Dedicated to Evil Riggs

The Legend of Zelda

The Pendant of Peril

Introduction

Well. How to begin? I'm not used to doing this. Then again, I never took myself for the type to write and record my own experiences. Is there a certain trick to it that people pick up after doing it long enough? If there is, no one's passed it along to me.

Guess I have to start somewhere. Here goes:

My name is Link. This record, supposedly having gone through the hands of someone other than me and passed along to you, is a journal of my life experiences in the past year or so and how they have changed my perception of the world around me. I still don't know whether it's been overall for the worse or for the better, but frankly I don't quite have it in me to care anymore. It's been overwhelming, to be honest. But then again, that's kind of the point of this journal: to help me overcome the ordeals that I've faced and prepare me for what is to come next. And that's something I'm not exactly looking forward to.

I've approached this over a dozen times, walked away from it, and then come back wondering how exactly to go about it. After failing to come up with a solution again and again, I've finally decided that treating it like a memoir or novel is the best approach. You'll have to forgive any stilted passages, especially as I ease myself back into it; how I viewed things then is something that doesn't come easily to me anymore, and you'll likely find yourself understanding why, should you bother to delve into my experiences in Hyrule.

All that formality aside, it's no secret that the catalyst for everything that has befallen my friends and me has been that pendant. That damned pendant. Had I known back then what I know now, I would have cast it into the deepest and darkest hole I could find and wish it gone from this realm. Gods above, I still wish I could. But it's far too late for that, and the responsibility is mine alone. I can't pass it off to someone else.

Ah, but I'm getting way ahead of myself.

It's time for me to stop putting this off. I need to get it out of my system. Even now I realize that I'm stalling, if only subconsciously. If I can't face this, how can I move forward and better myself as to prevent such tragedies from happening again? It simply must be done.

So, here it is. My record of recent events. "The Pendant of Peril." It has to be titled that, for nothing else has so totally eclipsed my being as it.

Here goes nothing.

Arc One: Mycenia

1

It all began with a single call:

"Oi! Link!"

I stirred from my thoughts and glanced toward the direction of the voice, then chided myself inwardly when I remembered that I was indoors and couldn't see who was calling me. From the sound of it, it was likely my friend Uunco outside needing my help with something.

Bringing myself to a stand from my cot, I took a moment and glanced about the inner space of my home. The furnishing could be called minimalist at best, with the only real signs of habitation a scratched up cooking pot and the well worn bed I was standing next to. Despite the small interior of my elm-wood home, it felt vast and empty. Not exactly a new feeling, there, I mused to myself.

The light knock on the door shook me back into the here and now. Right. I was already beginning to pay for my sleep deprivation and it hadn't even hit midday. Last night, the rain had come down harder than it had in months, and while my friends had slept through it my roof had begun to leak. The persistent dripping of the leak and a particularly morose headspace had led my mind to ponder the kind of questions that aren't conducive to proper sleep.

Answering the door, I was greeted with blinding sunlight. I squinted, eyes adjusting as a familiar face phased gradually through the blinking.

"There you are, Link!" Uunco, cheer apparent in his voice, stood before me in a pose both reproachful and playful. "I know you didn't get any sleep last night, but I wasn't expecting you to sneak off and take a nap."

"I was about to until you called out for me," I replied, eyeing the various activities going on behind him. "What did you need?"

He took a moment to glance back behind him, curly brown hair swishing with the motion. "Oh, good," he mumbled to himself, "Caw's still there."

"Caw wouldn't run off the moment you step away; that's our thing." I was hesitant to step out into the sunshine; already I could feel the thick humidity awaiting me.

"Yeah, but we've done it to him so many times over the years that today might be the day he finally starts."

"If he ever decides to get back at us he'll do it in a far more subtle way than just copying us," I said. "Are you gonna tell me what we're doing, or am I going to fall asleep standing here?"

"Yeah, sorry. My mind's elsewhere, kinda like yours today." I couldn't help but feel a little irritated that Uunco wasn't getting straight to the point, but I chalked it up to the sleep deprivation. Uunco only ever became curt and serious when it came to hunting. "How are you feeling, anyway?"

"Too tired for what we're doing right now. Not gonna lie, my patience is kinda thin today."

He sighed, almost dramatically. "Well, your roof wasn't the only leaky one last night; the firewood shed also gave in and leaked like crazy, soaking into a bunch of the wood inside. We need to bring it out into the sun to dry."

"Really? We'll need to patch up the roof as soon as we finish setting out the logs."

He grinned. "Caw already climbed up and did it. We just need to lay out the firewood, I think."

Even my sleep-deprived brain registered that the order of events was odd. "Wait, why didn't you take the logs out first and work on the roof as they sat to dry?"

"Because we were waiting on you," he replied. "Caw said you shouldn't get out of work just because you're a little sleepy. His words, not mine."

"What, were you expecting me to fall off the roof working on it?" I groaned. "Whatever, let's just get it done."

"Great! It shouldn't take horribly long to get them laid out."

Joining Uunco in the land of the living, I wiped sweat off my brow and took in the view. Cradled in a large clearing by the surrounding forests was Mycenia Village, the only civilization I had ever known. Populated by about sixty people give or take, the settlement consisted of around twenty or so homesteads, the homegrown crops around them, a few sheds for different uses, and a larger mess hall for gatherings and celebrations. My humble abode was firmly at the very south of the clearing, a haphazard late addition to the village's cluster of homes that when viewed from the north was a lonely sight indeed. Until a few years ago, I had stayed at Uunco's home with his parents, not knowing anything of my own.

From where we were standing, the firewood shed could be seen on the western side further down. The small figure of Caw could be seen atop it, not much larger than an ant from this distance.

"Man, from here he looks even shorter than usual," said Uunco, looking over at our friend scrambling to climb off the shed.

I rubbed my eyes as we began to make our way to him. "This humidity is awful. Are you sure the firewood is actually going to dry out?" We passed by a pair of neighbors that I rarely talked to, a couple tending to their garden and leisurely conversing. My eyes were caught by the pendant the man wore about his neck, before jumping to the woman's smile and resting on the colorful bracelet she wore on her wrist.

"It'll be fine, so long as it doesn't rain in the next half a day or so." He caught me staring and patted my back. "Hey, cheer up, buddy; your time'll come soon enough."

"Thanks," I said halfheartedly.

It wasn't long until we closed the distance and came to the shed, where Caw had yet to descend from the roof.

"Decided to take in the view up there?" I greeted.

His nearly bald head peeked over the edge and grunted at us. "Ladder fell over. Could use some help."

"Nah, I think we could leave you up there. Be a sentry and watch for wayward animals."

"Fine by me. I'll take a nap then." I scowled at his reminder of my tiredness, but as always he kept a straight face.

Uunco set the ladder back up, but shrugged when Caw remained leisurely above us. "Well, Caw's already done his work. Come on, Link, get to it!"

"Huh?" I looked at him in disbelief. "Aren't you going to help?"

"Well, I kinda decided it's payback time for that day you snuck off with Sarah and left me to build rabbit traps by myself," he said sheepishly.

"Seriously?" I looked to Caw. "You going to just let him exploit me for labor?"

Caw shrugged. "I've done my share of the load. It's between you guys, now."

"I can't believe this." Grumbling about friendship and betrayal (loud enough for them to deliberately hear me) I set myself to work.

Uunco let me get a couple of logs out before starting the conversation anew. "Speaking of Sarah, when are you two finally going to tie the knot?"

I felt a pang as I considered it. "I mean, we're not really an item, man. I don't think she feels that way about it." Sarah and I were close, sure, but marriage? Maybe if I worked up the courage to one day ask her.

Caw looked like he wanted to say something, but Uunco shot him a look that kept his mouth shut. Uunco continued, "Well, everyone kinda feels like you already are. You just haven't really made it official, yet."

I scoffed. "We don't really care what the rest of the village thinks about it."

"Add to the pile from the left now," said Caw. "Don't block the path." I followed his instructions, paying him more mind than the friend currently scrutinizing my relationships.

Uunco sighed. "You know someone else might take her up to the elder's hut and come back with a pendant around his neck, right? You can't just put it off forever."

He was, of course, referring to the trinkets that symbolized marriage in our village. Traditionally, men and women were married at the elder's hut up north from the nearby river, often being the only time a man outside of the appointed assistant ever entered the sanctum his entire life. The ladies of the village were often called to bring various things such as food or supplies there when necessary. Sarah had told me that I wasn't missing out on much, though I had no grasp as to the accuracy of that.

"Whatever you think 'it' is, it's probably not that," I said defensively, but he'd hit an insecurity I'd been pushing to the back of my mind. "Speaking of, where is Sarah?"

"She's been summoned by Elder Jaq," said Caw. "Running an errand for him."

"What's with all this talk about marriage, anyway?" I huffed as I added more firewood to the ground. "Are you looking to get hitched, Uunco?"

"Oh, heavens no. My priorities are elsewhere."

I chuckled. "Whatever, 'Master Hunter Uunco.' Figure out that rabbit trap design some time, will ya?"

"I've almost got it down," came the classic excuse. "You just keep snapping them with your bumbling brute strength."

"If my scrawny arms can rip your traps apart, surely a decent sized hare can escape with enough struggle."

"I wouldn't mind getting married myself, one day," said Caw, staring up at the blue sky above us.

"Make me a pendant and I'll make you a bracelet," I offered.

Caw looked at me, deadpan. "You kidding? I could do better."

I struggled to come up with a witty retort. In the midst of our jabbering, I'd hit what seemed to be the upper limit of my mental capacity for how much sleep I'd gotten. What's more, the physical exertion I'd been doing on a warm and humid day left me sweating and weary. In truth, there was so much I wanted to talk about and open up with. I wanted to talk about how I couldn't sleep last night. I wanted to talk about what might lay beyond the forests that surrounded us, the outer reaches of which were unknown to us. I wanted to talk about how lonely I felt in that empty home, with no parents and no siblings and no significant other to call my own. All this and more swirled within me, pensive thoughts and desperate desires that begged to be given form through speech.

But I was simply too tired to navigate all of that. So, instead, I grunted and returned to hauling logs out to dry, with the hope that moment would come to pass.

Uunco and Caw passed some menial conversation as I grabbed the next three logs in silence. It wasn't until the fourth that I finally noticed something and spoke up.

"Hey, how bad was the leak in the roof? Most of these logs are dry." The discussion of marriage and my exhaustion had put me on a one-track mind, and only now had I realized that I'd wasted time and energy.

"Hard to say for sure how many logs were drenched until they're all out," said Caw.

"Okay." Something odd was going on here, and I was pretty sure Uunco was playing a trick on me, but I couldn't figure out what exactly he was up to.

"Man you really do need sleep," mumbled Uunco.

"Oh, you're only just now noticing?" My voice would have been more playful and less passive aggressive were it not for the topic of discussion. I groaned when he was surprised by it and added, "Sorry, man, I really am wiped out."

He was thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe you should go take a nap-"

"Hey," said Caw, cutting in. "She's back."

I turned my head and, sure enough, I could make out the figure of Sarah approaching at a jogging pace. Her jet black hair fluttered as she closed the gap between us.

"Link!" she called out. I waved back and began walking to meet her partway.

"I'll take over from here, Link," said Uunco as he moved to enter the shed.

Sarah crossed most of the distance herself, and as we met I noticed that she too had not been treated kindly by the heat and humidity: she looked exhausted from running back to the village, sweat pouring down her face and the curls of her hair in disarray. She smelled of harried treks in the forest and had smeared dirt and sweat stains about her simple dress. Her brown eyes had bags under them, as if she too had missed some pivotal hours of sleep. Regardless, seeing her put a smile on my face.

"Hey, Sarah," I said. "What's the rush?"

"Link," she gasped, out of breath from the trip, "the elder needs firewood...for the sacred flame. We need to bring some up the river."

I hesitated at that. "I've...never been to the elder's hut."

She hunched over to catch her breath. "I can't bring enough up alone. I need extra hands."

While this was clearly an opportunity to sate my curiosity, the creeping fatigue warned me that such a venture was probably a bad idea. "Send Uunco with you, he's got plenty of energy today."

"No way, Link," said Uunco from his eavesdropping position nearby. "I'm taking over your task here, so go see what the fuss is all about."

I was going to protest until I noticed Sarah seemed a bit sad about me trying to pawn the work off on Uunco. I realized that this was the first time in a couple weeks we would really have to spend time together. For reasons she hadn't really gone into, she'd been called up to the elder's hut a number of times and unable to spend much time with me. Taking a moment to think about it, I wondered if this was part of the cause of my sleeplessness.

"Okay," I said to Uunco, "You can have the hard labor while we take the scenic route."

Sarah's demeanor brightened considerably. "Great! Let's hurry; we don't want to keep the elder waiting." We grabbed a couple of small logs each and, spirits renewed, set out north to the woods we referred to as Lyna Forest. I almost didn't catch Uunco's subtle wink as I passed by him.

Stepping out into the forest, I felt the cool air brush past my hair as we jogged up to the Lyna River. Following it upstream would take us to the patriarch's home. Despite the weight of the logs I was carrying, I felt myself relax as the gush of river water flowed past us, a soothing accompaniment to our footsteps snapping twigs and thumping the soft dirt beneath them.

"I thought I was never getting out of that mess Uunco's plotting," I said after a few moments of silence.

"He's just looking out for you," she replied between huffs. "In his own weird, Uunco way."

"If anyone's looking out for me, it's pretty much just Caw." She knew I was joking, but we slowed down so she could nudge me scoldingly.

"And what about me, huh? You'd still be out wandering the wilderness if I didn't keep sending Uunco off to fetch you."

"It was one time!" I whined, and she laughed for the first time I'd seen in weeks. It was infectious, more so because I was exhausted, and soon we were both smiling despite wishing we in bed resting.

"Yeah, sure." Looking around us she added, "Isn't the forest beautiful, Link?"

Following her gaze, I had to agree. Lyna Forest itself was a maze of sun-drenched tangles of alder, elm and beech. Ferns and other shrubbery were scattered about the forest floor, revealing the occasional hare or fluttering bird. Rays of sunlight peeked through the treetops and danced about with the movement of leaves. When they reached out to the river, flashes of color played in the air as if the day would never end.

"Yeah," I replied, right before my wayward eyes missed a tree root and I ate dirt.

"Link! Are you all right?"

"Yep," I groaned, smarting from the fall. My chest ached from my firewood cushion, and I pushed myself up with a light wince. "Just hasn't been my day today."

She helped me to a stand. "It's okay. It'll turn around soon enough." I nodded, and we resumed the trek.

Continuing further up the river, we mostly fell into silence, though not necessarily a bad one. Part of it was definitely a sense of exhaustion and fatigue, but regardless we were enjoying each other's company. It really was nice just to see her again and spend a little time together, if only on an errand for the elder. A part of me wondered if I could open up to Sarah about my melancholy, but even in my increasingly hazy state it was clear that she too was under some sort of restlessness. I decided to bury it yet again and perhaps try after a proper nap.

With a tired sigh, I finally caught sight of the hut farther up past the river. A stocky home of beech, the doorway had wooden beads strung about it that prevented us from getting a good look inside. It sat atop a raised slab of stone decorated with various creeds of the village. The makeshift chimney billowed smoke weakly from what must have been a lit fire inside. We closed the gap as quickly as possible.

Sweating, I felt a touch of nervousness grip me. At that moment, we stood before the great veil that was the entryway. I knew not what lay inside, and the reminder that most men were only to be invited in by the elder's request had caused me to fidget. A long pause. My arms stung slightly. A touch of cloudiness edged my vision.

Sarah wiped her brow. "Let's go in. We're just keeping him waiting by standing here." Inhaling deeply, I nodded before we entered.

Inside, the musky scent of incense wafted over to us. The interior of the hut was not vast; to the left of me was an ancient, cracked table with seats for three. Further past it sat two beech beds, each with linen sheets over fluffed up mattresses. These were barely visible in the corner due to us blocking the open doorway as well as the dimness of the fireplace on the opposite side of the room. The logs had long been kindled and were now on their last legs as they contributed to the ash and soot upon the cool stone floor. Small discs of flint and iron pyrite sat not far away. An empty pot for boiling sat lonely above it; a faint coat of moisture suggested it had been used in recent hours.

At the other end of the room, the two occupants stood setting up a small altar that was the source of the overbearing aroma in the abode. About it were candles of various scents and colors. A cloth of rare burgundy draped its front. Many bottles of what must have been spices and incense were set before it, clearly under some sort of consideration. Engraved patterns like embroidery adorned a large goblet. Above it, fine decorations carved of wood hung from the wall. One of them was our patron deity, the Wind Fish.

The younger of the two figures was Therel, the elder's messenger for when he required assistance at any given time. Unlike Sarah and me, he was quite content to remain inside the majority of the day. A pang of envy gripped me.

Next to him was the respected patriarch of the village, Elder Jaq. A munificent man of many years, his short stature belied his wisdom. His milky eyes nearly matched the grayed beard that graced his chin. His was a wrinkled countenance of amiability and assurance. He eyed us with a gentle smile and spoke with his raspy voice, "Welcome, welcome! Both of you have wonderful timing. The fire has just gone out."

Sarah entered with noted hesitance in her stride and I attempted to mimic the act. Therel approached us and took the logs to the ash pile. Setting most to the side and one in the fireplace, he lit it with the pyrite and flint. Turning to Jaq he said, "I'll be off to the village now, Sir."

The elder beamed. "Very well." Therel gave us a quick nod before heading out in his fast paced manner. Turning back to us, Elder Jaq stepped forward with a prolonged, rickety amble. "Thank you both for bringing wood all the way up here. It must have been very tiring."

"No…no problem," I breathed. For good measure, I added, "Elder Jaq." My lack of sleep was leaving a greater impact than I would have liked. Sarah was oddly quiet.

Jaq continued, "While I have asked Sarah to come here many times, I believe today marks the first time I have invited you into my home, Link."

"Y-yes." I processed what he had said after a moment. "Wait, you knew I was coming?"

"Of course! It is as the Wind Fish foretold." When I didn't register that he was joking he added, "I asked Sarah to bring you here with her, my boy."

"Oh." I had to wipe sweat from my eyes. Damn my fatigue. "It's an honor, Sir."

He glanced toward the altar. "Take a gander at it. It's lovely, is it not? Therel and I have put much work into it."

I nodded, not really understanding why it was there in the first place. "I haven't seen anything quite like it."

"Of course, Sarah helped out most graciously, too." He nodded in her direction, but got little out of her. "And not a moment too soon! The spring season has brought the equinox upon us this day; it could not have been planned out more beautifully."

Sarah's continued silence along with the strangeness of the situation left me wanting to get to the bottom of it. "If I may ask, Elder Jaq, what exactly is the purpose of the altar? And why am I needed for it?"

His eyes met mine, a glint in them. "In all honesty, my dear boy, I must say that you've been had."

I blinked. "Huh? What do you mean, Sir?"

He chuckled. Sarah was now blushing. I hadn't taken the hint yet. "Well, over the past two weeks I have talked with the young lass next to you, and she's convinced me of her feelings on the matter. My friend," and with this line his eyes lit up in delight, "you are getting married this evening!"

More blinking. A single, obtuse moment of utter silence. My brain shut off. "What?" Damn this hazy state. So tired.

"It's exactly what it sounds like, Link. I have had much time to speak with dear Sarah here about it. She has told me much about how strongly her emotions run." He chortled in recollection and Sarah looked flustered. "She wanted it sooner, but the preparations took quite some time. Thankfully the rains came and gave your friends the opportunity to stall for time."

Despite that brain-dead exhausted state, I could tell he was enjoying every minute of this. "I, uh...I—"

"Just say something, already!" Sarah blurted. At this, it was my turn to blush.

Elder Jaq grinned. "Well, my boy? What will your answer be?"

"I-I, uh," I stammered. "T-this is all...it's all happening so fast, Sir. I mean, we've brought it up once or twice before, I mean…" Man, all it took was a sudden marriage proposal and I was more of a blubbering wreck than usual.

"I would say 'take your time,' but the young lass over there has lost much sleep towards this."

I looked to Sarah. "You're serious about this?"

"We wouldn't be here otherwise." Her eyes flitted away in embarrassment.

I forced myself to calm down. Link, I thought to myself, get your act together! Here was probably the most exciting thing to happen in my rather uneventful life, and I was threatening to throw it all away because of some built-in sense of hesitation and a little sleeplessness. To let it go by would likely have me regret it my whole life. Uunco's words of throwing caution to the wind steeled me to finally give an answer.

"W-well…" I said finally, breaking the silence in the room. Deep breath, you fool! Breathe! "I mean. If you really feel that way, Sarah...then yeah. Yes. I'm—yes." Smooth. Nonetheless, an aura of glee exuded from her and she jumped in for a hug. Her lips crashed into mine, and all the worry and fatigue melted away.

Elder Jaq clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! Now that that is squared away, one last confirmation: Are you both certain you are ready to proceed? To devote your lives to one another?" I felt Sarah's hand snake its way into mine. My vision grew more cloudy at the edges.

We gazed at each other for a long moment, then spoke our agreement.

"Then both of you, please get down on your knees before the altar."

Much to my eternal shame—even to this day—my memories of everything that happened after that are blurry. I'm sure Sarah would smack me, were she to find out. I figure that the exhaustion of the day's events, my lack of sleep, and the shock and fatigue of newfound connubial relations took such a toll on me that all that's left is a faint image of it all.

I do remember that thick aroma of incense, ever stronger at that holy altar; burning candles of blues and greens and purples (a color that I had rarely seen all my life); that giddy, nervous look on Sarah's face; the hrmmm of Elder Jaq's thoughtful exhalations. Bringing the liquid of the goblet to my face, the smell sweet and taste unknown to me; words spoken, many from Jaq and a few affirmations on our part; crackling flames in that corner so far away now.

Of all the things I will never forget, the pendant will forever remain scarred into my mind: At some point near the conclusion of our marriage rites, we were bestowed our gifts from the elder. The bracelet Sarah received was crafted with much love and color. Lavender twisted and tangled with cardinal red in a glorious contrast about her wrist.

And placed about my neck was my own token of adulthood. The pendant hung by a thin but reliable twine necklace, the touch of which was present but not unbearable upon my neck. The pendant itself was encased into a spherical hold of silver, causing the back of it to gleam even in the darkly lit home. Engraved like the soul of one's own being was a gorgeous emerald that seemed so deep that I felt I could gaze into it for an eternity and never see the other end. It had a life of its own that entranced me without end.

And then—as if from nothing—we were married. We stood, and everything from then on threatened to dissolve from the confines of my mind. I can barely recall now the glow of twilight as we made our way home, barely register the warm lit torches and the celebrations and congratulations. I barely recall the proud parents of my wife and their pet names for each other (something along their usual chirps of "Honey" and "Darling"). I barely recall the fervent apologies from Uunco and Caw's stoic congratulations as they revealed they'd been in on the scheme. I almost don't remember finally returning home after all of that. Only the final moments of exhaustion remained as we both collapsed onto my tiny cot and slipped into deep sleep as a tangle of limbs.

So ended the day of my marriage—the beginning of my adulthood, so to speak. Looking back now, I can't help but laugh at it all. It went by so damn fast, and I just jumped on in with nary a question. Quite the fool I was! (And most definitely still am.) Then again, I suppose spontaneity is what keeps one on their toes.

I should have known my luck was running out. It should have been so clear then that everything was about to change.