Underdog

The young boy backed away from the Hylian princess slowly, respectfully. She had just requested that he find these—what were they?—spiritual stones. Supposedly they could open a gateway, and somehow this gateway was supposed to help them defeat the man in the room—the man with the evil eyes.

It was a lot to take in for a young boy who had spent his entire life living in a forest, away from the rest of the world. Hidden from not only the truths and experiences, but the fears and doubts and… hate. .

Sure he had bickered with Mido, and when he was significantly younger he had teased Saria (thank the goddesses he was much older and wiser than that now). But hate? This all-consuming fire that rolled off of the man-with-evil-eyes in harsh waves? This was something he had not come prepared for.

As he turned to make quick tracks back outside, he nearly jumped out of his skin; standing there, towering above him, was a woman with short silver hair and red eyes, wearing armor unfamiliar to him. Then again, many things felt unfamiliar to him these days. Like this feeling now as he gazed upon her stern, weathered face. A feeling akin to admiration.

"Impa, could you escort him out? I'd hate to see the guards pick him off while he's on a mission for me," Zelda piped up from her pedestal.

"Of course, Princess," the woman, now known as Impa, replied evenly. As the boy followed the tall, tanned woman outside, he simply could not take his eyes off her. He even tripped over his feet a couple of times due to lack of attention elsewhere.

"All right, then, Boy," Impa said sternly as she paused just outside of the castle grounds. "I don't want to know what you two are up to, but if the princess trusts you, then I will too. I suggest you make your way to Kakariko first; the town is known to hold vast information—if you know where to look."

"Uh—M-miss Impa?" The boy stuttered, his tongue thick with embarrassment.

He wanted to ask her—a fellow warrior, by her looks—what she knew about all of this. How she felt about it all. Zelda had mentioned that she was the only one who trusted her—what was the reason for that? Did Impa know something, maybe something concerning his own destiny—the destiny everyone but himself seemed to know about?

"Spit it out child! I don't have time to baby-sit you," the woman responded crossly.

"Oh, uh, sorry," the boy muttered, turning to continue down the path that would take him to the village known as Kakariko. Her stern expression had left no room for arguments. He would, undoubtedly, see in his own good time what exactly his "destiny" called for.

"Hey, Kid," Impa said quickly, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't worry so much, okay? The princess may be my first duty, but I'll always be watching out for the underdog, too." With these final words, the strange woman disappeared in a flash of white smoke. The young boy, garbed in green, stood still for a moment, simply thinking.

He didn't yet know the true depth of his journey, the echo across time that his mission would create, the imprint his quest would leave on generations of warriors yet to come—and those that had already passed.

All he could know for the time being was that good people had sent him this way, and so this was the way he would continue. The Great Deku Tree trusted him profoundly, so too did the princess of Hyrule herself.

Even that battled-tested warrior, Impa, gave him a certain amount of approval—and that certainly must count for something.

As the wind gently caressed his face and tugged at his golden locks, he was reminded of his duty—to Hyrule and to all the people who dwell within it. A determined—perhaps even cocky—smile lit his features and he set off on his journey. Indeed, he took the first physical and mental steps on the path that was his destiny, while from the shadows, a woman dressed in Sheikah armor watched him go.

Arriving at Kakariko wasn't much of an event at first. It had taken him several days to walk from the center of Hyrule to this nearby village. He marched into town and promptly found a nice tree to rest under. His legs were killing him, and he had the strangest feeling it wasn't going to get easier from here on out.

His gaze drifted to the shafts of sunlight filtering through the bushy, green leaves of the trees. He felt his face warm under the light rays, and he was suddenly reminded of his home in the forest; the memory came accompanied by an odd ping in his stomach.

The feeling of homesickness.

He looked around at the unfamiliar village and shook his head. There was no time to dwell on his village home or those he'd left behind. Hadn't he been repeatedly warned to treasure each face he saw, because it may very well be the last time he ever saw that particular face. There was no way of telling who he would and would not see on his journey.

Then of course, he had to think of Zelda and the woman standing by her side—Impa. The last face he'd seen that he knew for certain was on his side.

A puff of air left his lungs and he clambered to his feet again. No time to rest, no time to dawdle. Recalling the fierce face the warrior simply could not slow him—it only motivated him.

Kakariko turned out to be a short, but vitally important stop on his list. Although there were plenty of citizens to help out, he didn't really understand the full effect of stopping to help them. It wasn't his fault, and it wasn't a cruelty on his part, merely the way of a child—which he was, despite what some people might have thought.

So he didn't stay in Kakariko long enough to assist everyone with their smallest problems (perhaps his destiny would lead him here again, even if it was in a different form entirely, to make up for this), but he did poke around long enough to learn of Kakariko's founder.

He chanced upon a house that seemed rather high and mighty above the rest—like an official might live there, and it was there he discovered the truth.

"You mean the woman named Impa built this whole town up?" he asked in surprise.

"No," the man grunted, muttering about stupid kids. "This village belonged to the Sheikah army of old. When they were extinguished—."

"How'd that happen?" the boy asked excitedly, enthralled with the tale. The man glared at him.

"I don't know! What, do I look like a textbook to you? Anyway, once the Sheikah were mostly wiped out, Impa decided to fulfill her duty and serve the royal family," he concluded, pausing to cross his arms. "But she had no use for the village or the memories stored deep within it."

"I would think that she would love having a place to call home—being able to go home should be a blessing, right?" he asked again, his childish excitement clearly grinding on the man's nerves.

"Don't be stupid! You're just a kid, so I can't really expect you to understand anything about hardship, but still!" he huffed. "It pisses me off. Come back when you're old enough to understand." Link was then unceremoniously tossed out of the building. Feeling slightly disgruntled and realizing he would make no more progress in this place, he moved on—up towards the Goron's mountain.

On his way out he happened to lock eyes with a red-haired girl—someone had called her Anju earlier. An odd look passed between the two before he continued on his way, passing it off as nothing of much importance.

It didn't take him long to make his way to the very deepest pit of the Dodongo's Cavern—the place the dodongo itself rested. But where—

And then teeth and claws and fire were after him and he scrambled, raced away from the danger. Navi tried to talk to him—instruct him on what to do but that was insane. He couldn't—he couldn't—!

"Hyaa!" he screamed, throwing the bomb at the monster. The detonation was muffled under the lizard-like creature's thick skin, but it slowed him down. Link found the courage to run up to the monster and jab his sword into its steaming hide. The handle grew hot and he backed away as the monster attacked again.

It continued on like this for a time before—finally—the last bomb went off close to its eye, blowing the brain and bits of skull in all directions. The dodongo screeched, stumbling in blind pain and fell into the lava pit, immediately shriveling into a fossil-like shell.

Link collapsed against the disconcertingly cold wall, panting hard and staring at the former enemy for a long moment before squeezing his eyes shut. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but only raspy breaths escaped. Tears dripped from his eyes in a steady stream, hissing as they touched the heated ground—where just moments ago a living, breathing creature had ignited the entire cavern.

Suddenly, he stopped opening his mouth and could only make a choking noise. He couldn't breathe—he didn't deserve to—he had just taken that right from another living creature. He had killed a creature that had breathed, just the same as him.

But maybe it was more than that.

Maybe it was falling into this place unexpectedly, the dangers he'd face to get here. It wasn't like the Great Deku Tree where he had cleared away spiders and cobwebs. He never felt like his life was in danger then—he was in a familiar enough place, if not an odd position.

This place though—this place. He pried his eyes open and looked around, finally inhaling a sharp intake of air, making a hissing noise between his teeth.

This dark, fiery pit.

He buried his head in his hands, tugging at his hair. This was what he had fallen into—this was his destiny.

And it took the entire climb out of the cavern, a stiff greeting of the Goron leader, Darunia, and emotionless accepting of the Goron's Ruby—the first spiritual stone, for him to make the connection of what had happened in that horrible place.

The connection between that event and a person he had kept in the back of his mind the entire time. Every monster he fought, her face drifted back, a keen reminder to be strong—to continue on. And he realized it once he arrived at the Zora's domain, and he saw his reflection in the water.

He had those eyes like her.

Those eyes that had seen too much for such a young age—no Impa was a bit older than him, undoubtedly, but that didn't mean she fought only today. No, she had fought long ago and witnessed the fall of her clan—her family at a young age.

He couldn't prove it, he couldn't say for sure, but a warrior's instinct ran deeper than mere speculation. No, he knew.

Because he shared her eyes now.

What could he do after the events on Death Mountain but move on? So he did, and after visiting the Zora king, he made his way through his next objective. He rescued the young Zora princess, and in return he received the final spiritual stone.

He observed the three glowing stones carefully as he made his return trip to Hyrule Castle. After working and traveling for weeks he was finally on the last leg of his adventure. All he had to do was bring the stones to the designated place, and then it would be over—or at least he would have the simple answer in his hands. Whatever that answer may be.

Vaguely he wondered if Impa would notice the little things about himself that he had noticed. His demeanor, the way he thought about things, the way he looked at things. The way he twitched at the slightest sound, flinching on reflex towards his sword even if it was just his helpful companion waking him up.

He wasn't such a foolish child anymore. He knew the world worked a different way outside of the woods. Not a small part of it, but the largest part of it. And his body, too, had grown like marks of honor to show that he knew all of this first hand. He'd grown taller, his muscles a bit harder, his features just a little sharper, even though he was still in the midst of his boyhood.

When he arrived at the castle he wanted to seek Impa out, but knew already what she would have to say: anything else can wait—you must finish your mission first and above all else.

So he didn't seek her out, instead he went to the temple where the princess had told him to go. He did as he was supposed to, and he saw the tool that would allow him to vanquish the man-with-the-evil-eyes. He laid a hand on it, then another, and he pulled it out.

That was when it all went horribly wrong.

That was when the world suddenly washed away in a blast of darkness.

Time passes, but it doesn't pass quickly.

Seven years passed him by, but for the rest of the world the years crawled by as they suffered in the hellish pit he had unwittingly cast them all into.

His youth—the innocence he had thought he'd lost over time—was now more evident than ever. Shame nearly brought tears to his eyes as he reflected on the headstrong assumption that he knew a single thing about suffering.

Although his body had grown—the muscles magically preserved, but still weak compared to their fullest potential—he remained trapped in the doubts of a child.

Emerging from the shadows of sleep to discover what became of his home nearly tore his mind asunder, perhaps would have if not for keeping one thought—one face in mind. She stood as a symbol of the law of the warrior, the only law for people such as themselves to live by: complete the mission first, all else second.

After speaking with one of the many sages he was destined to meet, he prepared to leave the temple where he had slept, when suddenly he was stopped by a mysterious arrival.

And maybe, for just a moment in a flash of déjà vu, he had hoped it was her again—that same woman who had surprised him so many years ago.

"Link," the strange character greets without emotion.

"Who are you?" Link replies, trying and failing to match the newcomers lack of feeling.

The newcomer twitched visibly at the greeting, but quickly regained his composure. "I just came here to tell you to head to Kakariko, oh, and good luck, of course." As the strange guy turned to leave he mutters under his breath something about, "Male anatomy."

Link blinked once, in confusion, before he realized why the man caught his interest in the first place—the symbol he wore on his chest. "Hey! Wait, guy!"

"What?" the man replies, irked.

"Your armor looks similar to someone I once knew; maybe you know where she is!" Link exclaimed, a hopeful smile spreading across his features. To have one friend—one familiar face—to have something to anchor him to this time he didn't belong…

"Who? You don't mean—," the Sheikah replied nervously.

"Yes, Impa! Do you know what's become of her?" Link asked, the familiar childish glint his eyes once held returning if only for a moment.

The Sheikah coughed in what appeared to be an awkward manner, and told him, "I have never even heard of her, let alone know where she is." And with that the mysterious man left Link to his own devices. No allies, no familiar faces… it was a possibility—a strong one—that he wouldn't find any friends in this time.

It was bad enough to know the Kokiri would be impossible to find—Great Deku Tree might not even exist anymore, but even the people Link had met on his journey might no longer be around. Who could guess at all that had happened in the time he was gone? And the world was a much bleaker place now—that much he had already seen.

Not for the first time the Sheikah woman drifted to the forefront of his mind, and he frowned to himself, sparing one last look at the church before heading out—back to where it started—for all sakes and purposes—Kakariko Village. Maybe he could even find her there…

He missed Impa dearly. After all she had been the one to set him on the right path; point out his destiny and give him a little push. Sure, Great Deku Tree had told him to leave the forest and fine the princess who then, in turn, had asked him to retrieve the stones, but neither of them out right demanded he do something. There was always an option—an unvoiced option that lingered under their request.

Do this for me hero… it is your destiny, but it is indeed your destiny, to uphold or let fall as you see fit.

But Impa was different. She had refused to baby him or give him the option of maybe. She didn't beat around the bush, and surely—when no other adults believed Zelda—she knew that her life would depend on his actions. And he had let her down.

With a hollow ache in his chest, the hero continued down the beaten path…

Kakariko was the start of the nightmare all over again. There were more monsters to battle, in fiercer landscapes, and he slowly realized a horrific pattern. Destiny could be a cruel thing, but even this seemed like too ugly of a joke.

When he awoke, he was told to gather the sages, which he initially knew very little about. But then he met the sage of forest, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

His best friend from the forest; with Great Deku Tree gone, perhaps the only person he truly missed from his life with the Kokiri

"Saria," he breathed when he saw her, dropping to his knees. He could only stare in confusion. The sages were supposed to be… sage-like, right? Not that he didn't think his friend was worthy, but on a cosmic scale… it just didn't make sense. Why her?

"Link," she greeted in kind. "I know this may be odd, but this is my destiny—just like you have your own destiny to fulfill."

"Stop it!" he interrupted, clenching his fists in frustration. "Stop going on about my destiny for a minute—what about you? Is… you becoming like this, is it my fault?" She looked taken aback by his angry tone—he couldn't blame her for that either; she hadn't seen everything he had. She hadn't followed him on this insane journey. So why'd she get sucked into it?

"Maybe this is a bit of a surprise to you…" she muttered.

"Of course it is!" he exclaimed. "Do you think that this is something I should just accept?"

"That's for you to decide," she answered quietly. "This may be a surprise to you, but it really… when I think about it, this doesn't surprise me."

"Why not?" he asked, still clearly upset but more restrained now. This was just another thing for him to think about on the long rides he had ahead of him.

"I…" she trailed off and met his gaze for a brief moment, an odd sadness dancing in her eyes. "It's just something you know, deep down," she finished hollowly.

It was another hard pill to swallow. Seeing her as a sage made that little bit of innocence still in his heart churn uneasily. It wasn't a simple matter of losing his friends now, no, it was a matter of seeing them taken away. And all for what? Some stupid destiny that they shouldn't have to suffer for…

Saria said she wasn't suffering; being a sage didn't seem to cause anyone pain—all his friends, all the friendly faces he had to see changed forever…

He almost wished he had more time to think about all of it, but deep, philosophical thinking wasn't left up to him. He had an entire world to save. The man-with-the-evil-eyes had done this more than anyone—turned his friends into untouchable enigmas, set him on this twisted path called destiny.

There was work to be done, and after each sage he encountered, this was the thought in his mind… along with the fleeting image of a hard-working woman he had yet to find…

He worked his way down the line, releasing the sages, swallowing the pain, and unlocking the way to returning Hyrule to normal. At least for everyone else.

The journey had been long and hard, but at last he reached his next milestone: releasing the sage of shadow. By this point he thought that the pain of seeing friends turned into sages would have dulled, but—and perhaps because of who it happened to be—the shock washed over him in a fresh wave when he saw her standing there before him.

Impa, the sage of shadow.

"I-Impa," he stuttered in a slight panic. How… why did this so-called destiny have to take everything from him in order to make him a hero? Is that all a hero was? A soulless enigma fighting for what the world views as "good?"

But then, just like every time he thought of her, Impa seemed to have the answer.

"Never fear, Hero, all that happens, happens with good reason. I'll be there to help you in the end," she reassured him. This was not what he wanted though. His love for the guardian and sage had grown over time; it started as a childish admiration, but it had grown into something else; it had enveloped his entire being over time.

Every time he felt like he couldn't push on, every time he had nearly given up hope. Every time the sword and shield threatened to slip from his hands and fall forever to the ground, he thought of that stern, weathered face. He thought of Kakariko—the sacrifices she must have made just to survive.

Now she stood before him, prepared to change into something unreachable, untouchable. The true courage in his heart, about to be consumed for the sake of his and her destiny both. But all he wanted… all he wanted was for her to stay with him; he wanted her to teach him, and help him understand this tight feeling in his chest.

Never had he thought it possible to want something this badly, only to have it ripped away from him.

"But, Impa, don't you understand? Don't you understand what this means?" Link cried out, the tight feeling in his chest threatening to crush him. Impa was taken aback by his passionate tone; shocked by his sudden outburst.

"All I know is that this is the best way to help you save Hyrule. What don't I understand beyond that?" she inquired still as stern as he recalled, but there was a certain amount of understanding that hadn't been there previously.

"I-Impa, I don't want you to leave me!" he shouted with all the fire in his soul. "I don't want to see you disappear along with everyone else!" The sage of shadow smiled at him sadly.

"Many people have loved you in this life, Link," she agreed quietly—almost affectionately. "I know the difficulty of watching those you love disappear, perhaps better than most. I know what you've been through, and I'm sorry that I have to do this to you…

"Link, our love is not meant to be in this life, I'm afraid," she continued gently. "You must be strong, even if that strength seems lonely at times. Just remember, I'm always watching over the underdog." Proclaiming these final words Impa vanished once more, before he had the chance to respond, and this time Link knew it was for good.

It was with a heavy heart that he went about the task laid before him.

Every sage, every slash of his blade, and ultimately, Ganondorf's sealing, was all for what he had lost. The anger in his soul resonated with the fierce battle, but when the dust settled, he could only feel sorrow. For what he had lost, for what others had lost because of his carelessness. Those untouchable, unreachable, insufferable things.

Maybe she saw his suffering, maybe she knew that he would never fully understand the body he had grown into, but either way… Zelda knew what she had to do. The last favor she could pay to the hero who had returned her kingdom, even if it pained her to do so.

Not everyone had been asleep those seven years, after all.

"Link, I have a gift for you, something all of Hyrule owes you," she told the young warrior. "I will send you back to your childhood, where you may live your life as it should've been."

Link gaped at her wordlessly, taken totally off guard by this offer. Was that possible? To return to what he had lost—could she reverse it all so easily? But then wouldn't he just have to re-live these events again? The thanks he wanted to give her, the questions he felt the urge to ask her, went unspoken as the princess played the last melody ever heard on the Ocarina of Time…

Time rushes by and then suddenly…

A young boy clothed in a green tunic and cap walked away from the princess of Hyrule slowly. They had just finished discussing the events that had taken place seven years in the future, and now Link was about to walk away to start his own life, resting assured no harm would come to Hyrule or her people.

"Oh, Impa," Zelda spoke up suddenly, causing the young hero's own head to jerk back to her in shock. "Could you escort him out please? I'd hate for the guards to pick him off."

And there she stood, silver hair and armor gleaming in the late afternoon's sunlight. A broad smile covered Link's face as he rushed forward to meet the woman he had once lost in a far away time. Impa patted him on the head, messing up his cap, and simply could not stop a smile from forming on her own lips as she watched his face alight with joy.

"D-do you remember too?" Link asked, speaking softly.

"All the sages do," she replied, not missing a beat. "So don't worry about missing out on anything. Enjoy growing up this time; go see the world without fear in your heart. I'll be waiting here for you… when and if the day comes when you're ready to return." She paused for a moment to smile down at him again.

"I always knew things would work out for us."

"Well, of course," Link agreed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You aren't the only one watching over the underdog." They both turned their faces towards the sky and silently gave thanks to the goddesses, knowing now, without doubt, that their destinies had not led them astray.