Before the Game Begins...

The Death of the Queen

Chapter 2: The Sword

The King quickly made his way down the secret passage that connected the castle with the Temple of Time. Soon this passage would be destroyed, as well as the link to the fairy fountain . He stopped there and gathered courage and strength. He carried with him the legendary Sacred Sword, which had been handed down to him through the many generations of Kings that had ruled Hyrule before him. It had been his fondest wish to pass it on to his son, but in these uncertain times, he felt compelled to place this sword into the safe keeping of the Sage of Light, who dwelt within the inner sanctum of the Temple of Time.

While his son and his wife had left Hyrule before the seige had begun, and unable to return since then, they were seeking refuge in the forest. Impo, brother to Impa of Kakariko village, accompanied the Queen and the Prince so that their safety might not be compromised. How he wished now, with all his heart, that he had sent 1/2 his army with them.

Should Ganondorf, the Desert King, discover that his prey was under his nose...

The King of Hyrule steeled himself to believe that enduring the siege kept Ganondorf thinking that the heir to Hyrule still lived behind its walls. As soon as the siege ended, the Good King would know that Ganondorf had discovered the Queen and her precious cargo. Keeping the siege going for as long as it had gave the King of Hyrule hope. He knew that the whereabouts of his son and his wife were still unknown to the enemy.

He paused at the steps of the Temple. The glimmering of dusk lent an eeriness to the Temple grounds. In the background looming behind the town wall, the dormant volcano seemed serene in its remoteness. He took a deep breath and entered the temple. He remembered how the assassin had been discovered, hovering over the boy, poised above the moat of the castle, where glimmering rupees caught the youngster's attention. The darkly hooded skull kid, about to plunge a poisoned knife into the Prince's heart, was instead wrenched backward by Impo, flung against a spiked fence that stood not 4 feet away. With a kick, Impo had sent the evil blade skittering across the paving stones, where it fell with barely a "plunk" into the rushing water.

"Who sent you?" Impo had demanded, his voice soft and dangerous.

The piteous cry of the skull kid did not soften Impo's resolve. Instead, he had pressed the frail body even more against the spike of the fence and repeated his question.

The King had seen it all from afar, as if in slow motion, and crystal clear. He had rushed to the scene, preventing Impo from impaling the pathetic creature altogether upon the royal fence. Impo had stepped away, turning his attention to the toddler who still played obliviously by the moat. The skull kid sobbed with relief. The King had given him the wooden flute that he had intended to give to his own son. The skull kid's story had come pouring out: how he had hidden in the forest because of his face, how Ganondorf sought him out with promises to give him the face of a prince should he but do one small thing: kill the Prince of Hyrule.

And once more, remembering this incident, the King's mind turned to the question: Why would such a great and powerful ruler like Ganondorf want to kill Hyrule's heir?

The disturbing question had been debated by his advisors, and they had concluded that the strange man could be after only one thing: the Sacred Triforce.

The sword, the jewels, the ocarina and the child were all keys to the source of all the power in the entire world. An attack on the Royal Family showed a monstrous ambition for that power. They doubled the guard on the Prince. The watch was reinforced, and everyone was on alert: that was why Ganondorf couldn't penetrate the fortified town. They had been wary of him and blocked his initial attack. Surely he must know by now that they would use these keys to lock the Triforce away forever.

His footsteps echoed in the temple as he walked toward the altar over which three irridecent jewels hovered. The emerald represented the forests of the Kokiri; the ruby, the fiery volcano of Death Mountain; the sapphire, the clear water of Lake Hylia. Their magical attributes drew the eye toward them as no ordinary jewel could. He paused, wary of echoing, stealthy footsteps behind him. Where were the guards that had been stationed here? He placed his hand on the hilt of the sacred sword. He turned quickly to scan the vastness of the temple floor, probing the dimmest corners with his sharp gaze. "Who's there?" he challenged, but none answered. He turned toward the altar and placed the ocarina to his lips. He played the tune that his wife had taught him, and the heavy doors scraped open. He mounted the steps into the ante-chamber, where the Sage of Time awaited him.

The King handed the sword to him. The old Sage withdrew the shining ancient blade from its scabbard and examined its markings to ensure that it was indeed one of the keys to the Triforce. He nodded and handed it back to the King, who then stepped toward the stone. It had been a very long time since the sword had been locked away. Even the Sage could not recall ever having seen it there. It had always hung at the King's side. The two of them had studied the ancient texts regarding the placement of this valuable item, but all they could find was a passage in the legend that said: "A Royal Hand may place it. A Royal Hand may take it." No other chants or waiting for the full moon, or any sort of ritual. The King held the sword point downward, and plunged it into the stone. The Sage of Time yanked the King away as a brilliant white light enveloped the sword.

"Close one." he said to the King. "You could have been sent into the future."

Before the King could formulate a response, the doors to the ante-chamber began to close. The men exchanged startled glances, and then began to run toward the narrowing doorway. The King managed to slip through, but the Sage of Time had tripped on his way down the stairs, and although he had recovered and followed the King quickly, the doorway was already too narrow for his girth. Someone must have removed the jewels! Someone must have seen what they were doing! By withdrawing the sacred stones from the Altar of Time, that someone had tried to seal them into the antechamber forever!

With only the ocarina, the King could not re-open the chamber. He had to get the jewels back.