Prologue

The sun was setting on the ruins of a battlefield. Fiery red and orange beams cast long shadows on the carnage as men they took their last breath. Spears and weapons lay mixed in with the carnage. Insects filled the air. The cries and moans of the dying blended in with the ambient noises creating a blend of life and death. No one attended the injured or comforted the dying. As the sun began to dip lower in the sky the less cries were heard as slowly soldiers passed on

Laying against a rock outcrop amidst the wreckage was a knight. His hair was matted with sweat and dirt and his left eye had a large gash running over it. It was covered with blood and had seeped down his face and onto his armor. His abdominal was also soaked with blood and his hand was pressed against it. Short labored breaths escaped him.

The knights good eye was half closed as he waited for his fate, accepting what may come. Looking up his eyes looked to the horizon, and in his eye was a profound sadness. He clenched his fist, pulling up what little grass was there. This was not how it was supposed to end! He was a hero, even if no one knew it. He had risked his life countless times, only to have it taken in the most forgettable manner.

The knight looked to his right and saw his fallen banner, the crest of the royal family he had dedicated his entire life to. It was so much more to him though, it was a land he called home and one who he could never escape. It called to him from all ends of the earth, bringing him back to its familiar rivers and woods time and time again. With his calling came deep sorrows that he could never ease, never unburden. The scars were not physical, they lay much deeper than that. He had watched his first love forget about him, watched her marry another. He had seen the grief in his wife's eyes at his restlessness and tension.

Now, when his wife was expecting, at what should have been his moment to return home, he was struck down in what was supposed to be a simple mission. Fate was indeed cruel to him in this hour. No divine intervention was to be had this time it would seem.

A wolf howl was heard in the distance. The twilight was slipping closer and soon the darkness would come, and with it all the unknowns. The knight feeling the night seep into his bones closed his eyes and silently slipped away.

Ch 1.

A gentle breeze blew through one of Hyrule's many forests as Link walked along a path. His journey from Haneto had been peaceful so far. He had successfully avoided monster encampments, still being very weak. It was strange to think that while he had only been awake for a three weeks, that he was a hundred years old. The knowledge was useless though as he had no memories of anything before waking up, which seemed a high price to pay for a second chance.

Link felt very lost in this large strangely desolate world, ravaged by monsters and war. He wished the voice that had woken him up would come back, but it was in vain. Ever since leaving the shrine of resurrection he had heard nothing.

Impa had been less than helpful, giving him vague directions and bold assertions of his destiny and duty to the land. Link wondered if he was truly being given a second chance of life, shouldn't he get to choose this own destiny?

Link was broken out of his thoughts by his stomach grumbling, and suddenly he remembered how hungry he was. He decided to take a break and sat under a tree while he pulled out some food he had prepared before he left the village.

Sun filtered down through the leaves warming the ground Link sat on. Birds chirped softly and a few squirrels jumped from tree to tree. Link's attention was drawn off by a deer grazing on further off the path. Link put down his lunch and slowly drew his bow out. Stealthily he made his way over, crouching in the tall grass. Just when he had a clear shot the deer caught wind of him and bolted.

Link cursed. Standing as fast as he could he made chase, not wanting what could be a potential dinner to get away. Unfortunately it seemed the deer was to get the better of him as it disappeared into the denser growth. Link sighed putting his bow away and making his way back to the trail. Along the way he did find several mushrooms and a few apples, so at least it was not completely in vain.

Sitting back down under the tree, Link pulled out his shieka slate and pulled up his map to see how much longer he'd be in this forest. Sitting there he heard what sounded like a horse coming down the road. Coming towards him was a traveler riding a horse, laden with supplies. The women riding seemed younger and has dark hair neatly put up. On her back was a sword. Link at least admired her for her preparedness in taking on the wild. It was more than he could say when he had woken up.

As she got closer, Link gave her a half wave, since it seemed rude to not acknowledge her presence when it was so rare to see anyone on the road. The women, who seemed oblivious until that point, saw him and called out.

"Hey traveler!" She waved her hand and pointed her horse in Link's direction. Getting there she pulled up her chestnut horse to a stop.

"Hey" Link responded curtly, not really thinking he'd have to converse with strangers today.

"How's the road been? You been traveling far?" she asked relaxing in her seat. Not a smart move Link thought as she had no way of knowing if he was an actual threat. But maybe she was the threat, which would explain her calm demeanor.

"Good. I'm coming from Haneto. Where are you going?'

"I trying to get to the wetland stable, but I think I must have gotten turned around…I heard reports of a lot of monster sightings so I took the long route around. Either way I'm lost." She gave a nervous laugh and rubbed her neck. There was a moment of awkward silence where if Link was more inclined he'd give some sort of response. He was not. So the traveler continued.

"So…where are you headed on foot? Must be an awful long journey without a horse," she attempted, trying a new tactic.

Link thought for a minute. He wasn't really sure where he was going, but since he was in the East he may as well keep going. That would probably take him Zora's domain in a day or two. So Link picked that one.

"Zora's Domain and it's better for going over difficult terrain. Horses can't climb," Link answered with a wave of his hand. The reality was Link had tried several times to tame a horse, but so far his lack of stealth had made it impossible.

"Huh, never thought of that. That's not a bad point if you want to get somewhere quickly, but that's far more dangerous with the extra monsters. You'd have to carry far more equipment" she thought aloud.

"I guess"

"You must be pretty decent with fighting if you can handle that. Were you taught? It's so rare to see anyone who can take down monsters" she admired. Link fidgeted awkwardly under the scrutiny and praise.

"I don't know…I guess I was trained, but it's been a long time." There was no possible way he could tell her that he was a 100 year old resurrected knight. Even he had a hard time grasping that.

"Wish I had gotten proper training," she remarked wistfully. "Then maybe I could explore more and maybe finish my book."

"You're writing a book?"

"Yeah, it's not much. I really like looking into plants and the medicinal properties that they have. A lot of the plants though live in drastic climates, and hard to get places. Makes it really hard to get to if you don't have some survival skills"

"I see."

"Yeah. I hear the wetlands have a lot of march reeds that have properties, but I really can't get many samples. It loads down the horse and makes running away from monsters pretty hard."

"I'd imagine," Link replied politely.

"Yeah, but if we're heading in the same general direction maybe we could travel together for a bit? Least for a bit." She smiled. Link was a little taken back by the warm sentiment. He hadn't traveled with anyone or meet anyone who had wanted to travel together.

"I mean, only for a bit…I don't want to slow you down," Link tried, not sure how to take the idea. Of course it was him being slowed down but it might be night to connect with another human after so long.

"Fantastic!" she exclaimed. "I can tell you all about my findings if you want. I'm such an adventure like yourself could make use of the information. The names Sybli by the way. Whats yours?"

He hesitated for a second. "Link…my names Link."

"Well Link nice to meet another explorer and adventure. If you're ready lets get started!"

The trees had open up into a hilly grassland that had several swampy areas that made maneuvering difficult. There had been rain showers several times throughout the day, but they were light and more of a way to cool off. The sun was getting lower in the sky and reflected off the boggy areas. Buggs flew around and frogs hopped from puddle to puddle.

Link walked next to Sybil as she rode her horse. She had been making u the majority of the conversation, going on about the plants she had wanted to look into and her findings so far. She didn't seem to mind his tendency of silence. In fact she seemed to welcome the opportunity to just ramble on about whatever was on her mind.

The times Link did talk it was to comment now and then recopies, and occasionally to talk about the monsters and the ruins he'd found. The deserted battle field of guardians, the garrison, crumbled and ruined. Sybil had been captivated by it all, marveling at his adventurous nature. When Link would grow quite though, she would go right back into the plants.

"Cold resistance is probably the easiest compared to any sort of heat resistance you can get from plants I've found, with chili peppers being a really easy way of going about it"

"hmm chilis you say? Makes sense," Link acknowledged.

"Exactly! Anyways… oh looks like this is the cross road," Sybil said suddenly.

Link looked up and sure enough there was a fork, one way heading north, the other east. The way north was a flat wetland, while the east had large outcropping of rocks. There looked like a storm in the distant mountains, covering them in a gray shroud.

"I guess so," Link conceded. It was about time to get back on the move, he had so much more to explore. Best to not get attached either.

"Maybe our paths will cross again," Sybil said thoughtfully. "Who knows! But I hope you get to where you want to go and you kick some monster ass for all of us, Mr. Hero," she added with a wink. Link's face got hot suddenly.

"Where… where did you…I mean…I" Link tried to articulate.

Sybil laughed. "I'm only joking don't worry. But if there were to be a hero for Hyrule I think he'd be like you, if that makes sense. I just get this sense of nobility and knightliness from you that I've only seen in story books as a kid." She shrugged it off.

"Oh well… thanks then. I hope you finish your book," Link turned facing towards the east. "Safe travels," and with that he headed out.

"You too!" Sybil called out and headed north.

The sun was setting rapidly by the time Link got to the first large outcrop of rock. Link looked around and from here it seemed to be much more hilly. With nigh coming on Link decided to stop for the night. While he could have kept going, stalfos had been appearing more and more often.

There was no point anyways in pushing himself to go faster. Hyrule had waited 100 years, it could wait one more night.

White mist surrounded everything. It billowed and swirled around a kneeling woman. Her hair was long and golden, but she was trembling. Over and over she mumbled the same mantra over and over under her breath. It was too quite to discern what she was saying, but the tone was of that of a desperate plea.

Laying in front of her was a knight. He was tall and wearing badly damaged armor. His face was pale as death and one of his eyes was missing.

Rising out of the mist came three figures dressed in black robes wearing veils. On top of their heads sat crowns, each one made of a different substance. One was made of black steel adorn with onyx stones, another of silks with dark crystal beads hanging from spidery threads, and the last of dead tree branches woven together.

The three stood around the woman as she pled, tears falling down her face. Silently they stared at her and her knight, not moving an inch. The woman's cries got louder in her desperation and her body began to violently shake. Everywhere the mist got thicker, billowing around the base of the women in black.

The figures made no sound. Instead they turned and faced the opposite direction, and slowly walked towards it. As they glided through the mist an eerie chant rose up.

who traveled time and space

duty bound and density driven

will wear a younger face

A second chance given

Looking right at where Link watched the scene unfolded, the three figures pointed at him.

What will you do hero?

Then a scream tore through the silence.

Link shot awake, heart racing. There was another scream, but more distant sounding. Standing up Link brought up the slate and looked towards where the sounds may have come from.

It was then that Link saw the red moon hanging large in the sky. It tinted and illuminated the world in a evil glow. It did help make the land scape more visible. To the north there was a column of smoke. That was a bad sign.

Using his paraglider Link took off in that direction. The wind wiped around him and more than ever Link could feel the presence of the calamity hanging in the air. Dark and slimy it clung to him as the moon rose to its highest point. This was a very bad night to be out on the road.

The smoke was coming from an encampment made of the typical wooden structures Link had gotten used to seeing from Bokoblin bases. Link landed outside of the of the light and crept towards it. From the fire there were silhouette of the monsters as they roasted a large piece of meat on a spit. There were grunts and other loud noises as they all moved around in a frenzy. Some where rummaging through packs while another was kicking and jabbing a mound on the ground. In total there were around ten, which was a more than Link had to face off regularly.

Getting closer Link began to think of a strategy to take them out, when he noticed an item on the ground near the fire. It was a book, and it had an uncanny resemblance to the one Sybil had….

Link's head whipped towards the mound on the ground, as it suddenly look much more human like. His heartrate spiked and he drew his bow. He had a very small amount of regular arrows, but he did have two bomb arrows. Looking around he spotted just what might help him pull this off; bomb barrels. Standing he took aim, knowing he had one shot before he was discovered. Carefully he drew the arrow back aimed slightly up to account for wind and fired.

The explosion threw bokobilns in all directions, unfortunately it didn't seem to take any out. Link drew his traveler sword and rushed into the confusion. Many of the monsters had dropped their weapons in the blast leaving them at the mercy of Link's sword.

This didn't last long as the bokoblins quickly recovered and began to put up a fight. With the element of surprise gone Link began to dash around in hopes on taking on each monster at a time. The monsters weren't taking the bait.

It started to rain.

Link parred, slashed and dodged his way through the rest of the remaining monsters, only narrowly missing getting run through a couple times. Maybe in his pat life he might have easily dispatched the monsters, but in his weakened state there was little more he could do. Mud and water sloshed around as he tried to find sure footing. The bokoblins were also struggling with the sudden and several monsters slipped in the puddles .

After what felt like hours, the last monster fell and disintegrated leaving behind only a few teeth and guts. Link stood in the aftermath, chest heaving. The moon was waning and to the east there was a faint glow. Dawn was coming.

There was a groan to his left and Lin whipped around, remembering Sybil. He ran towards where she lay near middle of the three watch towers. Her body was covered in cuts and her hair was matted with blood. Shallow ragged breaths escaped her.

"Hey, hey stay with me, stay with me," Link's voice shock as he tried to calm the adrenalin running through him. He had not met anyone that he had to take care of. Hell he hardly could take care of himself when he got hurt, how was he supposed to deal with an emergency for someone else?!

Sybil tried to nod but it looked more like a twitch that only affected her head. She was losing awareness fast though, telling from the warmth Lin could feel seeping from her head. Injuries to the skull could be fatal, he recalled, and all bleeding needs to be stopped as fast as possible. Link got to work, sending a silent pray to Hylia that he could save Sybil.

The sun rose to a grey morning as cloud covered the sky. Link leaned against the frame of the bokoblin watch tower, completely exhausted. He had work for what felt like hours trying to bind up Sybil's wounds and give her anything that may stop the blood. But it hadn't made a difference as she had slipped away in the early hours. Link had yelled, threatened, even resorted to slapping her face, but again he was helpless to stop another innocent person form dying.

The body lay there, the top half covered by a cloak to stop Link from having to look at the lifeless face.

He hadn't even known her that well, but it wasn't about that. It was about how he had no power to protect a person who had just wanted to do something with their life. This had been going on for the last 100 years and might have been prevented had he succeeded the first time around. What frustrated him even more was that he didn't even know what he had done wrong the first time. How could he fix it this time around if he didn't know the problem in the first place?!

No one had been remotely helpful in remedying this situation either. The Purah and Impa had simply sent him off to deal with whatever as they had. It was infuriating going in blind.

After just sitting there contemplating everything, Link decided it was time to move on. He didn't have a shovel or any other way to bury the body, so he decided give her what he dubbed a 'wanders burial'.

Breaking down the watch towers he created a pyre, laid the body on and lite it aflame with some flint. The wood was wet and would not light and with each attempt Link got more frustrated with the situation. All he wanted was to pay respect could the goddess not even let him have that?

Eventually it came down to Link using his last bomb arrow to set the wood alight and then tossing the body on the flames. It was ugly and unceremonious but it seemed to fit with everything else that in his life.

While the body burned, Link looked to see if there was anything he could use to make a memorial. After gathering some of the left over items, he settled on making a head stone out of a shield and stuck it in the ground. On it he had put her name and the phrase "lover of plants; died in pursuit of her passion". Maybe when he had more time and tolls he could come back and make a proper marker, but for now he had to make due.

Sybil's book was mostly intact though it had water damage staining a couple pages. Link would give to the people of Haneto when he went back there, maybe someone would publish what she had.

The fire was dying down and with the wet conditions, Link didn't fear it spreading to the rest of the area. It also helped that the encampment had created a barre patch of land, from how heavily traveled it was. Putting his things together, Link gave one last look at the smoldering heap and headed back towards the east. He hoped that would be the last time he had to do that, but something told him it wouldn't be.