A/N: Hello! So, this is my first story so far. I'm so excited to be writing this! You know how long it's been since I've actually written a story? FOREVER. That's how long. Before I start the story, I would like to say that if you haven't played the Legend of Zelda games, I recommend them to everyone! They are fantastic games! Also- I am writing this story as if I was writing it to someone who has played the games; if you have not played the games, you might get a little confused when reading. One more thing, the beginning song is called the Great Fairy Fountain; look it up sometime! I love it! I like critiques, I love reviews. So please, without further ado, The Legend of Zelda: The Hero's Harp.
Legend of Zelda: The Hero's Harp
Chapter One: One Misguided Step
I woke up in a cold sweat, my head bursting with pain and swimming with fatigue. I was lying on a hard, cold floor that felt of stone and water. It was damp, and the air was frigid. I exhaled my breath slowly, only to find that it had turned into a white cloud of vapor. I lifted my head and let my eyes sift over my current location. A burst of pain shot across my head, and sent me withering back from whence it came. I looked back up again as the pain lifted from my cranium. This area was dark, next to impossible to see anything clearly, and very silent. It was a silence that filled the room, yet became loud when it spoke.
Then I heard it. A sound so beautiful, so majestic. I lifted the rest of my body to the mysterious tune. My body felt heavy, and sore. I was soaked to the bone in water, so much so that when I stood, water dripped from my face and clothing. I wiped the water from my eyes as it began to drip down from my forehead. I opened my eyes, which was a first in many years, or so it felt. It was then I saw my surroundings. I was in a dark, damp cave. So dark, if I were to but lift my hand I would see nothing. But there, gleaming before me, I saw the most magnificent fountain of rock and water, fashioned by the earth itself. A fountain of crystal blue water and lights. A pool surrounded the bottom of the fountain. Lights danced on the walls of the cave, being reflected across the surface of the water. But where was I? I had no memory of this place, or any place like it. I've never seen it before in my life.
Now let's see… Where was I to begin with, before I appeared in this strange place? The memory failed to appear before me. Where was I before? And where am I now?
I shook from head to foot in a cold shiver. Goosebumps began forming on the exposed skin of my arms. As I stood, I wondered how I got myself here, in this mysterious place. Just then, it felt like I had just been sleeping, and not just for an hour or two. It felt as if I had been asleep for many.
I edged towards the pool of water, my body a heavy burden by the water that soaked my clothing, and stared down into its existence. There, I saw myself but not as I was before. That, I knew. I was different, but how? I was unsure. I wore a tunic of a green, heavy cotton, clinging to my skin, damp from the water it so touched. Under this green tunic lay a shirt of golden chainmail, cold to the touch, yet woven out of a light, yet durable metal. And even under the shirt of metal lay an under shirt, made of a light cream cotton fabric. On top my blonde hair rested a long green hat in the shape of a cone, also dripping wet from the water. I wore burlap cream pants, and brown riding boots. Strapped to my knees and forearms were leather guards, protecting my shins and arms. Across my back was strewn a cloak and hood in a dark forest green color, which was the heaviest piece of all from the water that it soaked in. I looked as though I was prepared for a battle of some sort. I then looked upon my eyes and saw a blue ocean of color within them. I saw something else in them, but I could not put my finger on it.
I looked around the cave. There was no one, just me and the empty void.
Suddenly, a brilliant white light emanated from atop the fountain. I shielded my eyes from this wretched light, as if it were the bare naked sun in my presence. I stumbled backwards, and tripped on a rock, landing on my behind with a loud thump that echoed throughout the cave. I watched as the light faded, and revealed to me a creature.
A humanoid creature.
I looked upon this creature and quickly looked away, for what I saw was nothing I have ever seen before, and felt ashamed of letting my eyes gaze upon their beauty. It was as if I had looked upon pure perfection. This creature materialized before me in the form of a fairy. A pair of wings sprouted from her back like the early morning sun rising in the east; a clear, yet uncertain sunlight. Her hair, a light silky blue color, went from her head all the way down to her waist, here and there forming thin braids. She wore a shear light blue dress, made of a light fabric that you could see through, yet revealed nothing. She wore no shoes, for she had no need for them. Her eyes were of a vibrant gold, which could pierce through the heart of any person, evil or not. And in her perfect hands, she held a golden harp from which she played a sweet, soft melody from.
The fairy bore her eyes down upon me, as if looking into the very depth of my soul. I could not look back at her, however. Or, should I say, I dared not look upon her. For a long time, the fairy stared at me. She finally spoke:
"O, hero chosen by the gods, why do you turn your face from me?" Her voice rang in a sweet tone through the cave, and echoed off the walls.
It felt like centuries since I last spoken. I stumbled on my words, "Oh-uh-I-I just-."
The fairy chuckled at my response. "It is no matter." She fell into silence once more.
I looked at her this time, not knowing what to say or what to think. Questions filled my mind, too many questions to count. I stammered, "Who are you?" The fairy nodded. "An admirable question indeed, for I am sure you are filled with many. But first, ask that upon yourself. 'Who are you,'?"
I looked at the great blue pool in front of me again. I was at a loss for words. I could not simply say who I was, or where I came from: Only that I existed. "I… I don't know," I murmured. I looked back up at her, almost helpless. "I don't know who I am,"
The fairy let out a hearty laugh, and said, "The hero of the Heavens does not even know who she is!"
I looked upon her with a look of disbelief. Me, a hero? A hero who can't even remember her own name?
The fairy calmed herself, and looked upon me with those large, gold eyes. "Do not fret, o' hero. It will all come to you in due time. Your name is Nexus. You, and you alone, were chosen by the gods to cleanse this forsaken land of evil that it has entrenched upon."
"Oh no, not me!" I interceded, "There's no way it could be me! I couldn't possibly be a hero of anything! There's just no w-!"
The fairy interjected, with force in her voice. "The gods have chosen you for a reason. Do you think they would let any half-minded fool protect these lands?"
I shook my head slowly. If there was some sort of higher being out there, who chose me with a clear mind to protect anything, surely they knew what they were doing. Or maybe those higher beings are just crazy. Who knows?
The fairy gave me a light, sincere smile. "Look within the Great Fountain. Tell me, what do you see?"
I looked back into the fountain, and looked at myself. "I see a girl that doesn't know who or where she is." I stated completely.
"Yes, but that is not the point." Silence fell as I tried to grasp the meaning of her words. The fairy shook her head, almost in annoyance. She began again, "Tell me what you are wearing."
I thought on those words she spoke. "You mean to say that my clothes make me who I am?" I jumped to the conclusion.
The fairy furrowed her eyes. "No, that is not what I mean at all." She fell to silence. The fairy relaxed her face again, and said, "That green tunic you are wearing is not all that it seems. That tunic has been worn by generations and generations of heroes before you, all of whom had protected this land before your time." She paused, letting me sit in the pool of words she had just emitted. She began again, "That tunic was made from the heavens, and now it is entrusted to you. You are the chosen hero."
The fairy proceeded, "You, the chosen hero, were chosen to protect these lands, named Hylia, from an evil shadow that has risen across its plain. You are to journey forth, and free the lands of the shadows it is now imprisoned in. I will aid you on this quest to the best of my ability, but this task was appointed to you. It was appointed to you in full intention of you being the one to seek it out. So, I provide you with this." and with that, the harp she had lifted from her hands and gravitated to where I stood. I took the harp with trembling hands. It was no weapon, nothing of immediate use to help me fight off any sort of evil. I looked at it in silence for a while. I looked up at her again.
Silence filled the room. The fairy looked upon me with great eagerness and excitement. I continued to hold the harp, questioning what I was to do with it. I didn't know how to play it, I don't think I've ever even held one before this day.
"Well, come on! Play it!" The fairy shouted. I jumped, her loud voice boomed against the edge of the cave. Her eagerness shown through the power of her words.
I took the harp in hand, and strummed my fingers across the gentle strings. The harp let ring a beautiful noise, unlike any I have heard before.
The fairy summoned another harp that appeared out of thin air. It was a less extravagant harp then the one I possessed. "Now, play this tune," She said in enjoyment. String after string, note after note, the fairy and I played a simple, yet elegant tune. This tune had a very distinct sound, a sound of loneliness, a sound of elegance; one would say that this song truly represents the person who made it, who was indeed the Great Fairy. Nonetheless, I learned how to play that sad song.
The Great Fairy nodded in approval. "I have taught you all that you shall receive. The song you just played is called the Great Fairy Fountain. If you strum it across your harp while on your adventure, you will be immediately transported to my fountain. If you are in danger, I will give you peace."
"Great," I said, nodding. "Now… Where am I going?"