I would like to say here and now that I own none of the characters or The Legend Of Zelda, they all belong to Nintendo. Enjoy
Thank you for your reviews: SakuraDreamerz, Thehobkinauthor and Guest
Link and Ganon headed down the dirt road towards the city, there was a cool gentle breeze blowing over the Hyrule fields as usual; the tall hills makes the hike into the city a bother for the two boys whenever they make a move yet for some reason they always feel a desire pulling them towards the city. Taking advantage of this feeling and the fact Impa barely scrapes enough money to look after them the boys took up the cult art of thievery over the years. This had gained them a rather negative reputation amongst the guards of Hyrule city, and the market stall owners, resulting in either a chase or a small brawl but to this very day they have never actually been caught. They overcame another large hill, casually making their way towards the city. Ganondorf was walking as calmly as he ever does, hands behind the head and large strides while on the other hand Link paced himself to keep close to Ganon rather than overtake him.
"You know, you could tell me the plan you have." Ganon said, opening one eye and looking at his brother.
"Oh, well its' the usual grab and run." Link replied now facing Ganon.
"Hm? Then how-come you've had to make a plan? we normally wing it."
"Well its' less of a plan and more of a script." Link replied.
"A script? What, are we scamming these market people now? They kinda know our faces."
"Well, you'll see...We'll need your magic too, the biggest and most flashy thing you can pull off."
"Don't call me a master strategist here but wouldn't it be best to use little magic? We could all ready take on the small guards that come whenever we arrive, using all my magic in one blow seems like a bad idea." Ganon explained.
"Well, once you use a small amount of magic to take out one guy they'll get the elites on us, so we need to take all five out at once." Link explained.
"Oh, I see what you mean...Don't give the enemy time to call reinforcements!" Ganon said, cracking the knuckles in his small green hand.
"Exactly, you know we've been robbing the market for two years now...ever wondered how-come they keep sending trainee's at us?" Link asked.
"You're right, that is somewhat odd...by this point they should have at least sent some proper knights our way." Ganon said thinking to himself, "Didn't Impa mention how the king sends guards out oddly, mostly the elites and whenever they leave only half come back."
"Yeah, I've been watching the guards leave whenever we play in the forest. Always the best ones leave for long periods of time, leaving mostly trainees at the base."
"I wonder why that is...We're not at war are we?" Ganon asked.
"No, either Impa would have told us or I would know, I am the only one who can read out of us two."
"Reading isn't important, especially in the route we're going down."
"You don't need to read anyway, because I'll read for you bro."
"Hm, yeah. And I'll come bring you a change of sheets whenever you wet the beds in the guards housing." Ganon laughed as he ran off.
"Hey! You said you wouldn't mention that!" Link yelled as he ran after him, "I don't even do that any-more!"
The two boy stopped their laughter as they came to the top of the hill, looking down at the castle town not far off in the distance, the market looked extremely busy as ever and would be easy to slip through a crowd like that. Link felt someone tap his shoulder and then grab him, pulling him into some bushes.
"Shh!" Ganon hissed as Link went to moan.
They sat in the bushes for at least ten minutes when they could hear the sound of many trotting hooves come closer. They looked up out of the cover of the bush to see a huge convoy of Hyrulian knights make their way past, their shinning silver arm reflecting light and putting the boys in a dream-like state of awe. Their many swords and arrows, barrels of food and wagons creating a thunderous noise as they rolled onwards. Two knights following up behind the convoy were deep in conversation, both looking very important.
"Listen sir, I know the king sent us but have you heard what the other guards have said about that place? It's a death trap!" A slightly-lesser looking knight said (B).
"Silence! We follow the divine kings orders until death, we knights have had the proud task of protecting Hyrule and exploring dungeons left to us for hundreds of years now. If we don't clear this dungeon we bring shame on our ancestors!" The more important knight replied harshly (A).
"But sir! Haven't you heard what the other knights have said? There are demons in that dungeon and a swordsman we could never imagine beating! Even worse is the phoenix residing in it!" Knight B said with a scared tone.
"You listen to me now, you are a knight of Hyrule! You will go to this dungeon and you will help conquer it, you understand?" Knight A spat, poking knight B.
"Yes sir...Wait, don't you remember when Miss Impa came back from that dungeon? She said to the king we should never tackle it, surely that's even more of a sign we should just camp around a few days and then-"
"Impa was a weak wrench who got demoted after her quotes, the dumb sheikah got demoted to the princess' carer after speaking out of turn...And if you want me to help you when a 'demon' grabs you, you better follow your orders!" Knight A said, taking care to find enjoyment with his powerful tone.
"Y-yes sir!" Knight B replied worried as he scurried up towards the rest of the convoy.
The two boys glared at knight A through the bushes, furious with his words and abusive language towards their mother. Knight A turned around and stared directly at the bush were the two boys hid, his eyes full of a curiosity and suspicion. He drew his bow and arrow and fired a shot straight into the bush, watching meticulously for even the slightest shake that seemed, odd. After staring at it for a couple of seconds he turned around and followed the convoy. Once they were out of sight Ganon and Link rolled out the bushes, the arrow shallowly stabbed into this right hand and his left cradling the burst of blood when they arrow hit, as to not make their presence known. Ganon tugged the arrow out of his hand with a groan, clutching his hand tightly.
"That horrid, evil GAH!" Ganon roared through gritted teeth, biting his lips when he wanted to test any curse words.
Link ripped off some of his clothing and wrapped a make-shift bandage around his brother's wounded hand, looking at him worriedly.
"That arrow was coming towards me, you didn't have to block it." Link said sadly, tightening the bandage.
"Heh, my skin's tougher than yours. It'd gone right through your soft hand and splatted blood anywhere, I just have to thank you for already covering my mouth when he was talking about mum." Ganon said, groaning as Link pulled on the bandage.
"I don't like that guy, he's not a knight." Link said coldly.
"No Link he's a knight, a patriotic knight. Blinded by a foolish history of lies." Ganon said.
"Trying to sound poetic?" Link teased, pulling on the bandage a little.
"Ouch, you son of a, gah." Ganon moaned as Link began to walk onwards.
"How did you even know they were coming?"
"Beats me, I suppose I just heard them." Ganon replied.
"Well you've always had strong senses, but that hearing is ridiculous."
"It's not like I picked up on certain voices, those horses are loud."
"I guess. Did you hear that though, a dungeon?"
"Yeah. That explains were the king's forces have been going all this time."
"My suspicions were true then, I'm glad."
"You had an idea?"
"Yeah, I mean why else would they go out in convoys if not for war? The only other threat that'd exist is a dungeon and a serious one at that."
"You're right as always little bro, still it's hard to believe mum had difficulty with it."
"I bet whoever completes that dungeon would rise in the ranks immensely." Link commented, putting his fist to his mouth, and then smirking widely, "Get your cloak on, we're about to go into town."
The two boys sat on a bench looking at the market, they were both wearing dark green cloaks with hoods as they watched passer-bys wander onwards with their day. Link looked at the routes available to him on the right, and then the ones for Ganon on the left; there were barrels and certainly weak stalls that would tip over easily if Ganon nudged them...But which one would they choose. He felt someone tap his leg.
"We should grab some fruit, preferably." Ganon whispered.
"Right, fruit...In that case we should hit the stall we hit the other week...But we'll go left this time." Link said.
"Got it, want me to grab a box?"
"Yeah, I'll back you up while we get through the crowd...just wait until we get out the market and then throw me the box, you'll have to handle the guards." Link said as he stood up.
"Understood." Ganon replied.
Link walked into the crowded market, he saw the fruit stall and hid behind a barrel opposite to the stall. He watched as Ganon slowly walked up to the stall, then when no-one was looking grabbed a while box of apples and started to run.
"Oi! Not again you wretched kid!" The store-keeper yelled as he leapt over the stall just about.
Link burst out the shadows, and threw a cloud of dust in the man's face as he followed after Ganon, the sound of the stall-keeper's cough getting weaker as they got further away.
"Guards! Guards! It's those kids again! Somebody get the guards!" He yelled furiously.
Link smirked as he heard the shop-keeper's furious yells. They gained distance from the market and ran down a mostly empty road waiting for them was a row of guards all with angry and tired faces.
"Okay lads! Today we get these miscreants!" He yelled.
"Now." Link said.
Ganon tossed Link the box of apples as he plunged his fist into his shadow, and then out of the shadows small hands made from darkness came flying out, they resembled that of a dragons, and were small in size. They made fists and hit the guards in the faces, knocking them over and then the shadows dragon claws gripped to their faces, the two boys ran past them as they thrashed about on the floor.
"They can use magic!" One shouted.
"Get help! Help!" Another one called.
Link directed Ganon into an long, dark alleyway when suddenly at the end a knight blocked the exit.
"They have knights stationed here still?" Ganon said, shocked.
"Surrender now!" He yelled.
Ganon turned around to find another knight blocking the other exit.
"Shoot, Link!" Gannon yelled, slamming his arm on the wall and shadow squares ripped along the wall making a square pattern with green glowing patters, when it reached the guard a claw came out of the shadows.
"That's forbidden twilight magic!" The guard yelled as he blocked the blow with his shield and then ran up at Ganon.
He thrust his shield arm forwards and sent Ganon flying back, Link caught him just about when the other knight ran up at the boys. Link pushed Ganon up and then pushed off the closest walls and then rolled over the floor, pushing off the other wall and then thrusting his shoulder into the knight's armour, he winced in pain. The guard grabbed Link by the shirt and slammed him against the wall, he screamed in pain.
"Link!" Ganon yelled desperately, going to jump at the knight when the shield knight pulled him back and pushed him against the wall, using the shield as a barrier.
"Surrender!" He yelled.
"We surrender!" Link shouted back.
Ganon looked at him in surprise to see Link flash him a weak smirk.
"You are both under arrest, for theft of market goods and for the use of magic!" The knight said authoritatively.
Zelda was walking with her father towards the throne room, holding on tightly to his long red robe, her mother to her other side with a worried look on her face. She turned to look at her father's face, it was grim and also serious. She then looked at Impa worriedly, who then flashed her a sympathetic smile.
"Daddy?" Zelda said nervously.
"Yes princess?" The king said, not looking down at his daughter but dead centre forwards.
"How-come you look so serious, it's scary."
"I'm sorry princess." He sighed, "Today there was a thievery at the market...The culprits also met a certain criteria which requires them to come to me."
Impa looked forwards with a concerned face, a slight voice whispering in the back of her mind words she wished not to hear.
"Thieves? Don't they normally just go to the stocks daddy?" Zelda asked, slightly curious about what made them so special.
"Yes princess, but these thieves are special...you know how gifted you are?" The queen said.
"Mhmm, my magic right?" Zelda asked happily.
"Yes, you're magic." The kind said grimly, "Well as you know, magic is dangerous unless used correctly, so it is illegal in the Hyrule fields region were we live...As to protect us."
"I see, so these thieves used illegal magic." Zelda said.
"Not just that princess, one of them used a rare, forbidden magic...The magic of twilight." The king said.
"And we're not sure whether the other one can use magic." The queen added.
"Zelda, you may not like watching daddy...Discipline these thieves. But I do it to keep you safe, imagine if these thieves wanted more than simple market treats."
"I know daddy, I understand...When I become queen I must be both as kind as mommy and responsible as you." Zelda said happily.
Impa flashed angry eyes at the king and queen, biting her lip at their lies. She looked at Zelda sympathetically once more as they approached the large door to enter the throne-room. The king pushed the mighty doors open revealing an extremely large froom built from blue stone; their was plants wrapped around the columns scattered around the enormous room. There was a long red carpet that lead up to three large chairs and on the way to those chairs were four figures. Two knights with swords resting above the necks of two smaller figures, one had long ginger hair and the other puffy blonde hair with a swept fringe and ponytail. Impa stared at the two figures and felt her heart drop, she knew who they were even without looking at their faces. Zelda covered her mouth to hide a gasp, recognising the two figures also. The king stared in shock at the two boy as he paced forwards, past the knights and stared down at the two boys.
"They're-they're children!" He said, looking at the guards confused.
"Yes sir, I'm afraid so...Do not take them lightly, the Gerudo child is strong and a user of twilight and the other is smart and quick." The knight explained.
"Thanks, though if you're trying to hit on me I'm twelve." Ganon moaned.
"You're too cocky." Link whispered.
"Says the ten year-old who's hopefully planned a way to get us arrested and discharged by royalty." Ganon hissed back.
The rest of the royals walked past, Zelda looking at them worriedly as she took her seat and Impa just couldn't bring herself to look at them, kneeling down next to Zelda's throne. The king simply stared at the boys for a while, finding it difficult to say anything.
"Hmmmm, how old are you boys?" He asked at last.
"He's ten and I'm twelve." Ganon replied.
"Twelve and already using twilight magic...Boy, you realise that is forbidden right?" The kind said.
"Yeah I did, why is that so?" Ganon asked, glaring at the king.
"Simply to protect my kingdom, if magic was used freely like today imagine what capable thieves could do with it."
"But we are capable thieves sir, we've been stealing from the market for two years now, we have a reputation." Link said happily.
The king glanced at the boy with surprise and then up to the knight.
"Erm, it's true sir, we've had reports of two boys stealing for the past two years. But with the situation we're in...Trainees had to deal with them, and he didn't display magic until today." The knight explained.
"I see so you boys are already morally, corrupt. Your mothers must be an awful women, and shame on your fathers." The king said disgusted by what he was hearing.
"We're adopted sir, so we're brothers. So you mean 'your mother' and also our mother is a wonderful woman." Link said.
Impa looked up at the boy with both fear and shame.
"Ten years old or not, you speak out of turn boy." The king signalled and the guard kicked Link hard.
"Link!" Ganon growled as he looked at guard.
Zelda clenched her fists and glanced at her father and then worriedly back to Link.
"Well, these boys have already lost a path in their life...And also the Gerudo's a magic user. I have no choice but to sentence them to immediate execution." The king said grimly.
The two knights raised their swords when Impa dived forwards, pushing the two knights down and stealing their swords.
"Impa!" The king yelled.
"Please your Majesty, I beg of you to forgive these children!" Impa cried.
"Impa, what connection to these children do you have?" The king asked furiously.
"They are orphans I saved years ago, I've been raising them like my own children, please." Impa begged.
"You spent time with other children, knowing you're only to spend time with Zelda? I should have you executed too for disobedience and raising such wretched children!" The king yelled.
"Please father!" Zelda said, standing up and running in front off Impa, "Don't kill miss Impa, or Link or even Ganon!"
"Zelda, you know them too?" The king asked.
"I met them last week when Impa took me out the castle while you were having a meeting." Zelda explained.
"I see. My daughter, I warned you that would not like what you see." The king replied.
"No father please!" Zelda began to beg.
"Excuse me, your Majesty?" Link yelled.
"What is it boy?" The king asked impatiently.
"What was that meeting about?"
"What?"
"What was that meeting about, the one you had when we met Zelda." Link explained.
"How dare you, that is none of your business!" The king roared.
"Is it to do with the impossible dungeon?" Ganon asked.
"That is secret information, how did you two obtain that?" The king yelled.
"The convoy that left this morning, there was an important looking knight scolding a lower-ranking knight for trying to get out of it." Link explained.
"Regardless, it doesn't matter here-"
"It does your Majesty, it does." Link interrupted, "Because if you kill me and Ganon no one will ever clear that dungeon."
"Are you implying that you could actually conquer a dungeon at your age?" The king asked, almost laughing.
"Implying?" Link asked Ganon.
"Saying that." Ganon replied.
"Oh. Yes, we can." Link said to the king.
"Foolish children, that is simply impossible!" The king laughed.
"So is banning magic." Link said, "Something you can't control can't be banned. Zelda do you really think he banned magic because of safety for his kingdom, and rarely sees you because he's too busy?" Link questioned.
"I, no...It doesn't seem that way." Zelda said sadly.
"Zelda." The queen said softly.
"You have that law in place and rarely spend time with her because you're scared of magic, someone like you with power-"
"Who has no actual power at all is a valuable target for those who do have power." Ganon continued.
"You boys." The king said coldly, "Fine! Go and finish the dungeon, my men shall escort you and when they bring you tiny bones back I shall celebrate!" The king roared.
"No." Impa said horrified.
"Father, please." Zelda said.
"They asked for this Zelda! After this you can go to your room and Impa, as for you-"
"As for you nothing." Ganon interrupted, "If we clear that dungeon, bring back its' treasure for you then Impa faces no punishment for any of us."
"Agreed." The king said with a smirk, "When my convoy returns in a week, and they do not carry the treasure they sought then I shall execute Impa myself."
"Mum?" Link said looking at Impa, "I'm sorry."
"Link..." Impa said, coming over and hugging the children, "Ganon...Please, come home safe, please."
"I promise we will." Ganon said.
"Promise." Link added.
It was night time by the two boys were about to leave with a knight, there were three horses in the open grounds of the castle. Their strong visible breath in the cold night gave the boys a feeling of adventure and happiness despite their current situation; the knight lead them over to two of the smaller horses and helped them climb up on each one.
"Gerudo boy, the horse you ride is Epona. She's fairly young and tamed well, she shouldn't have any problem with you." The knight explained.
"Epona...Good girl." Ganon said softly, stroking the horses mane.
"Link, your horse is called Gerdo. We found her in the Gerudo desert and as such we gave her a similar name."
"Thanks, okay Gerdo, we'll be great friends!" Link said happily, hugging his horses' neck.
As the knight hopped on his a small girl wandered up to the trio.
"Hi Zelda." Link said happily.
"Why." She said sadly.
"Hm?"
"Why did you do this Link? Didn't you want to be knights?" She yelled worriedly.
"We will become knights, the best knights...This was the only way." Link replied.
"Listen." Ganon sighed, "Use that 'wisdom' of yours, even I have it figured out. We don't want to have to wait six to eight years to become knights, we want to be the best knights in Hyrule history. What better way than being both the youngest knights ever?" Ganon explained.
"B-but you'll get yourselves killed! Impa, who uses water magic, couldn't even douse the flames of the phoenix in that dungeon! A-and the demons and the swordsman too, please Link, Ganon I'll help you get out but reconsider!" Zelda begged.
"We can't, we're going now." Link gave a sympathetic look.
"We're going now! Hragh!" The knight yelled as his horse begin to ride off.
"Groooah!" Gannon yelled.
"Hyarrgh!" Link yelled after as all three horses rode out of the castle.
Zelda stared in their direction, watching as they disappeared out of sight.
"Stupid Link...And that stupid Ganon too." She said quietly before heading into the castle.
An idea suddenly popped into her head...Something she truly believes in.
So please tune in next Friday when Link and Ganondorf tackle their first dungeon! The story takes a massive leap from there as the wheels of destiny start to turn! Hope you enjoy it and that you'll tune in next week.
