Disclaimer
Link, Zelda, Hyrule, other trademarked items belong to Nintendo, and are used without permission. All original characters are mine. All comments, questions, and criticisms go to hyrules_hero@hotmail.com.
Oh, and a few notes: One, this first chapter is a little rough. I was suffering from major writer's block at this time, and I made the mistake of trying to cram all of the backstory into one chapter. However, it does get better. Secondly, thanks to all those that have taken the time to review me, and thanks to everyone who is reading. Third, uh...enjoy!
CHAPTER 1
A storm is brewing over Hyrule.
Just days earlier, Wynn, son of Baro and adventurer, along with his five friends, defeated the marauder group threatening Hyrule's peace. Now, seemingly, everything has returned to normal. That illusion is quickly leaving, revealing the cold truth: Wynn's quest is not even near over.
During his epic fight on Lon-Lon Ranch, Wynn was able to defeat the Ultimate Wolfen, minion to a shadowy unknown villain. The villain escaped. Also, another minion of the villain has been involved in the corruption of some of Hyrule's military leaders.
Now, Wynn is still searching for his kidnapped parents, accompanied by the Zora, Nerah, and the girl who once thought herself to be a Kokiri, Fami. His friends Tane and Shezarah have returned to Gerudo's Fortress, and Jier has returned home to Kakariko.
But soon, the six shall be reunited. They shall embark on a quest more dangerous and deadly than any before, and it is up to their strength and determination if they survive to win...or die trying.
******
It was a cloudy night in Hyrule Market. Most were asleep, and none were out. This was, save one.
A shadow slipped through the streets, a single destination in mind. It went past the rebuilt Bazaar, past the shops, and to a set of rarely used stairs. It crept up them, past ancient trees blooming and shimmering pools. It entered an ancient temple. The Temple of Time.
A pair of red eyes blinked furiously against the dazzling light inside the temple. The owner of the eyes dashed to the end of the main room of the temple, aiming for an altar-like structure. When it reached it, it greedily reached out, reaching for a brilliant-hued blue stone. It jerked its hand back when it hit a magic shield protecting the stone. The shadow waved a black stone over the shield, and the shield vanished. A low chuckle sounded as the shadow grabbed the blue stone, then a green one, and finally, a red one. The shadow laughed evilly, then fled the temple, running to report to its master.
It left nothing behind to suggest anything had been there. The only clue was the absence of the three stones. Those stones were the Spiritual Stones, the very same that allowed the Door of Time to open. Now that they were absent, the door could not be opened.
Hyrule was now deprived of its greatest hero, Link.
******
"Come on, Nerah! We need to get to Gerudo's Fortress before this storm gets worse!" Wynn shouted into the gusting wind.
Nerah merely smiled at him through the downpour. "Why? This is glorious weather."
Wynn sighed. Sometimes, having a half-fish, half-woman friend could get on one's nerves.
"Nerah! Now's not the time!" Fami yelled to her rival for Wynn's attentions.
Nerah sighed. "Why? Afraid of a little rain?"
"A little? This has to be the worst storm in years!" Fami glared at the Zora girl.
Nerah smirked. "What's wrong, afraid you will melt?"
Fami responded by sticking her tongue out at Nerah. Wynn stepped between the two.
"Now's not the time. We need to get to the fort." Wynn insisted, looking from Fami to Nerah and back. Wynn sighed, exasperated. Apart, they were easy to get along with. Together, and, well...they weren't.
Fami smiled at Wynn. "Glad you agree with me. Let's leave Nerah behind, and go on to the fort." She took Wynn by the hand, and walked off.
"Hey! Wait up!" Nerah shouted, dashing to catch up to the two. The three of them set off again, determined to make it to the fort as soon as they could.
******
"Don't complain about the rain, Tane. At least you don't have to work."
Tane turned, sending the Gerudo woman a smirk. "Yeah, but I think I would prefer working than being cooped up in here with you."
Shezarah smiled. "Oh, really?" Her emerald eyes lit up in a challenge.
Tane moved from his position at the door to sit at the table, across from her. He looked at her. She was in her early twenties, same as him. Her red hair cascaded down to her waist. Her dark blue clothing complimented her hair perfectly, thought Tane.
"So, when do we eat?" Tane inquired.
Shezarah sighed tiredly. Tane's mind was always on food. She looked at him, smirking. He was the same age as she, muscular, with dirty red hair. He had an annoying personality at times, but when he wasn't irritating...
"Same time as always, Tane. However, perhaps you should skip dinner. You look like you're gaining weight..."
"Hey!" yelled Tane, insulted.
Shezarah shot him another grin, laughing. He frowned at her.
Suddenly, three figures barged into room, dripping wet. Both Tane and Shezarah stood, shocked, and then laughed when they found the true identity of the intruders.
Wynn smiled at Tane from under his wet brown hair, his brown eyes meeting his friend's. Wynn was about a year younger than Tane and Shezarah. He was dressed in a blue tunic, covered in brown armor. His mammoth Biggoron Sword was strapped to his back, and his chained mace was at his side.
"Wynn!" Tane yelled, surprised. He ran up to his friend.
"Well, Tane, it looks like you and Shezarah made it back to the fort safely after whatever it was you had to do," Wynn said, nodding in greeting to the Gerudo behind Tane.
Tane nodded solemnly. Days before, he had been forced to fight and kill his own brother, Deihawk. Deihawk had years before killed their parents, and many times tried to kill Tane. Finally, in their meeting at Lon-Lon Ranch, Deihawk had fallen to the swordsmanship of Tane. Tane had, after leaving Wynn, Fami, Nerah, and Jier, taken his brother and buried him next to their parents.
"Hello, Tane and Shezarah!" Nerah chirped from behind Wynn. She was smiling, invigorated by the rain. Her pale blue skin gleamed, glistening wet. Her green eyes were lit up, as she was happy to see her friends again.
Fami glared at the Zora, and nodded in greeting to Tane and Shezarah, then returned to trying to dry herself off. Her short brown hair, shoulder-length, was drenched, as was her forest-green tunic. Her rounded face was in a grimace, and her brown eyes were narrowed.
"We would have been here sooner, if Nerah hadn't dallied," Fami growled.
"Oh, go hug a tree," Nerah shot back.
"How would you like to take a permanent swim, shark-bait?"
"Come on, then. Let's step outside," Nerah said, motioning to the door.
"Break it up, you two," Tane said, "you fight worse than Shezarah and I."
Both girls shot him a glance that questioned that statement. So did Shezarah.
"Well, its good to see you again, Tane," Wynn said. "Do you think the Gerudos can provide rooms for us tonight?"
"Yeah, sure. Shezarah?"
"I'll go tell my mother," Shezarah said. Her mother was the leader of the Gerudos. The Gerudos were a warrior people, composed almost entirely of females. Only one male was born every hundred years, with that man becoming king. All other men were merely slaves, as Tane very personally knew. He belonged to Shezarah, although he still denied it.
Tane turned back to Wynn. "Any luck on your search?" He was referring to Wynn's quest to find his missing parents, who had been kidnapped by Icarnos.
Wynn slowly shook his head. "No sign of them. I have no idea where Icarnos has hidden them." He looked back to Nerah and Fami, who were bickering again. "With them, who can concentrate, anyways?"
Tane chuckled. "Maybe Silver Knuckle would know."
"No, he thought they were dead. Also, he has been lying low ever since the battle at the ranch," Wynn said, a cloud coming over his face. He still didn't know that the same fiend that had kidnapped his parents for Icarnos was, in fact, his long-lost friend, Solan. Solan hadn't known, either, until he had encountered the man that had killed him in the past. Solan had been stabbed in the back. Icarnos had found him, and revived him, turning him into a bug in the process. Icarnos had then used his bug body to control the gigantic armor of Silver Knuckle.
But then, the bug body had been destroyed by the shadowy owner of the red eyes, the one that had corrupted the Hylian general and had stolen the Spiritual Stones. Now, Solan was a living suit of armor. He had helped Wynn twice, unknown to the hero, but had yet to tell Wynn of his true identity.
"How about Seron?" Tane suggested.
Wynn's eyes narrowed. "He might. But I haven't seen anything of that scum since our last battle." The last time Seron, former apprentice to Icarnos and wizard, and Wynn had clashed, Seron had fled, clutching an injured hand, and vowing revenge. Seron was Wynn's archrival, and had his eye on Fami.
"Be thankful. That coward is a nuisance," Tane said. Before he could go on, Shezarah re-entered the room.
"Dinner is ready. Come on, everyone," she said. Before she finished, Tane was out the door.
******
"Curse you, Wynn!" a voice roared angrily from the hills above Hyrule Field. A dark man raised a gloved hand. "Curse you!"
Seron looked at his gloved hand. The same hand that had been nearly destroyed by the explosion of his precious medallion. Wynn had blasted the medallion with his magic, and it had exploded, severely damaging Seron's right hand.
Seron was Wynn's age. He had black hair, with brown eyes. He wore a black tunic, with a flowing black cape behind him. His right hand was encased in a black glove.
Behind him, his second-in-command, his first and now only Tekiton, chittered softly. It had been the only survivor of its kind, after the battle at the ranch. It was spidery, with four limbs. It stood on two legs, and held a sword and sheild in its hands...neither of which had been very well used during the clash at Lon Lon Ranch.
Seron grimaced. The ranch, where Wynn had humiliated him, in front of Fami. He would kill the hero for that!
But first, he would torture him. An evil smile came across his face. And the best way to hurt Wynn...was to hurt his friends.
Who would he start with? Tane? Shezarah? No, they were safe, in that fort. Nerah? No, she was with Wynn, and the hero could interfere. That left...
He whirled. "I may have used my medallion to do this the first time, but my magic should be enough..." He pointed to the Tekiton. A ball of black magic appeared, and then a wave of it enveloped the Tekiton, pulling it into the ball.
Seron pointed to the ground, and a blast of the magic speared downward. From it, the Tekiton reappeared, shaking its head and squeaking, upset.
He pointed to the ground again and again, creating dozens of the monsters. The original crossed its arms, miffed.
"Now, come, my monsters. We shall take revenge on those that have wronged us." He laughed arrogantly. "We shall take Kakariko Village!"
******
Jier stepped out into the rain. It seemed to be stopping, he thought. He walked out into the center of town, heading for the home of his beloved.
He smiled as he thought of the Cucco Lady. She was waiting for him, after his official duties were finished. However, his face fell as he remembered the cause of his duties.
Captain Greer, leader of the Survivors, the group of soldiers trusted to defend Kakariko, had just gotten fresh orders. High General Rosburn had declared the threat to Kakariko past, and was recalling all troops from the town. And there was nothing Jier could do to stop him.
Jier's face contorted into a grimace as he remembered Rosburn. Rosburn was the slimy leader of the Hylian Army of Defense. He had, for some unknown reason, a grudge against Jier.
Suddenly, Jier stopped. There was something wrong...
Before he could move, a crowd of the Survivors rushed for the entrance to the town. They were armed. Jier stopped one with a shout, "What's happening?"
The soldier faced him. It was none other than Kesler, a friend and lieutenant. He frowned, and shouted back, "We're under attack! It's Seron!"
Jier ran after the soldiers, enraged. Seron would attack his town? Well, that apprentice wouldn't live to regret it.
******
Seron watched as his Tekiton army met the Hylian soldiers in battle. His monsters didn't stand a chance against the Hylians. He needed them as a distraction, that's all. He concentrated, and disappeared with a black flash.
He reappeared inside the town. He ran past the last soldiers, who paid him no mind. But one last soldier, and a civilian, noticed him, and ran at him. Seron grimaced. It was that man, Kesler, and Jier.
"Halt, scoundrel!" Kesler shouted, sword at ready.
Seron smirked. Fool. He raised a hand, and a blast of lightning stopped Kesler's charge.
"Seron! What do you think you're doing, attacking my town?" Jier demanded.
"Well, it's none other than Jier himself. Save me the trouble, and just die," Seron said menacingly.
Jier pulled his dagger from its sheath. "You beat me at the ranch, when I couldn't fight back. I can now, and I will return the favor."
Seron laughed evilly. "Well, little Sheikah, looks like you won't live to see your precious town burn." He drew his own short sword.
Without another word, Jier threw himself at Seron, slashing. Seron met his attack with a block, and slashed at Jier's leg. Jier deflected, and kicked Seron's legs out from under him. Jier stabbed downward, but Seron rolled out of the way.
Seron leaped to his feet, dodging another thrust from Jier. He slashed down, aiming for Jier's arm, but caught only air. Again, Jier kicked, connecting with Seron's face.
Seron grimaced as he pulled himself from the ground. He glared at Jier. "For that, you'll die slowly." He raised a hand, preparing to blast Jier.
Jier ran to finish him, but stopped when he heard a concerned voice from a distance.
"Jier, watch out!" yelled the Cucco Lady. Seron turned, and saw her. An evil smirk came across his face. He again raised his hand, and his lightning arced outward. The Cucco Lady threw herself to the ground, narrowly dodging the magic. The wall behind her exploded into debris.
Jier lunged at Seron, furious beyond thinking. He aimed to stab Seron, but merely rebounded off a sheild of magic. Seron gloated over him as Jier tried to climb to his feet.
"A loved one, eh? Now I know who to kill first."
Jier stopped, thinking. He came to a plan, and enacted it. As Seron sent his dark lightning at him, he jumped to the side, pulling something from the pouch at his side. He tossed the item, a Deku Nut, at Seron. The nut slammed into the sheild with a blinding flash. Seron roared in anger, shielding his eyes.
Jier circled Seron, tossing more and more Deku Nuts. Seron tried to blast him, but to no avail. Finally, a poorly aimed bolt contacted with the cliff face above Seron, crumbling it. The pieces of the the cliff face hurtled at Seron, but the wizard, even though still blinded, heard the rumbling of the collapse, and teleported away with one last cry of vengeance.
Jier stood still for a moment, looking to where the fiend had disappeared, and ran to his beloved. He would get his revenge on Seron later.
******
Wynn...
Baro, magician and former servant to the throne, stirred in his crystal prison. He had been locked in there by Icarnos, the evil wizard that had been his partner. He could not escape, but, through his magic, his mind could wander free. If he used enough power, he could even talk to those outside, but it was horribly draining. He had done so only to tell Solan that Wynn had needed help, and to give Wynn power to kill the Ultimate Wolfen.
But those events had drained Baro so much that Baro was too weak to contact his son again. It didn't matter, anyway, because Baro had no idea where he and his wife were.
Baro settled himself. Somehow, he had come to know two things, without knowing how. First, he knew that Wynn would soon rescue him. And second, he knew that an old evil was still brewing in Hyrule, one that could easily take over if it wasn't stopped. And only one could stop it, with the help of friends and allies. Hyrule's fate rested on his son's shoulders.
******
Solan sighed as he walked over a hill aimlessly. He tiredly looked upward, to the dissipating clouds. The storm had finished, and all that was left was a light mist. He smiled. Good. He would hate to rust.
He looked down, to a puddle. He stared at his reflection. He was a metal-clad behemoth, with an enormous ax strapped to his back. His red eyes glowed brightly from under his helmet. In short, he was a monstrosity.
But he hadn't always been so. He had once been a normal man, with blond hair and green eyes. He had been in his middle teens then, when he had joined a marauder gang led by Deihawk. But then, he had been murdered.
He looked down to his gauntlet. He was nothing more than a living suit of armor. He hadn't even had the courage to tell Wynn the truth.
But soon, he would change that. As soon as he found Wynn, he would tell the hero the truth, that he was no more Silver Knuckle, but instead Solan.
Solan stopped, hearing the noises of battle coming from below. He whirled. There, nearby, a crowd of monsters was fighting a group of soldiers. It was at the entrance to Kakariko. The monsters were rapidly falling back, many dying as they went. The soldiers were unscathed.
Solan grimaced. Those were Seron's monsters. But it didn't matter; they had lost, and were fleeing. But where was Seron?
Solan turned away as the last of the Tekitons turned and ran. It was of no matter; Wynn wasn't there. He would find Wynn, and talk to him.
But the question was: would Wynn believe him?
******
"Master, I have succeeded." The red eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
"Good work, my servant. You shall reap the benefits from that." The shadowy figure seemed to become veiled in even more darkness. "But, I have three tasks you must complete first."
"Anything, my master."
"First, you must insure the loyalty of Rosburn. I shall take care of the Zora military leader. Second, you must guard this, the Spiritual Stone of Water," the shadowy figure held up the blue stone, "and guard it with your life."
The owner of the eyes seemed to nod. Those were simple enough tasks.
"Third..." the shadowy figure paused, "You must kill Seron. He is a threat to me, as he is the last that knows of Baro's location."
"But, master...Kill him? He is an enemy to Wynn..."
"Wynn? That pest matters not. He cannot harm me! But Baro's magic is more refined, more focused. He would be more troublesome than his son."
The red eyes narrowed dangerously. "It shall be done, master. Soon, you will rule Hyrule!"
The shadow figure chuckled evilly. "Yes," he said deeply, "yes, I shall."