A/N: I know Breath of the Wild isn't due to release until March 3rd, but to kill time, I wrote this experimental one-shot because… I dunno. I was bored.
Oh, and, uh, the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the property of Nintendo. All rights for the game go to Nintendo.
Sara
I parted my golden hair and wiped the sweat from my forehead. It had been several days since I left. I knew I should and so did she. It was safer this… for the both of us.
The problem was… I had no idea where to go. I even asked that woman where I should go, but she just said, "You will meet him in time. He has the beacon that will show you the way." Why couldn't that Sheikah just be direct with me?
So, I did what I could. I slaughtered monsters and used the weapons I got from them as my own. It would be better if I only used my powers in an emergency… That defector could've killed me, and I was still kind of healing from that fight.
As for food, the trees were abundant with fruit. I wished for some meat, but… I don't like hunting… It's… wrong.
The sun was starting to set, so I sought a place to build shelter. No clouds were out tonight, so I set up a fire near some trees. There were towers that had appeared since I started the journey to nowhere. I planned to head their tomorrow.
When I stayed with her, she told me of Calamity Ganon, but the wild and nature seemed so beautiful. Here I was, sitting under the star and it was absolutely quiet. The grass blew so gently in the breeze. The wildlife was flourishing… At the same time, it gave me a strange sense of sorrow. Maybe it was because the only reason the wild was this beautiful was because the kingdom had fallen into decline from the great calamity.
I began to feel something on my face. It ran down on my cheek until I touched it with my palm. It was… a tear? Why did it come out of my eyes? I wasn't really that sad… I took a deep breath and sat down, letting the calming wind lull me to sleep.
I decided where I set up last night would be a temporary base. Today I was going to check out the tower nearby. I thought if I got to the top, I could get a better understanding of what was around me and where else I could explore.
It was only just sunrise when I woke up. Yet, I was already met with an encounter. I climbed a tree for fruit when I spotted a person at my camp. He was searching through my sachet. I jumped down and ran towards the boy, grabbing the nearest weapon - which was a spear - to help me. However, the boy had a spear, too.
Our weapons clashed. I was surprised that he was actually quite strong, but I pushed him back. The boy didn't seem to know what he was doing with that weapon. I jumped back as he waved the spear around as if he never held it before.
I ducked and held my spear up horizontally as his came down. Then I angled it quickly to yank his spear out of his hands. While he was stunned, I knocked him headfirst into the nearest tree. He fell to the ground, motionless.
I stood still, waiting for about twenty seconds to make sure they boy was actually unconscious. The only things on his back was an old and used up wooden shield and a few arrows. The boy had golden hair. Somehow, it was long enough that he required to tie his hair back. It was a small ponytail, though. He wore a light, cream colored shirt and a pair of brown pants and brown shoes. The clothes seemed old and torn and shoes did, as well. How long has this young man been out here? And what did he want?
Around his waist was some kind of stone tablet. Carefully, I took it off to examine it myself. By the gods! This had the Sheikah symbol on it. Could he be a Sheikah, or a defector?
Somehow, this strange tablet had a screen on it. The symbol of the Sheikah appeared on the screen and then showed what appeared to be some kind of map. Several markers were scattered across it.
I wanted answers, so I thought he'd tell me when he came to. Well, there goes today's plan of heading to the tower.
A soft moan came from the young man at sunset. I glanced over at him and saw him opening his blue eyes. They widened when he saw that his hands and feet were held bound.
"So, you're up," I said, annoyed at his attempt of thievery.
The boy reached over with his bound wrists and rubbed the back of his head, trying to ease the pain. I walked over and grabbed his arm.
"Sit up!" I said, sternly, yanking him into a sitting position. "Alright, you little rascal! You have some explaining to do!"
The boy gazed up at me. He tried to look tough, but something was telling me he was a bit nervous.
"Why were you digging your mitts in my camp?" I said. "Are you a defector? Tell me!"
The boy's lips trembled, like he was trying to make words. Has he never talked before, or what?
"D… Defector?" the boy said.
I knelt down near him and showed him the stone slate I picked off him. The boy reached out for it, but I pulled it away.
"Care to explain what it is?" I said.
The boy merely had his eyes on the slate, but he lowered his head in defeat.
"It's… a Sheikah Slate…" the boy answered.
I didn't see anything like this at the village…
"Where did you get this?" I said.
"It… It was there when I woke up," said the boy.
"Woke… up?" I said.
The boy sighed.
"I… I woke up… in a weird, dark place…" he said. "The slate was nearby, so I took it."
"What kind of place was it?" I said.
"I'm… not sure…" said the boy. "But she said it'd be useful to me."
"Who did?" I said.
"Um… a voice…" said the boy.
I couldn't believe this. A dark place… woken up by some entity. I had to wonder if this was real or if the boy was just plain crazy.
"A dark place…" I said. "Just like…" I paused, realizing I was think to myself aloud. "Do… Do you have a name?"
"Um… it's… I think the Voice said it earlier…" said the boy. "She was telling me to wake up…"
"How does a grown man not remember his own name?" I said.
"Hey, it's not like you have amnesia!" the boy snapped.
"Amnesia?" I said.
"Well… I can't remember much of anything…" said the boy. "I have been asleep for a long time… And I don't know how I ended up in that dark place, either…"
"You don't?" I said.
The boy nodded.
"Don't go anywhere," I said, sternly.
The boy gave me a soft nod and looked the floor. I went over to my bag and put the slate in there. So there's a young man with amnesia with a weird Sheikah Slate and a voice is telling him what to do. I guess I have my work cut out for me.
I still didn't have the answer as to why he raided my camp. However, he did looked tired, and his hands were in his lap with his elbows on his stomach, like he was holding something in. Alas, a girl who may be being hunted still has a weak heart. I walked over and knelt by him.
"Are you hungry?" I said, holding out an apple.
The boy's eyes were wide. His bound hands reached out slowly, probably worried that I would take his one chance at some food away. I may be mean, but I don't wish to be a monster. He took the apple out of my hands and waited until I headed back to the fire, before he actually chowed down. I offered him some roasted mushrooms, too.
I tried looking at that Sheikah Slate again while he was busy. It seemed to work for more than just a map. It showed the temperature outside, the weather, and even the noises levels of what's around me. I guess I'll keep it with me. The boy obviously wants it back, so keeping it can be an incentive for him to not run away. I don't know how, but I think he'll be of use to me.
"Remember your name yet?" I said, looking back at him.
The boy was fast asleep when I came back to check on him. Maybe he really was just hungry and tired. He did have a few scrapes, and his clothes looked kinda dirty.
The next morning, I made sure I woke up before the young man did. The map had several markings placed on the map. Whether the boy put them there or not is a mystery to me. He awoke as I walked over with the Sheikah Slate. He had a little trouble, but he managed to sit up on his own.
"Mind telling me what this is about?" I said, showing him the map.
"Can you let me go now?" said the boy. "I already showed you that I tried to take from the camp, because I was hungry! Besides… I didn't see you… I thought this camp was abandoned… I'm sorry."
"We're going to that tower over there," I said, pointing ahead. "I want to get a better clue of the area and its surroundings."
"That's why I'm here, too," said the boy. "That Sheikah Slate records a map and I need to get to these towers so the slate can show me more."
I put the slate on the strap and around my waist.
"Then let's go together," I said, untying his feet but not his hands. "Come on! On your feet!"
"Can I at least get your name?" said the boy.
"It's Sara," I said.
"Sa… ra?" the boy said. He seemed to notice something about me when I said that. Maybe it was the first time he actually looked straight at me, while not in the dark.
"You… have lilac eyes…" he said, like seeing that was some sort of weird thing.
"U-Um… We should get going…" I said, feeling embarrassed. A blush was creeping onto my face.
The boy struggled to stand up on his own with hands tied, so I had to help him.
"Let's go!" I said, pushing him along.
"I said I was sorry!" the boy whined, as we walked out into the field. "When can I have my slate back?"
"When you've proven I can trust you," I said.
The boy looked to the ground and sighed, but we kept walking. There were only a few clouds out today and slight wind. The individual blades of grass, as we walked through were calming, but at the same time, intimidating. There could be a creature or a rock hiding out of sight.
The tower was even taller in person. I mean, I knew it was tall, but it was really tall!
"So… where's the thing the slate needs?" I said.
"It's on top," the boy said.
"Alright…" I said. "Is there a stairwell, or…"
"We have to climb," the boy said, walking up to the wall of the tower. It looked see-through and I could see a pillar of rock that supported the tower from within. A blue aura was running through it.
"Alright, let's go up," I said.
"U-Um… I …" the boy hesitated to say as he reached for a grip with his bound hands.
I let out a sigh.
"Don't do anything stupid…" I said, untying his wrists.
The boy started climbing up first and I followed along with him. Luckily, there were platforms for us to stand on in case we needed a break from climbing.
I was actually shocked when the boy made it to the top and held out his hand to help me up.
The land was truly a sight to behold from up there. I could see for miles. Near us, were some ancient ruins in one direction. Off in another direction, was a cliffside with a giant lake at the bottom. From afar I could see a distant volcano, and many other mountains. Some contained snow on them.
"Over here," said the boy. I turned around and he was standing by the pedestal at the center.
"Step back," I said, calm but sincerely. The boy kept his eye on that slate, though.
"Hold it up to the pedestal," he said.
"I knew that…" I said, grabbing the Sheikah Slate.
The slate went in perfectly. Above, blue aura flowed down from the roof and a single spark fell onto the Sheikah Slate, like a tear leaving the eye.
The map looked bigger, now revealing more of the land I've found myself in. Those strange marks were still there, though.
"What are these marks?" I said, taking the slate back.
"That's… I put them there…" said the boy. "It's where other towers are and I also saw some Sheikah Shrines. The Voice told me that the Slate will show me the way."
I gasped.
"You will meet him in time. He has the beacon that will show you the way."
"You… You know where to go?" I said.
"Yeah…" said the boy.
"...I was told… by a Sheikah… that have to help save the land…" I said.
The boy gasped.
"I've been wandering around for days…" I said. "C-Could you be the one she was talking…"
My words drifted away. For the second I took my eyes off the map, I saw from afar an ancient ruined place. It seemed once fortified and grand.
"Hyrule Castle…" I said.
"They said… That's where Calamity Ganon is…" said the boy. "The, um… The Voice… told me something… 'The beast… When the beast regains its true power, this world will face it's end." Then he gasped at some sort of realization. "Then it said, 'You must hurry, Li'-"
Before the boy could finish his sentence, the world shook and made us fall to the floor.
"What was that?!" I said, struggling to my feet.
"Let's get to ground before we fall off," said the boy.
The boy and I hurried down the tower, making sure we were careful as there was much more rumbling on the way down.
I landed on the ground and the boy followed.
"Where is it coming from?!" I said, checking the map on the slate. Maybe this highly advanced thing had radar.
"Watch out!" they boy yelled. From behind, the boy practically jumped on me, knocking us both out of the way. We fell onto the ground and a beam of energy shot over us. I gazed in horror to see the very grass I admired on fire.
The boy and I quickly got up once more to see something that nearly gave us both heart attacks! It seemed as though a spider-like creature that was three times our size was trying to attack us. It looked kind of mechanical, with six legs and a crystal-like eye that the beams shot out of.
I checked my hands and person for the slate.
"The Sheikah Slate!" the boy said, pointing to it at the edge of a cliff. He ran over to grab it, but the machine was taking aim again.
"Get out of the way!" I yelled, pulling him towards the tower.
We hid behind the giant tower, hiding from it's watchful gaze.
"The slate…" said the boy.
"We have to take care of that thing first," I said. "Want to start proving your trust?"
The boy nodded. I grabbed the spear I took from him yesterday and charged it with my power.
"What the-?" the boy said.
"Throw this into it's eye!" I said, handing him the spear and getting out my bow.
"Wh-What?!" said the boy.
"I'll distract it…" I said.
I ran into its sight with an arrow aimed at it.
"HEY!" I yelled. "COME AND GET ME!"
Arrows flew at the mechanical beast. Some of them managed to hit the eye, but the crystal wasn't shattered yet.
Another beam flew at me. I almost jumped out of the way too late and was thrown off by the explosion. The boy ran at full speed. He jumped off a rock and threw the spear into the machine's eye. There was an explosion from the eye and the monster fell to the ground, motionless. The aura making it function faded from it.
"Whoa… Good shot…" I said, stumbling to my feet and catching up to him. "I guess you're not completely useless, after all."
"You're hurt," the boy said, pointing at me. As soon as he said that, the pain did catch up. My face had a scrape and my left arm stung like it burned.
"Just… a scratch…" I said, trying not to show him I was in pain. "What was that thing?!"
"I don't know," said the boy. "But… I saw several of them just lying around across the land. Ah! The slate! I'll go get it!"
"Wait!" I said. "What are you-"
The boy ran up to his precious slate. It was near the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, the sound of metal clanking was in the distance. That horrendous thing was still alive!
The boy seemed happy to get his slate back. Then he gasped at the approach of the behemoth.
Panic filled my chest. The red laser began to find its target. I ran through the burning grass left by our last battle towards the boy, frozen in shock. I was truly in fear and terror.
Then… I saw something…
A field… filled with flames, the skies darken with storms, and an injured knight facing what appeared to be a monster just like the one now. A damaged, rusted sword was in his hand. His gaze almost met mine before I was brought back to the present.
"LINK!" I yelled.
I practically threw myself at him, the force knocking us away, and we covered each other from the following explosion, but it also added to the force that knocked us off the cliff. We fell towards the lake below. The boy clung to me and I did, too, even though we were both screaming as we plummeted into the lake.
The impact sent us under water forcing us to let go, but the boy grabbed my hand and we swam back above and quickly got to land. We crawled and fell down onto the lake's shallow end, coughing and gasping for air. Then I sat up to take in our surroundings.
"Are you… okay?" the boy said. He seemed concerned.
I felt it on my face again. My hands quickly wiped the side of my face. Why was I crying?!
"Don't scare me like that!" I said. My eye twitched at the pain of my burns and scrapes. "You're hurt!"
A little bit of his face, his arms and the his ankles had burns.
"I'm sorry," said the boy. "But don't worry! It's just a scratch."
I opened my sachet, got out two pieces of cloth and dipped them in the lake and ran back.
"Here," I said, handing him a wet cloth. "Dab this on your wounds."
The boy silently took the cloth. He winced in pain when he started wiping his wounds.
"It may hurt for a bit, but it'll pass," I said, dabbing my face. "I think I have some bandages in here…" I began to search my sachet for them and found a roll at the bottom. I grabbed the boy's arm and tended to him first. The Sheikah Slate was right next to him.
"...Thanks for saving me…" the boy said. "Sorry, if I freaked you out…"
"...If that slate's really that important to you, then you keep it safe," I said. "We wouldn't want to lose it again."
The boy seemed relieve to finally have the slate back in his possession. As soon as I was done with his arms I tended to his ankles.
"What's… Link?" said the boy.
I gasped. The images replayed in my mind. What was that?! Why did I scream that name?! Meanwhile, I was thinking that, while the boy kept staring at me like he was worried. I knew it was time to say something.
"It's… It's a name…" I finally said. "Your name."
"My… My name?" said the boy. Then he gasped. "The Voice… said that name to me… Maybe we are connected in saving Hyrule..."
"Y-Yeah… It's a fine name," I said. "I… I have amnesia, too."
"So… is Sara your real name?" said Link.
"Yes," I said. "She told me that was so."
"The Sheikah, right?" said Link.
"Yeah…" I said, as I finished patching him up.
"Put some on yourself," said Link.
"I'm fine…" I said.
"Please?" said Link. "I know you're in pain."
"Alright," I said, sighing.
I pulled out another roll of bandages and started covering my own wounds.
"H-Here," Link said, grabbing the roll. "Let me…"
I almost protested, but he grabbed my hand gently. I actually felt… safe… A strange feeling… of trust…
"So… Is…. This voice…" I said. "Does it speak to you still?"
"No…" said Link. "I haven't heard it since I activated these towers with the Sheikah Slate. All I know is that this slate will show us the way."
"With a map?" I said.
"'When the beast regains its power, this world will face its end'..." Link said, sounding concerned. "Maybe it'll show us how to get to the castle."
"You want to go there?!" I said, as Link tended to my other arm. "I know we're suppose to beat Ganon, but we have no idea how! And… why would you want to do that?!"
"Well, I don't want the world to end…" said Link. "And besides… We both have amnesia. This may be our only lead for any answers. Don't you agree?"
"Well, that map is obviously big," I said. "Do we still have time before the beast breaks free?"
"I think so," said Link.
"Then… maybe we should check these other places out…" I said. "Maybe there will be people who can tell us more about Calamity Ganon."
"I guess that makes sense," Link said, as he finished up. "There. Doesn't that feel better? You don't have to act so tough all the time, you know. I… I was hungry… and I let you know…"
I checked on my arms. He actually did pretty well for a novice.
"Heh… I guess that Sheikah's way rubbed off on me a little…" I said. "Let's go seek shelter for now. We're both in no condition to fight anything right now."
"Yeah…" Link said, helping us both to our feet. "That's probably a good idea…"
"But Link…" I said. "You have to be tough. Don't you see? We're living in the aftermath of an apocalypse."
"So… we make the best of it…" said Link.
Fresh from the darkness… Amnesia makes him no naive… It did for me, as well, before I saw what was really going on.
"How do you fight well with amnesia?" said Link.
"The… Sheikah taught me a few things before we were forced to separate…" I said. "I can show you a few things if you like."
"That'd be great!" said Link. He held out the Sheikah Slate and checked the map. "Let's get going. I found a safe spot a few days ago where we can rest. It's not too far from here."
"Yeah…" I said. "Let's stick together… And… sorry for that bump on your head."
"It's okay…" said Link. "I'd have the same reaction if someone tried to raid my camp. It doesn't really hurt anymore, anyway."
Link took the lead. Alas, more mysteries than answers surfaced, adding to the many questions that lingered in my mind. I'm pretty sure Link had several questions of his own, too.
And so we went onward. At least we wouldn't have to go it alone. Is Link truly friend or foe is a question he'll have to answer for me with actions. In this post-apocalyptic world, it's good to be tough, but friends can save your life.
This land has been left in ruin, but we will make our story...