"Link, wake up."
A rousing of the consciousness. A stirring from slumber.
"Link, we don't have time. Wake up."
"Grumble, grumble."
"Ugh. Fine, fine. You asked for this."
SMACK
"Uwah!" Link bolted upright. Startled, he frantically glanced around. "Huh? What? What's going on?"
"Good, you're awake," said a mature voice behind him. He turned, and once again found himself face-to-face with the Princess of Hyrule.
"Princess Zelda? What's going on?" Link's head started to clear. As it did, a ringing in his ears became painfully obvious. "And why do my eardrums feel like they've been trampled on by a horse?"
"That would be my fault," Zelda admitted. "I woke you up using a loud noise. A spell performed by bringing one's hands together."
"So . . . you woke me up by clapping."
"I said, it was a spell."
"A clapping spell."
"Well, it was a really loud clap!"
"You have magic claps."
"Link, that just sounds weird. Knock it off."
"Fine, fine." Link rolled his eyes. It was then that he noticed that he was in a very familiar location. "Wait, we're back here again? What happened? What's going on?"
"I'd love to know as well as you would," Zelda stated, "but the truth of the matter is that after we passed out at the end of that long hallway, we woke up here. I know not how or why, but that is the simple reality of it."
"Um, okay." Link shrugged. "Well, we still need to get out of here." They arose, and, seeing as the cell door was unlocked—did someone unlock it, or was it still unlocked from last time?—the pair quickly snuck past the jailer knight, who, thankfully, did not have spiky balls of flaming death this time. They turned the corner, only to once again come face-to-face with another armored figure.
"Link, watch out! That's—" Zelda began.
"Don't worry! I got this!" The green-clad monster, startled, could not do anything as Link unleashed a Spin Attack. In a matter of seconds, the only trace that remained of him was a vanishing plume of black mist.
"That probably caught Big Nasty's attention," Link noted. "Let's go."
Onwards and upwards they went, through the maze of the catacombs of the dungeons of Hyrule Castle. Occasionally, they would happen upon more of those strange pseudo-knights, alone or in groups. Having a fair bit of experience, Link could now dispatch the abominations with relative ease. After what seemed to be the seventh knight, he turned around to Zelda. "You know, you seem rather relaxed for someone who is slaughtering what appears to be your loyal guardians."
"Eh, you're killin' guys, I'm just gonna stand here and not bother ya."
"Wait what."
"In addition, not only are they mere constructs of dark power made to resemble my own valiant soldiers, I am not a complete stranger when it comes to death and bloodshed."
"Whoa."
Zelda gave a mysterious smirk. "Being a princess has its challenges, Link."
With that being said, the pair continued on their way through the dank hallways of the dungeon underneath the castle. Eventually, they entered the room where Link had collapsed the first time, before things went . . . weird. Tentatively, Link took a step. When nothing happened, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Oh, good."
"Link, I somehow doubt that the floor is going to eat you." Zelda said dryly.
"Hey, I collapsed in here last time. You don't know what could happen," came the response.
As it seemed there was nothing to worry about, Link and Zelda moved on. Up a flight of stairs, across a ledge, around a corner, and into the next room. Where the ledge ended was a drop of maybe about twelve or so feet deep.
"Looks like we'll have to jump," Link said, after searching around for an alternative way down.
"Or, we could grab onto the ledge and drop down," offered Zelda.
Link jumped.
Zelda facepalmed.
After Zelda cautiously made her way down, they continued on their path. After a short while, they found the same flight of stairs that Link had used to descend into the depths of the dungeon. With Link leading the way, the two ascended out of the darkness, and into a brightly-lit hallway. Unfortunately, they couldn't even stop to rest, as their journey had not gone unnoticed by the various patrollers of the dungeons, and they were currently in hot pursuit. As such, they moved on.
"You know, for a stealthy rescue mission, we sure seem to be attracting a lot of attention," Link quipped. They were currently in one of the various long rooms the Hylian Castle seemed to be fond of, surrounded by several Soldiers, as Zelda had taken to calling them, of various color.
"Focus, Link." Zelda said, taking out several foot-long needles.
"Wait, where did you get those from? And why didn't you use them before?"
"Focus."
Now, one would normally expect a mind-blowing action sequence in their current situation: two fighters, back-to-back, surrounded by foes. While the "action sequence" that Link and Zelda currently starred in did have a fair amount of excitement to it, it was all over rather quickly, and not worth mentioning at this present time. Needless to say, the pair found themselves once again running through the halls of Hyrule Castle away from their tireless pursuers.
At last, they found themselves in the main chamber of the castle. Just as Link was about to turn to exit out of the front gates, Zelda stopped him.
"There is a secret passage in the throne room that leads to the Sanctuary. I'm sure that the old man there will be of help."
"Ugh, more stairs."
They encountered little opposition in their flight up the flights of stairs. Bursting open the large, ornate door that heralded the chamber where the King sat, they hurried past the large pillars and various fine curtains. They stopped in front of the two seats that belonged to Hyrule's rulers. Upon seeing their majestic forms so empty, a shadow passed over Zelda's face. By the time Link had registered what he saw, it was gone.
" . . . That ornamental shelf should open. Hopefully, you have some means of illumination. It's pitch-black inside, and you can't see without one."
The pair of refugees braced their shoulders against the slab of stone. Grunting, Link shoved and pushed and strained his body. Slowly, painfully, the shelf moved. The entire process took several minutes, as the grinding of the shelf against the floor had attracted the attention of the imposter Soldiers. After the rumbling stopped, the two caught their breath, panting. As Zelda turned to head down into the depths, Link called out, "Wait, uh, Princess Zelda."
She turned. "Just 'Zelda' is fine. You've already dropped the 'Princess title several times now, anyway."
"Oh, sorry. Um, I'm very sorry for your loss."
The princess was surprised. She had not been expecting that. "What made you say that?"
"You looked sad when you saw the thrones. I'm guessing they reminded you of your parents, right? Did that Wizard guy kill them?"
She smiled softly. "Thank you, Link. I do not know what happened to my mother. And yes, Father was killed right in front of me. I appreciate your concern."
"My uncle was just killed on the way here." Link nodded, eyes downcast.
"I am truly sorry for your loss. Your uncle was a great man." They stood for a moment, silent.
"He's ALSO annoyed by the lack of movement, here!" A gruff voice called out.
The two jumped. Floating in front of the entrance into the darkness, with an annoyed expression on his face, was the ghost of Link's uncle.
"Crap! Uncle! I forgot you were undead!"
"HURRY UP!" the specter bellowed. Startled into action, the pair quickly delved once again into the darkness.
Bringing out his Lantern, Link stepped into the darkness. They could hear the squeaking of rats as they scurried about in the dark. Illumination guiding their way, it was not long before they found a staircase to a lower floor.
"Jeez, that's with this place having so many stairs?" the purple-haired swordsman grumbled.
"I don't know, what about your uncle being a ghost? What about ghosts existing?" Zelda shot back.
"Don't ask me." Came the reply.
The hallway they found themselves in was long and damp, like the one before it. Only this time, instead of rats scurrying about, they had to deal with . . .
"Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?!" Snarled Zelda.
"Ropes, technically. But whatever." Link dismissed.
With the enemies of confusing nomenclature dispatched via wrathful foot-long spikes through the skull courtesy of the local Princess, the way was clear once more. Well, as clear as it could be in complete darkness.
They found their way blocked at the end of the hallway by a locked door. "Jeez, now we gotta find a key." Link grumbled. However, before he could turn away, Zelda pushed him aside. "Keep the door illuminated," she commanded. He complied. Zelda took a stance, knees bent, feet wide. Her hands moved towards her waist, with her palms cupped together.
"Strong arms of the goddess, create for me a path with your burning strength." Zelda chanted. Between her palms, a red light began to grow, brighter and brighter, dwarfing the smaller light of Link's lantern and casting everything into an unnerving crimson.
With a cry of "Din's Fire," Zelda thrust her palms towards the locked door. From them erupted a ball of fire which flew straight into the offending impediment. Upon impact, the door was violently blown off its hinges in an eruption of magical flame. After the dust settled, Zelda straightened, and said a simple, "Let's go," before stalking off towards the now-open staircase. Link gaped, frozen in place, before snapping out of it, and following her.
They found themselves in a large, spacious catacomb. The stench was horrible, the wetness was unpleasant, and the rats continued their incessant, bothersome screech.
"We're close," said Zelda. Link noticed that she was still in the same funk that she had been in for the last little bit. "Through these sewers should be the Sanctuary."
"Um, I have a question." Link said as they ran.
"What?" Zelda replied, an edge to her voice.
"Why didn't you do that fire-thing earlier?"
"Low on mana, wanted to save it."
"But you didn't need to—"
"Don't try me, Link. I'm very frustrated right now."
The rest of the trip passed in an awkward silence. The silence only grew from awkward to tense as they came upon another locked door. Before Zelda had the chance to blow any more doors down in her frustration, Link vanished, coming back a minute later with a small key. Conveniently, the door opened up, and the way was clear. Through the door, onwards and upwards, and into a hallway. Zelda visibly relaxed. The materials for the place they had just entered were noticeably different than that of the dungeon. Link surmised that this place must be the Sanctuary. In the next room was another closed door. Link braced himself for another bout of irritation from Zelda, but she simply said, "Pull the lever and open the door."
"Which one? There are two."
" . . . This one."
"You don't know, do you?"
"Just pull it." Link pulled, and heard something slide open. "All right! We did it!" He froze as he turned around.
Ropes fell from the ceiling, numerous and menacing. They quickly homed in on the pair.
"Hurry up and pull the other!" Zelda shouted. She spun, flinging out needles at every opportunity, skewering each snakelike monster through head. Link cut a path through the beasts, and quickly pulled the other lever. This time, the door opened. They dashed for the exit, slaying the snakes that were still in their path. Link, who was the last one out, quickly turned and slammed the door shut. They collapsed onto the floor, panting.
"What was that?" said Link between breaths.
"A little present for those who would try to sneak in without permission." Zelda managed. "Unfortunately, I fell for that trick many times during . . . princess training."
"Oh, so that's why you hate Ropes so much," Link noted, making a note to ask Zelda about "princess training" later. "That's why you were in a bad mood for the entire way here?"
"That, and I'm low on mana."
"Ah." Similar to being hungry, people tend to get grumpy when their magical reserves had been depleted.
After a moment of silence, in which the two caught their breath, Zelda stood, and offered Link a hand, which he took. "We're here," she said, pointing to a door that was not six feet way, "just through that entrance." She knocked three times on the door. Stone, it seemed, by the sound of it.
A voice rang out. "Password?"
"Princess be I, Shekiah be I. Make clear the way for the Sons of the Sky."
A rumble emanated from the door as it slid, opening up to a bright light. Link had to cover his eyes with his hand to eliminate the glare. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out a room, bisected by a carpeted aisle, with rows of pews travelling down its length. Adorning the walls at even intervals were stain-glass windows, and, smiling at him as he entered out onto the raised altar above the floor, was the old Priest.
They had arrived at the Sanctuary, safe and sound.
"Princess Zelda, you are safe. This is joyously good news," said the Priest, eyes shining in relief. He then turned to the young man who often frequented the place with his Uncle. They were fairly religious, like most Hylians. "Link, is this your doing?"
"Indeed it is," Zelda answered before Link could say a word. "Link helped me escape from the dungeon. He has my eternal gratitude for it." She finished with a smile on her face. Beautiful as it was, Link couldn't help but remember his Uncle's last words—among the living, that is—that told him of a connection to Zelda. She was his what? Future bride? Sister? Comrade? . . . . Aunt?
Link shook his head and refocused. Zelda was now talking to the Priest in a serious tone. "Whilst I was captive in the dungeons, the Wizard Agahnim told me that 'I was the last' and that 'once he has finished with me, the final Seal of the Sages would open."
"This is troubling news, indeed." The elderly man agreed. "It does not bode well for Hyrule if such a thing could happen soon. I am relieved that you are here, safe from harm."
"Wait, what's going on?" Link asked. "Final Seal? Sages? What?"
"I'm sure you know," began the Priest, "of the legend of the Sages?"
"Yeah, everyone does."
"Well, use your head. If the Wizard releases the Seal, evil power will flood the land."
"Evil power?"
"I'm sure you're intelligent enough to figure out the connection between 'evil power' and 'Seal', Link." Zelda deadpanned. She turned back to the elderly clergyman. "Something else bothers me. Something . . . weird happened in our escape from the dungeon."
"How so?" queried the pastor.
"Oh yeah, that's right." Link chimed in. Absentmindedly putting away his sword and shield, which were still out, and extinguishing his lamp, which was still on, Link recollected what had happened in the prison. "When we first were escaping, we collapsed in a room several floors above the holding cell. When we came to, we were back, with no sign of having left in the first place, or even someone bringing us back. Then, the guard's balls lit on fire, we had to run through a crack in the wall, a pig-guy twirled a spear around, and we ended up in a room with three golden triangles." At this, the Priest's eyes flew open in shock. "After that, we woke up back again in the jail cell and made our way out. Oh, and Zelda hates snakes, is lethally accurate with needles, takes her anger out on doors and makes some rather questionable decisions concerning her use of magic." He shot, casting an irritated glance in the princess' direction. "Oh, and she has magic wake-up claps."
"Ignoring the last bit for now," the elderly man said, turning to the now-irritated Zelda, "was what he said true?"
She ignored him. "I told you, I had to conserve mana."
"You blew up a door with fire."
"I was frustrated!"
"That's not conservation."
"I was low, all right? I was at my wit's end."
"Well—" Link stopped. It kinda made sense. Sort of. "Fine, fine. But couldn't you have blasted us out, or something? Or teleported? Or, you know, helped me using your needle things earlier?"
"Not enough magic to do that, and you had everything covered."
"Please, could we focus back on hand?" the Priest interjected, exasperated. "You have said some pretty serious things right now." He turned once again to Zelda. "Is what he said true?"
"Unfortunately, he is correct," she confirmed, eyes narrowing. "Be it a vision, a dream, a hallucination, or reality, we did see the Holy Triforce at the end of that strange hallway. It . . . spoke to us, for lack of a better word, and then we fainted straightaway, awakening in my prison cell once again."
"This . . . is disturbing information," the Priest said worriedly. "Why would the Holy Triforce appear to you so suddenly?"
"In addition," continued Zelda, "we also saw what appeared to be a vision of the King of Evil himself, wielding his Trident." The elderly man's face went pale. "He seemed to notice us as we were running in the hallway."
Steadying himself with use of the nearby pulpit, the pastor took a shaky breath. "It seems that he was right." He muttered. "This is quite unfortunate."
"Huh? He who?" Link asked.
The Priest sighed. "Very well. It seems that there is no choice." He raised his head to face the ceiling. "You can come out now."
To the surprise of Zelda and Link, down from the ceiling fluttered a small, yellow, birdlike creature. "You called, pastor?" it said, its voice somewhat high but masculine.
"Nakate, this is Link and Zelda," the Priest introduced. "Link and Zelda, Nakate."
"Um, hi?" Link said. Zelda merely raised an eyebrow and a hand in greeting.
The bird-Cuccoo? Link wondered—fluttered to the floor. Standing barely up to Link's thigh, the Cuccoo-thing bowed its golden, feathered head. "Greetings and salutations," it said politely, blue eyes shining. "I am Nakate the Honeywhite, traveler and student of life. I am come here to warn you a great disaster that is about to happen."
"You mean, Ganon's awakening?" Zelda asked, which caught both Nakate and Link by surprise.
"How did you know?" Nakate asked. "After all—"
"Quick question," Link interjected. "One," he faced Zelda. "What? What's happening?"
"Use your brain, Link. What we saw was Ganon. The Wizard is attempting to undo a seal on a 'great evil.' According to the legends that were passed down, there were not that many evils great enough to be sealed by the power of the Gods. As the figure we saw was wielding a trident, Ganon's signature weapon. This can only mean one thing."
"So, you know they're connected?" Link asked.
"I'd be surprised if they weren't." Zelda deadpanned.
"That answers my question, then," Nakate replied. "However—"
"Not done yet." Link cut it off once again. He turned to the strange newcomer. "What are you? Are you a Cuccoo, or something? Also, are you a guy? I can't keep on calling you 'it' in my head. Sounds kinda rude."
The yellow bird-thing sighed. "Yes, I am male. As for your question of species, I am not of anything that you can find in Hyrule," he said, to Link and Zelda's confusion. "You may refer to me as a 'Chocobo'. Kweh," he coughed, almost as an afterthought.
"What?"
"But that is not of any importance right now." Naka the Honeywhite the Chocobo turned back to Zelda. "Yes, you are right. However, that is only part of the problem. As you've experienced, strange distortions are happening all across Hyrule—nay, even the world. Fluctuations, if you will, in reality. It is unknown where they come from, but they seem to be the result of a strange power leaking into this world." He hopped a couple of feet as he spoke, beak slightly distorting as he formed words, similar to the lips of a human's mouth. "What will happen is unknown, but it most assuredly cannot be good, if the wrong hands get their hand on it. Which they already have—the Wizard Agahnim has already harnessed this power. He is working with things that he cannot possibly understand."
"So, what's he doing? And how do we stop this?" Link asked, unnerved.
The Priest, who had been silent for a while now, suddenly spoke up. "Link, do not focus on that right now. I do not what these omens and visions, if they are merely that, of yours mean. However, the fact of the matter is that Agahnim must be stopped. The power that is guiding him, Ganon's power, can only be defeated by the Master Sword." He looked Link in the eyes, an intensity there that made Link pay rapt attention to every word he said. "This is a most grave matter. The fate of the entire world is in your hands."
Link sat down, hard, on the wooden floor, head in his hands. "This is a lot to take in," Zelda said.
"You seem very calm about this," the Priest remarked.
"I've had time to prepare. I figured that it could be something along the lines of this."
" . . . I have to do it, don't I."
"Huh?" The part in question remarked.
"I have to do it." Link let out a deep breath, stood up, and straightened. His posture was visibly stronger. "It's my destiny, right?"
"Technically," Nakate said, "You don't have to do it. I'm sure the Gods will provide another way." What he didn't add on was the unspoken for better or for worse.
"It is indeed your choice." Zelda affirmed. "But just remember, there are consequences for either choice you make."
"Thank you," Link said after a moment. "But I choose this path. This is a task that I have been given by fate, the Gods, or destiny, whatever. I'm not going to run away, even if it causes me suffering."
"Wow, that was . . ." Zelda said, surprised. "A rather mature thing to say."
"It must be the 'Courage' of the 'Spirit of the Hero'." the elderly Priest realized. "So, the Hero has returned once again in a time of need."
"Wait, really?" Link said, gears switching from "somber" to "excited" so fast it could give one whiplash, "I'm the new Hero?"
"Wait, you didn't know?" Zelda raised an eyebrow. "You mean the triangle tattoo on the back of your left hand didn't tip you off?"
" . . . Everyone in my family has that, though. And I know another guy with a similar mark."
" . . . Wait, really?"
"Kinda, yeah. Though his is not so much a triangle on the back of his left hand as it is a star on his shoulder, near the neck."
"Oh my." Nakate said, surprised. "To think that one of them would be even found here. But enough of that," he said. "Now that you have properly been warned, I believe that I shall bid you all a good day."
"You ain't goin' anywhere," Zelda said. "No, you're helping us out with this mess."
"I'm glad you think that I could be of assistance, but really, there is nothing that I can—"
"Don't you dare try to worm yourself out with that one," she said. "You expect us to go on our own, to deal with not only the reawakening of Ganon by a crazed wizard, but these 'distortions of reality', as you put it? No way no how, buddy-boy. You're gonna go with Link and solve this problem, and that's that."
Nakate blinked large, birdlike eyes. "Hmm, never thought of it that way. I guess it does make sense for me to help out." He fluttered a bit before bowing once again and looking up at the Hylians. "Well then, I look forward to working with you, Link."
"Uh, likewise," Link said, bemused. He turned to the Priest. "Well then, I guess I should be off."
"Take care, Link." The elderly man replied. "You should head to Kakariko Village to seek the elder there. He should give you more information." He handed him a map that he seemed to procure out of nowhere. "Take this, you'll need it. If I'm right, you're going to be heading many places around Hyrule."
"Thanks, Priest." Link said. "All right. I'm going to need to go home to grab some stuff first, and then I'll be on my way."
"That's probably not a good idea," Zelda stated. "There are going to be a bunch of those Soldiers around. You can get what you need at Kakariko."
"Oh, fine. You comin'?"
"Nice try," Zelda shook her head. "I've gotta stay here. They're looking for me, and this place is one of the few that can not only hide my presence but that monsters cannot enter as well. This coupled with my need to recharge my mana, I ain't going anywhere for a while."
"Slacker," Link grumbled. "But anyway, thanks." He took a few steps, before turning around. "You know, you seem a great deal different than what I've heard about you."
"What, not used to my snark?" Zelda smirked. "I get that a lot. You learn things when you're pestered with greedy nobles daily."
"It's actually kind of funny," Link said. "It creates a very different mental picture than what most people believe."
"She's actually rather kind and gentle," offered the Priest, "when she's not frustrated, you know. So, you're not wrong, but that's not the entire picture."
"All right, then." Link said. He turned to leave. "Right, I'm off!"
"One last thing," the Priest said. "Before you leave, take this." He held out a crimson stone in the shape of a heart. Link's eyes widened as he saw it. "I believe this will come in handy."
"Woah," Link said, gratefully accepting the stone in both hands, "This is . . ." he trailed off.
"What is this?" asked Nakate. Suddenly, the stone glowed brightly. Link held it above his head, as if offering it up to the Gods. The stone's light intensified, and when the light died down, it was nowhere to be seen. A crimson glow surrounded Link, and—stangely—he looked stronger and more full of energy than before. "Wait, what just happened?"
"Heart Container," Link said, still in awe. "They increase life force."
"One Heart Container, as they are commonly known," Zelda informed the Chocobo, "have the equivalence of one person's life force. Obtaining one adds to your own."
"So that means that Link here would have twice the vitality of a normal human?" Nakate asked, surprised.
"Four, actually." Link said, having come out of his trance. "Apparently, my family has been gifted with twice the vitality of a normal person. And not just vitality, but also strength, speed, and all that fun stuff."
"Wait, so it doubles?" Nakate asked, confused.
"Nah, I had three times the amount to begin with," Link said. Nakate's eyes widened in shock. "Sword training really paid off. It's complicated," he finished, noticing the perplexed expression on the bird.
"Well, then, I really am off this time," Link said, turning back. "So long, guys. Until later!" He quickly made his way down the Sanctuary's aisle, with Nakate fluttering after him.
"Stay safe!" the Priest called. Zelda merely smiled.
The doors opened, and Link, together with his new companion, stepped out in to the bright world of Hyrule.
Author's note: Hello, Insert here. So, I've been really busy. You know, IRL stuff. That, and I don't really know what direction I want some of my stories to go in. However, I do know what direction I want this to go in, and I figured that I should probably let you all know that I haven't disappeared off of the face of the earth. Like before, let me know what I can do in terms of improving my writing.
Thanks again,
Insert