A/N: Okay, I had this story posted before, but I hated everything after the first chapter. So, I made a few slight changes, and now I'm going to take the story in a new direction, chapter 2 should be up in a few hours...I hope you like it! If you start reading please read through till the end of the chapter. R/R!
Disclaimer: Well, no...I don't own The Legend of Zelda or any of it's contents - But if you don't mind, I would like to live in denial. Ahahahaha...
His shoulder was pressed hard against a lone chestnut tree. His calf was split deep, and the loss of blood was slowly, and not to mention painfully, diminishing his strength. But the wounds of battle were nothing compared to the wave of anguish that he felt when he laid his eyes upon this particular clearing. It wasn't supposed to be a clearing. Ashes layered the grass, there were burnt tree stumps and fallen branches everywhere, and the dried up river that was now a muddy ditch.
Link didn't understand. Where was the forest? What happened to the Kokiri people? He almost dropped to his knees from exhaustion. He felt like he couldn't take another step, but he took it anyway. That was the breaking point. He collapsed, knowing that he'd have to rest awhile. He lay there, sprawled on his side in the black soot, the smell of smoke overwhelming his senses, as though the fire was still burning.
"After all I've been through..." He muttered to himself, "I defeated the bastard! I saved everyone...is this really what I deserve?" He sat up and coughed a little, taking a sharp breath of clean air.
Zelda had tried to tell him, to warn him, but Link hadn't listened. If only he had, then he would've known. When you destroy a possessor of a piece of the triforce, the remnant of power from them hurts something, something that was dearly loved by his slayer. In other words; his home.
So Link blamed himself. He should have thought of another way, ANY other way, to stop Ganondorf's rise to power. Now the forest of his people was devastated and they were either dead or...no, he had to face the reality; they were most likely dead.
All of a sudden fury ignited inside him. 'This can't be my fault!' he thought, helplessly, 'All those lives...' He searched frantically for something else for which to place the blame. Instantly, his fingers reached to the triforce pendant. It was attached to a small golden earring that hung on the lobe of his right ear. Encased in this, was the magic of the triforce itself. Power, Courage, and Wisdom. Zelda had told him to keep it safe...
He decided that none of this would have happened if it weren't for the triforce. If it hadn't been created in the first place then he'd never have left the forest. So who cared if it was safe or not? As long as it was out of the hands of evil it couldn't possibly matter. He didn't want to guard it for the rest of his life. Without a second thought, he snapped the pendant off of the ring, flipped it high into the air, and pulling his bow and an arrow from his back, aimed and fired. The arrow, with expert precision, pierced it in mid air, and connected, both objects fell onto the ground, far from where Link still sat. He could see the cracks forming on the triforce's surface as he stood up and took a few tentative steps towards it. He was numb to any pain now, and he watched in awe as shafts of light were emitted from the openings. Then it shattered, and without so much as a sound.
Link came over and picked the extraordinary weapon up from its resting place, overturning it in his hands curiously. He certainly hadn't expected that to happen. Sure, he'd wanted to destroy it, but he'd never thought it possible, especially using a mere arrow. He'd never kept a used arrow before, but he couldn't help placing it back with the others. He glanced around, every so often his gaze resting on another body in the rubble, trying for a moment to distinguish who they were, but it was useless. Then he heard a sound from somewhere ahead, and by habit his hand flew immediately to the hilt of his sword.
A/N: All right, first chapter up! Saria will be in the next one! And the story isn't as depressing as you might think. So please keep reading, I'll update soon, school is almost out...Any comments? Questions? Suggestions? R/R!