to compensate for his muffled voice. "I can't give too many away for free, so it's more like a job... I'm passing the torch. You want the mask; you just gotta wear it and try to sell it. If you come back with the money, I can either let you keep the same mask for free, or give you a new one to try to sell. How do ya like that?"

    After rolling your head back and forth in thought, you nod and reach for the mask from the man. He then introduced himself as Kafei, relinquishing the mask and stroking his newly revealed and strangely blue beard, "and that is the Keaton Mask. It represents the tricky fox from old stories. Maybe you remember some of them?" Then he asked if you were here to buy anything from his shop. You decided you had to look around some more and see what there was. You notice small and medium bottles, a wooden sword and shield practice set, a Large Olde Hyrulean Wallet, and a Traditional Hunter's Tunic: Medium and Large Sizes.

    As you started to leave, Kafei asked, "You see anything you like? There's a special discount for employees, you know? Sell the mask, alright?" He said. Smiling, you nodded and left for home, wearing the Keaton Mask. You traveled the short trip home, entering the house, when you received your answer to the text about your friends. It was yes.

 

    "Oh good, you're ho-WHOAHHHEE! WHAT ARE YOU?" The mask frightened a sudden response when your mom emerged from the kitchen, so you took it off. You both sat on the couch and laughed. It was 'payday' and you received your allowance of 20r. Your mom took your GameBoy and entered the requested information, then thanked you for giving her a time and location update. "... and since you're proving you can be responsible..." she said, as she gave you two blue 5r bills, " your allowance just got a 5r raise and one-time-today-bonus." You two exchanged a hug, then she had asked about the mask before you retired to bed while she was mentioning something about a Keaton story she grew up with where he had tricked a man into becoming a Scrub, and the Deku-man used a circle of bushes and trapped Keaton there.

    The weekend had arrived and the slow weekend mornings in Hyrule meant everyone usually slept in or stayed indoors until lunchtime or later. You took advantage of the vacant mornings every weekend to practice Parkour, waking up extra early today for some reason. Probably due to all the excitement about the new Zelda box set, and your own coincidental experiences as of late.

    You were up before the sun had even begun to creep out from behind the horizon, and crept about the house softly, so as not to wake your mother; downstairs to the fridge for some milk, quietly pulling handfuls of cereal out into a bowl, and putting the milk back, ever gently closing the fridge as to make no sounds. You ate as quickly and quietly as possible before taking off. Out the front door, on the front step, you held your breath as you slowly close the door, as if taking an hour wasn't quiet enough. You stretched yourself out as you walked, taking extra long strides and walking extra slow, toward downtown for your Weekend Free Run. You looked forward to each run, but this would be the first time going into the city. Usually you'd either run laps around your house or just go to Ruto's house and back; or just stay and hang out with your friend. Perhaps it was just the recent drama and stimulation, but you were feeling extra adventurous and decided to explore downtown beyond the mall and skate park.

    Halfway there, the familiar blanket shawl obscures a misfortunate soul, hiding behind a tree, asleep. You wadded up and left some of that "worthless" money for her, both 5r bills. You felt a sense of pride when you walked away, and smiled.

    You decided you were close enough to downtown to begin really warming up and started jogging. Your travel time drastically changed the morning for you. For one thing, you'd have been running from the house from the beginning if you were going to Ruto's, but because you were not as familiar with the downtown maze of streets, you'd need all the energy you could get; at the expense of this morning lull, you realized. Once the sun started announcing himself you felt pressured to begin your delayed run. Your increased pace wasn't satisfactory, you wanted to run already!

 

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Bolero Flambé

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Wooded Minuet
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   Outside, the crisp air is welcomed with a heavily contented sigh, but the sound of distant cackling leaves you feeling alert but uneasy. You tiptoe in the direction of the sound and find yourself walking toward the Lost Woods, east of the ranch. The eerie darkness and moonlit shadows cast a frightening atmosphere upon the forest, but somehow this manages to bring a sense of comfort to you, in spite of the gloom. You notice the cackling has changed... It now seems more like celebratory laughter than witchy spellbinding. You glance back at the house for a sense of familiarity before moving on to follow the sounds of laughter.
 
    A small light comes to your attention and appears to move of its own accord, behind the tree trunks and through the branches, catching your curiosity, distracting you, beckoning you to follow. The light seems to keep pace with you; if you sped up, the light sped up, you'd slow down, and the light slowed down.
    With a sudden rise of courage, you decide to go for broke and dash after it full wind. It lagged ahead briefly but then, as if spooked, shot ahead at blinding speed! The laughter also grew clearer and a little louder and you dashed on. A mix between cackles and celebratory hollers echoed off the fat trunks of old trees. The light led you deep into the woods and suddenly darted off more directly toward the sounds of laughter.
    You manage to just barely keep up, sliding as you make a sharp turn and lose one foothold, but compensate with the other leg just fine. The light was way ahead, clearly visible, but stationary. You're running fast, but decide to slow down in hopes of not scaring this enigma away again. You approach the light, maybe ten feet away, the closest you've gotten yet, and as you inch closer, the light suddenly rings out and tings softly then 'jumps' back toward your face just before immediately humming away into the treetops before you could make out what had just happened.
A fairy?  
Voices rose up through the laughter and conversation could be faintly distinguished. You hold your breath and creep ever softly closer.
    "Well that fairy did a fine job, helping us scout for a new mushroom patch!" One harsh voice beamed happily, "Indeed, indeed! We can begin making new potions again! Hee-hee!" Arose another voice that sounded almost identical. "Who, ever, would have thought old hags like us could willingly work with a forest fairy?" The first one cackled. The two witches hobbled an awkward dance around an eerie blue flame that glowed as if with shadow rather than light. The flame abruptly went out and two shadows pooled up from it, before darting straight to you!
    Two hands from separate bodies grab you by the shoulders and forehead, pin you against a tree, and hold you firmly 2 feet off the ground. "Aunt Koume, we have a visitor!" one said simultaneously, as the other said, "Aunt Kotake". The witches cackled, the air carrying their glee into the sky, and they suddenly materialized broomsticks and hovered swiftly over to inspect you. The fire pit had turned to normal fire and its light revealed a fat hollowed out tree with a ladder and chimney. You found yourself admiring this forest house in spite of this situation. One of the shadow girls notice your gaze and looked at the house too. The twin on the other shoulder saw her sister turn away and so she, too, looked back.
They both returned to stare you down and ask in unison, "What?" Which sounded accusatory.
 
    Koume and Kotake alternated between one another with their speech. One would begin, the other would finish. "Twila, Midna, bring our guest inside," One started, "We have a gift to bring them pride." The other continued. "Special fate, this one wears." The red witch said "The destiny of Hyrule shall be theirs!" The blue witch finished.
    Twila and Midna exchanged doubtful and concerned glances but withdrew into the ground as shadows and retreated to the tree home. You hadn't realized the two shadow girls were holding you up so high until you fell unexpectedly. Koume and Kotake hovered closer and leaned in, just staring at you, then abruptly turned and flew into their chimney calling behind them together "Hurry along now, yes!" Koume said, "We've so much to address!" Kotake punctuated. You get up and brush yourself off, front and back. You looked up to see if you could find the mystery light, apparently a fairy after all, but you simply see this new place in the firelight, sans faerie light.
 
    Inside the witch-hut was a large cauldron in the middle of the room, a domed smoke stack hung over it from above, carved out of and supported by the tree itself, a low over hang with beds stacked on one wall, and an L shaped counter right beside the front door, where Midna or Twila stood, the other nowhere to be seen. Koume stood in front of the cauldron, stirring in mushrooms, and Kotake sat in a rocker beside the bunks, impatiently beckoning.
    You cautiously approach the red witch and sit before her, expecting a story or some such thing. The witch cackled "You heart is true! Joy!" she started, "True like blue! Oi!" Koume joked to finish. Kotake picked up, "We may not look it, hags as we are, but my sister and I trained the evil king in times long afar." Koume didn't look up from her brew, but kept the conversation going, "You might not believe my sister and I to have lived in ancient Hyrule as the centuries trecked by!" Then leaned in to sample the odor of her potion.
    "Seems impossible that we could so long have stayed alive" Kotake continued on, "But believe it or not, we are fifteen hundred and five!" Koume declared, to which her twin abruptly stood in her rocker, approached the cauldron, and began stirring, "You hag! we're twins! you can’t be younger than me!" Kotake approached the cauldron from the opposite, grabbing a spoon, and stirring with her twin. "Don't be so cruel dear sister! We're finally free! I'm only trying to save us some face!" Koume argued. Kotake shook the spoon at her, "But that's a lie, we're better than that! Know your place!" They continued bickering, "Don't blame me for learning how to survive!" And bickering... "Our student even might still be alive!"
 
    Midna had been hiding in the shadow of the rocker and silently slipped up to you. You showed a surprised face as she introduced herself with a sly smile, and Twila magically slipped over behind the witches, through Koume's shadow, to approach your opposite side, "and I'm her twin sister, Twila." They then spoke in unison: "come, meet us outside, our aunts are busy finishing your potion." You laugh to yourself quietly, 'is that what they're doing' you wondered silently. You remain in silence as you follow their floor shadows out the door. "Liar!" but not without passing the elderly, bickering twins. "Wretch!"
    The eerie blue flame had begun to enshroud the area again, and you hesitantly stepped in its shade. Inside the shadow, light was reversed, where shone bright appeared shadow, where shadow fled lurked light. It took a moment for your eyes to adjust, but you saw Midna and Twila standing together in what appeared to be a trance. They began to hover off the ground a few inches and the shadowy light dome around them changed and swirled, showing visions and events in a blur. Armies clashing for treasure, a giant mirror in the desert, a tall dark spire hovering over a pit of lava, and as the visions focused, you saw yourself as a young boy, maybe 2 or 3 years younger than you are now, asleep in a tree, stirring and restless.
 
    "The first Hero of Time was never the first hero, yet the first to touch the Triforce, so the goddess of time picked you from him." The twins spoke inseparably, "Your past is not your past, your present is not your present, but the future belongs entirely to you. This young Link was the first the 3 goddesses spoke to, the first to touch their treasure in his mind... with his heart... ... and the first to save Hyrule from Ganon." The vision continued to change, but focused on this one event. A fairy entered and began bouncing all about, and the vision swelled and warped into the spectral Link's mind.
 
    A dream of a young princess riding quickly with her attendant; fleeing Hyrule, followed distantly by Ganondorf, riding his steed out of an ancient Hyrule gate and drawbridge. A brief exchange of looks as the princess rides past the 'other' Link; Ganondorf, halting before the boy, and shouts at him about the white horse. Link draws his sword, and Ganon is laughing. He smiles evilly, firing a bolt of dark light into the vision of Link and paralyzes him... The dream hazed away back to the fairy who was shouting at Link, and then the vision fades away again to the eerie inverted light of Midna and Twila's dome.
    They continued their story, "You bear the heart, spirit, and soul of the Hero of Time, whose lives have been ever fraught with peril." This revelation shocks you and you catch a small gasp in your throat, feeling recoiled, and slowly sit down, trying to steady your swirling head.
 
    "When you first awakened as the hero, Ganondorf had already seized power and sought the Triforce, but you and the princess weren't ready to intervene. While you traveled over vast mountains, under deep blue water, through the realm of the dead, and even across the river of time, in the end, Zelda and the sages sealed the Ganon beast in the void between realms and with the help of the Goddess of Time, Zelda returned you to your original time as a child again, so as to give you your own life back... Or so they thought. Ganon was not as fully sealed as the sages had believed."
 
    A vision of three dungeons and six temples, Ganon’s castle, Great Faeries, and Ganon cursing the descendants of the sages; Fading out with Zelda playing the ocarina of time, and Link returning to the temple in his child body. The fairy that was with him at all times, throughout every moment of that long journey-vision, until the very end, when he was returned to his past, had drifted away through the cathedral window before a different scene came into view. "You did not forget your adventures, and you still felt duty bound, but this time you warned the princess of Ganondorf's deceit; you told her your story of having arrived as her prophecy had shown, then did her bidding and opened the temple of time. You explained how her plan worked against seven years of Hyrule's history, so Zelda made no requests of you, but offered a parting gift for your service to the royal family, and as a surefire guarantee that Ganondorf would not open the doors of time: the Ocarina of Time. Feeling empty, unfulfilled, and alone, you sought your old friend and companion who had accompanied you on your first journey. Requesting the horse of another young friend, buying a custom shield from Biggoron, and finally requesting a sword from your former childhood community from which you were growing too distant, you set out into the Lost Woods, in hopes of finding your fairy..."
 
    The vision warped into The Skullkid chasing Link through the lost woods, stealing his horse and transforming him into a Deku Scrub, followed by Termina fields' view of Clock Town, and showed the moon falling and warping back repeatedly, over and over again. As the twins kept on, the vision remained in a strange loop like this, the moon falling, and reappearing in the sky, then falling again, and again, and again, "The goddess of time saw how powerful you had become by wisely using the Triforce of Courage and used you to save another world connected by the dreams of Hyruleans. Upon entering the dream world of Termina, your presence awakened a sleeping evil, the Nightmare Majora, trapped in the Dekuwood of a stolen magical mask; a mask imprisoning Majora in the waking world of Hyrule. Though you had befriended a Skullkid with your own mask trading and musical talent, he had stolen that evil mask from a traveling salesman, putting all dreams, and thus all of reality, at risk; and for a time became your enemy! The goddess of time guided you backward through time repeatedly, as this old and forgotten evil attempted to destroy the world through dreams, by using your friend like a puppet! You needed to finish your first adventure... But you did not know how... So... Instead, you found yourself saving another world all together. Your adventure into the Lost Woods to find a former companion rather found you into rescuing the world from a deadly nightmare!"
    The vision panned in on a Skullkid wearing a strange mask, beckoning a giant and angry Moon overhead and Link playing his Ocarina.
    Then the vision warped into the moon's mouth and revealed an eerie arena where the mask took on its own body and form.
    Link put on a white mask, and the vision faded again...
 
 
    The twins were hovering, slowly circling over the dark flame together, "The goddess of time saw you through many adventures throughout the ages, and with the help of her sisters and their Triforce, you vanquished evil at every turn... Passing between the world of light and shadow, entering the Sacred Realm ala Dark World, and even passing through the dreams of the Majestic Wind Fish..." The vision warped through time and exposed the execution of Ganondorf Dragmire for his crimes against the Royal Family, warping around to show Ganon vanquished by Link in his lair in the Black Citadel, warping past to Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple, twisting light into a vast ocean and exposing a shipwreck, boiling away to a nightmarish battle against Ganon in the form of a Great Beast, before finally warping away to the twins again. "After Zelda originally sent you back in time, the Goddesses witnessed Ganon break free from the void between realms... While the people prayed for your return, you could not; for you and your very soul were fully removed from that world and its entire timeline! In order to save everyone from the wrath of Ganon, the goddesses flooded nearly all of Hyrule with the help of the King, and soon your heroism was eventually all but forgotten... So that you could be reborn, yet again, to face the revived King of Evil in his own deluge. Ganon, King of Evil met his demise at your hands countless times over countless eons, but never parted with the Triforce of Power until after the events of the Imprisoning War, whereupon he was sealed with the Triforce in the sacred realm and his evil magic twisted it into the Dark World."
    The vision disintegrated and dissolved, revealing another vision underlying. "Using the wizard, Aghanim, Ganon found a way to escape from his Dark World, and nearly succeeded until you were chosen once more to save Hyrule and attacked the Wizard, learning of his darker designs. He kidnapped the Princess and used her and the 6 other descendants of the ancient sages to break their barrier, but fell to your courage and lost the Triforce in the end. You vanquished him and laid claim to the whole Triforce after an epic battle. Your wish to restore Hyrule touched the Goddesses' hearts..." The vision was now warping around to show Ganon vanquished by Link in his pyramid lair in the Dark World; Link securing the Triforce in an adjacent chamber; then warping back to the twins and Link. "However, as ever you returned, time and time again, so too did Ganondorf Dragmire; and over time, he had returned to Hyrule yet again to secure the Triforce of Power."
    The vision flooded in again, with images of an older and more mature Link: Emerging from a cave, carrying a newly acquired sword and embarking upon his journey before the images faded back out - like the tides following the moon. "You had defeated Ganon once more and Zelda used her power of the Triforce of Wisdom to strip him of the Triforce of Power, thus returning the world to peace."
    Like a rising tide, the vision swells with prosperous celebration before draining back to the inverted darkness of Midna and Twila's domain. "Yet even as a hero, you walked away to live on in solitude and simplicity: For she was engaged to a prince, unworthy of her hand, whom inadvertently cursed his bride to be with a sleeping spell, cast by an evil magician whom the prince himself had hired... To secure the Triforce for his own selfish desires!" The vision swelled back into sight, to detail Link's battles against a shadow copy of himself as the young twins narrated, "Once more, you came to the aid of Hyrule and sought the means to rescue Zelda from disaster. Your shadow image guarded the Triforce of Courage, needed to awaken the princess who had separated the three golden triangles and sealed them in three separate locations. A time of great prosperity followed her awakening... The Triforce became the stuff of legend and was all but forgotten..."
    The twins hovered away from the flame on opposite ends and touched down to the ground. The blue flame dissipated and returned to normal fire, and the twins continued... "Farore, the Goddess of Courage, had grieved for you and wished you your own life, so with the help of the Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of Time; Farore helped you and Zelda forget all your deeds as the Hero of Time and Sage of Wisdom after Zelda sent you back from your ordeals as the first Hero of Time."
 
    The twins became solemn, "You were genuinely returned to your own time, before all the events were ever set in motion. You did not wait with the Master Sword for seven years to battle Ganon, but were sent back to the moment you awoke from your nightmare. Zelda did not pursue her visions of Hyrule's demise. You left the Kokiri Forest in a daze and did not come back again to enter Termina, for you did not remember your fairy companion you never received. You did not return to the Kokiri village in the Lost Woods either, for your mystic daze guided you to your own Hylian people and reunited you with your mother's sister in Kakariko. You never became a hero. You instead grew to manhood, becoming a prosperous Hylian Hunter and introduced the Kokirish attire as huntsman's garb; when you became a man it had been since made the traditional attire for hunting. However, Ganon could not be parted with his lust for power, even after he was trained as a Wizard by our very aunts, Koume and Kotake!" You recoil, Twila and Midna continue, "He used their very teachings to pursue chaos magic and bind them to his own will for a time and became an evil Warlock. He seized the Triforce of Power and used it to vanquish you and steal the Triforce of Courage. With those two parts in place, he forced Zelda to relinquish the Triforce of Wisdom and vanished; all but without a trace, as his minions overran all of Hyrule for five hundred years of pure darkness. What has happened in the last five hundred, however, are enshrouded in mystery, as his monsters seemed to disappear and civility returned to the lands... ... but the existence of the Moblin police and Stalfos Knights remain testament to his presence even toda-..." Interrupting the twins, Koume and Kotake burst out of the tree hut and began scolding their twin nieces.
    "Twila! Midna! How dare you tell our tale!" Kotake began, "You pests spoiled our surprise and frightened the young child pale!" You got up and brushed yourself off again, standing tall, as to show you were fine, not at all traumatized, not the least bit scared. Koume and Kotake ordered Midna and Twila into the house with no more than a stiff bony finger, each, jutted to their front door, and the two youngers slipped away into the shadows. "Perhaps it's started all over again," Koume said to Kotake, "The hero does reappear now and then." Her sister agreed. They eagerly stared at you with great intent.
    You waited. The witches waited. You look them back and forth in their eyes. The sisters look you in your eyes. You shifted your weight, awkwardly, waiting. Koume and Kotake hovered on their broomsticks, awkwardly, almost as if confused. You scratch the back of your brown head of hair.
    "Oi! That's right!" Kotake burst out, and squirmed and fidgeted like slapstick, retrieving a bottle from her sleeve. "Bring this back to us tomorrow afternoon." She started, "We can help your friend's mother with our potion of blue." Koume finished.
    "Also, you might want these. They aren't worth trade anymore, like in the old days, but you can still find more by cutting down the shrubs you might find... Well if you had a sword... These were for the last bottle of potion we sold, hundreds of years ago, before everything changed." Kotake spoke, uncharacteristically, plainly. Koume handed over a purple rupee and a pair of red rupees, and the large bottle. You stare at the large bottle a moment and take it from the witch with caution, as if it might be cursed. Kotake cackled, and the two witches disappeared in a puff of smoke. You put everything in your satchel.
 
    You breach the forest edge about a mile behind the Ranch and trudge along, sleepily. It was dawning, and though no sun was visible, the light poured over the horizon, announcing it was not far from rising. By the time you make it to the front porch, you spot your two friends rushing about in a panic... They were looking for you. Malon caught sight of you and froze.
    "Link!" Was all Malon could really say, and you approached. The three of you stood on the front porch awkwardly.
    "What were you doing outside so early?" … “Didn’t you sleep?” She asked after an awkward silence. You opened your mouth to answer, but the smell of breakfast overpowered you, and, instead of speaking, your stomach growled loudly. Tired from lack of sleep, and now so hungry, so much as to feel like you're starving on top of it, you grip your stomach and fall to your knees, prompting Krystal and Malon to your side. "Link!" Krystal yelped, worried. Then your stomach growled loudly again cluing the girls in on, at least part of, your predicament. They laughed together and escorted you to the dining table. Talon was cheerfully standing at the stove, preparing eggs and bacon and, "Ho, young'un! I got the flapjacks almost done!" He greeted you without even looking up. "Glad you weren't far off. Early Riser, I could use a helping hand like that on the land! AH-HAW!"
    After breakfast, you passed out in the Living room, watching the early morning Super Mario Super Show cartoons with your friends.
    In your dream, you saw the worlds of Hyrule, all bound and contained together by the Triforce, with yourself standing amidst them all, as if a giant tree, binding the worlds of Hyrule across time and space, standing in the empty center of a gigantic Triforce.
    In one world, red with war, crawling off your right arm, in another, on your forehead, blue and deep with ocean and vast of skies, others showed peaceful melding of people, and some showed pristine nature, green and untouched, growing upward from beneath your left foot. You were seeing yourself from outside yourself: The giant Link, towering over his myriad adventures, peered down into a shadowy realm branching out from his heart.
    Black clouds and purple lightning, foreshadowing an olive sunset; a weak and sickly looking sunset, its rays not even beaming outward, but shining enough to express the hordes of monsters crowding together in the shadows. Deep into the darkness, where no monsters stirred, smoky, cloudy wisps of shadow gently tumbled about.
    Emerging from within were the twins, Twila and Midna. "The potion's almost done, wake up sleepyhead!" They said in unison. As they retreated to the billowing shadows, as you began waking up, as the dreams faded to darkness, you thought you could see yourself peering out of that blackness with glowing red eyes.
    You'd slept through the cartoons, and heard the front door click shut, opened your eyes and looked around; got up and left the house. You found Krystal mounting Epona, and Malon standing beside, helping her up, while giving her some riding instructions. "Hey sleepyhead!" Krystal called to you, waving then losing her balance. You approached them. "Krystal was jealous you 'got to' ride Epona last night," she said, slightly offensively, lecturing, "and she conned me into teaching her how to ride..." Then Krystal butted in, "You looked so fabulous and heroic, Link!" causing you to blush.
    Malon explained that she wasn't too happy with you, and didn't like sharing her horse, told you both, in a strong tone, it was a "one time deal" and that you'd have to find your own horses next time. "This might take a while, Link. Why don't you find something to make yourself useful? I'm sure Ingo would be more than happy to dump his responsibilities on you!" Malon half joked, but meant it literally, more as a warning than an opportunity. So you disappeared for a couple hours while the girls rode and Ingo labored, Talon at his frail wife's side.
    "You're late!" Kotake cackled inoffensively, stirring up a ladle full of blue from within the cauldron. "You'll have to hurry back, this isn't a proper potion," she continued, "it will turn red when it’s exposed to warmth or sunlight for more than a minute." Koume explained, "In the forest, the cool damp air will preserve it, but only in the shadows," she continued, followed by her sister, "When you reach the forest edge, don't step into the light," she emphasized, "Run through it!" They said together.
    This may have confused you, this may not have but excited you; perhaps you were simply very eager to finish the task, or perhaps you mistook their unison as an immediate command. Whatever may the case be, you ran as fast as you could the whole way there cradling the bottle, twice protected, within the satchel around your shoulder and neck you'd mindlessly kept with you since last night. When you cleared the forest, you ran even faster. Bolting into the house and up the stairs, you ran back to the room at the very end of the hall and entered Talon and Cremia's room. Talon got up with a shot, as if electrocuted, and approached you sternly. You ignored him and produced the bottle from your pack, then stood bedside of Cremia and held the bottled blue potion to her lips. The smell was inviting; invigorating and aromatic, so immediately so, she wanted to drink right away. A sip at first, then regaining her strength with miraculous speed, drank faster, and then, grabbing the bottle before halfway through, gulped that half of the bottle all at once, leaving not a drop. She jumped out of bed and stood tall, invigorated, proud, Healthy! Talon was so confused and angry about your sudden burst into the privacy of his room, yet so joyous and astonished at his wife’s recovery that he did not know what to do, just awkwardly shouted monotonously "What was that, youngun’?" unemotionally.
    Cremia had recovered so instantly that, suddenly, she was in tears and hugged her husband fiercely. Malon and Krystal had seen your haste outside, while riding, and followed you in cautiously at first; entering to the sight of two crying, happy adults. Malon was in shock at the sight of her mother out of bed that for a moment she could only stand and move her lips, yet said nothing. Krystal looked aside and saw Malon's reaction, then stepped away, beside you. Malon then burst into tears and cried out "MOM!" And ran over to embrace both her parents.
(❤️❤️❤️¼)
    You and Krystal had quietly left the family, without a word, leaving them to their joyous reunion. Without indication, you began the long walk back to your house and Krystal tagged along absent mindedly. She wanted to ask what happened in there but couldn't find the words and had been preoccupied with her own family drama on account of Malon’s life coming into focus. You walked slowly and silently together for almost a whole mile before she broke the silence, "How did you save Cremia? No one knew what was wrong, and you came in and out like nothing happened at all. I've only ever heard of the forest witches having that kind of healing power..." Her mention of the witches shocked you into a recoil. You turned with a start, your eyes peeled open in surprise, and Krystal recoiled at your own reaction, intuiting as to what had happened. Quietly, "no..." was all she could say at first.
    You both walked for only a brief silent moment, nearing the river "You went into the forest this morning, didn't you?" Your expression told all as your jaw dropped in surprise. Krystal blushed and turned aside, partially ashamed. She didn't know how to explain how SHE knew about the Forest Witches. Having never told anyone where she lived, Cremia being the only living soul but her own mother to know.... However, she stayed silent and continued walking, leaving you behind to catch up from her stunning revelation. You slowly began walking again, and then picked up the pace to catch up with her, though you still said nothing.
 
    Walking in reverent silence, following a winding pedestrian path to climb west across the highway bridge, spanning the river between east and west Hyruletropolis, through downtown, past the skate park, and onward toward your house; which was still a couple miles away and would be almost an hour of silence between you both, with nothing but the sounds of traffic and wind. You barely cleared the park when the silence was starting to irritate Krystal, but her mind was overly occupied with her home and her past; wanting to talk but not about her thoughts, unable to distract herself she broke off. "I'm sorry, Link! I've got to go home!" Krystal said, tears subtly welling up in her eyes. She ran back toward the park and followed the adjacent footbridge, south of the highway, and didn't look back. You were beside yourself, and also backtracked as far as the skate park, to find a bench to sit on and contemplate.

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Flowing Serenade

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Lighthearted Prelude

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    As the introduction cinematics of The Legend of Zelda reaches its conclusion, as Ganon vanquishes Link, your mother enters your room and interrupts, "Oh, you kids! You shouldn't be playing inside on such a nice day like this! Go on, shoo, get some fresh air! I know it's a brand new game and you want to play it all, right away, but you too, Link. C'mon, outside!"
You, dressed in a loose fitting green T-shirt and blue jean shorts, and your three companions: A redhead girl with long hair and overalls, a young girl with cropped green hair and a green sundress, and a blue skinned Zora girl from the Lake Hylia slums; are all sitting together upstairs in front of your small TV in your room, appreciating your new gift. It's a new, first of its kind, two-part release: A game and a movie; the first ever successful game-to-move or movie-to-game, (in your opinion!) since they're both a reflection of each other: they are "appropriate". You like the game better because you're in control of the action, but still Love the movie, as it is, essentially, a walk-through for the hardest but most rewarding path through the game...
    You're finishing the intro of the game, as Ganon vanquishes Link, when your mother entered.
    The green haired girl playfully punches you in the arm. "yeah, 'little hero'." she laughs, "let's go out and take a swim!" The redhead quickly interrupted, "Or ride horses! C'mon Krystal, Horses are way-funner than water! Right, Rutostasia?" The Zora girl shied away and turned her head down "i guesso" she muttered. "Geeze, Malon! You're getting to be just as bad as your sister, Marin, used to be! Why have you started to pick on Ruto so much anyways?" Krystal demanded. Rutostasia just quietly said "s'okay." and tried to make herself as small as unapparent as possible, not wanting to stir anything up.
    "Hey, don't blame me for how Marin acted when she ran away!" They began bickering, but you ignore them and unintentionally sneak away, right out the front door. It didn't take long for your friends to notice and give chase. "Link, wait up!" Ruto called out, and was the first to run down the stairs after you.
    All 4 of you gathered outside the front door and formed a circle around each other. "What do you guys want to do then?" asked Malon. "I'm down for swimming" Rutostasia said with negligibly more confidence than before. "You would-" Malon accused, to which Krystal slugged her in the shoulder, "What's the matter with you, Malon?! You're never that mean...!"
    Malon choked away a sob and said nothing, putting on a stern face. "It's okay, Krys. I can handle myself." Ruto said, confidently, trying to draw attention away from Malon. You suddenly fall to the grass on your back, gaining instant attention. The three girls rushed down to ask if you were okay, but you simply smirk and pat the grass beside yourself. They giggled and lay down in a cross with you, all four of your heads together.
    The four of you lay about through most the afternoon, talking, giggling, occasionally getting up and playfully sparring or playing tag. The afternoon was hot and uncomfortable, but it was getting closer to sundown when Rutostasia suggested some Parkour, "I ought to head home soon, but I don't want the fun to end right away... Anyone up for some free-running to my place?" Excited agreements all around, "That's a great idea, Ruto!" Malon exclaims, "Yeah! I'm in! I'll call mom and tell her I'm sleeping over at Link's. She won’t know I'm in the slums, so she won't worry..." Krystal replied, taking out her GameBoy and selecting a contact. You were beaming, lips ear to ear, bearing happy teeth.
 
    The four of you stretched out on the grass, barefoot. Forward bends, knee dips, horse stance, splits, and neck rolls, all of the kids getting pumped up and excited. You were twisting your torso slowly side to side as the girls defined their marks. "C'mon link!" Krystal called from the starting line. "We’re waiting on you!"
    You took your mark between her and Ruto and bent down along with your friends. "I'll call it." Malon declared. "Ready?" 3 heads nodding, "Three..." she paused absurdly long, "Two..." a fan of suspense, she waited till her friends got impatient and fidgety, "ONE!" she took off first. "Hey, what about go?!" Ruto called, dashing forward; ever as awkwardly as a Zora, yet with unprecedented grace for her people. You and Krystal took off together, inches behind her, intentionally waiting on each other.
    South, along the main street, leading out of the downtown Hyrule Metro area; although you lived in the nearby suburbs, not the city: 'all roads lead to Hyrule'.
    You caught up with Malon, who caught sight of her companions and whistled sharply, "Come on Epona, join us!" She had ridden her horse out to visit and they two were inseparable, like life-mates. Epona galloped right over. "Cheater!" Krystal giggled, "You can’t ride in Parkour!" Ruto giggled and veered off the road as it tapered into the undeveloped open fields northeast of the Lake Hylia slums. She knew she'd win if she could reach the shore even halfway behind her friends. No one can out swim a Zora!
A few moments later, when you caught sight of her from the corner of your eye, deviating from Malon's lead, you took off to follow Ruto, tapping Krystal's shoulder and nodding in Ruto's direction. She nodded, "Hey, Malon, Ruto is playing to win! Can your horse swim?" She laughed.
    Malon was competitive, but had too many personal problems as of late to answer or focus on the fun; she was flooded with grief that she would not share with anyone but her most trusted friends... and even though they were here with her now, she still hasn't told but one friend. Her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears, but she blinked them away and veered toward the shore and followed from behind, slowing down.
    Krystal was fiercely competitive, but liked you, her friend, too much to try to outpace you... she was struggling with herself beside you, but finally bolted ahead, running past Ruto, reaching the shore first. She quickly fished out and tossed her GameBoy into the grass, diving right in. You then look back toward Malon who was walking now, horse following. You slowed, she noticed and shooed you ahead; so you dash on, catching up quickly.
     Ruto looked back when you passed her. Seeing Malon mount her Horse, she gave up racing and waited for her to catch up, Malon noticed and picked up pace. When she was within 20 yards, Ruto hollered out "Krys dropped her phone, could you ride out to the house and drop it off for us?" As she shouted back in affirmation, Malon smiled and gave an exaggerated nod and waved to make sure Ruto could see her answer clearly. Ruto waved then hobbled ahead quickly, pointing to the cell in the grass as she dove into the lake without looking back, trading the awkward terrain hobble for noble aquatic grace.
    Krystal almost neared the step ladder on the pier behind Ruto's adoptive family's shanty; you were catching up, but Ruto was torpedoing madly toward both of you, then dove deep, disappearing for a moment, and suddenly jumped out of the water a few times, as if to announce herself. Krystal was first to reach the ladder and already half way up, looking back at the splashing. Astonished, "Geeze, that's fast!" she observed aloud.
You grabbed the ladder as Krystal exclaimed at Ruto, who dove deep and spiraled down out of sight into the deep blue lake. Krystal hastily reached for the top but lost her footing, slipped, and she had to struggle to climb from the halfway, almost falling into you as you ascended. You assisted her by offering one hand for a foothold as she slid down, though really you were trying to block for impact. "Thanks, Link!" Krystal smiled down on you as Ruto splashed out of the water and straight up to her front door then entered. "But it looks like we lost!" She finished off, spontaneously.
    Ruto was exiting her front door as you were getting your last step up, while Krystal offered a hand. You both grabbed towels Ruto brought out; a strange commodity in a Zora community, but she had uncommon friends for a young Zora in today's world. You all smiled and laughed as you and Krystal dried off. "I'm going to have to go back for my GameBoy, you know..." she started, but noticed Ruto's expression change, looking sarcastic, or concerned, or disgusted, or... "What?" Krystal requested. "Malon will bring it with her; I asked her to grab it and pointed to it as I jumped in the lake."
 
    The three of you chatted idly, sitting on the dock edge, enjoying the end of the afternoon into the oncoming evening. You listened as they discussed all kinds of things, and various topics, while waiting for Malon.
    "... and so they are out of town for a while. I have the shanty all to myself for the foreseeable future!" Ruto had finished explaining, contented. "I've heard this shanty town was built on the remains of an ancient temple..." Krystal said partly out of the blue. Ruto began to respond when the familiar clopping pattern of a friend's horse interrupted her thoughts, "oh, there's your phone..." she said.

    The four of you went inside and Ruto offered some herbal tea she'd prepared when retrieving the towels. So you sat around her vacant adobe with your friends and listened attentively, relaxing. The conversation was mostly quiet and plain... Local scenes, weather talk, mutual financial woes to look forward to as adults, the new Legend of Zelda release, then the mythology of the hero of time came up, as it usually does because of your name, but subsided without a whimper or a bang. None of you actually knew very much about the Legends. 
    Malon was silent most of this time, and Ruto nudged her. "You told me... come on, we all care about you." she whispered. Malon was too proud to cry, but couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
    She didn't sob or cry, but choked down her grief and breathed deeply; ignoring the eye leak she had sprung in spite of this effort. "It's my mom... She's... She's so very ill..." She paused long and hard, trying to even out her breathing. "What's wrong with Cremia?!" Krystal exclaimed. Their mothers had been great friends before Malon warmed up to Krystal. Krys all but lived vicariously through her mother and considered Cremia to be her own friend, long before she did Malon or, her elder sister, Marin whom had a self-possessed lifestyle mostly separate and alone.
    Malon had lost her resolve; she'd endured hiding her grief for too long in one day. Usually she would find a tree stump to sit on and deal with her emotions alone, but her usual routine was delayed by a visit to Rutostasia’s abode. She broke down and cried, embarrassingly in front of her friends; the only people, perhaps, whom in front of she could survive the shame of even doing so. Between sobs, she explained all she knew. "The doctors say... it's- It's the cold air off the mountain... and told her... to stay- nngh- Stay warm and in bed, but Dad... (aih- gasp) and Ingo both think it's a cop-out... That the, the doctors don't know any more," She sobbed, gasped for air and slowed her breath. "About- They don't know more about it than we do."
    Her tone became less grief stricken and more enraged as she continued.
    "They say that it will pass, to keep her sipping water and wrapped up in bed, but they don't understand how long it’s been!" She was getting madder and madder at the thought of her mother's state. "They don't understand how frail and weak it's making her, she can’t stay in bed and do nothing! She needs to be out with the sky, the wind, the cows and the horses!" She near about screeched that last word: Horses were her life and world, and the whole ranch was her mother's life and world. Everything up to this moment had been build up and more build up. The horses reminded her all too much of her love and affection for the ranch and her mother, and she became disassociated for a moment.
    Lon-Lon Romani Ranch, locally known as The LLRR (or "double LR", even "the LR ranch"), was once a great and economic foothold in northeast Hyrule. That is, until her mother struck ill a year ago, as if the two, person and property, had intertwined health. Ingo was too selfish to do half the work Cremia did, and Malon's father Talon was a lazy man who slept more than he worked. But lately he was too attentive to his wife for that to be the case... Malon had never seen her father awake for so many hours in a day, so constantly beside her mother; his wife. The cows had all but destroyed the last bush on the property, and had already mowed away the grass, leaving the ranch dry, dusty, and brown: An insult and injury from its former glory.
 
    Everyone had fallen as silent as you; except you, as you sigh heavily and reach to Malon's hands. "Thanks, Link. You're a courageous friend, you know that?" She said smiling, grabbing ahold with one hand and wiping the tears from her eyes with the other. Krystal moved in to initiate a group hug, and Ruto awkwardly and reluctantly joined in. The day was over, the friends stayed well into the night, and eventually Krystal's GameBoy chirped a 'secret sound'. "Mom's asking where we are... Looks like the jig is up! C'mon Link, maybe Malon will give us a ride back to your house?" She said. Malon smiled, but said nothing, just nodded. She was spent.
    Ruto said she wanted to go to bed, so the remaining of your three companions rode together, slowly, in silence; twilight coming on quickly, the skies having long lost their beautiful red and pink hues in the west. No one said anything until they were out of the lake and beyond its outer shores, "Do you want us to stay at your place tonight, Malon?" Krystal asked innocently. Malon's heart throbbed and her answer was caught in her throat. She half turned her head but immediately hesitated. Krystal leaned in.
    The three looked quite silly sharing a horse, and Malon, becoming self-conscious about it, plus regaining her usual grace, she turned back and smiled. Krystal leaned back into you, when Malon replied, "That's a pretty good idea, actually." Her heart too heavy to convey her genuine excitement. Krystal snapped her handheld open and selected a contact. While she waited she teased you "How come you're the only kid in in Hyrule who doesn't have a GameBoy?" You smile, but say nothing, just shaking your head and shrugging.
    Krystal laughed, "Whatever..."
    She spoke into her mic, "Hi, mom? - yeah, I kn- - yes- - I know. I'm sorry. We're fine. Yes... yeah, I know. We're fine! - okay Ruto was eaten by the lake monster again, and Malon was eaten by her horse." She patronized. You smiled as you admired the silly relationship between Krystal and her mother. Something about it had a sneaky feel to it and made you wonder at times what was really going on, as if there were more to it than the silliness you saw. Krystal continued her call, "yeah, I know" she laughed, "Call Link's house, okay? We're staying at Malon's tonight. She needs her friends, and we can’t say no." and hung up without a goodbye. "Your mom lets you get away with everything, Krystal! MY mom would've had me cleaning the barn and stables, sun up till sun down for a month if I made demands like that!" for the first time in months she genuinely laughed, even though she felt only guilt; as if she SHOULD BE cleaning the stables forever.
    However, her similar admiration for her family's friends lifted her heart. "Link, you want to grab anything from home on the way?" She asked as they approached your house at the settling in of stars and moonlight. "Grab the satchel, Link!" Krystal said excitedly. A thematic gift she had bought you to go with your newly acquired movie-and-videogame box-set. You're slightly embarrassed, as you thought it was more like a purse; but couldn't deny your friends, and nodded in response. Krystal nudged Malon "They'll be just like the Link in the movie!" She giggled. Malon's expression became serious and concerned, but she said nothing.
    It was nearing midnight before your trio finally arrived at the dilapidated overhang that had two huge L's and two huge R's with tiny fine print in between that was meant to read out as "Lon Lon Romani Ranch" across the unmaintained wood. Malon hated to see her home go to such waste like that, and tried not to look. You stared at it, incredulous: So much worn away in such a short time.
    No 'c' or 'h', two small "o"s in 'Lon' and 'Romani', and two missing 'n's made the sign look like it said "L n Lo R ma i Ran ."... It had been a decade since you and Malon met, and you only remembered being there once, but it was such a pristine place! You couldn't help but think this mystery illness had something to do with it, and couldn't shake the clamps you felt gripping your heart at the thought.
    "How come you never invite us to your house, Krystal?" Malon perked, not really even asking, but to clear the silence, however Krystal fell further silent and just curled her green bangs with a finger. You abruptly dismounted and startled the girls, "Whoa!" Malon called, half to her horse, half to you, "A little warning next time okay, hero?" She joked, referring to the satchel with a nod. You smile and pat the satchel. You thought it really did make you look like the Hero of Time; just with darker hair, no tunic, and no equipment. Okay so you hardly looked anything like the hero, but you liked to think you did. Your mother always said you had the blondest hair in the world when you were born, never the less.
 
    You jog alongside Epona and friends, down the drive to the Ranch House. Ingo was sleeping on the porch, arms folded sternly over his chest, and a seemingly permanent scowl painted his lips. Malon and Krystal dismounted Epona and Malon told you both to wait at the porch while she took her horse to the corral and closed it up. Krystal was being very self-conscious ever since Malon's innocent question and you notice her contemplative eyes. You step to her and break her focus. Smiling with your eyes, looking into hers, she says, "Oh Link, you always know what to say don't you?" Then she smiled. This comment was just loud enough, it shocked Ingo out of his sleep and he shouted out "Who's there, thieves?! Brawlers?! Mafioso?! Get off my property!"
    He was still dreaming but didn't know he was awake, and took off after you and Krystal. You grab her arm, pulling her toward the corral, and take off running for Malon. "Malon! Ingo's gone nuts!" Krystal called out ahead. You look back and can see Ingo veer off toward the stables. Probably getting a horse, you think. You run ahead faster and clear the gate just as Malon is closing it. Bolting to the horse, jumping on Epona's back, you turn her around and gallop to the gate. Krystal and Malon traded places with you and Epona, they two hiding behind the corral gate, and you, riding Epona expertly, jump the gate and gallop off toward Ingo to distract him from the girls.
     "Thief!" he calls out when he sees you riding.
    You lead Ingo around the corral for a few laps before Talon storms out of the house, ranting and spouting, "What in tarnation is goin' awn out here? I had better notta heard someone stealin' my horses!" He belted, voice surely carrying across the entire span of ranch, just as you and Ingo are coming around your third lap. You halt Epona and stop right in front of Talon, who glares furiously at you. Ingo came around a little too quickly and halted the horse a little too late. The horse compensated, but Ingo did not and Ingo was flung off the horse's back and directly into Talon's huge belly, knocking the both of them to the ground.

    Inside the ranch house, the three of you, and Talon, sat at the dinner table, while Ingo stood sullenly in the threshold between the dining and living rooms, thinly hiding his shame behind anger. Talon's demeanor was reversed; calm, collected. He was happy even, as to cater to his daughter's guests; but upset given the circumstances of his wife's health, and the hour. "I got no qualms puttin' y'all up for the night, but I'd appreciate more warning next time you come home at nearly two o' clock in th'mornin' with friends! Coulda put out some fresh milk for y'all." Malon recoiled at the thought of giving away free milk while the cows starved, turned to say something, gaping at her father, but couldn't bring herself to fault his generous hospitality and looked down into her lap instead, torn between pride, concern, and shame. Talon yawned big and loud "aaahAAWWWwwwhhh.... Y'all get some sleep. I'll letcha sleep-in, given schools out this summer and yer up so late. Ya need yar rest." He said as he got up from the dining table, beckoning Ingo toward the porch.
 
    The kids wandered into the living room, but could hear Talon sternly lecturing Ingo about making hasty decisions and acting recklessly. Malon and Krystal were totally wiped out and could barely keep an eye open as they took opposite arms of the couch and laid their heads down. You drape the enormous quilt lain across the back of the couch over the two and retreat to the arm chair beside Krystal's head. You could barely hear Malon murmur something about her mother's knitting as she fell unconscious. "Mom knitted thi- quilt... When Marin was..."
 
    Everyone had settled in for the night. The witching hour was on and such a fascinating time for you. You feel very alive and alert, and can't sleep, just waiting for your friends' breathing to even out so you could quietly make your escape into the night air. Dozing off, briefly, for half an hour or so, you are soon awakened by a faint sound from outside. Opening your eyes and listening, it sounds like... laughter? You quietly creep out of the arm chair and sneak toward the front door. There it is again, but it sounded distant. You hesitate at the doorknob.

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Wooded Minuet

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 Prelude to Destiny

It is Princess Zelda's birthday, her coming of age duties demand that she receive the wisdom of the goddesses; The king of Hyrule sits down with Zelda and reveals to her a tightly kept secret about creation: 

"Before the very beginning of the first creative endeavor was formless void without measure. 

Its nature, to exist; its nature: an omnitude of infinite tumultuous expression. 

Immeasurable but chaotic; measure comes from contrast, and eventually a stark contrast emerges, self sufficient and separate from the temporal chaotic cacophony of stirring void: order in the form of time, measure within measure, a self identified goddess; Hylia.

She measured the din chaotic void's emptiness wrapping around all the thoughts, ideas, concepts, and imaginations of chaos, and found means to harness time and space to create instances within instances: preserving and comparing the expressions that abruptly popped in and out of existence. Her endeavors became known as eons and eternities, which, as with all else, pushed and pulled against chaos, creating responses to Hylia's activity. 

New identities became manifest in the form of titanic beasts and dragons, which began pursuing eons and devouring the contents until they became empty voids.

Though unperturbed, concern for her own safety turned her attention inward and she used her temporal instancing to create a safe space within chaos she named Sacred.

This Sacred Realm was as if a mirror copy of herself in nature, but an endless sky in form: self sufficient and independent, vast and pure. 

So again chaos birthed responses in the way of shadow and demise, another mirror- of sorts: an intelligence and personality only comparable to the chaos itself, therefore Chaos became the antonym of Time, and Demise became the nemesis of Hylia.

Though content to simply observe Hylia create eons and eternities, Demise became quickly aware of the nature of the void: responding to itself and manifesting yet more forms of consciousness, as the void manifested; from three emptied void eternities, three individual goddesses:

A fiercely independent and creative Farore, who brought autonomous animation throughout everywhere she graced.

The calm and observant Nayru and her wise pools of mana, water and air that guided the automations.

And the confrontational fiery Din who rocked great power to form and shape the vastness of all the myriad expressions. 

These three indiscriminately wreaked havoc on all of chaos and this incised a twisted joy in Demise; so he remained eternally unknown, until quiet came unexpectedly and abruptly one unknowable span of time.

Due to the unpredictable nature of creating, creations, and circumstances created, Hylia gathered the goddesses together to show them how their creations' curiosity and intelligence led them to discover shadow and chaos magics, and that they would need to create special, mystical relics, tools, and weapons to assist their created beings, clans, tribes, and kingdoms.

Din hastily and prematurely banished her original tribe to the Twilight between realms.

Finally roused to curiosity, Chaos revealed itself to Time as Demise entered an occupied eon of Hylia's.

Unknown to Demise; as he watched (believing himself hidden) Hylia and the three goddesses convening on some mysterious endeavor: Hylia became instantly aware of him, his presence, whereabouts, intentions, and, to her horror, his nature; and abruptly vanished from his observant awareness. 

By utilizing a yet untested temporal instancing, she protected the three goddesses and informed them that their endeavors were protected by the redundancy of Time and that they had a new task to add to the preparations for protecting creation that they had been working on.

She made them her honorary sisters and revealed her nature to them, and, in their awe, they swore to help her protect creation and immediately set to work on the Ocarina of Time, Master Sword, and the Hero's Tunic. 

Halfway through, Demise discovered the first layer of Time and Hylia instanced them several layers further. 

They completed their tasks as Hylia began to show concern.

Inquiring, the three goddesses learned of Demise, and the next, most crucial task: 

The creation of another equal; but servant and hero, who would be their sword and shield; and Hylia instructed that the Deity's Tunic, Hilt, and Heart all be fashioned from one quarter of each of their combined Power, Courage, Wisdom, and Hylia's own temporal instancing abilities: Patience.

Hylia finally became caught up with the urgency and ominous direness emanating from the Chaos deity, Demise, and she involuntarily wept. In her distress and self awareness, an idea struck her that she should bring her new sisters to the Sacred Realm and, using another yet untested idea, instanced a tear into a portal connection that would disappear as soon as the four were through. 

Instancing the legendary relics, Deity's Destiny, and the master sword like a pocket, she carried them, and the Ocarina in hand, ushering her sisters through the tear-portal.

It immediately collapsed as the last goddess passed through, and all the miasma of Demise's foul intent vanished from their presence and they knew they were safe. And; now Hylia knew she could create portals between eons and eternities, so together, they began the works of Hyrule."

Zelda could not but sit and listen, enamored by this tale, but the story's conclusion was met with turmoil, as a wizard from the desert began assaulting the castle...

Demise Initiative

    A peaceful day in the life of a Hylian Hunter; surrounded by fat trees in front of an ancient and abandoned forest temple, while lazily laying in a meadow clearing with his horse out to graze. Clad in a traditional Hunter's green Tunic: Three empty bottles tied to his belt and a fourth, with a blue liquid inside. His bow and Quiver are lain against a small stump, sturdy Hylian Shield face up in the grass beside him; a sudden and unexpected, small but loud voice calls out from the ether, "Link!".

    The Hunter's eyes snap open at the sound as he sits up to locate the direction it came from. "Link! Link, we need your help!" He couldn't see anyone, and Epona seemed entirely unaware of the outburst. 'Am I hearing things?' he wondered silently, lending a hand to his ear and cocking his head. He didn't hear it anywhere, but intensely heard it directionless, "Link! The Goddesses beckon us, please hurry to Hyrule castle! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, you must make haste!"

    It felt unreal, but the feel of it; the feel of her words convinced him to listen and to obey... not to obey her but the intense feeling of necessity, like that which one obeys when starving. Equipping the sword and shield while he sat, he immediately hopped to his feet and scooped up the Bow and Quiver, shouldering the Quiver in one fluid motion, then whistled sharply for Epona. Mounting his horse, he looked back at the stump briefly, properly equipping the Quiver and stowing his Bow with it, "H'yeah!" before turning and quickly riding off; forgotten memories belonging to an unknown parallel consciousness suddenly flooding his mind.

    A flash in his memories causes him to falter, briefly losing balance, but he corrects himself and rides on. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breath.

 

 

    The forest was thin where he had made his day rest area, but quickly thickened as he rode into the shadows of the Lost Woods. "H'yeah!" Faster, hoping he was fast enough! The feel of her words... as if shot in the heart by an arrow. "H'yeah, yah!" Seeping images and memories come flowing out of him like life essence; impacting his heart with oddly misplaced feelings of guilt, confusing his memories of the simple Hunter's life.

   Eternally young children... No:

Friends...?

   He rode hard and fast, through a giant hollow log, past a curious, masked, Skull-Kid, out of the forest edges, into the vast open fields of Hyrule. (A Skullkid?!) Link's eyes blinded white and he nearly fell off his horse as the thought of a memory he'd never had struck hard in his head... tears pouring down his cheeks from an unfelt pain, a friendship from a never before experienced moment in his youth.

    Eastward for an hour still, to the abandoned ranch before he would go north, toward Hyrule City: to where he was being pulled, tugged, coerced, intended, and guided from all the heartfelt necessity he could have ever known. The glint of a memory, an ocarina, an old friend of the forest, a Kokiri girl, the master sword...

    Somewhere between the forest edge and the entrance of Lon Lon Ranch, Link had drifted into wondrous adventures against a giant unheard of Dodongo, trading Eye Drops with a huge sized Goron, and saving the daughter of the king of Zoras... Fighting great evil... Someone he could clearly see from his every nightmare, but never recognized... and then a name he'd never heard, but always felt.

    Ganondorf...

    Pangs of blinding guilt began twisting his memories again as the name caught a thread of recognition. Link spurred his horse with his boot, "H'yeahh-ahh!" half screaming in agony. The drawbridge was down, and two guards were out lighting the torches an hour before the sun began to reach toward the horizon.

    Link rode past without concern, fast through the archway into the market square. He did not bother slowing for the citizens; he rode directly toward the castle, nearly colliding with a redheaded maiden on the way.

    More mixed memories of never before experienced lifetimes, a wife and children, a glorious heroic secret stripped of him through time and space. His only companion connecting him gone and disappeared. His soul bound to physical form for generations, so to teach his own descendant all he had mastered as a Hero…? No, The Hero of Time.

    The pain intensified as he reconnected with himself - a self he'd always felt and never known.

Nearing the castle as he tried to blink away the tears an ominous dark cloud, spiraling over and around Death Mountain, came into view; coagulating down the hillsides, dispersing past unseen Kakariko beyond the hills, and then hazed sideways, above the cathedral behind him, before pooling straight toward the castle gates:

Where dozens of guards were evidently fighting something huge; as they were thrown into the skies and cast aside like dolls.

    As he grabbed his Bow, Link dismounted and drew aim into the crowd of guards, hesitated, at the intensity in which his heart suddenly jumped, for such a fraction of a moment, then unleashed an arrow, already feeling he was too late in releasing it. Within a split second reaction, as the arrow drew upon its target, a dark and neon-like black wave shattered the arrow and fanned out toward Link; the dark wave, smashing him in the chest, toppling him to the ground, and knocking the wind out of him, had collided with the energy he felt in his heart. The intensity of this overwhelming sensation was unbearable. He fell unconscious in his struggle to endure the blow.

    A quiet whinny, whimper, and thud permeated the blackness that surrounded his failing consciousness.

    "Link..." Like a soft song note, "Awaken..." came forth a soft, melodic, caring voice. Link felt something cool press against his forehead and opened his eyes. The feint flickering light was dim but still caused him to squint. A beautiful woman with long rusty-golden hair, smiled down on him, pressing the rag to his head, breathing calm and speaking so soft; he knew right away that she was the Princess. He didn't need to see her elegant dress or intricate Royal Family jewelry and Triforce crests: The voice he heard in the meadow was no different than hers, though sterner back then than she spoke now, speaking as gently as felt her hand that held the cool rag.

    Until he opened his eyes.

    The gentleness of her voice was easy to become accustomed to, as he had already, but that comfort shattered when her familiar frightened sternness returned, albeit with naught a trace of the former fear but a seemingly magical courage.

    "Good," She said, almost hurriedly, "you're awake. Please, listen closely... Hyrule's fate may well rest in our hands." she began. "You and I have been chosen by the Goddesses, Nayru and Farore, to protect Hyrule from a tremendous evil, a man who has stolen the Royal Family's greatest treasure, the Triforce!" pausing to wring out the damp rag and return it to Link's forehead, she continued, "Long ago, at the discretion of the Goddess of Time, the three Goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru were permitted to create our world and breathe their own unique life into it."

    "They created our world and all of us in it: We Hylians, the Sheikah, the Zoras, the Gorons, Gerudo, Kokiri, Dekus, Wolfos, everything... and, when their works were complete, as they ascended back into the heavens, their spent energies, following contrails of the presence of the goddesses, coalesced; and whereupon they met formed into the Triforce, a single fused set of three brilliant, luminous golden triangles; said to grant the wishes in the hearts of any whom lay claim to it." She continued, "The royal family has forever charged itself with the protection of that sacred treasure..." Her voice began to crack and she became choked up.

    Looking away as a tear escaped, just in time to be flung aside by the momentum of her head; it spat upon Link's cheek, to his surprise. He sat up and continued listening intently. Zelda drew a long and steady breath, stepping away to give him room. "Today, I came of age, and learned of part of the legend, never before told to me or my people..." Her voice still cracked, choked, but clearing up. "Whence the three goddesses had completed their works and returned to the goddess of time, they were immediately sent back as punishment for the wrongdoings of their own creations!" She took another breath to calm herself and continued, "They were instructed to forge the weapons that would vanquish all evil wrongdoers in Hyrule. This part of the Legend is taught in the cathedral; which was once the Temple of Time and acted as the entrance to the sacred realm where the three golden triangles rested, protected."

    She paused awkwardly, "Link..." She drew an uncertain breath, but could not turn to face him. "Link, I tell you this, because I have never seen you in Hyrule before..." A slow pause put Link in an uneasy mood. "I know you are the one who can help us, even if I can't explain it properly; but because Nayru chose me for the Triforce of Wisdom, I now bear its mark, and that's why I know you have the Triforce of Courage." The Triforce of Courage resonated with this truth and began glowing on Link's hand in sync with Zelda's. He raised the back of his hand to look at it as Zelda continued, "Somehow... She came to me even before everything happened... Reminding me of the Royal Family's duty."

 

    A quiet sob emanated from her throat, as she tried to choke it down and continue, "Nayru explained to me the difference between Hylia and the three, that Hylia gave them Free will and made them her honorary sisters, as long as they agreed to use their powers strictly in the realm of Hyrule and its associated sacred realm. I didn't understand... and... When I tried to explain it to my father..." She tried to steady her shaky breath and calm herself. "Sadly we failed to uphold our honor... The Royal Family Council decided it was best to have the previous generation of sages keep the Triforce in our own vaults beneath the castle... And had the former head sage, Rauru, transport the Triforce from the Temple... but never had we considered a Thief from the Desert to become an evil Wizard..." She sighed at herself with disgust. "I fought, as a girl, with my visions of him and his darkness; saw a young boy with a Fairy who would save us all, but he never came..." Even Link could feel her heart surged, and more tears fell from her eyes. As she reached up to wipe them away, he couldn't prevent them from falling down his own cheeks.

    She paused, sniffled, then drew a breath and spoke somewhat more confidently, "Yet I now know... Thanks to Nayru, I know him to be you. You are the one from my dream, who is destined to be the Hero of Time!"

    She turned back and looked Link deep in his eyes and almost gasped, noting how wet his eyes were.

She hesitated only for a hiccup, but pressed on, "The Goddesses created the Ocarina of time and the Master sword to give a hero ample power to protect the Triforce, but... there is a third weapon, made for dire circumstances! A weapon so powerful and complex that the Goddess of Time herself had to craft it with the help of the other goddesses: An armored Tunic, made by Nayru, with the ability to sheathe the ultimate weapon forged by both Farore and Din, one which surpasses even the Master Sword: The-" The walls shook, expanded, contracted; seemingly breathing, interrupting Zelda, and the world around them faded away to smoky swirls of dull color which slowly took the form of a grim and terrifying face.

Ganondorf.

 

    "Ah, there's my bride...! You will not resist the King of Evil, young wench!" A dark, glowing crystal prison formed around Zelda, instantly inducing a trance upon her and lifting her up several feet. "... and you!" The voice boomed, as bright electrified light began to accumulate around his visage. "I know why she called you to her, and I plan to vanquish you here and now!"

    This declaration seemed to bring Zelda back to life, who immediately summoned a brilliant blue light which shattered the prismatic prison. She landed gracefully and stood indomitably before walking intently forward, toward an intricate panel with 3 hollow slots. "Ganondorf Dragmire! Leave this sacred place!" And with all her power, Zelda sealed herself and Link, several feet behind her, in a dome of brilliant magical light, revealing that they were inside of the Cathedral: The former Temple of Time. Her magic seemed to blow the charged light and smoky shadows away into swirls of clear air. "Link, there's no longer enough time! Take this and retrieve the Master Sword!" She threw the Ocarina of Time at Link, continuing "Ganon will claim me now, but you can still end this! Go back in time and find the other six sages! With them, help us bind him forever!" then extended her magical barrier toward the Pedestal of Time, forcing the monolithic Doors of Time open with her own magic and filling nearly all the cathedral with Nayru's Love. She was exhausting herself too fast, sweating hard and suffocating; and Link saw it. He dashed for the sword, running with his every last trace of effort and energy.

    Upon unsheathing the sword, radiant red, blue, and green magical energies engulfed him, just as the King of Evil appeared in a dark crimson-black explosion of smoke. Link swung the Master sword with great might, blasting its energies out as a magical wave upon the intruder.

    Side stepping the blast as it was swallowed by the smoke he'd traveled through, Ganondorf angrily addressed Link, voice booming and causing the ceiling to collapse. "This. Ends. NOW, boy!" As his eyes turned to a dark neon crimson, and neon-like, purple-and-black, smoky energy emanated from his core.

    Link lunged at him, driving the sword into Ganondorf's heart, but when he stepped away, only a phantom stood in the evil king's place. Struck from behind, Link was knocked out, as Ganon's booming evil laughter echoed throughout the halls. Link felt one last tug at his heart, as the Triforce of courage parted from him, and all went black.

Forever.

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    987 years later... A child is born...

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Lighthearted Prelude

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