The Legend of Zelda: The Seven Runes
Message from Panda 88: I have made my chapters deliberately short to the disappointment of several people. There are several reasons that have made me do this. Firstly, readers will have the opportunity to stop reading at more intervals. If they do not wish to read any further for several reasons, they will have the ability to finish the chapter quickly, without having to read for long time spans. Secondly, I can publish my chapters faster, without the readers having to wait for the next one for too long. I believe that if the readers wait too long for the next chapter, they may forget some important details from previous chapters, and might ultimately get tired of waiting and stop reading entirely. Now to the story.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sleep was all around him, as he lay dreamily on the Inventor's bed. Full of questions, he was unable to rest. But his body was telling him otherwise. Soon, Link's restless mind was overcome by the exhaustion that the rest of him was feeling.
As consciousness left him, he began to hear voices coming to him from lands afar. Familiar, troubled voices that had come to him so many times before.
"Your path lies before you. be ever vigilant. fail us not."
Then shadows began to emerge. First of an instrument, humming the faint tunes of the past, then a round stone, engraved on it, a glistening symbol, followed by six others, then suddenly everything seemed to fade, and he found himself at the foot of the monolith in the heart of the Great City. But this was not the city he had seen atop the hill. The buildings were the same, as were the roads, but everything lay quiet. The sky was grey, and the houses and streets were dark, and miserable, like they were dying. The trees and flowers bore no leaves. He saw no one, save for a person, sitting in the corner, against the monolith, bent over, weeping.
Again everything blurred, and there was only blackness around him. He heard, as he did that morning, the same taunting cackle that came from out of nowhere. Out of the miserable abyss came a clear solid voice that called out.
"Link. Link. Fail not, for more than Hyrule lies in your hands. Much fate is placed upon you. Fail not, fail not."
The words bore over the endless cackling, over and over.
"Link. Link. Link. It is time. Link. Get up. Wake up."
As he opened his eyes, he saw over him, the Inventor. "Ah. So now you have woken. I am sorry to wake you my boy, but it seems that you have slept for longer than I had intended, for it is now morning of the next day. Many questions still cling to you. And I am afraid it is not easy to leave them unanswered for long spans of time."
"What are we doing today, Inventor? Are you not going to tell me more of our quest?" Link asked.
"The quest indeed. Yes. I am sorry to tell you that my knowledge itself is limited. I only know what history tells me. 50 years ago, darkness fell over us, sending us into chaos, taking away our names, and destroying much that we had worked so hard for. This evil came in a storm, where we heard raucous laughter descending upon us. Then an army of 500 cloaked figures marched in here, killing everyone. I was one of a few survivors. You see, at that time, these walls did not exist, and we had no refuge."
He paused for a while, silent, not moving, as he sat by the bed, Link listening, as more came to him.
"Then the storm passed. It seems that, according to those who saw, the darkness led off to Hyrule. For days we stood watch, waiting for word from Hyrule. But there was something special in Hyrule that stopped it. I remember. 50 years ago. The jubilee of Hyrule. magnificent. I had wanted to go, but the ships were full, and I am no person to swim many a mile across such a channel. It was something about Hyrule. I know not much. Maybe it was the jubilee. I can give you no more answers Link."
Link, not knowing what to say, and full of even more questions, sat for a while, thinking. If only he had known more.
"You see my boy, this was why I was so excited over you when we first met. You are a HYLIAN. Fate has wonderful workings, I must say. Tell me dear boy, do you know anything of this evil. What happened in Hyrule, those many years ago? You may be not old enough to remember, but surely you know through song and story, do you not? My quest has come to too many dead ends, Link. I need to know, before it is too late."
"Oh Inventor. I know nothing about this evil. I am but a Kokiri. I know nothing that comes from beyond the forest. Forgive me. I cannot help you." A cloud of disappointment was over him, as he could not help.
Suddenly, the old man's face lit up.
"A Kokiri! Why did you not say so? But where is your fairy?"
Link was startled by this burst of energy, and almost tumbled over on the bed.
"Does it matter? If you must know, I never had a fairy."
"Alas, my boy. For if you did, it certainly would have much to tell me. But do not lose hope. We have not exhausted our information yet. When we find out some more, you can begin what you have come here to do. I speak, my lad, of the palace in the citadel. Too many times have my tales been turned down by the royal family. I am not the crackpot old fool they think me to be. With a Hylian child with me, they cannot turn me down once more. We shall go right away."
Through alleys and dirt paths, they went, and Link noticed that for such a city of Great size, there were but a few people on the streets. When he commented on this to the Inventor, he replied.
"Ah so you noticed. Well since 50 years ago, we have been reduced to a small peoples. Many of these homes are not even occupied nowadays. However, this last week has seen even less people here as usual, for many of them have left for the great jubilee. Whether for celebration, or for safety, they go. But this time, I was brave enough to stay here and help in whichever way I can to prevent disaster from striking once more."
The sun was growing hot, and Link's shadow continued to grow smaller and smaller. Finally they reached the centre where the towering monolith stood beyond all else. But they did not enter it. Instead, the Inventor took him to the second large building, the Palace, to the right.
The cobblestone paths were worn, and the grasses, which were not there in his dream, were growing pale green. The gates were rusted, but sharp, and the guards stood there like statues. The stone walls were covered on vines that branched out in different directions, and the hedges were trimmed only a little.
"You have no business here, Inventor." Bellowed the near guard. "Go home. Do not waste our time."
"Oh how wrong you are, Guard. You see I have with me a Hylian.
The royal family cannot turn me down this day."
The guard laughed to himself.
"How very clever of you Inventor, but I am sorry. You still cannot
enter. The king wished to speak to a Hylian, yes. He said nothing
about an old contraption designer. He needs only the boy."
Furious, the Inventor began turning red.
"Well, he will tell me all afterwards, so there is no point in letting
me wait out here."
"Ha! Well then wait for him, because my orders are to keep you out. The boy may go through."
Then the Inventor bent over to Link, and whispered in his ear "Go now, but do not forget even a single detail. Knowledge can serve you well."
And with that, the Inventor, walked off into a nearby building, and out of sight. Link began to proceed to the gate.
"Follow the path up the stairs. Do not stray. An escort guard will be waiting to take you to the king."
Link began to follow the path, that twisted and turned around hedges and flowerbeds. The courtyard was old, and had a dignified age to it. The gargoyles on the roof were spilling water into the gutter, that ended in the fountain nearby. Soon the stones steps came into view, and he ascended them one by one. Atop the stairs stood a large gate, where a man, a guard, was standing.
"I am here to speak to the king." He said.
"Follow me." This was all he said. Abruptly he began walking towards the stairs, and opening the door in the gate with some effort, spoke. "Through here."
He had noticed that he hadn't had the need to talk much. The guards were indeed being very rude. Maybe it was because they were tense from the coming tides that awaited them. Link followed him up several flights of stairs, past stone statues, of past kings he presumed, and past many fountains. Finally, the stone transformed into red carpet, as he walked into a well lit room with a very high ceiling and many pillars. At the back of the room, sat three people. One was young. He was sitting in the smallest seat. The second, a lady, wearing a silver crown, was seated, talking to a maid who had been tending to her. The final seat however, was empty. The king was standing by a window, watching the city outside.
"You must be the Hylian child that has been spoken of. The king is by the window. I shall take you to him. By the way, I am the Squire."
He turned around to see a rather pompous man, dressed in fine blue silk, staring down at him.
"When you will approach the king, you shall bow low, until he tells you to arise. Do you understand? Let us not waste more time. Dark hours lie ahead."
As he walked, each footstep grew louder, as if he were walking over a hollow.
Then he heard that familiar cackle, but faint, distant. What was it telling him? Who was laughing it?
Then his feet walked into a shadow. As he looked up, he saw, for the first time, the face of the king. He was dignified, charming, but worried. His eyes were empty, and sorrowful. Link lost inside them, forgot to make that important bow, and realising this, he did so.
"So you are him."
For a while, Link did not move, as he waited for the king to speak.
"Rise, child."
"We have little time. You should have come to me from when first you touched my lands. We have much to discuss. News is not good, and alas, I can only place upon you more burden. I have answers, yes. But they are not pleasant upon any ear. In a few short hours, you shall embark on a great adventure. Be cautious now, for I would not normally place such a burden on a boy of such age, but help is scarce, and you are the only Hylian on these lands."
Then Link stood to his full height, and looked at the king.
"Your highness. I am here on a quest to."
Suddenly, everything blacked out, and he fell once more into darkness.
Message from Panda 88: I have made my chapters deliberately short to the disappointment of several people. There are several reasons that have made me do this. Firstly, readers will have the opportunity to stop reading at more intervals. If they do not wish to read any further for several reasons, they will have the ability to finish the chapter quickly, without having to read for long time spans. Secondly, I can publish my chapters faster, without the readers having to wait for the next one for too long. I believe that if the readers wait too long for the next chapter, they may forget some important details from previous chapters, and might ultimately get tired of waiting and stop reading entirely. Now to the story.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sleep was all around him, as he lay dreamily on the Inventor's bed. Full of questions, he was unable to rest. But his body was telling him otherwise. Soon, Link's restless mind was overcome by the exhaustion that the rest of him was feeling.
As consciousness left him, he began to hear voices coming to him from lands afar. Familiar, troubled voices that had come to him so many times before.
"Your path lies before you. be ever vigilant. fail us not."
Then shadows began to emerge. First of an instrument, humming the faint tunes of the past, then a round stone, engraved on it, a glistening symbol, followed by six others, then suddenly everything seemed to fade, and he found himself at the foot of the monolith in the heart of the Great City. But this was not the city he had seen atop the hill. The buildings were the same, as were the roads, but everything lay quiet. The sky was grey, and the houses and streets were dark, and miserable, like they were dying. The trees and flowers bore no leaves. He saw no one, save for a person, sitting in the corner, against the monolith, bent over, weeping.
Again everything blurred, and there was only blackness around him. He heard, as he did that morning, the same taunting cackle that came from out of nowhere. Out of the miserable abyss came a clear solid voice that called out.
"Link. Link. Fail not, for more than Hyrule lies in your hands. Much fate is placed upon you. Fail not, fail not."
The words bore over the endless cackling, over and over.
"Link. Link. Link. It is time. Link. Get up. Wake up."
As he opened his eyes, he saw over him, the Inventor. "Ah. So now you have woken. I am sorry to wake you my boy, but it seems that you have slept for longer than I had intended, for it is now morning of the next day. Many questions still cling to you. And I am afraid it is not easy to leave them unanswered for long spans of time."
"What are we doing today, Inventor? Are you not going to tell me more of our quest?" Link asked.
"The quest indeed. Yes. I am sorry to tell you that my knowledge itself is limited. I only know what history tells me. 50 years ago, darkness fell over us, sending us into chaos, taking away our names, and destroying much that we had worked so hard for. This evil came in a storm, where we heard raucous laughter descending upon us. Then an army of 500 cloaked figures marched in here, killing everyone. I was one of a few survivors. You see, at that time, these walls did not exist, and we had no refuge."
He paused for a while, silent, not moving, as he sat by the bed, Link listening, as more came to him.
"Then the storm passed. It seems that, according to those who saw, the darkness led off to Hyrule. For days we stood watch, waiting for word from Hyrule. But there was something special in Hyrule that stopped it. I remember. 50 years ago. The jubilee of Hyrule. magnificent. I had wanted to go, but the ships were full, and I am no person to swim many a mile across such a channel. It was something about Hyrule. I know not much. Maybe it was the jubilee. I can give you no more answers Link."
Link, not knowing what to say, and full of even more questions, sat for a while, thinking. If only he had known more.
"You see my boy, this was why I was so excited over you when we first met. You are a HYLIAN. Fate has wonderful workings, I must say. Tell me dear boy, do you know anything of this evil. What happened in Hyrule, those many years ago? You may be not old enough to remember, but surely you know through song and story, do you not? My quest has come to too many dead ends, Link. I need to know, before it is too late."
"Oh Inventor. I know nothing about this evil. I am but a Kokiri. I know nothing that comes from beyond the forest. Forgive me. I cannot help you." A cloud of disappointment was over him, as he could not help.
Suddenly, the old man's face lit up.
"A Kokiri! Why did you not say so? But where is your fairy?"
Link was startled by this burst of energy, and almost tumbled over on the bed.
"Does it matter? If you must know, I never had a fairy."
"Alas, my boy. For if you did, it certainly would have much to tell me. But do not lose hope. We have not exhausted our information yet. When we find out some more, you can begin what you have come here to do. I speak, my lad, of the palace in the citadel. Too many times have my tales been turned down by the royal family. I am not the crackpot old fool they think me to be. With a Hylian child with me, they cannot turn me down once more. We shall go right away."
Through alleys and dirt paths, they went, and Link noticed that for such a city of Great size, there were but a few people on the streets. When he commented on this to the Inventor, he replied.
"Ah so you noticed. Well since 50 years ago, we have been reduced to a small peoples. Many of these homes are not even occupied nowadays. However, this last week has seen even less people here as usual, for many of them have left for the great jubilee. Whether for celebration, or for safety, they go. But this time, I was brave enough to stay here and help in whichever way I can to prevent disaster from striking once more."
The sun was growing hot, and Link's shadow continued to grow smaller and smaller. Finally they reached the centre where the towering monolith stood beyond all else. But they did not enter it. Instead, the Inventor took him to the second large building, the Palace, to the right.
The cobblestone paths were worn, and the grasses, which were not there in his dream, were growing pale green. The gates were rusted, but sharp, and the guards stood there like statues. The stone walls were covered on vines that branched out in different directions, and the hedges were trimmed only a little.
"You have no business here, Inventor." Bellowed the near guard. "Go home. Do not waste our time."
"Oh how wrong you are, Guard. You see I have with me a Hylian.
The royal family cannot turn me down this day."
The guard laughed to himself.
"How very clever of you Inventor, but I am sorry. You still cannot
enter. The king wished to speak to a Hylian, yes. He said nothing
about an old contraption designer. He needs only the boy."
Furious, the Inventor began turning red.
"Well, he will tell me all afterwards, so there is no point in letting
me wait out here."
"Ha! Well then wait for him, because my orders are to keep you out. The boy may go through."
Then the Inventor bent over to Link, and whispered in his ear "Go now, but do not forget even a single detail. Knowledge can serve you well."
And with that, the Inventor, walked off into a nearby building, and out of sight. Link began to proceed to the gate.
"Follow the path up the stairs. Do not stray. An escort guard will be waiting to take you to the king."
Link began to follow the path, that twisted and turned around hedges and flowerbeds. The courtyard was old, and had a dignified age to it. The gargoyles on the roof were spilling water into the gutter, that ended in the fountain nearby. Soon the stones steps came into view, and he ascended them one by one. Atop the stairs stood a large gate, where a man, a guard, was standing.
"I am here to speak to the king." He said.
"Follow me." This was all he said. Abruptly he began walking towards the stairs, and opening the door in the gate with some effort, spoke. "Through here."
He had noticed that he hadn't had the need to talk much. The guards were indeed being very rude. Maybe it was because they were tense from the coming tides that awaited them. Link followed him up several flights of stairs, past stone statues, of past kings he presumed, and past many fountains. Finally, the stone transformed into red carpet, as he walked into a well lit room with a very high ceiling and many pillars. At the back of the room, sat three people. One was young. He was sitting in the smallest seat. The second, a lady, wearing a silver crown, was seated, talking to a maid who had been tending to her. The final seat however, was empty. The king was standing by a window, watching the city outside.
"You must be the Hylian child that has been spoken of. The king is by the window. I shall take you to him. By the way, I am the Squire."
He turned around to see a rather pompous man, dressed in fine blue silk, staring down at him.
"When you will approach the king, you shall bow low, until he tells you to arise. Do you understand? Let us not waste more time. Dark hours lie ahead."
As he walked, each footstep grew louder, as if he were walking over a hollow.
Then he heard that familiar cackle, but faint, distant. What was it telling him? Who was laughing it?
Then his feet walked into a shadow. As he looked up, he saw, for the first time, the face of the king. He was dignified, charming, but worried. His eyes were empty, and sorrowful. Link lost inside them, forgot to make that important bow, and realising this, he did so.
"So you are him."
For a while, Link did not move, as he waited for the king to speak.
"Rise, child."
"We have little time. You should have come to me from when first you touched my lands. We have much to discuss. News is not good, and alas, I can only place upon you more burden. I have answers, yes. But they are not pleasant upon any ear. In a few short hours, you shall embark on a great adventure. Be cautious now, for I would not normally place such a burden on a boy of such age, but help is scarce, and you are the only Hylian on these lands."
Then Link stood to his full height, and looked at the king.
"Your highness. I am here on a quest to."
Suddenly, everything blacked out, and he fell once more into darkness.