Link's Awakening: The Novel
Prologue
Lightning ravaged the skies, and thunder sounded loud up in the heavens. The storm pierced Link's soul.
Hyrule. A place so close to Link's heart, yet so very far from him now. A place of beauty, love, and friendship. From the top of the stunning Death Mountain, to the bottom of Lake Hylia, he had fought so very long and hard to free the beauty of a land he loved. Every spring, the season Link enjoyed the most, he would go to that Lake, Lake Hylia. He would sit on the East Bank, gazing out into the middle of the beautiful lake, waters shimmering in the setting sun, or the morning dew, or the mid-day's heat.
It has been 3 years since the defeat of Ganon, the relinquishing of the Dark World and all it stood for. Link, the Legendary Hero, had been at peace there. But in the 3 years since the vanquishing of the evil lord Ganon, Link had done nothing. He had sunken into a kind of trance. With the Triforce resting in the sacred realm, and peace in Hyrule, there was nothing for a hero to do. Peace. Endless peace. It was foreseen that that was all there would be for the rest of his days. After 3 years, the king of Hyrule approached Link.
"Link" He had said sternly, coming in in the morning to Link's house, while the morning dew still sat fresh on the lawn. "You are the Legendary Hero, the Hero of all Hyrule. In our time of dire need, you stepped fourth, freed the maidens, rescued Zelda, defeated Ganon, and even resurrected me. You are a truly great man."
Link's gaze defeated the confidence the King had shown proudly when he walked in. "What do you want?" Link asked, not unkindly.
"Not as your King, but as your friend and a person in debt to you, I think you need enlightenment."
"What do you mean?"
"You are now 13, and you are coming of age. If you keep in the sort of trance you are now in, than you will cease to be a hero. I think that you need some danger, action, and excitement in your life again."
"But Sire, I love it here. Hyrule is my home, and it is peaceful."
"Ah, Link. It is not in Hyrule that you will find this enlightenment."
"Then where do you speak of?"
"We of Hyrule's Royal Family have found a way out of Hyrule, onto a Great Sea."
"Where is this?"
"Through the mountains south of Lake Hylia."
"You mean you cut through the southern mountain range?"
"It turns out Lake Hylia is just a pool, cut off from the rest of the Ocean. We assume they were once connected, the Great Ocean and Lake Hylia. But now cut off by about 1 mile of land and mountain."
"So what would you have me do?" Link asked, not so very far from suspiciously.
"I would have you take our finest vessel, and sail the boat to a new land. It would provide a challenge to a lad like you, and would have you re-invigorated."
"You would have me sail to parts unknown?"
"It is not an order, but simply a recommendation from a friend. I would have your ship ready within the weak, as well as a years' rations. You would also be gifted a scroll and ink, to chart the lands you visited, if it would please you to do so. This is entirely your choice." The King finished nobly, regaining the confidence he had so long gone without losing.
It took Link a full day's contemplation to reach a decision. He would sail to new lands."
Right now, Link wasn't thinking about how much he missed Hyrule. He was hopelessly lost, had neglected in making a map, and had been out at sea for 6 months. He now encountered what would later be labeled "Storm Season."
He pulled on the ropes, trying to hold the sails steady, but knew his task was futile. He ran to the Tiller, and turned it jarringly toward the West. Link had learned much of sailing by his own merits over 6 months. When the Easterly wind blew, turning the sails West would help him catch the wind and game maximum speed. Speed that he hoped to use to get out of this fridged, miserable place.
Just then, his ship seemed to run-aground. It had hit a reef, and was splintering. Link ran back up to the Tiller, from the sales he was manning, and tried with all his might to turn the ship, but it was no use. His last frantic moments before the ship stopped abruptly and slammed him into the front of the boat knocking him unconscious were the worst of his life.
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When he washed up on the shore of Koholint Island, totally wrecked, hungry, sword-less, and unconscious, he looked very sad. This, who was the legendary swordsman, Hero of Hyrule, now looked helpless, ship-wrecked on some Din-Forsaken Island in the middle of nowhere. He looked positively pathetic.
It was in that state that Marin discovered him.