The Relics of Awakening

Hello everyone. I'm new to the site and this is my first fanfic ever. I hope you'll like it. I'll try to keep the updates fairly regular but I'm a huge procrastinator so no promises :P

Chapter 1

The warm, summer sun shone brightly over Hyrule Field, the grass still wet from the previous night's rain. Ripe fruit filled the trees, harvesting season was almost here. Link picked a big red apple from a tall tree. He sat in the wet grass beneath the tree, water still dripping from its branches and occasionally falling on Link. He didn't mind; however, as he leisurely bit into the apple. It was sweet and juicy. The master sword and mirror shield lay beside him, in case he dozed off until nightfall and had to fight stalchildren.

He patted Epona, who sat beside him, eating grass. Link yawned and stretched, closing his eyes and sitting down against the tree's trunk. The cool summer breeze blew against his golden hair, refreshing him from the sun's heat. Even under the tree's shade, it was quite hot; there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, which only helped to intensify the sun's rays. Link took in a deep breath, enjoying the day.

It had been years since Ganon's defeat. Since then, Link had built a home in Kakariko village, but took usual trips to the castle to visit Zelda. He had kept the master sword in case anything ever happened; however, since Ganon's defeat, peace had been restored to Hyrule, and nothing had happened. Still, Link never let his guard down, and trained every day in order to mantain his skills. Every day, he went through sword exercises, then went to the archery range and practiced his bow. Then, he would go and eat breakfast, and finally, he would practice unarmed combat. After that, he had the whole day for himself, which he usually enjoyed by going out to the castle or Hyrule Field, and relaxing for the rest of they day. Then, just before sunset, he would go back to his home and doze off.

Today after his training, he had decided on going to Hyrule Field and relaxing the whole day. Just as he was about to doze off, he heard loud, running footsteps. He opened his eyes and saw someone running as fast as he could towards him. His face was bright red and covered in sweat, and Link could immediately tell something was wrong. He grabbed his sword and shield and, although he kept his sword in its sheath, he kept his hand on the hilt. "Who are you?" he yelled to the approaching man.

The man stopped just a few feet away from Link, gasping for air. "I… I…" The man gasped, still trying to catch his breath. "It's… th-the princess… She h-has f-f-fallen ill... You must return… to the castle…" Link's eyes went wide in shock at what he heard, but remained calm. Without saying a single word, he jumped on top of Epona and galloped as fast as Epona could towards Hyrule Castle.

Link rode through Hyrule Field faster than he ever had, arriving to Market Town in little over an hour (on a regular day it would have taken him more or less two and a half hours to get there). He went through the gate, slowing down a bit now that he was going inside the town. On a normal day he would dismount Epona and walk towards the castle, leaving her outside of town, but today, he didn't have time to do it, and instead, frightened people had to get out of his way. The big walls that surrounded Market Town where worn down, but solid, even though cracks had begun appearing along it. Guards patrolled the top of the wall, dressed in metal armor, which reflected off the sunlight. Link could never imagine how the guards could endure the heat in their armors, especially now that it was summertime.

Link continued through the winding path towards the castle. The guards already knew him and let him through the gate which led to the castle. At last, he arrived at the entrance to the castle, its massive stone structure towering towards the sky. Massive, stained-glass windows littered the walls, with vines clinging to the walls. The castle's drawbridge stood lowered, covering the small moat that surrounded the castle. Link found it very strange that the drawbridge to the castle was open; he had never seen it that way before. Instead there was always a couple of guards who had to check with the head guard that the person wanting to get in the castle had clearance, before they lowered the drawbridge and allowed him entry.

Link crossed the drawbridge into the main hall. The room was huge, with many big windows to let the sunlight shine through. During night, candles which filled the hall's walls were magically lit to give the room an eerie but beautiful look. Elaborate tapestries decorated the walls, each unique and beautiful, depicting scenes of heroes slaying monsters and rescuing damsels in distress, as well as many Hylian legends. On a regular day, Link would have stopped to admire them, but today, he ran through the hall nonstop. About halfway through, he was met by an old priest with short white hair and a long beard. He was dressed in the usual priest clothing: a long brown robe and sandals. He introduced himself "Ah! Hero of Time, it is an honor. I am Pinkerton, the priest who is taking care of Princess Zelda. I sent a messenger to call you as soon as I sensed something was wrong with the princess. This whole situation is quite stressing for me, as I only began working here at the castle less than a week ago."

The man's voice was anxious and filled with worry, but kind. Link replied "It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Pinkerton. Where is Zelda now? How is she?"

"She is in her room, asleep. No one knows what happened to her. All we know is that yesterday she said she was feeling ill and went to take a nap. She hasn't woken up since then, and that was nearly 24 hours ago. Her breathing is also very shallow." Link began walking in the direction of Zelda's room, with Pinkerton walking besides him. "I fear she may have been poisoned by someone." Pinkerton continued "If that is the case, we will need to find the one responsible and get the cure in order to save the princess."

Link merely kept silent, thinking. They finally arrived at the princess's chamber after having gone through several long hallways and up a flight of stairs. Hyrule castle was like a maze, but Link had been here enough times to know the way to Zelda's room from memory. Link opened the small but ornate door that led to Zelda's room and stepped inside. The room was dark except for a single candle which was on top of a small night table, as the curtains were closed. The room smelled strongly of incense, of the type that was used during prayer. It was likely that Pinkerton had been praying. Zelda lay in her bed, motionless except for her shallow breathing. Pinkerton let out a loud sigh "She's been like that for almost a day, motionless."

Link approached Zelda slowly, staring intently at her motionless form. Pinkerton could not tell how Link felt, as his face showed no emotions. Link stayed silent for almost a minute, only staring at Zelda. Finally, he spoke "How sure are you that she's been poisoned?" he asked Pinkerton.

"I'm pretty sure, I don't know who could have done it, with all the security, but she shows all the usual signs of it."

"If that's true, then we may not have long to find the cure."

"However, we must not give up hope."

Link approached Zelda, and planted a kiss on her forehead "I swear… I'll find the cure and save you… I'll make the one responsible pay for what he did." Link told Zelda. Without another word, Link went out of the room, and out the castle. He knew he had to hurry if he was to save Zelda.

Well, that was the first chapter. The real story hasn't even started yet, basically I'm still preparing for things to come. This is pretty much just the introductory chapter. Just bear with me for a couple of chapters, I promise it's going to get better soon.