I was just a knight once. A servant of the crown, a warrior. Hardly the most skilled of sword in the ranks of the kings men, nor the most accurate of bow, nor possessive of the most strength. Still I served my king and country, as all men did. I had no right to do any less. I never aspired to greatness, though fate, it seemed, had other plans. I became the hero I never wanted to be.

It is thus I write in my final of days, of my failure. That heroes whom rise in the coming days might learn of my mistakes, and right the wrongs I left in this world. It is no longer my place to carry sword nor shield. That is the way of this world. The old die so the young may take their place.

I have fought all my life against this evil, and though my strength was not enough to defeat it, I leave my legacy to aid those who follow. I shall be long since dead when this evil rises again, but I have done all that I could.

And now, hero, the story of my life, of war and adventure, of love and loss, of Gods and Kings, a tale which stretches across time and space itself, since long before I was born.

Part 1: Tear of the Goddess

I was born in the crown city, Catel of Hylia, to parents whose faces have long since faded, in the age 1481. I joined the ranks of the city guard at the age of 15. Though not the strongest of men, I served the crown well, and my deeds did not go unnoticed. I was assigned to the castle guard at 17, and later to the Princess's personal guard at 18. It is there which my story begins.

Tensions between the Hylian kingdom and surrounding nations had been growing for some time. Princess Zelda Olivia Scarlett Hyrule was sent as a diplomatic envoy to the neighboring kingdom of Thermin. Though she wished to travel with only a single aide, her father, King Alastair Venedict Hyrule VI insisted she take a personal guard. Though I had little personal interaction with the Princess, she personally selected me from her guard, and I was named Knight of the Goddess, Sir Link Octavious of Hylia.

We set out for Thermin on the celebration of my birth, nineteen years to the day, in the age 1500. A small envoy, three guardsmen including myself, two personal aides, and the Princess. And though it was more direct to travel by land, it was determined the Princess would be safer on a ship. The Imperial Hylian Vessel Din's Flame was chosen to carry us to the Great Bay of Thermin, and from there we would make our way inland on horseback to the city of Clockwork. Though far from the Therminan crown city of Ika, the Therminan King had denied us entry to his city. Clockwork was the next closest town of any consequence, and so it was decided the Princess would meet their diplomatic party there. Joining us would be those from the kingdoms of Labrya and Holod. Labrya had sided with Hylia, and though somewhat reluctantly, Holod had sided with Thermin.

It was a two week trip aboard Din's Flame to Thermin, with little else to do than sleep or practice my swordplay. The rolling ocean waves made the latter difficult, so I set to spending my days on the deck, staring out over the ocean. I spent much time in thought, wondering why the Princess had chosen me, a commoner of all people, as her Champion. There were surely more skilled warriors in the ranks of the King's men, and certainly those of more noble blood.

During my Knighting ceremony, the King had looked down at me, with disapproval. As though he were expecting me to fail in my duty. I wasn't entirely sure he was wrong to doubt me. I had told none of this to the Princess. She needed to be certain and confident in my service to her, even if I wasn't.

More confusing to me was on the second to last day of our journey. I was sitting on the deck, pondering these thoughts when the Princess joined me. She had changed from her ornate pink and white dress, donning instead a simple blue skirt and a white, short sleeved vest. She had tied her hair into a flowing ponytail. I hadn't heard her approach, and was quite shocked when I discovered her sitting next to me, for how long she had been there I was unsure. I quickly stood from my perch on the deck in respect, embarrassed at my rudeness. She just looked up at me and smiled.

"Join me. Please."

I returned to my seat and stared at the sea, somewhat uncomfortable sitting in the presence of Royalty. It was my duty to follow her command, regardless of what it may be.

"Speak your mind, Link."

Again, I was taken aback. It was not the place of a commoner to speak to the Princess in such a manner, even if he was a knight. She seemed to notice the puzzled look on my face.

"Link, you need not be nervous. You and I, we aren't so different. Speak your mind."

I raised my eyes, and looked at her. Slowly, I spoke, " It is not my place, Princess. You need not concern yourself with me."

"It is my duty to concern myself with the wellbeing of my people. As it is your duty to concern yourself with my wellbeing. As I said, we are not so different. We both serve, in our own way, to a higher authority."

Again, somewhat shocked. "There is no higher authority than the crown, Princess."

"And the crown serves at the will of it's people. And the people exist at the will of the Goddess. My family may have been chosen to lead our kingdom, but we all serve the Goddess." My eyes fell back to the rolling waves below us, I remained silent. She gently placed her hand on my shoulder. "Link, I have entrusted you with my life. In return, I only ask you trust me with your thoughts."

My eyes returned their gaze to hers. I slowly nodded, and spoke. "I still wonder Princess, why you chose me?"

This was her turn to be shy. Her hand slipped from my shoulder, and her eyes peered out over the sea. "That is a complicated question, my Knight. And one I am not entirely certain I know the answer to. For now, know that I believe that Hylia has brought us together for a reason."

We sat in silence for a long while after that, staring out over the ocean. The ships crew, at the insistence of the Princess, went about their duties, ignoring us.

After some time, the Princess looked up at me with that same smile. For a brief moment, I mused, that she was quite beautiful. I quickly banished such thoughts from my mind. She quietly spoke to me, "There is something I wish for you to see." I stood from my place on the deck, and offered her my hand as she did the same. She motioned for me to follow her, and we descended into the ship.

We walked deep into the ship, past crew who felt the need to salute as we passed. Though I could tell it made the Princess uncomfortable, she said nothing to dissuade them. We arrived at her personal quarters, on the Officers deck. The ships first officer had given up his quarters for the Princess, and the ships second officer had given his to me, just across the corridor from the Princess. She entered her room, and I nervously followed, and closed the door behind me. I stood near the door, as she pulled a small, black box from a drawer in a cabinet along the wall. She sat gracefully upon the bed, and motioned for me to join her. I approached, but elected to remain standing. She opened the box and the whole room seemed to darken slightly. She pulled a blue, diamond shaped gem, which glowed faintly. She held it in cupped hands, and reached out toward me.

I was mesmerized by the gem. "What is it?" I asked.

"We call it the Tear of the Goddess. It's been passed down through the royal family for generations. My mother gave this to me before she died. It's said that this fell from the eye of the Goddess Hylia herself, after the Darkness fell upon the Sacred Realm."

"You must forgive me Princess, but I was never much on history."

She replaced the gem into its box, and once again motioned for me to sit with her. When I again refused, she gave me a disappointed look, and I reluctantly sat beside her. She began, "Long ago, before the Goddesses created our world, there was a kingdom of Gods. It is said that Hylia was their Queen, and she lived in a great city, which we call Hyperion.

"Though we often think of the Gods as perfect beings, the legend would seem to disprove that. They succumb to hatred and violence just as we do. It was the very same reason we make our journey now that lead to the downfall of the Kingdom of the Gods. The threat of war.

"One of the Gods had used a powerful magic to create being of unparalleled power. One which he intended to use to tear down the Kingdom. A plan which he unfortunately did not live to see come to fruition, as his own creation destroyed him. The beast, left to it's own devices, left a swath of death and destruction in it's wake. Within just a few days, Hyperion lay in ruins. Hylia and her three aids were all that remain. And that they used their power to lock the dark beast away. Din, Farore, and Nayru had given their lives to ensure that this Darkness could not threaten anyone else. With her people gone, Hylia wept, and her tears pooled at her feet, and formed this gem." She lay her hand upon the box. "It is said that should the Darkness return, that a great hero would rise. And that this gem would aid him in it's defeat."

The Princess sat in silence for a long while, lost in thought. I seemed to do the same, running over our conversation on the deck. I could not resist inquiring of her. "Do you think the Darkness is returning Princess?"

She looked up at me, shocked, almost as though she were thinking the same thing. She laid her hand over her heart, and sat in silence for a while longer. Finally, she said. "I have felt a great evil in this world. Whether it be the Darkness of the Hyperion legend or simply the shadow of war looming over us, I do not know."

Again, we sat it silence for a while. Again, I reached a somewhat wild conclusion. "Do you think I could be the hero from the legend?"

And again, the Princess looked at me with the same shocked expression. She said nothing.

"You said you believed Hylia had brought us together for a reason. You showed me the Tear, you told me the story. Am I the hero?" I stood from my spot on the bed Her eyes began to well up with tears, which streamed down her face and left dark spots on her skirt. "I have trusted you with my thoughts Princess. I would ask only for yours." I felt as though I had perhaps overstepped a bit, but I wanted to know. I needed to know why she had chosen me.

Through her tears, she quietly whispered one word. "Yes." Her tears came in full force now. I knew I had gone to far. I sat slowly back down onto the bed, and gently placed my arm around her. She buried her face against me and cried.

"I am sorry Princess. I should not have pushed you. I would ask your forgiveness."

She slowly looked up to see me. Her eyes were red from her crying. "You have no need of it, my Knight. I could not keep this from you forever. You have every right to know."

"And I have no right to cause a Princess to shed tears. I will leave you to your thoughts Princess." I stood to retire to my own quarters, but she gripped the back of my tunic.

"Stay. Please. Do not leave me."

While I once again felt uncomfortable being on such familiar terms with Royalty, I could not disobey her wishes. I did not answer her, but simply sat again on the edge of her bed. She wrapped her arms around me and cried for a long while before finally falling asleep. I simply sat there, awake and lost in thought.