this short introduction is a fanficion idea for a new take on the first legend of zelda.
The old man was mid story when the last youth came to sit and listen in the sacred meeting place just beyond castle Hyrule. Often times the children would gather as they had that evening to hear tales of old Hyrule, hoping to know more about the hero of time. This time, the youths could tell that the story would be interesting as the old sage spoke quite slowly, savouring every word as he spoke it as if he himself was trying to return back in time to the ancient days of adventure.
He continued,
"When the land had filled with hate, suffering and war, a godess descended from the heavens and gave to the last untainted soul the gift of the triforce... A single wish. "
The childrens eyes stared blankly at the stone wall beyond the elder, captured in that moment in what might have been awe to behold the triforce in its entirety.
"Being fair and just, the woman who was left this devine gift asked of the triforce to add balance to the world; so that in darkness there would always be a powerful light to guide those who would seek it out.
As legend goes, soon after this gift was bestowed upon the people of this world, heroes emerged from the chaos and fell their enemies. Rivalries became friendships and good people everywhere began to band together.
... But because the world was fair and balanced, the darkness collected after having been beaten back by the light. It collected in the place we now know as the underworld, who's deep dark caves are said to echo unnaturally to the beating of its heart of darkness.
And what became of the triforce you might ask.
It was torn thrice.
The three pieces where found by the early king and founder of Hyrule. Two pieces he kept to himself. The third he gave to his people.
But it wasn't long before the injured darkness lusted for strength and crept from the safety of its womb to seize a new found Power.
... And so it came to be that the darkness gained a piece of the triforce from the early king in one fell swoop. Though, being forever hungry for power, it attempted to gain another piece, the fair king managed to protect it, giving up his very life to ensure our safety today.
But that would not be the last time that the tides of darkness would kiss our Hyrulian soil. One hundred years would pass before an unsettling message could be heard leaving the lips of inhabitants from all over. That time washed away all the remnants of the olden days of war save a single warlord whom endured the test of time and finally came into possession of the triforce of power. It was rumoured that this warlord was not a man, but a terrible beast. "
As the sage described this terrible monster, the children felt the room grow darker. There imagination began to go wild. The images of the beast became more vivid.
"He was known only as Ganon.
He was the first to come close to reuniting the three pieces of the triforce. Where it not for some fearless hero..."
The children began to speak amongst themselves. Was the old man referring to the hero of time?
"Can you imagine that that hero would eventually dawn the very green tunic his forefathers bared proudly in the olden days of war? The very same green Tunic I see some of you wearing on this day"
The once soft chatter amongst children became louder with excitement.
"Can you imagine that our hero might have sat one day in the past and listened to stories of old as you are today? Unknowing of the great destiny that waited him?"
The children became quite boisterous at this time, but this did not phase the old man one bit. As it was his intention to rattle these youths during his story.
"Yes. It is important to remember that our fine hero, whose early light hearted misadventures, would lead him to stumble upon the path of the hero of time..."
Said the old man, lightening the volume of his voice to a whisper, the voices of the children paralleled this change until finally the silence that followed the old mans pause was all consuming.
"... Was just like you and I. In some respects too might have been the princess Zelda, whose brave and courageous heart held but one fatal weakness: A piercing gaze that would try and discern some good in everything. A gaze that would inevitably, one day let darkness into our kingdom.
Or too we might be like the young Gerudo prince whose dismissive eyes veiled an intense longing for power that would one day lead him to the dark lord Ganon."
Intrigued, the children listened attentively to every word by this point. But the old sage being well versed in the art of story telling was about to suspend his audience in anticipation.
"The story I'll tell you about our hero may be a little different then the ones you may remember being told by others in this very room... A story about our hero's very first encounter with evil. About how two friends became sworn enemies and the wielders of courage and power. About how Ganon fell and two followers took up his legacy... Yes this story is unlike the others because it has shades of grey instead of black and white. This story..."
He paused
"Is better left to begin tomorrow"
The children all sighed unhappily in unison. Not only did this story teller feel proud of having made in impact worthy of such a profound unhappiness for delivering the story in sequences, but also felt it was his duty to ensure the children would be home in time for chores and meals before bedtime.
Slowly the room emptied and only the sage was left in the sacred gathering place. Alone, He entered into the quiet natural hum the room provided and pictured himself in a Hyrule forest from his youth. The joy of adventure washed over him once more as he could vividly see in his minds eye, the man they called Link venture past him. The adventurer clutched the master sword in hand, gleaming with the hope of all the people who witnessed how it casted away the fears and darkness. He could remember how he was in that instant part of the legend...
And so too would be the children he would tell the story too...
The Legend of Zelda