Chapter 00: Prologue

"Long, long ago, as many tales begin, in the once benevolent and beloved kingdom of Hyrule, an ordinary blade was implemented with the power of the four Royal Jewels.

"The Earth Element from a tiny shrine hidden amongst the grass in forests long gone; the Fire Element from a forgotten mining shaft atop a craggy mountain; the Water Element from a temple underneath the waters of Lake Hylia; and the Wind Element thought to be in an abandoned sky fortress; the four Royal Jewels gathered and forged into one created the sacred Four Sword.

"The Four Sword had the ability to split a bearer pure of heart into four, whose efforts combined could repel the great evil descending on the country.

"When the evil wind mage Vaati rose with a lust for power and malicious intent, a hero stepped up to the legendary blade, drew it from its pedestal, and trapped the demon in beneath a stone seal."

An old man stretches his back with a creak as his voice comes to a rest. A young boy sitting in front of him waits with wide, blue eyes for the long awaited conclusion of his favourite story. When the old man simply watches the fire embers burning and breathes in the fresh forest air, mesmerized and relaxed, the young boy can take it no longer.

"C'mon, Grampa! Didn't you say you were gonna tell me the whole story this time?"

"Hm? Did I?" the old man teases.

"Yes! You said that when we came out here you'd tell me the whole thing!"

"Mm, I suppose I did, didn't I? Well, alright then." The old man chuckles, amused at his grandson's interest. After glancing to his side where his granddaughter is peacefully snuggled in a blanket, eyes shut and breathing deep, he resumes the story.

"Some eight years ago, when evil surfaced again, a new hero shed the sacred Four Sword to fight.

"The stakes were high. Not only had they the wind sorcerer Vaati to defeat, but the evil beast Ganon as well, and countless demonic entities summoned with an ancient relic.

"However, after a long journey to the top of the Palace of Winds where Ganon resided, the heroes believed they could succeed if they only united as four ones and worked in tandem.

"Alas, they were wrong.

"The Dark Lord proved too strong.

"Nobody truly knows what happened that day, eight years ago atop the sky temple, but the fact was sure, our heroes had fallen, the beast Ganon had triumphed, and Hyrule, once a country of prosperity and kindness, fell to his rule and became a land where it's inhabitants fought daily, struggling to survive.

"The night after the four heroes fell, four beams of light soared from the Palace of Winds and then fell onto our beautiful Kingdom like shooting stars. Though their meaning unclear, those hopeful saw it as a message from the Goddesses announcing the birth of a new legend, one that promises the great evil plaguing Hyrule to be vanquished.

"The four heroes will be reborn anew."

"Or rather, that last part is what I believe." The old man shuts his eyes in thought, reminiscing of a night long before. "And that's the end, I'm afraid."

"That can't be it!" The boy is standing now, clutching his grandfather's capris.

"Calm down, my boy, you'll wake your sister."

"Where's the end of the story?" The boy beseeches. "Aren't they supposed to come back and beat Ganon?"

"Aye, not quite," the grandfather says. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

"But what about the princess? Didn't she help?"

"She couldn't have. After the heroes were slain, she remained captured and served as a sacrifice."

"So she's dead?"

The old man yawns and stretches again. "Come now, son, that's enough questions for tonight."

"But, but, what about -"

"Shh." The grandfather ushers his grandson to the side as he carefully moves his granddaughter cozily into a bedroll.

The boy, knowing from experience that he won't be getting any more information anytime soon, slips into his own sleeping bag indignantly.

"Ohoho, angry now, are we? Well, I'll tell you this," the old man sits between the two children. Once his grandson lay down properly he strokes his straight, blonde hair soothingly. "It is in my belief that a new hero is already upon us."

"Why's that?"

"Because, my boy, the time has come for darkness to return to the shadows once again. Now, rest, we've got a long day of training ahead tomorrow."

"Okay…"

Just before the grandfather retires to his own bedroll, he hears a sleepy voice ask one more question.

"Grampa…? Do ya think if I tried and practiced sword fighting a lot, I could be the hero?"

"I think you already know what I think, son. With enough focus you can become anything." He winks. "And with enough sleep you can focus."

"Alright…"

The older man finally lays atop his mat and watches the sky. Where there once were glittering stars sprinkled across the skyline there is now an empty gray atmosphere, a smothering barrier between a sea of beautiful lights and an apocalyptic land.

The once beautiful and kind kingdom of Hyrule was quickly replaced with a land full of monsters and siege. The ashes of old lush forests now sizzle in the dirt, the vast waters grow smaller every day. Very little of the old world survives to this day.

The old man glances once more to the children; the energetic little girl he and his wife adopted after her father, a friend, had passed in battle, and the ambitious young boy he himself had found abandoned near the lip of a cliff. For a fraction of a moment he sees a golden pyramid shimmer across the boy's left hand as the moonlight's soft rays graze over it, and then he slips into slumber.

There we go. Finally done. :)

I usually include prologues in my work as a setting set-up. The real story begins in chapter one.

If anyone has any questions I'll address them when I post the next chapter. If anyone has criticism for me I ask that it be constructive and not flammable. The chapters to follow the prologue will be longer than this.

Thanks for reading!