I am to paint a story. This one tells of a boy; but not just any boy. A boy branded with the mark of Courage, one filled with pure love, bursting of altruism. I am also to tell of a man—a man of whom, without him, the boy would be long gone, and the land plunged into a thick darkness brought upon by the wielder of Power.
. . .
Nador was not known for his kindness.
The man was quite neutral in the land of Hyrule—assisting the weak, yet helping bandit tribes on occasion. Sometimes he was looked down upon, other times viewed as a hero. He never strayed to one side too far, and always left before he could grow attached to anything or anyone. It was his goal, to keep himself from growing affectionate. The feeling itself had led him down a dark path one time where he was left, abandoned, by the one he loved for another. He swore he would keep above the bastard illusion called "love".
Yet somehow his seemingly blackened heart still retained the capacity to love a boy. A boy he was destined to meet.
Nador rode along a dark forest path in the fading twilight, the sun casting its incessant orange rays across the trees. As trees transitioned into a darker wood, the sun finally set, giving up the fight. Astride his Clydesdale called Penumbra, the man was cloaked in all black, his face hidden in the shadows of his hood. He nudged Penumbra's sides with his heels lightly, the trees slowly turning into blurred figures beside him. The only light was from the tiny sliver of crescent moon in the growing darkness far above, surrounded by scattered stars that gleamed coldly down on the frost-ridden ground.
His insides were a confusing turmoil of emotion, which, by now, was strange for him. He had just passed a legion of beggars being robbed of all they had—which wasn't much—by bandits, who did it purely out of cruelty. It took almost all of his willpower to pass them and not sneak a fleeting glance back, but guilt plagued him, to the extent that he wanted to inflict self-harm. His teeth were gritted, the pearly white giving off an ethereal glow. Penumbra's sides heaved with exhaustion, and he realized in his haste he was pushing his mare far too hard. Gradually tightening his hold on the reins and sitting back in the saddle, he slowed her to a decent trot, where she snorted and ducked her head, shaking out her midnight mane. Penumbra's breaths came in loud huffs, as if she was annoyed at Nador. No doubt, she was. The man smiled at the thought, reaching down to pat her sturdy neck, murmuring soft words of thankfulness. He sat back in the saddle once more and slowed her even further to a leisurely walk. He looked up to the heavens, his eyes darting to the sliver of the moon. It seemed so pure, the silver shining against the indigo backdrop of the night sky. So pure, yet casting its pureness upon the corrupt land of Hyrule, one filled with betrayal and monsters. And people like Nador.
Bringing Penumbra to a halt, he dismounted and tied a rope from the saddlebags to his mare's bridle. Leading her over to a tree, he tied it securely around the trunk, giving her just enough room to be able to bend her neck and nibble at the shoots of crabgrass at the base of the tree. He gave a deep sigh and sank to the ground, where the dew on the grass made little splotches of coldness poke his legs. He inhaled the fresh air, opening up his lungs. The air had a slight tinge of smoke to it.
Smoke? He sprang to his feet, instantly aware, Drawing the sword at his waist, he stood in a defensive stance, Penumbra as his backing. She hadn't gotten up in alarm yet, which was probably a good sign. His eyes darted around the copse of trunks, waiting for something to happen. And of course, something did.
"Go on, my boy! Take Epona and run, and whatever you do, do not look back!"
The cry was faint and far away, but filled with desperation and a bit of fear. The voice sounded as if it had come from a younger man. The following sound was only that of hoofbeats on the ground, growing ever nearer. Nador whirled around, only to spot a small horse (or pony) racing towards him with blinding speed. He jumped out of the way just as the horse thundered by. He was only able to catch a glimpse of the chestnut coat and petite rider on it. A mat of blond hair streamed in the wind, and the boy glanced back at Nador, his azure eyes filled with outright terror. But his eyes. They were pure, like the moon above, almost mirroring the crescent. In a flash, he was gone, riding off into the depths of the forest, leaving Nador standing in a haze.
At that moment, Nador did something completely irrational. In a daze, it seemed, he untied Penumbra as quickly as his fumbling hands were able, and mounted her as well, wheeling her around and making a clucking noise, kicking her frantically to get going. Desperation filled his chest, making it hard to breathe. He felt as if it were a duty to protect the rider ahead of him. The mare, having only rested a moment before, took off, somewhat spooked, crashing through the underbrush after the other horse and rider. Wind whipped past Nador's face, causing his eyes to stream with tears. Hoofbeats sounded behind him, those of more unknown riders. They yelled at each other, words he couldn't discern through the rushing in his ears. A sudden bought of alarm took over him, but in response, he hardened his resolve.
Nador twisted around in his saddle, spotting three men cloaked in all black, each carrying a sword and whip, their horses straining under the effort of the chase. He recognized them as bandits, and fumbled with his cloak, letting it fly away and back into the faces of the riders. It somehow miraculously wrapped around one of the horse's forelegs, tripping it up and having it veer off into a thicker grouping of trees. The other two kept up the pursuit, one drawing a bow and centering it at Nador. The Hylian swiftly unstrapped a bow of his own, nocking an arrow in the same movement and taking aim at the bandit with the weapon. The string was lenient, thankfully, from use, and thus easily drawn back. He carefully let go of the arrow, his upper body steady whilst his lower body absorbing Penumbra's stride. At the same time, the bandit release his own projectile.
With a clash of metal on metal, the two arrows intersected one another at exactly the right angle, spinning off onto the ground. Without hesitating, Nador nocked yet another arrow, took aim, and let it loose. He watched it sail through the air, straight at the bandit's heart. In a final attempt to stay alive, the bandit drew his reins close, attempting to halt his horse. The horse, unfortunately, reared upwards, kicking out with its jet-black hooves. The thud of the arrow embedding itself into its side made Nador grit his teeth. How dare the bandit sacrifice a life for his own? The Hylian drew his horse to a halt gradually, circling back around to where the two bandits resided. The other had stopped for the first, checking to make sure he was okay whilst his horse lay fallen on the ground, its sides heaving and thick, black liquid bubbling out of the shaft in its shoulder. Nador drew his arming sword with a small shink sound, the metal glowing in the dim light. His stride was hesitant yet determined, and he called out to the bandits.
"O bandits, may I ask what you are doing on this eve?" Reverting to old tongue, he strode towards them, challenging.
In response, they replied, "Kind sir, our horse is injured and our quarry gone with the winds."
The Hylian laughed at their response. "Ah, but I am your quarry, am I not?" The bandits stole a glance at one another before drawing swords of their own.
"You!' they hissed, their voices full of hate. "You are the one who disrupted our hunt!"
"'Tis I," Nador agreed, nodding solemnly. "I take it you wish for me to pay for my intrusions?"
Without a second glance, both bandits lunged in perfect synchrony, their blades outstretched. In response, the Hylian ducked under both blades as they barreled past. He knew that was a lucky break, and that he shouldn't expect any easy tactics such as those. He pivoted on his heel to face both bandits, his right hand trembling with anticipation. The two figures stalked around him like pray before simultaneously stabbing at him from both sides. It was a perfectly executed technique, and Nador only had time to block one such attack. The other one rebounded off of the chainmail he wore underneath his garments, but shattered a few of the metal loops. It still impacting his back hard, where a bruise was likely to form. In the absence of a shield, Nador could do nothing to defend himself. He flew forward with an umph, the wind knocked out of his lungs. The bandits, quickly taking advantage of the situation, run up to him. The first holds his neck from the back, leaning in close to the Hylian's ear. His breath, smelling of rotten food, made Nador gag in disgust.
"The boy shall not survive long," the bandit hissed. "And neither will you."
The other, while Nador was distracted, brought up a knee into the Hylian's solar plexus. Nador let out a wheeze, his eyes narrowing as the pain blossomed from his chest. He dropped to the ground, his breathing ragged. What had he gotten himself into? Over a simple boy? As his thoughts strayed to the lad on his horse, he remembered the shockingly pure eyes. They were unlike any other, fierce and noble yet kind and passionate. One doesn't see that every day. The bandits brought down the end of a sword crashing into his skull, making him choke up blood. The Hylian's vision blurred, and he wildly swung his sword in a last attempt. His head spun and nausea rose in his throat as he did so, but a cry told him that he had hit one. A roar of outrage met his ears, and in the next moment, it was as if time itself had stopped.
He heard the sound, yet did not feel it.
His entire body had gone numb, his thoughts and movements all frozen, all poised.
Nador's mouth was agape, his thoughts scattered like the wind.
In the fading light, he collapsed to the ground, blood tasting coppery in his mouth. Raucous laughter filled the air around him, that of triumph. They were somewhat muted, however, as the Hylian could barely hear over the rushing in his ears.
O great goddesses, I beg of you to forgive me for what I have done, he prayed. Grant me courage in my final hours…
As if the goddesses had heard, the sound of an arrow whistling over Nador's head met his sensitive ears. It hit something hard—he heard the sound. A revolting gurgling noise met his ears only moments after, along with a thump of a body against the ground. Had someone come to save him? The remaining bandit let out a piercing cry of rage. Nador lifted his head, blinking against the pain, able to make out the blurry form of the bandit facing away from him. Drawing in a deep, shuddering breath, he wildly grasped for his arming sword. Fingering its hilt and struggling to his feet, Nador quickly did a blur of an uppercut, the sword arcing through the air and slicing through the bandit clean. Nador, unable to watch, looked away as two separate thumps were heard.
Nador struggled to rise, his knees trembling from exhaustion. Suddenly, he heard a lighter set of footsteps, and it took all of his will to slowly lift his head. Letting out a moan of pain, he collapsed into a sitting position, staring blankly up at the sky. Fiery agony suddenly arced from his torso, causing him to cry out in anguish. Suddenly, without warning, a face filled his vision, that of a young boy. The young boy Nador had saved only moments before. Squinting, the Hylian could just make out his features.
His wild blond hair whipped about his face in the buffeting wind. The boy had high, angular cheekbones, making him appear more mature. His ears were long and pointed, therefore labeled as a Hylian. Good. Hylians were dying out slowly but surely; you may never find a pure-blooded one roaming the lands of Hyrule. His cloak was dark green, but what drew Nador once more, as it had before, were his brilliant eyes.
The Hylian stared into them, and was suddenly whisked into a pleasant blue sky, not a cloud in sight. Multicolored birds swept downwards on gusts of wind, their vibrant plumes standing out in the sea-colored atmosphere. Their cries were barking calls to one another, piercing through the crisp air. They swooped in and out, like graceful dragons diving into crystalline water. The curious thing about them, however, was the fact that small specks rode upon their backs, too far away to discern.
Nador wished to call out to them, to even ride with them, but he knew it was impossible. He was fantasizing in his last moments of life, and he knew it. Either that or…there was indeed something special about the boy. Something off-setting, and not just his strange eyes. It was in the way he held himself, with certainty and purpose, one not meant to be risen up against. His eyes weren't just strange; in them, there was a wisdom beyond the ages, one that could only be rivaled by the founders of the great land, the three golden goddesses and Hylia themselves. A pool of bright glimmering courage. A lust for great power.
"Thank you," the boy said in a whisper, his voice clear as bells to Nador's fading consciousness. "May the goddesses bless you with eternal life."
Nador couldn't help but let a small smile slip onto his face. He felt the child he saved had a destiny—a true one, at that. His destiny was far greater than Nador's, but the Hylian protected that destiny.
And although it wasn't much, he believed it was something.
The moonlit clearing faded, and along with it, the boy and the rest of Hyrule.