Chapter Two

Link's parents were trembling, unable to greet the King properly. Link, knowing that he had to take action, stepped forward. "What do you want? There's nothing here for you yet Harkinian, you've already taken most of our crops a couple of weeks ago—"

The soldier stomped his foot very loudly on the ground. "Young boy! That is no way to treat our honorable King Harkinian, you should show a little respect to dirty no good-"

The King put his hand on the soldier's shoulder. "That enough Rune! This is the third time you've threatened an innocent villager this week! You better shut your mouth or you'll be scrubbing my feet every night before I go to bed!"

The young soldier, Rune, nodded his head and sighed, his face bright red. "Fine then, your majesty..."

Rune then slowly went back into the carriage, completely embarrassed about what had happened. The King then stepped out of the horse carriage and walked up to Link, and silently whispered in his ear.

"Forgive that young rookie, he's only trying to show his loyalty to me."

Link then glanced towards Rune, who was sitting inside the carriage, his head hanging down from his head in shame. The King then continued to whisper:

"His father was once a proud Knight of Hyrule, until one day, he disappeared. Many of my subjects up in the north believed that he left his this land to serve a kingdom in a faraway land, and his family's been put to shame ever since." After the King was done whispering, Link silently nodded his head, understanding all that he had told him.

"Y-Your Majesty." Link heard a voice behind, and turned around to see his mother, who had just come back from the hospital after sustaining a minor injury yesterday. She, like her husband, was trembling with fear. She slowly went up to the King, and went down to the ground a bowed to him. "Your Majesty, What are you doing here?"

The King chuckled. "Oh, it's nothing my dear. I have just come to reclaim something from you three."

Link's father then stopped trembling, and scurried quickly towards the King. He stopped in front of him, his face and began to tremble once more. "What do you need m'lord? You're not going to take the farms away from us are you?"

The King let out a belly laugh. "Of course not! You people are my favourite out of all these muddy people here in South Hyrule."

Link grumbled. "Not all of the people here are dirt y'know. A lot of people here are very loyal to you sir. Well, atleast, most of them are."

The King gave Link a weird stare, and then continued to speak to Link's mother. "I have come to reclaim that chest that was given to you during the war of the Golden Power."

Link's father then turned towards the old stable a dashed towards it, to go retrieve the chest the king wished to have. Link, however, was suspicious. Why diid the King need the chest, and what was inside it? A few moments later, Link's father came back, dragging the chest behind him. Link dropped his jaw. He had never seen anything more beautiful. It had a jewel encrusted lock and a shiny gold rim, which made it shine in the sunlight. The King then called Rune back outside of the carriage. "Rune, load this up to the back of the carriage."

The young soldier gave the King a salute, and lifted the chest using his gauntlets and threw it to the back of the carriage. Link then gave the King a really nasty look and asked him: "Why do you need that chest? It belongs to us! We were given the task of keeping it out of the hands of evil, not you!"

The King chuckled. He then told Link to go take another look at the chest. Link went to the back of the carriage and carefully observed the chest. Surely enough, he spotted something that made him grumble in disappointment.

It was the crest of the Royal Family of Hyrule, which meant that the chest belonged to them. Link then sighed and went back to the King. "Well, don't we get anything in return?"

The King then dug his left hand through a deep pocket in his robe, pulling out a large sack, and threw it front of Link's feet. "Here you go, 500 rupees."

Link's parents then lunged at the sack, and opened it up revealing that the King spoke the truth. They looked absolutely joyful, however, Link was not.

As King Harkinian and Rune climbed back into the horse carriage, Link walked back inside his house to eat something. He looked out the kitchen window as he watched The King and Rune leave, waving at his parents goodbye.

"..."

Link was twirling his spoon In his soup at the dinner table. His parents were a bit worried about him. Link's mother passed a plate of bread slices down to Link. "Are you okay, Link? You've been acting strange ever since the King left a few hours ago."

Link then stood up from his seat. "Um, may I be excused from dinner?"

Link's parents both nodded their heads, and Link went upstairs into his room. He took of his work clothes and lay down onto his bed in his underwear, still wondering what the King needing that beautiful chest for. Link knew that the chest must contain something of extreme value or importance, as it was given to his ancestors for safekeeping. A few moments later, Link heard someone knocking on the front door downstairs. He then heard a scream, possibly his mothers, and the clash of swords. Link then changed into a green tunic and burst downstairs to see what the ruckus was all about. However, when he went down, he saw that the front door got busted down. He looked for his parents, but he couldn't find them anywhere. Link then heard another scream.

"Auugh!"

He rushed outside, his heart racing, only to see one of the most terrifying things he's ever seen. He saw his father, down on the ground facing upwards, his eyes open wide and his chest covered in blood. Next to him, Link saw a Hyrulean soldier, holding a bloody dagger. He went down to his father his eyes wet with tears. "Dad...Dad!"

Link's father was barely breathing, as Link saw that the wound on his chest seemed to go all the way to his lungs. Link's father, mortally wounded, struggled to breathe his last words:

"Link...you must run."

With that his body became cold, and his eyes slowly closed. Link couldn't bear the pain he felt in his heart.