The Legend of Zelda: Sacred Reliquary
is a Zelda fanfic by Sharper Than the Sword. It takes place during an undisclosed time during the history of Hyrule, and incorporates elements of all the games in unique ways. Characters from throughout the series show up in large roles or just as characters to fill in a given spot, but on the whole this is a unique take on The Legend of Zelda.
For starters... Instead of being Black-and-White Morality, it's decidedly more muddied. Hyrule Castle and the city surrounding it have grown immensely, and ruling over it all is Princess Zelda, a cold and aloof leader who many call a tyrant for allowing various cruelties to take place. Meanwhile, Ganondorf and his band of thieves and thugs try to bring change to the city, but do so in some unsavory ways.
Link finds himself caught in the middle of all of it, trying to find a way to stay true to himself and slowly being dragged into the fight.
Tropes found in Sacred Reliquary:
- Action Girl: Ashei, Tetra.
- Bag of Holding: Link's got one, natch.
- Big Bad: Zelda, surprisingly. And interestingly enough, she's presented as somewhat of a Well-Intentioned Extremist with a bit of The Social Darwinist thrown in.
- Call to Adventure: Link doesn't so much get a call, as he gets kidnapped and pressed into service after being saved from an Eldritch Abomination.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The Happy Mask Salesman first leads Link into Hyrule, and later gives him some very important information and helps him recover from an attack. Oh, and he's also a god.
- Crapsack World: Hyrule.
- Dark Action Girl: Zelda, Midna.
- Darker and Edgier: than any Zelda game. Even Twilight Princess and Majora's Mask.
- Despotism Justifies the Means: Zelda.
- The Dragon: Rusl fills this role to Zelda. Vaati and Zant also seem to be in on the fun as Zelda's advisors.
- Eldritch Abomination: One stalks the streets of Hyrule at night. Its true form is apparently Dark Link.
- Evil Me Scares Me: Ganondorf is very against what his past lives have done. When fighting the Nameless, it takes advantage of this by taking the form of Dark Beast Ganon.
- Evil Tower of Ominousness: Zelda's own palace has a few.
- Fairy Companion: Navi, of course. With
Annoying Video Game Helper in full effect. - Fate Worse than Death: "Get out."
- Great Escape: The rooftop chase as Rusl attempts to cut down Link.
- I Am Who?: Unlike Zelda and Ganondorf, Link had no idea he was a triforce bearer when he arrived in the city.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Midna would certainly qualify.
- Lady of War: Zelda.
- Last of His Kind: Ganondorf.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Midna, surprisingly enough, carries elements of this in the story towards Link.
- One Head Taller: Midna to Link, in her natural form.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: It becomes a plot point with Midna. The imp form allows her a lot more magical power than her regular form.
- Shout-Out: Plenty to games within the series. Minor characters are often named after characters throughout the games, often serving similar (but not identical) roles to the ones they played in the games.
- Unwanted Assistance: Navi is no longer allowed to help out the Gerudo for a reason.
- What If?: Essentially the driving force behind the story seems to be: What if it was the Triforce of Wisdom which corrupted the bearer instead of the Triforce of Power?
