TheLegendofZelda:
HylianHearts
Chapter I: The Hero is Felled
We begin this story late in Hyrule's history, during the Ocarina of Time; during an unusual sequence of events alternative to those which took place in the game.
A peaceful day in the life of a Hylian Hunter; surrounded by fat trees in front of an ancient and abandoned forest temple, lazily laying in a meadow clearing with his horse grazing nearby. Clad in a traditional Hunter's green Tunic, 3 empty bottles tied to his belt and a fourth, with a blue liquid inside. Bow and quiver lain against a small stump, sturdy Hylian shield face up in the grass beside him; a sudden and unexpected, small but loud voice calls out from the ether, "Link!".
The Hunter's eyes snap open at the sound as he sits up to locate the direction it came from. "Link! Link, we need your help!" He couldn't see anyone, and Epona seemed entirely unphased. 'Am I hearing things?' he wondered silently, cupping an ear and cocking his head. "Link! The Goddesses beckon us, please hurry to Hyrule castle! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, you must make haste!"
It felt unreal, but the feel; the feel of her words convinced him to listen, and obey. Grabbing the Shield, he then hopped to his feet and scooped up the Bow and Quiver in one motion, then whistled sharply for Epona. Mounting his horse, he looked back at the stump briefly, equipping the Quiver and stowing his Bow with it, "H'yeah!" before quickly riding off; forgotten memories suddenly flooding his mind.
A flash in his memories causes him to falter, briefly losing balance.
The forest was thin where he had made his day rest area, but quickly thickened as he rode into the shadows of the Lost Woods. "H'yeah!" Faster, hoping he was fast enough! The feel of her words... as if shot in the heart by an Arrow. "H'yeah, yah!" Seeping images and memories come flowing out of him like life essence; impacting his heart with feelings of guilt, confusing his memories of the Hunter's life. Eternally young children... no, friends...? He rode hard and fast, through a giant hollow log, past a curious, masked, Skull-Kid, out of the forest edges, into the vast open fields of Hyrule. A Skullkid?! Link's eyes blinded white and he nearly fell off his horse as the thought of a memory he'd never had struck hard in his head... tears pouring down his cheeks.
Eastward for an hour still, to the abandoned ranch before he would go north, toward Hyrule City. The glint of a memory, an ocarina, an old friend of the forest, a Kokiri girl, the master sword...
Somewhere between the forest edge and the entrance of Lon Lon Ranch, Link had drifted into wondrous adventures against a giant unheard of Dodongo, trading Eye Drops with a huge sized Goron, and saving the daughter of the king of Zoras... Fighting great evil... Someone he could clearly see from his every nightmare, but never recognized...
Ganondorf...
Pangs of blinding guilt began twisting his memories again as the name caught a thread of recognition. Link spurred his horse with his boot, "H'yeahh!", half screaming in agony. He did not bother slowing for the citizens, he rode directly toward the castle, nearly colliding with a redheaded maiden on the way. The pain intensified as he neared the castle, as he tried to blink away the tears.
An ominous dark cloud spiraled over Death Mountain; coagulating down the hillsides, dispersing past Kakariko, and then hazed sideways along the cathedral, straight toward the castle gates: Where dozens of guards were evidently fighting something huge; as they were thrown into the skies and cast aside like dolls.
As he grabbed his Bow, Link dismounted and drew aim into the crowd of guards, hesitated, then unleashed an Arrow. Within a split second reaction, as the Arrow drew upon its target, a dark and neon-like black wave shattered the Arrow and fanned out toward Link; the dark wave smashing him in the chest, toppling him to the ground, and knocking the wind out of him. He fell unconscious in his struggle to endure the blow. A quiet whinny, whimper, and thud permeated the blackness that surrounded his failing consciousness.
"Link... Awaken..." Came a soft, melodic, caring voice. Link felt something cool press against his forehead and opened his eyes. The feint flickering light was dim but still caused him to squint. A beautiful woman with long rusty-golden hair, smiling down on him, pressing the rag to his head, breathing calm and speaking so soft; he knew right away that she was the Princess. He didn't need to see her elegant dress or intricate Royal Family jewelry and Triforce crests: The voice he heard in the meadow was no different than hers, only more stern then than she spoke now, gently as her hand that held the cool rag.
Until he opened his eyes.
"Good," She said, almost hurriedly, "you're awake. Please listen closely... Hyrule's fate may well rest in our hands." she began. "You and I have been chosen by the Goddesses, Nayru and Farore, to protect Hyrule from a tremendous evil, a man who has stolen the Royal Family's greatest treasure, the Triforce!" pausing to wring out the damp rag and return it to Link's forehead, she continued, "Long ago, at the discretion of the Goddess of Time, the three Goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru were permitted to create our world and breathe their own unique life into it."
"They created our world and all of us in it: We Hylians, the Sheikah, the Zoras, the Gorons, Gerudo, Kokiri, Dekus, Wolfos, everything... and when their works were complete, as they ascended back into the heavens, their spent energies following contrails of the presence of the goddesses coalesced whereupon they met and formed into the Triforce, a single fused set of 3 brilliant, luminous golden triangles; said to grant the wishes in the hearts of those who lay claim to it." She continued, "The royal family has forever charged itself with the protection of that sacred treasure..." Her voice began to crack and she became choked up.
Looking away, as a tear escaped, just in time to be flung aside by the momentum of her head; it spat upon Link's cheek, to his surprise. He sat up, and continued listening intently. Zelda drew a long and steady breath. "Today, I came of age, and learned of part of the legend, never before told to me or my people..." Her voice still cracked, choked, but clearing up. "Whence the three goddesses had completed their works and returned to the goddess of time, They were immediately sent back as punishment for the wrongdoings of their own creations!" She took another breath to calm herself and continued, "They were instructed to forge the weapons that would vanquish all evil wrongdoers in Hyrule. This part of the Legend is taught in the cathedral which was once the Temple of Time and acted as the entrance to the sacred realm where the three golden triangles rested, protected."
She paused awkwardly, "Link..." She drew an uncertain breath, but could not turn to face him. "Link, I tell you this, because i have never seen you in Hyrule before." A slow pause put Link in an uneasy mood. "I know you are the one who can help us, even if I can't explain it properly, but because Nayru chose me for the Triforce of Wisdom, I now bear its mark, and that's why I know you have the Triforce of Courage." The Triforce of Courage resonated with this truth and began glowing on Link's hand in sync with Zelda's. "Somehow... She came to me even before everything happened... Reminding me of the Royal Family's duty."
A quiet sob emanated from her throat, as she tried to choke it down and continue, "I didn't understand... and... Sadly we failed to uphold our honor... The Royal Family decided it was best to have the previous generation of sages keep the Triforce in our own vaults... And had the former head sage, Rauru, transport the Triforce from the Temple... but never had we considered a Thief from the Desert to become an evil Wizard..." She sighed at herself with disgust. "I fought, as a girl, with my visions of him and his darkness; saw a young boy with a Fairy who would save us all, but he never came..." Her heart surged, and more tears fell from her eyes, as she reached up to wipe them away. She paused, then drew a breath and spoke somewhat more confidently, "Yet I now know... Thanks to Nayru, I know him to be you. You are the one from my dream, who is destined to be the Hero of Time!"
She turned back and looked Link deep in his eyes. "The Goddesses created the Ocarina of time and the Master sword to give a hero ample power to protect the Triforce, but... there is a third weapon made for dire circumstances! A weapon so powerful and complex that the Goddess of Time herself had to craft it with the help of the other goddesses: An armored Tunic, made by Nayru, with the ability to sheathe the ultimate weapon forged by both Farore and Din, one which negates even the Master Sword: The-" The walls shook, expanded, contracted; seemingly breathing, interrupting Zelda, and the world around them faded away to smoky swirls of dull color which slowly took the form of a grim and terrifying face.
"Ah, there's my bride...! You will not resist the King of Evil, young wench!" A dark, glowing crystal prison formed around Zelda, instantly inducing a trance upon her and lifting her up several feet. "... and you!" The voice boomed, as bright electrified light began to accumulate around his visage. "I know why she called you to her, and I plan to vanquish you here and now!" This declaration seemed to bring Zelda back to life, who immediately summoned a brilliant blue light which shattered the prismatic prison. She landed gracefully and stood indomitably before walking intently forward, toward an intricate panel with 3 hollow slots. "Ganondorf Dragmire! Leave this sacred place!" And with all her power, Zelda sealed herself and Link, several feet behind her, in a dome of brilliant magical light, revealing that they were inside of the Cathedral: The former Temple of Time. Her magic seemed to blow the charged light and smoky shadows away. "Link, there's no longer enough time! Take this and retrieve the Master Sword!" She threw the Ocarina of Time at Link, continuing "Ganon will claim me now, but you can still end this! Go back in time and find the other six sages! With them, help us bind him forever!" then extended her magical barrier toward the Pedestal of Time, forcing the monolithic Doors of Time open with her own magic and filling nearly the entire cathedral with Nayru's Love. She was exhausting herself too fast, sweating hard and suffocating; and Link saw it. He dashed for the sword, running with his all.
Upon unsheathing the sword, radiant red, blue, and green magical energies engulfed him, just as the King of Evil appeared in a dark crimson-black explosion of smoke. Link swung the Master sword with great might, blasting its energies out as a magical wave upon the intruder.
Side stepping the blast as it was swallowed by the smoke he'd traveled through, Ganondorf angrily addressed Link, voice booming and causing the ceiling to collapse. "This ends NOW, boy!" As his eyes turned to a dark neon crimson, and neon-like purple and black smoky energy emanated from his core.
Link lunged at him, driving the sword into Ganon's heart, but when he stepped away, only a phantom stood in the evil king's place. Struck from behind, Link was knocked out, as Ganon's evil laughter echoed throughout the halls, and all went black. Forever.