Time Will Tell-Chapter 1

“Link…The Master Sword is speaking…It’s giving you its greatest power…To deliver the final blow to the Evil King…”

Link panted heavily, clutching the Master Sword in both hands.  He looked at the horrid beast in front of him that was once the Gerudo King, the monster that had caused Hyrule so much pain, turning the utopia of peace into a endless hell, spreading darkness throughout the land, destroying so many innocent lives…Despite this, Link hesitated for a moment, a sickening realization flashing through his mind: “I’m going to take a life.” It was foolhardy of him to think of that at such a moment, and he knew it. He had slain many monsters before he had even come to this moment. He even had to kill an old friend because of the monster in front of him. Yet, he still had a split second of doubt. Who was he to decide who lives and who dies?
The beast struggled to break from Zelda’s spell, eyes brimming with hate. Gannon looked up at Link, not as a criminal begging for forgiveness, but with eyes of a murderer. Eyes that were filled with sadistic glee of what he had done, taunting Link, daring him to kill him. Link saw his friend’s eyes fill with tears as he was released from his prison of darkness. He saw villages burning, children crying over the bodies of their fallen parents. He saw the closes thing he had to a parent wither away. And it was all because of this man, this creature. Link screamed, slamming the Master Sword with terrible force into Gannon’s warped face.
And, it was over.
To Link, the moment had lasted an eternity. The sound of shattering bone as the sword shattered Gannon’s skull echoed through his mind. In reality it had lasted less than a second. He stood there  looking upon what he had done through eyes glazed with hate, mind detached from the world. Then the reality of the situation hit. He blinked furiously, hastily pulling the Master Sword out of Gannon’s skull with a squelch as blood and tissue gushed from the wound.
Surreally, Link looked away from the mess in front of him and to the form of Princess Zelda. Her arms were raised in the air, a look of extreme focus was pasted on her face. “Six Sages now! Now open the sealed door!” Link’s mind buzzed; he a strange sense of falling, and then he was in the Sacred Realm. He looked at the people he had encountered and befriended on he journey to save Hyrule with pride: Saria, his dear childhood friend…Darunia, the Goron who had called him brother…Ruto, the hard- headed yet soft-hearted  Zoran princess…Impa, the strong Sheikah woman…Nabooru, the lovable thief…and Rauru, the mysterious elder.  Despite his exhaustion, the pride filling his heart gave him the energy to stand straight before his enemy as he was banished from the world of light. “Ancient gods that created Hyrule…Seal the incarnation of evil within the dark world!” Brilliant rays of light hit the huddled mass in the center of the sages, clearing the chamber of all darkness. Bathed in it’s soft glow, Link watched the form of Ganondorf scream and writhe in pain with his jaw set in a firm line. Despite all of his reason, Link still felt a small twinge of pity for the man. Not everyone was complete free of sins. May haps Ganondorf had a reason behind his madness. But as Ganondorf looked up a Link with eyes burning with hate, Link quickly pushed aside that thought.
Ganondorf, panting and gasping for air, looked up at each and every sage from his invisible prison on the ground. “Curse you…Sages…” He turned to Zelda, the woman who had avoided his notice until it was too late, his glare intensifying. “Curse you…Zelda!” At last, his glare came to rest on Link, the hero who had defeated him. At first, the heat of his scorn was so great, he thought he might explode from the pressure. But, to his surprise, the corners of Ganondorf’s mouth lifted into that of a smirk, sending a chill down Link’s spine.  “Curse you…Link.” With that, Ganondorf made one last attempt to break his binds, then screamed in pain, disappearing into the light.

When Link opened his eyes once again, he was standing in the ruins of Ganon’s Tower, formally Hyrule Castle. He looked up at the sky, the dark colds dissipating to show stunning blue skies. He breathed in the clear air, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips. They had done it. Ganon was no more. Navi, his faithful companion till the bitter end, floated gently over Link’s head, seeming to mimic Link’s actions. “It’s finally over, isn’t it?” Link smiled, a weight lifting off his shoulders. He gazed at the beautiful Princess Zelda, his heart doing back flips in his chest. She was looking into the distance, a blissful smile gracing her exquisite lips. She turned to face him with smile reserved for him. “Thank you, Link. Ganondorf had been sealed into the dark world.” She approached him slowly, the grace of her stature showing with every step.
Link smiled back sheepishly, fiddling with the hilt of the Master Sword. “And now Hyrule can be rebuilt, right? I’ll help.” He was looking forward to helping out, especially if he could work by her side.
Zelda’s smile turned melancholic. She looked away from him, out to the land below. “…An era of peace will now begin in Hyrule…And…” She closed her eyes. “…This is also the time when we must part ways.”
It felt as if he had just been hit with a brick to the stomach. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but all he could manage is to intake air. Part ways? The thought was too much for Link. He never wanted to leave her side again. He had traveled to hell and back just to find her, and barely after he had manage to do so, he was being sent away!  
Zelda kept her eyes closed, her face a mask of remorse. “Before Ganondorf could snatch away the Triforce, I tried to take control of the Sacred Realm. But…That was foolish action.” She covered her face with her hand. “As a result, he obtained the Triforce and you got dragged into this whole mess. Now that the conflict has passed…” She finally looked up, a look of duty upon her face. “…As the seventh sage …I must put the Master Sword to sleep and close the Door of Time. However…” Her face fell, a sad smile on her face. “That will also close off the path on which to traverse time…Link give me the ocarina.” She turned to him for the first time. He opened his mouth, but promptly closed it, handing her the ocarina. She took it tentatively, hugging it to her chest. “Using the Ocarina of Time, I can send you back to your original time.”
Link gasped, finding his voice. “My original time? Wa--Wait a second! I wasn’t fighting because I was dragged into it! The reason I fought was…Zelda, it was for…” It was for her. The only reason he could keep going on was the thought of her. She looked at him sadly, regretfully.
“I will govern Hyrule, like my father before me. Link…This country will always be…peaceful…” She looked away from him. “ Now…Go back. To the place you should be…The form you should have…”
Link fought with his mouth once again. To leave Zelda behind was unthinkable! He would rather never make up the seven years he lost than leave her behind…He would rather die. But…There was something about the way she spoke to him…The remorse for what she had done to his life was tormenting her. He didn’t want to leave her side…but he didn’t want to see her suffer. He reached out to touch her, then hesitated. Instead, he formed a fist, putting it across his heart. “…I am the Hero of Time. No matter when, not matter where, for Hyrule…and for Princess Zelda…I will fight.” He kneeled down before her bowing his head low. “I will fight for you, Princess Zelda.”
Zelda gasped softly, taken aback by his sudden gesture. She herself hesitated, then her resolve hardened. “Thank you Link…” She raised the ocarina to her lips, playing a hypnotic melody. Link had a felling of weightlessness, the same feeling that he had when he had first removed the Master Sword from it’s pedestal.  He looked at the fading image of Zelda dry-eyed .

“Goodbye…”

When Link finally opened his eyes again, he was back in the temple of time. He looked around, a felling of nostalgia filling him. He looked at himself, not seventeen anymore, but back to his small, chubby ten-year-old self. He had only spent a few months in his older body, but his younger body still felt strange, foreign. “I’m back,” He thought bitterly to himself. Then an idea hit him. “Maybe Zelda will…” He rushed out of the temple, completely unaware that he was running out alone.
Link pushed himself through the bustling streets of the castle market, heading straight to the looming castle ahead. He was like a man possessed; nothing could stand in his way. He ran right past the startled guards, barely giving them a chance to respond before he was out of their sight. His heart pounded in his chest, not from running, but in fear of what he might discover. He finally stumbled his way into Zelda’s favorite place, the small courtyard in the heart of the castle. He stopped, frozen in fear. Zelda was there, standing in the exact same way she had stood so long ago. Time slowed down as she turned around to face him. She looked on blankly for a second, and Link’s heart stopped. Then her face lightened, tears springing to the corner of her eyes. “Link…”
Link felt light, lighter than he ever had. He took a step toward her. “Zelda…You remember me?”
She smiled. “Of course! You’re the boy who played with me earlier!”
In one fell swoop, Link’s world shattered in front of him. He was petrified. His nightmares had come true.

“She doesn’t remember…”