Triple Threat

Author's Notes: My first Legend of Zelda fic. Odd, considering I've barely touched the games. I have, however, seen the majority of Twilight Princess and I'm now playing my way through that game. Expect there to be vague and obscure references to it. As I haven't played or seen much of the other games, this is an entirely AU fanfic. This is a different story entirely, and each character's background will be explained in more detail as we go. Please keep in mind that the very beginning of this story is a flashback.

Are we ready? Let's go then.

"Let me tell you a story, little one. There were once three great warriors, each wielding a different piece of the Triforce."

"Wisdom, Power, and Courage?"

"Yes, my dear; the three pieces of the Triforce. Our land was not at peace, the man who held the Triforce of Power wanted more. He went after the other two pieces."

"So he could have more power?"

"That's right. With the full Triforce he could have ultimate power."

"But they stopped him, right daddy?"

"The wielders of Courage and Wisdom joined forces to defeat the wielder of Power, and Hyrule was peaceful once more."

"That's a good story."

"I think so too."

"Daddy, how did they know they were destined to protect the Triforce?"

"They had a mark on the back of their hands."

"A mark?"

"Yes. It was the Triforce symbol, a glowing mark on the back of their left hand."

"Like the one I have?"

"Yes, like the one on your hand, Zelda."

The first rays of dawn made their way through the peaceful little speck on the map, Ordon Village. The light illuminated one of the few occupants out and about so early in the morning; a young man with sandy-blond hair, blue eyes, and sharply pointed ears. His back was pressed against the side of a building on the outskirts of town, hiding where the dawn's light had yet to fully reach him. This young man was Link, an orphan raised by the community in Ordon. While he was very grateful for the lessons they had taught him and the time they had spent raising him, he wanted to see more of the world. He wanted to travel to far off places, to battle monsters, and maybe even rescue a princess or two. He would never get a chance to do any of that if he was stuck in the village for much longer. Today was the day all that would change though; he would be leaving for Hyrule Castle and the surrounding Castle Town that afternoon. The young man could see no reason why he should exhaust himself with meaningless chores when he was to make the long trek to the Castle to deliver a sword. He didn't see the reason behind it -- what did the King need another ordinary sword for? -- but he was not one to voice such complaints, not when they offered him a chance to leave his familiar surroundings. As much as he loved Ordon Village, Link was eager to see what else Hyrule had to offer. He had heard tales of deserts and wind-blown ridges, icy peaks and vast lakes descending so deep the bottom wasn't visible -- such places he wanted to see at least once in his life.

The young Ordian jolted from his half-doze as he began to lose his balance against the structure. Link gave a small sigh and ran a hand through his croppy, short hair. The pale light flickered across a mark on the back of his left hand; a symbol of three triangles connected to form a large one. The Triforce. Legends had surrounded the Triforce and its three pieces for decades, but no one had seen any of the mysterious pieces in centuries. Link was unaware of all of this though, as was the village of Ordon as a whole. The myths simply hadn't reached that far. Perhaps that was for the best; Link had enough of an ego as it was.

"Link!" The voice that called him was familiar, of course. Link knew everyone in the village, as they all knew him. It was a small community, prone to gossip and petty fights. Link hoped the rest of Hyrule wasn't the same way. He didn't stray from his hiding place behind the mayor's house -- a rather secluded spot that rendered him all but invisible in the rising sun's rays. The voice faded, sounding more and more irritated, and Link gave a small sigh of relief. He was safe, for now.

Link wasn't as clever as he thought he was. It wasn't long before the villagers found him and set him to work herding goats. The Ordian youth was finally allowed to go about his business with a warning; once he returned from Hyrule Castle he wasn't to shirk work ever again. Link nodded and accepted his future punishment graciously. After all, he had no intention of returning until he had seen his fair share of Hyrule. His horse was saddled up, the sword strapped to his back, and he was sent on his way. Hyrule Castle was a good distance away, otherwise he would have been stuck running useless errands for the townsfolk well into the night. Though Link waved as he left, he couldn't help but feel a sense of exhilarating freedom. Finally he was free.

Two hours into the trip he was wishing he had brought something to do. Even if it was just a slingshot to target the few trees that graced the plains with he would have been satisfied. But no, he had just packed and left, not thinking ahead for the actual journey. The Ordian was so lost in thought he didn't even realize his horse had stopped or that another rider was hailing him. As if to jolt him back to reality Epona, his horse, whinnied. "Whoa, whoa, what is it, girl?"

"Ahem," The voice was far deeper than Link's own and it sent shivers down his spine. He turned in the saddle to see another rider only a few paces behind him. Though usually it would have been difficult to gauge the size of the rider while on horseback, it was clear that this man was easily a foot or two taller than Link himself. "Good afternoon," The other man greeted civilly, though Link got the feeling it was an entirely faked act. The smirk accompanying the words only strengthened his suspicions. "Are you heading to Hyrule Castle?"

"Yes. What's it to you?" Link's hand strayed toward the sword at his back, only to find it had been secured around the wrong shoulder. Why hadn't he bothered to check that beforehand? Well, it wasn't his sword for once (he didn't actually have one anyway), and he was instructed not to use it, lest he break it. Unfortunately, Link was known to be a bit of a klutz. He had broken three swords while training with them when he was younger, and the local blacksmith was not interested in seeing his gift to the king broken.

The other man seemed amused by Link's attempt to draw his sword. "I take it you aren't acquainted with fighting while on horseback. I have no intention of fighting." As he drew up alongside Epona, Link's horse deemed it safe to continue. Indeed, the man was far larger than Link, and his horse dwarfed Epona as well. While Link's horse was a beautiful chestnut color with a blonde mane that nearly matched Link's hair color, the man's horse was midnight black with an equally dark mane. It seemed suiting though; the man seemed dark, despite the fact that he had bright red hair. It was his skin color that gave off the dark impression; Link had never seen anyone with a shade of skin that was so dark before. The Ordian tore his eyes away from his unexpected companion, focusing his eyes on Epona. "You haven't seen a Gerudo before." It wasn't a question. Something in the man's voice gave off a vibe of anger, but he looked just as civil as when he had greeted Link. "I can't say I'm surprised."

Link tried to come up with something to say, but found himself speechless. He'd never even heard the word "Gerudo" before, and couldn't quite fathom what it meant. That was unimportant though, as he could guess it has something to do with the man's features, as dictated by the context of his sentence. "No, I haven't. Why are you headed to the castle?"

"I could ask you the same thing." The man responded amiably. Link cast another glance in his direction, though the other man's eyes had drifted to the castle, as if having lost interest in Link. "If you must know, I have a meeting with the royal court."

"Oh," Link said. From the sound of it, the man was rather important. Meeting with the royal court, what an honor! The man didn't look honored though, which led Link to believe that this was a rather common occurrence for him. Link had to bite his tongue to keep from asking the inevitable question -- just how hot is Princess Zelda? -- and instead nodded. The other man wasn't paying attention to him though, and the nod went unnoticed. "I'm delivering a sword. From Ordon Village. I'm not really sure what use the king has with any more swords... but I'm just the delivery boy."

"What is your name, boy?" When Link turned to look at the other rider again, he noticed that those feral golden eyes were fixed on his hand. Link abruptly shifted so his left hand was out of sight, wondering why the other man was so fixated on his strange mark.

"Link," He replied confidently. "And yours?"

It took a long time for the other man to reply, an expression of curiosity having replaced his smirk. "You may call me Ganondorf." He finally said with a sense of finality that meant the conversation was dropped.

Link wasn't very good at reading those subliminal signals though. "Ganondorf? What kind of a name is that?"

"You're one to talk. Link?" The other man snapped back. "What kind of a name is that? Hardly suiting for a hero."

"What?"

"Err, nothing." Ganondorf quickly cut Link off before he could continue asking questions. "Look, we're almost there. You've never been to Castle Town before?"

"No, I haven't." Link forgot all about questioning Ganondorf about the "hero" comment. Now that the town was coming into view he could see various shops set up, high-rising buildings, and more people milling about than all those in his home town. Link's expression must have displayed at least some of his awe, for Ganondorf chuckled beside him.

"It is a bit much. Deliver that sword first." His instructions sounded far too much like those of the men back home, and Link groaned. Ganondorf raised a hand in farewell, and spurred his horse onwards. Link watched him go with a feeling of relief. There was something about that man that chilled Link to his very core. "Power" was the word that came to mind. Fighting him would be far more difficult than fighting the ordinary goblin or escaped goat.

"What a character, huh, Epona?" He asked his horse, slowly dismounting as they set foot into the town. "Glad I'm rid of him though. Really creepy." He shuddered. Ganondorf was forgotten though; Castle Town was far more impressive than the mysterious man had been. His words were forgotten too, and Link found himself strolling around town for far longer than he should have. It was nearly noon before he remembered he needed to deliver the sword that was weighing down on his back.

Little did he know, it was a good thing he had waited.