The Downfall Timeline
Book 1
Chapter 8: Purpose
Evening, August 15, 609 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Day 30
Lake Hylia, South Central Hyrule
The matron of the infirmary first tried to expel the boy from the temple, but the soldiers advised her that no quarters had been built for orphaned children and the army was unwilling to give up a spare tent for a criminal.
Furious as she was, she couldn't bring herself to order the child out into the wilderness alone and during a war. So, instead, she commanded that Link be shackled with irons to his bed for the night. A guard was now posted inside the infirmary door, only a few paces from where he lay.
Though the past weeks had brought some of the most traumatic and painful events of his life so far, none could match the cold, ominous silence of that first night… imprisoned.
Link's anger slowly faded and a sickening, trembling fear took its place. He had lost control, lost himself in the moment, and now he was a prisoner.
"What do they do to people who attack the royalty?" he wondered fearfully, "Will they… kill me?!"
Despite the adventures he had taken and the fearsome beasts he had fought, he was still just a boy at heart. He spent that first night shivering and silently sobbing into his pillow.
In the morning, when the first of the day nurses arrived, he was roughly unshackled and pulled onto his feet.
"No more laying about!" barked the nurse, "There's work to be done!"
No one at the temple had ever heard of a Hylian disrespecting the princess, much less attacking her. These women were of a firm mind that the boy had gone too far, and needed to be seriously punished with hard labor.
Bed pans, chamber pots, soiled bandages, rotten food and herbs, and even the cut portions of flesh taken from the patients – Link was commanded to clear all away and to burn them outside. The guard of the chamber – Link's "Jailer" as he came to think of him – followed the boy closely where ever he went.
"Eyes on your work lad!" he growled as Link tried to look upwards at the sky beside his foul-smelling fire.
After the rotten and "unclean things" had been taken away. The boy was commanded to scrub every surface of the infirmary with a small brush and bucket of cold water & vinegar.
He didn't care though, his hatred toward Zelda burned even hotter as news from the wounded soldiers -who were arriving hourly- revealed that much of the forest had been ruthlessly burned by Ganon's forces before the Hylians were able to root them out.
The attack on Kakariko had been a feign and the Gerudo swiftly retreated as the Hylian army approached. The force which attacked the forest, was little more than a raiding party: two dozen moblins. The scouts who had first spotted them, fled in terror and reported that a large company of monsters had broken through the front lines. Alfon was furious and ordered them flogged before the army as punishment for their cowardice and misdirection.
So, it was all for nothing.
Link's home and friends had been burned to ash and Kakariko had never been in any real danger.
Miscommunication, incompetence, and fear had crippled the Hylians and destroyed Link's faith in Zelda and her ministers. Impa too had grown rather distrustful of the boy, and often stopped by the infirmary to keep a close watch over him.
He hated being watched by her, "Why don't they just send me away?! Why keep me here?!" he wondered angrily, but he never dared to speak to her.
Hours turned to days and the days slowly turned to weeks. Link was not able to guess how long he had been imprisoned within the temple as he was not permitted to leave it unescorted, and the burning of the infirmary's refuse was only performed at night.
Eventually, the boy began to plan his escape. He would pretend to be asleep one night and wait for the guard to leave for his patrol. When the evening nurse was relieved and her replacement took stock of the supplies, Link would slip out into the Water Temple, find his gear, and make his escape.
Once outside, he would make his way back to the remains of the forest and find the Kokiri. In his mind, he did not let himself hope that they were alive, as the pain of the loss would only be worse if he found them dead; but he had to know for certain whether or not they had escaped Ganon's wrath.
Carefully, Link began collecting small scraps of dried foods and hiding them in an unsoiled bandage beneath his pillow. He was not sure how long it would take him to reach the forest, but he knew he would need provisions.
One night, three weeks after his imprisonment, the boy climbed into bed and practiced "falling asleep." A messenger came and asked for the guard to come to a soldier's meeting down the passage. Link faked a large yawn, and curled up with his blanket, pretending not to have heard. The guard narrowed his eyes at him for a moment, then turned and motioned to the nurse to watch him before he left.
This was his chance! He gave a few minutes to make sure the guard was far away and carefully watched the nurse through nearly-closed eyes. She quickly assumed that he had fallen asleep, and walked to the far end of the room to check on a critical patient.
The young hero silently slipped out of bed and gathered his bundle. The infirmary door creaked dangerously as he peered out into the hall. It was dark, with only a flicker of torchlight at the far end, near a turn. Link closed his eyes and listened intently for the sound of any patrols, but heard nothing.
He dashed down the dim passage and toward freedom. Turning this way and that, he frantically searched for any escape from the temple, but every path he took seemed to lead down into the Zoras' water.
Link's impatience would ultimately catch up with him as he raced through the temple - no longer listening for patrols. Several minutes after his escape from the infirmary, he turned a sharp corner and suddenly crashed into a large soldier traveling in the opposite direction.
Tumbling backward, his bundle opened and the carefully gathered food was scattered across the stone floor.
"Well young man, where do you think you are going?" A deep, stern voice asked.
Link shook his head, and looked up at the man towering over him.
The torchlight was dim, but he was able to make out that the man was tall and heavily built. His hair was black and hung neatly down to his shoulders and a short, well-trimmed black beard covered his face. In the faint and flickering light, Link could not see his eyes.
Alfon was covered from the neck down in his heavy plate-mail armor, bearing a new deep-blue cape; which hung to his ankles.
"I...I..." the boy stammered, struggling to quickly make up a story that was believable.
The knight studied him first, and then the provisions he had spilled onto the floor.
"Sneaking out for a midnight snack?" he snapped.
"No... I mean... Yes... I mean... Leave me alone!" shot Link as he got to his feet.
The great warrior towered over the young boy for a moment before bending forward and looking him directly in the eye. As he moved, the torchlight caught Alfon's brown eyes. For a moment, they seemed to flash a red-orange and he was shaken by the memory of Ganon in the temple.
"That's not how this works son." whispered the knight threateningly.
Suddenly, he shot a hand forward and grabbed the boy by the back of his tunic. Link was amazed at how fast the plated knight seemed to be able to move.
He tried to squirm free, but it was useless. The man's grip was iron tight, and was easily strong enough to carry the boy all the way back to the infirmary with one hand.
Alfon had been sent by Impa to speak with the boy about some serious matters, but found him missing from the infirmary.
"It is a very serious charge to attack one's princess," he scolded, once he returned Link to his bed, "I believe they call it treason. Most men would be executed for such an act!"
Link remained silent now, staring at the wall near his bed.
"Fortunately for you," he continued, "Her Highness has commuted your sentence to that of servitude."
The boy drew a deep breath and rolled his eyes, "More of her plans." he thought to himself.
"It seems, our princess has seen fit to make you, my squire." Alfon finished.
This was unexpected, and Link turned to look up at him, "Squire?" he echoed.
"Yes," answered Alfon, "apparently executing you would doom us all, though the princess and Lady Impa will not say why." He stared down at the boy with a skeptical eye, "I have not yet agreed to take you. Have you had any training? Do you have any skill with a blade?" he questioned.
He carefully searched the knight's tone for humor, but could not tell if Alfon meant it as a joke. Yes, Link was a boy, but he had pulled the Master Sword.
"You took my sword." He answered bitterly.
"Ah yes, that was something." replied Alfon with a light chuckle, "The Master Sword, in the hands of a boy. You should know that the sword is not yours, but her Highness'."
Link scowled at Alfon, "The sword serves whomever pulls it from the pedestal. Only its master can wield it."
"Well, the sword 'allows' her highness to lift it." he answered, mockingly, as he poured himself a drink of water from an unclaimed pitcher across from Link's bed.
While he drank, the boy wondered at what he had said, "Is it true? Can Zelda use the sword? If she can then why did I have to pull it?!"
When Alfon had finished his water, he went on, "I asked Lady Impa how a child could wield the Sword of Evil's Bane? She said to me: 'Her Grace is not master of the sword, but a friend of it.'... Now what do you suppose that means?"
Link didn't particularly care what she meant. His mind was still trapped on Zelda carrying the sword. The pain and sorrow of the past weeks gathered together into a hard stone in the boy's stomach. Everything could have been avoided - but it wasn't - and now he had lost everything.
Alfon took a few steps toward the boy and reached to put his hand on Link's shoulder. Angrily, he smacked it away, which irritated the knight immensely.
"You've got a good deal of hate in you boy!" he shot, "That's not going to do anyone any good!"
"I don't care," growled Link in return.
The knight ground his teeth and glared at the boy. He knew the child had suffered, but he had suffered too - everyone in Hyrule was suffering. What was worse: Sir Alfon was a knight. The last knight of the kingdom. Rather than spending time trying to console a sullen brat, he felt he could be better used fighting Ganon's forces and trying to reclaim the castle.
But Zelda was adamant, and Impa reluctantly agreed, the boy had to be kept with them – and it was crucial that Alfon take him as his apprentice.
"Alright," he began again after a deep breath, "You want to hate everyone, that's fine. I'll teach you how to use that hate to kill."
Link's ears twitched in surprise and he turned to look back at him - he didn't expect such an aggressive response.
"You'll kill and kill until you've burned all of that hate out... and then... you'll die because you don't have any hate left!"
The boy just stared at him. The thought of killing or even of just dying appealed to him now. It would release him from this fear and pain that he had been laden with.
"Or..." the man shifted, giving him a side-long glance, "You can set aside that hate and let me teach you how to fight, how to serve, and how to win."
Link drew a long breath. He was thinking of Navi again and the Great Deku Tree. That dark stone still sat in the pit of his stomach, but he knew they would be ashamed of him if he became hate-driven and reckless. He also knew that if he had managed to escape from the guards, he would likely only die alone, somewhere in the ruined forest - if he even made it that far.
After several long seconds, Link mumbled, "I already know how to fight."
The great knight smiled at him, "Then on to serving!"
The following morning, the pair were summoned to the princess' throne room. Link was directed to kneel before her and Alfon to rest his hands on the boy's shoulders.
Holding the Master Sword out, over Link's head, she began: "Link, of the Kokiri Forest in the Realm of Hyrule, do you swear fealty and service to the Kingdom of Hyrule? To fight, and if called upon, to die to protect her? To serve her people in all things until Lord or Captain release you from this charge?"
Link forced himself to only hear the words. He hated the sound of Zelda's voice now and desperately wanted to shout at her, but he just stared straight ahead answered, "I swear."
Forcing his own anger out of his mind was easier when he reminded himself that Alfon was going to help him fight Ganon - to get revenge for all that he had lost - and that was all that mattered.
Two soldiers stepped forward and laid a small wooden shield, edged with steel, and a small mail shirt beside the boy.
The princess continued, "Do you Link, soldier of Hyrule, commit yourself to this knight? To serve has his squire; binding yourself to his teachings? To serve beside him in battle, and to come to his aid whenever he calls, lest death take you from this world?"
Again, without meeting Zelda's eye he replied, "I swear."
She now turned her attention to the knight, "Do you Alfon, son of Duron, Knight of Hyrule, accept this man as your squire? Do you pledge to guide him in this conflict? To teach him the martial discipline, the ways of the light, and the ways of the Goddess Hylia? To temper him in the knight's code; serving the Kingdom of Hyrule?"
The great warrior looked down at the boy and solemnly answered, "I accept his life into my hands and these charges into my heart, your highness. His health, is my health. His life, my life. This is my brother, and I will always keep him, This I swear."
He gently squeezed Link's shoulders – the boy wasn't alone anymore.
The princess now lowered the sword to the floor and rested her hands on its guards.
Now it was Impa's turn to speak, "I Impa, Minister-Regent of Hyrule, accept these oaths pledged before me and name you, Link, Squire to Knight-Lieutenant Alfon. Serve him and this kingdom well."
Finally, Zelda finished, "I Zelda, Sovereign Princess of Hyrule, accept your life into my hands and command you to defend this kingdom with every ounce of your will until this evil is vanquished or...or..."
She hesitated on the last words and Link slowly looked up at her.
"...or death, take you from my service." She quickly finished.
The ceremony complete, the new squire rose, lifted his mail and shield and turned to his master, "What now?" he asked.
"Now, you learn how to become a knight." he answered, smiling.
They turned to leave when the princess suddenly spoke again, "Kneel, Sir Alfon."
Master and apprentice both turned back, surprised, to Zelda.
"Your Grace, perhaps we should-" began Impa, but Zelda cut her off, "Kneel!"
The knight, kneeling, gazed curiously at her. She lifted the sword again and rested its point on his shoulder. Though he said nothing, Alfon was amazed that he barely felt the weight of blade upon him.
"I, Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, name thee Lord-Marshal of the Armies of Hyrule and Captain of his Majesty's Royal Knights. Fight hard and well, for your kingdom has need of you."
The room stood frozen at her sudden decision. Impa raised a finger and opened her mouth to protest, but the girl stopped her with a glare.
"Y-your Highness...I...I..." he stammered - shocked by the sudden promotion. She turned back to him and smiled, "I know you can do it" she seemed to say.
His composure quickly returned and he answered, "I accept these charges into my heart, and pledge to serve this kingdom, my lady, until your Highness releases me, or death take me."
She lifted the sword, touched it to his other shoulder, and withdrew. Moving as one, the chamber guards knelt with their hands across their chests, and cried out "Hail! Lord-Marshal!"
"Now," finished Zelda, "Win this war."