Legend of Zelda : Trial of a Man

Prologue and Disclaimer

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Disclaimer: I, H7, do not own or claim to own anything to do with the Legend of Zelda series, Final Fantasy 8, Diablo 2, Diablo 2 Expansion, the Lord of Destruction, or DrakenGard. All of these games belong to their respective owners. This story is not being typed for profit. It is merely for enjoyment, and an end to boredom.

All of the characters from this story also belong to their respective owners.

If there is mention of a game that is not covered by the disclaimer, then it is merely an oversight. Notify me, and the correction will be made. No great knowledge of Final Fantasy 8 or Diablo 2 is needed to understand this story, the beginning just might be a little more confusing otherwise.

This story basically starts off as a PG-13 type of story, but it quickly shoots to a R rating due to violence, swearing, torture, hints at sexual themes, and some of the later chapters may contain themes that could be considered cruel and or sick. You have been warned.

This disclaimer has been designed to cover the entire story, and as such, the disclaimer shall not be posted at the beginning of the chapters. I repeat, the disclaimer will only appear here, on the first page, but it shall cover the entire story. If in doubt, please refer to this chapter for the disclaimer.

Thank you.

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Three young children sit in a small semi circle before their grandmother, who sits her self down in an old, creaking rocking chair, and looks back down upon them. They all (but one) smile up at her, eyes shining, barely aware of anything other than the fireplace far to their right, the plush carpet beneath their behinds, and her shining, wise eyes.

"Grandma," one asks, clutching her toy teckite doll tightly in her small hands, "Can you tell us a story?"

The grandmother turns to her left and looks at the youngest, a sweet young girl with blonde hair and rosey cheeks, "Of course I can. What story do you want to hear?"

"The Hero!" The eldest pipes up, a girl of ten years old, "Tell us about the Hero!"

"Psh," the boy child scoffs, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes, "What Hero?"

The grandmother turns to her right and stares at the young boy, "Samuel! . . .What would your mother think?" She frowns, but the boy remains silent and slowly lowers his arms, his face eventually falling back into a more neutral expression, "There. Now, you want to hear of the Hero, huh?"

Two of the three children nod.

The third just rolls his eyes.

"A long, long time ago, there was a peaceful land named Hyrule, where the sun shined like gold, and the winds were swift and pure," She paused, looking at each of the three children in turn, "The kingdom there was grand and strong, and it prospered. . .But one day a man with an evil heart reached the Triforce, the relic of the Gods, and his corruption caused the land to fester."

"From out of the darkness rode the Hero, a strong, young lad with limitless courage, and he struck down the King of Evil. He was the Hero of Time, and it was he alone who saved the land and protected it from evil."

"But one day, the Hero left Hyrule, to search for a friend, and he never returned. Evil came back to the land, freeing itself from its horrible prision and rising, rising to reclaim the world. The people prayed to the Goddesses for the Hero to return, and to save them, but the brave young lad never did come back. . ."

"The evil grew so strong that the people changed their prayers, for now, there was nothing else they could do. . .The Goddesses themselves appeared before the people in all their divine glory, and flooded the world so that all the evil would drown. The good people were able to escape the end, racing for the mountains as the sea swallowed up the land behind them."

"The land of Hyrule drowned, and the evil was vanquished. . .But no one ever saw the brave Hero again. . ."

The youngest little girl sniffed loudly, rubbing at one eye with the back of her hand. Samuel turned and laughed.

"You don't actually believe that story, do you?" He chuckled, "It's not true!"

"Yes it is!" The little girl cried, turning towards her grandmother, "Isn't it?"

"Yes of course it is, sweety," She picked the youngest up in her lap, and let the little girl bury her face into her shawl, "It is true."

"What happened to him?" The eldest asked, her eyes wide with curiousity, even though she already knew the answer. She had known for years, having heard this story since she was young.

"No one knows, Alissa, no one knows. . .Some say he became a Hero somewhere else, some say that he perished, died young, and others yet believe that it was he himself that traveled to the Sacred Realm itself, and begged that the Goddesses save our people, but alas, no one knows the truth. For the Hero is not here to tell us himself."

"But. . .What do you think, Grandma?" Alissa asked.

"Me? I believe. . .I believe that he was lost."

"Lost?" The youngest asked from her spot in the old lady's lap. The grandmother absently ruffled her hair.

"Yes. . .I don't know to who, or to where. . .But I'm sure that our land lost a great Hero. . .Who knows," She moved her head close to that of her youngest grand-daughter, so their noses touched, "Maybe he still wanders the lands, looking for his way home, still."

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Alissa edged herself a inch closer, "Do you think maybe he's angry at us?"

"No. . .I don't think he'll ever come back. And, our world is as much at peace as it has been for many a year. The Goddesses have no need to send him to us now."

"Hmph, no need indeed," One of the older men from a table behind them scoffed, and there was a round of chuckling. The grandmother scowled, and the youngest on her lap shifted nervously, somehow feeling embarassed by the situation, though she knew not why. As the brother too joined in, the eldest turned her head away and stared down at the floor.

Why did her brother have to be such a jerk?

All her anger left her in a rush, and her head and shoulders drooped.

She sighed.

There was no Hero. Maybe there never was.

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