Saddly, I do not own Legend of Zelda, or any of Nintendo's copyrights. I do, however own the game and I love it very much. All that I own are the original characters that I have written into this story.

Also, this is my first time posting anything here, please be kind. ^_^

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Chapter One: Fluctuation

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Fog rolled in and swept over my feet as I stood at the edge of the moat that guarded the castle. I had been standing here for a good half-hour just looking at the castle that I could only assume had once been majestic. Every moment reminded me that we still couldn't cross the moat and inspect the ruins. The mysteries contained in the castle taunted me. My wistful expression turned to a frown as I looked down at the murky water that filled the offending moat. If the water wasn't so filthy I would have swam the distance myself by now. Frustrated, I took to fidgeting with my hat; pulling it tightly over my head as I stepped away from the water's edge.

If we couldn't find some kind of bridge, then our exploration would be cut short. The answers my father sought were inside the castle and without them the entire trip would be in vain.

A rustling sound to my right caught my attention and I glanced back to my brother Jasper who was now measuring the height of a nearby tree. His face was taut with concentration as he glanced between the tree and his paper that was now filled with measurements and equations. I strode up to him as he clicked away excitedly at his calculator. He had decided around noon that if we couldn't find a way across the water, then he would make a way. Luckily, the trees scattered around the moat had grown tall before whatever tragedy that had happened to this land had cut their lives short. Their towering remains were perfect for a make-shift bridge.

"Got one long enough?" I asked him as he looked up from his work, finally seeing me. "No no, still too short." He raised his eyes from his paper as he spoke and gestured up casually at the tree next to him. "This one only by three feet." Turning his head away, he looked out across the foggy moat with a hopeful expression on his face, "We're getting closer."

I looked up at the tree for a moment before frowning, "I saw one that was taller."

He jumped up eagerly, "Are you sure? Where? Is it on this side? How much taller?" His blue eyes flashing with excitement, he fired his question off so fast that I had little time to answer.

"Down boy, sheesh, give me a chance to talk will ya?" I mock-scolded him before continuing, "No, it wasn't on this side, it was around the back and it looked maybe a yard or two taller." At this I grinned, "I'll show you were it is if you want."

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I sighed as Jasper ran off to get our father. I stayed by the tree, choosing to rest up a bit. The trek around the massive moat to the tree had exhausted me and yet my brother showed no signs of tiring. He had always acted like a little brother, perpetually full of energy and excitement. While technically he was younger than me, it was only by a few minutes. He was still my twin and it was my long-standing belief that he had siphoned off of my energy while we were still in the womb. It would explain the constant dizzy spells that had plagued me since childhood.

It was not long before Jasper returned with our father, who was panting and trying to keep up with his son. They took a quick breather for my father, but soon they were witling away at the base of the tree trunk. Due to my light frame, it was obvious that I would be of little help to the two, so I wandered away towards the base of the castle to take another look at the dilapidated town as I made my way back to the inn that we were using as our camp.

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Dust floated around my feet; shuffled up from the ground by my staggering steps. The dizziness had come upon me suddenly and I had been caught unawares. I fought in vain against the encroaching blackness that now dimmed my vision. Gasping, I fell to my knees as the world swam. My eyes tried desperately to focus on my surroundings; even as my mind was being barraged with visions in startling clarity.

The land around me was pristine; the cobbled street I knelt upon was packed with people and a cool breeze was blowing through my hair. Fighting the lightheaded feeling that threatened to topple me again, I unsteadily rose to my feet and began walking. The crowds did not part before me, nor did anyone look at me as I walked down the road and around the corner. Knowing that the hallucination would end soon, I did my best to ignore the strangely dressed people that surrounded me, only concentrating on reaching the inn.

Just as I was rounding the corner, another wave of dizziness caused me to stagger into the building beside me. Leaning heavily against the wall, I looked up and watched as slowly the visions of life began to fade; leaving in their wake the ruins that had surrounded my family ever since we had entered this dead land. Movement across the street caused my eyes to dart away from the door of the inn and I saw a man watching me. He stood almost a full head taller than me and covered most of his body with a heavy grey cloak. Small traces of red hair trailed down the sides of his neck, the rest hidden by his hood. The hood cast shadows over most of his tanned face and prevented me from seeing his eyes. As the rest of the phantoms faded out of sight, he too began to fade, but in his place was another man.

As the final traces of dizziness passed, I took a tentative step towards the man. As I took in his appearance and noticed that his hair wasn't red like the phantom's, it was a dark color, almost black. His skin also lacked the rich tan, and his build seemed a bit lighter as well.

My vision blurred for a moment as I watched him begin walking towards me. His steps were slow and heavy as he approached, choosing to stop just short of the sidewalk that I stood on.

Anxiety began to build up inside of me as I looked up at the man that towered over me. My father had kept me in the home for most of my life, so I had never really become comfortable with social interaction. He opened his mouth to speak, but what ever words he uttered fell on deaf ears as my attention was drawn sharply to his eyes. Their color had been nondescript before, but now they were as golden as the sun.

In all these years, I had never once fainted. This fact had always made me very proud due to the sheer number of dizzy spells I had suffered. Apparently it was time for me to break that streak. With a light thud, I collapsed to the ground at his feet.

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Dreams were fleeting and confused but inherent in all of them were those golden eyes. No one had golden eyes. None but the gods could have eyes that vibrant. That much was common knowledge in my homeland. After all, people only had three main eye colors; blue, green, and brown. Any abnormalities in eye color only came from a mixing of these colors. It was true that occasionally a person would be born with grey eyes, but that was very rare and their eyes always changed to blue within their first year.

A prod to my arm woke me and my eyes were greeted with the sight of Jasper's face hovering over me. A well-aimed hand batted at his face made him lean back and he grinned and turned towards the door. "She's awake!" he called out to the other room, "I told you she'd wake up as soon as you both left!" He chuckled weakly at his joke and I heard some shuffling from the other room.

The rusty door swung open and first my father strode in, followed shortly by the man from before. A quick glance to his face showed that his eyes were dull and dark, without even a hint of gold. With this realization I relaxed, letting go of the breath I had been holding.

"Ah, you're finally awake El! You were starting to worry our guest." He chuckled heartily as he patted the man on the back. "Up and passing out at his feet like that, did you forget to eat again girl?" He tisked at me before continuing, "You're lucky you're alright, we heard a Wolfos howling as we came back from the castle. No telling what could have happened!"

"Dad, aren't you forgetting about something?" Jasper interjected before his father started up on another tangent about Wolfos.

My father looked puzzled for a moment before his face brightened, "Ah, of course! I haven't even introduced our new friend here!" He once again patted the man on his back, "This is-"

I watched his mouth move for a few moments before I scowled in confusion. "Wait, what is his name?" I asked.

"Eh? Didn't you hear me the first time? Its-" And again, my fathers' mouth moved, but no name was provided.

I looked to Jasper to see if it was some kind of a joke, but his expression betrayed no inner amusement at my confusion. Jasper had never had a good poker face, so if he wasn't laughing, then it was impossible for this to be a joke. Maybe my ears were still a little buzzy from fainting and I just hadn't heard the name clearly. I decided that it was best for me to just act like everything was normal, so I nodded in mock understanding.

Turning my attention again to the man I resolved to ask him his name later. "Thank you for your help before." I tilted my head down in respect as I spoke.

"What kind of man would I be if I didn't help a woman in distress?" He smiled before continuing, "Are you feeling any better? You looked a little lost a few moments ago…" He trailed off, looking at me quizzically.

The edge of his lips rose into a slight smirk for a moment and a flush rose to my cheeks. I shook my head quickly. "I'm fine, me ears were just ringing a little so it was hard to pay attention. It's gone away already."

At this he smiled again, "I'm glad that you're well then. You should take better care of yourself; your brother was very worried about you." A second glance at Jasper proved his words true and I found myself wondering if the man had left my father out on purpose, or if my father really hadn't been concerned.

Thinking back to what my father said before, I grew nervous. I never had a problem with forgetting to eat. Nor was it common for anyone in my family to actually faint. Nervously I watched as my father began chatting merrily to the man, oblivious of his noticeable lack of interest in theories about the origins of wolfos pack structure. Maybe the rumors that this cursed country would mess with your mind were true. Maybe…no, my father was probably just trying to keep our guest entertained and the attention off of me. He knew how uncomfortable I was around people.

I looked again at Jasper; he was watching my father intently and seemed concerned about something. I would have to talk to him later tonight and see if he had noticed the same thing I had. My thoughts were interrupted as my stomach growled. Jasper stood up and grabbed my arm. "Come on, you've been out for most of the day. Let's get you something to eat."

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Jasper set down his fork and looked towards the room we had come from, "What happened?" He asked softly, "It's not like you to faint."

I finished the last of my food before I answered. "It was another one of those dizzy spells. It just…lasted longer than it normally does." I reached cross the table and took his empty plate and added it to mine as I walked to the wash bin to clean them off.

"Is that all it was?" He spoke softly, but with concern. I nodded wordlessly and moved to put the plates away, but he stopped me. "Did you see them again?"

My father didn't know what I saw when I had my dizzy spells, Jasper was the only person I had ever trusted enough to tell. "Yes, I saw them." I paused for a moment, "It was strange though, everything was clearer than normal. Even the buildings and streets changed."

A glance at his face showed that he had expected this. "And that man, did you see him before you fainted?"

I nodded again, "Yeah, he was there just as everything was clearing up." A thought occurred to me, "Hey Jasper? That man…does his appearance look right to you?"

"What do you mean, 'does his appearance look right'?" He looked at the man in the other room. "He looks fine to me, maybe a little pale, but normal enough. Why?"

When I didn't say anything, he pressed some more, "Ellen, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, that dizzy spell really messed with me I guess." I started brushing some dirt off of my clothes. "When I saw him, it wasn't him." I scowled trying to find how best to say it. "He was…different, his hair was red for example." Jasper nodded, encouraging me to continue. "You know the people that I see when I get those spells? I saw one of them overlapped over him. He was more imposing and even when that faded his eyes…" I fell silent as I remembered those otherworldly eyes.

"What about his eyes?" Jasper glanced back to the man, trying to get a good view of his face.

I shook my head slightly, as though to shake off my own conflicting emotions, "It must have been the lingering dizziness, but when I saw him, his eyes were gold."

Before Jasper could reply, my father joined us and began talking to Jasper like I wasn't even there. Put off, I stood up and walked up the stairs to the second floor. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't hear the footsteps that followed closely behind mine.