Chapter Three: Settling In
Link stood in his room and was just now putting the last pieces of his new outfit on. To his delight it fit very well and was quite comfortable. With his new clothing on he walked to the mirror, inspecting his new look. He was now wearing brown boots and white pants. His upper body consisted of a long sleeved white shirt, a short sleeved green tunic and his signature Golden Gauntlets. Secured to his waist was his old belt, which held his inventory pouch with all of his items. He then attached his wallet and his Bomb Bag to his belt. He once again had a cap, and it was just like his old one. His new outfit was essentially the same thing as his old one(if it isn't broke, don't fix it), except this one wasn't torn up. It was a little surprising to him that he was able to find a replica of his old clothes, but he wasn't about to question a good thing.
"Well don't you look handsome."
He cocked his head to the side and noticed Anarial standing in the doorway. His face turned slightly red at the compliment.
"I have to admit, green suits you well."
"I guess when you grow up around a lot of green it rubs off on you." The two shared a small laugh before the Hero of Time tensed up. "So... did you talk to the mage?"
Now it was her turn to tense up. A sigh escaped her mouth as she diverted her attention to the floor. "I'm sorry Link, but our mages can't send you back. They said it would be impossible seeing as they haven't heard of Hyrule before." She looked up and noticed the forlorn expression upon his face. The female archer could only imagine how hard it was for him, so she made a mental promise to do whatever she could for him.
"I guess it could be worse." He was trying to make light of the situation but it was harder than he thought. Link was probably never going to see his home or any of his friends again... then again, he didn't really have that many friends. Sure there was Malon and Saria, and Talon, and also Anju... and Zelda, but that was about it. So maybe this wasn't that bad, but Hyrule was still his home and he was still going to miss it.
Anarial couldn't think of what else to say, she wanted to say something comforting but she thought that would be kind of awkward. She barely knew Link and wasn't sure what she could say. While deep in thought a yawn escaped the archer's mouth, Anarial hadn't slept in a while and was now realizing how tired she was. "Hey I'm heading off to get some sleep, so if you need anything don't be shy."
"Alright... thanks."
With one last uneasy glance the Elven archer walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
Link sighed heavily before lying down in his bed, sprawling out while looking up at the ceiling. Despite his mixed feelings about home this wasn't going to be easy for him to deal with. He was now going to have to live in a whole new world, and although it seemed similar to Hyrule there were some differences. Which wasn't really that surprising to him. As he laid back his eyes started to slowly close and soon enough he drifted off into a deep sleep. For the next couple of hours he slept rather peacefully, a nice feeling considering what had happened to him. The bed he was sleeping on also helped give him a nice rest. His bed back home wasn't nearly as soft as this one, nor did he have a blanket or pillow to use.
His eyes slowly opened and the Hero of Time sat up and yawned, stretching his arms as he did so. After a little more stretching he reached into his pocket and fished out his ocarina. He stared at it solemnly for a few moments, having all sorts of memories flash through his mind. The Hylian closed his eyes as he placed the mouth piece into his mouth. Link then began to play the instrument, choosing to play a familiar melody; Zelda's Lullaby. The hero's body swayed lightly from side to side as the notes were produced, this wasn't uncommon. Whenever he played a song on his ocarina he would often get lost in the moment, totally immersing himself within the music.
At first the melody was soft and quiet, but soon the song could be heard throughout the entire inn. By now every Elf inside had heard the strange yet soothing song coming from the upstairs. They all decided to just listen to the melody being played, since it was rare for anyone to play any sort of music inside the inn. So the High Elves took this opportunity to enjoy it. Not surprisingly some people found that the melody made them sleepy. What none of them knew was that they were listening to an actual lullaby.
Link continued to play his instrument, unaware that the notes could be heard by others.
Eventually several elves ventured upstairs to find out who was making the music, to their surprise the one playing the music was someone they didn't recognize. The man looked Elven but also appeared to be human at the same time, it was quite peculiar but they decided to push those thoughts away.
After a few moments he stopped playing, and his eyes slowly opened. As soon as they did his face went blank due to the people staring at him. They weren't angry stares but happy ones, albeit slightly creepy. "Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be able to hear me play." He stated sheepishly.
"Please don't stop, that was beautiful." A female Elf said.
"You... liked it?" Rarely did he play songs for others, and not many had ever shown much appreciation for it. So it was actually a nice surprise to find an audience wanting more.
"I've personally never heard anything like that before, you have a real talent." The innkeeper praised.
The Hylian scratched the back of his head nervously. Just then his stomach rumbled, he clutched it making the male High Elf laugh.
"Tell you what, if you play another song I'll give you some food on the house."
A smile came onto Link's face and he only nodded in response. He then followed his audience downstairs to the main lobby of the inn, where he noticed a bunch of people sitting at the tables. They were either eating, drinking, or just taking time to relax. He wasn't sure why but as he stood there everyone slowly began to look towards him. Obviously he had never seen these people before, and vice-versa, but it was as if he was some kind of oddity.
"Attention everyone, this man here is responsible for the music you heard." He motioned over to the Hylian and everyone started cheering. "And he is going to be playing another song for all of us." Once again they cheered.
Link was starting to feel slightly nervous, he had never been asked to play his ocarina in front of a crowd before. Looking at everyone as they stared at him wasn't helping either. With a deep sigh he put the ocarina to his mouth and closed his eyes, mentally picking which song he was going to play. With his choice made he started to blow air into the ocarina.
The last song was a soothing lullaby, so nobody expected the next one to be so upbeat. It started off a little slow but quickly picked up. Many people had the sudden urge to stand up and start dancing, which in turn got others to do so as well. There were a few who chose to remain seated while simply tapping their hands on the table along with the rhythm. Soon the whole place was coming alive with music and joy. His music was so infectious that elves from outside the inn had to see what for themselves what was going on. Pretty soon the entire inn was full of people, all of them enjoying the melody being played by strange man in green. Their happiness turned to sorrow however when he stopped playing.
Link pulled the instrument away from his lips and looked at the huge crowd of Elves, who were now cheering loudly for the musician. He slowly waved to the people as he put his ocarina back into his bag. As he was about to walk away the innkeeper came up to him.
"Say, what's your name?"
"Link." He answered.
"Well Link I just want to thank you for playing those songs, it really helped to liven things up around here." The innkeeper smiled as he headed back behind the counter and grabbed a plate, he then went into the back room. Moments later he came back with a plate full of meat, cheese, and bread. "As I promised." He handed Link the plate and the hero nodded in thanks.
A single whiff was all the Hylian needed to know that his food was going to be delicious, and the first bite confirmed it. Being a hero and traveling the world meant that he rarely had a good home cooked meal, so it was nice to be able to sit down and enjoy one. As he was eating the innkeeper looked at him curiously.
"You're not from around here are you Link?"
Link paused before setting his fork down, he then looked up at the Elven man. "No." He resumed eating his meal.
"I see... so where are you from?"
His question once again made the Hylian pause, but this time he remained silent. His eyes continued to stare at his plate, not wanting to look the kind man in the eye. The truth was he didn't really want to answer, if only because the answer wasn't so simple. "I'm from... another world." He finally answered.
"Really? So how did you get here then?"
"I don't really want to get into it."
The innkeeper nodded before attending to some other patrons.
Time went by quickly as the legendary hero sat inside the inn. Although he ate his food he mostly remained silent, not bothering to speak to anyone. The depressing thought of never returning home returned, and was much heavier than before. Having played Zelda's Lullaby earlier didn't really help much either.
Wanting to clear his head he decided to leave the inn, hoping the fresh air would help in some way. Before he left Link remembered his sword and shield were still up in his room, and there was no way he would leave those behind. It wasn't that he didn't trust the people of the inn he just wanted to keep them close. With his weapons safely fastened onto his back he was ready to depart.
Once outside the Hylian could feel the cool air brush against his face, it was a nice sensation. Looking around he noticed a bunch of people outside, each of them attending to their business while having smiles upon their faces. This in turn made Link slightly smile, the village was quite peaceful from what he's seen so far. He certainly could get used to living there.
Kids ran by as the Hero of Time began wandering around, taking note of all the buildings around. Although he couldn't read any of the signs he had a pretty good idea of what the buildings were. 'I guess at some point I should learn their language.' He thought to himself while still being amazed by the structures around him. Some of them were pretty simple in design but others were a bit more complex. It was a little strange seeing a simple cottage next to a giant spire, but also kind of neat at the same time. While lost in thought he bumped into someone.
A woman had been walking by, carrying a basket of flowers. Upon bumping into the man she dropped her basket, and her flowers spilled onto the ground. The girl rubbed her head as she stood up. "Sorry about that."
Link stood up and caught sight of the woman she bumped into, which left him speechless. She had long brown hair, and was wearing a white and green dress. Her eyes were the same glowing blue as the other Elves. He stared at her for a few moments before shaking his head. "No worries, I was the one not paying attention." The two shared a small laugh.
"I'm Coria, what's your name?"
There was something about her smile that was so... captivating and friendly. "Link." They shook hands. "Here let me help you." He bent down to pick up the flowers that were on the ground, he then put them back into the basket.
"So are you the stranger that was found in the woods yesterday?" She received a confused look, and she could instantly tell what it meant. "Foreithel is a small village, so news travels pretty quickly around here." Coria explained.
"Yes, I am." Link replied softly.
Coria then noticed the sword and shield upon his back. "Are you joining the Elven Defenders?"
The hero raised an eyebrow.
"They're the ones who protect our village and most other villages in Quel'Thalas."
"I've never heard of them before." Part of him wanted to kick himself for giving out an obvious answer.
"Sorry I just assumed you were because of the weapons you're carrying." The female Elf pointed out. She then cleared her throat. "I should be returning home, it was nice to meet you Link." She waved goodbye and walked off.
Link waved goodbye before thinking about what she said. Perhaps he should investigate the Elven Defenders a little, with his combat experience he could make a good defender. A smirk came onto his face as he mentally decided he would try and see if he could become one. He looked around and tried to see if he could find a guard, and luckily he was able to find one walking around. The Hylian walked over to them.
"Hello citizen, how can I help you?" It was a female guard wearing heavy silver and blue armor, with a little bit of gold here and there. At her side was a long sword, held safely within a silver sheath. On her back was a huge blue shield with a golden lining. The design was a giant golden phoenix, and it was right in the center of the shield. Despite her intimidating presence she seemed friendly.
"I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the Elven Defenders."
"So you want to be a Defender?" She received a nod. "Well you certainly have the look, but of course you will need more than that to make the cut."
The smirk was still present on his face. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
She smiled at his eagerness. "You've got spunk, I like that. You can speak to our captain inside of the barracks," She pointed to what looked like a temple with three prominent points at the top and sides. "He's the one who will decide if you have what it takes."
"Thank you." He bowed and she returned it. With new found determination the Hylian ran towards the barracks, hoping his meeting with the captain would be an eventful one.
Within the remnants of the former lands known as Lordaeron, the humans were now fighting for survival against the vast armies of the scourge. The loss of their king was a severe blow to their spirits, and was only the first of many devastating events.
Arising from the ashes was the former prince; Arthas, a once proud Paladin of Lordaeron. Arthas slowly made his descent into madness and rage once he learned about the plague, and that drove him to slay the Undead at all cost. Upon traveling to the frozen shores of Northrend he learned about a powerful sword. He fought through the scourge and eventually found it, disregarding the warnings of his friend he took the cursed blade and slayed the Dreadlord responsible for his people's suffering.
Once he returned home he slayed his father and that completed his journey into darkness. He was reborn as a Death Knight and now served the Lich King. Tichondrius(another Dreadlord), informed him about the blade known as Frostmourne, and how it imprisoned his soul within it... although Arthas didn't care. The Dreadlord then told him to rally the acolytes that had been hiding within the local populace... and to also slay any resistance that tries to stop him.
For the humans, it was yet another low blow to find their prince serving the forces of evil. Traitor, bastard, monster, those were the words some chose to call him. Again, Arthas didn't care though, he kept on slaughtering the pitiful humans with the help of his Undead forces. Blood stained the ground, buildings were engulfed in flames and the humans screams pierced the air.
By the end only a handful of humans survived and Arthas had gathered up the cult members. The fallen prince didn't see what the point was but soon learned that they would be useful for gathering the remains of their former master; Kel'Thuzad. Now with acolytes accompanying him on his journey he set out to find the remains of the necromancer.
There it is, sorry that it was kind of short but I promise the chapters will get longer(especially once the Undead reaches Quel'Thalas). I also wanted to set up a few things and not try and rush into the scourge invasion, which is why Arthas isn't right outside the elves doorstep right now. I'm also sorry if this chapter feels rushed. I do have plans involving Link trying to join the Elven Defenders but I didn't want to jump right into it, so I see this chapter as an 'in between' one... if you catch my drift. (Also can you guess what the second song Link played was?) Stay tuned for more and be sure to R and R!
Also I went back and changed Link's outfit to resemble his old one, instead of having a hood. At first I wanted to switch up the look but now I realize that I want to keep the signature look.
FutureShock