I honestly wasn't happy with the way this chapter started out. It went through substantial rewrites. I hope y'all enjoy!
Kakariko was nothing like Zelda imagined it would be. Impa had told her plenty of stories, but hearing and seeing it were two very different things. Around them, men, women and children bustled about. Crops were being harvested or planted, and livestock were being tended to. The building's architecture looked almost foreign to that of Central Hyrule. While Castle Town was mostly stone and concrete, here it was mainly wood and dirt paths.
Impa still looked uncomfortable, her presence alongside the other 'outsiders' she was with drawing plenty of attention. When they made it to the main house, the two guards posted outside stepped aside. Urbosa quietly asked Zelda if she was okay, receiving a meek shrug.
Impa walked up the stairs first, followed by Zelda, Urbosa, then their silent knight. Inside, the elder was sitting at a small table with tea ready to be served. Zelda was surprised at how old the woman appeared to be, atleast a hundred years old with a formal Sheikah gown and hat. Impa out of habit bowed when she walked in, a confused Zelda quickly following her lead. The small woman held up a hand to get their attention.
"Please, sit down and have some tea. Your arrival is of great importance and a terrible warning."
Everyone froze at her words, silently keeling down on the cushions. Urbosa was the first to speak, clearing her throat.
"I'm sorry, but what is the importance of us coming here?"
The woman took a long sip of her tea and shook her head, gesturing to Zelda and her knight. Zelda's eyes widened in shock.
"Me and him? We just came here to ask you for your help. Why is that a bad thing?"
She frowned and set her tea cup down.
"Have any of you heard of the ancient fable regarding the Goddess Hylia and her chosen one?"
Zelda and the others looked amongst themselves before shaking their heads. While they knew of the Goddess, the tale she spoke about had been lost to the ages. Even Impa who had been raised in the Sheikah had barely heard the full tale, only of the legend surrounding the decrepit castle.
The elder exhaled, looking down at the table to collect her thoughts.
"The Goddess Hylia was said to have a chosen one, who would wield a blade to combat the demon king. He did not survive his fight, but the Goddess fell in love with his courage and selflessness. So she decided to be reborn as a mortal alongside her chosen one."
She looked at them expectantly, only to receive blank confused stares. She waved her hand at Zelda's direction.
"This one! Hylia's descendents are almost always blondes named Zelda who are born into the royal family."
Zelda sputtered, holding her hands up.
"I'm sorry elder, but you must be mistaken! The royal family is dead, I'm not related to them at all. If this is based on a legend, wouldn't there be many children named after it?"
Urbosa also spoke up. "Her mother was my best friend. She never mentioned anything about coming from royalty."
She looked between them, scowling.
"I'm sure she's a distant relative, anyway, so when the demon king eventually fell, he cursed the spirit of the hero and Hylia's descendents so he'd be reincarnated alongside them. It didn't really work out for him cause he normally gets stopped, otherwise the world would end, and it hasn't. So if you're here, then that means he's reborn!"
Impa tried to speak up but the elder cut her off.
"I never thought I'd see the day the prophecy came true. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense from my mother.. the end of the world! But, with the Goddess reborn, we just need to find the wielder of the sword of evil's bane."
Impa shouted in frustration. "Grandmother!"
"Yes Impa? There's no need to shout, I'm right next to you." She took another sip of her tea.
Impa rubbed her temples, putting her elbows on the table despite her elder's protest.
"Look, glossing over the fact that you just called my best friend the reincarnation of Hylia, which I still can't believe. If that's the case then he," She pointed a finger in the ghostly hero's direction, who waved. "is likely the hero's spirit, except literally, because he's fucking dead."
The elder scowled, setting down her tea. "I've told you a hundred times to not swear at the tea table. Don't disrespect our ancient prophecies either, Impa. And what do you mean? He's sitting right there."
Zelda jabbed a finger into his chest, which he allowed to pass through him, a burst of green ethereal flame coming from where her finger was.
"Oh.." the elder began. "I have no fuckin clue then. I was just told the story when I became elder, my mother didn't exactly explain what every possibility was." She began pouring herself more tea.
Urbosa set aside her untouched tea, clearing her throat.
"We wanted to ask for your help in recovering his memories. We found him in the castle and he latched onto Zelda because of her name. Impa said you had some kind of banner or painting with the master sword on it."
She turned to address Impa. "You broke into the vault?! Damn it Impa, I told your mother I'd keep you out of trouble." She muttered under her breath. "Knew I should've put your slate ontop of the ice box."
The elder turned her head, yelling out for someone to bring her the tapestry. A Sheikah guard hidden behind a pillar stepped out from the shadows, walking so quietly she didn't leave any footsteps as she went to retrieve it. Impa's grandmother resumed drinking her tea, turning to face the spirit.
"So how's the afterlife? I'll probably be there in a few years anyway, but I hate surprises."
He deadpanned at her, Impa facepalming. Zelda was drinking her tea and muttering to herself, still trying to comprehend that she might be Hylia reborn. Urbosa was hoping this would all become clearer, already having enough of what was essentially Impa 2's ridiculous behavior.
A massive tapestry was placed infront of the elder, completely dwarfing her from view. They all moved closer to get a better look, each detail more confusing than the last. On either side of a giant monster was a blonde haired woman and a blonde male wielding a sword.
"Grandmother, what does any of this mean?" Zelda nodded along with Impa's question, they both looked over, surprised to see a grimace on their phantom's face as he stared at the details. His eyes roamed the surface, growing more panicked and grunting in pain, a dull throbbing growing in intensity.
Zelda sat up.
"I think he's remembering! Please, elder, if the legends say Hylia's descendents are named Zelda, what of her chosen hero?"
The elders head peeked out from around the tapestry, deep in thought. She clicked her tongue and snapped her finger several times.
"It was.. something kind of silly.. I think it was
"Link! Up and at 'em boy."
A twelve your old Link sat up in his bed in the knight's barracks, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. A captain walked up and saluted, which he quickly knelt for.
"The king is ordering us to clear out a moblin camp near the Great Hyrule Forest. We will be heading out in one hour."
Link nodded his head, remaining knelt till the captain left. He ignored the looks from the other in training knights, gathering supplies for his bag. When he had first been given the opportunity to join the training to be a knight he had barely been five years old. The other boys were atleast sixteen to join, they always picked or ridiculed him, until training bouts. Even against seasoned knights of the royal guard he remained undefeated. By now, they had begrudging respect for him, but gave him no special treatment.
As Link stood next to his horse awaiting inspections, his eyes drifted to the castle, framed by the rising sun. While normally it was a sight of awe and inspiration, following the death of the king's wife and daughter, it seemed hollow. The knights still followed their orders, but the king's mental health was declining. The Sheikah's claims about the rise of a ten thousand year old prophecy was met by immediate rejection and ridicule by the king, but it was hardly surprising. The only way for the calamity to be sealed was with the Goddess reborn, but she was long dead. To agree with the calamity's arrival would be to admit defeat before it had even started. The captain complimenting his bagged supplies pulled him out of his thoughts, giving him a quick nod in acknowledgement. They set out immediately.
Monster attacks and sightings were on the rise. A fact that unnerved many people. The only reason they hadn't been more widespread was because of the king's constant orders to hunt down and destroy any monster camps the moment they were spotted. The knights were spread thin and often took casualties. Each camp was more numerous and filled with stronger monsters than before. The camp they had just cleared had 3 blue moblins and even a black one. There had been no casualties, but there never where in any group Link was placed in. When they had charged following a volley of arrows, he swiftly cut down the black moblin before it could become a problem.
A knight in training who had joined a few months ago jogged to meet up by his side.
"It was awesome how you took that moblin on by yourself. I didn't believe the rumors that a kid was such a fierce opponent on the battlefield."
Link's eyebrow faintly twitched at the word kid.
"How did you get so go-"
Link heard the arrow before he ever saw it, jumping infront of the knight and deflected an arrow with his shield, drawing the attention of the other knights. On the ridge overlooking them stood a silver lynel, bow already draw to fire a volley of arrows.
"Lynel! Retreat into the forest!" Yelled a captain desperately.
The knights began a mad dash for the Korok Forest, narrowly dodging arrows until a clang of steel was heard, the captain turning around to see Link engaging the lynel.
"What the hell are you doing boy!? Run for it! You can't fight it head on!"
Link glared back at him, jerking his head for them to go. He wasn't trying to kill it, he was trying to buy them time. The captain froze, staring at the child who was sacrificing himself for their lives. He rushed to help the other knights retreat, helping carry someone who was winged in the leg.
Link's sword clashed painfully against the lynel's. While he had fought and killed several, a silver lynel was almost unheard of and considered to be avoided at all costs. A massive fireball singed the grass and earth around him as he dodged each one. He came to a stop to see the lynel rushing him down with a charge, swinging his sword. Link brought his knight's broadsword up to block the blow, a loud metallic snap filling the air when the lynel's blade cut through his own before tearing a gash through his side, crying out in pain.
The lynel pushed his advantage, far smarter than most monsters. Each swing was more vicious than the last, trying to cut down the annoying swordsman. The beast narrowly missed each time, roaring in anger before hunching down and charging forward. Link brought his shield arm out in a wide arc, slamming against the lynel's skull with so much force it recoiled in pain, coming to a conple stop. Link took his chance, sliding down the ridge and making a sprint to the forest, his clothes underneath his armor quickly turning red with blood.
He wandered the forest for nearly ten minutes, fog covering each pathway. He would occasionally hearing knight's call out for his name, stumbling through the fog to end up where he began, keeping track of his path through the growing trail of blood behind him. A voice called out through the fog.
Master
Link looked to his right, a faint breeze drawing his attention. With a pained grunt he began limping down the path, following the voice.
Master you must fulfil your destiny
He arrived in a clearing with a massive tree. Sunlight poured in through the leaves, illuminating a nearly white stone pedestal with a sword. He approached it slowly, his vision becoming blurrier with each step. He could vaguely hear the other knights calling out for help, followed by the lynel's roar in the distance.
Link tripped on his way up the steps, discarding his broken blade. He grasped onto the handle, trying to pull it free. The other knight's screams and fighting motivating to keep pulling the blade, despite the intense pain in his side. He grit his teeth to distract himself from the agony, the blade slowly pulling free from the pedestal. With one last pull it was freed, it felt incredibly lightweight and balanced in his grip, twirling it around effortlessly before turning back, sprinting through the forest towards the sounds of fighting.
With his new blade, even while injured, slaying the lynel was almost effortless. Each swing of the blade tore through the monster's ordinarily tough hide like butter. The lynel's swings couldn't even chip the blade's edge, even resulting in the lynel's blade snapping before Link delivered the final blow.
As he stood above the monster's rapidly decaying corpse, the captain's voice spoke up behind him.
"That sword.. the calamity is real.."
Link would soon come to think of this day as the worst of his life.
News spread quickly of the chosen hero's identity. With the master sword pulled, it was all but certain the calamity would arrive. But what did it matter? Without the princess, it could not be defeated. The king's depression worsened, promising the people with empty speeches that they had a plan and that they would prevail.
The knights and people of Hyrule soon began to associate Link with the coming of the calamity. Pulling the blade had sealed the fate of Hyrule, and the sword on his back reminded everyone of their doom. He stopped being sent out on assignments, especially in regions with large populations. He spent most of his time in the castle, being taught the lessons of the royal guard. It was a promotion, but he could see through it, with him in the castle, no one would have to ever see him.
The king hated Link at first, often sending him away or belittling him for almost no reason, particularly after emptying a bottle of wine. His very existence reminded the king of his daughter's fate and his failure as king to protect his kingdom. Any attempts by the Sheikah to urge the king to look into the meaning of the prophecy from ten thousand years ago were ignored, until the king banned the Sheikah from the castle grounds.
One day, a couple years later, the king had already greeted Link by his title.
"Sir Link, please escort me to my meeting with the council."
Link bowed his head before walking behind the king. The king's robes were clean this time, and his normal hungover grimace was replaced with a determined hardened gaze. He stood outside the council room like a statute for nearly three hours, muffled yelling barely coming through the doors but he paid no mind. When the council adjourned, he was nearly surprised to see more looks of pity shot his way than usual. Inside the council room, the tapestry of prophecy was sealed across the massive table, the king standing over it silently.
Link knelt and waited for his next order. Nearly jumping when the king put his hand on his shoulder.
"Sir Link, there is a matter of great importance we must discuss."
He was lead to the tapestry, eyes roaming along it and absorbing it's details. His gaze lingered on the princess' portrait. The king cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry, Sir Link. We have discussed for many ways to combat the calamity, but we could only come to one solution. Ganon cannot be sealed without.. the royal blood line's power. However, with the blade, you at be able to weaken it to the point of being weak enough to imprison conventionally. Do you understand?"
Link nodded his head, internally, he felt sick to his stomach. Their plan to prevent the destruction of the world, was to throw him at the calamity and hoped he survived enough to weaken it. It was suicide at best.
"Thank you, Sir Link, I know you will not fail."
He almost laughed in the king's face, bowing until he was dismissed, making it to his private quarters before vomiting his lunch out.
The knights and workers in the castle began treating him nicer. They smiled and wished him a good day. The news had spread across Hyrule by now, the hero would use the sword of evil's bane to incapacitate the calamity while royal researchers, not Sheikah researchers, would find a way to contain the calamity. They were hollow smiles filled with pity, no one expected him to survive, not even himself.
Most nights Link would leave the hall without touching his food. Some days he trained until his rage burnt out, leaving him exhausted and drenched with sweat, yet no matter how tired he was, he could still lift the cursed blade. Even the king began to pity him, feeling guilty for his plan to send him to his death. He would invite Link to drink with him, even though he knew Link never touched alcohol.
"Sir Link?"
Link almost never spoke anymore, his gaze settling on the king obediently. He had grown pale and lost weight, often getting urged by the royal guard to get checked for sickness. He never went.
"I.. I hope you can forgive me."
Link remained silent, looking straight past the king's shoulder.
"Your sacrifice will not be in vain, I swear on my life."
His fists clenched, but he did not speak.
Calamity Ganon's roar shook the foundation of the castle. Without the unearthing of the guardians or the divine beasts, his rampage had been momentarily settled on the castle. Unless he was stopped, it would only spread from there. Large malice filled pillars from underneath Hyrule Castle birthed a small army of guardians, but no where near the amount it could've. By the time Link had fought through the blights and guardians to reach the king's chambers, he was nearly on the brink of death. The bodies he passed, of the king, servants, and council only hammered his failure deeper into his heart.
The monstrous form of the calamity turned to face him. His only goal was to weaken it, if he could do that, he could die without being a total failure of a hero. Their battle had been long and arduous. Although the master sword cleaved through the calamity easily, so to did the calamity's ancient infused claws and weapons to him. Link could barely stand, cut and gashes tore through his plate armor till it was barely intact. The calamity's hatred filled gaze matched his own.
Seal him within the sword, my chosen one
Ganon's next roar was completely silent, time felt like it was slowing each second.
You will both perish, but Hyrule will be spared its fate
Link's grip on the blade had never felt more secure or right, his energy and determination returning tenfold. He would die, but not as a failure. He charged the calamity head on, narrowing dodging massive swipes that would surely kill him if even one connected. He lept off a piece of rubble, slamming the blade down into Calamity Ganon's malice covered skull, a blinding light enveloping the chamber, before silence filled the castle, leaving only the master sword left as evidence of their battle, embedded in the stone.
I'm so sorry, my chosen one. I will return for you, I promise
"Link..."
"...Open your eyes..."