A child lay sleeping in a pair of arms that held him so affectionately that they could only belong to his mother. No sound could be heard in the small four-corner room but the creaking of the chair the mother was sitting in. The husband, a tattered man with a hard, sunken face and a short beard, lay soundly on a square bed of hay that was just big enough for him to sleep in. He lay so quietly and motionless that he appeared to be torn from the painting of an artist that could capture more than the essence of life.

The woman was asleep as well, although she was still dressed in her working clothes, which were dirty and patched in the knees. Her face however reflected the complete opposite. There were no lit candles, but the moonlight that shone through the open porthole that was situated on the west side of the room was enough to exhibit her golden hair as if it were a reflective surface.

It was too perfect to last for much longer.

From outside in the narrow streets of Hyrule Castle Town Market there emanated an ear-splitting crash. Scattered light instantly broke through the curtains of shadow, revealing the shattered glass that had fallen from a now-broken window that must have come from a neighbouring house. This alerted the family, and an intense commotion began as the baby boy started to cry. As the mother attempted to quiet the child, the husband reached towards the side of the bed for an axe. He ran across the bedroom and opened the door to another room, returning within seconds holding a burning torch.

The man leapt back from the open window as soon as he reached it, and people whose ghostly silhouettes told him were all female climbed through it. As he brought the torchlight up to the crowd, his face wrought with fear, he discovered that his nightmare was being realized before his very eyes.

These women were not Hylians, but Gerudos.

He didn't have to tell his wife to run, because he ran too, and she followed. Another riot… this is exactly the kind of trouble the guards have been having these past few months… he thought as he clambered through the door and slammed it shut behind them to give them more time. But before it could be locked, it burst back open so hard that it fell from its hinges. At least half a dozen Gerudo women now leapt towards him and his family. They were all carrying spears, and long ones.

In the panic, he brought his axe up before the leading Gerudo and down towards her head, but she easily sidestepped the savage attack recovering just as a second attack was thrown by the Hylian. This time, however, the Gerudo was ready; she reacted by swinging her own spear defensively in the approaching weapon's direction. Sure enough, a strident ringing noise sounded throughout the room as the blades met.

As the female warrior held her position, she spoke in the Gerudo tongue to her comrades, and with a quick flick of her head, motioned them outside. With swiftness that only one of her kind could achieve, she recoiled and struck once more with the double-edged blade. He knew that the Gerudo was superior to himself, but he had no intention of backing down and surrendering his family to his enemy. Yelling savagely, he ducked underneath the horizontal attack and used the heavy axe to swing at the Gerudo's feet.

But once again, she outwitted him. Using her agility, she changed the direction of the attack at the last second and swung towards the Hylian's chin. Now, caught unawares, he could not defend himself against the assault.

Everything around him fell silent as he heard his own jawbone crack.

Now, with his axe buried in the wooden floor, the malicious Gerudo standing over him like a goddess of death, and his house wrecked beyond logical repair, he had no choice but to flee.

He called to his wife to follow, and the three darted through the front door. They raced towards the stables, which, luckily, were only across the street, for the Gerudo could overtake them easily without a horse.

He didn't have time to find his own stead, so he reached for the nearest one, untied it as quick as he could, and swung a saddle onto the animals back. It was alarmed by all the sudden movement, however, and escaped from its new owners hands. He could only just escape the whinnying hooves before the horse took off in a race against the wind down the road. Several Gerudos moved evasively from the charging animal, but most could not escape from its path.

The sudden attack from the beast gave them enough time to untie another animal and saddle it. This time they succeeded, and the mother, carrying the wailing baby in her arms, climbed onto the back of the horse with the help of her husband.

Before the man could reach for another horse, he felt cold metal reach his back. The pain he felt, emotionally and physically, as the blade sunk through his flesh was indescribable, but as he fell, he managed to scream his final word to his wife, pain coursing threw his limp jaw as he spoke:

"RIDE!"

The lady now had no choice but to leave her dying husband behind. She dug her heels into the horse's sides as hard as she could and almost fell off as the animal took off.

It was then, from somewhere within the streets, a poison arrow dove through the air and, inexplicably, reached its target.

--

It had been a long, hard ride, but by the three goddesses, she had made it to the Kokiri forest, the one forsaken place in Hyrule where there was no evil to be found. Safety.

She had made it, but dying, sure enough.

When she had escaped the commotion long enough to pry the arrow from her weakened body, it had already been too late. The poison was already spreading through her veins.

She fell off the horse and rolled down a tall hill, making no effort to stop herself. She never did find out when she stopped rolling.

--

When she woke, she found herself choking on blood. She knew, without a doubt, that she was going to die, and all she could think about was the future of her child.

Although she didn't realize it, the baby was safe, cradled in her arms, and she was laying in a huge meadow. In the centre of the meadow was a tree, equally as monstrous.

From somewhere in that meadow, a deep, booming voice, reached her ears. As it did, time itself seemed to fall into total arrest.

"WHAT BE YOUR BABY'S NAME?"

A barely audible mutter came from the woman's lips. "Link…"

Again, her vision faded and she fell unconscious. This time, however, she never woke.