TABThis stuff is copyrighted by Nintendo Inc. I am not trying to make any deniro off of this! I hope that you enjoy reading this
story as much as I enjoyed writing it!br
TABThe day began so very brightly. The children of the famed Kakariko Village sat around the Village Elder and waited for the tale telling to begin. Most of them knew the story—The Evil Ganon tricked Princess Zelda and Sir Link into trusting him and then destroyed that sacred trust by stealing the Triforce of Power. The children all held toy-replicas of the famous Master Sword and the Mirror Shield. Also, each child had his or her own ocarina. They waited with poorly restrained anxiety for Bandral, the Village Elder, to emerge from his hut and sit on his tree stump and begin the story.br
TABStories were how the knowledge of their civilization was passed along from generation to generation. While books were written, the children of each village learned history from their Village Elders. Those who showed aptitude were taken to the Palace where they trained with the Sages, Mages, Healers, and Scholars. But, as young children are apt to do, these village children wanted to be adventurers. Their parent's knew that in the coming years, the children would out-grow their dreams of slaying great beasts and finding treasures. With patience and love, the adults tended to the garden of their children's imaginations so that the dreams were carefully preserved.br
TABBandral stood in the shadows of his hut, watching the gathering that was taking place on his front lawn. He sighed. These precious children saw things as only children can see. They saw Ganon as Evil and Link as Good. Bandral supposed that he couldn't blame them. Sighing again, he could almost see the expressions of disbelief that would mar the children's faces when he began to explain that Ganon had once been good. As a matter of fact, that Ganon, Link, and Zelda had once been close friends. Malice had not been involved then. But, unrequited love was what brought the three to where they were now.br
TABBandral opened the door of his hut and stepped outside. The air was cool. Spring had just begun to set in, and flowers were in bloom everywhere. The children clapped in joy at the Village Elder's emergence. Bandral slowly walked up to his tree stump and sat down. The children hushed as the Elder began to tell the Story.p
TAB"I suppose that I should begin at the very beginning. Long before this world had ever heard of war, well before this world was even created, the three Goddesses descended from their homes in a distant nebula. They were Djinn, the goddess of Power, Faorore, the goddess of Wisdom, and Narou, the goddess of Courage. Together, these three goddesses created our world. Djinn built the mountains and scooped out the valleys. Narou set the waters to flowing and created all living creatures. Faorore endowed all creation with wisdom and respect for laws and traditions. Then, the three left. At the place where they departed this world, the Triforce was left. It holds the very essence of the goddesses. The Triforce now resides in the Sacred Realm, where its energy flows here to our world and keeps things peaceful and beautiful. The Triforce has always resided in the Sacred Realm. The legends tell that a person who passes the Tests and enters the Sacred Realm can obtain the Triforce. If a person with an evil heart obtains the Triforce, his evil dreams will come true and both our world and the Sacred Realm will twist into dark and sadistic places. Also, the Triforce will split apart. If a person with a good heart obtains the Triforce, his pure dreams will come to being. This is what the legends and histories of our land tell."p
TABBandral stopped his tale and looked at the expectant faces of the children around him. Their slanted eyes were filled with curiosity. Their young faces turned up to him. Bandral smiled and took a breath. He motioned for a young woman, the mother of one of the children sitting before him, to bring some water. She moved with a quick grace to fetch the Village Elder a cup of cold water. Bandral drank and then continued with his tale.p
TAB"Now, several years ago, before many of your parents had even met, two young men lived in this very village. Their names were Link si Honmartox and Ganon si Magran, and they were the best of friends," Bandral took a pause here to scan the incredulous faces of the children. Several gasped in shock and disbelief. One young of the children stated very matter-of-factly, "But Ganon is evil."br
TABBandral sighed and a wise smile graced his face. "Ganon was not always evil. He was once a little boy, like some of you. He and Link grew up next to each other. They played together, traveled together, and laughed together. They were fast friends when they left this village to go and train at the Palace as the Knights that they were born to be," the Elder explained. Some of the children still looked doubtful, but all were listening carefully. Bandral continued with his tale.p
TABGanon ran down the dirt path to Link's house. Excitement sparkled in his blue eyes. Ganon and Link's fathers would be returning to the village soon. That meant that soon Ganon and Link would be accompanying them to the Palace to begin their training. Link was standing in the front of his house with his wooden sword and shield waiting. Ganon and he exchanged glances.br
TAB"Have you heard?" Ganon panted. Link nodded, trying to hide the excitement that shone in his deep green eyes.br
TAB"Yes. My mother told me last night. We are finally going to get to go to the Palace and become Knights!" Link exclaimed, losing all inhibitions at hiding his feelings.br
TABGanon shook with enthusiasm. Link looked at him and motioned towards the Forest. "Let's go and work on our fighting techniques," Link suggested, a surge of battle-lust gleaming in his emerald eyes. Ganon nodded curtly, trying to look business-like, but his own battle-lust shone in his dark blue eyes. The two boys scrambled off to the Forest to "practice" their fighting. By this time Ganon's mother had walked the path to Link's house. Link's mother, Tanara, saw her friend crossing the yard and went outside to meet her.br
TAB "Look at those two," Tanara sighed, looking in the direction her son and Ganon had run down, "they are so much like their fathers were at this age."br
TAB "I remember how they were," Sonmra, Ganon's mother, sighed nostalgically. "And the two of us, barely old enough to understand where children came from, decided that day that we would marry those two 'knights'."br
TAB "Remember how we cried when they left to go to the Palace? We were so certain that one of the maidens there would steal their hearts. We were such silly girls," Tanara breathed.br
TAB "Yes, and remember when they came back to Kakariko, five years later and married us? I was stunned when Jucton si Magran told me that he couldn't get the picture of my face out of his dreams!"br
TAB "Well, I almost fainted when Surtok proposed to me. I wonder if those two ever knew about the nights we spent, pining away for them?"br
TAB "They probably did," Sonmra laughed.br
TAB "Yes," Tanara agreed, "knowing those two, they probably did."p
TABGanon and Link sprinted off to a clearing hidden deep in the Forest of Dreams. They pulled wooden swords from leather scabbards and hooked arms through the straps of wooden shields. For most of the day, the two friends jumped and slashed at each other playfully. They imagined this was what real sword fighting was like. Soon, though, when the sun began to slowly descend, the two trotted back to their homes. When they were close enough to see their houses, Ganon and Link broke into a dead run. Horses were tethered outside. That could only mean one thing. Jucton and Surtok were
home.brTABThey ran into the house where their fathers and mothers waited. Link and Ganon stopped short by the table. Their parents looked up at them, amused expressions in their eyes. Jucton and Surtok stood up from the tables and walked to where the two boys stood.br
TAB "Your mother tells me that you can hardly wait to leave this village and go to the Palace to begin your training, Link," Surtok grinned. Link, to excited at his father's return home and the prospect of beginning his training, could only nod fiercely.br
TABJucton put his hands on Ganon's shoulders and gripped them strongly. Ganon looked up to his father's face excitedly. "So, Ganon, are you as ready as your friend Link to begin the next phase of your life?" Ganon replied calmly, trying not to appear over-anxious, "Of course I am."br
TAB "Good, because we are leaving for the Palace at the end of this week."br