Disclaimer: All the characters and stuff belong to Nintendo, not me. But if you didn't know that, what are you doing reading this? And the songs are Garth Brooks "When You Come Back to Me Again" and "The Change."

Hylian Chronicles: Book One: Someone Else's Story

PART ONE

There's a moment

We all come to

In our own time and our own space

Where all that we've done

We can undo

If our heart's in the right place…

On a prayer

In a song

I hear your voice

And it keeps me hanging on

Oh, raining down

Against the wind

I'm reaching out

'Til we reach the circle's edge

And you come back to me again…

Chapter One—Prophecy

Everything started when I had the dream.

Before that, life was perfect. I was ten years old, and completely happy. I was the crown princess of Hyrule and the angel of my parents' eyes. I had everything I could want, and if there was anything I didn't have, I had only to ask for it.

More than any other single element, what made my life wonderful was Impa. She was my attendant and nurse, the woman who had raised me. My parents loved me, of course, but they were king and queen. The country needed attention. As for other family members, well, there weren't many. Any, I guess. Mom spoke sometimes of her younger sister, my aunt Alea, but it was only to say things like, "I wish Alea could see this." By the time I was ten years old, when everything changed, I had long figured out that Alea, long estranged from her family, had died when I was a baby. My mom still loved her, though…

But I'm leaving the topic.

Impa was one of the last of a race of people called the Sheikah. All our servants were Sheikah, and I thought they were fascinating. They practiced something like magic, but really it was a science, a practice of illusions that anyone could learn. They taught it to me, along with their music and other cultural skills. Impa of course taught me more obviously practical things, like history, that I would need to know for when I became queen, but she encouraged me to learn the arts of the Sheikah as well.

Besides their magic, I could also use real magic, the inborn kind the goddesses gave me when They created me. Part of this magic was clairvoyance and foresight. Impa realized when I was very young that I sometimes had dreams which foretold the future—prophetic dreams, she called them. She told me when I was five that I had special gifts like these, and she thought I was a child of an important destiny. At the time, being such a young child, I thought she simply meant that I would be queen someday, and I wondered why she looked so worried every time she looked at me. Now I know.

It started when I had the dream.

I saw Hyrule— My home, my kingdom, my world of peace. I saw clouds gathering in the west and spreading over all the land, spreading evil and suffering.

Then, in the east, I saw a sunbeam burst through the clouds; it came from the forest, a land I had never seen for myself, but which I knew to be immaculate and untouched by Hylian hands. In this sunbeam stood a figure, one that looked strangely familiar. Two things about him impressed themselves upon my memory: the figure was accompanied by a fairy, and held a large, green emerald. I knew that, whoever this person was, he was to be the salvation of Hyrule. I saw his face clearly, and I knew I would recognize him instantly whenever, wherever I saw him.

But as soon as I woke up, it all faded. I forgot everything about the figure, except the fairy and the emerald. I was also left with unanswerable questions about him; I knew that I recognized the boy's face, but I also knew had never seen him before. He was a child of the forest, after all, so how could I have ever encountered him? Those children lived in isolation, in peace. They would not—should not—ever be involved in matters of such grant scale conflict. If one of the forest people was about to emerge from their haven, then something was about to become seriously wrong with the world of Hyrule.

This nightmare recurred twice more, causing a knot of worry to settle itself sickeningly in my stomach. Each time I fell asleep, I vowed to remember the figure's face, but each time I woke up, I never could. So I decided to find the meaning of the dream in another clue.

I found a picture of the emerald in my encyclopedia. I knew it was the same one; I recognized its elaborate gold setting. It was called the Spiritual Stone of Forest, the Kokiri's Emerald. There were two other Spiritual Stones, and their combined power could open the Door of Time in the Temple of Time to allow a True Hero of wield the Master Sword. Everything made sense. The Kokiri were the peaceful race of fairy people to which the figure in my dream must have belonged, the people of the southeastern forest.

However, this knowledge did nothing to assuage my fears. The goddesses were telling me that the True Hero, the one would could wield the legendary Master Sword, would soon come forth. Some evil was coming, so great that the hero chosen by Them would have to fight it. But what was the evil?

Too soon, I found the answer to my question.

A few days after I had made my discoveries about the Spiritual Stones, an ambassador came to visit. His name was King Ganondorf Dragmire, of the Gerudo.

"Greetings!" he said grandly, when the guards brought him into our hall. I stood next to my mother's throne and watched him suspiciously. I had no reason to, other than the fact that I had been suspicious of everyone lately, but I did nonetheless. He presented himself with a regal bow.

"If word has not yet reached you, allow me the pleasure of bringing it: The old queen of the Gerudo, Nabooru, has stepped down from the throne. Her successor is none other than myself."

Dad raised an eyebrow. "Nabooru was an ally of ours. Why should we be pleased to hear that she is out of power?"

"For precisely that reason!" Ganondorf said briskly. "Nabooru proposed a union of equals. It was an arrogant idea; our people do not have the resources to exist independently. So it is that I come, requesting that Your Majesty regard us not as an equal partner but a loyal province of your kingdom. I am here to arrange bequeathing our country to you. You may wonder," he went on, "why my first act as king would be to hand my power over to a people with whom my country has never been on close terms… Do you?"

"Indeed," Dad said with a nod. "But I sense you are prepared to offer an explanation?"

"I am. You see, our land unforgiving territory…"

He went on to explain that the Gerudo people were not as wealthy a nation as they appeared to be. Years of pretending in order to keep enemies at bay had in fact left them rather impoverished. As a province of Hyrule, Gerudo Valley could drop the charade. They would be safe from attack, because of our army and peaceful alliance, and could benefit from our thriving economy.

"To assure you that mine is not an offer too good to be true," Ganondorf informed us, "I do have some stipulations… Most importantly, that we retain a provincial government… But we can get into those details later. That is, if you are willing to consider my offer?"

He smiled charmingly, and suddenly I knew. He was the evil.

Over dinner that night, for which Ganondorf was not present, I told my father what I thought.

"Dad, don't agree to Ganondorf's agreement," I began bluntly.

Dad smiled bemusedly at me, in a way that clearly said he was indulging his little girl's wishes. "Why not, darling?"

"Because I don't believe him. I know he says he's loyal to you, but I had a dream…"

"About Ganondorf?" asked Mom.

"Yes. Well, sort of. In my dream, something evil came from the west. Ganondorf lives in the west, doesn't he? The desert?"

"Yes, but that's hardly proof—"

"I just have a hunch," I interrupted, ignoring decorum in my urgency. "And then something good came from the east and defeated it. I think it was the True Hero… You know, the one chosen by the goddesses and the Master Sword."

My parents were continuing to smile as if humouring some fantasy of mine. "And who do you think that hero was?"

Knowing how farfetched it would sound, prepared to defend my beliefs, I said flatly, "A Kokiri."

My parents exchanged parental looks, then Mom said, "Sweetie…a Kokiri? Someone from the southeastern forest? Are you sure?"

I stuck out my chin with determination. "Yes, I am."

They looked at each other again. I wished they would stop doing that.

"Has Impa taught you about Kokiri?" asked Dad, leaning over the table towards me.

I nodded.

"What has she taught you?"

I shrugged. "Lots of stuff."

"Has she taught you that all Kokiri are children? Forever?"

I nodded.

"And has she taught you that they can't leave the forest?"

I nodded. These were exactly the arguments I had expected, because they were the ones that had run through my own mind several times already. "But she's also taught me that the goddesses are omnipotent, and if Their will is in defiance of everything else, it can still happen," I countered. "Isn't that true, too?"

"Well—yes."

"So if they chose a Kokiri to be the True Hero…the Hero of Time…couldn't it be possible?"

They looked at each other yet again, this time looking more surprised than anything else. It was Mom who spoke next, in the very final tone that only she could master.

"Zelda, listen. Just because you had a nightmare does not mean that Ganondorf is evil and the Hero of Time will soon arise as a Kokiri." The "and that's final" was implied.

"But my dreams are prophetic!" I protested angrily.

Mom's eyes widened and Dad's mouth fell open. "Who told you that?" he demanded.

Their reaction threw me slightly, but I answered without hesitation, "Impa. And it's true."

As Mom shook her head slightly, Dad told me, "Your imagination has been running away with you. We'll be speaking to Impa about it."

That night, as Impa tucked me in, she didn't tell me my usual bedtime story.

"Zelda," she began instead, "you told your parents about your dreams."

"They talked to you about it, like they said they would," I guessed dully. Impa nodded.

"They told me they don't want you to believe things like that. Things that aren't true, were their words."

"You mean… it's not true that my dreams—"

"Of course it's true. It's just that your parents don't believe it."

"So what can we do?"

"First of all, we pretend we don't believe in your dreams. If they think I'm lying to you and disobeying them, I'll be fired."

I would never want that to happen, even if she had been lying to me. I loved Impa.

"Second, the two of us fight the evil. Ganondorf is evil, I know it, and the True Hero will most likely be a Kokiri. You are right. I'm sure of it. But it's our secret."

So I acted as though I didn't suspect Ganondorf of a thing—partly so that he wouldn't know I was onto him, and partly so my parents wouldn't know I was. But every night before bed, I said the same prayer.

"Please protect Mom and Dad and Impa and me from Ganondorf, and please send the True Hero to me to protect Hyrule."

Until the hero came, it would be up to me…

Luckily, I didn't have too long to wait. Only two days after Ganondorf arrived, he had another meeting with my father to discuss politics. Under the excuse that I simply wanted some fresh air, I was in a private courtyard, watching him covertly through a window.

Suddenly I heard footsteps.

I turned around, expecting to see Impa or perhaps one of the guards. Instead, I saw a boy of about my own age. He didn't say anything at first, and neither did I, though my heart leapt into my throat in alarm; I just looked at him, unable to speak.

He was dressed in a green tunic and leather boots, and—a fairy sparkled around his head! The instant I saw that fairy, the memories that had eluded me flooded back to my mind. I recognized his face as the one in my dream that I had never managed to recall in my waking hours.

Finding his voice, he managed only to say, "Uh…" before I interrupted him excitedly.

"You!" I gasped. "How did you get past the guards?"

He shrugged, and I caught a glimpse of a sword and shield on his back. "It's not that hard. Just hide, and when they're not looking…run."

I grinned. "You're from the forest, aren't you? You're a Kokiri! You have a fairy! Do you have…an emerald?"

He blinked, furrowing his brow, and reached into his tunic. "How did you know?"

He held in his hand what could only be the Spiritual Stone of Forest.

"Yes…" I breathed. "You're—I've been waiting for you. What's your name?" I asked eagerly.

"I'm Link."

Link… The name sounded familiar. Just as his face had always looked familiar. Even though I had never met him. Maybe it was another forgotten detail of my dream.

"But how did you know I was coming?" he asked.

"Well, I had this dream…"

"You have a dream about me? How is that possible?" He was looking at me apprehensively; I could see him leaning away. It occurred to be that I had shown absolutely no manners at all in my excitement at seeing him.

"I'm so sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Princess Zelda Hyrule."

Link smirked and looked over my clothes, which were adorned with royal insignias. "I figured," he told me. "The whole living in a castle thing kinda gave it away."

"Well, I have dreams that foretell the future. In one recently, a nightmare, I saw you."

"Hey," he interrupted, "I think I had a nightmare about you! Well, you were in it, but you weren't the scary part. There was this man, a big man on a black horse, with red hair and a big gem in his forehead. I didn't get a good look at him."

Gesturing through the window, I asked, "Does he look familiar?"

Link's jaw dropped. "Yes, that's him! Who is he?"

So I told Link everything, especially my dream, and how my father didn't believe me. Link snorted and shook his head.

"That's so stupid. Can't your dad tell he's evil?"

It was strange for me to have anyone speak so casually in my presence, let alone to my face; most people put on airs and manners when addressing me. But then, I reasoned, Link wasn't raised at court. He was a Kokiri, the furthest thing from the son of nobility. I didn't mind, though, because it meant I could relax my usual standards of behaviour, too.

"I know," I sighed, "but it's okay. We can work without him. We just need to make sure Ganondorf doesn't get his hands on the Triforce, the Sacred Triangles of the goddesses. If he does, he can turn the world into a place of evil. We, the Royal Family, treasure the Triforce and one other thing: the Ocarina of Time."

Link gave a small gasp at the word "ocarina." At least, I thought he did, but I might have been imagining things.

"Is something wrong?" I inquired.

"No," he mumbled, looking down. "Keep talking."

Something was distracting him, though he didn't want to talk about it and I couldn't force him. Maybe I was imagining things; at any rate, there were more important things to discuss. I went on.

"The Triforce is in the Sacred Realm. There are only a few ways to get in there, and I've figured something out. If someone gets there before Ganondorf, they could stop him from getting the Triforce. Problem is, I can't leave the castle without permission, but I think you could do it. Besides, it seems like it's your destiny, doesn't it?"

"Really? Cool." Link grinned. "So how do I get there?"

"I've got it all figured out," I told him happily. For days, I had been devising this plan in anticipation of the hero, and I couldn't wait to see it put into action. "First, you need to get the other two Spiritual Stones."

"There's three? Aw, man…"

"Of course this isn't going to be easy," I told him with half a sigh. "After you get them, come back here. I'll give you the Ocarina of Time and teach you the Song of Time. Then you go to the Temple of Time, with the Stones, and stand before the Door of Time and play the Song. The Door will open, and you'll find the Master Sword stuck in the Pedestal of Time—"

Link snorted with laughter. "I'm surprised it's not the Sword of Time. And what am I? The… Hero of Time or something?"

I forced a laugh, not wanting to tell him that he was just that. No good could come from scaring him away from his destiny. I also didn't want to tell him that only he, the predestined hero, could wield the Sword.

"Anyway, when you pull out the Sword, you'll be transported to the Sacred Realm. You stay there and keep the Triforce safe from Ganondorf. I'll take care of him in this world."

Link frowned. Clearly it struck him as odd that he, armed with a legendary blade, would be doing nothing while I, a perfect lady and princess, fought evil hands-on. To be honest, it struck me as odd, too. But I had faith in my plan nonetheless.

"Okay…" Link said slowly. "So first I have to get the other two Spiritual Stones, then come back here."

I nodded. "Good luck." You might need it. "Impa will help you get out of here without getting caught. Oh, also, here's a letter from me. You can show it to people to prove that you're connected to me."

Link took the letter I gave him and slipped it into his tunic. "Thanks. And goodbye."

I simply nodded, slightly choked up with nervousness. It was really striking me now that this plan I had been imagining would now actually come to fruition.

Impa appeared just then. I saw Link look up at her in awe; she most certainly doesn't look like most people's idea of a royal nursemaid, but that's because she's a Sheikah.

The first part of the task was done; now I just had to wait.

That night, my prayer was different.

"Please protect Mom and Dad and Impa and me from Ganondorf, and please help Link succeed in his quest. Please keep him safe." Without him, there's no hope for Hyrule.

I don't know how long Link was gone. Every minute seemed interminably long. It was worse because of an incident that happened only two days after his visit.

I was sitting in the courtyard, leaning my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands, thinking and worrying about Link. It was the same courtyard I'd been in when he's surprised me. I had been spending a lot of time there, memories and thoughts and hopes turning over in my mind like leaves in a breeze. This was the first time, though, that I heard footsteps again. For a wild second, I thought it was him—but I was wrong.

"Why, hello, Princess. I'm sorry. I hope I didn't accidentally wander into some secret garden of yours, some private refuge."

I didn't answer. I looked at him and tried to keep my face impassive, though the sound of his deep voice, dark and bestial, had made my heart begin to pound in foreboding. He wandered along the perimeter of the garden, continuing conversationally as he looked around the courtyard, smiling slightly, like he knew a joke I didn't, as he smelled the flowers and gazed reflectively at his reflection in the stream encircling it.

"What am I saying? This is no private refuge. Just the other day you had a little friend here. A boy…a Kokiri boy, if I'm not mistaken." He chuckled. "Tell me, Princess. Does your father know about your boyfriend? I'm quite sure he'd never approve of the match. You might as well forget it."

My mouth fell open in shock, and I immediately closed it. I felt as if Ganondorf had poured ice water over my heart. He simply smiled more widely, looking friendly enough, but I didn't trust him for a minute. I tried to speak, to say something to deter him.

"I—I don't—"

Suddenly, he dropped the act and approached me angrily, crossing the courtyard in two swift steps, fists clenched. He bent near me and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Listen, Princess, I know you're up to something, you and your boyfriend. Whatever it is, I advise you to drop it. You are kids, and I am king of the most powerful people in Hyrule. Do you understand me? You don't stand a chance."

Finally finding my voice, I snapped furiously. "You're not… Don't you threaten me!"

"Oh, no? What will you do? Tell your daddy? He loves me, even though he knows you hate me. He won't believe you for a second, I promise. He wouldn't, even if I gave you the bruises to back up your story. Do you want to find out if I'm right?"

He made a sharp gesture in my direction; I flinched, and instantly regretted it as he stood straight up and laughed, turning away from me after clearly deciding that I was no threat. I jumped to my feet, determined not to let him make me cower.

"Give it up, Princess! You've lost, and the battle hasn't even begun yet."

I trembled with fury as I watched him walk away. But I couldn't do anything other than glare.

"Oh, Link, hurry…"

Things only got worse.

Ganondorf and I both knew we were each plotting the demise of the other. We both also know that he had the advantage for many reasons, one of which being that he could act whenever he wanted, and I had to wait for Link.

Not that I wasn't prepared. I took the Ocarina of Time from its usual display case and hid it under my bed, practicing the fingering of the Song of Time over and over again each night, sending quiet, quivering notes out into the night. I wondered if Ganondorf could hear them, and hear that I was threatening him.

Impa had me prepared in case Ganondorf struck first. She showed me where she had hidden a bag of my things, so that I could grab it and run in case of an emergency. That, of course, would only serve to get me away from his initial attack alive; she was also prepared, though, for what would happen once we were out in the world. One night, tucking me in, she told me of her strange plan.

"Zelda… I hope I'm wrong, but I fear we may have to leave this castle someday very soon."

I had suspected this already. In a way, I was coming to terms with it, but to hear Impa talk about it made it more real than all the times I had thought about it. I managed to nod. I managed not to cry.

"We will have to go into hiding, and we will have to hide well, because Ganondorf is strong," she explained gently, maternally tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "His telepathic consciousness could seek you out. You will have to change your whole identity, and all but forget who you really are."

"You mean… I'll be someone else?" I asked, my voice coming out much more childishly than I would have liked it to. "Forever?"

"No, no, only until Link defeats Ganondorf," Impa reassured me. After a pause, she sighed. "But it could be many years."

I contemplated this. Years of being someone else…

"I've already invented an identity for you," Impa continued. "We will stay with a small band of Sheikah I know, and we will tell them you are named Sheik."

"That's a boy's name!" I objected. "A Sheikah name!"

"Yes, it is, because Ganondorf will be looking for a Hylian girl, not a Sheikah boy. You must never tell anyone—anyone—who you are. Even if they are, or at least seem, trustworthy. First of all, this is because we won't know who we can trust. Second of all, and more importantly, this is because Ganondorf's consciousness will find you if you let your guard down."

"What about Link?"

Impa hesitated, then told me, "If you see him before he defeats Ganondorf, as I think you may have to, me must know you only as Sheik."

I didn't move, staring at the blankets laid out over my body and thinking all of this over. I barely knew Link, having only met him once, but I liked him already. I really thought of him as a friend, the type of person I could and would trust with my life… Which I suppose is appropriate, since I was trusting him with the lives of everyone in Hyrule.

Impa seemed tense the next day, and her worry affected me. Dad must have been blind if he didn't notice the cloud of suspicion that hung thickly over our home.

I had so far seen Ganondorf only in glimpses, our encounter in the courtyard notwithstanding; for the most part he stayed in his chamber when he wasn't in deliberations with Dad. Much to my surprise, however, he joined the household for dinner. All the superior servants, such as the attendants like Impa, also came by invitation.

"I would like to make an announcement," Dad said when we were all seated. "As you all know, King Ganondorf Dragmire and I have been hard at work drawing up the document which we will both sign to unite our kingdoms. I am pleased to inform you all that the Desert Declaration has been completed, and tomorrow we will move out to the Desert Colossus to sign it amid all the proper circumstances."

Everyone applauded loudly, and many people made happy comments about the progress of diplomacy; I, however, felt my heart stop when Dad said the word "tomorrow." That meant that, whatever horrible scheme Ganondorf was plotting, it would happen tonight. Next to me, Impa was visibly taut in every muscle. I met Ganondorf's eye across the table, and he winked at me with a devious smile.

"I have to say something to Dad," I whispered to Impa urgently. She gave the smallest possible shake of her head.

Amid the confusion of the serving of the food, she explained to me quietly, "We can't let anyone know that we suspect Ganondorf. I have told you all this before."

"But—"

"We can't show distrust of your father's allies. It's the same as showing distrust of your father." I could hear in her voice that she hated to hear what she was saying as much as I did, and on some level I knew I shouldn't argue. But we were discussing my parents' lives, my kingdom's peace, my whole world and everything in it.

"But… if Dad doesn't know, how can he stop it?" I hissed, pleading with her desperately. "He can't!"

Impa hesitated. Delicately, thinking as she spoke, she told me, "Our primary concern is your safety, and the best thing for your safety is to keep the secret we have been keeping, to stay united, and to be ready…for anything. Together. We don't stand a chance apart."

I stared at my plate. It was piled with good food, top quality Sheikah cooking, but I wasn't hungry at all.

"I'm scared, Impa."

"So am I, Zelda."