Heroes of Hyrule
By anime animal
Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is a video game created by Shigeru Miyamoto, which means that I am not the owner of it as I am neither a videogames genius nor named Shigeru Miyamoto.
A.N: Well, here it is. After an extremely long time I have knuckled down to it and decided to get going with the Sequel I promised. For those of you who don't have the foggiest, this is the sequel to The Hyrule Tournament. I would like to put my case to the jury with regard to the delay. The reasons are threefold: Coursework. Writer's Block. Trip to Barbados resulting in jetlag and no time to write during half term. Reading 'The Fellowship of The Ring' cured the writer's block and dreaming about a certain elf, who hails from the same county as moi, so thank Tolkien and the folk and New Line Cinema for this fic! Updates may be sparse, but I will try my hardest, I promise. But, come the 24th of May, I am free to cram and write to my heart's content, so be forewarned for a tsunami of new stuff!
P.S. This story will have more of the same with regard to the Link-Zelda content, although perhaps a little more intense as they're both grown up this time. (Please don't bother answering that, Koalakiller, I know your views.) For those of you panicking that I might insert some citrus: don't. I won't because the romance will only be a side-plot, and is not going to take up the whole story (unless that's what people want)
Chapter 1: Seven Years Later
General Athios, one of the greatest generals in Hyrule's history, stared out at his new recruits with a sceptical eye. He knew why it was these boys were there. All of them were here to be trained, as they desired nothing more than to be like Olaran. It had been the same thing for a quarter of a century, and the old general felt proud. Olaran was his best pupil and had always been his favourite. No one could surpass him, not even his son who had made it through his training with flying colours; no one came anywhere close to matching his tactical prowess. A smile crossed the wizened soldier's face as he looked at his charges. There had been a time when men had joined the army to become like him. Indeed, Olaran and the King of Hyrule himself had been awestruck by him in his heyday. Now he was old, and content to train new soldiers, but he was willing to fight should he be called upon again. He was still one of the Three, and would be until he died or relinquished the title of General.
"Right then gentlemen, line up!" Athios barked.
Obediently, the young men positioned themselves in two straight rows, sticking their chests to make themselves seem more impressive. Athios tapped his sword against his boots as he walked, inspecting each man carefully.
"Do no think that I do not know why you are here. I know that you have prefabricated illusions that you are here to become the next Olaran, or perhaps even strive to have you achievements acknowledged by the Gods so that you may be chosen by them to wield the Master Sword and become the Hero of Time. Well I am telling you that will not happen, so any of you disheartened by that news may leave now."
He watched while glances were exchanged and then began again.
"Good. This time you spend with me will be tough boys, but treat me with respect and you will find this old dog's bark much worse than his bite. I will not tolerate laziness or stupidity amongst my ranks. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir!" The soldiers replied.
Athios nodded contentedly.
"Excellent. There is much work to be done until you have the skills to kill an enemy so…"
A high-pitched whistle stopped the old General's talk and he paused, looking around the area. Several of the recruits did the same.
"What the…" Athios began.
His sentence was never finished, as at that moment a black-shafted arrow flew from the trees and pierced his heart.
******
"Aidyn?"
The Princess of Hyrule gently shook Olaran's eldest son awake. He sat bolt upright, remembering where he was, and stared at the princess with tired and confused eyes.
"Where am I? Wha…"
At the sound of a newborn baby's crying, he suddenly sprang up with a cry of alarm.
"Catrine!"
Zelda laughed at her friend and gestured to the open door in front of them.
"Aidyn, I believe your wife would like to introduce you to your son."
Aidyn's mouth opened wide and he started to say something that wouldn't come out and he ran into the room without further hesitation. Both Olaran and King Harkinian, who were sitting on a bench next to where the new father had been positioned, laughed happily.
"Oh these are indeed good times!" Harkinian said, slapping his friend heartily on the back. "Congratulations my friend, you are a grandfather!"
Olaran smiled.
"Gods, I feel at least one hundred years old. It's been so long since there's been a baby in the family." He said.
Zelda picked up on the note of sadness in her godfather's voice and said nothing. The last baby to be born to his family was now… she didn't know where he was now. She missed him with an aching and heavy heart, as she hadn't seen him for four years, since that time when he had saved her from Twinrova and spoilt their plans to revive Ganon. Gods how she longed to see him again! It had been so long that she could scarcely remember how his voice sounded, though she knew it would be different from when they had held their last encounter. He would be as he was during those days when he wielded the Master Sword, and it was knowing that fact that made her all the more desperate to see him again.
"Tell us Zelda, what's my grandson like?" Olaran asked, bring Zelda out of her daydream.
Zelda smiled and sat beside him.
"Well, he has a mass of black hair, and is a very healthy size as well as having a fantastic pair of lungs on him."
"So we heard." Her father smirked.
"I can't say much more about him, so you will have to wait until you see him yourselves."
At that moment, Aidyn was seated beside his wife and staring awestruck at the small bundle she cradled.
"Gods Cat, he's perfect." He whispered.
Catrine smiled tiredly, her flushed face glowing with happiness.
"I'm glad you like him." She said softly, leaning her heavy head on her husband's shoulder.
Aidyn kissed the top of her head and pushed a few sweaty chocolate brown curls away from her brow. Her wide violet eyes looked up at him adoringly and he was alarmed to see them shining with unshed tears.
"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Catrine half-laughed/half-cried.
"Thank you so much for giving me such a beautiful baby boy!" She sobbed; overwhelmed by the emotions she was feeling.
Aidyn breathed with relief and cradled her close to him.
"Oh darling," he said softly. "I should be saying the same to you!"
Zelda spied their gesture through the door and sighed.
"Gods I envy them." She said, thinking aloud.
Olaran and Harkinian laughed, making her aware of her confession.
"I'd watch out if I were you Hark, it sounds as though she's getting broody!" Olaran chuckled.
Zelda blushed to the tips of her ears and looked at her feet in embarrassment.
"Does this mean you want me to start calling more princes for you Zelda?" Her father teased, knowing full well that the last one she'd seen had stormed home with a large pink hand mark on his cheek after he'd tried to kiss her.
"No thank you." She replied curtly. "If I marry anyone it is going to be a Hylian of my own age and of my choosing."
Harkinian chuckled.
"What a shame Aidyn got himself married so quickly, we could have married her off to him!"
Olaran smiled faintly.
"If I remember correctly Harkinian, you already tried that when she was fifteen." He said quietly. "And before that you had her betrothed to marry Ranlink before she was even conceived."
He got up and walked into the room where his family were waiting to introduce him to the new arrival. Harkinian looked ashamed.
"I'd quite forgotten about that." He said softly. "Oh Gods, I'm such a fool!"
Zelda looked quite surprised at the revelation.
"I was engaged?"
"To Olaran's youngest. He was my godson, you know. I always dreamed that I could have had a son like him; he was the most enchanting child Zelda. He would have been such a handsome lad…"
Zelda swallowed hard and stared out of the window. Before her eyes, a young man galloped into the courtyard below and sprang from his horse before a servant could take his horse. For a moment her heart leapt at the thought that it might be Link, but the man was riding a skewbald horse and was not wearing green.
Moments later, a servant appeared and bowed politely to the King and his daughter.
"Sire, a messenger from the training camp near the forest has arrived. He wishes to speak to you and the general most urgently."
Harkinian nodded and dismissed him.
"Olaran, we're needed." He called to his friend.
"So I heard." Olaran said grimly. "Isn't that where old Athios is?"
Harkinian nodded again.
"I believe so."
The two men walked away to receive the messenger. Zelda watched them briefly before going back into the room from whence Olaran had just left. Catrine had composed herself and was now cooing over the baby with a contented smile on her face while Aidyn was smiling happily whilst admiring his son. They both looked up briefly as she entered.
"I'm glad you're here Zelda, Aidyn and I wanted to ask you something." Catrine said, gesturing for her to sit.
Zelda did as she was bid.
"We'd like you to be Ranlink's godmother." Aidyn said happily.
Zelda nearly fell off her chair.
"Ranlink? Is that what you're calling him?"
Aidyn nodded.
"Yes, after my brother."
Zelda tried to contain her shock and smiled in response to the request.
"I don't know what to say, I'm honoured!" She laughed. "I'd love to be his godmother!"
The couple smiled at each other.
"I told you she'd agree." Catrine told her husband. "Would you like to hold him?"
"I'd love to." She said warmly, and received the baby with open arms.
"It's funny, but Dad acted the exact same way you did when we told him what we were calling the baby." Aidyn said, stroking his chin. "Why?"
Zelda had to fight to take her attention away from the perfect being in her arms.
"It's just that I was a little surprised." She said, looking Aidyn in his eyes. "I mean, I wonder what Link will say when he hears."
A warm smile spread across Aidyn's face.
"Hopefully he'll be flattered, that was part of the reason why we decided on Ranlink. It's a pity he's such a free spirit, we would have asked him to have been the baby's godfather."
Aidyn had first met Catrine the night that Hyrule had celebrated Link's success at the junior Hyrule Tournament, which had lost appeal after the fights became mediocre without any really impressive fighters. She had been a shy girl of thirteen, and had won Aidyn over with her pretty looks, her petite figure and her quiet, almost shy mannerism. They had married six years after they had met, and were perfectly suited to one another as well as being deeply in love. As she had promised, Zelda kept a close watch on their family for the sake of its long lost member and had forged a strong friendship with the couple.
"He might return yet, you know." She said softly. "I'm sure that when he does, he'd be happy to undertake that position."
******
Harkinian held his head in his hands.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing. Athios is dead?"
The messenger nodded.
"And more than half of the new recruits he was training, Your Majesty."
Olaran looked grim at the news as Harkinian let out a mournful sigh.
"How did this happen? How was the enemy allowed into the training compound without interception?"
The messenger met Olaran's steely gaze with his nervous one.
"We don't know sir, but a message was found tied to the arrow that killed the General."
He handed the paper over with a quivering hand. Olaran took it and read with his mouth set in a thin line.
"What does it say?" Harkinian asked.
Olaran handed it to his friend, who read it and reacted in the same manner.
We will exterminate each one of the Three until we are delivered that which we are entitled to possess. The General of Farore is dead, and so too will be the others unless we are given the mother of the Child of Courage and Wisdom. Unless our demands are met, Hyrule will be destroyed.
Lord Serpius
"What in the name of all things sacred does that mean?" Olaran asked. "Who is this 'Lord Serpius' and what does he mean by 'the Child of Courage and Wisdom?'"
Harkinian shrugged.
"I don't know, but I'd sooner die than hand an innocent woman over to someone who would kill a man in cold blood."
"I'm glad you share my views." Olaran said grimly. "Shall I summon Calamar?"
Harkinian nodded.
"Yes, please do so, and make certain that word is sent to Goron City, Zora's Domain and Gerudo Valley. The council must appoint a new general and he is needed. I shall write a summons for all the able bodied men in Hyrule."
Zelda, who had just entered the Throne Room, heard this news and paused in her step, barely containing her gasp of shock at her father's words.
"As of today, Hyrule is at war."