Author's Note:
I am a great fan of both Zelda and Warcraft, and I was wondering one day how Link would have done during the Warcraft III era. Well, it turns out that I decided to explore that possibility with this crossover story. Just to explain things, this takes off from the future timeline, not from the timeline where Link got sent back by Zelda. That means this is adult Link we're dealing with here. Die hard OoT may ask why Navi is still missing in this timeline. Well, the obvious answer is that she's missing for the same reason she was missing in the other timeline. Anyway, read on, enjoy, and please review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link sat under a large tree, deep in thought. He didn't know what time it was due to the heavy rain falling onto the already dark forest, but he was tired so it couldn't be that early. The forest was so thick that he could hardly see past the line of trees. The underbrush was so dense in fact, that he had to leave his trusted horse, Epona, in Zelda's care.
He was searching for Navi, his lost fairy friend. After Link defeated Gannon, Navi had apparently considered her task complete, and left. Link had been searching for her for a year now, and his quest had taken him far beyond the great woods. He was no longer in Hyrule, but in this unfriendly forest that he doubted Navi would ever enter.
*Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing.* Link thought to himself.
He wondered now how he would get back to Hyrule, for in this seemingly endless dark forest no familiar landmark could be found. As the rain began to cease, Link slowly rose to his feet. Drawing the Master Sword, he swiftly began to hack a way through the brush without any clear idea of where he was going.
Link continued like this, his tunic becoming damp from the droplets of water falling from the infinite wet leaves around him. Then suddenly in ahead of him, he became aware of a strange light. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. No, it wasn't a hallucination, there was actually a blue glow shining through the trees. He swiftly quickened his pace and hacked away at the branches with a renewed vigor.
Finally Link stepped out of think brush and gasped; in front of him stood a fairy fountain, a fairy fountain in the midst of this darkness. True, it was different from the large underground temples that he was used to, for this fountain was more like a small spring spouting bright blue water. But nonetheless, a few fairies rhythmically floated around the fountain. Link, with no small amount of disappointment, noted that none of the fairies was Navi. Nonetheless, Link was exhausted and approached the fountain in hopes of refreshment.
As the fairies soothed his weariness, he caught some of them to put into bottles for later. Then suddenly he heard the familiar laughter of a Great Fairy. Link stepped back as the Great Fairy emerged from the fountain and smiled at Link.
"Greetings, Hero of Time. I am the Great Fairy of dreams. You come here in search of your friend, correct?"
Link nodded.
"I'm afraid that you have traveled here in vain. But perhaps here you may learn where to find her."
Link watched her carefully, inviting her to go on.
"I have the power to let you focus your thoughts beyond time and space, in other words to let you dream reality. Your friends are never far from your thoughts. Come, stand before me."
The Great Fairy smiled as Link walked closer to the fountain. Then she raised her hand to her lips and blew. Wispy spheres of light swirled around Link as he heard the Fairy's voice from far away.
*May you dream of that which you seek.*
***
The skies are red in this world, the color of blood. The clouds above swirled as fire rained from the sky. Great creatures of fire and darkness the likes of which Link had never imagined even during his darkest journeys crashed to the ground as meteors, and arose from the craters as demons. The horrid creatures rampage a village, crushing and burning everything in their path.
Then suddenly the image shifted, and in another place and another time he saw an army of what looked like Hylians with short, stubby ears charge toward an army of green-skinned creatures. The bright armor and swords of the Hylians reflect the bloody sunlight as the green-skins roar in unison, letting loose their great warcry.
In yet another place, a peaceful, lush forest teeming with animals, a strange race with purple skin and hair proudly defend their sacred forests from what looks like a horrible, massive army of stalfos. The living skeletons need no weapons save numbers, and despite the valor of the defenders, overrun the forest, turning it into a dead wasteland.
Now, at the foot of an enormous tree of incomprehensible size, an equally large demon, engorged upon the magic of the tree, seeks to claim all of its power for itself. But a purple-haired warrior, dressed in what looks like animal fur and feathers, raises a great horn and blows. Thousands of spheres of light, spirits of the forest, arise and surround the demon. The demon lets out a last roar of agony as it combusts.
And now, in the frozen north, atop a throne of ice, sits a king wielding a sword with fell runes carved into it. His eyes seem to bore into Link's, and there is no humanity to be seen inside those cold, bright eyes. He lifts the sword and points it at Link, as if he could see him.
Suddenly, beyond all the horror of the world, somewhere in a silent forest where no elf, human, orc, or undead treads, there exists a fountain. A few fairies lazily float in and around it, and among them is Navi.
*Well? What do you think?*
Link suddenly finds himself floating somewhere, within a strange matrix of sleepy green lines. In front of him is a woman, her eyes firmly closed as she floats along with him.
*What do you think of our world? Not much perhaps? Despite what you saw, there is more to this world than war.*
Link stared at this strange woman, not comprehending anything.
*Where am I? Who are you?* He asked, though it was more of a thought than a spoken question.
*I am Ysera the Dreamer. I am leader of the green dragonflight. You are in the green dream right now. This is a place far beyond the reaches of any without my blessing. You have come at a perilous time, stranger. Yet I feel that you're timing could not have been better. Perhaps it's fate. This world is now in great peril, and there is much you could do to remedy that.*
*How can I reach my friend?*
*You always think of your friends. That is good, but you should also think of those whom you do not know. As for where she is, there are many fountains scattered throughout Azeroth, and dreams are often vague about what they show us.*
*I have to try at least.*
*Your resolve is impressive, as is your courage. I can bring you out of your slumber so that you find yourself in our world. To bring you back however, is beyond me. You still do not shrink from your task?*
*No.*
*Well then, let us make a deal. I will bring you to this world, and give you the power to speak its languages if you promise to do your best to help it, as well as search for your friend.*
Link pondered this for a moment, recalling the massive battles and horrible creatures he had seen. But then he remembered Navi and Zelda, and quickly made his decision.
*Deal.*
Ysera smiled faintly. *Very well stranger. May fortune travel with you, wherever your quest shall take you.*
Link woke suddenly, and looked around. He was no longer in the dark forest, nor was he in the green dream. He seemed to be in a harsh, rugged land. The skies were red, as was the stone. He got up, and hearing something behind him suddenly spun around. There, contemplating him maliciously was what looked like a Stalchild, a skeleton. Hearing the rustling of bones to either side, Link realized that he was surrounded by them. Slowly drawing his sword, Link carefully waited for the undead to make their move. He did not have to wait long.
Letting out a hair-raising cry, the mindless ghouls rushed towards Link, their great claws outstretched and their rotting jaws hanging open. Link steps forward and used the ghoul's own momentum against it as he plunged the master sword into the undead flesh. Quickly withdrawing his sword he blocked the claw of the ghoul on his right with his shield as he kicked the one on his left as it tried to slash him. Then swinging his sword swiftly, he quickly beheaded the ghoul whose attack he blocked. He spun around to see the last ghoul already lunging towards him. Holding up his shield, Link braced himself for the impact. The untiring undead crashed into Link, and even with his shield softening the impact, Link was flung several feet onto his back. He quickly got up again, and as the ghoul bounded towards him for another attack, he took out his boomerang and threw it at the undead with careful aim. The boomerang looped towards the ghoul, and sliced its head right off its rotting body.
Link caught the boomerang as it returned, and let out a sigh of relief. Then suddenly, from a ridge above, came more undead shrieks. Link looked up to see more ghouls, maybe two dozen of them, crawling spider-like down the seemly sheer rock cliff. And then, in the air, two fearsome winged creatures, gargoyles, began to circle around Link, glaring at him with soulless eyes. A drop of sweat trickled down Link's forehead as he prepared himself for this new onslaught, when suddenly from behind him he heard a different war cry.
"Lok-tar ogar! Purge the scourge from these shores!"
Link turned around, and to his surprise saw not only a party of five green- skins wielding great battle-axes, but two grey-skinned folk with red hair and extremely long spears. They fell upon the undead with a vengeance, and Link quickly joined them. Lunging towards a cluster of ghouls that were harassing a green-skin, Link channeled magic through his blade until it was swathed in flame, then spun 360 degrees, severing four undead heads with one blow. Hearing a ghoul sneaking up on him, he kicked backwards, sending the undead flying. A swift ax-blow from one of the green-skins was enough to dispatch it. Meanwhile, the grey-skins were busy sniping the ghouls from afar. One of the undead was unwise enough to approach one of the warriors. The grey-skin stabbed the ghoul through the head with his spear, then hurled it at one of the gargoyles who had flown too low. Finally the undead seemed to realize the losses they had taken, and began to flee back up the rock face. The grey-skins nailed a few as they retreated, but some still got away. Seeing the last gargoyle make a run for it, Link took out his bow and arrow, and with incredible precision shot an arrow right through the gargoyle's head. It plummeted to the earth as the green-skins let out a roar of victory.
After the green-skins had finished cheering, some began to tend to their wounded as others turned to study Link carefully. His attire was unlike anything they had ever seen before, as were his fighting skills.
"That was a mighty shot from fifty yards stranger." One of them commented.
"And mighty swordplay as well." Added another.
"Wha j'ou be acommin frum mon?" One of the grey-skins asked.
"Yes, we have not seen your kind before."
"I am a traveler from afar, seeking a lost friend." Link answered, surprised to hear the strange language come easily to him.
The green-skins seemed to be startled to hear their own language spoken by a stranger, and quickly whispered to each other. They then turned back to Link who had been watching them apprehensively.
"Wherever you come from, if you are enemies of the scourge and are not enemies of the horde, you are welcome to stay in Durotar."
"Where is Durotar?" Link asked, upon which the strange party laughed.
"Durotar is the new home of the horde! It is the ground on which you stand and the landscape as far as your eyes can see. If you will join us, we invite you to come to Ogrimmar, our capital. I have a feeling the warchief Thrall will want to see you."
Link graciously accepted the orc's offer, and soon joined them around a bonfire as it got dark. Two orcs had been wounded, and were now being tended to by one of the trolls, as Link had discovered they were called. The others had spitted an entire pig on the fire, and were hungrily watching it roast. As they waited, the orcs discussed the attack.
"That's the third bunch of those festering wretches we've come upon on our patrol."
"Aye. Boot et wus da beegest one o dem all." One of the trolls put in.
"Yes. I wonder where all these undead are coming from?"
"Who knows? But in any case, the warchief must be informed immediately."
"There must have been at least thirty of them this time." One of the orcs said, changing the subject.
"Yes, and if it hadn't been for our guest here, it might've been worse than what it was."
"By the way, I never got to thank you stranger." The orc whom Link had saved from the ghouls said.
"You're welcome." Was all Link could think of to say.
"You slew nearly a dozen of them, as I counted it. And you got that Gargoyle that was trying to flee. Where did you learn to fight like that stranger?"
"In my homeland." Link answered.
"Your homeland must be a proud place indeed, and its warriors highly honored."
"It's a peaceful place, but not without its perils." Link replied carefully.
"Ah, just like any good homeland."
Just then the troll who was healing the wounded orcs came back to the campfire looking grave.
"Zrak'Tol izza doin fine mon, but its not looking gud for Naros."
"Can nothing save him?" Asked one of the orcs.
"Mebbe a shadow hunta or weetch ductor, bot Ogrimmar ees too far to carry em. He woont make et."
The orcs got up and gathered around their fallen comrade, who was unconscious and breathing raggedly. Link looked at the dying orc, then remembering the fairies he'd bottled, took one out and knelt by the orc.
"What are you doing?" Asked one of the orcs.
Link didn't answer, but opened the cork of the bottle. The fairy flew out of the bottle, and casting its cheerful glow over the orc, swirled around his body healing the wounds and reinvigorating the orc wherever it crossed. Soon the orc's breathing returned to normal, and he opened his eyes.
"What's for dinner?"
The orcs and trolls merely stared at Link in shock, their mouths hanging open. The finally one of them found their voice.
"What did you do?"
"That was a little friend I brought with me from my homeland." Link answered.
The orcs were silent for a while, and just stared at Link reverently. Then one of them spoke up again.
"There is much about you that is mysterious stranger, and I have a feeling that we can learn much from each other."
Link nodded, then returned to the fire and lay down upon the straw mat that the orcs had provided. Soon he was asleep, and he dreamt he was back in Hyrule with Navi and Zelda.
I am a great fan of both Zelda and Warcraft, and I was wondering one day how Link would have done during the Warcraft III era. Well, it turns out that I decided to explore that possibility with this crossover story. Just to explain things, this takes off from the future timeline, not from the timeline where Link got sent back by Zelda. That means this is adult Link we're dealing with here. Die hard OoT may ask why Navi is still missing in this timeline. Well, the obvious answer is that she's missing for the same reason she was missing in the other timeline. Anyway, read on, enjoy, and please review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link sat under a large tree, deep in thought. He didn't know what time it was due to the heavy rain falling onto the already dark forest, but he was tired so it couldn't be that early. The forest was so thick that he could hardly see past the line of trees. The underbrush was so dense in fact, that he had to leave his trusted horse, Epona, in Zelda's care.
He was searching for Navi, his lost fairy friend. After Link defeated Gannon, Navi had apparently considered her task complete, and left. Link had been searching for her for a year now, and his quest had taken him far beyond the great woods. He was no longer in Hyrule, but in this unfriendly forest that he doubted Navi would ever enter.
*Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing.* Link thought to himself.
He wondered now how he would get back to Hyrule, for in this seemingly endless dark forest no familiar landmark could be found. As the rain began to cease, Link slowly rose to his feet. Drawing the Master Sword, he swiftly began to hack a way through the brush without any clear idea of where he was going.
Link continued like this, his tunic becoming damp from the droplets of water falling from the infinite wet leaves around him. Then suddenly in ahead of him, he became aware of a strange light. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. No, it wasn't a hallucination, there was actually a blue glow shining through the trees. He swiftly quickened his pace and hacked away at the branches with a renewed vigor.
Finally Link stepped out of think brush and gasped; in front of him stood a fairy fountain, a fairy fountain in the midst of this darkness. True, it was different from the large underground temples that he was used to, for this fountain was more like a small spring spouting bright blue water. But nonetheless, a few fairies rhythmically floated around the fountain. Link, with no small amount of disappointment, noted that none of the fairies was Navi. Nonetheless, Link was exhausted and approached the fountain in hopes of refreshment.
As the fairies soothed his weariness, he caught some of them to put into bottles for later. Then suddenly he heard the familiar laughter of a Great Fairy. Link stepped back as the Great Fairy emerged from the fountain and smiled at Link.
"Greetings, Hero of Time. I am the Great Fairy of dreams. You come here in search of your friend, correct?"
Link nodded.
"I'm afraid that you have traveled here in vain. But perhaps here you may learn where to find her."
Link watched her carefully, inviting her to go on.
"I have the power to let you focus your thoughts beyond time and space, in other words to let you dream reality. Your friends are never far from your thoughts. Come, stand before me."
The Great Fairy smiled as Link walked closer to the fountain. Then she raised her hand to her lips and blew. Wispy spheres of light swirled around Link as he heard the Fairy's voice from far away.
*May you dream of that which you seek.*
***
The skies are red in this world, the color of blood. The clouds above swirled as fire rained from the sky. Great creatures of fire and darkness the likes of which Link had never imagined even during his darkest journeys crashed to the ground as meteors, and arose from the craters as demons. The horrid creatures rampage a village, crushing and burning everything in their path.
Then suddenly the image shifted, and in another place and another time he saw an army of what looked like Hylians with short, stubby ears charge toward an army of green-skinned creatures. The bright armor and swords of the Hylians reflect the bloody sunlight as the green-skins roar in unison, letting loose their great warcry.
In yet another place, a peaceful, lush forest teeming with animals, a strange race with purple skin and hair proudly defend their sacred forests from what looks like a horrible, massive army of stalfos. The living skeletons need no weapons save numbers, and despite the valor of the defenders, overrun the forest, turning it into a dead wasteland.
Now, at the foot of an enormous tree of incomprehensible size, an equally large demon, engorged upon the magic of the tree, seeks to claim all of its power for itself. But a purple-haired warrior, dressed in what looks like animal fur and feathers, raises a great horn and blows. Thousands of spheres of light, spirits of the forest, arise and surround the demon. The demon lets out a last roar of agony as it combusts.
And now, in the frozen north, atop a throne of ice, sits a king wielding a sword with fell runes carved into it. His eyes seem to bore into Link's, and there is no humanity to be seen inside those cold, bright eyes. He lifts the sword and points it at Link, as if he could see him.
Suddenly, beyond all the horror of the world, somewhere in a silent forest where no elf, human, orc, or undead treads, there exists a fountain. A few fairies lazily float in and around it, and among them is Navi.
*Well? What do you think?*
Link suddenly finds himself floating somewhere, within a strange matrix of sleepy green lines. In front of him is a woman, her eyes firmly closed as she floats along with him.
*What do you think of our world? Not much perhaps? Despite what you saw, there is more to this world than war.*
Link stared at this strange woman, not comprehending anything.
*Where am I? Who are you?* He asked, though it was more of a thought than a spoken question.
*I am Ysera the Dreamer. I am leader of the green dragonflight. You are in the green dream right now. This is a place far beyond the reaches of any without my blessing. You have come at a perilous time, stranger. Yet I feel that you're timing could not have been better. Perhaps it's fate. This world is now in great peril, and there is much you could do to remedy that.*
*How can I reach my friend?*
*You always think of your friends. That is good, but you should also think of those whom you do not know. As for where she is, there are many fountains scattered throughout Azeroth, and dreams are often vague about what they show us.*
*I have to try at least.*
*Your resolve is impressive, as is your courage. I can bring you out of your slumber so that you find yourself in our world. To bring you back however, is beyond me. You still do not shrink from your task?*
*No.*
*Well then, let us make a deal. I will bring you to this world, and give you the power to speak its languages if you promise to do your best to help it, as well as search for your friend.*
Link pondered this for a moment, recalling the massive battles and horrible creatures he had seen. But then he remembered Navi and Zelda, and quickly made his decision.
*Deal.*
Ysera smiled faintly. *Very well stranger. May fortune travel with you, wherever your quest shall take you.*
Link woke suddenly, and looked around. He was no longer in the dark forest, nor was he in the green dream. He seemed to be in a harsh, rugged land. The skies were red, as was the stone. He got up, and hearing something behind him suddenly spun around. There, contemplating him maliciously was what looked like a Stalchild, a skeleton. Hearing the rustling of bones to either side, Link realized that he was surrounded by them. Slowly drawing his sword, Link carefully waited for the undead to make their move. He did not have to wait long.
Letting out a hair-raising cry, the mindless ghouls rushed towards Link, their great claws outstretched and their rotting jaws hanging open. Link steps forward and used the ghoul's own momentum against it as he plunged the master sword into the undead flesh. Quickly withdrawing his sword he blocked the claw of the ghoul on his right with his shield as he kicked the one on his left as it tried to slash him. Then swinging his sword swiftly, he quickly beheaded the ghoul whose attack he blocked. He spun around to see the last ghoul already lunging towards him. Holding up his shield, Link braced himself for the impact. The untiring undead crashed into Link, and even with his shield softening the impact, Link was flung several feet onto his back. He quickly got up again, and as the ghoul bounded towards him for another attack, he took out his boomerang and threw it at the undead with careful aim. The boomerang looped towards the ghoul, and sliced its head right off its rotting body.
Link caught the boomerang as it returned, and let out a sigh of relief. Then suddenly, from a ridge above, came more undead shrieks. Link looked up to see more ghouls, maybe two dozen of them, crawling spider-like down the seemly sheer rock cliff. And then, in the air, two fearsome winged creatures, gargoyles, began to circle around Link, glaring at him with soulless eyes. A drop of sweat trickled down Link's forehead as he prepared himself for this new onslaught, when suddenly from behind him he heard a different war cry.
"Lok-tar ogar! Purge the scourge from these shores!"
Link turned around, and to his surprise saw not only a party of five green- skins wielding great battle-axes, but two grey-skinned folk with red hair and extremely long spears. They fell upon the undead with a vengeance, and Link quickly joined them. Lunging towards a cluster of ghouls that were harassing a green-skin, Link channeled magic through his blade until it was swathed in flame, then spun 360 degrees, severing four undead heads with one blow. Hearing a ghoul sneaking up on him, he kicked backwards, sending the undead flying. A swift ax-blow from one of the green-skins was enough to dispatch it. Meanwhile, the grey-skins were busy sniping the ghouls from afar. One of the undead was unwise enough to approach one of the warriors. The grey-skin stabbed the ghoul through the head with his spear, then hurled it at one of the gargoyles who had flown too low. Finally the undead seemed to realize the losses they had taken, and began to flee back up the rock face. The grey-skins nailed a few as they retreated, but some still got away. Seeing the last gargoyle make a run for it, Link took out his bow and arrow, and with incredible precision shot an arrow right through the gargoyle's head. It plummeted to the earth as the green-skins let out a roar of victory.
After the green-skins had finished cheering, some began to tend to their wounded as others turned to study Link carefully. His attire was unlike anything they had ever seen before, as were his fighting skills.
"That was a mighty shot from fifty yards stranger." One of them commented.
"And mighty swordplay as well." Added another.
"Wha j'ou be acommin frum mon?" One of the grey-skins asked.
"Yes, we have not seen your kind before."
"I am a traveler from afar, seeking a lost friend." Link answered, surprised to hear the strange language come easily to him.
The green-skins seemed to be startled to hear their own language spoken by a stranger, and quickly whispered to each other. They then turned back to Link who had been watching them apprehensively.
"Wherever you come from, if you are enemies of the scourge and are not enemies of the horde, you are welcome to stay in Durotar."
"Where is Durotar?" Link asked, upon which the strange party laughed.
"Durotar is the new home of the horde! It is the ground on which you stand and the landscape as far as your eyes can see. If you will join us, we invite you to come to Ogrimmar, our capital. I have a feeling the warchief Thrall will want to see you."
Link graciously accepted the orc's offer, and soon joined them around a bonfire as it got dark. Two orcs had been wounded, and were now being tended to by one of the trolls, as Link had discovered they were called. The others had spitted an entire pig on the fire, and were hungrily watching it roast. As they waited, the orcs discussed the attack.
"That's the third bunch of those festering wretches we've come upon on our patrol."
"Aye. Boot et wus da beegest one o dem all." One of the trolls put in.
"Yes. I wonder where all these undead are coming from?"
"Who knows? But in any case, the warchief must be informed immediately."
"There must have been at least thirty of them this time." One of the orcs said, changing the subject.
"Yes, and if it hadn't been for our guest here, it might've been worse than what it was."
"By the way, I never got to thank you stranger." The orc whom Link had saved from the ghouls said.
"You're welcome." Was all Link could think of to say.
"You slew nearly a dozen of them, as I counted it. And you got that Gargoyle that was trying to flee. Where did you learn to fight like that stranger?"
"In my homeland." Link answered.
"Your homeland must be a proud place indeed, and its warriors highly honored."
"It's a peaceful place, but not without its perils." Link replied carefully.
"Ah, just like any good homeland."
Just then the troll who was healing the wounded orcs came back to the campfire looking grave.
"Zrak'Tol izza doin fine mon, but its not looking gud for Naros."
"Can nothing save him?" Asked one of the orcs.
"Mebbe a shadow hunta or weetch ductor, bot Ogrimmar ees too far to carry em. He woont make et."
The orcs got up and gathered around their fallen comrade, who was unconscious and breathing raggedly. Link looked at the dying orc, then remembering the fairies he'd bottled, took one out and knelt by the orc.
"What are you doing?" Asked one of the orcs.
Link didn't answer, but opened the cork of the bottle. The fairy flew out of the bottle, and casting its cheerful glow over the orc, swirled around his body healing the wounds and reinvigorating the orc wherever it crossed. Soon the orc's breathing returned to normal, and he opened his eyes.
"What's for dinner?"
The orcs and trolls merely stared at Link in shock, their mouths hanging open. The finally one of them found their voice.
"What did you do?"
"That was a little friend I brought with me from my homeland." Link answered.
The orcs were silent for a while, and just stared at Link reverently. Then one of them spoke up again.
"There is much about you that is mysterious stranger, and I have a feeling that we can learn much from each other."
Link nodded, then returned to the fire and lay down upon the straw mat that the orcs had provided. Soon he was asleep, and he dreamt he was back in Hyrule with Navi and Zelda.