The Legend of Zelda: TriSpirit, Episode 1: The Prologue
Chapter 7
Of Gossip and Silence
After Sir Pent is finished briefing everyone on everything and registrations for the recruitment are complete, the class is dismissed and all trainees head out on each their own ways. Link's peers still continue to give him the cold shoulder on the way out. He makes sure to go the long way around when he retrieves his parked cart in order to avoid them. He leaves once he has a safe distance between them and himself.
It has been a rough day. Instead of going straight home, Link decides to first head down the quiet side-road surrounded by trees leading to a special place. None of the others ever come this way, as the place down this road is one that they have no desire to visit.
He happens to pass by two of the town's residents on the way; Pompie and Vera. The two women are so immersed in their gossiping that they do not even seem to notice as he walks right on by them.
Which is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary for them at all, as they are among the worst gossips in town. Their conversation goes as follows:
Pompie: "...I heard that they even sent invitations to the Goron tribe to come to Princess Zelda's ceremony! Do you think they will really come?"
Vera: "I should hope not! I don't trust those stone barbarians! I expect they're up to no good up there on Death Mountain. I wouldn't be surprised if they turned on us soon!"
Pompie: "Oh? What makes you say that? No one has even heard much from the Gorons in years."
Vera: "Exactly! The way they've cut themselves off from humankind gives me every right to be suspicious. Have you heard about the sudden volcanic activity in Eldin? Some say the Gorons are behind it."
Pompie: "Oh, really? But what would the Gorons hope to gain from activating the volcano?"
Vera: "I don't know. Perhaps they're looking to let Hyrule go down in flames and take the spoils for themselves? Given the way they've been so distant to us humans these past decades, I wouldn't put anything past them. Can't hardly call them our allies anymore."
Pompie: "Goodness! That does sound worrisome! I hope it isn't true!"
Vera: "All I know is that those Gorons are a shady bunch! Have you seen the one that opened shop in town recently?"
Pompie: "I haven't met him, but I have heard about the way he barely even interacts with anybody. He certainly does sound rather suspicious."
Vera: "He sure is. The first and only Goron to show himself around here in years...and he's as shady as they come, if you ask me! I can't trust anyone who only ever keeps to himself like that!"
Pompie: "But do you know who I think is even more shady? The Zoras! I can't say I feel comfortable knowing that the tribe tasked with keeping our waters in check is related to a race of river monsters!"
Vera: "Amen to that! I don't trust them either! And the way our drinking water had gone so stagnant for awhile a few years back is proof enough that they're not very loyal to us Hylians! Some say they were the ones responsible for the destruction of the Gleeok dam that annihilated so many human settlements in Necluda when it busted..."
Pompie: "It certainly makes me uncomfortable knowing that these shady fish-people will be coming to our own Castletown next week. But I suppose King Roark just has to do what he can to keep peace with them. They say their king has a spell that could slay over a hundred enemy soldiers in a single blow! Ohh, how I'd hate for him to unleash it here!"
Vera: "I wouldn't be so sure any efforts to keep peace with those Zoras will even make a difference for long... They say King Zora's daughter causes nothing but trouble for King Roark every time she comes to Castletown. Surely this is a sign of treason in the making!"
Pompie: "I believe the Zoras are involved in this secret society everyone is talking about that's said to be the cause of the increase in monster sightings in Hyrule. If anyone would be out spawning monsters, it'd obviously be those who are related to them!"
Link rolls his eyes at the ludicrous words of these paranoid women. People always come up with such ridiculous conspiracy theories.
Why would the Gorons want to deliberate a volcanic eruption? Living in the volcanic mountains of Eldin themselves, an eruption would only cause THEM more harm than anyone else! And just because this lone Goron shopkeeper keeps to himself is no reason to accuse him of anything shady. Lots of people (including Link) prefer to keep to themselves!
And what reason would the Zoras have to turn against their closest allies, the Hylians? It is a known fact that the Gleeok dam was destroyed in a local earthquake. The Zoras had nothing to do with that!
But what of this theory of a cult spawning monsters? How could that even be possible? And what would anyone hope to gain from increasing the numbers of monsters in the first place? None of these conspiracy theories make any sense...
Turning a deaf ear to the gossiping women as they go on and on, Link makes his way down the road and stop at his destination;
The Temple of Time.
The sacred temple stands majestically, surrounded by beautiful trees on either side with a gentle breeze passing through their branches, creating a relaxing rustle sound that adds to the peaceful atmosphere. The only company being the odd stone near the front with strange, eye-like patterns carved into it. Link knows not what sort of purpose the mysterious stone serves, but it has been there for ages.
Parking his cart, the young Hylian takes some time to just walk around aimlessly and enjoy the ambiance.
The place is empty, as usual. Not many people are very religious these days, especially not others Link's age, and so they often avoid this area as much as possible.
Link, however, likes to come here as often as he can. There is always a sacred presence from within the temple that fills him with a sense of serenity and security knowing that the goddesses are always watching over Hyrule. It is here, the very place that most other people his age tend to feel most uncomfortable around and would rather avoid at all costs, that he finds peace of mind and healing for his restless spirit.
Looking up at the sheer height of the massive trees that surround the temple, Link feels reminded of just how small humans really are in comparison to nature. Which, in turn, is merely just part of a much bigger universe. It is impossible to consider his own problems significant when he thinks of that. Just being here, even for only a few short minutes, puts him at ease. Stress and trepidation just wash away in the holy silence where Link can rest his mind, forget about his troubles, and recount his blessings in the peaceful solitude of quiet prayer and reflection.
And with how stressful things have been lately, he has coming here all the more often.
And that will likely not let up anytime soon after today. Things are bound to get a lot busier with the princess's ceremony coming up, and the idea of working alongside his fellow trainees sounds far from pleasant, especially with how badly they begrudge him right now.
However, this is not his only worry at the moment.
Deep down, he also finds himself a little concerned about the way Sir Pent has been treating him lately...
Not that Sir Pent is being overly hard on him. Nay, Pent has always been known as a tough teacher. What concerns Link is how Sir Pent has not been pushing him quite as hard as he used to. He still seems to be pushing the students that he has higher expectations for, just as he always has, but lately he has been somewhat less caring about Link's mistakes. He has been letting the young farmboy off almost too easily these days.
He still scolds Link for messing up, tells him that he needs to improve, and reminds him that he is able to train the boy only if he puts in a sufficient amount of effort himself; the same approach Sir Pent has always taken.
And yet...
Something is off... It is as if Sir Pent is only saying and doing such things as part of a routine, but he no longer actually cares if his efforts to train Link are really fruitful or not even though he is normally very serious about his swordsman class and has little tolerance for failure.
But Link suspects he knows where this sudden lack of assertiveness is coming from...
Sir Pent has no doubt come to think of him as a lost cause. He no longer takes training Link seriously...because he believes in his heart that it is only a matter of time before the struggling farmboy decides to drop out again.
After all; Sir Pent is no fool. He knows very well how badly Link fears to push himself. The instant the young trainee feels threatened during practice, he gives up and retreats out of fear for his well-being. And since Link has given up on facing his fears, it appears Sir Pent has given up on training him. His expectations for the young farmboy have grown so low that he can care no longer.
"(Perhaps Volker's words earlier are true...)" Link thinks to himself with a sigh. "(If even Sir Pent himself considers me to be a lost cause, then perhaps having to deal with a weakling like me in his class really is just an insult to his duty and honor...)"
But looking upon the Temple of Time and recalling its purpose of paying homage to the goddesses of Hyrule for the blessing of time serves as a reminder to Link that ALL of time is indeed a blessing; both the good and bad times alike. Although life can be hard at times, he remembers he is still privileged to live in a time of peace; a peace that came at a great price bought by the sacrifices of many throughout history.
And that peace may not last forever...
Which is precisely why knights are needed in this age; to be ready to defend this peace from any threat that may arise to endanger it. It is for such a noble cause that Link trains to dedicate his very life to. And if assisting the Royal Guard next week is something he can do to contribute to this cause, than contribute he will.
This will probably be the most he will ever get to contribute in his lifetime anyhow, since it would appear that his chances of actually becoming a real knight one day are looking quite slim...
Hm? Who is that over there..?
Link realizes he is not as alone here as he had previously thought after all. Three bearded men, garbed in red, blue, and green colored cloaks respectively, are gathered in a remote area near the temple. They appear to be conversing about something.
Are they some visiting spiritual order who have come to pay homage at this place of worship perhaps..?
Link knows not who these mysterious men are nor what their business at this temple may be but he wishes not to disturb them with his presence. He opts to keep his distance to avoid having either party's quiet time be interrupted.
The three cloaked men, meanwhile, continue to have their private discussion.
The true nature of it being something far more sinister than Link would imagine. Their conversation goes as follows;
Green-cloaked man: "It appears the temple's gateway to the Sacred Realm truly is impenetrable... There will likely be no second chances if we fail to cease this upcoming opportunity."
Blue-cloaked man: "Indeed. It is not everyday there's an event such as the princess's coming-of-age ceremony to prompt that ancient sage to step out for even a minute. We have only one shot at this when that Door of Time finally opens for but a moment. Once it closes again, it shan't be reopening any time soon..."
Red-cloaked man: "Don't be so dramatic, will you? Surely Master Kazama's plan shall be a success! Mark my words, brothers; just one more week and the elusive power that this blasted temple has kept hidden for so long shall at last belong to the Devastati!"
End of Episode 1: The Prologue
To be continued in Episode 2:
The Day of Duty
Thanks for reading! Now you may be wondering what I mean in saying that this is the end of Episode 1. Well, I don't want to make this Author's Note too long, but an explanation can be found in my profile page here on this site. This first "episode" is just an introduction, but those that follow will be longer and feature much more action, including many full battle-sequences, so stay tuned!
Anyway, if you are unsure who Pompie and Vera are: they're those two NPCs from Windfall Island in The Wind Waker who are gossiping about Lenzo the photographer. Here they are seen gossiping about the latest rumors in this story's era, hinting at info that will play a significant role in the plot...
Now for those who've read the original edition: I apologize for having only two chapters that actually hold anything new so far, but that will change soon, as a lot of new content is on the way. The very next chapter has been updated significantly at the beginning and end, though the middle is about the same as last time.
