"Yes, that's it! Remember to keep a strong stance and a centered balance, Daphnes! Don't show any hint of hesitation!"
The Guard Captain instructed as Daphnes spun around, slicing the wooden target in half. He had been at this technique for some time now, so long that they had lost track of time it seemed. But Daphnes, being the persistent young adult he was, kept at it until he had it just right. He took a deep breath and focused his energy on the target before delivering a horizontal blow to the wooden log. A large slice came crashing down, and the Guard Captain eyed him with an impressed look.
"How was that, sir?" He spun around to his instructor with a joyful expression.
"You're getting better! Your improvement is outstanding, as compared to when you nearly sliced my table in half on your first week. How many years ago was that? Six? Seven? Goodness, you were just a young boy back then." He chuckled, taking a quick glance at the wooden table that had a small chip on the edge of it, thanks to Daphnes.
"Right…I remember that." He chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Hopefully, no tables will be mauled by me ever again!" He joked, sheathing his sword as he did so. "But, I should get going sir. There's something that the council wishes to speak to me about. I don't know what it is, but I was told to speak with them them today."
"Go on and meet with him, I'll be here if you need me!"
With a respectful bow to his mentor and Guard Captain, he put his sheathed weapon on the table and made his way to the dimly lit throne room. There before him stood three cloaked older men who were responsible for aiding his parents in the day to day activity of the kingdom and other political business that he wasn't too interested in. At least, not until the responsibility of the kingdom was on his shoulders.
"You're late, Prince Daphnes." One of them scolded, making Daphnes recoil back a bit in a sudden realization that he had taken his sweet time with sword training.
"S-Sorry! I hadn't realized that my training had taken so long…" He rubbed the back of his head, barely taking a glance at the stern men in front of him.
"Do not fret, all is forgiven! However, the King and Queen did inform you of this important meeting today…did they not?"
Befuddled, Daphnes shook his head, for his parents had been out of the castle all day and he had not seen any sign of them. The council member understood that puzzled look and let out a short sigh before gathering himself.
"Right then, allow us to inform you what today entails. You see, we have been looking into this day for some time now and have come to the conclusion that now is the time to entrust you with a very important ancient artifact used by the Royal Family. That is, if you are willing to take the responsibility, Prince Daphnes?"
Daphnes perked up, nodding his head in response.
"Yes, sir!"
With a warm smile, the council member turned back around and muttered a couple words to his fellow members before turning back around, holding a small case in his hands.
"Sir?"
"This is the Wind Waker, it was once used long ago almost in secret to obtain the power of the Gods and controls the winds and more." He cleared his throat, "Now, your parents have thought long and hard about passing this down to you. Your mother had held onto this and she had stated to us that you are more than ready to take on this responsibility."
Proudly, he held out the small, thin case which was decorated with ancient writings and symbols and then opened it to reveal a pearly white baton. Daphnes stared at it with awe, wondering if he could even posses such might held together in a small item such as that. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand and plucked the baton from its case, taking notice of the glances of approval from the council.
"Now then, before we teach you how the baton is used we should go over the history of it. It is quite important to understand the backgrounds of ancient artifacts, you know!" One member announced from the back, making Daphnes roll his eyes a little.
Ignoring Daphnes he went on, "This baton was a sacred instrument used only by members of the Royal Family. In those times, they used it to harness the power of the Gods and control the winds and even the weather in order to bring prosperity to the kingdom. In some recorded events, it has been used as a device to assist the power of the Sages." He stopped, looking down at Daphnes.
"That is where you come in, young sire."
Daphnes raised an eyebrow, listening on with interest.
"You have noticed it, have you not? Not only have tensions been rising between the races of Hyrule but the legendary sword has begun to lose its power. In order to retain power to the sword of the legendary Hero of Time, it must have energy given to it from other spiritual beings. That was the duty entrusted to the Sages, however the seals seem to be weakening, and we suspect it could be because the rightful wielder of the sword is nowhere to be found."
"Which means…" Daphnes thought to himself for a moment and began to piece together the puzzle that the council was going on about, and then he managed to come into a realization of one core thing.
"Compromise."
The old man nodded, "In order to ease the rising tensions and restore the sword's power, we will need new Sages. I have already been informed of two who carry the bloodline of the past Sages from ages ago, and it is our wish that you travel to them and bring them here with you so we may discuss future plans."
Daphnes took a deep breath, for he had only been out of the castle walls a number of times with his own family. Going it alone seemed like a wonderful idea, but not when the entire council of Hyrule was depending on his every decision. But, he shook that doubt away, because this was the responsibility of a future King and he had to take it on without any objections. He wanted peace, and this was the first time to obtaining it.
"It will be done, sir." He answered, firmly.
"Good, I will supply you with maps of various regions in Hyrule including Hyrule Field for starters. The places you will need to venture to are Kokiri Forest and Zora's Domain, and I highly suggest speaking to the Deku Tree and King Zora while you are there before you bring the Sages here."
"Got it!" He nodded, grasping the baton firmly in his hand. "I'll leave tomorrow, at sunrise." He declared, turning his back to the council, making his way down the steps, and out of the throne room.
"Oh, and Prince Daphnes!" One of them called.
"Yes, sir?"
"Your parents won't be back until late tonight, they left you some dinner in your room and a new book they thought would interest you."
"Okay!" He called back to them, quickly walking down the hall and leaving the throne room completely.
He continued down the many halls and corridors of the castle before he stopped at his room, admiring the tapestry above the door that his old attendant had made for him before his passing. Carefully, he pushed open the door and lit up a couple of the lanterns before making his way to the window, ignoring the food on the small round table. He peeked his head out, making sure no guards were on an evening patrol. When he knew the coast was clear, he took a deep breath and admired the sunset that was before him, knowing that he should relish in this moment because tomorrow he will not be looking outside of his castle for some time.
Suddenly, a small white dove flew next to him, making Daphnes smile and rub the bird's neck with his finger.
"After all these years you still keep coming back, don't you Astra?" He mumbled, hearing the dove make quiet chirps in response. Ever since his attendant died, the dove had been perching by his window in the evenings and as time went by he began to think of it as his own. Whenever he felt scared, upset, or doubtful of himself, that dove would be there to listen to him go on and on about his inner worries and keep him company when there was nobody else to go to. He was never quite sure if it could understand him, but he liked to believe it did, and somehow he knew it did.
"I've pulled myself into a rather large situation, and I don't think I'm truly prepared for what I'm about to deal with." He started, as the dove perched itself in the little nest it had made over time.
"I mean, they're pushing such a substantial duty in my hands, and look at me. I'm barely well-trained with the sword and still have so much to learn…do you really think I'm prepared to take on a responsibility where the kingdom itself hangs in the balance?" He asked, as the dove quirked its head to the side and chirped and cooed in response
Daphnes sighed, giving it a little pet, "I know, I'm thinking too much into it. Once they see that I have the Wind Waker I'm pretty sure it will be okay…at least I hope it will." He turned around to take a look at the baton that was set on the table next to his bed, noticing it shimmer in the light of the lanterns above it.
"I suppose only time will tell, right Astra?" He chuckled, giving her one last little pet before shutting the windows.
Before he got settled in bed, he noticed a note attached to the book that was on the small table. Raising an eyebrow, he crawled over the bed and made his way to the opposite side to read the note.
"Son, I'm sure whatever the council has told you has to deal with that old Wind Waker, correct? If so, read this." He read the note aloud, wondering why his parents would say such a thing unless the book had something in relation to it.
Curiously, he leaned down to inspect the title of the book that was given to him.
Ancient Artifacts of Hyrule...
Of course.
He silently thanked his parents and sat down at the table, wasting away the final hours of the night as he read every detail of the book and finished the meal his parents left for him. Like he expected, the Wind Waker had multiple pages of information about it, how the ancient rulers and Sages harnessed its power and even how it came to be crafted. Becoming confident in tomorrows events, Daphnes closed the book once he had finished reading that segment and made his way to the bed, watching the first of the stars appear in the dark night sky.