Story number 5, active story number 3. My first two are being discontinued due to a lack of interest. Enjoy!
As long as he remembered, Link was always a servant of the royal family. With his father as a stablehand, he was raised to take the profession as well, learning all the tips and tricks that came with horses before he knew how to write. Animals loved him, flocking to him in groups, enjoying how he would interact with them. It was a peaceful life, but that was not the one that Link wanted.
When he was young, maybe five or six, he was taking his second favorite horse, Blaine, for a ride around the castle. About three quarters of the way through the journey, he heard grunts and clashes of metal, prompting his curious side to investigate. Peeking around through the stands near the practice arena, Link was captivated by the practices of the knights, the way their swords danced and their bodies twisted, creating an ethereal image of a combat form of art. However, his desires remained untouchable until he was eight.
It was a normal Sunday, and Link was going with his father to Castle Town in order to replenish supplies for the horses and his family. His father was chatting with his friend, so Link had some time on his hands. He was going to sneak away to see the knights, as he usually did before his father asked him to reconvene at the wheat stand a few hours into the afternoon. He had much more leeway than many other kids his age, likely due to the responsibility his young mind handled, much more developed than some of the adults he knew.
He was on his way to the course, strolling through the fields, hearing the familiar clanking of metal and grunts of men when a whirring noise pulled his attention from his mission. Wanting to watch the guards, but also interested in this new phenomenon, Link chose to postpone his peeping on the paladins and he investigated the new sound first. Crouching and inching closer to the source, Link found a major surprise in store for him.
About eight feet in height, a sleek black metal shell in two cylindrical parts composed the main body of an artistically engraved robot with eight gray robotic legs, each one composed of many parts compressed into one. A singular eye was in the center of the face, blue lighting around it flickering with slight purple. In front of this monstrous machine, four people stood. Two were sheikah, clearly displayed by their white hair and pale complexions, one male and one female. The male was talking excitedly to the other three people on the scene, the female and the two hylians. The first hylian was about six feet in height and very broad, a warrior's body with the regal expression akin to that of nobility. This was Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, the king and lord over all Hylians and the king of Hyrule. Next to him, much smaller in comparison, was the Queen of Hyrule, Zelda Hyrule. With royal golden locks braided elegantly and a white dress woven with yellow, her entire attire was the perfect picture of a noble.
The machine just kept whirring and moving in place, not really doing much. Despite that, the queen and sheikah seemed captivated by the machinery, while the king looked like he had better places to be(which he probably did). Despite that, he stayed, likely to allow his wife to indulge in her interests.
Suddenly, the lighting on the machine changed from blue to a dark purple, one that greatly startled the sheikah, while the king and queen showed no indication of any knowledge of the subject. A blue light was gathered in front of the eye, and before anyone could react, a clear stream of blue went straight from the eye into a nearby pillar, breaking it apart and causing a small explosion.
Without thinking, as soon as he saw the light begin to gather again, and before anyone could react, Link dashed forward and grabbed a shield off the ground, the engravings and design identifying it as a pot lid. Time slowed down as Link rushed forward, towards the panicking sheikah scientists and the frozen royal family. The blue laser fired in the direction of the four, on a straight course for the royals, as Link dashed to intercept it. Royal guards dashed into the field from behind the machine, swords drawn and running to see what caused the explosion near their charge. Link arrived between the beam and the King, stopping and repositioning himself to better shield those behind him. The eight year old boy saw the beam approaching him, less than a foot away from him, before a strange instinct overcame his body. Feeling the weight of the beam somehow bearing down on the pot lid, Link pushed back with equal force, the beam reflecting off of the smooth wood surface, sending the beam back towards the sender in the ultimate UNO reverse move. The beam hit the robot dead in the eye, causing many sparks and the fizzling out of the robot's lights, everything shutting down as it seemed to go limp, damage to the shell that fitted around the internal machines.
Link lowered the pot lid, looking up at what happened, as the royal guard surrounded him and the machine, getting between the King and him and the machine. The king looked up from his protective hug around the queen, looking at the reason they were still alive. Link looked around, his pot lid badly scorched and resting by his hip, observing the people surrounding him in their fancy armor and holding sharp swords.
"Wait," King Rhoam called out, his voice demanding respect. Everyone, including Link himself, turned and kneeled, bowing their heads. "Rise, child," the king stated, Link rising, feeling the intent was for him. He looked up to see the king a few feet in front of him, his pot lid to his right, waiting to be used in Link's defense.
"Thank you," the King Stated, the Queen nodding in agreement. "What is your name, child?" he asked. Link looked around nervously for a second, before pointing to himself, shaking his head, and making a talking motion with his hand. Following this, he bowed his head in apology.
"Oh!" the queen stated, having decoded what Link must have meant. "He cannot speak, or will not speak. It's okay," she said, bending down to look Link in the eye from an even level. "I know sign language. Go ahead, don't worry."
Smiling, Link signed his name, spelling it out for her.
"L-i-n-k," she said, before standing up. "Nice to meet you, Link. I cannot thank you enough for what you've done." Queen Zelda smiled, looking at the young boy in the stablehand's clothes and holding a scorched pot lid by his side. Just then, Link's father ran into the area, calling Link's name. Upon seeing his dad, Link waved to him from the middle of the royal guard, while his father nearly fainted from shock.
Link was a natural with the sword. Whether it be sparring with the knights or training with the dummies, Link always displayed perfect execution in his technique. Ever since he saved the king and queen seven years ago, he trained to become a knight and serve the royal family in the army. His combination of discipline, work ethic, and skill had all boosted him to an elevated status among the knights, quickly climbing the ranks and levels, ending up far above where he should be at the age he was. That brings us to right now, where he was sparring with an elite of the royal guard. Should he hold back from landing a fatal blow, he would be let into the royal guard, the highest honor for any knight. Should he be disarmed, or a fatal blow held back from landing on him, he would have to wait a year before he could try again. This was his first go.
The swords clashed, Link and the guard's swords locked in an X position. They were both wearing leather armor, enough to protect them should a blow be landed but light enough not to hinder their movement. Link preferred to fight without armor, but it was necessary here. The captain seemed to be on the defensive, content with letting Link attack away. Link disengaged, stepping back, and circled his opponent. He was just testing the waters, seeing how his opponent reacted. He hadn't started really going hard, saving his technique of a series of quick strikes and a single heavy blow for later. He jabbed forward, the guard blocking it with his shield, before swinging downwards to cut across Link's chest. Link raised his shield to allow the sword to slide harmlessly away from him, then got in close, pushing against the guard with his shield.
The rush worked, the guard stumbling back from the unorthodox tactic. Pressing the advantage, flurry rushing to land a series of quick strikes, each one faster than the last, the guard barely able to keep up. Finally knocking away the shield, Link readied himself for the trap he knew he stepped into. The guard swung his sword in a wide arc, threatening to tear Link in half should it connect. Smirking slightly, Link backflipped at the perfect time, letting the blade pass underneath him harmlessly. Landing on his feet, time had slowed, allowing him to rush in and land four quick hits, disarming the guard and ridding the elite from feeling in his left hand, causing him to drop both sword and shield. Link held the blade to the guard's neck as his victory was announced, then sheathed the practice metal sword and offered a hand to the terrified disarmed guard, who shook it. Link looked towards the rest of the royal guard, who witnessed someone new join their ranks. King Rhoam clapped loudly from his place on the throne, a dozen or so feet above their current position. Link kneeled on the floor of the throne room, bowing his head in deference to the king, who put a sword on one shoulder before the next.
"Rise, Link," he said, as the fifteen year old looked up. "The newest and youngest member of the royal guard!" he exclaimed, as people in the throne room clapped and cheered for his accomplishment. Link just regretted his parents weren't there to see it, but he knew that they were watching from Hylia's kingdom, the great beyond. Link looked up to the sky, and sent a quick prayer to Hylia, asking for confirmation that his parents were alright. A warm feeling filled the new knight, as the sense of peace filled his body. Finally, he was where he wanted to be, a member of the Royal Guard of King Rhoam, lord of Hyrule.
And thus began Link's journey as a personal guard of the king.
If one were to ask Link five years ago where he thought he would be, in the court of King Dorephan as part of King Rhoam's personal escort would not be at the top of the list. Yet, here he was, a soldier in the presence of two kings. Link stood a fair bit away from the two and Queen Zelda, standing guard near the entrance, though close enough to where he could quickly react if there was a threat. The two of them were discussing the trade policy between Hylians and Zora when a soldier burst into the throne room, cut all over and panting heavily.
"My lord," he started, taking a deep breath. "Monsters at the gates. The guards there require help," he finished, before collapsing. Mipha, the daughter of King Dorephan, rushed to the fallen soldier's side and immediately began healing him, as King Rhoam looked at his guard.
"Go help the Zora," King Rhoam stated, each of the knights nodding their heads and drawing their swords. Of the thirteen of them that came on the trip, four agreed to stay with the kings while the remaining nine went to deal with the threat. Link was elected to lead the nine, as he was the best at fighting out of all of them, despite being the youngest at only fifteen. It had been a few months since he joined the royal guard, but he was still one of the best in the squadron. The nine rushed to where the attack was, and quickly took stock of the situation before Link ran into battle, the rest quickly following their leader.
It was the size of a small army. Around thirty Lizalfos, most likely electric, were on the flanks, pushing against the Zora, who were weak to electric attacks. Following them were around a hundred Bokoblins, with a couple dozen Moblins behind them. To top it off, there was a silver lynel as well, the final boss that they would have to beat. On their side, they had a few dozen Zora, as well as Mipha, the heir to the Zora throne along with her younger brother Sidon.
Link dashed into battle, quickly swiping his sword at the first Lizalfos, catching it across the chest. This lapse in movement allowed Link to decapitate the beast, the first of many kills to come. He swiped at another, catching it across the back, and kicked it away, while he picked up the spear that the fallen had dropped and threw it into one of the Lizalfos's skulls. It killed the beast instantly, the super sharp weapon causing it to drop dead and fade into nothing. Alongside him, he saw the Royal Guard fighting with him, killing the Lizalfos until only a few remained. Then, the first Zora casualty occured, an electric powered boomerang catching him in the back. The Zora warrior cried out as he fell, unable to move due to paralysis. The boomerang returned into his head, decapitating the man and showing Link his first death in battle. Steeling himself, Link continued fighting, using special moves and quick strikes to get the jump on the enemy. It wasn't long before the remaining Lizalfos died, leaving the members of the goblin family and the Lynel.
Link rushed forward, meeting the Bokoblin offensive and using a spread attack sword spin to knock many of them back. Throwing a handmade bomb into the middle of the crowd took out a dozen or so, and disoriented the rest, allowing for easy picking. Link swung, stabbed, and spun in different directions, an unkillable blade of destruction following wherever he went. Kicking one in the face, he swiped at the nose of another, stopping the avance almost single handedly while the rest of the knights stayed back and shot arrows and threw spears from a range. It wasn't long before the front was destroyed, and the Moblins were the next enemy standing. One ran at Link and swung his club, while two more hung back, the rest running towards the knights and quickly being pelted with arrows. Link ducked under the club and slashed at the arm holding it, the limb quickly coming off, allowing Link to decapitate the first Moblin. The other two were more cautious, neither going on the offensive immediately. After a couple seconds, one was shot full of arrows, while the other stood in shock and looked at the archers attacking them, allowing a single clean stab from Link to kill it, taking out the heart. Finally, just the Lynel remained.
The Lynel roared and took out its bow, nocking three electric arrows and shooting them at the knights bowing from the back. Two missed, but one hit the target, causing paralysis and maybe permanently disabling his right arm. Link grit his teeth and ran forward, as the Lynel showed surprising speed for something of its size and put the bow away, drew a sword and shield, and met Link's charge head on. The Lynel sliced downwards in a U with his sword and shield, a predictable tactic for someone so much larger than the target. Link backflipped away and drew his sword, landing an eight hit flurry rush on the Lynel, stunning it temporarily. Using this to his advantage, Link snuck a few more hits in on the flank before jumping back as the Lynel discharged some electricity. Before Link could react, three more arrows were nocked in the bow, and fired at Link, who was forced to duck away before they could hit him. As he got up, he saw the Lynel close the distance between them, and before he could think 'oh shit', the Lynel hit him to the side, crashing him into the boulder, his body aching, and his armor down for the count. Luckily, it wasn't fatal, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. The Lynel roared, as if celebrating its victory, and rushed the soldiers, Zora and Hylian alike, and started attacking them, throwing them around like it was nothing. Link could do nothing but watch helplessly as the beast treated his comrades like nothing more than playthings, toys for his own amusement.
A wave of water spread over Link's body, massaging his muscles and relieving him of his worries. Standing up and peeling off his armor, Link looked at Mipha, who was on the rock next to him, concentrating intensely on him. A nod of thanks was all that she got before Link began to run back into the fray, determined to make the Lynel pay. Link nocked an arrow on his soldier's bow, standard issue for all knights, before releasing the projectile, where it landed on its target of the Lynel's rump. The Lynel roared and turned around, Link smiling and releasing his second arrow, hitting the Lynel in the face and stunning it once more. Running, Link got close and then slid to the beast's left side, slicing the tendons and the calves of the Lynel. Jumping off of a rock, Link slid into position on the Lynel, years of horseback riding helping him with this movement. Steadying himself on the back of the centaur-like creature, Link stabbed downwards with his sword, exactly where he expected the Lynel's heart to be. The Lynel stopped struggling and fell to its knees, before disappearing into black smoke. Link fell onto the ground, tired, and looked up, counting injuries. Three were dead, two Zora and one Hylian, but other than that, there were no others with life threatening injuries, only blunt force trauma. Link stood up and walked over to where two of the knights were kneeling by their fallen comrade, their swords sheathed and hands in the prayer position. Link let them finish, before picking up the body and walking back to the throne room, the remainder of the Royal Guard as well as the Zora in tow, Mipha leading the way. They had packed up the monster parts and divided the remains among them, Link getting the largest share for how active he was in the fight.
Mipha opened the doors to the throne room, everyone turning to look at her as she entered, knights of both Hyrule and Zora's Domain entering behind, some carrying weapons, and some carrying bodies. Link walked to the side, along with the rest of the Royal Guard, the four that stayed back nodding as we returned to our posts. Link still held the body of his fellow knight in his arms, refusing to allow anyone else to hold him. This was his responsibility, he failed to keep everyone safe as a leader should. Instead, all he could do was watch.
"Daughter," King Dorephan started, looking at Mipha in the center of the throne room. "I presume this means that the enemy is vanquished?" He looked at the Zora and the Hylians as he said that.
"Yes, father," Mipha responded, looking up at the massive frame of the king, holding her lightscale trident behind her. "In fact, the Hylians helped the most. We owe them our thanks," she said, before returning to her position to her father's left.
"Is that so?" Dorephan questioned, before looking at Rhoam. "Well then, I thank you with all my heart, King Rhoam," Dorephan said, yet his expression sobered quickly afterwards. "However, we have never seen a monster army like this. Do you know if this is the start of something new, or if it is just coincidence?" he skeptically asked.
"King Dorephan, we believe that the calamity is upon us once more," Queen Zelda stated, stepping forward. Several gasps and large scale muttering erupted from the crowd gathered at this, something Link chose not to partake in. Of course, he knew what the calamity implied, but he had full faith that the Queen would be able to awaken her power in order to stop it.
"Very well," King Dorephan stated, with a solemn tone of voice. "What would you have us do?"
"We wish for a Zora to pilot divine beast Vah Ruta," the Queen responded, once again causing muttering amongst the crowd.
"Very well. Who do you think should do it?" Dorephan indulged. He was very curious upon the suggestion.
"Princess Mipha would be the ideal choice, should she choose to accept," the queen stated with a firm tone of voice.
"Absolutely not!" Muzu exclaimed, standing up. He was a very respected elder, holding major weight in many discussions, third only to the King and Princess themselves. "I refuse to-"
"Muzu, remember your place," King Dorephan cut him off, with a steady glare. Muzu bowed and returned to his seat. "The decision falls to my daughter, and my daughter only."
Link tuned out the rest of the discussion, instead focusing on the man in his arms and the prospect of more like him. How many would die should they fight? How many would have to hold another like this? Link shook himself out of his thoughts, replacing them with a more optimistic way of thinking. They still had three years, that was enough to make the necessary preparations for the calamity. Link took a deep breath, and focused on himself. His arms are heavy, knees weak, and palms were sweaty. Luckily there was no vomit on his sweater yet, or any of his mom's spaghetti. He looked back up in time to see Mipha stand up and accept the role as champion of the Zora, before she stepped down from the elevated platform and wished to travel to where the divine beast had been excavated from.
Link and the royal guard followed, continuing to walk with their King and Queen. They stayed a healthy distance away, six in the front, and the remaining six, including Link, in the back. He had handed the body to another member of the guard, but he still refused to allow himself to stop. He had to keep going, protect the royal family. It was his duty, what he signed up for as a knight.
Divine beast Vah Ruta was majestic, a brown and blue robotic elephant, standing in the middle of the reservoir that kept the lake from flooding Zora's domain. Mipha easily swam across with some other Zora, while the Hylians had to take the land bridge to the other side, allowing them to get close enough to board Vah Ruta. The royal guard entered first, checking for any potential threats, and seeing none. Link inspected the main control center, which looked like it needed a key to activate. Doing one last sweep, Link gestured to the guards closest to the main party that it was safe to enter, and he stood at attention at the sole entry point as they did so. Making sure that three guards were there at all times, Link ensured that nobody would enter the divine beast without them knowing. The group walked around the divine beast for a while, but they couldn't find anything too important. Resigning themselves to coming back later, the group left to go back to Zora's domain. After a few more talks with King Dorephan, the Hylians were cleared to go home once more.
The send off for the fallen soldier was simplistic, but elegant. It was a simple cremation, allowing the fire to purify the souls of those who died, allowing them to pass into Hylia's domain and remain there. The fire caught quickly and ended quickly, a solemn sight to see. As they stood there, allowing the man to have his last rites, Link reminisced on what he was going to do.
He vowed to be better, and not allow another to die on his watch. Standing up with the rest of the guard, Link started leading his journey home. A few more monster attacks ensued, but each of them was repelled easily by the guard, none of them posing much of a threat.
The journey was slow, but it was enjoyable. Hyrule was a beautiful land, the people more so. The Zora were one of the six races of the land, and perhaps one of the better ones. They were fish like people and lived in the rainy regions of Zora's domain. The Gorons were sturdy men, built like rocks and living in the Eldin region of Hyrule, especially near Death Mountain. They were great people, at least Link hoped. The Gerudo dwelled in the deserts in Southwest Hyrule, a race of all females who towered over the Hylians. They didn't allow men into their land, but Link had some ideas for getting around that. Finally, the Rito were a hybrid of men and birds, able to fly and having a talent for archery. They were found in the Hebra region, among the cold mountains that Link was scared to go near. Hylians lived nearly everywhere in Central Hyrule, Akkala, and many other regions, same as the Sheikah. They were the most populous, but required special help to visit many of the other races due to the conditions surrounding their whereabouts.
As Link traveled through the plains, he took time to admire the beauty of the land he lived in. The Faron region hosted magnificent jungles, and the wildlife was diverse. The Hebra region, home of the Rito, had wonderful snow, as well as one of Link's favorite sights appearing there, the hill with the circle in it. Akkala was plain and simple, a sight for many sore eyes, and central Hyrule was much the same. Looking everywhere, looking at this wonderful kingdom, Link knew what he had to do, and so he made a vow. A simple vow, but one that would become the hardest to keep later on.
I swear on my life that the people of Hyrule will survive, no matter what happens.
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