Hey everyone! Or maybe just one, I don't know. I want to give a special thanks to ManicAlpha for going to so much trouble just to give me a review…That was very nice and gave me a reason to get this chapter out faster, even if there is only one person reading it…*cough cough* Oh well. Anyways, enough of that, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Millennial Witness because you are about to embark on a much more interesting chapter! (I think…)
~o~o~o~
Millennial Witness
Chapter two Doppelganger
Link spent the whole trip to the bus pondering his dream. Most of it was just an assortment of random images he couldn't place but even so, could still remember a great deal of it. He had thought once he remembered it that the meaning would become clear, but that turned out to be quite the contrary. From what he could tell, the dream didn't make any sense whatsoever.
It had started in a forest…
He was running. Running so fast that the scenery around him appeared to be nothing but a blur of unidentifiable colors and objects. He was trying to get away from something but he couldn't remember what, all he could remember was being more terrified than he could even imagine possible…so utterly alone. Then he had come to a forest of children all clad in green. Their faces appeared to be so young and vibrant but in their eyes Link could see overwhelming wisdom and age, they acted as if they had lived since the beginning of time, had seen every hardship the world experienced, had felt the searing pain of losing a loved one.
But they looked so young…
He had been afraid at first by the way they had stared at him in unwavering suspicion, whispering amongst themselves, but then one of the children, a girl as he recalled, approached him, her eyes meeting his in complete confidence. He knew he did not need to fear her, for the expression she wore was one used when reuniting with an old friend after years of being apart. She then touched her chest with her right hand and followed up by placing her palm over his heart. It was as if she was welcoming him, greeting him, telling him he was safe from whatever it was he had been running from. But before he could even speak his gratitude they disappeared into nothing and the surroundings dissolved into another dream.
He didn't have long to think on the last for then a young girl appeared in front of him like a goddess… A beautiful girl with long golden hair that reached down past her waist and flowed like a stream of light. She smiled at him mysteriously, as if she knew his deepest thoughts and fears, but yet he wasn't uncomfortable like he normally felt around girls. He felt good. Happy. Right. He felt as though nothing bad would ever happen again as long as she was there with her crystal eyes, watching and protecting. The woman reached out with her arm that was draped in a dark blue robe and touched the top of his hand with her index finger, and there, on his hand, was a glowing triangle that he could feel throbbing as if it was within his very soul.
She looked him directly in the eye and spoke in a voice that sounded like the music of a harp, soft and familiar. He had heard that voice before…
"You are him, and he was all, and that which was everything can very well fall." And with that the ethereal figure dissolved into a dazzling mist that slowly blew away and left him in the dark once more.
But he was not alone for long.
Soon he was in the middle of a vast ocean struggling to stay above the water's surface as a horrendous storm blazed about him, destroying all in its path. All he could remember after that were fleeting images of people dying, being murdered by a dark cloud that engulfed the world in utter terror. Again and again this happened, the world would be at peace while changing and growing until the evil cloud of smoke returned from the corners of the universe and once again robbed the world of its happiness. Although, every time was a bit different, life took on new lifestyles, the environment evolved as well as the creatures. It was as if he was reliving a terrible memory that only he could recall, as if he was watching the history of his world in fast motion.
But then his vision went black again, and all he heard was a fierce, rumbling voice, a cold and contemplating voice that echoed through the core of his being like an earthquake. Simply and eerily he had whispered in Link's ear, "All legends die."
And everything went dark.
What in the name of the goddesses could that mean?
Whatever it did mean couldn't help but give Link a sick feeling in his stomach. Was his dream telling him that danger was approaching? Was he psychic or something? Not a chance, that was absurd. Link, a prophet? Ha! Sure he had heard tales of people who could see into the future and make predictions, but he had only believed in that stuff when he was a kid. How could someone possibly see into the future?
Maybe those old fairy tales are true, thought a little voice in the back of Link's head.
Suddenly the idea didn't seem as impossible.
"You okay, Buddy?" Asked Alden, shaking Link out of his stupor. How long had Alden been trying to talk to him?
"What? Oh yah, I'm fine, just…ya know, thinking," Link replied as normally as he could. Alden just grinned in understanding.
"You trying to make a mental image of the princess too?" he snickered. Does Alden think of anything other than girls? Now Link was getting annoyed. Alden always managed to find a way to do that.
Link decided to end the matter flatly.
"Alden?"
"Yah, Fish boy?"
"Shut up."
~o~o~
After the two of them arrived at the bus stop Link tried to brush off all thoughts of his dream. He had wanted to remember it so badly, but now that he did he wished he could forget it. The faces of those screaming people as they made their lasts attempts to survive…it made him sick…even if it was just a dream.
"That damned bus is always late," muttered Alden as he and Link stood waiting at the bus stop while rubbing their hands together in an attempt to ward off the cold that was now trying to consume their bodies. "And it's as cold as a freezer out here, too," he continued to complain, "We should sue the public bus system for killing young children's nerve cells because of their lack of punctuality."
Link glared at Alden for complaining about the cold weather while he had a nice warm coat to keep him warm, whereas Link was wearing a shirt garnished in unpleasant holes. He decided to use this opportunity to give his dear friend a taste of his own medicine. "Alden, number one, you shouldn't be complaining because you are all snug and toasty in your stupid little coat. While I, on the other hand…LOOK AT ME! I am not wearing a jacket and I have holes in my shirt! But am I complaining?"
Alden looked slightly embarrassed. Victory thought Link, Finally!
But the expression soon faded.
Link waited for his friend's response, hoping to receive even the slightest bit of sympathy, but knew Alden well enough to know that he would not be getting it. But he didn't mind, sympathy made people weak, and Link did not want to be weak.
Alden stared at his feet, contemplating his next attack and then smiled deviously once it came to his mind.
"Awe, poor wittle Inky poo, forgot his jacket and now he's cold," Alden mocked, patting Link on the head as if he was a toddler, or better yet, a dog. Alden often escaped from his punishments by skewing the conversation and making his offender be seen as if he was a fool. It was quite an effective tactic. Link once tried it but had ended up sounding confused and stupid, eventually causing his own downfall in the argument. He had been trying to ward off a jerk at his school that had made fun of the fact that Link never participated in any of the school sports because he was a wimp. The boy's name was Jelk Garnem and he, in Link's opinion, was the biggest ass to have ever walked the planet. Link couldn't even begin to explain his profound hatred towards Jelk, the boy who had made it near impossible to make a single friend at his school, beat him up on a regular basis for most of his life, and embarrassed him every chance he could get. Unfortunately, Link could still remember the conversation as if it had happened just 5 minutes ago.
"So Hick boy, why don't you ever play the sports here? What? You afraid you might skin your knee?" The rest of his jock buddies laughed their stupid dull laughs at Jelk's statement.
Link decided he would use Alden's approach to the problem…Hoping it would lead him to a smooth and effortless victory.
"Jelk, the only thing sports have done for you is made your muscles the same size as your brain."
Bad insult, for Jelk's muscles were abnormally large and if Link's statement had been true, Jelk would have had an exceptionally large brain. That had been the first and last time Link had tried to mimic Alden's Goddess given talent. Especially since it had led him to being thrown in a locker for the last three periods of school. That is until Alden finally came looking for him after noticing his absence in two of his classes. Good old Alden…always on the ball, Link smiled at his own joke.
Link looked down at his watch. The bus was half an hour late, if it didn't get there soon, Link and Alden would be late for school. So they kept waiting as patiently as they could despite the fact that Alden began to come up with rude insults he could throw at the bus driver once he arrived.
Some time passed.
No bus.
More time.
Still there was no bus.
I am going to freeze to death Link muttered to himself. "School is going to start in 10 minutes and it takes 25 minutes to get to our school," Link informed a very disgruntled Alden who was now pacing back and forth across the bus stop, mumbling profanity to himself. Links comment raised more of a reaction from his friend than he had expected…
"DAMNIT! We're going to miss the field trip, they are going to leave without us and drive away to City Hall where THEY will get to see the hot girl and WE will be sitting in the PRINCIPLES OFFICE explaining WHY we are so late and when we DO explain they WON'T believe us because WE are southern BUMPKINS so WE will have to be sent to JAIL for not getting to SCHOOL on time, while our asshole CLASSMATES get to make out with HOT GIRLS and eat crackers and dip and cheese and whatever else they might have there to consume!!!" Alden took in a deep breath after finishing his unnecessary rant predicting there unlikely future.
Link couldn't help but laugh at his friend's wild imagination even though he knew that it was indeed quite possible that they would miss the field trip and be left to explain to the head master why exactly they were late. Link decided against informing Alden of his thoughts and instead to give him some moral support.
"Don't worry, Al, we leave for the field trip after first period. I doubt the bus is going to be an hour and a half late.
Alden's expression became hopeful. He had amazing mood swings.
And as if some greater force had heard Alden's plea and decided he was too pitiful not to be helped, the bus to school arrived and Alden threw himself through its doors before Link had even noticed it had come. Once he too had climbed up into the bus, he and Alden found a place at the back of the bus where they could talk without being heard by the bus driver. As usual, there were no other students on the bus because, unfortunately for them, Link and Alden were the soul residents in the south, or anywhere else for that matter, who went to Parkins Academy for the Gifted.
Although there was one other student that Link knew of from his school that did not live in the North, his name was Makellin Ooru and he came from the same part of the city that Link had once lived in, the west. And out of previous knowledge Link knew that the west side was no easy place to live. No one really knew that much about Makellin and from what Link could tell no one wanted too. Not even jocks wanted to bother him in fear that he could take them all down with a single blow, and their concerns were justified. He stood at least a foot taller than every boy in school, had muscles that looked as if they belonged to a god, and an expression that could ward off a thousand moblins with one glance. He had dark skin like most of the people that lived in the west side of the city, with deep rust colored hair that spiked out at odd angles and piercing yellow eyes that resembled a cats. Makellin Ooru was definitely not a guy to be reckoned with and everyone in Link's school knew it.
The majority of the bus ride was without conversation as Link and Alden pondered their own thoughts, Link's being about his dream, Alden's about the field trip. He tried to ignore the strange feeling he got when he thought about it but no matter what he did he could still hear the voices of all those people, dying, asking him for help but he not being able to fulfill their requests. Failing.
And that voice…her voice, the voice that he could tell was trying to warn him of something approaching…something dangerous, something evil.
"You are him and he was all, and that which was everything can very well fall."
It echoed in his mind relentlessly for the rest of the ride to school.
~o~o~o~
When the bus finally came to a stop at the front of the school Link and Alden had already missed fifteen minutes of first period. So the two ran and ran as fast as they could through the front doors of their opulent school and down the stone hall to their right, up two flights of marble stairs, past the enormous library and the girls' bathroom, and came to a skidding stop right in front of their Hyland History classroom.
The two boys looked at each other questioningly. They could hear their teacher Mr. Alsofkar talking in his annoyingly calm voice and writing on the board, which meant that his back was probably facing them. They could either walk in right now and explain why they were late and possibly receive a detention for being tardy, or sneak in while his back was turned and risk getting caught. Obviously, neither of them was about ready to give up their free time without a fight. They gave each other a solemn nod, silently agreeing on their plan and then saluted as if they were saying their final goodbyes before they made a heroic leap into a battle.
Link started towards the door first.
The desks in the class were facing towards the back wall of the room where Mr. Alsofkar was writing something on the board, Link sat on the right side of the room and Alden sat on the left. Slowly the two boys tiptoed towards their seats, praying that their teacher wouldn't turn around and catch them in the act. Eventually as Link passed different rows of desks, students began to notice them and started to make muffled chuckles while Mr. Alsofkar appeared to remain oblivious to what was taking place in his class.
Almost there… Link told himself as he approached his desk.
Only three more steps…
Two now…
Just a little more-and…. Safe.
Link let out a sigh of relief as he and Alden slipped into their seats. Alden looked towards Link and gave him the thumbs up. Link returned the thumbs up by lifting his right hand so that the back of his hand was facing Alden and his fingers made a fist. This was an old sign of victory that had developed thousands of years ago in Hyland, no one really knew what it meant but historians theorized that it had something to do with early believers of the triforce religion.
Many of Links classmates glared at him for being able to escape punishment. If Link and Alden had been from the north side like them, they probably would have been congratulating them for their victory over their teachers. But like everywhere else in Parkins City, nobody was friendly to those who were not from their side. Unless you were Link, because in that case you would have girls following you around no matter where you were from. But Link, being the socially oblivious boy he was, didn't even notice.
Class went on for a few minutes as if nothing had even happened and the students eventually forgot about Alden and Link's amazing slip from the wrath of Mr. Alsofkar, and his Ritohnian fury. The Ritoh were a people that had many bird like features such as wings and feathers that covered their whole body. They were one of the oldest people in the world and at one time were even said to fly. But that was before they had begun to breed with elfin and other races, causing their beaks to disappear and their bones to become more dense, this ended their ability to fly and pretty much wiped out most of the Ritoh species. Now, there was not one pure blooded Ritoh in the world. But unfortunately for Link and Alden, the Ritoh had definitely not lost their ability to hear a pin drop from a mile away. And Mr. Alsofkar was indeed part Ritoh…
Alsofkar finished what he was writing on the board and turned around staring intently at the class with his small bird-like eyes.
"Well, shall we begin our lesson?" he asked the class in a dry voice. The class remained silent other than a few coughs and groans. "All righty then," Alsofkar continued in a phony excited voice, "Before we begin I will first write out Mr. Felta and Mr. Arian's detention slips, don't want to forget that, now do we?"
The class looked over in Link's direction and started to laugh.
"That's right, kiddies. I could hear you from clear down the hall, panting like dogs, if you ask me. A deaf man could have heard you," their teachers smiled grimly.
There was more laughter. But Alsofar's wasn't finished.
"Really, if you had just explained to me why you were late, I would have let you off. Why, you ask? Well, because the bus system was late today and half the school was tardy. And of course that situation was out of your control, so I couldn't possibly have given you a detention for your lack of educational enthusiasm," Alsofkar continued to smirk his intolerable smirk.
Link and Alden's jaws dropped. He had heard everything. How could they be so stupid? They had known perfectly well that Alsofkar could hear a baby crying on a different continent, what could have possibly possessed them to do something so reckless?
Mr. Alsofkar walked calmly over to his desk while humming a happy tune of triumph and wrote out the two boys detention times on separate pieces of paper, each with a happy face printed on it. Alsofkar probably found it funny to garnish children's detention slips with happy little smiling faces. That's how sick that man is, Link thought bitterly to him self. Without another word Alsofkar walked over to Alden's desk, handed him his detention slip and then crossed over to Link's side of the room and gave him his own. And he smiled the whole time.
Link looked down at his slip. It read:
Student: Link Arian
Student ID number: 886512
Teacher: Taniel Alsofkar
Terms for detention: Reluctance to compensate for tardiness
Date of detention: December 3-Saturday
Location: Room 338-Alsofkar, History class
Duration: 2 hours
Parent or Guardian Signature:_________________
Lovely…two wonderful, fun filled hours with Alsofkar.
But that wasn't what made Link worry, he was more concerned with getting his guardian's signature. Aunt Penda is going to kill me then revive me, then kill me again when she finds out about this, he told himself. Penda was not the type of parent who would stand for her boy getting detentions. And after she had offered to get him an expensive birthday gift, the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her. He couldn't let her know about his detention, Link would just have to do his best and try to forge her signature him self. Even if it meant Link had to lie, something he was very bad at and hated doing, he would try because anything was better than having Penda be disappointed in him. Anything.
"So Little ones," stated Mr. Alsofkar in a monotone voice, "Today is an exciting day because we are starting a new chapter in our history book. Come on now, who's excited, show of hands…"
Every one's hands remained still. Alsofkar didn't look surprised "Wow guys, relax, don't get too excited," the sarcasm practically dripped from his mouth. "Well, let's get started then. Turn to page 556 in your Hyland History textbooks everyone.
The class moaned in unison as they all bent over and pulled out their textbooks from their backpacks and flipped to the correct page. Link did so as well, not at all eager to discover what their next subject would be in history for the next month. He hated history enough already. He just didn't see how people could care so much about events that happened thousands of years ago, it wasn't like it was going to help them in any possible way to learn about some old man that invented chips or something. It didn't make a difference to anyone, especially Link. History was bunk.
Link opened his book and flipped through the pages until he came to page 556. The title read:
Ancient Tales and FolkloreThe Legend of the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages
By Dr. Darson Egrecken
Link stared at the page. The Hero of Time was a fairy tale, a child's story. How could they be teaching them about some made up legend in history class? Link could remember being told all those stories about the boy without a fairy and the Waker of the Winds, but they were just old myths that were only kept alive for the amusement of children. The stories weren't real.
Link's teacher put on his reading spectacles and cleared his throat. "For this chapter we will be studying the ancient folklore of Hyland and how it effected the shaping of our oh-too-fabulous Union and the different religions and beliefs that we have to this day," Alsofkar yawned. The guy was so dull that he even bored himself…
"All righty, any volunteer readers? Anybody? Come on now, do I have to pick you myself?" He looked around the class…no volunteers. "Apparently, yes…Okay then, how about…Mr. Arian! Would you be so kind to enlighten us with your extravagant reading skills?"
It wasn't a question. Alsofkar was commanding him to read. Link looked around the class, he could see Nara on the other side of the room putting on lipstick and fixing her hair. That's odd, he thought.
"Mr. Arian, can you stare at Miss Hace after class, please?" Alsofkar said coldly. Link was horrified. He had not been staring at her. Nara's head darted over towards Link's direction; he could feel her eyes on him. Don't look he told him self, that will only encourage her more. Link slid down into his seat. He could not remember being so embarrassed in his life.
Damn Link, what did you get yourself into now…Nara is going to think that you like her! Good goddesses, what more can go wrong?
He decided he had to retaliate.
"Mr. Alsofkar I wasn't looking at her-."
"I don't need excuses Mr. Arian…just read."
Link glared at his teacher but managed to force somewhat of a smile.
"Yes Sir, of course," he responded, his voice sounded constricted, but at least it was calm. He cleared his throat and began to read the first passage of the chapter.
"The Legend of the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages is a tale known widely all around the Union of Hyland. The tale was said to have started in the Dark Epoch a few hundred years before the Great Flood separated the land into various Islands but that is only speculation. Historians are still looking for evidence on whether or not these tales are merely myth or drawn from real events. For centuries that was all they were believed to be, fables, but on April 16, 2032 a group of young college students from the University of Oralynne discovered an ancient temple like fortress located on the outskirts of Parkins City that dated back at least ten thousand before the Dark Epoch. On the inside walls of the structure the students came upon an amazing discovery, every square inch was covered in depictions of what is theorized to be the story to Legend of the Hero of Time. In order to decipher what it meant, the national government of Hyland brought in some of the top linguist in the world to decode the hidden meaning, but unfortunately none were able to identify the language. To this day historians, linguists, scientists, and archaeologists are still researching the ancient temple, although they have still not been able to identify it as any structure documented in history."
"Thank you Mr. Arian," Alsofkar interrupted halfway through the page while removing his glasses and massaging his temples, "Mr. Ooru, will you please continue the next half of the page?"
Makellin nodded his head drearily as he began running his finger over the lines of the book looking for the spot Link left off at, he had obviously not been following along with the text and now had to pay for it by being embarrassed in front of the class. Alsofkar made a few irritated grunts while Makellin frantically searched for his spot. Once he found it he immediately began reading in his deep bear like voice, speaking slowly in order to pronounce each word correctly. Link listened along eagerly, not wanting to miss a bit. He couldn't explain why, but he was actually interested in the topic. That was something that didn't happen very often…or ever.
The rest of the passage mainly retold the Legend of the Hero of time from the first adventure, to the last, including all of the new details that had been discovered by historians in recent years. At the end they even mentioned some of the theories that had been constructed by different historians in order to prove that the tales were more than just made up fairy tales. One woman by the name of Chalen Koronkaven, a professor of Elfin Archaeology at the University of Norden went as far to propose that the boy of Legend and the Princess of Destiny were merely spirits chosen by the Goddesses to be reincarnated every time evil threatened the world. Link found that theory totally farfetched.
Ha! That is ridiculous, he scoffed to himself, how could anyone think that's possible?
Once Makellin finished the page Link ran his hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair, soaking in all of the new information while at the same time trying to make sense of it. But unfortunately the majority of it didn't make sense. So much of their theories just seemed to be speculation and random attempts at guessing, there was no real evidence that there really was a Hero of Time. Link couldn't decide if he believed it or not.
While Link continued to drift within his thoughts Alsofkar pulled out his overhead projector and began to write down an extensive amount of homework, most of the class made abnormal grunts and coughs of disapproval. Alsofkar returned their upheaval with a twisted smile of triumph and an odd quivering of his tail feathers. Link guessed that had to be some strange Ritoh body expression.
BEEP!
The bell rang and Alsofkar reluctantly dismissed the class, giving each student a cold look of utter contempt as they scuttled past him on their way out the door and into temporary freedom. Link lurched out of his seat and collected all of his belongings, making sure to mark the pages they had just read before he closed his textbook…he thought he might do a little extra reading that night.
"Oh, Inky Boy! Can you take any longer?" Alden called as he stood in the hallway, his eyes sparkling with excitement for the field trip. Behind him hundreds of other students wore the same expression but were racing by to the front of the school eager to get on the first bus that was on its way to City Hall. The whole school was in a frenzied buzz, even the teachers who were normally rigid and expressionless were now rushing out of their classes along with their pupils, pushing their way through the crowd like a pack of ravenous wolves following the scent of a deer. Link couldn't make heads or tails out of what was going on. Had the school gone mad, or was the field trip really going to be that important?
Alden was slowly loosing his patience…the little he had of it. "Knock, knock Link! Anybody home? The busses to City Hall are filling up like an alcoholics flask! Come ON!"
When Link finally regained his senses the two friends sprinted down the halls to the front of the school, fighting their way through the dense crowds of students. Link was exceptionally smaller than most of the boys at his school and tended to get pushed around in large crowds. Those situations irritated Link because he hated to be in a position in which others had greater power over him. He wasn't a control freak; he just liked to know that he would be able to hold his own if he needed to.
I wonder if the Hero of Time was like that…Link chuckled at his child like proposal. Those were the types of things he thought when he was a toddler, when he was still quite naïve. When he believed that it was possible for him to become more than just a smelly old fisherman. He knew better now.
Link decided it would be safer if he grabbed on to the back of Alden's school sack for the rest of the journey. Slowly but surely the two boys got closer to the departing busses and eventually managed to shove their way onto one where they found two empty seats at the back. Alden flopped down into the chair closest to the window and removed his backpack with a sigh of relief.
"Damn, I thought we'd never make it," gasped Alden who was now wiping the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his coat. Link nodded his head in agreement and began looking around the bus for a familiar face. No one.
Still a bit tired from his early rising Link decided he would try to get a little rest on the way to City Hall. Ignoring Alden's none stop jabbering about this and that, Link slowly drifted off into a light sleep that lasted no more than 5 minutes, but to Link, even seconds counted for something.
The ride to City Hall went by smoothly along with the excited chatter of all the passengers, including Alden who had continued talking to Link, unaware that he was drifting in and out of reality and hadn't been listening to a thing he had said. Link could feel the excitement rising inside the bus. The bus had entered Parkins Square. They were almost there.
Link opened his eyes and stretched out the cold, aching muscles in his legs. He had broken his right leg several times in the duration of his child hood while playing violent war games in his old neighborhood in the west side of Parkins. The boys from his street, Arn Lane, and the boys from Ambi Way had upheld a bitter rivalry for as long as any of them could remember. None of them knew how it had begun, nor did they care, all that they thought about was how to put the opposing boys in as much misery as they possibly could. Link hated hurting other boys, but as much as he protested against his initiation into "Arn's Devils", the name the leaders of the group had chosen for themselves, he had no choice but to accept unless he was willing to receive the consequences: total loss of protection. The Devils offered him safety and acceptance, two things Link strongly needed. If he refused to be apart of the group, he would be free game for any of the psychos in the city. Of course he had joined them. Why not? Unfortunately, Link's small size made him a good target for the opposite team to torture. He still had the scars and his leg had never fully recovered from its numerous fractures, leaving him with a lingering memory of those rough days he had spent fighting for Arn's Devils. But the funny thing was…He had actually enjoyed it…every moment of it.
Link was a fighter. He was a loving and compassionate person as well but no matter how he tried to ignore it, no matter how often he told himself he was peaceful and calm, at the core of his being, he was a warrior, and although he did not yet realize it, it was there. It was there waiting for the chance to show itself. To prove that Link Arian was more than just a coward who was afraid of the dark. To show everyone, including Link, what he had been surprising inside himself for so many years. But until then, it would wait.
The tower of Parkins City Hall appeared through the front window of the bus. The students cheered, for most of them this was their first field trip at the school and that was definitely something to be celebrated. The entire perimeter around the building, including a few blocks down, was covered with boys and girls from every school in Parkins City, each one wearing an expression of utter excitement. Link stared in awe at the enormous red brick building that was held up by several large marble pillars and crowned with four exquisitely decorated towers, one for each direction of the city. Together he, and Alden stepped out of the bus and followed along with the rest of the crowed through the extravagant front archway, down a long hallway decked out with intricate candle holders and a lavish burgundy rug, and entered an absurdly large amphitheatre that seemed big enough to seat at least half of the city's population.
Link's school found that the places they were meant to sit had been marked with tall signs that read their school name. Alden scurried to a place at the end of a row and beckoned for Link to follow. As soon as Alden sat in his chair he immediately began scanning his eyes over the rows of people sitting on the stage, each were important political figures in Parkins City, like Mayor Horell and Senator Boreski, but all Alden was meaning to find was the heir to the Royal Family. Princess Zelda. And he found her soon enough.
"Link! Link!" he nudged his friend several times on the shoulder, "Damn, do you see her? That has to be her! She's even sexier than I thought she would be!" Alden then grabbed Link's head and turned it in the direction the princess was sitting. Link rolled his eyes but looked all the same.
And there she was.
Sitting in the middle of the row of politicians in a high backed chair, dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans and a dark blue turtleneck. She was speaking to a small person whose face, and entire body for that matter was covered in an unpleasant looking gray robe; the figure was sitting to the right of Zelda, leaning over her chair to whisper to her. That's odd, Link acknowledged.
Next to the clean cut men and women she looked like just another teenage girl. But then he saw her face. It was hypnotizing.
He could tell that she must have spent long hours outdoors working for her face was browned like his, and her muscles were large, but not bulky like someone who does repetitive exercising just to look toned, her body was lean and strong, filled with endurance. She was pretty. Link thought a girl was pretty. He had never felt a sensation like the one he felt at that moment. He wanted to meet her, to know her. But yet, he felt like he already did…she was so…familiar.
Where have I seen her before?"Wow," Alden drooled as he continued to stare at places other than Zelda's face.
"Goddesses Alden, your such a pervert," Link punched Alden jokingly in the stomach. Alden didn't seem to notice much. He seemed to be in a trance so Link decided against exerting any more energy on such a helpless cause as Alden.
Link looked back up at the one last heir to the royal family, and at that moment the gray figure seated next to her pointed out at the audience-directly at Link.
And their eyes met.
He remembered.
Zelda was the woman from his dream, the beautiful goddess he had envisioned in the dark blue robe. She had touched his hand. It was the girl from his dream, he was sure of it. His heart pounded in his head. This was too strange.
Zelda's expression also changed from fright to shock. They continued to stare at each other as if they had just seen the other killed and then revived. Link's mind raced, he was a prophet, a magician, and a freak. What the hell was going on?
No that's impossible, it's a coincidence.
Link could see Zelda rub her eyes and look another direction, the mayor of Parkins City had risen from his seat and was now standing at the podium, commanding silence among the students. Whatever Link felt was lost in the excitement, stored away in the back of his mind by the thrill of finally discovering what the whole field trip was about. But it was not forgotten, for the time would come when he would have to remember and that time was not now.
The room went silent.
"Welcome boys and girls!" The mayor's voice boomed and echoed off the wood paneling of the amphitheatre, not one person's attention wavered "Welcome to the renewal of the renewal of one of the greatest events in the history of Hyland! But before we began I would like to thank a few members of the Parkins City Congress for the amazing effort they have all put into this project." The mayor then rambled on about the contributions various people had made. No one was paying attention until he finally returned to the original subject. The subject the audience was interested in.
"And so, t has been a thousand years since it was last held, and now I believe that we are all ready-every last one of us-to once again witness and participate in the phenomena that is…" Mayor Horell paused and let the tension reach a bursting point, "THE TOURNAMENT OF KNIGHTS!"
The room erupted in chatter, every one turned to his or her friend and began immediate speculation of what the Tournament of Knights could possibly be, every one save for Zelda, who remained sitting in astonishment. Murmuring to herself in both rapture and fear…
It's him.
It's him.
The evil is coming…
~ o ~ o ~ o~
There it is! The beginning of the plot! And don't worry; I have the entire story planned out in my head so there wont be any excruciatingly long periods of time between my updates. I'm going to go start on my next chapter now…that is after I get some coffee.
~Haze
