AN: This first chapter is in two parts. They were actually supposed to be
two chapters, but while important, they're short and a little boring, so I
decided to combine them. Stick with me, I promise the next chapter rocks.
The Princess Zelda of Hyrule, leader of the seven sages and Matriarch of the House of Harkinian, sat quietly in the great hall of Hyrule Castle, awaiting the arrival of her father, the King. He had requested an audience with his daughter. Zelda had been wondering what her father could want to talk about, but had not long to wait, for the King entered shortly.
"Ah, Zelda," he said cheerfully.
"Father," she smiled. "It has been so long since wo could speak without worrying about Ganon, hasn't it?"
"Too long, really," he said. "Let us not dwell on the past. I asked you here today that we may speak of the future."
"The future?" Zelda wondered.
"Yes," the King answered. "But first, there is a bit of history that you should know….Do you remember that day, seven years ago, that Ganondorf initially revolted?"
"How could I forget," she murmured, suddenly remembering screams, flames, and terrible panic, all flowing through her at once—
"I am sorry to make you remember that," her father apologized, jerking her back into the present. "What you might not know, is that that day, Ganondorf threatened to kill me."
"He didn't!" She exclaimed.
"Yes, he did, and he would have succeeded, too, had there not been spells placed on me for defense. Instead of killing me, his curse was warped. As it were, I would not be killed by the curse until the Triforce was at peace."
"And the Triforce is at peace," Zelda said, realizing what that meant. "Then you will…die." It was hard for her to say.
"I will," he said. "But first, I must choose an heir." The king paused, looking at his daughter. He sighed. "A part of me wishes that you had been born a boy, my dear. There is no one I would rather entrust the throne to. However, the laws clearly state…." He trailed off.
"Then you have made your decision?" she asked blankly, still in a state of shock over the news.
"Yes. The one who will become my heir, is Link."
"Link?" she said, startled out of her shroud of gloom. "But he is not one to rule a kingdom! He likes adventures, and battles, and roaming—"
"And that's exactly why it must be he," the king interrupted.
"I don't understand," his daughter said quietly.
He turned away and strode over to the window. As he looked out over that particular courtyard that was outside, he said, "Because he will find a way out. He will somehow make it so that Hyrule does not need him to rule. And…perhaps his ambitions will lead him to realize a dream of mine…."
"You mean, rule by the people, like in ancient Holodrum?" Zelda asked. "Well, it is not impossible, but—"
"I have faith in him," The king interrupted, not wanting to hear what she would say next: that it would be very difficult to accomplish, and may not work.
The princess got up and went over to her father. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "You are a good man, father, and a wise king. I am sure your choice is for the best," she said, doing her best to mean every word.
"There will be a banquet in a week's time to officially inform Link of his new royal position," he told her. "Invitations have already been sent out."
"Will you still be…with us…then?" she shakily asked.
"If it kills me," the king smiled. "My wise Princess Zelda…what kind of afterlife can I possibly have without you and your mother?"
This was simply too much for Zelda. She turned and ran from the room, even as her blue eyes filled with tears. The king watched her go.
The arrow, painstakingly whittled and fletched to perfection, cut through the air in a perfect line, hitting the handcrafted archery target right on the bull's-eye, and it did not stop there, it went straight through the wood so that only the end of a feather was still visible. Fifty feet away, Link grinned. It was his best shot yet, easily. He directed his palomino horse, Epona, toward the target so thet he could retrieve the arrow, but upon his arrival found that it was wedged so solidly that he could do nothing more than cut the end off. Good enough for him. He did so and returned to his shooting distance. Link let fly with two more arrows, both of them hitting the center as well. After that, he found that his quiver was empty, so he gathered his things and struck out for home.
It had been only a month and a half or so since Ganon was destroyed, but Hyrule's landscape looked as though it had been a decade. The flowers were blooming again, the birds were singing again, and there was no longer a freezing wind blowing in from the east. Long-thought-extinct rabbits hopped out of the way of Epona's hooves as she and her rider crossed the great plains of Hyrule Field, where the sun was in the 1:00 position. Link was glad that it was now only a memory of when the sun didn't dare to shine.
Out of the corner of his eye, Link suddenly saw movement. He reined in his horse and viewed a royal scout crossing the great field, headed right for him. Link called a greeting. "Hey-ho?"
"Greetings, Link!" the scout yelled back. He continued across the field on his bay, stopping when he reached Link. Then he dismounted and bowed. Link nodded in return. "I've an invitation for you," the scout said, drawing out a scroll an handing it to Link. The red wax seal was stamped with the Triforce mark. "Thanks," Link said. The scout bowed again, mounted his horse and rode off. Link watched him go, then opened the seal and read the letter:
TO LINK, THE HERO OF TIME:
HIS MOST ROYAL MAJESTY, KING HARKINIAN XIII, RULER OF THE NATION OF HYRULE, HIS WIFE, QUEEN JASPELA, AND HIS DAUGHTER, PRINCESS ZELDA II, WISH TO CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO A BANQUET IN YOUR HONOR IN THREE DAYS AT 19:00 IN THE GREAT HALL OF HYRULE CASTLE. PLEASE SHOW THIS INVITATION AT THE DOOR. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PRESENCE.
SINCERELY,
GIBSY
MASTER OF PALACE CEREMONIES
Link rolled the letter back up. A banquet in his honor….whatever for? Probably the whole hero thing. He tucked the parchment into a saddlebag and continued towards the forest. It would be a very interesting week.
Link made it to his home around 2:15. He put Epona into her adjacent stall, filled her water trough and feed bag , and went into his cabin. He lived simply; ever since he'd learned he was a Hylian, life with the Kokiri was no longer satisfying, so he'd elected to build a cabin outside of the village and live alone with Epona. He'd visit from time to time, and it would always be home, but he just didn't fit in there. Come to think of it, he never had, except in the eyes of Saria. The green-haired forest girl had always been his best friend, save for maybe Epona. Recently, however, he'd learned she had had a crush on him, which put a bit of a damper on their relationship, but he was choosing to ignore this fact.
Link had friends outside the forest as well. He'd managed to stay close to Malon, the girl from Lon Lon Ranch who gave him Epona, as well as her father, Talon. As a matter of fact, Link was to marry Malon in the spring. It had been Talon's idea, but Link had had a crush on Malon since he first met her in the castle town square all those years ago, and most certainly did not mind. He was also still friends with Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, Darunia, the Sage of Fire, and Darunia's son, who was named after Link. He divided his time between visiting these people, practicing his archery, building things, looking after Epona, gathering food and water, and, when there was nothing else to do, just roaming. It was a good life, if a little dull, and though he did get bored now and again, Link enjoyed it. Lately, however, Link had been hearing some disturbing news from Saria, news about monsters suddenly appearing out of nowhere and attacking villages. There had not been any major problems that she told him of, though, and besides, Saria did like to play tricks. It was probably nothing…and anyway, Link ought to be using his mental energies to focus on his banquet in three days! He began to wonder what it would be like. Perhaps he'd be received by the king personally! But then….What was he supposed to look like? Should he bring his weapons, or was that disrespectful? Link puzzled over this new conundrum, hoping to have figured it out by the banquet.
The Princess Zelda of Hyrule, leader of the seven sages and Matriarch of the House of Harkinian, sat quietly in the great hall of Hyrule Castle, awaiting the arrival of her father, the King. He had requested an audience with his daughter. Zelda had been wondering what her father could want to talk about, but had not long to wait, for the King entered shortly.
"Ah, Zelda," he said cheerfully.
"Father," she smiled. "It has been so long since wo could speak without worrying about Ganon, hasn't it?"
"Too long, really," he said. "Let us not dwell on the past. I asked you here today that we may speak of the future."
"The future?" Zelda wondered.
"Yes," the King answered. "But first, there is a bit of history that you should know….Do you remember that day, seven years ago, that Ganondorf initially revolted?"
"How could I forget," she murmured, suddenly remembering screams, flames, and terrible panic, all flowing through her at once—
"I am sorry to make you remember that," her father apologized, jerking her back into the present. "What you might not know, is that that day, Ganondorf threatened to kill me."
"He didn't!" She exclaimed.
"Yes, he did, and he would have succeeded, too, had there not been spells placed on me for defense. Instead of killing me, his curse was warped. As it were, I would not be killed by the curse until the Triforce was at peace."
"And the Triforce is at peace," Zelda said, realizing what that meant. "Then you will…die." It was hard for her to say.
"I will," he said. "But first, I must choose an heir." The king paused, looking at his daughter. He sighed. "A part of me wishes that you had been born a boy, my dear. There is no one I would rather entrust the throne to. However, the laws clearly state…." He trailed off.
"Then you have made your decision?" she asked blankly, still in a state of shock over the news.
"Yes. The one who will become my heir, is Link."
"Link?" she said, startled out of her shroud of gloom. "But he is not one to rule a kingdom! He likes adventures, and battles, and roaming—"
"And that's exactly why it must be he," the king interrupted.
"I don't understand," his daughter said quietly.
He turned away and strode over to the window. As he looked out over that particular courtyard that was outside, he said, "Because he will find a way out. He will somehow make it so that Hyrule does not need him to rule. And…perhaps his ambitions will lead him to realize a dream of mine…."
"You mean, rule by the people, like in ancient Holodrum?" Zelda asked. "Well, it is not impossible, but—"
"I have faith in him," The king interrupted, not wanting to hear what she would say next: that it would be very difficult to accomplish, and may not work.
The princess got up and went over to her father. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "You are a good man, father, and a wise king. I am sure your choice is for the best," she said, doing her best to mean every word.
"There will be a banquet in a week's time to officially inform Link of his new royal position," he told her. "Invitations have already been sent out."
"Will you still be…with us…then?" she shakily asked.
"If it kills me," the king smiled. "My wise Princess Zelda…what kind of afterlife can I possibly have without you and your mother?"
This was simply too much for Zelda. She turned and ran from the room, even as her blue eyes filled with tears. The king watched her go.
The arrow, painstakingly whittled and fletched to perfection, cut through the air in a perfect line, hitting the handcrafted archery target right on the bull's-eye, and it did not stop there, it went straight through the wood so that only the end of a feather was still visible. Fifty feet away, Link grinned. It was his best shot yet, easily. He directed his palomino horse, Epona, toward the target so thet he could retrieve the arrow, but upon his arrival found that it was wedged so solidly that he could do nothing more than cut the end off. Good enough for him. He did so and returned to his shooting distance. Link let fly with two more arrows, both of them hitting the center as well. After that, he found that his quiver was empty, so he gathered his things and struck out for home.
It had been only a month and a half or so since Ganon was destroyed, but Hyrule's landscape looked as though it had been a decade. The flowers were blooming again, the birds were singing again, and there was no longer a freezing wind blowing in from the east. Long-thought-extinct rabbits hopped out of the way of Epona's hooves as she and her rider crossed the great plains of Hyrule Field, where the sun was in the 1:00 position. Link was glad that it was now only a memory of when the sun didn't dare to shine.
Out of the corner of his eye, Link suddenly saw movement. He reined in his horse and viewed a royal scout crossing the great field, headed right for him. Link called a greeting. "Hey-ho?"
"Greetings, Link!" the scout yelled back. He continued across the field on his bay, stopping when he reached Link. Then he dismounted and bowed. Link nodded in return. "I've an invitation for you," the scout said, drawing out a scroll an handing it to Link. The red wax seal was stamped with the Triforce mark. "Thanks," Link said. The scout bowed again, mounted his horse and rode off. Link watched him go, then opened the seal and read the letter:
TO LINK, THE HERO OF TIME:
HIS MOST ROYAL MAJESTY, KING HARKINIAN XIII, RULER OF THE NATION OF HYRULE, HIS WIFE, QUEEN JASPELA, AND HIS DAUGHTER, PRINCESS ZELDA II, WISH TO CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO A BANQUET IN YOUR HONOR IN THREE DAYS AT 19:00 IN THE GREAT HALL OF HYRULE CASTLE. PLEASE SHOW THIS INVITATION AT THE DOOR. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PRESENCE.
SINCERELY,
GIBSY
MASTER OF PALACE CEREMONIES
Link rolled the letter back up. A banquet in his honor….whatever for? Probably the whole hero thing. He tucked the parchment into a saddlebag and continued towards the forest. It would be a very interesting week.
Link made it to his home around 2:15. He put Epona into her adjacent stall, filled her water trough and feed bag , and went into his cabin. He lived simply; ever since he'd learned he was a Hylian, life with the Kokiri was no longer satisfying, so he'd elected to build a cabin outside of the village and live alone with Epona. He'd visit from time to time, and it would always be home, but he just didn't fit in there. Come to think of it, he never had, except in the eyes of Saria. The green-haired forest girl had always been his best friend, save for maybe Epona. Recently, however, he'd learned she had had a crush on him, which put a bit of a damper on their relationship, but he was choosing to ignore this fact.
Link had friends outside the forest as well. He'd managed to stay close to Malon, the girl from Lon Lon Ranch who gave him Epona, as well as her father, Talon. As a matter of fact, Link was to marry Malon in the spring. It had been Talon's idea, but Link had had a crush on Malon since he first met her in the castle town square all those years ago, and most certainly did not mind. He was also still friends with Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, Darunia, the Sage of Fire, and Darunia's son, who was named after Link. He divided his time between visiting these people, practicing his archery, building things, looking after Epona, gathering food and water, and, when there was nothing else to do, just roaming. It was a good life, if a little dull, and though he did get bored now and again, Link enjoyed it. Lately, however, Link had been hearing some disturbing news from Saria, news about monsters suddenly appearing out of nowhere and attacking villages. There had not been any major problems that she told him of, though, and besides, Saria did like to play tricks. It was probably nothing…and anyway, Link ought to be using his mental energies to focus on his banquet in three days! He began to wonder what it would be like. Perhaps he'd be received by the king personally! But then….What was he supposed to look like? Should he bring his weapons, or was that disrespectful? Link puzzled over this new conundrum, hoping to have figured it out by the banquet.