One World, One People

A long time ago, before life began, before the world had form, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaotic land of Hyrule. They were Din, the Goddess of Power, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage.

Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth to give the spirit of law to the world. Farore's rich soul created all life forms who would uphold the law.

These three great goddesses returned to the heavens, leaving behind the golden sacred Triforce.

The Triforce was sealed in the Sacred Realm connected to Hyrule. The legends also say that whoever holds the Triforce can make their wishes come true, but only if he has the perfect balance between the three forces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. If someone without the right balance lays his or her hand on the Triforce, it will split into three pieces. The one touching the Triforce will hold the force that he or she most believes in, and the two other parts will be given to persons chosen by destiny to carry the Triforce part that they represent. The persons who carry the Triforce or a part of it can be recognized by the Triforce symbol on their hands.

The once proud kingdom of Hyrule has long fallen from it's former grace. No longer ruled by kings and queens, a council of 'humans' rule the people. Many of the former races have interbred, forming a new race, these so called 'humans' more numerous than even the Hylians. Reigning over this council is a single president, one of few survivors of the Royal Family of Hyrule. His daughter, named in the traditions of their lost people, is called Zelda.

Not long after the death of the Hero of Twilight, the race of Gerudos, thought long dead, resurfaced and took Hyrule by force. Ganondorf, the King of Evil, was killed for the last time by the Hero of Twilight, and therefor there was no king to replace him. The Gerudos, a society ruled by women, formed an inner circle of three who ruled their tribe.

The current king of Hyrule, the noble Queen Zelda's son by the Hero of Twilight, was killed in the revolution. King Ralis of the Zoras, and Patriarch Darbus of the Gorons fought against the Gerudos for a time, but were put down. Ralis' daughter Rutiela taking his place. Darbus had no son or heir to take his place, and so the Gorons were thereafter ruled by a council.

Small communities such as Ordon were left alone so long as they pledged fealty to the new order. The Sheikah, newly created under Queen Zelda, went into hiding. Many of the older races, such as the Kokiri, resurfaced but were similarly enslaved.

The Gerudo eventually formed a pact with the other races, which involved many inter-marriages that created the new race of humanity. From this new race came new ideas. The older races were slandered, and racism now dominates much of society. And it was in this new world that Hyrule, now called the Union of Society, reached it's industrial and economical peak.

Link trudged towards home from School. It was another smog covered day, the sun not visible. But it hadn't rained, and he considered that a bonus. He secretly hated water. His friends, he knew, would tease him for it.

There was only one human school in Hyrule City, and three segregated schools for other races. The Hylian School, the Mixed School, and the Gerudo school. Obviously, the Gerudo school was an all girls school.

Link, of course, went to the Hylian School. Anyone who was more than half Hylian was forced to go to the school. The teachers were second rate, the school itself was broken down and it's budget was terrible.

Link climbed the steps of his apartment building, fumbling for his keys. It was a known haven for crack addicts, but it was a roof over his and his sister's heads. Speaking of his little sister, she was waiting in the kitchen. He tromped in, and threw himself down on the couch. Aryll was digging through the fridge, trying to find a snack. Link sighed, and dragged himself to his feet. He gently pushed Aryll aside, and got out something to make for dinner.

They had been on their own for almost three years. After Link's mother had died, they'd had to move in with their grandmother. Then she'd been shot down, just outside the building. Link had tried to pick up the slack after that. His family had a little money they'd left the two of them, but they had to be very careful, as it wouldn't last forever.

Link cooked silently, as he did almost anything. He didn't talk much. Living where they did, and seeing what he'd seen, had put him off talking to people. Now he only talked to Aryll, his friend Sheik, and his one time girlfriend Saria. Of course, since Saria was a Kokiri, she never grew up, so they'd broken things off before they got too weird.

Aryll smiled in gratitude, and turned on the TV in the living room. Link listened to the evening news as he stirred something in a pot on the stove. He'd never be as good a cook as his mother or grandmother, but he was getting better.

Suddenly, a reporter on the news caught his complete attention. "Just this evening the Union Council made a radical decision. We take you to Anna in front of Hyrule Castle with the latest. Anna?"

"That's right, Fanco. Tonight, the Council passed a new bill, making it nearly impossible for non-humans to get and hold jobs. By extension,it also limits funds to the non-human schools and unions as well. We may be seeing the rise of a new era for non-humans. Back to you, Fanco."

Aryll walked into the kitchen. Link looked down at the burned sauce, and sighed. He dumped it into the garbage and pulled out some microwavable dinners. Aryll sighed, but smiled in understanding. Link put hers in the microwave first, and then set it on the old kitchen table. Aryll was quiet as she ate, and Link popped his dinner into the microwave and listened to the TV. Another reporter was talking now.

"Well Fanco, we're unsure of the response the Equality Movement will give. Already, Union soldiers and law enforcement are preparing for riots. In Kokiri Forest and Zora's Domain, fights have already broken out. The nation is, put simply, a powder keg. Our prayers to the Goddess tonight that everything is resolved peacefully"

Link snorted. That was likely. The last time there had been major riots, they had taken years to finally settle. His mother had died in one of them. And Aryll's father. Link's own father had never been known to anyone but their mother, and she had never told him.

Aryll went off to study. Link sat on the couch watching TV for a while, until at last he fell asleep.

Link woke up quickly as a loud crash burst into his dreams. He sat bolt upright, and Aryll screamed in her room. Link jumped to his feet, and dashed down the short hallway. He burst into her room, to find her huddled under her blankets, staring out the window. Link sent her a questioning glance, then looked outside.

The street below was pandemonium. Humans, Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, and even a few Kokiri were running about, throwing things, screaming, and attacking random people. One of them glanced up at Link, and with a scream, threw a flaming bottle right at his window.

Link ducked away, and the molotov cocktail smashed against the side of the building with a violent fire-burst. Link stared at Aryll for a moment, then they both ran for the living room. Link grabbed a few things from his room on the way, blankets, and a baseball bat just in case the rioters got into their apartment.

They turned on the TV, and of course the riots were front and center. The reporters in the field were filmed being attacked and otherwise harassed. The military was getting mobilized to stop the demonstrations. The rioting had spread everywhere. In Zora's Domain, the signature waterfall was running with oil and gasoline that the residents had poured down it. In Kokiri Forest, the wooden houses had been set ablaze. In Kakiriko, the graveyard had been dug up and the dead strewn about the town. In Gerudo, the once famed fortress was the center of a siege.

Link and Aryll watched with wide eyes. Eventually, the clamor ended, and a politician appeared on the screen. It was one of the humans, an older looking man. He looked grim.

"Tonight we have reached a critical point in our history. The riots that have wracked our peaceful nation are at an end, thanks to our gallant military. However, we have no way to prevent this from happening again. Many of us, particularly non-humans, seem to have a hard time under our gentle leadership. And now, that has become dangerous. How can we, your leaders, stand by as they sow havoc and sorrow? We have decided that the time has come for drastic steps." He stepped to one side, and a man in a Union Army uniform stepped forward.

"Thank you, Councilman Terran. In the following days, we will be putting our plan into effect. Non-humans are becoming a threat to the safety of our nation. With the approval of your duly elected council, we will remove that threat, in any way possible. As I speak, the first stages of this plan are being carried out."

Just then, Link heard screaming down the hall. He was on his feet at once, pulling Aryll to hers. He gripped the baseball bat. And the door imploded.

Three men in Union Military uniforms rushed into the small space. Aryll screamed, and Link swung the bat. It hit the first man square in the side of his head, and he dropped like a rock. The other two pulled out pistols and started shouting at Link to drop the bat.

Link didn't drop the bat.

He went on the offensive, even though he knew he couldn't win. But he couldn't let them take Aryll. The bat knocked one man's gun from his hand, and then struck him in the stomach. He doubled over, and Link kicked him in the face before he could react. The last man stared at Link in horror, then reached out . . . .

. . . . And grabbed Aryll by the arm. He pulled her to him, and directed the gun at her head. "Drop the bat!" Link looked at Aryll, who looked close to hysterics. He dropped the bat.

And then a shadow appeared behind him. Link stared, and the man turned swiftly. The shadow took form, coalescing into a man-like shape. The man pointed the gun at Aryll again, and shouted, "Move! You'll let me pass or the girl dies!"

The dark being inclined his head slightly, and stepped aside. The soldier dragged Aryll out of sight down the hall, and then Link heard him shout, "I need back up down here!"

The dark being moved forward, and Link could see that it was either a human or a Hylian male. He was dressed all in dark blue, with a design like an eye on his chest. It had two tears leaking from the corners. His eyes were red, and the rest of his face was hidden behind a cloth mask. He grabbed Link's hand, despite the boy's protests, and turned to face the door. As more soldiers poured in, he threw something at their feet, and Link was blinded. He felt the dark man pull him backwards, then there was a sensation of falling.

He landed roughly, stumbling to his knees. He looked around, the blindness already fading. The dark warrior stood a few feet away, looking up. The soldiers hadn't come out of the building yet, and the warrior seemed to be satisfied. He looked over at Link, and said softly, "We need to get away from here. It's not safe for non-humans in Hyrule City anymore." Link blinked. He knew that voice.

Before he could ask, the dark warrior grabbed his hand again, and they were running. Link wasn't sure how he managed to keep up, because they ran across rooftops as often as they stayed on the ground. They passed out of the areas Link knew, and into the oldest part of the city.

They at last arrived at an old looking church. It had a faded and defaced Triforce symbol over the double doors, which made Link pause slightly. The old religion, worship of the Three Golden Goddesses, was forbidden. Everyone followed the Goddess of the Sands, following Gerudo traditions. If they worshiped at all.

The dark warrior led Link around to a side entrance. They ducked into the building, and Link was surprised to see it full of people. There weren't many humans here, but plenty of mixed races. A small group of Zoras were huddled together. A pair of Gorons were talking in low voices near the ancient alter. A large group of Deku Scrubs sat in a circle around the large dais in the center of the floor. There was a crowd of Kokiri near the main doors. And Hylians were scattered everywhere.

The dark warrior led Link over to a group of warriors dressed like him. Some were female. All had the same red eyes. The warrior stopped a few feet short, and an older man nodded to him. The warrior who'd escorted Link nodded back, and said, "Veran. I brought him, just as you said. But they took his sister." Link grabbed the warrior by the shoulder, and spun him so they were face to face. The warrior's red eyes flared, but he didn't strike Link.

Link ignored the momentary tightening of the warrior's muscles. "Sheik!" Because of course it was his childhood friend. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

Sheik pulled his mask down, baring his face. "We're getting people out. Our spies in the Union Council tell us that all non-humans are going to camps. They'll either be killed or forced to work for the rest of their lives. We're gathering as many as we can, trying to get them together and mobilized, in case it leads to a civil war."

Link blinked. It was all moving so fast. "We?"

Sheik shook his head. "The Sheikah. I'm sorry Link, but I've been lying to you for a long time. The Sheikah are still around, just secretly. We've been waiting for our chance to revive Hyrule." Veran and several other Sheikah nodded. "And we have a favor to ask of you, Link."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "What good can I do in all this? Did you forget? Aryll is still missing! We have to get her back!"

Veran interrupted. "We will do our best, but there are more important things to be taken care of." Link stared at him. The older Sheikah continued, "The Sheikah have long kept the legends and prophecies of Hyrule. This was foretold. The hero would appear, in the midst of turmoil. He would lose one precious to him, and-" He stopped, and went on. "And he will rescue all the land from oppression. He will revive the Three Golden Goddesses, and wielding their power, will bring an end to darkness."

Link took a step back. "And you think it's me?"

Sheik nodded. "There is a test. Follow me. And if you are the hero, I'll accompany you on your quest." He led Link to the alter, and turned to face the crowd. "Listen up! The time has come. I ask for the keys to the Door of Time!"

Three beings came forward. Link's eyes widened. Saria was one of them! She came forward meekly, hands held out to Sheik. Sheik took something from her, placing it in a little hollow on the alter. He turned to a Goron, who handed him another object. Link stepped closer to get a better look. The object from Saria was a huge emerald, so big that Link gasped. The Goron's object was a massive ruby, and the last object, taken from a Zora, was a large sapphire. They all fit perfectly into their little hollows.

Link glanced at Saria, who just shrugged and mouthed, "I'll tell you later." If there was a later. Sheik took out his harmonica, and played a quick melody. It flowed strong and deep through the entire building. Everyone stopped to stare, as the wall behind the alter started to shake. With a loud grinding noise, it split in two, opening like a massive set of doors. A dark passage led deeper into the church. Sheik led the way into this passage, and Link asked, "Okay, what in Goddess' name is going on?"

Sheik glanced at him. "This is one of the oldest buildings in Hyrule. It used to be called the Temple of Time. One of two, actually. The other is gone, but it used to stand deep in the Lost Woods. This one is particularly special. It holds the weapon of the hero." He stopped, and Link saw that they had come to a huge chamber, with windows set high in the walls. Faint light from outside illuminated a central platform, with a sword stabbed deep into a stone pedestal. "The Master Sword."