It has been some time since I've posted a story, and even longer since I've posted one for Legend of Zelda. Hopefully, I've learned a thing or two since then. Beyond that, I think I should say a couple of things that I left out of the summary. This is a grim story. There will be considerable violence, psychological trauma, potentially controversial subject matter, and possibly other things as this story develops. The first couple of chapters will be pretty clear of that stuf, but later on, don't say I didn't warn you. There is a chance that this story's rating will increase, so I felt it only fair to warn you in advance. Without further ado, let's begin the story!
From his post atop the highest tower, Morgan Harkinian, High King of Hyrule, stared out over the fields below him, towards the town at his castle's foot, and beyond into the seemingly endless plains of Hyrule Field. The disturbance was drawing nearer, an aberration in the fabric of the world. Morgan brushed his long white hair out of his eyes. On the back of his hand, an image of the Triforce was emblazoned, though it had been dark for years. He let out a weary sigh. So it has come to this. He had suspected as much when Irun, King of Zora's Canyon, had sent word to him about the mysterious illness of their guardian demigod, Jabu-Jabu. Only a powerful magician, skilled in manipulating Spirit, could have visited such devastation on such a powerful being. And Morgan knew of only one being with that potential. Even though the Triforce of Power had been gone from his hand for decades now, the magical sensitivity it had granted Morgan lingered on, and King Ganondorf Dragmire had done little to mask his thoughts. How his power has grown.
For last time Morgan had spoken with the King of the Gerudo Deserts, two months ago, there had been barely a hint of magic about him, no more than any male Gerudo could instinctively call upon. But now, as the same man rode towards his castle with greed in his heart and murder in his mind, he stood out like a beacon to anyone graced with magical sensitivity. How he had gathered so much power so quickly was a mystery, and one unlikely to ever be solved. The means weren't important anymore; what was important was that it would take nothing short of divine intervention for Morgan to overcome him. With the passing of the Triforce from his possession, all that allowed him to use his power was the lingering trace of Din's Gift. Most Hylians had no magic at all, and as for Morgan, while he certainly had more experience, Ganondorf had him significantly outgunned. Not only was he able to marshal more power, Spirit power could overwhelm Light power with relative ease. The only realistic hope for his kingdom now was to ensure that Ganondorf did not claim the Triforce, or capture the Royal Line.
As if summoned by his thoughts, a woman cleared her throat behind him. Morgan turned to face his most devoted servant, the last of her kind. "Impa," he said, his voice grim
The tall Sheikhah inclined her head. "Your Majesty."
"Have you taken Zelda to the stables?"
"Yes."
"She has the Ocarina?"
"Of course."
"Good." Morgan turned back to his view. "Keep her safe, Impa. And don't let Ganondorf's servants get their hands on the Ocarina. As long as Ganondorf can't open the Door of Time, we have a chance." He paused for a moment. "Do you know anything new about what became of the Spiritual Stones?"
Impa shook her head sadly, "No, my lord, I'm afraid not. All we know is that a young boy, allegedly of the Kokiri, claimed both Zora's Sapphire and Goron's Ruby. We have no word of Kokiri's Emerald, but all things considered, we can be reasonably certain that he has it as well."
"Until we find him, nothing is certain. The Kokiri rarely stir from their forests. Regardless of whether he has it or not, Kokiri Forest is still the best place to start. You must warn the Deku Tree of what has happened here today."
"The castle has not fallen yet."
"But it will. I have sent a quarter of the guards into the town, to buy the people time to escape. Another quarter remains here in the castle. The rest have fled to Kakariko, where they will attempt to build a larger force to overcome Ganondorf." Morgan sighed. "If we hadn't been spread so thin, fighting the Moblin raiders, we might've been able to rally in time to stop him. As it is, we don't have enough troops to have any chance of holding him back. Stopping Ganondorf will have to fall to you, and whatever army you are able to raise." He turned back around to look Impa in the eye. "You must go now," he said. "Give Zelda my love, and tell her that one day, she will return."
Impa bowed, turned on her heel, and left.
Ganondorf ground his teeth in frustration as the horse vanished into the distance. He'd been so close! If not for that damn Sheikhah's shadow trick, he would've caught them. Despite all of his power, Spirit could not overcome Shadow, just as Light could not overcome Spirit. If only he could get his hands on the Triforce, all magic would bend to his will, not merely Spirit. But that brat of a Princess had the Ocarina of Time! All his instincts screamed at him to chase the horse, run it into the ground, and take back the Ocarina.
And yet, if he didn't take the castle, High King Morgan would have time to prepare his defenses, and he could find himself trapped on the wrong side of the moat, prevented from reaching the Temple of Time. He'd hoped to take them by surprise and accomplish both goals at once, but now… There was nothing for it. He had to go back. As he prepared to wheel his horse around, something caught his attention. Standing on the ground next to him, was a boy. Not more than 12, by the look of him. Although he was dressed like a Kokiri, Ganondorf could sense the Light of a Hylian. And that wasn't the only thing. His eyes widened. The boy had the Spiritual Stones! This was even better than he'd hoped! Although he couldn't take the Stones from him, for they had to be given, perhaps this boy could be useful to him. Ganondorf turned and smiled down at him. He lifted one hand, and, calling on the magic that had become as simple as breathing to him, he slammed the boy with a low power blast of Spirit, designed to injure, not kill. Then, wrapping himself in an illusion, he dropped from his horse, simultaneously summoning an illusion of himself in the saddle, and with a slap to its hindquarters, sent the horse running off into the fields. As the boy stood, Ganondorf smiled to himself. Perhaps things would turn out all right after all.
The boy stood up, brushing himself off. Ganondorf watched in surprise as the boy, instead of entering the town, dove into the moat. Why would he… But then the boy resurfaced, something blue clutched in his hand, and Ganondorf almost laughed aloud. The Ocarina of Time! So Zelda hadn't taken it with her! A clever ruse, he had to admit, but now he was all the better off for it! This boy would open the door of time for him, and he, Ganondorf Dragmire, would take the Triforce for his own. Now back out of the moat, the boy crossed the bridge into the town, Ganondorf at his heels.
The market square was in chaos. After Ganondorf's quick run at the castle, guards were herding civilians into houses as they struggled to form a defensive position at the Castle Road. Ganondorf looked around quickly; the boy had pulled a bit ahead of him in the confusion. He spotted him, heading for the decrepit form of the Temple of Time looming over the town. Ganondorf started pushing to through the crowd after him, before remembering he was still invisible. As he slammed into the first civilian, his cloak of Spirit destabilized, and collapsed. In a flurry of orange sparks, he was visible again. There was a split second of absolute silence, where all eyes seemed drawn to him. Then, a scream of terror went up, civilians started scrambling away from him, and a defensive line of guards rushed him. Ganondorf saw the boy slip behind the guards and take off running for the temple. Snarling in frustration, Ganondorf hurled a bolt of Spirit energy into the mass of guards, sending many of them flying. Had they been farther away, he could've picked them all off with another couple of blasts, but as they closed with him, he had no choice but to pull free his glaive from its position on his back, and parry the first spear thrust. Employing a tactic he had learned long ago from his mother, Ganondorf flung himself forward, through the hole in the line he'd created, and spun his glaive in a wide arc, sending soldiers sprawling. On another day, he'd have taken time to pierce the chinks in their armor, but right now he was in a hurry. He started running forward, blasting aside a couple of guards who rushed to meet him, and left behind the chaos of the square as he ascended the path to the temple. He saw no sign of the boy in green, and his heart started hammering. What if he was too late? Without the Triforce, he would have no choice but to fight a long, drawn out war. Thousands would die needlessly, and he might not even win. He dug in, and ran even faster.
The moment Ganondorf entered the Temple of Time, he knew it was too late. The three Spiritual Stones gleamed from their slots in the pedestal, and the Door of Time was open. He didn't need to extend his senses to perceive the divine barrier preventing access to the Sacred Realm of the Triforce. And yet… There was no sign of the child, and he knew he would've sensed it if the boy had touched the Triforce. Clearly, the boy had beaten him here, but if so, then where was he? And then it hit him.
The Master Sword. Of course. The boy had needed to pull the sword free to open the Sacred Realm, but his body wasn't capable of wielding it yet. He was trapped in limbo as his body matured. Ganondorf let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. There was still time.
He closed his eyes and brought the Spiritual Vision of the temple into his mind. Light energy saturated the entire area, the brightness making his head hurt. This temple was probably the only place in Hyrule that Light could overpower Spirit. He could feel the Forest, Fire, and Water energies running from the Spiritual Stones into the Door of Time, and he could feel the unyielding, merciless Divine energy shielding the Sacred Realm from his sight. Ganondorf smiled to himself. Maybe he couldn't claim the Triforce yet, but the keys were in the lock, and with time and effort, he was confident he could overcome the barrier. But until then… His smile faded.
Until then, he had a war to fight. He cast his mind out, far from the temple, out of the town, across endless miles of Hyrule field, and through the deserts of his homeland, until finally, he felt a spark of Spirit. The farther he cast his mind, the harder it was to see. His vision had shown him nothing but blackness after he'd gotten a mile from the Castle Town, but now, out in the desert, he saw a bright spark of Spirit. His proxy was ready to receive his instructions from any distance. He sent a message through. Send the 6th Legion to Hyrule Castle. The war has begun.
Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? I'm aware this chapter leaves you with a number of mysteries; it is a prologue, after all. Don't worry, your confusion will be resolved. Reviews fuel my creative fires.