AN: Well this is a redone version of my original idea for a Zelda fic. I intend for this one to be much better and I actually have a solid idea for how the story will end. If you read the original prologue then you'll find I made a few changes as well as extending the intro. Well, hope you all enjoy, I've been planning on this fic for a long time and the moment is finally here.
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The black figure dashed up the side of the great and mighty Death Mountain, home to the rock people, the Gorons. To the untrained eye, it would appear as if nothing was moving on the side of the now dormant volcano, however those who had trained their eyes to catch what could normally not be seen, would find the black silhouette of a man scaling the cliff that led to the peak of the mountain. In fact the only way anyone would notice that he was even there would be the gleaming sapphire eyes that held locked towards the top of the mountain, unwavering towards their goal. If one were to see the young man's face, they would note a firm and defined jaw, and state of unruly blonde locks that framed his face, and of course his deep blue eyes, that could pierce the soul of anyone their gaze fell upon. He was stealthy, undetectable, and determined... he was Link of the Gerudo, more commonly known as The Sapphire of Shadow.
Of course only few outside of the Gerudo tribe knew his true name, The Sapphire of Shadow had been a title given to him by the townspeople of Kakariko, mainly due to his most notable trait, his cerulean blue eyes that enchanted women with a single glance, and cold as ice when coming in for the kill. He was never seen in a single area for more than two days, always moving, constantly training, and of course being raised by the Gerudo... perpetually stealing, although not many knew this as he had never been caught, and no one would suspect the man who had slain Morpha, demolished Volvogia, and cut down the twin witches who cast their spells on unfortunate travelers who crossed their paths.
He himself found the name rather amusing, although seen as a hero he had done none of those things for anyone other than himself.
With a slight grunt he climbed the last stretch of the peak and rolled onto the level ground, he had business here, and by damned if he wasn't going to get it done quickly and efficiently. With a smirk he adjusted his coal black tunic, cracking his neck to the side as he adjusted the sheath on his back that housed his dual scimitars, a gift he had been given by the gerudo when he had turned fourteen and decided to begin his travels. He glanced at the large sleeping goron who lived on the side of the mountain, chuckling a bit as he heard it's thunderous snores. Not wanting to waste anymore time he steadily walked into the entrance of the Death Mountain Crater, though the scorching heat did not affect him.
"Hmm, well I do have to hand it to the Great Fairies... they do know their magic." He muttered as he glanced down appreciatively at the tunic that all three of the fairies had enchanted with all purpose weather protection.
It took a mere twenty seconds to travel from the top of the crater down to the bottom where the entrance to the Goron domain was located. "Hmm... what the..." Link narrowed his eyes and glanced around as he climbed down the two top levels of the domain. "Where are they?" He muttered before moving to the edge of the second level and looking down, finding all the Gorons gathered at the floor level, crowded in front of Darunia's chambers.
With a sigh he jumped down and maneuvered his way through the crowd, stepping into the curved corridor that led to the throne room. He halted as voices began to carry towards his ears, concealing himself in the shadows.
"I do not know where brother is!" Link immediately recognized Darunia's rough voice, and he sounded a bit exasperated.
"Have you no way of contacting him?" Another gruff voice replied, though sounding pleading and familiar, Link could not place where he had heard it before. "This is rather urgent!"
'Hmm... urgent eh, a job possibly?' Link smirked a bit and adjusted his cap, moving enough to angle his vision to see the possible employer, only for his eyes to widen at the sight.
There, dressed in elegant red and gold robes, standing in the throne room of the Goron's rather than his own in Hyrule castle... was none other than Dangero Harkinian, the King of Hyrule.
'SHIT!' The blonde thief cursed loudly in his mind as his left hand flew down to the small leather pouch attached to his belt, which housed a certain ocarina he had retrieved during his last intrusion into the castle. 'There's no possible way they could have found out I took it... that replica was handcrafted by Saria...' He turned to leave but as the goddesses would have it, Darunia caught a glimmer of his gold gauntlets and suddenly called out.
"Brother, you're here!" He boomed, causing Link's back to straighten and him to curse under his breath as he slowly turned around and entered the chambers.
"Ah... Darunia!" Link replied with false enthusiasm as the elder Goron came over and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. "URK!" He gasped for air and sighed with relief when the hug was unusually short.
"So you are The Sapphire of Shadow, are you?"
Link's demeanor instantly became serious as he turned his gaze towards the taller man. His eyes narrowed, though he put on a front of respect. "And to what do I owe the pleasure your majesty?" His gaze drifted behind the king, where six armed guards stood in place. Cautiously he moved one hand behind his back, his fingertips grazing over the bottom buckle of the sheath that held his scimitars.
Dangero put on a slight smirk and motioned for one of his guards to step forward. This action of course, caused Link to instantly release the buckle and grip the hilt that slid out. 'Great... just what I need, all of Hyrule after me for the beheading of their king and his royal guards... eh beats a cold dark cell in the dungeon.' He thought with a mental sigh as the guard moved his hand toward the sword at his side... only to completely pass the sword and reach into a small black bag, pulling out a neat and rather extravagant scroll and handed it over to the young blonde.
Curious, Link quickly re-sheathed the scimitar and grabbed the scroll, breaking the seal and unraveling it as his eyes scanned from top to bottom.After a few moments he rolled the scroll back up and arched an eyebrow."A celebration at the castle... what sort of celebration?" He asked in confusion as he looked to the king, the guards behind him gave a shocked look as if what he had said was a denial of common knowledge.
"Why, It's the Princesses Coming of Age party!" The King exclaimed, throwing his arms out proudly. "All of the suitors will be attending for the screening process, as well as the nobles and royals of the surrounding Kingdoms."
Link chuckled a bit as he stuffed the invitation into his pouch. "So not only is it a way to find a suitor for the Princess, but a way to show your power to the other Kingdoms... I have been wondering why all of the scattered army men had been called back to the castle, there are hardly any of them left out in the field... but that still brings up the question... why invite me?"
Dangero looked down at the young man with piercing eyes at that comment. "To tell the honest truth my boy... you have become quite the celebrity in Hyrule... many of those invited are anxious to meet, The Sapphire of Shadow..."
A scowl adorned Link's face at the thought of having to put on a show for a bunch of royals, he actually had no problem with the royal family of Hyrule, as they were known for their kindness, albeit they were also know for their stubbornness. "You're gonna use me as a show of strength, my services aren't... exactly... free?" He paused as the gears in his mind began to turn at top speed. 'WAIT A MOMENT!! Free invitation... royal family... huge castle with security gathered in one place... and one enormously large treasure room...' He began to grin at the idea, though he had been able to steal the Ocarina of Time, it was the only thing he had been able to steal on that trip as the guards made their rounds quicker near the treasure room than anywhere else. "Very well... I'll attend."
"Ah very good then, if so I have one more request..."
Link gave an odd look to the way the King's face scrunched up as if in disgust at a thought. 'Well it can't be too horrible.'
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Link cursed under his breath as he watched the endless scenery of Hyrule Field out of the carriage window, the King had insisted that he ride along with him to the castle, where they could speak more freely. He did not enjoy being hauled around in a small box with no view of where an attack could be coming from, although he did have to admit he spent much more time watching the scenery during those few hours than he head during his three years of traveling over the plains countless times. 'How dull though... I miss the Stalchildren, they were so much fun to kill, it's been eight years since I've seen one of them.' He frowned upon that thought for a moment, Stalchild were the corpses of children who had died in past wars brought to life by dark intent of humans, and no matter how many times slain would reform the next night.
The only way for such beings to be put to rest was for a mother to be sacrificed for the sake of her child during a ritual of druids. A ritual of druids was an ancient magic of Hyrule, however banned from use due to the nature of most of it's spells which almost always required sacrifices. 'If someone caused such a ritual then the resounding magic echo must have been absorbed by someone... the child perhaps? But who's been messing with Anima Magicks, all the books containing spells were burned... odd I never gave much thought to it before.'
The blonde was shaken out of his thoughts by the King's booming voice. "Well m'boy I have been wondering for sometime now, The Sapphire of Shadow is obviously an alias, what is your real name." He inquired arching an eyebrow in question.
Links eyes suddenly turned a bit colder at the question, his real name was known only by the woman of the Gerudo, and they would not reveal his name upon pain of death, the only others outside of the Gerudo who knew his name were Saria of the forest, and several Zora, as well as the Professor who lived out on Lake Hylia. It wasn't a matter of keeping his name secret, it was just that mainly most people never asked and merely addressed him via his alias, and as such he had kept his name a secret to almost all since then. He was in a slight predicament however, he needed to be courteous to the King in order to maintain his invitation to the party and refusing to give his name would certainly seem rude, and he wasn't really willing to gamble with this opportunity of a lifetime and so...
"Link, of the Gerudo..." He replied after a short pause, his gaze traveling away from the window. "My name is fine to tell, however I would prefer that you not reveal where I am from to anyone... I have made quite a few enemies in the line of bandits and warlords, the last thing I need is an army of thieves and rebels attacking Gerudo Fortress in an attempt to kill me." He warned in a grave tone. 'On second thought, that does sound a bit exciting and the girls would get a kick out of the slaughter.'
A moment later, Dangero nodded, stroking his beard. "Very well, I shall keep your secret... ah we're crossing the drawbridge." He announced as the sound of the wheels rolling changed to a more resounding an echoing sound.
Turning his head to the side, the young blonde found that they were indeed past the town gates and entering the busy world of Castle Town.
"A truly prospering town yes, everyone is happy and safe in Castle Town, the guards see to that." The King spoke in a boasting tone, pointing over to a market stall where numerous people were crowded around. "It's always busy like this, only proves to show how wondrous and great the Kingdom of Hyrule is."
Links eyes narrowed as he allowed his gaze to travel past the crowd and toward an alleyway where the dark silhouette of two Hylian guards raising their spears high and striking them down upon another figure, this one sprawled on the ground and appearing to be trying to crawl away. 'Feh... only so cheerful looking because the guards will probably beat them down should the townspeople act otherwise. Those people are grabbing food from the stalls like crazy, meaning the prices have been lowered during this time, he probably pays the stall owners to lower their prices during times when important people visit, making the land look richer than usual.' Link tore his gaze from the crowd of people and back towards the King. "Yes... a truly great kingdom."
It wasn't five minutes later when the carriage pulled to a stop and the King stepped out, a moment and one deep breath later, Link followed him. In slight surprise however, Link found that the carriage had not led them all the way up to the castle, but just at the foot of the raised hill in front of the castle gates where the guards normally did their roundabout paces, however at this moment the outer courtyard was set up in a much different matter. A large fenced off area was prominent in the center of the small field, with quite a few stallions galavanted around, along the dirt path numerous carriages trailed up, parked along the walls. Without realizing it, Link found that the King had begun walking, flanked by several of his guards.
"So it seems everyone has arrived already... when is the princesses birthday anyway?" Link asked as he fell in step behind the King, slightly curious as he realized the invitation actually had no set date inscribed on it.
King Harkinian, as well as the guards surrounding gave the young teen an odd look, before the King spoke up, smiling a bit. "She will turn the age of eighteen in five days time... as for the guests, well the only ones here at the moment are the suitors, here to spend time with the princess as well as get to know their possible future wife, also to impress the other maidens who have gathered for the celebration as well."
"So in other words, this castle is pretty much now home to almost every prince and princess in the land for the next five days." With a thoughtful look, Link glanced off to the side where the fence posts were set up, finding several teens barely older than himself gathered together, and adorned in rather gaudy clothing, obviously an attempt to impress the princess. "And over there?"
"Hmm, a small grove set aside for the Princes to ride their steeds, would you like to go see them? From what I'm told there are some very talented riders dwelling within these Princes." The Kings tone obviously let of that he was pleased with the suitors his daughter had to pick from.
Link however, was not given time to answer as the King began making his way over towards the group of young women that had gathered by a set of umbrella stands that had been set up for spectators to watch, before he was within view of the women however, Link smirked a bit and muttered under his breath. "Poell..."Indeed, unknown to most was the ancient language of Hyrule which granted a closer connection to the goddesses, yet Link himself was truly well versed in the magicks of the old language. No sooner had the word slipped from between his lips, did the black tunic the blonde was wearing before he vanished from sight completely unbeknownst to King Harkinian.
"Well well, what is going on here my dears!?" The booming voice of King Harkinian coming from behind them caused several of the young girls to jump. "Ah, Princess Midaro you're here as well, I didn't expect to see you here so soon." As the King spoke, one of the girls stepped forward, her long black hair curled in a ridiculous fashion as she batted her eyelashes, no doubt in an attempt to show off her "Lady Like" attributes.
"Oh yes, we arrived late last night. Father insisted that we make it as early as possible in order to celebrate Zelda's coming of age before the true festivities begin!" The sickly sweet tone used by the young girl was enough to make Link roll his eyes as he observed the group quietly, unseen.
A quick glance gave Link all the information he needed to know about the young ladies. They were dawned in extravagant garbs of the most fine silk, their corsets made them look far too skinny for them to be in good health, and their expressions instantly gave off the impression of superiority... all except one that is.
Her beauty was more subtle, and yet she was still breathtakingly gorgeous, deep innocent violet eyes trailed up to King Harkinian's gaze, the young woman had long sunshine golden hair, wearing an elegant white dress with her families crest pressed onto a pink sash like cloak. It was one of the few times that Link had ever found himself fixated upon a woman, sure he had his fare share of women as he was obviously raised by them, but this young woman... innocence seemed to radiate from her very smile as she ran right up to the King. "Father! You've returned!"
King Harkinian smiled brightly as he embraced his daughter, picking her up and twirling her around before placing her back on the ground gently. It was actually a sight that Link found a bit surprising, such openness among a royal house was a truly odd sight indeed and had anyone been able to see through the veil of invisibility Link had activated just moments before, they would find that he was openly gaping at the sight before him. "Bright and cheerful as ever my dear, I trust you were well while I was away?"
Immediately the young blonde girl nodded, smiling softly as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Yes... oh, Lord Dragmire's letter arrived earlier this morning, it's awaiting you in the lounge." The frown flashed quickly over the princesses' lips, although Link immediately caught it.
'Dragmire... is he coming here? Could be trouble for me.' Link frowned in thought as his eyes narrowed dangerously, before shaking his head and returning his attention to the event at hand.
The King put on a thoughtful look before nodding and smiling once more. "Ah yes of course, I shall speak to him soon enough."
Zelda for her part, quickly took a glance around and tilted her head as she looked up at the King. "Excuse me, Father, wasn't there another with you when you arrived, I thought I saw two people exit your carriage?"
"Ah, oh yes!" King Harkinian cried out, suddenly whirling around in search for Link. "There's someone I want you to me-... odd he was here not a moment ago... where did he-" A loud crash to the left of the group caused all heads to turn in the direction of the stables where a brilliant maple colored mare suddenly crashed through the fence blockades and began gallivanting about wildly, throwing her head back and neighing.
With an arched eyebrow, Link watched as the Princes' who were previously merely enjoying their time in the set out pasture, now attempted to rope and catch the mare. Chuckling quietly to himself, he moved over to the fence and rested his elbows on the railings as he watched the failed attempts to restrain the mare.
After the third time of nearly being kicked in the head by a rather pissed off mare, one of the Princes with long brown hair tied back into a ponytail, seemingly gave up and made his way over to the collected group. "That's not a horse it's a beast!" He cried out, patting his robes in an attempt to remove some nonexistent dust.
"Mansel, are you alright?" The girl known as Midaro rushed off to the young man, dabbing a cloth at the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. It was quite obvious that the two were involved in some matter or another albeit they were betrothed to different persons.
King Harkinian frowned as he ran his fingertips through his beard. "That mare was purchased from Lon Lon Ranches finest horses, I intended for it to be a gift for Lord Dragmire when he arrived... however if she can't be tamed then I suppose that the guards will merely have to kill it."
"Ribei!"
"There'll be no need for that!"
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Zelda snapped her gaze toward the fence post just as everyone else did. The sight that greeted her caused her face to flush and her eyes to remain fixated as she found her breath lost to her. Bright cerulean eyes, deeper than the sea sparkled beneath the shadow cast over the young man's face by his black cap. Shining, yet dark golden locks draped over his forehead, a deliciously well toned body taking a relaxed stance proved a mouth watering treat for the fair princesses eyes. She could not help but fight the urge to pounce on the man right then and there, after all, while she was a princess, she was still just a seventeen year old girl... if only for five more days.
"Just who are you and what is the nature of your business here?!" The angry cry came from Prince Mansel who was glaring daggers at the newcomer. At first Zelda couldn't fathom as to why Mansel was so upset... until she looked past him and saw the look on the faces of the other princesses, particularly Midaro's. The look of lust and interest plastered on the faces of the young girls was quite obvious, and had she herself not have been thinking three seconds ago, what they were thinking now, Zelda would have been repulsed by their behavior.
A small smirk played on the strangers lips as he jumped off of the fence, landing gracefully in front of Prince Mansel. "My business here... well I'll be sure to let you know just what it is once I do." The silky smooth voice that flowed from the lips of the strangers sent the other princesses into giggle fits as they cooed over him.
"Ah Link, there you are, I lost sight of you for a moment m'boy!" King Harkinian spoke out in a slightly amused voice as he walked up towards the blonde stranger, patting him on the shoulder.
Zelda watched in a curious fashion as the blonde gave a simple shrug and another small smirk. 'Link...hmm.' She would remember that name very well, very well indeed.
"Well if I was in sight all the times, it'd be hard for me to do what I do, but never mind that the issue at hands is that the mare out there shouldn't be killed simply because it cannot be tamed by normal means." Link's tone became hard and his eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze turned back to the small pasture, where the other princes had given up as well and were heading towards them, many of them with hoof shaped bruises on their forearms and legs.
"Well then, you believe you can tame that unruly mare!?" Once again Mansel's tone reflected his distaste of the young man.
It was at this point, that Link merely met the prince's gaze with a cold hard stare. "No, I know for a fact I can get that mare to calm down." He replied, turning his back to the prince and walking back over to the fence. The group watched as Link fished through a small pouch on his waist, and slowly pulled out a small brown and green object, a wooden Ocarina.
Zelda blinked and observed in fascination as the young blonde man raised the ocarina to his lips, not a moment later a smooth yet exciting melody flowed out. The harmonious sound that echoed out was so exhilarating and so calm at the same moment that the blonde princess could have sworn she was listening to the music of nature itself. And sure enough, soon the wild mare that had been galloping around wildly moments ago was now trotting along slowly over towards Link. As soon as the mare reached the fence in front of the blonde man, the music ceased and Link lifted his hand up to brush his fingertips along the neck of the mare.
"Atta' Girl... calm down now, alright?" Link's voice was soothing as he patted the horse, who neighed and turned back, trotting off towards the stables where it laid down in the soft hay to doze off. With a grin, the blue eyed young man turned around keeping his gaze toward the King. "She's a half breed from a wild horse Your Majesty... she needs to be allowed to run around more often than the other horses."
King Harkinian nodded, although his bewilderment at what Link had just done was still apparent. "Ah of course... Link... if you are interested of hearing my request, we may speak in the throne room, I will go on ahead I have a bit of business to attend to, Zelda it would be best if you would come as well." He said, before turning around and walking up to the main gates of the castle and crossing over the smaller drawbridge to the castle entrance.
Link blinked in confusion as he watched the King walk away and disappear down the main hall. "How am I supposed to meet him when I have no bloody idea where the throne room is?" The blonde asked out loud to himself, although he did in fact know exactly where to meet the King, as he remembered almost the entire layout of the castle from his previous excursion through it, although for appearances sake...
"Ah, I will show you the way." The soft voice caused Link to turn his head, coming face to face with the blonde princess, out of reflex he bowed his head slightly and nodded. Zelda then turned back towards her royal companions and bowed toward them. "I'll be taking my leave now, we shall meet again for supper." She spoke before making her own way off toward the castle with Link following close behind. 'If Father went all the way out to meet him then... he must be...!"
The other young princesses and noble daughters watched with a bit of envy as Zelda headed off with the blonde man known as Link. Although none of them would think much more of it afterward, while incredibly attractive and handsome, based on his demeanor, this Link character was probably just some commoner making a deal with the King about taxes.
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"I can't possibly do this!" Link cried out in frustration, smacking his palm against his forehead. The blonde was currently standing below the steps that led up to the throne, where the King was currently seated. To his left, Zelda stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her face growing redder in frustration by the second.
"Well why not? You should know the land better than anyone and you're more than capable for the job, you're The Sapphire of Shadow for Naryu's sake!" The desperation in the young woman's voice was none to subtle as she tried to convince the young warrior.
Instead of answering, Link merely turned and looked back up to the King, bringing his hand down from his face. "Your Majesty, I am not some tour guide... you're asking me to take the Princess all around Hyrule to see its wonders and guard her the whole time. Sir you do understand that the terrain itself is a possible deathtrap! Not to mention the beasts!"
Sighing, the King sat up straighter in his throne. "I shared your very same concerns when Zelda first asked this request of me... however you were chosen to do this for a reason, are you not the same Sapphire of Shadow who can travel from the Lake Hylia, to the peak of Death Mountain in a single day? And are you not the same Sapphire of Shadow who's fighting skills have become legendary in just over two years?" He questioned, causing the young man to cringe and curse at himself.
"Yes..." Link paused, taking a deep breath and knowing he was caught, it was indeed a relatively simple task. Escort the Princess around the land of Hyrule over the period of three months, protect her from any bandits or other dangers that could harm her, all while letting her have a bit of time to enjoy the wondrous scenery of the land... however. "But your highness, If something were to happen I'd have all of Hyrule out for my head because I was unable to protect the princess!"
"I have confidence in you Link, if the rumors hold true you are the only one who can complete this task..."
The young man groaned, shaking his head. "Wouldn't it make more sense to send her out with some of the soldiers? Surely it would be a much safer way to travel for the Princess, and for Din's sake why now of all times?!"
The King paused, frowning as he let out a heavy sigh. "Link... in the world of royalty... when a princess comes of age she is expected to wed within a year, if not less. After Zelda is married her only time out of the castle will be for public appearances, in other words... this will most likely be the last chance she has to enjoy the outside world before she is shut off from it completely... surely there must be something you will accept in exchange for this service." The King's pleading voice was lower and softer than normal as he spoke.
Sighing, Link rubbed his temples with his fingertips. 'He really just wants to see his daughter happy doesn't he?... Gah, the risks though, if she were to be killed, I mean there's no way I can keep tabs on her at all times... wait a moment...' The blonde opened his eyes suddenly, biting his bottom lip in thought before he spoke. "Very well." Both Zelda and the King brightened visibly at the answer, and the young princess looked as if she could just about hug the young warrior. "However... I require two things."
The King immediately nodded, arching an eyebrow at the young teen. "What would said things be?"
Link grinned as he looked back up at the King, meeting his gaze. "First off... compensation... and second off, the mare in the pasture... I want the horse."
The requests were fairly simple and as such, King Harkinian agreed. "Very well the horse is yours, and how does twenty thousand rupees given to you on your return from the trip sound?"
"Like a deal." Link replied, smirking as he turned around, facing the exit. "We ride after the celebration correct? In that case I will return on the morrow... I have some business I have to attend to." He said, before making his way down the exit with a grin.
King Harkinian blinked, standing up as Link made his exit. "Wait, where are you headed?"
The young man halted, smiling as he turned his head back to the King. "I don't scale Death Mountain just for the thrill of it sir, I had business when i arrived there, and now I intend to finish it." He answered, making his way out with a small bow as he exited. 'That girl owes me for this...'
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AN: Here's a fun fact for you all, the ancient Hylian words that Link uses are derived from great study of the Hylian language from information gathered throughout the entire existence of the Zelda world. The words are actual translations done by a few friends of mine and can also be found on some websites. For instance the word Link uses to vanish Poell means phantom, and the word Ribei means appear.