Time and Time Again

Link is ten when his fate is thrust upon him.

The Great Deku Tree had been poisoned by the Queen Gohma, and despite all of Link's efforts, he can't save the guardian of the forest. So with his death carried on his shoulder's, Link leaves Kokiri Forest, leaving behind the calm life he once lived.

Link is ten when he meets the princess of destiny for the first time.

He evades the guards with ease, and approaches the young girl carefully. She explains to him that the Gerudo man Ganondorf is plotting something evil. At this moment, Link realizes that he's being pushed into something far worse than he had originally thought.

Still, he agrees with a smile when the princess asks him to retrieve the other two Spiritual Stones.

Link is ten when he becomes sworn brothers with the Gorons.

And he bests King Dodongo in the Dodongo Cavern, saving the race from starvation. Darunia grants him the Goron Ruby: the Spiritual Stone of Fire. For a second, Link is glad that he only has one more stone to get, however, there is still something chewing at the back of his brain telling him that the next Stone won't be the ending of his journey.

Link is ten when he is suddenly engaged to a Zora.

And when he is asked to enter the body of a fish to save that very Zora because she had gotten herself eaten by Lord Jabu-Jabu. Ruto gives him the Zora Sapphire as a piece of engagement jewelry, and since Link can't seem to tell her that it's not like that, he simply goes along with it.

The Spiritual Stone of Water feels heavy in his hands, but he trudges on.

Link is ten when he meets the man of his nightmares for the first time in person.

He watches in horror as Zelda and Impa ride off in the rain, and makes an attempt to confront the Evil King Ganondorf. The larger man simply knocks the boy down, and goes to follow the escaping pair.

Link dives into the moat to grab the magical Ocarina of Time, and in a vision, Zelda tells him to go to the Temple of Time and take the Master Sword.

Link is ten when he removes the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, and subsequently allows Ganondorf to enter the Sacred Realm and get the Triforce of Power.

And suddenly, Link is seventeen, and he spent seven years asleep in the Chamber of Sages under the watchful eye of Rauru. The Sage of Light explains to him that in his slumber, Ganondorf managed to overtake the castle and plunge the world into chaos. He gives Link the Light Medallion and sends him back into Hyrule.

Link wonders exactly what he did to be cursed with this fate. Just moments ago he was a child being granted a fairy and now he's being asked by this mysterious individual inside the Temple of Time to go and awaken the remaining sages.

Link doesn't argue. He exits the temple and tries not to look at the destruction of Castle Market. He tells himself that it's for the greater good. It's for Zelda, for the Great Deku Tree.

But never does he tell himself that it's for himself.

Link is seventeen when he says farewell to his childhood friend.

Saria is awakened as the Forest Sage in the Forest Temple and Link holds back his tears at the thought of never seeing her again. She remarks that they'll be friends forever, and Link is teleported back to the Great Deku Tree.

Its sprout pops up and tells a more detailed story of Ganondorf's reign as Gerudo King, and slips that Link was truly not a Kokiri.

Link leaves the place he once called home with a heavy heart, the Medallion weighing him down.

Was else has been kept from him?

Link is seventeen when he defeats the dragon Volvagia who rages in the Fire Temple, saving the Gorons, and awakens his dear brother Darunia as the Sage of Fire.

Death Mountain returns to normal, and the Fire Medallion is safe in his hands.

Link is seventeen when he stumbles upon the frozen Zora's Domain.

The King is frozen in mysterious red ice, Lord Jabu-Jabu is gone, and Lake Hylia has been drained of all its water. Princess Ruto had descended into the Water Temple, and Link follows.

They can't get married, she says sadly. She's a sage and she has to stay in the temple so they can't get married.

But she'll always love him the most.

Link is seventeen when Kakariko Village is set on fire.

Sheik saves him from the evil entity under the well, but she explains that it still needs to be sealed again. She teaches him a song to lead him to the Shadow Temple, and tells him to return to the time before.

And then, Link is ten again and running beneath the well.

He's thrown up a few times already, the stench of decaying bodies and ReDeads hitting his senses at the wrong places. There's something ominous about this place, and Link is sure that it was used for much more than just a well.

To think that people use this as a water source.

He's back to being seventeen when his worse fears are awakened at the Shadow Temple in the back of the graveyard.

The Sheikah temple of worship was much more disgusting and terrifying than one would think upon hearing about it. Blood stained the walls, ghosts littered the halls and a lamenting demonic spirit sings a song and bangs on his drums.

The Shadow Medallion Impa gives him does nothing to ease the memories.

Link is but a child in an adult's body and he wants to go home.

Link is seventeen when he meets the women of the Gerudo Tribe and gain their trust.

Who knew women could be so tough to battle.

Link is ten when he first enters the Spirit Temple by the order of Nabooru.

He fights this giant knight monster just to get the Silver Gauntlets. And now he has to go back to the Temple of Time just to enter the Spirit Temple as an adult.

Oh, and Nabooru has been kidnapped by a pair of sister witches.

He doesn't want to be a part of this hero business anymore.

Link is seventeen when he defeats Twinrova.

Honestly the two of them were a joke, but he saves Nabooru and she is awakened as the Sage of Spirit. He is now able to face Ganondorf once and for all and win back Hyrule.

The statement sends his head reeling and bricks down to his stomach.

Link is seventeen when Sheik reveals herself to be Zelda.

The boy wants to yell at her, blame her father for not being stronger and not being able to keep the Evil King away. Instead he accepts the Light Arrows with a straight face.

She's kidnapped. Right there, in the doorway of the Temple of Time, Zelda is taken by Ganondorf.

Link has never felt a greater urge to kill.

Link is seventeen when he brings Ganondorf down with the help of the Seven Sages and Zelda.

Finally, the journey is over.

Link is seventeen when Zelda sends him back to his childhood.

Link doesn't have the voice to beg her not to.

Suddenly, Link is ten for good and the Master Sword is back in its place.

He checks to make sure that he's back to his child body, and as he does so, his fairy companion flies away, leaving the Temple of Time through one of the overly large stained glass windows. Link attempts to call for Navi, but she's gone, and he's alone in the swallowing emptiness of the room.

For the first time since the death of the Great Deku Tree, Link cries. He falls to his knees and lets loose loud, gut-wrenching sobs. His tears can't stop, and his screams echo against the white walls.

He's alone, he's free, but he's shackled by the things he's seen. Zelda might have sent him back to his childhood, but she didn't take his memories away.

Link is ten when he goes to Zelda and warns her of Ganondorf's plan.

She gives him the Ocarina of Time and tells him to leave Hyrule, in order to prevent the Gerudo King from getting into the Sacred Realm. Link takes the instrument without a smile, and he can see a question glinting in Zelda's eyes just before he leaves.

He doesn't let her ask it. He leaves for the Lost Woods, the setting sun at his back.

His tenth year ends that night.

Link is eleven when he gets ambushed deep within the Lost Woods.

He's knocked off of Epona, gets his Ocarina stolen, and is badly bruised because the Skull Kid runs off with Link's trusted steed. He runs after the thief and the Skull Kid mocks that Epona was useless, mentioning that it got rid of her. Link wants to attack the monster but then he's shorter and his eyesight is weirder and he looks at his reflection in the water—

He's a Deku Scrub now. He's a Deku Scrub. Anger boils in his bones—wood?—and he glares up at the imp. The Skull Kid laughs and escapes, leaving one of his two fairy companions behind.

Her name is Tatl, but she's nothing like Navi and it stings.

Link is eleven when he confronts Skull Kid on the top of the Clock Tower, just beneath the moon's piercing gaze.

He gets his Ocarina back and plays the Song of Time, going back three days and meeting the Happy Mask Salesman again. He berates Link about not getting Majora's Mask back and begs him to. Of course, Link can't say no. His adventure in Hyrule has made him see so many horrible things, and he can't let the land of Termina fall like Hyrule did in his seven year absence.

He is turned back into a human, takes the Deku Mask and walks back out of the Clock Tower. He wants to cry again.

He's so exhausted.

Link is eleven when he saves Woodfall and the rest of the Southern Swamp.

The screeching of the monkeys as they're tried for a crime they didn't commit repeats itself in Link's head the entire time he's going through the Woodfall Temple. Odolwa almost defeats him, but he retrieves Odolwa's remains and saves the Deku Princess.

He's glad to see the Deku King so happy to see his daughter again, but the joy is quickly replaced with grief.

After all, it was sunset of the third day. He needs to go back to day one and nothing that he just did will be remembered.

With a heavy heart, he plays the Song of Time.

Link is eleven when he almost freezes on Snowpeak.

Seriously, he should have known it would be cold just judging by the fact that there was snow on the ground. The Gorons are freezing, after all.

He meets the spirit of Darmani, and he sees the uncanny resemblance to Darunia and almost calls the ghost by that name. He plays the Song of Healing for the suffering being, and gets the Goron Mask in return. It feels dirty knowing that he was now parading as a dead hero of a proud race, but there's no other choice.

He beats Goht. The eternal winter ends, and spring returns to the mountain.

At least, it does until that haunting melody plays again.

Link is eleven—or maybe at this point he's twelve, but this whole time-traveling business has messed with his brain a bit.

Link is twelve when he goes to the beach for the first time in his life, but it's not the way he'd hope he'd experience it.

Great Bay's water is polluted, Lulu has lost her voice because the Gerudo Pirates (pirates?) have stolen her eggs, and there's a darkness surrounding the Great Bay Temple. Link saves a beached Zora named Mikau, who explains that he was trying to get Lulu's eggs back. One melody later, Link has the Zora Mask in his hand.

He beats that evil fish thing (after Gyorg, Link vows never to eat fish ever again), and Great Bay's waters are clean. As Mikau, he plays a short concert with the Indi-Go-Go's, his heart heavy.

Lulu had such a pretty voice.

Link is twelve, and he honestly thought he'd seen enough nightmare fuel in the Shadow Temple and beneath the well in Kakariko Village.

Clearly, he was wrong, because Ikana Canyon is one creepy place.

There's no transformation mask in this region, and Link thanks the three goddesses, but the loneliness he feels in Ikana is greater than anywhere else he's been. It's as if the dead that walk around and surround him are reminding him of all the deaths he's seen in the past few three day cycles.

Twinmold was too easy of a foe, but Link is glad about that fact. He didn't want to fight anymore.

Link is twelve when he helps Kafei and Anju.

He weeps for them, for their love, and for himself.

Link is twelve when he confronts Majora again.

They're sucked into the moon after a short fight atop Clock Tower, and he plays games with the remains of the bosses he's fought before.

They're messing with his mind, making him question any friends he's made and what kind of person he is.

The power he gets as the Fierce Deity is horrifying, and once the final battle of Majora is over, he throws the mask off, curling away and vomiting, tears falling from his eyes.

But it's over. It's over and Termina is safe.

Link is twelve when he bids farewell to the mysterious land of Termina.

The Skull Kid is back to normal, and Majora's Mask is back in the hands of the Happy Mask Salesman, even though its power has been spent. He gets back on Epona and rides back into the Lost Woods, ready to continue his journey to find his lost friend.

For the first time in quite a while, he feels light because there's no evil following him.

Link is fifteen when he returns to Hyrule without his fairy.

And Hyrule is in shambles.

When he asks around Kakariko Village, he learns that after Ganondorf was exposed for wanting to take the Triforce from the Sacred Realm, he launched an attack on Hyrule. The King fought back, and they were still in a feud with the Gerudo. Link feels his heart stop.

He told Zelda about Ganondorf's plan, so that means she must have told her father.

He caused this.

He's at fault.

He feels sick.

Link is sixteen when he bumps into Zelda in the Castle Market.

She's wrapped in a cloak to conceal her identity, and her eyes look so tired, but she's relieved to see Link. Right in the middle of the market, she throws her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. She thanks the goddesses above that her hero was safe and mentions that with the way things were going the war would be over. Link grimaces at that title, pushing her away by the shoulders and telling her that he wasn't anyone's hero, before walking past her to the Bazaar to stock up on equipment.

He feels Zelda's stare, and it reminds him of the time he left before his adventure in Termina.

He did nothing to deserve the title of "hero" in this time.

Link is eighteen when he rekindles his friendship with Malon.

She's incredibly happy to see Epona safe and sound, and still in amazing shape. She commends Link for taking care of the horse, and he tells her it was nothing.

He knows she can see the pain in his eyes, but she doesn't say anything. Instead, she invites him to help milk the cows.

Link has never felt more welcome.

Link is twenty when he enlists in the Hylian Knights.

He's their most talented swordsman, and becomes captain within no time.

The only problem is the princess often watching over their practices. Her stare pierces him.

Link is twenty when Ganondorf is exiled.

Rumors pass about him being executed in a prison located deep in the Deserted Wasteland.

Others say that he was simply sealed away.

Link couldn't care less, all that matters is his world is free from that evil man.

Link is twenty-one when Zelda confronts him.

She asks what has been wrong with him over the years, but he doesn't answer. He doesn't want to burden her with the information that he's seen things when he was a child that no young person is ever supposed to see. He doesn't want to tell her about the evil he's seen, while she's been safely kept hidden inside castle walls.

He doesn't want to ruin her.

Instead, he mentions how beautiful she has grown to be, but of course, he already knew she would be beautiful. She just would never know that.

Link is very close to turning twenty-two when he loses his eye in a battle outside of Lake Hylia.

He returns home to Malon and she holds him close.

He refuses to look at his reflection from that point forward.

Link is twenty-five when he marries Malon.

For some reason, he wishes it could be Ruto because of their promise as children, but he knows that by now, she has been awakened as the new Sage of Water.

Their honeymoon is short lived when he is called by the Hylian Knights on a mission, but he promises her that he would return.

Link is twenty-six when his first child is born, a beautiful son.

He's so proud, and is hopeful that he'll be able to pass down his skills as a swordsman to someone worthy.

Link is forever twenty-nine.

He is killed in battle against a group of intruders from the northwest, who had somehow managed to get past the Gerudos and into Hyrule's sacred land. A sword to the heart, an honorable death. He is buried under a tree in Hyrule Castle's courtyard by order of the Queen Zelda, where she can watch over him for the rest of eternity.

Link, however, can't pass on to the Heavens.

His last wish was to pass down his sword skills to the next hero.

But evil never returned so a hero was never born.

Link is twenty-nine a thousand or so years later, and from his eternal slumber he feels a tugging at his soul.

The armor he died in is worn and covered in grass, and his body is nothing but transparent skeletal bones, and he can still only see out of one eye. Nothing has changed in the time he has spent in this clouded purgatory.

And suddenly, a familiar looking hero appears in his cloudy world. His green tunic was covered in dirt, and his blue eyes were sharp. A teenager, Link muses, a much better choice than the age he was chosen for. He approaches the new hero, sword in hand, and while he feels the onset of tears, he knows he can't cry in this form.

He can see their connection. He can feel their connection. He welcomes his descendant with pride.

Link is twenty-nine when he finishes teaching the new Link the sword skills he vowed to pass on.

Link falls to his knees, flesh reappearing under his armor. His eyesight is back, and he feels the tears pile in his eyes. His body begins to disappear. He looks up at the Hero of Twilight and smiles. He could see the Hero of Twilight's surprised face at their similarities. Link fades into nothing, his soul moving to the Heavens.

"Go and do not falter, my child!"

author's notes:

i really wanted to take a break from miraculous ladybug because it's all ive written for the past year and ive been watching a lot of zelda theory videos soooooo yeah
you're welcome for feels
lessbereal i wrote this in like three days
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