The Flow of TIme

Author’s Notes: I’ve wanted to write a continuation of the Twilight Princess story ever since I beat it, but I had another project I was working on and I never got around to this one. However, here it is, finally done (more or less). I had some trouble deciding what this fan fiction was really about. By the time I got to the end, it had changed from my original intentions. It wasn’t exactly a pairing story, even though I set out to tell a Midna x Link pairing, but that isn’t really what this ended up. So, I’ll let you decide for yourself what the story is about and hopefully I’ll have the epilogue finished by the time the rest of the story is posted.

Oh, and I still haven’t ironed out the details of my corporate takeover, so I still don’t own Zelda, Link, Nintendo, or Japan. =) All copyrights are reserved by their respective owners, a.k.a. I only get kudos for writing about Zelda, not money. And the PG-13 rating is simply so I don’t get in trouble. I don’t think there’s anything too, er, bad in my story.




“The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that does not change with time is a memory of younger days.”

The wisdom of a sheikah to a hero. It would seem that time is always haunting the living, reminding them that nothing is permanent, that the only certain thing in life is death. It whispers of the failures of those in the past and the mistakes that will be made by those in the future.

Truly, time is a cruel mistress, lending her gifts only for a short while before taking them away again. A person has the opportunity to learn and grow for a brief period, live his life as full as he can during another short span, and then spend the remainder of his days staving off the inevitable. Very bleak, indeed.

Interestingly though, within this seeming cruelty is an act of supreme benefaction. Time gives one the chance to choose. All receive the same amount of time. No one can buy more time or save it for a rainy day. However, a person is allowed to use his time as he will.

A person can choose to act selfishly, thinking only of his own interests. He can store up mundane treasures, deluding himself with the illusion that material security will bring him happiness in life. Sadly, he will find that such false protection will only leave him empty inside.

Or he may choose power as the object of his obsessions. He may be willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the pursuit of greater strength. He may even receive that which he seeks. However, all those who gain power are eventually consumed by their own greed and fall victim to the fear of losing that power. And to the one that follows this path, there is a warning:

There will always come the day when someone with greater force takes away that which you held dear.

There are many paths one may choose, and most of them fall into one or both of the categories mentioned above. Look closely, and one will discover that the politicians, the military commanders, the business gurus, the religious leaders, most of them are found in the second category. Beware, too, for anyone can fall into the first category, no matter who they may be.

There is a third path that may be chosen, one that rarely is, simply because not only are the first two paths intertwined, but they are oh-so-easy to follow. On the other hand, the third path has an entrance that is difficult to find and a way that is even harder to walk upon with success. The road is narrow and cramped, and one can easily fall off, lose his bearings, and never find his way back to where he had been walking only moments beforehand.

This is the path of the hero.

Nevertheless, what is a hero to do when, rather than time, it is the memories of younger days that haunt him? What happens when he successfully endures the harshest of trials and remains true to the path he has chosen, and yet he still feels empty inside? What then?

Knowing one has to ask these questions is almost more important than knowing the answer.

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