6(A/N: I've been getting into the Zelda games again. And so this little baby came to mind. It's just a little one-shot about the Hero's Shade. I'm assuming by now that everyone knows that the Hero's Shade is actually the restless spirit of the Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, as well as the ancestor of the Link from Twilight Princess. If you didn't know that, then, oops, spoilers. I would assume everyone would know this by now since the information was released quite a while ago. But if you're not much of a Zelda fan. then, congrats/sorry, you learned something you didn't know. I'll go more into detail about some other Zelda lore that pertains to this story at the end. Enjoy.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"THE HERO'S REGRET"
Regret was a powerful thing. Everyone had regrets, some more than others some greater than others. Those regrets could consume you, define you, keep you trapped in the past and unable to move forward.
Regret was the biggest reason there were restless spirits in the world. It was their regret that kept these spirits bound to the living world and unable to move on to the world beyond. Regret was what plagued him now, keeping his soul earthbound, trapped in his current form.
He'd faced several wandering spirits back when he had been alive. Not all of them had been trapped because of regrets; some had had a curse placed upon them, forcing them to wander the mortal realm without knowing peace as shadows of their former selves. He'd freed many of them from their earthly bondages, allowing them to finally move on. Still, he had never thought that he would end up being one of those spirits one day.
It wasn't a curse that kept him trapped though. It was his own regret. He'd always tried to live as well as possible, but still, there were things he regretted in his life. Most of them came from the mistakes he had made during his battles with the forces of evil. His history with Ganondorf, that was something he regretted. If only he had been able to initially prevent the evil sorcerer from rising to power the first time around. True, he had managed to defeat the madman and seal him away in the Sacred Realm. But still, the evil Gerudo King had brought seven long years of suffering and oppression to the land of Hyrule and its people.
In order to stop Ganondorf's evil ways, he had been forced to awaken the power of the Six Sages within the friends he had made on his journey, indirectly forcing them to spend the rest of their lives as temple guardians. And if that wasn't bad enough, as a reward for his services, the leader of the awakened Sages, Princess Zelda, had sent him back in time to his childhood so that he may live out the seven years he had lost in order to become the Hero of Time.
He still felt guilty about that, getting to live his life while Zelda and the Sages he had befriended were now bound by their duties in what he had come to think of as his Adult Timeline. At the very least, this time around, he had been able to inform the younger version of Zelda in what he had come to think of as his Child Timeline of Ganondorf's eventual treachery, preventing the evil sorcerer's rise to power. This had not completely fixed his mistake, as the future he had prevented in his Child Timeline had already come to pass in his Adult Timeline, splitting off from the one he now lived in as an alternate reality.
To make matters worse, no one in this timeline, save for his fairy friend, Navi, even remembered anything that had happened in his Adult Timeline since that future had been prevented. All the friendships he had made never happened in his Child Timeline, leaving them all as strangers to him. And while he did establish a friendship with the Zelda of this timeline, it was not the same connection he'd had with the one from his Adult Timeline. At least the farm-girl, Malon of Lon Lon Ranch, knew him since the two of them had become friends before he had begun time jumping.
Though he had been happy with the life he had been able to lead in his Child Timeline, he did occasionally wonder what would have happened if he had simply sacrificed those seven years he had lost and remained in his Adult Timeline. It was one of the biggest regrets he had, but it was not thee regret. In fact, there had been many more to come.
His biggest series of regrets came from his second adventure. After setting out on his beloved horse, Epona, gifted to him by Malon, he went in search of Navi after she had disappeared at the end of his first adventure. That was when he had crossed paths with the Skull Kid, who was under the influence of the evil of Majora's mask. Somehow, he had ended up in a pocket dimension called Termina. Here, he had not only met some new faces, but had found alternate versions of people he had met in the past; that had caused him a great deal of confusion for a while. But he'd had more important things to worry about, like preventing the cursed Angry Moon from falling on Clock Town and destroying everything. He had done this by using the power of the Ocarina of Time to relive the same three days over and over again until he finally had the means to stop the Skull Kid from making the moon fall.
Before facing the Skull Kid and destroying the demonic creature that possessed Majora's Mask, he had gone back in time one final time to the first day, and, thanks to the records he had kept in his Bombers' Notebook, he had tried to help as many people as possible, prioritizing the more serious events over the less important ones, such as training with the postman.
Among his accomplishes, he had defeated the different temple bosses to free the land from the different curses upon them, returned the Deku princess, restored Lulu's voice after finding and hatching all seven of her missing eggs, recovered all the broken fragments of the five Great Fairies and made them whole again, brought healing medicine to Koume and Shiro, aided Romani protecting her cows from 'Them', unfroze the Goron Elder, helped Cremia to deliver her milk supply, marched Grog's Cuccos to adulthood with the Bremen Mask, taught the Indigo-Go's a new song, provided the unknown person in the toilet of Stock Pot Inn with some paper, put freed the restless spirits of Komaro, the Composer Brothers, Captain Keeta, the mystery man, the Poe Sisters, the Ikana Shrine spirits, and the Ikana royal family, put the Goron Elder's son asleep and then later opened the raceway for him, cured Pamela's father from his curse of being a Gibdo, brought Gorman a glass of his brothers' Mystery Milk and later reduced him to tears when he played at the Latte Milk Bar, traded all the Deku deeds, taught the Rosa Sisters a new dance, cured the cursed frogs and reunited them with the rest of the Frog Choir, saved the Seahorse's friend by fighting off the giant Sea Snakes, made sure the postman delivered his final letter to Madam Aroma, and reunited Anju and Kafei after stealing the Sun Mask back from Sakon. He had done all this within the three days before the moon crashed, not to mention as many of the other less important tasks he had in his notebook.
Yes, it had been a very exhausting three days, but he had tried to do as much as possible during those short three days. He'd helped all the people who needed it the most, but it had been impossible to do everything in just three days, even with the speed of time slowed down. Those unfulfilled events, no matter how minor, were more regrets that had been added to his growing list.
Indeed, there were many regrets he held. But the greatest one of all, the one that truly held him earthbound, was a long term one he had never had the chance to overcome. It had plagued him, consumed him, growing larger as the years passed by. And, upon death, it had kept him from moving on, transforming him into a shadow of his former self.
He had seen it happen before with the Stalchild; anyone who got lost in the cursed Lost Woods outside his old village in Kokiri Forest after dark became one of these restless spirits. But either by curse or regret, the result was always the same, the souls of the dead were forced to wander around aimlessly, their true selves trapped within their hideous ghostly forms. He'd freed many of them, sometimes by helping them to get over their regrets, and sometimes by simply slashing at them with his sword. It was a crude, unorthodox, and very unsatisfactory way to free a restless spirit, but some curses and regrets were just too great to be overcome.
He reflected now on his own regret, the one that kept him trapped in this monstrous form that he referred to as the Hero's Shade. He did not deserve to be called by his true name or true title as the Hero of Time, not while he was like this. And the only way to get back to his true self would be to have his spirit freed by his regret. That or be killed a second time, but with his power and skill, he doubted anyone would be able to accomplish that, and his natural survival instinct and need to overcome his regret would prevent him from simply letting anyone slay him.
While he certainly enjoyed a good adventure, he had never considered himself vain, nor did he ever seek fame or fortune, or even thanks for his deeds. After returning to his own world once he defeated the monster inside Majora's Mask, he had eventually managed to find his missing fairy friend. He then lived out the rest of his life in peace, eventually settling down and starting a family. And though those peaceful times were pleasant, they were also the cause for his regret.
Having his first adventure take place in a different timeline, and his second one taking place in the little pocket dimension of Termina, nobody in his own dimension/timeline truly knew of his heroic deeds, aside from Navi of course, who had been with him during his first adventure. The royal family had been grateful to him for exposing Ganondorf for the traitor he was, but they did not know what he had gone through. Despite the mark of the Triforce on the back of his hand, he was still just a wild child who had been raised by fairies to them.
He'd told his full story to Zelda, and she believed him, but still, it was just a story that could not be fully understood with mere words. The same was true for his family. They loved hearing his stories and had no doubt that everything he told them was true, but those events had taken place in alternate timelines and alternate dimensions, and thus had no impact on the world they lived in, so they could not fully understand his tales.
As such, he had never been recognized as the hero he was outside of his family. And with the kingdom at peace, all the skills and knowledge he had gained during his adventures were useless, and all but went to waste. While he did teach his children and grandchildren how to take care of themselves, including how to use a sword and a bow, there was no evil to fight, and so the power of the Hero of Time was completely unnecessary.
Yes, that was his greatest regret; being unable to pass on all that he had learned. He never was recognized as the hero he was, and with no enemy to fight, there was no need to train a new hero. And while having Hyrule be at peace was indeed a good thing, it had left him feeling as if a big chunk of his life had been unfulfilled. And thus, he now found himself trapped in this type of limbo. But at least he was not like the many restless spirits that attacked anyone they came across, craving the life energy they no longer possessed.
The peaceful times had continued to last for centuries. His descendants had continued to take care of the ranch, passing down the musical tune he had dubbed Epona's Song. Even his horse's own descendants would come running whenever the song was played. And keeping with tradition, the first female offspring would also be named Epona.
But the horses weren't the only ones to receive their a parent's namesake. It had become tradition in his family to name the firstborn son Link. Likewise, up in the castle, it was also tradition for the firstborn princess to be named Zelda. He knew it was in the hopes that the kingdom would continue to prosper so long as the 'Age of Zelda' never ended, but still, he found it to be poetically ironic.
But now it seemed that the peace was ending. A darkness was setting over the kingdom. And it seemed his descendant was going to have to rise to meet the challenge. Cursed to become a werewolf, he was being guided by a Twilight creature called Midna to defeat Zant, the King of the Twilight, who had taken over Hyrule Castle.
From the shadows of the Ghostly Ether, he watched his descendant. The boy reminded him so much of himself, from personality, to appearance, to the name they shared. There were subtle differences, but one could easily mistake them for each other if they stood side-by-side. But still, the boy had a lot to learn if he was going to defeat the evil that had come to Hyrule.
This was it, the opportunity he had been waiting for. After centuries of waiting, he could finally pass on what he knew. Being a spirit, there was only so much he could do to help, but he could at least make sure the boy learned the seven Hidden Skills. They would be of great use to him on his journey. But he would have to wait until the boy was ready, and had obtained the necessary skills in order to handle these techniques. Then, once he passed on what he knew, he could finally be at peace.
And so he watched and waited as the boy proved himself to be a hero in the making. The boy did him proud, living up to his namesake in all ways. Soon he would reveal himself to the boy and teach him the first of the Hidden Skills. The Ending Blow, he decided, that would be a suitable place to start. He would make sure the boy became just as skilled as he was.
"You don't have to do that."
The Hero's Shade tore his eyes away from the boy as the darkness around him began to lift. Before him, a tunnel of light was appearing, warm and inviting. It wasn't the first time he had seen it, and he was tempted to step into it, just like last time. But also just like last time, something held him back. He knew what it was too, the very regret that kept him trapped in his current state. It pulled at his mind, consuming him, anchoring him in place, making him unwilling to step into the light and leave all his worldly problems behind.
He saw figures in the light; familiar figures he had known from long ago who had moved on while he could not. He saw old friends and members of his family. He recognized his children, his grandchildren, and his other descendants. There were even the ones who claimed to be his parents from before he had been adopted by the Kokiri.
One of the figures was approaching, stopping in front of him, just short of leaving the light, unable to step out of it. No longer old and feeble as she was when death had claimed her, his beloved wife stood before him in her prime, smiling her beautiful smile at him lovingly.
"Malon…" he whispered, his voice coming out different from his human voice.
Her smile grew wider. "It's ok. You don't need to remain a prisoner anymore. You never had to. Only you are holding yourself back."
He looked away. "I can't go yet. I have to pass on what I know. I must stay until I do."
"You've done more than enough," she told him. "Even if no on truly knows your deeds, that doesn't change the fact that you've still done so much good for everyone. No one expects any more from you, Link. Come to us. Come home."
He completely turned his back to her as a growl of self-frustration escaped him. "Don't call me by that name. I don't deserve it. Not right now. Not while I'm… this." He looked at his skeletal hand, curling it into a fist. "I can't be at peace until I know I've truly done something worthwhile for this world. For this world. I must pass on what I know so that a new hero may rise. Then I will be able to move on."
A sigh escaped her. "You take on too much, even now. You've always been that way. Always putting others before yourself, always trying to do what's right. You're so selfless and caring. But it's ok to put yourself first once in a while. You saved Hyrule from Ganondorf. You saved Termina from Majora's Mask. No one can say you haven't done your part, even if they don't know it. You don't owe anyone anything. The only thing holding you back are the regrets that you yourself have allowed to take hold of you. But you can let them go. Leave your regrets behind and be at peace. It's always been your choice, Link."
She held a hand out to him. "Come with me, Link. We all miss you and want you here with us. Come and be with us like you were meant to."
Slowly he looked back at her. He stared at her offered hand for several long moments before turning around completely. She was close enough to touch, her hand beckoning him to take it, and by the gods, he wanted to. He wanted to be free of these regrets that had kept him prisoner, to leave this world and all its troubles behind and move on to whatever lay beyond with his loved ones.
Slowly, he reached for her. As his hand entered the light, he saw it change, becoming his hand again, his real human hand. It hovered over hers, mere inches from touching and accepting his place with her on the other side.
But something stopped him. Something on the back of his human hand that had reappeared as the light shined over it. A symbol of three triangles representing Courage, Wisdom, and Power. The mark of the Triforce. It was the symbol that he was the Hero of Time.
His hand clenched, and he pulled it back, watching as it decade into bone once more. He held the clenched fist to his heart and gave his wife a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry, but I can't. Not yet. There is still something that I have to do. I'm still needed here, and there's still some good I can do for the new hero. Until I fulfill that duty, I cannot come to you. I will soon, but not yet. First I must pass on what I know to another."
She gave him a sad yet understanding smile. "As selfless and noble as ever. But if that is your decision, then we will respect it. We've waited this long, we can wait a little longer."
She began walking backwards, into the crowd of his long dead friends and family. They too began drifting back into the tunnel of light as it slowly faded away.
"We wish you luck, great hero. Don't keep us waiting too much longer. Don't keep me waiting, my fairy boy."
And then they were gone, and so was the light. He was left in the shadows once more, the same ones he had known for hundreds of years. With the temptation of the light gone, the feelings of regret latched onto him once more. However, they did not feel quite as burdensome this time, knowing that he would not be held back by them for much longer.
He returned his attention back to his descendant. The boy was approaching him. Soon he would reveal himself to the hero-in-training, and teach him all that he knew.
"Come forth, boy," he said into the darkness. "It is time for a new hero to arise."
THE END
(A/N: So, if you've played Twilight Princess this is pretty much where Link meets the Hero's Shade for the first time and he begins training him. Unfortunately, a lot of people think the reason that Link became the Hero's Shade was simply because he wasn't recognized as a hero, but it was actually a deeper reason than that. The real reason was that he couldn't pass on what he learned since there was no need for a hero. Not being recognized as a hero was simply a part of that. If no one ever knew what a hero you were, then of course no one if going want to learn how to be a hero from you, especially if there's no enemy to fight. That's what I wanted to portray here, and explain more fully what was keeping the Hero's Shade earthbound. Also, if you're not a Zelda fan, or haven't been keeping up with the history of Zelda, it's been pretty much confirmed, though not outright stated, that it was Malon who the Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask ended up with based on all the hints, evidence, and implications both in and out of the games. So yeah, I included that in the story as well. It's a shame, because as much as I love Malon, I still ship Link and Zelda harder, but we all know that the Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask Link and Zelda just didn't happen. At least there's the other Link and Zelda descendants and ancestors who have a chance to be together, the most recent ones being from Breath of the Wild. I really need to play that one. Anyway, leave me a review and tell me what you thought.)
