Chapter 1: Forest Boy

Note: Many thanks to all who followed and left feedback on my story.

A cold, piercing sweat greeted Link as his eyes shot open and he let out a quick, but loud, yelp. He laid down on his make shift bed, breathing loudly, waiting for his body to calm down as he stared at the ceiling of his hut, resting his right forearm across his head as a way to comfort himself. It didn't work, so instead he concentrated on the features of his humble abode instead.

He spent a summer building his little shelter off the road outside of the village after he arrived, and slowly it started resembling a home to him. It was the middle of winter, but the hearth in the middle of his hut provided ample warmth, and the thatched siding of his walls did well enough for insulation. It was, in his own words, adequate. He was close enough to a creek to get consistent clean water, and was close enough to the neighboring village, Marith. Apart from his bed and hearth, he had several makeshift chairs that were constructed out of tree trunks, and a bookshelf that was populated by whatever books he could pick up.

Apart from that, though, his hut was barren, save for two chests that housed some personal belongings, clothes, money, and food. He had considered getting a rug to liven his place up a bit, but as with several other things over the past three years, he just couldn't find the motivation to do so. It was raining outside, as evidenced by the leak sprung in his roof that he hasn't gotten to yet for months. He felt perfectly content with just collecting the water in a clay pot and using it for other things.

After a few minutes of staring at his ceiling, he finally crawled out from underneath the fur covers, and made his way over to his hearth. He had a bundle of tinder and some wood ready to light in the morning, and he made quick work getting a small fire going. The warmth from the fire immediately alleviated the slight chill he was experiencing. He sighed in relief, and then looked over at the clay pot that he used as a water catch so many times before, and slightly rejoiced at the fact that the pot was nearly full, and he was spared a wet trip through the rain to the creek. That joy, however, was short lived when he went over to his food chest and frowned that only two spruce sprigs and a tiny morsel of dried fish were the only things left. He sighed again and grabbed the twigs and fish. He could at least make tea.

After tossing the spruce twigs into his pot, he placed it by the fire and observed the water as it started to heat up and steam. He chewed on his meager meal slowly, savoring the little bit of sustenance the fish provided, before taking his now warm spruce tea away from his fire. After letting it cool some, he sipped his newly brewed tea equally as slowly as he had eaten his fish. He knew that he would have to go into town today.

So much for not getting soaked today, Link thought, trying to figure out how long it's been since he was last in town. I could've sworn I was in town a few days ago. Surely, I wouldn't have run out of supplies that quickly.

After finishing his tea, he opened his other chest and pulled some fresher clothes out and changed into them, making sure to put his other set back into the chest so he could wash them later. For some reason, they felt looser. He tightened his belt one notch, and then resumed his more immediate task. After making sure he had his money with him, he made his way outside to his horse, Epona. She was housed in a makeshift stable he slaved away at for at least a week, but she seemed happy with the results

"Hey, girl," Link said quietly, "You ready for a trip into town?" Epona responded by giving him a slight nudge on his chest, making Link grin slightly. He readied his saddle, opened his gate and then mounted her, before leading her out onto the road. Epona had matured quite a bit since they landed on the beach and she was on the cusp of adulthood. For the initial part of his trip, the weather was passable, with a light drizzle, however, the drizzle turned into a downpour, and Link's fear about getting soaked in the cold weather was realized, much to his chagrin.

"Damn it all…"

All he remembered was the screaming and the clanging and slicing of swords, and then the sound of a sprinting horse behind him, and the disorienting sensation of spinning in the air after something hard hit him over the back of the head, and the all went black. He woke up to a nauseating smell… one that was a bit too familiar to him as an Alakian soldier. His eyes cracked open, and his vision refocused on the fiery hellish scene in front of him.

"No…" He muttered, trying to get to his feet. He scanned the area around him. Bodies of the people he had meant to protect; robbed of their belongings, and now their very souls. The bandits were powerful and got the drop on them and pillaged and killed without hesitation. He cursed to himself, looking down at his tattered, sliced up clothes. No wounds were apparent over his dark skin, except for light scars, and a strange burning sensation across his neck. He reached a shaking hand up to the nape of his neck and traced the sensation across the diameter of his neck. Things started to slowly make sense when he looked down at the ground beneath him.

He clearly saw the outline his body had made when he hit the ground and saw the very conclusive trail of blood from where something rolled off of his body and came to rest a few feet away, only to be soaked by the pools of blood that came bushing out of him. He traced around his neck again, coming to the conclusion he had expected, yet feared. Death was not something he had the opportunity nor the duty to experience yet. Upon this realization, he suddenly felt a piercing heat inside him, burning from his core, wanting to pry its way out of his chest. He heard faint whispering and listened closely.

"Hakiim"

His name. It repeated, and then the burning exploded from his chest, violently retching and contorting his body around before coming to an abrupt, yet much-needed idle rest. The fires burned hotter.

"So begins my second awakening," Hakiim said, with a slight grin erupting on his face. He closed his eyes, and felt the familiar warmth quell in his chest, before inhaling, and then exhaling, before he opened his eyes again.

"Mission," He stated, as if to nothing. The wind picked up around him, setting the bush behind him on fire, nearly engulfing everything in fire as he stood expectantly over where he had previously expired. He closed his eyes again to take in the sensation. To feel the burning.

"Understood," He answered, before he opened his eyes again. His brown eyes glowed red for a short while, and then they reverted to their natural color. The burning sensation lessened, and so did the fires around him. Within seconds, the fires that once raged so deeply had sizzled out, leaving him standing in the middle of the wreckage. He had been given his mission. Now it was up to him to complete it.

He gazed down at the wreckage and found his scimitar lying there, slightly stained from the rain, sand, and blood. He picked it up eagerly, and sheathed it, before walking away from the wreckage, transfixed on his next mission. A mission he would complete at all costs.

Upon Link's arrival, he was disappointed to see the barren marketplace. The rain had chased most of the vendors and patrons away, save for the most dedicated or desperate ones. Of course, his favorite place to get supplies was closed. It made sense, water wasn't the best thing for dried and cured meats, so the stall was indeed closed due to inclement weather. He trudged silently on the streets, reveling in the fact that there were less people than normal out there. He used to feel fine, gallivanting around in large, crowded cities. No longer. Now they were overwhelming, even medium sized villages such as this one.

He made his way down a familiar street, finding a pub he had been to several times previously, The White Crow. He figured it was getting close to the afternoon, so it would be even less busy. He gingerly opened the door and was greeted by a blissfully warm breeze from inside the pub. After an uncomfortably long pause, he walked in, quickly gazing across the interior, trying to guess how many people were actually there. Thankfully, it was just as barren as the places outside were. It was too early for most people to start drinking, and the weather was too cold and too wet for anyone to want to venture outside their warm homes to begin with. All of these things worked out in Link's favor, as far as he was concerned.

He looked up towards the bar, and made eye contact with the man standing behind it. He was a man in his mid-40's, with salt and pepper hair and a clean, well kept goatee. He looked at Link with familiarity and kept a warm, well-meaning demeanor.

"Well hello, Link," Nils said, observing Link approaching slowly. He did it best to suppress a frown as he looked down at Link. He wasn't exactly happy seeing Link in the condition he appeared in currently, but he didn't want to alarm his customer either.

"It's been about a month since I last saw you in town," Nils started, observing Link sit down in a bar stool, allowing his feet to dangle over the sides freely, "I wondered if you'd gotten sick. Have you been feeling okay? You look… thinner." Nils wasn't exaggerating either. Link looked like he had lost about 5 – 10 pounds over the past few weeks, and at his current size, that was sizeable. He looked much thinner, and gaunt. Depressed, even.

Link avoided eye contact. He hated it when people acted concerned for his well-being. He was perfectly fine being alone. It's what he wanted. Still, Nils was a good man, and Link was wise enough to know that Nils had only his best interests in mind for him.

"I guess time just got away from me," Link replied, hoping to end that conversation where it started. It seemed to work too, Nils stepped off a bit, now looking for his own solution to a problem that Link insisted did not exist.

"I guess so. Regardless, I think it's good that you came back here, we've got plenty of food and drink as always, and I'm happy to provide," Nils answered, now putting on a cheerful tone to try to mask his concern, "I'd heard of problems with bandits further down south. With you not showing up for the past month, I had worried that some might've made their way up here, but it looks like my concern was misplaced. Has anyone been by your place?"

"No one's visited me recently," Link responded, actually trying to think about the last time someone visited him. He chose a fairly peaceful area, and travelers often steered clear of his residence out of respect for his privacy.

"I see," Nils remarked, resuming wiping the cup he was cleaning earlier, and then setting it aside, "Well, why don't you stay here tonight? It's a quiet day, and it should be a quiet night with all this rain about. I'm assuming you came into town for supplies. If the weather clears up overnight, you should be able to grab your supplies as you leave town."

Link glanced to the side. He appreciated Nils's kindness, but he didn't want to impose. He's just a short ride back to his place, after all. Still, Nils did have a point, but that would mean he'd have to be in town all night. He wasn't sure about how he felt about that, and secondly, he couldn't help but feel like Nils was upselling him something.

"I don't think I've got the money for board and supplies tomorrow, Nils," Link answered, hoping that his rejection would stop Nils. He was wrong.

"Nonsense, it's on the house," Nils said, pulling out a glass and filling it with water from a pitcher, "I still haven't forgotten the patchwork you helped me with last fall on the roof. We haven't had a leak since, as you could obviously tell."

Link was taken aback, this changed things a little bit, and now he felt obligated to do it, much to his frustration. It's only one night, Link thought to himself.

"So don't worry about paying. Just enjoy your meals and have yourself a nice hot bath later, and relax," Nils concluded, hoping that his "sales pitch" worked. Really he was just concerned about Link's well-being, and he knew that Link would fight tooth and nail against his attempts to help unless he could push him in the right direction. Link's situation saddened him. A boy that showed up on the beach three years ago, speaking a foreign language, and seemingly carrying a larger burden on his shoulders than he should. He never had the heart to ask Link what circumstances led to him showing up on that beach and then becoming an outcast and a hermit, but he felt that there was very shaky ground underneath his stubborn self-sufficience. There was no lack of people willing to take him in, as any aspiring parent would want to for a child in need, including Nils himself, but Link remained obstinate that he could take care of himself. That was up for debate. He studied Link's expressions, hoping that he would at least take him up on the offer. It seemed like a good first step.

Link shifted a little bit in his chair, and then looked away from Nils before finally piping up.

"Okay, I guess I'll take you up on your offer," Link relented, not wanting to squander Nils's generosity.

Nils smiled, it worked.

"Good! Glad to have you," Nils started, "Now let's get you some food, you look famished."

Link nodded in agreement, before observing Nils go back into his kitchen to go grab food. Link buried his face into his hands in slight frustration.

Only one really long and painful day…