I have decided to record my trial in an individual log, separate from the War of Darkness. The ordeal I have endured is a separate manner entirely, and deserves to have its own leather binding someday. It will remain secret in the section of the palace library only the royal family can access. Also, writing down my thoughts sometimes helps keeps my rushing mind sane. For now, I shall call this adventure by the name it was already given… Super Smash Brothers.

Entry One

A Mysterious Letter

"Zelda."

A warm summer's breeze greeted my face in the chilled midnight. The sound of my name caused me to jump just a little, as I expected no one to be up at this hour. I turned and wandered back into my room from my balcony, but there was not a soul in sight.

"Hello?" I muttered.

The voice repeated my name. It sounded firm, yet soft in an elderly sort of tone, almost echoey. I spotted a flicker of candle light in the hall. It was strange for any sort of advisor or servant call my name to wake me without knocking or even showing themself. After stepping into the hall in pursuit of the light, I was surprised to see a shadowy figure halfway down the corridor already.

"Excuse me!" I called, and when there was no answer, I followed a good ways until I finally became irritated. "If you called for me, why walk away with no incentive for me to follow? It is a bit rude."

The figure halted, and I felt an odd chill at the base of my neck. My eyes fought to adjust to see who stood before me, and though I wanted to know, my pace slowed. To add to my apprehension, there seemed to be not a guard in sight. The figure was wearing a cloak identical to my cloak of mourning that I wore during the time Hyrule was wrapped in darkness. It seemed only fair that its princess do the same. The person turned slowly, candle in hand, and underneath I saw a wise, knowing gaze of blue that made me feel completely exposed.

Where were those guards?

I stood, frozen and unsure what to do.

Before I could speak, the figure spoke softly. "I wish to speak with you, but in a nicer place, as this may be one of the only times I am to converse with you, my sweet princess."

I squinted, trying to identify, but to no avail. Somehow I mustered, "Is… that my cloak?"

No surprise to me, there was no response and I once again, found myself trying to keep up with my visitor's pace to the point of nearly running. I was almost surprised with myself for following this stranger. After the war, I am not embarrassed to admit I became a bit paranoid and rather jumpy. If I questioned anything, I took my time to think twice for the safety of everyone. Never again will I allow my kingdom to fall.

Finally, I was led into the throne room, where the hooded shadow stopped, and turned to face me, only blue eyes visible. I panted a bit, where the stranger seemed unphased by the mad dash through the halls. In the back of my mind, I still realized there were no guards or servants to be seen, and though this haunting shadow sent a chill down my spine, there was something familiar and surprisingly comforting.

From under the cloak, gloved hands set the candle on the floor and the being was then seated upon the throne. A bit taken aback and even insulted, my apprehension was silenced as the silk gloves slide the hood away, and eventually shed the entire cloak.

Underneath was… me.

I stood in awe as a the ghostly figure of myself occupied my throne. No words could be found as I tried to understand. She was me, but not quite. She donned the traditional dress of the first-born daughter of the royal family. Zelda's dress, as it was called, as it is customary to name the eldest princess after the first queen to rule the land. Even though it was the same style, the color was a bit off and the designs seemed simpler… more ancient. She also bore a diadem and shoulder pauldrons and all of the jewels I usually wear, except those too were slightly different, and even the gem in the center of the headband was red instead of blue. Her hair was more golden, features more sharp, and posture more demanding, as if she held centuries of experience in her mind.

She spoke once more, but her tone seemed more youthful as she gazed around the vast hall. "It has been many years since I have sat upon such a throne. You are lucky, young one, that the goddesses graced you with a new palace after the first was destroyed."

I nodded solemnly, thinking back to when Ganondorf destroyed my home in the final battle.

She continued, "Sorry for being so mysterious. I assume, my child, that you have a general idea of who I am."

I nodded again, this time more briskly.

"I have come to give you a message: There is a great ordeal on the horizons. You must go against your first instinct and follow the new voices that call you. Once you leave, time will stand still. Once you accept your challenge, even more of the goddess's power will be discovered inside. But fear not, for you will not be alone."

Frowning, I already began attempting to make sense of her message, but before I could answer, she stood in front of me, grasping my gloved hand with hers.

I could have sworn I was wearing a nightgown, I thought as I noticed I, too, was wearing the matching traditional dress.

The more I stared at the ancient ruler before me, her appearance became less and less youthful until her age matched the voice in which I heard earlier. She muttered before fading, "Head my message, for it affects not only the fate of Hyrule, but the fate of numerous places."

I was stuck in a dream-like stupor as I tried to ask the hundreds of questions that flowed over my tongue, but it was too late. The spirit was gone, and I stood staring at my empty, or her empty, cloak still seated upon the throne.

I woke with a start, my breath visible in the midnight air. The summer warmth was no more, and I noticed my balcony door was open. I could have sworn I closed that. Getting out of bed, I wandered over to close it, but stopped myself. My mind was wide awake, so there was no possibility of sleeping anymore. Instead, I decided to sit on my porch swing and meditate for a while to calm my mind.

What had I even seen? Was that a crazy dream or a true prophetic vision? Was that truly an ancestor?

I breathed in and out, slowly, serenely, until my heart rate slowed to nearly a deep-sleep pace, yet my mind still replayed the message over and over. 'There is a great ordeal on the horizons. You must go against your first instinct and follow the new voices that call you. Once you leave, time will stand still. Once you accept your challenge, even more of the goddess's power will be discovered inside. But fear not, for you will not be alone.'

The first disturbance of my concentration came the birds that awaken at sunrise, the next was sunrise itself, and I figured it was time to do my daily duties. I changed out of my nightgown and headed through the halls, hair down and jewels missing for once, but I still looked professional enough to pass.

Comforting, familiar faces of my guards and servants began to wander through the halls, their expressions tired, yet friendly. The events of my dream slowly faded until I could fully concentrate on the usual tasks at hand. Council meetings for taxes, dealing with citizens with special appointments, and preparing for upcoming events.

I sifted through the daily letters and found two in particular that seemed odd: one was addressed from Link, and the other had an odd seal that was unrecognizable. It was a strange circle with a cross inside of it...

I wasn't sure which to open first, so I decided to save the best for last and open the foreign one instead. I ripped it open anxiously and pulled out the contents. It read on the whitest paper I had ever seen:

YOU ARE FORMALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE SUPER SMASH TOURNAMENT. Members will enjoy a casual, friendly event where participants from all over will join together and duke it out! WHAT!? SOUNDS DANGEROUS? Why, our special system keeps one from actually getting injured. It is more of… a simulation. You won't know until you try! To enter, simply show up to the headquarters and register. The quarters are located within the map provided.

What? I thought. It had to be a prank of some sort. Sometimes I get foolhardy citizens who think pranking the princess is worth either of our time. I didn't even look at the map. I shuffled it to the bottom of the pile and tore open Link's letter in anticipation. The paper was a much more natural color and his handwriting was a bit messy, yet charismatic. His read:

Dear Princess Zelda of Hyrule,

I will be in Castletown on the final day of this week running a few errands for Rusl and the rest of the village. If it's not too much to ask, I was hoping to visit you. I received a very strange letter and feel that it was worth mentioning to you. It just gave me a weird feeling, yet is probably nothing. If none of this is possible, I understand. All that I ask of you is the message of whether or not I have been granted an audience in your presence.

Sincerely,

Sir Link of Ordon

I smiled and headed back to my quarters to write the response saying his attendance will take priority over all.

Three days had passed, giving my letter plenty of time to reach Link before he arrived in Castle Town. I was unsure of where to meet him, but after arranging all of my duties to be taken care of, I threw on my cloak to avoid excessive attention and wandered the streets in the afternoon sun. I lingered around the eastern and southern gates since he was most likely to arrive through one of those. To pass the time, I visited a few shops browsing the wares of shopkeepers who seemed too busy to notice their princess standing in their midst. However, my attempts to ease my growing excitement were starting to fail as the hours past.

I finally slumped down, seated at the edge of the fountain and started to replay the words spoken to me in my dream again. For now it was the purpose of distraction as I decided to do at least something productive. Some passing villagers began to eye me suspiciously yet left me alone. I, too, would wonder about a strange hooded figure staring off into space in the middle of rush hour as families gathered supplies for an evening meal after a long day of labor.

The sun was at the brink of twilight and I felt the urge to go home. Maybe he decided not to come and the letter he spoke of was no longer important. Wandering around Castle Town all day was a waste, for he could have just shown the guards my signature and they would have let him in, yet a day in the fresh air wasn't so bad. If only the feeling of disappointment would leave, then my regrets of wasting time would maybe dissipate.

I got up to leave, yet a flash of green caught my eye. I followed it in anticipation, trying to weave through the thick crowd, but as I approached, it was just another strange face. As I turned to leave, something caught the edge of my foot and down I tumbled, my hood flinging off to reveal my face. A few people gasped, others came to see, forming an awkward, claustrophobic ring around me. Now it was surely time to leave.

Before I could lift myself back onto my feet, a pair of strong hands grabbed my arm and I was met with a warm smile. "I've got you, Princess."

NOTE: Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed chapter one! Just a couple of things and a *guilty* promo. I started this story in inspiration of the Facebook pages I run and the fans who follow me. If you would like to see the unedited, early releases of these chapters, check out Zelda - Holder of Wisdom on FB. Don't be afraid to message my page if you think it's me and you're not sure. I will attempt to upload little snippets to the page everyday, double check them, and take a week's worth or so and put it into a chapter. There may be small changes from the page to this site, but the official chapters will be found here. There is not a large promise that I will be consistent, and I am sorry for that, but I have a lot of things in life I need to manage as well as all of this so hopefully any 'gaps' won't be too large. I was just so excited to get it out there, I didn't want to wait until the entire thing was finished. I also believe it will motivate me to write more if I have a sort of subconscious deadline. Anyway, my Author's Notes won't be as long anymore. I talk a lot. Sorry :P Have a fantastic day!