Out of Hope
Prologue
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Legend of Zelda, (obviously) but I do own the original characters here.
The day was an ordinary day in Hyrule: the skies were blue, and a gentle wind swept over the vast green fields that spanned the land. Ever since the Hero of Time, Link, had slain Ganondorf, the world had gone through an era of prosperity. The worries and fears of the people had drifted off into nothingness... all monsters vanished from the world, and all was at ease. Hyrule had become the idyllic paradise of the world. However, as some of the wiser ones knew, this wouldn't last forever.
...But nothing could prepare even them for what laid ahead...
-
...When Evening came, the sky didn't turn its usual placid orange... but rather became an unusual dark red... the winds which had swept across the land had come to a sudden halt... and everyone and everything was mysteriously... quiet. There were only a few who knew what was going on... but even then, it wasn't at all what they had expected.
A young woman who appeared to be around twenty years old was waiting at the side of Lake Hylia. She had green eyes, and red hair that just passed her shoulders. Overall, she was in fact quite beautiful. Standing around 5'6", she stood where she was, a look of concern in her eyes. Suddenly, the look in her eyes grew a bit more hopeful, when she saw a figure on a horse riding down the hill from Hyrule fields, in her direction.
The figure appeared to be around six feet in height. He had red hair and blue eyes, and appeared to be the same age as the woman who was waiting for him. He wore the proud and shining plate of the royal knights of Hyrule. He rode a grand white steed covered in blue cloth and silver plate armor. At his side, you could see an ornate steel longsword with a golden hilt sheathed in a red sheath of detailed design. He was truly the image of a knight in shining armor. Riding up to the woman who was waiting for him, he got off his horse, and they quickly embraced each other.
"Ragnus... what's going on... you left this morning without saying anything... is something wrong...?" The woman asked.
"...I am sorry, Alayna, but it was the king's orders. He had something of the utmost urgency, and I did not want to wake you." Ragnus replied.
There was a moment of silence before Alayna finally spoke.
"Ragnus... is there something wrong?"
"No, Alayna... it's nothing."
"...You're lying, aren't you? Ragnus... we're supposed to get married in only a couple of months, and we agreed that we wouldn't keep anything from each other..."
Ragnus looked down, sadly, silently debating what he should do. He sighed deeply. "...It's Ganondorf. He's returning." He spoke quietly.
Alayna looked at him in disbelief. "The Ganondorf that Link had slain thousands of years ago... but... how?"
"We don't know... all that we do know is that he broke out of his prison in the sacred realm, and that he'll be in Hyrule tonight... we've got no hero of time, but as the finest knight of the kingdom... I'll have to do." Ragnus replied.
"You... you can't! You're not going into battle with that... that... fiend, are you?" Alayna exclaimed.
Ragnus shook his head, sadly. "I have to. I'm all this kingdom's got, nowadays." He said, before unsheathing his longsword. "...and this may be no Master Sword... but it's of the finest craftsmanship this land has to offer. It will work." He finished, sheathing the blade again.
"How much time do we have left...?" Alayna asked.
Ragnus sighed, and looked up at the red sky, which was growing darker and darker by growing darker as the minutes passed. "...I'm due any time, now. The knights of Hyrule are already gathered where he's supposed to come into our world... but they won't stand a chance without my leadership... I have to go."
"No! You'll be killed...!" Alayna yelled, now in tears.
"I cannot stand by idly and watch. If I do nothing, you, and the rest of Hyrule, shall bear witness to another age of darkness... so for the golden age to continue, I must fight."
"I... I understand... come back alive..."
"I will. It's a promise." Ragnus said, before kissing Alayna deeply. Not being able to say anything else, Ragnus nodded to his fiancé, and rode off north... in the direction of Hyrule castle. Alayna could only watch as her love road father and father away into the sunset, to fight the greatest evil Hyrule had ever witnessed. Though Ragnus was the most skilled knight in the kingdom, and his blade was indeed of master craftsmanship, he was no legendary hero with the blade of evil's bane... and this worried Alayna. However, she had faith in her husband... as he had never let her down on a promise ever before.
-
Ragnus rode as quickly as possible through the fields of hyrule. The skies became a blood red, and rain started to pour lightly down onto the ground. He wondered if he was too late, but when he saw all of his men waiting in that empty corner of Hyrule field, he knew that he was on time. His men all breathed a sigh of relief.
"General Ragnus... good to see you!" The second in command knight greeted.
Ragnus looked back at him with a serious expression. "These aren't good times... ready your weapons. We've not much time left." He said, getting off his horse.
"Sir, yes sir!" The knight promptly saluted. He then drew his sword, and stared into the black void that began to appear. Thunder began to rumble in the distance.
"Ready men... he's coming..." Ragnus said, unsheathing his own blade.
Suddenly, thunderbolts were visible in the sky, and a loud crack of thunder made soldiers jump.
"Don't lose your cool now, men! Stand strong... for the glory of Hyrule!" Ragnus exclaimed, as the sky became completely black.
Suddenly, a giant bolt of lightning struck in front of them, and the void was torn open. A sinister laugh that sent chills up the soldiers' spines was heard... a laugh that only he had. He who obtained the triforce of power, he who had plunged the world into darkness thousands of years ago, he who was sealed away in the sacred realm by the very power he wished to possess...
...Ganondorf...
Covered in dark armor, Ganondorf was a mighty ten feet tall. He had red hair, dark green skin, and piercing yellow eyes. At his side, was a humungous sword made out of light, sheathed in a long sheath which matched his armor perfectly.
Everything was suddenly quiet. The thunder and rain seemed to make no noise, and all the soldiers stood poised and ready. Soon, the creepy chuckle of Ganondorf had broke the silence. "Hm heh heh heh heh... I'm gone for a millennium, and this is how my homeland greets me... with swords drawn...?" He asked, sarcastically.
Ignoring him, Ragnus raised his blade above his head. "FOR THE GOOD OF HYRULE!!" He exclaimed. The soldiers followed suit, raising their weapons above their heads.
"FOR THE GOOD OF HYRULE!!" They shouted, running toward Ganondorf.
Ganondorf watched as the many soldiers rushed towards him, more bored than afraid. "Heh... foolish mortals... what hopes do a bunch of knights have..." He began, his fists suddenly igniting in dark purple flames. "...Against the great King of Evil...?!?" He finished, slamming the ground with his fist so hard that it knocked all the soldiers off their feet, and created large cracks in the earth... swallowing some of the soldiers that were closer to him than the others.
All of the soldiers who remained paused... now afraid of this man's power. In the blink of an eye, half of the knights of Hyrule had just fallen before his eyes. Ganondorf grinned at their fear. It was certainly good to be in power, again.
"...and now..." Ganondorf mumbled, smiling widely, he created a large orb of darkness above his head, which was probably as big, if not bigger than he was.
"MEN! RETREAT! STAND DOWN!" Ragnus yelled. The men began running away from Ganondorf.
"HAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Ganondorf shouted, as the orb suddenly split into many beams of light, each which homed in on a group of soldiers, caught up to them, and exploded, creating a large flash of light.
When the blinding light faded, Ragnus looked upon the field in shock. All of his knights laid dead... their corpses strewn across the field... all killed by the dark magic of Ganondorf.
Ragnus swallowed, regaining his cool, and looked deep into Ganondorf's piercing eyes, causing Ganondorf to chuckle to himself.
"Heh... it's been awhile since somebody's been able to look me directly in the eye... his name was Link... and he was the only person who's ever defeated me... but as I can see... you're no hero of time, and that is no master sword."
"Well, we shall see if you truly are what they say then, Ganondorf..." Ragnus said, pointing his blade directly at Ganondorf.
Ganondorf simply smirked. "Very well..." He chuckled, slowly drawing his giant blade of light. "...it's a duel, then..."
End of Chapter
Tell me what you guys think. I have plenty of ideas for this story, and it will get better. So... please leave a review, as it will be appreciated. Thank you.
-Biggoron
