The prison was quiet as always. It would drive anyone else mad, but Link enjoyed it most of the time. No guards yelling. No water dripping from the corner of the ceiling. Just peace. Link himself was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his wrists shacked to the wall above his head. He rarely ever left this position, though the guards would occasionally and reluctantly allow him to roam his cell free of restraints.
Why was he even in here? Even he didn't know. Apparently the king framed him for the murder of the head of the army. Link and the army leader were good friends, but the king convinced everyone it was a ploy to get close to him and kill him. Link defended himself as much as he could. No one listened. Some even made the cruel accusations that he killed his own family. No, that wasn't true. His parents and baby sister died in a house fire while Link was away. He thought his mother was going to be cross with him for forgetting to hang the laundry, so he snuck out. And when he came back during nightfall, he found his home was burned to cinders. Strangers were surrounding it and discussing the cause of the tragedy.
Link ran away from the scene at that moment. He felt so guilty he broke into tears. Why did he survive? What made him so special? He spent all the ten years he'd been alive in that house and now it was gone. Maybe if he was there he could've saved everyone…
He eventually found himself in the outskirts of the modest castle their land had to offer. The population of the small country was likely the only population of the world itself. No matter where they went no other forms of life could be found. Thus, their limited number of people could only make buildings so big. Manpower was difficult to find these days even with their rapidly growing numbers.
Even in his grief, Link still stopped to gaze in wonder at the majesty of the quaint castle. He'd always wanted to go inside and see what it was like. Were the walls lined with gold and silver? Was it filled with housemaids to call for the smallest of things without question? Were they visited by the Goddesses themselves? In his wild thoughts, Link didn't notice a young man walk up behind him.
"Are you lost?" he asked. Link jumped out of skin and turned on his heels to see who was behind him. A handsome young man crouched before him at eye level. His windswept hair was pitch black and his eyes were wide with an odd amount of innocence for an adult. His irises themselves were like none Link had ever seen: the top half was green while the bottom was blue.
"U-Um, no," Link stuttered. "I mean, yes. Uh…"
The man cocked his head. "Would you be the child that escaped the house that burned down in the nearby settlement?"
Tears returned to Link's eyes. "M-Mom was gonna get m-mad at me for not d-doing the laundry, so…" He patted his eyes dry with his sleeve.
"It's alright," the man assured him gently. "If you need a place to stay, you can always come with me. My name's Robin. What's yours?"
"Link," he sniffled.
Robin patted Link's head affectionately. "Cool name you've got there. I was just named after a bird my mom saw on the windowsill the day I was born." He laughed at the memory. "Ah, well. This is a conversation for later. Let us take you to your new home, alright?"
"But Mom said I shouldn't go with strangers," Link protested childishly.
Robin simply smiled at him. "It's okay. You know where I'm taking you? To the army. Once my old man retires, I'm going to be head of the army. So you'll be safe there surrounded by soldiers."
Link looked at him vulnerable. "Really?"
"Really," Robin nodded. "Now, let's go." He grabbed Link's small hand in his, stood up, and began leading him towards the castle.
Though, the walls weren't lined with gold and the Goddesses never came, Link was right about one thing: there were many servants born into the profession that waited on his every beck and call. At first he abused this, asking for small things like telling the servant to get his food from the kitchen or clean his room, Robin gave him a good talking-to and Link stopped. In fact, after the five years he spent living in the castle, he had become quite attached to a cook in the kitchen. She was older than him by about two years and let him know.
"Oh, Hannah!" he would call, running into the kitchen. "I'll cook a huge dinner for you if you let me kiss you."
She'd turn around, her auburn ringlets bouncing as she would. "I'll allow you to kiss me on the cheek if you do my job for three months and make me home cooked meals three times daily."
Link beamed at the thought. Though she feigned reluctance, she actually had quite the crush on him. He knew. He read her diary. (What? He was curious!) Anyway, in other news Robin's father got too old for fighting battles with monsters so his son was promoted to head of the army. Robin was so happy he allowed Link to sleep in the day he heard. And Link never got to sleep in!
As he strode down the hallway one morning, he heard a hearty, "Good morning, Link!" He saw a large, muscular older man walk his way. His mouth wasn't visible over his greying beard, but his eyes clearly showed a smile.
"'Morning, Lawrence," Link replied. "Are they still serving breakfast?"
"You just missed it," Lawrence, a soldier in the army, chuckled. "Training early with Robin again?" Link nodded. "Well, I suppose you may catch Hannah in the halls before she reaches the servants' quarters."
Link gasped at the information that he may be able to see her and dashed off down the hallway, Lawrence's laughter echoing after him. He turned sharply at several turns, once nearly bumping into a maid holding a tray of tea. He hurried towards the direction of the servants' quarters and stood at the door, waiting for the group to arrive. Sure enough, not more than two minutes later, a small horde of people approached, Hannah among them. The group stopped short of reaching the door and stared at Link, who stared hopefully at Hannah. The sound of giggling rippled among them as they began to walk into their chambers, leaving Link and Hannah alone.
"'Morning, Hannah!" Link greeted with a bit too much enthusiasm. "I came here waiting for you."
"Again," she sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Are you here to ask me to kiss you again?"
A sly grin crossed Link's lips. "Perhaps."
"If I answer 'no' again you'll just keep doing this, won't you?" Hannah crossed her arms and was silent for several moments. "I know. Once you're taller than me, I'll allow you to kiss me once."
Link grimaced at her words. They had a full two inch height difference, so this would take a while. "Fine. But you have to keep your word."
Hannah raised her right hand and put her left over her heart. "I swear on my life."
"You sure?"
"Quite."
Link nodded in satisfaction. "Alright. And in return, I'll stop bothering you. But you won't have to wait very long. I'll hit my growth spurt soon."
Hannah hummed in response and went into her chambers, hitting Link's face with the door as she opened it.
"Measure me!"
"Link, you're old enough to do this yourself."
"Robin!"
The head soldier rolled his eyes and placed a mark on the wall directly where Link stood with a pencil. "Okay. You're almost five feet and nine inches. Congratulations. You are taller than Hannah by half a centimeter."
Link fist-pumped in victory. "Yes! I'm going over to see her now. Thanks." He started over towards the kitchen, but Robin gripped his wrist tightly to stop him. "…What?"
"Just don't get upset if she still rejects you, alright?"
Link rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. But I have a plan."
He shook off Robin's hand and started off towards the kitchen. It was especially early today, so Link was able to prepare. He walked inside (Hannah always forgot to lock the doors at night) and locked the door, not allowing anyone to come in. That is, until he suddenly heard pounding on the door.
"Hey! Open the door!" Hannah's voice shouted.
"Forget the keys again?" Link asked in mock sweetness. "You really need to learn how to properly take care of your work station."
"Link?!" Hannah pounded harder. "Let me in! I have to clean the kitchen before the others come!"
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't," Link mused. "But in better news, I am now half a centimeter taller than you. You know what that means."
He heard Hannah scoff. "Half a centimeter is nothing! I like tall men, not a shorty like you. Grow three more inches and we'll talk then."
"What?! No way! I've waited two years for this. We made a deal." He unlocked the door and swung it open, blocking Hannah's path with his body so she couldn't get through. Hannah gave him a death stare that legitimately scared him, but he wouldn't let her tell. "Just a little one?"
"Why do you even want me to kiss you?" Hannah huffed. "I mean, we get along fine but I don't like you that way."
"You don't know anything about men, do you?" Link shook his head in disbelief. "When a woman loves us, we can't tell. But when a woman avoids us at all costs, that's the one we go for."
Hannah rolled her eyes in irritation. "One kiss. Got it?"
Link beamed. "Yup."
Hannah stepped closer to him and quickly pecked him on the cheek. She pulled away immediately, her face completely red. "There. Now let me in."
"That was nothing!" Link slapped a hand to his forehead. "Ugh. Fine, I'll do it."
"N-No." Hannah stepped away this time, clasping her hands behind her back. "I'll come back later. It's fine."
Link smirked at her reaction. "Oh, so that's it. You're shy. That's fine. Allow me." He reached out to grab her hand, but she recoiled. "Come on! Just for a minute!"
"Can't you just take no for an answer?!" Hannah slapped his hand away. "You're impossible!"
"You can't be serious," Link frowned. "Are you really gonna let me down like that? You're terrible." To Hannah's surprise, he began walking past her. "But I can't force myself on a woman, can I? Come to me later when you realize how wonderful I am."
He was a few feet away when Hannah called out, "Wait!" He turned around, and when he did, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "There," she said, blushing even more. "Happy now?"
Link tried to wipe the dumbfounded expression off his face, but it didn't work. Hannah bit her lip nervously and hurried into the kitchen, Link making no attempt to stop her as she slammed the door in his face.
Link wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow he and Hannah became a couple. Her offensive demeanor was slowly replaced by a meeker one. Link was at an absolute loss as to how it happened, but it somehow did. It was no doubt a miracle from the gods, but Link wasn't complaining. His best guess was that after the first kiss, others became much easier.
Three years later, they were a very well-known couple throughout the castle. They were rarely seen apart. The only exception was when Hannah worked for meals. However, the king didn't really approve of their relationship. A servant and the underling of the head of the army together? Luckily, Link and the king didn't cross paths much. But Link still knew much about the ruler.
King Herold was a very old man who ruled over their unnamed land for a few decades. He believed very much in a caste system of sorts; the peasants lived miles away from the castle because Herold didn't want to see them. He was absolutely disgusted to see Link, a poor child, wandering around his castle.
"Don't listen to him," Hannah would say. "He's never been in love before. You don't see a queen with him, do you?"
Still, Herold had the power to split the couple apart out of spite. Link sat on the edge of the training grounds, watching the soldiers train. Robin had offered to make Link a knight of their land, which he accepted, but he just wasn't in the mood to spar with the others. He was thinking of the constant looks of distain the king shot at him. Though Hannah pretended she didn't care, Link saw the worry in her eyes.
"Hey," Robin suddenly said. He sat on the bench next to Link. "What's the matter? You always love to spar with the others. Something wrong?"
"It's just the king," Link sighed. "He hates Hannah and me being together just because she's a servant. It's bad enough I'm a peasant who became a knight just because you said so."
"I made you a knight because you're talented," Robin defended. "Whatever. I didn't come to hear you complain. I just wanted to apologize for missing your birthday last week."
"It's alright," Link replied. The week before, Robin had been away fighting monsters that threatened to close in on the country's borders. "It wasn't a big deal, anyway."
"Yes it is! Twenty is a big number. So I'm going to give you something my father gave me when I turned twenty." He reached to his side and held up a bright red fabric.
"Your cape?" Link asked, his eyes wide with admiration. "But you wear this all the time! Your dad gave you this."
"I know. And that's why I'm passing it on to you." Robin smiled as he got up and stood behind Link, draping the cape over his shoulders and tightening the silver clasp. "And when you have a son, you can pass it on to them."
Link grabbed a handful of the fabric, tears in his eyes. "But your dad…"
"Yes, Link, I know," Robin laughed, slapping him on the back. "I asked Dad if it was okay and he said okay. Plus, we've been together for almost ten years. I had to give you something special."
Link couldn't help from springing up and wrapping his arms around Robin. Robin got over his shock pretty quickly and hugged Link back. Some soldiers stopped to admire such a scarcely seen event, but hastily got back to their swordfights lest Link caught them.
"Don't worry," Link grinned. "I won't let anything happen to it. I'll keep it safe. I swear."
Robin winked at him. "You don't have to tell me that. Oh, and one more thing. My grandpa is with the gods now, so there's not much of a point to having his sword collecting dust." He unsheathed the sword from his hip and held it out to Link. Despite its age, the blade was still glistening and the golden hilt was vibrant as ever. Link took it and stared in wonder.
"I won't let anything happen to either of them," Link promised breathlessly. "Thank you!"
Another two years came and went. Link and Hannah's relationship was better than ever. They somehow learned to ignore the king's stares. At the moment, they were taking a walk in the castle courtyard while the full moon was high in the sky. There was no one around in the middle of the night, so they were free to do whatever they wanted.
"So how's Robin doing?" Hannah asked suddenly.
Link quirked an eyebrow at her question. "Why do you ask something like that?"
"Well, the king has been a bit hard on him lately," Hannah answered worriedly. "The king's mind is clouded by paranoia. I believe he has some sort of mental sickness. He's been threatening some workers with execution."
"Execution?!" Link repeated. "But no one is plotting for the throne. He must be sick, then. He's pretty old at this point. Perhaps his mind us deteriorating."
"It's possible. But, Link, he's targeting a lot of the lower-class people. And that means my family might be on the list." Tears welled up in Hannah's eyes at the thought.
"Don't worry," Link assured her, mustering a smile. "I'll protect you. I'm close with the head of the army, remember? And no executions go without Robin's consent."
Hannah nodded weakly. "I know… I'm sorry I brought it up. Anyway, I have something important to ask you. And I think you're tall enough to have the right to answer."
Link laughed at her words. "Go on, then."
"Well, we're in our twenties now and my mother wants a grandchild," Hannah said nonchalantly, clasping her hands behind her back. "So we should think about marriage plans."
Link blinked stupidly. "M-Marriage? I never thought about-"
"Of course you haven't," Hannah sighed. "My mother told me men are only in it for the sex. Marriage never crosses their minds."
"Well, making the baby is the fun part…" Link froze under the harsh glare Hannah was shooting his way. "Sorry. Um, I guess getting married is a good idea. It's not like our relationship has to change or anything."
"Indeed," Hannah smiled. "So what's stopping us from getting married tomorrow?"
"No!" Link protested. "I have to propose to you. And I must find the most romantic moment to do so. Such a beautiful woman deserves the best."
Hannah raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Is this just your way of postponing it?"
"Absolutely not," Link defended. "I want to give us time to prepare. I'll get the money to buy you a lovely white dress and we can marry by the lake."
"If you say so," Hannah sighed. "But you'll have to start listening to me eventually. You know what they say: happy wife, happy life."
"You're not my wife yet," Link mused, placing his hand under her chin. "But we'll have our wedding soon. I promise."
Hannah managed a small smile. "Okay." She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his chest. "Soon."
One more year went by. Today was Hannah's twenty-fifth birthday. Link carried a bundle of lilies, her favorite flower, in his hand. Today was the day he was going to propose. It would probably be a little embarrassing, but he made a promise. Plus, it was nice to have something to look forward to amidst the misery.
The king's mental health was deteriorating slowly, but no one had the guts to knock him down from his perch. Many innocent people were hung for "treason," including children. Link never attended. It was sick and demented to do something like that out of paranoia.
But even worse was the fact that Robin was now a target. Herold made several threats to Robin for no particular reason other than the fact that he was head of the army, a powerful position. Did it frighten Link? To a degree. But he didn't want to let such things bother him on a day like this. He made his way towards the castle to see Hannah, but was stopped by a guard at the entrance.
"What's up?" Link asked.
"There's an execution happening in the east settlement," the guard replied darkly.
"So?" Link shrugged. "I skip executions all the time. I don't want to see that. Can I go in now?'
The guard was silent for a moment. "…I think you should see this one."
Link furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. "Fine. But I'm coming back once it's over." He marched off in the opposite direction, balling his fists at his sides. The east settlement was quite a walk because of the king's distaste for the poor, but Link hurried over anyway. He was greeted by a panicking throng of people crowded around the gallows that stood in the center of the settlement. Link crossed his arms of his chest. Why did he have to see this? It was madness!
Suddenly, a noble official stepped up onto the platform and opened a scroll. "Regrettably," the old crook read. "A family of traitors have been found in the area. They are to be executed immediately."
As he read a family of five stepped up to the gallows where guards placed nooses around their necks. It was difficult to tell their identities because of the heads blocking Link's view, but he made no attempt to get a closer look.
"The traitors' names are as followed: Miriam…"
That's Hannah's little sister's name… Link thought suspiciously. But there are at least three Miriams in this settlement. It's probably one of the other two.
"Travis, Lyla…"
Link's eyes widened as he froze with fear. Those were the names of Hannah's parents. He desperately stood on his toes, craning his neck over the crowd. He caught a glimpse of wavy auburn hair on the edge of the platform.
"…And Hannah. Do you have any last words?"
The only response he received was little Miriam's sobs. She wasn't any older than seven, much too young to be killed for treason.
Travis finally spoke up, "I only ask that you spare my daughters."
"At least spare Miriam!" Hannah pleaded through her tears. "She doesn't know anything about treason or betrayal. Look at how small she is!"
As Link stared on, he let the bouquet slip from his grasp. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He watched as the official shook his head and signaled the unseen executioner. He watched as Miriam let out one final cry before she was pushed from the platform, her screams suddenly cut off. He watched as Travis and Lyla offered one last sorrowful, loving look to each other as they, too, were killed before their daughter's eyes.
The throng of people were shouting and sobbing at the sight of the three limp bodies, hung for no reason. The executioner grasped Hannah's arms that were tightly tied behind her back and forced her to step onto the edge of the platform. Miraculously, she spotted Link in the crows at the very last moment and gave him one last smile.
The people nearly exploded in anger at the sight. A whole family killed! And all because of the madness and paranoia of one man. Link didn't shout and carry on with the others. He simply stared, his expression blank.
"Oh?" The official suddenly laid eyes on Link. "There he is. Guards, take him away."
"What?!" Link yelled, finally finding his voice. "What did I do?"
The people were now silent, all facing Link. "The Army Head has been murdered," the noble announced. "And it's quite obvious you did it. Your 'friendship' was a ploy to take his place. And these rats helped you pull it off." He gestured to the hanging family. "However, the king has decided to have mercy on your poor soul and put you in jail."
"Is that true?" one woman asked, her voice full of fright.
"Even the king wouldn't kill the Army Head! He was his sole protector!" another shouted.
"Is this real?"
"Must be!"
"The boy's the only one who could have done it!"
Link looked around him fearfully. The people were all glaring at him accusingly. The king's paranoia spread to them. They were willing to take any chance to be safe, including ignoring proof that the accused an innocent. Link abruptly felt his arms being restrained behind his back by guards. Still in shock, he made no attempt to fight back. Instead, he allowed them to confiscate his sword, the one Robin gave him, and drag him off to the dungeons.
The cell was cold and damp. Link would've used his cape to keep warm, but the guards confiscated it. In fact, the confiscated all his clothes and replaced them with new ones: a green shirt and a filthy forest green kilt. He felt like an idiot in it, but it was better than nothing at all. He crouched shivering in the corner of the stone dungeon, awaiting the king. He had requested an audience with Herold, including Robin's body. Link was frightened to see his former mentor's body, but he had to see for himself.
Finally, he heard footsteps coming down the hall. King Herold stood in front of him past the cell bars, clothed in a heavy red coat and warm black pants. He was adorned with jewelry of all kind, but the noble appearance was ruined by the scared expression on his decrepit face.
"What are you doing back there?" the king asked, hiding well his shaking voice. "You look like a caged animal. Though I suppose you have the same worth. No matter. I quite prefer you back there." Link didn't reply. He didn't even glare at his enemy. He simply sat hugging himself in the corner. "Do you speak? Oh, well. I'll think nothing of it. Guards!" he shouted down the hall. "Bring in Robin's remains!"
A man walked in proudly, a body in his arms. He threw it down on the ground nonchalantly and held up the head by its pitch black hair for Link to see. Robin was covered in small cuts, obviously having put up a fight, but a large wound through his heart must've done him in. Though the sight was unsettling itself, the worst part was Robin's dual-colored eyes, usually full of life and laughter, glazed over and blank. Link studied it for a few moments before nodding his head, signaling the guard to take Robin's body away.
"Do you have any questions?" Herold asked.
Link rested his chin on his knees and averted his gaze. "Why?"
Herold furrowed his eyebrows suspiciously. "Be more specific, boy."
"Why didn't you kill me? Why did you just lock me up?"
"O-Oh, that…" Herold's sane demeanor melted away as his grey eyes grew wide and he began fumbling with his hands. "I-If I killed you, your ghost w-would've come after me… You're the most stubborn thing I've ever seen, s-so I… A-And you deserve to suffer for what you've done. You were p-plotting to take the th-throne from me, weren't you?"
Link found the attitude in himself to smirk. "I would deny that, but you wouldn't believe me."
"Robin… He was plotting against me too…" Herold held his head in his hands, shutting his eyes tight. "But he's gone now. S-So I don't have to worry anymore… But what i-if you get out…?" He gasped in realization. "Guards! Shackle him to the wall!"
And that's how Link got in this position. Quite the tale, eh? Yet it wasn't one of tragedy. It was one of boredom. As the guards came to give him food and such, he put on a sarcastic mask to annoy them. Over time that mask became his true face. Soon he couldn't even think of himself as the person he used to be. If life were a novel, he would be the side character with little personality whom no one cared about.
"Link, where are you?"
Ah, Lucas. Lucas was such a good child. He was a trainee in the army. He always looked up to Link, who was ten years his senior. He would constantly run up with curious questions.
"Link, how do you shoot a bow?"
"Link, how do you make a fire?"
"Link, how can I be cooler like you?"
Well, that was all before the arrest. Lucas was brainwashed along with everyone else into thinking Link was a psychopath. Did it hurt the first time Lucas cursed and spit at him? Yes, of course. But over time, Link convinced himself it was amusing. How odd. Link never considered himself a good liar, but he kept lying to himself. He even began to believe these lies and was transformed into a whole new person. (Sadly, he wasn't able to convince himself the prison food tasted good.) He used to ignore any cynical comments thrown his way. Now sarcasm became his shield.
Link's thoughts were thrown off by a large group of soldiers led by Lucas skidded to a halt in front of his cell. He had to take a moment to stare. This was his first time in four years seeing so many people at once. There must have been thirty of them. And to think he used to be surrounded by hundreds in the training grounds!
"Link," Lucas sighed in relief. He wore a smile Link hadn't seen in years. "You're still here."
Link quirked an eyebrow. "Where would I go?"
"Oh, yeah," Lucas laughed shakily. "Um, turns out that stuff you were accused for was false…"
"There are a lot of monsters outside," another soldier, Colby, cut in. Like Lucas, he also used to look up to Link like an older brother. Colby, however, lacked Lucas's innocence. "We have no idea where they came from. They overran the settlements all of a sudden. Our soldiers can't hold them off, so we thought we'd come to our strongest warrior for help." His final line prompted hopeful smiles from the group.
"You're all fools," Link scoffed, smirking at their rashness. "How can one man make a difference? You could be out fighting the monsters right now but you came to me." After a pause, he looked up and narrowed his gaze at Lucas in particular. "How did you even know I was innocent?"
"The monsters attacked the king," Lucas confessed guiltily. "We came to help, but he wanted to run away. We threatened him when he said that. What king of king runs when his people are suffering? Ad then he confessed to a bunch of stuff he did and, well, you were on the list."
A moment of awkward silence hung in the air, broken by a small chuckle from Link.
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" he asked. "I can't do a lot of fighting when I'm tied up like this."
"O-Oh, right." Lucas turned to Colby and nodded. Colby unhooked a ring of keys from the belt of his tunic and unlocked the door. He proceeded to undo Link's shackles. The former prisoner rubbed his wrists, frowning at the red ring that formed around them. It was nothing new; it was just a reminder of his time shackled to the wall whenever he was free to walk around. No matter. He was free now, so why should he care.
"By the way," Colby said. He turned to a fellow soldier and took a bundle of clothes from his arms, throwing them on Link's lap. "I think you'll need these. Elis packed them away when you were arrested." He nodded to a short, timid redhead who hid his face from view. Elis had always been shy, never speaking a word and constantly fumbling with his hands. Link seemed to be the only one he trusted, being the only one he trained with.
Link studied the fabric that was given to him. It was the green tunic and cap he always wore, complete with the white leggings and red cape Robin gave him. Apparently prison toughened him because he showed little emotion to the cape. However, he found it in himself to smile sincerely at Elis whose face became red with embarrassment.
"There's no time to waste," Colby announced. "Everyone, hurry outside and protect everyone. Link…" He nodded to his former mentor. "Just hurry."
Link stared out into the field from the castle entrance. Bloodied bodies of soldiers and innocents littered the ground, the king included. Hordes of monsters, many of which Link had never encountered in his life, flooded the land as far as the eye could see. He stood side-by-side with Lucas, Colby, Elis, and a few others.
"Man," Colby breathed, running a hand through his sandy hair. "It's gotten even worse since we went into the dungeons."
"That fast?" Link asked uncaringly. "There must be a source they're coming from. We should search for that first and then finish off whatever's left."
The group of soldiers nodded in agreement. As they began to go into the depths of the horde, Elis tugged on Link's sleeve hesitantly. Link turned to him, giving him a questioning expression. Elis then panicked and hastily unsheathed on of two swords on his hip and held it out.
"Thanks," Link smiled, recognizing the golden hilt. It was obviously the sword given to him by Robin. "Let's not waste any more time."
For every monster they cut down, ten more took its place. The soldiers were doing an exceptional job, but it wasn't enough. However, Link was more irritated by his tunic now being red than green. Red never look particularly good on him. And besides that the vermin went down with one stab through the heart, so they weren't too much of a nuisance. Not even Elis, who was at the bottom rankings, was doing just fine.
"Link, we've been fighting for hours," Lucas panted, slamming the hilt of his sword into an annoying blue Bokoblin to stop its unending screeching. "And we're not making a dent in their numbers."
"It's alright," Link replied calmly, doing away with another red Bokoblin. "They aren't very strong. They won't-"
Suddenly an agonized scream sounded from behind them. They both turned around urgently to see Elis clutching his bleeding arm. Standing over him was a four-armed skeleton brandishing a giant blade in each arm. Elis's upper arm was no doubt broken judging by the tears flowing from his eyes.
"What is that thing?!" Colby gasped from a few feet away.
"I've never seen one before," Lucas added fearfully.
"I had to say something," Link sighed. "Colby! Take Elis back to castle and patch him up." Colby immediately hoisted Elis's good arm over his shoulder and hobbled off to the castle. "Lucas, hold off the other small fry. I'll see what I can do about the skeleton."
"Wait, Link!" Lucas shouted. He jabbed a finger up to the darkened sky, his eyes wide in alarm. "Look up there!"
Link followed his finger to a giant red bird in the sky. It circled around a few times before it began to descend towards the land. The surrounding archers nocked their arrows and took aim.
"Wait!" Link stopped them firmly, holding up his hand. "Don't shoot. There's a person riding it."
"A person?" Lucas repeated incredulously. "Ridiculous! How could a person tame a monster?"
Still, the soldiers cleared a spot for the bird to land. It shook out its crimson feather and opened its shoebill-shaped beak to let out a screech, causing all the monsters in the vicinity to run away in fear. Sure enough, a person hopped down gracefully from the bird's back. However, it was nothing like Link had pictured. Instead of a proud warrior, he was instead greeted with an elegant young woman, full of grace and beauty. Her golden hair reached down to her hips, complementing her simple pure white gown. Her lavender sandals dug into the dirt as she gazed at Link directly. While the other warriors were captivated by her beauty, even stopping their battles to stare, Link met her gaze without a clear expression.
"Hello," she said, even her voice resonating pure elegance. She smiled kindly at him. "You are Link, yes?" He simply nodded in response. "My name is Hylia, the Goddess of this land."
"Hylia?" Lucas scoffed. "Don't try to imposter as Her Grace."
"I'm not an imposter," Hylia replied in retaliation. Her voice was firm and clear like a mother telling off her child. "I have come to aid you all. And Link…" Her smile returned at the sound of his name. "I've been watching you for a while now. Your true potential has yet to be discovered, but you still fight better than any warrior I've laid eyes on. So… Shall you join me in this battle?"
Link couldn't help but scoff at her words. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. I'm no great warrior and I have no honor. I've been imprisoned for four years."
"That means nothing," Hylia defended. "Won't you help this land you love so much?"
"I never said that," Link replied. "I simply have no right to battle beside the Goddess herself."
Hylia furrowed her eyebrows at the statement. "You were chosen for a reason. Will you go against my command?" She was met with silence. "I didn't think so. Now, we must go back to the castle so I can explain what is happening."
*WHOA! This was quite the chapter. *_* I would've gone longer, but I didn't want to make it TOO long. I'm still working on part two! Hopefully the italics didn't bother you too much. =w= Bah… I was getting so into this since the Hero is such a special character to me. I hope it shows! :) Please review and tell me what you think! And thank you to the two guests for their lovely reviews! ^^
K bye.*