The Spirit of a
Hero—II—Seventeen Years Later
DragonKnight19
Keith gripped his sword tightly, waiting for his opponent to make his next move. Training in swordplay for an hour a day had been part of his daily training for as long as he could remember, but he never tired of it. Like his mentor, Sheik said, you could never be too good. Without warning, Sheik darted forward to attack, but Keith was ready for him. He parried Sheik's blow and countered it with a slice to Sheik's sword-arm. Since they used dull blades, it didn't draw blood, but a successful blow left a bruise.
"Good job," Sheik admitted, rubbing the spot on his arm where Keith had struck him. "That's enough for today. You're getting very good. Now, Let's go on to your storytelling practice." Storytelling was a part of Keith's training that he didn't cherish quite as much. "It had always been a cherished tradition among our people, the Sheikah. Now, tell me the story of Hyrule."
Keith sheathed his sword and began his story. It was one he had heard from Sheik countless times before--of the beautiful land of Hyrule, ruled by a beautiful princess and protected by a brave hero.
"The kingdom of Hyrule," he began, "was a beautiful, peaceful land ruled by the beautiful Princess Zelda. The harmony was upheld by three sacred relics, the Triforce. The Triforce resided in the Sacred Realm, where no mortal had ever stepped foot.
"Then one day, an evil wizard named Ganondorf seized the Triforce for himself, and used its power to cover the land in darkness. He changed his name to Ganon and became the King of Evil. But then, just as all hope seemed lost, a hero emerged from the forest, wielding the long-lost Master Sword. With this holy blade he overthrew Ganon and restored peace to the kingdom. Having finished his task, the Hero withdrew from Hyrule, never to be seen again.
"But his job was incomplete. Three years after his defeat, Ganon returned and once again took over Hyrule. But this time, there was no Hero to stop him. Princess Zelda disappeared, and with her disappeared the light of hope. All of Hyrule fell under Ganon's evil grip."
Sheik was always somber whenever this tale was told. This was because it wasn't just a legend; Sheik and Keith were the only two survivors of Hyrule. On the night Keith had been born, his parents had told Sheik to leave Hyrule with Keith, that he may escape Ganon's clutches. Now his parents were dead, victims of Ganon's harsh rule.
"Okay, that's enough for today," Sheik said suddenly. "You may have the rest of the day off. I have some errands to run, so you on your own. Just stay out of trouble."
After Sheik left, Keith put away his training equipment, then started thinking about what he wanted to do today. There was so much to do in Termina's Clock Town. Keith had been living there with Sheik for almost seven years. It seemed like they were always on the move; his earliest memories were in a land called Labrynna, but they had to leave when he was five because Ganon invaded from Hyrule. Next they lived in Holodrum for another five years, before Ganon took over there, too. Now they were living in Termina, and had been doing so for almost seven years.
When they moved from Labrynna to Holodrum, and Holodrum to Termina, Keith remembered a series of long, dark "Warp tunnels." Sheik had explained that they only allowed you to pass if you possessed magic, like the Sheikah of the Hylians, and even then, only for those who desperately needed to use them. So whenever Keith revisited the spot where they had entered Termina, in the basement of the clock tower, the tunnel was always sealed.
Keith smiled as he thought about Sheik's mysterious errand. His mentor was always secretive about everything he did, but this time, Keith could guess what Sheik was doing. He was probably over at the Bazaar, looking at swords. After all, today was Keith's seventeenth birthday, the day he became the same age as the Hero of legend, and Sheik had promised him a real sword for his birthday.
Keith decided to walk over to the Shooting Gallery and try to beat his high score of 53. Once you got that high, you start running out of time, so you almost had to predict where the Red Octoroks were going to pop up. But since today was his birthday, he was feeling lucky, so he decided to give it a try.
Keith was a regular at the Shooting Gallery, so the shopkeeper knew him well. As soon as Keith stepped into the store, the owner pulled out a bow and arrows and asked, ""Going to try to beat your high score, Keith?"
Keith smiled and said, "Of course. I'm seventeen today, so I'm feeling lucky."
"Today's your birthday?" the shopkeeper said. "Happy birthday! Go ahead, the game's on me." Keith thanked him, took the bow, and started the game. The Octoroks popped up in various patterns, and each time, Keith was careful to shoot only the red one,s and not the blue ones. When the buzzer sounded, Keith looked at the score counter and saw that it read 54. He had beaten his high score by one point.
"Well, well, you really did it," the owner said, smiling. "You're really something, kid. Here's your prize." He handed Keith a large, purple rupee, which was worth fifty Rupees. "Go buy yourself something nice." Keith thanked the man and left the shop.
On his way home, Keith stopped by the item shop to buy himself something. He was going to buy a shield to go with his sword, but he couldn't afford one. Instead, he bought a pet fairy. the merchant told him that they didn't require much attention, and if you got hurt, they would heal you. He handed the merchant his purple Rupee, then stuck the fairy bottle into his knapsack.
Keith decided to go home and wait for Sheik. He went back to the small apartment in East Clock Town and walked through the door. As soon as he stepped through the door, he was greeted with the obvious signs of a struggle. Furniture was overturned, papers and clothing were strewn everywhere, and everything was covered in the remains of a destroyed birthday cake. Sheik was nowhere to be seen. Even though he had been out of the house at the time, Keith already knew what had happened. "Ganon," he muttered angrily, as rage welled up inside him. Ganon had taken his homeland, his parents, and now his mentor. Now he would pay. Keith turned and left, intent of saving Sheik.
The first place he went after leaving Hyrule was the Bazaar. Maybe the merchant there had seen something suspicious. Keith entered the shop and the merchant looked up and said, "Oh, hello Keith. Sheik was just in here a little while ago."
"Yeah, I know," Keith replied. "That's what I want to talk to you about. did anything seem strange when he ws in here? Like was he nervous, or paranoid, or something? Like as if somebody was following him?"
"No, why?" the merchant asked. "Is something wrong?"
Keith shook his head. "No, he was just acting weird. Did he pick up my sword?"
"No, he didn't," the merchant said. "He paid for it, but told me to keep it until you arrived. Here, I'll go get it for you." He went to the back room to look for Keith's sword.
So, Keith thought, Sheik must have known that something's wrong. Otherwise he would have taken the sword home. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the merchant's return.
"Here you go, Keith, take it. It's yours." He held out a beautifully made sword that gleamed in the sunlight coming in through the window. "Sheik named it the New Hero Sword. It's perfectly made to fit your physical specifications, so it will feel more like an extension of your own body than a weapon, and nobody else will be able to wield it as effectively as you. It's one of the finest weapons I have ever created. It should be, for what Sheik paid for it."
Keith took the sword in his hand and felt its strength. It was lightweight, but also extremely strong. It was also perfectly balanced. All in all, it was the most perfect blade he had ever seen. He thanked the merchant, then left the shop and headed for South Clock Town.
When Keith and Sheik had first arrived in Termina, it was through a tunnel in the basement of the clock tower. The tunnel was the only exit out of Termina, and would only open for those in dire need of it. When Keith got there he found it open and waiting for him.
Keith stepped into the tunnel and started on his way back to Hyrule, his first time in seventeen years.