"In this world there is a need,
For some to lead the rest.
To rise above the average life,
By giving of their best.
Are you the one who dares,
To try when challenged by the task,
To rise to heights you've never dreamed,
Or is that too much to ask?"
— Anonymous
Part Two
"Ma! I'm ready! Honestly!" Link whined as his mother kept scrubbing his face with a wet cloth. "I bathed last night!"
Alys stopped scrubbing her son's cheeks and looked at him with a smile on her face. Two weeks ago he had turned eight years old. Today, he would become a Page. He wanted to be a part of the Knights of Hyrule, like his da had been, and even though she wished he wouldn't, she would not deny him this right.
"You know it will be tough training, Link" she said for the tenth time that day. She gave his face one final swipe with the wet cloth. "And the Knights of Hyrule take their training very seriously. They won't be lenient with you simply because you are the son of a Knight Lieutenant."
Link whimpered as he touched his cheeks that were red and tender from all the scrubbing.
"I know ma, but I'm ready… I promise I am. I want to be just like da. I will work very hard" he said, sitting at the wooden chair near the fireplace. He grabbed his boots and pulled them on. Alys looked at him, a hand on her hip. He was the spitting image of Quinn; sandy-blond hair, sapphire-blue eyes and a good heart. She swelled with pride.
"You realize you're going to have to toughen up, my miting. I won't be there to comfort you" she said tenderly.
"Stop calling me miting, ma! I'm not little anymore! I'm a big boy!" Link said as he adjusted his belt. Alys laughed.
"Alright, my big boy, you better hurry up and untether Epona from the barn… the Squires will be around to fetch you any minute now!" she chuckled. Link grinned and dashed out of the small kitchen. A few minutes later, Alys watched him from the kitchen window as he groomed the filly's snowy-white mane and chestnut body. She was still too young to carry the weight of a full saddle, but Link, Alys noticed, had placed a thin blanket over her back. He set the brush aside and ran back inside.
"Ma! They're coming! Where's my bag?" he said hurriedly, looking around frantically. Alys chuckled as she held out the small, burlap sack to him.
"Nervous?" she asked with a smile. Link nodded. "Don't worry. You are your father's son. You are going to do just fine." There was a knock at the door.
"They're here!" Link said excitedly. Alys knelt before him and adjusted his shirt.
"Remember, my miting, if you feel you cannot handle the stress of training, you write me a letter and I will fetch you immediately" she said, trying hard to swallow the knot that had suddenly formed in her throat.
"Ma! I'll be fine… I promise I will" Link said as he ran to open the door. Two squires looked down at him with a grin and then addressed his mother. At the sight of Alys, one of the squires turned pink.
"Good morrow, ma'am. My name is Baldric and my partner here is Ernald. We have come to collect," the young man said, clearing his throat and unraveling a short roll of parchment, "a young Link, son of Quinn, is that correct?"
Link nodded enthusiastically.
"That is correct, Baldric, this is Link" Alys said, pushing her son forward towards the door.
"Right, well, come on Link, you're the last on the list… we have to get going now" said Ernald.
"Where are the others?" Link asked, looking around. There was nobody but them, as far as he could see.
"The other pages have been fetched by other squires. They are probably headed to the castle now" Ernald answered.
"Well, if we're all done here, I guess we better get going, m'lady" Baldric said, staring at Alys. Alys nodded. "It is an honor to meet the wife of Lieutenant Quinn…" he added, turning pink again. Alys smiled warmly at him.
"Alright then, we're off" Ernald said, and he jumped onto his horse. "Good day, ma'am"
"Good bye, ma," Link said. He hesitated for a moment before running back inside and hugging his mother tightly and whispering "I love you" in her ear so that the squires wouldn't hear.
"And I love you, my little mite" Alys said, struggling to keep her tears from spilling. She watched as Link climbed on to his filly and then rode along behind the two squires. She watched until she could not see them anymore, and then closed her door with a sigh. Link was on his way to becoming a young man now, and she prayed the goddesses would watch over him.
"So Link, let me give you a run-down of what will happen once we get to Castle Town" Baldric said cheerfully. "We are all going to meet there. That is to say, all the pages and all the squires… you lot don't get to meet the Knights just yet. We will take you to the barracks, but don't think you're being taken to the Castle's barracks!" he laughed. "No, no. Those are reserved for the Knights of Hyrule only. We are going to the barracks located just outside the castle walls. There you will all be assigned to your particular barrack and bunk, a stall for your horse, and a chest for your belongings."
Link nodded, hardly listening. He was too excited.
He and his mother didn't live far from the castle or the town. He was used to walking to the market from his house, and it only took a few minutes on foot. Sure enough, he could see the castle and its grand walls. They passed over the drawbridge and the sound of people bustling around the market greeted them. Link loved Castle Town. There were all kinds of things one could buy or trade. The people seemed to be nice, as well… all except for the Elite Squad, of course. The squad was made up of what his mother had described as foul knaves, and Link had to agree. He had heard stories about the Elite Squad. They were hand-picked by the Royal Advisor herself, and they were merciless and blood thirsty. They would terrorize civilians and enforce the law viciously. If anybody so much as looked at the Royal Advisor in a way that displeased her, the Elite Squad would haul them off like criminals. If they were lucky, they would be sent into the dungeons for a week or two. Others who were considered "rebellious" or "dangerous" weren't so lucky; they were taken to the oubliette and left to die. Link shuddered at the thought.
"Ah, yes. I see Nigel and the others there" Ernald said, pointing to somewhere in the distance.
Link craned his neck to get a better view. He saw the other squires and a cluster of other kids like himself. Following Baldric, they made their way to them.
Nigel was a tall, lanky young man with a face covered in freckles and pimples. His orange hair was standing in every direction, and he was trying to make himself heard over the chattering children, the neighing of their horses, and the bustling town. He was failing miserably. Then Link noticed an older squire pushing his way through the crowd. He knew he had to be a squire because they were all wearing the same garbs. This one was tall, like Nigel, but brawny with a mean face. He pushed Nigel out of the way and began to bark orders.
"Pages, quiet down now! Form a single line and follow me. I don't want to hear another word out of you!"
Link immediately took his place in line and followed along. In total, there were six squires, and to his surprise, two of them were girls. And now that he looked around at the other pages, he realized that there were three girls among them.
"What are you looking at?" one of them snapped. She had a pretty face, framed by dark brown hair; she had green eyes that were accentuated by her dark skin. Link shook his head and turned away. One of the other boys sniggered. Link ignored him. He didn't want to get in trouble on his first day as a page.
After riding along for several minutes, they reached the east side of the Town and stood in front of the great, wooden doors. The brawny squire jumped off his black horse and opened the doors to let the rest pass.
"Do you see the four cabins way over there? By the river?" one of the female squires asked. Link shielded his eyes against the sun and saw the cabins. They were near the river which forked in two… one stream flowing north and the other flowing south. This river, he realized, was the same river that surrounded Hyrule Castle and its town, creating a natural moat. "That is where we will live" the squire said.
They continued their journey under the heat of the sun and Link was glad when they finally reached their destination.
"Alright, everybody dismount your horses" the female squire said. "To begin, I will introduce us one by one. My name is Helewise, but you may call me Hilly for short." She was a very tall girl, Link noticed; and her lanky frame encouraged this. Her hair was curly and red, and her eyes shone gold in the light. "This here is Baldric" she said, pointing at the tall, young man beside her. He was only a little taller than her. He grinned, his brown eyes twinkling as he waved at them. "And Godwin" Hilly said, pointing at the surly-faced, brawny young man who glowered at them. "Don't worry, so long as you do as you are told, he won't bite" Hilly joked, a trace of a smile on her lips. "And this is Ernald" she said, placing her hand on Ernald's shoulder. He was shorter than she was, but stocky; he was completely bald and his dark skin gleamed in the sunlight. "And then we have my good friend Lora. Don't be fooled by her tiny size" Hilly grinned. Lora gave them a big smile. She was by far the shortest and smallest of the squires, her head barely reaching Hilly's shoulder. She was also very thin, and Link thought that if that tiny girl could become a squire, then so could he. "And , last but not least, there's Nigel. You will recognize him by his ginger hair!" Hilly laughed. Nigel grinned.
"Now that you all know our names… why don't you tell us yours?" Lora said in a soft voice, her auburn hair blowing in the breeze. "Come on, let's start with you" she said. For a split second, Link thought she had been pointing at him, but the girl next to him stepped forward.
"My name is Fina" she whispered, pushing her black hair out of her face with her hand. She was a thicker girl, something that wasn't missed by the obnoxious kid who had sniggered at Link earlier. He made a mooing sound so that only those close to him could hear. The other boys cleared their throats and Link frowned. Nobody found it funny.
"Nice to meet you, Fina! You there, come here" Lora said, pointing at another kid. It was the obnoxious one.
"My name is Milo" he said pompously, shaking his blond hair out of his blue eyes.
"And you?" Lora asked.
"My name is Rigunth. But everyone back home calls me Rigs" said the dark girl who had snapped at Link earlier.
"Rigunth, huh? What a nice name" Lora said. Another kid stepped forward.
"My name is Leof" he said.
"And I am Sabina" said the pretty girl next to him. She and Leof both had ruby-red hair and blue eyes and looked exactly alike so Link guessed they were twins.
"My name is Gerard… hi everyone" said another boy. He was thick too, but Milo seemed to decide it wouldn't be a good idea to pick on him when Gerard cracked his knuckles.
Next came a boy dressed like a pauper; he scratched his head and grinned. "Hello everyone, my name is Warin. Nice to meet you" he said cheerfully. Milo scoffed.
"M-my name i-is… my n-name is Pepin" said another boy, looking down at his feet. Unlike Warin, this boy was dressed in the finest silk and cloth Link had ever seen. With a jolt, Link realized it was finally his turn to speak. He walked up to the Squires and turned to face the other pages.
"Well, my name is Link" he said simply, uncomfortably aware that everyone's eyes were on him.
"Say… are you by any chance the son of Quinn?" Hilly asked. Link stared at her and then nodded. "Amazing! I never thought I'd be training you! My father was friends with yours!" she said excitedly. Link wondered if her father too had died during the same battle as his, but didn't ask.
"Enough small talk" Godwin said. "Do you lot see the colors on the doors of those three cabins? You all will be broken up into three groups… three of you per cabin. Two of us will be your personal mentors, but all six of us will be training you. It is a rule that girls do not stay in the same cabin as boys, so you three," he pointed at Fina, Rigs and Sabina, "can follow Hilly and Lora into the cabin with the blue door"
Pulling their horses along, the three girls stood next to Hilly, who smiled at them.
"Warin, Gerard and Leof, you three will be with Nigel and Ernald in the cabin with the red door" Godwin said.
Link's heart sank when he realized he would be sharing a cabin with the obnoxious Milo.
"And you three, Pepin, Milo and Link, will be with me and Baldric in the green door" Godwin said, giving Baldric a slight sneer that Baldric ignored cheerfully.
"Excuse me… but what is the fourth cabin?" Rigs asked.
"Ah, that is our bath house" Hilly said. "Any other questions?"
Nobody answered.
"Well? Get moving!" Godwin barked.
Achim was looking forward to talking to the new Pages. He knew little Link was to begin his training this winter, and he would be honored to be part of it. Sure, he wouldn't be actively involved in training the pages (that was the Squires' job) but he would at least get to see Link's progress and he would be the one to decide if Link was ready to ascend rank. It would be a long time yet, but he was patient. He knew Link would be a great Knight one day, like Quinn had been. He placed his cloak over his armor, sheathed his sword, and stepped out of his chamber. It was time for him and the rest of the Knights to meet the new pages. He made his way to the courtyard where the rest of his men were waiting. It was still difficult for him to see so many new faces. More than half of his men had been slaughtered six years ago, and in their place were new Knights; lowly guards that had ascended rank because Achim needed the help.
"We're ready, Commander" Samer said as he spotted Achim who nodded.
"Well, let's go greet our future" the Commander murmured.
It didn't take long for the Knights of Hyrule to reach the tiny barracks outside of the castle walls. Achim watched as the young children guided their horses to the stalls. Immediately he spotted Link guiding his filly.
"Oi! The Knights are here!" he heard Nigel call to the others. Everyone quickly gathered around the Knights and stared at them in awe.
"M'lord" Hilly said, bowing to Achim. She took his cloak and guided his horse away when he dismounted the steed. The other Squires were assisting the other Knights. Achim beamed at everyone.
"Good afternoon, young ones," he began, "please sit down." Everyone did as they were told; sitting in a semi-circle on the soft grass. He sat down in front of them, crossing his legs. "My name is Achim, Commander of the Knights of Hyrule. I am here to tell you what being a Knight is all about" he said as he looked at children's awed faces. "First, I want to say that I admire your decision to become Knights; aspiring to help others is a noble cause. But… the road to become a Knight will not be easy; it will be hard work and tough training. You will go through arduous physical work every day. You will feel that you want to give up, and some of you might. There is nothing wrong or shameful about that. But if you make it… if you complete your journey… well, I'll just say that being a Knight is the best thing a man or woman can be. However," he raised his hand as if to ask for silence, "being a Knight is a way of life, not something you can pick up and abandon at will." The children remained silent. "There is a code by which we live; three virtues by which we set our standards" Achim continued. "And throughout a Knight's life, we must strive to achieve these virtues. These are Courage, Wisdom and Power. First, a Knight has to strive for Courage. Courage is needed to fight the darkness in the world and within yourself. Having courage, however, does not mean you cannot be afraid. It doesn't mean you have to be completely fearless at all times. You may face an opponent that will make you quake in your shoes. You may march into a war that will make you wish you were back home, safe under your blankets, and that's ok. Courage means you are afraid, but you overcome that fear. And these battles will not always be fought with a physical opponent… you may be fighting a war within yourself. Courage is to have strength in the face of grief and pain. It means sacrifice in the face of adversities. You may not understand now, but you will… in time." The children were mesmerized, clinging to his every word. "Now, without Courage, you can fall into darkness and can never attain Wisdom. Do not confuse Wisdom with intelligence. Many squires on their way to Knighthood seem to think that being smart"—he tapped his temple with a finger—"is the same as being wise, and that is not the case… not at all. I cannot fully tell you how to gain Wisdom, because it is learned through personal trials and tribulations, and it takes time. On the path to Wisdom, each person walks alone." Achim looked around at the round-eyed faces and smiled to himself. "Now, once you have acquired Courage and Wisdom, you strive for Power. This virtue is particularly tricky because it is here that many a Knight has succumbed to the darkness. Too much Power warps the mind and corrupts the soul. The power that you seek does not mean to be the absolute ruler of something or other. Power does not mean to become a tyrant or a king. It doesn't mean to have dominion over others. Power is to achieve inner harmony; Power is to unite your courage and your wisdom in perfect equilibrium; a perfect balance. Strive for these three virtues and you will be on your way to Knighthood. But you must know that the journey is never ending. One does not stop striving for these virtues throughout their entire life" Achim finished. The children were looking at him with adoration that made him grin.
"Excuse me, Commander" said Fina, raising her hand.
"Yes?" Achim replied.
"This code you're talking about… it is based on the three goddesses of Hyrule, isn't it?" Fina asked.
Achim nodded. "That is correct: Din, the goddess of Power, Nayru, the goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of Courage" he answered.
"And these virtues are the same virtues that the Triforce… the Golden Power… is said to possess, right?" Milo asked.
"That's right" Achim said.
"What is the darkness" Leof asked.
"It probably means monsters and magic!" Gerard said excitedly.
"M-monsters?" Pepin piped up, looking terrified.
"Ah, yes young one, there are plenty of monsters and foul creatures in Hyrule!" Samer said, sitting next to Achim. "But the Squires will teach you all about them!" he laughed.
The other Knights joined the circle now and answered the children's questions and told them stories about their adventures.
"Commander Achim… do you think I can become a Knight?" Link asked him. Link was familiar with Achim, because he would sometimes come visit him and his Ma during the holidays and would sometimes tell Link stories of his Da. Achim grinned down at him.
"Of course, Link. I think you have the makings of a great Knight" he said, ruffling Link's sandy-blond hair. Milo scowled at Link with jealousy.
The Knights left when the sun had sunk in the horizon, leaving the new pages excited and ready to begin their training. Link hoped he wouldn't mess up. He really wanted to be a Knight of Hyrule. He fell asleep to images of himself riding Epona across Hyrule field, fighting imaginary monsters as people cheered him on.
A/N: Finally we get into the legend! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to comment or review!
