Hero Boot Camp

Link found himself waking up to a veil of blackness that blocked out all light. His mind struggled to put the shattered memories back together in his head. Am I dead? As he searched for the answers he became vaguely aware of the sharp pain that ran through his left shoulder. An agonizing memory surfaced in his head. The sight of Runelo piercing his shoulder shot through his mind. Link began to breath heavily as he began to piece together the events that had left him in his weakened state. He struggled to remember the last thing he saw. He played with the memories in his head until he could put together a rough time line of what had happened.. The sight of Runelo's death flashed in front of his eyes. Then the sight of Link holding the blade that had killed Runelo flashed in front of him. Link had killed again, but this time he did not feel the sorrow and grief that he felt last time. It was more of a relief to a blinding rage that filled him as he replayed the event in his head.

Then Link remembered the pit. As he held onto the lingering memory, Link's mind traveled back in time to the very moment when he should have died. He saw himself lying defenseless in the pit with Hunter standing between him and Ganondorf, the stones from the collapsing ceiling that seemingly buried the two in the ruble. Then the memory began to fade, but not before Link saw a bright blue flash that surrounded him. Link still wondered: was he in the pit, buried alive?

Link slowly opened his eyes to a blurry image. He was not in the pit anymore. Light shining in through an open window caressed his face as his vision began to refocus. He was in an old and rundown room. The glass window was stained with dirt and cobwebs clung to its edges. The floorboards were cracked and full of holes from rats chewing through the aged wood. Adjacent to the window was a doorway with a door that hung on broken hinges. The room was empty except for an old wardrobe that sat next to the bed that Link was in. Link pulled the covers off of himself carefully and looked over himself. He was missing his shirt and boots. Bandages wrapped across his torso up to his shoulder. The shoulder seemed to have the most wrapping around it and some dried blood stains. Link ran his fingers over the bandage on his shoulder. He winced as pain shot through his shoulder. Underneath the bandage he could feel stitches.

He had been patched up, but by whom? Where was he? Link slowly got up. His midsection ached as he stood up. It was then Link noticed a small table at the foot of his bed that held his shirt, hat and a canteen. Underneath the table were his boots and next to it, leaning against the wall was his sword and shield. Link carefully and walked over to the canteen and opened the top. He smelled its contents to be sure it wasn't anything hazardous too him. After determining it was water, Link downed the entire canteen, quenching an agonizing thirst. He put the canteen down and reached for his boots. After lacing them up he reached for his shirt. It was still stained with blood from his shoulder wound. Lastly he grabbed his sword in case he met another 'friend' like Runelo. Time to figure out where I am.

Link exited the room and looked down over the first floor of the building he was in. The rest of the place was just as run down as the room he was in. The floor below looked as if it was an old bar of some kind, like something he would have seen in a western movie. There was even a spittoon at the end of the bar. The old tables and chairs were cracked with age and covered with dust and cobwebs. Like the previous room, light shown in through cracked and broken windows. There wasn't a sound to be heard throughout the place with the exception of the wood creaking from the wind blowing outside. But Link wasn't stupid enough to believe he was alone. Where was the man who had saved him? Where was Hunter?

With sword in hand, Link descended the stairs of the rundown bar and exited through the splintered door. The outside was full of dust and dried up weeds. Spirals of dirt danced through the air as the wind picked them up. Other buildings just as old as the one he exited were placed along the red stone of the canyon walls. Some buildings were nothing more than small huts, while others were as large as a mansion. Along the outer edge of the canyon, Link could see the remains of a windmill sticking out from between the buildings. To Link's left at the edge of the village, there stood a tower on the ridge overlooking the rest of the village. An old watch tower, maybe? Overhead Link could see buzzards watching the sleepy ghost town. The mid morning sun barely peeked over the summit of a massive mountain. Link had seen the mountain before, but from a great distance. It was Death Mountain, a place set out in the middle of nowhere where hardly anyone visited. Wow, Link thought. He was nearly half a days ride away from where the museum was. He wondered how long he had been unconscious.

Link let his eyes wander around the canyon even more. He scanned the tiny abandoned village from left to right until he found a sign of life. At the edge of the town where the canyon began to open up, there was a figure. It was Hunter most likely. He was sitting at the edge of a spring. Cautiously Link moved toward him, keeping watch on his surroundings for any unwanted surprises that might be waiting for him. As he approached Hunter, Link got a clearer view of the man. Hunter was sitting cross legged at the edge of a spring with a fishing rod in hand. As Link drew even closer he could hear the man humming a familiar tune. It was one of the songs that Link and his band had played at the club a few weeks prior. As Link drew ever closer, he wrapped his hand around the hilt of the Master sword.

Suddenly Hunter stopped humming and swiveled around to face Link. As he locked eyes with the youth, he met him with a smile. "Ah! Good morning," Hunter said with enthusiasm. "I was wondering when you were gonna wake up."

"Where am I," Link questioned coldly.

"Kakariko Village," Hunter answered as he returned his attention to his fishing. "Or what's left of it anyway."

"How long have I been here," Link questioned in the same cold tone.

"About a day and a half," Hunter answered. "You're heavier than you look, you know."

"How did I get here?"

"Aren't you full of questions," Hunter muttered under his breath. "I brought you here from the museum."

Once again the imaged of the falling rubble and bright blue light shot through Link's head. "How did we get out of the rubble?"

"Now that's a good question," Hunter said as he smiled again. "I cast a spell that encased us in a barrier to protect us from the rubble, then cast another that transported us outside the rubble. Not an easy thing either."

"Magic?"

"Yup. It exists." Hunter turned to face Link again. "You didn't notice that when I jumped in through the roof?"

Link dismissed the last. He was replaying the evens of the last few minutes before he went unconscious. After a few moments of awkward silence, the image of Zelda suddenly popped into Link's head. "I have to go," Link exclaimed as he abruptly turned around and started walking.

"Where do you think you're going," Hunter questioned as he once again paid his attention to his fishing.

"I have to go save Zelda," Link growled.

"Gonna be a little hard to do that without your bike."

Link stopped. His bike! He turned around to question Hunter where his bike was. As he turned he saw Hunter pointing to his right. He pointed at a small shed a few meters away from their position. "You put it in there?"

"Yes," Hunter answered as Link trotted briskly over to it. "There's still a couple of problems with it though." Hunter said as his fishing rod began to twitch.

"What," Link asked as he pulled the doors to the shabby shed open. His motorcycle rested in front of him, no visible damage to be seen.

Hunter reeled in a small fish as he answered. "One: the bike is almost out of fuel. You probably wouldn't even make it back to the highway before it sputtered out on you." Hunter examined the fish dangling from the end of his line. "Too small," he muttered to himself and tossed the fish back. "And two: I hid the keys from you so you wouldn't leave."

"So I'm your hostage now," Link snarled as he turned around and drew his sword. His shoulder tensed up from the sudden motion.

"This generation is so emotional," Hunter stood up and carried the rod over his shoulder. "No I just didn't want you leaving without saying goodbye." Hunter grinned a little. "And you can put that sword away, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you, but the last person who said they wouldn't hurt me put a hole through my shoulder."

"True, but I didn't put a hole in you, but instead stitched it shut. And I took care of you while you were unconscious instead of letting you be buried alive in the rubble."

Link hesitated a moment. Hunter made a good argument. If he really was going to hurt him, why would he heal him and keep him alive? Link sheathed his weapon. "I still need to leave."

"That's not a good idea," Hunter said, his tone more serious than before.

"I have to save Zelda," Link's voice became more fierce.

"You can't save her."

"I have to try," Link snapped loudly.

"CALM DOWN!" Hunters voice changed dramatically from calm and happy to loud and angry. Link stumbled to say something else. "Listen to me," Hunter said, his voice normal again. "You can't help Zelda now, but you will eventually."

"But she's with them, who knows what they're doing to her."

"She will not be harmed. At least not physically."

"What do you mean," Link's tone became concerned.

"She is a prize to the one you know as Mark. He won't allow any harm to be done to her." Hunter's face became a little more stern. "But I can't guarantee he won't do anything else to her."

"The we have to go."

"She'll have to endure for now," Hunter's voice was becoming more hostile again. "If you were to go out into this world now yo would be killed almost immediately."

"I survived on my own before the museum," Link countered.

"Only because Runelo was toying with you. If they didn't need you to get into the temple and retrieve the Sword, you would have been killed long ago."

Hunter was right. Link grimaced with an invisible pain. He wanted to go help Zelda but couldn't. Both Hunter and his own limitations were holding him back from doing so.

"C'mon," Hunter said, in his happy tone once again. "Lets get you some food and then we'll talk about everything thats going on." Link looked up as Hunter continued. "I'm sure you're starving. You haven't eaten in a day and a half."

Getting food consisted of actually hunting down an animal for lunch. After a couple of hours, Hunter managed to run down a wild bore. By the mid afternoon, the pair sat down to eat roasted bore. The two sat next to a fire with the bore suspended over the fire on a rotisserie. Link sat upon a smooth boulder that Hunter had rolled over for use as a stool, and hunter sat on an overturned bucket. They sat in silence as they ate. As Link stripped the last scrap of meat off the bones of the dead bore, Hunter finally broke the silence that had surrounded them.

"Lemme see your sword," Hunter said, mouth still sticky with juices from the meat.

Link didn't acknowledge right away. He seemed focused on filling the sinking feeling in his stomach. "Huh," Link finally said after a moment.

"Your sword," Hunter pointed to the Master Sword that lay in its scabbard next to Link. "May I see it?"

"Oh! Yeah." Link picked up the sheathed weapon and handed it over to Hunter.

Hunter grabbed the sword and held it up to examine it. He did not pull the blade free from its sheath but instead examined the hilt of the sword. A look of disappointment stretched across his face. "Damn," he muttered.

"What," Link asked through a mouth full of food.

"We have to replenish its power." Hunter turned the sword in his hand so Link could see the hilt. He pointed to the wing design on the cross guard. "The wings are closed. That means the power this weapon once held is now gone." He handed the sword back to Link. "We have to replenish it."

Link swallowed the food in his mouth. "How do we do that?"

Hunter unscrewed his canteen and held it up to his lips. "By killing the Sages and taking their power." Hunter drank from his canteen.

Link was confused. "Sages?"

Hunter put his canteen down. "The ones who attacked you. Runelo, Zandega, and Dozer. They're the Sages of Hyrule."

Link's mind still wandered with confusion. "You lost me."

"I hate having to retell this story." Hunter turned to Face Link. "The Sages are the guardians of Hyrule. Or at least they used to be. There were originally six of 'em, each aligned with an element that made Hyrule: light, forest, fire, water, shadow, and spirit. Eventually they ended up producing offspring who would inherit their power in the event of their death. Their children were easily corrupted by Ganondorf and they betrayed their parents and inherited their powers."

There was still an unanswered question with Link. "What does that have to do with the sword?"

Hunter continued. "The powers of the ancient Sages are part of the sword. When the children of the Sages turned, they wanted to stop any Hero from preventing them from taking over the world. They couldn't destroy the sword so they separated its power. Each Sage took a portion of the blades power within themselves. The only way to get the power back is by stabbing the sword into them and reabsorbing the power." Hunter suddenly had a grin on his face. "Sucks to be the bad guy right now, doesn't it?"

"So we should go back and kill them so we can get their power," Link said as he sprang to his feet. Suddenly his shoulder was stricken with pain.

"Not yet, we aren't," Hunter said. "There are two things wrong with that idea. Number one: you're obviously still injured. Number two: you still don't have the skill to take them on."

As the pain subsided, Link responded to Hunter. "I can't just let Zelda suffer."

"Zelda will have to endure until you're strong enough to fight them," Hunter growled in response to Link's challenging tone.

"How long will that take?"

Hunter took up his canteen once more. "About a month," he said.

"A month," Link questioned.

"More if you're too stubborn," Hunter said as he screwed the cap back on his canteen.

"Zelda can't wait that long," Link growled.

"I already told you that she would not be harmed physically." Hunters tone went serious again.

Link wanted to argue but knew it would be no use. Hunter had a reasoning for everything he had to say. Link's insides began to hurt as he thought of what Zelda might be suffering through. He turned to hide the emotions that his face displayed. After a moment of fighting back a raging sob, Link finally asked another question.

"So what would we be doing for a month," Link said through his emotions.

Once again, Hunter displayed his happy tone to Link. "Training, of course." The boy turned around to face him. "Runelo was right about you being a hero, make no mistake about that. But you're not a hero yet. Even a hero has to train to become one."

Link did not respond right away. He tinkered away in his mind with other ways he could get to Zelda. None seemed like a plausible idea. "A month?"

"I wish I could do this another way, but this is the only way you can save Zelda and everyone else in the world."

The world? Link thought to himself. The youth once again turned away and began to step slowly away. He brought his hands up to his stomach and tried to suppress the nauseous feeling that suddenly crept into his gut. "I think I'm gonna be sick," Link said as he dropped to his knees.

"I wonder if I was this bad when I was his age," Hunter mumbled under his breath.

"What," Link barked.

"Nothing," Hunter replied.

Link sat in place, the realization of who he was flooding into him. "How am I supposed to be a hero? I couldn't even save my friends from that monster."

Hunter stepped over to Link. "If there's one thing I've learned in the trials of my existence, it's that nothing is as hard as it seems once you dive head first into the fray." After a moment Link swiveled his head around and made eye contact with Hunter. "C'mon kid. I'll teach ya the skills you need to avenged your friends." Hunter extended a hand to help Link up. After a long moment, Link reached out and excepted the offer.

"Now then," Hunter said as he heaved Link to his feet. "You need a bath. You smell."

The two spent the next fews hours relaxing in a hot spring that rested at the top of the cliff over the run down village. They sat, mostly in silence, all the way through the sun set. As the golden ball of fire disappeared over the horizon, Hunter finally broke the calm silence.

"How's your shoulder," Hunter asked.

Link sat with his arms stretched out to either side and his head craned back, resting it on a rock. "It's fine," Link responded without moving.

"Is it still bleeding," Hunter questioned further.

Irritated that he had to move, Link reached over and pulled back on the bandage that wrapped around his shoulder. It took him a moment to process what he saw beneath the bandage. His wound had healed. Though the stitches still remained, the hole in his shoulder had healed shut with hardly any scarring.

"How did you do that," Link asked as he looked over at Hunter.

Hunter grinned and craned his neck back against the dirt mound behind him. "I guess there still is a little magic left in this spring," was Hunter's only response. "You can take the stitches out now," He added.

Link undid the bandage and began to remove the stitches from his shoulder. Link winced at the sting as he removed them. It only took him a few minutes to remove all the stitches. The holes they left behind seemed to seal shut almost immediately after he removed the thread. "Whoa," Link breathed.

The two sat in silence for several minutes before Link decided to ask Hunter a question.

"Hey, Hunter," Link sat across the spring.

"Yeah," Hunter responded.

"How many Sages did you say there were?"

Hunter picked his head off the dirt mound once again. "Six."

"But I only saw three back at the museum."

Hunter seemed to have a subtle, serious expression on his face. "I killed the shadow and light sage a few decades back."

"Decades?" To Link, Hunter looked no older than twenty five.

"You didn't think I was mortal, did ya?" A cocky grin slipped across Hunter's face.

Link was shocked. But not as shocked as he normally would have been. After all the recent events, an immortal didn't seem that out of place. "How," Link finally asked.

Hunter placed his hands behind his head. "For some reason, the gods chose me to stay in this world long passed my time."

"Oh," Link muttered, slightly confused.

Hunter continued. "The Children of the Sages: Aurora, Zandega, Dozer, Runelo, Impalo, and Sabran. I was able to kill Aurora and Impalo. Really pissed off Zandega in the process. Aurora was his lover. He vowed to cut my head off and stick it on a pike for that."

"What happened to the last one," Link asked curiously.

"Sabran? No one's heard from him for centuries. He became a recluse after the Ancient Sages died. I never could figure out why."

"Do you have any idea where he would be?"

"Nah," Hunter said confidently. "But with all this hell breaking loose, he'll turn up."

One missing Sage seemed odd to Link. He decided not to dwell on it too much though. "So since two of them are dead, does that mean their power returned to the sword?"

"No. Since they didn't have any children of their own, the power of shadow and light would be passed on to someone else. Someone who would be most aligned with that element. I still need to figure out who the powers were sent to. The rules are different if you're not born with the power and it makes 'em harder to find."

"So we have to find them too," Link said solemnly. It seemed cruel he would have to hunt down two people and kill them just to absorb the power they hold within them.

"Don't dwell on it, Kid," Hunter said as he noticed Link's blank expression. "You need to concentrate on making yourself stronger for the battles that are to come."

Battles? Link didn't like the sound of that. He wondered if he really knew what he had to face in the future.

"It's getting late and we should get some rest." Hunter stood up and stepped out of the water. "Get some sleep. You're gonna need it for tomorrow." Hunter calmly walked away.

Link sat in place for a few moments. "Right," Link said to himself.

Link could hardly sleep. Lying in the rickety old bed, he could only think about Zelda. Was she alright? As much as he hated to let her suffer whatever torture Mark could think of, Hunter was right in thinking Link couldn't do anything. He was too weak to help. The fact that he was able to kill Runelo on his own was luck. If he hadn't been toying with Link, he would have killed him easily. Hold on, Link called to her mentally. I'll be there as soon as I can.

Suddenly there was a distant sound that rang in Link's ears. Bangs, bumps, and repetitive crackling echoed in the distance. Suddenly the crackling seemed closer. It was followed by louder booms that drew ever closer. It was gunfire! Link Hurried out of bed and slipped his boots on. He ran to the room where Hunter was sleeping. He quickly opened the door to wake him up.

Hunter was nowhere to be found. Link looked around the room. His sword was gone too. Suddenly Link heard a quick whistle coming from the window. Link looked over to see Hunter hanging outside the window. He quickly pointed up to the roof and the disappeared into the moonlit air.

Confused, Link hurried outside, but not before retrieving the Master Sword from his room. He hurried up the stairs that had been carved into the stone of the canyon. Atop the stairs was the spring where Link relaxed hours earlier. Further passed that was the top of the hill. Hunter now stood there, overlooking the valley beyond it. As Link approached he could see a glowing aura emanating from the other side, and sudden quick flashes spread out in the air in unison with the popping gunfire. Once alongside Hunter he could see what was happening. In the fields only a few miles away, there was a battle raging.

"Here," Hunter said as he handed Link a set of binoculars.

Link held the binoculars up to his eyes and witnessed the battle that lay before him. Tanks and soldiers clashed with demons of all kinds. Link watched on as hordes of demons cut down wave after wave of humans. Though the human soldiers carried more advanced weapons, the demons would not fall from a single bullet. Link could see giant trolls, and massive human like beings with the face of vicious looking bulldogs. Amidst the chaos, Link caught sight of Dozer. He wielded his hammer that resonated with fire. With his flaming weapon he smashed his way through the ranks of the despairing humans. As he unleashed fire upon his enemies he let out a savage laugh, and a sick grin twisted his face as he sent a tank flying with a mighty swing of his hammer. He enjoyed every second of the carnage he unleashed. Link pulled the binoculars down. How horrible. The humans were as good as dead, they just didn't know it yet.

Suddenly a roar swept through the air. What next Link thought. After a few moments Link realized the roar was from the engines of fighter jets that zoomed overhead. At first it looked like the humans had the means to turn the tide of the fight, but the demons had an airborne enemy of their own. Hidden within the black clouds of the night was a savage beast that silently swooped through the air. They black dragon that had taken Zelda away dove out of the sky and tore through the jets that flew overhead. As the jets scrambled to evade the beast, more devilish looking dragons descended upon the fighters. Each dragon looked different. Some were gray with scars all over, while others were brown or green, horns or no horns. Link watched in horror as the planes fell from the sky in a ball of fire. His eyes remained fixed on the black one for some time. Link thought for a moment: if the black dragon was here, did that mean Mark was here too? Link could only wonder.

"This is what the entire world will be subject to if you fail," Hunter said. "As we speak, Ganondorf's army is steadily spreading across the world. I heard on the radio earlier today that there had been demon sightings as far as Labrynna." Though he listened to Hunter's words, Link remained fixed on the battle that spread out before him and the demons that danced in the sky. "There's nothing more we can do tonight but watch. You might as well head back and get some sleep."

"Right," Link said. He remained motionless for a moment, the Master Sword gripped tightly in his hand. A silent rage boiled within Link. Viewing the chaos in front of him made his objective clear. It wasn't only Zelda who was in need. It was everyone. If he did not become the hero Hunter told of, then the whole world was lost.

Finally Link found himself asleep, though nightmares of events past, and those to come danced through his head throughout the night. It was just before dawn when Hunter woke him. His door suddenly opened up and Hunter stepped through.

"Morning, sweetie," Hunter joked as Link jumped out of bed in surprise.

"Hunter," Link questioned through a groggy voice.

"Hope you are good at running in those boots. I picked out a good trail for us to run up the side of the mountain today." The familiar sick grin crept across Hunter's face as he tightened the gloves over his hands.

An hour later, the two were well into the trail Hunter had picked out for them to run. The trail started at the edge of the village and lead all the way to the base of the mountain. The morning sun was just peaking between the clouds as Link vaulted over a crumbled boulder that lay in his path. The red and gold colored stones glistened in the morning sun as Link raced down the rocky trail that zig zagged up the side of the craggy mountain. He breathed in heavily. The warm morning air filled his lungs as sweat slid down his back. Link had perspired so much, he decided to peel his shirt off his back to allow the morning air to kiss the sweat off his body. Hunter held a good lead in front of Link, occasionally vanishing from Link's sight. Eventually the terrain steepened and Link had to start climbing the side of the mountain to catch up to Hunter.

"You're doing good, Kid," Hunter yelled down from above. "The trail levels out again in just a few more yards. We'll take a break there."

Link panted as he pulled himself over a boulder. "Good. Because this is getting crazy."

Hunter laughed at his remark. "And he doesn't even know that this is the easy course," he said under his breath.

Soon afterward, Link found himself on a level path with Hunter sitting cross legged next to a boulder. As Hunter puffed air in and out of his lungs, the familiar grin crossed his face once again. Link, however, heaved air in and out of his body. It was only an hour into the day and he was already exhausted. Sweat slid down his entire body as he stood up straight and walked onto the level ground.

"Not bad, Kid," Hunter said as he took a drink out of his canteen. Seeing Hunter's canteen reminded Link that he had his own belted around his waist. "You kept pace better than I thought you would."

"Thanks," Link said as he brought a shaky hand up to bring his canteen to his lips.

"Sit down," Hunter commanded as he slapped the dirt next to him. "We'll rest here for a few minutes and then start back."

Without hesitation, Link flopped down on the dirt and drank from his canteen. His body screamed for water as it slid down his throat. A rush of relief followed as his body became more hydrated. Was this what he had to face for the next month of his life? It was still morning and Link was nearly completely drained of energy. And he was sure there was much more to come throughout the day, and that the training would intensify as the days went by. But if he were to overcome all of this he would be able to see Zelda once again. A heavy sadness rested in his chest as Link remembered the torment she now endured. She would be at the mercy of the devil that Mark had become throughout the time of Link's training.

As thoughts and memories danced through Links head, he found himself focusing on the tattoo on the back of his hand. He never did find out what it meant, and why did Zelda share the same mark.

"What is this," Link asked Hunter. Hunter looked over as Link presented the back of his hand.

"That's proof that your are the one we were all looking for." Link's expression turned to confused in light of Hunter's answer. "It is a mark of the Triforce," Hunter explained further. "It is a holy mark that you are the wielder of one of the pieces of the Triforce."

"The Triforce," Link questioned.

"The Triforce is a treasure left behind by the three goddesses that made this world. Three golden triangles that held the power of each goddess within them." Link gazed upon the image of the triangles that was on the back of his hand. "You hold the Triforce of Courage within you. It has been within you for so long, I believe it has become part of your being."

"Zelda had a mark on the back of her hand too," Link cut in.

"She is the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom. You too were destined to meet, just like both your ancestors did."

"Who's the holder of the third one," Link asked curiously.

Hunter paused for a moment. He seemed reluctant to answer. "Ganondorf is the wielder of the Triforce of Power."

Link was shocked to hear the answer. "What?"

Hunter continued his story. "Thousands of years ago, Ganondorf once pledged allegiance to the old King of Hyrule. The king was unaware of Ganondorf's true intentions, which were to overthrow the crown and claim the powers of the Sacred Triangles for himself. But a the princess at the time, Zelda, was able to see through his lies."

"Zelda's ancestor was a princess," Link interrupted.

"Yes she was," Hunter continued. "Despite her young age, she had a gift of seeing things. She was believed to be clairvoyant. She constructed a plan to stop Ganondorf before he could steal the crown. That plan involved your ancestor. You were to be the one who prevented Ganondorf from carrying out his plans. But you both were to young to fully understand everything that was going on and in the end Ganondorf succeeded in overthrowing the king. But he didn't completely obtain the Triforce. His heart was not balanced. He desired power more than anything so that was the only piece of the Triforce he received when he set his hands on it. The other two pieces went to the ancestors of yourself and Zelda, you showing the most courage and Zelda showing the most wisdom. After seven long years of pain, suffering, and darkness, Ganondorf was finally toppled from his throne by your ancestor. But the Ancient Sages were unable to remove the Triforce from him so they banished him to another realm." Hunter paused and looked at Link, who was listening intently to every word Hunter had to say. "This is the story of how your destiny was intertwined with the other wielders of the Triforce."

Link took in everything Hunter had to say with a sense of awe. He never knew anything about his families ancestry before. He didn't even know what had happened to his parents.

"Enough rest," Hunter said. He stood up and hooked his canteen to his belt again. "Time to head back. We'll try the full trail tomorrow."

Link took once last swig of his canteen, then stood up and hooked his canteen into his belt again.

"Ready, Kid?"

Before Link could respond, Hunter launched himself off the edge of the level trail and slid down the steep slope.

"This guy is insane," Link said to himself as he followed Hunter's example and tried to slide down the slope.

Once the two returned to the village, the two ate breakfast, which once again meant hunting down another animal. The food helped Link recover a good portion of his strength. Once finished with their meal, Hunter began to school Link on his most important skill to improve upon: combat training. The first lesson would be hand to hand combat. For almost a half an hour the two sparred in an open dirt field in the center of the town where a dried up well sat at the north end of the ring. Though Link had experience in martial arts from the times he and Ben would fight in the back yard, he felt like he knew nothing in the shadow of Hunter's knowledge. But for every weakness Link had, Hunter was sure to teach him how to overcome it. As time rolled on, Link found himself being robbed of his endurance. Almost every strike Link tried to land was countered by Hunter. Link was becoming very tired of being thrown to the ground by the tattooed warrior.

"You're not bad, Kid," Hunter said after he finished tossing Link to the ground. "You pretty much know everything you need to know abut hand to hand fighting." Hunter breathed in, catching his breath. "You just need to work on your speed and strength." Hunter offered a hand to help the youth up.

"Thanks," Link said as he reached out and pulled himself up with Hunter's help.

"Now," Hunter continued as Link settled on his feet. "Let's try weapons training."

Suddenly Link felt scared. I hope he doesn't mean with a real sword, Link thought to himself. Hunter walked over to the edge of the improvised fighting ring and picked up his and Link's sword. I was afraid of that.

"Catch," Hunter said as he tossed the Master Sword to Link. Hunter slung his sword around his belt and unsheathed his weapon.

"Um," Link said, uneasy. "Isn't it dangerous to fight with real swords?"

"C'mon, Kid. Gimme some credit. I've been doing this long enough to know a blade is dangerous."

Link cocked an eyebrow. "So what exactly are we going to do?"

Hunter stepped up to Link as he ran his hand over his scimitar. A trail of amber colored energy followed behind Hunter's hand until it wrapped completely around the blade.

"This will prevent the blade from cutting through you," Hunter assured Link.

Link gazed at the shimmering blade with wonder. "What did you do?"

"I wrapped the blade in a barrier so that when it hits you, the barrier will erupt and push you back instead of filleting you."

Link was still a little worried. "Have you tried it before?"

"Yeah. Watch," Hunter said as he tapped the blade against Link's arm.

Suddenly the amber light exploded in a violent bang of energy. The force was so great, it sent Link back several feet. The youth landed on his back, the air driven out of his lungs from the impact.

"How did that feel?"

Link heaved in air. "I hate you so much right now."

For nearly a week, the two held the same schedule of running in the morning and combat training throughout the rest of the day. Link soon became a threat to Hunter in terms of hand to hand combat skills. Link found himself becoming faster and learning new techniques along with gaining new strength in his strikes. The sword fights, however, were another story. Link found himself spending more time with his face down in the dirt more than anything else. But as with the hand to hand combat, Hunter taught Link how to overcome the blocks that held him from progressing. Eventually Hunter introduced a new skill Link would have to master: magic.

Once again Link found himself at he center of the dirt ring, with Hunter sitting on a boulder at the edge of the ring with his arms crossed across his chest. "Again," Hunter commanded.

At his instructors command, Link repeated the move. He held his sword back behind him as he stood in a half squat, trying to focus his energy into the blade. But there was no energy to focus. Link could not comprehend Hunter's instruction: focus your strength into the blade and unleash it in a spin. What energy? Still, Link tried. He tried to focus whatever he could into the blade, then unleashed it into a spin. The youth spun around while he unleashed a frustrated grunt. The blade whipped through the air with a sharp whoosh, but no energy flowed from the weapon.

"Again," Hunter commanded once more.

Frustration was beginning to build within Link as he repositioned himself to execute the move. Once more he struggled to focus an energy that would not come. After a moment he unleashed the attack, minus the Magic that was supposed to follow.

Hunter's head sank at Link's failure to execute the move properly. "I've taught teenage girls how to do this quicker than this kid," Hunter muttered to himself. "Again!"

Once again, Link unleashed a spin, this time much quicker than the others.

"Now, your not even trying," Hunter shot out.

Link stood up straight and faced his instructor. "I've been at this for at least twenty minutes and nothing has happened. I can't do it."

Hunter raised his head up. "Anyone can learn this move. The last person I taught this technique to was a twelve year old girl, and she got it in the first ten minutes of trying."

Link threw his head back in frustration and let out an angry sigh. A twelve year old did this in less tries? Link breathed in deep, trying to calm his frustration. After releasing the breath slowly, he repositioned himself.

"Try your hardest to reach deep within yourself," Hunter reminded Link. "Search for a feeling you have never felt before." Link listened to Hunter's words as he focused. "Everyone has the ability to use magic. You just have to know how to call it out."

Link breathed steadily. He tried his best to reach within himself for that sensation that Hunter spoke of. He remained motionless for a moment as he searched for it. He closed his eyes in concentration, blocking out all distractions.

"C'mon, Kid," Hunter breathed.

Still motionless, Link searched within his being for the feeling he was looking for. A power; a strength; a reason. A reason to fight. What was his reason? To save everyone. Not just everyone. He wanted to save Zelda. He needed to save her. Suddenly Link found himself calm and determined. Link's grip tightened on his sword as he through his arm forward, and bringing it around himself. The rest of his body followed the momentum of the sword along with something he never felt before. As the blade whipped through the air once more, a spark of light began to emanate from it.. Hunter watched as an invisible force flew from Link. A ring of dust rushed away from Link as weeds were flattened to the ground around him in a circle about twenty feet wide.

"Whoa," Link said as his body came to a halt. "Was that it," Link asked as he stood up. "Did I do it?"

Hunter grinned. "Close," he answered. "You almost had it. It wanted to be unleashed but you didn't quite grasp it. Try it again."

"Okay," Link breathed to himself as he once again went to his stance to unleash the spin. "Focus."

Once again Link searched for that sensation. This time he had a better idea of what to look for. Whats your reason for fighting? Link asked himself internally. Zelda. He focused on her. The thought of holding her in his arms once again gave him strength and motivation. There! Suddenly, Link was overwhelmed with a new sensation as he focused on an image of Zelda he projected in his mind. Outside Link's mind, Hunter watched as the Master Sword suddenly emanated what looked like a green flame that slowly enveloped the blade. Link continued to focus on the image he made. Suddenly he changed the image to Mark. The man who held Zelda against her will and helped cause the death of his friends and many other innocent people. Suddenly the green flame around the blade turned a brilliant red and it nearly engulfed Link's arm. Rage filled Link's body as he gazed upon the mental image of his enemy. Link threw his arm forward and around his body, unleashing a a monstrous howl as he did. The flame leaped from the end of the Master Sword. The flame slithered through the air like a a massive snake as it whirled around Link and extended out to the edges of the dirt ring.

The flame left the blade an disappeared into the air without a trace. Embers from burning weeds surround Link. The red flame had left a smoldering footprint all around the ring almost to the edge of once of the buildings. Link smiled at his success. He turned towards Hunter seeking his approval. To Link's surprise, his instructor was nowhere to be found. The only thing that sat on the boulder was burning slashes that had been left behind by the blade.

"Hunter," Link called out. Had he been consumed by the flames? "Hunter?!"

A moment passed by as Link waited for a response. I killed him Link thought just before he saw a sign of life. Slowly Hunter peeked his head out from behind the boulder. His face was smudged with soot and his hair was smoking slightly. His face was stricken with shock as he stood straight up and walked out from behind the boulder.

"Oh shit," Link said as he hurried over to Hunter. "Are you okay?"

Hunter staggered over and met Link halfway. "That......was overkill," Hunter remarked as he wiped his face.

The weeks moved on at a steady pace. As time went by the trials Hunter put Link through became easier and easier. Link could match pace with Hunter on the runs, even when they tried a new trail. Link was nearly equal to Hunter in terms of hand to hand combat. Hunter would leave the day sometimes with his own bruises from the fight. Magic became almost second nature to Link now, though he could not unleash the red flame as he did before. Instead he unleashed a brief steady green flame that did not leave the ring an inferno. There was but one more task Link had to accomplish before he could finish his training. He must defeat Hunter in a sword fight, a task that far much easier said than done.