The Legend of Zelda: Hylian Creed
This story is something that came to me one day while playing Assassin's Creed 3. I thought it would be cool to see something like the Assassin's Brotherhood and Templar Order overlaid into the Zelda Universe. Also, this story takes place in Hyrule's equivalent of the Colonial Era, With gunpowder commonplace. Please read and review!
August 17, 1762
It was raining.
Dawn had just broke as the boy realized this. He sat within an alley way between to brick houses, hugging his knees to his chest, reliving the horrors of what had happened but a few hours earlier.
He woke to the sound of someone pounding on the door of his parent's small cottage. "Open up!" He heard a irritated voice yell from outside. He slide out of his bed and made his way to the doorway of his room and peeked out to find his father loading his musket and his mother staring at the door with fearful eyes, both not seeing the small blond boy's eyes staring at them.
"Do you think they know?" He heard his mother ask the father. His father finished loading the musket and glanced at his wife. "I'm not taking any chances." He answered before aiming the rifle at the door. "Who is it?!" he called out to the person banging on the door.
The knocking stopped, and the boy could here the man mumbling, as if conversing with someone else before responding. "You know damn well who it is Avalon! Open the bloody door before I knock it in."
"You will leave now!" The boy's father yelled out. "I'm warning you! I'm armed!"
There was silence in the air, then the boy heard a dark, baritone voice say. "Do it."
Suddenly the door was blasted off it's hinges by a large explosion that shook the home. The boy covered his ears and grunted in pain. The volume of the sound had sent them ringing, but he could still hear.
Four men rushed into the dwelling, armed with swords and flintlock pistols, pointing them at the boy's mother and the now barely conscious form of his father. Another man entered the house, and upon seeing the couple gave a small smirk. The man had dark skin of the Gerudo, with bright golden eyes and flaming red hair the was slicked back and a well-trimmed beard of the same color. He wore an obviously expensive traveling cloak and boots.
"Ah Avalon, pleasure to see you again." The dark man said.
The boy's father stirred. "Goddesses damn you." He muttered, before breaking into cough. The boy felt a chill down his spine at the sight of a large splotch of blood at his father's abdomen.
The Gerudo saw as well. He lifted up his foot and drove it into the wound causing the father to cry out in agony. The boy's mother screamed for the dark man to stop, clawing at him, but the other men roughly grabbed her and pushed her up against a wall, smacking her repeatedly until she stopped struggling and screaming.
The Gerudo bent down until his face was inches away for Avolon's. "I thought I told you to disband your little organization." He growled dangerously. "I thought I told that if you ended your little cause that all would be forgiven." He dug the heel of his boot deeper into the wound. "But you didn't, did you? And now we are here, aren't we, Knight? "
"We will never surrender to the likes of you, Disciple." Avalon replied, gritting his teeth through the pain.
"Yes, I should have realized that sooner." The dark man said. "I should have realized that there is only one way to deal with you people." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a dual-barrel flintlock and leveled it at Avalon's head. The boy's father stared unflinchingly into the dark man's eyes. "Do not worry, Avalon, the rest of your kind will be joining you shortly." The Gerudo said with a hint of excitement. Avalon didn't respond as he continued to stare at the Gerudo with a deep hatred. The boy's mother had began to sob. The Gerudo grinned and pulled the trigger, emptying one of the barrels contents into the head of Avalon.
The Gerudo straightened himself over the body of Avalon, and looked over to his wife, who was sobbing uncontrollably. He raised the pistol to her head. "Any last words?" He said mockingly. Her eyes scanned the room, and landed on the boy's eyes peeking out from the entrance of his room.
"RUN LINK, RUN!" She screeched. The boy's eyes widened as the men turned towards him. Without thinking he ran past the men who tried to catch him, past the dark man holding a gun to his mother's head, past the remain of the door and into the night. He ran, not knowing where he was going. He ran until the dirt roads and countryside became cobblestone streets and brick buildings. He ran until he could run no more and he finally collapse in the alley, and began bawling his eyes out...
The boy now sat, emotionless as he watched the city wake up. People soon flooded the tight, cobblestone streets, headed towards their workplaces or chatting with their friends. Guards patrolled the streets in groups, maintaining order and preventing crime while vendors went about, calling out their wares, trying to be heard over the town crier who was yelling out the latest news.
Through it all, the boy sat, staring at the ground. He didn't notice when a man broke away from the commuting masses until he was kneeling next to the boy. The boy looked up to see an old, bearded face studying him. Many wrinkles were covered by a white bread and mustache. The old man wore a blacksmith's apron over a green shirt and black breeches. The old man reached out and rested a hand on the boy's small shoulder. The old man was surprisingly muscular for one of his age.
"I've been looking for you." The old man said quietly. "We need to get off the streets, it's not safe for you." With that, the old man stood up. The boy found himself standing with him.
"Follow me, and keep close."
The old man began to walk away, with the boy following closely behind. The man's imposing frame easily parted the crowd, all the boy had to do was follow closely behind. They walked for what seemed like an hour before they arrived in front of one of the many brick houses of the city. Unlike the many other brick houses, this one had a sign containing a single word.
Blacksmith
The old man looked around warily before pulling a key out of his pocket and inserted it in the keyhole turning it and unlocking the door. He pushed it open and beckoned for the boy to enter. "Quickly, get inside." The boy went inside and was followed by the old man who closed the door behind him. He looked seemingly relived to get off the street. He looked at the boy.
"I suppose you're hungry?" He asked. The boy was about to answer no when his stomach gave out a loud rumble and he realized it was hurting for the lack of a meal today. The Boy nodded to answer the man's question.
The old man smiled. "Of course you do." He walked passed the boy and entered what the boy assumed was the home's kitchen. After a moment's deliberation, the boy decided to follow.
Upon entering the kitchen, the old man gestured for the boy to sit down at a small table near the wall. The boy watched silently as his new host threw some bread and cheese on to two plates and pour water from a clay jug into two wooden cups. He took the meals to the table and passed one plate to the boy.
"Thank you." The boy murmured as he took the plate and began to eat ravenously. The old man ate as well, but at a much slower pace. The boy quickly finished eating. With the plate empty except for a few crumbs, the boy pushed it away and began staring intently at his host.
"Yes?" The old man asked.
"Who are you?" The boy asked.
"Well, my name is Smith." The old man said. "But your parents often called me Gramps." Smith chuckled softly, but stopped as the boy's face fell. "By the way, I'm sorry about your mother and father." He said solemnly.
"It's not your fault." The boy muttered, looking down at his feet. Both sat in silence for several seconds. "I'm Link." the boy said, looking back up.
"I know." Smith nodded. "You may not remember it, but I was there when you were born four years ago."
Link was taken aback. "But..."
"I never did get around to visiting your home after that." Smith went on. "If I did, you'd already know who I am."
Both sat in silence once again. Link shifted uncomfortably, before remembering the sign he had saw upon arriving. "Are you a blacksmith?" He asked.
Smith raised an eyebrow and nodded. "That I am, how'd you guess?"
"The sign outside said 'blacksmith'."
Smith squinted at him. "You can read, boy?"
Link nodded vigorously. "My mama taught me some before..." He trailed off, remembering that night.
Smith stood up. "Not common for one as young as yourself to know how to read some." He commented.
Link stood with him. "If you're a blacksmith, do you make swords and stuff for heroes?" He asked eagerly.
Smith chuckled. "I don't know about heroes, but I do get the occasional order from the Grand Army."
"From soldiers?" The boy asked in awe, causing his host to chuckle even more.
"Yep." He puffed out his chest proudly. "I'm the best blacksmith in all of Hyrule, and those soldiers know it." He picked up the empty plates and cup and placed them on a counter. Link followed him.
"How old are you, ?" Link asked.
"That's a rude thing to ask, boy." Smith said. "But to statisfy your curiosity, I'm about to turn fifty in a month."
"That's old." Link commented abruptly, causing Smith to laugh. "You'd be right there boy, but I'm twice as strong as any man half my age. You want to know why?"
"Why?" Link asked, extremely curious.
"Because I ate my vegetables, that's why." He grinned, ruffling Link's blond hair. "Say, you wouldn't want to see the forge, would you?"
"I wanna see the forge!" Link said excitedly.
"Right then, follow me. It's right out back, and don't touch anything, got it?"
Link nodded as he followed Smith out the house into a back area shared by several other houses. The forge sat right outside of the backdoor to Smith's home, next to the forge were several well-crafted swords.
Link ran over to the swords and looked them over. "These are pretty cool, Mr. Smith."
"Thanks there Link, and call me Gramps. I'd rather have you calling me that while you live here."
Link's head shot up. "Living here?"
"What do you think I brought you here for?" Smith grinned. "I'll be damned if I let the son of Avalon Gaiden sleep on the streets or some orphanage."
Link was stunned." But-"
"No buts, Link." Smith took a seat by the forge. "How bout you come over here, and I'll teach you a thing or two about smithing. Who knows? Maybe you'll be taking over the business one day." He winked.
Link hesitantly walked over, still processing the information. He had just lost his home that night, only to find a new one that morning. It seemed too good to be true, and he thought Smith might be playing a joke on him. But upon seeing the genuine smile on the old man's face, Link knew it was true. He stood next to Smith, who laid his hand on the boy's shoulder in a fatherly way. "Alright Link, let's teach you the basics of the forge first..."