Part 2: Prologue

"Life remained hard for the boy in the months after his punishment. He bitterly hated the princess and the minister-regent for what he saw as an unjust betrayal. His master, true to his promise, trained the young lad intensely; forging him into a formidable soldier. The sword, the bow, the spear, and the mace all became extensions of his body. He was skilled in every form of combat by the age of 15 and a very accomplished rider, thanks to Epona." The old man sipped at more wine as he finished. "Impressive." replied Ulric, still sitting in the dark tavern, listening to the old man's tale. Renju, the old man's grandson, quietly dozed with his chin resting on his chest beside his grandfather. "Young men are capable of much, when fate forces them to be." answered the old man. "But this young man... was different." added Ulric, with a strange glint in his eye. "So the legends say." The old man answered, cautiously.

The Downfall Timeline

The Legend of Zelda: The War of Imprisonment

Part 2:

Chapter: I

"Forged with Blood and Iron"

For over a year after the flogging, Alfon repeatedly drove Link beyond his limits, both physically and mentally. Every weapon the Hylians possessed, Link mastered. When this was done, he competed fiercely with the other soldiers in horseback riding, wrestling, and physical endurance. Any challenge the soldiers could think of, Link would doggedly pursue until he became its champion. Sometimes, the men would throw a heavy stone into the lake and compete to see which man could swim down and bring it to the surface. Others, would take heavy iron ingots from the blacksmith and, after tying them around their waists or shoulders, would attempt to climb the steep cliffs that encircled the lakeside town. Link eagerly competed in these, and often won, but his true favorite was wrestling. To break the boredom of off-duty hours, the various companies of soldiers that rotated through Laketown would hold competitions for wrestling champions. Though he had grown taller over the past year, Link still bore the slender frame of a boy and was often outclassed by the burley soldiers of the King's Army. Still, he would not give in. He would throw himself into hopeless fights against men twice his size and furiously work to pin them. Often, Alfon would have to drag his squire away from the pit with a black eye and bloody nose, still kicking and thrashing for action.

In this way, Link had earned the respect of the Hylian soldiers around him. He may have been young, but no one doubted his devotion or his eagerness for action. Corin, Russell, and Viscern all managed to secure Alfon's permission to start taking Link on riding patrols around Central Hyrule. Most of the patrols were simple reconnaissance, staying vigilant for any movement from Ganon's forces. Others would be escort missions for the supply wagons that came to and from the outlying kingdoms. Link began to travel farther and farther from the lake; reaching the western edge of Necluda just beyond the Dueling Peaks. Outwordly, Link was solemn and quiet around the other soldiers. But inside, he was excited to see the lands beyond the Hyrule that he knew. The forest had been a safe and comfortable home, but it was gone now, and Central Hyrule had only brought him hardship and pain. He longed to find a new home, one that could bring back the happiness and peace that he once knew as a child.

In the few quiet hours that Link did have at the lake, he would spend time with Malon at Telma's tavern. He felt an especially close connection to her as she had also suffered greatly in her short life and had lost her home to Ganon's war. Telma brought both Talon and Malon into her tavern and gave them a small room for a new home. Talon did his best to help around the hall; sweeping floors with his good arm or pouring drinks, but it was difficult work for him. Malon seemed to recover from the events at the ranch very slowly. She remained quiet and was often very shy around people she did not know. Though the healers had done their very best to help her, several thin scars still adorned her arms, back, and cheeks. Those that knew her and her father were careful not to look at them, or mention them, but strangers and new arrivals to the tavern would often stare or ask her about them. She did her best to remain calm and just say "the war gave them to me", but she would soon excuse herself and weep quietly in her room. To Link's relief, Telma's maternal focus had shifted away from him and onto the poor, ruined girl. "There there, honey." she would soothe, as she would gently rock Malon in her arms when she cried. Telma had no children of her own, but she became a wonderful adopted mother to Malon. She was patient, loving, and acted as a wonderful guide for Malon through her pain.

The former farm girl would help her father keep the tavern clean by clearing tables and washing the plates and mugs, until Link arrived. Both had grown over the last year, but Link was steadily becoming taller than her. He would enter the tavern and silently approach the bar. Malon would be carrying a large tray of dishes, or using a rag to wipe down the bar when she would notice him and sheepishly smile. Every time he came to see her, she would drop whatever she was doing and embrace him. Being in his arms was the only time Malon would feel truly safe. The horrors of Ingo and the moblins still plagued her at night and during dull periods during the day, but the memory of Link striking the evil man down and freeing her stayed with her as well. Link would wrap his arms around her and rest his cheek on top of her head and just quietly hold her. He had come to understand how she still suffered from the memories of the ranch and that the best thing he could do, was just to hold her for as long as she needed. Recently though, Link had begun to realize just how lovely the scent of Malon's hair was and how... pleasant... it was to hold her close. The two would sit and talk quietly at the back of the tavern, near the fire. Link would tell her of his training and long patrols and Malon would tell him of the events at Laketown that he had missed or of the different things that Telma was teaching her. Each valued the other, and each felt the most at peace when they were together.

Princess Zelda, Impa, Alfon, and the Hylian captains had worked tirelessly to rebuild the Hylian Army into a formidable force. What had once been a loose collection of country militias and volunteers had now become an elite unit of professional soldiers. "Soon, we will be ready to push on the capitol, Your Highness." Alfon assured the princess. Zelda too had changed a great deal in the past year. She was taller; her crown reaching to Impa's ear, and her hair now hung to the small of her back. Though the war still raged outside the Lakeside stronghold, Impa had insisted on continuing to dress the Princess in elegant silks and soft cotton; both of which had to be imported from distant lands. "You must continue to show the people that you are their Princess and Queen-Apparent, your grace!" she would say if Zelda objected to the more lavish gowns and finery.

The princess' life had become a rather lonely and remote existence. Meetings were limited to Impa, Alfon, and the other significant captains in the Army, and any time spent outside of the Temple was carefully choreographed and chaperoned by Impa, who remained Zelda's only close confidant. For the first few months, Impa had insisted that it was necessary for her security and for the good of the kingdom, but soon, Zelda felt herself being cut off from her people and longed for a friend to speak with. Her only relief from the claustrophobic temple were her sessions of meditation with Impa. In the evenings, as the sun was setting, Impa would wrap the princess in a plain traveler's cloak and disguise herself as an old woman. The two would slip out of the temple and make their way to the isolated fisherman's hut, just upstream from the lake. In the beginning, Impa would direct Zelda to just sit beside the waters and clear her mind. "Do not try to force it, your grace. Just... let it come on its own." she would say as she gracefully sat beside Zelda and closed her eyes. Zelda was unsure of what to expect, but she was pleased to be out of the temple and in the free air. With time, however, the princess found herself drifting through the same dream-like emptiness where she had found Talon and Malon. Soon, Impa's voice would echo from across the void, "Can you hear me, your grace?"

Impa taught Zelda how to open her power and enter into "the graceful state." Here, Zelda could channel the powers of Hylia to do many things, but it would take time and patience to learn how to unlock and control her new abilities. "If you move too swiftly, your grace, you could cause great harm. The power of the Goddess was mighty and capable of many wondrous things." she explained, "You have already begun to hear the prayers of your people and you have touched the memories of the grieving father. This is only a small portion of the power that will awaken within you." In time, Zelda would be able to see things that were happening far away, or things that happened long ago, or even - with great effort - possibilities on what was to come. But each of these small accomplishments required many long hours and hundreds of failures before revealing themselves. Zelda often stumbled beside Impa, completely exhausted, as they returned to the temple. "Must I do this... Impa?" she asked once. "There is no other way, your grace. You must." the sheikah soothed as she helped the princess to her chambers.

As midsummer's day approached -a full two years after the loss of Hyrule Castle- the weather began to gradually improve, with a strong wind from the southeast pushing Ganon's cloud cover away from the Lake. Link, laden with several heavy iron ingots, struggled up the rocky slope north of the lake as the red glow of sunrise shone around him. Sweat poured down his brow and his back as his shaking hands struggled to find a solid grip on the stone above him. He had performed this climb several times, but never with so much weight. "Have to... make it... be... stronger" he grunted as he willed his arms and legs to lift himself higher and higher up the slope. As the first golden ray of pure sunlight lifted over the horizon and struck the cliff, Link sat down to rest on the summit. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to regain his breath. Lifting his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow and eyes, he was surprised to find his fingers were bleeding. With a grunt, he flicked the blood onto the stone beside him and worked his hands back and forth to reduce the swelling. "Whatever it takes." he muttered to himself. Behind him, Zelda stood watching him.

Several times, when Impa was not close, Zelda had let herself drift into her graceful state, and sought out Link. The guilt that she had felt still weighed heavily upon her and she desperately wanted to reach out and try to make amends with Link. This time, atop the cliff at sunrise, was the same as every other time. The right words just did not come to her mind and the sorrow in her heart kept her from revealing herself. She now watched him remove the heavy iron weights and massage his bleeding hands with pity and a strange admiration. "Look at how strong he has become... He is this way now, because of me." she thought to herself as she winced at the blood dripping from his fingertips. Link had made the climb bare-chested and Zelda now had a clear view of the scars on his back. Despite the time that had passed they were still a deep reddish-purple and looked very painful. "You were just a boy from the forest..." Zelda murmured as she stepped toward him, "and I took everything away from you." Without thinking, she reached out and delicately traced her fingers over the scars on his shoulders. "I'm so sorry Link..." she finished as she felt the heat from his shoulders on her hands.

Link was rubbing the dried blood from his hands when he felt a slight tickle on his left shoulder. Thinking a fly hand taken an interest in his sweat, he brushed his right hand over it, and found someone else's hand on his shoulder. He leapt up, very startled, and prepared for an attack. Zelda recoiled and stepped backward away from him in surprise. "You!" shouted Link, lowering his hands. "What are YOU doing up here?!" Zelda's heart was pounding and her eyes were wide with shock. He could see her! Several times she opened her mouth to speak, but she was too frightened to think of what she should say. For a moment, her eyes drifted down over the lines of his chest and the muscles of his abdomen... he had changed. Her cheeks blushed as she quickly looked away, ashamed. Link began to demand that she tell him how she got up the cliff without being spotted, when a voice from far below called up to him. Glancing down, Link found Alfon at the base of the cliff, cupping his hands and shouting to his squire, "Come on lad! Stop messing around up there and report for duty!" When Link turned back, Zelda had vanished. Had he imagined her? Shaking his head he muttered, "I need to remember to bring a water-skin with me when I do this."