Title: Lines of Destiny (Prologue-Chapter One)

Author: Matthias aka MysticMew

Rating: PG-13-R

Pairing: Link/Saria, otherwise none specified at the moment

Spoilers: Places and people from TOoT and Majora, but you wouldn't read it if you didn't play the games, right? (the previous sentence doesn't make sense. Try re-wording it)

Summary: Hyrule is at war. When two old enemies join to bring true darkness over the land, can the rivaling races once again come together and fight them, or is the downfall of Hyrule already written in stone?

Copyright: The Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask belongs to Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo, the storyline to this fiction is mine.

Authors Note

I wanted to do this fic for a long, long time. So I'll at least begin it (just to add one more fic to my endless list of unfinished works *sigh*). Anyone who is not comfortable with the idea of a Link/Saria coupling go away and don't flame me about it. I warned you.

I hope that I don't make any mistakes with all the English names (of the minor characters in the game). I played it in English a few times, but you can't really remember all of them (at least not in Majora) and I never came around to make a list (lazy me). Oh well, if I made a mistake and you know for sure it is one, then tell me.

Lines of Destiny

Prologue: Prophecies and Agreements

Seven years have passed

Seven years have come anew

Things change, things remain

But the run against the path of destiny still is in vain

An incident not caused by the ones which fight, a war outbreaks

Darkness will rise, light will fade

However the final decision is not yet made

Two will join

Seven will fall

Fourteen will rise anew

Beware of the shadow that is light

And of the light that is darkness

To bring peace to their worlds

Dawn will come over the land once again

The joined hearts and souls bringing new light

It all depends on… the lines of destiny

-Book of Mudora-

(Guardian)

Hell. A place where those come who have had a misguided life. Not only did the demons come here once banished. Hell was not a place like any other. Universal and including every being in existence that meet the requirements of coming here. All creatures, be it a man who has jumped from a cliff, ending his life in misery, be it your typical gangster that was shot fleeing from the police, be it the roaming ghost that was exorcised, be it the evil sorcerer that was banished by the powers of light or even be it the Grandmaster of Evil himself, sealed inside the Sacred Realm in a future long lost. They all came here in the end, all bound by their own curse, not able to break it. I was just here to pretend to guard. Only a few ever escaped hell.

However, never in my life before had I witnessed a scene that unfolded before me that day. Standing alone on my eternal post, I watched our strangest and rarest attraction in thousand of years. The now shoulder-long blood-red hair, the dark armor with the cryptic signs indicating his power, the eyes were glowing an eerie shade of yellow and his face and skin seemed to become less human with every passing day. Already now the color was an ugly brown-red, only a superficial reminder of a human face. The anger emitting from him made all other inhabitants of hell avoid him.

Not so today. I spotted the ghost immediately. There was hardly another being that could be compared to the sheer radiance of power that the King of Evil bore. The single essence floating into the room, however, matched his, maybe wielding even more. There wasn't a sign if the essence was a ghost, a soul or something entirely different, but it was an entity for sure.

"Ah, finally, I found a kindred soul. For the reputation you have around here, you surely are hard to find, Ganondorf." The evil king looked up, not really caring about the speaker. No one ever dared to speak to him and continued his afterlife afterwards. And when you die in hell, I tell you that is not pretty. "Mind your own business, ghost. It would be better for you." The other one chuckled slightly, somehow the voice held a tone of insanity. "Ah, is this a way to treat a fellow sorcerer? After all we have the same enemy that brought us here."

His cloak flapped when Ganondorf turned around in a quick motion, now really taking in the features of the entity. And at that moment I knew. Majora. The legends told that he had once been a powerful warlock in the old times. To prevent his own forecasted downfall, he transferred his own soul into a mask, symbolizing his power. The mask was protected, but somehow fell into the hands of an ancient tribe that, although wielding the powers of light, were following the path of chaos. Sometime later the mask was retrieved and sealed away. From there on, my wisdom lacked. There had been rumors that Majora had resurfaced in Termina and been beaten by the Hero of Time himself. Considering the entity's words, the rumors proved to be true.

Unfazed by the piercing eyes of the dark king, the assumed spirit of Majora continued. "Greetings, Ganondorf. I apologize for not introducing myself properly. I am called Majora, spirit of Majora the Fifth. Maybe you already heard of me." Now interested, Ganondorf eyed the spirit even more critically. "I heard. What is your business here? You know that you are not the only one this damned Link has sent here." Majora didn't budge. "I came to suggest a deal that would benefit both of us. But, let me explain first. You will like to hear that the land you wished to conquer has not been in harmony and peace as expected by those who sealed you. Hyrule is at war, Gorons and Zoras are fighting each other. The cause is unknown and probably nobody of the opposing races even know about it anymore."

Everyone could have seen the joy he felt about the revelations. The news was not new for me, but I wondered how the warlock spirit could have known when he was beaten in Termina before Hyrule even became a war battleground. "This is surely good news. What is this deal you want to offer me?" Majora chuckled, amused by the curiosity of the evil king. I didn't know exactly who was trying to influence whom here or who was the stronger one. Now, however, it seemed that Majora held all the cards.

"An agreement. I offer you to make an agreement with me. A pact, if you want to put it that way. We are equals and I know that I couldn't control you when I wanted. However… If you consider being my host I will aid you with my strength. We could both escape this lousy place and finally you can get your revenge. How does that sound?"

Ganondorf looked suspicious. I didn't blame him. A spirit that influenced people's minds was considered, even by the most powerful sorcerer, a threat. You could not trust them and Majora's reputation was a long and well-known one. "What is your benefit in the whole thing?" Majora looked pained as if actually being hurt by the question, no one would take it seriously. "Such distrust… Oh well, I would act the same way. Just a tiny thing. When you conquered Hyrule, Termina will be mine to take." Considering the issue for a total of five seconds, Ganondorf nodded. "I have no interest in your land. I agree to the pact."

Both moved forward, the moment the King of Evil touched the warlock spirit a flash of darkness lit the room, causing every creature in the cave-like room to stumble back in fear. The sheer power radiating from the combined sorcerers was immense, unthinkable even. A dark mist swirled around Ganondorf and his eyes held a shade of orange-green. On his right palm the Triforce of Power began to glow. There was no doubt of his intentions. I could have tried to stop him. But I cherished my afterlife too much to even consider trying. This was not my place and not in my power anyway. A prophecy was unfolding, that happened again and again on a regular basis.

A black column shot through the dimensionless ceiling and in the blink of an eye, he was gone – they were gone. It had begun.

Chapter One: Right through the Heart

Fields of Hyrule (Sheik)

The two riders at my side looked into the distance as did I; all of us silently following our own trail of thoughts. How could everything have gone so horribly wrong? That was the question we were asking ourselves over and over again throughout the last seven years. We had become adults now, the second time for two of us, the other one just skipped most of it in eternal sleep. Last time we had gone literally through hell, a time of constant running, hiding and fearing to be caught by the ascended ruler of our land, waiting anxiously for the prophecy to unfold itself, for the boy to finally rise from his slumber and become what we all hoped for. The Hero of Time, the prophesied hero who would bring freedom once again. Truthfully all that had occurred, the young boy by the name of Link became a young, handsome man, whose skill improved over time until finally matching that of his dark counterpart. After a long battle he had defeated him and when I sent him back everything changed… So we thought.

Sadly, history had repeated itself, maybe not as brutal and terror-filled as Ganondorf's reign but for the most part, even though only a few people could remember this different timeline, maybe even worse. A tyrant was one thing – you could deal with him, fight back; you had something to focus on. However a full-fledged civil war was an entire different matter.

"Seems to be quiet tonight," Impa voiced the first words in minutes. The tall light-haired woman looked thoughtfully into the darkness of Hyrule's unusual quiet night. My advisor and step-mother for so long always had a tendency to pick up on unusual things. But this was far from unusual. The night had a lurking, somewhat chilly feeling to it. All of us could feel it, even if I only disguised myself as a Sheikah, my senses were far from weak compared to the older women, for I held the Triforce of Wisdom, not to forget being the Seventh Sage.

Even Link could feel it as he turned towards Impa. "This feels too quiet, as if something major is happening. Any reports from your people active tonight?" I could only agree with his words. There were almost no sounds, not even that of night-active animals that, despite the occurring war, still were out in the fields. The whole atmosphere had something prophesizing about it. And I had the bad feeling we wouldn't like the outcome of this.

Impa, in response to Link's question shook her head. "No, not as much as I know. From what I could gather it seems both sides had decided to lay low for the day, maybe they're planning something major." He nodded before clinging his bow to the side of his trustworthy horse. "Still, I don't like this. Finish the patrol and head back, I better check on Saria, something's telling me I'm needed there." Without waiting for an answer, he gave Epona a quick command and the wild horse sprinted of in the distance past the heavily guarded Lon-Lon Ranch.

I sighed, knowing full well that his worry was mostly founded on his strong feelings for the girl he claimed to be just his best friend. I had long lost hope that maybe sometime he would give up on the seemingly cursed relationship they both ached to have but he wouldn't. I understood very well he could never bring himself to do so. Although Link was on the verge of turning eighteen years and Saria's body had still stayed in the state of a ten year old child, he would never give up on her. I just wished there could be someway. Maybe by magic, maybe with the Triforce, however, with two pieces alone and with Saria being a Kokiri, despite her status as a Sage, the risk would probably be too high and she never voiced such a request.

"Lets move back, Princess. There is nothing out tonight that needs our presence." I nodded slightly, actually I was glad to head back. This body still felt uneasy, but the princess was not to take sides in this war, even if it was the neutral side. The royal family officially had denounced any activity in the war whatsoever, cutting all threads with the areas and only guarding Hyrule, the ranch and in less numbers Kakariko.

Just as I was about to turn around with my white horse the sky darkened suddenly with deep crimson color and a single lightning bolt crashed down in the distance. If I calculated it right, not far from or even in… A sudden burst of fire in the direction of there the bolt struck, confirming my suspicion… The forest. Horror was probably crossing the features beneath the sheets of clothing masking my face. With an icy grip of fear I realized that Link's anxiety to reach the forest was well-founded. "Holy shit," I muttered not princess-like, already beginning to speed towards the Lost Woods and the Kokiri Forest deep inside, my companion right beside me. We could just hope we wouldn't be too late. Truthfully, the woods were already burning…

(Link)

The air was cool and a biting wind was penetrating Hyrule Fields while Epona carried me down towards the Lost Woods. We had just passed Lon Lon Ranch. That is, if you would still like to use the term ranch for the heavily guarded fort it had become since the war had begun. For nearly six years it had been raging now and nobody really knew why. What had been the cause still lay hidden and probably not even Zoras and Gorons themselves knew it anymore. The fact that Ruto and Darunia had so whole heartily aligned themselves with their people despite their knowledge of how wrong this war was and how much it damaged the newly resurrected land, a fact that only they knew, was disturbing. I didn't understand them; I couldn't grasp how they could be so stubborn and blind with honor. I had never imagined my sworn brother Darunia nor the emotional, obstreperous Ruto could be that violent. Rumors even claimed that Ruto had led the first strike herself – rumors from the Goron people apparently.

Over the years, the fight between Gorons and Zoras had become more intense, while the Gerudos had surprisingly formed a pact with the Zoras. The Gorons had claimed an even greater force, the last but still powerful remains of the Shiekah and with them Kakariko was slowly following. Wisely, the rest of the Sages separated themselves from the decision of their kind, trying to guard their respectful temples as well as possible so that the holiness of the shrines would not be disturbed by the echoes of war. Ever since then we – most of the time Zelda, Impa and me – had fought for peace, trying to find a solution to end this pointless conflict that had cost so many lives already.

The only place, totally oblivious to the raging war outside its boundaries had been the Lost Woods. The Kokiri Forest, although not protected by the Great Deku Tree anymore, was still granted the benefits of the magical barrier. However, this barrier also made the wedge driven between Saria and me by destiny even deeper. I knew Zelda suspected already but I couldn't help it. We were damned and the emotions we could never share threatened to take away my sanity. As long as the barrier existed there would be no chance for me to confess. I would not and could never burden my best friend with the truth I had held hidden for so long. This would crush her innocence, her happiness, even if through some kind of miracle she responded to my true feelings, Saria was a child and I was an aging man. There would be no future for us, only pain.

And so I just continued my ride towards the woods, alone and deep in thought as always. In times like these I would have favored the cheerful company of a fairy. But Tatl remained back in her world with Tael and the Skull Kid, and they surely deserved a better life than this hell, and Navi… I still didn't know there she had disappeared to, nobody knew, not even Saria – every search had been fruitless. Somehow that didn't worry me too much. From my childhood, I knew that fairies could hide very well, even for many long years. If they wanted to be alone, nobody would be able to find them with the exception of the Great Deku Tree, but the Great Deku Tree was dead and its sprout only in the beginning of its life. I would just have to wait and believe that Navi would come back one day.

The booming sound of thunder interrupted my thoughts and even though I wasn't really a child of the woods, I had lived there long enough to form a bond like every Kokiri had with the spirits in them. The pain was sharp and if Epona wasn't such an experienced horse I would probably have fallen off. It took me several seconds to focus again, just to have a frantic and somewhat scared Saria literally scream through the psychic link we used to share. She hadn't done that for a long, long time and this fact and the words I received made me tighten my grip on Eponas neck to the point where it was almost painful for my trusted friend. *Link! The woods, they're… They're burning! And there's something really evil here, the… The barrier is GONE!* I looked up and felt an icy chill run down my spine when I realized that it was all true.

The sky was crimson red and the evil lurking in the hellish color was almost touchable. A glow from my hand informed me instantly that my Triforce fragment was reacting violently to the growing atmosphere of destruction. For a moment I hesitated, although I knew every second would count. Something was very wrong here. That hadn't anything to do with the ongoing war, this wasn't natural in any way and it certainly didn't feel like a total new threat of evil to Hyrule. There was something disturbingly familiar in the energy feeding the atmosphere, something striking familiar.

A sinking feeling in my stomach confirmed all of my darkest fears. I blocked out Saria's voice with a quick reassuring thought that I was on my way and made contact with Zelda. *Zelda, is your Triforce reacting?* There was a moment of silence in which I hurried Epona towards the burning Lost Woods. *Yes, violently. Yours too?* I nodded although she couldn't see it. I chocked back a cry of anguish, but I sent it out mentally anyway. *Damnit! He's free! Ganon is free!* And there was no doubt that he was behind the whole mess. I cursed over and over again as I raced against all odds towards the entrance of the Lost Woods. I tried playing the minuet but received no reaction. Just wonderful…

Zora Kingdom (Ruto)

I stepped out of the waterfall guarding the entrance to the holy caves of the Zoras. The cold night air didn't bother me much. Something was off tonight and I didn't mean the constant worries about that stupid war with those goddamn rock-eaters. My Sage senses were tickling, actually wavering like a compass needle. However, I couldn't pinpoint the direction correctly. Briefly I wondered if it had something to do with the spy force I had sent out to help our Gerudo allies who were currently under siege by a small Goron group. They were blocking the bridge to the valley – I really didn't know what they were hoping to achieve.

Still, we depended on the help of our allies. It was necessary for our survival to have the aid of the sand people. After all this time, I still couldn't believe they were on our side. I also didn't know if they did it out of free will or to keep the balance – but I was glad they did. After this damn Sheikah had resurfaced and allied with the Gorons in the beginning of the war, there wasn't any buffer between our kingdom and the Death Mountain except for the Shadow Temple. Thankfully Impa wasn't letting anyone past there, not even her own people.

I sighed at the thought of all this mess. There were many innocents out there that had nothing to do with the true cause of this fucking war and that fact only made my pain greater. However, I couldn't stop. I know the true evidence, even if probably no one else did. Those bastards were going to pay for what they had done to Link – that I had sworn long ago. Even if I had to take innocent lives in the process. All of us were already too deep  into this whole mess, I was already too deep into this whole mess. They said: If you tempt darkness, it consumes you. I would readily agree. They were the cause of Link's dark fate though and they would pay – even if it meant destroying their whole race to get to them.

A wave of agonizing pain hit me through my less than light connection to the other Sages and I sank to my knees while trying to stay in control. Something had happened. Something very, very wrong. And it had hit right in the center of our land's balance. Not Hyrule, that much I could tell. But that would mean…

"Princess!" I glanced up and struggled to get to my feet. A Zora came running up the path to the entrance. His military badge identified him as a corporal. Panting, he skidded to a stop. "My Princess, word from the unit. They say, the… the woods are burning." Oh sweet Goddess Nayru, Saria! Extending my meta-natural senses, I quickly made out the smell of smoke and burning wood while my eyes saw beyond the magic fields around our kingdom into the open… deep crimson sky with a vague familiar feeling of… Quickly I reached out and checked the seal in the Sacred Realm that held Ganondorf in his prison. It was broken.

"Tell the troops to halt, let them set up truce signs for the Gorons. General Zors shall send out every available water mage to the woods. If the Lost Woods are gone the whole land will break." The corporal hesitated for a moment, but I wasn't of the patient kind today. "NOW!" The male Zora hurriedly turned and ran back the way he came to carry out his princess' orders.

Saria… I could not let her down. Even if it meant a temporary truce with the Gorons and with Ganondorf loose, the very likely possibility of meeting and working with Darunia. She meant too much for me because she meant so much for Link. My former fiancée wouldn't be able to live without her, no matter how tragic their fate was. I'm coming.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the depths of my Sage magic. Calling out to ancient powers, I felt my body becoming lighter with every passing moment until I wasn't much more than a shining blue ball of magic rocketing towards the burning mess of the Lost Woods at high speed.

(Saria)

"What you request is beyond my power. I have no true power OVER this realm whatsoever anymore. That responsibility was transferred when the Triforce split apart," the voice spoke through the blinding green light masking the presence of one of the great three goddesses of Hyrule – Farore, Goddess of Courage, Creator of Life and Patron of the Forest Temple and its surroundings. This had been my last hope. Ever since the awkward encounter with Link a few weeks ago, I had been restless. I knew he cared deeply for me as I did for him, but he was afraid to show it. Our relationship was ripped apart by destiny and if there was no way to change it, I had no intention whatsoever to hurt my best friend even further with the truth. We had to split soon anyway. He was becoming too impure to enter the forest, let alone the woods. With a fairy by his side, well maybe, but Navi wasn't there and he would take no other than her, although I offered it to him.

"Is there any other way?" Apart from denying my heritage, making me full-blooded Hylian and excluding me from the barrier – a risk of death. It was in my power, but totally out of the question. I was needed as Sage and could not fulfill this duty without being Kokiri. But remaining as one was straining my innocence that naturally was never lost to a Kokiri. I was the exception. Hurt, anger, pain… war. I had experienced all of this first hand and there wasn't much innocence left in this ten-year old. At this rate, I would have to clean myself ritually in less than a few months.

"WHERE THERE IS HOPE, THERE ALWAYS IS A WAY. REMEMBER THIS CHILD OF MINE. NEVER LOOSE YOUR FAITH, YOU WILL NEED IT, IF YOU WANT TO ACCOMPL…" A sudden shockwave of highly evil energy penetrated my shields and painfully cut my connection to the higher plane. I stumbled in the attempt of regaining my balance. Was that just my imagination or had I felt the seal bursting? Impossible. The power of the Sages should have held the King of Evil in place for at least a few more decades. But… There was a shift in the world's balance. Impa or Nabooru could probably tell better, still this was highly concentrated and connected to the higher realms necessary to contact a goddess. There wasn't much room for speculation – Ganondorf was free!

Jumping down the stairs two at a time, I raced towards the elevator of the Forest Temple, all the while chanting protection spells and establishing a link to my childhood friend at the same time. When I left the temple, I had just made the connection humming my song instead of playing it. Before I could speak though, a dark lightning bolt crashed without warning from the crimson-lit sky beyond the barrier. A blinding heat suddenly engulfed all my metaphysical senses and sent me to my knees in an instant. Vaguely, I noticed the burning woods around me as more agony poured into me and I cried out mentally towards Link telling him what was happening. Farore protect us, the barrier was gone! The Lost Woods had just lost their untouchable status.

He is here! My mind suddenly screamed at me as I felt an all too familiar presence not far from here. Directly in… The Kokiri Forest! I jumped up and once again struggled to regain my balance when the blinding heat changed to an abnormal coldness. My whole body felt different, slightly out of place. I looked down and my trained eyes realized, with something between fear and fascination that I must have grown a few inches. Not letting myself wonder about the development, I focused my power and a few moments later I raced towards my home in a desperate attempt of rescue.

I saw him at the same time my feet touched the already burned ground of Kokiri Forest. Monsters, demons, poes and other creatures of the darkness roamed my birth village. Kokiri were running everywhere, a few – including Mido – tried to defend themselves without much success. A lone figure hovered a few feet over the ground, at the same spot where Link's old hut used to be. A red cape over his shoulders, the dark armor with insignias of the black art and the now almost inhuman skin-color identified the figure easily as the King of Evil, the terror of ages, the bearer of the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf himself.

I wasted no time – although I knew how futile an attempt of attack would be. Reaching deep inside of me, I called upon a rather powerful spell. "Earth, mother of life. Nature, distributor of life. Spirit, creator of life's heart. I call upon thy power! Grant me your power, courage and wisdom that flows through all life as wished by its' creators!" A double-helix shimmered into existence between my outstretched hands and grew with every spoken syllable. Finally, it was at its power peak and almost too much to bear. With one final cry, I released the powerful magic at the devilish smiling being. "NATURE'S SOUL!"

The magnificent green beam spun around itself as it plunged forward at the Evil King. However, Ganondorf just looked up from his observation, held up a hand and simply let the destructive light spell harmlessly disintegrate. I panted from the mass use of my resources while Ganondorf lowered himself down towards me. Do not fear. Fear only feeds his own power, I reminded myself over and over again while helplessly watching Ganondorf's slow, devious movements. "My, what do we have here?" His voice wasn't more than a whisper, but it spoke directly to the heart and ignited chills of fear and horror inside his victims. "If it isn't Link's little friend. I wonder what he would do if I…"

"LIGHT ARROW!"

(Link)

Never in my life had I felt such a fear before – not when I first learned of my destiny, not when I first faced Ganondorf, not when I fought the Evil King with all this power and after that, his incarnation, Ganon. Majora had been an entirely different case – but even that didn't match the feeling of impending doom that had settled deep into my heart. My senses were on overload and I could not loose the feeling that something personally more horrible would happen than Ganondorf taking over all of Hyrule. Something I couldn't fight and that would strike right at my one true weakness. Saria.

A pack of three wolfos tried to jump me as I rode Epona straight through the entrance to Kokiri Forest. With one quick motion I swung my hammer one-handed, smashing one wolfo in the head and sending into its companion. With the left hand, I struck home with my Glided Sword into the chest of the last one. I never felt such fire coarse through me before. Two dinolfos fell to two quick arrows shot right through their heads – an action that I never accomplished until now – while I cut a deadly path through the creatures invading my homelands. My eyes were always focused ahead, never leaving the figure of my best friend trying to vaporize the hovering Ganondorf with one of her most powerful spells. I was certain the magical blast would at least hurt my arch rival a bit, giving me some time to reach the Evil King before he could hurt more innocent – I strongly doubted anyone would leave this massacre innocent – and most important Saria.

However, my childhood friend had no such luck and as Ganondorf descended slowly towards her I felt horror grip my heart in an icy fist. Reacting on instinct, I drew a single silver fairy arrow – one that Saria forged for me – and tipped it against the glowing sigil of the Triforce of Courage. Light sprinkled in form of tiny dust giving the magical item even more power. Wiping out my Fairy Bow I aimed it at the description of evil and let the arrow loose with two final words of magic. "LIGHT ARROW!"

The projectile flared to life, light engulfing the strong arrow head and slamming with tremendous speed into the evil sorcerer. Ganondorf recoiled in obvious pain from the unexpected attack and I wasted no time. Jumping high into the air, I placed the bow back into my subspace bag, unsheathed my blade once again and thrust it forward in one fluid motion fueled by years of practice and countless battle experience in the raging civil war.

I had expected that Ganondorf would be at least stunned by the magical arrow in the exact same way as during our last battle. Stunned myself, I watched as Ganondorf suddenly turned around unfazed and without a scratch. Still being in mid-air, I was unable to defend myself when his eerie yellow eyes suddenly flashed a bright midnight blue. My body froze and I hovered helplessly before the Evil King awaiting the finishing blow. That's what I get for carelessly attacking such a terrific enemy. I should have known better.

To my surprise and growing suspense the finishing blow never came. Instead, I remained motionless locked in the gaze of the sorcerer with a hint of something awfully familiar in it that I couldn't quite place my finger on. Before I could ponder it any further, his eyes flashed once again and became totally black. A shiver shook my whole body down to its very core when I stared into the endless abyss of these black orbs. I could feel them ripping apart my mental shields digging into me and reading me like an open book, searching for some deep secret.

I suddenly fell down paralyzed after Ganondorf had pulled away cackling manically in a way that definitely meant nothing good. "So, I see. All the time I searched for a weakness in you, Link. Seems to me I always looked in the wrong places." I shook my head repeatedly, a growing sensation rushing through my blood. No he could not, he would not dare to… Horror crossed my face when Ganondorf suddenly lunged forward lifting a now frightened and shivering Saria by the throat. "This one here, yes?" No, please! By Farore, not her! I cried out in my mind still barely able to move. "She means something to you. A child interesting, indeed," he chuckled. "I always thought you would go for the Princess." I had to do something. I couldn't just sit here and watch him take my lifeline, my best friend, my secret love. Willingly, I would give my life but Ganondorf gave no sign that he would accept such an offer.

"ETHEREAL BREEZE!" A voice boomed over the constant battle sounds and soon a blinding white-bluish light rushed over the hordes of monster who were slaughtering the Kokiri, instantly engulfing and vaporizing them as if they were toys. I felt my strength returning with the powerful flow of Zelda's white magic. However, when the light ceased, the King of Evil still stood unimpressed his grip just tightening around Saria's throat making her cough and squirm. "Stand back!" Ganondorf ordered sharply. Zelda and Impa froze immediately, unsure of what to do. My trained eyes located Zoras in the sky extinguishing flames with their water magic and a short second later, Ruto appeared in a flash behind the other two Sages, gasping slightly at the sight greeting her.

Gripping my sword hilt tightly, I made a quick decision knowing that there wasn't any chance my arch enemy would let Saria go. He obviously wanted to torture me with my greatest weakness. With a cry of such rage I never felt before, I lunged forward once more attempting to impale the Evil King right through his black heart. The air was suddenly pressed out of my lungs and I felt my body flying backwards into a nearby hut. Saria's hut. Pain exploded everywhere and I slid down to the ground clutching a probably fatal wound at my right side. Ganondorf broke out into loud laughter of triumph and I could just watch helplessly as he vanished in a burst of flames, taking Saria with him.

My body was already broken. However, the pain was nothing compared to how I felt when my heart, soul and spirit followed with the realization that Ganondorf had accomplished the impossible. He had found and struck at my only true weakness. The weakness that was at the same time my greatest strength. He took away the thing most precious to me in my whole life ever since I was little. He took away sweet, little and innocent Saria. And with the final realization that I failed my best friend terribly, I welcomed the darkness openly that began to engulf me.

(Dalia – Saria's fairy)

Blankly, I stared at the spot where my protégé had stood a few moments before, repeating the unbelievable sudden turn of events in front of my mind's eye again. At one moment, we were in the Forest Temple contacting one of the creators of Hyrule herself and in the next all hell had broken loose. Saria had rushed to aid her people unsuccessfully. Link had come to her rescue, but was paralyzed by the monster that I dimly remembered as the Gerudo King Ganondorf. And then, just like that, he had taken Saria away from me. Never EVER had something like this happened before as far as I knew – and I was by far, not a young fairy. It should have been impossible to forcefully separate a Kokiri from it's guardian fairy. However, what had happened felt exactly like that. I had felt the connection break and the pain was far greater than any torture possible. I tried to reach out with my senses to locate the child I had sworn to protect, but found nothing – just darkness on the other end of our mental link.

Something brought me suddenly back to the real world. A wave of despair equally, if not even greater than mine, over the loss of Saria. Link. I spun around in midair and found the brave young man on the ground in rather terrible shape. Princess Zelda – no longer disguised – kneeled at his side with Impa, applying some heal magic while Impa forced Link to drink some blue potion. In the distance, I noticed that the flames had died down and the Zora Princess Ruto was ordering her people around in a surprising orderly manner. The Lost Woods would soon be saved from forest fire, however, the barrier protecting us was already gone and without the Forest Sage – Saria – there was little hope for the Kokiri race. Ganondorf had done what even the civil war outside had not been able to do; he had robbed the children of the forest completely of her innocence. Their life was now truly in the hands of the goddesses. May they have mercy.

A cough, followed quickly by a choked sob reminded me of Link and in one quick motion I had zoomed over to him. "Link, are you alright?" Zelda asked gently. Link had a blank expression on his face and his eyes were glassed, not really noticing anything or anyone. Tentatively, I reached out to touch his emotional shattered soul. The spiritual flame always fueled by great courage and Farore's breath was merely a candle right before going out. "I think he's in shock." I could hear Impa's faint voice as I dived deeper into the hero's inner self. Shock was a very mild way of describing his state of health. Physically he might be healed but mentally… There was no denying that he was truly dying. I might have been in the exact same state now if not for him. His far greater misery had triggered my fairy instincts of protection and I wasn't going to let him die. If there was hope in getting Saria back, then it was him.

*Oh, come on, kid. It's not that she's dead already – well I at least hope so… Anyway you rescued Zelda before. Damn, you practically broke into the Forest Temple like a pack of raging wolfos to save Saria. Now don't let her hanging.* Nothing. He has a really deep soul, however, I had to give him credit for that. My, Link really needed to lighten up some more. I had no idea how Navi put up with him until she left to Farore knows where, but trying to push through all the buried feelings and emotional trauma he had buried deep inside of him was not easy. And I never considered myself a good, natural soul healer anyway, although I picked up a lot from Saria's spiritual ways since she became a Sage.

I was getting frustrated and my normally great patience became overridden by my growing worry over my protégé. *Damnit, Link, snap out of it already! I thought you loved her, I know you love her! Do you want Saria to hurt, die maybe? Because that's what will happen, if you don't snap out of this misery trip. You're the hero, so go save your heart's princess!* Oh my, now I really sounded like the bossy Navi. I couldn't help it though and for once I had done it right because I had barely enough time to pull back my mental fingers when Link suddenly went into immediate action.

Pushed backwards a few feet from the broken contact I saw the action unfold in front of me more like a blur. A pair of wolfos had snuck up on the three humans, Zelda and Impa were too preoccupied with Link to even notice. Link, back in the world of living – physically and mentally –, had. Palms forward he didn't hesitate in a casting his devastating fire spell. The two other women barely had time to jump out of the way. "DIN'S FIRE!" The wolf creatures didn't have anything to howl about anymore than their own deaths… Now I'm really turning into a Navi copy. I guess we all miss her.

After making sure that the wolfos really had been the last hostile thing on the burnt battleground that had once been Kokiri Forest, Link looked around wearily. His eyes narrowed as he took in the destruction and the gut-wrenching smell of death all around us. Most of the Kokiri were just wounded to various degrees, but the few ones that had been unlucky were enough for one lifetime. If you ever imagined anything that was not worth dying in this way, then they were the perfect example. It was disgusting and I couldn't bear to watch them much longer.

Link's eyes narrowed in anger and cold fury once again. However I could see the fire dancing in his eyes. The flame of his soul burning again but this time with a rage I never thought the young man being capable of and it probably mirrored mine. A fairy was not meant for these feelings, dark, hatred, anger, fury, rage… Still, all I could think of was revenge and getting Saria back. Link's left eyebrow rose in a silent question and I shook my head in a sad frustration. There was no connection left, I could not tell there she was.

Sheathing his blade, he took a few steps away from the young women who hesitated to approach and took out his ocarina. Epona had trotted to her master's side and I settled onto his right shoulder, clearing indicating that I wasn't going to stay behind, whatever he had planned. The Hylian without a fairy and the fairy without her Kokiri. Fits, I guess.

He brought the Ocarina of Time to his lips and played a tune I remembered very well because he often used it to travel back to the castle. The Prelude of Light. And suddenly I knew exactly where we were going.

Golden Heaven (Farore)

I was greatly disturbed. Yes, sure my sisters had the right to scold me. After all, I had already linked myself to the mortal plane in more ways than allowed. The Hero of Time's choosing was willed and there was no way around this. But making Saria nearly an avatar of mine was out of necessary. I couldn't help it though. Her pitiful fate had touched me in a place I could not resist. My children had to suffer so much already and there seemed to be no end in the near future. Departed and not longer directly connected to the world we created, we were not allowed to interfere with the ways of fate and destiny anymore. At least not actively. If I had full control over everything, sure Saria's request could have been fulfilled with merely a blink of an eye.

However… Now that Ganondorf was free and Majora allied with him, the situation was grim and even my sisters had to acknowledge the fact that something had to be done and quickly. "I wish I could just strip him from my power!" Din muttered brushing a few locks of her fiery ruby mane out of her face. The hot-tempered Din had never liked the fact that the Grandmaster of Evil had retrieved the Triforce of Power, her sigil, and on top of it, it had been sealed over seven years in the Golden Land.

Nayru – small with shoulder-length dark blue hair – was not pleased either as she stepped beside me and looked down on our creation. "Ganondorf and Majora together are too great of a threat to ignore. I'm worried that we cannot reach the patron gods of Termina. What could have happened? For once, I have no idea what to do." Nayru being clueless was a rare thing, happening once in a thousand years, maybe. The whole incident was already infecting things up here in rather unpleasant ways. If the deadly pair really meant to cooperate and not just using each other, we were in realistic danger ourselves. And even if not…

"I might have an idea." Din eyed me suspicious while Nayru just seemed curious. "Maybe you won't like it but we don't have much too loose either." Both gave me nods to continue and I laid out my plans. As expected, they didn't like it, but they agreed though. The only prerequisite would be to make contact with the Four Giants, the patrons of Termina. I just hoped we would succeed in this task soon or it might be too late.

Temple of Time (Zelda)

Just as expected, I found him there. The Triforce sigil glowed brightly and the three gemstones rested on their respectful places among the altar, emitting waves of power. The Ocarina of Time still partly lifted to his lips, Link stood before them unmoving. Saria's fairy was hovering just over his right shoulder and Epona – not in the slightest way shy from the lightshow that must have taken place – slightly to his left. It startled me a bit that the horse was here, in the holy ground of the Temple of Time, but Link simply must have wanted to have her with him, wherever he was going. And there was only one direction his way would follow. Towards Saria. I sighed inwardly but didn't let it show. After all, I had been captured by the Evil King once and that was certainly not a memory I cherished.

Silently, I stepped behind him and placed a hand on his left shoulder. He didn't flinch, jerk away or anything – he just stood there, his mind already focused on the task at hand. "I'm sorry." The words came out as not much more than a whisper, but I heard them and started slightly. What was he apologizing for? To me, nonetheless. I should be apologizing. I should have been there and helped fight Ganondorf, to ensure my fellow Sage's safety. He had nothing to apologize for, not to me at least. "You'll probably think I'm selfish now. Leaving all of you with this crisis, rushing the enemy without preparing, acting without thinking. But…" He held back a choked sob that I barely caught. "I can't wait. I don't expect you to understand. Saria's has been everything to me. She kept me sane in a world of war, death and crushed dreams, and I know she's suffering. Even without the bond we share, I can feel that there is no time and…"

I stopped his rambling explanations by giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I know," I whispered in response. "And I don't blame you for anything. It hurts, I cannot deny that, but I know that I will never have this place in your heart." Taking a deep breath, I changed from self-pity to assuring. "And don't you dare question your actions. You are the HERO of Time. And being a hero has always been your life. You have saved so many people during the last few years – including me – and you never hesitated in following your instincts and rushing to a girl's rescue." I giggled at the last one, just for a moment, then becoming serious again. "Don't start with it now. You will find Saria, free her and the Goddesses shall be damned if we cannot do anything about the two of you." This said, I released my hold on him and stepped back.

He stood there for a moment, his head turned back to me and a somewhat forced but sincere smile on his face. "Thanks, Zelda. I trust you care for my people?" The fact that he said his people and not the Kokiri showed that in his heart he was still and would ever be one of them. A true Kokiri – even their stubborn leader Mido had acknowledged that fact by now. "I will and you will be careful, right?" His smile turned into a grin. "As always." And we just knew what THAT meant. However, Link had a tendency to bounce back and emerge victorious even from the most hopeless of situations. He would pull through this time too. I just knew it.

I watched him enter the back chamber of the temple and followed until I stood right at the invisible line that separated the room that was the counterpart of the Chamber of Sages in the Sacred Realm from the rest of the temple. Link, with the fairy and Epona in tow, had reached and climbed the steps to the stone altar in which rested peacefully – for about seven years now though nobody knew except us that it was ever lifted – the Master Sword, the blade of blades, the holy weapon only the Hero of Time could master – which was Link.

Stopping right in front of the sword that once meant Ganondorf's downfall, he pulled out his ocarina once again. Not the Ocarina of Time, but the Fairy Ocarina – a present he received from Saria at the beginning of his journey – and held it in one hand while placing another around the sword handle. Guiding the fragile instruments to his lips, the exact same melody that floated through the Lost Woods began to fill the chamber. Link had his eyes closed and was in deep concentration. At one point, never stopping the tune, he grasped the sword handle tightly and yanked the holy blade out of its eternal resting place.

I had already turned around when blue light started to spread forth from the Master Sword and filling the whole chamber with the energies of time. They would travel safely and they would succeed, that's that I hoped. "Nayru bless you," I said and walked away. There were other things to attend to, I promised Link. Leave guiding the hero to Rauru.

TBC in Part Two

A reunion with an old friend brings more disturbing things into the daylight. Will Link be able to reach Ganondorf in time before he could do something terrible to the young Sage? A trump card will be played but not without a risk.

Author's Notes

First chapter done. I started this some time ago, and became rather preoccupied with all the other works in progress again, and now (over Easter) I finally finished the first chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did and be sure there WILL be more (you just have to wait a really LONG time…).

Some of you might not know me at the moment, since I write mostly Sailor Moon fics and have only two fics (a SM and one short Digimon piece) that have made it to be published in English (not that there were any others). So, for all who don't know me… I'm called Matthias and I'm 21 at the moment. I have been writing fics for… uh, at least four years now, most of them in German. Some of you might know me from my latest obsession with the Minako/Hotaru coupling (that turned out to be more than an obsession), so I warn you, I'm rather open-minded with unusual relationships (and they aren't always straight). This one is Link/Saria primarily but I do not guarantee it will stay that harmless. You have been warned.

Now on with the show, err… notes. A lot of this stuff have been inspired by the Zelda: Legend of the Sam'kemesa from schell21. One of the most interesting pieces of fanfiction I've ever read that actually had a Link/Saria focus.  It has really nice writing with just amazing characterization and an astonishing thick, complex and super-creative storyline with almost no flaws. Go read!

I don't think I have to explain much about this chapter, everyone familiar with the games should have no problems. I will go deeper into the story of the civil war and what have caused it while the story progresses (hopefully). The only thing to mention probably is Saria's fairy. At least her scene. That wasn't actually planned that way but worked just fine at that moment. Don't worry. We'll see Navi again and Tatl anyway (sooner than Link might like *evil smirk*). Oh well. You'll see in the next chapter… maybe.

Mails as always go to [email protected]. Any criticism is welcome, good, bad, as long as it is constructive (meaning no "Wow, I like your story!" or "This story totally sucks!" and then your name… believe me, I get these a lot) and sincere (no sliming).

Ja ne, yours

Matthias