The Legend of Zelda: A Hero's Courage

Hello ZU. The following is a fan-fiction I wrote over last summer (and into fall). It's a sequel of sorts to Twilight Princess, though if you never played that game you can still follow what is going on here. The feedback I've gotten for this story has been very good I'm happy to say, I hope you all enjoy it as well. I'll post a chapter day-by-day or so. Without further ado:


THE LEGEND OF
ZELDA
A HERO’S COURAGE


BOB LANGAN



There was a kingdom called Hyrule, a prosperous land blessed with green forests, rolling fields, and towering mountains. Hyrule was a land so vast that it was divided into four respective provinces. The Ordona and Faron Provinces of the south yielded great forests. The Eldin Province of the East gave way to the grand Death Mountain and the modest village that lay at its foot. The massive Lanayru Province contained not only the great Lake Hylia, but the very Castle of Hyrule itself. Finally, the Peak Province in the north gave way to the great unknowns of the frigid Northern Range of mountains. Throughout the ages, these factions of Hyrule had flourished as a whole.

The wise ones said that the reason for this was that Hyrule was a special land, a land blessed by the power of the Gods. Many yarns throughout the years had been spun to explain just what that vague explanation meant. The secrets behind this power appeared to be so great that some sages swore to keep them secret. Others embarked on quests to uncover those secrets in any way possible, even at the expense of Hyrule itself. Whether it be the great war of centuries past, or the more recent plague of the twilight, many of the dangers Hyrule faced was due to the very power it kept hidden, a power that could turn deadly in the wrong hands…

Yet there had always been those willing to defend the land, and according to legend it was the deeds of a lone boy that had kept Hyrule strong. A boy whose ancestors exposed the lord of darkness hundreds of years before, whose ancestors had saved the land from drought and corruption. It was a boy who had ended the schism between light and shadow, and prevented the rise of darkness. It was a boy that many dared to christen hero.


Dawn. The sun grazed the forests and valleys with its rays. Energized, life began another day. A figure emerged on horseback from the southern woods of Faron, darting north across the great fields. His horse never wavered, never slowed. The earth seemed to make room for his charge, the trees and shrubs swaying away, the creatures moving to the side of the road with what was almost respect. Such behavior was fitting for someone so beloved by Hyrule, someone that was considered a champion of the land, a savior.

He continued his speedy travel across the field and through a small valley. A wide wall grew over the horizon, the tops of buildings and a large castle behind it. Hyrule Castle Town was the heart of Hyrule, the throbbing center of commerce and communication. Hyrule Castle stood above it and from there Hyrule was governed. The castle was his destination.

He swiftly crossed a drawbridge and entered the thriving marketplace of the city. It was mid-morning, and people were already congesting the city square. Those who noticed his swift entrance looked at the horse, and noting the identity of its rider, greeted him with warmth and subservience.

“Hello, welcome back!” one townswoman said.

“Please, you must be exhausted from your journey, eat!” A merchant offered him food.

“I love you, please! Have my children!” A particularly passionate young woman called out.

He chuckled as he waved them off. They love me, he thought. He made his way up the steps at the north of the town square, crossing a great drawbridge. The guards nodded to him with honor.

Entering a great garden, the man disembarked from his horse. The grand castle of Hyrule towered above him. It’s been too long, he thought. He looked around, anxious. Suddenly, what he was looking for appeared at the large entrance to the castle.

A beautiful young woman in a blue dress walked down the castle steps towards him. Her hair was bright as gold, her eyes as peaceful as the great seas of the east. She began to run towards him, her face full of delight. The man felt his own face show the same emotions.

“You’re back!” Princess Zelda said, embracing him warmly.

He embraced her back. “I’ve missed you, Zelda. I’m sorry I didn’t return sooner. It didn’t go as I as well as I hoped.”

Zelda pulled away, studying him. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“No. It was another dead end,” he lowered his head in resignation, “I’m beginning to think I never will, Zelda.”

Zelda’s face showed compassion. She ran her hands across the white tunic that covered the man’s chest, placing them on the gray cape that concealed his shoulders. “You’ll find it,” she said, lifting one hand to stroke his long, ivory hair, “I’ll help you. I promise.”

The man’s gray eyes brightened. “Zelda, I love you,” he said.

“I love you too, Rome,” Princess Zelda replied. And slowly, they kissed.

HOT!!!

Jk, jk... I actually think this is very good. I'm interested to see how Rome and Link fit into the picture together.

Keep posting my friend!

Originally Posted by Malo and Talo

HOT!!!

Jk, jk... I actually think this is very good. I'm interested to see how Rome and Link fit into the picture together.

Keep posting my friend!

i was thinking "this is just like tp, is this gonna be another fan story about tp?" then BAM she said Rome

Keep writing my friend! And allow link to beat the tare outta him!

Thanks for the comments guys. Glad to see the opening garnered interest.

Chapter One: The Surprise in The Cave

Lake Hylia in the southwest of Hyrule was said to be one of the great marvels of the world at sunset, as the giant body of water became bathed in an orange glow. Filling the bottom of the great valley it resided in, some scholars claimed that Lake Hylia was actually an ancient crater that was the result of the moon escaping the earth eons ago. Others claimed it was all that was left of a great sea that once covered everything west of Hyrule. The sea was dried up by the gods as punishment to amoral sea pirates, leaving nothing but the lake and the dry sand ocean to the far west.

Whatever the reason for its existence, Lake Hylia was a source of life and replenishment to the rest of the kingdom. All the waterways of Hyrule inevitably cycled through it, making it a critical estuary for all inhabitants of the land. It was also one of the prime fishing spots for Hylians; the northern lakes of the Zora were often off limits, and the great sea east of Hyrule was full of danger. Lake Hylia was the obvious alternative, for its selection of bass was diverse.

Many fishermen were making their way up from the valley bottom to journey home. Dusk was fast approaching, and the shrewd owner of the pathway up from the bottom of Lake Hylia jacked up the fees for his toll way past sunset. More then a few people had complained to the Royal Courts that such private taxing was unjust, but so far the council had permitted the owner to continue his business schemes.

As the fishermen, some with their families, got on their horses and into their carriages and began to take off, one boy began to walk across the great stone bridge that spanned across the valley. Created by brilliant Hylian architects over a century ago, it was supposedly meant to be a sign of peace to the Zora, the aquatic race that resided in the waterways of Hyrule, showing that the Hylians did not intend to invade their territory. Either that or the Hylians just wanted a lavish highway for themselves.

The boy had hadn’t gotten far when someone called out from behind him, “Raphael, where are you going?”

The skinny, black-haired boy turned to the pretty girl calling out to him, “Just thought I’d take a walk, you know?”

“Don’t you want to go to Sara’s party tonight? We’re leaving now.”

“I’m not in the mood. I’ll take the open carriage when it comes around and catch up with you guys later.”

“Not in the mood to party?” Some brutish kid yelled from behind the girl, “Gods Ralph, you’re such a Ju-Ju. No spine.”

“Shut up, Brutus,” the girl said. She turned back to Raphael, “Alright, well, I hope I’ll see you tonight.”

Raphael smiled sheepishly, “Thanks, erm. Yeah, me too Marion.”

Marion giggled and waved, “Bye.”

“See ya.”

His friends got onto their horses and headed off. Raphael turned back towards the bridge and sighed wearily. Realizing his black hair was quite disheveled, and how scrawny he must look in his fishing attire, it was a wonder that he thought he had a chance with that girl to begin with. That wasn’t the first time Marion had stuck up for him against that Dodongo fodder, Brutus. She was always willing to be on his side. At times Raphael wondered if she actually appreciated him, and if she did, how on earth she could, considering whenever she talked to him he ended up making a fool of himself.

Or a Ju-Ju, he thought bemusedly.

Raphael had always been different from his friends. Most of them wanted to grow up to be merchants or fishermen or farmers, just like their parents. Born into the family and then become the family, the saying seemed to be. Yet even when his parents were alive, Raphael had aspired for something else. His father had been a printer, something that bored him to death. It didn’t help that his relationship with his parents had been strained at best. Then they died, and he figured his life was pretty much shot. His grandfather had taken him in, but he was so busy with his own job that Raphael rarely saw him. He tutored himself for education and made his own living. At a mere fifteen years of age, he would like to believe he had it worst then most people did in their lifetimes. Not that it mattered.

Most of his friends, several of them fairly secure financially, liked to tease him for his less-then-desirable circumstances, mocking him whenever he brought up his ambitions of becoming a knight of Hyrule. Oh, he learned not telling anyone that dream anymore. Except Marion, she actually gave a damn about what he had to say.

Of course, Raphael thought in defeat, if Brutus ended up courting her tonight, who cared if she did?

His shoulders slumped, Raphael continued across the stone bridge. He much preferred this realm of privacy to the chaos his friends liked to get into. So peaceful and enjoyable, yet still somehow exciting.

He stared down into the lake, taking note of the cave at the far end, which was said to be a shrine of one of the spirit servants of the Gods. Not that Raphael necessarily bought into such fairy tales, but the myth surrounding such places still intrigued him. It was usually closed off to commoners, especially since the war. Yet as dusk approached, he noted how loose security had gotten, as most of the guards were preoccupied with their own fishing.

An idea crept into Raphael’s head, but he dismissed it. He couldn’t explore now, especially when Marion would be expecting him later. Yet still, the idea persisted. Now would be, he conceded, the perfect and maybe only time he would be able to explore that cave.

He hesitated for a moment, and then headed back towards the toll way to the side of the bridge entrance. The flamboyantly dressed man running the toll eyed him suspiciously.

“And why would this fine young man be going back down to the water?” He asked.

“Um, I forgot my wallet. I know where it is, it won’t take long.”

The man stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. “If you don’t make it back in five minutes, I’ll be charging you young man!”

“Thanks,” Raphael muttered and headed quickly down the slope towards the lake.

He reached the bottom and surveyed the scene. The shoreline was basically empty safe for a few guardsmen working on one of the docks. Getting past them wouldn’t be an issue. The problem was that the cave was on the far side of the lake, and it would take an hour just to jog around, much less walk stealthily.

Raphael was thinking of forgetting it when he noticed the guardsmen were getting into a motorboat that looked to be full of supplies. They must be going to the other side, he realized.

He swiftly moved towards the docks as the three guards on the boat bent in the back of the boat, most likely to pop open a bottle of rum. Raphael jumped into the boat just as the motor revved to life, crouching behind one of the many crates. One guard lifted his head, noticing the rocking of the boat, but returned to his drink once he assumed it was just the engine.

The boat darted across the lake. Raphael smiled to himself, realizing they’d be on the other side within a few minutes. With any luck, he would be able to take a gander at the cave, and then make his way back within the hour. He would then make his way to the castle town for the boring little party.

It didn’t take very long for the boat to slow, and Raphael knew they had reached the opposite shore. He heard the guards move around, one of them throwing a rope onto the dock. The sound of the motor died, and the boat came to a stop as it edged up on the sand.

“Let’s see what the old bastard was complaining about,” one of the guards said, “Must be getting senile if he thinks someone would be snooping around here.”

“He’s just sad his post is all alone on this side, while we have all the rum back on ours’!” another laughed.

The boat rocked as the guards moved onto the dock, and Raphael watched silently as they moved towards land, disappearing out of sight. He processed their words carefully.

Someone snooping around? For a moment Raphael thought they were talking about him, but that obviously didn’t make sense. It sounded as if a guard posted by the spirit cave believed someone was trespassing.

The last time someone trespassed around here, Raphael thought…
He felt his heart start to beat fast. This could be something serious, he realized. Maybe it wasn’t his place to check things out.

No spine, Brutus had said. He pictured Brutus spitting that phrase again as he told Marion he cucco’d out of checking out the cave.

Raphael gritted his teeth, stood up, and walked onto the dock. It was a lot darker on this side. No torches were lit like the commercially appealing entrance to the lake. The entrance to the spirit cave was just a few meters off shore, small and unassuming. No guards were by the entrance. They must all have gone in to investigate, Raphael thought.

He crept to the entrance. His heart was pretty rapid. He forced himself to relax. This probably wasn’t anything unusual, he told himself. People trespass all the time.

Just not into spirit caves, a fearful voice reminded him.

Well, wasn’t he just about to?

Shaking his head, he stepped into the darkness. He wish he had brought a torch, but on the same hand the guards would have noticed him if he had. The path was longer then he had anticipated, with a downward slope. He felt wetness as he continued: the lake water must leak into here, he thought.

Finally the path evened out, and he saw a dim light at the end of the tunnel. Raphael moved a little faster when he stepped on some uneven rock that caused him to trip. Raphael nearly fell, barely grabbing the rough wall to prevent an attention-causing splash.

That was close, he thought to himself, stupid rock. He instinctively looked down to inspect it.

In the dim light, he could see the rock really didn’t have the features of stone. One side of it was hard, with a metallic polish. The other looked to be soft, and had the outline of a nose and mouth. It registered with Raphael: he was looking at a head.

The pointed helmet was the type worn by the Hylia guardsmen. The same he just saw walk in here. In the darkness, Raphael still thought he could distinguish the darker water around the decapitated head, water mixed with blood.

Raphael felt his knees go very weak. Things started to spin. He had the sudden urge to throw up.

This was a bad idea, he told himself as his heart rammed through his chest. Why didn’t he just go to the party?

It was the shuffling sounds in the area before him that brought Raphael back to his senses. He peered into what was something of a chamber, with a hole at the top that allowed the moonlight to come in. Rocky grounded surrounded a large watery spring in the middle of the cave. The cave was fairly large, yet small enough for Raphael to take note of the bodies of the three guardsmen, two of them evidently headless, a few meters to his right. A fourth body lay half submerged in the spring, the light exposing two small bloody holes on his chest. And right in front of Raphael, on a small outcropping of rock that reached into the water, a figure was bent down. The figure was scooping what appeared to be a bottle into the spring, catching the water.

In the light, Raphael could make out the bald, turquoise colored head of the killer, a long braided thin running from his scalp to his back. It was a Zora. The Zora wore what appeared to have a tattered black trench coat over his shoulders, as if it were a cape. Raphael knew that, at least according to the back alley stories the tough kids like to tell, owning a trench coat used to mean you were in the mob.

Zora of course were nothing unusual in Lake Hylia. Yet somehow, Raphael suspected that this Zora had little to do with the peaceful race that made their man home in the northeast. Stealing sacred water was certainly against the Zora, who greatly enforced laws to protect the aquatic portions of Hyrule. So what this Zora up to?

The Zora sealed the bottle before drawing another from his large coat, again taking up the spring water. Raphael felt cold sweat run down his head. He had the sudden urge to run, to forget he ever witnessed this. He would go to Sara’s worthless party and act like he never saw four mutilated bodies, never saw the backside of a killer. Yet his legs wouldn’t budge, and Raphael wondered if he was paralyzed with fear. The Zora was nearly finished with the second bottle, and Raphael knew that he had to do something before the Zora turned around and saw him.

Yet how could he just forget this? This Zora was a murderer, a murderer of four Hylia guardsmen no less. Guardsmen that likely had families, families that would be devastated to learn of their deaths. All so this Zora could collect some damn water.

Raphael knew what it was like to have something so unjust happen. He had to act. If he didn’t, even if he went to the authorities, this Zora would likely vanish into the night. This mindless murderer would get away. He couldn’t allow that.

Raphael noted a spear of one of the guards, cleaved towards one end but the sharp point still intact, laying near the head at his feet. Slowly, as the Zora neared filling the bottle, Raphael reached down and picked up the spear. He pointed it forward, towards the Zora. Raphael had considerable experience with a sword from playing with his friends, though he had never used a spear. His weapon of choice was actually his boomerang, which of course was far away at home.

He took one step forward. What did he plan on doing, jabbing the Zora in the skull? Or maybe he would get close, and then yell ‘freeze’. He had seen soldiers do that before. But maybe, Raphael thought, it’s better if I just kill him…

He took his second step. He was no less then three meters away from the killer. Another step. It was time to make up his mind. Just kill him, Raphael told himself. Another step. Two meters now.

“Put down the spear,” a drawling voice came from the Zora as he closed his last bottle.

Raphael froze, too terrified to turn away as the Zora stood up. Then, as the Zora started to turn towards him, Raphael flung his arm forward with a shout, sending the spear hurtling towards the Zora.

The Zora cocked his head to the side, and the spear went sailing into the water.

Raphael stared in horror at the Zora, who offered him a smirk. He was a few heads taller than Raphael, and his black eyes seemed even more lifeless then the normal Zoras’, with a single scar ran vertically down his left eye. His humanoid body was compact and muscular, as if he had been designed to kill. His black trousers were stained in water and blood.

“You aren’t as stealthy as you seemed to believe you were,” the Zora said, “I could hear your breath the moment you entered the cave. You obviously aren’t in good shape.”

The Zora took one step forward, and Raphael found it in himself to move backwards. “And you hesitated to take me out. In short, you need work, though if it’s any consolation, you didn’t do much worse then these toy soldiers.” The Zora gestured with his left hand to the corpses around the room. “I yearn for a time when the knights of Hyrule were actually a challenge,” he said with a sigh.

“Y-You’re a murderer,” Raphael said through gritted teeth.

“Yes,” said the Zora, “I am. And there will be a fifth murder tonight.”

Suddenly losing his nerve, Raphael turned and ran as fast as he could, the Zora making no apparent effort to lunge after him. I have to get out of here, he thought, I have to get help.

Raphael nearly stumbled as he reached the entrance. Raphael looked around the shoreline. “Help!” he screamed, “Help!” But no guards were anywhere near this side of the shore, and Raphael doubted his voice carried across the great lake.

He bolted for the motorboat, diving into it from the dock. He pulled the gear, and the engine sputtered. Damnit, he thought. He pulled it again, no avail. He thought he heard footsteps moving towards the beach, and he pulled again. This time the engine roared to life.

Raphael felt the boat begin to take off. He started to regain his composure when the boat snapped to the side, and Raphael was thrown into the cold water. He realized in horror that he never untied the boat from the dock.

The water was shallow enough that Raphael managed to sit up on the sand. He saw the boat was turned onto its side, the engine whining in protest. Then he saw the Zora walking up the dock.

“You aren’t very bright, are you?” said the Zora with a vague amount of pity.

The Zora leaped down into the water with great agility, landing right in front of Raphael. Raphael tried to move, but his legs were sunk in the muddy bank, the cold water freezing his muscles. He was trapped.

“I won’t tell anyone what I saw,” said Raphael, “I promise I won’t.”

“Another thing you should learn,” said the Zora, “is that assassins never take people at their word, especially when it’s easier just to kill.”

The Zora stretched out his right arm from beneath his trench coat, and Raphael saw in disbelief that it was metallic, with long iron rods instead of flesh and bone, and circular gears instead of an elbow. This Zora’s arm was mechanical. Raphael’s eyes widened. He saw the Zora’s ever present smirk widen at his reaction. The Zora cocked his wrist, and two long blades jutted out from the back of his hand. They were already tainted with blood, and seemed perfect to form the holes in the one guard Raphael saw laying in the spring. The same kind of holes, he thought numbly, that would soon be in his own chest.

“I’ll give you anything,” Raphael begged, “I swear.”

“What do you think you possibly own that I would value?”

“I’m just a kid!”

“That’s the only joy I’m getting out of this,” the Zora said, “because you really are pathetic.”

The Zora grabbed him gruffly by the collar with his left hand, and lifted him up. Raphael was too shocked to even be scared as the Zora lifted his right arm high, the wrist blades aimed straight for his heart. I’m going to die, he thought. And nothing could change that. The Zora bared his teeth in a smile, and then swung his mechanical arm forward. Raphael closed his eyes.

He felt something shoot by, causing his eyelashes to sway. Was that what death felt like? No, he realized the Zora had yet to kill him. Raphael opened his eyes and saw a second object shoot past him and the Zora. It landed in the water near them with a splash. It was an arrow.

A third arrow caused the Zora to throw Raphael aside and dart for the deeper water where he would undoubtedly have an advantage. Raphael looked towards the shore to see a figure on horseback withdrawing his bow, the horse rearing back on its hind legs in the moonlight. Then the figure snapped his reigns, and the horse charged into the water.

Raphael felt water splash him as the horse charged past. The horse was going incredibly fast, faster then the Zora had anticipated, and they cut off the Zora before he could reach the deeper water. The figure drew a long sword.

“Forest boy,” the Zora hissed, withdrawing his wrist blades.

“There’s no escape, Scar,” said the ‘forest boy.’

“I think you know as well as I do that there’s always a way to escape,” said the Zora, “What do you plan on doing anyways, turning me in? That wouldn’t work too well for you. How do you still find it worthwhile to play Hyrule police?”

“For starters, putting a stop to scum like you.”

“Please,” said the Zora “We were never that different, forest boy. You just saw it worthwhile to work for some altruistic purpose. Now that we’re both fugitives, I’d say that we’re pretty much identical.”

“Don’t insult me,” said the forest boy said, pointing his sword forward, “Now tell me what you’re doing out here.”

The Zora gritted his teeth, “You think I’ll let you interrogate me? You should have just tried to kill me. Not that you would have succeeded.”

The Zora plunged his hand into his coat and drew a small crossbow. He got off a few shots just as the forest boy snapped his rains, moving out of the way. One of the shots must have hit the forest boy, because Raphael heard him grunt in pain. The forest boy sent his horse charging towards the Zora, and he swung his blade at the Zora’s head. But the Zora nimbly rolled to the side, coming to his feet and twisting around to get another barrage of shots off at the forest boy, whose horse let out a cry of pain. The forest boy flipped of his horse and let it gallop back to the beach. The forest boy hadn’t hit the ground before he brought his bow and arrow back out, setting off a shot at the Zora, who barely dodged it. The Zora sent off a few more shots at him, and he took cover behind one of the beams supporting the dock. A round of tiny arrowettes plunged into the wood. The Zora paused to put another clip into his crossbow, and the boy turned and sent off another arrow. The Zora took cover behind the dock at the far end.

Raphael suddenly found the strength to struggle free of the muddy bank. “Get behind me!” He heard the forest boy shout. Raphael got to his feet just as he saw the Zora come around his pillar, aiming right for him. Raphael dove forward, hiding behind a large stone just on the shoreline. The forest boy took the opportunity of the Zora’s distraction to launch an arrow right for him. The Zora lifted his mech-arm at the last minute, sending the arm to the water in half. The Zora retaliated with another barrage, and the forest boy again took cover behind the support beams. We’re at a standstill, Raphael thought.

“Throw me a seed!” The forest boy shouted to him.

“What?” Raphael asked bewildered.

“A seed! One of the plant seeds!” He pointed to the plant half submerged in the tide at Raphael’s feet as he turned to send another arrow at the Zora.

Raphael noted the star shaped plant. He recognized it as a budding fire flower, indigenous to Death Mountain in the east, but had slowly begun to spread to other parts of Hyrule. Why on earth did the boy want a seed-

“Hurry!”

Raphael ripped off one of the bud-filled leaves, crumbled it, and tossed it in the forest boy’s direction. The fired an arrow at the Zora, then took the moment to grab the leaf from the water. He wrapped it around the tip of the next arrow he pulled from his quiver. What in Naryu’s name? Raphael thought.

The Zora sent off another barrage, and the forest boy waited until he was done to step forward. He sent off the bulb-tied arrow, not at Zora, but at the capsizing boat behind him. The arrow plunged directly into the sparking motor, and Raphael realized what would happen when the chemicals of the fire flower reacted with the leaking engine just as a great fireball engulfed the whole boat and sent everyone except the forest boy off their feet.

Raphael heard the forest boy whistle, followed by the cobbling steps of his horse. The next thing he knew he was pulled up by his collar and found himself sitting on the horse behind the forest boy, and they tore around the shoreline, heading for the path back to the top of the valley.

Raphael looked behind them to see the Zora getting to his feet, letting out a shout of fury. Raphael heard the Zora whistle, and then he noticed a great object temporarily block out the moon. The Zora jumped, and Raphael realized it had landed atop the silhouette of a giant bird, the kind of birds that only lived in the north. With a shrieking cry, the bird chased after them.

“Hold on!” The forest boy yelled to him, and Raphael wrapped his arms around his waist as the horse took a sharp turn. The Zora and the great bird dove past them, spraying water everywhere. “The path is over there!” Raphael cried. But the forest boy suddenly went down the opposite side of the bank, heading towards the great waterfall at the end of the lake. “This is a dead-end!” Raphael cried.

The forest boy didn’t reply. Raphael looked behind them and saw the Zora was circling around, coming right for them. The bird had the wind on its side, giving it added speed. It was quickly gaining on them. Their horse was ignoring the fact the bank was getting smaller and smaller; they were heading right for the side of the waterfall. Unless they planned on crashing into it, they were trapped.

“Hold on!” said the forest boy.

“We’re trapped!” said Raphael. He looked behind them and saw the fearsome claws of the giant bird, and he felt the foam of the waterfall around him, and he knew they would hit rock, and it would be over.

Suddenly, the water was gone, and Raphael saw they were in a dark tunnel. He looked behind them to see the claws of the bird struggling to grab through the sheet of water, and he thought he heard the Zora curse over the roaring foam. Then the forest boy snapped his reigns, and they speeded down the tunnel, out of sight.

Thanks for the comments, and sorry for the delay in posting chapters; busy week. I'll keep updating here, but for those who do want to read ahead, you can find the entire story on ZP as well:

The Legend of Zelda: A Hero's Courage - ZeldaPower Forums

I hate to send you to a rival Zelda site to read it though But if you want take a look.

Originally Posted by Wrath Mania

Thanks for the comments, and sorry for the delay in posting chapters; busy week. I'll keep updating here, but for those who do want to read ahead, you can find the entire story on ZP as well:

The Legend of Zelda: A Hero's Courage - ZeldaPower Forums

I hate to send you to a rival Zelda site to read it though But if you want take a look.

Excellent story, I'm reading it on ZP. This is splendidly done!!!

Good work, it keeps me at the edge of my seat in curiousity.

Bob, I just want to tell you that this is the most brilliant peice of fan fiction that I have ever seen. If you continue updating, this will be my new home thread, which is how I pay my highest respect to my favorite thread. I've read the entire book on ZeldaPower, and I must say that it is simply amazing with all of the extremely diverse characters.

I would love very much to give you a full review, but the entire thing would be a spoiler .If you keep posting quickly, however, I will give each chapter the attention it needs!

Thank you very much, Malo and Talo. I will keep posting chapters here, although for some reason I can only post quick replies (I would much rather go advanced so I can make proper modifications to each chapter). Once I figure out why that is the case, I will continue posting all the chapters up on here.

I'm guessing that this "Forest Boy" is Link. Am I right?

We may never know...

Sorry guys, for some reason I can't post anything big at all. I emailed the webmaster to ask what's up, but hopefully that'll get resolved. I'm really happy I'm getting a good response from you guys, and I promise once this is figured out I will update daily.

-Wrath

Well, we'll all be waiting!!!

Okay guys, I think I may have figured it out. Apparently it helps to have at least ten posts XP

Chapter Two: The Shaman of Kakariko

The secret tunnel seemed to last forever, slowly rising towards the surface. Raphael wished they would slow down; he was getting disoriented from the dark and the horse’s movements so much that he almost felt sick. “We’ve lost him!” He shouted to the forest boy. The rider didn’t respond, and Raphael began to wonder if he was right to trust this guy. Yes, he saved his life, but who was he?

Finally, he saw light ahead of them. A few extra steps of the horse, and Raphael found they were in a distant part of Hyrule Field, east of the lake. The great Death Mountain, the highest peak in Hyrule below the Northern Range, took up most of the eastern horizon. To the north would be Hyrule Castle Town, where Raphael’s friends- and home- were.

Now that they were far away from the lake, the forest boy eased on the reins of his steed, but only after taking a thorough look of their surroundings. Raphael caught his breath.

“Who was that?” Raphael gasped, “What was he doing?”

The rider didn’t answer him, instead he asked sternly, “What were you doing trailing the Zora?” Raphael was taken aback. The last thing he expected at this point was to get interrogated.

“Well, I…” he began, “I was checking out the cave before heading home, and I saw the guards were concerned about something in the cave, so I took a look, but they were dead.”

“That cave is off-limits,” said the rider.

“I was curious,” said Raphael, “I didn’t know there was a killer in there.”

“What happened when you saw the Zora?”

“I took the guard’s spear and tried to stop whatever he was doing,” Raphael said.

“And what was he doing?”

“Putting some of the spring water in bottles. He noticed I was there before I could do anything.”

The rider made a derisive noise. “You tried to take on a hardened killer by yourself. What you did was reckless. You’re lucky you didn’t end up dead.”

“He murdered those men!” Raphael replied angrily. After everything that just happened he was in no mood to be talked down to. “I was trying to do the right thing and be brave instead of running off and letting him get away with it.”

“The problem with kids like you is that you don’t realize there’s a difference between bravery and stupidity,” the rider said coldly.

“Who are you to lecture to me?” said Raphael. The rider didn’t reply, and suddenly Raphael felt foolish for criticizing the man who just rescued him, showing considerable skills in doing so. And he was right, Raphael had even questioned himself earlier for going into the cave. “I’m sorry,” he said, “thank you for saving my life.”

For the first time Raphael bothered to look at his rescuer. He wore simple brown tunic and pants. A pointed, patched cap covered his disheveled brown hair, and a sword and shield were slung over his shoulders. When he looked over his shoulder, Raphael saw the rider had blue eyes that seemed to convey his experiences, which must have been many, greatly contrasted by his youthful face. He couldn’t have been more than five years older than Raphael.

Raphael noted the deep gash in the rider’s shoulder, caused by the Zora’s crossbow. “You’re injured,” Raphael noted.

“It’s not bad,” he replied. Raphael would have gladly begged to differ, yet the rider’s comment indicated he had dealt with worse.

“Who are you?” Raphael finally asked.

The rider was silent for a moment. “That doesn’t matter,” he said.

“Of course it matters!” Raphael said, “You saved my life! You were amazing out there! You looked like a knight!”

“There’s a lot more to being a Knight of Hyrule than fancy moves and fighting.”

Raphael was stung by the reply; it almost felt like a rebuke.

“But are you a knight?” he asked.

“No,” said the rider.


They continued on in the night through the field, and Raphael realized they were heading not towards Hyrule Castle Town, but in the direction of Death Mountain. “What are you doing?” he asked, “My home is in the castle town.”

“Kakariko Village is closer.”

“But, I-,” Raphael trailed off. He wasn’t about to tell the rider that the only reason he wanted to go back to castle town was because the girl of his dreams was looking forward to seeing him at a party. “…my grandfather will worry,” he said. Which likely wasn’t true, his grandfather was so consumed with work that the chances of him noticing he was gone was remote.

“You can get medical attention at Kakariko.”

“But I’m not injured!”

The rider didn’t reply, and Raphael suspected he might have his own reasons for not wanting to go to the castle town. “The public carriage comes through the village in the morning, you can take it home,” the rider said.

Raphael wanted to protest, yet he suspected it would be pointless to. The horse pushed on faster, and they crossed a wooden bridge that spanned one of the gorges of Hyrule. A little further on, a sign hung above the path. It read: Kakariko village.


Raphael had only been to Kakariko a few times before. Nestled at the foot of Death Mountain, it was constructed on rocky terrain and was known as something of a rough and tumble town. Nevertheless, it was a growing spot of commerce in Hyrule, and many citizens preferred the more affordable prices it offered compared to the monopolies the castle town shops tried to hold.

All the buildings in the village were lined along one main road. The rider pulled his horse to a stop as they came alongside the first building: a large, dome-shaped house made of stone. Apparently someone had been waiting for the rider, because the lights were on inside the small windows, and someone opened the door before they had come to a full stop.

At the door was a tall man with long, brown hair. He wore robes of earthly design and just from the first glance Raphael got the sense he conveyed a wise presence. “You’re late, I was growing concerned,” the man said.

“I ran into some trouble,” the rider said, “this boy was attacked, he’s from the castle town. He could use a place to rest and recover.”

The man glanced at Raphael and then nodded, “My name is Renado. I am the Shaman of Kakariko Village. You may stay at the village inn until the carriage comes in the morning.”

“I don’t have any rupees on me,” Raphael said.

The man smiled, and Raphael felt the man’s warmth, warmth that he forgot even existed over the past few hours. “It’s free, son. I can tell you’ve been through a terrible ordeal. You need your rest.”

He offered Raphael a hand of the horse. It felt strong yet gentle. “Go ahead and wait inside,” Renado said to the rider, nodding to the dome-shaped house. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”


The Elde Inn was a modest building that had obviously seen better days, yet still had an aura of comfort to it. Holding a candle, Renado took Raphael up to a room on the second floor. It was windowless and was essentially just a bed and night table. “It’s not much,” Renado noted, “I’m afraid the Inn has become something of a permanent stay for quite a few people.”

“It’s fine,” said Raphael, “I appreciate it.”

Renado stood at the door, “I’m going to go and retrieve Beth for you. She’s become something of the caretaker around the Inn. I’ll be around in the morning to wake you up.” He drew what looked like a glass vial from his robe and handed it to Raphael. Inside appeared to be a crushed substance, perhaps herbs, “This is a relaxant that is derived from the Deku Nuts of the Sacred Woods. It should help you sleep peacefully.”

“Thank you,” Raphael said, “After tonight, I need that.”

Renado smiled sympathetically, “You saw terrible things, didn’t you?”

“Soldiers murdered,” Raphael shuddered, “I mean, it’s not the first time I’ve seen death, but…” he trailed off.

Renado rested a hand on his shoulder, “It’s a horrible thing, son. Fortunately you are safe, and that’s what matters. As a shaman, I deal often in helping those who suffer traumatic experiences recover. If you feel the need for help, please let me know.”

“Thanks,” Raphael said quickly.

Renado handed Raphael the candle as well, “Beth will come by with a glass of water for you to drink that down. Sleep well, Raphael.”

“Wait, before you go… the guy who saved me, do you know him?”

Renado paused with the door half shut, and then smiled, “Yes, he’s a very good friend of mine.” With that, he left.

Raphael shrugged. He didn’t expect a better answer. At any rate, Renado certainly seemed like a genuinely good person, a far cry from the authority figures polluting the castle town with their personal agendas. An authority figure interested in the welfare of others, he thought to himself. What a screwed up night.

He put the candle and vial on the night table and then promptly collapsed onto the bed. It wasn’t the greatest cot in the world, but it might as well have been one of the clouds of the fabled Sky City to Raphael. He rolled over, staring at the black ceiling. For the first time he could sit back and process everything that happened. Yet it made him feel sick when he attempted to do this, so he stopped.

To think, Raphael thought, at this very moment Marion could be with that fodderclown Brutus. What in the Gods’ names was he going to say to her? Oh Marion, sorry I couldn’t make the party. I ended nearly getting killed by a psycho Zora and was saved by some mystery man who took me to the opposite side of Hyrule. The bed was comfy. He sighed at how bad it sounded even in his head.

The door opened, and Raphael stood up, still somewhat in adrenaline mode. “Relax, I’m just a girl,” the person at the door said.

Standing there was a cute looking petite girl with red hair, probably around Raphael’s age. She wore a robe over her nightgown; evidently Renado had awoken her.

“I’m Beth,” she said awkwardly, probably due to the fact she was helping some guy who just got attacked in the middle of the night, Raphael thought. “Renado explained everything to me. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine… I guess. Thanks.”

“Here’s the water to drink down that stuff,” Beth said, placing the glass on the night table before she quickly skirted back to the door, “If you need anything, my door is at the very end of the hall, just come and knock.”

“Thanks,” he said. There a pause. She started to leave. “Well, good night,” she said.

“Wait,” Raphael said, “Let me ask you, who is that guy who saved me?”

Beth froze, hesitating. She looked frustrated, “We’re not allowed to talk about it.”

“Come on,” said Raphael, feeling a little fed up with the whole secrecy, “Just his name?”

Beth took a moment, and then shook her head. “Alright, fine. But nothing else. His name is Link.”

Raphael nodded, “Okay, that’s all I wanted. Thank you-for the water too.”

“Good night.” The door shut.

Raphael heard Beth’s footsteps as she headed down the hall. He sat back on the bed. So at least he knew the name of the man who rescued him. Link. What was the big deal?

Raphael turned to the table and sprinkled the herbs from the vial into the glass. Whatever the reason for the secrecy, he doubted he was going to find out. For a moment, Raphael wondered if it had to do with why Link was unwilling to go to the castle town, but he was too tired to think the whole thing through.

He drank the whole glass in one gulp. The herbs had a surprisingly sweet taste, like the delicious grapes from Chateau Ranch in the northwest. He felt his muscles melt instantly, every knot in his body loosening.

Raphael lay back, closing his eyes. He could worry about explaining things to his friends and figuring out what in Din’s name exactly happened tomorrow. Right now, all he wanted was sleep.


“That was fortunate for you to be there to save him, Link.”

Renado closed the door to his house behind him as he came back. The main room of the house had a fire lit in the middle, with descending rows of circular couches surrounding it. The more private quarters were downstairs. Link sat on the bottom row, staring at the fire. Bandages were wrapped around the wound on his shoulder, something Link presumabely did while he waited.

“Guess I still have the old touch, huh,” Link said humorlessly. Renado knew he was saying it with sarcasm, though to someone who didn’t know Link as well, this would have easily gone unnoticed.

“So what exactly happened?” asked Renado, sitting down a quarter of a way from Link.

“I was about halfway here when I saw that bird Scar rides in the sky. It was heading towards Lake Hylia.”

“So you investigated?” Renado said, “Though may I be correct in assuming you later chided our guest for doing such a thing?”

“Save your lesson-filled analogies for later, Renado.”

“What was the Black Knight up to?”

“According to the kid, he was taking water from the spirit spring. Why, I have no idea.”

There was silence. Link continued to stare blankly into the fire. “Well, these matters can wait for tomorrow," said Renado. "We’ll deal with your supplies then as well. For now, let’s get some rest.”

Link nodded, rising to follow Renado downstairs. The basement floor was a narrow hallway, with a single guest bedroom at one end and two on the other, one for Renado and the other for his young daughter Luda, who was presumably asleep this late. As Renado walked into his chamber, he said, “Link, never think you can’t make a difference.”

Link stopped for a moment, as if he was going to speak, but said nothing. He walked into his bedroom, and both doors shut.

Can't wait until Link makes friends (spoiler since I read it XD)

Chapter Three: Indeed A Fugitive

Everything was moving so fast. Either he learned how to run as fast as the local postman, or he was on a train. Looking down, he saw the iron floor, and realized that he was indeed on a train, tearing across a sea of fire. Despite the wind sheer, he walked forward.

At the end of the iron train, the Zora waited for him, snarling. Link swung his blade at the Zora’s head, but the Zora vanished. The train came to an abrupt halt, and Link cried out and he was flung forward, towards the fire below.

Instead he hit hard stone. Standing up, he realized he was on a stone bridge, leading into a huge temple carved into a cliff. The bridge suddenly started to give in, and so Link ran, as fast he could. He ran into the temple, yet the lava continued to rip at his feet. He began to sink, and he cried out as flames enveloped him. Reaching outward, he saw a man with his arm extended. Link tried to grab it, but the hand held a blade that pierced his heart.

Link cried out as the ivory garbed man laughed, his face disappearing in the flames. Everything went red.


Link’s eyelids flashed open. He felt the cold sweat drenching his body, and his hands were gripped tightly on the bed cot. He looked around and took in the bare second bedroom chamber of Renado’s home. Just a dream, he thought, catching his breath. Link was not troubled; he welcomed dreams into his sleep. It actually gave him a conclusion. Either he died, or he lived happily after. Which he would take gladly over constant limbo.

Light was faintly touching the tiny basement window in the corner of the room; it was early morning. Link sat up and slowly stood up out of bed, walking to a lone mirror on the wall. Taking in his blank face and messy hair, he pondered if it was normal for someone of two decades old to look like he did: as if he was well on his way to the graveyard behind the village. Or maybe it wasn’t the age, he mused.

Just the wear and tear.

Looking at his own face, Link’s mind stirred, and he briefly recalled the face of the ivory man in his dream. Most of the dream had been new to him, but not that part. That face was about the only thing he could remember from every nightmare he had in a long while. Link didn’t particularly care for prophesizing over dreams, yet he knew the meaning of that face very well. The face was not some foretelling of Link’s future. It was a haunting from his past.

Link unraveled the bandage around his shoulder to inspect the wound The Assassin Scar had given him. It was not the first time Scar had left him a physical gift. Indeed, since the Schism of Twilight Link had clashed with the so-called ‘Black Knight’ many times, even since the beginning of Link’s… current situation. Link sometimes wondered if Scar simply enjoyed following him, looking to pick a fight.

Now that we’re both fugitives, I’d say we’re pretty much identical.

The words tortured Link’s mind. Of course it’s not true, he told himself. Scar was a ruthless, vile killer that would do the most unconscionable task imaginable if the amount of rupees was just right. Meanwhile, Link was… Link was… what?

He felt a tinge of fear. He had no answer to that question.

Scar was right in many respects. Link, the Hero of Hyrule, the humble farm boy from the southern forest who rose up during the Schism of Twilight and saved both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, was gone. Link, the Hero of legend who slew the Dark Lord Ganon and restored peace was no more. Link, the beloved savior who became a trustworthy confidante to the King and a personal friend to the fair Princess Zelda, was long forgotten.

The new Link was nothing but a wanted man, a man who kept his identity hidden to all but his closest friends. The new Link had old friends who no longer trusted him and some that had completely forsaken him. The new Link had watched the forest village of Ordon burn as a punishment for being his home, and endangered everyone he had grown up due to his own problems. The new Link was constantly on the run, either living with the survivors of the attack on his home village, who now resided even deeper within the woods, or here in Kakariko, in Renado’s gloomy basement, where he would come to get supplies and learn what was going on in the land.

The new Link was indeed a fugitive, one with few allies and even fewer reasons to believe that this current state of affairs would ever improve. It had been almost three years, thought Link, so he reached an even more hopeless conclusion.

This new Link was Link, now and for the rest of his life.

Link reached into his bag on the floor and pulled out a brown tunic, the kind of nondescript attire he had chosen to not stand out. Putting on the patched, worn cap of the same color, he gave a collective sigh and headed out of the room.


Most of Kakariko Village was still asleep, but Link was in the mood for a walk. At dawn the red rock of the town glowed softly, like a pleasant fire. He stepped out of Renado’s house, pausing to pet his maroon steed, Epona, who was tied to a stake on the side of the building. “Hungry girl?” Link asked as he picked up a carrot off the ground and offered it to the horse. Epona snorted and turned her head to side. “Fine,” said Link, and he dropped the carrot and moved on.

Link could remember the first few times he came to this village, back during the schism, when he and Epona would ride in to warm welcomes, Link wearing the forest garbs he once preferred. Very few residents of Ordon Village ever left the woods in their lifetimes, and had Link not been caught up in a perilous odyssey at the time he probably would have been overwhelmed by the vastness of Hyrule. From the great Snowpeak of the Northern Range to the mighty Death Mountain in the shadow of which Kakariko stood, Hyrule could easily be described as epic. Yet here in Kakariko, Link found a small scale attitude that reflected what he found in childhood. It also helped that it was now one of the few places where he found people he could trust, most notably Renado.

Link had first met Renado when he helped the shaman drive off the twilight in his province. Link saw Renado as something of a surrogate father, someone that was always willing to offer advice and who had become wiser through advanced age. He had helped Link find his way countless times, and Link felt he was forever indebted to Renado due to risky offering of shelter. If he was ever caught…

Of course, like many wise men, Renado suffered from a chronic case of… optimism. It seemed that no matter what the problem or how big the hurdle, Renado was confident that there would be a solution out of it.

Sometimes, Link thought, there are no solutions.

Link walked up the steps of the Elde Inn and strode inside. No one was at the front desk, not that it mattered seeing how early it was. The lobby of Elde Inn was fairly disorganized, with uneven paintings on the walls and desks arranged in a fairly random order. Looks like the kids still haven’t learned to be neat, Link thought with a smile.

He walked up to the steps on the second floor. He knew the kid from last night was in one of the rooms. Link shook his head at Renado pointing out that he had rebuked the kid for taking the exact same action he did. After all, Link was actually experienced with that kind of action; at one point he was actually considered a professional.

Nevertheless, Renado did have a fair point, and the kid’s actions were at the very least for a good purpose, something Link thought was very rare nowadays.

But are you a knight? The kid had asked.

Link shook the thought off and stopped at the room at the very end of the hall. He rapped the door softly with his knuckles, seeing if anyone was awake. Of course not, he mused. He put his hand on the door knob. In theory, it should have been locked, but Link was betting that wasn’t the case. Slowly, he opened the door and peeked inside.

There were four separate beds against the opposite wall in the room. In the very first bed was Beth, the a fifteen-year old girl who still had her hair elaborate despite being asleep. In the second bed was the tall, scruffy haired boy of the same age named Talo, also comfortably asleep. The third bed contained squatter, younger boy, Talo’s brother Malo, who was snoring loudly enough that the unconscious Talo pulled his pillow over his ears. The fourth bed contained the even younger blonde-haired boy named Colin, who was soundly at rest.

Link smiled. The kids he watched after from Ordon, who first came to know Kakariko during the Twilight Schism. The kids who he had looked after for so long and basically considered his family.

The kids whose homes in Ordon were pillaged, in vengeance of Link’s name…

Link shivered at the memory. After fleeing the castle town, Link had tore for Ordon Village, a natural reflex to seek refuge at the place that was most familiar. His ‘family’ was more than willing to protect him, to believe him. Then the Hylia Soldiers came and demanded to know his location. Link pleaded to let the elders of the village, the mayor Bo and the warrior Rusl, father of Colin, to let him surrender himself. But they refused, and suddenly torches were put to the houses. Rusl fought the soldiers off with Link’s help, and despite the devastation, at the very least, the children and all their parents had survived.

All but one.

Link closed his eyes. The residents of Ordon fled deep into the forest, into a province known only to foresters called the Lost Woods. If the soldiers had dared to pursue, they likely never found their way out of the maze-like wood. The Ordon villagers established a new home where the mythical forest children were said to have lived. There, the parents of Beth, Malo, Talo and Colin still lived. They sent their children to Kakariko only so they wouldn’t be cut off from the whole world for their rest of their lives, as they likely would be.

Because of me, Link reminded himself.

He bit his lip, unable to stare at the children any longer. Here they were, cut off from their families, the homes they once know gone forever, and their futures uncertain. All because of him!

Link shook his head, opening his eyes. Not wanting to wake the kids, he gave them one more glance before gently shutting the door.


Walking out of the inn, Link began to walk cautiously across the street, where a rough-looking outpost called the Wind Chester’s Tavern stood. Build only a few years ago, it was fairly popular among the locals for its rum and Chateau Milk. Or even better, a hammered customer once slurred to Link, rum mixed with Chateau Milk!

Link walked up and peered through the foggy windows anxiously, but it was not yet open, and no one was inside. The tension leaving him, he walked back towards Renado’s house.

Sometimes, he observed, trips down memory lane are painful.


“Oh Raphael, you tried to take out the Zora? You’re reckless and stupid!”

Raphael felt his heart shrivel up from Marion’s words. “No,” he said simply.

“Brutus on the other hand was amazing last night. I never saw someone put so much rum down,” she laughed as Brutus appeared from nowhere, putting his arm around here. “We’re going to see each other from now on.”

“Gaaaah!”


Raphael jolted awake. Struggling to calm down, he snapped upright.

I hate dreams, he thought.

He looked out the window, and judging from the sun it had to be at least mid morning. At the moment the door opened, and Renado walked in.

“Sorry to disturb you Raphael, but the carriage is on the way.”

Raphael breathed deep, nodding, “Thanks. I’ll get my stuff.”

Renado closed the door, and Raphael rolled out of bed.

Hopefully dreams don’t always come true, he thought.


The main street finally had a few people walking around as Raphael walked outside. Renado was hailing the carriage as it pulled down the street. The public carriage was a new idea by one of the ministers in the Royal Courts. The main goal was to avoid the amount of stragglers caught in Hyrule Field at nightfall, when it was said many creatures slithered out for the hunt. Raphael was privy to that knowledge mainly due to his grandfather’s job.

The carriage itself was longer than the average, large enough to fit a dozen people or so, and had a cloth top. Three horses pulled it along, and the conductor running this particular carriage seemed under whelmed to slow down just to pick up one boy. “This boy needs a ride to the castle town,” Renado said, handing the morose looking conductor an untold amount of rupees, “Expeditiousness would be appreciated.”

“Yar,” the driver muttered.

Renado turned to Raphael. “Have a safe trip, and never be afraid to come back.”

“Thank you,” Raphael said, “For everything.”

Just then Link came around the carriage, stopping next to Renado.

“Hey,” Raphael said, “I just wanted to thank you again for last night. I, uh, owe you.”

“Just stay out of trouble from now on,” said Link.

Raphael nodded. Not a man of many words, he thought. “Well, goodbye,” he said to both of the men. He walked onto the carriage, and it was off, going up the main street of Kakariko before disappearing around the valley bend.


“He has a good heart,” Renado noted as they moved to the side of the road.

“I guess,” said Link.

“Link!”

Link spun around. Standing on the porch of the inn were the four children. The one who had called his name, Colin, dashed down the steps to him, as did the older Talo.

“You’re back!” said Talo as they embraced him.

“Hello Link,” Beth said shiftily as she walked to the side of the railing.

“Oh great,” said the round-headed Malo, “This bum's back.”

Link grinned, the remark not bothering him. That was the equivalent of a hello from Malo.

“Come and buy something and I’ll bother to talk to you,” Malo said as he walked towards the store next to the inn. The Malo Mart was Malo’s own brilliant enterprise. Likely, Link thought, the only successful store in the world ran by a twelve-year old.

“It’s great to see you guys again,” Link said, feeling considerably happier than he had in quite some time.

“Me and Colin were practicing sword fighting the other day,” Talo said, “Can you help us out?”

Link grinned. “I’d love to,” he said. “Let’s do it by the graveyard.”

They headed off to get the boys’ equipment, Beth following to play observer. Standing alone in the rood, Renado watched after them, smiling.

Darn it... hopefully Rapheal won't be gone forever... he's my favorite.

Chapter Four: Starting Over

A playful sparring session with Colin and Talo left Link in a good mood, giving him a bit of optimism he hadn’t felt in a while. Yet that evening, when he was standing again before the Wind Chester’s Tavern (this time open), he felt apprehensive. Perhaps it was just the gathering storm clouds coming in from the south, a distant rumble of thunder echoing through the mountain valley. Forcing the fear out of his mind, he walked up the steps of the worn out drinking hole and opened the door.

The inside of the Wind Chester’s was dark, a few candles placed at each of the tables. The dark wood the place was made of gave it a grimy appearance, and smoke from an unidentified source gave it a murky atmosphere. A V-shaped counter was on the far end where two people were drinking. Other than that, the place was empty, except for the bartender.

Link walked up to the counter, sitting on the side opposite of the two bums. The bartender had her back to him as she fiddled with the barrel tap against the wall. She wore a white dress and had blonde hair tied firmly in a knot. Judging from her posture she looked to be about Link’s age. “Hold on a sec,” she waved a hand in Link’s direction, “This damn thing is jammed. What do you want when I’m ready?”

“Just a Chateau Milk,” said Link, “chilled.”

The bartender froze. Slowly, she turned around, pushing some of her hair out of her blue eyes as if she didn’t really believe she was looking at who she was staring at. Link found her gaze incredibly attractive. It had been so long since he had been given it.

“Hello, Ilia.”

Ilia, the fifth and oldest of the Ordon children staying in Kakariko, stood up and whirled around, though she looked as if she was trying to calm herself down. “I didn’t know you came back,” she said.

“Last night.”

“So, why are you here?”

“I wanted to see how you’ve been doing,” Link replied.

“I’m fine,” Ilia said with a hint of sharpness.

“And I need to talk with you.”

“Can this wait, I have customers.”

“It’s important.”

“Link, this is my business-,”

“I want to do it now,” Link said, a little louder than he meant. The two bums across from them looked over curiously.

Ilia moved so she directly across the counter from Link. “Okay Link, what is it?”

“I…” Link stared down at the wet bar for a moment before he screwed up his resolve. “Listen, Ilia, I’ve never been good with these kinds of things, so I’m just going to get to the point: I’ve missed you. A lot. I know that might not mean a damn to you, and I understand that. But frankly, I’ve been thinking about you all the time.” He kept his tone low, just in case if the bums were listening in. Ilia’s eyes darted around now and then, as if she was uncomfortable. “I can’t stop thinking about how things were with us, in Ordon. I know things are different now, I know both of us aren’t the same people.” He paused to make sure he didn’t talk too quickly. “But if there’s one thing I realize now, I took that- I took us- for granted. I never want to do that again. Ilia,” he leaned across the wet bar, making sure she was looking at him, “I know you may not want to hear any of this, but I have to tell you, and I don’t care, because you know I have nothing to lose at this point. I have to tell you that I want to be with you. I want to start things over, but I can’t do it without you. I need you, Ilia.”

He closed off the open gates and took studied her. She was gripping the wet bar, trembling as she stared a hole through the wood. The seconds seemed to go on for hours. Link needed her to say something.

“We…we can’t,” she finally mumbled, “It won’t work.”

“Why not?” Link said, a little higher, “I would do everything to make it work; I have nothing else to put my heart into right now.”

“Because of everything that’s happened, I just don’t- I can’t-,”

“Ilia, I know we’ve both been through hard times, but-,”

“Hard times!” she said, finally looking at him, “You have no idea, do you?”

“Of course I do!” Link said. The two bums were staring intently now.

“No,” she said, breathing hard, “How could you have any slight idea what I’ve been through? You think you losing your fifteen minutes of fame is anything compared to what I’ve been through?”

Link was starting to feel angry. “If you think the only thing I’ve lost is my fifteen minutes of fame-,”

“That’s all it is compared to what I lost, Link!”

“I’m not saying that isn’t the case! I-,”

“Then what are you saying, Link? That just because you screwed things up it gives you a chance to start fresh with everyone?”

“Ilia, listen-.”

“No!” she shouted, and the two bums jumped back, “No! I’m not going to listen to you anymore. It’s your fault that everything is how it is. It’s your own damn fault that your life is a mess. It’s your fault that Ordon was destroyed. It’s your fault that none of the kids get to see their parents anymore. And it’s your fault… it’s your fault-,”

She trailed off and started to cry. Link reached for one of her hands, but she pulled away. “It’s y-your fault that he’s g-gone. That my d-daddy is…”

“I tried to stop them Ilia,” pleaded Link, “I wanted to surrender. Your father, Rusl, or any of them wouldn’t have it.”

“Oh yes, that’s right,” she stared back up at him, and Link felt dread. Her eyes were clouded with what could be nothing else than hate. “Blame it on them, that’s right. You’re as good at that as you are as hurting everyone close to you.” The tears streamed down her face as she continued to utter each word, seething, each one hitting Link harder than the sharpest arrowette. “I mean, look at the princess. I bet you told her you the same stuff you’re trying to shove down my throat, right? Am I right?!”

She smacked an empty glass next to them, sending it hurtling to the floor in a dozen shards. “And you ended up doing the exact same thingto her! The exact same thing! Do you like being responsible for hurting the people you ‘care’ about so much? Does it make you feel important again? Which one made you feel more important, Link? My father, or the king?”

There was silence. Ilia stood back, panting as she struggled to catch her breath. Link was staring at his own hands, unable to look up at Ilia. He was too numb to even speak. He was horrified that he ever thought of even coming here tonight, horrified of Ilia’s anger, horrified of the dead air that echoed around the room. He wanted to leave, but he was no longer in command of his muscles. His mind was blank.

Ilia leaned back against the opposite side of the bar, staring at Link as if he was a terrible beast that she had just struck the death blow with. He face started to soften. “I lost my… I didn’t… didn’t mean it like that,” she said gently.

That sentence put Link’s brain in motion again. He stared up at her. “Yes you did.”

He stood up, walking towards the exit, trying to keep himself from running.

“Link…”

He stopped, sensing an ounce of hope.

“Your time is over, Link. There is no ‘restart’. You were the hero for a while, and now it’s done. You can’t change that.”

Link didn’t bother to respond. He opened the door and stumbled out, letting it slam as he left.


That night the rain came down over Kakariko. Link sat on the roof of Elde Inn, not caring that he was partially exposed to the rain. He had a bottle of Chateau that one of the bums, following him afterwards, had offered in sympathy. Yet he could barely drink it, not even the rum would ease what he was feeling right now.

He stared up in the dark sky as lightning flashed. He had still been able to digest most of what Ilia said, still feeling nothing but utter devastation. Yet one accusation did ring loudly in his mind.

Your time is over, Link.

Yes, Link thought with a shiver, perhaps because of the cold rain, or perhaps in fear. That was true.

His time was long gone.


*****

Now Malo and Talo, I'm very curious, was Raphael actually you're favorite character? What did you like about him (at least, as much as you can say w/o divulging further spoilers )

Another later today.

Poor Link. =(

Hopefully their relationship will work out soon. O= Or Link's depression will go away, either one.

Chapter Five: The Grand Vizier’s Visit

Link came back to Renado’s late that night, accompanied by Colin, who seemed to be frightened by the thunder and wanted to sleep further awake from the sky, in a place like Renado’s basement. So Link let Colin take the bed while he rolled out some blankets on the floor to sleep on. He had slept restlessly when a persistent knocking brought him out of conscious.

“Link, you have to get up!” someone was saying.

The door suddenly swung open, and Link sprung awake. He glanced out the small window and saw that it was around dawn. Renado stood in the doorway. He looked alarmed.

“The Grand Vizier is coming to the village. His squire came by a few minutes ago, and alerted he wants to meet me. Here. His party will arrive any minute.”

The Grand Vizier. Link’s eyes grew wide. He jumped out of the bed and grabbed his sword. “Why is he coming? Why now? Do you think… he knows?”

“I doubt it,” Renado said, “But you and Colin must stay down here. Make no noise… do not show yourself. Do you understand?”

Link stared at Renado as if he had another thought, but nodded. Above them, there was knocking.

“I must go,” Renado rushed to the door. “Stay here!” He closed the door behind him.

Link looked up towards the ceiling. His heart was racing.

The Grand Vizier was visiting Kakariko.

He strained his neck to hear. The ceiling was creaking in rhythmic unison, which must have been from soldiers’ march-like steps. There was some shuffling of lighter footsteps, and then voices that were too muffled to discern. He exhaled.

Link glanced back at Colin, who had somehow slept through Renado’s entrance. He couldn’t put Colin in danger. If he did, there was a chance Colin would be recognized as an escapee from Ordon Village.

Of course, if I’m discovered, Link reminded himself, I’ll definitely be recognized.

Especially if he was discovered by the Grand Vizier.

Link stared at the door. He was willing to take the risk.

Slowly, he got up and turned the knob. And then, every so gingerly, he crept out, quietly closing the door behind him. He moved down the narrow hallway of Renado’s lower floor, stopping at the stairway at the middle that led upwards. Link got on his knees and, careful to not place too much weight on his knees or hands as to make noise, he crawled up the steps. He stopped right at the point wall on his side ended and a railing extended from the floor. Light flickered against the wall above, showing the shadows of men sitting down along the couched room. Carefully, Link peered above the floor, through the bars of the railing.

The stairway was in the back of the room, giving Link a complete view. Four soldiers clad in armor and holding spears stood by the across the room. Renado’s young daughter Luda was handing cups of hot tea to the two people sitting on the front row. To the left was Renado, who looked as if he had his normal demeanor. Across from him was a man with long, white hair, a tunic of the same color and a gray cape. His gray eyes were piercing and commanding, his face sharp yet youthful. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Link. From his posture it was obvious this man had a regal disposition, and when he spoke his voice was cultured and every syllable precise.

“I apologize for the intrusion at this early hour, Shaman Renado,” the Grand Vizier, “It was something of an impromptu decision.”

“It is no trouble at all,” Renado replied with a wave of his hand, “Kakariko has long looked forward to your visit, Grand Vizier Rome.”

“I am happy to know that,” Vizier Rome said as he took a sip of the tea. “And I assure you that next time I will make my visit not just to your home, but public, so I can see the whole town. But I’m afraid for now I have other things to attend to.” He gave an elegant sigh before continuing, “Let us get to the real matter at hand.

“I know we have not met before, Shaman Renado. But I am told you are very knowledgeable to local lore and magical craft. Is this correct?”

“I have studied the surreal of the Eldin Province and many other parts of Hyrule since I was young,” said Renado, “which I assure you was long ago.”

“Good, good,” Rome nodded with a handsome smile. Sitting near her father, Luda seemed unable to take her eyes off the Vizier. “Would you be knowledgeable of portal lore?”

Link knew portal lore was the name that scholars had attributed to legends and stories regarding so-called portals, or gates, to realms beyond that were supposedly dispersed across Hyrule. The vast majority of them were portals no longer, many of them false to begin with. But this meant that-

“To an extent,” Renado said, “It’s a controversial subject amongst scholars and wizards, as I understand it.”

“Forbidden in many circles, as a matter of fact,” Rome said, “Virtually every wizard in Castle Town that I have approached has been mute on the subject. It’s completely taboo.”

“It’s not the first subject to be deemed dangerous,” Renado noted, “Throughout the ages, wise ones have labeled many things too dangerous to shed light on, and in many cases, with good reason.”

Rome shook his head. “It seems perplexing to me that there isn’t even a willingness to study these things from a distance.”

“Many stories throughout the ages also tell us it’s hard to keep that distance,” Renado smiled sadly, “It’s a slippery slope, Grand Vizier.”

Rome nodded. “Let us not digress. Shaman Renado, I come to you with a very simple question: Do you know of any portals that still exist or have existed in the Eldin Province?”

Renado was silent for a few seconds. “There was one I know of deep in Death Mountain, beneath the mines. It was certainly active ages ago.”

“What happened to it?”

“When Death Mountain erupted a century and a half ago, everything under the mines lost in the rubble. The Gorons have said that to dig up anything that deep would take half as much time, even with an army.”

“Any others?”

“Not to my knowledge. Forgive me for asking Grand Vizier, but out of curiosity, what interests you in this subject?”

“You know I’m still relatively new in this land, Shaman Renado. As a ruler, I feel it’s only in the best interest of everyone if I know as much as possible about the legends this land holds, no matter how obscure.”

“A wise decision.” How Renado managed to act like the Grand Vizier of Hyrule coming to visit his small village in the wee hours of the morning just to poke his brain about lore was ‘a wise decision’ was beyond Link. He continued to stare at Rome’s back. He’s right here…

“Time is short for me, Shaman Renado, and I must return to Castle Town. Before I go, however, I must ask one more question: Are you familiar with the Versus Magna?”

“I have never heard of it.”

Rome nodded. “I was just curious. At any rate, I hate to leave so soon, but I must return to Hyrule Castle. It’s been a pleasure, Shaman Renado.”

Link wasn’t completely aware of what he was doing. He felt his fingers gripping the hilt of his blade. He had the sudden desire to make sure that Rome, the ivory man of his nightmares, did not walk out that door.

As Rome and Renado stood, Link’s hand drew forward, and the sword slowly extended from its sheath. Rome had moved halfway around the fire to complement Luda on her tea; he was less then two meters away. Link imagined that gray cape being soaked with blood, his blade sticking out through the chest. His sword was almost fully drawn-

“Link?”

Link’s head turned to look down the stairs, where a boy said his name in a mumble. “Link,” Colin said groggily, “What’s going on up there? What are you doing?”

Link stared at Colin, then at Rome, then back at his sword. He felt a cluster of emotions wash over him, flooding his senses and setting the chilling realization in his mind that he was about to commit murder in front of a young boy. “Nothing,” Link said, letting the sword slide back into its sheath. “Renado has some guests. Let’s go back to bed.”

Link made his way back down the stairs and ushered Colin to the bedroom. As Link did so he realized that he was shaking uncontrollably. After Link put Colin to bed, he went down the hall to the tiny bathroom. His head was pounding so bad he was overcome with nausea. Staggering, Link lurched over the latrine and vomited. Once he stopped, he stared into the small mirror. His face was gaunt, his hair dripped in sweat.

What are you? Link asked himself.

“Are you okay?”

Link turned. Renado was standing in the hallway, looking concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Link mumbled, “Just felt a little sick.”

Renado eyed at Link, knowing that there was more to it, but for now he left it unsaid. “Come upstairs, Luda made some tea.”


Link sat down on the floor by the fire with Renado and Luda. The tea certainly settled his stomach, it was smooth and sweet.

“So my only conclusion for why Rome is interested in portals,” said Renado, “is that he still seeks a door to the Sacred Realm.”

Link nodded, though he didn’t feel like thinking about it too much. The Sacred Realm was one of many lands that portals could possibly lead to, but it was certainly the most well known, perhaps the greatest legend in all of Hyrule. For within the Sacred Realm lay-

“But he likely has no way to use any portal, even if he finds one that’s active, unless… have you heard of the Versus Magna?”

“No,” said Link, “sounds like an event.”

“Indeed. And the fact Rome didn’t bother to pursue the subject would indicate he does know. And that it’s related to the portals.”

Link shrugged. He didn’t care much about it at the moment. In fact, he couldn’t care less.

“Well, I have a feeling more will unfold as time passes,” Renado said, “For now let us ready for the day.”

“What are you doing today, Link?” Luda asked.

“I’m going to Death Mountain,” said Link. When Renado looked at him curiously, he added, “I could use a little walk.”