II
Roam began to speak. "My Lady, I asked for this meeting to solve a serious
problem that has been postponed due to the more pressing matters of rebuilding
our beautiful country. Sir Link here possesses a power greater than we
understand. For an unknown reason, he cannot relinquish that power, and no one
can take it from him. Although I have every respect for this man, we must
determine if he is worthy to hold the Triforce. Others in the past could not
control it, and disastrous events have occurred because of this. While I
strongly believe that Link would never willingly hurt this beautiful country of
ours, he may be corrupted. As of now, he cannot completely control the Triforce,
as we have seen. Perhaps he does not know how to use this power completely, and
will learn with time. But perhaps he cannot fully utilize the Triforce. Should
we allow our country's greatest treasure to be wasted when one such as yourself
may be able to use it to a greater potential? And what if, instead, it corrupts
him? Can we truly take the risk that he may inadvertently become another Ganon?"
It was obvious he had talked to Zelda earlier about this. Link knew that that
formal speech would not be enough to convince Zelda. And Roam certainly did not
need to convince Link, as his opposition was to be expected. As it was, Link was
too shocked to be able to think clearly for a moment. Roam was obviously acting
against him for some reason. But why? Zelda merely nodded in her solemn way,
unwilling to show any sympathy for Link. Instead, she merely asked, "what do you
suggest, Sir Roam?"
"A test, or a quest if you will. Link has proven his power and courage in
destroying Ganon. But he has not yet proven his wisdom. Perhaps through this, he
will learn more of the Triforce. And by then, he will have proven himself as one
capable of utilizing this power, and we can elevate him to a position where he
may utilize the Triforce for the good of Hyrule. And so, I propose this quest
for Sir Link: find and bring back the mythical Master Sword. It is said that
this long lost legendary blade repelled all evil. Thus, if Link can use it, we
may trust him. Since no one knows where it is, only wisdom will aide him. If he
can find the blade and bring it back to us, his loyalty to us will be proven."
Once again, Link was stunned. Find the Master Sword? Link did not even know what
that was, or where he could begin. He only heard of it once, while he was
searching for his Magical Sword during his quest to defeat Ganon. He was told
that his Magical Sword was based off of the Master Sword, and was the only blade
that could hurt Ganon. But now Roam was trying to get him to go search for it.
And why was Zelda going along with this? For she nodded. "Sir Roam, we believe
your analysis of the situation to be worth investigation. The Triforce is too
important for one person to bear without first proving oneself. Sir Link, do you
accept this proposition?"
Roam was obviously prepared for an opposition, and seemed intent on what Link
would say. However, there seemed no point, as Zelda already seemed to believe
Roam. "Your Highness, I fully understand the meaning of this proposition and
accept this quest to find the Master Sword. If it pleases you, I hope to prove
myself worthy to you and to the people of Hyrule." A nice if not short speech,
and Link was satisfied that Roam looked surprised and a little disappointed that
Link agreed. Perhaps I have more wisdom than you think, he thought to himself.
Zelda must also have caught Roam's reaction, for she smiled knowingly at Link.
As Link thought it over, he realized that Zelda was being too formal to be fully
interested. She obviously did not like this idea, but for some reason went along
with it anyway. And that was another question that Link wanted to resolve. With
a few final words of ceremony, the meeting was over.
After they left, Link turned to Roam, intending to speak some rather unkind
words. "What is this all about? Why are you doing this to me?"
Roam looked agitated. "Sir Link, I care for Hyrule more than I care for you. If
it were my decision, I would find a way to strip the Triforce from you and give
it to the Queen, so she might rule without knowing there is someone more
powerful than her. You are a threat to her and to this country. Although it
saddens me, we must test this threat. If there is even the slightest chance that
you will be corrupted by the Triforce, then I cannot allow you to run free."
It was true, Link thought. He knew he could not fully control the Triforce. It
was a frustrating experience, to feel such power but not use it. And the story
that Impa told him long ago was always in the back of his mind. Long ago, a
prince could only inherit the Triforce in part. His anger over this caused him
and an evil wizard to put a sleeping spell on his sister, the first in a long
line of Zeldas. If the Triforce could corrupt a member of the royal family, what
made Link think he could control it? But he could not bring himself to admit
this in front of Roam. "This is personal, is it not? You simply do not want me
around the castle."
Roam looked shocked and disgusted that Link would announce this out loud. With a
look of menace, he quietly gave his response. "I am a knight of Hyrule. What I
want does not matter." With that he turned and walked away. Link decided not to
follow him. For the first time, he truly glimpsed the turmoil that raged within
Roam. The man was torn between his hatred and jealousy of Link and his undying
loyalty to his service and Hyrule. For the past few years, these conflicting
emotions made every moment difficult for Roam. But now, an idea had worked
itself to Roam's mind and gave him an escape, and he must have convinced himself
over and over that this was true. It would have made Link rather upset, but Roam
did manage to place that seed of doubt inside him. What if it was all true? What
if he would become another Ganon? Apparently, there was only one way to find
out. Sighing, Link mentally started to prepare for his journey.
