Chapter 1: Hero's Awakening
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!!!
Sixteen-year-old Luke glanced at the man standing before him, who was ready to strike at any moment. The teenager tightened his grasp on his sword as he began to dash full speed towards his opponent.
"Haa!!" Luke called out as he thrusted his sword at the man, who merely deflected it with his shield.
The man yelled out a battle cry, striking Luke down with his wooden sword. "Too slow!"
Luke's eyes widened as the wooden blade smacked him right in the middle of his face - leaving a large red mark at the point of impact. He yelled in pain, stumbling backwards some inches before tripping and falling on his rear end.
"Well Luke, it seems you've got a ways to go still - that charge rendered yourself extremely vulnerable." The man sheathed his wooden blade before walking over to Luke and extending his hand.
The teenager graciously accepted his offer, and was immediately pulled up. He clutched his head in pain, hearing various ringing noises as he glowered at the man.
The man let out a chuckle. "So, I hit you that hard?" He asked, scratching the back of his head, "Guess I barely know my own strength now."
"Thanks dad," Luke sneered, "now my head's going to be hurting all day!!"
Luke's dad shot him a baffled gaze for a few moments, before proceeding to smack the back of his head. "Oh, don't be such a sadsack Luke, you'll never be ready for your coming of age ceremony at this rate!"
"Why do I have to even bother with that crap anyway?" Luke questioned as he clutched the back of his head, "I mean, carrying on that corny tradition is..."
Luke's dad folded his arms. "Is what?"
"It's...well...I don't know how to put this, but..." Luke scratched the back of his head while he gazed around the area. He continued to search for an answer, but let out a sigh of relief upon hearing a familiar voice.
"Link, Luke, where did you two stumble off to now?"
Luke struggled to contain his laughter as he witnessed his dad nervously eyeing the area. Without warning, Link immediately dove onto the ground and covered his face with his hands.
Luke let out a brief chuckle as he gazed down at his dad. "Oh, now you're going to get it!!"
"Crap! I still didn't get over what your mom did to me last time!!"
Luke let out an audible huff as a girl who appeared to be no older than he was, rushed up to him. "Nataly!" He complained, stomping the ground in anger. "Why isn't mom here!!"
"It's only Nataly? Well that's good to hear." Link perked up as he jumped to his feet, sighing in a tone of relief.
Nataly placed her hands on her hips, glowering at the teenage boy as she began to shout. "You always complain you brat!" She huffed before continuing. "Anyway, mom didn't come because she's finishing up your outfit."
"Really? Well then, I guess I better get ready for when I take down that dragon." Luke assumed a cocky pose before laughing courageousley. "You'll all be amazed by how awesome my skills are!"
"I'd actually consider killing to see that." Nataly scoffed, turning her back towards Luke as she folded her arms.
The teenager grumbled under his breath while watching Nataly pace towards a nearby castle. Link began to follow after her some moments later, whistling to himself as he folded his arms behind his back.
Luke glowered at the two before propping himself onto the ground. He gazed at the sky vacantly momentarily, making various figures and shapes out of the clouds. One figure he pointed out looked somewhat similar to him, except it had a sword raised in its right hand.
"I'm going to be awesome some day..." Luke whispered to himself as he fell backwards and loosely shut his eyes while a gentle breeze flowed over him.
Link slowly trudged up the stairs that led to the family quarters in Hyrule Castle. He nodded at two knights who were guarding a door, before entering the next room.
The man momentarily glanced at a woman sitting at a table, knitting an outfit. "Hey Zelda." Link plainly stated while he rummaged through an icebox.
Zelda stopped her task momentarily, and glanced up at the sight of Link guzzling down a bottle of Lon Lon Milk. She sighed, leaning back in her chair before speaking. "Link, tell me you didn't overdue it on the training thing again."
Link took a huge gulp of milk. "Okay, I won't." Link said with a smirk on his face.
"I thought I told you he isn't ready for that kind of training! And today of all days, you just had to take him out! You know how important this is for us!"
"You mean it's important to you - I don't really care about this whole thing. To me, this thing seems like it's only motivating boys to go out and get themselves killed." Link folded his arms, speaking in an annnoyed manner.
Zelda attempted to open her mouth to speak, but stopped after witnessing Luke trudge through the doorway half-awake. "Luke!?! Where have you been!"
"I was sleeping out in the field behind the castle - you know, the one where dad and I train?" Luke trudged further into the room and propped himself onto a chair.
"You see Zelda, the boy's fine. He'll be ready for that ceremony thing in no time." Link rested his feet on the table as he shut his eyes.
Zelda shoved Link's feet off the table, causing him to open his eyes in disbelief. He frowned upon witnessing Zelda scorn him.
"I can't believe you treat him like that! You of all people should be concerned with his safety and well-being!"
Luke's mouth widened into a devilish smirk. "Oh mommy, it was horrible! Dad bashed my head with a wooden stick and knocked me out, then left me there!"
Link's jaw drooped. "I - I - none of that's true!!"
Zelda proceeded to smack her husband. "Come Luke, it's time you tried on your hero outfit."
Luke got up from his chair and started to follow his mother into the next room. "When will you ever learn dad?" He teased.
Link rubbed his now sore cheek, and only glowered at the boy as he left the room.
Nataly walked through the town square, carrying a bag of provisions she'd bought for the house. She chuckled to herself at the thought of Luke's reaction when she returned from her trip. As always, he'd complain that she was only kissing up to their parents so as to get something of value to her in the future. Even though they were rich, it did not matter to Luke - he always had a rival like attitude when it came to his sister.
Nataly stopped at a nearby market stand, curiously eyeing a charm made up of many different flowers. She picked it up, twirling it around while inspecting it.
The store's owner had noticed Nataly had taken an interest in the charm, and immediately spoke up. "You like? It's a rare charm made up of sora lilies I've acquired during my travels. They say that these flowers glow at night from the moon's radiance, so it's pretty nice to wear it at night."
"Really?" She said in a tone of interest. "I guess I'll buy it then."
"Alright then, for you I'll offer to take thirty rupees - only because you would truly appreciate something as beautiful as this."
Nataly pulled out some rupees, which she proceeded to hand to the man. The man graciously accepted the rupees as Nataly began to walk away with her charm.
'Luke's really going to hate me for this, but I love watching him complain.' Nataly focused on her charm, deep in thought as she walked around the town square.
"Stop! Theif!"
Nataly quickly glanced up from her charm, only to be knocked over as a thief barrelled into her. She looked at the thief, clad in a jet black ninja outfit, and immediately pushed him off of her.
"What's your problem!" Nataly irately spat, glowering at the thief.
The thief only smirked and grabbed hold of her, pointing a dagger at her neck. "Listen up, unless you want this girl dead, you'll let me walk away with my goods like nothing happened!"
Nataly gasped at the sight of the dagger outrageously close to her neck. "What are you-"
"Quiet girly, or I really will have to kill ya!" The thief interrupted. "Now, as I said before you all are going to-"
"Going to sit back and watch while I cut you up like a lamb!"
Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of a boy in his late teens clad in light samurai armor under and over a rugged blue jacket. The boy rushed up to the thief, sweeping him off his feet with a roundhouse kick before prying Nataly from his grasp.
Nataly glanced up at the boy's face. "Who are you?" She questioned.
The boy glanced at her curious green eyes momentarily before placing her down. "That's nothing you need to worry about right now. Just sit back while I cut this guy up."
The boy trudged over towards the thief, who managed to get himself off the ground. The thief held out his dagger in a clumsy battle ready stance, and began to taunt the boy.
"You think you can take me that easily? Get ready for a real beating, punk!" The thief motioned his hand for the boy to run at him.
The boy squatted, placing a hand on one of the three swords that rested on the left side of his waist. "I'd be worried if I were you - because my blade in your gut is the last thing you'll ever see!"
Without warning, the boy sprinted forward, disappearing moments later before reappearing behind the thief. He slowly sheathed his sword, clicking it into its holder as the man collapsed - now in two pieces.
The boy let out a chuckle while the townspeople gasped in shock. "My bad buddy, I didn't count on cutting you up before you even noticed what happened."
Nataly immediately rushed over to the boy, spinning him around before swiftly smacking his left cheek. "What's the matter with you!?!" She glanced at the thief, shaking her head before continuing. "He didn't deserve that!"
The boy sighed. "Look lady, I don't know if you realized this, but people like him will keep coming back like moths to a flame. If he wasn't killed here, he obviously would have fled and stole something else."
"How can you be so cruel!?!" Nataly whimpered, tears welling in her eyes. She smacked the boy once more, then quickly turned her back to him.
"Here's the thing: I'm a mercenary for hire. As it turns out, someone wanted this guy dead so he'd stop disturbing the town's peace. And because I'm a mercenary, I feel no remorse for his death."
Nataly turned her head so as to take another glance at the boy. How could he feel no remorse for the thief's death? He knew nothing about this man, and yet he still took up the task of slaying him. Nataly immediately rushed towards her things, picking them up before hastily making her way towards the castle; tears left in her wake.
"I'm sorry." The boy whispered to himself, letting out a sigh. He turned to the townspeople and began to shout. "I have slain the rogue as requested, and I'll accept my payment whenever you are able to put together the designated amount!!"
The townspeople let out various cheers and shouts of joy. All of them eager to return to their daily peaceful lives.
"Mom, I look like one of those mercenary ranger dudes from that play we saw at the theater!" Luke whined, glancing at the white and red outfit he was wearing in the mirror.
Zelda chuckled. "Luke dear, you look like a young hero in that outfit! And besides, I thought you liked that Rei ranger, or whatever he was called."
"That was when I was seven, and was gullible enough to believe that stuff was real." Luke groaned while Zelda placed the headpiece to his outfit on his head.
"Well Luke, you certainly do look like a young hero in that outfit. But, it's not as cool as mine was!" Link leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on a table while glancing at Luke.
Luke rose an eyebrow. "Dad, you wore an ancient looking green tunic that looked like a dress, and it was over a tight looking white jumpsuit."
"Be that as it may, it took real guts to save the world in a getup like that." Link said, sporting a wide grin.
The three turned their attention to the door as a shocked looking Nataly burst in, immediately falling on her knees.
"Nataly, what happened?" Zelda questioned, hastily moving to Nataly's position.
Luke sighed. "And it begins." He grumbled in an annoyed tone.
"Oh just think nothing of it, won't you Luke?" Link walked over to his son, playfully smacking his back. "After all, tonight's your big night!"
"Whatever." Luke spat in a low tone, folding his arms.
"So, you said he sliced the thief in half!?!" Zelda exclaimed, eyes widening in shock.
Link patted Luke on his shoulder before heading over to the two. "Whoah!" He shouted, "Tell me Nataly, how'd he slice him? But more importantly, was it cool?"
Zelda glowered at her husband. "Link!" She scoffed.
Link rubbed his hair. "Sorry, got a little carried away there."
Nataly rubbed her eyes before continuing. "He didn't even show any remorse over the thief's death! All because he's a mercenary!"
Luke lowered his eyebrows, turning towards Nataly. "No stuff, Nataly. That's the kind of world we live in, so come out of your little shell and grow up!"
"Luke!" Zelda shouted.
Link back over to Luke, placing a hand on the boy's head. "You know Zelda, I think the boy's right. Nataly really has lived a sheltered life when you come to think about it. I mean, being the next in line for the throne really limits where she's able to go - the girl's lucky enough just to be able to walk around town."
Zelda sighed before placing her hands on Nataly's shoulders. "I suppose your brother and father are right Nataly. So, one week after Luke's ceremony, we're all going to see the places in this land."
"Really?" Nataly asked, eyes beaming.
Zelda smiled. "Yes." She said nodding.
Link glanced at a nearby clock. "Well family, we'd best be going to Mt. Link for Luke's ceremony!"
"Man that's a corny mountain name!" Luke outbursted while everyone made their way out of the room.
"I'll admit it sounds corny, but it takes real heroic deeds to get a mountain named after you!" Link said with sudden zeal, grinning as he turned to face Luke.
Luk groaned. "Because of your nonstop cheering, it's going to take me forever to kill that thing!"
Link chortled. "Man up Luke! Look, the main key is to be more cunning and awesome than the dragon!"
"That's easy for you to say." Luke mumbled, following his dad down the stairs.
"Haah!" Luke shouted, slamming his sword down on the creature's head. The blow hadn't phased the beast the slightest, much to Luke's dismay, and to make things worse Luke was picked up by the dragon and tossed halfway across the chamber.
Link cupped his hands around his mouth as he began to shout. "Get up Luke! Fight for justice, honor, and-"
"Dad shut it!" Luke irately spat, slowly rising from the ground. Luke glanced up at the dragon, taking note of how largely it towered over him when rising up from the ground. It's two arms were somewhat short in length, so he could only be grabbed at close range. Luke also took note of the black covering it had on its head. The covering was most likely blocking the blunt of his strikes, so it was obviously not a weakpoint.
Luke let out an angry yell. "Man, this guy's really getting on my nerves - I actually have to think about where to hit him! Screw this, I'm just going to rush up and chop him down to size!"
Link held out his hand in protest. "Luke, wait!"
But, it was to no avail. Luke had already rushed to far down the chamber to hear his yell. The teenager leapt up, slicing part of the creature's body a few times before descending back to the ground.
Luke smirked as the dragon roared in pain. "Alright, that worked. Now all I gotta do is keep this up and-"
"Luke look out!!"
Luke glanced up at the dragon, only to be hit by oncoming flames that spewed from its mouth. He outcried in pain as the flames seemed to keep coming. The teenager closed his eyes, assuming the worst, but the burning pain suddenly went away. Luke slowly opened his eyes, only to witness the dragon's arm extending towards him and smacking him across the room.
Luke attempted to rise to his feet, trying to block out the various cheers his dad was shouting. Of all the people that could have come into the chamber to oversee his battle, it had to be his dad! Sure his dad motivated him to do things now and then, but the majority of his choices of words seemed obnoxious or distracting.
"Okay you freak, I hope you're ready to have your head chopped off and served right back to you!" Luke managed to rise to his feet, and pointed his sword at the dragon. The teenager sprinted towards the dragon once again, barely avoiding its arm as it extended right in his direction.
Luke quickly retaliated by stabbing his sword in the dragon's arm, sporting a grin of satisfaction after hearing the beast roar in pain once again. The teenager tightened his grip on the sword before proceeding to run beside the arm with the sword still plunged in. As he reached the elbow, he leapt up, pulling his sword out after going past the shoulder.
"Nice when a plan comes together." Luke whispered to himself, jumping off a nearby wall he'd landed on. He plunged his sword deep into the beast's left shoulder as he came down, then dragged it along its arm until it came out of the hand. The teenager descended nimbly onto the ground, smirking devilishly after hearing the arms fall on the ground.
"It seems Luke's way better than I gave him credit for." Link said in a tone of interest, watching Luke dodge and get hit by the beasts various attacks, and retaliate soon after. "Someday, he may even surpass me in terms of power."
Luke dodged an oncoming flame the dragon spat from its mouth, and once again sprinted towards the beast. He jumped onto the wall, running on it before leaping off of it and plunging his sword into the dragon's head. The teenager managed to pull his sword out of the dragon's head, but it shook him off; grabbing him with its mouth before tossing him onto a wall.
Luke rubbed his head after falling on the ground. "I feel an incredible source of power in me, and it's giving me a rush!" He immediately sprung to his feet, glowing with a golden energy for a second, before charging the beast.
"So, my power's beginning to manifest itself into him." Link said folding his arms. "Looks like I won't be doing much more fighting after he fully awakens." Link sighed, glancing at Luke.
"Just stay dead!" Luke yelled, plunging his sword into the beast's head once more. It hadn't been damaging it much, but he could tell he was making progress after witnessing the various cracks on the covering.
The creature roared, causing a hole to burst open from the ground and spew out flame. Luke was hit by the attack without warning, and was sent falling onto the ground - sword in hand.
'That's a new attack. Guessing that it came from the ground, he can hit me with it just about anywhere!' Luke skidded along the ground, a burning pain all over his body.
The teenager struggled to get up, and just after managing to rise to his feet, the dragon hit him with another flame. Luke yelled in pain as his body became encoated with flames, and just after the flames stopped he was hit with another.
And another.
Another one.
Still more; the flames seemed to be never ending.
More flames!? Luke was going to be killed at this rate!
Link clenched his fist in anger. "If this keeps up, I'll have to intervene..." He glanced at Luke, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Luke, you've got to fight it!! Whatever happens, don't give up!!"
Sure enough, Luke heard his dad's shout, and surprisingly it was motivating this time. Luke balled his free hand into a fist, yelling out a loud battle cry as he pulsated with a golden energy.
"You're finished, you freak!" Luke spat at the dragon with sudden rage. A mass of golden energy floated around him, then exploded moments later; dissipating the flames.
Luke smirked at his accomplishment, then began to glide towards the dragon faster than Link and it could see him. Link watched with increasing interest as the dragon was slashed numerous times; roaring in pain after each blow.
"Now for the grand finale! Sayonara, dragon!" Luke reappeared in front of the beast, vanishing just in time to avoid flames it spat towards him. A flash of light could be seen just above the dragon's head, and then on the ground moments later.
Luke appeared once again, his golden aura dissipated. "And that's all folks." The dragon had a shocked expression after feeling its head covering crack off its head. But, that wasn't the end. Various cracks appeared all over the dragon's body before the pieces broke off all at once, and collapsed onto the ground.
Luke's eyes widened as he heard a voice echo throughout his head. Farewell young hero, you have bested me in an astonishing match of power. Until we meet again...
"Nice Luke, you're getting to be like your old man there!" Link walked over to Luke, clapping his hands.
Luke blinked. "So you're saying that rush of power I had is like yours?"
"Well, I guess you could say so, but everything will be revealed in due time son."
"Looks like bugging you about it won't cut it this time." Luke sighed while Link shook his head.
Link cleared his throat. "At any rate Luke, we'd best move on to the next part of your test."
"There's more!?!" Luke whined.
"Yes, you must now face an opponnent whom you know nothing about and all that stuff." Link clapped his hands, causing the door to the chamber to open.
The mercenary boy from earlier paced into the room, glancing at the surroundings before looking at Luke. "This guy's my opponnent? Shouldn't be anything I can't handle."
Luke glowered at the boy. "You sure are confident in your abilities - well overconfident is more like it. Anyway, you're head, my sword - let's make it happen!"
"Easy Luke, no one's getting killed in this fight. I'm here as the mediator; should one of you become unable to fight, the other will be declared the winner." Link said, stepping in between the two.
"So, your name's Luke is it? I heard about Link having a son named Luke and training him, so this should be interesting." The boy pulled out one of his blades and assumed a battle stance.
Luke pointed his sword at the boy. "You should tell me your name too. Cause once I beat you, I can cross your name off in my bingo book!"
The boy smirked. "The same goes for me Luke. And you can call me Guy - I don't really have a name to call my own."
Link stepped out of the way of the two. 'Hmm, he - that Guy fellow couldn't possibly be - nah, he looks nothing like him.'
"Alright then Guy, get ready!" Luke yelled, assuming a battle stance. The two smirked at each other before charging, yelling out battle cries that echoed throughout the chamber.
Well that's chapter 1, and I hope to write more as the time comes! Just so you know, this story takes place after Twiglight Princess - some years after it as you can see. At any rate, please read & review.