The Legend of Zelda

The Army of Grazburg

Chapter 1 - A beginning

          He looked down the Temple of Time, towards the door which held so many memories. The sacred door, the Door of Time. The entire Temple was full of light, lit up by the great window high up above the entrance and the 2 each side of the room. At the far end, a Triforce symbol was marked out above the Door of Time, the arches surrounding it only making it more sacred. The bright golden light illuminated his green tunic, his hood casting a faint shadow on his pale face and short, blonde hair. On his back, he wore his Hero's shield, along with a sword designed for him by Biggoron himself. He would have no more need for that sword after today, but he had brought it with him anyway. He was young, only 17, but one look at his face would tell anyone he was a dangerous fighter, who had been through much for the cause of justice, and peace.

He stood on a large pad marked by the Triforce and the symbol of Light, a circle with 3 evenly marked triangles in it, with smaller circles between them. He knew this was one of the 6 special Warp points around the land that he could activate with the Ocarina of Time which Zelda had returned to him, on his 17th birthday. It was only yesterday, but it seemed to him a lifetime. His bright blue eyes looked up the diamond patterned path leading up to the Altar of Time, taking in every detail about it. To either side of the path, a checker pattern decorated the floor, lining the walls which were made of large stone slabs.

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7 years ago to him, after he had defeated Ganon, he had been transported back to the past. The Door of Time had been locked, he had lost the Triforce of Courage, and he had given up his position as the Hero of Time. Now, on that very same day, he was taking up his rightful role. He stepped towards the Altar of Time, his hands taking out the Ocarina of Time. As he started playing the Song of Time, the three Spiritual Stones: The Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby and the Zora Sapphire appeared over his head and floated over to the Altar. As they fitted into the Altar, he silently recited the message written an eternity ago; 'Ye who owns 3 Spiritual Stones, Stand with the Ocarina of Time, And play the Song of Time.' Silently, the Door of Time slid apart, opening the way to another chamber, where he knew the legendary Master Sword rested.

The last time he had taken the Master Sword, he had been preserved asleep for 7 years until he was old enough to be the Hero of Time, the only person who could lift the Sword out of the Pedestal of Time. This mistake had cost Zelda the Triforce, and even now it stopped a Golden age of peace and prosperity. Now, he was old enough, and could awaken as the Hero of Time. As he walked up to the Pedestal, his thoughts turned to Navi, his companion for that adventure, and the only one apart from Zelda and the other Sages to share his memories of the future. Navi had gone off exploring after they had got back, and he had not seen her since. He still regretted the decision not to search for her, for it would have meant another life of adventure, even though, as Zelda had reminded him so many times over the years, it would have almost certainly meant giving up any possibility of becoming the Hero of Time, and wielding the Master Sword again.

He ignored these possibilities. He could no longer travel back to his childhood and he would not have been able to predict the results even if he could. He stepped up to the Master Sword, resting in the Pedestal of Time, behind the Door of Time, opened by the Altar of Time, and the Song of Time, played on the Ocarina of Time, inside the Temple of Time. Suddenly he had a headache. Standing tall and proud, he pulled the Master Sword out of the Pedestal, and was swept away by the surge of blue light.

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'Hero of Time!' called a voice, instantly recognisable as Rauru, the Sage of Light. 'Hero of Time! Come forth, to your destiny. Ganon may be imprisoned in the Evil Realm, but you have great things to do. You must find the other,' continued Rauru.

'Other? What other?' he replied, his voice clouded with uncertainty.

'You must find the other. It will all become clear to you,' came the voice of the Sage, as clear as ever. 'Good luck on your quest, Hero of Time. Good luck… Draknek.'

Even as he was pondering over the meaning of these words, Draknek was taken by the familiar blue transportation light, and back into the world of Zambasta. He had a long quest to start.

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          He reappeared in the Temple of Time, even more confused than he had been the last time he had taken the Master Sword. As his thoughts turned to the legendary blade, he drew it from the sheath on his back, where it had replaced his Biggoron short sword, and wondered again about its remarkable design and balance. He remembered the first time he had drawn the Sword, when he had just returned from the Temple of Light. He had felt the presence of Sheik behind him, and had drawn the Master Sword in case it was an enemy. Sheik had told him where to go throughout the journey, and without him he would have been lost several times. Reminded of this, he looked over his shoulder, just in case there was another helper for him. There was not, but there was something even more mysterious. Imbedded in the Pedestal, was… the Master Sword. He checked the sword in his hand. It was definitely the Master Sword. He went back to the Pedestal and tried to pull the other sword out. If the mysterious other was another Master Sword, this quest would be over quickly. However, he could not take the other sword out, no matter how hard he tried. While pondering this mystery, he decided to go to the castle and consult Zelda. Her power had grown since she was kidnapped by Ganon all those years ago. Maybe she would be able to help him. He walked briskly to the exit of the Temple, quickly heading for Castle Zambasta.

          The only way to the Castle was through the Market place, a bustling square of activity and commotion. Everywhere he looked, Draknek could see people hurrying around looking for something, or in a rush to get somewhere. He had come here every day for the past 7 years, and not much had changed in that time. The cucco running around had been there all along, although now it was chased by a different child, the brother of the child who used to do it. That older brother stood by some bushes in the centre of the square, making sure his brother didn't make too big a fool of himself. The cucco passed through the feet of the dancing couple, who hadn't broken up in the over 7 years they had met. And behind the dancers, a brown dog ran around wildly, barking at passers by. It ran round everywhere, but every so often came back to it's mistress for a biscuit, the plump woman treating it nicer than any Zambastan. Draknek was starting to move towards the path to the Castle, when something caught his eye.

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          'Zelda!' he shouted, looking at the blonde Princess of Destiny. 'Zelda! I must talk to you!' However, as he got closer to the Princess, the guards held their spears ready and looked at him suspiciously. 'What the hell?' he asked, as they came closer, with spears levelled at his chest. 'What are you doing? It's me! Zelda, why don't they recognise me?' Zelda looked at him quizzically.

          'Link? Link, it's you!' she replied. 'I knew you would come back!' She motioned to the guards. 'You can put down your weapons, now.' The guards reluctantly did as she said, although they still eyed Draknek suspiciously.

          'What are you talking about? Who's Link?' was all he could stammer amid his puzzling.

          'You are, of course. Come on. We'll go to the Castle and you can explain where you have been all these years,' said Zelda, gently tugging on his arm, and indicating to the guards that they were not needed anymore.