The Twin Swords

“Muahahaha!!!” Ganondorf cackled. He was wrapped in chains, surrounded by the six sages: Rauru, Saria, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, and Darunia. The chains were thick and glowed with strength, but they were not enough to hold back the huge beast. With just a tiny flex of his muscles, the chains exploded. The six sages shattered, and darkness covered the Gerudo in in black armor. He raised his hand, and on the back of it, the Triforce shone innocently, its celestial power taken hostage by the malevolent being. Ganondorf laughed again and escaped easily from his prison.

He floated around all of Hyrule, slaughtering countless people without remorse. With just a snap of his fingers, homes, animals, even people burst into flames. Before anyone could even try to come to the rescue, he caused the entire land of Hyrule to vanish under his burning spell.


Zelda gasped and jerked awake. She was breathing heavily, frightened beyond belief. She looked around her royal room. There was nothing out of the usual. The starlight streamed through the window and her blue eyes sparkled brightly amidst the night.

“It was just a dream. A horrible dream,” she whispered to herself. She shook her head to try to erase the memories of her nightmare, and felt her heart rate return to normal. Now calm, she laid back in bed and let sleep envelop her body once more.



“Muahahaha!!!” Ganondorf rose again.

Link’s blue eyes shot open and looked inside his home within a tree. He sat up and sighed.

“Not this again,” he muttered to himself, recalling his nightmares seven years ago and the quest that followed. His life never really returned to normal, even after he rejoined the children within the forest.

After his seven-year-long journey, he felt more alone than ever. He learned the truth about his parents. He gained a fairy, but he lost her just as quickly. The children teased him even more, and Saria wasn’t around to defend him anymore. She, like the other sages, had to protect her respective temple. Now he hardly ever gets a chance to talk to or see her, since she rarely leaves the temple. All he has to remember her by is the ocarina she gave him from when he first left the forest. That was the last time he really talked to her, even though it was only to say goodbye.

Link lay back in bed and hit his head on the headboard.

“Ow!” he complained and sighed again. “I must make my bed bigger,” he reminded himself, stroking the small bump on the back of his head. Every night he would squeeze his body into his tiny bed, only to wake up sore and stiff in the morning. His head rested uncomfortably on the headboard, and the backs of his knees lay on the footboard, which cut off circulation to his feet. His feet which happen to touch the floor. He outgrew the tiny bed ages ago, but he hadn’t been able to construct a new one. His forearm also on the floor, he closed his eyes.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, his headboard gave way, and with a loud snap, broke in two. The footboard did the same, and Link ended up falling to the floor.

Link smiled at his misfortune. He was too sleepy to be angry. Besides, it was a little bit funny. He reached onto the rubble and retrieved his pillow. He curled up on the floor and returned to sleep.



“Muahahaha!!!” Third time’s the charm.

Another pair of blue eyes shot open on the other side of Hyrule. Blonde streaks of hair covered the mysterious eyes as she looked around her room in the Gerudo Fortress.

She placed a hand on her bare midriff in an attempt to calm herself down.

“Maya! Are you okay?” a Gerudo woman at the door to her room asked her.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she answered, fighting to regain her breath. “It was… just a dream.” she ran a hand through her long hair.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It was nothing. I’m okay, really.” She forced a fake smile, even though she could still feel her racing heart pounding in her head.

“Well, okay.” The Gerudo guard threw a pair of sheathed scimitars to the young woman in bed. “It was your turn for guard duty anyway. Hurry on.”

She picked up her two swords and jumped out of bed. She left the room and thought about her nightmare.

"What in the world was that dream about?" she thought. "That man was Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves…wasn’t it?" She looked down at the Triforce-shaped pendant around her neck. She would always gaze upon it when she was confused or sought comfort. Engraved on the back of it was her real name. It was said that it had been given to her by her birth parents before abandoning her.

The young woman gritted her teeth with rage. She would have flung the thing into Lake Hylia if it wasn’t shaped as her beloved Triforce. Tears welled up in her eyes as she wondered the reasons for her parents’ abandonment. Then, she noticed something else hidden on the underside of the pendant. It was another name. She read the name quietly and let it burrow into her memory and heart. Could this be the name of someone in her family? Although they had betrayed her, she couldn’t contain her curiosity of finding out where she came from.



“Link!” Saria ran into his home and shouted. She raised an eyebrow in confusion when she saw the sprawled-out mess of her best Hylian friend lying face-down on the floor.

Link stirred slightly, but didn’t wake up.

“Link! Wake up! The Great Deku Tree has summoned you!”

Link did nothing.

“Link? Link! Link! Wake up, you lazy…”

Still, he lay motionless.

Saria put her hands on her hips. “I’ll wake you up one way or another,” she whispered. She stepped onto Link’s back, hoping her weight on his body would wake him.

Link didn’t respond. He continued to sleep soundly.

She shifted her weight to rock him back and forth. He didn’t notice.

Saria pursed her lips. “It’s like trying to raise the dead,” she whispered to herself. She decided to jump up and down on his back.

He awoke quickly when he felt the small girl’s weight crash down on him over and over again. He managed to reach behind himself and grab her.

“Okay, okay. I’m up,” he said, still half-asleep. Saria climbed off of him. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he stood slowly.

“Saria? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the Forest Temple?”

“The Great Deku Tree wants to see you. He sent me to call you. It’s such an honor to be summoned by him, you know.”

“The Great Deku Tree wants to see me? Do you know why?”

Saria shook her head. “He didn’t say anything, except that it was very important. Go! Hurry! I’ll wait for you here and you can tell me all about it later!”

Link ran outside and ignored the ladder outside his home; instead, he leapt to the ground and ran towards the Deku Tree’s Meadow. He suddenly stopped halfway. Mido was blocking the rest of the path to the meadow.

“Hey, Freak!” Mido shouted. “Where do you think you’re going?” Mido folded his arms and stared at Link evilly, despite the fact that he only reached Link’s waist.

Link rolled his eyes. “Mido, let me pass. The Great Deku Tree wants to see me.”

“Nonsense!” he sneered. “I will never let you pass.”

Link gave Mido an intimidating look. He grabbed Mido by his shoulders, picked him up, set him down aside, and ran towards the Deku Tree.

“Monster!” Mido shouted. He ran after Link, but his short legs were no comparison to Link’s. He was gone within seconds. Realizing his defeat, Mido growled and returned to his post.

Link continued running until he encountered the Great Deku Tree. He knelt and inclined his head near him. He knew that he was a Hylian, not a Kokiri, but he still owed everything, including his life-and probably more-to this grand soul. This tree took him into the forest and raised him as his own after his parents died. Link spent many sleepless nights often wondering what his life would be like had he not gone to the forest. He probably wouldn’t even have survived.

“Link, welcome,” the Great Deku Tree spoke in his deep, monstrous voice. “I am sure thou hast some idea of why I have asked thee here.”

Link’s eyes widened. “My dream--”

“Aye. The Sacred Realm cannot hold Gandondorf much longer. Soon, the seal will be broken, and all of his evil will descend upon our land of Hyrule.”

“So… I have to--”

“Nay. Thou cannot do this alone,” the Great Deku Tree interrupted. Link raised an eyebrow. “Thou must remember: the man in black armor holds the Triforce of Power. He is much more powerful than thee. The strength of two strong souls is needed to put that man away.”

“Do you mean Zelda? She has the Triforce of Wisdom.”

“Nay. I speak of…” he paused. Link stared at him intently, one eyebrow still raised higher than the other. “…your sister.”

All color drained from Link’s face. “Sister?! I have a sister?” He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. He could feel himself start to hyperventilate.

“Aye. She is your twin sister, separated from thee just after birth.”

“Where is she?” Link pleaded, fighting to catch his breath. “I have to find her.”

“Patience, my child of destiny. I will tell thee all I know of her.”

Link continued to kneel quietly, fighting his body’s instincts to get up and run as far away as physically possible to find his sister.

“Thy sister,” the Great Deku Tree began, “was separated from thee the night thy parents died. It was during the Hyrulian War, as you already know. Unfortunately, your mother thought she was dead and left her behind, but decided to save you. Thy father was killed in the war, and the town was set aflame. Thy sister became lost in the blazes, and since she was only an infant, she could not escape alone. Your mother had to leave her behind, or all three of you would have died.” He paused.

Link looked around. His eyes burned with unshed tears. "What happened to her?" he wondered. "How did she survive?"

“Fortunately,” the Deku Tree continued. “Nabooru, the sage of the Spirit Temple, heard her cries from the burning town. Thy mother had already fled with you into this forest. Nabooru was able to rescue her and has been raising her as her own child since. She now lives among the Gerudo, guarding the fortress with the other women. Thou must find her, brave Link. Find thy sister and bring her to me. Here, she will discover her true destiny. ‘Tis the only way to save Hyrule.”

Link stood up. His vision was blurred with tears, but he ran as fast as he could out of the Deku Tree’s meadow. He stopped as he approached the forest to wipe his eyes on his sleeves. When he lowered his arms, Mido stood in front of him, blocking his way again.

Mido kicked Link in the shin with all of his strength. Link neither said nor did anything. He barely even felt it. With one hand, he shoved Mido aside and kept running until he left the forest. He had better things to do besides argue with the short bully. He had to find his sister.



Maya sat at her post. She sighed. “It’s so boring!” she complained. “I wish something would happen to make guard duty seem somewhat interesting.”

Her wish was granted. She heard distant footsteps. They gradually became louder. Someone was coming towards her.

"It can’t be a guard," she thought to herself. "I’m the only one who’s supposed to be in this area. Everyone knows that by now, for sure."

The footsteps grew louder, then stopped. She leaned over a corner so that she could see who it was, without being seen herself. Her eyes narrowed. It was an intruder!

Her heart raced as she reached for her swords. She preferred her own straight swords to the scimitars the other women used. She felt more confident with her own, for she was a faster fighter and more accurate with straight swords.

She’s never dealt with an intruder before, but she knew exactly what to do. Her only fighting experience was the vigorous training she had gone through with her mother to gain her spot as one of the guards. She thought of various fighting plans and tactics she would use against this intruder. Judging by his build, fighting was nothing new to him. Her grip tightened around the hilt of her swords. She was prepared to strike. She had to capture the man in the green tunic one way or another.

She sprang from her post and unsheathed her swords with speed and precision. The intruder jumped back in fear and held up his hands in surrender. Still, she feigned the meanest expression she could and lifted one sword against his neck. The other was pulled tightly parallel to her chest, prepared to fight. The intruder was unarmed, but she wasn’t about to take any chances.

This intruder stared at her with the biggest blue eyes she’s seen in her entire life; apart from her own, of course. Her expression of anger slowly transformed into that of confusion. His gaze lowered to her Triforce pendant, then returned to her eyes.

Link analyzed every feature of her face. Long Hylian ears. Fair skin. Blue eyes. Blonde hair. She looks very similar to him.

"There is no doubt in my mind that she is not a Gerudo," he thought to himself. "The Gerudo women are much darker in complexion than this fair-skinned girl." He looked at her blonde hair, then at the hair draped over his eyes. It was the exact same color.

He continued to stare, being careful not to anger her. She was, after all, holding an extremely sharp sword to his throat. She could easily kill him if she wanted to.

Link had to make sure that it was her. They looked almost exactly alike, and that pendant around her neck was the tell-tale sign.

"This girl is unmistakably Hylian. Unmistakably, my sister," he thought.

“Leah?” he whispered, looking deeply into her eyes. Her jaw dropped and her swords fell to the floor.

She shrank back and stared at him. “Who are you? How did you know?”

“I’m…” he stopped and looked down. This was much harder for him to say than he expected. He took a deep breath. “… your brother.”

Her eyes flooded with anger. “Brother?! I have no brother! I have no family! I have no one!” she turned away to hide her rage and tears. “I’m alone,” she said sadly, in a barely audible whisper.

“Please,” he said. “I am your brother.” He stepped closer to her. She tried to step back, but the wall blocked her.

“I don’t believe you.”

“I…don’t know what else to say, but, I know for a fact that you’re my sister,” he whispered.

“Liar!” she shouted. She bent down, and in a flash, had one of her swords pointing to his neck again, pinning him against the wall as well.

Link raised his hands above his head again. He understood her anger. After all, he didn’t know what her opinion of their parents was. Judging by her reaction, he knew that her impression of their family was not a positive one. She wouldn’t threaten to kill him if she liked her family.

Link kept his hands raised high. He didn’t want to fight his sister, or give her any reason to believe that he wanted to. From this display, he knew that she was experienced with swords. He hoped that he didn’t anger her so much that she would actually want to hurt him.

The anger, pain, and fear was evident in her eyes, so he tried to give her a loving and compassionate look. He wasn’t familiar with these feelings, but he still tried his best.

She took a step forward and the tip of her sword dug in to his throat a little.

Link winced. Although he wasn’t bleeding yet, he knew that with a little more pressure he would be. He was now fearing for his life, so he tried to give her another pained expression.

It worked. Pain slowly crept into her eyes as well, nearly producing tears. She had never done this before. She had never inflicted pain upon another human being. It was a terrible feeling, but she knew that she had to get used to it sooner or later. After all, it was her duty.

He didn’t know how to convince her. He hadn’t done anything, yet he was all out of ideas. She was obviously angry at her family, and Link knew that there wasn’t much else to do. He stood there and eyed her quietly for a few moments.

Her body was still surging with rage. Her teeth clenched, she decided to apply pressure to the sword on his throat. He would die for lying to her about her traitorous family. Her breathing became labored. She didn’t want to do this, but she had to. She had to set her feelings aside and do what was best for her tribe.

She pushed the sword with the slightest of force. He winced and writhed as the first drops of blood flowed from the newly open wound.

No matter how much she tried, she could not mask her apprehension. According to her training, she should have killed him long ago, but her now throbbing heart wouldn’t let her do it.

Her emotional turmoil finally became too much to bear and she sought her usual comfort. She raised her free hand to her chest and traced her pendant with a finger.

Link suddenly got an idea.

“I know you don’t believe me,” Link said. He was surprised that he still had a voice. He stepped away from her and the sword, ignoring the stinging pain in his throat. “I didn’t really believe it at first, but then--”

She looked at him cautiously, anticipating any weapon he may want to reach for. He dug his hand into his shirt and pulled something out.

“-- I noticed this.” He opened his hand. There, he held a Triforce pendant exactly like hers. “This is my name,” he said, then turned it upside-down. “And this is yours.”

She stared at him for several moments, looking at him, his pendant, then down at her own. She turned hers around so that she could read the second name again.

A million thoughts surged through her head. "Is this true?" she thought. "Is he really my brother? Who is he? Why did he wait until now to come here? How else would he know my name? What if he really is…my…my brother?"

Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

“Link?” she asked softly. He nodded and gave her a lopsided grin.

They both stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. They eyed each other, examining their facial features. As they did so, they realized just how similar they look.

She closed the distance between them and gave him a tight hug. Link was surprised, but he slowly wrapped his arms around his new sister.

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