Time Cannot Erase

In a lifetime made of memories, I believe in destiny
Every moment returns again in time
When I've got the future on my mind
Know that we are the timeless ones

Meet me halfway
Across the sky
Out where the world belongs to only you and I
Make this a new beginning of another life
~Kenny Loggins "Meet Me Halfway"

Chapter 1
A New Beginning

The Land of Hyrule was covered in darkness. Thick, black clouds of ash hovered over the ground, emanating from the vast chasm of lava where the castle had once stood. Its final, crumbled remains of were slowly sinking into the pit of fire- lost forever.

Then, abruptly, the darkness of night was shattered. In an instant the world was light. Sunshine, white and blinding, broke through the clouds and shone down upon him. Link squinted into the brilliance before him, his eyes unfocused and his mind reeling. He let the light wash over him, glad for it. He was tired of darkness, tired of gloom and suffering. The warmth enveloped him, cleansing his body. He could feel the weariness and pain ebbing from his very core. He closed his eyes, in that moment wishing to forget it all, wishing that somehow this light would wash away the memories of his long journeys and endless battles.

Peace overcame him. Silence penetrated his ears. Silence. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was over.

"Link," he could hear her voice from afar. Afraid that he was dreaming he did not open his eyes. He had dreamt of her voice so often it didn't seem possible that it truly was her.

"Link," her voice came again. She sounded so close. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times as though making sure he was seeing clearly.

There were tears in her eyes as her face broke into a melancholy smile. Her face was illuminated in the sunlight that enveloped them. They seemed to be suspended- somewhere between time and space, just the two of them, utterly alone with nothing below their feet but clouds and nothing but sunlight above their heads.

The light reflected the gold in her hair and highlighted the blue in her eyes. The entire vision seemed too wonderful to be true. He wanted to reach out and touch her, just to be sure, but he knew he could not. She was the Princess Zelda, and he was simply Link.

"Link," she whispered through her tears, "It is over. We have succeeded. Ganondorf has been sealed inside the Dark World."

"Thanks to you, Princess," Link replied. Zelda shook her head adamantly.

"Oh, Link, I am so sorry," tears flowed more freely now.

"Sorry? Princess I don't understand," He fought the impulse to grab her hand.

"This has all been my fault. I brought you into this mess. I should never have asked you to do what you did. Opening the Door of Time- I should never have been so foolish. If it hadn't been for you…" her voice trailed off.

"Princess, you cannot blame Ganondorf's evil upon yourself. You did what you thought was right to save your people- and it worked. You said so yourself, it is all over now. Hyrule is safe."

Zelda's smiled faded. "Still, I had no right to force this upon you."

"It was my choice, Princess. I fought for the sake of Hyrule. I fought for your sake." The words came out before he could stop them. He found himself dropping to one knee, bowing his head and pledging loyalty to her.

"You did not deserve this Link," Zelda's hand came below Link's chin and lifted his head. Tears were flowing without inhibition now, though she was smiling at him. "You did not deserve to have your life stolen from you. You deserve to live a life of happiness, here in the peace that you helped to create."

"I will be most happy to help you rebuild Hyrule…"

"It is a new age of peace," Zelda spoke, her eyes full of sorrow. "It is time… we must part ways."

Link's head shot up. Slowly he staggered to his feet, staring at her in disbelief.

"Please, Link, you must return the Master Sword. You must close the Door of Time. The path through time must be closed… and you must go back. Please… the Ocarina. I will send you back. You can return to your original time, your rightful time."

"Princess," Link nearly pleaded.

"I am next in line to rule this land. To maintain peace here we must close this path of time. It is the only way."

Link gaped at her, not wanting to hear what she was saying, but somehow knowing she was right.

"Please, Link. Let me set things right. Please." She held out her hand for the Ocarina. He could not deny her. He handed it to her without question. Her hand lingered on his as she took it from him. It was almost more than he could take.

"I am the Hero of Time. You must know that I will fight for you, Princess Zelda, no matter where or when or how I must… I will fight for Hyrule and for you." He stepped back from her.

She looked at him in silence, words escaping her. Finally she found her voice, "I know you will."

Slowly, she raised the Ocarina to her lips. The first note she played pierced through him like a blade. Immediately a sense of weightlessness overcame him. His feet left the ground, Navi floating beside him. She played on and he raised higher and higher, the sky around him growing lighter all the while.
She was fading now as he was carried upward and away from her. Where and when he would end up he did not know. He was ascending into the unknown and a sudden fear overcame him. He looked down on her, hoping that it was not the last time he would lay eyes upon her. Now, more than anything, he wished to remember this adventure forever. He could endure the pain and misery as long as it meant his memories of her would not be expunged as well.

"Please," he pleaded as her image and all else faded into blinding whiteness, "Do not let me forget her."

"Thank you, Link…" her voice floated towards him even as she continued to vanish.

She was gone now and Link closed his eyes once more, letting the light envelope him as her final word echoed in his ears.

"Goodbye."

****************************

Slowly the light started to fade. The world was materializing around him once more. He could feel weight coming back to his body as his feet landed with a soft thud on a smooth, polished floor. His eyes adjusted to the relative dimness of the large cavernous room. The only source of light was a narrow shaft of sunlight streaming from a window high above his head. The beam fell to rest on a sword in a pedestal at his feet: the Master Sword. It had returned to its resting place, here in the Temple of Time.

Link took a step back and looked down at his hands- his small, chubby little hands. He was ten years old again. He was back in his young body, but his mind felt the same. In his mind he was seventeen.

He realized now what was taking place. Zelda had returned him to the moment before he had pulled the sword out of the pedestal and opened the Gates of Time, allowing Ganondorf to enter the Sacred Realm. He had to change this moment. He must choose not to touch the sword. He took another step back and waited.

"How long until we know we have had changed the course of time, Navi?" He asked, looking at her, but she did not reply.

"Navi?" he asked again.

"Goodbye, Link," she whispered almost inaudibly. To his surprise she flew upward toward the shaft of light in the window.

"Navi!" He called, afraid of what was happening. He looked up into the light as she drew nearer and nearer to the height of the window. He shaded his eyes against the light as she faded into its brightness and vanished.

Link was now alone.

"Navi…" he called out once more, so softly even he could barely hear it.

What had happened? Where was he? He turned his head away from the stream of light and lowered his hand, but as he did his heart skipped a beat. There, on the back of his hand, glowing with a luminous gold light, was the symbol of the Triforce. He still held the Triforce of Courage within him. It was not lost.

Bewildered, he turned, searching for answers. His feet carried him out of the open Door of Time. No sooner had he stepped through the threshold than, with an earthshaking crash, the Door of Time shut and sealed itself. With a sigh he turned away from the door and back toward the Temple's entrance, but something troubling caught his attention. The Sacred Stones were gone. They were not on the Pedestal of Time. He was sure that they should be there if, indeed, he had been sent back to the moment he pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal.

Then again, if the Sacred Stones were not there and the Door of Time was still sealed…. His mind was racing. His thoughts turned to Navi, and a sense of understanding overcame him. Without a moment's hesitation Link tore across the tiled floor of the Temple and out into the courtyard.

He rounded the corner slowly. There were two guards ahead of him. Crouching down and walking as quietly as possible he stole behind them as they turned the corner. He slowed his pace as his feet left the grass and hit the stone paved archway, not wanting to make a sound. Suddenly he was afraid of what he would find, and as he drew nearer his heart began to beat more heavily.

There she was, standing at the window with her back turned to him- just as the first time he had seen her for who she truly was: the Princess of Hyrule. A torturous sense of deja-vous overcame him. His feet turned to stone as he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. As he approached the window she started. She turned quickly, her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide and surprised. She stared at him in fear for a moment that felt like an eternity to Link.

Then she smiled. Link felt relief gush over him as she ran up to him, tears of joy in her face, laughing.

"Link," she cried.

"You remember me?" he asked with a smile.

"It worked, Link. It worked!"

"I don't understand… the stones… the sword… the door… when is this?" Link sputtered.

"I sent you back to the day I first met you. I wanted to be sure. I wanted to be sure that the stones would be safe, that the door would not be opened, that none of this would happen.

"Do you remember that day, this day? I met you and together we saw Ganondorf through this window. He isn't there...."

"I don't understand, if he was there then, shouldn't he be here now?" Link puzzled. "What I mean is, we are back at the moment I first saw him, before he was sealed. You haven't sealed him away yet…."

"The seal the Sages and I placed upon the sacred realm, sealing him inside, transcends time and space. Once sealed there, his entire being, body and soul, becomes trapped, no matter the time or place. It is as though he never existed. Hyrule will never know of his existence."

Link couldn't help but smile as he peered through the window. Ganondorf was nowhere to be seen. Link struggled to sift through the situation, piecing together this new world he was a part of.

"Then… the Great Deku Tree… he must still be alive! Ganon killed him, but if he never existed…. He was like a father to me. He was the only father I have ever known. You don't know what this means to me," he smiled.

Zelda returned the smile, "We may have saved both of our fathers then."

Link had seen Zelda flee the castle that day that Ganondorf had made his true nature known. He knew the King had been murdered, but somehow it had never hit him as it did now. Zelda had not seen her father for seven years.

"Then you do understand…." Link replied.

"Better than anyone," Zelda answered.

"Hey!" A guard was standing at the entrance to Zelda's garden with his blade drawn. "You there, step away from the Princess. You have no business here!"

"He is a guest of mine, Captain. He is welcome here. You will not touch him," Zelda ordered with a power and poise beyond her ten years.

"Oh," the guard blanched. "I am sorry, Princess. Please forgive me."

"He is to be allowed entrance to the castle at all times. Make note of it, and see that your men understand."

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard bowed and retreated.

Zelda smiled at Link, "It is funny," she said, "I don't feel as though I'm a child inside. This small body feels so… uncomfortable."

"It takes time to adjust," Link replied knowledgably, "but you will."

"Link, I want you to meet my father. I want to see him, to tell him what you've done for Hyrule. You are a hero, and everyone must know what you did."

Zelda led Link down a cavernous hallway. The floor was covered in brightly colored tile so polished he could see his reflection. He felt very small and inadequate to be in such a place. He felt out of place in his dirty boots and simple clothes. He tried to smooth his hair down as he walked, but he felt sure it was of no use.

Zelda slowed, looking almost frightened. "He's in here."

They had stopped in front of a set of double doors so high Link could scarcely see their tops. He felt breathless and nervous. He had never seen the king before.

As Zelda neared, a pair of guards opened the door for her, eyeing Link distastefully as he passed. As they entered the room Link could feel Zelda tense up beside him. There, across the room, sitting on a magnificent throne, was the King of Hyrule.

He was a large man, tall and fairly wide. He looked strong, but slightly older than Link had expected. He had black hair with the slightest dusting of gray. He had a mustache, a beard and two incredibly bushy eyebrows. He was wearing immaculate robes of deep shades of red and purple. The crown on his head most likely cost more than every rupee Link had ever laid hands on. On his face was a slightly unpleasant expression somewhere between a frown and disgusted apathy.

As he laid eyes on Zelda his expression grew only uglier. "Daughter, what are you doing here?" he blasted. "You know you are not to disturb me, nor enter this chamber unless I summon for you."

Zelda, meanwhile, was shaking and trying to hold back her tears. "Father…" she whispered. She seemed to be trying to restrain herself, but ultimately failed. She tore across the room, dashed to her father and flung herself weeping onto his lap, hugging him. The king went into shock. He looked down on her awkwardly, as though not sure of what she was or what she was doing. Link watched in horror as Zelda's father, instead of hugging her, pushed her away. Zelda looked at him painfully, tears still in his eyes.

"Daughter, what has gotten into you…?" He asked sheepishly.

"I'm just glad to see you, Father," she replied longingly.

"Yes, well, that will have to wait," his face was beginning to take on its naturally displeased appearance. "I am meeting with the Gerudo chief at any moment. You will need to remove yourself from the hall."

"The Gerudo chief!" Link burst out unexpectedly. The King seemed not to have noticed him before that moment, but Link's outburst had drawn every eye to him. "You can't!"

"Who," the King looked angrier than ever, "are you?" Without waiting for a reply he demanded, "Remove him!"

"Father, no!" Zelda cried and jumped in between Link and the approaching soldiers. "He is a guest, here by my request. I want you to meet him, his name is Link, and he is-"

"Zelda, how in Hyrule could this worthless scoundrel be your friend? Look at him? What are you thinking bringing trash into the castle? Has Impa been allowing you to wander the streets of the town like a common urchin, again? I swear to you, if I hear of her giving you inappropriate allowances once more she will be the last Sheika to serve this house!"

"Father, it isn't like that," Zelda pleaded, still shielding Link from her father's wrath. Her eyes filled with fear, and sorrow.

"That is enough!" he shouted. "Remove yourself, and see that he is shown the way out. I won't have commoners in my castle. I do not have time for you and your foolishness."

Zelda was staring at him, her eyes wide and shining, her lip trembling, and a shattered look in her eyes.

"Father…." She implored one last, futile time. Her father shot her a look of ice and Zelda closed her mouth immediately. She turned and made her way to the door, trying to preserve some of her dignity. Link was left staring at the looming figure of the King. He too quickly turned and followed Zelda out of the room.

Once out of the hall, with the massive doors shut behind her, Zelda broke into a run. Link hurried to catch up, grabbing hold of her wrist, but she pulled away.

"Princess, please!" Link called. She stopped abruptly and turned.

"I don't understand," she replied. "I thought… I thought he would change after what happened. I thought things would be different. Seven years I've waited…."

"I'm sorry," Link replied awkwardly. He had never thought anyone could have a father like that, let alone Princess Zelda.

"I apologize to you," Zelda said, "He should not have spoken to you like that. He had no right."

Link remained silent, the words of her father had cut him deeply: common, trash, worthless, a scoundrel…. He felt that way around Zelda at times- worthless in the shadow of her grace, but it hurt greatly to hear it spoken so bluntly. What made him angrier was the way he treated Zelda, his own daughter. No one had the right to talk to her that way, father or not.

Zelda sighed, "I don't know why I thought he would change. Maybe I was away from him for so long I had forgotten what he was like. I just wanted so badly for him to be…" she trailed off painfully.

"He said he was busy," Link tried half heartedly.

"He said he was meeting with the Gerudo chief," Zelda suddenly looked frightened. "That can't be," she said in disbelief. "That doesn't make any sense!" She stopped, seeming to wrack her brain for an answer. "Impa!" she burst. We have to find Impa!" she turned and made her way down the corridor, turning the corner so quickly she did not notice the approaching figure. Zelda ran headlong into a tall woman, bounced back and nearly lost her footing.

"I'm so sorry!" Zelda entreated, looking up, but who she saw standing there made her lose her breath.

"Not at all," the woman replied. She had deep, tanned skin, long, dark hair and a devilish grin. "It is I who should be apologizing to you, Your Highness."

"Nabooru!" Zelda smiled.

"Hello, Zelda." Nabooru gave her patented smirk which quickly faded into a genuinely pleased expression. Nabooru's gaze turned to Link who was staring at her, beaming. "Hello, Link. I've forgotten how small you were!" She laughed. Her voice was rich and full of life, raspy as the desert sand but warm and friendly, when she wanted it to be. "If I didn't know what a handsome devil you'd grow into, I'd never believe it."

"Nabooru, what are you doing here?" Zelda asked.

"I'm here to see your father."

"He said he is meeting with the Gerudo chief now," Zelda spoke earnestly.

"Please, tell me it isn't-"

"Ganondorf? No, I am the chief of the Gerudos," Nabooru replied proudly. "Ganondorf is gone."

"How can that be?" Link asked in wonder.

"I do not know, but I am the chief now, and I am here to strike a peace agreement with your people."

"That's great!" Link smiled.

"I'm the only one of my people who remembers what happened. I'm glad to see you two retained your memories. It is only right for you to see in full force the good you have done for this land."

"Then all of the Sages…" Link mused.

"It seems we have all kept our memories as well," A deep, mystic voice emerged from the shadows.

"Impa!" Zelda cried, hurtling forward, hugging Impa around the waist.

"I'm so proud of you, Zelda," Impa replied, bending to her knees and hugging the princess back. "I knew you could do it. I'm proud of you both." She smiled at Link, standing up and clapping him on the shoulder. "I knew you could do it." She repeated.

"Do what," Nabooru replied. "What's going on here? The last thing I remember is standing on a ledge near the peak of Death Mountain. We were all there, watching the celebrations of the people as they realized they had been saved from the wrath of Ganon. We were talking, mostly about you two. Saying how proud we were of you, hoping you were safe, and wondering what would happen next. Then, out of nowhere, a blinding light rose up from the Temple of Time and engulfed us. The next thing I knew I was back home in Gerudos' Valley, and an attendant was reminding me that I must be on time to meet your Father here today for the negotiations. I knew at once you two had something to do with this."

"I had to do it," Zelda replied. "I had to shut the path of time, to lock the seal."

"She does not hold the Triforce of Wisdom without reason," Impa spoke. "She knew exactly what she was doing, sending us back to this time. To close the path of time we must return to the time we started down it, and change our course. Only then will that path vanish, and Ganondorf will truly be lost in the gap of time."

"I understand," Nabooru nodded her head. "It's for the best, I'm sure. Hyrule will be a better place with Ganon's memory erased from its pages. Still, think of it: me, as chief, attending a peace council with the King of Hyrule?" She laughed loudly. "What have you two gotten me into this time?"

Zelda and Link laughed with her. The thought that Nabooru and Impa remembered struck Link powerfully. If they did, certainly the others would. Darunia, Ruto, Saria… he smiled. Having them back would be too wonderful for words.

"I'd better get going, now. I'll see you again, I hope," Nabooru started down the corridor. "You had better hold on to him, Princess," Nabooru laughed, a sly sparkle in her dark eyes. "Or in a few years I'll hold him to that promise I made him."

Zelda looked at Link questioningly. "What promise?" she asked.

Link just blushed and mumbled something unintelligible, staring at the floor as he did so.

Impa grinned slightly and turned, heading toward the courtyard.

"Link, what promise?" Zelda insisted. Link blushed more deeply and followed Impa out into the courtyard with Zelda right behind him.

"'Father, it isn't like that,' Zelda pleaded, still shielding Link from her father's wrath. Her eyes filled with fear, and sorrow."

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