The Blade of Evil's Bane


Long ago, the ancients forged the Master Sword, the fabled Blade of Evil's Bane. It was a pure blade, which evil ones could never touch. It was this blade that the Hero of Time and the Hero of Twilight wielded in battle. Both mighty heroes struck down the dark minions of the King of Evil, Ganondorf. Using the Master Sword and aided by the ancient Sages, the Hero of Time sealed Ganondorf away.

The Hero of Twilight, also using the Blade of Evil's Bane, fought the King of Evil on the fields of Hyrule, and with the help of the Princess Zelda, killed the dark King. The Blade was then enshrined in it's traditional home, the Temple of Time, until it was needed once more.


"And now the time has come for you to use the sword." Sheik nudged Link forward. "Go on. If you're the Hero, you're the only one who can pull the sword from the pedestal." Link stared at him, then at the Sword. With hesitant steps, he crossed the massive chamber, and climbed the steps to stand before the majestic Blade.

It was a beautiful weapon, Link thought. The purple-blue hilt was shaped like the wings of a bird. The handle was wrapped with black leather. Set into the hilt was a glowing golden gem. The Triforce, the symbol of ancient Hyrule, was engraved just below the hilt. Without touching it, Link knew the blade was razor sharp even after so many centuries of disuse.

Link reached out, and just before his fingers touched the handle, a strange voice invaded his mind. It wasn't one voice, but three. Three female voices, speaking in unison.

"Hero . . . you stand in this sacred place, before the instrument of Hyrule's salvation. The power of this sword is great . . . but as is the price of such power. Do you accept the price of such power?" The voices were emotionless, and with a quick glance back at Sheik, he realized that the young Sheikah couldn't hear the voices. Sheik motioned with his hands, urging Link to take the Sword.

Link swallowed. This was it. What if he did this, and couldn't pay the price? Aryll's life is on the line, Link, he told himself, and he bowed his head. I accept.

The triple voice responded at once. "Then take the Blade of Evil's Bane, and rise as the Hero of the Golden Goddesses. Serve us well, and save Hyrule from the darkness that infects it." Link reached out again, and felt a small nudge in his mind, comforting him, soothing away his fear. He grasped the blade, and with a gentle pull, yanked it free.

At once, light bloomed from the Blade, and a familiar warmth spread through Link's body. He smiled without meaning to, and held the Sword up. It flared brighter, and waves of power surged out, making Link's clothes ripple as if from a gust of wind. He turned to look at Sheik, who was on one knee, an awed look on his face. He bowed his head, and when he rose, there was a huge grin on his face. "I knew it! I knew there was something special about you, Link!"

Link smiled again, and walked back to Sheik. The young Sheikah stared at the vibrant light of the Master Sword, happiness in his red eyes. "This means we can finally make things right. Come on, we have to meet with Veran and the others. They'll know the next step to this quest." Link nodded, and they started back.

Halfway through the passage back to the main room, Link felt a stabbing pain in his head, right behind his eyes. At the same time, a similar pain flared in his left hand. He stumbled, falling into the dust. He would have yelled, but he seemed incapable of making noise. Sheik gave a small shout of surprise, before kneeling anxiously beside the new Hero. Link moaned slightly, and the pain withdrew. Link was about to push himself to his feet when a single voice spoke. A woman's voice, but it surged with power.

"You must go to the land of the Kokiri, into the Forest. There, you will find the ancient temple to the Goddesses. Enter the temple, and find the power of the Forest. When you have done this, return to the Temple of Time, and you will find the door to the Sacred Realm open. Enter, and you will be shown the way." The voice faded, leaving only a strange feeling of courage behind. Link had no fear for the journey he had to make. He felt a new certainty. This had to be done.

Sheik helped Link to his feet, a questioning look in his eyes. But Link shook his head. He wasn't ready to share what he'd experienced. They returned to the main room, where the crowd waited silently. But when they saw the Master Sword in Link's hand, they let out a loud cry of joy, and many of them crowded forward. Link held up his hands, not used to the sudden attention he was getting. Luckily, Veran came to his rescue.

The Sheikah raised his voice above the noise. "Link is the Hero of Hyrule, destined to return her to all her former glory!" There was an answering cheer, and Link was a little worried that the soldiers would hear them. Veran continued. "Where he goes on his journey must be known to only a few. I will take my most trusted and counsel the Hero, and then he will depart on his quest!" Another cheer, but Veran had already ushered Link into the passage to the Sword Chamber. A few Sheikah and other assorted races followed, but only a few. Among them were Sheik and Saria.

Veran stopped a little ways down the passage. He turned to Link, and said, "You have quite a journey ahead of you, Hero. The Sheikah will assist you wherever we may. Sheik will accompany you, as your protector. Your first stop must be Kokiri Forest. There, in the Lost Woods, lies the Forest Temple. In order to summon the Goddesses, you must gather the sources of their power, the six Medallions. These were once held by the Hero of Time, but he returned them to the Temples before he disappeared. You must visit each of these Temples, gather the Medallions, and summon the power of the Goddesses."

Link nodded. The voice had told him most of that. But Veran wasn't finished. "The only ones capable of taking the Medallions are the Sages. Obviously, the ancient ones are dead, but their descendants are believed to be alive still. You'll have to track them down, and escort them into the Temples. They can then open the way to the Medallions."

Link gaped at him. In a nation as huge as the Union, it would be nearly impossible to find so few people. Even if each of them was from one of the different races, as legend said they were, finding them was going to be difficult. Extremely difficult. Seeing Link's look, Veran held up his hands. "We've already found the Forest Sage, Hero. She is a Kokiri I'm sure you know. She even bears the same name as the ancient Sage." He gestured to the small group of Kokiri, and Saria stepped forward. "Saria, Sage of the Forest. Will you accompany Link to the Forest Temple, and help him acquire the Forest Medallion, as is your duty to the Goddesses?"

Saria nodded solemnly. Then she threw Link a quick grin, looking much more like herself. She was all ready for travel, with a backpack and boots. She had a small handgun in a holster at her waist. Link would have rather had a gun than a sword any day, but no one offered him one. Sheik donned a brace of knives, and two handguns. After Link and Sheik were given backpacks, Veran and the others wished them good luck, and Sheik led the way through a hidden door, out into the city.


The trip to Kokiri Forest was harrowing. But after a mishap on a bus, two stolen cars and a hijacked train, (don't ask) They stood before the entrance to Kokiri Forest. Saria had been born here, and she mentioned that it had been very difficult for her to leave. Now she was coming home, and she didn't look happy about it.

Smoke rose from the city, entire burgs had burned down. They passed a cafe, and heard people talking about the death toll, which numbered in the hundreds. They made their way towards the Lost Woods, where many of the Kokiri children went to play. Most regular people couldn't enter, but Sheik and Link managed just fine. Sheik explained that the Master Sword protected Link, and the Sheikah were naturally immune to many curses.

They entered the Woods, and only Saria's guidance kept them from being hopelessly lost in the first five minutes. But before long, they arrived at a large wall, impossible to climb. Except for Sheik. He ran at the wall, and with easy grace, had run right up it. He perched on top, and looked down on the other side. He looked back, and placed a finger to his lips. Link and Saria nodded, and the Sheikah took a rope from his pack. He lowered it and the other two climbed up to join him. Link looked down, and stifled a gasp.

Marching along right below them was a hulking brute. It wore armor, and carried a huge spear. Its eyes were red, and swept the ground in front of it attentively. Saria nudged Link and pointed. As he looked up, it dawned on him. Behind the gated wall, there were more walls, sectioning the courtyard like a giant maze. The next wall was only two yards or so away. Sheik noticed this as well, and took a short running leap. He landed easily on the next wall, and smiled. They'd be able to jump all the way to the end of the maze! He could see the Temple up ahead, a massive stone structure that looked like an old mansion.

They jumped from wall to wall, never alerting the monsters below to their presence. They never looked up. At last, the three of them got to a narrow gap, with a stairway leading up towards the manor. They waited until the patrolling Moblin went by, then dropped into the maze. Without pause, they ran up the staircase.

Link almost relaxed, thinking they were out of danger. Then a huge boom shook the ground, and Link looked up to see a massive Moblin, three times as large as those in the maze. It held a giant club, and blocked the only way to get to the temple.

Sheik swore, and in an instant his guns were in his hands. He fired, the sound echoing through the once-Sacred Forest Meadow. The big Moblin didn't so much as flinch, instead raising it's club and charging. Saria also fired her gun at it, but the bullets didn't penetrate it's thick skin. It didn't slow. And glancing behind them, Link could see the other Moblins crowding the stairway. He made a split second decision.

With quick, easy movements, he drew the Master Sword. The big Moblin faltered, but kept charging. The little ones drew back. Link, oddly feeling no fear in the face of a charging monstrosity, and ran to meet it. It swung it's massive club, and Link sidestepped. The club still sent off a shock-wave that threw Link into the wall.

Saria and Sheik were shooting into the gang of Moblins flocking up the stairs. Their guns worked fine on them, though they weren't very lethal. The giant Moblin turned to them, and Link saw red. He stood up, grabbed the Master Sword, and swung viciously at the back of the Moblin's legs. It gave a fearful bellow, and crumpled. When it hit the ground it burst into green flames, causing Link to jump back in alarm. Then he realized that the way to the Temple was open.

Yelling to Sheik and Saria, he ran for it. They followed close behind, with the young Sheikah warrior covering them with his handguns. Link entered a courtyard, with a broken staircase leading into the Temple. He saw a dead tree leaning against it, maybe the only way up. A wide stone was in the center of the courtyard, almost identical to the one in the middle of the Temple of Time, but with a different symbol.

Link knew that the tree wouldn't help them get into the Temple. He turned. "Sheik! I'll deal with the Moblins! Get Saria inside, then come back for me!" The dark warrior nodded, and let off his defense. Link gripped the Master Sword and went on the attack.

Moblins swarmed at him, but he cut several down in a few moments. They erupted in blue and green flames when they died, like the giant had. But when he turned to block a spear-thrust, another got through and gashed his leg. He hissed in pain, and brought the Sword down on the monster's head. It gave a wail and burst into flames.

Then gunfire sounded, and one of the Moblins to Link's left caught fire. Link quickly looked behind him, and noticed that Sheik was back, firing carefully into the crowd of monsters. Link took advantage of the distraction, and ran for the broken stairs. Sheik paused long enough to lower a rope, then continued firing. Link climbed the rope as fast as he could, panting when he reached the top. He pulled the rope up so that the Moblins couldn't use it.

The monsters roared in outrage, and a few of them threw their spears. The Hero and Sheikah dodged the projectiles, retreating into the dark recesses of the forbidding Forest Temple.