"Link, what are you doing?" shouted Garrick. He ran a large hand through his dark hair. "Just let go of the damn fish, you stubborn old fool!"
The burning sun reflected off the azure water of Lake Hylia. Clouds were nowhere in sight. Seagulls noisily patrolled the shoreline, searching for the tiniest scraps of food. The water slowly advanced and retreated, bringing soft, white foam with it. Horses roamed the green, open fields nearby. Tall, ominous mountains surrounded the lake. A beautiful place for relaxation for everybody, young or old. Well, maybe not everybody.
"Hey, I may be stubborn and I may be a fool, but I am far from old!" Link yelled. He was waist deep in water, struggling to hold on to his catch. His rod almost snapped.
"This one will get away, I just know it," Garrick predicted.
"Well, well. You want to make a wager? Fifty rupees say I catch this lunker," Link challenged. He gave a yank and the fish came closer to him. Link grinned.
"You're on!"
Soon, the fish was almost within Link's grasp. He reached out with one hand while holding the pole in the other.
"Haha! I told you I'd catch this fish! I'm always righ-aah!"
The fish somehow managed to pull Link off his feet and right into the lake. Just when Link thought it was over, his catch dragged him across the lake. He skidded across the water, leaving a trail of foam in his wake and distorting the sun's reflection.
"Link, let go of the blasted rod!" Garrick called from the shore.
Link yelled back, "N-no, I-I'm not losing this b-bet!" His arms almost ripped from his sockets as the fish made a sharp turn, skimming the coastline.
Link, with one eye open, spotted a dead branch sticking out of the water. As the fish dragged him to the branch, Link grabbed on with his free hand. He felt ready to split in two with the fish frantically trying to swim away. He asked himself if this bet worth anymore trouble. Link looked at Garrick's smug expression.
Yes. Yes, It was.
Link turned back to the fish. "You're mine."
Soaking wet, he hooked his feet on the branch. With both of his hands free, Link reeled his line as strong as he could. The fish inched closer and closer until it was again within his grasp.
"Not this time," Link said as he grabbed the fish. A big fish.
The fish struggled and squirmed, trying to escape Link's grasp. Somehow, he managed to hold on, despite the slippery slime on the fish. Link, with his dripping brown hair, rushed to the shore and tossed the fish on the sand. It flopped around a few times in vain then stopped.
Link put his hands on his waist and looked over his new prize. He chuckled.
"Well, look what we have here. A real fine catch. I'd estimate..." Link picked up the dead fish and lifted it. "Twenty pounds."
"Ah, Link, you proved me wrong once again. But, a bet is a bet," Garrick said as he pulled a small pouch from his belt. He pulled out four small gems that glinted beautifully in the sunlight. "Here's your money."
"Thanks."
"Let's do something else next time, like archery," Garrick suggested.
"Sure thing, buddy," said Link with a cocky smile.
Garrick looked at the fish. "What say we cook that fish and eat it? I'm starved." His stomach growled.
Pointing a finger at his friend, Link said, "You can cook the fish and you can eat the fish. I'm going to take a long rest."
The lights in the room were dim. Candles were placed in small niches. Beautiful tapestries covered the wall, making it seem less foreboding. On one side of the room was Princess Zelda, asleep on a large bed. She no longer was a little girl but was now a young, beautiful woman of about twenty. However, she had been alive for much longer.
Centuries ago, a sorcerer skilled in the black arts appeared and cast a powerful spell on the princess. While retaining her youth, the princess would sleep forever until a descendant of the Bearers of the Master Sword awakened her. His name was Link, coincidentally named after his ancestors, the Hero of Time and the Conqueror of Darkness, both Bearers of the Master Sword. He had waken her from her deep slumber only a few days ago, and the princess was getting acquainted with her new surroundings.
An old woman limped toward the princess, bearing a tray of bread and cup of steaming tea, made from the crushed leaves of the Lyrie Tree. She set the tray on a wooden table beside the bed and sat on a stool. She looked down at the princess and stroked her hair with a wrinkled hand.
"Princess, wake up," the woman whispered softly.
Zelda turned over to the side and pulled the covers over her.
"Five more minutes, Dad," she said sleepily.
The woman just looked at Zelda sadly. She gently shook the sleeping princess.
Zelda awoke with a small yawn. She stretched and sat up. A cold, sharp breeze blew in from an open window. The princess shivered and wrapped her blanket around her shoulders.
"Yes, please," said the princess as she sipped her tea. "Thank you, uh..."
"Impa," the woman answered with a smile.
Zelda looked surprised. "Impa? That was the name of my caretaker when I was a little girl. That was a long time ago...."
"She must be one of my ancestors. But I thought she was the leader of a tribe."
Zelda looked at her tea, small wisps of smoke rising from it. "She used to be the leader of the Sheikahs, before... we came."
"We?" Impa asked.
"The Hylians. Before we came, the Sheikah were the rulers of Hyrule at the time."
This time, it was Impa's turn to look surprised. Her grandparents had never told her that the woman whose name she bore was not only the leader of the Sheikahs but also the leader of Hyrule. A proud smile formed on Impa's lips. When she glanced at Zelda's face, it disappeared .
"When I was thirteen," continued the princess. "She died." She looked down at the bed with glassy eyes. "A man named Dethyl killed her." Hot tears began to stream down Zelda's eyes.
Impa's hand flung to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, child." She wrapped an arm around Zelda. "It's okay. That was a long time ago. He's gone now."
Zelda laid her head on Impa's shoulder. "I suppose you're right."
"Mmm, that was some great fish.," Garrick said with a smack of his lips.
His friend, still sleeping in his tent, had missed lunch. He could hear him snoring loudly. He let out a small laugh.
"Boy, that fish must've really wiped him out. Glad that I'm not him," Garrick said to himself.
As he watched the dying embers in the fire give off small wisps of gray smoke, he noticed darker clouds of smoke in the distance.
"Wha...." said Garrick as he rose to wake up Link. "Link, wake up!"
"Five more minutes, Dad," he said sleepily.
"I'm not your dad and you will wake up now! Look!" Garrick said as he kicked the tent, causing it to crash down on Link.
Link rose and threw the tent away. "Listen, if you're still mad about before, I can....." He stopped short as he saw the smoke.
Garrick said, "What the hell is that? That isn't any bonfire, I'll tell you that."
"I don't know. Whatever it is, it doesn't look good. Let's go!"
As Link and Garrick saddled up to investigate, they could see the black smoke rising above the trees in the distance. Flocks of squawking birds flew overhead and blocked the sunlight, trying to get away from the choking smoke. Faint screams reached their ears.
Link climbed on his horse, Epona. His friend did the same.
"What about our stuff here?" Garrick waved at their mess.
Link stared at the smoke with a grim look on his face. He checked his side, making sure if his sword was there, just in case. It was. "We'll come back for it. Right now, we have to check this out. Hya!
Link dashed off on his horse, his hair flowing in the wind.
"Great, just great. Aren't we supposed to be off-duty?" With a sigh and a slap, Garrick struggled to keep up with Link, who was a good distance away already. He didn't have to check for his sword. He always kept it on him.
"This is terrible," Link said as he surveyed the damage. "Who did this?"
Stone buildings lay in crumbling ruin while straw huts were charred black. Small patches of fire still scattered the village, sending black wisps of smoke into the air. Bodies littered the ground. Men, women, and children were slaughtered and none were spared. Even the livestock, which were kept on the outskirts of the village, were burned, along with the villager's crops. The rancid scent of burnt animal flesh reached Link and Garrick. Their nostrils twitched with disgust.
"I don't know, but we'll find those bastards," Garrick said as he gazed at the body of a slain boy of about five years. He gritted his teeth.
Link unsheathed his sword. "Let's go look for survivors."
"If there are any," Garrick muttered and pulled out his own sword, its sharp edge gleaming in the sunlight.
Link searched the south side of the village while his friend searched the west side. Neither of them had any luck, only a few blackened bodies. Link and Garrick hurried back to the village square. There was a well in the center, still standing in good condition. The only thing still standing in good condition.
Together, Link and Garrick checked the north and east sides. They called out to see if anybody was there but they only heard silence. Once again, the two of them headed back toward the village square, both of them becoming increasingly frustrated.
"I can't believe this. There is absolutely nothing here. No weapons or clothing, not even footprints. Something is seriously wrong here," Link said. He ran a hand through his brown hair.
"I'll say. We should have been here."
Link just sighed and went to the well to fetch a drink of water. He lowered the bucket down and he was surprised to hear a howl from the bottom of the well.
"Hey! What the...?" a voice yelled. It sounded male.
Link looked at Garrick. They both readied their swords, suspicious of an attack. Link peered down the well but saw darkness.
"Who's down there?" Link asked.
"My name is Leras and I'm stuck down here. Can you get me out? It's cold down here," the man said.
Link looked at his friend again. "What do you think?"
Garrick shrugged his shoulders and said, "We should get him out of there. I don't want an innocent man's blood on my hands." He rubbed the edge of his sword. "That is, if he is innocent."
Link sighed and shook his head. His friend had always been quick to judge strangers. He remembered the first time he had met Garrick.....
While hunting in the woods one day, Garrick had stumbled upon a horde of Moblins. They had beaten him unconscious and taken him captive. He was almost dead when Link suddenly dropped from the trees like an animal. After he had routed the Moblins, Link attended to the near-lifeless hunter. Using herbs he picked from the forest, Link was able to revive him. Unfortunately, Garrick pulled out his sword and engaged him in a fierce duel, leaving Link with a scar on his right arm. However, Link was able to calm Garrick down enough to explain what had happened. He then placed Garrick, exhausted from the battle, on his horse, and they both headed back to the North Castle. Impa, the nursemaid and an expert in medicine, could help relieve their wounds. Garrick soon found out that Link wasn't his enemy, and in exchange for saving his life, Garrick became a knight of Hyrule. By his own will, he decided fight alongside Link for as long as he would live, almost as a penance for the nasty gash in Link's arm. Those events seemed so distant to Link now as he stood by the well.
"Hello? Hey, you up there! I'm still down here! the man shouted.
"All right, all right, we'll get you out. Now hold on to the bucket. We'll pull you up," Link shouted back.
Garrick and Link grabbed the rope and with all their strength, pulled Leras up. He was heavier than they thought.
"You... okay?" Link asked breathlessly as the fat man climbed out of the well.
"Yes, thank you for helping me. I don't know how long I was going to have to hide there."
Link and Garrick looked at the man. "Who did this?" Garrick asked. He waved his hand at the burning remains of the town.
"To tell you the truth, I really don't know. They had hoods over their heads and glowing red eyes." Leras shivered.
"C'mon, we have to get you some dry clothes. Maybe we can find something in one of the houses," Garrick suggested.
The three of them headed toward the nearest house. They opened the wooden door cautiously. Broken glass littered the ground and the stench of burnt flesh hung in the air. They found a long, brown tunic hanging on a peg. Chances were that the owner wasn't going to be wearing them again, and it seemed to be just Leras' size.
Leras grabbed the tunic and went to another room to change. Garrick shuffled silently back and forth.
After a while, Garrick said to Link, "I don't know about this."
"About what?" Link responded.
"About Leras, the town, everything that's happened here. Nobody could have caused this much damage. Plus, I still don't trust that Leras guy."
"I don't trust him anymore than you do, but he could help us find whoever did this. We'll have to take him to the North Castle later for more questioning," Link said. "After that, we'll go to the other towns and warn them."
"Even the ones in East Hyrule?"
Link was silent. Last time he had sailed to East Hyrule, he was very close to dying in the Great Palace while facing his own shadow. Link felt cold all of a sudden. He shuddered.
"Yes, we'll have to tell Nabooru, Kasuto, and Darunia of the attack," Link said slowly. "It's going to take a couple of days., but we have to be quick about it. No telling where the enemy might strike next."
Garrick looked thoughtful. "It can't be Ganon again, can it? What if....?"
"No. Impossible."
"I know how you almost died in the Great Palace. What makes you so sure that one of Ganon's followers hasn't filled a pint of your blood after the fight?" Garrick said.
Again, Link was silent. Could it be Ganon again? He told himself that Ganon was dead and conquered. He couldn't accept that. Too much had been won for it to just be lost again.
"You're right. When we go to warn the people, we'll be sure to mention Ganon. Although an attack on a town doesn't seem to be his style...."
"Yeah, I- what was that?" There was a loud crash in the room where Leras was changing. Link and Garrick both unsheathed their swords instinctively.
A moment later, Leras reassured them. "It's all right. I just tripped on a basket!"
The duo put their weapons away. However, they were still suspicious.
"How long has he been in there?" Garrick muttered.
"Long enough. Leras, hurry up!" Link shouted.
"In a minute!" the fat man said hastily.
Garrick glanced at the side door on the other side of the room. Leras came tumbling through the door, complaining about how the tunic was too tight for him.
"Be sure to keep an eye on him," Garrick said quietly to Link.
Leras gave a small chuckle. "Well, as you can see, um, the tunic was smaller than I thought."
Link cast a sidelong glance at his friend. He whispered to Garrick, "That's not the same tunic that we found on the peg."
Garrick suddenly leaped at Leras and wrestled him to the ground, pinning him in place. He pulled out his sword and held the blade by his throat.
"Who are you?" he growled.
Leras had a look of fear on his eyes. "Wha..."
"Garrick!" Link yelled. "What are you doing?"
The brash hunter responded, "I'm just trying to find out who he really is!" Garrick inched his sword closer towards his prey's throat.
"Please, please, don't kill me. I was just following orders," Leras whimpered.
"Following orders from whom?" Link asked harshly.
Leras looked at the blade. He swallowed heavily. "I...ah... following... from.... from,"
"From who, damn it?!" Garrick's sword cut a small incision in Leras' neck. Red blood trickled from the small gash, staining the tunic.
Link hollered at his partner. "That's enough, Garrick! Get off of him!"
With a disgusted sigh, Garrick got off of Leras. However, he still held his sword at his neck. He gazed at the frightened man with burning eyes.
More calmly, yet with a hint of impatience, Link asked again, "Leras, what were you ordered to do and from whom?"
"I.. uh, was following orders from a woman called Veran. She's the leader of a group of ruffians. I don't know who they are though...," said Leras.
"Were they the ones who attacked the town?" asked Link.
"Yes."
"What did she tell you?" Link pressed.
Leras looked to the side of the room. There was an open window.
Maybe I could make a run for it, he thought.
Aloud, he said, "She ordered me to tell the town guards of a hoard of Daria in the woods plotting to attack the village. But it was just a......"
Suddenly, the three men heard shouting coming from outside. Link moved to the window while Garrick still held his blade at Leras. Many men were assembled in the village square, weapons drawn.
The guards had returned.
"What in the name of Din happened here?"
"Where's my wife?"
"How could this have happened?"
The regiment was in an uproar, with the captain trying his best to calm the panic-stricken soldiers. His efforts were futile and before long, he got down on his knees, cursing in anger and frustration.
Link called from inside the house.
"Hey, out there!"
The startled captain looked up, almost by reflex. He withdrew his sword and pointed it toward the house. The other soldiers did the same.
"Who's in there?" the captain demanded.
Link and Garrick, with a whimpering Leras obediently following behind them, stepped out of the small house. The captain lowered his sword and rushed up to meet Link, an old comrade.
"Link! Garrick!" the captain said. "Glad to see you. But what happened here? Who did this?"
Link said, "That's what we've been trying to figure out, Captain Dias. We saw smoke coming from over the hills while we were at Lake Hylia."
"I think we better inform the princess," said Garrick, "as well as the other towns."
"Good," Dias said. "I'll send a few messengers back to North Castle to inform Princess Zelda. I'm going to divide the troops into five groups and then send them out to inform the other towns."
"Makes our job easier," Link grinned amid all the chaos surrounding him.
Dias continued, "You and Garrick lead groups one and two and head across the sea to Darunia and Nabooru, respectably."
"Before I forget," Link said coldly, "take this man to the dungeons for murder." He handed a frightened Leras over to the captain.
"Will do," said Captain Dias.
Turning to his troop, he raised his voice and said, "To prevent further damage to the other towns, you will be divided into five equal parties. Link and Garrick will lead parties one and two and will head off to Darunia and Nabooru. I will lead a party to go to New Kasuto. Tomorrow morning, our groups will leave for the east. Three of you will be sent back to North Castle, along with this man, who is to be promptly sent to the dungeons. You will also inform the princess of what happened in Saria and tell the perimeter guards to keep watch. Get your things ready. We leave camp in an hour."
Dias immediately sent three of his fastest men off to warn Zelda of the possibility of an attack. The rest of the troop scattered into various factions, preparing supplies and armor. Whatever undamaged crops from the fields they managed to collect they fed to their horses. A man was assigned to fill troughs of water for the horses. Some men, parched after their grueling journey, dunked their heads in the trough along with the horses.
The sun began its slow descent, and the blue sky faded into a pale orange. Birds called in the distance, and the swarm of mosquitoes irritated the troops.
When all was ready, the five groups headed off, one by one, in various directions. Each leader wished the best of luck to their comrades as they departed. Link, Dias, and Garrick's troops were among the last to leave.
"Time to go," Link said to his group as they began to start moving. The captain and his group followed, then Garrick and his men. A fourth group joined them on their journey to Mido.
"Ready?" Garrick asked his regiment.
No one had an answer.