Unrequited Destiny

Prologue- Where It All Began

The sun had just begun to rise over the hills that surrounded Kakariko Village, shedding light on the houses that slept in it. The recently awoken hero made his way into town atop his loyal steed Epona. His destination was clear, the bottom of the hill of houses, the elder's abode. The villagers slowly trickled out of their houses like rain droplets, ready to start their day. They slowly began to take notice of Link and greeted him as he passed.

Once he had arrived at the base of Impa's house, Link begrudgingly climbed off of Epona and went up the stairs. Pushing open the doors, Link noticed Paya scrubbing the floor in the corner, but before he could say a greeting, the elderly woman to his right interrupted him.

"Link, it seems you've returned. I hope my older sister didn't play you for a fool." She said as she cackled. Link just smiled softly and handed her the Sheikah Slate to inspect.

Impa looked at the slate ever so carefully, inspecting the new rune it had acquired. Scanning through the old pictures that Princess Zelda had taken over one-hundred years ago, she noticed a new picture. "These pictures were taken by the Princess, so there's no doubt that you weren't there." She paused a moment and thought about her next words carefully.

" If you travel to the places in these pictures, you might regain some of your memories. However, there is a new picture here, one I have never seen before. It looks like the Spring of Courage in the Faron region, but I lack the knowledge of its location. Perhaps you should go to Lurelin Village and see if anyone knows of its whereabouts."

With his next goal in mind, Link turned and started towards the door. "Before you go," Impa started again, "Even if you do get all of your memories back, remember what happened in the past isn't everything. Don't be afraid to make new memories."

Link grinned at the elderly woman, "Thank you Impa, that really means a lot," and with that Link left to prepare for the long journey to the Faron region.

Once the hero had left, Paya turned toward Impa, "Grandmother, why did you tell him that? Don't we want him to save the Princess as soon as physically possible?"

Impa laughed knowingly, "My child, there is more to life than simply carrying out one's duties. What happens when all of this is over, and Link is unhappy, stuck fretting over things he can never get back?"

--

It was cold and darkness was all that could be seen. Jacie's cobalt eyes searched the void trying to find something, anything else. After what seemed like an eternity, a heavenly voice rang out sending shivers down her spine.

"He will come seeking guidance, and you will be the one to carve his destiny into stone."

Jacie sprang up in the bed, her long, matted, brunette hair falling on her face. Her body ached and she was physically exhausted as she fought to steady her breathing. "Jacie!" A shrill voice pierced the air as a blonde little girl jumped onto Jacie's lap. The blonde was beaming so bright, it could make the sun envious.

"Kami, even though I don't visit often, it doesn't mean you can jump on me every time." The brunette groaned.

"I'm sorry Jacie, I'm just so excited that you're here for the Hero's Festival! Now hurry up! It's sunset, you're going to miss the entire thing!" The small child then proceeded to run out of the small fishing hut, not even waiting for Jacie to follow her. Sighing, Jacie pushed herself out of the Inn's bed and reached for her boots.

After slipping on her green Hylian tunic and navy cloak, she made her way outside the Inn. Passing through the doorway, Lurelin Village looked like a ghost town. Turning to the right Jacie began walking down the wooden path that led outside the village. Perched atop one of the sandy hills was a fire surrounded by villagers and travelers alike. Several of them recognized Jacie and shouted a greeting to her, which caused her to politely wave back.