Book 1

Twilight's Call: Vague Destiny

Chapter 1

Link stared in disbelief at the large, black boulder that stood ominously in front of him, trying his best to take in what had just happened. It just wasn't quite sinking in. He stood there awkwardly, lost for words... paralyzed. It seemed as if time stood still, as if the earth suddenly froze. Zelda stood quietly behind Link, staring solemnly at the orange sand that now sparkled with small fragments of shattered glass in the evening sun. Link slowly bent down and picked up one of the small shards of glass. He stared at it with an empty expression in his eyes, a somber aura about him. The eerie silence loomed as darkness slowly fell over the vast desert. It was Zelda's soft and saddened voice that broke the silence.

"I'm sorry..." she murmered quietly. Link didn't move, didn't make a sound. The sun was slowly falling behind the horizon.

"We'd best be getting back," Zelda prodded, knowing the desert was difficult to navigate at night. Still no response from Link.

Zelda hesitated, "...You loved her, didn't you...?" At this, Link slowly turned to face Zelda, his eyes filled with sorrow, broken... his lips trembling. "I never got the chance to tell her," he whispered, his voice shaky. His limbs felt weak, and he wanted to cry out to the dim horizon. Zelda's expression fell, and she couldn't help feeling helpless, for she knew that there was nothing she could say to make this right. Link's eyes moved towards the ever-darkening sky, and with a heavy, broken voice, he mumbled, "I'm going home."

He slipped the small piece of mirror into his pocket and headed down the broad stone corridor that led out of the mirror chamber. He leapt the small wrought-iron fence and began making his way through the soft orange sand back towards Lake Hylia. Every step felt heavy, burdened. He was relieved when he finally made it to the cliffside bordering the massive lake. He leapt off the edge and let the wind take him.

He remembered how he so loved diving into the lake in his earlier days. It used to give him a feeling of power, a sense of freedom. But what once brought him great joy and bliss now brought him nothing. Emptiness. He felt useless now, as if he no longer served a purpose anymore. The kingdom of Hyrule no longer needed him to come to its rescue, so what good was he now? Nothing matters anymore, he thought in his burning pain and bitter sorrow.

He felt a tad of relief, however, when he finally hit the cool water below. The sudden chill allowed him to gather his thoughts a bit. Link made his way to land and took the canon back up to Hyrule field. He summoned Epona and rode across the vast hills of Hyrule field off into the night, back towards his small home in the small village of Ordon.

It had been a long time since Link had returned to his village. How would everyone react? Link didn't care. The emptiness inside of him was all he felt, eating away at his mind, his soul, his heart... Never in his life had he ever felt such sadness, such despair. Not until it finally dawned upon him that he would never see the woman he loved ever again. The thought stabbed him like a hot knife.

He choked back the pain and carried on across the large rope bridge into the small woods just outside of his village. He dismounted Epona and climbed the small outside his house.

By this time, the night had fully consumed Hyrule, and the darkness delivered an awkward, empty presence. Link stepped inside his house and took a deep breath of the stale, musty air. He lit a small fire, and laid out a pillow and a woolen blanked in front of the fireplace. He laid there for a long time, wrapped in the blanket, watching the burning embers crackle and pop until his exhaustion finally got the best of him.

He slowly succumbed to the dancing shadows and homy presence around him, and slowly dozed off...