The Legend of Zelda: Sacred Bow
Nayru sighed loudly, staring at the land below. Never did it occur to her that she would, one day, pick the Goddess's Hero. All this, because Farore asked if she could pick the Goddess's reincarnation. She was tired of always choosing the Hero, "Destruction always occurs in Faron first because the Hero lives there." was the excuse she used. Nayru understood. She would react in the same manner if Lanayru would suffer damage before the other provinces. Therefore, she accepted Farore's proposition, explaining her current situation. Din had already chosen the bearer of the Triforce of Power before her sisters and Farore had just chosen Hylia's reincarnation. Nayru was about to return to the high heavens when an intriguing scene occurred before her eyes. A Hylian woman was running towards the Zoras' Domain, carrying a newborn child in her arms. The child was a young girl, of sky blue eyes and golden brown hair. With further inspection, Nayru noticed the creatures running after the woman. Bulbins were chasing her on some bulbos. Some were shooting arrows, while others tried to get near enough to knock her out with their maces. The reason of their pursuit was unknown and the woman seemed very frightened. An arrow soon found its way to the woman's shoulder, bringing forth a pained cry from her lips. In a last effort she reached the edge of the Zoras' Domain, where she gave her child to a nearby Zora before collapsing on the hard ground. The Zora, panicked, ran inside the Domain and went straight to the Zoras' throne room, where he gave the child to the King Zora, explaining the presence of the Hylian infant. It was then that Nayru made her decision. The young girl was to be Hyrule's next Hero and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.
"Zelda. Zelda. Wake up, Zelda. Come on, we'll be late if you don't wake up now. Wake up!"
The young girl awoke with a yawn, her eyes setting on the one who eagerly woke her up.
"Serene…Not now, I'm tired."
Serene, the Zora princess and Zelda's best friend, shook her head disapprovingly. Were every Hylian like this? The Zora sighed before jumping on Zelda's bed, startling her friend.
"Alright, alright, I'm getting up."
Zelda looked at her friend's big purple eyes and smiled. She couldn't stay mad at her for long with that playful expression plastered on her face. With a sigh, Zelda got out of bed and drank some milk, her energy being refilled with every sip of the delicious liquid. Even though Serene was a morning person, Zelda had always preferred to sleep in. The fact that they had lessons in the morning didn't do anything to change the eight year old's habits, despite the effort she gave to wake up on time. If it wasn't for Serene, Zelda would probably always be late to her daily lessons.
The two girls entered the spacious room, where multiple young Zoras sat facing their instructor. They quickly reached their seats, waiting for their lessons of the day.
"Good morning, children. Today we will learn about the history of our great land, Hyrule."
Whispers of disapproval could be heard throughout the room.
"Now, now, children. There's no need to whine. The history of Hyrule is quite interesting if you pay attention."
Silence answered the teacher as he gathered the book known as Hyrule Historia, a collection of the tales and legends that forged the land. For the next hour, the teacher read the amazing legends of the Goddesses, how Hylia created the land and its inhabitants with the help of the Golden Goddesses: Farore, Nayru, and Din. He also read the multiple tales of the Goddess's Hero, her reincarnation and their multiple battles against Demise and his anger's reincarnation. The teacher read passionately, captivating the young children, until a small hand shot up in the air.
"Yes?" The teacher inquired.
The entire class looked back to see Zelda, her hand outstretched, as she asked her question.
"Why is it that the Goddess's Hero is always a boy? Why isn't the Hero a girl?"
The teacher smiled slightly. He knew that Zelda was the kind of girl who would ask that question. He advanced towards her, his strides graceful despite his old age.
"You see, Zelda, the Hero, also known as the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, has always been chosen by Farore, the Goddess of Courage. My theory is that she has a preference for boys, or rather, her quality would usually apply to a boy. As for the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, Hylia's reincarnation, Nayru's quality would mostly apply to girls. It is needless to say that Din's quality, Power, applies mostly to a man, the bearer of the Triforce of Power and, usually, Demise's anger's reincarnation."
The children all listened in awe, Zelda bearing a small pout on her face. Noticing her gloomy expression, the teacher bent down to her ear level before whispering something in her ear. The young Hylian's face lit up instantly as she nodded to her teacher. Satisfied, he returned to the front of the room, continuing his lesson.
It was now early afternoon. Serene and Zelda were rushing to the sparring hall, where their teacher told Zelda to go after class. A huge grin plastered on her face, Zelda excitingly opened the big double doors that lead to the hall with Serene following close by. As expected, the girls' teacher was there, accompanied by the King Zora and the chief guard. All of their faces bore prideful expressions, a good sign for the little girls.
"Good afternoon, girls. I have heard from your teacher that you, young Zelda, are interested in the art of fighting. I believe this is true?"
The young Hylian only nodded to the king, anxiety filling her little body.
"I also understand that you, Serene, are also interested?"
"Yes father, I would like to learn how to defend myself."
Serene's voice was calm despite her excitement. This was like a dream becoming true for both girls.
"Then it is decided. You will both have training from our best soldier, our chief guard."
Said Zora stepped forward, his helmet shining brightly in the afternoon sun, and bowed before the king.
"It will be an honor to train both our princess and Zelda. I will do my best and will teach them everything I know."
With a nod and a smile, King Zora and the girls' teacher left, leaving the young girls with the chief guard. Seeing different weapons lined on the wall, Zelda quickly directed herself towards them. Her eyes scanned the weapons before they landed on a light blue coral longbow. Reaching for the bow, she noticed that it was the perfect size for her, as well as all the other weapons. The chief guard smiled and directed Serene in the same direction, inciting her to pick a weapon. She decided to pick a sharp coral spear. Their first day of training had just begun.
It only took a few weeks for Zelda to master every weapon in the sparring hall. After a few days, she could load and shoot an arrow with great precision and speed. As for swords, she usually used a double-edged long sword, which she could wield without any problems. To her, the weapons were like extensions to her body. She also excelled at bare-hand fighting and took out a good amount of Zora guards. The King Zora was very impressed at her rapid progress. He never expected that an eight year old Hylian girl would be capable of defeating his guards without any problems, whichever weapon was used. She was now allowed to carry weapons with her wherever she went in the Zoras' Domain. She would usually be seen with a sword strapped to her back, usually accompanied by a quiver full of arrows and a longbow. However, the same progress was not seen in Serene's performances. While Zelda fought against stronger and stronger guards, Serene would practice wielding the spear properly. Ever since they started training, Serene's abilities with the spear didn't seem to change. She would still miss her targets by far when she threw it, while Zelda would shoot the bull's eye whenever she shot her arrows, even if the target moved or was placed very far away. As for other weapons, Serene tried to wield a sword, a simple-edged, light sword, yet she barely did any damage to the straw dummies placed around the hall. She would tire out quickly, while Zelda fought and trained non-stop for hours. She was still denied the use of weapons out of the hall, and her whole body was sore after each training session. Academically, Serene was very good, one of the best in class, while Zelda shared her knowledge and wisdom. To the Zoras, Zelda was amazing. Never did they think that a young Hylian, especially a girl, would be able to master weaponry, fight and academy. Other Zoras started to get jealous, while some decided to get closer to Zelda. Surprisingly, the friendship between Serene and Zelda did not change. On the contrary, their friendship only grew stronger with the years, despite the differences between them. Years passed, Zelda became the strongest warrior in the Zoras' Domain, while Serene became a highly respected princess. Still, their friendship persisted, even though their paths were not heading in the same direction.
"Wake up. Open your eyes. Now. Oh great, just what I needed. A lazy eighteen year old. Get up! The Domain is in Danger!"
In a flash, Zelda awoke, grabbed her sword and had it pointed at the shadow looming over her. Upon further inspection, she noticed that the shadow was a Hylian man around her age clad in black. Even his short messy hair was black under his pointy hat. She stared deeply into the pale-skinned figure's crimson eyes, all senses on alert.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
The shadow shifted slightly, his eyes sustaining her ice stare. His gaze did not even flinch when she got up, bringing her sword closer to the man's throat.
"Answer me."
The shadow sighed and shook his head before opening his lips.
"They call me Shadow Link. I am here to help you."
Her gaze deepened. Why would a Hylian appear out of nowhere and give her his help? Why did she even need help? She lowered her sword slightly, her defiance still unaffected.
"Why do I need your help?"
He looked at her as if she were a complete idiot. Obviously, she did not know of her destiny if she was asking that question. He exhaled loudly before giving an answer.
"How about we start with the poisoned waters of the Zoras' Domain?"
Her eyes widened as she looked through the doorway of her room. Surely, the waters of the Domain were turning a dark purple, so much could be seen in the darkness of the night. Quickly, she sheathed her sword, strapped it onto her back while grabbing her longbow and quiver, which she also secured on her back. Looking back, she saw the man who referred to himself as Shadow Link smirk and follow her out of her room, on a ledge overhanging the deep waters of the Domain.
"It looks like it comes from the Lakebed Cave." Was all Zelda said.
Shadow Link took a few steps forward before glancing at her.
"Let's go, then."
A quick nod was given before the couple dove through the purple waters towards the entrance to the Lakebed Cave, where Zelda's destiny would be revealed.