A/N: Hello everyone! First of all, I owe you a HUGE thanks for reading and reviewing my stories in the Heroine-series (and all of my stories for that matter). I was reading through "The Heroine" and realized there was move for a lot of improvement. Of course I will not delete or change the original one, but I'll post this as well and please tell me what you think! Enjoy, and thanks again!

A Prologue

"Do you know the history of the Goddesses, Sheik?"

"…No, grandfather."

"No? What have they been teaching you at the Chapel, I wonder?"

There was no reply.

"Well," the boy's grandfather heaved a sigh, "It's time someone told you."

The room was rather dimly lit, despite the sun beating down hard outside. It was hardly noon, and already the desert-like ground was almost warm enough to fry an egg upon. Harsh winds frequently passed through the rocky canyon, blowing up dusts of red sand as they passed. Perched by a mountain wall were several huts and cabins, forming a village, looking frail and dusty in the early sun. Higher up on the mountain was a large temple built with the same red stone that was the mountain.

The conversation between the boy and his grandfather however took place in one of the small cabins. The walls were rather fragile, and the windows were covered by dark sheets to shut out the heat of the sun. The boy's grandfather was sitting in a frail chair made out of dark wood, looking like it would cave any moment – though the old man was hardly any weight at all. He was skinny and on the lanky side, with a long white beard and almost equally long white hair, tied into a simple plait. His eyes, though a bit sunken, were a bright and alert color of red. He wasn't wearing a shirt on his darkly tanned body, but he had big bone-white pants, secured to his waist by a crimson red scarf.

In front of him, sitting crossed-legged on the dark red rug was his grandson, Sheik. His boyish face was deeply tanned, and already it was clearly visible that he was going to grow into a handsome young man. The blond hair was falling in an unruly state over his deep red-colored eyes that were fastened on his grandfather. His clothes were ragged and slightly too big for his small body.

"Really Shin," a woman's voice suddenly said. "Don't you think five years is a little too young to fully comprehend the legend? They will teach it to him soon enough up in the Chapel."

Shin darted his vigilant gaze away from Sheik and towards the woman standing in the corner. She, too, had the deep red eyes – a trait everyone in her race shared – and she had pale blond hair, almost whitish. She was tall and slim though she looked a bit tired.

"Nonsense," Shin scoffed in his raspy voice, "your son is going to hear this legend until he's sick of it, and I want the credit of being the one telling him the tale for the first time."

Sheik's mother shrugged, rolling her eyes slightly towards Sheik. "You see now the downside by having a priest as a grandfather? It's all legends, never the present."

Shin shot her a look, and she finally fell silent.

"Now my boy, since you haven't heard the legend about our Goddesses, I take it you haven't heard about Hyrule either."

"Hyrule?"

Shin smiled. "That's what I thought." Then he cleared his throat and fell silent for a moment, going through the story in his mind once before opening his mouth to speak.

"Long ago, before anything existed, there were three Goddesses. Din, the Goddess of power, Nayru, the Goddess of wisdom, and Faroe, the Goddess of courage. Together they created a prosperous and peaceful land…Hyrule. The Goddesses then ascended into the heavens, but not before leaving behind a fragment of their power. This power was designed to withhold the peace and prosperity in Hyrule." Shin's eyes intensified. "The Triforce!"

Sheik's face screwed up in an expression of confusion. Clearly he had never heard about this, to which Shin reacted with a chuckle.

"The Triforce is kept safe in the Sacred Realm, where it is guarded by the Sages. And we - the Sheikah – live very close to the Sacred Realm and the Sages, my boy."

"So we live in Hyrule?" Sheik asked when Shin fell silent, the boy's face contorted in a frown.

A smile entered Shin's face. "No, my boy. But it is not far from here. One day, I shall take you there."

"Oh no, you won't," the boy's mother suddenly said in an alarmed voice. "My boy will not go near that country."

Shin rolled his eyes at Sheik. "Fine then, I shall not take him there."

"Oh, but Grandfather, you must take me there!" the boy cried eagerly, jumping up and down from the rug. He was now far too interested in this country.

Shin smiled in victory and Sheik's mother heaved a defeated sigh. "You two…" She shook her head. "I give up."

She drifted off towards the door, but before she left she cast a warning glance at Shin. "Don't tell him anything I wouldn't."

"That would be nothing, then," Shin replied, but with a joyful sparkle in his eyes. The woman scoffed as she disappeared into the scorching air outside.

Almost immediately a harsh wind carrying large amounts of the red sand swept into the house. Shin was quick on his feet, moving to close the door, coughing as the sand entered his lungs.

"Honestly," he grunted, and finally managed to shut the door, "this land." He shook his head disapprovingly and coughed again. "I do not blame your father for leaving it for Hyrule."

By his words Sheik immediately looked up, like a dog perking his ears to a sound. "My father?"

"Aye, your father. He was only a lad" - Shin paused a moment to sit down the chair again – "when he left for Hyrule. See, Sheik, in runs in our family to be protectors and advisors of the Royal Family of Hyrule."

Sheik's eyes went wide with wondrous exhilaration. Shin cracked a smile. "Yes, the Royal Family. When I was young, I used to carry the title Royal Advisor. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd follow your father's footsteps too." Suddenly the smile Shin carried turned into sadness and his eyes became unfocused.

"I'm sorry, grandfather. I didn't mean to…" a wave of guilt swept over Sheik at seeing his grandfather's sadness.

"Never apologize for that, Sheik," Shin suddenly said, and Sheik closed his mouth. "You have a right to know."

Sheik's gaze dropped to the floor. "Mother never talks about him…"

"And I don't blame her. And I suspect she will kill me if I tell you this. But like I said, it is your right to know."

A faint sigh escaped Shin's lips, and it pained him to tell his grandchild the story of his father's death. But nonetheless, he was going to tell it.

"See Sheik, while your mother was carrying you, there was a terrible war in Hyrule. We Sheikah took refuge in these lands, but our men participated in the war, bound to Hyrule as we were. Especially your father, who was the protector of the Royal Family. Needless to say," Shin said with a somber expression, "he didn't return."

A silence filled the room where nothing was heard, save for the harsh winds fighting against the walls of the cabin.

"Is that why mother doesn't want me to go to Hyrule?" Sheik then asked in a small voice.

Shin looked up. "I suspect that is one reason, yes."

Sheik frowned. "There is more than one?"

Shin responded by chuckling at his grandchild's belief that everything is black and white. "This war… you see, it was a war between the Hylians and another force. A force that wanted to take control of the Triforce, to have this power to themselves. You do remember about the Triforce?" Sheik nodded eagerly. "This force was lead by the Evil King, a man fueled with hatred and a desire for power. His name" – Shin paused dramatically – "is Ganondorf."

A compact silence filled this statement. Then Shin drew a breath and continued the tale.

"The Hylians managed to defeat Ganondorf's forces and they were chased away and Ganondorf was captured. But good as the Hylian King was, he refused to execute him and instead sent him into exile. He didn't live to see his mistake, though. The King passed away in illness, and then Ganondorf saw fit to return to Hyrule. As it is now, Hyrule is ruled by the Royal Council until the King's daughter is old enough to rule the kingdom."

"…and what about Ganongork?" Sheik asked breathlessly.

"Ganondorf," Shin gently corrected, but then his expression turned grim again. "Well, he has a fortress somewhere in Hyrule, where he is biding his time. And when he is ready…" Shin's voice trailed away for a moment, "…he will strike."

Sheik suddenly felt very afraid by his grandfather's words.

"Don't fear," Shin smiled reassuringly, interpreting his feelings correctly. "There is someone who can stop him. You see, a long time ago, there was an evil threatening the Triforce, similar to Ganondorf's threat. But then a Hero rose up and defeated him with a magic blade."

"A Hero?" Sheik asked in wonder.

Shin smiled to himself and then nodded. "Aye. The legend goes that the Hero's spirit will be reborn, whenever the golden land of Hyrule is threatened by an evil."

As Shin spoke of this he stood up from the chair and went to the window, where he pulled aside the sheet enough to look out at the wasteland. "Ever since the rise of Ganondorf…" Shin started, speaking more to himself now than to Sheik, "I have waited. I have prayed to the Goddesses and waited for the Hero's spirit to be reborn."

Then he turned back to Sheik again, with a slight smile. "Because when he is… he shall save us all."

He heaved a sigh and looked at the ground. "I won't lie to you, Sheik. It is not a peaceful world you have been born into. I fear…" he paused, falling silent for a moment. "…I fear for the outcome of it all."

A silence followed his statement, where Sheik stood up. He wanted to comfort his grandfather, but how could he? So much was wrong with the world… it seemed like there was nothing that could be done. It was too late.

Suddenly the door to the cabin burst open, startling both grandfather and grandchild. They turned to the doorway to see Sheik's mother standing there out of breath.

"Sheeka?" Shin asked in alarm, "What ever is the matter?"

"The Sages…" Sheik's mother panted, "the priests in the Temple are asking for you. They say the Sages have called you and it's very important!" Sheeka stole a glance at Sheik, before adding to Shin, "It's about the Hero."

To her words Shin reacted by cracking a smile, and then cried out in pure joy. "Finally!" he laughed, grabbing Sheik's hands and dancing around. "He is here! He's been reborn!"

Then he was reminded that Sheeka still stood in the doorway, and he straightened up.

"It is time, Sheik," he then said seriously.

"For what?"

"…To speak to the Sages. Follow me."

"Follow you where?"

Shin smiled. "To the Chamber of the Sages."

A/N: So that was the prologue everyone! If you think it's worth continuing on I'll do so! The first chapter is done so just say the magic word and I'll post it Thanks for stopping by!