The Legend Of Zelda
THE LEGEND BEGINS
A Long time ago...
Before life began, before the world had form, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaotic land of Hyrule. They were Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom and Farore, the goddess of courage.
Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth.
Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth to give the spirit of law to the world.
Farore's rich soul created all life forms who would uphold the law.
These three great goddesses returned to the heavens, leaving behind the sacred Triforce. Since then, the Triforce has become the basis for Hyrule's providence. Where the Triforce stood became sacred land.
PROLOGUE
The banging boomed louder and louder, drowning out the distant thunder from the storm. Rain bore down upon the castle, as the night dragged on. Fires shone through the clouded sight, and hundreds of soldiers from the west continued to climb the walls to meet with Hylian soldiers at the helm, struggling to stop the intruders. Hundreds of ladders and ropes with hooks tied to the end of them flew over the walls, as the attacking army continued to pour into the Capitol City of Hyrule.
Deep within the Keep, the King stirred. Sitting on his chair face down, cupped in his hands, he sat letting thoughts drown throughout his mind. Before him stood the commander of the army, patiently, unsettling.
"My lord, we have no choice," the commander reported, "We need to sound the evacuation of the city, and then retreat."
"…there has to be another way…" began the King.
"There is no other way! Only death!" the commander yelled. His face turned red with frustration.
The Kind looked over and along the walls at the paintings of glorious Kings in the successful line of his family. His stomach strained, and he stood up. Tall and proud was the King, but his pride was growing thin.
"If we lose this battle, all that I am, is dead already," said the King, "If we leave, our people will have nowhere to go, nowhere to sleep and follow their dreams."
"You are the best King we've ever had, sire. But I do not trust your judgement on this matter," said the Commander, "There is a pale moon on this night, I fear we have not yet seen the end."
The King shrugged and gazed out the window at the battle around the city, "So do I."
After an awkward silence, the King moved gracefully, dropping his cape off his shoulders and moving quickly down the red carpet towards his quarters.
"Where do you head, my lord?" asked the commander.
The King stopped and replied, "To defend my countrymen."
As fast as he could, he got his armor on, and jumped upon his steed and rode out into the rain. Down many of the roads that led in all directions around Hyrule City, he passed the market square and came to the main gate. The sight overwhelmed the King.
Fire gripped the front gate, hundreds lay dead in the early morning gloom, and yet more came over the walls. The Hyrule soldiers fought harder and harder, but it did not help. Hundreds of them, all over, fighting for the freedom of their nation. The enemy was soon to take over Hyrule.
The gate began to fall apart, and a barricade began to smash the gate in.
He panicked and rode hard towards the burning gate, coughing from the rising black smoke and thick smell of blood. An arrow suddenly flew through a broken hole in the gate and struck him in the soft spot of his armor. Blood flew out and he fell back off his horse hitting the ground hard. A few of the Hylian soldiers rushed to his aid, but he pushed them off.
He got up and pulled out his sword.
The gate broke in and the intruding army charged.
The King stood along with a line of his soldiers and with a swift forward motion of his sword, they charged the oncoming enemy. The impact of the two armies was like running into a charging brick wall. In an instant, on both sides, soldiers lay dead and bloodied on the muddy ground. Still, men fought on.
While the fiery battle went on, the King lay dead in a puddle of his own blood, nestled against one of his men.
From a distance, a woman watched in terror. She was hidden in shadow for the time, but the enemy began to gain distance towards the heart of the city.
While she looked for a fast way out, the trespassers began to light the houses and buildings of the city on fire. Glowing bright red, a hellish hue, the city turned into a disaster. The citizens began to fight back, but they were easily slaughtered.
As the woman ran, a quiet cry whimpered in her arms. She gripped her infant tighter to herself. She wasn't going to leave him behind. As she came to the end of the alley, she surveyed the streets and when she saw it was safe, she ran towards the rocky incline that rose up above the city walls. The incline led all the way up to the tall mountain range, and towards Death Mountain. She climbed up as fast as she could with one hand.
Gripping her little infant, a newborn without a father, she feared of dropping him.
As the hours passed, and black smoke seemed to continually rise from the ruins of Hyrule City, she came to the top of the hill and she gazed at the open country of Hyrule. She sighed at the sight of freedom, and she thought that she had outdone harm.
She began to descend from the foot of the mountain range, and onto the flatlands that led in all directions around Hyrule. She didn't know the way to anywhere. She calmly picked a direction and walked.
As the hours passed, she thought she needed a rest from her long journey. She looked back towards Hyrule Castle, and still saw the smoke in the distance, just as the sun began to rise. She did not look upon Hyrule ever again.
She found a nice spot under a fallen tree to rest for the evening, and with her baby boy, feeding him milk from her breast, she rested for the rest of the day.
When the sun fell under the horizon again, she began to journey off towards an unknown destination. Her prime objective was to find food and shelter, that night.
As she journeyed on for hours on end, she finally came to the entrance to a forest. She peered into the woods at the lip for any sign of danger, but she did not see any. She began to enter.
After more tiring travelling, she came upon a stream of fresh water. She drank as much as she could drink, but she suddenly realized how hungry she was. She looked around for any sign of food, and found some fresh mushrooms growing next to a tree. She picked them and ate them down thankfully. She nursed her baby some more, and then continued her journey. When the sun came up again, she didn't know how far in she had gone. Her weakness began to take over, and her legs trembled. She went lightheaded and in a second, she was on the ground, passed out.
Her baby hit the ground in front of her, and it began to cry. She woke up dizzy and forgetful. She looked around, and abruptly remembered where she was. She grabbed her crying baby, and calmed him down. She feared she would not live long enough to save her baby. She needed to find someone to take care of him.
"Yes, little on," she said to the baby, "I'll find someone to take care of you when I go away."
The baby's face seemed bright with expression, and his wide blue eyes showed striking features. His ears, like all the Hylians, were pointed at the tips. She smiled at him, still pondering why he had been born. She had never been with any man in her life, but her life was fading; by an ill disease that no doctor could cure. She had looked for someone, anyone to take care of her baby, but she had found no one.
Then the war raged on, from a distant country. The Hylians were attacked without notice by a strange stealth army with great strength. Now the Hylians had been defeated.
She got up and continued deeper and deeper into the woods. She began to notice the forest changing around her as she kept travelling. It was getting more…magical. The trees glowed bright silver, and thousands of small dots of bright dust flew around her. Finally, she came to a small bridge that led into a giant tree hollow tunnel through a hill. She walked in, cautiously.
When she came to the other side, it was like walking into a different world. She stopped in her tracks and looked around to see a village of treehouses, and…children. All the people she could see were children, roughly around the age of ten, and each had a small glowing fairy flying over them. She walked slowly towards the center of the village. To the left of her, a young girl popped out of the bushes and stared at her. Her face gleaming magically.
The woman kept walking and came finally to a crowd of the children playing in a small lot of clear grass. The all stopped and looked at her, curiously. One of them walked up to her.
"Who are you?" asked the boy.
The lady replied, "I am a woman from Hyrule. I am seeking food and shelter. Can I see your parents?"
None of the children said anything.
"Do any of you have parents?"
"What are you doing here, lady?" asked the boy.
She shrugged, "I escaped death from my home, and I seem to have stumbled into your village."
"Oh yeah? This is Kokiri Forest! The unknown realm of the Lost Woods! Well I think you should consult the Deku Tree!" said the boy.
"The Deku Tree?" asked the woman.
The boy beckoned her to follow him, "Come with me please."
He led her past the village and through another tunnel and into a great opening, a clearing in the forest. He left her with a fantastic sight. In the middle stood a giant tree, with a face on the base.
The tree seemed to smile, and said, "Come, my little one."
She slowly walked towards the Deku Tree.
"Do not be afraid, I will harm you in no way," he said, "I can see a light around the one in your arms. Does he have a name?"
She answered, "His name is Link. I wish to find a home for him."
"Ah yes," replied the Deku Tree, "Thou art seeking a new home for the infant. Why, he can stay here!"
She suddenly dropped to her knees.
The Deku Tree frowned and said, "Thou art weak?"
She shook her head, "I am dying!"
The Deku Tree frowned deeper, sadly, "What is thy cause?"
"I don't know! Nobody knows! I need to find a proper home for my baby!" she began to cry.
"Let him live here, why thee slip into thy slumber," said the Deku Tree, "He will never die here, unless he chooses to leave."
"He will never experience death?" she asked.
The Deku Tree smiled, "Never will he die, I will raise him. He shall remain a young child for all eternity if thee desire it. But he will grow to the ripe age of ten, and then age no longer affects his life span."
The woman gazed upon her baby, and rose the baby up towards the Deku Tree, "Please, take my baby, he does not deserve death. He has no father, he was not conceived! I am a virgin."
The Deku Tree's mouth hung open, "The boy was born under unnatural circumstances?"
"Yes," the woman said, "and he was born with this mark on his wrist."
She held his arm up to reveal a small black triangle.
"This boy is the chosen one of Farore! He must not be harmed in any way," said the Deku Tree, "He is the chosen one, the child of destiny."
She began to cry again, and the baby began to float from her hands, and towards the Deku Tree.
As she watched her baby hover before her, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she fell face down. She normally fought herself back awake, but this time she let herself slip way. Her task was done; her son would grow and never die. She smiled in her heart. Then she died.
"So the mother of the child of destiny has passed away," said the Deku Tree, "It shall be as if he was my own."
And so the Deku Tree adopted Link into the Kokiri family.