Chapter III: Reawakening
The convoy returned to Castle Town that night. The four were almost completely silent on the way back; once, Zelda asked, "Father, what's happening? Why are we going back to the castle?" King Daphnes answered, "This isn't the place to discuss such things. Once we arrive at the castle, I will explain everything to you."
And so, the four rode back to Hyrule Castle, an almost unbearable silence settling between them. As time passed, the constant jostling of the carriage ceased as the convoy crossed the bridge leading into Castle Town. This time however, there would be no crowds to greet them- the populace wouldn't be expecting the Royal Family for another few days. Before long, a great creaking sounded as Hyrule Castle's outer gate opened, and the convoy came to a halt. At once, Daphnes climbed out of the carriage, the others following.
"Captain," he said as he approached the castle.
"Yes My Lord?" the Captain asked.
"I'm placing Castle Town at maximum security from this point forward- I want guards stationed at posts at all times. It's unlikely, but it's possible that this sorcerer, as you call him, may attempt to attack us directly again."
"Of course, My Lord." The Captain departed again, presumably to inform his men of the King's orders. Daphnes continued on his way, and the group soon entered the castle.
If the outside of Hyrule Castle was already stunning, its interior was indescribable- the main hall shone in the light of countless torches, its walls extending high above the group's heads. The hall was divided into two halves, divided by a short staircase that stretched from one wall to the other. Curiously, the near side of the hall was primarily dominated by a dark gray slab a few inches lower than the marble floor, with three large triangular stones in various positions on its surface. However, the centerpiece of the massive hall was a statue of the Triforce, surrounded by the three goddesses who created Hyrule, at the far side of the room.
"My Lord!" one of the guards called, surprised; at once, he and the other guards in the hall snapped to attention. "You've returned earlier than expected! Is everything alright?"
"The negotiations have been suspended due to an unexpected event," King Daphnes said. "I fear that dark times will be descending upon us soon- I need you to open the sanctuary."
"My Lord?" the guard asked.
"It is vitally important, guardsman. Open it."
Without any further questions, the guard signaled two others; at once the began pushing each of the stones towards the center of the slab. When they finished, the stones began to sink into the ground; they stopped when only an inch or two remained aboveground, revealing that the stones formed yet another image of the Triforce. A sudden sound of grinding stone, and Link saw that the statue at the far end of the room seemed to be moving back. Wordlessly, Daphnes crossed the room and climbed the stairs to the statue, the others following. Up close, Link could see that there was a staircase descending into a hole in the ground, the statue by its edge; presumably, the statue was supposed to keep the staircase hidden.
"Impa, please retrieve a sword and shield from the armory. Please don't hesitate to follow us once you return." Impa was gone instantly, without a sound. "Link, Zelda, please follow me." Daphnes descended the newly uncovered staircase; Link and Zelda did as they were asked and followed.
At the bottom of the stairs was yet another measure of security- an enormous round steel door. Wordlessly, King Daphnes reached up to a small lantern mounted on the wall and pulled it down a short ways. Incredibly, the steel door began to slide backwards into the wall, before rolling off to the side. The king then stepped inside, with Zelda and Link following. Much to Link's surprise, the sanctuary was nearly empty- the sole feature of the circular room was a small pedestal with a cover resting on top.
"Zelda, Link…" King Daphnes began as he approached the pedestal, "…have you heard the legend of the Hero of Twilight?"
"Of course, Father," Zelda replied. "But, I thought all those stories were made up. Just… fables."
"It's no fable." Daphnes lifted the cover off the pedestal; underneath, suspended in midair, was a small golden triangle that seemed to glow with an ancient, mystical power. "What you see before you is one of the nine fragments of the Triforce of Power. When the Hero of Twilight slayed Ganondorf, he and the Princess realized that as long as the Triforce of Power remained whole, Ganondorf would inevitably return to reclaim it and threaten the kingdom. So, they called the five surviving Sages to Hyrule Castle, and told them of their plan- to break the Triforce of Power, so that its powers could never be misused by anyone ever again. The Sages were horrified- they feared that by breaking apart a section of the Triforce, the artifact they had been entrusted to protect, the three goddesses would bring divine retribution upon them. But the Hero and the Princess insisted, and reluctantly, the Sages agreed- so the seven combined their strength, and shattered the Triforce of Power. Then, they waited.
"Days passed as they waited, then weeks- before long, several months had gone by. But the divine retribution the Sages feared never came. Believing that their decision was supported by the goddesses, the Hero and the Princess took eight of the Triforce shards, and scattered them across the land; the last piece they left here, protected in Hyrule Castle. When this was done, the two went their separate ways; the Sages faded away, to be reawakened the next time Hyrule was threatened. This is the history of how the Triforce of Power was shattered, as it has been told in the Royal Family for generations." Daphnes placed the cover over the floating Triforce fragment once again. "With the Triforce of Power broken, and its pieces safely hidden away, we believed that Ganondorf- or anyone intending to follow in his footsteps- would be unable to find and reassemble them." Daphnes sighed. "But then… he appeared."
Daphnes began pacing around the sanctuary. "He calls himself Den. From where he came, we do not know, but he has made his objective abundantly clear to us- he intends to gather and reunite all nine fragments of the Triforce of Power. At present, Den has managed to obtain five of the fragments- but, even with only an incomplete part of the Triforce, you've seen firsthand just how powerful Den has become. If he manages to obtain the remaining fragments, there's no telling what may happen- it's possible that he'll set his sights on the other two parts of the Triforce."
Daphnes stopped and turned to the two. "That's where you two come in. The mark on the back of your hands is a sign- a sign that the goddesses who watch over Hyrule have entrusted you with a special task. That mark means that the goddesses have chosen you to bear the two remaining parts of the Triforce."
"R-Really?" Zelda asked. "I was chosen to bear a part of the Triforce?"
"Indeed- all the proof you need is right on the back of your hand. …Zelda, let me see the mark." Zelda held out her left hand, exposing the glowing mark to her father. He inspected the mark carefully for several moments. Finally, he said, "I see. Zelda, it seems that the goddesses have chosen you to bear the Triforce of Wisdom." He turned to Link. "I have a feeling about you… but I need to see your mark as well to be sure." Link showed him his mark; Daphnes looked over it momentarily before he said, "Just as I expected. It seems that you have been chosen to bear the Triforce of Courage, Link." He turned to the far side of the sanctuary, and began walking away from the two. "Come this way- there is something else I wish to show you." He took a small lantern hanging from the back wall, lit it, and then continued down a small tunnel that neither Link nor Zelda realized had been there. Cautiously, they followed the king.
At the end of the tunnel was a circular room, much like the main room but much smaller in size. Much like the sanctuary's main room, the smaller room contained only one item- a full sized dummy. However, it was not the dummy itself, but what it wore that instantly drew Link's attention. The dummy wore a short-sleeved, forest-green tunic- the tunic was well-worn, patched and stitched together in numerous places. In the numerous small gaps in the fabric, Link could see the glinting of a chainmail shirt underneath. Perched on the dummy's head was a pointed cap in the same forest-green color as the tunic; the cap also had numerous stitching, but not to the same extent as the tunic. Fastened around the dummy's belt was an old belt with a great many number of pouches. Completing the outfit were a pair of thick gloves and boots, both of faded, well-worn leather. It was an outfit unlike any Link had ever seen before… and yet, it seemed familiar to him.
"This is the Royal Family's most valued treasure," Daphnes said. "These garments are the very same ones worn by the Hero of Twilight, and if what he told us is true, then it was worn by a Hero who preceded even him. Before he departed from Hyrule, he gave us this garb and asked that we protect it, until the time came that a new Hero would awaken to protect Hyrule in its darkest hour. That time is now, and the mark on your hand proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Hero this kingdom needs is you."
King Daphnes looked at Link sternly. "Link, you are the Hero chosen by the Goddesses. There can be no compromise in this- to deny your duty would mean the death of all of Hyrule. However, the tasks that lie before you as the bearer of the Triforce of Courage are perilous- it is possible that you may be required to lay down your life in the defense of this kingdom. So I must ask, are you willing to accept your duties as the one true Hero of Hyrule?"
Link nodded without a second thought- he'd seen firsthand just how ruthless the enemy was, and there was no chance he would let Zelda fall into their hands again. He would risk everything, if not for an entire kingdom, then at least for her.
"So you accept. Excellent. Now, our first priority is to prevent Den from obtaining the remaining Triforce fragments. One shard is safe here in the sanctuary; the remaining three are guarded by three races that live in Hyrule. Link, you must gather the three shards of the Triforce of Power and bring them back to the castle. Do you understand what you must do?" Link nodded. "As long as we can prevent Den from obtaining any more fragments of the Triforce, we have a chance to stop him. Now Link, put these on." He motioned to the tunic. "They will protect you on your journey."
"I should go," Zelda said. "You probably wouldn't want me to see you changing." Zelda excused herself from the room.
A few minutes later, Link had put on the outfit. He shrugged his shoulders- the gloves and boots fit okay, and the chainmail shirt was surprisingly light, but felt uncomfortable against Link's undershirt. "You're truly the spitting image of the hero of old," Daphnes said. At that moment, Zelda reentered the room, accompanied by Impa. "My Lord, I've returned," she said. She and Zelda then saw Link. "Well, you certainly look like a Hero in that outfit. Here, you'll need these." She held up a metal shield and a sheathed sword with a strap allowing it to be hung across one's back. He took the sword first and unsheathed it; it was identical to the sword he used in his fight against Den. He re-sheathed the sword and hung it from his back. Next, he took the shield; it was a deep blue, emblazoned with the crest of the Royal Family, the eagle in red and the Triforce in gold. He then hung the shield on his back as well.
"This sword and shield are standard issue for all soldiers of Hyrule," Impa said. "They may not look like much, but they should be more than capable of handling anything you come across." She turned to Daphnes. "There's something else I need to give the boy, My Lord. I hope you don't mind if I borrow him for a few minutes."
"Certainly." With that, Impa put a hand on Link's shoulder and guided him out of the sanctuary. Soon enough, she led him back through the hall and outside again. He followed her through the castle grounds, until they came to a wooden structure by the outer wall. "Wait here please." She then stepped inside. A few minutes later, she returned, a beautiful dark brown horse following behind her. The horse stood taller than Link, and almost as tall as Impa. A saddle had been strapped to the horse's back.
"Link, I believe you remember Epona," Impa said. He did- Zelda had shown Epona to him many times in the past, and had even taught him how to ride her, with a little extra help from Impa. "Hyrule is a vast land…" Impa began, before Link could protest, "… and there is little time to spare. If you're to find the pieces of the Triforce of Power before Den, you'll need a mount- take Epona with you… and take good care of her."
Link was just about to climb up onto the horse when a new voice behind him asked, "Link?" He turned, surprised; he saw Zelda there, standing behind him. She looked at him silently for a few moments, before she leaned forward and kissed Link on the cheek. Instantly, she pulled away and punched his arm, hard enough to elicit a small cry of pain from Link. "I was going to wait until you got back before I gave you that… but I figured you'll need the extra luck. Now don't make me have wasted that by getting yourself killed, okay?" she said. He nodded, and then climbed up onto the horse.
It didn't take him long to remember Impa's instructions. He took the reins and with a small spur, the horse was moving. He went slowly at first, carefully guiding Epona through the castle grounds, and then the streets of Castle Town. He picked up speed slowly as he neared the edge of the town; by the time he'd crossed the bridge at its entrance, he was in a full gallop. He was off- charging across the plains surrounding Castle Town, his task laid before him. An entire kingdom depended on him- him- to gather the three remaining shards of the Triforce of Power before Den. Now, he was off- off to… to… hmm…
…Wait… where was he going?
"Link." Hearing the King's voice calling out so close nearly caused Link to fall off Epona; he brought the horse to a stop and looked around, but King Daphnes was nowhere in sight. "I'm sorry if I surprised you Link, but there is something I forgot to tell you." The King's voice didn't seem to be coming from any specific direction; in fact, it seemed to be coming directly from Link himself. He thought for a moment, and a sudden realization came to him; he removed his necklace, seeing that it was actually glowing in the darkness. "The necklace you wear is no ordinary necklace. It has a number of enchantments that allow me to speak with you, and also observe what you're doing. I made it to better protect Zelda."
There was a very brief pause before Daphnes continued. "I've known for quite some time that you've had this necklace. And I've also known about your frequent visits to the castle grounds. But that is something we will discuss later. Now listen- as I said, the three remaining shards of the Triforce of Power are held by three of the races that inhabit Hyrule. One of the three races is the Kokiri, beings who live in the forests to the south of here. You should start by retrieving the Triforce fragment there. Once you arrive in the Kokiri village, speak to their leader, Saria; she's bound to know the location of the shard."
I know, I know... boring exposition chapter. It won't happen again... I hope.