PRE tags once again. Hopefully they don't mess it up too bad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Struggle marches onward. I am Omega, the end. I am the end of all. I shall emerge victorious. The Struggle marches onward. I am Gemini, the last ray of hope. I am the hero. I must emerge victorious. This new figure, this man, he must die. His death is wanted by those below. He shall die by my hand. This new figure, this man, he must live. His fate concerns all the land. He shall survive aided by my hand. The Darkness shall take those who are unfaithful. The Storms will defeat the Dark. Link was munching on some sweet, juicy tsari fruits for breakfast when the door slammed opened. Link dropped to the ground and attacked the intruder with a sweep-kick, knocking him to the floor. He came up and looked upon the intruder, and saw it was a boy, no more than thirteen, bearing the royal crest on one of his shoulders. A messenger from the Royal Family, with a message, no doubt. Link extended a hand and helped the terrified youth to his feet. "I'm sorry," Link said apologetically, "Reflex action. You should have knocked." The youth, startled beyond belief, nervously recited his message, and then dashed out the door: "B-b-b-by o-o-rder of the Royal F-f-f-amily you are too report to the c-c-castle immediately. G-g-g-go strai-strai-straight to the throne r-r-r-r-room..." the last word was said as he bolted for the door. Link watched the youth go, and then slammed his hand into the table. "Goddamit! What does the Royal Family want now? I serve 16 months defending the border, for what? Beans, and shit! Duty my ass! They probably want me to kill the King of Sosaria, or some sort of nonsense like that..." grumbling to himself, Link opened his closet and strapped on his sword and shield. He took a step out the door, and breathed deeply. It was spring, and several birds chirped on a nearby branch. The flowers were in full bloom. The land was truly beautiful, hiding it's dark secrets and evil past in a veil of kindness. The Royal Castle was about a mile away, and it thus it was a short walk. Two guards attempted to impede Link's progress at the gates, but the hero shot them each an icy look, forged by the hell in which he lived, and they let him pass. The green-clad hero walked with a swagger that awed most of the common soldiers, and his sword, swinging by his side, awed them even more. Link would need this, for his encounter with the Royal Family was not going to be very pleasant. Zelda paced nervously in about in the throne room, her father and eleven sisters seated comfortably on their thrones. The eleven woman who sat upon their ebony thrones were not Zelda's sisters by blood, and they were situated well below Zelda in the royal hierarchy, but since Hyrule's noble families were dead, the Royal Family had adopted the young women. "Daughter, please, calm down!" begged King Farkor. "Father, I don't believe what we are doing is right. Link just spent over a year defending the northern borders. Granted, this is a far less difficult assignment, but even then, I do not condone it." Zelda replied sharply. Farkor grew angry. He did not like to be told what to do, not even by his daughter. "I do not care if you do not condone it, I have already decided on this course of action. I warn you not to protest." the King warned. Zelda fell silent. Link had moved through the massive structure without significant event. The huge wooden doors to the throne room reminded him of Kakairko gates, and that spurred a slight flicker in his memory. He shrugged it off, and boldly push them open. Eleven woman and King Farkor sat upon ebony thrones, backed by the dazzling, marble splendor of the throne room. Link noticed that one of the thrones was empty, and saw Zelda standing. Wait a moment...standing? The sight made Link feel somewhat uncomfortable, and he flinched ever so slightly. "Link!" boomed King Farkor, "Do you know why you have been called?" Link, not trusting his voice, merely shook his head. Farkor visisbly snickered, to annoy Link more than anything else. "Prince Sosaria of Sosaria has been captured by Hylian bandits while inspecting several fortresses on the border." the last words came sharply. Hyrule was not on good terms with Sosaria. Link did not doubt that Farkor had hired those theives so he could come in, rescue the prince, and then force the Sosarians to respect Hyrule. Link could guess at what came next. "I want you to rescue Prince Sosaria from the theives. They are stationed within the heart of the Lost Woods. Go now, and let nothing stop you." the King ordered. A fire grew in Link's eyes. "Why should I?" he spat. The King became enraged. "It is your duty to your country, and to your king. Go now, before dire consequences befall you." the King warned in an icy tone. Link grumbled, and he was gone. The hunter raised fit his bow with a sleek wooden arrow and drew his bow-string. It was spring, and so the hunter lived in the forest, where game was plentiful. When winter came, he would withdraw to the mountains, where the caves and ledges provided shelter against the wind and snow. The hunter had no name, could barely speak in it's own language, so given over was he to his primal instincts. His senses were finely attuned, and though he could barely speak the language of Hylians, he shared a sort of telepathy with animals. He found his prey, a fat deer grazing lazily on some grass. From his vantage point in the trees, the hunter fired his bow with a *twang*. The arrow flew straight and true, and pierced the skin of the animal, who died within several seconds. The hunter had never missed a shot in his life. Jumping down from the tree tops, the man inspected his kill, just as a hawk cried out to him. The hunter absent-mindedly raised his left arm, and a red-tailed hawk settled down on it. The hawk screeched something, and immediatly the hunter became alert. He dashed off through the forest, leaving his kill behind, the first time in the four years since he had left civilization. He came to a wide clearing deep within the forest, and found three men, one bound by rope, and gagged, wearing ropes of purple and red. The other decked out in green, a sharp blade in his left hand and a shield in his right. The third had skin paler than the hunter's, with blue hair and a black outfit. The hunter could not make out his eyes. Suddenly, a long, thing blade appeared in the pale man's hand. The green-clad man lunged at the one wearing black, and a violent battle ensued. Suddenly, a dark-skinned man with black armor leapt out of a tree and toppled the pale man to the ground. The hunter, interested, continued to watch the battle.... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
