I hope you enjoy this small prologue. It's just an introduction and the other chapters will be longer. English is not my main language, so please forgive me if i make any mistake. I've checked the chapter to fix any errors. Reviews are more than welcome :)

"When the chosen ones appear…

They are always born into this

world in perfect balance.

That is the destiny of the chosen.

That is the fate decreed by your

gods, the only path for those who

bear their crests."

Few places in Hyrule were uninhabited. No matter how inhospitable a territory was, one of the various races that lived in that world could survive. One of the few uninhabited places was a certain sanctuary in the heart of the kingdom. Its only "inhabitant", apart from the air, was a sword.
The Four Sword, one of the most powerful weapons in the world, rested eternally in that sanctuary, cut off from the rest of the world. The blade, once the private prison of Vaati, the terrible wind mage who had attacked Hyrule so many times in the past, now housed a greater evil. An evil that had been sealed by four valiant heroes who were one and seven ladies of inestimable power, one of whom was the princess of Hyrule herself. His name had once been Ganondorf, of the gerudo. But now he was known as Ganon, the King of Darkness.
The sanctuary of the Four Sword was located in the depths of a dense and desolate forest, where no animal dared to dwell. On that apparently peaceful day, the deafening silence of the shrine was broken by two witches materializing in it.
— Let's go, Kotake — One of the tiny women said as the two walked towards the blade — It's taken us seven years to find the entrance to this place, we can't delay any longer!
— I'm coming, Koume — said the other, equally grumpy — You know that after three hundred and eighty years my legs aren't what they used to be...
— Four hundred years — Koume corrected — Actually, I can't even remember how old we are anymore.
— Quiet, we're here — Kotake laughed as she and her sister faced each other, with the Four Sword between them. They grasped the blade together and, with some effort, pulled it out and raised it to the sky. At that moment a black cloud emanated from the sword, covering their vision. When the mist cleared, the four elderly eyes turned to the one who was the sword's prisoner. Anyone who looked at him would never have guessed that he had once been a man. He was kneeling, leaning on the ground with a trident. It was a being that resembled a large humanoid blue boar, with eyes as scarlet as the blood that pumped through its veins. He gasped for a moment, visibly stunned, and looked around until his vision locked onto his liberators, who knelt before him.
— Who are you? — The King of Darkness asked, pointing his trident at them - How do you wield the damned blade without multiplying?
— We understand that you are confused after being imprisoned for seven years, O Lord Ganon — Koume said — If two beings hold the Four Sword simultaneously, its multiplying properties are nullified.
Ganon took the blade from the old witches' hands and raised it, to no avail.
— It doesn't work on demons either — Kotake added. The King of Darkness threw the Four Sword on the ground, slightly disappointed.
— Ugh, I don't need it. You're clearly gerudo, but I've never seen you among the others.
— There was no way to see us — Koume said — Years ago, when the gerudo decided to re-establish relations with the damned hylians, we were expelled and sworn to death if we tried to return.
— But before we fled, we prepared a gift for the one who would become king of the world, a gift that you now possess.
Ganon looked at his weapon. He had found it in a pyramid in the desert where his people lived, but he had never wondered where it came from.
— Did you create my trident? — An evil smile formed on his face — Well, I guess I owe you a thank you then. Tell me your names now, and I'll make you generals of my army when I attack Hyrule again and take revenge on those who imprisoned me here. I should have known that such a powerful trident could only have been created by talented sorceresses.
— My name is Koume, and this is my sister Kotake. It is a pleasure for us to serve you, Lord Ganon, but... Forgive my insolence in correcting you, but the trident has no power whatsoever.
— What are you saying? — Ganon arched an eyebrow, suspicious — Look at me! The trident transformed me from a mere gerudo into a powerful demon prince!
— It wasn't the trident — Kotake agreed with his sister — The trident was just a vessel for the real power that transformed you. A power as old as our world, and one that only someone as worthy as you could handle.
— Didn't you look at your hands after you got the trident?
Ganon looked at his left hand. There was nothing in it. But he was surprised when, looking at his right hand, he noticed a mark engraved on his own skin. Those triangles, he knew very well what they meant. He had heard the legends about the Golden Power of the Goddesses.
— Impossible! That's...
— The Triforce, the sacred relic of the goddesses? — Koume asked, laughing — No, but it's part of her. A part that is rightfully yours, Lord Ganon. This is the real source of your power.
The King of Darkness stared at that symbol for a few more seconds, as if in a trance. Finally, he began to laugh, as he had never laughed before in his life. A roaring laughter that echoed and reached even the most distant parts of Hyrule.

Zelda woke up with a scream. The princess of Hyrule was sitting in front of her desk with a book on the history of the kingdom open in front of her, and a few drops of saliva had wet the pages. She had fallen asleep. At that very moment, the bedroom door was opened and a young woman with white hair and red eyes, slightly older than the princess, entered, worried. The woman was wearing blue and silver clothes, which contrasted with the noble pink dress of the blonde-haired girl.
— Is everything all right, Your Highness? I heard a scream and got worried.
— Pa... Impa, is that you? It was nothing, I just... had a bad dream. Again.
— The same as the other two times? — Zelda looked at her bodyguard and confidante and nodded — It could just be a coincidence, but what if it isn't? My grandmother was able to interpret dreams, if only...
Impa stopped talking as her eyes were lost in the horizon visible through the princess' bedroom window. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and bowed her head in resignation.
— We can't change the past — Zelda said in an attempt to console her friend — but we can change the future and I'm sure it's an omen of something bad. What I see when I close my eyes, a nightmare that is more like an illusion created by an evil wizard, cannot be a sign of something good. I see myself in the midst of destruction, and the dark beast of demise that caused it all stands before me, triumphant. He wields, with bloodstained hands, the Golden Power in its entirety. And at his feet, fallen after an arduous battle, I see him. I see...
— Link.
Zelda looked out of the window too. She could see the young recruits of the Knights of Hyrule being trained to one day protect the kingdom. Among them, a young man with short blond hair and wearing the order's armor, with the symbol of the Golden Power on his chest. Link, Commander Alphon's nephew and Zelda's childhood best friend. Although he was only a recruit, Zelda knew that Link had more experience and skills than many veteran knights. Few ten-year-olds are capable of saving the entire kingdom as the young man did in his childhood when he wielded the blade that granted him the power of four.
— I don't want to involve him in this. I have no right to worry him if I'm not sure about something.
— But it's better to be safe than sorry — Impa said, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder — If there's a chance of destruction falling on Hyrule, he, more than anyone, should know about it as soon as possible. And you know it.
Zelda scrunched up her eyes and let out a sigh.
— You're right... as always — she smiled slightly — but first I need to find, in this volume of the Hyrule Chronicles, the name I heard whispered in my sleep. I'm sure I've read it here before.
— Name? You never told me that part of your nightmare. What name?
Zelda didn't answer the question, she just flipped through the endless pages of the book in silence, until the title of a chapter caught her eye.
— I found it.

"The Mandrag and the Imprisoning War"

In silence, the princess of Hyrule read the chapter very carefully.

The training barracks of the Knights of Hyrule, a clan of warriors responsible for the safety of the hylians, were located near the castle so that they could immediately respond to any attack on the nation's power base. According to legend, the clan was founded by a brave hero in the distant past. As a young man, Alphon had been one of the most renowned knights of his generation. But now, at the age of forty-two, he no longer possessed the physique he had in his prime. Being primarily responsible for instructing new recruits in times of peace, Alphon had short black hair that matched the respectable mustache of the same color that the middle-aged hylian grew below his nose. He also had a slight paunch. Alphon was, like all members of the clan, said to be a descendant of the founding hero, and his ancestors had served Hyrule with honor for generations. Wielding his old sword, Alphon turned to the recruits, each of whom was staring at wooden figures that were propped up on stakes.
— Very well, recruits — he said in his thick voice— In front of each of you is a wooden dummy. A mere wooden dummy. I want you to destroy these dummies, don't leave a single splinter of wood intact! In three, two, one, now!
On hearing the command, all the recruits picked up their swords and attacked their respective targets, destroying them with blow after blow, without mercy. Of all the recruits, few were as skilled as the seventeen-year-old with the blue eyes. Link, Alphon's nephew who had once been called a hero for freeing Hyrule from the darkness of the wind mage. In less than five agile blows, he was able to destroy the puppet he had as an opponent. The old knight smiled at the sight of his nephew.
— You're doing well, Link — he said, walking with some difficulty — I'll write to your parents about your progress later. I expected nothing less from you. I'm sure that one day you'll be the pride of the Knights' clan, even more than you already are.
Link sheathed his sword and smiled at his uncle's praise.
— Thank you, Uncle Alphon. I...
— Look, it's the princess! What's she doing here?
All eyes turned to the heir to Hyrule's throne and her bodyguard as they approached. Some were too surprised to react, but most bowed solemnly. Alphon took the lead and knelt down, carefully.
— Princess Zelda and Lady Impa, what an honor to see you on this beautiful day. Forgive me, but you know what my knee is like these days.
— It's all right — Zelda said, holding out her hand to help the old knight get up — Forgive me for interrupting the training, but could i borrow Link for a minute? I... really need to talk to him in private.
Alphon turned to his nephew, and all the others also looked at the young hero, who only replied with a shy smile.

The wind blew against the faces of Link, Zelda and Impa as they walked through the fields of Hyrule. It was a peaceful breeze that soothed everyone's soul. Zelda crouched down and picked up a flower with white petals.
— I didn't want to worry you with this, Link. But I'm afraid something terrible is about to happen.
— Something terrible? — The young man asked, becoming slightly confused and worried — Seven years ago, when that gerudo with the magic trident, Ganon, attacked Hyrule and that shadowy duplicate of mine tricked me into freeing Vaati, you too felt a bad omen.
The princess shook her head.
— That's what worries me. Link, I need to tell you a secret, something I discovered just after Ganon was sealed inside the Four Sword. Give me your hand — Zelda grabbed Link's right arm, and was surprised to realize that there was nothing there — What? But that's not possible, you should...
— What is it, Zelda? Is there something on my hand?
— No, there's nothing — Zelda showed Link her right hand, revealing the golden mark it bore — And that's the problem. Why don't you have the mark of the Goddesses?!
Link's eyes widened when he saw that.
— The mark of the... Goddesses? Since when did you have it?
— I'm not sure, I think I've had it since I was born. But I only realized I had it when we were ten. Everyone, including you, was celebrating Vaati's death, and I was watching from one of the castle windows when I noticed the mark on my hand. When I asked master Kaepora Gaebora about it, he confirmed that it was a divine sign. I possessed the Triforce of Wisdom, one of the three pieces of the sacred relic. He told me that the Triforce had mysteriously disappeared from its eternal resting place, the Sacred Realm, centuries ago.
— And I was supposed to have the same mark? Should I have a piece, too?
— I thought so. That's what my nightmares indicated, but now I'm not sure anymore...
— We should ask Kaepora Gaebora — Impa said seriously -—He was the guardian of the Triforce. Perhaps the owl doesn't know where the other pieces are, but he must surely know why Link didn't inherit one of them.
— I agree — Zelda replied — Link, I'm telling you this for two reasons. First, since i presumed you had one of the parts of the Triforce, I thought you should know that. But now...
— And the second?
— The second reason is that I know who owns the third piece... Ganon.
— Ganon? But how?
— It's a long story, be patient I'll tell you everything.
— Well, Ganon is trapped inside the Four Sword, and the magical barrier that Impa's grandmother created before she passed away should prevent anyone from entering the sanctuary and freeing him. There's no risk of him...
At that moment, sounds of screams and monstrous grunts were heard by the three of them.