Chapter One: Longing for a Past
Uncontrollable flames consumed and ravaged the homes and businesses of a once lively Castle Town. Malicious monsters stampeded across the streets, knocking down the innocent and terrorized Hylians. The harmless citizens either hid or ran as fast as their frail legs could take them away from the vicious creatures that roamed the town. Dreadful screams and shrieks fled from their lungs and echoed to the skies as the wild massacre continued. Soldiers wearily battled off the enemies with their swords and spears, but even then it was not enough. These ferocious demons were too strong for them to handle. The people of Hyrule could only depend on two precious wielders of the Triforce to protect them in their time of need, but the endangered sanctuary was running out of time before it would fall into ruins entirely. They were desperate for an absolution.
Two brave soldiers stood at the North Gate of the town and hid behind a pillar for precaution. They were discussing an issue that only pertained to them. One of the soldiers peeked around his hiding spot and quickly ducked behind again when an unknown monster passed by. He looked back at his friend with fearful eyes and shook his head. "You don't understand. I can't take your boy. He needs his father; his mother." The man argued as he shoved the child back into the man's chest. This was Rusl, a soldier in training who had only been on the team for a few months before the terrible incident took its place.
His commander was a tall and built man whose face was covered by a silver helmet. He persisted and handed off the small bundled babe to his dear friend for the last time. "Please, the castle needs me and my wife to protect this sacred place. I can't take care of him right now," he breathed. His voice trembled as much as his body did inside of his armor. "Just promise me his protection until I get back, alright?"
The two locked eyes for what seemed like forever. They trusted each other with their life, and right now the commander was entrusting his child's soul with this small, feeble friend. Rusl's sigh shivered and he nodded, clutching the baby tight. The commander also nodded, and without a moment's notice he ran back into the courtyard in the direction towards Hyrule's crumbling castle. Rusl's heart jumped. "Wait! What will happen if you don't return?!" He cried as he paced forwards. "What do I do then?!" One of the once sturdy columns that held up the structure suddenly fell forward and blocked the path to the castle. The young man jumped back and lightly screamed over the child's whines. One by one, the pillars fell onto the pathway. It would be impossible to reach the falling kingdom at that point.
There was no use in wasting time. Rusl immediately spun around and mounted one of the nearby horses. He then raced through the monster-infested streets and made his way to the West gate where he would retreat back into his village. He felt useless and guilty; it was his moment to shine and rescue all of the Hylians, but instead he was fleeing back to his home with his best friend's child. It could not be helped, however. He already made the promise to protect the boy. Besides, it was not his duty to save Hylia; it was up to the saviors of the land to fulfill that prophecy.
Meanwhile, the commander came to a slow stop and came by his wife and took a hold of her fragile hand. They stood in the throne room where the fire and smoke rose to the ceilings. The small woman looked up at her husband with distress. Dirt and blood was painted on her soft cheeks and dress. "Is Link safe; in good hands?" She asked nervously followed by a cough.
The strong man lifted up the face of the helmet, which revealed his anguished expression. "I passed our beloved child onto Rusl where he will be taken care of in the depths of Ordon Village." He reassured with a firm smile and a grip of her palm. They gazed at each other in silence, only hoping that their boy would indeed be safe from harm.
They were the saviors of Hyrule, both marked on the back of their hands with the Triforce that beheld the powers of Courage and Wisdom. With great fear, the heroes took their stance in front of the Triforce of Power. They would fight for the freedom of the people of Hyrule, but more importantly for the safety of their child.
Their enemy bellowed a laugh and began to slowly make his way down the steps from the throne. "You honestly think that in this time of your wretched lives you can defeat I, Ganondorf Dragmire; the great King of Gerudo, the future ruler of Hyrule, the wielder of the Triforce of Power?" The wicked demon lifted his hand that was surrounded by a vibrant purple flame, different than the crimson flames that ate at the once proud town. He sneered at the two with utter doubt that they could even make their way to regain the prosperity of Hyrule. "I'll smother your blood across the road of Castle Town before I let you take away my well-deserved kingdom," he bellowed again, throwing his head back as he finally stopped at the bottom of the staircase. They were all silent again. The foe's maleficent smile transformed into a deep scowl once he realized the heroes were unmoved by his threats. "And mark my words, once I'm done with the two of you pathetic animals, I will hunt down your son and I will stack his worthless skull on the rest of the destruction I have inflicted."
This was the statement that infuriated the two. The guardians of Hyrule revealed their sword and their magic and came to a speeding dash towards their enemy, who smirked and made his way towards them as well.
History made its mark into the Scrolls of Time. The three day battle began with the forces of Good versus the forces of Evil. It would be a long talked-about fight resulting with good prevailing in the very end. Ganondorf would be locked up for a little less than two decades before he would break free again. The legends would be told for years and years to come until it would finally die out into just a tale.
"Hyah!" A strong voice yelled across the vast and green field.
Goats bobbled their heads as they staggered to flee from a rushing, wild horse that sped their way. They were stubborn, but quickly gave in to resistance due to the massive creature's strength and agility as the tamer came near. The gentle animals let out awkward little noises and stomped their feet as they entered the barn. Within a matter of minutes, the Ordon goats were neatly aligned inside their stalls and began to chew merrily at their prepared hay. Flies buzzed in their faces, but there was nothing they could do to avoid the trouble.
Fado, the owner of the ranch, marched inside the barn and patted his long-time pal on the back. "Well done, Link. You manage to make a new record every time," he complimented. The man awkwardly smiled. "I guess that should be expected from the hero of Hyrule."
Link blushed and nodded. Just about six months ago, he had redeemed Zelda's title as princess and saved Hyrule from utter destruction. It had been told that 17 years ago there was a man named Ganondorf who had destroyed the kingdom before, and Link had just recently saved the kingdom once again as predicted by the prophecy. Despite that the terror had ended six months ago, everyone still treated him with great respect, but it was odd; for the most of his life he had been treated just like another friend, rather than a brave hero. The return to his hometown was strange, but he made the best of it.
The setting sun began to bake the village in a sea of gold. The Hero of Hyrule strode on Epona's back through the village again where the villagers waved and enthusiastically greeted him. Link politely nodded and smiled at the people he had grown up with his whole life. They had always greeted him with joy, but now it was different. He was more of an idol than a pal. It made him uneasy.
An older looking man began to approach him. It was Rusl, Link's close friend and fatherly figure. He stopped and looked up at Link who was still mounted on the stallion. The character beamed a warm smile. "Colin and I were going to travel out to Faron Woods and try a little fishing. We were wondering if maybe you'd like to come and join us," the old man offered. "My son was also wondering if you'd give him some lessons in sword fighting." Rusl gazed at the horse and patted her, then suddenly sighed. "He doesn't want any lessons from me. He looks up to you greatly; always has." The old man sorrowfully chuckled. He looked up at Link as if waiting for an answer, who nodded in agreement to the idea. Rusl nodded as well and began to walk away from them again. "I'll find you when we begin to leave."
Link's eyes followed the man who respectably treated him like a friend and not a gallant hero. Rusl soon met up with his beloved son, wife and daughter. They were a beautiful little family, something that Link desired to have. Link's family would be kind to him, if he actually knew them; they wouldn't give him the upmost respect because he was a hero. They would treat him like family, like he always was. He never knew who his real parents were, but it was fine, he supposed. These benevolent people always welcomed him into his home, and he always accepted them as his family even though they weren't.
The hero made his way back to his tree house and dismounted his steed. He was absolutely exhausted from the dragging day. He was about to climb his ladder when a peculiar hand grabbed the back of his belt and pulled him back down again. His eyes met with Ilia's in the darkness, and he lightly smiled at her, but she did not return the friendly greeting. She was worried about his horse, as she always was. "Have you even glanced at Epona's side? She must have been bashed in the ribs by one of the goats' horns and you don't even care!" She growled. Traditionally, the moody girl swiftly turned her back to him and took hold of Epona's reins and began to lead the stallion to the Ordon Spring.
Link sighed, tired. He so desperately craved to sleep, but he decided to follow his childhood friend in case any danger struck them from behind like the last incident.
The horse shook its mane and neighed as she splashed her hooves in the spring. Ilia scooped up a handful of water and rubbed it on the animal's bruise. "Shh, it's alright, girl," the child soothed. She smiled and gently rubbed Epona's long face, then looked back at Link, who was lying on his back in the sand with his eyes closed. He had fallen into a deep sleep while his companions were accompanying each other. She tiptoed to the hero and stood over him, lightly smiling. He looked so peaceful after a long day of work. The girl came to a crouch, and then lied down on the small beach with her head on his chest. Ilia could hear him silently breathing. Her eyes came to a close. It had been so long since she had spent quality time with her friend. Her hand slid onto his stomach and she clutched at his clothes, beginning to fall asleep as well.
"Ilia," A sudden familiar voice cried, startling the two and waking them up. "Ilia, come back inside! You know it's dangerous out in the woods!"
They sat up and turned to see Mayor Bo waddling towards them at the fastest speed he could go. As expected from a parent, he was worried about his little girl being out so late at night. How long had they been asleep? Ilia's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she immediately stood up and brushed the grain off of her clothes. "Papa, we're safe behind the gates! Nothing else bad is going to happen anyway with Link by my side!" She persisted.
Mayor Bo slowed to a stop and had to catch his breath before he spoke again; "You two were asleep. I could have snuck up on you and stabbed you both right in the stomach!"
Ilia bit at the inside of her cheek and looked back at her friend who just let out a tired yawn. She huffed. "Sorry for the trouble, Link. You know how parents are," she said with a smile. "Good night."
The small family began to make their way back to the village where they would sleep into their warm home again. Together.
Link stood alone in solitude. He had no idea how "parents were." The closest thing he had to parents were Rusl and Uli, who had voluntarily and kindly taken care of him since birth, as far as he knew. However, everyone else in the entire village treated him like their own child as well, or at least he thought so. Everyone was his parents, and that definitely wasn't normal. He knew nothing of his real parents. No one did, except for Rusl who would only briefly tell him something short of their past, but it wasn't anything big. "They loved you," was Rusl's main answer to every question.
The child let out a deep breath and came down onto his knees. He began to splash the cold water into his face to wake him from those awful thoughts. Whenever he came to think about those things late in the night, he wouldn't be able to sleep. Epona quietly approached him from behind and nudged his cheek with her snout. The hero chuckled and rubbed her nose, and he stood again and they made their way back to the tree house.
An affectionate arm grasped him around his small waste and lifted him up high. They began to throw him up and up again and again. The tiny Link giggled and clapped his small hands. He came down again, and this time the arms hugged him tight against their body. This person was warm and strong, but feeble like a woman. Another masculine character approached them and lovingly squished him between their two bodies. The tall figures chuckled as Link struggled to free himself from their passionate grasp. The woman moved away again and lifted Link high in the air. She stared into his cerulean eyes, but Link couldn't see back into the woman's face. It was blank. There was nothing there. She had no face. However, this didn't startle him. This was a familiar dream, and these were familiar people. He knew they were good creatures, although terribly strange, and in this dream nothing bad ever happened.
The man, who also lacked an expression, took hold of the boy now and set him on the floor. He stroked the child's hair and began to speak with a muffled voice. The sound and the words were unrecognizable, but they were soothing. The large figure now waved for someone else to come over. This was not part of the dream, as far as Link could recall. The stranger strode to the child's front side. It was an odd, cold man with a grimacing looking face. He clutched the child around the ribs and sneered at Link's loving friends. They also formed a wicked sneer on their faces. Something bad was about to happen, but the small child couldn't fathom it.
The young boy kicked his feet and cried as he desperately attempted to free himself from the scary man's grip, but it was no use; his little body was too weak. Link began to cry and call out to those loving characters, but they turned their backs to him and started to move away. Link wailed louder, but they would pay no attention to his cries. His petite hand reached out towards them as if it would help. Bitter tears slid down his cheeks as he watched what he thought could have been his family slowly disappearing. The man took a tight hold of Link and they too began to stride away. The two looked back one last time, this time with an expression of agony. The loving fatherly figure now spoke again, and Link clearly understood what he said; "You disappoint me."
Link shot up in his bed and had broken out in a sweat. His heart was pounding and his breathing had become extremely heavy. A nightmare. The frightened child tightly gripped his bed sheets with one hand and brushed his bangs back with the other. After witnessing the horrific nightmare, he did not even feel like sleeping anymore. Those were his parents. He knew it, or at least he had always assumed it. Yet, they had never been so icy to him before in his dreams. He began to ponder if that was why he had never met his parents, because they gave him away. He obviously must have disappointed them in some sort of way, according to the fatherly figure, but how? Link never recalled meeting them or being old enough to see them, so how could he possibly disappoint the two?
The hero shivered as he lifted his hand and strained to look at it in the black of the night. Could it have been his Triforce? Did it scare them or worry them? Did it bother them that he would bring destruction to his family? But he couldn't have; he saved all of Hyrule, but they didn't know that, and they would not ever. The hero glared at the mark on his hand for a long while before finally bringing it back down again. He flopped his head back onto his pillow and stared at the ceiling. A small bug took its time crawling so high on the wood. It looked content with its life.
The sun rose and glimmered brightly through the window. Link threw his pillow over his face. He had hardly slept the night before and only craved to sleep in, but that blasted sun was far too bright. With a grunt, he stubbornly rolled out of bed and started on his morning routine; eating, brushing, the usual. However, just as he had stripped down to enter into his makeshift bath tub, the door slammed open and Rusl barged into his house. The hero immediately turned red and hid behind some of his furniture. Rusl's face also flushed with embarrassment, and he instantly turned around. "Uhh … Colin and I are heading down now! Hurry," was all the grown man could spit before he quickly raced out of the house and slammed the door shut.
Link washed himself as fast as he could so no one else could intrude on him naked, and he speedily got dressed and rushed out the door. He would have to skip breakfast, since he already felt guilty about making his friends wait for so long. The hero slid down the ladder and came up behind his pals.
Rusl had his back turned to the house and held his eyes closed. He was silently snickering. "You all dressed this time?" The man asked. Colin stared at everyone in confusion but refused to comment. Link awkwardly chuckled in reply.
The three soon found themselves sitting on the bank of the Faron spring, and their fishing lines were sprawled into the water. Occasionally they would move, but nothing had really bitten them all day. In the midst of their silence, Rusl decided to bring forth a conversation. "You sure did sleep in late, Link. It was practically noon," the fatherly figure commented. He disregarded his fishing pole and shifted his eyes to look at Link. "What were you doing all night?"
They only remained in silence. Link now reflected back to his dream and thought deeply at what happened. The nightmare pained him, but as the night dragged on, he finally came to his own conclusion that they had never felt disappointed in him. Now that he was reminded of his heart-wrenching dream, the torment returned to him and he thought of his real family again. It was actually possible that they didn't want him anymore and that's why he now held his place with Rusl. Link set the pole down and stood up, not wishing to reveal anything to Colin. He wouldn't understand anything, anyway.
Rusl stared at the boy with concern. He also got up and the two of them walked a little ways from the spring, and Link began to dump his dreams and nightmare on his fatherly figure, knowing he'd understand. Once finished with his spill, he demanded to know what happened to his parents; where they were, if they were still alive. Link's eyes became fierce. He stood tall and crossed his arms, now eyeing the man. It was almost amusing, but the hero had taken all seriousness into the situation and tried to best portray himself as threatening so he could finally get some answers.
The old man let out a deep, wistful sigh. He stared at the ground for a long while, wondering how he was about to tell everything. Rusl moved and sat atop a small rock and placed his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands in deep thought. "Link, your parents were strong and rightful people, and they loved you very much…"
Link glared at him, knowing where the story was going. He cleared his throat, throwing Rusl off track who only chuckled.
"Well then, let me tell you this!" Rusl shouted, coming up to a stand again and having to change things up a little. Link's arms dropped and Rusl pulled him close and threw his arm around the boy's shoulders. The man suddenly glared at the surroundings untrustingly and came into a whisper. "If you want to go around and find them, I'm not going to stop you, but they never once said they were disappointed in you. I'm absolutely positive that they're still somewhere in Hyrule! In fact, I'm sure Zelda would love to help you find them!" He now shoved the boy away in a childish manner and now stared at his friend intently. "They gave me to you during the time of the great war when Ganon first attacked… Your parents only wanted you to be safe, and they greatly succeeded. I'm sure they would have been tickled to see you perform all of these great things, and I know they'd be proud of you if they knew."
Link couldn't help but smile at Rusl. He wasn't even sure if his parents were alive or alright or if they even remembered their own son, but this man had lead the child on to believe so. Link nodded. He decided he'd begin packing right away. The hero left without another word and began to race back to his house, leaving the horse with the two. Rusl stared at the child run off, unsure of how to feel. Maybe he should have gone more into detail, but it was too late; Link had already made up his mind.
The hero rushed through the forest, went up his ladder and flew into his home. He immediately began to pack everything necessary into his satchel when his stomach suddenly growled. That's right. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday noon. The starved boy clutched his gut as it growled again, and this time he stood up from his messy floor- random items piled on his carpet. He danced over to his cabinet and swung the door open, only to find it empty. He supposed he had eaten the last thing yesterday. The boy threw on his satchel, sword and shield and decided to eat and then leave on to his adventure. With a huff, he marched to his door and slid down the ladder and made his way into the village to buy something from the store.
As soon as he dashed through the entry of the village, he slammed into Ilia who had been racing to his house. They both fell over backwards, and the girl seemed to have dropped a pie and a basket with other food supplies inside. She pouted and stared at the mess made. "I worked so hard to make that, Link!" She cried, standing up and not even bothering to clean up the food. Link stared at it and his stomach growled again. Various fruits had rolled out of the carrier, and Link was desperate for something to eat. He grabbed at a juicy, red apple and wiped it on his sleeve and bit right into it without another thought. Ilia stared at him in disgust but made no comment. Instead she plopped right back down next to him on the dirt. "I felt bad about last night, so I came to offer you something."
Link wasn't really paying attention. He was concentrating on his apple.
She, on the other hand, was concentrating on him. He wasn't dressed in his normal Ordon attire. He was in his green, legendary tunic again, and he was all prepared to go on some sort of adventure. She puffed out her cheeks. "Where do you plan on going?" She asked.
Link swallowed his apple piece and was just about to reply when a large hand patted him on the back, knocking the rest of his fruit from his grip. "He's going off on an adventure!" Rusl interrupted with a large grin. "He's been having trouble lately and just needs some time away for a while."
"Trouble?" Ilia questioned as she narrowed her eyes. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips, knowing exactly what was going on. "It's because I freaked you out last night! Because my papa scared you, huh?! I can go have a word with him right now, if that's what you'd like!"
A bead of sweat fell down both Link and Rusl's head; that was definitely not the case. Link now stood up and scratched the back of his neck, not sure how to explain anything to her. Rusl rubbed his chin. "My boy is just having trouble, and that's all you need to know for now. He has nothing that you need to be concerned about."
Ilia scrunched her nose. Her gaze shifted from Rusl's playing innocent eyes to Link's confused expression. She nodded and crossed her arms. "Err- I'm going to tag along anyway. Someone has to watch over Epona after all." She waited in silence for them to reply, but the boys said nothing as they awkwardly starred at the ground. Ilia rubbed her arm and also stared at the dirt, feeling unwanted. "Well, I guess I could just stay here." She lightly chuckled. "I'd be too scared to leave anyway." She turned and trudged back to her house, not bothering to turn back.
Link longingly watched her take each heavy step. Rusl roughly patted him on the back once more and smiled. "It's quite alright. Just leave tonight; it'll be less of a bother." He said. The old man left Link who also fled back into his home.
Colin, who had been silently watching from behind, snuck around and made his way to Mayor Bo and Ilia's house. He had all of this information now, and felt it would only be fair if Ilia knew.
I chose not to let Link speak through this story considering he most often never speaks in his games. It only seemed more natural for him to remain silent. Next chapter will be so much more exciting. Promise!