Prologue
Beyond the Trees
Throughout history, and even before, people thought of stories to tell. They tell stories of heroes and villains, princes and princesses, and swords. Throughout time, people have changed the stories to fit their wants or desires. They change the hero to reflect themselves, or their visions of themselves. Some stories continue to change, as they are retold over and over again. But then, there are those stories that never change. There are those stories that are timeless, that never fade, that never falter. These stories are called legends.
Legends never die.
One legend tells of a man. He stood six foot tall, with fine blonde hair. He was clothed in the best adult rendition of a Kokiri tunic, which was sewn together by the best seamstress in the world. He wore long green pants; the legs fell over the tops of his boots. He wore a pair of brown gauntlets, which had a emblem of three triangles carved into the back of it’s hand. He wore the traditional green Kokiri cap, with the point that fell to his shoulders. The man had no weapons, but you could tell by his biceps that he had been used to swords. His physique was exceptional; broad shouldered and cut.
The man was Link, whose legacy precedes him.
On his shoulder sat a blue ball with two crystal wings on its sides. That was Avon, Link’s fairy. They met when Link was running through the woods, and Avon has stick lodged in his wing. Link was kind enough to remove the stick, and he allows Avon to travel with him until his wing recovers.
The duo walked through the damp woods, greeted by the green and yellow glow of the sun breaking through the canopy of the trees. Link enjoyed the subtle environment of the woods. It was free of the clamor that was found in the cities. Instead, the gentle chirping of birds comforted him.
“You’re being quiet,” Avon said. His voice was childish, even though he was only two years younger then Link.
“I love the woods. It’s so peaceful. I was simple admiring the solitude,” Link said, “but, anyway you look at it, I’m not alone. You’re here, and within a few hours, we’ll reach our destination. I’ll finally be home.”
“Home?” Avon sounded confused.
“Yes. I’ve been gone for so long. I left when eight years ago, searching for a friend. I realize now that my search is over. It’s time for me to go home, for good,” Link stated. A smirk crept across his face as he envisioned the faces of those who knew him.
“Okay! It would be nice to see your home…I bet there are some fine fairies there!” Avon said.
“You got to be joking me!” Link said, now breaking into a full smile.
“No joke! I’m a single male fairy! That by it’s self isn’t that masculine! I need to get a girlfriend now before people look at me weird!” Avon exclaimed. Link covered his mouth with his hand to cover his laugh.
“Come on, people aren’t that dense! They barely notice that you’re a guy anyway!” Link said.
“Link, you’re hurting, not helping!” Avon flared. His color temporarily turned red, for anger. Link began to laugh harder.
“Wow, I haven’t laughed like that in a while,” Link said while catching his breath. Avon strode on Link’s shoulder, and kicked Link in the ear.
“That’s what I can’t stand about Hylians !” Avon said. Link rubbed his ear, still smiling. The two walked through the forest for a while longer, being thankful for the lack of bushes. After a while, Link saw something like smoke in the a gap between some trees. Link sped up, hoping that a forest fire hadn’t started. His walk became a run as he rushed to see what the cause of the fire was.
When he reached the gap, he was surprised to find a campsite. There was a bonfire in the center, with supplies for cooking and such. The tent was extremely large; it even overshadowed some trees. Link scratched his head in confusion.
“Who’s there!” Some thunderous voiced summoned. Link looked towards the tent, his eyes wide. The tent ruffled as some enormous figure opened the makeshift cloth door. Link took a step back as a gigantic man in frightening red and black armor approached. He wielded a huge red axe, and he held it like it was light as a feather. He took a step towards Link, and when his foot crashed into the ground, hundreds of bird flew away from the leaves of the trees, scattering frantically. Link’s eyes narrowed as the figure drew nearer.
“Why are you here?” The figure demanded.
“I’m just trying to go home,” Link said. His voice was much more threatening now.
“My, you have a temper, little man! You must not know who I am!” The man lowered his head down to Link’s height, “I am the one of the Red Guards! I am the keeper of the Crimson Axe!” He declared.
“Whatever. Just let me go already!” Link said impatiently.
“Don’t you understand the concept of a guardian? I’m here to keep people from passing!” He yelled.
“What do I have to do to pass?” Link asked.
“You have to defeat me in combat!” He yelled. Link rolled his eyes.
“I guess that you just couldn’t be a little more original! Intelligent guardians know to make a puzzle or something to keep people from passing,” Link taunted. Avon climbed up Link’s head and hid inside Link’s cap.
The Guardian unleashed a loud roar, on that shook the ground. Link stood unmoved. The Guardian swung his mighty axe, striking the ground so hard that it rippled like water. Several trees fell or bent from the force. When the Guardian raised his axe, he found that Link had disappeared. He looked all around the area, not finding the man.
“Now I feel what Avon feels like,” Link joked. The Guardian turned his head to see Link standing on his shoulders. Link could see the shock in the Guardian’s eyes, but it didn’t stop him from delivering a kick to his head. The Guardian stumbled, trying to keep his balance. Link leapt off his shoulders, and got into a kneeling position. When the Guardian regained his composure, Link used his stance to launch himself towards the Guardian. He clenched his fist and delivered a thundering punch to the Guardian’s chest. The armor cracked and broke, pieces shattering to the ground. Link landed, and looked up to his foe.
“How can you be so strong?” the Guard muttered stupidly. Link smirked, but his eyes were serious.
“You’ll never know true strength unless you learn some modesty,” Link said, “You’re too confident in your power that you aren’t smart enough to be aware of you’re opponent speed. Don’t worry, if I were you, I would just accept the fact that you didn’t stand a chance against me,” Link began to walk by the Red Guardian as if nothing happened.
“You’re just like Zelda said…powerful enough to take on anyone, from me to Ganon,” Link’s whole body snapped around to face the Guardian.
“Wait, no one should remember that!” Link said. He defeated Ganondorf in an alternate timeline.
“Yes we should. The timelines merged together…in the Great Memory. Everything that happened in your adventure happened here, and everything that happened while you were gone happened. If you were too return, you would be famous, just like Zelda said,” He uttered. He then passed out, probably from his injury. Link looked at the ground, a slight smile approaching.
“Hmm, that means that all the friends I made in the future will remember me,” Link said. Avon raised Link’s cap, and returned to Link’s shoulder. The two began to walk again, leaving the Guardian to rest.
The two walked for an hour when the trees began to clear. They approached the end of the forest, and as they pulled the brush out of their way, Link covered his eyes from the flood of sunlight. As his eyes adjusted, he could see the endless plain of grass, leading to the high walls of the ranch. He could see the stream that connected Lake Hylia to the Zora domain. He could catch a glimpse of the Lost Woods, his first home. He could also see the mighty Death Mountain, and it’s majestic ring of white smoke.
And to the north, he could see the fairytale like castle. The white marble spires and the blue roofed wings mesmerized him. For the first time, he took in the beauty of Hyrule, his home.
