Title: Second Try
Chapter: Prologue - Heroes are born, not made.
Warnings: None, so far.
A/N: Thought I would try my hand at typing a Legend of Zelda story. Based on an imagined adventure, so I'm allowed to have a guy Sheik and the like. I spent more time on this than usual, since I don't have a beta reader, so if anyone is willing to look over my work, that would be fantastic. I know I should have found some one myself, but the time was getting a bit stretched, and I am a very impatient person, some times. Well, not much to say, so R&R.
Ever since I could remember, he has always been watching over me...
A village with little to spare. Their boundaries scavenged by merciless troops of demented creatures. Within this tiny village, soldiers in dark armor searched every nook and cranny for children bearing a birthmark of curious origins. While many parents were in fear for their children and in anger for these intruders, only one couple were holding their fear in a different way.
Three days beforehand, a young Sheikah warrior had visited this village. He didn't sneak in. No, he waltzed right in with the intention of speaking to their leader. The warrior was granted this, though many eyes watched as this top notch fighter padded his way into the home of their leader with curiosity and speculation. It wasn't everyday they had visitors, let alone some one so far from home.
The house was modest, yet dim from the lack of windows. A few treasures of interest could be seen if you took the time to notice, yet the only thing more attention grabbing was the fire. It sparked the Sheikah's interest—though not for the reasons many would think. The wife had noticed the teen before her husband. She boisterously called for the Sheikah to sit down on the couch opposite of her husband so they could both be comfortable as they spoke. Only then did he move from the entrance and sit down.
The leader was a burly man aging in his years, yet still strong enough to not only lead his people, but take down a few Bokoblin with the war-hammer perched right next to his seat. The bandages wrapped around his leg proved he would have difficulty fulfilling that last part.
"Welcome to Ordon Village. I am called Lenhart. What brings you here?" He said in a gruff voice.
"A warning. A chance to save your village from destruction," The Sheikah frankly replied, getting right down to business. He noted the foreign origin of the chief's name, yet spoke nothing of it. It wasn't his business, nor his mission. For now, his job involved warning the figurehead and finding the child of legend.
Lenhart stiffened, yet gave no other telltale sign of panic. "Go on." His wife, meanwhile, placed down a tray of biscuits and tea with shaking hands. She was about to pour the drink when her husband pulled on her sleeve, indicating that he would pour the tea with the silent gestures most older couples used after so many years of marriage. Quietly, she sat next to him, wringing her hands to keep her nerves from showing.
As the older gentleman filled their cups, the Sheikah told as much of the story as he could without giving away all the details. "Soldiers and monsters under the Gerudo king's rule have been invading villages, looking for a child with the birthmark of the legendary hero. They are on their way here as we speak. Monsters of all kinds border Ordon now, leaving a large-scale evacuation as a fool-hardy option."
The moment was full of tension. The man picked up a biscuit and bit it with an exaggerated motion, chewing and swallowing before saying in a way that most likely was carefully chosen and worded out, "What happens to the village where they find this kid?"
The Sheikah's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The likelihood of some one asking this question if their hands are clean is too rare this early in the game. "Burned, with everyone burned down with it."
Both husband and wife gazed into each other's eyes, imperceptible to the untrained eye. Instead of Lenhart, it was his wife who spoke to the visitor, "Our son bears the same mark as the legendary hero. Please, is there any way you can save him? You said so yourself that a large scale evacuation would be impossible, but surely a wee baby would pose little trouble to escort to safer ground." Tears were forming in her eyes, yet she would not shed a single tear in front of their guest. "Certainly, you wouldn't have come all this way if the royal family didn't intend to save all hope for Hyrule!" Her husband grasped her hand, letting his comforting strength pour into her.
The silence stretched on for what could seem like eternity until the Sheikah finally said, "If I save your child, there is the chance that you will never see your son again."
She was at a loss for words. Lenhart picked up for her with, "If he goes with you, we at least know he will be kept alive. He can grow up knowing about the strong village of Ordon, even if he knows not of the parents and their sacrifice for him." At this, his wife stifled a sob, her heart broken from the idea of giving up her baby.
The Sheikah nodded, understanding the pain they must be feeling. "I will take him, then, and make sure he will be where no monsters or soldiers will be able to reach."
Both Lenhart and his wife smiled in relief, standing. The woman to prepare her child's departure, and the man to clasp the young warrior on the shoulder. "Thank you, stranger. Are there any supplies you may need before you leave?"
The Sheikah didn't like being touched, yet he allowed this little gesture—considering the circumstances and such. "I am fully prepared. Whatever the baby needs, pack for him."
Lenhart nodded, sitting back down to relieve the strain on his leg. "I will be unable to tell the villagers why you are leaving with my heir, though I must alert them to the upcoming danger so as to keep them from panicking. You are sure you will be able to escape the dangers you say is outside of Ordon?"
"Yes. Worry for your people, sir."
He gave a sober nod, standing up again and walking to the door with as much ease as he could with an injured leg. The woman came back with the child wrapped in warm blankets and a small bag full of clothing and milk. The warrior was mildly surprised at the boy's age. The baby looked only a few months old, unable to speak, let alone fight the dark king's forces.
Lenhart held his boy in his arms, looking down at the baby as he told him, "Remember, you're mother and I love you, Link. One day, we'll be one happy family again. I promise." In the man's eyes, you could see how much it pained him to say such words. His heart believed in them, though, and no matter what, he would make this come true. After all, he promised.
The Sheikah stood from his seat, not missing a beat. Once standing near the couple, he was handed the baby and the bag. Both felt weightless to him. Certainly, leaving the village would pose no problem at all.
As the wife opened the door for the two, she only saw her husband leave the house. Turning around, she realized the young Sheikah had practically vanished into thin air. Closing the door behind her, she looked around, wondering if the boy had simply taken a different exit. Nothing seemed tampered with. Sitting down in the same place as before, she allowed herself to wail over her missing child. She took the tray back into the kitchen. She never noticed that it was all emptied, from all the biscuits to even the pot of tea.
So, it all led to Ordon today: infiltrated and falling apart.
Just outside of the village, in the forests, underneath the tallest tree overlooking it all was the young Sheikah. Held in his arms was the infant, keen on looking up into the warrior's face with interest. He himself looked over at Ordon every once in a while, keeping the delicate net of Sheikah magic as undetectable as possible.
It was the only thing keeping these savages from killing the people.
The delicate procedure not only kept the villagers safe, but also made the demons creeping around from going anywhere near the tree. From afar, the area looked more like a faint, dark red haze was flowing around he place. It was an exhausting procedure, but necessary. The plans made it possible for Ordon Village to survive. They would be needed in the future.
As the soldiers and monsters drifted away, back to the castle, the Sheikah himself followed his own path. He could not risk having anyone finding them now. The mission was as clear as a cloudless sky.
Deeper into the forests held the warrior's hideout. This far in, no human life could be seen—that is, until the small tree-house within the branches of a sturdy tree made itself known. Such a place could keep a single person living comfortably; the expanse of branches from neighboring trees most likely made it impossible to spread the boundaries farther. No problem though. The Sheikah wouldn't need it, anyway.
Said person first carried the supplies up into the home before taking the child up. It was a good call, for it gave him the chance to find the best way to climb the height without harming whatever was in his possession.
The room inside was simple as simple could be. A bed, many furred blankets, and a table. At least there was a window to let the sunshine come in. Link was placed on the bed, left to stare up at the red eyes of his savior; said man was wrapping the child with the furs as best he could.
"I may not be much of a father, but this will have to do. When you grow, you shall know me as Sheik," He said, his form fading away. "For now, rest, tiny hero." Gone. No longer could anyone be seen but the tiny baby huddled in blankets.
Link grew in the wild. When he was old enough, Sheik taught him to gather plants and to discern poisonous from healthy. Able to gather, the Sheikah would spent his time hunting, or at a state unreachable and unfindable to Link. He felt more alone than ever, until the Sheikah decided to train him. First in making and patching up clothing, which the young boy found pointless until Winter came. Alone in the tree-house, he made clothing out of the animal skins. No matter if he went foraging or not, the warrior always brought Link meat. The rate he brought it decreased, until the boy saved up as much as he could. Thankfully, the winter didn't last forever.
Spring brought back the warmth and the plants, which eventually brought the animals back too. Good timing! Ribs were poking from the poor child's body. This was the worst Winter yet. With the new season came new lessons. Sheik taught the child to fight. It went a little something like this:
Link charged right at Sheik, his wooden sword poised for a final blow. Graceful as water, the warrior dodged to the side. He extended a leg, tripping up the little fighter as expected.
"Rule one: Watch out for your opponent."
Link groaned, looking over to where his guardian stood, unscathed. Picking himself right back up, he held the weapon in front of him, reanalyzing his strategy. This time, Sheik took out a dagger, its blade gleaming from care over the years. At this, the kid visibly gulped.
"Do not show fear to your opponent."
At that, Link steeled himself, drawing from an inner power—a feral power—the look in his eyes like the predators he feared for so long. After this, he would no longer fear them. He would kill them. Quick as lightening, he went for the Sheikah again. This time, he took noticed of his opponent. The twitch of muscle alerted him to the warrior's move, giving him time to switch the hold on his sword as Sheik brought the dagger down on Link.
Inside, Sheik was fully prepared to stop the attack before he harmed the boy, so this move mentally shocked him. He didn't have time to readjust his maneuver, so the warrior pushed away Link's sword and jumped back, throwing the dagger to miss the boy by just a centimeter. This froze the child in his place.
"Training is over..." Sheik said in an even, clipped tone. Upon noticing the upset look upon the boy's face—sad for thinking he failed his trainer—he placed a hand on Link's shoulder. Link is Hylian. As close to appearance their races were, he needed more love an attention than what a normal Sheikah child required, especially at ten years old. "Is there anything you would like?"
Upon hearing those words, Link stared into Sheik's eyes. The way those blue eyes stared, it was as though the kid was looking through him, into his past. Link himself was honored at the proposal the older male offered. This wasn't an everyday opportunity. "Anything, anything?"
"Whatever you wish, Link."
"Will Sheik spend more time with me?"
A moment passed by as Sheik pondered this, his mind musing again over how Hylian children loved attention. Feeling his magic flow healthily from training until the levels rose, he didn't suspect any harm would come from a few extra moments with Link. So, since the mask characteristically known of Sheikah warriors was down to rest around his neck, the small smile wasn't missed by Link. "My schedule doesn't leave much room, but there is enough for you to see me more." In other words, yes.
Grinning like a fool, Link picked up Sheik's weapon, handing it over to the Sheikah. This was the first time he felt so happy, so cheerful. The thoughts of lonely nights full of fears, after Sheik thought Link was old enough to handle the nightmares, disappeared for now.
Despite the weariness in his soul, Sheik could not only sense Link's happiness, but saw it every moment the boy felt proud of himself for accomplishing any tasks Sheik set out for him. Already, the boy was growing stronger, resembling the thoughts Sheik first had of what the hero would be. Even sparring matches were becoming a challenge. Now, to bring hope back to society.
Late one chilly night, Link offered a homemade blanket for the umpteenth time, hoping this would be the lucky day Sheik would try out his handiwork. Politely, the offer was refused.
"We need to talk," Sheik stated, seeing the surprised look of Link turn into one of humble patience.
"Okay, go ahead," Link replied, his manner of speech not too far from Sheik's.
"Your whole life, you have been sheltered. Tomorrow, we shall hike up to the nearest village and find supplies fit for travel."
Link couldn't believe his pointed ears. His head was swimming with ideas. He had never been out of the forest. What if people didn't like him? Or he didn't fit into society? These little fears subsided as Sheik continued.
"I should have enough rupees for a few nights boarding. Take the time to adjust to village life before we set out for our next destination."
Well, Sheik knows how to handle people; at least, it sounded like he did.
"Leave everything but water and some scraps of food behind."
"So... This is for real?"
This brought a tug to Sheik's lips, Link's naivety. "Yes. And before I forget..." On cue, the Sheikah took from his lap the package stealing at the boy's attention the entire day. "Happy fifteenth birthday, Link." It was wrapped in a colorful kind of cloth Sheik had said was paper a year ago. The pretty string tying the paper together was always saved along with the gift—he couldn't tear himself to waste anything his guardian thought of spending on him.
"Thank you, Sheik!" Carefully unwrapped, the inside of the present was revealed to be clothes. These weren't ordinary clothes, though. The seems were delicately sewn, yet the thread used proved to be strong. Even some light chain-mail to add to defense without dragging down the wearer. The green color really spoke to him—he knew green added to camouflage, but it seemed to be more than that. Something... deeper.
Removing the tattered clothing full of holes and makeshift patches, Link realized he didn't have much of an idea which layers went first. Without skipping a beat, Sheik shifted through the clothing until he handed the teen the undergarments first. As soon as those were in place, the cream pants went on next, along with the belt and chain-mail. Last, the tunic, gloves, boots, and cap. Although a bit heavy, and loose, the cloth felt so soft on his skin. Familiar too, yet he'd remember wearing something, anything, like this.
"Wow, this is great..." Link whispered from his awe. Testing the movement, he couldn't help the feeling of deja vu, no matter how new this experience was to him.
"There is a legend behind them. One I can only say, here in the comfort of these walls," Sheik started, indicating his reluctance to stop for anything. Link picked up on this, his full attention on him. "The legend of a great hero to save the old kingdom of Hyrule. As time began, the three Goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore, created the kingdom. Din, the Goddess of power, cultivated the empty space, and created the red earth. Nayru, the Goddess of wisdom, bestowed her divine wisdom upon the land, and created the world's laws to give a sense of justice and order to the land, and to guide the people in the Goddesses' absence. Farore, the goddess of courage, endowed Hyrule with her powers, creating life to follow this justice.
"Together, they gave the land the triforce, the power to control the world. The triforce was born pure, judging man not by good or evil. Fearing for the safety of the land, three people were born to bear a piece of the triforce. For centuries, their lineage continued in peace, until the one bearing the mark of power hungered to rule the lands and all the people living on them.
"Darkness fell over the land as he killed the ones who bore the marks of Wisdom and Courage—the princess of Hyrule, and the hero of Hyrule— to gain the power of their triforce pieces. He did not succeed as planned.
"The hero, as valiantly as he fought, could not save the princess. In his last moments, he cast out the triforce shard of Courage, out to be born again in a new body. It is said the hero will rise up against the dark king again and bring freedom to Hyrule, as well as break the shard of Wisdom and shard of Power from each other so the princess of Hyrule and king of the Gerudo tribe may be reborn."
At the end of the story, Link merely gave a blank gaze, completely awestruck. To think he was wearing the clothes of a legendary hero made his skin crawl. The entire story ended in such sorrow, yet the hope towards the end gave him the courage to face any challenge he faced.
"Now, get some sleep," Sheik said, interrupting Link's reverie. "We leave early tomorrow."
Link nodded, getting ready for bed, fully dressed. Little did he know, Sheik was already gone. For now, his mind wrapped around the story. When he heard it, he saw himself as the hero, and even though he knew nothing of the outside world, he could see the image of Hyrule castle so clear in his head, he could have felt the cool touch of the stone walls, or heard the footsteps of the dark king as he walked towards the hero in mock serenity. The image of flaming eyes and blood was the last thing Link saw as he fell into a dreamless sleep.