Wisdom and Courage

Book 2 of the Bound Destinies Trilogy

Author's Preface (please read before continuing!)

Edited as of 3/30/14

"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."
-Anne Frank

Hello everyone! For everyone who has read book 1 of my Bound Destinies Trilogy, Blood and Spirit, I hope that the fates have lead you here, to Book 2, Wisdom and Courage! However, if you've come here without reading Blood and Spirit first, I HIGHLY suggest you do so. And so, you may find it, here: s/9474719/1/ Blood-and-Spirit (copy and paste after fanfiction's main web address)

Interestingly enough, I wrote Wisdom and Courage first out of the entire trilogy, and then I began Blood and Spirit after it was finished. Because of this, I found that I needed to return to Wisdom and Courage and edit it, adding more consistency to the lore as well as the writing style, to make the stories flow together more and lead into the third story in the trilogy, Light and Shadow. In this massive edit, I will be adding things and taking quite a few things out. Everything that will be taken out of this story will be placed into the side work collection for the trilogy: the Bound Destinies Side Stories, which may be found here: fanfiction s/9944270/1/ Bound-Destinies-Side-Stories (Same as above, but If the links don't work you can find these stories on my profile!)

Now for those of you who have already read Wisdom and Courage and noticed that I deleted most of the story... That's cause I did. You see, I plan on reposting those chapters (along with several new ones) once they are reedited. So basically, I'm kinda beginning the story all over again... And I'd love to know what you all think, since it will be so much better than the original version! :D

When I first started writing this, I had originally intended for Wisdom and Courage to be a standalone piece, but as I continued to develop the story, the more I wanted to give it a sequel or maybe even make it part of a trilogy. And so, I eventually decided to write a trilogy of stories, each interconnected in their lore. Book 2 Wisdom and Courage is set post-Ocarina of Time, book 1 Blood and Spirit is set post-Skyward Sword and the final story, book 3 Light and Shadow will be post-Twilight Princess. The entire Trilogy is entitled the Bound Destinies Trilogy and it is by far what I consider to be the "magnum opus" of my writing library.

Before I give a more in-depth summary of Wisdom and Courage, allow me to elaborate on a few common lore-related elements (and other things) that will appear in all three stories. The main antagonists of each story will be related by way of being part of the same tribe and ancestry (no spoilers as to which tribe that is!) Termina, Majora's Mask, and the Fierce Deity's Mask will play a part in each story. The Triforce will be the common goal for all three antagonists (who will all be female by the way), along with control of Hyrule (or in Skyward Sword's case, the Surface). There will be some major Link/Zelda shipping in all three stories, and each story will reference the others and the games that they are connected to. Some other elements will only appear in two certain stories and not the other one, so keep that in mind! And that's all I'm going to tell you for now! No more spoilers! If you wanna find out how all of these elements come together in an epic combination, you'll have to read on!

So now for a more complete synopsis of Wisdom and Courage! Here goes: Hyrule has known peace for seven years thanks to the efforts of Link, the Hero of Time and Zelda, the Princess of Destiny. But the light that shines upon the kingdom quickly turns to darkness when Veran, the merciless Sorceress of Shadows descends upon Hyrule, hunting for those who the pieces of the Triforce. Claiming the golden relic as her own, Veran conquers Hyrule, covering it in shadows and darkness and turning the people against their beloved princess. But as all seems lost, an ancient prophecy comes to light, stating that the sole hope for the kingdom rests with two people alone: one of the blood of the goddess and one of the spirit of the hero. With their cruel and daunting destiny cut out in stone for them, Link and Zelda are entrusted with Hyrule's salvation, but at the same time they are torn between saving the kingdom and saving each other. War will be waged, love will be tested and sacrifices will be made.

W&C takes place seven years after Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask (in what would have been the adult era of Ocarina of Time), within the Child timeline. Within the story, Link and Zelda are about 17 years old and have spent much of their childhood together (everything since Link's return to Hyrule after the events of Majora's Mask), which makes them really close friends and in case you're wondering, yes, I will be shipping them in this story heavily. The first few chapters of the story are largely some establishing romantic fluff, with some foreshadowing into the plot which kicks in with the intro of our villain in chapter 8. Just a warning, this story is rated T for violence, blood, torture, and thick moral conflict, but I can promise you that there is not really any strong language or sexual themes.

Well, that's just about it with my overly long preface. I really hope you enjoy this story for those of you who haven't read it yet, and for those of you who have continue to enjoy! I've really put my heart and soul into this story and I hope it shows! Please leave me as many reviews as you want because I love feedback. So enjoy! And until next time! :D

~MiniJen