- Third month, second day, tenth year of the rule of Queen Zelda
To start, let me introduce myself to my journal.
Hello, my name is David Varrest, and I am Kesenian. This might not seem important, but I don't live in Keseno. My reasons for leaving are few, but drastic. I guess I'll dive right in.
I grew with my parents on the farm we ran. We lived comfortably. Had my father owned any more land, he would have been a Lord by Hylian standards. However, before he could obtain it, my parents were executed under false accusation by Torgud IV, because they refused to sell our land and our farm. I'll write more tomorrow...it weighs heavy on me, my past.
- Third month, third day, tenth year of the rule of Queen Zelda
Please forgive the rippled paper here...I always tear up when I think of Kara...
She was beautiful, always caring for me. My father knew of our love, yet we respectfully kept our distance except for conversing in the market or when her family came to our farm. I smile when I remember the good times. My father had asked her father for her hand, and he accepted eagerly, knowing our family's reputation of being chivalrous, ethical, and downright firm and fair.
(Rippled paper)
Days before our wedding, Kara was forcibly enlisted into Torgud IV's personal...I shudder when I think of it...brothel. She tried escaping the same day, and was shot by an archer. It took both my father and her father to hold me down in my room, to keep me from storming to the castle with my weapons.
I forgot to include that I served in the Kesenian army for two years, the requirement for all males born in Keseno. I practiced with personal weapons for five years afterward, before I moved to Hyrule.
Shortly thereafter, my family received an offer from the king for our land. I've already explained the rest. It was then, on my 27th birthday, I decided to leave. I've been in Hyrule for three years. I just turned 30 yesterday, the day I started my journal.
- Third month, fourth day, tenth year of the rule of Queen Zelda
On to more pleasant memories.
After arriving in Hyrule, I stumbled upon Lon Lon farm, where I've been working (during the day) since I arrived. I wasn't in the best of shape when I arrived. They had to take some time to get me back working. All our horses were seized by Torgud, and Keseno is a two week journey from Hyrule Field on foot. I had packed enough food for a week, then lived off of the land until I was found by Ingo at the front of the ranch, unconscious. I lived there for about a year, until I started here, in this cabin. The Ranger's Hold, as the League calls it. I still love Malon's cooking, Talon's hospitality, and - oddly enough - I've come to laugh at Ingo's grumbling. He means half of what he says.
Now, the exciting part. I'm grinning right now. My mantra is "Protect the weak. Trample the wicked". It is my therapy. I saw a logo for the Kesenian army that said, "Trample the weak, hurdle the dead". I improved on it, using the scripture I read daily as inspiration.
"If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn nigh unto death, and sayest, 'We knew it not', doth not He that ponder the hearts consider it?"
If I did not have my God, I would be dead. Wait, no goddesses? Exactly. I never received anything in prayer from Din, Nayru or Farore. I did, however, receive nothing but absolute blissful peace when I prayed to my God, the God of Heaven, on the day Kara died. He strengthens me even now.
Wait, the exciting part? When I arrived in Hyrule, King Harkinian had just passed, and his daughter had started ruling several years beforehand, when His majesty's health began to fade. She was open, allowed visitors, and ASKED, that's right, ASKED, not ordered, physicians from all over Hyrule to help. There was no doubt this woman loved her father and loves her people. That is why I am so drawn to her. She has nothing but good in her heart. Wait, I'm a peasant man from another country. Shake your head, David. She would never love you. Ok, so, here goes.
A couple of months after I arrived in Hyrule, while on one of my deliveries to Castletown, I heard a conversation between two men, detailing an assassination that night on the Queen. I hid behind a barrel and listened, and watched them from afar. They were alone, on the side of the path to the castle. As they left and I saw their faces, my eyes shot open. Any fatigue was GONE. Members of the royal council?! Jevar and Tirmon?! No, it couldn't be real. I waited for them to be long gone, and approached the gate. I informed the guards that an archer would be waiting for the Queen to take her nightly stroll in the gardens. The castle locked down immediately. I gave the guards the names of the councilmen I saw. Turns out there was a large band of them sick of the Queen's kindness. The considered it weakness, apparently. And YES, I attended the executions. All of them.
Impa cornered me in an alleyway a month later. "So, you have the heart of a warrior, I see." I gulped. Her reputation preceded her. I knelt and put my hands on my head, fearing the worst. Was I suspected to be part of the assassination crew?
She scoffed heartily, "Oh stand up. You rescued a young lass from a pervert in this same alleyway last week, yes, sir David?" I almost fell over. How did she know my name? "And, yes I know it was you who warned the guards last month. I saw everything." Again, still trying to not fall over. "If you wish to be a warrior, come with me." She turned and said as she walked away, "I've already delivered everything in your cart. Come now." I shook my head. Sheikah were impossibly amazing people.
Impa taught me almost everything she knew about combat and stealth. We spent six months training. I would meet her in the market and we would train for two or three hours every day I delivered.
Lon Lon was struggling when I arrived. One day, while out on delivery, Impa caught me early, and thus, my deliveries were done early. I had two horses on the cart, and it was just me. After we finished our training, it was still market time, albeit an hour or two before closing. I had an idea.
I set up the wagon as a waypoint, and then set an extra wheel as another. I used the bridge and the end of Castle Town wall as my first two waypoints.
"Come one, come all, horse rides on Lon Lon's finest. 25 rupees for a ride around the field. Children 12 and under ride free".
I made 500 rupees that night.
Once the sun started sinking low, I brought everything into town and lodged till the morning. When I returned to the ranch and showed my earnings, Talon's eyes were as big as saucers. He allowed me to keep half, as 250 rupees was what they made in one milk run. I asked Talon if Malon could accompany me tomorrow. He agreed. We brought two extra horses that day. While Malon delivered, I entertained. I always engaged the children, joking with them and teaching them about how "horseys" and ranches work. I got 2,000 rupees by the time Malon was done. Again, Talon allowed me to keep half. Today, the "Horse entertainer" is my cover job. Most of the rangers have dayjobs, while we are secret at night. We have amassed about 270 members in The League of Rangers so far. I personally trained the first three, then they took it from there.
I just sighed, journal and now am laughing. I wonder how Torgud is doing. He tried using the impasse between Snowhead and Hyrule to gain the "jump" on the queen. Of course, our scouts notified the army of the pending invasion while they were a week's journey away. I and my men met Torgud at the impasse and sent an emissary. They were met with arrows and curses. I gave my signal. KABOOOOOOM! The land under the king exploded from the bombs we planted, as well as every other bomb we set in the impasse. We then heard a distant blast and I smiled. Our men at Snowhead set their bombs off as well, trapping the 500,000+ army and reducing it to hundreds within a few minutes.
We surrounded Torgud's men, and they surrendered quickly. When we arrived at Hyrule field, the Queen and her army were shocked. We delivered Torgud to the Captain of the Guard, and the queen asked us who we were. I sounded my horn with the tone for assembly. "Your majesty, I am Raven (My Ranger name), and these are my men." I gestured towards the neatly fit formation behind me. She then asked why we assisted her kingdom so, and what reward we desired. She looked suspicious as she asked, as she should. Who would rescue Hyrule from 500,000 men without asking for a reward?
I dismounted, which surprised the queen. I bowed in royal style, on knee on the ground, and said, "The safety of her majesty and Hyrule is our reward." Journal, we currently have more than a year's supply of rupees in our vault, and counting. No need for a reward.
The queen still looked disconcerted. I mounted my steed, whipped around, and yelled, "RANGERS! WHAT IS YOUR CREED?"
In perfect unison they replied, "We are Rangers! Protectors of the Crown, defenders of the weak, upholders of all that is right. We live in the shadows, purging evil from the darkness. WE. ARE. RANGERS!"
With that, I took off to the hold, without so much as a backward glance, and my rangers followed. Hopefully that will cement Her Majesty's confidence in us.
We must have looked interesting, journal. Our hoods hanging low, fencer's guards as our masks, each of us with two 24" blades on our backs, complete with ratcheting, quick-load crossbows (with an on-board reserve of ten darts each), designed by the local smithy whom we rescued from a wolfos. {Assassin's Creed Medieval style garb}
The rangers have eyes and ears everywhere, journal. We once stopped some bandits from stealing from a boy, only to find that he was the queen's cupbearer. The list goes on. All the rangers can hide in plain sight. We can adapt to each situation easily, thanks to the Sheikah's training. Well, that's all for now journal. I hope Zelda requests an audience with me. Being the peasant I am, she would never consider me, thought. Malon is nice, but she hasn't stolen my heart like Zelda has. There may be a glimmer of hope - wait - I need to stop writing. Good night journal.
