Legend of Zelda 1. Ten Commandments

Hello everyone! For those of you who don't know me, this is my first Legend of Zelda fanfiction, so I thought I'd fix a few things I never really liked about the series with this. Namely, the fact that Link is always forced to part with his closest companion at the end of every game. I wanna give the guy a break and see if I can't fix that up a bit. For those of you that do know me though, you probably already know exactly where I'm going with this story, so I'll stop wasting your time and get on with the first and biggest of three chapters in this story.

* * *

**Intro**

We find ourselves in a wide clearing in the midst of a forest. Many tall, strong trees surround this small patch of grass and sunbeams. In the middle of the clearing there's a stump. As the camera zooms in on the stump, you notice a book resting on top of it. Suddenly, the book gently opens up of its own accord, and on the first page is written this.

_"Greetings to whomever walks across this book. Do not be alarmed or confused at its presence in whatever location you may find it, nor your irresistible urge to read it, for this is no ordinary book. No, it is a book that appears before only those who need it, and you fine traveler, are certainly in need of its contents._

_"Perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning, as stories so often do. A great many years ago, in a land that I can only imagine is quite far away from where you are, there was a terrible conflict. It was one that spread far and wide, through many nations, races, classes, and kingdoms.  
_

_"While the war was eventually resolved, as wars often are, one way or another, this is not the tale of the conflict of nations. Rather, it is the tale of a conflict of individuals, and how they came to peace.  
_

_"Each verse in this tale is written by a different person affected directly by the war, and where their path ultimately lead them. Each one had different goals setting out, but in the end, they each found that even the most unrelated of people and tasks could have a deeper connection than what lies on the surface.  
_

_"This, my weary traveler, is the Tale of Endless Drive."  
_

* * *

**Verse 1 - Ilia**

_"Hi there! My name's Ilia, though you could probably already tell that by the title of this verse, huh? Anyway, I'm not really certain what to put in this book. The others all have much more interesting stories to tell. I don't know why they're asking me to write out the first part._

_"Maybe they just want to get my part of the story out of the way first, so they can get to their much more exciting tales...  
_

_"I'm just kidding! They'd never think of me that way. Like I said, I don't know why they're having me go first, but I'm not going to question it. Anyway, where should I begin?  
_

_"I suppose it all started when I was back at the village. My father's the mayor, and my best friend Malon (you'll read more about her later) was the daughter of the local stable owner Talon. He's not too bright, but more on that when Malon gets her turn.  
_

_"Anyway, it was just another day, the same as any other, when this guy in a really weird green outfit named Link came into town, looking for some girl named Zelda. Now I'm not the type of girl that falls for any cute guy (and boy, is he cute) but he seemed to get along well enough with the livestock and the local kids, so I had no problem with the guy passing through.  
_

_"Even though no one in the village had any information on the girl he was looking for, he decided to stay in town for a few days to take stock of his supplies before heading out again.  
_

_"Now like I said before, just because I'm from a farming village doesn't mean I'm easy, but this Link guy was so easy to get along with. Malon and I would just chat with him for hours whenever we had the time. He would talk about this city in the sky he claimed to be from (Malon and I both had a good laugh about that at the time) and we would talk about life in our little village. Even though we both knew that he wouldn't be here for long, we both became really good friends with him.  
_

_"On his last day in the village, Link managed to win a horse in an annual racing tournament we hold in the village to attract customers! Can you believe he said it was his first time riding a horse?-! I certainly couldn't! Anyway, his final day in the village was well and good up until a point...  
_

_"That point being when Moblin and Bokoblin raiders attacked our village and kidnapped all the kids.  
_

_"I don't know why they wanted us, still don't as a matter of fact, but I imagine it wasn't anything good. However, as we were being taken from our homes, possibly never to see our families again, Link, the boy who had barely known the people in the village for just a few days didn't hesitate to climb on his new horse and rush after us. At first I thought he was just crazy, but as I looked back he actually managed to free a lot of the kidnapped people, including my best friend Malon...  
_

_"I and a few others weren't as lucky though, since the horde managed to get away with us. It wasn't too bad though. Security was so lax that we all managed to escape when they stopped for the night. I don't know where the kids ran off to though, since I got separated early on. Anyway, something must have hit me on the head and knocked me out somewhere along the road, because I soon woke up in a desolate village, with no memory of who I was, or how I got there.  
_

_"It took a few days, but eventually a nice old lady managed to nurse me back to health, and before long I set out for a nearby city she told me about, hoping to find something that could unlock my memories.  
_

_"It didn't take long for me to run into Link again after I got there, though I couldn't remember him at all. However, even though he barely knew me, and I had no idea who he was, he still went out of his way to help me get my memories back. I don't know the whole story, since I didn't go with him to help him get clues towards my memories, but he still managed to jumpstart my mind with a little flute I had been making for the winner of the annual horse racing tournament.  
_

_"Anyway, this next part is really embarrassing since I still barely knew the guy at the time, but I was so happy to have my memories back that I kissed him right then and there! I know, I said before that I'm not a loose woman, but I had just gotten my memory back so you'll have to forgive me if I was a little bit too happy at the time.  
_

_"Anyway, that's my part of the story in a nutshell!  
_

_"P.S. It's kinda embarrassing for me to admit this to future generations in a book, but over the next few years of my life I really started taking after my dad. I'm really fat now, weighing in at about 404 pounds, but I've really taken to Sumo Wrestling. I actually make a lot of money this way."  
_

_Signed, Ilia. Wife of Link. Mother of Ileana. Occupation, Part-time Sumo Wrestler, Full-time Farmer.  
_

* * *

**Verse 2 - Malon**

_"Damn that Ilia! She took most of what I was going to write! Anyway, ignoring my outburst, my name's Malon, and I'm a farm girl. I'm not the least bit embarrassed about it. In fact, with how little work my father does around the place, I think it's actually something to boast about._

_"Like my best friend said earlier, this guy named Link just waltzed into town one day, became an overnight sensation with the whole village, won a race his first time on a horse, and saved me from a horde of angry raiders. Anyway, after he saved me, one of the raiders managed to knock him off his new horse (who I'd named Epona when she was just a fole) and they got away with the rest of them, including my best friend.  
_

_"When Link was back on his feet, I gathered up my courage and practically begged him to let me help him save the others. He said no, of course, but I'm a bit too headstrong to take something like my best friend getting kidnapped without a fight! He managed to talk me out of going after them directly, but a few of the villagers helped me get in contact with some people who make it their business to keep the peace in the land.  
_

_"It was just a small group to be honest, but we managed to make a lot of headway towards saving everyone. However, while I just cared about helping my village for the most part, working with 'The Group' got me tangled up in a lot of other business that went way over my head at first. Things like fighting monsters, trekking through dangerous terrain, traveling for miles on end with no rest, but I quickly got the hang of it._

_"If you think that's a lot to go through though, you should hear what Link did. I swear, it's like the guy just can't stop himself from helping people in trouble! In the time it took me to track down information that could find the missing children and Ilia, and later help restore her memories, he managed to save Holodrum and Labrynna from evil tyrants trying to send the seasons and time into chaos! And I thought I had a lot on my plate.  
_

_"Other than that, once I did all I set out to do, I stayed with The Group for while longer. Not so much out of obligation, as I was having a really good time. Anyway, before my time with The Group was over, I'd helped Link save not only Castle Town, but also the surrounding Providences of Kokiri Forest, Kakariko Village, Death Mountain, Zora's Domain, and Gerudo Desert! And let's not forget that he even saved the entire Twilight Realm.  
_

_"Man I did a lot in my youth! I still do actually, at least at the time I'm writing this story. If you lived in my time, you'd know all about me! Not to sound cocky, but I was known far and wide as the strongest woman in the known world! I was stronger and more muscular than any man the army had to offer. I guess all that farm work does a growing woman good.  
_

_"That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!"  
_

_Signed, Malon. Wife of Link. Mother of Romani and Cremia. Occupation, Part-time Mercenary, Full-time Farmer.  
_

* * *

**Verse 3 - Saria**

_"Hello! My name's Saria, but you could probably already tell that, couldn't you? I'll be honest, I really don't have that much experience with writing. I suppose being stuck as a kid for several hundred years will do that to ya. Don't look so surprised, I know what I wrote. Yes, I was a child for a lot longer than most people, but that's because I'm a Kokiri. For those of you who don't know, my people are born in Kokiri Forest (hence the name) and we live there our whole, eternally young lives, or at least most of us do, since I left for reasons I'll get to in a bit._

_"It all really started when Link, who needs no introduction by this point, came waltzing through Kokiri forest looking for this girl called Zelda, and this thing called a 'Fused Shadow'. Now in case I didn't make it clear in the beginning, Kokiri Forest is for Kokiri, Fairies, and The Great Deku Tree only. Under normal circumstances, no one else is allowed in, and anybody who wanders in by accident gets lost and turns into a monster. Link however, was different for some reason. Not only did he dress just like a Kokiri, but The Great Deku Tree himself asked a fairy (a particularly annoying one called Navi) to bring the man to him!  
_

_"I was shocked, and so were the rest of the Kokiri. After all, a non-Kokiri in the forest was weird enough, but now he was being treated as an honored guest? Needless to say, almost every Kokiri and Fairy decided to spy on him during his talk with The Great Deku Tree, but I have to admit that none of us did a very good job of actually hiding. He knew we were there, and it was so obvious that I could tell he knew. Anyway, apparently The Great Deku Tree had heard about Link from messages his brother and sister sent by migrating birds. I managed to set aside my shock at hearing that The Great Deku Tree had siblings long enough to hear the rest of their conversation, which is probably more than I can say about the rest of my tribe.  
_

_"The Great Deku Tree said that he knew what Link had come here seeking, and that he did indeed possess a Fused Shadow. When he mentioned this, he also said that there was another artifact stored with it inside of his body, which Link would have to take with him if he was to fulfill some ancient prophecy handed down by the Goddess or something. At that moment, two girls, who I would later call a part of my extended family, came out of his sword and shadow and began discussing this. While the shadow one was sarcastic and only seemed interested in the Fused Shadow, the sword one was more serious and was focused on the task of the Goddess. While they each wanted Link to focus on something different for different reasons, he seemed focused on helping his friends, though who his friends were I wouldn't learn until later.  
_

_"When they went inside to retrieve what they were looking for, many Kokiri, including myself tried to follow. However, aside from me, The Great Deku Tree managed to keep us out. Link and his friends were surprised to see I had followed them, and said that I should go back outside and wait. Even though I'm normally not the most driven or assertive of Kokiri, something about this situation just gnawed at me to look into it. I decided to follow them, even if they didn't want me there. While the sword spirit politely introduced herself as Fi, the shadow spirit was downright rude to me, and said her name was none of my business.  
_

_"It took a while, but after trekking through The Great Deku Tree's body for a while, fending off a few parasites that had wormed their way inside, finding keys for doors that had both somehow been inside The Great Deku Tree, and actually making fast friends with Link, we managed to get to the lowest level of The Great Deku Tree. When we got there, we were in for an awful sight. Some giant, crab, bug, one-eyed, thing had been feeding off of The Great Deku Tree. While at first it seemed like nothing could harm the beast, as Link's sword couldn't even make a scratch on that thing, and idea occurred to me when I was glaring it in the eye. Acting quickly, I pulled out a slingshot I kept for the occasional prank, and fired a seed right into its one eye!  
_

_"To my surprise, it worked perfectly. When it fell to the ground, Link rushed forward and stabbed it right through the eye with his sword, all the way up to the hilt. The beast thrashed around for a bit, damaging The Great Deku Tree's roots even more, before it suddenly stopped cold and burst into flame (I know, poor choice of words). Where its charred remains had turned to dust, there was suddenly an emerald and a floating chunk of rock. Then the shadow girl, who chose this time to introduce herself as Midna out of respect for my idea, snatched up one rock, and Fi grabbed the emerald. Before I knew what was happening, a strange light began to surround each of us and warped us out of the temple.  
_

_"What happened next I still don't fully understand, and I don't think any Goddess would have either since it went against an apparently ancient plan she had devised herself. A man named Rauru appeared before me and awoke me to my job as the Sage of the Forest, one of the 'Six Sages' that were supposed to help seal away an evil as old as time itself. The awakening brought on knowledge I had never learned, and memories I had never lived. With this new information at hand, I was prepared to live a life of solitude, as I knew it would take nothing less to seal the evil away for good. However, just when I went to accept the task sent before me, Link literally shattered through the void I was currently in and punched Rauru right in the face.  
_

_"I was stunned. There was no other way to describe it. A man I knew I had to work with to seal away the ancient evil had just been knocked unconscious by the hero I was supposed to be supporting from the shadows to seal that evil away. When I tried to explain the situation to Link, he listened closely, taking in every word I was saying, and what he was meant to do. When I had finished explaining the circumstances to him, he just stood there and asked me one question."  
_

_"'Would you be okay with that?'"  
_

_"I didn't know what to say. My immediate response should have been yes, but for some reason I hesitated. Was I doing this because I genuinely wanted to, or because some vision was telling me to? I was so confused. Fi tried to convince me that the designs of the Goddess were best kept to, while Midna said I should disregard what others tell me to do, and only do what I say is right.  
_

_"In the end, I went with Midna's advice over Fi's. I had nothing against Fi, and few good things to say about Midna, but no matter what else I could have said, overall I just wanted to stay by Link. Even though I hadn't even known him a day, he tore through to another dimension with his bare hands to save me, just because he thought of me as a friend. As I took his hand and went with him back to the forest, I knew I had made the right decision.  
_

_"When I got back though, all was not well. Due to the monsters, The Great Deku Tree had passed on, and due to my refusal of the call, it tried to drag me back by force, forcing me to flee the forest with Link and his friends. I'll admit that I was terrified, tales of what happened to Kokiri who left the forest weighed heavily on my mind. However, with my hand in Link's, I was able to face that fear head on.  
_

_"My changes after leaving the forest weren't immediately apparent, but I realized over the coming months and years, that leaving the forest took away my eternal youth. I was aging, and would eventually die, but I didn't mind. Because with my family by my side, I wasn't afraid of anything."  
_

_Signed, Saria. Wife of Link. Mother of Rose and Lily. Occupation, Teacher.  
_

* * *

**Verse 4 - Ruto  
**

_"Greetings commoners, my regal name is Ruto, and I'm the Queen of the Zoras. And while I may be incapable of ever returning to my domain in person, I'm still fully capable of running my people's affairs remotely. I am after all, of noble birth. Enough of that though! I suppose what matters right now is setting my affairs in order, so that my tale may be passed down to future generations for prosperity.  
_

_"My tale starts at my very birth, however I suppose all the details of my life are best left for my autobiography. Instead, I will tell in these pages what is perhaps the single greatest chapter in my young life, for the single greatest chapter of my more recent years is dominated by my stellar performance as a loving wife and mother. Nonetheless, this verse shall begin with my wedding day.  
_

_"I'll be perfectly honest, I had no fondness for the man my father had selected for me to wed, and in case and point, barely even knew who he was, but for the growth and prosperity of the Zora race sacrifices needed to be made. However, it seemed as though fate had other plans in mind for this day, as I had barely begun to walk down the aisle when Lord Jabu-Jabu, our patron deity, started thrashing about and causing a great quake in Zora's Domain. Now as I was the Princess of the Zora Tribe, it fell upon me to attempt to appease his temper, so the wedding was postponed until I had fulfilled my duty.  
_

_"I know that it all must seem like quite a daunting task to you who are reading this, but given my upbringing I had no doubts in my mind. At first I simply attempted to calm him down with my soothing voice, as I had done so many times in the past during routine rituals and his occasional bad day in the past. However, I quickly realized that my melodious voice would not suffice this time. As I pondered what I could possibly do to solve this task before me, 'He' suddenly appeared.  
_

_"When I first saw him, he seemed just another unassuming commoner, dressed in the garb of the rumored forest children like that disgusting man who occasionally flies around Zora's Domain with a balloon. I had to admit that he was not nearly as repulsive as that other man though, and could in fact actually pass for handsome by some standards, but I digress. I still had a task before me, and none could be allowed to distract me. I ordered him to leave, but he showed no proper respect to my title or commands, and instead asked if I knew where something called a 'Fused Shadow' might lie. Even without the indignation of my orders having been disregarded, I had no time for him and generously informed him I knew of no such object.  
_

_"It was then that things began to get very unusual, very quickly. Spirits appeared from his sword and shadow, telling him that they felt this Fused Shadow within Jabu-Jabu's body, and that I held in my possession some gem they also needed for some reason. I still knew not what this Fused Shadow could be, but I felt certain that whatever it was must have been what was upsetting Lord Jabu-Jabu so much. When I was about to make the dangerous trek inside of Lord Jabu-Jabu, the man asked me for whatever gem I might have on me. While such a remark may have sounded rude at best under normal circumstances, and much like a theft under even normal ones, the only gem I had on me was the Zora's Sapphire, and that was most certainly not leaving my possession on the word of some commoner.  
_

_"Setting aside its obvious monetary worth, it was much more than just some mere trinket to hand out on a whim. Not only was it a keepsake from my late mother, but it was also the tradition of the Zora Princess to bequeath it only upon their husband. The very idea of giving it to someone I had only just met was more than just out of the question, it was also the most offensive thing I'd ever heard in my life!  
_

_"I told him in disgust that I would never hand over the Zora Sapphire and dived into the water to both lose him and find a fish to bait Lord Jabu-Jabu into (uhg) eating me. In case that sounds vulgar to you, don't fret so much, for Jabu-Jabu is doubtless the single largest creature in all the lands, and it was not the first time I'd ventured into his body to remove something offensive that he accidentally swallowed, and I knew how to get out safely. Once I had found a fish and returned to Lord Jabu-Jabu, the man was gone, no doubt having given up hope of whatever task he was undertaking. However, when I baited Lord Jabu-Jabu into swallowing me with the fish I had caught, there was the man again, already inside of Lord Jabu-Jabu!  
_

_"Needless to say I commanded him to leave, but he would have nothing of it, saying that he needed both the Fused Shadow and my Zora Sapphire to save his friends. While I was admittedly a bit touched that someone would go to such lengths for their companions, I still had my own objective to accomplish. I kindly told him that so long as he did nothing to hurt Lord Jabu-Jabu, he was welcome to whatever this Fused Shadow was, but I drew the line at handing over my Zora Sapphire. It was then that the shadow spirit suggested simply stealing it from me! Can you believe it?-! Of all the nerve! While I held few doubts that he may well be able to steal it from me, what with him in possession of a sword, he instantly shot down the idea, saying that if I didn't want to hand it over, then I must have my reasons and he would accomplish his goals in some other manner.  
_

_"At this point I was already somewhat impressed by his chivalry, but then the sword spirit said that he could not afford to pass up any more advantages, especially since he'd already prevented some Sages of Forest and Fire from taking up their posts, he merely said that he didn't want to hurt anyone innocent for the sake of his own goals. Suddenly, I had to reevaluate my opinion of his very quickly. Being a princess, I was well acquainted with history, and based on what I've read of various heroes throughout the ages, this man at least carried himself as one. Unlike almost all the others though, who were prepared to make necessary sacrifices for the greater good, this man seemed dead set on not allowing anyone to pay the price for his own goals.  
_

_"I decided that he wasn't so bad as I thought in our initial encounter, and realized he was in need of some respect for his chivalry. I graciously introduced myself, and asked for the names of him and his companions in kind. He said his name was Link, and his sword spirit politely introduced herself as Fi. The shadow spirit was a bit more reluctant, not to mention downright condescending, but Link introduced her as Midna, so I decided to let the matter slide for the time being. Then a blue Fairy suddenly popped out of his hat, and with a 'Hey Listen' that I would eventually come to associate both with great irritation, and a mild companionship, she introduced herself as Navi.  
_

_"As the body of Lord Jabu-Jabu was largely linear in nature, our temporary group spent a great deal of our traveling together. This turned out to be a wise decision, as Lord Jabu-Jabu's body had changed greatly since I last entered, with many places requiring our cooperation to proceed. While I was greatly confused at how his body could have changed so much, Midna explained that the Fused Shadow held a great dark power, and that its presence inside Lord Jabu-Jabu was slowly corrupting his body into something dark and twisted. I was aghast. The notion that our guardian deity would be turned into a monster and rampage through Zora's Domain was something I could not bear. I implored Link to help me find the Fused Shadow and remove it from Lord Jabu-Jabu posthaste.  
_

_"While Link said he was going to do that anyway, Midna had the nerve to try and extort their aid from me! She demanded the Zora's Sapphire in exchange for their help, and said they'd leave if I didn't agree. While I was ready to storm off and solve the problem myself again, Link continued to go with me, saying he needed nothing in exchange for his help no matter what Midna said. I had to remind myself to stop being surprised by him at this point, for I could easily see now that he was the embodiment of chivalry more than any other man I had ever met. In spite of my engagement, I couldn't help but feel smitten.  
_

_"As we continued further into the maze of insides, we occupied our time with simple conversations. I learned he had a fondness for pumpkins and cheese, that he had a horse named Epona. I learned of his adventures in Labrynna and Holodrum, and that he supposedly came from an island in the sky where he was a knight in training with his friends, but was currently taking up residence in a small remote village. I told him of my childhood and of my friends I made during my father's diplomatic meetings. I spoke of my fondness for Reekfish and swimming in Lake Hylia. I even let slip my secret fear of beavers.  
_

_"Eventually, we came upon an area of Jabu-Jabu's body that was simply an open chamber with a bizarre thing surrounded by jellyfish hanging from the ceiling. I didn't know what it was exactly, but I knew for a fact that it wasn't supposed to be there, and I wasn't alone in that opinion. All three of Link's companions were in agreement that whatever that thing was, it was the cause of Jabu-Jabu's distress, as well as the vessel of the Fused Shadow. In my rage at it, I admit that I acted quite recklessly and tried to fight it myself. Needless to say, it didn't end well for me, and I was captured in its tentacles. Now I don't know if you know this, but in Zora culture at least, getting caught in the tentacles of anything that has them is the lowest form of degradation imaginable. Seriously, they say that any Zora caught by them is no longer fit to wed! Just my luck that it had to happen on my wedding day, even though, as I said before, I didn't really find myself all that attracted to my suitor.  
_

_"I was so caught up in the shame and humiliation that I barely noticed Link immediately rushing to save me. He was so valiant and dashing in the process, cutting down the parasite from the ceiling with his boomerang and slashing away at the jellyfish and their host. When the creature began spinning around the room in a frenzy, Link's very next course of action was to throw caution to the wind and save me from the beast's clutches. As he carried me upon his back, I noticed that his left arm, which was clearly his dominant hand, had been scorched by the electricity. Nonetheless, he fought through the pain, cradling me firmly yet gently as he continued to fight, and eventually strike down the beast.  
_

_"Once the battle was all said and done, and Jabu-Jabu let out a bellow of relief, a mysterious rock fragment floated up from the splattered corpse of the beast. Midna floated over to it and grabbed it in her hair, saying something about having all the Fused Shadows now and something they were going to do with them, but I was too preoccupied with my own musings to notice. I had been caught in tentacles, and I was in no mood for celebrating Link and his group acquiring some rock. While I was glad that they accomplished their goal, my own life was now ruined. I try my best to not be vain, as it is unfitting of a ruler to do so, but I had needs and desires too. As I was pondering the events of today, I was suddenly surrounded by a bright light.  
_

_"When the light began to dim, I was on some platform surrounded by a void. Just as I began to wonder what had happened, a panicked voice cut through the silence. 'Hurry!' The voice said as en elderly Hylian with a black eye and a broken arm came into view. 'There's not much time! You must take your post before he arrives!' The man spoke the word 'he' as if it were something foul. Just as I was about to ask what he meant, visions suddenly flashed through my mind. Things I never knew I knew came alive in my head, and I realized my destiny as the Sage of Water.  
_

_"'Yes', I thought to myself. 'This is, and has always been my purpose in life.' Thoughts of a marriage to someone I held little taste for, after an encounter as horrible as tentacles left my mind as meaningless. As Rauru, my fellow Sage, hurriedly ushered me onto the symbol of water, a shattering of glass echoed through the area. 'Not again,' complained Rauru as he was suddenly pounded to the ground by a war hammer. My eyes quickly trailed from the head of the weapon to its wielder. To my surprise, it was Link who had struck down Rauru. 'Why does he keep trying this?' Link wondered aloud before turning to me with a smile that set my heart aflutter.  
_

_"'What do you think you're doing?' I asked in confusion. 'You must know as well as I do now that the Sages are as vital as you are to preserving the peace. It is our destiny to help you vanquish evil from this world through selfless sacrifice.' As I implored him to see the larger picture, a stray thought worked its way to my mouth as I held the Zora's Sapphire. 'And even if it were not our purpose, after what has happened to me, I can never go back to how things once were. My disgrace during your battle would haunt me for the rest of my days, and prevent me from giving away this keepsake from my mother for the reason she and I had both always intended.' I knew now what was expected of me, and that I had to now give this treasure to Link for reasons that would shame my mother's memory. As I bequeathed the Zora's Sapphire to Link and turned to take my place in the circle, the next words from Link would cut my resolve in two.  
_

_"'I'll only take this in the spirit your mother wanted for it.'"  
_

_"Just like that, my world came to a grinding halt. Was he really saying what I thought he was saying? In spite of my disgrace and the fact we hadn't even known each other for a day, was he offering to wed me? While I would honestly prefer him to the suitor my father had chosen, as a Sage I was in no place to form relations. Yet even as I knew my destiny, a more rebellious side of me urged me on to ignore destiny and accept his proposal, but I knew it for foolishness. Refusing destiny was no more possible than my dreams of a marriage full of love now. However, my own words would betray me now, as I said to Link. 'Would you really have me as I am?'  
_

_"At first I knew not where those words had come from, but as Link wrapped me in his powerful, yet gentle arms and took me away from the Sanctuary, I fully understood it. Destiny is not set in stone. My instincts had guided me to make a choice more important to me than the designs of the Goddess. When we got back to Zora's Domain, the power of the Sanctuary tried to draw me back in, but Link held fast to me as he rushed from the area, beyond both my homeland and the reach of the Sanctuary.  
_

_"In denying fate, I made a choice most would not have the courage to do. However, when Link brought me to his home away from home and introduced me to all his friends, I'll admit I was a little jealous of the other girls at first, but I grew to love them all as family."  
_

_Signed, Ruto. Wife of Link. Mother of Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, and Ti. Occupation, Queen of the Zora Tribe._

* * *

**Verse 5 - Impa  
**

_"Greetings reader. My name is Impa, and it is my purpose in life to fulfill the designs of the Goddess... Or rather it was, until Link, the Chosen Hero of the Goddess, decided not to play by the rules, but perhaps I should start at the beginning. For as far back as I can recall, I already knew very well what my duty to the Goddess and the world was. Guide the mortal vessel of the Goddess Hylia to three springs, where her body and soul would be purified. Guide the hero she had chosen to complete the challenges and trials set before him. And after my part in guidance was finished, I was to take up the mantle of the Sage of Shadows. It wouldn't be an easy task, but the idea was perfectly simple in design...  
_

_"I must admit though, how easily even the best of plans can go astray. Oh, it all started out well enough. I saved Zelda from her fall from the sky and awoke in her knowledge of the duty she needed to fulfill. I knew her friend, the chosen hero, wouldn't be far behind no matter where we went. While she was saddened by the idea of being forced to trick The Hero in such a manner, she knew what her duty was._

_"The first spring was in Holodrum, and even then we were off to a rocky start. Some demon named Onox had chosen almost the exact time of our arrival to capture Din, the Oracle of Seasons, and in so doing threw off the balance of nature, thus rendering the first spring useless until he was stopped. Naturally, even I couldn't do this alone, so I had to work fast to gather up tools and information to help The Hero from the shadows._

_"Working together, even though he was unaware of it, I managed to provide him with the tools necessary to stop Onox and free Din. However, there was no time to waste, and Zelda had to be brought to the spring quickly, so as to avoid contact with The Hero. We cut it close, but we managed to get away before he arrived.  
_

_"Next was the spring in Labrynna, and again things got mucked up almost the moment we arrived. This time, an evil sorceress named Veran had possessed Nayru, the Oracle of Ages, and used her powers to make a mockery of the past, and in turn the present as well. Once again I was forced to aid The Hero in gathering the necessary tools to defeat the evils plaguing the land and rescue an Oracle. However, this time he managed to save the Oracle before defeating Veran, but this did little to save history and the spring. Veran still needed to be stopped, and after a bit more work, she was.  
_

_"This time however, we cut our encounter at the second spring far too close, as The Hero actually managed to reach us just as we were finishing up. I knew that I couldn't allow him to interfere, so I was forced to confront him directly, hoping to stall him long enough for Zelda to finish up. To say it was a difficult task would be an understatement. I initially tried to break his spirit for a time by mocking his shortcomings, but he decked me in the face before I could react, leaving me with no alternative but to fight him. I'll be honest, the fight didn't last long. It only took two blows from him before my arm was broken and I had to retreat with Zelda. Fortunately, the confrontation was long enough for her to finish the ritual, but it didn't do anything to heal my broken pride.  
_

_"Then came the third spring, which was back in Hyrule. This time I took absolutely no chances with any important people, convincing Farore, the Oracle of Secrets, to take refuge in the small remote village of New Kakario, where none would think to look for her. It also helped that she didn't really have much power anyone would consider worth stealing. As for the Sages, aside from myself and Rauru, I knew little about where they were. All I knew was that they each hailed from a different tribe. The Sage of Forest was a Kokiri, The Sage of Fire was a Goron, The Sage of Water was a Zora, and The Sage of Spirit was a Gerudo. I warned the first three tribes to be careful of attackers in the near future, but I hesitated when it came to the Gerudo. After all, as a clan of thieves, they weren't exactly the most friendly of women.  
_

_"In the end I decided against it, as they were always on the lookout for potential trouble anyway. However, all my preparations eventually proved to be useless, as a gang of Moblins and Bokoblins raided the village I told Farore to take refuge at by complete chance, and even kidnapped Farore herself, no doubt completely unaware of who she really was. I had little time for such worries though, as the next thing I knew a huge curtain of twilight swept over the land, turning all the people into spirits, and once again leaving the spring unusable. I couldn't believe this was happening, again! While Farore being kidnapped likely had next to nothing to do with the veil of twilight in a cause-and-effect relationship, this was still far more than I ever thought I'd have to confront._

_"Unfortunately, before I could even do anything about the situation, bizarre beasts of shadows descended upon Zelda and I, capturing the both of us before we knew what was happening. When I came to, I found both myself and Zelda together in a cold and damp jail cell. After hours of waiting in here with no one coming to check on us, I came to the conclusion that whoever placed us in here had no idea who we really were. As a member of the Shiekah I've been trained all my life to expect the unexpected, however the trials I had been facing for months now were beginning to border on madness, even for one with as much patience as myself.  
_

_"There was little for Zelda or myself to do in our cell, only being able to occupy ourselves through the long hours with song and story. Not only was the door locked in such a crude, ramshackle, yet sturdy manner that there was no lock to pick and I couldn't force the door even if I toiled for hours, but the guards came only twice a day to feed us half-spoiled, half-overcooked food, and make certain we haven't escaped. This pattern went on for three days before SOMETHING broke the monotony that was beginning to drive me up the walls. One of the guards brought in some wolf that wasn't affected by the twilight for some reason, and they locked it up in the cell adjacent to us.  
_

_"I'll be the first to admit it wasn't much, but it gave me something to think about at least. What would they want with a wolf? How did it stay itself in this curtain of twilight? And was I just asking myself these questions out of curiosity, or was I slowly descending into madness? Just as I began wondering these questions and more, an imp appeared out of nowhere, and after flashing a cocky grin in my direction it floated over the the cell with the wolf. At first I thought madness had truly claimed my mind, but when Zelda asked me if I knew what that imp was I felt my sanity return to me. I didn't know what the imp wanted in here, but it seemed intent on waiting until the wolf woke up for some reason, and no matter how I pleaded for her to help us out of here, she just shrugged us off as if she couldn't care less about us. Which, given how things had been going, she might well not have.  
_

_"When I heard shuffling from the next cell over, I knew that the wolf had awoken. Just then, the imp that had been so silent with me no matter my attempts began to speak to the wolf as if it understood her. She spoke of how the wolf was once human and that she could help him out of there if he became her servant. At this point Zelda began pleading to the imp as well. This seemed to stir something in the wolf, as the imp condescendingly asked if Zelda was someone he knew. Zelda then gasped out The Hero's name, and based on the wolf's response her guess was right. What happened next wasn't too surprising, as the imp agreed to let us out as well if The Hero became her servant, and as best a wolf could, he accepted without a hint of hesitation.  
_

_"A great deal of the ordeals to come will no doubt be listed by the appropriate people in this book, so I shall simply list that which applies directly to myself. In spite of my best efforts to keep Zelda and The Hero separated until the right time, they came together nonetheless, and we all managed to escape to a more inhabitable area. In spite of my instructions to Zelda not to say anything of their shared destiny to The Hero, he managed to get her to talk once he was a human again. I couldn't say I was surprised really, all things considered._

_"Over the next several weeks, Zelda and I would wait and recover from injuries - particularly my still broken arm - and malnourishment in the small village The Hero had taken refuge in, which was coincidentally the same area I had instructed Farore to hide in. I felt weak like this, hiding out while The Hero set out to do what I should have done, and he wasn't even doing that right! The Sages of Forest, Fire, and Water all abdicated their fated positions after being reminded of their mortal attachments by The Hero himself! What was he doing?! He knew that they each had to take up their post if the evil of so long ago was to be defeated once and for all! Even so, he still insisted that there was another way, and worse yet, Midna was supporting this heretical behavior, and even Fi, who was programmed never to question the orders of the Goddess, was being swayed by his words and actions!  
_

_"The moment my arm was well enough to function, I had had enough of this. The will of the Goddess had to be kept to if the world was to know an era of peace. I knew that the only reason the other Sages had not taken up their post had to have been due to a lack of power in the Sacred Realm. If I wanted to fulfill my mission, I needed to take my role as Sage of Shadows immediately. So under the cover of night, I set out for Old Kakariko Village. However, shortly after I began my exploration of the Shadow Temple, I heard the footsteps of another explorer. Doubtless it was The Hero, looking to stop me from following the will of the Goddess, but I had no time to worry about him, so I carried onward.  
_

_"It wasn't an easy quest, but I managed. Eventually, after hours of toil and fighting, I arrived at the place where I would take up my mantle as the Sage of Shadows. However, when I entered the room where I would accomplish my goals, I found that The Hero - no, Link - had already beaten me there. Not only that, but he had brought along Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Malon, Din, Nayru, Farore, Fi, Midna, Navi, Zelda, and Maple (more on her later) and they were all standing worn yet proudly over the corpse of the monster Bongo-Bongo, which had been sealed away long ago by powerful sorcerers, who couldn't manage to destroy it no matter how they tried.  
_

_"At that point we were all taken to the Sanctuary, where Rauru was awaiting me. To say he was shocked to see all of us here was an understatement. In fact, he actually passed out when Link tapped his iron boots on the ground in a thinly veiled threat. Suddenly, I felt very light headed before collapsing to my hands and knees. I couldn't believe it. I simply could not accept it! That Link had come this far and accomplished without the aid of the Goddess miracles of the greatest degree had floored me. What was he, what were THEY thinking by doing all this?! Why couldn't they just accept that Demise could not be sealed without the aid of the Goddess?!"  
_

_"'Because we can already accomplish this much without it.'"  
_

_"Link's answer to my question instantly shattered my worldview. It was true. In spite of all the trials before him, Link never once counted upon the guidance or aid of the Goddess, and instead actually seemed intent on defying it outright. All these actions, all these accomplishments. He had done it not with the blessings of the Goddess, but by working hard and relying on his friends. They didn't need any deity to guide them. Just having each other was enough to keep them going strong.  
_

_"All my life, I had lived by the axiom that the will of the Goddess was absolute. Now, I had come at a crossroad. On one hand, I could take the path I hand always known. I could become a Sage and live a life of recluse. On the other, I could take a completely different path. One that held everything but friendship and family as an uncertainty. The path I knew was easier for someone like me, but the path I didn't held promises I wasn't certain I wanted to hear. No matter how much I wracked my mind on the subject, I just couldn't decide. As I felt a hand on my shoulder, I looked up and saw the warm, welcoming faces of all my friends._

_"'Yes,' I thought. 'These are my friends.' And so I grabbed Link's hand, and ventured forth into uncertainty. While it was a life changing decision, it was one I knew I'd never regret. I'd found a family, and I'd never let it go."  
_

_Signed, Impa. Wife of Link. Mother of Impa II. Occupation, Housewife and Informant.  
_

* * *

**Verse 6 - Nabooru**

_"Hello there, my name's Nabooru, and as you can no doubt tell by now, this is the story of how so many women have had their lives changed for the better by a man with more women than an average male Gerudo. Speaking of male Gerudos, the most recent one, a man by the name of Ganondorf, had caused a great deal of trouble for the Gerudo Tribe and all the surrounding areas, and in spite of the long held tradition that the Gerudo will always be lead by the sole male born every 100 years, based on his actions I was left with little alternative than to lead a coup about 7 years before this story takes place. It wasn't an easy task, as I had to both gather a resistance in secret and plan how to usurp power in a way no one would question, a plan which took many years to come to fruition, but eventually, in spite of all the odds we managed somehow, and Ganondorf was vanquished._

_"But that was sadly not the last my people would hear of Ganondorf, for his caretakers from infancy, our resident sorceresses Koume and Kotake, devised a plot to resurrect him by lighting the flames of Sorrow, Destruction, and Despair, thus completing a ritual to bring him back. Unfortunately, we could not capture or slay them before they got away. Fortunately, we managed to prevent the ritual from taking place, at least for a time. Before too long though, word reached the ears of all Hyrule that disasters were befalling Holodrum, and later Labrynna, and based on the exact details, we of the Gerudo could easily tell who was responsible, and what they were hoping to accomplish.  
_

_"Alas, even though we knew what was going on, we also knew that the pair had chosen their locations wisely, for even if we sent warriors the instant we heard of the tragedies in the neighboring countries, they would not arrive in time to stop the lighting of the flames. The best we could hope to do would be to take responsibility, and contain the effects of each nightmare unleashed upon their lands. Before we even left the borders of Hyrule though, each of the evils brought on by the twins had already been slain by a much rumored knight garbed in green.  
_

_"Though my people knew not exactly who to thank, we sent out our prayers to him each night regardless. Suddenly though, a darkness different from the bitter cold nights of the desert I and my people were used to blanketed the land, imprisoning all but myself as lost souls. While I didn't know why I was unaffected, I was still driven to save my people however I could. As I was bared from leaving the desert itself by a wall of strange runes, this left me with only the option of searching my homeland for a solution to this curse. I scoured everywhere for weeks before I finally found something, or rather someone that could be the answer. A wolf with an imp of some sort riding its back and a fairy following after rushed through, here and there, attacking things I could not see but I knew were there based on the crunching sound of his strikes. It wasn't much, but after the monotony of twilight for weeks on end, anything new was a welcome sight.  
_

_"While following the wolf, I was soon spotted by the imp, who remarked in annoyance that there seemed to be too many people capable of surviving twilight unchanged for her liking. Irked though I was by her callous remark, after several weeks of mind numbing solitude, annoying company was far better than no company. Introductions were brief and over all too soon. I was Nabooru, the imp was Midna, the wolf was Link, and the fairy was Navi, and that was all the fruitful conversation I got for a while. I say fruitful because Link couldn't talk at the time, though he did do his best to keep my spirits up with a few playful actions here and there, Midna was staying silent aside from the occasional wisecrack, and while Navi did communicate a lot, she talked too much and about things I couldn't care less about.  
_

_"Soon enough though, Navi had broken my nerves and I demanded answers. Just as Midna was about to respond though, something large, heavy, and fast collided with me from behind and knocked me to the ground. When I got up and scanned the area, all I could see was Link attacking invisible monsters again. While I could only tell where it was by the sparks it occasionally made to ward Link off, I could tell that it was far bigger than anything he was attacking before. Even with my handicap, I had no intention of being useless in this fight and drew my sword. Following the movements of both Link and the sparks, I dodged and waited until the beast's defense was down, and when Link rushed at an area I wasn't more than a step behind to follow up his attacks.  
_

_"It wasn't long before the beast fell by our combined might, and once it did light almost immediately returned to the land. Living in a desert town, day was harsh, and night was only slightly more bearable, but at that moment, I had never been happier to see sunlight. When Link changed from a wolf to a human before my eyes as well, I'll admit that I was quite shocked, but I quickly regained myself. After all, he would not be the first person I've met with the power of transformation, and anyone who can keep pace with my technique in a fight deserves respect. To return the favor for him saving my land, I brought him back to my village and introduced him as a hero.  
_

_"While we don't have much to offer at as desert town, we did know how to celebrate with what we did have. As Link regaled my tribe with stories of some of his many adventures, it didn't take us long to realize that he was the one who saved Holodrum and Labrynna. Many disputed these claims, as it seemed like too much of a coincidence. Sensing the beginnings of a fight about to break out, I proposed that we have a challenge. Link and myself would compete in a series of games, and if he really is the one who solved our problems for us, the he should have little trouble with defeating me. Oh sure, he tried to back out at first, but then Navi buzzed in and said that he needed to find some Mirror of Twilight in the desert. While I didn't know what it was, I offered to give him a tour around the desert if he proved himself to be a real hero. It was a dishonest way of giving incentive, but I'm a thief, and even though I already believed his claim, I actually wanted to see how he stacked up to me.  
_

_"Skipping all the boring details, he got a perfect score in the horseback archery game, and beat my time in our training grounds by 21 seconds. With this there were few to no more disputes to his claim, but I couldn't help feeling a bit of envy for his skills. If only he had been born the king of the Gerudo Tribe, why I would have... But no time for that, I had to make good on my deal. As we ventured out of the village, I warned Link that there was little to nothing of interest in the desert aside from the Spirit Temple. When he let out a despondent sign at the mention of it, Midna popped out of his shadow instantly, and some spirit popped out of his sword. As you can tell by the previous passages, that would be Fi, and yes, her appearance did surprise me. Their interest in the subject was obvious, and because Link seemed to be so annoyed by the mention of the Spirit Temple for some reason, I decided to take my sweet time leading them there, talking about the history and layout of the temple all the way. What can I say? Link's just so cute when he gets all wound up.  
_

_"When we got there, I was surprised to find a massive monolith barring the entrance, but my shock at its mysterious appearance there since my last visit was thrown out the window when Link actually managed to LIFT IT, and chuck in into the desert! I was so amazed at his feat of strength that surpassed even most Gorons that he had to rouse me from my shock. As we journeyed through the temple I tried to start up some conversation to shake my nerves, but my mind always came back to what he had done to open the temple. Such strength was surly not possible for a human, but he clearly had such power, so what did that make him? While I had no idea what he was, I had to admit that he was quite a specimen either way. Handsome, well built, good with any weapon or tool he could find, a fine horseman, good at solving problems but admittedly not all that smart otherwise, a genuinely kind young man, not to mention inhumanly strong...  
_

_"Okay, I'll admit it, I was completely smitten with him by this point. While Gerudo are not as completely in touch with their feelings as most, we did still have them, and when we wanted something, we wanted it NOW, and we would fight tooth and nail to get it. It's part of why we're thieves, without other emotions to cloud our minds, our passions and wants were that much stronger. It was not unusual for a Gerudo to fall in love with a kindhearted and competent man they met just a day before, and given the combination of our lethality and our strong judgment of character, unions formed on such grounds tended to last for life. Just as I decided to bite the arrow and ask Link to bed with me, those two bastards Twinrova appeared out of nowhere and started ranting about how the troublesome hero kept getting in their way.  
_

_"It took me a few seconds to figure things out in my head, but by the time I did Link had already charged off into battle. Not one to be left out, I went in after him with my scimitars in hand. At first that battle was harsh going, with those vile witches flying out of range of most of our weapons, and dashing this way and that to avoid our arrows. While our attacks were ineffective, the ease with which Link and I cooperated and covered for each other only added to my lust for him. He would give me fine daughters one day, I just knew it. Just as I was beginning to come up with names for our future children, one of those elderly sisters fired a beam at me from her broom. I would have been flash cooked if Link hadn't stepped in with his new Mirror Shield in hand, deflecting the beam into her sister, and causing her to recoil in pain.  
_

_"With nothing more than a glance between Link and I, we agreed upon an attack strategy. I deflected the beams with my scimitars, while Link did the same with his shield. Eventually, our attacks began to get the better of them and they fused into one. I noticed with no small amount of envy how lascivious their combined body had become, but now was not the time for that, as they began firing a rapid volley of magic blasts. Once again, deflecting their attacks proved to be a viable strategy to down them, both of us striking when they fell. Anyway, if you've been paying attention so far, you already know the pattern here. Bad guys get killed, I get transported to the Sanctuary, my memories as a Sage are awakened, Rauru, who is seriously injured by this point, tries to drag me to my post before Link can show up, Link shows up and beats the crap out of him again, but unlike all the others who had to grapple with their duties and their own desires, I already knew what I wanted, and from the moment Link beat the crap out of Rauru, I knew I'd be leaving here in his arms.  
_

_"Anyway, like with all the others, the Sanctuary tried to pull me back in, so I sadly had to flee the desert and my people. It wasn't all bad though, I was warmly received in Ordon Village, and like Ruto and Darunia, I was still able to have a hand in the political affairs of my people from a remote location. Now my involvement in this story doesn't end here, but for now I'll let the rest of the girls get their say in."  
_

_Signed, Nabooru. Wife of Link. Mother of Naolu, Ruoona, and Loomiru. Occupation, Leader of the Gerudo Tribe.  
_

* * *

**Verse 7 - Din  
**

_"Hey there! My name's Din! Not to be confused with the Goddess of Power, Din. I'm not that awesome, but as the Oracle of Seasons, I do rock overall. While I have been aware of my position for as far back as I can remember, it never really interfered with my life. In fact, aside from how the weather would always reflect my mood, I sometimes got so into my own groove that I completely forgot about what I was for days on end. But maybe it would be better if I started explaining a bit more about what you wanna hear, huh? Well, there's really not all that much to tell honestly. For as far back as I can remember I've been part of a traveling troupe of musicians and dancers. I'm actually the lead dancer, since my stunning good looks and natural grace can draw in customers from miles around.  
_

_"One day we came across a cute little bugger by the name of Link. He said he was looking for some dame of his who fell out of the sky. Naturally, the troupe and I had a good laugh at his crazy sense of romanticism, but it was all in good fun. Since he said that his sword was sensing the girl in the same direction we were going (some of the more vulgar members among us laughed at that too, of which I will happily admit I was among) we decided to give him a free ride so long as we were going the same way. After all, someone as funny as this didn't come along too often._

_"However, just because we were willing to give him a lift didn't mean we weren't gonna ask for something in return. As soon as we got to a town, we had him put to work entertaining the crowds with the rest of us. At first he had no idea what to do, suffering from a classic case of stage fright. However, even though we were enjoying his panicking, we still needed to make some money off this show somehow. Suddenly one of the troupe shouted out for him to do some sword tricks, but he said he only knew how to use it for fighting monsters. While his clueless response did get some laughs, I knew we had to get serious now, so I started throwing fruits from nearby trees. While I expected the kid to get hit a few times before running off, he actually surprised us all by chopping the fruits right out of the air.  
_

_"I was never one to pass up money, so when people started tossing Rupees at us demanding more from the skilled swordsman, I started going buck wild! I threw branches, rocks, nuts, and anything else I could find just laying about on the ground, and he just kept knocking them right out of the air like a pro. The hooplas the crowd made for his sword skills didn't last too long however, and as the Rupees started to stop, I stepped up, tossed aside his sword, strummed up the band, and dragged him into a dance with me. Normally I don't dance with others, but his movements with the sword were so fluid and natural that I felt confident enough that he could pick up the rhythm. Not to mention that he was making us a killing, and I wasn't about to give that up.  
_

_"At first he was pretty awkward, not really staying in beat with the music like I was. I knew I had to save him from humiliation and rotten fruits somehow, so I took his hand in mine for a few steps to help him get into it. My instincts about him picking up the rhythm were dead on, since after just a few steps he managed to work in time with me. As we danced together I began to lose myself in the music and movements like I usually do, but there was something different this time. Working with Link, stepping in time with him, synchronizing our movements... It felt natural, it felt good, but most of all, I felt a spiritual connection. Whoever this Link was, his soul was somehow in tune with my powers as Oracle of Seasons.  
_

_"We danced for hours, or at least longer than I'd ever danced at once anyway, for when we finally stopped, we were both drenched in sweat and gasping for air, the band had long since stopped, and only a few members of the audience were left. Neither Link nor I cared about these details though, for we had managed to connect in a way I never thought possible during our many numbers. We had held over 1000 conversations, using the motions of our bodies instead of words. I learned of his home, his quest, his friends, his family, his job, his entire life, and he had learned all that of me. They say a picture says 1000 words, well our dance had said 1,000,000. There was nothing I wanted to do more at that moment than drag him to my tent and make love with him, strange as that may sound for someone I just met a few days ago.  
_

_"However, I never got the chance, since just as I was about to make the offer, some party crasher named Onox swooped in and attacked us. Link and I were both so exhausted from our dance that we couldn't even put up a fight before he snatched me away. I don't know much of what happened next aside from second-hand accounts, since that big fat bastard Onox sealed me away in a huge crystal for several days, but eventually, after endless days and hours of nothing but boredom, Link showed up at his stronghold and plowed his way through to the throne room where I was being held. That jerk Onox tried to use my crystal as a shield, but Link bashed it away safely with the Rod of Seasons!  
_

_"I don't know how he'd gotten a hold of it, but since it got me away safely and let him attack Onox I wasn't complaining. OK, maybe I was complaining a bit about how the crystal kept spinning and making me sick to my stomach, but you get my point either way. Soon enough, Link looked to have the upper hand, and Onox was kneeling on the ground, clutching his wounds in pain. I was just about to have my own little mental celebration when Onox turned into a giant dragon and totally ruined my mood. I mean really, who turns into a dragon to power up in real life? Stuff like that fails so often in books that you'd think anyone who actually had that power wouldn't try it._

_"But try it he did, and Onox paid the price for his stupidity with his life. I didn't care though, since my crystal prison shattered when he died. I was surprisingly weak after being stuffed in that thing for a few weeks, but Link picked me up like a dashing rouge prince without missing a beat. After a few days on the road, my troupe giving Link a free ride wherever he wanted as thanks for saving me, I had gotten plenty of food in my stomach and was back on my feet. I demanded that Link tell me exactly what he'd done to save me, but I asked him to do it in dance once we reached town. He did so, and once again we danced for hours, drawing huge crowds, getting thrown Rupees of many colors, and most importantly, we connected again.  
_

_"The night before he said he had to go, I finally worked up the nerve to ask him what I wanted to ask him weeks ago. In case you can't remember, I wanted him to fuck with me. While he was caught off guard and hesitant at first, once I put some real effort into seducing him, he changed his tune real quick. The next day, we woke up in bed together, an obvious glow around each of us. While we both knew this was goodbye, we also knew that it wouldn't be forever, and that when we met again, we'd be ready to take things even further."  
_

_Signed, Din. Wife of Link. Mother of Eldin. Occupation, Traveling Dancer in the Summer, Barmaid anytime else._

* * *

**Verse 8 - Nayru  
**

_"Hello to you weary traveler. My name is Nayru, and though your first thought may be the Goddess of the same name, I'm not nearly so great as all that myself. Though I am the Oracle of Ages, and therefore possess a great deal of power in my own right, I'm actually far too peaceful to even think of using it unless necessary. My part in this story started on just another day in my life, playing my music for the many animals of the forest I'm proud to call my home, when a young man garbed in green walked into my clearing. While I knew nothing about him, the animals took an instant liking to him, and as I've always said, if you trust in the instincts of animals, you can never go wrong.  
_

_"I invited him into my clearing and asked his name. His shyness in addressing me was not surprising, as many people I meet in the nearby town are often quite taken with my appearance and demeanor. I am making no attempt to be vain, people simply see me this way more often than not. As I strummed upon my harp, it was not long before, much to my surprise, a second instrument joined in with my music, accompanying and complimenting my melody with its own. Glancing at the source of the music, I saw and heard Link playing a soothing tune on a horn shaped flute. As I calmed down and found a short rest in his tune, I joined back in with my harp, our instruments once again flowing together seamlessly.  
_

_"I'll admit right away that I was amazed at how well we played together. It was as if there was some strange connection already existing between the two of us. There was almost no point in our song that we were not in tune, aside from the occasional mistake or two. Before I knew it, I was already singing along with the music, something I almost never did. Not because I'm bad by any means, but because my magic began to flow through my voice when I did. By the time I had realized what I was doing, scenes of the past were already appearing in airborne holes._

_"Frantic at my mistake, I began to close up the holes leading to the past as fast as I could. The moment I began my task, I could already feel Link's eyes boring a hole in my back, questioning me as to what was happening. I knew he'd probably run as soon as he got his wits about him, people always did the moment they found out about my powers, provided they didn't try to use them for personal gain. It was always the same, that's why I moved out to such a remote area and only ventured into town when necessary. The less human contact the better. When my task was finished and I still felt Link's presence, I knew I'd either have to answer some questions or run, depending on his reaction.  
_

_"However, when I turned to face him, his expression was not one of greed or fear, but one of curiosity, confusion, and perhaps even some understanding. Though I had never seen a reaction like this after someone saw my powers, I noticed that the animals were still surrounding him as they did me when I played. Looking at this, a small part of me began to hope. Hope that he might be different than people usually were when they found out about my nature. As I explained what I was and how my powers worked, his expression changed from curiosity, to understanding, to acceptance, and soon thereafter laughter.  
_

_"I asked him what he though was so funny about my powers and plight, and he explained that he'd already met the Oracle of Seasons, so my position as Oracle of Ages didn't phase him in the least. Though I knew of other Oracles like myself, I'd never encountered one of them personally. Seeing no harm could come from talking to Link, I continued a pleasant conversation with him for several hours. We talked about everything and nothing during this time. We spoke of friends, our homes, our lives, what we'd done with what we have. By the time dusk arrived, we both knew so much about each other, and I would readily call Link my friend. He knew me for what I can do and what I'm like as a person, and completely disregarded the former in favor of focusing on the later.  
_

_"Unlike how some of the others in these passages wrote of how they came to love Link in almost no time at all, I decided to take things a bit more slowly. While I'll admit that I already felt a degree of attraction to him, it would be a while before those feelings became love. However, things such as those were forcibly put on hold when an evil sorceress name Veran possessed me, and used my powers to go back in time and alter history. While I had no control over my actions, I was still painfully aware of what was going on around me. In spite of being controlled for evil purposes, all my senses were still linked to me. It was a horrible experience for me, as I witnessed my powers and voice swaying the will of a queen from many years ago for ill.  
_

_"As the tower Queen Ambi forced her people to build grew nearer and nearer to completion, I felt my grip on life grow weaker and weaker. I was no fool, and I knew that my end coincided with the completion of the tower. However, as I began to give up hope and my consciousness began to fade, Link came rushing to my aid. However, even then my hopes were still dashed. I knew Link was far too kindhearted to sacrifice my life for the good of the world as I would have been willing to do, and as Veran had been using her powers to spy on Link through his adventures in Labrynna, I knew he didn't have the tools to rescue me. However, I was very much surprised when he began firing Mystery Seeds at Veran, and through their unknown capabilities, Veran was forced from my body, and Link was able to strike her down... For a time at least.  
_

_"Unfortunately, Queen Ambi had been passing by during the conclusion of the battle, and Veran took this chance to posses her, and order her guards to execute us. Though Link fought well and valiantly in spite of his exhaustion and injuries from his conflict with Veran, I knew that numbers would overwhelm him eventually, and used my magic to send us back to the present. Once we were there, I implored Link to gather the rest of the Essences of Time, as it was the only sure way to end Veran for good. For his courage and kindness to me, I taught him a tune that would allow him to travel to the past or present at will, and motivated him towards success by giving him my first kiss. Granted, with what I felt for him, giving him my first kiss was as much for myself as it was for him, but he didn't object.  
_

_"Over the next few weeks, Link would go out and gather the last Essences of Time, and came back to be with me between his tasks. Through this time, I would learn that his heart was torn between both his childhood friend, Din, and myself. He didn't know what he really wanted, but I assured him that if anyone could find a way to make such a relationship work, it would be him, and even if I were reduced to sharing him, I would be glad to just be by his side. My words did much to reforge his resolve, and as we made love before he set out for his final confrontation with Veran, he promised me that if things didn't work out, he'd find a way to make it work.  
_

_"Knowing that he meant every word, I saw him of to his fight with a warm smile on my face, and powerful hope in my heart. Being the Oracle of Ages though, I sometimes get visions of the future as well, and after he went off to save the past, I saw a grave vision of everything and everyone Link cared about being dragged away from him, leaving him with nothing. Suddenly, my heart was filled with dread. My predictions of the future had almost never been wrong, and the one time it was wrong, things had actually been worse than what I saw. For hours, I sat on my favorite stump and did nothing but think of how I could tell my love of my vision, while occasionally spending several minutes crying.  
_

_"When I heard Link returning, I prepared myself as best I could to give him the horrible news. However, when I saw him, slightly beaten, messed up, but still with that ever present focus and determination in his eyes, all my sorrows and fears were instantly dashed. Just seeing him again, knowing that even a confrontation with such a great evil as Veran hadn't been enough to even scratch his indomitable will and drive to protect, I was positive that whatever vision I had was completely false. It was strange to have such confidence about things, even when the odds were so far against it, but as Link held me in his strong, caring arms, I knew my hopes were not misplaced."  
_

_"Signed, Nayru. Wife of Link. Mother of Lanayru. Occupation, Traveling Harpist in the Summer, Bar Musician anytime else.  
_

* * *

**Verse 9 - Farore  
**

_"Greetings everyone! My name is Farore, the Oracle of Secrets! As such, it's my job to keep detailed records of all items the Hero might find useful on his quest, as well as all people he should know, all the places he should go, all the enemies he may fight, and all the secrets he might find. However, in this task, I must also keep these secrets from those who would misuse them. It may seem pretty hard to most people, but most people don't have magical powers to aid them in this task. From the moment the Hero descended from the clouds, I set out to record all the details of his journey, as well as provide him with the occasional secret to help him on his quest.  
_

_"Of course, in spite of my role to help the Hero, I couldn't guide him every step of the way, so I only appeared before him when he needed help the most. However, in those few brief encounters, I came to know him not only as the Hero of Legends, but also as just plain Link, and let me tell you, I was impressed with what I saw. While some who seek my advice might try to steal my book or force the secrets of the lands out of me, Link was ever polite and friendly. Of course, this much was to be expected from the Hero, but he also had a certain human element to him that made him more than just the usual ink on pages or items in impossible to reach location I deal with.  
_

_"Even when his goal of saving Zelda was at the forefront of his mind, he didn't let that keep him from also saving other people for no reason besides wanting to, or going out of his way to collect some odd item, upgrade, or extra Rupees. While he did want to save his friend, he never acted like a soldier on a mission, and instead acted just like anyone else would if they acquired lots of money and amazing tools and weapons in an effort to have fun. He was a Hero, but he wasn't like an knight in shining armor who dedicated every fiber of his being to some king or some notion of justice. If anything, he was a simple worker who treated rescuing people as his day job, and used the perks provided by his work to goof off in his free time.  
_

_"He wasn't a Hero, he was a human with his faults and sometimes selfish motivations. Before I knew it, my observations had grown into an obsession, and our short encounters of duty developed into casual conversation, and the occasional flirting. I couldn't believe it! Link was my first crush! When he suddenly just up and kissed me one day for no reason, I was squealing like a schoolgirl in my head. He was so dreamy, and I just wanted to marry him! OMG, he's just too perfect for me! Even if I had to share him, I was totally going to have his babies someday! I just knew it!_

_"Unfortunately, the wedding I'd always dreamed of would have to wait. Impa, that little killjoy, just had to rain on my parade when she made me go wait in New Kakario Village until she thought it was safe for me to continue my work. I couldn't believe it! I knew for a fact she though my job wasn't that important! She just wanted me out of the way because she was too paranoid something might happen to me! Seriously, just because Din and Nayru were kidnapped by powerful evil beings, didn't mean that the same thing was going to happen to me. Really, I'd be surprised if the did actually. This may come as a surprise to you, but I'm not exactly the most well known or respected of the Oracles.  
_

_"Sad but true, I'm a laughing stock among certain circles. Just because all I do is record important notes in history, doesn't mean I'm not a powerful being in my own right! The information in my book could change the tide of entire wars! Nobody but Link ever really respected what I do, which is another part of why I like him so much. He's just so sweet on me! Why when he found out I was kidnapped from New Kakario, he couldn't step up to save me fast enough. Even though my captors didn't even know who I really was, much less have a use for me outside of selling me into slavery, Link still fought through hordes of monsters to save me, just because it was me.  
_

_"In case you're wondering how I know all of this, even though I wasn't there for a lot of it, that just goes to show you how useful my powers really are. With my magic, there's no point in history I can't find out about if I focus my power enough. Guess I'm not so useless as people thought I was, huh? Anyway, right after Link defeated hordes of Moblins and Bokoblins to rescue me, he picked me up in his big, strong, muscular arms and whisked me out of there on his noble steed Epona. As we were riding back to New Kakario to gather supplies, catch up on what I missed, and get me to safety, I may have... kinda... sorta... shyly... quietly... accidentally... asked Link to marry me...  
_

_"OMG! I was so embarrassed by what I'd just said! I couldn't talk! I was completely tongue tied! I tried to take it back out of shame, but I just couldn't find the words to do it! It's supposed to be the man that proposes, not the woman, especially when the woman isn't even a woman yet! I was only 11 years old at the time, way too young to be thinking about marriage! As I buried my face in his tunic, he just held me tight and said."  
_

_"'If you'll have me as I am.'"  
_

_"OMG! I nearly fainted right there! He actually accepted my proposal?! I know that he'd kissed me a few weeks ago, but I never expected him to want to marry me! Well, in hindsight, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. Link's the kind of guy to accept the love of any woman, no matter what. Anyway, I COULD tell you all the details about the huge group wedding we all had, but I think that's another story for another day. Anyway, that's my story of how I met and fell in love with Link, and I'm sticking to it."  
_

_Signed, Farore. Wife of Link. Mother of Faron. Occupation, Librarian.  
_

* * *

**Verse 10 - Maple  
**

_"Hey, I guess... My name's Maple, but I guess you could already tell that by the title of this part, I guess. Anyway, I guess I could tell you all some long and and adventurous story about how I fell in love with Link. I guess that's probably what you'd expect to read by this point... But I don't feel like writing down some schmaltzy crap like that! I didn't even like the guy too much at first! Ever since the guy first ran into me while I was flying on my broom, he's been a total pain in the butt to me! Yeah, I guess he has his sweet points, but does that make up for swiping my stuff every time we do a hit and run? No! It doesn't! He's a jerk and he always will be! I don't even remember why I married him!  
_

_"Yeah, I married him. Big whoop, I'm far from the only one to do it. Why did I do it, you ask? I guess I'll have to go back and explain my tale with him from the beginning. Like I said, when I first met him, we collided while I was flying full-tilt on my broom, and all my stuff flew everywhere. There were a few things of his thrown about too, so I decided to take those as payment for messing up my ride. So what does that jerk do? That's right, he starts ranting and me and swiping some of my stuff too! Of all the nerve! He's the one who ran into me, why should he get to nab my stuff?! If I were a stronger witch at the time, I could probably think of a few choice things to do to him.  
_

_"Granted, I guess he didn't get all of my stuff, and I guess I made off with a lot of his Rupees, but the point still stands! After that first encounter, I kept on running into him at least once a day, and I mean that literally. Seriously, if it was just the one time, it would be excusable, but that jerk kept on getting in my way day, after day, after day, after day! While I was getting all the Rupees he dropped, he poked fun at me and grabbed a few really important things of mine. Potions, rings, Gasha Seeds, even a Piece of Heart I was planning to brew into a super powerful potion to increase my magic. He kept taking it all, leaving me with just the Rupees! What do I look like, a storekeeper? Okay, I guess that is kinda supposed to be the job I do for my Grandmother, but he's taking it to crazy extremes!  
_

_"Well, I decided I'd show him a thing or two the next time we met! I had gathered up so many of his Rupees, I could afford to trade in my ratty old broomstick for a fancy new vacuum cleaner, which is much faster! The next time I ran into him, I gathered up so many of his Rupees, bombs, arrows, and seeds, I made a serious killing on the Witches Market! With that, I decided that it might be a good idea to keep running into him. After all, I made way more Rupees through selling his stuff than I lost in that collision. This usual pattern kept continuing on for about a week. He runs into me, we banter back and forth during our item scavenging, I make off with some of his stuff, he makes off with some of my stuff, and the cycle repeats itself before long.  
_

_"Somewhere along the line though, I guess I actually began enjoying our daily encounters. Our bitter insults grew into playful banter. Our disdain for each other became a relationship of mutual cooperation. I even remember there being a little flirting between us, and I guess I was the one who started it. I don't know how it happened, but I guess by the time I got enough Rupees to trade in my vacuum for a UFO, I was completely smitten with him. I couldn't believe it, the man who had stolen most of my stuff also managed to steal my heart. I guess some might say that love works in strange ways, but this was one of the strangest I've ever seen._

_"I mean seriously! I'd crashed into him enough times to know that he's a total player! Sure, he only had the hots for a few girls at the time, but I just knew he was the kind of guy to keep going for more. I wanted to tell him off, to say that our little game of cat-and-mouse was over, and that I'd blast him to pieces if he so much as thought of colliding into me again! But when I ran into him for the first time with my UFO at the border between Holodrum, Labrynna, and Hyrule, he just got up, smiled, and said to me as if he were discussing the weather."  
_

_"'That's a very nice new ride you have there.'"  
_

_"How does he do it?! With just a few words (not to mention the rings he dropped) he shattered my anger at him. I guess I was too far gone at that point, since I was swooning over just a few words and trinkets, but being around Link just made my heart flutter. At this point, I fully understood why so many girls had fallen for him, without any objections to sharing him. He was just too nice. A lot of girls will go for bad boys, rich boys, or sporty boys at least once in their life, but what every girl really wants, even if they don't know it or admit it themselves, is a guy who genuinely likes and listens to them._

_"I don't know how, but Link's managed to build those traits up to an art form, and completely mastered them while he was at it. I wouldn't say he was perfect by any means, but he was too kind a soul for any girl to pass up if they met him. Even the idea of sharing him wasn't a detriment to his physical and emotional attractiveness._

_"Anyway, after I had gathered up my spoils from our most recent encounter, instead of flying off in a huff like I usually would, I elected to follow him instead. He let me go with him on his journey with a surprising lack of hesitation, but said he first needed to stop off in a village that acted like his base of operations since so many of his friends were staying there. It was the quaint village of New Kakario, and it turned out that we arrived just in the nick of time. You see, a lot of the people dwelling in this village were kidnapped several weeks ago, and it turned out their captors weren't to happy about their escape. Naturally, Link managed to deal with the problem within the hour, but one of the kids was injured. I knew that Link faced down this kind of thing every day, but as I looked on at that poor kid in bed, I realized that my place right now wasn't doing something like fighting by Link's side, it was helping the people in ways he couldn't.  
_

_"I knew from our previous encounters that he had dealings with some people who called themselves "The Group". Yeah, real original there. Anyway, seeing as they were some of the few people in Hyrule who were actually good at helping people in need, I decided to throw my hat in the ring with them for a while. Even though I was sad that I wasn't going to work directly with Link, we were both satisfied with out choices. However, my decision to work with The Group wasn't without its perks. During my travels with them, I managed to gather up several effective potion ingredients, some of which are almost impossible to find! Needless to say, I went kinda wild with the potion brewing._

_"It's kinda funny really. Before I first met Link, all I had on my person was a few potion ingredients I spent a year gathering, that I was planning to make into a brew to increase my magic power. However, before our adventures of just a few months were over, I'd not only increased my magic power hugely, I'd become on of the richest witches in the world by selling my wares, got a hot and sweet boyfriend, and gained a rockin' body that most women would kill for. Seriously, I'm 236 cm tall, and my measurements are a perfect B150-W64-H150! Jaws drop in the streets wherever I go. But they'll all just have to be content with looking from afar, since I'm happily spoken for."  
_

_Signed, Maple. Wife of Link. Mother of Leaf. Occupation, Doctor and Potion Saleswoman.  
_

* * *

There you have it everyone! Part 1 of 3 in Legend of Zelda: Endless Drive. You can expect Part 2 to arrive sometime before the end of the month, with part 3 just a few weeks afterward. Hope you've enjoyed my work so far, and until next time,

Tonda Gossa! (That's my catchphrase)


	2. Three Queens

Hello again! Welcome to Chapter 2 of Legend of Zelda: Endless Drive! Now before I get the chance to waste time talking about things you don't care about, why don't I just let you begin reading. Here we go!

* * *

**Verse 11 - Navi**

_"Hey! Listen! My name's Navi, and I'm one of Link's guides. What I do for him is adventure with him every step of the way to make sure he stays on track, and always knows everything about his enemies. I suppose you could call me something of a living encyclopedia, even though Fi technically fits that description better than I do. Anyway, as Saria mentioned before, Link and I first met in the Kokiri Forest. I'll be one of the first to admit that I was pretty upset seeing an adult in this forest of children, but the Great Deku Tree ordered me to be on my best behavior with him and guide him through the forest, so my hands were kinda tied.  
_

_"By the time I first met him, Link already had Fi and Midna by his side, so that makes me his final partner, but that's irrelevant. At first, I felt that working with an adult was beneath me. After all, I'd always served loyally as the Great Deku Tree's mouthpiece throughout the forest since he can't leave his spot. The idea of leaving that post, even temporarily, to guide some human through his body rubbed me the wrong way. Of course, if you've been reading this story so far, you'd already know that my post with Link wouldn't be a short one, since the Great Deku Tree died almost the second we got out of him, and the Kokiri of the forest had the nerve to pin the blame on not just Link and his friends, but on me too!  
_

_"Those jerks practically chased us right out of the forest, trying to capture Link and I, and bring back Saria, in spite of the fact that if she stayed, she'd be forced to become a Sage. While I can't blame them for being ignorant of the later, would it have killed them to try and get our story? The Great Deku Tree may be dead, but at least we saved the forest from being completely overrun by monsters.  
_

_"Our adventures on Death Mountain went much smoother, in spite of the name being not so inviting. After a show of strength, honor, character, and loyalty to the Goron patriarch Darunia, he allowed us to venture into the Dodongo Caverns to search for some stones Midna and Fi were having Link collect, and reclaim their main source of food. The name of the area was by no means misleading, as the place was practically infested with Dodongos. However, Link managed to handle them all with ease. I'll admit to being very impressed at this point, since Dodongos are notoriously powerful creatures, and not only did Link drive all the average Dodongos out of the area, he also managed to kill their king!  
_

_"Later on, when we investigated the Zora's Domain for more of these Fused Shadows Midna was searching for, we ran into a bumbling king and his daughter, who you may recall as Ruto. We didn't exactly get off on the right foot with Ruto, but I suppose it was just as well, since her attitude helped me realize something. I'd hadn't exactly been the nicest person to Link. We were beginning to get along at the time, but listening to Ruto complain about our presence inside Jabu-Jabu really put things into perspective. From then on I decided to be nicer to Link, giving him the advice he needs, without the attitude.  
_

_"Later on Impa got the bring idea to force every one of the Sages into accepting their roles. While I kinda get where she was coming from on that one, Link had proven to everyone time and again that people carve out their own paths, and nobody can tell them what they can and can't do. We had to stop her before she could do it, so I gathered up Midna and Fi, and together we brought everyone to the Shadow Temple, went through it at breakneck speeds, and beat the stuffing out of Bongo-Bongo. We really couldn't have done it without all the advice Midna, Fi, and yours truly if I do say so myself.  
_

_"After that, Midna decided that we needed to find the Mirror of Twilight to get at Zant - this really big jerk that overthrew her - and take him down. Fortunately, Impa knew more or less where it was, so we set off for the Gerudo Desert. While I guess we shouldn't have been surprised to run into a veil of Twilight - those things were practically everywhere after all - it was a bit harder to tear it down than usual, what with the last piece of the Light Spirit being guarded by a giant bug monster. Granted, having Nabooru around to help kill it was very welcome, but there was only so much someone could do against an enemy they can't see.  
_

_"The after party was pretty good though. Those Gerudo really know how to celebrate, even though I don't really eat much, their food was delicious for people who live in the desert. Of course, I could have gone without the competition to prove Link had done all he said he did, but it was nice to see those women eat their words. Once we got out into the desert to search for the Mirror of Twilight, Nabooru wouldn't stop flirting with Link, which made me pretty upset. I wouldn't exactly say that I was jealous of her, seeing as I knew Link much longer than she had, but she was making Link uncomfortable, and I hated seeing him upset. Fortunately, the look on her face when Link lifted and threw the monolith blocking the entrance to the temple was enough to lift my spirits. Well, that and the fact Link's muscles were quite visible through his clothes at the time.  
_

_"As we went through the temple, fighting off monsters and solving puzzles along the way, Nabooru continued to make passes at Link, so I returned fire with some affections of my own. It wasn't anything much, but I always made certain to fly close to Link, take a few more rests on his shoulders, nuzzle him a little, the works. Then we came across Twinrova and things really got sour. They tried to kill Link for meddling in their plans to revive the evil king Ganondorf - they obviously failed at that - and once they were gone, Rauru tried to force Nabooru into the position as Sage like he tried with all the others. Needless to say, that failed as well, but having to haul Nabooru all the way out of the desert, and then work our way back to the temple for the Mirror of Twilight was a hassle.  
_

_"When we got back to the temple though, there was this giant pig monster rampaging through the area, apparently trying to find a way out. While I could tell based on the dark magic emanating from it that it was what likely the Ganondorf Twinrova had tried to revive, its mindless rampage of destruction likely meant something had gone wrong with the ritual. After a quick analysis of it, Midna, Fi, and I found likely weak points on the crown of its head, and its tail. While it was a powerful beast and took quite a bit of effort to defeat it, it was no match for Link. When we got to the chamber where the Mirror of Twilight was supposed to be though, we found that it had been shattered into pieces, with only one fragment still there.  
_

_"Suddenly, a badly beaten Rauru showed up again, and though he was still angry at Link for pounding him so many times, he told us that the pieces of the Mirror could be found in the frozen mountains, in a temple to the past, and in the sky. I don't know why exactly he told us this after all we put him though, but as he limped back into his realm, he muttered something about blasphemous heroes, the will of the Goddess, and the devil claiming us. I'd rather not draw any conclusions from that, but Midna made a few guesses that she can explain in her section.  
_

_"Anyway, as we left the temple to go searching for the Mirror fragments, Link said how glad he was to have the three of us along with him on his journey, since he'd probably be lost long before now if we weren't there to help. While Midna was kind of aloof and shy about it, and Fi was still all around mechanical, I didn't need any more motivation than that to say something I've wanted to get off my chest for a while. I fluttered up to his ear and whispered to him that any way I could help the man I love was reward enough for me.  
_

_"My glow went from its usual blue to a deep and embarrassed red, but Link took it in stride, just like all the other confessions. Holding me in the palm of his hand, he gently kissed me as best he could with the size difference, and even though he said not a word, we'd worked together long enough for me to know what his expressions said. I'd always been there for him, so he'd always be there for me. I may need many words to communicate with him, but he needed none to speak with me. And I knew, right then and there, that we would never part."  
_

_Signed, Navi. Wife of Link. Mother of Tatl. Occupation, Great Fairy.  
_

* * *

**Verse 12 - Midna**_  
_

_"Hello there reader. My name's Midna, though I suppose I need no introduction by this point. Now you may have heard me referred to as an imp, but let me say right now that's not what I really am. A traitor to my people and my crown by the name of Zant gained a cursed power and trapped me in a near powerless form, but that's not going to be really relevant until later. Anyway, I guess you're wondering what I mean when I said Zant was a traitor to my crown, well if you must know, I'm actually the ruler of the Twilight Realm, but again, that's not relevant until later. Since Navi spent her time spelling out an overview of events pertaining to the Sages, I guess that leaves me with telling you all about how Link and I gathered up the shards of the Mirror of Twilight, but before that, I need to give you a little background. I've found things work much smoother when people know these things.  
_

_"When I first found Link, he had just been forced through a veil of Twilight, turned into the noble wolf destined to one day save my people according to some ancient legend, and was being dragged off by some of Zant's minions that were once my people. With my power being what it was at the time, I knew I couldn't confront them head on. I had to wait until they dropped him off in a cell, and then I just sat outside until he woke up. As Impa mentioned in her section, she and the little sky princess Zelda were there too, but they're inconsequential right now. Anywho, once the lazy wolf was up and convinced to work as my servant, I got him and the other two out of there.  
_

_"Now, like the little annoying fairy and a few others said before, I ordered Link around the land of Hyrule to find the pieces of the Fused Shadow. And as was also mentioned before, they were found in Kokiri Forest, Death Mountain, and Zora's Domain. I don't need to bore you with the details at this point, so I won't. However, just after we found the last piece, that traitor Zant showed up and stole them with his evil magic. While I knew that power wasn't really his, there was nothing I could do about it. Ultimately, he almost completely destroyed me by exposing me directly to the Light Spirit living in the area. However, Fi of all people saved me at the last second by shielding me with her body.  
_

_"Now you won't know this since it wasn't mentioned before, but Fi and I didn't exactly hit it off when we first met. I mean, she was a tool built by the Goddess, and my people were banished to the Realms of Twilight by her many years ago. It was more than just that even, since we essentially filled opposite roles for Link. She'd try to get him to follow the designs of the Goddess, I'd trick him into putting my agenda before anything else. When she and the Light Spirit had chased Zant away for the time being, I asked her why she did that for me, since we'd been at odds since the get go. Her response was quite surprising."  
_

_"'Master Link has chosen to follow your directions over those of myself and the Goddess. While I cannot bring myself to agree with his choice, I am, now and forever his loyal servant. His path is my path.'"  
_

_"This may not be as surprising to you as it was me, so let me spell it out again. Fi was designed as a tool and servant of THE GODDESS. Her purpose was to carry out her will, and in turn, impart it onto Link without question. While I originally saw her as just a living machine, just that statement made me rethink that. Even though she wasn't designed for it, her experiences with Link had clearly caused her to develop a freewill of her own, and instead of blindly following orders from a long departed voice, she chose her own path. While I wasn't going to thank her anytime soon, the fact that she developed so far beyond her original design made me a little proud of her, and maybe a bit of myself as well. After all, if she got that rebellious attitude from anywhere, it had to be me.  
_

_"Anyway, after that little bit of sappiness was over and done with, as well as the other aforementioned distractions regarding Impa and Nabooru, we decided that we had to figure out some kind of plan for getting the Mirror Shards. The obvious first choice would have to have been the one in the sky, since Link went up there all the time. However, I had gone up there with Link several times in recent memory at the time, and I couldn't sense even a hint of its inherit Twilight magic anywhere, and since Fi said she needed a bit more data on the Mirror Shards before she could track them with her Dowsing ability, we decided to follow a lead a member of The Group had managed to dig up regarding the frozen mountains part of the hint.  
_

_"Let me say right now that I absolutely HATE the cold. I didn't before since it never really got cold in the Twilight Realm, but the moment we set foot in that mountain range, I hated it. I was very lucky Link's fur kept him - and in turn his shadow - very warm. Seriously, I can't emphasize enough how numb my hands and feet got in that constant blizzard. And to add weirdness to discomfort, when we reached the top of the mountain, we ran into a Yeti with a horse saddle on his head. Fortunately for us, and myself in particular, that bumbling Yeti was kind enough to lead us to an abandoned mansion that was, for some reason that clearly defied both common sense and sanity, built in what is perhaps the single most remote and desolate area in the world.  
_

_"The Yeti - who's name was Yeto, real original there - told us that he'd found a strange Mirror while hiking around the mountain awhile ago, and gave it to his wife, Yeta - again, really original name there. - However, even though she seemed to appreciate the gift when we talked to her, Fi and I both knew it couldn't be good for her to be around it. It wasn't hard to talk her into telling us where it was, since she was as simple-minded as her husband, but the real problem was actually getting her to remember where she'd placed it. Seriously, by her word alone, we went on two wild goose chases before getting a straight answer. Granted, the pumpkin and cheese we found at the other locations she pointed out did make good compliments to the soup Yeto made - I'll even admit to going back for seconds - but we finally got somewhere the third time.  
_

_"Unfortunately, where we got was into a fight with Yeta, who'd been cursed by the Mirror Shard into guarding it by transforming into a ferocious ice monster. While we did manage to beat her back to normal with a ball and chain we'd salvaged from a monster in the mansion and get the Mirror Shard back, seeing another reminder of how Light and Twilight don't mix well put a damper on my mood. See, by this point, I'd kinda jumped on the common bandwagon of contemplating a future with Link, and being reminded of how different we are put me in a bad mood. While Link was kind enough to worry about me, I just shrugged him off and warped us out of there. I know it seems stupid in hindsight, but I still had some things I'd rather have kept secret at the time.  
_

_"With the second Mirror Shard in hand, Fi was able to add the final two pieces to her Dowsing feature. While our next choice should have been the one in the sky, Fi said that we had to make a quick stopover in the grounds where the Imprisoned was sealed, since it was getting out again. While we were there, we also learned that this area was where the third mirror shard was, or rather it used to be, since it was in the far past, and while the Mirror normally wouldn't be damaged by the passage of time, if it's split into fragments then it will be beyond repair. I'll be honest, I was dreading finding this fragment for this very reason. Temples are usually bad enough on their own for us, but a temple in the past?! What's more, according to Fi, even by borrowing Nayru's power, the magic in the area was too corrupted and stagnant to allow us safe passage to the past. I couldn't even begin to describe what an impossible task this was!  
_

_"Thankfully, Impa arrived with some good news. Back when she was still being trained to dedicate her life for the troublesome Goddess, and overall make Link's life even harder than it already was, she was told of a stable gateway to the past in this temple. While I could go on and on all day about how suspiciously convenient this sounded, I had to admit that even with his borrowed magic, Zant clearly wasn't powerful enough to travel through time on his own, let alone in an area even the Oracle of Ages couldn't do so. He must have learned of this portal somehow, and used it to hide the Shard out of our reach for good, or at least until we found the gateway ourselves. Guess that's our point again.  
_

_"Once we got there, the temple itself was incredibly straightforward. The only hiccup in the otherwise simple path was the huge locked door barring entry to the chamber where I sensed the Mirror Shard being held. Based on the layout of the room, Fi determined that the door was designed to open under one of two circumstances. The first, was to return the statue - which based on the map we found, was being held at the top floor of this towering temple - that was obviously missing from this otherwise symmetrical room to its pedestal. The second, considerably easier way, was to use the jewels we'd already gathered from three of the Six Sages to open the door. This wasn't the only reason we gathered them, but it's nice to see that some of the powerful magical artifacts we've gathered have more than one use.  
_

_"Once we opened the door, the statue guarding the way was kind enough to give us a staff that grants life to statues. Apparently the people who built this temple thought well ahead, since the statue said that his partner was also guarding another one in case the Hero came here without all the gems. He was actually pretty nice for a big pile of rocks. Of course, once we got in there we had to fight a giant spider, but with Link's bow and all the giant statues poised to strike, the thing was no trouble at all. In fact, once the spider's outer shell was destroyed, smashing what little was left of him and his babies with a giant stone fist was very entertaining._

_"So, with another Mirror Shard, we finally set out for the sky again. Now that Fi was able to track it, we had no trouble finding out where it was. The main problem now though, was now to get to it. For some reason, the signal was coming from inside the statue of the Goddess. Now, I'm all for a good dose of irony, but this was going a bit too far. Normally I would appreciate that the image of the Goddess Hylia is being used to guard over something needed for good reasons by a bad person, being an avid hater of all things to do with her for what she did to my people, but one look at Fi just killed this otherwise beautiful moment for me._

_"She was crying, actually crying! I didn't even know she was physically capable of it! By this point in time, I had long since let go of my distaste for Fi, and actually now considered her my closest friend. In spite of all our differences, it tore me up inside to see her so sad. To cheer her up, I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I hugged her, and told her I'd always be there for her, my best friend... And if you tell anyone I just wrote that, I'm going to reach through the pages and give you a black eye!  
_

_"Regardless, this is where the second function of the gems comes into play. By holding them aloft at the alter, a temple emerged from the bottom of the island. Link, being Link, didn't need any other motivation than that to descend into the temple, hoping to put an end to this strife once and for all. I'll leave the greater details of this section up to Fi, but long story short, we managed to get the final Mirror Shard, as well as something else, but like I said, that's Fi's story to tell.  
_

_"Once we had all the Mirror Shards reunited, the path to the Twilight Realm - my home - opened up. While I was still stuck in my cursed form, it felt good to be home again. Link, the handsome little wolf, wasted no time in following every direction to save my people I told him. It still amazed me, just how far one boy - no, one man would go for someone who had kept secrets from him about so much for so long. Either Link's just too good of a person, or he knows who his friends are, even if they don't know it themselves. I suppose that's one of the many reasons I fell for him so hard._

_"Oh yes, I'll admit it openly. To quote a sappier girl, I had fallen head over heels for him by then. He was more than just a hero to my people, he was a personal hero to me as well. I'd done nothing I knew of to deserve his kindness, yet he gave it freely to me regardless. I was so torn between my feelings for him and my loyalty to my people, that I didn't know which side of the Mirror I wanted to be on when I would destroy it. Yes, though it shames me to admit it, I fully intended to destroy the Mirror of Twilight once my business was done in the world of Light. I couldn't risk the future of my people on my own selfish feelings, as a ruler must always put the needs of her people before her own.  
_

_"So, it was with a heavy heart that I walked into my throne room with Link, knowing this may be our final goodbyes. Zant was there, egocentrical maniac he was, sitting on my throne like it was made for him. I have to admit, for a lunatic with half-borrowed, half-stolen magic, the fight with him was long and grueling, for both Link and myself. Granted, Link did all the direct confrontation during his crazed dance through twisted versions of all the more dangerous monsters we had to fight to get this far, but Fi and I were constantly straining ourselves to ward off his passive magic, and try to reclaim the Fused Shadows while he was distracted._

_"Finally, after much conflict came to an end, I was finally able to reclaim the Fused Shadow, and use its power to end Zant once and for all. With his twisted magic gone for good now that both he and his master Ganondorf were dead, I finally returned to my true form, and I must say, the reaction Link had to my appearance almost completely broke my resolve to destroy the Mirror. Almost...  
_

_"With my kingdom reclaimed and my people in need of a leader to pave the way to recovery, Link and I returned to the Mirror Chamber in the desert, to set everything between us in order before our goodbye. And so, after a short goodbye to Link, Fi, and Navi - I absolutely hate long goodbyes - I activated the passage between my world and the Light Realm and..._

_"Went through without destroying the Mirror.  
_

_"What? Did you seriously think I would bother breaking that thing? Please! Even if I did, Link would either repair it somehow, make a brand new one, or just skip the middleman altogether and break a hole through our dimensions. He did the exact same thing to get in the Chamber of the Sages five times now, so what would stop him this time? I just went back to address my people, make sure they're okay, get a few things in order, and then get back to Link and help him finish his business. After all, he helped me when I needed it, the least I could do was return the favor. Even better, with Link around to help keep the peace, my people could finally migrate back into the Realm of Light if they felt like it, and the Sages had shown me that I could run my kingdom remotely if I needed to. Besides, I had many things I wanted to do with Link now that I had my real body back. Principal among them was producing an heir or two to my throne..."  
_

_Signed, Midna. Wife of Link. Mother of Eve and Lilith. Occupation, Queen of the Twilight Realm.  
_

* * *

**Verse 13 - Fi**_  
_

_"Greetings reader. My designation is Fi, and I am the living embodiment of the Master Sword. By observing the patterns of this journal from the accounts of my sister-wives, I have come to the conclusion that this is likely the proper method to commence my log in this tale. When I first met my master, he had just lost his best friend Zelda to a downdraft into the lands below the clouds. At the time, all I knew was my programming, and that entailed guiding my master towards whatever goals he had, all while keeping to and prioritizing the will and orders of the Goddess Hylia. However, even I knew little of what the will of the Goddess entailed beyond the occasional memories unlocked by progressing in our journey, and as Master went further and further, he began to create paradoxes in my programming, doing things that directly clashed with my prime directives.  
_

_"To best surmise all the points at which my Master caused errors to arise in my program, I shall outline all the major commands installed into me by the Goddess and revealed to me at some point in our journey:  
_

_"Command 1) The Hero is to follow the trail of the one named Zelda, never being allowed to reach her until her main directives are fulfilled, but never getting so far behind as to lose confidence he may reach her.  
_

_"Command 2) The Hero is to provide any aid the Sages need to take their posts.  
_

_"Command 3) The Hero is to obtain the Kokiri Emerald, Goron Ruby, and Zora Sapphire.  
_

_"Command 4) The Hero is to destroy darkness and evil wherever he finds it.  
_

_"Command 5) The Hero is to obtain the Triforce, and use it to seal away what is left of Demise's power for all time.  
_

_"Command 6) In the event that Demise is allowed to resurrect in either the past or the present, the Hero is to seal him away again with the Master Sword, and imprison his residual corrupt power within it.  
_

_"Command 7) Once all previous directives are fulfilled, Fi is to go into an eternal rest in the pedestal made for the Master Sword, ready to protect the world again whenever it is needed.  
_

_"Command 8) Fi is not allowed to reveal the details of any directives to the Hero directly, only providing the minimum amount of information necessary in the form of gentle suggestions.  
_

_"Needless to say, a quick review of Master's actions in the other Verses will show a blatant pattern of breaking these directives. The first command was broken when Master was locked in the cage next to Zelda, and refused to let her leave his side until he had convinced her against her own directives. The second command was broken five times, once for each Sage he turned away from their duties. The fourth command was broken when Master offered his services to Midna, captured the Fused Shadows, and repaired and used the Mirror of Twilight. The only two directives that were fulfilled were the third and fifth ones. As for the sixth, seventh, and eighth commands, I will outline where he broke them in the following passages.  
_

_"Before I begin with that though, I must explain my feelings about having my commands broken. Every time that my Master went against the commands of the Goddess, my data and memory banks became corrupted and glitchy. Thought processes which were once completely clear and impartial slowly became inhibited by emotions and morals built by my experiences with my Master and his allies. It eventually reached the point where I began feeling what I could only classify as extreme guilt for deceiving Master. He was too kind to me, and every time I lied to him I could almost feel my very being protesting my actions. I didn't want to deceive him, but the orders of the Goddess were absolute to me. I couldn't disobey them any more than a person seeking shelter in the rain.  
_

_"Midna mentioned in her Verse that she would allow me to tell the story of the Sky Temple. I will take this moment to do so, as it shows the beginning of the end for my tale. When I first saw where the last Mirror Shard was being held, I had already developed to the point where I could genuinely express a limited range of emotions. It was for this reason I was able to express sadness over my original home being used as a form of protection for a villain's needs. It was more than that though, for with the knowledge I had acquired at by then I was aware the Triforce was being held in this location. The fear that the greatest power in the world was already in the hands of evil was overpowering. It was only through Midna and Master's assistance that I was able to regain my senses.  
_

_"The details of the Sky Temple are unimportant based on the patterns of this story, but my emotions and musings are not. As we ventured through the areas, Master, Midna, and Navi all endeavored to lift my spirits, so to speak, however, their reassurance only served to fuel my guilt and misgivings. Here I was, continuing to deceive people who were practically my whole world, and I simply couldn't bear it anymore. Once the pieces of the Triforce were gathered, I confessed the truth of my mission, concerning all but the sixth and seventh commands. Even though I wanted to tell them, something managed to stay my tongue. Midna, somehow knowing me better than the others, knew that I was still concealing truths from them, but no matter how I tried to tell them, I could not voice the words of my guilt. Eventually she was kind enough to cease her questions, blaming the Goddess for my silence. I could not blame her for her conclusion, for I had arrived at the same one. Some commands apparently, took precedence over others.  
_

_"My story picks up again after Midna had saved her realm and regained her true form. As she spoke in the aftermath of her victory, I could not help but think that her transformation accounted for some of her personality. For when she spoke to me now, she no longer talked as if I were something to despise or pity. In fact, she even referred to me as her closest friend, a title I hope to cherish until my death. At my insistence, we returned to the temple where my future resting place for eternity lay. Of course, they were not aware of that yet, but they soon would be...  
_

_"Zelda was there, as were many others. Ilia, Malon, Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru, Din, Nayru, Farore, and Maple. They had gathered once they saw the Temple falling from the sky to seal Demise once and for all in the present. However, even with all that magical and physical force present, the once known as Ghirahim appeared, undeterred by anything, and using a giant mob of monsters, he was able to steal Zelda away while we were all distracted, and rush into the past with her. He had only just escaped when we finished the last of the hordes, and everyone was ready and willing to rush after him. However, if they all went after him, I calculated a 99% chance that all the Sages would be forced into their roles. Ilia, Malon, and Navi, being normal humans and a weak fairy, likely wouldn't survive the trip. The Oracles going would doubtless throw the very nature of the world into chaos. Maple used too many potions in the past few weeks to handle magic based travel. And Midna, being of the Twilight, would likely be corrupted by the evil influence of Demise should he be revived.  
_

_"In other words. The only ones who could go through were myself and Master.  
_

_"While many had their suspicions, Master stood by my side, believing in my words, as he always had. While many seemed to accept circumstances now, Midna's eyes still bore into me. Out of all of them, only she seemed to still hold suspicions. I knew I couldn't deceive her. I didn't know how I came to that conclusion, but I knew it was true. Midna was my best friend after all, she knew me better than I knew myself. It was actually that train of thought that finally broke me. Midna was my best friend. I did not fully comprehend what that meant when she mentioned it, but now that I had said it to myself, the full extent of her friendship, as well as the bonds I had unknowingly built over the course of my adventure washed over me._

_"I had friends. I had a family.  
_

_"Finally, I broke down crying. In a withdrawn position, I confessed all my remaining secrets to Master. How I was to seal Demise away in myself, and rest forever in this very shrine. It was only now as I said this that I realized, this is not what I wanted with my life. I wanted to live, regardless of whoever said it was wrong or right. Why did I have to be made like this? Why? Why?! I pleaded into the air, not expecting an answer. Suddenly, I was completely surrounded by warmth. One by one, everyone in the chamber wrapped me in their embrace. Midna was the first, followed closely by Ma-... By Link, the man I loved. As I accepted that happily, and nuzzled into his hold, he said this to me."  
_

_"'Wait for me. I'll be right back.'"  
_

_"With that, he was gone. Into the portal, far beyond the reach of anyone but myself. I wanted to go after him, I needed to be with him, the ache was too strong for me to bear him being in danger without me by his side. How would he defeat Demise without my aid? He needed a sword, and the only one he had besides myself was his old practice sword, but that was barely a toothpick compared to me. I needed to go after him! I needed me to seal away the residual power of Demise! Only a living vessel of incredible power could contain all that evil, and even then specialized magical enchantments like the ones in my body were required to prevent the power from overtaking the host. That was when it hit me.  
_

_"Link was going to use his own body to contain Demise.  
_

_"Instantly, I was struggling and fighting with everything I had! Link didn't know what he was getting into! I had to help him! Had to stop him! I pleaded with the others to let me go! Begged them to let me save Link! What were they doing?! Couldn't they see this could only end two ways, and I wasn't sure which one was worse. Link dying in a battle he couldn't win, or being turned into a monster beyond recognition. I had to save him! Had to! I had to!"  
_

_"'I know it hurts, but sometimes you just need a little blind faith.'"  
_

_"Midna's words cut into my mind. Faith? She wanted me to have Faith?! Faith in what?! That Link wouldn't die or turn into a monster?! When I turned to see the face of someone who could say something so heartless so casually, I saw it. Her expression was strong and resolved. That was exactly what she was telling me to have faith in. Link was strong. In both body and will, he was so much greater than any monster could be. With that, my struggle stopped cold. She was right. I had to stay strong and wait. Link had placed his trust in me, that I would wait patiently for his return. He would come back, and that was all there was to it. No calculations. No percentages. None of that. He said he'd come back, so that's what he was going to do.  
_

_"An hour of waiting passed before something happened. The portal opened, and both hope and fear were heavy in the air. Suddenly, most fears were dashed when Zelda walked through the gateway, no worse for the wear. However, we were still worried about Link. For many long and painful seconds, there was nobody else emerging from the passage, and we feared the worst. As despair was beginning to take root, a second being emerged.  
_

_"But it was not Link.  
_

_"The person was very tall and strongly built. His hair was white, his face was covered in markings. He wore a cyan tunic under a metal cuirass, as well as metallic gauntlets, black leggings, and leather boots. His most striking feature though, were his completely white eyes and his large double-helix shaped sword. Just one look, and I could tell this was some form of 'Deity', no doubt a very 'Fierce' one. We all awaited what would happen next, each of us not wanting to make the first move. However, we were all taken by surprise as the Fierce Deity smiled at us and said."  
_

_"I told you I'd be back soon.'"  
_

_"Just like that, we all descended upon him with warm hugs and welcomes home. Our joy at seeing Link, albeit altered, was so great that none could even begin to contain their joy at his safe return. Though Link had been changed physically by his deeds, his indomitable will had given him the strength to control his new power, instead of being controlled by it. As Link regaled us with the story of how he had slain Demise and rescued Zelda, all I could think about as my best friend Midna and I took our places to his right and left respectively, was how glad I was we had all met."  
_

_Signed, Fi. Wife of Link. Mother of Wii. Occupation, Singer.  
_

* * *

Here you go everybody. Chapter 2, out before the end of the month, just as I promised. Now, chapter 3 is going to be a bit different, but I promise it's going to be a good read as well. I'll try to have it out by the end of the month, but unfortunately, I can't make any promises this time. Look forward to the final chapter in the near future!

Tonda Gossa!


End file.

Legend of Zelda, Family, Romance