"Pirates!"
"It's Jago's gang!"
"Help!"
A young woman hid behind the counter of her bar, terrified for her life. This was her great-grandmother's bar - it was named after her grandmother, just like she was. Telma had thought that since it was decently close to the castle, she'd be safe from thieves. But Jago's gang was well known for a reason. Jago was as greedy as he was arrogant, so of course he'd try and take on Castle Town. Telma knew one thing they didn't though... she knew that there was a good chance they'd run into a frequent visitor of the bar who had an interesting reputation around these parts.
"Stuff all the goods in the bags!" Jago had a crate lifted in one arm, "We're gonna take everything in this town!"
There were loud cheers from his crew and Telma wondered if she could make it to the hidden room her family had discovered long ago. However, something else caught her attention. One of the girls who worked for her, some who she trusted and cared for dearly, ran forward. Telma was shocked as she rushed at Jago with fear in her eyes and tugged at his sleeve. She was surprised he didn't backhand her touching him. She was visibly shaking when she spoke to him.
"Please don't take that! Please" she relaxed when Jago seemed to ponder her request.
Then his mouth curved into a smirk and his eyes gained a gleam that Telma didn't want to acknowledge, "How about I take you with us instead?"
"No! Stop! Let me go!" She tried to squirm out of his hold.
Telma glanced around her bar. She knew she had a knife around here somewhere, all she had to do was find it. A sudden crash stole her attention and she cringed, worried that another pirate had joined the fray. The crashed had been quickly followed by a loud thud and the sound of her employee gasping. Telma risked a glace over the bar and felt a relieved smile form on her face. An interesting sword drawn in hand, a young man clad in green stood between a woman and the pirate. Castle Town's own left-handed hero - Link.
"Escape behind me! I'll keep him busy." he called to the woman.
"Arrogant brat!" Jago called.
The pirate's strike was easily dodged and countered. Jago only felt his ire rise, as it appeared the boy was holding back. Link leapt from a table with a downward strike, knocking the pirate back. The rest of crew joined in. Link ran forward, knocked out the first man in his way and then blocked the attack of the second. Jago attempted to get even while the young man was distracted, but the green-clad hero was quick. He knocked out the second pirate by slamming the hilt of his sword into the back of his head and jabbed the same hilt into Jago's gut.
Jago fell to his knees, "You... you're that left-handed hero..."
Telma left her hiding place as the final pirate collapsed. Link didn't seem surprised by the hand on his shoulder, he sheathed his sword and merely looked annoyed. Telma surveyed her store for damages. There wasn't many, and she could easily replace everything with the treasure staffed in the hidden room of her bar. The young lady who worked for immediately rushed into a hug with the hero who had saved her.
"Thank you, Sir Link!"
"It's just Link" he replied, before he looked over at Telma, "Do you have any rope you could spare? I'm thinking of leaving the Royal Knights a present."
"Or you could just stick around and actually help them" she suggested.
He shook his head, "I don't want to deal with another lecture. I'll be taking my own way back, by the way. Not a certain passage that we both know about."
Telma sighed, "Just try not to cause to much trouble for the captain."
It didn't take too long for Link to remove Jago's gang from the bar. Though he struggled with one member, most of them weighed enough for him to drag them out into the open street. He picked a spot that would be easy enough to access while on horseback and tied them with the rope Telma had located. He didn't take up theo offer of food from the woman he save, but he did accept the drink. He didn't have long before the knights showed up and wanted to return Valenzuela's sword before the captain returned to the castle... no need to give the old man any more reasons to be disappointed in him...
Something caught his eye. He spun to face it, sword drawn. However, nothing was there. It was just a plain wall, his shadow being the only thing that decorated it. Link could have sworn he had seen something with wicked grin and claws. But everyone seemed happy (and a few people where giving him weird looks) so he let it slide. His reputation as a hero wouldn't hold if people thought he was spooked by his own shadow.
"We are Hyrule's noble knights. Where is the gang?"
And that was Link's cue to get out of there...
"Hold it right there Link!"
So close... so close...
Link sighed and stopped in his tracks. He tossed a bored look over his shoulder, not to keen to really deal with this again. The knights had started to arrest the pirate gang, but their captain was solely focused on the youth separated from him by a crowd.
"How many times must I tell you? You are a member to you royal guard. Stop trying to act on your own, you have team that's willing to work with you" the captain called.
"If I wait for the orders, things will only get worse" Link turned away and waved as he left, "Besides, I'm happier on my own."
"He's nothing but trouble, Your Highness. He's conceited, brash and reckless. He does as he pleases, and refuses to even try to work with anyone else. He won't even listen to me - not when I approach him as a father or as a captain. It seems like the only person he listens to is you, his childhood friend. Will you talk with him, Princess Zelda?"
The throne room of the castle wasn't the most impressive room. The throne itself was simply, and the only reason why it wasn't dusty was because of the maids. The princess of the kingdom had been busy in the past few years since her parents had died. And with her coronation around the corner, her time was better spent elsewhere. However, the captain of the knights new that she had canceled everything today to check on something - something that she refused to disclose to anyone other than the six maidens.
The figure seated on the throne was dressed in her typical attire - a beautiful pink dress with gold accessories and a white cape. Her hands rested in her lap, covered by pink gloves. Her red hair was left down, the only reason it remain out of her face was because of her crown. Freckles dotted her cheeks and brought attention to her blue eyes. It was no wonder there were rumors about her being the most beautiful woman in all the land. She wasn't that much older than Link either, being eighteen while he was only seventeen.
The princess smiled down at the knight, "Captain, there is no need for concern. You remember the loss both of you suffered from a few years ago... though he has moved on from his grief, he still believes that the way the knights decide to take action is pointless. He feels he can better protect others if he acts first. However, he's still very young. I believe that if you give him a chance, he will surprise you."
"I appreciate your kind words, Your Highness" he smiled.
She rose to her feet, "I will talk to him. You have my word on that. But I still believe that when push comes to shove, Link will do great things."
"Thank you, Princess. Please excuse me" he bowed and left.
There was pause as the knight the room, the princess calmly watching him leave. There were a few seconds where everything was still, before the young knight-in-training poked his head out from behind a curtain. His impish grin wasn't impressive to the princess as he left his little hideaway, clearly avoiding his father. All the princess could do was sigh in disappointment.
Link glared at the door, "He's been reprimanding me a lot lately. It's always about the same thing, even though I haven't done anything to deserve it. It's really annoying."
"You don't realize how sorry I feel for your father, do you? He's always so stressed and you're really not helping" she scolded, "Maybe you should listen to his advice."
Link rolled his eyes before he handed the princess a flower, "Anyway, I got you this from town. You've been so busy, I figured you would want to see it."
"Oh, thank you. You know... every time you bring me a flower, I'm able to see Hyrule from afar. It's been so long since I've stepped foot in it myself, but this is a nice compromise" Zelda could almost hear the bird chirping and feel the wind blowing as she closed her eyes and focuses on the power.
"It won't be long, Zelda. After your coronation you'll have more time to spare. You could even pick up archery and sword fighting again" the young hero offered, "It's been a long time since we last sparred."
Zelda laughed, "I might be a little rusty, but I promise I won't be an easy opponent. I always had you beat at archery though. You just never had the right mindset for it."
"Preparations have been made, Princess Zelda."
Link didn't hear the door open, so he was slightly surprised at the sudden voice. He turned around and saw six women entering the room, each one a different color. They were the Shrine Maidens. It was said that some time after the invasion of the Twilight Realm, a queen decided to take extra measures against any evil that should plague the land. Their takes was to watch over sacred artifacts and use their magic to protect different areas of Hyrule. In every generation, they only took orders from the princess, or queen, who had been blessed with a divine gift.
"Well done, six maidens. Please give me a moment to prepare myself" Zelda asked.
Link turned to his princess, "What's going on, Zelda?"
"Link" the princess looked solemn, "We're going to check on the Four Sword's seal."
A/N: Almost 2,000 and I didn't even get through the first chapter of the manga?
Anyway, this is a little adaption of the Four Swords manga (though there will be a few minor references Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time... and possibly a few other Zelda games). I plan to expand upon the plot and add in a bit more character development. I know it doesn't look like much yet, but I promise you that it will be worth the read.