'Sup, guys?
Okay, I've thought long and hard about this, so I'll say it now: I probably won't do all the sidequests in the game, just the ones that are relevant to the story. Also, I did write down that Link's left hand had the Triforce appear briefly, but to be clear, Minish Cap Link is NOT a hero of the Triforce.
Credits to RedIsley for the sweet cover page. Check her out on deviantART if you have the chance, she's got some good work. ^^
I don't own Legend of Zelda. Enjoy!
Hyrule Castle
Link slowly roused from his slumber. His dreams had been filled with evil creatures he couldn't run away from, and his sleep was fitful at best. He slowly sat up, then got very confused. Why did the bed feel softer than usual? More importantly, why was the ceiling higher than the one at home?
Suddenly, the memories flooded back, and he couldn't help but cry out, "Zelda!"
"Oh, thank goodness you're awake!"
Link turned his head towards the source of the voice- a maid of Hyrule Castle. She gave a tray of food to him. "You had a rough time yesterday, but you're alright now. Have some breakfast, dear," the maid said kindly.
The boy calmed down a bit and ate his food. "The king is waiting for you in the throne room, as well as Master Smith. Go ahead and go there when you're ready."
"I'll do that," Link said, though he was very nervous about meeting the king after he failed to prevent Vaati from breaking the Picori Blade and unleashing a horde of monsters.
After he had eaten, Link walked up to the throne room, where King Daltus was waiting. Minister Potho and Master Smith were there as well. However, Link was confused about the statue beside the King. On closer inspection, the statue looked like-
"Zelda!"
Link ran up to the princess, but collapsed to his knees at the sight of his best friend turned to stone. "No, this can't be happening," he moaned, tears forming in his eyes. "Zelda… I've failed you… What kind of protector am I if I couldn't stop Vaati from doing this to you…"
"Link."
The boy looked up, seeing the face of the king. "I have heard accounts from the guards, and they all agree there was nothing more you could have done to stop him. Vaati was simply too powerful for any of us." Daltus put a hand on his shoulder. "What you did was very brave, my young friend," he said, smiling. "No one blames you for this, least of all, me."
"D-do you know of any way we can lift this curse from her, Your Majesty?" Link asked, wiping his tears away.
"As far as I know, only the Picori Blade would be able to lift Vaati's curse from my fair daughter," the king said, now addressing everyone in the room. "Unfortunately, that vile sorcerer has shattered the blade. However," he continued, looking at everyone in turn, "I have not given up hope. What do you know of the Picori?"
"The Picori?" asked Smith. He thought about the kings question. "Not much beyond what the fairy tales say. A fact stated repeatedly is that they're supposed to be very small."
Link thought about the small creature he had seen before blacking out. Could that have been one of those elusive Picori?
"Yes, the ones from the fairy tales. But the Picori are no mere legend. They most certainly exist. No one outside the royal family knows the truth about them," the king proclaimed. This new information confirmed what Zelda told Link before the disastrous award ceremony. "They live deep within the Minish Woods, but more importantly, they should be able to repair the broken Picori Blade and reforge the sword."
"Really?!" exclaimed Minister Potho. "Then we must dispatch the soldiers there at once!"
The king shook his head before the minister could give the order. "Soldiers won't do, Minister. Only children can see the Picori. Our soldiers could search for days or even months without luck, and they would probably just scare them off."
"Well, if that's the case, why not send Link?" suggested Master Smith.
"If Link has recovered, then yes, I would like to ask this of him," Daltus agreed. The young boy felt overwhelmed by all that had happened recently, and couldn't help but ask, "Why me?"
"Link, I know how you must feel about this, but use this to your advantage," said Smith. "Use this to drive yourself to do better, and know that you aren't alone."
"Besides, I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think you weren't capable of such a task," the king said encouragingly. "I've watched you since Zelda befriended you, and I'm sure you'll live up to your namesake, the one who led our ancestors from the sky."
Link, who grew up hearing about the tales of the Hero of the Skyward Sword, looked at Zelda one more time, then donned a determined expression. "Your Majesty, by the three goddesses that blessed this land, Din, Nayru, and Farore, I promise you that I will restore Zelda to normal."
The king clapped his hands warmly. "Well said, Link!" He retrieved the broken Picori Blade and wrapped it tightly. "I entrust you with the life of my daughter. I know you won't fail."
Link took out his bag and put the sword in it, seeing that supplies for a long journey were already prepared. "I took the liberty of packing you the necessary items needed for this quest while you were asleep," Master Smith explained.
"Since Vaati released the monsters from the Bound Chest, the roads will be very dangerous. Please, take the sword your grandfather made, as well," the king requested. He looked at the blacksmith. "Were you able to teach him some techniques before now?"
"Aye, I was able to," answered Smith. "Thank Farore that he's a natural with the blade."
The king sighed with relief. "Excellent. As for the rest of us, we all have our duties. Send the soldiers to search for Vaati at once!"
As the gathered soldiers departed, the king once again spoke to Link directly. "Deep within the Minish Woods, you will find a place called the Deepwood Shrine. Once, humans and Picori shared that shrine as a meeting place. I think it would be best if you started your search there."
Link nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Smith then gave Link a map and pointed out the Minish Woods. He then gave Link a hug. "I know you'll succeed in this endeavor. I have faith in you."
Link walked up to Zelda, searching for signs of life the stone figure. He then put a hand on the statues' cheek. "Zel, I don't know if you can hear me, but just hold on. I'm on my way to fixing this and saving you. You'll be back to normal before you know it."
The statues' eyes gave no sign of understanding, but somehow, Link knew that Zelda heard what he said. He withdrew his hand, then made his way out of the castle.
Vaati had better watch out.
Minish Woods, a few hours later...
"Geez, the monsters sure didn't waste any time settling in," Link said to himself as he blocked a rock with his shield.
The rock came from a small red creature on four spiderlike legs. These creatures, called Octoroks, were pretty common monsters and could live almost anywhere, if Link remembered from his studies correctly.
The young boy encountered this and other monsters that now roamed the land of Hyrule. The most comical were the Acro-Bandits, which leapt out of the ground and came at him in groups of five and were stacked like totem poles. All Link had to do was take out the bottom one, and the rest fell in a pile on the ground, making them easy targets for his sword.
Currently, he was surrounded by the trees of the Minish Woods, putting what his grandfather taught him about swordfighting to use. He put away his shield and thrust his sword into the Octorok, landing a fatal blow. The monster collapsed on the ground, then vanished in a puff of smoke.
"All my life, I've wanted to use a sword to defend Hyrule, but now that I'm doing it…" Link said to himself sadly, looking at his sword.
The darkening sky brought him back to his senses as he walked onward, crossing over a deep chasm. Eventually, he came across a stump with a hole in it. It looked ancient, and Link couldn't help but wonder if that hole had some sort of purpose. With a mental shrug, he walked a bit further, killing some sentient green slime known as Chus along the way.
He stopped at a decorated stone, and was about to investigate further when he heard something that wasn't part of the forests' ambient noise.
"HELP! I'm being tortured, for Din's sake! Ow! Won't someone help me?!"
Sensing that someone or something needed help, Link quickly backtracked to the source, near the chasm he crossed earlier. There were two Octoroks in the small clearing, but Link paused in shock, as the cries of help were coming from one of the strangest creatures he'd ever seen. It was a green stocking cap, but the end of it was replaced by the head of a bird-looking thing.
"Hey! Kid! You there!" it cried out, noticing Link. One of the Octoroks spit out a rock at the creature. "Ow! Hey, don't just stand there, do something!"
"Yeah, I'll do that, as soon as my brain can make some sense out of what I'm seeing," said Link, feeling very confused at seeing a talking hat.
The other monster spit out a projectile. "Ow! What's wrong with you?! Do you like watching me take this abuse?! Help me!" it said, hopping up and down in anger.
Trying very hard not to laugh, the boy quickly dispatched the two monsters, leaving him alone with the funny creature. As the smoke cleared, the hat hopped over to Link.
"Phew! Well done! Not that I couldn't handle them myself… what are you doing?" the creature asked Link, who was looking around the forest.
The boy looked down. "Is there someone else here with us?"
"No, just you and me. Why?"
"Unless there was someone helping you, there is no way that you could have defeated those monsters by yourself."
The creature rolled its' eyes. "Oh, ha-ha, very funny. But that's beside the point! What in the world is a lone child doing so deep in the woods?"
"If you must pry…"
"I must, I must!"
And with that, Link told the creature what happened during the events of the award ceremony.
"What?! A mage named Vaati broke the Picori Blade and turned your girlfriend into stone?! And now you're trying to find the Picori in these woods to help you repair the sacred sword to break the curse?!"
"Princess Zelda really isn't my girlfriend, but yes, that is an excellent summary," said Link.
The creature raised its' head up. "You know, you and I have a lot in common. I, too, am on a quest to break a curse of Vaati's. And you say that reforging the sacred blade can break his curse, eh? Congratulations, my boy, you've found yourself a companion! Whattaya say to that?"
Link thought hard about the creature's words. As apprehensive as he was about this strange being following him around, he seemed to have a trustworthy aura about him. Also, Link was starting to feel pretty lonely without anyone to talk to. "Alright, you can come along. My name's Link," he said, smiling.
"My name is Ezlo. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'd shake your hand, but I've got no arms."
Link stood up, putting his sword away. "Okay then, Ezlo. Try to keep up."
He hadn't gone more than three feet before his new companion shouted, "Hey, wait up! I can't walk as fast as you! I've got no legs, after all!"
Link put his hand to his brow in annoyance. "Well, unless you go faster, this is going to get real old, real fast."
The tip behind Ezlo's head shook as the hat got an idea. "Boy, I think I have a better way to handle this. Now come down here," he ordered, a mischievous look in his eyes.
Link knelt in front of Ezlo, expecting to hear him whisper an idea. Instead, the hat jumped up further than Link thought was capable and landed straight on his head. "Ezlo, for the love of Nayru, what are you doing?!" he shouted, instinctively reaching up to take the hat off.
"Oh, relax, boy. Now you can't possibly leave me behind," Ezlo responded, looking very pleased with himself. "My… It's quite comfortable up here. More comfortable than it looks, surely. Now quit squirming! Can't you see this arrangement will be easier on both of us?"
Link tried to think of an argument, but he really couldn't. "Fine, but don't get any funny ideas."
"I wouldn't dream of it! Now, onward! We've got a curse to lift!" Ezlo proclaimed.
Out of all of Link's various companions, including Navi, Tatl, Zelda (Spirit Tracks), Fi, Ezlo, Ciela, and Midna, I always thought that Ezlo was the funniest. That hat is hilarious at times, especially later on in the game. That reminds me, I need to get a copy of Majora's Mask for 3DS, I haven't played that game yet. That constant time limit scares me. And that's without that creepy moon.
Unfortunately, for viewers familiar with my work in Rose Red, Hedgehog Blue, I won't put up any songs in this story, partly due to the fact I'd have to make OC's for a band, but mostly because the songs I would like to use require electric guitars, and the closest thing to electricity that Hyrule has during the Minish Cap era are the Spark monsters in dungeons that turn into fairies when hit with a boomerang.
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