The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky. Several white clouds floated overhead. A soft breeze blew through the forest, rustling the leaves. In the middle of a large clearing was a small village. Several simple homes lined a small stream that ran through the area. In the middle of the village grew a large tree, towering over the others.
Several townspeople were walking around the town, going about their daily duties. Some women were down by the river, talking amongst themselves and washing clothes. Around the giant tree children were playing, running around the enormous trunk as they chased each other.
On the edge of the village, resting in smaller tree, a young man lay on one of its branches. A green cap was pulled down over his eyes and his hands were behind his head. One of his legs dangled off the side of the branch, swinging back and forth.
Below him, a man in his early twenties walked up the base of the tree and looked up, spotting the young man. Sighing, he shook his head and called up to him.
"Hey! Link!" The man called.
"Eh?" The young man said, pulling the hat from his eyes. Looking down at the man he raised a hand in greeting.
"Yo! Fado!" Link said, smiling. The man frowned at him.
"Oi! Don't give me that! You're supposed to be working today! Jiro's getting pissed!" Link blinked, fixing his hat.
"Oh yeah…" He said, "That's right," Fado sighed again.
"Just get down here," He said. Link smiled and pushed himself off the branch. He fell toward the ground twenty feet below before easily landing on his feet. As soon as his feet touched the ground he raced off toward the village turning back and waving at his friend.
"Thanks Fado! Later!" Fado shook his head as he watched Link run off.
"Oh boy…" he breathed, "That guy…"
"For goddess's sake kid, I can't have you slaking off today. I've got a lot of orders to fill and I need your help to do it," An older man ranted as he carried several sheets of metal over to a table next to an anvil.
"Sorry gramps," Link replied. They were in one of the larger huts of the village. Tools and scraps of metal lay everywhere. In the center of the room stood a large chimney that reached up into and out of the huts top. It was a carpenter's workplace.
"Sorry don't cut it," The old man grumbled, "You wanna apologize, work harder than you usually do, and by that I mean do a normal persons version of work," Link nodded and went over to the table and picked up a metal mallet.
"Here, start hammering this into shape," Jiro said as he handed Link a pair of tongs, a large strip of white hot metal clasped between them. Link nodded again and set the molten metal down on the anvil. Raising his arm he brought it down hard on the white material. Soon the sounds of clinking metal filled the room.
Jiro walked over to the fire and pressed down upon the fan, blowing air into the fire. As the fire grew larger he used a pair of metal tongs to place a rod of metal into the it. After blowing the fan a bit more he turned around. Whipping sweat from his face, he glanced at Link.
"Hmph…Perhaps you're not such a horrid worker after all," Link smirked as he brought the hammer down again. Jiro nodded at him and returned to his own work. Link continued to work, for several minutes he beat the metal into its desired shape. Suddenly, he frowned when the sunlight shining through the window vanished. Pausing in his work he looked up. A cloud had moved in front of the sun. For a moment he just watched as the cloud moved slowly past the bright sun. A memory flashed through his mind.
The storm raged around them. Gripping his sword Link rushed forward, swinging at the red haired man.
Link's eyes narrowed slightly.
It's been six months since then…Everything's gone back to normal….
The cloud finally moved past the sun, the light once again flooding the room.
Still…
What this…uneasy feeling…?
Walking slowly, the white haired woman approached the throne. The man sat there, his eyes closed, calmly drinking tea with a content smiled on his face. When the woman neared him she stopped, bowing her head slightly.
"Master," She greeted, "The preparations are complete," the man didn't open his eyes, but his smile grew slightly.
"I see…" He said calmly, "That's good," He slowly set his tea down on one of the arm rests of the throne. He raised his head slightly.
"Send the invitations," He said, opening his eyes.
Link sighed as he stepped into his house. Kicking off his sandals he walked over to his kitchen.
"Geez…" he groaned, "I can't believe Gramps made me work so late," He picked up a canteen that was lying on the table. Opening it he took a long drink. Whipping his mouth he glanced out the window. The stars shined brightly in the night sky. The crescent moon was just barely visible behind some clouds. A soft wind was blowing through the forest, causing some stray leaves to blow past his window.
"Well at least I got the day off tomorrow," the Hylian muttered. He turned around to go to his hammock but something caught his eye. Raising his eyebrow he turned back to his table.
"What the…?" A strange object was lying on the edge of his table. It was a small round piece of metal. A strange dark material Link had never encountered before made up the top of the object, with the metal lining it.
Cautiously, Link approached it. Slowly he reached out to touch it. His eyes widened when the top started glowing as soon as his fingers touched it.
"The hell!" Link exclaimed pulling his hand back. His eyes widened when the object started speaking.
"Identity Confirmed…Participant Number thirteen…Link…"
Link stared in shock as the image of a strange man was projected from the top of the device. He had slick black hair and narrow eyes. A soft but cunning smile covered his face.
"W-what kind of magic is this…?" Link asked.
"Greetings," The man spoke, "Hero of Hyrule," Link's eyes narrowed slightly.
How does he know…
"I must say…I was greatly impressed with your final battle with the one called Gannon. You showed true strength and courage,"
"Who the hell is this guy?" Link said through gritted teeth.
"Now I'm sure you're wondering who I am," The man chuckled, it was a chilling sound, "Well, I don't give out my real name…But you may call me…Master Hand…" Another smile crossed the man's face.
"I am giving you this message, Hero of Hyrule…Because I have a proposition for you," Link's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'm sure you're rather skeptical about all this. But don't be…" He raised his hand, his palm facing up, "This could benefit you immensely…You see-"
"-I'm hosting a…tournament of sorts," The man known as master hand continued. The young man with blue hair tilted his head slightly as he stood to the side of the large table. He was the only one occupying this room of the castle.
"I wish for you, Prince of Altea to participate. It would be an honor if you graced us with your presence,"
Two people sat by a glass table inside a speeding starship. One was a fox humanoid with dark fur while the other an avian humanoid with blue feathers. They both watched in interest the message that had been delivered to them.
"It is a tournament of combat," Master hand explained, "The greatest fighters-"
"-from worlds you've never even heard of," The young boy with wings eyes lit up at the thought, he leaned forward as the man continued to speak.
"It will be a great chance to prove your worth and test your skills…Against the very best that have ever existed,"
"And I can assure you…The reward will be great…." The room was dark, outside the dash shield stars rushed by. The young woman with blond hair sat with her arms crossed, watching the message with an emotionless expression.
"Your greatest wish, be it money, power…anything…It shall be granted. Do you have your doubts about this? I have power, far beyond even your own vast knowledge," The woman's eyes narrowed slightly at that.
"The simple fact that you're watching this message is testament to that,"
"Yes I know…you're not a material person are you…?" Master hand sighed as Link watched, not having moved from his spot. The man then lifted his head slightly, as if looking directly at Link.
"But I highly recommend you participate, my friend," He raised both his hands, "You can't tell me that the Hero of Hyrule is satisfied with making chairs and nails for the rest of his life?" Master hand smiled again.
"Think about it. When you've made your decision, I'll know. I look forward to meeting you in person, Hero," The image suddenly flickered and faded, receding back into the strange device. Link stared at the device as he slowly sat down in a chair. After a minute he turned to look out the window, gazing at the moon.
A tournament huh…?