I – The Adventure Begins

The first time James saw a fairy he was walking out of Frankie's Fun Park.

It was a Thursday afternoon, the time spent in homeschool co-op miles away, and James was spending some saved up Christmas money on the joys of video games, laser tag, and accumulating tickets from Skeeball machines. He had now saved up about 1,000 tickets and he was looking forward to trading them in for something nice in the near future. He could get really serious items like a Playstation or iPod Touch for tens of thousands of tickets, or his could spend fewer tickets on remote controlled cars and huge stuffed animals. Of course, the option to spend ten or twenty on candy and plastic trinkets always existed. But James didn't want to throw them away on things that wouldn't really be interesting in a day or two. He was up for saving them.

Of course, he found it difficult to get, much less save for, them when he only got to come to Frankie's once or twice a year. It was a travesty of human existence that this haven of fun and oasis of joy was only permitted on special occasions or when great feats of intellectual skill had been demonstrated. Alas, no such feat of intellect had been demonstrated today, rather it was his birthday – or would be in two days – but this was the best opportunity for him to cash in on his desire to play video games and win copious tickets. He'd played several games that he enjoyed, including the Let's Make a Deal game where he won over 150 tickets in one game.

He had also played a game that was very similar to his favorite game on earth, namely The Legend of Zelda. As he'd walked by it, he had been attracted to it immediately. It was called Legendary Heroes and seemed to be set in a world very similar to Hyrule of the Zelda games. Small villages dotted the landscape as well as roaming creatures that looked like the two-legged, spear-toting bulldog creatures that were so annoying. On the side of the game console, where the artwork was drawn – intended to suck you in – he saw a green tunic wearing, sword carrying, elf-like hero that could have been Link if they'd tried just a little harder. James stopped instantly and studied the machine.

"No way," he said to no one in particular. "This is too cool."

It was strange to see a game like Zelda in an arcade, as they tended to take more time to complete. This one was different though, it was set up more like scenes from a Zelda game than an actual adventure. He instantly swiped his token card on the machine to see how it worked. A brief tutorial informed him that he would be playing the character Talon, a resident of the land of Pygar and a father to a daughter named Malon. Malon has been taken captive and Talon was trying to rescue her. There were several challenges that prevent this, which the player had to assist Talon in overcoming. There were sword challenges, archery challenges, sling shot targeting, puzzle solving among other things. While there was no direct story-line other than the tutorial, James found he enjoyed the random challenges as much as playing Zelda at home.

Like most video games, there was a ranking system where you could enter your initials or some other moniker at the end of your turn. James's first try was pretty much a disaster, but the game intrigued him so he swiped his card again. After a few tries, he began to get the hang of the controls and began doing very well. By the time his alarm went off saying it was time to go, he had the highest scores and had perfected all but one of the trials. The only one he couldn't pass was one in which he had to pole vault over a canyon to reach the other side. It was ridiculously realistic in the way the game required precision of timing for the pole to bend correctly and send you flying over the canyon.

As he walked out of Frankie's he was hoping he could read up on this game some more when he got home and see if there was a version of it for Wii or something.

But then the fairy appeared.

It seemed to appear out of nowhere, floating right in front of his face and glowing with an ethereal golden aura. James stopped short and almost fell backward in shock.

What am I seeing, he thought?

The fairy was about six inches tall, with two translucent wings which fluttered around it, seemingly hinged on her back. Her long hair and clothing made him fairly confident of the gender, but at this point, he'd be surprised at pretty much anything.

"You must come with me," the fairy said. "You are the link."

"What?" James responded.

"The realm is in jeopardy and you are the only one to pass enough of the trials to help."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," James insisted.

"I am sorry, we have no time for this. I will explain once we are in Hyrule," the fairy said.

Before James could protest, he felt a tingling sensation in his fingertips and toes. The sensation moved through his whole body and the world around he began to shimmer. He could see his van across the parking lot with his Mom inside waiting for him to come. He was afraid he'd be late, at the very least. He watched as it all disappeared and then he lost consciousness.

When he came to he was in a small clearing, mostly surrounded by rock but with some small shrubs and grass around. He sat up and looked around, but recognized nothing. I must be dreaming, he thought. A fallen log lay to his right and on a jutting piece of broken limb sat the fairy.
"My name is Nairoo," the fairy said. "I'm sorry I had to bring you so suddenly, but we have very little time."

"What are you talking about? What are you? Where am I?" James blubbered at a fast pace.

"Like I said, my name is Nairoo. I'm a fairy and this is Hyrule," the sprite said with very little concern for James's state of mind. "You, of course, are Link. I have summoned you to deal with a new threat to Hyrule. The Chalice of Orin must be found quickly. Only it can revive the princess."

As she said this, Nairoo fluttered her wings and began to float in the sky. James now saw that the golden aura that seemed to emanate from the fairy was made by the dazzling display of her wings moving so fast. Golden flecks seemed to burst from the wings and sparkle around her body, giving her a glow that was fascinating to behold. James tried to keep his wits about him. He was obviously dreaming.

"I literally have no idea what you are talking about," he said.

"You passed the tests in the arcade and have knowledge of the realm from your studies at home," Nairoo said. "You must be Link, the hero from another world who always comes to save ours."

"Link is a fictional character in a video game," James said. "I'm a boy. If I'm not dreaming this, you have about five seconds to return me to where I was. My Mom is going to be mad."

Nairoo's wings stopped fluttering so quickly and she lighted on the broken branch she had been on earlier. She looked genuinely puzzled.

"I know this is a lot to take in," she began. "Please bear with me. Some have needed a lot of explanation, others have not. It would be better if we talked on the way. The danger is quite real."

"I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers," James said.

"Ok, I'll try to be brief. Can I at least assume you are aware of the land of Hyrule?" she asked.

"Yes, from the games," James said. "But it's not real."

"Hyrule is very real and exists in another plane of existence from your own. We are, in fact, underneath your own plane, but share the same space. It's complicated…" she said as she saw James's reaction…"suffice it to say that you have not really left your home. It is around you, but you cannot see it right now. Hyrule has become the more real place for you now. And it is in danger.

"For some time we have been drawing heroes from your plane of existence to assist us in the dangers we have faced. We fairies have power to draw a human child from your place across the veil and into ours. We have done this for centuries. Those with extraordinary powers, either of intellect or skill, have always shared an unconscious link with Hyrule, making them easy to find and draw. Others would resist the power and not remain.

"At some point in your 20th century, some of those who had come here met each other on the other side and began to discuss Hyrule and their adventures here. We became aware that they had shared their stories and adventures through a series of interactive realities – what you call games. Ever since then, we have been monitoring these to help us locate candidates to be Link as needed.

"Now is such a time. The wizard Agrim has placed a spell on the princess and only water from the Chalice of Orin can revive her. It is rumored to be in a temple far away. You must retrieve it and bring it to the castle."

"Wait, are you talking about Zelda?" James asked.

"Of course," Nairoo answered, sensing that James was beginning to believe her.

"So, let me get this straight," James began. "'Link' is a name for anyone from my world who comes to your world to save Zelda, fight Ganon, or whatever you need him to do?"

"Yes," Nairoo answered. "In fact, there have been many hundreds of 'Link's' over the centuries and not all of them have even been boys."

James stood up, wanting desperately to believe he wasn't having an elaborate dream. Could it be possible that Hyrule really existed? Could it really be true that he was Link for this day – this mission?

"Let's say I believe you," James said. "Where would I go first?"

Nairoo smiled. "You know the answer to that question, Link."

James looked around again and saw a small cave entrance to his right. He walked in that direction and stood at the opening. It was dark inside, but he thought he could make out some flickering light from deeper in and around a corner. It can't be, he thought. James stepped into the cave and turned left at the corner. He entered a small chamber. There were two torches lighting the room, which was empty except for a small stone table with a sword on it. As he approached the table, he could see that there was writing carved into the stone. Even before he reached it, he knew what it was going to say.

It's dangerous to go alone. Take this.

The sword that lay on the table had a decorative blue hilt and handle, studded with various gems. The hilt blended gracefully with a blue and gold encrusted scabbard that stretched at least two feet. James reached for it and was surprised that it felt as light as it did. He held the sword in his hands and pulled the blade free from the scabbard, hoping he would see the familiar Triforce emblem etched into the steel. As it came into view, his breath caught in his throat. He was holding the Master Sword. He nearly dropped it, his excitement was so high. I can't believe this is actually happening, he thought.

When he came back out of the cave, with the Master Sword in his hands, he found Nairoo sitting on the log.

"Now do you believe me?" the fairy asked.

"How come I didn't have to go through a variety of trials to get the Master Sword?" James asked. It was the only question that was bugging him.

"Everyone's task here is different. For some the Master Sword had to be found as part of their task. For others, they began their task with it. There is deeper magic than I know at work in the land of Hyrule and the sword chooses its own heroes. We fairies just do the dirty work of brining you here and helping you along the way. You needed to find it in the cave. Be glad, you remember the poor boy that had to go through three dungeons and then navigate the forest to find the sword, right?"

James did, indeed, remember the tales of how Link had won, or found, the Master Sword in various versions of the game. The fairy's story actually made sense, the more James thought about it. In the first game, the original sword Link had was a wooden sword. This sword was upgraded two times in the game, by having a certain number of heart containers, to the Magic Sword. Though nothing said so for sure, some have argued that this was the Master Sword. In other games, Link had to obtain the Master Sword, but always through different trials.

James examined the sword and its scabbard in the light. He noted that the scabbard had a strap with which he could sling it over his back for ease of transport. He did this so that the blade fell across his back, with the handle accessible from his right hand.

"Okay, where next?" James said.

Nairoo smiled. "First we must go to the Rauru Village, where you will obtain the help of an old warrior to give you a shield. There is a boomerang in the village as well, but you will need rupees to purchase it. I trust you know how to gain rupees?"

"I think I can figure that one out," James said with a smile. "Lead the way, Nairoo."