Legend of Zelda 1. The Creation of the World

**Author's Note: This was written before Skyward Sword came out. I still haven't played Skyward Sword yet, so if this goes against the newly established canon in some way please don't spoil anything for me about the game in the reviews! **

This is a lost Sheikah legend…

When time was just beginning, after Din had created the red earth and Nayru had gifted it with the spirit of law, Farore gave pause before creating the inhabitants of the world that was yet new. "Sisters, if we are to bring life to this world, should we not also give to these errant beings guidance so that they do not turn away from us?" said she.

"The spirit of the law has already descended upon this earth and its inhabitants shall know it well, for I have seen fit to fill it with my wisdom," contested Nayru.

But Farore's fears for her children were not quieted. "But should they choose to disregard your gift, should we not leave them a way to once again find the path we have set them upon?"

"Should they have the arrogance to ignore our Sister's gift and stray from the ways we have intended for them, I shall raze them to the earth and they shall know our will by their suffering," thundered Din.

However, Farore was still unwilling to leave her children to such a fate and replied, "As we have given them the spirit of the law to prevent them from destroying themselves, should we not also give them something further to prevent the need for their destruction at our hands?"

In her wisdom, Nayru, though she believed Farore's fears unnecessary, decided to compromise with her Sister and said, "Though I believe my gift to be sufficient, I see you are not to be swayed, Sister. Perhaps if you told us what it is that you desire for them so fiercely we could be persuaded to bestow upon them but one more gift."

"I do not insult your gift, Sister Nayru; I am only afraid that by sharing with them my soul so that they may have life, my wildness of spirit shall also be given unto my creations and they may rebel against their makers. They are but finite beings and may not understand such divinity as I contain."

"And what would you give them to help prevent them from straying?" demanded Din.

"I shall create a chosen people to rule over this land and they shall have uncommon ears so that they might better hear our messages."

This was the origin of the Hylians.

"And should this chosen people be led astray by false messages?" asked Nayru.

"To prevent my chosen people from being led astray I shall create a race to be their guardians and guides; and to them I shall give eyes that see the truth so that they may wisely counsel my chosen people should they make their ears deaf to us."

This was the origin of the Sheikah.

"Your plan is wise, Sister Farore, and your compassion for these beings has so moved me that I will help you guide them. I will give to the first queen of your chosen people as much wisdom as befits a ruler of this blessed land we have created, and her descendants shall pass her wisdom down throughout the royal line, and she shall be my champion in this world to ensure that the spirit of the law is upheld," said Nayru.

"Sisters, do not forget to temper your mercy with justice. I will agree to your plan, but you must promise me that should your creations become arrogant and forget those who created and sustain them, you will let me punish them as they deserve. If Nayru is to have a champion, then I, too, shall have one; and he shall come from a race of fierce warriors and bring my wrath upon the world when it has turned too far from us," said Din.

"Then I shall also create a champion for myself and should he triumph over yours, Sister Din, then it will prove that there is yet hope for my children and you must hold your wrath until the next time you find that my creations have made themselves unworthy of our gifts," said Farore.

"You would give them too many chances, Sister, but out of the love I bear for you I will let you give them this last protection. Their fates will be in their own hands once we return to the heavens," said Din.

"But you have yet work to do, dear Sister. Should we quarrel so much over that which has not yet been given life? Create these children for whom you are already interceding!" said Nayru, laughing.

So Farore poured out her rich soul and gave life to all the creatures of the world. When she had finished she saw that her children would contain all the wildness and complexity of her own soul, but without the divine capacity to keep their souls in harmony it would surely manifest imperfectly. And so she created last of all a race of beings to whom she gave an infinitesimal fraction of her power and bade them do the goddesses' will and prepare the world for the champions who would come. These beings understood the goddesses' will best and were sent away to begin their work in each of the realms that were destined to play some part in the cosmic drama involving the champions. Then the three golden goddesses, having finished their work, returned to the heavens, leaving behind the Triforce at the place where they left the world.

But that is a story for another day…


	2. Majora and the Fierce Diety

Long ago, in the land of Lunayru, there lived a man (if, indeed, he could be called a man) of strange powers who dearly loved to bring happiness to people. This man, Jonah, knew the Truth of the golden goddesses and existed only to do their will. However, after many eons of serving the goddesses in Lunayru, he began to resent his kin, for he was jealous of the one who lived in the blessed land of Hyrule while he was forced to live far from that favored land of the goddesses. Many more eons passed and evil slowly grew in Jonah's heart, for he was no longer satisfied with the role he played in the goddesses' plans and wished to return to Hyrule. So Jonah, although he knew the Truth of the goddesses, made a plan to rebel against them. Over many years he slowly spread doubt to the hearts of all those in Lunayru and they lost faith in the goddesses who had created them. Instead of worshipping the three golden goddesses above all others, they began to worship as the greatest of all deities the four guardian giants of Lunayru, who had long ago disappeared to the four corners of the earth in order to protect the land. The people of Lunayru built great temples to the four giants and told new myths about the giants' greatness, saying that the giants had created Lunayru instead of the three golden goddesses.

Eventually the people became so faithful to the four giants that they believed them superior to the three golden goddesses and grew arrogant enough to blaspheme them most vilely. Jonah, who had been spreading doubt in the goddesses from the shadows all of these years, finally emerged, manipulating the religion of the Four as a prophet and commanding the people to build a great tower that would reach the heavens so that they might defeat the goddesses using the power of the giants and prove their superiority. So the people built a great stone tower that reached into the heavens under Jonah's orders, not knowing that he was planning to use the tower to open a path in the heavens that would return him to Hyrule.

The goddesses were grieved at Jonah's treachery and the faithlessness of the people and decided to punish them. Din, with her great, flaming arms created the light arrows, filled with the light of justice, and shot one into the bloodstained emblem at the entrance of the tower, inverting it so that instead of reaching the heavens it now reached the pits of hell where an ancient evil awaited the people. The people, not knowing what awaited them, entered the temple with Jonah leading them. Inside, they discovered a mask of great and terrible power, and, thinking they had reached the heavens, thought they had discovered a way to make themselves as gods. The people began to fight over who should wield the powers of the god and much blood was shed over the evil mask.

In the end, Jonah, whose arrogance had grown and who had decided that he would rather become a god himself than serve the goddesses any longer, put on the mask and used its powers to make the people serve him. The evil in the mask was called Majora and it whispered its name to Jonah to take for himself, for the evil in the mask quickly became one with the evil in Jonah's heart. The people were afraid and served Majora as he asked, changing their temples to reflect Majora's image and worshipping the ancient evil. Jonah, satisfied that he was no longer a servant and was now a god, wished to follow the golden goddesses into the heavens and remain there for eternity; but the mask had an evil will of its own and had been feeding off of the jealousy and anger in Jonah's heart to grow stronger. Soon Majora grew strong enough to break its seal, and so it cast off Jonah to wreak mayhem throughout Lunayru.

The days grew dark and all was chaos throughout the land as Majora spread madness and slaughter with its evil power. The people were afraid and called out to the four giants, but the giants could not hear, for the goddesses had put them to sleep and made their ears deaf to the calls of the Lunayruns. Yet the people did not repent, for their hearts had been hardened through the years of faithlessness, and so the goddesses continued to let Majora ravage the land. One day, just as the people were about to give in to despair, a wandering mercenary of tremendous skill appeared, having heard of their plight. The mercenary offered to defeat the evil Majora as a test of his skills, for he was a man who delighted only in battle.

The battle raged for three days without cease, and on the morning of the fourth day the mercenary finally emerged from the battle victorious. The beaten demon was sealed once again into the mask and the people rejoiced. They were grateful to the mercenary and, having learned nothing, began to worship him as a god. The prideful and mischievous mercenary accepted their praise as his due and lived for a time reaping the benefits and abusing the privileges of his godhood. But the goddesses saw the people's blasphemy and grew angry; so they sealed the arrogant usurper's soul into a mask- where he was doomed to wait powerlessly for eternity for his lust for combat to be fulfilled only by another's hands.

Yet despite the sealing of the mighty and fierce deity, the land of Lunayru continued to grow rife with faithlessness and petty squabbling. So grieved were the goddesses at their people's continual waywardness that they despaired of them ever returning to the Truth and turned away from that land, which became known as Termina- for it was doomed to end. And yet there was still one small hope: whispers that some day one from the blessed land would come to Termina and redeem that cursed land….

But that is another story….

**Author's Note: Jonah is not an OC- I tried to hint at who he was with the first line and I figure most of you will read into the subtext about his identity with no problem, but I just wanted to clarify that Jonah is meant to be a person from LOZ canon whose backstory and name I filled in with my own ideas. Kudos to HylianDan, too, whose Zelda theory about stone tower temple ended up fitting perfectly with my own headcanons about Majora's Mask! His article's an interesting read and can be found here: articles/the-stone-tower-why-termina-was-doomed/  
**


	3. Bongo Bongo

This is an ancient Sheikah legend…

Long ago, in the days before the Hero of Time in the town of Kakariko, there lived a man named Bongo-Bongo. Bongo-Bongo was a rich man who had everything one could ask for, yet he was unhappy because his greedy heart was never satisfied, even with all his wealth and power. And so the lonely miser grew greedy for the one thing that he could never have due to his cruel nature: the love of the wise and beautiful owner of the potions shop, Anjea.

Bongo-Bongo tried to catch her attention every way he knew how: he flaunted his wealth and bragged about his power and made everyone in the town miserable with his preening, but still she would pay him no attention. He visited her shop every day, paying her compliments and giving her extravagant gifts, but Anjea saw through his flattery and dismissed his false vows of love as if they were no more than cucco feathers in the wind, saying, "I am to you as one of the many jewels you brag of, something beautiful to be looked at and hoarded jealously. If you were to win me you would only be satisfied a moment before looking for more lovely jewels. Such a fleeting love is not meant for a woman of flesh and blood, it could only satisfy a cold and useless rock."

But the more she refused him the more he lusted after her, and as his frustration with her grew, so did his cruelty towards others. Bongo-Bongo continued to pursue her and when he asked again for her hand in marriage, she answered "I see the true self that you try to hide from me in the way you treat others, and I know well that the true measure of a man is how he treats those from whom he has nothing to gain." Stinging from her continued rejections, Bongo-Bongo's impatience soon turned to anger, and with his great wealth he bought every building in the town, threatening to close her shop and evict her family should she refuse him. But still she would not give in, and shaming him with her mocking reply, said "If this is the love you offer I'd rather have your eternal scorn, just as you have mine."

Unable to earn her love with his cruel tactics, Bongo-Bongo decided to go to her with a clever ruse. He went to her and offered her all of his money and power if only she would marry him, convinced that she would not want to marry a penniless man but would be so moved by his feigned sacrifice that she would agree to marry him without making him keep his promise. But the wise woman saw through his empty words and told him that, although she had no need for his wealth, he should return when he had given all of it to the poor and then they would be married. Bongo-Bongo anguished for many days over what to do; torn between his love of money and his love for Anjea. However, in the end he could not part with his beloved riches and returned to her shop in despair. He begged her to tell him why she would not marry him, to which she replied simply, "Do not come to me again until you understand the truth about yourself; then you will know why I cannot marry you as you are."

Priding himself on his wealth and power, yet blind to the evil in his heart, he could not understand her words and, his pride hurt, he grew desperate to learn the reason behind her constant refusals. Bongo-Bongo knew of the Sheikah treasure that gave one the ability to see the truth, and so he formed a plan to steal the treasure and use it to see the truth about himself that Anjea insisted he was ignorant of. So under the cover of night Bongo-Bongo snuck into the place where the treasure was hidden and stole it. The next morning, the Sheikah discovered the theft and, furious at the loss of their treasure, searched high and low for the thief, but Bongo-Bongo had already fled to the Water Temple to complete his plan.

In those days it was well known that in the Water Temple there was a chamber of trials which only the Zora royalty were allowed to enter. None but the Zora royalty knew what was in the chamber, and each king and queen went in only once in order to be tested before ascending to the throne. The only clue to what lay inside was given in the inscription outside the chamber which read:

"Within you find the Deepest Pool,

It is not kind, nor suffers Fools

Succeed and earn the right to Rule

But should you fail thy fate be Cruel

Prepare well, Ruler:

For 'tis within Thyself you duel."

Most of the Zora royals emerged worn but unscathed after many days of struggle with whatever lay within the chamber, but some emerged changed and were killed so that their reign would not bring destruction to the Zoras. Bongo-Bongo's obsession with what Anjea's words meant had so twisted his heart that, having heard the rumors of this chamber, he waited until nightfall, killed the temple guards, and snuck into the sacred chamber.

Inside he found a long reflecting pool and, using the stolen Eye of Truth, gazed deep within it. With the Eye of Truth he saw the darkness in his heart in its true form and was appalled, for it took the form of a great and terrible beast which began to attack him with a greedy fervor for blood. He struggled briefly with the beast but soon succumbed, and was transformed into the form of his evil. By now the dead guards had been discovered and many Zora warriors had gathered outside the door to await the emergence of the one who had defiled their temple. When the horrible beast emerged, full of rage and malice, a great battle ensued. The Zora warriors fought bravely but, unable to kill the beast, they were sacrificed to its terrible wrath and it escaped.

Seeking revenge upon Anjea, who he blamed for his transformation, Bongo-Bongo returned to Kakariko Village and went on a rampage, slaughtering any in his path. The townspeople fled and, after a fierce battle with the Sheikah warriors led by the Great Sage Impa, the creature was subdued and Bongo-Bongo was executed for his many crimes. There was a brief time of peace, but the hatred and vengeance that drove Bongo-Bongo's spirit would not let him rest, and misfortune soon befell Kakariko in the form of drought and plague and the mysterious restless dead. Fires sprang up from nowhere, and all in Kakariko became afraid of the shadows which writhed and spread and sometimes devoured as though they were alive.

Finally, the Great Sage Impa went down into the Temple of the Dead to put an end to the hauntings of the beast and with her great power and magic she sealed its restless spirit deep within the well where Bongo-Bongo's house once stood. And there his restless spirit waits, his hatred ever growing in the darkness of his prison…

The ills wrought by the spirit ceased and all was well in Kakariko, though the Sheikah's treasure was never recovered. Some say that Anjea, regretful at what had befallen Bongo-Bongo because of her words and fearing the evil that the Eye of Truth could work again in the wrong hands, hid the treasure somewhere in Kakariko Village. But that is nothing more than the whisperings of Gossip Stones…


	4. Twinrova

**Author's Note: There are mentions of sex in this chapter- nothing explicit- but if you're uncomfortable with that then don't read ahead. Also, if anyone can guess what book I took the inspiration for this myth from I will write them a 500 word drabble about the topic of their choice. It'll probably be hard to guess considering it's mostly vague parallels so if you can guess it then you definitely deserve a reward!  
**

This is an ancient Sheikah legend…

Long ago, in the days before the Hero of Time, there lived a great Gerudo king who, although well into his ninety-fifth year, had not yet married. Though he still had many years of life left and still appeared young and strong (for as was well-known then, Gerudo men lived to far greater ages than Gerudo women, or indeed, most any other race), it was time that he begin to look for a wife amongst his people. The king began his search and, though there were many strong warriors to choose from, the king soon fell in love with a powerful and clever sorceress. She was as a cool drink of water in the desert to him, and they soon married. The queen, being one of a set of twins, agreed on the condition that the king let her sister come and live with them in the palace. The king agreed and gave her sister a position as magician to the royal household, for she, too, was a powerful sorceress, and they all lived happily for a time. But soon the presence of the queen's sister grew to disturb the king's heart; for although he loved his clever and beautiful wife, her mind was like ice, and he longed for the passion of her fiery sister to warm him.

One day, while the queen was out, the king went to her sister and seduced her into his bed. Having experienced the heat of her flame, he once again longed for the coolness of his wife but could not bear to choose between the two. The king waited in dread for the queen's return. He was certain that when she returned her sister would tell her what had passed between them; for the sisters had a bond with each other that surpassed all others as they were of the same flesh and like two halves of the same soul.

So the king spent the day in agony over the fury he was certain would come. Would she curse him? Would she freeze his heart solid? Or perhaps he would burn in her sister's flames while she looked on. However, by the day's end, the queen had said nothing of his transgression to him and seemed her usual self, so the king thought to himself, "Why should I choose between them? The one is content to say nothing, and I am content to enjoy both the heat of the desert and the cool of the oasis."

For many months, things remained as they had been, but for the addition of the king's many visits to his queen's sister. One day, the lovers were lying in bed when she said to him, "Since I am now the lover of a king, should I not dress as finely as a queen?" but the king was afraid that his wife would find something suspicious in her behavior and asked her not to change her dress. She only laughed at his wariness and said "I will tell my sister that I wish to start dressing in a manner befitting of my stature and she will dress me as richly as a queen herself!"

And so it was: the queen gave her sister clothes from her own wardrobe and they were indistinguishable from each other in body. The only way the king could tell them apart was by their characters, which were still as different from each other as fire and ice. Still, the king grew nervous; afraid that he would one day mistake his queen for her sister and so reveal his infidelity. He decided to be cautious and no longer called either one by name in moments of passion, out of fear that he might call them by the wrong one.

As time went on, the king grew afraid that the queen had noticed that he no longer called her by name when they were together and became convinced that she knew of the affair. He acted colder towards his lover, hoping it would abate any suspicion on the queen's part, but this made his lover angry and she demanded that he stop sleeping with her sister or she would go to her and tell her everything.

Having now two lovers to hide his infidelities from, the king grew cold towards both of the sisters and was always wary of being too attentive to one, lest the other discover his secret. As his fears grew, his love-making grew furious as he searched every inch of the sisters' bodies for a way to tell them apart. When he could not find a difference, he began to try and mark them visibly, ferociously biting and scratching in the hopes that he could tell them apart that way, but the marks always faded quickly from their tough, desert skin and he would be left once again with no way to tell them apart; for not only did the sisters now look exactly alike, they also were beginning to seem alike in character. His fiery lover grew cold towards him and the temper of his cool and collected queen began to shine through more often, until they truly seemed one in both body and soul.

They grew so alike that the king could no longer tell them apart and the uncertainty of which sister was which drove him half mad. Their chill was no longer like a cool drink of water in the desert to him, but instead was as deadly as the breath of a freezard, and their heat was no longer like that of a fire on a cold desert night, but was as searing as the flames from a dodongo's belly. Desperate for a way of telling them apart permanently, he began to have sinister thoughts: a lantern full of hot oil tipping over, a training session with their scimitars gone awry, or perhaps an accident in the chamber where the sisters brewed their potions.

Thus, when the sisters came to him saying that, as sorceresses, they wished to make a pilgrimage to the Spirit Temple in order to learn the secrets of magic, he was relieved to have respite from the tension he lived with daily. He granted them permission to go, and though he yearned for them both each day of the half-year they were gone (all the while knowing he would still not be able to give either of them up when they returned), he also relished his brief release from the tyranny of his secrets.

When the sisters finally returned, the king's heart grew glad even in its misery, but his shock was great when he saw them approaching, for one of the sisters was carrying a baby boy! The child could only be his due to the timing and the resemblance, but he did not know which sister was the mother, for neither had shown any sign that they were with child in the days before leaving. His shock quickly turned to shame, though, for his infidelity was now plain no matter which of the sisters had had the child, and he was afraid to face them. Yet even though his shame was great, he could not help but also feel a twinge of pleasure when he realized that he would now be able to tell the sisters apart, since the mother would surely be the one to care for the child.

The king welcomed the sisters warmly and was overcome with joy that he could proclaim his son heir to the throne, but did not ask who the mother was, for he was too cowardly to admit to his shame openly. When neither woman confronted him about his infidelity, the king began to hope that they had forgiven him and, assuming that the queen (he knew her to be his wife only because her sister had called her by name when they entered the palace), who was holding the child, was the mother, he commanded that a nursery be prepared in their chambers: to which the queen replied, "Oh great king, as is tradition, the raising of the child is to be left to the women- I will stay with the child in my sister's apartments so that we may raise him fine and strong." The king, knowing that it was, indeed, tradition that the raising of a Gerudo child be always left to the mother and whichever women she chose, could not protest, but was disappointed that he hadn't discovered the truth of the child's mother.

With the arrival of the child the king saw very little of the sisters, and now that they shared chambers, whenever he came upon one of them he had no way of knowing which sister he was speaking to. When he attempted to romance either one, they would have none of it unless he could call them by name. When he could not do so, their fury was terrible and they made him feel both the icy sting of hurt pride and the burning heat of intense shame. If ever they came to him in his chambers anymore it was only to toy with him, for they played cruel tricks, making him beg to know which one they were even as they pretended to be the other. Yet still he loved them, his guilt and the child binding him to them even as he began to fear and resent them.

The king did not see much of his son for the first 5 years of his life, as was customary. By the time the child was old enough to begin to know his father, the king had already been driven half crazy with the need to know which sister was which and thought the child the key to knowing the secret. He told his son that if he could discover which of the sisters was his mother he would give to him anything he wanted.

But the prince did not understand what the king meant, for he knew only that he had two mothers and could not understand why the king believed he only had one. When he asked his mothers why the king did not believe him and why he always claimed to be his father, his mothers told him that the king was an evil man who wanted to take him away from them and raise him as his own son since he had none.

Every day, the king asked the boy if he had discovered who his mother was, and when the boy couldn't answer he punished him harshly. His mothers comforted him and tried to keep him away from the king, growing fiercely angry whenever the child and his father were near each other. They taught their son magic and bade him practice with the warriors to learn how to defend himself from the king, in case he should he try to harm him again.

Slowly, however, the king grew more insane due to the sisters' cruel and unceasing mind games and his son's inability to discover the identity of his mother. He began to suspect the child of plotting with the sisters; suspecting that they had told him long ago which one was which and that he was withholding the information deliberately so as to torment him. So one day when his son could once again not answer his question, he lunged for the boy, threatening to kill him. Frightened for his life, the prince fought the king fiercely, but the old man was stronger and began to strangle him. The prince, desperate to live, grabbed a piece of glass from a mirror that had been broken in the struggle and stabbed his father deep in the heart.

Having heard their son's cries, the sisters rushed in and found him covered in the king's blood and trembling fiercely. The queen and her sister approached the dying king, who lay on the floor, gasping for air and begging them to tell him which of them was the child's mother. The sisters smiled a terrible smile and whispered in each of the king's ears, as one, "Oh great king, can you not tell? His mother is the one he most takes after." Upon hearing this the king died, a look of horror and sorrow frozen on his face.

With the king dead, his son succeeded him and that is how, in the days before the Hero of Time, the young prince Ganondorf came to rule over the Gerudo with his two most trusted advisers, Koume and Kotake, at his side.


	5. The Great Flood

This is but one of the legends of which the people speak…

Long ago, in the days after the Hero of Time departed from Hyrule, his labor finished, an evil wind began to blow throughout the land. The ancient sages listened to the whispers on the wind and knew that their seal upon the King of Evil was weakening, so they gathered together to decide what could be done to save Hyrule.

"The Hero of Time will surely come to our aid in this most dire hour! With my brother's help we will triumph even should the evil king return!" cried the Sage of Fire.

"How like him to be late! Perhaps this time instead of waiting for him we should seek him out?" said the Sage of Water.

"But where could he have gone? The creatures of the forest all say they have not seen him…" said the Sage of Forest.

"Do not worry, little one. He is not yet among the dead. Perhaps the princess knows where he is?" said the Sage of Shadow.

"Aw, forget him! Let's just do this ourselves! We're all-powerful sages now, aren't we?" said the Sage of Spirit.

"I believe that the Princess Zelda would know best the Hero of Time's whereabouts, let us consult her," said the Sage of Light.

So the Sages went to find the Princess Zelda, who, having heard the whispers of evil on the wind, was gathering her people together to prepare them for the journey she had seen them taking in her visions. When the sages told her of their search for the Hero of Time, the Princess grew grave and told them that she did not think he would be returning to the land of Hyrule and that they must prepare the people for their journey to the mountaintops.

So the sages returned to their domains to spread the word throughout the land: "Prepare for the rains."

The Sage of Forest, Saria, returned to her people and spoke to them. But the Kokiri were dismayed to hear that they must flee, for they could not leave the forest. So they cried out to the Great Deku Tree saying "Save us, Father! Save us from the rains!"

The Great Deku Tree heard his children's cries and began to grow swiftly. He soon grew taller than all the other trees of the forest; then, so tall he touched the very clouds in the sky. At last, the Great Deku Tree grew so tall that even the birds of the sky could no longer nest in his canopy, for he had grown taller than the mountains themselves. The children tried to climb his branches, but he had grown so tall that they could not reach the top and grew tired. The children cried, thinking their father had abandoned them and, sorrowful that they could not escape the rains with him, they cried themselves to sleep among their father's roots.

But the Great Deku Tree had not forgotten his children, and in their sleep he took them unto himself so that they became part of him. In the morning, strange seed pods hung from the Great Deku Tree's branches. For many months the seeds hung there safely- sheltered from the battering rain and the raging floods by his great leaves.

When at last the rain stopped, the seeds fell from his great branches and the Kokiri woke safely in a new world, bearing new forms which were light as air and better suited to such a world. The Kokiri rejoiced and, floating on the wind, played among their father's branches! All except the Sage of Wind, who had stayed behind to pray for the Master Sword.

When the Sage of Fire approached his people to tell them to prepare for the coming rains they were pleased, for they already lived high in the mountains and would be safe from the floods. But, nevertheless, Darunia feared for them because they were heavy as stones and could not swim, so he cautioned them to stay far from the water's edge. When the rains began many foolhardy Gorons who had not heeded his warnings drowned and were swept away by the strong currents. So together the Gorons began to build many ships and learn the ways of seafaring so that they could live and prosper even among the dangerous waters. When the floods finally stopped, the remaining Gorons were well-prepared and prospered in the new world as seafaring merchants.

When the Sage of Water returned to the Zoras to tell them of the news they laughed and said "What have we to fear from floods?" and went about their lives. But Princess Ruto impressed upon her people that the waters that were coming would not be like the pristine waters of Lake Hylia and could spell disaster for them. When the rains began and the lakes began to merge with the seas, many Zoras died, unaware that the salty ocean water was as deadly as poison to their delicate gills.

So he of the cavernous belly, Jabu-Jabu, took them into his wide mouth where they stayed until the floods had passed. When the Zoras looked out upon the new world they cried out in despair at the vast ocean that now engulfed the land, for they could not live in such salty waters.

"Surely we will perish in this sea of death!" they lamented, wailing their sorrow to the heavens.

So loud were their cries that even the great dragon, Valoo, heard them from his mountain perch and flew down to them, saying "Why does water's kin lament so? Are you not made glad that this world is so well suited to your form?"

"O great dragon, we will surely perish in these salty waters! For we can only live in the purest of waters and Lake Hylia is no more! If only we could fly like you, great dragon! Then we could live above these treacherous waters as the people of the land do!"

The great dragon thought a moment, then gave to each of them a scale from his hide, saying as he did so "Take this gift, people of the water, and be changed so that you may continue to prosper even amidst this poisonous sea!"

When the Zoras took hold of the scales they were changed into new, winged forms. Able to fly on the winds now, they took to the sky with the great Valoo's blessing and followed him to his mountaintop home, where they, too, roosted among the cliffs. And thusly were the Zoras saved from destruction; all save the Sage of Earth, who had stayed behind to pray for the Master Sword.

When the Sage of Shadow returned to her people she commanded them to climb to the top of Death Mountain, where they joined the Gorons in learning the arts of seafaring and joined in building boats. When the rains came all were spared except for those who had made themselves deaf to Impa's warnings and refused to move. Those who survived spread amongst the islands like leaves on the wind, and thusly did they name their town "Windfall" when all was settled.

When the Sage of Spirit returned to the Gerudo to warn them of the coming rains they scorned her, laughing and saying, "Who could conceive of such a rain? We are people of the desert and know better than to believe in the fortunes of water witches. Should it rain so we will rejoice and merely drink the desert dry again!"

When the rains came the Gerudo set out their barrels and collected the precious water, not fearing the floods and expecting the rain to end soon as it always had before. When the rains still did not stop after many days, the desert was quick to flood. Many fled, seeking shelter outside of the desert, but the wise followed Nabooru and headed for the Desert Colossus, where they built boats atop the Goddess of the Sand's outstretched palms. When the flood waters finally reached them they were well-prepared and lived to see the waters rise, engulfing even the Desert Colossus. The few wise Gerudo who had survived looked out upon the new world and, seeing only a new kind of desert, wept bitterly for their loss. Whispers on the wind say the remnants of the Gerudo became pirates and that their ancestors sometimes still roam the seas continuing the tradition…

While Princess Zelda was busy preparing her people to flee to the mountaintops, The Sage of Light, Rauru, and the King of Hyrule were plotting together for a way to save Hyrule.

"I know my daughter has seen this land covered in darkness in her visions, but I believe we can yet save it should we make a stand. And it is for this that I ask for your help, honored Sage" said the King.

"What would you have me do, Great King?" asked the venerable Sage.

"Though the Sages' seal is fading, we still have the Blade of Evil's Bane and I believe that with the Sages of Earth and Wind praying to keep its power strong, we might use it to slay the King of Evil once again."

"But how, Great King? Only one worthy of the title of Hero of Time may wield the Sacred Blade and he is nowhere to be found!"

"Was it not the Hero of Time's courage in defending Hyrule that allowed him to wield the Sacred Blade? Think you that I have less desire to defend this land than he, honored Sage? Surely I have more desire to see this land prosper than one who has forsaken it! But should my courage prove insufficient, I would ask of you to stay and wield the sacred light arrows alongside me. Between us two, we should have enough wit and mettle to match the Hero himself!"

The Sage of Light was uncertain of the wisdom of such a plan, but he was stout of heart and would not see his friend, the King, die abandoned for his foolish valor. So he agreed to stay with him and fight the King of Evil at his side.

The Princess Zelda tried desperately to make her father see the error of his ways, crying out in anger at his stubbornness "Father, can you not hear the whispers on the wind!? Have you made your ears deaf to the calls of the goddesses!? I have dreamed dreams of the evil that comes and have seen that retreat is the wisest course! This land is already lost!"

But the King would not heed his daughter's words, saying only "Take refuge in the mountains with our people, my dear, should it set your mind at ease. But I shall not forsake this land which is ours by the will of the goddesses."

Plead as she might, the King would hear no more of leaving and grew only more determined as the evil clouds drew nearer and nearer.

When the King of Evil returned, the land became covered in darkness and all who had not fled with the Sages grew fearful and cried out to the goddesses to save them. They tried fleeing to the mountains but many were killed whilst they fled or drowned by the divine rains that had begun to flood the land. Only the King and the Sage of Light remained steadfast, foolishly; and when the King of Evil came for them they were quickly overwhelmed, for the Blade of Evil's Bane did not shine with the power to defeat evil in the hands of the King. Outmatched and seeing the folly of his ways, the King wept and pled with the goddesses to save his kingdom no matter the cost. Amidst the battle, in his heart of hearts the King heard their answer:

"Foolish and proud mortal, you did not heed our warnings and so the end of your reign is just. Take solace that your mistake shall be drowned along with the evil of this land" decreed the Goddess of Power.

"Could you not hear the wisdom in your daughter's words? Had you but listened to her advice you would be spared" decreed the Goddess of Wisdom.

"Misguided child, can you not see that your kingdom is already saved? What is a kingdom if not its people? Had you understood that which your daughter knew you could have left this land behind safely" decreed the Goddess of Courage.

The King knew the truth of their words even before he heard them spoken and was ashamed that he had turned away from what he knew in his heart to be true for so long. In that moment he felt that this was his just reward and mourned that his fate had been made by his own hands. His only regret was that he had brought his miserable fate down upon his friend, as well.

The battle raged on and it soon became clear that the King and the Sage of Light could not win against such a fearsome foe. The King began to falter and fell back, weary, against the Pedestal of Time. But just as Ganon was about to slay the King, the Sage of Light ran between them, taking the Blade of Evil's Bane from the King's grasp and thrusting it into the Pedestal.

Mortally wounded by the blow meant for the King, the Sage of Light used the last of his life to bind his power to the sword and stop time for that place, so that his friend and the land he had fought so hard to protect might not perish, but might one day be revived. The King of Evil roared furiously as the spell took effect and he and his wicked magic were sealed away…for a time. The King of Hyrule had only a brief moment of shock before he, too, was frozen in time by his friend's spell. It is said that the goddesses, moved by the Sage's sacrifice, vowed that when the time came, they would restore the flow of time to the King and thereby honor the dying Sage's wish for his friend to live again.

Meanwhile, the Princess of Destiny watched from the mountaintops along with her people as the land was flooded by the rains. Thinking her father dead, she wept as though her tears were the pouring rains; her grief flowing out as part of the raging torrent. So great was her heartache for the father she'd been unable to save, that the Triforce of Wisdom was cleft in twain to match the brokenness of her heart. Feeling she no longer deserved its power when she could not even save her own father, she cast one of the pieces into the sea, praying that it would reach him in the depths below.

And that is how the era of the kingdom of Hyrule passed away beneath the waves of the Great Sea.

**A/N: Hmmmm, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter so I may edit it in the future. The next chapter is sort of a continuation of this one but I liked it better as a separate chapter, so check it out! As always, if you like it leave a review and lemme know and if you don't, well, you can still leave a review, I guess, as long as you're not a dick about it or anything.**


	6. The Origin of the Fishmen

This is but one of the legends of which the people speak…

Long ago, in the days after the Hero of Time had departed from the land of Hyrule, his labor finished, an evil wind began to blow throughout the land. The whispers on the wind spoke of danger to all who did not leave the land to go and live atop the mountains. The beasts of the field and the birds of the air, having understood the scent of evil on the wind, migrated to the mountaintops long before the rains that would soon flood Hyrule had begun to fall and were saved. But the fish of Lake Hylia had neither limbs nor wings to carry them to safety, and though they knew nothing of the effect that the salty oceans would have on their kind, their instincts told them that to stay would be death. And so the lake fish grew afraid in the dull manner that all beasts understand when they sense death coming for them.

There was, however, one fish who understood fear different from a beast's. This fish feared not only for itself, but for all the fish of Lake Hylia, and vowed he would find a way to save them. So the fish began to learn the language of men, in the hopes of petitioning the king of Hyrule for aid since he knew not how to save them himself. The fish listened intently to the words of the Zoras and slowly grew to understand them. He practiced speaking all day, every day for many months, for his dread grew steadily as the angry clouds came ever closer.

When the fish had learned enough language to speak his piece to the king, he began the treacherous journey to the castle. The fish swam upstream against the current and many times was almost eaten or caught, but he persisted. After many days of hard swimming, the fish finally reached the moat around the castle. After resting for a brief time, the fish began to search for a way to enter the castle's walls and grew discouraged when he could find no such entrance. After much frantic searching, the fish, despairing of finding a way to enter, began to wail when he realized all his effort had come to naught.

"How shall I ever get to see the King when I am but a lowly fish!" he cried.

A passerby heard his cry and looked into the moat where he saw the fish thrashing in the water. Thinking himself mad, the man turned to go when the fish cried out to him, "Stop! You must help me see the King or else my people will surely perish!"

The man could not believe his own eyes and called down to the fish "How can it be that you are a talking fish? Such things do not exist! Tell me, fish, be you apparition or a creature of magic?"

The fish called back "I am but a humble fish! Will you help me, kind stranger? For I know nothing of the ways of men or of magic, but I must see the King and ask his aid lest my people be stricken from the earth! Please tell me, how does one gain an audience with his Highness?"

Feeling mischievous, the stranger concocted a lie with which to discourage the fish and said, "You must pass a test of power, a test of courage, and a test of wisdom, fish. But you cannot even walk and so you cannot enter to try; you would merely flop about on the floor!" At this the stranger began to laugh.

The fish grew silent for a moment. When he spoke, it was with resolve that he said, "Take me to the King and I will try myself against these tests."

The man looked at the fish and said "You will surely die, but I will take you should you wish it," and then gathered him into a bottle.

When the stranger presented the bottle to the King, the King was confused and asked of him, "Herald, why do you bring such a thing to me? Should you not take such a catch to the kitchens?" to which the stranger replied "No, sire, this fish wishes to prove his mettle in three tasks so that he may be deserving of the honor of speaking with the King. He has told me he will prove his strength, his courage, and his wisdom to your Highness should you but set him the tasks."

Before the King could become angry with what he thought a practical joke, the herald uncorked the bottle and the fish cried out eagerly "It is true, Great King, that I will try to prove myself worthy of an audience should you set me any task! Please let me attempt them at least!"

The King, shocked to hear a fish talking, turned to the herald and weakly bade him prepare three tasks for the fish, though he thought it an unusual request for the fish to make since never before had anyone had to prove themselves worthy of an audience in such a way.

The herald, sniggering at having tricked the fish into asking the King to let it prove itself when there was no such need, went away to prepare a task for the fish. While the mischievous herald was gone, the King asked the fish to tell him of his journey and how he had come to learn the language of men, so the fish told him of all that had passed and of his desire to make a request for aid from the King. The King, thunderstruck at the talking fish, listened intently and wondered at the creature before him and how it planned to pass the three tests it had volunteered for.

When the mischievous herald returned he had with him a large rock with a flat bottom, which he placed on the ground before the fish, saying "If you can move this rock you will have proven your power and can move on to the next task. Were you not bragging, fish, that you could move a mountain earlier? Surely a rock is nothing to one such as you."

Of course, the fish had said no such thing, but he had vowed to save his people, so he said nothing to the cruel herald and tipped over his bottle where he began to flap uselessly at the rock, trying to move it. The King, thinking the fish miraculous, waited to see how it would move the rock.

Some time passed while the fish flailed ineffectually, and the herald began to laugh at the fish's efforts. It started to become clear that the fish was struggling, but still he beat himself against the rock, trying to move it even the tiniest bit.

More time passed and the King began to worry for the fish, for it was clear he could not breathe- yet still he threw himself at the rock.

After yet more time had passed, the fish began to gasp and wheeze as he desperately flung himself against the hard stone. The herald no longer laughed, for the fish's struggles were becoming weaker.

Finally, when it appeared that the fish would kill itself if it attempted any further to move the rock, the King could bear to watch the fish's painful struggle no longer and commanded the herald to bring a basin of water. Yet even having heard the king's command, still the fish threw its battered body against the rock with all its puny might. Afraid that the fish might hurt itself further, the King rose from his seat and held the fish in his arms, trying to calm its thrashing body.

The herald returned running, bringing with him a basin of water, and- ashamed at having almost killed the determined creature- he gently took the fish from the king and lowered it into the water. When the fish was back in the water it began to cry tears of shame at its defeat. The unhappy fish despaired of ever being worthy of an audience with the King and was overwhelmed with pity for both himself and his people.

The King, seeing the fish's tears, was moved and began to speak. "I commend you, worthy fish, at having passed your three trials. You have proven your power in coming all this way to meet with me, your wisdom by learning the speech of man, and your courage by facing death for the sake of your people. Speak, noble fish, and tell me what you would have me do. You have earned the right to ask of this King anything it is within my power to give you."

"I am but a lowly fish, Great King, and know not what to ask for my people. I had counted that in your wisdom you might know of a way to aid us when the rains come so that we are not stricken from this earth."

"I know not how to help your people, noble fish. I can see no way to protect you from the rains, nor do I understand why it should be necessary to do so. Do not fish breathe the water as easily as I breathe the air?"

"The wind brings to us whispers of death to all those who stay. I know not why it should be so either, but I trust what the wind tells me and I ask that the King help us find a way to move to the highlands where the land walkers and the birds have all gone."

"Noble fish, I know not of a way to move a lake into the sky. I'm sorry that I cannot help you, but I would counsel you not to worry, for I am in the midst of a plan to save all of Hyrule and put to rights this silly talk of running to the highlands. Stay, noble fish, and I will make you a member of my household. You have accomplished much and it would be my shame to send you home empty handed, but should you wish to return to your people I shall send you home with an escort and pray for your prosperity as long as I live."

The fish thought it foolishness to ignore the whisperings of the wind, and was surprised that such a great man should not know that which even the simplest of beasts understood. But the fish said nothing of this, instead saying, "If you in your great wisdom know not how to help my people, then I ask only that you should pray to the goddesses on our behalf. Surely they would not listen to the prayers of a lowly fish, but the prayers of a King might do some good. I beg of you, Great King, please ask the Golden Sisters to spare my people!"

The King looked at the fish and said, "You have proven yourself to be a powerful, wise, and courageous fish; such that the goddesses are sure to listen should you ask them yourself. Have you not after all learned to speak the language of men? Ask of them what you wish, worthy fish. They are sure to answer."

The fish balked at such an answer- how could the goddesses hear the prayers of a fish? But nonetheless he hesitantly began to speak, saying, "Though I am naught but a lowly fish, I beseech Thee, The Golden Three, to spare my people death from the rains. I ask only that you might grant us the power, the wisdom, and the courage to survive whatever the rains may bring."

No sooner had the fish finished speaking than he began to transform: She of the Flaming Arms bestowed upon him and his ilk the power to survive in both the salty waters of the ocean and the pure waters of Lake Hylia. She of the Wise Heart gave to every fish in the lake the wisdom of man, so that they were made in their savior's likeness and could speak the language of man as he did. She of the Wild Soul looked down upon her creation and laughed, declaring that there was nothing she could give to him that he did not already have on his own, and simply blessed the fish with a holy kiss blown to him on the breeze.

Such was the origin of the Fishmen.

The First Fishman returned to his people and when the rains came they were saved by the gifts he had won for them all and prospered in the new world. It is said that when the rains had finished, the First Fishman met his friend the King once more, and as thanks for giving him the confidence to speak for himself, he taught a boat the hard-gotten secrets of the language of men that he had learned so long ago. Some say his descendants still speak of their debt to the King to this very day…. But that is nothing more than the whispers of the wind.

**A/N: Urgghhhh this chapter was forged with my sweat, blood, and tears and did not want to be written! After all, it only took me a million years to write the stupid thing. I've got something else in the works that will either be another chapter in this story or, if it becomes big enough, a separate story of its own. So hopefully I'll have something else up...sometime soon?**


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