Linked Through The Ages: A Linked Universe AU

Chapter 5: Dreams of Fate

Link stood within a plain of dark nothingness, except for the vague outlines of shiny, black hills. Each footstep echoed throughout the odd landscape before him.  He shivered underneath his cloak at the oddly cool temperature and watched the tiny puffs of his breath float into the unnaturally pitch black sky. His brow furrowed as several eerily black apple trees grew from the ground, creating a pitch black apple orchard.

As he walked through the orchard of trees, the temperature dropped even further.  Droplets from the humidity ran down the sides of the black apples, freezing as he walked past and creating delicately patterned frost and ice crystals. He wrapped his arms around his torso, his clothes were damp, sticking to his skin and chilling him to the bone.

The orchard began to change.  Dark silhouettes of Safflinas and Silent Princesses began to form from the the darkness around him.  A familiar depression dipped into the ground before him, leading into a valley filled with Guardian Skywatchers, yet he felt no fear. Soft whispers filled the air as he passed each machine, deactivating the now possessed technology. He watched as each one fell to the ground, breaking into different pieces of hardware. The apple trees that had littered the ground were now dead, their trunks burned or torn into shriveled logs. Knolls sat between them, creating a maze across the pitch black basin.

His legs carried him to the other side of the deep valley.  Black vines crawled along the walls, becoming even thicker in a space slightly larger than the width of a regular Hylian. A spark enveloped the vines, the orange flame incinerating them into a fine, carbon black powder, revealing a tunnel just wide enough for Link to step through.

Every type of Safflina, as well as Silent Princesses, bloomed along the vines in bright, vibrant shades.  As he walked down the tunnel, the flowers wilted while the deep green of the vines started to choke and fade to a dead looking gray. The petals crumpled and fell upon the stone floor, crunching with every step he took forward.

When he reached the end of the tunnel's overhang, he spotted the familiar waterfalls maintaining the crystal clear waters below that surrounded a goddess statue, her soft smile forever etched upon her face.  Below her was the figure of a girl. Golden blond hair pooled along her shoulders, cascading into the waters. Her white dress was thoroughly soaked by the cool water she was standing in and her delicate gold bracelets clinked together with every movement.

"Courage may not need remembered, for it is never forgotten." 

Link stared at her hunched form standing in the water. Her voice echoed across the circular cavern, except it was not just her voice that rang in his ears. Her voice dipped in and out with what sounded like a dozen other feminine voices.

"Zelda...is something wrong...," Link whispered.

"Yet, your spirit has waned along with my power."  The bright yellow that shone from her hand flickered and dimmed as she raised her palm to the statue in front of her. "What is courage without the wisdom and the power to bring justice to the afflicted? What is wisdom without the power and courage to learn from all you encounter and teach it to those that will accept it?" She turned to face her chosen knight. "What is true power without the wisdom and courage to bring together what is broken?"

Link stepped back in horror as her face and body shifted. Different bone structures morphed her face. Her eyes changed from green to different shades of blue, even one red and one blue eye. Her hair darkened or lightened and the length of it changed along with her height. Even her dresses morphed into different royal garb. His mind yelled at him, telling him to run, to scream, to call for help, anything to get away from the girl in front of him shifting into a different person every three seconds.

"Beware hero. Beware hero. Beware hero,"  The voices chanted together, becoming louder with each step forward. The morphing Zelda did not stop chanting until she was directly in front of her knight. Her appearance shifted back to the beautiful green eyes and blond hair he remembered.  She raised her hand, pressing it delicately to his cheek. The other voices continued to chant louder than ever while the voice of his Zelda told him with a smile "Save her. Save her as you did with me."