Crystal Tears
Illumination and Mind Games
---
(It's getting late... what if something's happened to him?)
Link's uncle paced back and forth over the hardwood floor of their single room house, if that's what you truly wanted to refer to it as. There were few adornments to ease the simplicity of the home; a bed sat in the corner, a few pots containing various odds and ends sat near the wall, and a single chest sat untouched, containing an ornamental lantern. A few dishes were included for eating off of, and their food was stored beneath the home in a well crafted cellar.
They could have had much, much better... but his brother's words echoed in his mind even as worry for his nephew gnawed at him constantly. "Take him from the castle," he had implored with his dying breath... "He cannot be corrupted by the extravagance his life there would warrant. He cannot be told his origins until he is old enough to understand the world..."
His brother, Arn, had been a smart man. Surely he knew what he was talking about? An honored descendant of the ancient Knights of Hyrule, he and his wife Medelia had enjoyed the status of nobility. Their son was born during an unfortunate uprising which took the lives of many noble soldiers, and of innocent women and children as well... Link's parents had been victims of the short-lived uproar as many others had been. These times were fraught with such fragile peace, peace that could be broken with whispered rumours and the slightest hint of ambition... supporters of the Dark arts and the blacker side of magic emerged every day, joining cults of novice magicians or bands of hardened thieves. Kakariko was the sole refuge against these groups nowadays... yet he was beginning to lose faith in even that peaceful village's ability to ward off evil.
Many said that the growing troubles of the land were attributable to the poisoned Sacred Realm, the Golden Land of legends, and he guessed those assumptions could not be too far from the truth. His nephew was a descendant of knights, and there was some reason to suspect in tracing their family tree that he could even be the distant descendant of the very man responsible for the first triumph over the Evil King, so many centuries ago. Yet he told nothing of this to his nephew, heeding the wishes of his brother. Such knowledge could corrupt his young mind, bring about overconfidence, or laziness, or any number of dishonorable qualities.
Still, he couldn't help but worry if he would wait too long to tell the boy of his legacy.
(He thinks he's just a peasant boy... it pains me that he should be kept so blind of the truth... yet there surely is no other way...)
---
Having spent the majority of the rupees his uncle had entrusted to him in the many merchants' stands of Kakariko, Link prepared for his journey home. He had bought the token food items that his uncle had asked him to find, and several other practical knick knacks -- candles, lamp oil, and other similar necessities. With the remaining gems he had to spend on himself he purchased a few treats to enjoy while his uncle wasn't looking, and a single bottle with a fantastic treasure inside -- a real life fairy!
He meant to release the fairy in the woods before he started back home, knowing that the Lost Woods was the natural home to fairy folk... at least, the ones that didn't hide in fountains. Still, he had never seen such a beautiful creature, and was quite enchanted by the young winged woman in the bottle. The fairy, happy to be freed from the greedy merchant's grasp, and easily able to sense the good intentions of the boy that now posessed her, blew kisses at him through the glass, winking flirtatiously.
Blushing slightly at these actions, Link made his way toward the Lost Woods, knowing full well that he was going to be late home, and his uncle would undoubtedly punish him dearly for it. The forest was widely known to be a hideout for theives and black cults, and those who didn't know the paths well were apt to become lost and die of starvation within the forested maze. He didn't mean to wander too far in... but he soon realized that, lost within the symbolic conversation the fairy and he had engaged in, he had travelled a bit farther than he ever had along the forest path.
He turned behind him, hoping to see the way out before him, but was faced with nothing but a wall of fog. In fact, if not for the benign glow of the fairy he held, he would be completely encased in a blinding white cloud, despite it being mid afternoon. "Great..." he muttered softly, attempting to back track as best he could. Shuffling sounds caught his attention, and his heart quickened as his mind mulled over the various possible sources of these noises. Wolves? Thieves? Worse? Nothing showed through the white curtain.
Sound, however, travelled quite clearly.
"What's a kid like you doing in here?" A gruff voice demanded, causing Link to stumble backward in surprise. The man's hands gripped the front of his tunic, saving him from falling on his rear, but simultaneously putting him a far more threatening situation.
"N..nothing at all," Link stammered out immediately, trying to hide the bottle with the fairy in it as best he could.
"And you expect me to believe that?" The thief laughed uproariously, as though the prospect were the funniest joke he'd ever heard, and tossed the boy backward onto the forest floor. Flailing desperately, trying to soften the landing, Link reflexively shot his hands backwards to cushion the shock of impact. Realizing that he still held the fairy bottle too late, he gasped in horror as he heard the sound of glass breaking, and more alarmingly felt the pain of glass shards digging into his hand.
"What do you have there...?" The thief inquired in awe, as the pink fairy shot straight out of the bottle and right into his face. "If that ain't a fairy..." The man reached a hand out to grab the girl out of the air, but before he could succeed in that the fairy squealed frightfully, summoning something else out of the mists.
A lone wolfos sauntered out, heeding the compelling call of the forest fairy, and prepared to launch itself at the dumbfounded thief. The fairy shouted something in an ancient tongue and the animal sprang, going straight for the throat. Link watched, mouth hanging open, as the man turned and ran for his life, shouting assorted curses as he ran with the wolfos right behind. Eventually the pain in his right hand commanded his attention again, and he held it up to examine it, wincing in expectation.
A single gash ran its way from the skin between his thumb and index finger, across his hand, extending to his wrist. It was fairly deep, and blood ran its way down his hand, splashing on his tunic. The fairy girl quietly winged her way before him, and examined this wound with utmost interest.
"I can take care of that!" She exclaimed brightly, startling him. "Just hold still!"
"You can speak my language?" Link asked her incredulously, watching as she sprinkled some sort of glittery dust on his wound. "Why didn't you before?"
"That's my secret!" She giggled in a high pitched voice. "Consider this my thanks for setting me free... even if it did end up being on accident!"
"I was going to anyway..."
"I know!" She giggled again, winked at him, and prepared to fly away... but a sudden thought held her back. "Hey! You're lost, aren't you?"
"Just a bit," Link sighed wearily, still examining his healed hand in awe. "My uncle is going to kill me..."
"Well, we can't have that!" She exclaimed, horrified. "Here -- I'll show you the way through the forest! Remember it... knowing how to get through the Lost Woods might come in handy some day!"
Link nodded, following her through the trees.
---
Aghanim threw open the doors behind which the King of Hyrule resided, his face full of frustration behind his headpiece. The King looked up in surprise, a gold trimmed pen in one hand, the other resting on a pile of important looking documents. Perhaps peace treaties, new orders, amendments to laws... they could be any one of a plethora of possible documents, but the wizard could care less what the answer was. Before the King could even speak, let alone call for reinforcements from his guards, Aghanim's spell was upon him, bending his mind to the wizard's will.
"Majesty," He greeted, bowing slightly as a formality. "I, a humble travelling magician, request the use of your vast stores of knowledge to aid me on a simple quest I have embarked on..."
"The royal libraries?" The King spoke slowly, his mind befuddled with magic. "No one may access those chambers..."
"I think that you will find that I am quite worthy of browsing the contents of the library, Highness..." Aghanim grinned, intensifying the hold he had on the King.
"I... Of course. Certainly, good sir... what was your name?"
"You can call me Aghanim..." He spoke softly. (Though soon, you will cower before my name, and throw your pretty little crown at my feet... stupid, boorish man! This is the headpiece of this land? This will be much simpler than I expected!)
"Then, Aghanim, feel free to browse our volumes at your liesure," The King spoke brightly. "Let me just write up your permit... show this to the guards and you'll have no trouble!"
"Tell me... my King... there are countless spellbooks to be found in these volumes, are there not?"
"Indeed, there are."
"Spells of not only the accepted, white sort..."
"I am sure there are spells of all kinds within those walls," The King agreed, his face growing troubled. "Though why any would seek the dark sort..."
"Let it trouble you not... I'll take my leave. Go back to your business," Aghanim instructed... but as a precaution, he left the spell intact. You simply never know when having control over the actions of a King will come in handy...
---
(A/N):
That whole thing with Link and the fairy in the forest... I put that in there because I always thought it was odd how people said "The Lost Woods eats travellers alive! No one can get out! Scary, Scary!" and yet Link, this little kid, just goes in and out like he knows exactly what to do (assuming the player has any idea of where to go... but that's besides the point, we're talking an ideal situation here.) So I figured I'd explain how he can know how to get through the forest so easily, but I think I got kind of carried away in that little side plot. o_O;
Link's little history there is completely speculation, with a tiny bit taken from the LttP Nintendo Power comic version. His parents' names, Arn and Medelia, are from these Zelda trading card things, and the names applied to the Link from the original Zelda on NES... but we can overlook that, right? Right. ^_^
Illumination and Mind Games
---
(It's getting late... what if something's happened to him?)
Link's uncle paced back and forth over the hardwood floor of their single room house, if that's what you truly wanted to refer to it as. There were few adornments to ease the simplicity of the home; a bed sat in the corner, a few pots containing various odds and ends sat near the wall, and a single chest sat untouched, containing an ornamental lantern. A few dishes were included for eating off of, and their food was stored beneath the home in a well crafted cellar.
They could have had much, much better... but his brother's words echoed in his mind even as worry for his nephew gnawed at him constantly. "Take him from the castle," he had implored with his dying breath... "He cannot be corrupted by the extravagance his life there would warrant. He cannot be told his origins until he is old enough to understand the world..."
His brother, Arn, had been a smart man. Surely he knew what he was talking about? An honored descendant of the ancient Knights of Hyrule, he and his wife Medelia had enjoyed the status of nobility. Their son was born during an unfortunate uprising which took the lives of many noble soldiers, and of innocent women and children as well... Link's parents had been victims of the short-lived uproar as many others had been. These times were fraught with such fragile peace, peace that could be broken with whispered rumours and the slightest hint of ambition... supporters of the Dark arts and the blacker side of magic emerged every day, joining cults of novice magicians or bands of hardened thieves. Kakariko was the sole refuge against these groups nowadays... yet he was beginning to lose faith in even that peaceful village's ability to ward off evil.
Many said that the growing troubles of the land were attributable to the poisoned Sacred Realm, the Golden Land of legends, and he guessed those assumptions could not be too far from the truth. His nephew was a descendant of knights, and there was some reason to suspect in tracing their family tree that he could even be the distant descendant of the very man responsible for the first triumph over the Evil King, so many centuries ago. Yet he told nothing of this to his nephew, heeding the wishes of his brother. Such knowledge could corrupt his young mind, bring about overconfidence, or laziness, or any number of dishonorable qualities.
Still, he couldn't help but worry if he would wait too long to tell the boy of his legacy.
(He thinks he's just a peasant boy... it pains me that he should be kept so blind of the truth... yet there surely is no other way...)
---
Having spent the majority of the rupees his uncle had entrusted to him in the many merchants' stands of Kakariko, Link prepared for his journey home. He had bought the token food items that his uncle had asked him to find, and several other practical knick knacks -- candles, lamp oil, and other similar necessities. With the remaining gems he had to spend on himself he purchased a few treats to enjoy while his uncle wasn't looking, and a single bottle with a fantastic treasure inside -- a real life fairy!
He meant to release the fairy in the woods before he started back home, knowing that the Lost Woods was the natural home to fairy folk... at least, the ones that didn't hide in fountains. Still, he had never seen such a beautiful creature, and was quite enchanted by the young winged woman in the bottle. The fairy, happy to be freed from the greedy merchant's grasp, and easily able to sense the good intentions of the boy that now posessed her, blew kisses at him through the glass, winking flirtatiously.
Blushing slightly at these actions, Link made his way toward the Lost Woods, knowing full well that he was going to be late home, and his uncle would undoubtedly punish him dearly for it. The forest was widely known to be a hideout for theives and black cults, and those who didn't know the paths well were apt to become lost and die of starvation within the forested maze. He didn't mean to wander too far in... but he soon realized that, lost within the symbolic conversation the fairy and he had engaged in, he had travelled a bit farther than he ever had along the forest path.
He turned behind him, hoping to see the way out before him, but was faced with nothing but a wall of fog. In fact, if not for the benign glow of the fairy he held, he would be completely encased in a blinding white cloud, despite it being mid afternoon. "Great..." he muttered softly, attempting to back track as best he could. Shuffling sounds caught his attention, and his heart quickened as his mind mulled over the various possible sources of these noises. Wolves? Thieves? Worse? Nothing showed through the white curtain.
Sound, however, travelled quite clearly.
"What's a kid like you doing in here?" A gruff voice demanded, causing Link to stumble backward in surprise. The man's hands gripped the front of his tunic, saving him from falling on his rear, but simultaneously putting him a far more threatening situation.
"N..nothing at all," Link stammered out immediately, trying to hide the bottle with the fairy in it as best he could.
"And you expect me to believe that?" The thief laughed uproariously, as though the prospect were the funniest joke he'd ever heard, and tossed the boy backward onto the forest floor. Flailing desperately, trying to soften the landing, Link reflexively shot his hands backwards to cushion the shock of impact. Realizing that he still held the fairy bottle too late, he gasped in horror as he heard the sound of glass breaking, and more alarmingly felt the pain of glass shards digging into his hand.
"What do you have there...?" The thief inquired in awe, as the pink fairy shot straight out of the bottle and right into his face. "If that ain't a fairy..." The man reached a hand out to grab the girl out of the air, but before he could succeed in that the fairy squealed frightfully, summoning something else out of the mists.
A lone wolfos sauntered out, heeding the compelling call of the forest fairy, and prepared to launch itself at the dumbfounded thief. The fairy shouted something in an ancient tongue and the animal sprang, going straight for the throat. Link watched, mouth hanging open, as the man turned and ran for his life, shouting assorted curses as he ran with the wolfos right behind. Eventually the pain in his right hand commanded his attention again, and he held it up to examine it, wincing in expectation.
A single gash ran its way from the skin between his thumb and index finger, across his hand, extending to his wrist. It was fairly deep, and blood ran its way down his hand, splashing on his tunic. The fairy girl quietly winged her way before him, and examined this wound with utmost interest.
"I can take care of that!" She exclaimed brightly, startling him. "Just hold still!"
"You can speak my language?" Link asked her incredulously, watching as she sprinkled some sort of glittery dust on his wound. "Why didn't you before?"
"That's my secret!" She giggled in a high pitched voice. "Consider this my thanks for setting me free... even if it did end up being on accident!"
"I was going to anyway..."
"I know!" She giggled again, winked at him, and prepared to fly away... but a sudden thought held her back. "Hey! You're lost, aren't you?"
"Just a bit," Link sighed wearily, still examining his healed hand in awe. "My uncle is going to kill me..."
"Well, we can't have that!" She exclaimed, horrified. "Here -- I'll show you the way through the forest! Remember it... knowing how to get through the Lost Woods might come in handy some day!"
Link nodded, following her through the trees.
---
Aghanim threw open the doors behind which the King of Hyrule resided, his face full of frustration behind his headpiece. The King looked up in surprise, a gold trimmed pen in one hand, the other resting on a pile of important looking documents. Perhaps peace treaties, new orders, amendments to laws... they could be any one of a plethora of possible documents, but the wizard could care less what the answer was. Before the King could even speak, let alone call for reinforcements from his guards, Aghanim's spell was upon him, bending his mind to the wizard's will.
"Majesty," He greeted, bowing slightly as a formality. "I, a humble travelling magician, request the use of your vast stores of knowledge to aid me on a simple quest I have embarked on..."
"The royal libraries?" The King spoke slowly, his mind befuddled with magic. "No one may access those chambers..."
"I think that you will find that I am quite worthy of browsing the contents of the library, Highness..." Aghanim grinned, intensifying the hold he had on the King.
"I... Of course. Certainly, good sir... what was your name?"
"You can call me Aghanim..." He spoke softly. (Though soon, you will cower before my name, and throw your pretty little crown at my feet... stupid, boorish man! This is the headpiece of this land? This will be much simpler than I expected!)
"Then, Aghanim, feel free to browse our volumes at your liesure," The King spoke brightly. "Let me just write up your permit... show this to the guards and you'll have no trouble!"
"Tell me... my King... there are countless spellbooks to be found in these volumes, are there not?"
"Indeed, there are."
"Spells of not only the accepted, white sort..."
"I am sure there are spells of all kinds within those walls," The King agreed, his face growing troubled. "Though why any would seek the dark sort..."
"Let it trouble you not... I'll take my leave. Go back to your business," Aghanim instructed... but as a precaution, he left the spell intact. You simply never know when having control over the actions of a King will come in handy...
---
(A/N):
That whole thing with Link and the fairy in the forest... I put that in there because I always thought it was odd how people said "The Lost Woods eats travellers alive! No one can get out! Scary, Scary!" and yet Link, this little kid, just goes in and out like he knows exactly what to do (assuming the player has any idea of where to go... but that's besides the point, we're talking an ideal situation here.) So I figured I'd explain how he can know how to get through the forest so easily, but I think I got kind of carried away in that little side plot. o_O;
Link's little history there is completely speculation, with a tiny bit taken from the LttP Nintendo Power comic version. His parents' names, Arn and Medelia, are from these Zelda trading card things, and the names applied to the Link from the original Zelda on NES... but we can overlook that, right? Right. ^_^