This is just a pilot chapter to see if anyone's interested & to see how well received my the Legend of Zelda fanfiction writing is. I've loved the games for years, but I've never attempted a story.

So PLEASE, tell me what you think! :D

-Jackie

A Link to the Twilight
Chapter 1: The Calling

Stars twinkled in the inky Hylian sky, a cool breeze bending the blades of grass that covered Hyrule Field. A boy lay sprawled upon the ground, the edges of his blonde hair ruffled by the nightly wind. His horse rested nearby, her legs tucked underneath her massive body as she rested in the grass.

The boy ran a hand over the bandages that wrapped around his midsection, their straps covering the gaping wound left by an angry bull's horns earlier that day during his round-up. As he gazed up at the stars and thought of all that had happened that day, his mind drifted back to older memories, reminiscing of the times he had once been proclaimed a hero in green. He thought of Princess Zelda, Navi, the evil twilight lord Zant, evil Ganondorf, and of course his mysterious ally, Midna…

Though he still kept in touch with Zelda, he had heard nothing of Midna since she had broken the Mirror of Twilight and transported back to her own realm. There were times when he missed her and their adventures, days when he longed to run as a wolf wildly across the land, Midna hanging onto his neck with that creepily enchanting smile of hers.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reliving his memories…

The boy awoke with a start when his horse let out an alarmed whiny. He lifted himself onto his elbows, looking around for the cause of Epona's distress. Though he could see nothing dangerous in the dark, he knew better than to ignore his horse's instincts. He clambered to his feet and went to Epona, running a gentle hand along her shoulder so as to calm her before reaching into the saddlebags. She steadied at his touch, but fear was still shining in her eyes. The boy soon came across what he was looking for, fingers brushing the firm hilt of a sword. With practiced ease he withdrew the weapon, its handle gleaming a deep sapphire blue in the moonlight. The Master Sword…he still couldn't believe that Princess Zelda had let him keep it…

A hero swathed in green knelt before a beautiful princess, a large and gleaming sword out before him.

"Rise," the princess commanded. "You are now more than an equal to me, Hero…" The figure in green rose, the Master Sword's blade glinting in the fading sunlight as he did so. He ran his thumb over the raised engraving of the Triforce, eyes looking lovingly over the sword that had saved his life on many an occasion. Looking once more at the ancient family crest, the hero took the sword in both hands and offered it to the princess, bowing his head as he presented her ancestral treasure.

She looked at his offering for a few seconds before placing her delicate hands over his, pushing his outstretched fingers back onto the blade. He opened his blue eyes at her touch, looking up into her gentle face.

"Keep it," she said. "Hyrule may be in need of your courage once again in the future…"

Dark and eerie music could be heard faintly drifting from Kokiri Forest, a solemn and moaning hymn that evoked feelings of sadness and death. Epona began stumbling backwards, afraid of the haunting melody rising from the darkness.

"Hyrule may be in need of your courage once again in the future…"

The boy gripped his horse's reins and mounted her, the Master Sword held tightly in his hand. He nudged Epona forward with his legs, the horse moving only out of trust in its rider.

Together they followed the music, its volume growing louder with each wary step. They stopped when they reached the edge of the forest, dark and foreboding shadows lying like nightmares before them as the gloomy hymn drifted from the unknown depths. Epona grew anxious once again, her tail swishing and ears twitching as she surveyed the forest. The boy was about to allow his horse to retreat when a voice came from the wood, as beautiful and haunting as the melody itself.

"Link…"

Epona stopped her fidgeting at the sound, body completely frozen in place. Link looked off into the forest, sword held alight as he stood transfixed by the voice.

"Link…"

Sliding silently from the saddle, he made his way into the forest alone…

Interested? Thoughts? Leave them in a review, please :)

-Jackie