Title: Future Lost

Series: The Legend of Zelda

Time: At least 1000 years after Wind Waker, probably more

Rating: PG-13/Teen/Whatever

Reason for rating: Combat, non-descriptive blood and injuries, slightly more mature storyline (as opposed to happy, kiddy fics)

Main Characters: Nayru, Ganon, Link

Summary: In the far future that could have been, people do not believe in the Goddesses of Hyrule much. Lacking believers, and thus crippled and nearly powerless, they easily fall prey to Ganon's might. The Goddess of Fire and Power, Din, and the Goddess of Wind and Courage, Farore, have been captured, along with their respective pieces of the Triforce. The Goddess of Water and Wisdom, Nayru, is injured and dying. Ganon's armies are sweeping the land. The only hope is a young Captain in the southern kingdom of Seraphia, a boy called Link, and the hearts and prayers of his country's people. However, Ganon will not let something as silly as the newest Link prevent him from reaching his oh-so-close goal… And he'll stop at nothing to break the Goddess of Wisdom and bring her to her knees.

Pairings: I dunno… Link x Nayru, maybe? That has not been decided at this time. But Nayru does deserve some loving from the fans, don't you think? XD

Prologue: A Wandering Goddess

A long, long time ago, the bruised and bloodied girl had been known as Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom and Water. The people of Hyrule and countries beyond had acknowledged her and, for the most part, faithfully followed the laws she had passed down for them. But Time was a cruel mistress, one not even a Goddess could escape.

Nayru remembered the Hero of Time, a master warrior who had sealed the man called Ganon away for the longest time she could remember. Farore had always spoken of him the highest of anyone who had ever born the Triforce of Courage. That legend's companion, one of the oh-so-many Zelda's, Nayru also remembered well. She had liked that one quite a bit. The girl had actually gone out and done something. In disguise, sure, but hey.

Now, however, like clockwork, Ganon had made his way out of the Dark World where he was so often kept. This time, though, like the time before Hyrule had been buried, no Link had shown up, bearing the Master Sword. Ganon had used the Triforce of Power to bring Din to her knees; even now, Nayru's dear friend was chained to Ganon's bed and made to do his bidding.

After that, the madman had unceasingly searched for the Triforce of Courage. The small boy who found it had been rewarded by Ganon for his efforts, and even now commanded his armies as a master General. Farore had also been found and beaten into submission, and was currently forced into the role of a servant girl who obeyed the Gerudo King.

Ganon had not stopped there, of course. Why would he? Two of the Goddesses had been ground beneath his feet, he possessed two parts of the Triforce, and his armies had conquered most of the world. Only a small kingdom of magic-users in the far south had managed to hold back his armies, but they weren't quite strong enough to defeat him permanently. Sooner or later, they would fall.

However, Nayru had made her way there anyways, hoping there was someone who still believed. After all, her power came from the faith of the people. As long as they believed in her and her power, she could be strong. But few did.

By her estimate, Nayru had only three people who believed, and only one prayed. Ganon knew she existed of course, had known for a very long time. Another was a small child who'd heard bedtime stories about her, one of the few that were still told. The last… she didn't know. That was what she wanted to find out. If her last hope had the capability to remind enough people of who she was, the Goddess could create a new Law of the world. But that… that would take many believers. And things did not look good.

The trip to the small kingdom of Seraphia had not gone well. Crippled of most of her powers, Nayru had been forced to walk hundreds of miles across the wilderness. And while no creature dared to attack her, weak as she was, neither did they offer to help. The worst part of it all was when she had been captured by a group of Moblins who knew her face.

They had not hesitated or held back. They had attacked her immediately with all they had, knowing that unless they gave everything they had, she would be able to blow them apart. Even weakened, she was a Goddess, after all, and thus far more powerful than any mortal when angered. Or even calm.

But Nayru had overestimated the power she had left. She had won, true. The Moblins were even now rotting beneath the sun. But she had regressed in age back to sixteen, so little was her power. She could not even heal her wounds anymore, and so had to stumble forward, covering her wounds as best she could.

She tripped and fell to the ground at the edge of a forest. In front of her, she could see the white spires that made up her destination. A few tears blurred her vision. She was so close! She could almost touch the place.

"Din… Farore…" the girl whispered. "Hang on… I'll rescue you, no matter what…" Taking several deep breaths, the girl began to crawl forward, one hand after another. Her clothes were already no more than dirty rags; a little more soil on them would make no difference. All that mattered was reaching the city, finding that beacon of hope.

Her strength gave out just before she would have made it into the sight of the guards, and thus receive aid. Nayru lay where she was, breathing irregularly. She realized, feeling a chill, that she was dying. She had only lived as long as she had because of those tiny grams of faith, and that power was finally exhausted. Nayru closed her eyes.

Chapter One: The Mage-Knight

Nayru's eyes fluttered open. She felt silk sheets beneath her, and a huge, warm, comforting blanket above. The crackle of a fire reached her ears. Was this death? Where Goddesses went when they finally faded away?

A door creaked open. Nayru turned and looked. Standing in the doorway was a boy, who looked to be about the same age she did. The goddess licked her dry lips and stared at him. He was not especially handsome, nor did he really stick out in any other way. But hanging around his neck was a small pendant with the mark of the Triforce…

"You're up." The boy said calmly, walking over and kneeling beside the bed. The girl reached out and touched the necklace. A relatively large surge of power suddenly flowed into her. It was less than a tenth of a percent of her full abilities, less than a hundredth, even, but it was an incredible amount compared to what she had felt as she lay dying.

"You believe in me." Nayru whispered, continuing to brush the sacred triangles. She began crying. Wordlessly, the boy wrapped his arms around her and held her as she sobbed against his chest. Her hope had not been in vain after all! He was no child on the street or doddering old fool, he was a young man, and his belief was strong. "You believe…"

"Yes." The boy said simply. "The one called Farore… I met her while out in the field, spying on Ganon's armies. She told me all about the Goddesses of Hyrule, and created this for me." The boy indicated his pendant. "And after that, I never had the desire to back away just because something frightened me. How could I not believe?"

Nayru pulled back, rather wanting to just kiss him. "Was… was she well?" the Goddess asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer. "Was my friend well?"

"She looked about as ragged as you." The boy said dryly. "But seemed well enough. Apparently, Ganon wiped the memories of fifty people, then split them into two groups and turned them into raving, devoted worshippers. Half sustains Farore, the other your friend Din. Enough to keep them well, not so many to give them nearly the power to challenge their captor." Nayru nodded, took several deep breaths, and relaxed. Of course they'd be treated well. If they died, out went their power. "I am Link, Captain of the Seraphia Mage-Knights, my lady."

Nayru's breath caught in her throat. It was not widely known to people beyond the most dedicated scholars of her Law (not that any were left, so it was probably not known at all anymore), but when she had given out the Law of the Land, one of the notes at the very back, in all the boring text few people bothered to read, explained the Link. It was not just a name, but an identity. The one who bore that name, and who was blessed by the Goddesses, usually Farore, was their link to the people. He carried out their will. This boy… he was the newest Link. And that meant he could change the world, something it badly needed.

"Captain…" Nayru began. "Can you take me to your ruler? I wish to speak with him." the boy nodded curtly, then reached under the sheets and lifted the girl up. After a moment, he glanced down.

"Your clothes aren't dirty anymore." He said, blinking as he began walking. "But I forbade any of the servants to touch you or anything you had…" Nayru giggled a little. Respect for divinity, perhaps?

"It is because of your faith." The girl replied softly. "My power comes from my believers. You believe in me, more strongly now that we have met, so a little fraction of my power has returned." The boy frowned. After a few seconds, the girl actually laughed. "The most devoted worship can only do so much for me, it is one of the restrictions placed upon us. Din, Farore, and I must have many people behind us if we are to be strong. If only a few believe, no matter how greatly, then we shall still be weak." The Mage-Knight nodded as he carried the girl into the Gathering Hall where his King resided. All talking ceased almost immediately.

"This is the girl you found?" the King boomed out, staring at Nayru. "The one you claim is a Goddess?" Link gently set Nayru on her feet, making sure she could support herself against him, and turned to look at his ruler.

"Yes." The boy said. Whispers broke out among all the gathered nobles. The Captain of Seraphia's famous and extremely powerful Mage-Knights had always been a realistic person. Sure, he had lofty ambitions, but his willingness to tackle those problems with effort instead of dreams had gotten him to one of the highest positions in the land. He wasn't the sort to pull something like this as a stunt. The boy smirked, then drew his sword out of its sheath. It was made of some glowing golden metal…

Nayru suddenly blinked. There were two golden metals. One was, of course, gold. The other, Orichalcon, was a rare but magically powerful substance. The Master Sword itself had an Orichalcon core, encased inside of blessed silver and steel crafted by Din's own hands.

"I swear, by my blade, the holy Ragnell, that the girl you see beside me is Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, one of the three patrons of Hyrule." The boy said. His blade flashed. After a moment, the boy resheathed it. The whispers got louder.

Hyrule. That was where Ganon had struck from after the great seas had finally moved away. A large, barren land that had once been the jewel of the world. Was this some sort of trick crafted by their enemies? But Ragnell had approved the boy's oath of truth! Everybody knew the story of the blade! If the boy had been intentionally lying, it would have killed him on the spot, and it was far from easy to fool him.

Nayru felt just a little stronger. Link had put his life on the line, without hesitation, to support her. That was a mark of incredible belief. After a few seconds, Nayru reached out. A circular harp appeared in her hands.

"Allow me to show you." The Goddess said softly. She began playing a soft tune. "I will show you the echoes of what has gone before." She was glad that the Harp of Ages was still in her possession. It had been crafted hundreds of years ago by her own hands, and was powered by its own magic. And it reacted very favorably to its loving creator.

Everyone in the hall found themselves suddenly in the past, above the ground. It didn't take long for the magically-sensitive people to realize they were seeing a vision. Events unfolded at lightning speed for several minutes, before the song finally finished and returned them to reality.

"I see." The King said, mopping his brow. Nayru smiled slightly as she realized that nearly two dozen people had just begun to believe in her. Weakly, yes, but they were people and they believed. So this was the amount of power her friends had. "None of us has the power to show the past like that; our strongest cannot come close. Why are you here, Goddess?" Nayru tilted her head.

"I came to this land because one here believed in me." She said, looking over to Link. "If you so wish, I will stay here, and help you in your fight against Ganon. He holds my dearest friends captive, forcing them into servitude at his feet. I have fought him many times before, and unfortunately, know him well." Everybody in the room nodded. After a few more seconds, Link swept the girl off her feet.

"Lady Nayru is still weak." The boy explained smoothly, somehow managing to bow to the King while holding her. "I believe she could use some more rest." The King nodded and waved a hand. Link spun around and carried his Goddess out.

Nayru rested against him as they moved through the corridors. The tiny flicker of hope had grown. The rulers of Seraphia, land of magic, believed in her and would support her. The people would surely follow if she moved the pieces right. And if the entire country believed in her and her friends, then she was sure Ganon could be overcome.

"Captain Link, do you swear to do everything in your power to help me recover and defeat Ganon?" the Goddess asked. Without hesitation or even thought, the boy acknowledged the question.

"Yes, I do."

"Thank you. There is a… prophecy, you might say… that was made about two thousand years ago." The Goddess closed her eyes. "The Hero's Triumph on Cataclysm's Eve wins three symbols of Virtue. The Master Sword he will then retrieve, keeping the knight's line true If you can find three objects that require a test of your Courage, your Power, and your Wisdom, then I can make the prophecy true once more."

"Dual-wielding…" the boy muttered. "I cannot give up Ragnell; it is a mark of who I am and one of my greatest friends. I looked up the legends about you, and the Master Sword seems necessary as well. Could be trouble."

Nayru laughed as they entered her room and she was deposited on her bed. A few servants curiously peeked in. Link shooed them away. The Goddess took a few long, deep breaths as she focused on healing herself. She had enough energy now to cover up her wounds, though she still couldn't fix up her clothes. And that was just embarrassing. Thankfully, the heavy cover was pulled over her a moment later, preventing her feminine embarrassment from getting the better of her.

"Please rest." Link said, heading back towards the door. "And ring the bell if you need anything. One of my knights will come and see to it that you get whatever you need, be it food, water, or virgin sacrifices." He winked at the girl, but she felt nervous all the same.

"Where are you going?" she asked, sitting upright. Link paused in the doorway.

"To give more lessons to my Mage-Knights, of course." The boy said, smiling gently. "We are at war, after all, and up against a man with more power than any three Goddesses, not to mention two under his control, and a massive army of monsters beyond that. I mean no disrespect, my lady, but even if all in Seraphia believe in you, which I think they soon will, that won't be enough. I know the King, unfortunately, and once you are strong again he will order us to change to the offensive side. My soldiers need to be ready."

Nayru, slowly, nodded. After a moment, she pulled off a hair ornament that was shaped like a ring and tossed it to him.

"Take that, with my blessings, then." The girl said softly. The boy slipped it onto his smallest right finger. "You have done much for me, Captain Link of the Seraphia Mage-Knights. More than I can ever repay." A strange expression crossed the boy's face.

"It is no trouble." He replied. "I… have a reason." He hurried out, leaving the bewildered but ultimately pleased Goddess behind him.

A nice nap later, Nayru stretched and awoke, feeling even stronger. Another fifty people had become her followers while she slept. Her clothes had finally fixed themselves, turning into the radiant outfit she usually wore. Unfortunately, she was still sixteen. Taking a deep breath, the Goddess hurried to the window and looked outside, hearing the sounds of combat from below. Training, of course.

What she saw next amazed her. In front of a large group of warriors… fifty, the girl realized, probably making them her new followers, Link had shifted into a fighting stance against a huge monster. The boy didn't hesitate in charging forward and working into a combat routine.

The monster was no slouch, easily parrying the blows. Smirking, Link slipped backwards, then sent his sword through a series of rapid slashes. Each slash sent a wave of holy energy flying out of his blade, impacting against the creature. It was finished when the boy raised his hand. With her eyes, which saw many things mortals could not, Nayru witnessed a blast of magical energy fly up. It came back down in the visible spectrum as a massive bolt of lightning.

The monster turned into smoke and vanished. An illusion, not a summoning, Nayru thought mildly. So it could be reused. That was a very high-level illusion, though, since it could obviously interact with the real world and apparently fight. If there were even five people in this Kingdom who could do that sort of thing, then it made sense that Ganon's armies had been repelled.

Monsters that would always return; an army that could not be defeated. However, those enchantments took energy. Energy the illusionists didn't have over prolonged periods. She smiled a bit as all the knights below her began combat drills.

Half an instant later, an explosion rocked the entire city. The warriors below her stopped what they were doing, and before Nayru even realized what was happening, split into groups and flew straight out of the compound. Ah, yes, that made sense. They were the Mage-Knights that Link commanded. Flight was among the most basic magic as well.

It was then that the Goddess felt a chill run down her spine. That sort of magical signal… it could mean only one thing. Nayru took off running, heading for the ground floor where she hoped Link still was. Naturally, he wasn't there. Her luck wasn't that good. The girl paced for several moments before taking off running towards the direction of the pulse.

It wasn't very hard to find what was causing it. People usually didn't miss twenty-foot tall portals, after all, especially not ones that were glowing red. The Goddess swallowed as several shapes emerged from the massive portal and hid behind a large stone pillar. From the lead shape, there came an immense aura of pure evil. He was here.

Ganon was here.

"I don't know what brings you here, King Ganon of Hyrule." Link said, his golden blade held out before him. "But you've made a mistake in doing it." his sword's aura grew brighter. "Ragnell feeds on the darkness of my enemies, and yours is nearly infinite."

"Of course." The evil king said, a wide smile crossing his face. He raised a hand and a massive fireball burst out of his hand and shot towards the boy that protected the kingdom of Seraphia. The burst was countered by a barrier of water. "Ah, you must be the Mage-Knight Captain that Anthony here has talked so much about." He indicated his top General. Nayru narrowed her eyes. He was the one who had betrayed Farore. Slime. "Get out of my way." He flapped a hand and Link was thrown aside like a little rag doll. "You might be strong to him, but I have the powers of a God! You're no match for me!"

Link staggered upright. After a moment, he held Ragnell up in front of him. There was no fear in his eyes. "My duty is to guard Seraphia, its people, its King, and lady Nayru. You will not pass this point, King Ganon of Hyrule, unless you've destroyed my body, shattered my soul, and wiped every memory of my existence from the world." Ganon stared at him, then jerked a chain he was holding. Nayru almost cried out as she saw Din stagger forward.

"Child, do you know who this is?" Ganon said, licking Din's cheek, then his lips. "This is Din, whose power I have had for centuries. And now she herself is nothing but a little slave. A great Goddess reduced to my plaything. You are nothing compared to me. But as you are much stronger than most of you mortals, I will offer you a place at my side. Think about it."

"There is nothing to think about." Link replied quietly. "I will never bow to you, nor will my Mage-Knights, or any other citizen of my land." He cleaved Ragnell in a diagonal motion, sending a wave of holy light at Ganon. To only a small bit of shock from Nayru, the evil king was thrown backwards. Ganon hissed in irritation.

"I can cut off his portal." Nayru said, stepping out into the open. Ganon's eyes widened in glee. "If you all believe that I can… then I know I will have the power to do it!" the Mage-Knights gathered there looked at each other, then shrugged. Most of them closed their eyes and began praying.

"You… little… wench…" Ganon said, laughing. "Come here, you foolish girl!" he lunged forward. Without even hesitating, Link began to bring his sword down. It was stopped by one of Ganon's soldiers, who moved with inhuman speed to block Link's golden blade with his own black one.

"Alondite?" Link whispered, looking at the blade that had the power to stop his own. The soldier, concealed in black armor, chuckled. "All of you, get out of here! Lady Nayru, run! This is too dangerous! And believe in her!"

One of his soldiers grabbed Nayru and hauled her off behind him as he took off. All of them knew better than to question their leader. Nayru gasped as Link and the unnamed warrior began a lightning-fast series of attacks against each other.

"You will not touch Lady Nayru." Link hissed, his sword shining even brighter. Flipping it around in his hands, the boy cleaved the sword around horizontally. A massive flare blossomed into existence as his sword connected. "Heh."

"Did you really think that would be enough to beat me?" the knight with the black sword asked, laughing cruelly. "Ragnell is mighty, but so am I." Link swore as he leaped backwards and steadied himself. After an instant's thought, he raised a hand and pointed at the knight. A bolt of pure light shot out and dissipated against the man's armor.

"Crap…"

Nayru turned to face the knights.

"Believe!" she urged. "Believe in me. Believe in your Captain! If you do, I can push them back!" the soldiers needed no encouragement. The Captain of the Seraphia Mage-Knights had picked each and every one of them with his own hand, from every corner of the country. They had become the most elite fighting force the nation had in less than two years. He was the greatest, and they all knew it!

Nayru smiled as she felt energy flowing into her. The Goddess took a deep breath. Their faith in their leader was strong. They would follow Link to the underworld and back if he asked them to… no, even if he told them not to follow. They trusted him so much that because he had said to trust in her, they did. Nayru raised her hands.

"Portal to distant lands, hear my words, the words of Nayru, and know them as Law." The Goddess intoned. Ganon swore as he heard and wasted no time in dragging his soldiers back through the portal. He knew her power, what she was capable of, and wasn't about to let himself be caught, no matter how infuriating it was to retreat. He was evil, after all, not stupid. "Close thyself to Ganon and his soldiers, and open never again for him or his men unless by my command. Hear my words, portal to distant lands, and know them as your Law! Close thyself!" the portal gave out a horrible scream as it vanished. Nayru smiled weakly and took one step, then two, before tumbling down into the arms of Link. "Did I… do it?"

"You did." The Mage-Knight replied quietly. "You did." Nayru smiled as she dropped from exhaustion.

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From the stone tablet that held the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, in case you were wondering.

AN's: Am I being too nice to Nayru? I mean, with all of this, I really do need to make her fortune worse. Oh well, you people should at least review and tell me if the story has perked your interest or not.

As for why I decided to write this, I just got bored of too few fics featuring the Goddesses as being actually important. XD And so here we are. To help alleviate confusion, the great sea seen in Wind Waker has long since subsided, so there is actually land again. Countries rose up, but were eventually crushed by the returned Ganon, who has appointed regents to rule them while he focuses on searching for Nayru and the Triforce of Wisdom.

After all, Ganon isn't stupid. XD Very evil, yes, but not stupid.

As for Nayru's power, it said in Ocarina of Time that Nayru was the one who gave the spirit of law to the land. At least, I'm pretty sure it was her… Anyways, it makes sense, then, that things will obey her if she gives them a Law to follow. This takes energy, however, so she will not be able to do it without a great deal of support. Pity her if people turn away. Whistles innocently

I hope you all enjoy the next chapter!