Re-edited first chapter, but please enjoy...

-HVM

Prelude

Ordon Village can be found in the very bottom of common Hylian maps, small and secluded with its anti-social yet seemingly natural barriers, shrouded in trees and the scenic wildlife so often lacking in far-away cities. You can see the tiny imprints within the marked area, tracing out a civilization, tiny dots pointing out that yes: there is life there.

Life. Lively, yet humble. One would charitably call it lively, so as to avoid pointing out the glaring fact that it was undeniably poor as well.

A stream trickles down through a sea of grass at the heart of the town, snaking through small bridges and a haphazard collection of colorful bijous, simply bursting with families and such amazingly simple conversations that would make a city-dweller's head spin about at the lack of gossip.

In this town lived a young woman.

Beautiful and sweet most of the time, though terribly shy when confronted with friendly conversation. And inside this girl was bottled ambition; ambition that would rocket her to a daringly new adventure and forge a predestined meeting with a handsome thief she had yet to meet.

She knew everything about the legends of the Hero of Time.

Zelda knew it sounded uncharacteristically arrogant of her to say –though she often said it in her head-, but it was the absolute truth.

You could ask her how long the Hero of Time had slept and she'd answer in a quick heartbeat:

"Seven."

You could ask her who the Forest Sage was and how she had come to know the Hero and she'd reply without even batting a single lash:

"Saria was his childhood friend."

You could ask her who the Hero of Time's alleged lover was and she'd blush abruptly, thrilled at the opportunity of spreading word of another's romance. Even if it was a thousand years old.

"The Princess of Destiny was his lover... supposedly."

You could ask her what the Hero of Time's name was, though she'd only scowl and end up smacking you none too gently across your face, disgusted by your ignorance

"No one knows, idiot."

And, if you're still interested and willing to receive more bodily harm for the sake of information, you could ask her about the Master Sword.

Her eyes would light up with a sudden feverishness and her lips would curl to a gentle smile.

"The Master Sword was used by the Hero of Time to end The Dark King's terrible reign and restore peace to Hyrule. It possessed the sacred, goddess-given power to let the Hero transcend through the pathways of time, and intervene between the happenings of the past and future. Legend says that the Sword will remain forever hidden, until a new Hero is sent down to our world, and only then will it reveal itself to it's true owner, gleaming with the sacred light of Farore to banish the evil and darkness that festers in the shadows of our world…"

Zelda glanced out her window, her eyes roving over the pine trees that swept over the land in gracious strokes and the jagged ravines that bordered the town. Her fingers laced together, placed under her chin as she contemplated the meaning of her life.

There was nothing for her here in Ordon. The sentimentality that anchored down her extravagant dreams had broken, the shackles that restrained her were gone. Dissolved and faded.

She glanced down at the flyer the off-kilter mailman had shoved into her hands a mere month ago. A flyer that she knew would eventually change the course of her drab and colorless life. It was wrinkled and slightly-torn, but the letters were still visible, bold and proclaiming in expert writing the very same words that had been bouncing around in her head all day.

King Ganondorf, the reclusive tyrant of the kingdom of Hyrule was sponsoring a quest. A quest that she knew only she was capable of completing.

The King called forth experienced explorers from every land and kingdom to track down the whereabouts of the very same elusive, legendary Sword and present it to him within the nearing deadline of the Winter Solstice. The letter crumpled in her hands as her mind wandered back, pondering…

If she were the one to find the Sword and bring it back to the King, all the riches and fame she had always aspired to achieve would finally be hers. She would outgrow the humble origins she had been planted in, bringing glory and light to her name and self. Little Zelda Harkinian would be so little anymore.

It was about time, really, that her ambitions would receive their calling.

That Sword would be hers, be she a Hero or not.

Short, but it is just an introduction.

Actual chapters will be far longer than this. Don't worry.

I'm sorry I've abandoned this story, I just felt like it needed some major polishing before I could continue...but I'm back!

Huzzah! :)

-HVM