Part 1
Chapter 1: Buck
A man and wife of a human-type race rode brown horses toward a desert land. The woman carried a small bundle that she constantly looked upon to check that the baby inside was all right. The baby made no noise as the horses came to a stop by the town's entrance and the man and woman dismounted.
The Gerudo guard looked at the newcomers; "Welcome to Gerudo Valley."
The woman reluctantly handed the bundle over to the guard, then the man and woman swiftly remounted their horses and rode away. The Gerudo watched them open-mouthed until the noise of the baby's cries distracted her attention. She looked at the baby and started to rock it in an attempt to quieten it.
Later the same day the baby's parents fought in battle and both were never seen again.
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Almost nine years later...
The sun shone down on the hot sand of the desert lands; this part known as Gerudo Valley. This was the home to the race of female warriors known as Gerudo. They had faces that looked like cats but the people were like humans in every way.
A young boy approached the Gerudo guard outside the Gerudo Training Ground with an anxious but excited look on his face. Today was the boy's 9th birthday and as one of the boys in the Gerudos, he was to take the tests inside the training ground to show them if he was suitable to become a Gerudo warrior to help to protect the desert town. Gerudo had a lot of boys now, as the Gerudos were taking mates more often now that there was seemingly less evil for the Gerudos to fight - but many boys weren't good enough to become male warriors. The female Gerudos were better at protection than fighting and feared that if a powerful enemy were to come to Gerudo Valley they wouldn't be able to fight it. The carpenters, their friend's from Kakariko Village but who now lived with the Gerudos, were given the task of training the boys for their ninth birthday when they would face the training ground. The Carpenters would've made great warriors because of their strength and large amounts of energy, but were married with families so took on less dangerous work.
"Good Morning Buck - Happy Birthday," said the Gerudo guard, smiling at the boy.
"Mornin' Ma'am - Mom sent me here to begin my tests," replied Buck politely. He looked back behind him anxiously and his mother smiled at him from where she watched her only son, although he was only her adopted son. Buck didn't have a father as his mother didn't have time for taking mates. She preferred to spend all of her time divided between caring for her son and helping guard the Gerudo's lands.
"You're most fortunate that your birthday wasn't yesterday. Our last guest ran amok inside and we had to close it all day while the carpenters repaired it."
"It's okay now though isn't it?" asked Buck in concern - he had been looking forward to this day since his fifth birthday.
"Yes - the carpenters worked overnight to complete the work for today's guests. Please concentrate hard on the tasks inside and complete them as fast as you can - there are several more contestants to take part today before we close at sunset." This Gerudo woman wasn't the nicest Gerudo and not very patient, but Buck was still polite to her.
The Gerudo clapped her hands and the door opened. Buck walked inside slowly; he was very nervous about the trials.
He was in a large rock-walled dimly-lit room lit only by a few torches on the walls. There were several doors around him from which to choose. He chose the left door and entered through it nervously.
A skeleton with a sword and shield appeared and Buck began to fight with it, using the sword his carpenter friend Chris had given him for his birthday. Apparently the carpenter had the Goron blacksmith Bigoron make it especially for Buck. That was before Death Mountain had been mysteriously destroyed by fire. Goron City and all surrounding areas had been alight for several days and there had sadly been no Goron survivors - but Garunia (descendant of Darunia the wise Goron sage) was still missing.
Buck fought the skeleton warrior determinedly. He had to become a warrior and protect his home from any future enemies. No harm must come to the Gerudo women who had always shown him such kindness and protected him from harm. When he grew up he would show women the kindness and respect the Gerudo women had always shown him.
He finally defeated the skeleton warrior and it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Buck heard a noise and saw that the bars had gone from the next wooden door now. He walked towards the door but turned just as he got there. He had heard a soft noise of small flapping wings behind him.
He turned around but saw nothing - he was sure he had heard something though. He stood still and listened. He lashed out with his sword and a cloud of smoke appeared as the invisible enemy was killed. "Invisible?" asked Buck loudly; he was amazed by the enemy that he had never heard of before because he had been sure that the carpenter had taught him about all the enemies inside the training ground.
Buck hadn't expected a reply, so gasped in shock when a soft feminine voice answered him; "There are a few shadow bats here - if anyone can find and defeat them all, they are a true warrior."
"But, how did they get here? No-one ever goes into the Shadow Lands!" said Buck, now no longer afraid of the invisible presence talking to him.
"Any warrior who completes all their tasks successfully will be able to go anywhere they please - that includes the Shadow Lands."
"I never want to go there - without a lens of truth I'd die."
"There is a lens of truth now always hidden within the Spirit temple. Anyone who completes this training ground well enough will be given entry to the Spirit temple."
"I heard some terrible stories about the enemies in that temple," said Buck, shivering just thinking about the enemies he had heard about.
"No worse than enemies elsewhere young man," replied the voice.
Buck continued through the rooms and passageways, killing enemies and collecting door keys from chests that appeared. Finally he reached the door maze. If he unlocked the correct door he would be able to unlock doors to make a path to the final room.
Buck took out his compass that he had won earlier and studied it for a moment - trying to think of which direction he needed to go in.
He finally decided upon the logical direction and unlocked that door...
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Chris, the young carpenter of only 30 years of age waited patiently outside the Gerudo training ground; he had no repairs to make that morning so could spend the whole of his free time with his young friend Buck. He had prepared the young boy for this day for two whole years, teaching him to fight and about all the other things he would need to know for the training ground. He had promised his Gerudo wife Sarah and his young son Adam that he wouldn't get involved in any fighting or dangerous challenges as one of their conditions of marriage had been that he wouldn't ever become involved in dangerous things that could remove him from their lives. Buck would have to find someone else to take with him if he passed the training ground and moved onto the more challenging Spirit Temple that was at the other side of the desert.
Finally, Buck came back through the door and showed Chris the bow and arrows he had won. He had never had a bow of his own, but had often borrowed an older friend's one to practise with.
"You completed it so quickly?" asked Chris in surprise.
"Of course I did," said Buck proudly. "I killed lots of skeleton warriors, and some bats and some monsters that looked like horses but made of stone, and then I killed shadow bats as well..."
An older Gerudo they didn't know approached them; "You two must come with me - there is someone who requests your presence."
Chris and Buck followed the older Gerudo woman, curious who would want to see them.
They arrived at a circular clearing surrounded by tall thin trees. The Gerudo took out a wooden flute and played a short tune. Nothing seemed to happen for what seemed like hours, until suddenly one of the trees disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing a hole.
"You must jump into the hole, then you will be taken to the Desert Fairy Fountain."
Chris stepped trustingly into the hole and slowly vanished. Buck gasped in shock, but then followed Chris.
The two then stood in a large cave with rock walls and in front of them was a shallow pool of water.
A seemingly bodiless voice spoke, "Step into the pool and you will be restored to full health."
The two obeyed; in their land they must never distrust anyone, as distrust was seen as an evil quality.
"It healed my scar!" exclaimed Chris in surprise; he had received the scar in a fight he had when he was a boy and he had been told it would never heal.
"This water has magical healing properties, don't be surprised by what it can do," said the female voice.
The two immediately felt much healthier; then they saw the large wingless fairy who floated high above the ground at the back of the cave not far from them. Her hair was the colour of desert sand and she wore a golden dress, which reached to just above her feet that had upon them golden sandals.
"Are you the Desert Fairy?" asked Chris unafraid, despite that she was a lot larger than him.
"Yes I am, Chris. I have summoned you both here because now it has been proved that Buck is One of the Seven I have to tell him what he is destined for," said the fairy in a soft but clear voice.
"I'm what?" asked Buck.
"One of the Seven - seven beings who are destined to be heroes of the lands and protect the world from evil. Seven Hero Spirits have joined with seven potential heroes in this world which is far from their own, sent here because their creator knew that evil is now here threatening the existence of all races and he wished to help. The Goron City fire was caused by the first of a new breed of enemy and more lands will follow soon without the protection of the Seven. The spirits will exit the heroes when the danger is passed and travel to find new potential heroes in another world where there is danger. The Hero Spirits are immortal and if someone they inhabit dies, they exit the body and find a new one."
"Where's the other six?" asked Buck curiously. He was very inquisitive and always needed more knowledge.
"As spirits are inside a person and even if they came out, they are not visible, no-one can find out who has a Hero Spirit inside of them. We think we have found most of them but we must wait until they have completed their trials also. They will all succeed on their trials where others before them have failed and they will accomplish the trials far more efficiently. They will defeat the test's largest enemy at the end where others have always failed," the fairy said.
"Are the other six in Gerudo valley as well?" asked Buck, wondering if he had met any of them already.
The fairy answered, "No - they are spread out over the lands. Chris, will you take Buck to the Desert Temple so he can complete further training? Once he has found the silver gauntlets he will need an adult's hands to wear them and open the silver entrance there."
"Yes, I will be glad to, miss," answered Chris, happy for an excuse to face danger for a change. His Gerudo wife Sarah had always preferred him as a carpenter as it was a far safer profession, but he would be delighted to take part in something dangerous - the Spirit Temple trial's second stage would be perfect for him. Sarah didn't have to know as long as he was very careful and didn't suffer any injuries.
"My name is Gerudia," answered the fairy in a friendly tone.
"It was great to meet you Gerudia," said Buck, tipping an imaginary hat at her. He often used words which most children and adults didn't use in the world; words which they thought were less elegant sounding. He was so excited as he had never met a real fairy before; his mother had told him stories about fairies.
"It was an even greater privilege to meet you, Buck. Chris - take good care of the first of the Seven - no harm must come to him."
"I promise I'll protect him," answered Chris, smiling at the fairy. He hoped he would be able to meet the other six - it would be interesting to see what they were like.
Chapter 2: Ezra
The Shadow Lands - deep underground where no sun ever shines, a land where many illusions conceal true appearances of things. The Shadow People are sensitive to bright light and as a result their eye colouring is always a dark colour. They are not allied with any lands above ground and don't trust anyone who isn't one of their own. The lands are ruled by a very strict man known only as the Shadow Lord.
Inside the Shadow Castle, home to the Shadow Lord...
"If you don't watch your boy's steps in future, you'd best watch your own, Maude," boomed the loud deep voice of the Shadow Lord.
The black-haired woman stood up from where she had been knelt down facing the lord's throne and answered, "I try hard, my lord, but it is too difficult to watch his every step."
Maude really had blonde hair that had been dyed black when she had come here as a girl. Her parents had committed sins against an above-ground race and had been sent to live in the Shadow Lands. Maude had adapted well and many didn't know that she wasn't really one of them.
"I have already warned you twice - I am too impatient now." The lord floated up toward the ceiling and put out both his hands towards the woman. The woman screamed as she vanished. Her voice became silent and the Shadow Lord began to laugh a deep, evil laugh.
The boy of eleven-years-old watching from the shadows turned away - he knew that his mother was still there, but now invisible. He couldn't bear to not be able to see her when she was there. He had to escape this sinister land, but he couldn't just leave his mother like that. He was very intelligent for an eleven-year-old. Most children of the Shadow Lands weren't taught much until they neared adult-hood so that they would just play happily and not cause any trouble for the adults.
Suddenly, the ground below Ezra started to split in two with boiling hot lava visible through the cracks and Ezra turned back and ran as fast as he could. As he ran, he put on his dark cloak that he carried - the Cloak of Concealment would hide his location from the Shadow Lord. He had found it on the ground with no sign of an owner nearby, so he had taken it remembering what his mother had taught him, "Finders - keepers, losers - weepers!" He had wanted such a cloak for years but couldn't afford his own one. He still wondered if it was put there for him to find.
The ground near him stopped splitting - the Lord didn't know where Ezra was now. Ezra stopped running, to get his bearings. The entrance to the land was very cleverly concealed and the boy would need his wits to find it. His only solution was to leave the Shadow Lands and return when he was able, to rescue his mother.
The eleven-year-old boy started walking slowly, looking above him briefly on every step. He finally stopped - he knew the entrance was close. The boy took out a truth lens from his bag and held it up to the sky - a large hole in the dark clouds was revealed. The boy looked down at his feet nervously, then said, "Don't let me down boots."
The boy began to float up toward the sky and finally reached the hole. The flying boots his mother had given him had worked! He floated high above the hole into Kakariko Graveyard and floated to a patch of ground beside the hole.
"Be gone demon - go back to whence you came," shouted a woman at him. He had to take off his cloak to conserve his magic while he used the flying boots, so was now visible.
"Madam - I am no more a demon than you are," replied the boy politely.
"All who come up from under the ground are demons - the last to come up caused the great fire which destroyed all of Goron city," replied the woman, who wore a long black dress and had loose black hair that reached just past her shoulders.
"Please believe me, I have just escaped from a demon down there - I wish to forget my roots and start anew." This was true, but Ezra would have to go back to rescue his mother soon. She was the only person below ground whom he cared about.
"You look young enough to transform from bad to good," replied the woman, looking at him thoughtfully.
Suddenly she floated off the ground and grew in size. The light around the woman became very bright and Ezra closed his eyes until the light had faded slightly. When he looked again, a large woman floated above the ground with long black hair flowing down her back. She wore a black dress that reached to nearly her midnight coloured shoes. Ezra stepped backwards, nervous of this large woman.
"Do you bear the marks?" she asked and Ezra looked at her questioningly - he had no idea what she meant. "Show me the backs of your hands," she said.
Ezra held up the backs of his hands and the fairy frowned. "Hold them closer so that I might examine them in more detail," she asked, never demanding anything.
Ezra held them closer to her, which was difficult as he was short for his age and she was quite a distance from him. The fairy bent down to look at his hands. "I was certain that you bore the marks of a Hero Spirit, but I was in error. You do not belong above the ground - go back," she said, the volume of her voice rising.
The boy stepped away from her. "I can't go back - my freedom is restricted for eternity and my attempts at liberation bring punishment upon my mother."
"What is your mother's name?" asked the fairy, the volume of her voice now back to the volume that made Ezra feel more at ease.
"Maude," replied Ezra still scared of the fairy; perhaps she might hurt him.
"She is the one who bears the marks," said the fairy, sounding very certain about that.
"What are these 'marks'?" asked Ezra, feeling slightly less nervous now that the fairy had given him some information instead of attacking him.
The Shadow Fairy explained to the boy about the Hero Spirits and the boy listened carefully; he loved knowledge and this information he was learning today was very interesting to him.
"Do you have any questions?" asked the fairy - she knew that Ezra loved to learn and wanted to make sure that any questions he had were answered now, as she wasn't sure he'd be able to find answers later.
"How did these spirits get here? What's so special about these spirits that we can't be heroes without them?"
"There are many worlds and a mere mortal cannot travel to them, but spirits have the power to. When the Hero Spirits came to our land they each visited a fairy and were given a power from her."
"The Shadow Hero will have the power to reveal truth and see truth no matter how well it is concealed. However the true shadow hero may not be the one with the marks. Somehow the Shadow Spirit bestowed another with the marks - whether it is just for his own amusement or whether it is to confuse the enemy, is unknown."
"You estimate that I am a hero?" asked Ezra beginning to laugh - the idea was so ridiculous.
The fairy floated up in anger. "Do not mock me, child. I have spoken with the other fairies of the world on this - they think that the Shadow Lands are too evil to have One who can protect the world from evil. I knew already that one of the Spirits had entered the land and this is the Shadows' chance to prove that they can help the rest of the world."
Ezra shook his head sadly, "I neglected to mention that I am only one who was born to the Shadow Lands. My mother was bought there when her parents betrayed the above-ground world. Surely I cannot have the power of you if I am not really one of the Shadow People."
"Being born into the Shadow Lands is enough to make you one of the Shadow People. But being born to one from above ground gives you more potential to become an ally to the rest of the world."
"Now show me the backs of your hands," requested the fairy politely. Ezra lifted up his hands to her and the fairy smiled at him. "The marks are now visible to all - you are truly the Shadow Hero. You must journey and meet the other heroes - they are spread out above ground so may not be easy to find. You may not have to go to them all, as they will also be sent to find the other heroes in the world."
"I've never been outside the Shadow Lands - I don't know the way. The furthest I have ever been is into Kakariko Graveyard," panicked Ezra.
"Go where your feet take you," said the fairy, then disappeared.
"Fairy? Come back," shouted Ezra - he was scared. "What about my mother? I have to rescue her."
The fairy didn't come back, so Ezra walked towards the graveyard's entrance. Zombies began to appear so Ezra began to run. He vowed that he would come back for his mother as soon as he could.
He remembered a boy he had once met in the Graveyard; he had seemed very wise for his age, just like Ezra. This boy had given Ezra the direction of where he lived, so Ezra would go in that direction and seek out his friend to help him.
Chapter 3: Nathan
Kakariko Village, a village once home to the wise and powerful Sheikahs, (once guardians of the world) was opened up to other people by Impa, the Sheikah of Queen Zelda's ancestor also named Zelda. Long ago men lived here who worked as carpenters, before they became friends with the Gerudos of the Gerudo lands; now most carpenters lived in Gerudo Valley that was built by them for their Gerudo families not long ago.
The Kakariko are human in appearance and are a peaceful race; some have small farms of cows and cuccos (the Kakariko word for a chicken-like bird, usually white-coloured); others run shops in the village.
"My cuccos have escaped again, brother - please can you retrieve them for me," requested the red-haired young girl, looking at her brother who was planting seeds in the soil in their garden.
This girl, Kara was descended from a girl who had once had the legendary hero, Link finding all her escaped cuccos for her.
Nathan was her step-father's son who had come to live with them after her mother had remarried. When Kakarikos lost their husband or wife they would usually find another after the year's grieving period, but her mother had been close to the darker skinned man even before her first husband had died so they'd married as soon as the year was up. Some people had frowned upon the darker skin colour and Nathan was often hurt by other children as a result. That was how Nathan had become friends with Josiah, who had stepped in to protect Nathan when some village children had fiercely set upon the boy. Josiah was amazingly strong and towered above most other people of the village.
Kara's twelve-year-old brother Nathan sighed and reluctantly left the garden to retrieve the missing birds. The fence of the pen was too low he had told his sister, but she wouldn't listen; now he had to go and find all her stupid birds for her because she was allergic to them.
He walked around the village looking for the cuccos - they enjoyed playing hide and seek with him and managed to hide in places where they weren't easy to find.
"Have you ever considered building a higher fence around their pen, brother?" asked Nathan's adult friend and neighbour, Josiah. Josiah used to be a holy-man for the village but had become angry after his parents had been killed, and had been asked to leave. One of the remaining signs was that he called his male friends 'brother'. He liked to protect Nathan from being hurt, when he could and Nathan was happy with that arrangement as he didn't like fighting.
Josiah was holding a cucco that was clucking and flapping its wings madly, trying to escape. It had been walking around Josiah's garden plot looking for food.
Nathan took the cucco from Josiah and grinned. "My sister is set in her ways and reasonin' with her is a waste of time. 'Sides, I need to keep fit and catchin' cuccos gives me plenty of exercise." Nathan liked to find the positive side to things where he could even if it was an awful chore he'd rather not be doing.
"I shudder to think what misfortune would befall one if it were to escape from this village," said Josiah, remembering what Hyrule Field outside their village was like at night; he preferred to stay at home at night-time.
"We haven't lost a single cucco in years," replied Nathan, thinking about how upset his sister would be if they lost any and knowing that she would blame him.
"I would offer to help you retrieve them, but I promised Mary Travis I'd go riding with her later after we'd had afternoon tea at her father's ranch. She would be most displeased if I was late."
"Do you think the cuccos would stay put if I tagged along?" asked Nathan, eager to go riding; anything to get away from this dull town that he was becoming bored with. He didn't mind if he never saw his step-sister again; she wasn't very nice to him and gave him too many chores.
"Mary did say I could take you along anytime," said Josiah. "Let me help you retrieve the cuccos then we'll go," added Josiah - he didn't want Nathan to get in trouble with the boy's sister. He decided that Mary would be okay about his lateness once he had explained that he had wanted to help his young friend first, so that he could visit as well. Mary would be glad to see the young boy who she was fond of.
The young man, who was aged 35 and the boy aged 12 began to look all over the village for the cuccos - it took them a considerable amount of time to find all 10 of them. Luckily, none of them had fallen down the well that was near to their pen and was very deep.
Josiah and Nathan went to tell Nathan's sister where they were going then set off for the Travis Ranch where the young woman Mary lived with her father-in-law Orin and her son Billy. Her husband had been killed when Billy was only a baby and Orin had invited the remaining family to move in with him at the ranch.
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Nathan and Josiah arrived at Travis Ranch and knocked at Mary's front door that wasn't far inside the ranch's fence.
Mary answered and invited them inside for afternoon tea before they had a ride on the horses. The Travis's grew Tea-Plants on their ranch, the leaves when processed made delicious tea to drink and people visited from miles away to taste it. The Travis's were well-known throughout the kingdom for their hospitality. They were glad to let people visit to ride their horses as well as drink their tea. They had hardly any enemies as a result.
End of Part 1
Chapter 1: Buck
A man and wife of a human-type race rode brown horses toward a desert land. The woman carried a small bundle that she constantly looked upon to check that the baby inside was all right. The baby made no noise as the horses came to a stop by the town's entrance and the man and woman dismounted.
The Gerudo guard looked at the newcomers; "Welcome to Gerudo Valley."
The woman reluctantly handed the bundle over to the guard, then the man and woman swiftly remounted their horses and rode away. The Gerudo watched them open-mouthed until the noise of the baby's cries distracted her attention. She looked at the baby and started to rock it in an attempt to quieten it.
Later the same day the baby's parents fought in battle and both were never seen again.
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Almost nine years later...
The sun shone down on the hot sand of the desert lands; this part known as Gerudo Valley. This was the home to the race of female warriors known as Gerudo. They had faces that looked like cats but the people were like humans in every way.
A young boy approached the Gerudo guard outside the Gerudo Training Ground with an anxious but excited look on his face. Today was the boy's 9th birthday and as one of the boys in the Gerudos, he was to take the tests inside the training ground to show them if he was suitable to become a Gerudo warrior to help to protect the desert town. Gerudo had a lot of boys now, as the Gerudos were taking mates more often now that there was seemingly less evil for the Gerudos to fight - but many boys weren't good enough to become male warriors. The female Gerudos were better at protection than fighting and feared that if a powerful enemy were to come to Gerudo Valley they wouldn't be able to fight it. The carpenters, their friend's from Kakariko Village but who now lived with the Gerudos, were given the task of training the boys for their ninth birthday when they would face the training ground. The Carpenters would've made great warriors because of their strength and large amounts of energy, but were married with families so took on less dangerous work.
"Good Morning Buck - Happy Birthday," said the Gerudo guard, smiling at the boy.
"Mornin' Ma'am - Mom sent me here to begin my tests," replied Buck politely. He looked back behind him anxiously and his mother smiled at him from where she watched her only son, although he was only her adopted son. Buck didn't have a father as his mother didn't have time for taking mates. She preferred to spend all of her time divided between caring for her son and helping guard the Gerudo's lands.
"You're most fortunate that your birthday wasn't yesterday. Our last guest ran amok inside and we had to close it all day while the carpenters repaired it."
"It's okay now though isn't it?" asked Buck in concern - he had been looking forward to this day since his fifth birthday.
"Yes - the carpenters worked overnight to complete the work for today's guests. Please concentrate hard on the tasks inside and complete them as fast as you can - there are several more contestants to take part today before we close at sunset." This Gerudo woman wasn't the nicest Gerudo and not very patient, but Buck was still polite to her.
The Gerudo clapped her hands and the door opened. Buck walked inside slowly; he was very nervous about the trials.
He was in a large rock-walled dimly-lit room lit only by a few torches on the walls. There were several doors around him from which to choose. He chose the left door and entered through it nervously.
A skeleton with a sword and shield appeared and Buck began to fight with it, using the sword his carpenter friend Chris had given him for his birthday. Apparently the carpenter had the Goron blacksmith Bigoron make it especially for Buck. That was before Death Mountain had been mysteriously destroyed by fire. Goron City and all surrounding areas had been alight for several days and there had sadly been no Goron survivors - but Garunia (descendant of Darunia the wise Goron sage) was still missing.
Buck fought the skeleton warrior determinedly. He had to become a warrior and protect his home from any future enemies. No harm must come to the Gerudo women who had always shown him such kindness and protected him from harm. When he grew up he would show women the kindness and respect the Gerudo women had always shown him.
He finally defeated the skeleton warrior and it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Buck heard a noise and saw that the bars had gone from the next wooden door now. He walked towards the door but turned just as he got there. He had heard a soft noise of small flapping wings behind him.
He turned around but saw nothing - he was sure he had heard something though. He stood still and listened. He lashed out with his sword and a cloud of smoke appeared as the invisible enemy was killed. "Invisible?" asked Buck loudly; he was amazed by the enemy that he had never heard of before because he had been sure that the carpenter had taught him about all the enemies inside the training ground.
Buck hadn't expected a reply, so gasped in shock when a soft feminine voice answered him; "There are a few shadow bats here - if anyone can find and defeat them all, they are a true warrior."
"But, how did they get here? No-one ever goes into the Shadow Lands!" said Buck, now no longer afraid of the invisible presence talking to him.
"Any warrior who completes all their tasks successfully will be able to go anywhere they please - that includes the Shadow Lands."
"I never want to go there - without a lens of truth I'd die."
"There is a lens of truth now always hidden within the Spirit temple. Anyone who completes this training ground well enough will be given entry to the Spirit temple."
"I heard some terrible stories about the enemies in that temple," said Buck, shivering just thinking about the enemies he had heard about.
"No worse than enemies elsewhere young man," replied the voice.
Buck continued through the rooms and passageways, killing enemies and collecting door keys from chests that appeared. Finally he reached the door maze. If he unlocked the correct door he would be able to unlock doors to make a path to the final room.
Buck took out his compass that he had won earlier and studied it for a moment - trying to think of which direction he needed to go in.
He finally decided upon the logical direction and unlocked that door...
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Chris, the young carpenter of only 30 years of age waited patiently outside the Gerudo training ground; he had no repairs to make that morning so could spend the whole of his free time with his young friend Buck. He had prepared the young boy for this day for two whole years, teaching him to fight and about all the other things he would need to know for the training ground. He had promised his Gerudo wife Sarah and his young son Adam that he wouldn't get involved in any fighting or dangerous challenges as one of their conditions of marriage had been that he wouldn't ever become involved in dangerous things that could remove him from their lives. Buck would have to find someone else to take with him if he passed the training ground and moved onto the more challenging Spirit Temple that was at the other side of the desert.
Finally, Buck came back through the door and showed Chris the bow and arrows he had won. He had never had a bow of his own, but had often borrowed an older friend's one to practise with.
"You completed it so quickly?" asked Chris in surprise.
"Of course I did," said Buck proudly. "I killed lots of skeleton warriors, and some bats and some monsters that looked like horses but made of stone, and then I killed shadow bats as well..."
An older Gerudo they didn't know approached them; "You two must come with me - there is someone who requests your presence."
Chris and Buck followed the older Gerudo woman, curious who would want to see them.
They arrived at a circular clearing surrounded by tall thin trees. The Gerudo took out a wooden flute and played a short tune. Nothing seemed to happen for what seemed like hours, until suddenly one of the trees disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing a hole.
"You must jump into the hole, then you will be taken to the Desert Fairy Fountain."
Chris stepped trustingly into the hole and slowly vanished. Buck gasped in shock, but then followed Chris.
The two then stood in a large cave with rock walls and in front of them was a shallow pool of water.
A seemingly bodiless voice spoke, "Step into the pool and you will be restored to full health."
The two obeyed; in their land they must never distrust anyone, as distrust was seen as an evil quality.
"It healed my scar!" exclaimed Chris in surprise; he had received the scar in a fight he had when he was a boy and he had been told it would never heal.
"This water has magical healing properties, don't be surprised by what it can do," said the female voice.
The two immediately felt much healthier; then they saw the large wingless fairy who floated high above the ground at the back of the cave not far from them. Her hair was the colour of desert sand and she wore a golden dress, which reached to just above her feet that had upon them golden sandals.
"Are you the Desert Fairy?" asked Chris unafraid, despite that she was a lot larger than him.
"Yes I am, Chris. I have summoned you both here because now it has been proved that Buck is One of the Seven I have to tell him what he is destined for," said the fairy in a soft but clear voice.
"I'm what?" asked Buck.
"One of the Seven - seven beings who are destined to be heroes of the lands and protect the world from evil. Seven Hero Spirits have joined with seven potential heroes in this world which is far from their own, sent here because their creator knew that evil is now here threatening the existence of all races and he wished to help. The Goron City fire was caused by the first of a new breed of enemy and more lands will follow soon without the protection of the Seven. The spirits will exit the heroes when the danger is passed and travel to find new potential heroes in another world where there is danger. The Hero Spirits are immortal and if someone they inhabit dies, they exit the body and find a new one."
"Where's the other six?" asked Buck curiously. He was very inquisitive and always needed more knowledge.
"As spirits are inside a person and even if they came out, they are not visible, no-one can find out who has a Hero Spirit inside of them. We think we have found most of them but we must wait until they have completed their trials also. They will all succeed on their trials where others before them have failed and they will accomplish the trials far more efficiently. They will defeat the test's largest enemy at the end where others have always failed," the fairy said.
"Are the other six in Gerudo valley as well?" asked Buck, wondering if he had met any of them already.
The fairy answered, "No - they are spread out over the lands. Chris, will you take Buck to the Desert Temple so he can complete further training? Once he has found the silver gauntlets he will need an adult's hands to wear them and open the silver entrance there."
"Yes, I will be glad to, miss," answered Chris, happy for an excuse to face danger for a change. His Gerudo wife Sarah had always preferred him as a carpenter as it was a far safer profession, but he would be delighted to take part in something dangerous - the Spirit Temple trial's second stage would be perfect for him. Sarah didn't have to know as long as he was very careful and didn't suffer any injuries.
"My name is Gerudia," answered the fairy in a friendly tone.
"It was great to meet you Gerudia," said Buck, tipping an imaginary hat at her. He often used words which most children and adults didn't use in the world; words which they thought were less elegant sounding. He was so excited as he had never met a real fairy before; his mother had told him stories about fairies.
"It was an even greater privilege to meet you, Buck. Chris - take good care of the first of the Seven - no harm must come to him."
"I promise I'll protect him," answered Chris, smiling at the fairy. He hoped he would be able to meet the other six - it would be interesting to see what they were like.
Chapter 2: Ezra
The Shadow Lands - deep underground where no sun ever shines, a land where many illusions conceal true appearances of things. The Shadow People are sensitive to bright light and as a result their eye colouring is always a dark colour. They are not allied with any lands above ground and don't trust anyone who isn't one of their own. The lands are ruled by a very strict man known only as the Shadow Lord.
Inside the Shadow Castle, home to the Shadow Lord...
"If you don't watch your boy's steps in future, you'd best watch your own, Maude," boomed the loud deep voice of the Shadow Lord.
The black-haired woman stood up from where she had been knelt down facing the lord's throne and answered, "I try hard, my lord, but it is too difficult to watch his every step."
Maude really had blonde hair that had been dyed black when she had come here as a girl. Her parents had committed sins against an above-ground race and had been sent to live in the Shadow Lands. Maude had adapted well and many didn't know that she wasn't really one of them.
"I have already warned you twice - I am too impatient now." The lord floated up toward the ceiling and put out both his hands towards the woman. The woman screamed as she vanished. Her voice became silent and the Shadow Lord began to laugh a deep, evil laugh.
The boy of eleven-years-old watching from the shadows turned away - he knew that his mother was still there, but now invisible. He couldn't bear to not be able to see her when she was there. He had to escape this sinister land, but he couldn't just leave his mother like that. He was very intelligent for an eleven-year-old. Most children of the Shadow Lands weren't taught much until they neared adult-hood so that they would just play happily and not cause any trouble for the adults.
Suddenly, the ground below Ezra started to split in two with boiling hot lava visible through the cracks and Ezra turned back and ran as fast as he could. As he ran, he put on his dark cloak that he carried - the Cloak of Concealment would hide his location from the Shadow Lord. He had found it on the ground with no sign of an owner nearby, so he had taken it remembering what his mother had taught him, "Finders - keepers, losers - weepers!" He had wanted such a cloak for years but couldn't afford his own one. He still wondered if it was put there for him to find.
The ground near him stopped splitting - the Lord didn't know where Ezra was now. Ezra stopped running, to get his bearings. The entrance to the land was very cleverly concealed and the boy would need his wits to find it. His only solution was to leave the Shadow Lands and return when he was able, to rescue his mother.
The eleven-year-old boy started walking slowly, looking above him briefly on every step. He finally stopped - he knew the entrance was close. The boy took out a truth lens from his bag and held it up to the sky - a large hole in the dark clouds was revealed. The boy looked down at his feet nervously, then said, "Don't let me down boots."
The boy began to float up toward the sky and finally reached the hole. The flying boots his mother had given him had worked! He floated high above the hole into Kakariko Graveyard and floated to a patch of ground beside the hole.
"Be gone demon - go back to whence you came," shouted a woman at him. He had to take off his cloak to conserve his magic while he used the flying boots, so was now visible.
"Madam - I am no more a demon than you are," replied the boy politely.
"All who come up from under the ground are demons - the last to come up caused the great fire which destroyed all of Goron city," replied the woman, who wore a long black dress and had loose black hair that reached just past her shoulders.
"Please believe me, I have just escaped from a demon down there - I wish to forget my roots and start anew." This was true, but Ezra would have to go back to rescue his mother soon. She was the only person below ground whom he cared about.
"You look young enough to transform from bad to good," replied the woman, looking at him thoughtfully.
Suddenly she floated off the ground and grew in size. The light around the woman became very bright and Ezra closed his eyes until the light had faded slightly. When he looked again, a large woman floated above the ground with long black hair flowing down her back. She wore a black dress that reached to nearly her midnight coloured shoes. Ezra stepped backwards, nervous of this large woman.
"Do you bear the marks?" she asked and Ezra looked at her questioningly - he had no idea what she meant. "Show me the backs of your hands," she said.
Ezra held up the backs of his hands and the fairy frowned. "Hold them closer so that I might examine them in more detail," she asked, never demanding anything.
Ezra held them closer to her, which was difficult as he was short for his age and she was quite a distance from him. The fairy bent down to look at his hands. "I was certain that you bore the marks of a Hero Spirit, but I was in error. You do not belong above the ground - go back," she said, the volume of her voice rising.
The boy stepped away from her. "I can't go back - my freedom is restricted for eternity and my attempts at liberation bring punishment upon my mother."
"What is your mother's name?" asked the fairy, the volume of her voice now back to the volume that made Ezra feel more at ease.
"Maude," replied Ezra still scared of the fairy; perhaps she might hurt him.
"She is the one who bears the marks," said the fairy, sounding very certain about that.
"What are these 'marks'?" asked Ezra, feeling slightly less nervous now that the fairy had given him some information instead of attacking him.
The Shadow Fairy explained to the boy about the Hero Spirits and the boy listened carefully; he loved knowledge and this information he was learning today was very interesting to him.
"Do you have any questions?" asked the fairy - she knew that Ezra loved to learn and wanted to make sure that any questions he had were answered now, as she wasn't sure he'd be able to find answers later.
"How did these spirits get here? What's so special about these spirits that we can't be heroes without them?"
"There are many worlds and a mere mortal cannot travel to them, but spirits have the power to. When the Hero Spirits came to our land they each visited a fairy and were given a power from her."
"The Shadow Hero will have the power to reveal truth and see truth no matter how well it is concealed. However the true shadow hero may not be the one with the marks. Somehow the Shadow Spirit bestowed another with the marks - whether it is just for his own amusement or whether it is to confuse the enemy, is unknown."
"You estimate that I am a hero?" asked Ezra beginning to laugh - the idea was so ridiculous.
The fairy floated up in anger. "Do not mock me, child. I have spoken with the other fairies of the world on this - they think that the Shadow Lands are too evil to have One who can protect the world from evil. I knew already that one of the Spirits had entered the land and this is the Shadows' chance to prove that they can help the rest of the world."
Ezra shook his head sadly, "I neglected to mention that I am only one who was born to the Shadow Lands. My mother was bought there when her parents betrayed the above-ground world. Surely I cannot have the power of you if I am not really one of the Shadow People."
"Being born into the Shadow Lands is enough to make you one of the Shadow People. But being born to one from above ground gives you more potential to become an ally to the rest of the world."
"Now show me the backs of your hands," requested the fairy politely. Ezra lifted up his hands to her and the fairy smiled at him. "The marks are now visible to all - you are truly the Shadow Hero. You must journey and meet the other heroes - they are spread out above ground so may not be easy to find. You may not have to go to them all, as they will also be sent to find the other heroes in the world."
"I've never been outside the Shadow Lands - I don't know the way. The furthest I have ever been is into Kakariko Graveyard," panicked Ezra.
"Go where your feet take you," said the fairy, then disappeared.
"Fairy? Come back," shouted Ezra - he was scared. "What about my mother? I have to rescue her."
The fairy didn't come back, so Ezra walked towards the graveyard's entrance. Zombies began to appear so Ezra began to run. He vowed that he would come back for his mother as soon as he could.
He remembered a boy he had once met in the Graveyard; he had seemed very wise for his age, just like Ezra. This boy had given Ezra the direction of where he lived, so Ezra would go in that direction and seek out his friend to help him.
Chapter 3: Nathan
Kakariko Village, a village once home to the wise and powerful Sheikahs, (once guardians of the world) was opened up to other people by Impa, the Sheikah of Queen Zelda's ancestor also named Zelda. Long ago men lived here who worked as carpenters, before they became friends with the Gerudos of the Gerudo lands; now most carpenters lived in Gerudo Valley that was built by them for their Gerudo families not long ago.
The Kakariko are human in appearance and are a peaceful race; some have small farms of cows and cuccos (the Kakariko word for a chicken-like bird, usually white-coloured); others run shops in the village.
"My cuccos have escaped again, brother - please can you retrieve them for me," requested the red-haired young girl, looking at her brother who was planting seeds in the soil in their garden.
This girl, Kara was descended from a girl who had once had the legendary hero, Link finding all her escaped cuccos for her.
Nathan was her step-father's son who had come to live with them after her mother had remarried. When Kakarikos lost their husband or wife they would usually find another after the year's grieving period, but her mother had been close to the darker skinned man even before her first husband had died so they'd married as soon as the year was up. Some people had frowned upon the darker skin colour and Nathan was often hurt by other children as a result. That was how Nathan had become friends with Josiah, who had stepped in to protect Nathan when some village children had fiercely set upon the boy. Josiah was amazingly strong and towered above most other people of the village.
Kara's twelve-year-old brother Nathan sighed and reluctantly left the garden to retrieve the missing birds. The fence of the pen was too low he had told his sister, but she wouldn't listen; now he had to go and find all her stupid birds for her because she was allergic to them.
He walked around the village looking for the cuccos - they enjoyed playing hide and seek with him and managed to hide in places where they weren't easy to find.
"Have you ever considered building a higher fence around their pen, brother?" asked Nathan's adult friend and neighbour, Josiah. Josiah used to be a holy-man for the village but had become angry after his parents had been killed, and had been asked to leave. One of the remaining signs was that he called his male friends 'brother'. He liked to protect Nathan from being hurt, when he could and Nathan was happy with that arrangement as he didn't like fighting.
Josiah was holding a cucco that was clucking and flapping its wings madly, trying to escape. It had been walking around Josiah's garden plot looking for food.
Nathan took the cucco from Josiah and grinned. "My sister is set in her ways and reasonin' with her is a waste of time. 'Sides, I need to keep fit and catchin' cuccos gives me plenty of exercise." Nathan liked to find the positive side to things where he could even if it was an awful chore he'd rather not be doing.
"I shudder to think what misfortune would befall one if it were to escape from this village," said Josiah, remembering what Hyrule Field outside their village was like at night; he preferred to stay at home at night-time.
"We haven't lost a single cucco in years," replied Nathan, thinking about how upset his sister would be if they lost any and knowing that she would blame him.
"I would offer to help you retrieve them, but I promised Mary Travis I'd go riding with her later after we'd had afternoon tea at her father's ranch. She would be most displeased if I was late."
"Do you think the cuccos would stay put if I tagged along?" asked Nathan, eager to go riding; anything to get away from this dull town that he was becoming bored with. He didn't mind if he never saw his step-sister again; she wasn't very nice to him and gave him too many chores.
"Mary did say I could take you along anytime," said Josiah. "Let me help you retrieve the cuccos then we'll go," added Josiah - he didn't want Nathan to get in trouble with the boy's sister. He decided that Mary would be okay about his lateness once he had explained that he had wanted to help his young friend first, so that he could visit as well. Mary would be glad to see the young boy who she was fond of.
The young man, who was aged 35 and the boy aged 12 began to look all over the village for the cuccos - it took them a considerable amount of time to find all 10 of them. Luckily, none of them had fallen down the well that was near to their pen and was very deep.
Josiah and Nathan went to tell Nathan's sister where they were going then set off for the Travis Ranch where the young woman Mary lived with her father-in-law Orin and her son Billy. Her husband had been killed when Billy was only a baby and Orin had invited the remaining family to move in with him at the ranch.
Z7 - Z7 - Z7 - Z7 - Z7 - Z7 - Z7
Nathan and Josiah arrived at Travis Ranch and knocked at Mary's front door that wasn't far inside the ranch's fence.
Mary answered and invited them inside for afternoon tea before they had a ride on the horses. The Travis's grew Tea-Plants on their ranch, the leaves when processed made delicious tea to drink and people visited from miles away to taste it. The Travis's were well-known throughout the kingdom for their hospitality. They were glad to let people visit to ride their horses as well as drink their tea. They had hardly any enemies as a result.
End of Part 1