Disclaimer For Whole Story: Hi guys, just getting this part out of the way for the entire thing (which is a work in progress, just a random idea that hit me). I do not by any means own anything referenced except any OC's that may appear (but probably will not). That's obvious though, this is fan-fiction after all. And two, there are over 683 thousand (let's just digest that number for a second) Harry Potter fan-fictions on this site alone. There's a good chance that a number of them are crossed over with Zelda. If something like this story has appeared, oh well. That's the risk we take. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

Summary: Link, the Hero of Time has been given the chance to protect Earth and it's one that he will not pass up. And so he will travel through time and blood to keep the darkness at bay and protect the children of the goddesses from annihilation. But this comes at a price. Three times the Hero was called into action.

Prologue: Golden Goddesses and New Worlds

He had failed. Hyrule was doomed and it was all his fault. He'd been given such a simple task; just one: save Hyrule. He had failed. But, by the goddesses, he was exhausted. He had spent years travelling through time over vast tracts of land, braving volcanoes and foes, stumbling through the darkness and finally fighting the ultimate evil. It was all for naught.

How many people would now perish under Ganondorf's rule? How many friends had he lost? And loved ones? Images of Saria, Malon, and Ruto flashed through his head before he finally settled on Zelda. He was tempted to blame her; if only she had not decided to send him back in time. They could have dealt with Ganondorf if he did not have access to the Din's Triforce. But she had wanted to make the future better; he, Link, had failed in his task.

It was strange though, that he could think at all, was it not? He had been sure that Ganondorf had destroyed him. Another proof was that Link was weightless, floating on the currents of time and empty space. He grimaced before opening his eyes. The next instant, Link regretted this action and squeezed them shut again. It was much too bright and streams of gleaming gold swirled in eddies around him. He would remain here, then, in the blissful dark.

"Hero of Time, awaken." Or he would be forced to once again take on the mantle of savior and charge into battle. Save the world? Fail again? He would rather stay sleeping, thank you very much. "Hero of Time, there will be time to rest soon. But now you must make a decision."

A decision? He got to make a decision? Link could not remember the last time he had a hand in forming his destiny. Every choice he had made did nothing to shape him into the man he was. Interest piqued, he peeked out from underneath his golden eyelashes towards the figure watching him closely and perhaps, sadly? He opened his eyes further when he noticed that the world was no longer gold. Instead it was an endless blue with islands dotting the horizon in the distance. "Where are we?"

"Above Hyrule," the figure stated from behind him.

Link turned and faced her, or what he assumed was a her from the voice but he could not tell for sure as it was under a dark cloak. Only shining gold eyes and a pair of lips could be seen from under the hood. "Who are you? How are we above Hyrule?" Confusion washed over him before he remembered her first statement. "What decision?"

The figure smiled. "I thought you had forgotten. The afterlife can be disorienting even for us. The decision you make is very simple. You can repeat your endeavor and attempt to defeat Ganondorf once more in your own time or we can wait for the next Hero of Time to take up the Master Sword to battle him. However, this will take time. The sages will use their powers to seal Ganondorf," – Link swallowed as his thoughts turned to a world without the fiery Zora or his greatest friend – "and the Hyrule will be frozen in time before it is flooded."

The swordsman gazed across the ocean and with a start realized that he recognized the island across from him. It was the peak of Death Mountain standing peaceful and proud. "What will become of the people?"

"Some will survive and they will live on the winds and waters."

"Will they be happy?"

The figure paused before a shoulder lifted in a shrug. "Mortals are resilient and somewhat forgetful; the stories of Hyrule, the Darkness, and the Hero of Time will become legends passed down in traditions and myths. They will flourish and multiply in this over world. There will be laughter and tears; birth and death; joy and sorrow. These things are inevitable."

Link nodded. "And this new Hero…Will he succeed?"

"Yes."

"Will I if I go back in time once more?"

"Perhaps."

The man's eyes closed as he shook his head. His only choice and it was not much of a choice at all. "So what makes this different from any other choice I can make?" He finally asked. "If I go back no one will be saved and there's no guarantee that I can win or that I will. That's no choice at all. Everyone I love is gone! I failed them! And I cannot change that!"

"There is a large chance that you will once again fail to save the ones you know and love. There is also a small chance that you will succeed and Ganondorf's evil will not plague the land for so long." The figure stopped again. "It seems, however, that you have already made the decision not to attempt another battle."

"Just one more question," Link said with a sigh. "What will happen to Princess Zelda? Will she perish?"

"She will live on, protected by anonymity. She does have a knack for that, does she not?" the figure queried with a trace of amusement.

Link let out a hollow laugh before nodding. "She really does."

"Your decision then?"

"I leave the fate of Hyrule to the future generations."

"As you wish." With that the ocean was swept away in a wave of golden light.

"Who are you?" Link asked, stunned by the sudden change and also by the fact that he was still standing and had not been overwhelmed by the light's intensity. He turned back to face the figure and gaped. The cloak had fallen to reveal that his assumptions about its gender were correct and to reveal her skin. Link dropped to his knee and bowed his head.

A gentle laugh filled the space around him before she responded, "I have at least partially answered that it seems. I am Farore, the Goddess of Courage. Rise, Hero of Time. There is no need for such deference. I have chosen you as my representative in Hyrule and you have sacrificed much. Rise, for you have yet another choice to make."

Link rose to his feet once more and gazed at the golden goddess before him before lowering his eyes to the ground. "Another choice, my Lady?"

The goddess nodded once. "Your time in Hyrule has passed. You may not return. However, I can allow you to pass on to the afterlife or I can grant you a new life in another world." Link glanced up, confusion etched onto his face and she continued. "Din, Nayru, and I saw that the creation of Hyrule was a success. Life flourished in the darkness, so we decided to create more. Most have continued on peacefully and without need of intervention but there is one that requires the occasional hero. We call this land Earth.

"Your choice, Hero of Time is this. Move onto the afterlife or take up the role as Hero for Earth. Drive back the darkness; keep it from devouring the life we have worked to fashion."

Surprise colored Link's face before doubt settled in. "I have failed at this task on Hyrule. Why would you give me this task?"

"Because your soul is hardy and you have more courage than anyone else I have had the pleasure of watching over. Because you are selfless and you have a light which pierces the darkest depths. I give you this task because you are my chosen one. Do you understand?" The goddess's radiant smile brightened the space around them when he simply nodded. "Excellent! Now then, the choice is yours. Either will be fine. As I said, it is your choice."

And yet, it was not much of a choice after all. There were innocent people who had use for a hero, and though Link had failed, he knew he would not fail these people. He could protect them from the darkness. He would. The goddess had so much faith in him and he could not find it in himself to doubt her words. He would ensure that her confidence was not misplaced. Of course, he would never see Hyrule again if he followed this path but he would not see his home again either way. He would have to make a new home in the unknown. "I will protect this new world, my Lady."

A soft smile spread across the Farore's lips. "As I thought you would." With a wave of her hand another land rushed to them from the distance and they were standing on the edge of a bluff. "This," she said softly, "is Earth."

"How will this work?" Link asked, looking around him and then down at the ocean crashing against the side of the cliff.

He started when the goddess suddenly took his hand and brought it to her lips. "When we need you, you will know. Do not worry, you will not be alone." She pressed a light kiss against the glowing symbol of the Triforce etched into his hand and he knew no more.

In a small village many miles away a small boy opened his emerald green eyes for the first time.