The forest around Ordon Village was quiet. The trees towered above Link as he sat on a stump, sipping on his stew. As he sat there his mind wandered down the path that lead out of town. It was time to move on, find some other small town no one cared about and start over. His heart sank in his chest when he thought of leaving this place. It was the first place that felt like home to him, but he knew it would only end in disaster. The people of Ordon Village were getting too close to him, Agitha especially.

Link had always been a loner. Somehow he knew his destiny, at least he thought he did. For as long as he could remember he only had one dream. In his dream it was always dark, purple and black swirling smoke would surround him. His whole body would feel broken in his dream. Blood would be everywhere. The laughter was what haunted him even during the day. A laugh that seemed pure evil, and made Link feel as though he had failed everyone. Link lived in constant fear of that laugh and the failure it seemed to predict. He always tried to think of a way to prevent it, but his mind always landed on the same solution: Make sure no one relies on him.

Planning where to go next wasn't an easy task. The plan was always to find unheard of towns so Link never truly knew where he was going. He only knew when it was time to go, and right then was the best chance he had. Capping the half empty bottle of stew, he stood up and started walking to his hut to collect his things. He could not carry his trunk with him this time, the only reason he had been able to bring it in the first place was a supply cart driver offered to bring him wherever he wanted to go. Inside the trunk was mostly empty, a second blue shirt, a sling-shot and a boomerang were all he had in there.

After he tucked his things into his belt he set out for the main part of the village, and the path that would take him to Hyrule Field, the most central location of the kingdom. Instead when the forest opened up to reveal to village to him, Link saw a small gathering by the mayor's house. In the middle of the gathering was a knight on a white horse. He was wearing the traditional uniform, a tunic with matching hat and cream colored pants. The uniform he had on was purple though, signifying high rank and working closely with the royal family. Link lingered behind the crowd and listened.

"During this time of need, the King has requested that every town sends their two most able bodied citizens to join the Knights."

"I will gladly join you and protect our royal family," Calev stepped forward and bowed to the knight, who handed him a letter.

"Who is the other able bodied man?" The knight scanned the small crowd around him.

"No one else in this town will be of use to you, sir." Calev snickered.

"Young Master Link shall join you." Every eye landed on Link who immediately looked at his toes. All the blood drained from his face and his voice sank down so low in his throat he was sure it would be ruined by stomach acid. Mostly he wanted to know who in town would refer to him as "master."

"Do you protest young man?"

"He is more than willing," An arm wrapped around his shoulders and Master Jhnonhu beamed at him. "Aren't you, Link?" A blank stare and a half nod were all that Link could manage, but that was enough to get him a letter of summons to Castle Town, where he would begin his training.

"I expect you both to be there by noon tomorrow. No excuses." The knight then galloped away, leaving a cloud of dust around the townspeople.

Zelda kneeled at the altar. In front of her three stained glass windows showed images of the three goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore. Among the candles were small statues of all the sages of the past. She prayed for peace in her land, and peace for her father. In the past year she watched him change from a strong man to a frail elder. Thick brown hair had faded to gray around his temples and thinned at the top. His eyes were no longer bright and excited by dull and tired. It had all started when her mother died.

Since that night the security in the castle had quadrupled and Zelda was hardly let off the castle grounds. Someone had broken into the castle and killed the Queen in her sleep while the King was away. If her father knew who had been responsible he never told Zelda, only that she needed to be careful and watch for strange people at all times.

"Princess." Zelda jumped when her personal caretaker, Impa, appeared at her side. She could never get used to the ninja like sheikah. "The king would like you to see the new recruits."

"Why? He never wanted me to see them before."

"He wants you to know what faces you should be seeing around, so no imposters can sneak in unnoticed by you." Zelda placed her hands on the altar and pulled herself to her feet. Without speaking she turned and started walking out of the room. Impa silently followed the princess through the castle corridors until she stopped on a balcony overlooking the main courtyard.

The king already stood on the balcony and smiled as she stepped into the sunlight. Below them was a crowd of at least one hundred men. They stood in straight lines, their matching green uniforms making it seem as though the grass had eyes. All untrained and most of them from small villages. Zelda couldn't imagine that most of them even knew how to hold a sword properly.

"Are you sure you can turn them into a worthy army?" She didn't even look at her father as she asked the question.

"No. But it is our only chance." He stepped up the railing and addressed the crowd below him. "Welcome to Castle Town! I hope you all enjoyed your mornings, because I cannot promise you much fun from here on out. Training will begin immediately. We will break at seven for dinner and then you will continue to train. As some of you may know, there has been a darkness closing in on Hyrule. It is only by some unknown miracle that the sun still shines upon the hylian people. We must prepare to protect ourselves from what is coming. The neighboring Zora's and Goron's have stopped sending messengers and our messengers never return from their countries. We can only assume the worst."

Zelda scanned the crowd, skeptical if these men could do what the Hero of Time had done. Yes, the hero was only one man while a hundred stood before her, but that meant nothing. Darkness coming to Hyrule was nothing new in their history. It always ended the same. A new hero would arise, the triforce of courage would attach itself to his soul, giving him the strength to succeed. Were things still not bad enough to make the hero come? Did the hundreds of knights killed while helping the neighboring people count for nothing?

Link was boiling underneath his clothes. They had been told to wear the full uniform, including the chain mail which weighed heavily on his shoulders. He ignored the king and looked at the men around him. Some had laughter in their eyes, as if the impending war was a joke. Other's looked terrified, like the world had already ended for them. Link's gut told him this was his last adventure. This is how the crippling pain would fill his body as smoke surrounded him. This was what would lead him to that awful laughter that rang in his ears his whole life. The crowd felt as though it was closing in on him and he didn't know if closing his eyes would calm him down or make the fear building up in him worse. He hadn't even realized the king had stopped speaking when a knight in a blue tunic handed him a sword and shield. They were heavy and felt heavy in his hands. He never would be able to fight skillfully with these objects, no wonder he was destined to die.

They began training in the courtyard with the king and princess watching from above. Practicing swing their swords and how to hold them properly. While everyone else seemed to improve as the hours dragged on Link was constantly corrected. The tip of his sword dropped too low on his swing. His hand was placed too low on the hilt. The broad side of the sword would have hit an enemy, not the sharp side. By dinner time he was exhausted and determined to find a way out of the program. He doubted the king would want him in his army anyway. Plus, if he got out, he could avoid that laughter.

For dinner the small army moved out into Hyrule Field. Tents had been pitched while they practiced sword fighting and food had been laid out on five long tables. Most of the men sat at the tables, some took plates away and sat in small clusters around the camp. Link sat alone. A small bowl of soup in his lap, all his belongings in a small pouch next to him. He'd be forced to carry them around for the rest of the day as bunks wouldn't be assigned until after the archery lesson planned for after dinner. The field was so dark Link could barely see five feet from the edge of camp. A simple and direct solution to his dilemma. He stood up, grabbed his bag and just walked away, leaving the camp, the army, and the empty bowl behind.