Rain poured, soaking both Link and Zelda to the bone. They ran through the forest, running from the monsters and Guardians. The Guardians had turned against Hyrule, and were attacking the civilians. Zelda ran, never letting go of Link's hand, tears streaming down her face.

Run!

That voice echoed in her mind. She had no clue who it belonged to, but it almost sounded like it had been crying too.

Run. That's what I did.

That time Zelda concluded that a female was speaking to her.

I ran, relying on Link to protect me, until he no longer could.

Zelda stopped in her tracks. "Who are you?!"

When there was no reply, Zelda fell to her knees.

"How did it come to this?" Link kneeled in front of her.

"My father, the Champions, they're all dead! AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF ME!!!" Zelda shouted, tears flowing down her face like a waterfall.

She sniffled before looking up at Link. "So I really am just a failure!"

She fell into Link's arms, crying her heart out. Suddenly, she saw a vision...but it wasn't the usual kind of vision...

" Zelda,"

The voice was faint, soft, but distant. A figure appeared out of the darkness. He had blue skin with green markings.

She looked at his left hand. It had the Triforce on it. She hadn't the faintest idea who this person was, yet she felt oddly attracted to him.

"Your mother was Storm, yes?" He asked.

"Y-yes," Zelda stuttered.

"She was known as the 'Goddess Between Two Timelines'," the person said. "She was my accidental daughter."

He shows Zelda a picture of a girl. She frowned. This girl shared no resemblance to this man.

"You're probably wondering how she's my daughter?" He asked. "Well, I wasn't always like this. I am Link Knil: The Hero of Twilight."

This took Zelda aback.

"I fell in love with a Twilian after I accidentally impregnated Princess Zelda. After Storm was born, I left for the Twilight Realm. Midna was able to make me a Twilian, but I could still turn back into a Hylian when I left the embers of Twilight. They called me the 'Protector of Light and Dark'." Link explained. "Your mother was born at the exact same time in another timeline. She shared the same characteristics as my Storm, but she had gold hair instead of brown." He continued. "Both Storm's fell through a portal. In that portal, they merged to form one person. She ended up in your era."

"While this is all touching, Twi, we must let her go! She has a kingdom to  save!" Another man said. "I am The Hero of Winds, your other grandfather. Here, take this sword and shield. Use it to defend yourself. The Mirror Shield will allow you to reflect the Guardian beams."

Zelda took the Mirror Shield and the sword. It was beautiful.

"My daughter, Storm wielded that same sword. The Sword of Gales," Wind explained.

The Sword of Gales

"My turn!" Twi said.

He closed his hands and then opened them revealing a ball of red energy. He sent it towards Zelda. She gasped as she felt the magic absorb into her body. Green symbols appeared on her hand all the way up to her shoulder on her left arm.

"I gave you half of my power. Use it wisely. This sword that about to give you is a that my Storm wielded. The Sword of Twilight. Use it in the hours of twilight and when you get your power. The Sword of Gales will allow you to attack things that are up high," Twi said.

The Sword of Twilight

He clicked his fingers and the sword dissolved into black specs. The specs entered Zelda's body.

"Now, bye, bye," Twi said.

Zelda woke up, finding Link carrying her. He grunted in pain as he carried her. Zelda hopped off Link and saw the Sword of Gales and Mirror Shield behind a tree. She ran over and collected them.

"Mine," she said as Link approached.

Link didn't dare argue with her. His eyes went wide in panic as he saw the mark on her arm.

"I'm fine. No time to explain, let's go," Zelda said.

Just as she said that, she heard a thud. She spun around, summoning her Twili Magic just in case. Instead of a monster, she saw Link collapsed on the ground, groaning. Zelda raced over to him, kneeling beside him. She noticed an arrow lodged in Link's ankle.

"Oh, Link," Zelda cried.

She hastily pulled the arrow out, causing Link to cry out in pain, before ripping her dress and using the torn cloth as a makeshift bandage.

Zelda supported Link as they ran, Zelda slicing down enemies with either magic or with her sword. Then, they faced a Guardian. Link groaned, standing up, drawing the Master Sword, which glowed a marvellous blue, lighting up the dark. Zelda got the Mirror Shield out, ready to parry the Guardian's beam back at it.

Link jumped, stabbing the machine in the eye. Pink blobs of Malice escaped from the machine as it shut down. Link collected his sword from the machine, ignoring the searing pain in his ankle, before leading Zelda towards Fort Hateno.

"Why are we heading towards Fort Hateno?!" Zelda asked, raising her voice so Link could hear her.

"Because it's the one of the few places that might still be pushing back against the Guardians!" Link replied, also raising his voice. "I thought about taking you to the Citadel, but it's too far away! Plus, Fort Hateno is protecting Hateno Village!"

"But if Hateno Village falls, then..." Zelda trailed off, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Then there's no hope for the other village's," Link said.

Hateno Village was the strongest village in all of Hyrule. It would take a lot of effort to destroy it. If Hateno Village could be destroyed, then the other villages had no hope of surviving.

Link hoped they'd survive.

(1000 Words!)

Published: 28/3/23