DISCLAIMER: The Legend of Zelda series - specifically Twilight Princess, since this story takes place 20 years after it's events - belongs to Nintendo, only this story, the two main characters and a handful of other characters belong to me.

This story is rated T+ for swearing, violence, death and sexual themes, none of which feature in this Prologue. As it progresses, it may become M, but it likely won't change.

This has not be beta checked so all errors are my own. Each chapter will be read at least three times before posting, but there may still be SPaG or continuity errors that I miss; I am only one person editing this, please bear with me.

This will be regularly updated every Saturday evening - UK time - meaning the first proper chapter will be posted tomorrow at around about this time.

Please review, ask questions, whatever; just let me know that there are actually people reading this! You can also follow me and ask me questions on Twitter if you'd like, I have the same username there, minus an 's' on the end. Be forewarned that I may not answer everything though!

Enjoy!


The Legend of Link:

The Bastard Prince

Prologue

18 years ago, three children were born bearing their respective pieces of Triforce.

One was born to a Queen and her husband. The kingdom exalted over the Goddess' line continuing and prayed for her safety, longevity and Wisdom in caring for her future people.

Another was born to a woman and her husband in the world of humans, her elfin traits having washed out over years of Hylian interbreeding with humans. However, her ears still retained a point, her darker eyes were still blue and her dark hair bleached itself dirty blonde in the untamed sun. There was no doubting her lineage, so her parents and career wished only the best for her, hoping she would live a fruitful life unaware of the burden of her blood.

The third was born to the Hero and a woman who was not his to lay with. The situation of his birth made him hated by many, but he grew up free of their judging eyes until it was time for him to begin the life meant for a hero of the kingdom. His father only hoped that his Courage would be strong enough for him to live his life free of their judgement. Strong enough to let him be a better man than he ever was.


Ten years ago, these three lost a parent - the girls lost their mothers and the boy his father - and their young lives were set on the course of saving the kingdom from malice yet again.


The Princess grew up curt and serious, knowing her duty was to the kingdom and respecting the power that her blood granted her. By her side always was her childhood friend, one who eventually became her personal knight. They protected each other, promised each other their lives and let no one say one or the other was unfit for the duties dropped into their young laps. Her father was to serve as regent until she comes of age, only two months from now. Yet he passed a month ago, dropping the burden of the crown onto her lap three months before she can be crowned…


Eight years ago, the Hero's son moved into his father's old treehouse in a farming province of the kingdom, leaving his mother behind.

He presented himself before the Princess when he came to the region and explained the circumstances of his birth, hoping she would accept him as the rightful hero-knight of the kingdom. However, his circumstances as a bastard child only earned him a hated status by everyone but the most forgiving of the kingdom.

So, the child adopted a cynical outlook on life, a charming yet twisted smile on his face as he took the name belonging to the Princess' personal knight in exchange for his own. Soon, he learnt that many people – even the occasional Zora - were attracted to the "outlaw" status that the Princess had given him. The Hero's son became well known by many names, but he enjoyed his debaucherous ones the most as he lived the life the Princess had allowed him in a kingdom that hated him.

"Alarink" the Bastard Hero was well known throughout Hyrule by the time he was called to protect it.


For ten years after her mother's and career's deaths, the "human" Triforce bearer lived her life with only her father to count on in a completely different United Kingdom.

Without fail, her father would buy her the latest "Legend" of a Princess she thought she was only named after. The girl would play all of them immediately, never once thinking to question why it was so imperative that she play each one as soon as they came out. She only saw them as a way to keep in contact with her deceased mother, she didn't see the real reason why she was playing them until after she had been introduced to their world. Until after she realised that her odd triangle shaped birthmark on her dominant hand was much more than the simple skin discolourment that she had always been told it was.

Now comes the day that Zelda is taken from her simple University life to save a kingdom that she had always assumed fictitious from a malice one more time…


AN:

Just a couple things I want to say here. All technical things will be put before the chapters, but any little personal anecdotes will be put below, so if you're ever interested about my process, when I wrote this, where I got my inspiration, check out this section.

So, this story idea first came to me about two, maybe longer, years ago but I only started to think about actually writing it after BOTW came out in March. I actually started writing it over my A-Level exams in May, so this chapter was written in May while the last one was written... Yesterday. Yeah, long gap between starting and finishing due to a multitude of different reasons that I'll mention as the chapters go by because some people are really interested in people's process - I know I am.

This Prologue was written back at the end of May after I finished my scene plans for the entire story. It gave me something else to do, something to cheer me up during exam season. And I have loved every minute of writing this, I have fallen in love with my characters so much that I can't wait for everyone else to meet them too, to read some 100,000+ words I created!

Yeah, it's pretty long: 20 chapters plus this Prologue averaging about 4,900 words per chapter (minus notes), though some are shorter and most are a fair bit longer... But hey, 20 weeks of this story coming your way and a decent chunk of writing each week - and I really hope you all enjoy it, because I really loved writing it!

On that note, the first proper chapter will come out tomorrow, introducing you to the main two people I created - the human Zelda and Alarink the 'Bastard Hero'.

Why is he called that, you'll have to read to find out! But seriously, I've never loved a character I've made more than Alarink, so I hope you come to love him with time too.

Anyway, that's about all for this, I'll see you again tomorrow for more. Check out my Profile on here - if you're a Fire Emblem fan, check out my other stories (I've gotten a fair bit better since then) - check out my Twitter, rate, review and ask questions and tell me what you think! I'll answer as much as possible, but nothing I deem too personal, too spoilery or just not important or appropriate.

Enjoy!

~WWQ


3/2/18 Update:

For anyone reading this for the first time now, I was intending to come back and edit some of my ANs so that they weren't so preppy and annoying before publishing Chapter 12. In the span of these 12 weeks, I've really been worn down by the lack of people reading this and I felt that maybe the start should reflect this as well.

I changed my mind on that, it's far more fun to see the loss of hope over the course of chapters rather than see something without hope to begin with. Especially since, as I lose hope, the chapters get better.

So, if you don't like the start of this, skip ahead to the last 3000ish words (after the in chapter line break) of 12 and it'll give you a spoilery overview of everything that's happened in a much better written way. Then come back an read it again if you like, I really don't care. I just thought I should mention that it doesn't stay this bad and I don't stay this optimistic the whole time.

So, yeah, enjoy or whatever - check out my BOTW Urbosa oneshot if you want something shorter and immediately decent.

~The worn down, start of February, WWQ.


31/3/18 Update:

Now that this is finished, I imagine it'll get a few more views and reads from people reading it all the way through at once. If you manage it in one sitting, I applaud you, this is over 100,000 words long and that takes dedication.

But what I wanted to mention to you new readers is that I loved every minute of writing and sharing this. And while I planned on coming back and editing all these notes, I'm glad I haven't. They show every emotion I experienced over posting this up and writing it in the first place. And I'm honestly a little sad for it to be finished.

But, I was a mess for most of the posting of this, and now I'm mostly back on track. This story was my safe space when I was a mess, something routine I could count on. Now I've got routines elsewhere, now I need to let it go.

I'll still come back and read this from time to time and I hope you do too.

So enjoy, the complete, now M rated, Legend of Link: The Bastard Prince.

~WWQ