Chapter 1: Legend of the Green Hood
In a small hospital just inside Hyrule Castle walls rested a young man. His legs kicked up comfortably on top of the desk he was supposed to be working in. The sounds of his snoring echoed through the halls. An open palmed hand slammed onto the desk waking the man immediately causing him to fall out of his chair.
"Eh. Hey, who did that?" The man asked groggily as he slowly returned to his chair.
"Heard a few bandits were treated for minor wounds before imperial troops took them in for questioning. I heard one of them is still here recovering." The figure said.
"What's it to ya?" The man responded annoyed as he rubbed his eyes awake.
"I'm looking for whoever attacked them. Rumor has it the Hero of Time has finally returned, green hood and all." The figure responded gesturing with his hand as he completed his statement.
"Ha!" The man scoffed. "You believe that old fairy tale? Probably some punk kid in a green hood who just wants to start a fight." The man leaned forward in his chair as he completed his statement. "Just like every ghost story in this kingdom." The man leaned back into his chair after the statement's conclusion.
"You know where that bandit is in this building?" The figure responded un-phased by the man's emphatic dismissal.
"Second floor, two imperial guards are standing watch. Good luck getting past them. Now leave so I can get some shut eye!" The man spat as the mysterious figure left the front counter.
The figure walked to the stairs in a quiet, calm fashion. When at the top he noticed the guards outside a room. The figure walked towards them, authority and confidence emanating from his demeanor.
"Halt! This man is an e…" The guard never finished his statement as the figure flashed an order notice signed by the princess.
The man in possession of this document is conducting official kingdom business. Grant him access to all locations in the kingdom, regardless of security clearance.
Princess Zelda.
The order was also stamped with the official imperial Triforce logo.
"Sorry sir. You may enter." The guard responded after reading the page.
The figure walked to the bandit's bedside. The bed was a simple wooden frame with a cheap mattress on top. The bandit's left eye was patched up with his ribs bandaged as if they had been broken. The figure tapped the bandit on his right arm startling the bandit awake. He jolted awake; a look if terror stained his face. While a thin bed cover was up to the mid-chest of the bandit the sudden movement revealed he was bound at the waist and wrists to the bed. The bandit turned his face to the figure and mumbled.
"What do you want?"
"I'm interested how you ended up in this bed. You claim to have been attacked by a mysterious figure in the green hood." A slight pause was taken giving the impression the bandit could respond but the figure by his bedside continued. "As a matter of fact in one of your companions terrified state he even said it was Link, the legendary Hero of Time." The figure stated calmly, almost as if he was accusing the bandit of speaking a forbidden word.
"Well he was crazy. Crazy bastard was always going on about legends and fairytale he was always sayin he saw monsters out in the swamp as a kid. Then a small bloke in a green hood attacks us and of course he thinks it's Link." The bandit countered annoyed he had to even discuss such a ridiculous topic.
"Describe the attack. There must have been something to make this man believe he was seeing a legend." The figure asked ignoring the malice dripping off of the bandit's words.
"And why the bloody hell would I help you?" The bandit snapped back.
The figure did nothing immediately. He simply reached into the satchel on his lower back. The figure pulled out what appeared to be small white mask. No eye slots were present a stylized green eye was painted on the front of the mask. He placed the mask on his face the figure began to speak the ancient Hylian language into the back of the mask. The bandit was beginning to be entranced by his words unable to look away from the eye staring into his soul. The figure was able to see into the bandit's memory ripping the experience from his mind. The bandit cried out in pain as the very fabric of his mind began to tear.
A storm was raging as a family a father, mother, and three daughters were attempting to travel a forest road. The family was likely desperate to make a new life in Hyrule City. A tree came crashing down in front of them and arrows quickly ended their horse's lives. Ten men surrounded the wagon ripping them out into the rain.
"Please take what you want just leave my family alone." The father pleaded.
"Your wife and daughters will fetch a high price in Hyrule City but you will be more trouble than you are worth. Arthur kill him." The bandit commander ordered.
The man and his family cried, pleaded, and struggled with all their might but to no avail. The father was beat down with the butt of a sword. The strike landed directly to the back of the man's head sending him tumbling to the ground. Arthur raised his sword to deliver a final blow but before he could a single sound silenced both the family and the bandits. The sound was the swish of an arrow sliding through a neck, Arthur's neck. Arthur dropped, dead. The bandits searched the trees, scanning for the attacker but saw nothing. Then another bandit dropped, and another, and another each time the arrow came from a different angle until the ten became five. One bandit had the bright idea to run towards the wife likely to use her as a human shield. Before he could reach the woman the assailant fell from their perch in the trees and landed directly on the man crushing the man's unprotected skull. Down to four. The assailant raised two small cross bows and paced an arrow into the heart of one bandit and into the eye of the very bandit being inspect right now. Lightning struck illuminating the world around them. The assailant face was barely visible but hidden behind their green hood were bright blue eyes. The face was young and feminine. The last viable image was of the assailant swinging their right hand crossbow by a different bandit's knee and sweeping the bandit's legs.
The bandit whose memory the figure had been tapping into then ran away terrified by the arrow in his eye he ran until he fell off a cliff busting his aforementioned ribs. This left three bandits in the attack unaccounted for. The figure removed the mask and placed it into his satchel. The bandit fell back his mind crushed by the invasion of the mask into his brain. The figure stood up and left the room. He began to make their way out of the hospital but one of the guard asked.
"Sir if we are inquired as to whom we let have access to the prisoners what name shall we give?"
The figure stopped turned and with shocking indifference said.
"Link." Link then turned and proceeded to exit the hospital. He walked up to his horse tied to the post outside. Link untied then mounted his horse.
"Let's go Epona." Link turned the horse towards Hyrule City. "Hyah!" He commanded his horse and off he rode.
