29Foreword: This story is based on the Legend of Zelda series of games. Due to the confusing chronology of the series, I will clarify that this story follows the 'Child Timeline'. Presuming that the following events happened: Link lived out the events of Ocarina of Time, travelling to the future and back and upon his return warned the kingdom about Ganondorf. Then Link left Hyrule to live out the events of Majora's Mask and beyond. It assumes that the timeline will continue to the events of Twilight Princess.
A Link to the Heart Chapter 1
Link loved the view from the mountains, especially in the fading light of the evening. The setting sun cast a golden haze over the lands of Hyrule, making it feel like the world was covered in a rich robe. Link drank in the sight, drawing every morsel of nostalgia from it. It had been ten long years since he had gazed upon these lands. For the sake of the world and for his own good he had been travelling distant lands but finally the yearning for home had drawn him back and the sight filled him with both melancholy and longing. There was no denying he was homesick.
From this altitude he could look south and see the vast sweep of Hyrule laid out before him. Rolling hills, fertile farms and cattle ranches spread as far as the eye could see, the breadbasket of the kingdom quaintly known as Hyrule Fields. To the east lay the impenetrable forests of the Lost Woods and on the southern horizon the pure waters of Lake Hylia were just visible, glimmering like fire in the light of the setting sun. Link could not see the western reaches of Gerudo valley and the sandy desert beyond, even from this altitude it was too far away, but he could see Death Mountain looming over him, its slopes made pure gold by the dropping sun. Link knew these lands like the back of his hand, he had voyage across them and fought terrible foes and saved the kingdom from calamity. Twice in fact, in an adventure that had crossed time itself.
As the daylight began to fade Link turned from his sightseeing and faced the small camp he had established. He was tall and lean, with the hardened muscles that came from rough adventures and the callouses of one who had learned to live off the land. His clothes were faded green, losing their colour through long exposure to the sun and rain. Yet over his tunic he wore leather harnesses and silver vambraces, lovingly tended to since he depended on them every day. His boots were less appealing, worn and frayed and almost falling apart, signs of his long journey. His face was losing its youthful softness, maturing into the rough features of a grown man. Under a drooping hat his hair was still blond and his long ears proclaimed his Hylian blood but there was a look in his eyes of one who had travelled far and seen things most folk couldn't imagine. One last thing marked him out, on the back of one hand was a small icon, easily mistaken for a tattoo, three stacked triangles, one of which was far bolder than the other two.
Link looked over his campsite and judged it adequate. In a small glade on the wooded mountainside he had found a clearing. In one corner was a pile of bags and assorted equipment and on the other he had fashioned a lean-to for sleeping. A pile of wood waited to be lit and a pair of partridges were laid out, arrows sticking out of their chests. By the fire lay his bow and quiver, shield and sword, each one carrying a story unto itself. And on the far side of the clearing stood a chestnut horse, his friend and companion in many an adventure.
Link strolled over to the mare and released her bridal as he said, "What do you think Epona? Another week to Lon Lon ranch?" The mare didn't answer, horses were famous for not speaking much. Hyrule was home to several sentient species but talking horses were not among them. Link smiled wanly as he reflected that he had often wished Epona could talk, it would have been nice to have someone to talk to on his adventures. Oh, The stories the pair of them could tell.
He shook his head and released the saddle then took out a brush from the side bags and began brushing down his horse. It wasn't a quick job but Epona deserved it, she had travelled to distant lands and shared many an adventure with Link. Together they had seen more of the world than he would ever have imagined possible but at last they had returned to the land of his birth.
The sun had set by the time he finished and the cold night was pressing in. Epona lowered her head and began chomping on a bush as Link addressed his own comfort. The first thing he did was check the magical wards on the perimeter, lest he be surprised in his sleep. Then he sat down by the cold fire. He picked up a partridge and took out a small knife and began to strip the feathers. As he worked he whistled a melody, one he had learned from a princess in his youth. For most people that would have been a hollow boast but for Link it was literally true.
Once the bird was plucked he lopped off the head with a swift movement then rammed a stick through it, to skewer the meat. Then he looked at the woodpile. Lighting fresh wood was no quick task, it took determination, patience, skill and no small amount of frustration. Thankfully Link had a faster method. He took an arrow from his quiver and held it in his hand. He held the wooden shaft before his eyes and focused, reaching deep within. In all living things was a mote of magical energy, a tiny reservoir of eldritch potential. Most folks were never aware of it but Link had been taught by the Great Fairies to tap into that wellspring and channel it. He was no mighty sorcerer, not even ranking as a hedge wizard, but his meagre collection of spells had its uses.
A breathed word sent a tingle of power down his arm, draining a morsel of energy from his soul and channelling it into the arrow. The tip glowed for a moment, then burst into flame, brightly shining in the night. Link thrust it into the piled wood and it blazed merrily, heating the branches. The wet wood steamed for a few seconds then caught alight, growing quickly into a small fire that warmed his face. Link smiled as he took up his dinner and planted the stick over the fire, cooking the bird in the flames.
He sat back as he waited and rubbed his hands before the fire as he mused, "A little music? Yes, why not." He reached into a pack and pulled out a small blue instrument, a wind toy of hidden power. This was an Ocarina, one given to him by the princess, and he placed it to his lips and blew. Tinny notes emerged and he winced slightly, an Ocarina was a fiendishly difficult instrument to master but he adjusted his grip and tried again. This time a faint tune emerged, crafted by his dancing fingers. With this instrument he could cast a variety of spells but he had no reason to do so. Instead he played a refrain of pleasing notes, one that made Epona's head lift. This tune he had learned from another girl, a rancher he had met once. The only magic in it was that it would draw Epona to him, but in his heart Link liked this jaunty tune more than any amount of solemn melodies.
Link paused as he sensed something, the electric tingle across his skin of his perimeter wards tripping. His eyes slid away from the flames and he cursed himself for looking into the brightness, ruining his night vision. He could not see anything but he trusted his wards, something was out there. No, two somethings and they meant him ill. He carefully set down the Ocarina and took up a bow, checking his shield and sword were within reach. He nocked an arrow and looked into the dark, waiting for the green blobs in his eyes to fade. Swiftly they cleared and Link spied two bulky forms drifting nearer.
"You there, name yourselves!" Link cried, "Come forth if you be friendly." From the darkness loomed a pair of figures who were definitely not friendly. They were tall skeletons, dressed in scraps of decaying armour and floppy boots. They bore wide shields and rusty swords in bony digits, gripping them in familiar handholds. Their grinning skulls had no skin left but they were coated in lichen and moss. They were surely dead but in their eyes glowed a mote of curdled magic, an animating force that compelled them to move. They were dead soldiers, given new vitality by random magic, unable to do anything but live out their last fight over and over.
"Stalfos, in the mountains?" Link breathed in confusion but then they moved. Epona whinnied in alarm and the Stalfos chattered wickedly as they raised their swords and ran at him, intending to cut him down. Yet Link was prepared. He lifted his short bow and drew it back as he reached into his reservoir of magic and let fly. The arrow glowed bluely as it flew through the air, and struck the first Stalfos in the heart. Blue light erupted from the impact, dropping the temperature around the skeleton impossibly fast and sheathing it in a cocoon of ice.
The Stalfos ground to a halt, locked in a cage of ice but the other ran at him, swinging its sword for his head. There was no time for another arrow so Link dropped his bow and snatched up his sword and shield. The rusty blade skittered off the perfect mirror of the shield, its magic-forged surface not tarnished by the blow. Link however felt the impact ring up his right arm and he gritted his teeth as his shoulder ached. He swung his left arm about but his sword banged against the chainmail of the Stalfos, skittering off without doing any damage.
The Stalfos clacked its teeth as it chopped downwards but Link was no longer there. He ducked sideways and hit the ground with his shoulder, rolling over the cold ground to avoid the blow. The rusty sword cleaved only mud and the Stalfos hissed as Link came to his feet and spun about, swinging wide. This time the sword bit deep and it struck several ribs from the skeleton's back. The Stalfos lurched as its physical form was damaged, the animating magic faltering for a moment. Link could sense it, the putrid stench of rotten magic like a stagnant pond teeming with scum. Whoever this soldier had been his violent death had trapped his bitter spirit, the tiny mote of magic in his heart lingering in the world and drawing passing droplets of eldritch energy to itself, until it had enough power to animate his corpse and seek revenge on the living. There was no intent in this magic, no living mind had forged it, but the random nature of the foe made it no less dangerous.
The Stalfos lurched about, hissing evilly but Link danced backwards, keeping out of range. The Stalfos stepped left once, then again, circling the clearing and looking for an opening. Unfortunately its tread brought it behind Epona, a mistake it would pay for. The mare reared up and kicked out, lashing out as she had been trained to do so. No stranger to battle, Epona kicked hard and smashed the Stalfos right in the back.
The skeleton stumbled and Link saw his chance. He lowered his sword diagonally and reached for his power, channelling it into the blade. Specially forged in distant lands the dappled metal of the blade absorbed his power and began to glow, building in potency. The Stalfos sensed the power building and righted itself, coming to face him as it brandished its sword. Yet Link didn't move, holding his stance as the power built.
The Stalfos roared as it charged, barrelling towards him. One, two, three steps, sword already darting forward but Link was ready. He hurled his weight right and spun on his right foot as he swung his sword wide. Both swords lashed out but Link's was empowered by magic and it left blazing trails of light behind as it lashed through the air. The Stalfos' sword fell, cutting Link's shoulder but his sword struck it in the side and cleaved straight through, smashing through armour and bone like it was wet parchment. The Stalfos fell apart, bones raining down as its body was torn in two and the magic animating it was dispelled.
Link completed his spin and stepped back, breathing hard. He had beaten the corpse but he felt no sense of achievement. He had beaten someone already dead, a random monster wandering the world. It had only attacked him because it had found him first and the only consolation was that he had spared some other wandering traveller from its rusty blade. He felt tired in his heart, a sign that he had depleted his magic and without a potion it would take a day to replenish. Link sighed as he rolled his neck, wincing at the pain of the cut to his shoulder. He patted it only to find his hand coming away wet with blood. He winced as he spat, "Curses, that's going to get infected."
He stepped over the pile of bones and moved to his packs. He sheathed his sword and then pulled out a small jar, containing a pink ball of light. A lesser fairy was trapped within, one born to heal passing travellers. Link didn't want to expend it so casually but he had seen what infection could do and had no intention of dying to a festering wound. Hastily he unscrewed the jar and the fairy flew free, eager to fulfil its life's purpose. The fairy flew straight to his wound and began to work, using up its lifeforce to close the injury and wash out diseases. There was no point worrying about what it thought of this, lesser fairies were born for a single task and once it was completed they evaporated. Gifts from the Great Fairies to a cruel and uncaring world, lesser fairies desired only to complete their task. Denying them was crueller than letting them do their work.
As his shoulder was healed Link looked over the campsite and muttered in concern, "Stalfos in the Mountains, that's not right. What's happened to Hyrule?"
