AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hello! This is my first fanfic. I'm really bad at starting off stories, but I hope I can improve later on. I'm open to suggestions and advice but please be easy on me. Don't mind the weird breaks in the story, I'm still trying to figure out how to get the formatting right for this site. This story will follow the basic track for Ocarina of Time, but I've tried to spice things up a bit. Rated M just in case. I'm not planning on getting too graphic but better safe than sorry. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to The Legend of Zelda or its characters.
Quentin- Awakening
I awoke in the early dawn, knowing nothing but a name. Quentin. It resonated, bouncing around my head like it had more to it than just a group of sounds. The bed I found myself in was small, and hard. Cracking sleep encrusted eyes, they swept across the room, seeing a small night stand next to the bed, worn pictures covering the walls and a small chest standing at the foot of the bed. A small window glowed with gentle morning light. The small room was clean and neat, but not lived in. I was in an inn. Suddenly, my nose was assaulted by warm smells coming from a covered tray on the nightstand. My hunger was confirmed by a groaning stomach and, sweeping my legs out from under the covers, I stood and approached the tray. Moving the cover aside, a bowl of porridge with a slice of still warm bread were contained within the tray. The room possessed a quiet tranquility and no one encroached on it as I devoured my food.
Food consumed, I ventured over to the chest, hoping it contained clothes. My current attire was lacking and showing too much skin for my liking. Seeking something more than smallclothes, I opened the chest. The simple latch opened easily and clothes of the finest make awaited me within. Woven deep-blue tunic, tan trousers, a belt and some sturdy new boots, all the perfect size, quickly went on. I wondered for a moment who could have known my measurements, but my attention was quickly diverted to what lay at the bottom of the chest. A sword. Masterfully crafted, the short sword lay scabbarded in a plain sheath atop the worn boards of the box's bottom. It came into my hands easily, like it had been made for me to hold. Pitch-black gemstone-capped pommel molded with a grip of finely braided silver wire, leading up to a winged cross guard. From there, it swept up into a double-edged, gleaming silver blade. Crowning the top was wickedly sharp point. Holding the blade soothed me, like something irreplaceable had been returned after much searching. I had no memories of this blade, yet I knew for certain that it belonged to me and no other. It was something familiar in the strange predicament I now found myself. This sword and a name were all I possessed.
Buckling the sword on, he walked over to the door and opened it, venturing into the hall outside. He seemed to be on an upper floor. Other rooms lined the hall doors closed. Gentle murmurs could be heard coming from most of them. I went down downstairs.
Below was a dining area and bar, empty. Excited voices cried out from beyond the door, beckoning. I found myself in the doorway of the inn just outside the flow of a packed street. The enormous crowd filled the street to bursting. Cheerful faces beamed out from every direction. It was different from most places I had seen… "Did I just remember something?" I murmured. No, it was already slipping away like sand in an hourglass. The street was paved with grey stone holding up well to the thousands of footsteps trod upon it. Many different attractions lined the road, ranging from shops selling anything one could think of, to armorers, to simple food stalls. The people were crying out, trying to attract customers to their shops. Shouts of "my wares are the best in Castletown" were frequently heard. "Castletown" I thought, rolling the name around my head, searching for any connections in my frayed mind. Finding nothing, I continued down the road. Eventually I found myself in a really nice part of the city. Two and three story buildings built from white stone, lined both sides of the street. The architecture was intricate, built on a scale to impress with doors carved with plants and animals. I imagined a contest where homeowners built just to impress their neighbors. Here, the people were much better dressed. Scrutinizing them revealed clothes much like my own. Men strutted about, dignified, heads held high showcasing the latest fashions. The women glided from shop to shop where price tags were much higher for most of the same merchandise I had seen elsewhere. A procession was growing closer and citizens were parting, making way in the wide street for them to pass through. Seeing no other alternative, I decided to watch.
Link- One in a Million
Link sat his horse, smiling pleasantly, but bored. The procession was moving much too slow for his taste. The hot afternoon sun shone down and the smell of himself, and hot horse was growing wearisome. Still, he had a job to do and he would do it well. He scanned the crowd as the Queen's procession moved through Castletown toward the castle itself, ever vigilant to threats. His fellow guards did likewise with some playful banter to keep the boredom at bay. An attack was extremely unlikely… the people's love for the queen was unquestioned. No, their vigilance was for the man riding next to the queen. A desert man, one of the Gerudo, wearing dark leather armor. His red eyes were a hard as his face, except for a smirk as he listened to the queen, as if she was prattling on and he had something better to do. Link disliked the man. A dark man in skin shade and spirit that gave him the chills. Shuddering, Link cast his gaze back out into the crowd and caught sight of a young man who stood out starkly from the rest. He had a deep blue tunic on and dark intelligent eyes. His piercing gaze was out of place amongst the smiling faces of the crowd. This seemed strange to Link, but he had seen foreigners who didn't get caught up in the moment like the crowd before. No, what had somehow caught his attention was the fact that the man had sharp, pointed ears. This was not a foreign trait. Nor was it common even here in Hyrule. While he himself had them, only the royal family possessed them now, though in centuries past they had been more common. Link was a freak in this regard, but this stranger, he was one in a million. Link turned and tapped his fellow guard on the shoulder causing the man to turn and look at him.
"Something's come up," he told the guard who was in command. "An important matter that her majesty would rather look into herself, but can't in…present company." Link had put special emphasis on 'present company' and the commander had caught it, darting a look over at the queen's guest. The commander knew he could trust Link and there were plenty of guards, so he nodded, "alright then, I'll want a report later though, goodness knows we need something interesting to happen around here…"
Quentin- Amnesia?
Watching the Queen's procession move through town, I noticed the man riding next to her. The contrast between a distinctly regal woman and the dark, shriveled man was startling. She chatted amicably, addressing the man and others riding with her, but he just rode erect, a cocky smirk on his face, ignoring her. I instantly hated the man. Sounds of the crowd dropped away and my vision blocked out everything but the desert man. Hatred rose up in me growing hotter and hotter and I felt my hand drifting to the sword on my hip, the urge to kill reddening vision and…
"Now might not be the right time for that, friend." A friendly young voice broke me out of the trance making me jump. Hearing and vision returned easily now that my line of sight had shifted. "Sorcerers look down on us humble swordsmen." The speaker was a man close to my own age, with sandy blonde hair and a mischievous face. His eyes were twinkling with amusement as he stuck out his hand. "Name's Link," he said cheerily, "I'm a city guard" pointing to an insignia etched into his chainmail armor, "are you from around here?"
"I don't actually know," I replied, shaking the proffered hand. "I woke up in an inn with what you see me with and that's it. I do remember my name though. Quentin."
Link felt his eyebrows raise for a moment, "really? Well then you had better come with me to the castle." Link pointed to Quentin's ears, "her majesty will want to speak to you about those, and that man will want you dead for them." Fear shot through me and my hands drifted up of their own accord to move over my ears. "I would prefer her majesty's questions over what the other will do to you. The Gerudo king has his own minions here in Castletown. It really is good fortune that I found you first." I gave a slow nod, thinking. I really didn't have any other choices. With no money or family to go to, the castle seemed like the best place to begin uncovering the past and hopefully regain lost memories. Certainly the castle would have birth records? "I'll go." I said simply. Link nodded and together we made our own way after the receding procession keeping a good distance.
Link- To the Castle
Link did all the talking on the way to the castle. Quentin was listening intently, as Link filled him in on Castletown life. Quentin was an empty vessel ready to be filled with knowledge. Never had Link seen someone with memory loss, but had heard guards talking about how a blow to the head could knock you silly, leaving you in Quentin's condition. They followed along after Queen Marin, and Link talked about the popular shops lining the thoroughfare. As he was distracted by the sights, Link took the opportunity to get a good look at him. Around his own age, with slightly long dark brown hair. Quentin was about the same height as himself. He had the look of city folk around here, mildly soft looking. Definitely not heavily muscled, so not strong….quick was the word that came to his mind. Quentin wasn't so padded and pampered looking like the town folk so he must have come from far off. Most towns around here were prosperous off trade so hunger was almost unheard of. Link really did have a unique ability to fill up the silence. "You've really wound up in the middle of a political crisis," he said animatedly, "You really remember nothing?" he asked, glancing over as they walked on the paving stones. Keeping out of the way as the masses moved back to their business. Link had left his horse with the others in the parade so they would make the journey on foot. Quentin shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing, just a blank before this morning." Link grunted in acknowledgement. Quentin had a clear educated way of speaking, but was quiet as if unsure of himself. "Well anyway," Link continued, "a huge nation to the west has begun making encroachments onto Hylian land. The Gerudo are the aggressors, they attack settlements on the borders and leave none alive. They then blame villagers, saying they are encroaching on their land. The Gerudo have extremely able warriors. The king knows what they are doing, but a war with them would be vicious and lead to the loss of thousands. Instead, he intends to buy them off with trade agreements until something more permanent can be settled."
Quentin nodded, mind trying to keep up as Link explained things that were a little too much to understand with no background in Hylian history. They had left the city proper and were now passing through an enormous meadow filled with long grass waving in the gentle breeze. Small patches of forest spotted the land disturbed only by the brilliant stone path. The path blazed through the lush, emerald grass straight as an arrow to the castle.
The Hylian seat of power was a massive structure defined with six huge spires. Placed like the spokes on a wheel, with high bridges connected to the massive round main body. Most of the castle was built from dazzling white stone unbroken but for windows and the tops of the towers which sparkled with blue tiles. Exuding power, it truly was a mountain, dominating the landscape. A wide moat surrounded the castle, impassable without the drawbridge being lowered on its thick chains. Guards were everywhere, making rounds of the castle grounds ever alert to danger. The drawbridge was down, framing a large archway topped with a solid gold emblem depicting the symbol of the royal family. The sun was sinking below the horizon casting its last light of the day onto the castle's stone making it shimmer welcoming the new arrivals.
Link and Quentin passed under the main portcullis and then through a series of gates, heading toward the main road leading to the castle proper. Quentin seemed to notice the tension and apprehension on the faces of the guards, who were confirming it by their continuous glances toward the easternmost tower. They had the look of men preparing for disaster. Link noticed, "They are preparing for Him to do something terrible." He sighed, "The man gives us all the creeps, like he eats children or something." Link shuddered. The two diverted from the main road, branching off toward the barracks and support buildings. They saw that the previous road lead through a magnificent courtyard, filled with a giant fountain-complete with statuary, to the biggest part of the castle and headed toward
"It will be safe for you in the soldier's barracks until he leaves. I'm sorry but the castle is not safe for you right now." Quentin gave a short nod asking,
"How did you come to be a castle guard?"
Link's face flashed into a grimace, "well my uncle is actually a blacksmith."
"It must be hard on him, losing help like that," Quentin pried.
"Well he raised me. I never knew my parents and he won't talk about them," he paused, avoiding unhappy memories. "Anyway it was actually his idea...mostly, he wanted me to be around the freshest news to help with his business." "You see, well….im sure you can imagine all of the repair work that needs done around here, and well if any of the knights or lords want anything personalized to their liking, he gets first choice. Makes a lot of money that way."
They went on like that for the rest of the morning, sitting across from one another, Quentin asking questions and Link happily answering them. It really was one sided, but Link didn't mind, he was happy to share all the knowledge he possessed. Their talk continued until the guard shift change happened and dozens of new faces entered the barracks.