Author's note: I took creative liberty With this story, so it doesn't follow the opening of Four Swords word for word, since the intro to that game was fairly poorly written, in my own opinion. This is not Four swords Adventures, which is the game the manga was based on.
" So, how large was this dragon? Was it as tall as the castle? Maybe two castles?" The princess and her assigned knight were travelling side by side on horseback, with a relatively smaller escort than usual. The royal wedding was to be held the next day and rest of the garrison was busy securing the town. Not that a large escort was necessary anyway. Hyrule was enjoying an era of relative peace, and any highway robbers were no match for the man clad in green who rode next to her. Though he wasn't necessarily a member of the royal guard, Link was more than qualified as the princess's bodyguard. The boy was the next generation in a bloodline that had dutifully served the royal family and the country with incredible strength, slaying monsters of every shape and size with relative ease. Though hardly through his teen years, he had already prevailed through numerous battles, all of which he relayed to an excited princess in thrilling detail.
He muses over the question, purposely taking long to draw out the suspense. "Actually, this one had a body only about twice the size of your horse." Giving her a second to express her disappointment with a huff, he adds, "But, he had a wingspan that could have stretched across the entire throne room, and was faster than any creature I'd seen before. The bastard spat acid, and he could mimic voices, like a parrot. It was actually pretty unnerving." They cross the bridge to enter the Minshi woods, a small yet charming forest.
"A monster that spoke Hylian tongue?! "
He chuckles. "There was more than Hylian in that thing. I heard languages from countries far from Hyrule. He copied heroic speeches, along with the begging and pleading that followed shortly afterward. He was a smart one. You could tell he liked playing mind games. When the begging didn't throw me off, it went right to mimicking the death screams of its victims" He guides his horse around a tree that had fallen over the path, and helps Zelda do the same.
She shudders "That's horrible! How did you manage to finally get him? Did you finish him off with an arrow or did you slice him up with your sword?"
"I got lucky and shot him in the mouth. The oversized reptile crashed to the ground with the thing piercing his snout. It pissed him off something fierce. I made sure to clip his wings first, then avoided his acidic spitballs until I could circle around back to the throat.."
"And then you sliced it right across the jugular!"
Link nods. "It didn't last long after that. Panicked like a chicken with its head cut off until it bled out."
"Wow... That really is amazing." Zelda sighs "I can't help feeling terribly jealous of you. You get to go on all these incredible quests…" she glances at the guards around her. They weren't avid fans of tales about monsters, and were trying to tune it out. It didn't help their nerves, since this route was a bit off the beaten path and they had no idea what lurked in those woods. Well, they had some idea. Several of them bore scars from encounters with wild beasts from across the land, as well as human criminals. They don't make eye contact with the princess, as they're busy scanning the trees for highwaymen or archers. The forest was growing eerily quiet.
Link stays alert, but keeps conversation to help the uneasiness. "Aw, don't feel so bad. I mean, you're out here now, that's pretty exciting!" He smiles at her, hoping to inspire a bit of optimism.
Zelda sighs again. "I know, It's just…. This whole wedding thing. Hylia knows We've been planning it for months… almost half a year, even." she huffs. "I've been insisting on visiting the seal for longer than that. No one ever listens to me… It's infuriating. I bet the only reason they're letting me check now is so i don't sabotage the wedding or anything."
"Pft, don't say that, they just don't want some monster to crash your wedding."
"So why only let me go now?"
"Ah, you know bureaucrats. Famous procrastinators."
Zelda stifles a giggle. "Yeah, tell me about it."
She gasps as her horse stops abruptly. The rest of the animals also stop and refuse to go any further. A large stone doorway, in ruins and overgrown with ivy, stood a little off the end of the path. They had reached their destination.
"...well, only you and I are supposed to enter the grove, so you'll have a little quiet time…" Link motions the rest of the escort to stand guard, and gets off his horse, proceeding to tie its reins to a tree.
Zelda gets off and does the same, inwardly cursing the overly complicated dress that she had to lift off the ground to keep from catching on the ferns. Damn her father for making her wear this for such an inappropriate occasion. The knight enters first, walking ahead to scope out the area. The princess rolls her eyes and hurries to catch up.
The clearing is eerily calm. The forest had been filled with the sounds of wildlife and birds singing, but here it was silent, aside from a slow breeze causing the leaves in the surrounding trees to rustle.
Link stops a few meters away from the sword in its seal, and she slowly comes to a stop a few feet ahead. Behind the blade in is pedestal is a carved mural of a fearsome eye, impaled by four swords and chained. It captivates her for a few moments, but remembering her audience, she breaks away from it and turns to Link.
"So...we have arrived…" she glances at the blade. "That is the Sacred blade I spoke of yesterday...the Four Sword. As you know, sealed away in its forged steel is Vaati, the wind mage... It is said that the body of one who touches the blade will be shattered to pieces,in mind and body. Legends say when the mighty wind mage attacked, a hero arose and saved the people of Hyrule from destruction. They go on to say that by using this sword, the one was as four, and the four combined their strength to seal him away for good."
Link looks at the sword, speechless in amazement. A few seconds of silence pass before the princess decides to break it. "Anyway...let's check the seal...step back a moment."
Suddenly, the sword slants violently in its pedestal.
The sky grows dark and a wicked laugh reverberates through the grove, and the two look around frantically to pinpoint the source. No sooner has the laugh ended then a jet black tendril snakes down and snatches the princess up from behind. A scream escapes her lips as she's instantly lifted more fifty feet into the air by a monstrous being, a horned mass of amorphous black with a single large red eye in the center of it. Six large wings keep the monster afloat and turn the once still air of the grove to a wild windstorm
The monstrosity laughs darkly, its pupil focused on the boy beneath them. "Have you some business with me? Or rather, I suppose you saw the seal was weakening! A shame you are too late to stop me!"
Zelda is kicks and thrashes in an attempt to escape his grasp. " Let me go! You won't get away with this, you disgusting beast! " Zelda tries to sound at least a little regal in her demands but just sounds ridiculous. But embarrassment is the least of her worries right now. The eye is now staring at her instead, a little put off by the outburst.
"Eh? I thought sensed a great power approaching, so I hid myself…." The demon holds her like a doll in front of him, his attention completely diverted from the knight. His single eye brightens up at the girl wrapped in his clutches. If he had a mouth, It would surely be curled into a hungry grin. " But my, what a lovely catch! Surely you must be some noble maiden!" Link stays frozen in place. He has no idea what to do and can only look on in terror. Meanwhile the beast introduces himself. " My name is Vaati. I am the great wind mage your ancestors sealed...but that seal is broken so I shall ravage this land yet again!" He laughs again. "Hoh hoh hoh! And what a darling gift awaits my return! I shall make you my bride! Onward, to my palace of winds!" He cackles and flies off in one direction, only to suddenly turn around and swoop down by the hero to knock him down with a gust of wind for good measure, and to let the boy know he had not forgotten him.
