[ZGen] The Legend of Zelda: The Hidden Powers

Well, seeing as I haven't had any story threads in awhile, I thought I'd start one for my Zelda fic since I've been editing/working on it. If you're familiar with my story of The Legend of Zelda: The Hidden Powers, you probably remember that I have 12 chapters so far. I "stopped" on the unfinished 13th chapter which is about half way done. The story takes place seven years after MM and features an adult OoT Link. I'll start with the prologue and see how things go from there, since I managed to dig it up from an old thread of mine. I've made a few changes to it as well. :]


Prologue

There are many legends in the land of Hyrule of which the people speak. Some are ancient legends while others are more recent. Sometimes they maybe complex while other moments make them simple. The one thing they all have in common, however, is that all of these legends have traveled far and wide across this great land. But no legend has traveled farther or faster on Hyrulean tongues than the legend of the Guardian of the Sun.

A mere little girl, no older than ten years, was obscurely leaving that vast land with nothing in hand except for a sword and shield, seeking information on these mysterious newly acquired items. A peaceful sister kingdom to Hyrule, the great land of Mayia, had seen peace for as long as it could remember. Lush forests, large mountains, wide rivers, and a massive field created the land's beauty. The little girl randomly had come upon this beautiful kingdom and lived the next several years of her life there, learning the knowledge she needed to have.

Five and one half years had gone by when a dark presence was gradually felt throughout this vast land of Mayia, and it took little time for monsters to overrun the entire kingdom. The only thing the people of this land knew all night and day was fear, and their doom seemed nigh in front of them. The sole evil behind these terrifying acts sought a special Golden Power for unknown purposes. A Golden Power...that no one individual in the land knew of.

Sensing that she was the kingdom's last hope, the young girl, wielding the legendary Blade of Sun's Evil, fought her way through the sea of monsters and appeared before the great evil. Having claimed the title of Guardian of the Sun, the girl successfully sealed away the dark being and brought peace to Mayia once more.

It was thought the peace would last, and the young heroine, also deemed the Heroine of Mayia, returned to her home of Hyrule, the tale of her deeds and adventure traveling back with her.

Weeks have passed since this tale took its toll. Little more time had passed when a sudden fell wind began to blow across Hyrule's vast field. Clouds of darkness gradually covered the sky at frightening speed, and the very same monsters seen in Mayia began to appear. The Guardian of the Sun, after investigating these evil sightings, was unable to stop this course. The King of Hyrule soon sent her to seek out the one hero who once saved Hyrule from darkness, the hero known as the Hero of Time. Both hoped he could acquire the other legendary power, the power of the moon.

But even now, no one knows what will become of this land...

That is that. I have other fanfiction, by the way, so if anyone would like to read them as well, click here (just don't click the Hidden Powers story lol).

Okay...although no one has said anything, I'll go ahead and post the revamped version of chapter 1, because I feel like it.



Chapter 1: The Return

It was a late afternoon and Link rode his horse, Epona through a thick, dense forest, the setting sun to his left. Ever since he saved the land of Termina seven years before, he had been on a search for his old guardian fairy, Navi. He searched day and night for her, only stopping to let himself and Epona take a rest from the long journey. Then whenever he saw a town or village, Link would continue to look for Navi there too. Right now, he was finally thinking about giving up the search. However, he knew he shouldn’t. No matter how long or what it took to succeed, Link wanted to see his friend again.

As he slowed Epona to a stop to take a look around the forest he was in, Link scanned his surroundings. His blonde bangs swayed back and forth in the light breeze that had begun to blow as he looked. Soon, his eyes watered and a tear trickled down his cheek. He missed his friend very much, even if she had been a little annoying at times. However, the fairy’s friendly personality and helpful tips made up for the slight annoyances, enabling Link to build up the friendship the two now share.

Link wiped his tears away as he moved on. Navi was out there somewhere, maybe even looking for him. He continued on his way, thinking of the great adventure he had with her in his homeland of Hyrule. Navi’s advice had been so helpful to him, even if she did repeat it occasionally. Though, Link could tell she only did it so he wouldn’t forget. He actually enjoyed listening to her exclaim “Hey!” or “Listen!” or “Watch out!” or “Look!” It was because he knew Navi cared about him just as he did her.

As the sky grew darker and darker with the night, Link was having difficulty seeing through the darkened woods. However, he didn’t let it hold him back. Pretty soon, he became so focused on his thoughts of Navi that he didn’t realize he was steering himself and Epona right towards the wall of a rocky cliff. When he finally snapped out of it, Link gasped and suddenly pulled Epona’s reins, causing her to come to a complete stop.

“Whoa, girl,” he said, relieved he realized what he was doing before trying to make Epona walk right into rock. Link started to turn Epona around when he thought he heard a rumbling noise coming from the top of the cliff. Suddenly, rocks started sliding off the edge and falling down straight for Link and Epona. His eyes widened with fear as he gripped the reins.

“Oh man, c’mon Epona, GO!” Link shouted as he had the horse dash off as quickly as he’d stopped her. He turned a different route than where he’d come, but it only caused Link to arrive at another section of the cliff, with more rocks sliding. The two were off again down another trail, Link wondering where he could go if this would lead him back there again, but the green-clothed warrior was so worried about where the path would take him that he wasn’t looking where he was going. It took Link moments to run head first into a low tree branch, knocking him right off Epona and causing him to land on his back in the dirt. He immediately went out cold from the blow.

Various images began to scatter around in Link’s dreaming as he stayed unconscious for moments on in. First he saw the sun and then the moon in a grayed, darkened sky full of evil. Below the sun and moon stood a blonde girl wielding a sword and shield, both golden orange in color. Link himself stood opposite to her, but he wasn’t wielding the sword he currently carried, which was the Great Fairy’s Sword, a blade he obtained in Termina. Instead, the weapon he carried was a dark blue-hilted sword he’d never seen before. Without any warning, Link and the blonde girl held up their swords and the sun and moon began to glow…

“Link!” a feminine voice suddenly called. “Link! Hey, are you alright?”

Link’s eyes fluttered open. A bluish white ball with wings was flying above him: Navi the fairy. His eyes popped open at the sight before him.

“Link!” Navi said again, sounding as happy as ever. Her wings flapped faster. “Oh Link, I’m so relieved you’ve awoken!”

“Oh, what happened? …Navi?” Link said, sitting up and still looking for his senses. “Navi! It is you!”

“Yes! I found you here unconscious. Oh Link, I can’t believe this is happening after such a long time!” Navi replied.

“Neither can I. Navi, where have you been during these seven long years?” Link wondered, wanting to cry with joy at seeing his beloved fairy partner again. “My adventures have never been the same without you flying around my head!”

“I…I’m so sorry, Link. I returned to the Kokiri Forest…” Navi reluctantly admitted, knowing how long Link had been away from Hyrule looking for her.

“What? You mean to tell me you never even left Hyrule?!” Link said in shock. “I left and never saw my home again for years, Navi!” Navi stopped flapping her wings so hard and felt the most regret she ever had in her life.

“I know, Link…it’s all my fault,” she said in a sad tone. “I should have said something before we parted ways back at the Temple of Time. I never thought of you actually leaving Hyrule to go find me…”

Link went deep into thought about what Navi said. She was right, but then again, he never thought she might have remained in Hyrule. Now he began to feel his own share of regret over the entire misunderstanding. He could have searched Hyrule first instead of leaving completely, but why didn’t he? And why did Navi appear to randomly fly out of the window of the Temple of Time and not come back? Unable to answer these questions floating in his mind, Link decided to in instead focus on what was more important about Navi’s return.

“You know what? I have to apologize as well,” Link added. “I never considered the idea that you might have stayed. But although we’re both at fault here, I’m merely glad we’re reunited after these years have gone by.”

“Yes, so am I!” Navi responded in a cheerful voice. “I miss Hyrule. How about we go back together?” Link smiled at the idea and gripped Epona’s reins again.

“Definitely!” he agreed. He also missed Hyrule a lot and returning with the friend he had been searching for so long and hard had to be the best idea ever. Link and Navi almost immediately started their journey home, however, Link still had some questions on his mind as they were traveling.

“But hey, did you eventually leave yourself in search of me?” he asked.

“Yes. I heard from Zelda that you left to look for me three months after we parted ways, and I couldn’t feel more guilty and at fault,” Navi explained. She continued to say that she, too, had not seen Hyrule in seven years because she had been searching for Link to apologize for everything.

“Oh…I’m truly sorry I caused you to do that,” Link replied, feeling as much guilt as Navi must have felt. “Zelda…I thank her for letting you know where I’d gone.”

After he had said those words, Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, kept floating around in Link’s mind. She was the one whom he had spent his final three months with before beginning his search for Navi. Knowing Zelda, she would be happier than ever to see Link again. However, that brought up a new question for Link to ask. How Zelda knew where Navi had gone and why she didn’t give Link the knowledge.

“But wait a second, why didn’t Zelda tell me?” Link asked in a slightly confused tone.

“She didn’t know at first. Saria told her I’d gone home.”

“Yeah, that makes sense, with Saria being one of the sages and all,” Link agreed. “Now I really feel ashamed of myself.” Not only had Link left Hyrule, but he’d left his friends as well, and Saria, a Kokiri and sage of the Kokiri Forest, was one of them.

“Don’t punish yourself, Link. We’re together again,” Navi assured. “Everything’s fine now.”

“Yeah, you’re right. No use pouting about it even more,” Link agreed. “But still, nothing’s been the same without you. Especially since I had another fairy following me around in this land called Termina.” He went on to say that even though the fairy, whose name was Tatl, had helped him, Link hated her attitude and the way she treated him.

“She treated me like I was an idiot,” Link finished. “I needed you back too much afterwards, and left that land without a second thought. Don’t ever leave me like this again…”

“Oh…of course I won’t,” Navi promised. “I didn’t know you needed me so much. I thought you had no use for me because you’re a Hylian, not a Kokiri. But I promise I won’t think such things ever again!”

“Thank you, Navi…I may be a Hylian, but that doesn’t change anything.”

“It certainly doesn’t.” At that, Navi flew close to Link and huddled against his shoulder in a fairy hug. Link smiled and brought his hand around her as he kept steering Epona. They were definitely inseparable friends.

Not much time had passed after Link and Navi had finished their conversation when the faint sound of a horse’s hooves could be heard from elsewhere in the woods. Link looked around to see where it was coming from, but could not quite figure it out. Pretty soon, a Palomino horse came in to view, running towards him and Navi. Link shook his head when he saw the rider upon the horse. It was a blonde girl who appeared to be no older than him and looked just like the person from his vision. The girl had a sword and shield at her back, telling Link she was a warrior like himself. The girl made her horse come to a halt in front of Epona and Link, her teal blue eyes looking into his. Feeling too shocked to say anything, Link simply concentrated on how he could see a girl he did not know in a dream. Finally, the girl herself spoke up.

“Excuse me, your name is Link, right?” she asked gently. The girl had a concerned look on her face as Link began looking for his own words. Waiting for an answer, the girl perked up her pointed ears. Having trouble getting a sentence out, Link finally spoke.

“I…oh, yes, I’m Link,” he responded, finally snapping out of it. “H-how did you know?”

“I was given your identity by the King of Hyrule. He sent me to find you. …Is something wrong?” the girl wondered, sensing Link’s current feelings.

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that you look a lot like someone I saw in a dream. And…and she was holding a sword just like yours!” Link exclaimed, feeling a wave of shock go through his body once again when he got a closer look at the hilt of the girl’s blade. It indeed had the same golden aura as the one from the vision.

“Well, well, excellent,” the girl replied, not seeming the least bit surprised. “You’re definitely the man I’m looking for.”

“Huh? Now I’m really confused,” Link replied, scratching the top of his head. The girl smiled, hinting to Link that she knew something he didn’t.

“Ah, let me explain. My name is Kelli. I’m a Hylian warrior and protector of Hyrule. As I said, the King assigned me to find a man named Link, who became the Hero of Time seven years ago,” the girl explained. Kelli said she had been given details about Link to help her search become easier. The King had told her he is affected by evil presences and cause him to have nightmares based on them, rendering it a good idea to ask if he’d had any such dreams lately. Kelli was also given a brief physical description of him as well, although it wasn’t much due to Link having not been seen in a long time.

“I see,” Link replied. “But what does his majesty want me for? What’s going on?” Kelli looked away for a minute. Link could tell something was very wrong.

“I’ll explain later. We have to hurry,” Kelli replied. Link nodded with concern as the two warriors began their journey back to Hyrule together.

Link found Kelli easy to get along with, talking and having conversation with her on the way back to Hyrule. He learned her horse’s name was Sunfire and that Zelda had given Kelli the horse. Sunfire was a very pretty horse. Her curly blonde mane and tail radiated beauty. Her saddle was light blue and red brown in color and bore the emblem of the Hyrulean Royal Family, the Triforce mark. The straps were colored gold. It showed the beauty of a royal saddle. Link shared tales of his past adventures in Termina and Hyrule, explaining how he wielded the legendary blade, the Master Sword, and even about his time traveling to stop the reign of Ganondorf, the evil king of the Gerudo tribe in the west. Kelli refused to give many details about herself, however, and whenever Link mentioned the Kokiri Forest or Zelda, she could cut him off and change the topic. Although he found this to be rather odd, Link decided to leave it alone for the time being.

Around half an hour later, Kelli suddenly brought Sunfire to a halt, causing Link to stop Epona as well. She looked around as if to sense something nearby, but Link couldn’t hear or see anything but themselves. He decided to speak up.

“Kel, why are we stopping?” he asked.

“Shush. I heard something,” Kelli replied. The two were silent for a little while until Kelli put a rather terrified look on her face.

“Oh no…we’re being pursued. Follow me quickly!” she instructed. “Fight only if you absolutely have to! We can’t lose any time!”

Link, deciding Kelli knew what she was doing, he obeyed and followed behind the warrior closely and quickly. In no time at all, however, Lizalfos, humanoid lizard creatures who fought with swords, riding atop White Wolfos had appeared waiting in ambush and gave chase to Link and Kelli. These monsters were familiar to Link, but something seemed different about them this time. They acted more intelligent than the last time he’d run into them, and their eye colors were completely different. Most of them had golden eyes, but a select few bore navy blue eyes as well. Hoping Kelli knew what exactly was going on, Link kept following her every path choice and helped battle off the monsters gaining up until they could lose them.

“We should be safe now,” Kelli finally said a few minutes later. The monster numbers had by then dropped a lot. The remaining ones began to flee.

“Can I ask what that was all about?” Link wondered in confusion. “I’ve never seen Lizalfos riding Wolfos before, nor have I seen them act this smart or have those eye colors.”

“It’s part of what I have to tell you in Hyrule,” Kelli replied. Taking her word for it, Link decided to keep quiet until they finished their journey.

About an hour after Link and Kelli first left, they finally arrived in the vast land of Hyrule. However, Link couldn’t believe what he was seeing around him. Dark clouds were hovering over Death Mountain, Hyrule Castle could be seen completely consumed by evil, the drawbridge into the town was destroyed, the town walls were full of holes and were partially torn down, and monsters were appearing all over Hyrule Field. Link’s mouth hung partially open as his fear for his homeland grew. Who or what could have done this? The question kept ringing through his head. Then he turned to Kelli, who also looked quite concerned.

“Oh no…this can’t be,” Link said in a worried tone. “Is this why we were being chased?” Kelli closed her eyes and looked down at the ground.

“I’m afraid so. A mysterious evil did this…” she said as she opened her eyes and looked back up. “No one knows who, but this evil attacked the land and let loose a raid of these monsters without warning. I didn’t think any had gone so far outside of Hyrule, though.”

“Then we have to do something about this and fast,” Link replied. “Does anyone have any clue to this evil’s identity?”

“No…that’s what we need to find out,” Kelli told him. Link could tell she had confidence in finding out who exactly this evil was. She then bravely said, “The first thing we must do is see his majesty and receive our next tasks.” Link nodded in agreement.

“Where is he?”

“Everyone, including his majesty, have taken shelter in Kakariko. Somehow, the village is the only place that has hardly been touched by evil.”

“Hm…”

Link’s concern still stayed in his mind even though Kelli had said everyone was safe at the moment. With things the way they were, monsters could attack anywhere at any time whatsoever, which meant Link and Kelli would have to be ready for anything. Link also thought about who could be behind such evil acts, but no reasonable ideas came to mind besides Ganondorf, the evil Gerudo king who was defeated by the young hero when he held the Master Sword. And even he didn’t seem possible because how could the man have broken out of the seal he was sent into so soon? Link decided, as a result, it had to be a new evil not known by anyone.

As Link and Kelli rode their horses across the haunted Hyrule Field, Link noticed Lon Lon Ranch looked like it had seen some evil too. There were breaks in the walls and pieces from where it broke were lying in the grass. Link grew nervous as he lightly scanned his surroundings. He hoped Malon, Talon, Ingo, and the animals were okay. Nearly getting hit by a couple bird-like monsters known as Guays, Link and Kelli arrived at the entrance to Kakariko. However, before the two warriors could even dismount their horses, a voice crying aloud came running down the stairs leading to the village. The voice belonged to the guard who usually stood at the village entrance.

“Lady Kelli!” he exclaimed. “You’ve returned with Link in impeccable timing, but I’m afraid I have bad news!”

“What’s going on?” Kelli asked, sensing big trouble.

“The village was raided and his majesty was taken by monsters! We tried to stop them, but they were much too strong.”

“What?! Where did they go?”

“I spotted them heading for the castle. I fear they’ve locked the King up in the dungeon.”

“Blast…I knew we had little time, but I never imagined how little,” Kelli said with concern. “Link, you’ve heard all of this, right?”

“Yes. I think we should go rescue the King as a team. The guard said the monsters were very strong,” Link proposed. “One of us may not be good enough.”

“Exactly my thoughts. Let’s go,” Kelli agreed. “As for you and the few other guards, it seems the monsters have already come for what they want and shouldn’t be back for awhile, if at all. But just in case, keep your guard heavy!”

“Yes ma’am!” the guard replied and returned to his post as quickly as he’d come out. Link and Kelli turned their horses in the direction of Hyrule Castle Town and headed off, much concern in their minds.



Well, there you have it. The edited version of chapter 2 should be up soon. I've gotten most of it done.

I like it. It's an interesting story.

That's all you have to say? Anything I can do to make it better? I'd like this to be an awesome story to the majority since I want to have a bit of a career in writing.

But thank you! :]

The prologue sounds eerily similar to another game I know, oh yeah, OOT!!!

WTF? How?

Originally Posted by Lady Ranny

WTF? How?

To be fair, the prologue sounds more like the backstory of Wind Waker than Ocarina of Time. It seems as though you literally copied and pasted the opening cinematic, while changing the names of a few things.

Borders on plagiarism, if you ask me.

I don't see how at all. The only things I see similar are a villain, the Triforce, and a hero with a legendary blade. The rest of Kelli's adventure to save Mayule was not at all like OoT or TWW. It tells the tale very briefly.

And while I admit Mayule is an uncreative name that I should have changed long ago, I can't change it because I'm too used to it. >_<

Also, what does it matter if the prologue is similar? That doesn't mean the actual story will be.

Originally Posted by Lady Ranny

I don't see how at all. The only things I see similar are a villain, the Triforce, and a hero with a legendary blade. The rest of Kelli's adventure to save Mayule was not at all like OoT or TWW. It tells the tale very briefly.

Originally Posted by Wind Waker Introduction Cinematic

This is but one of the legends of which the people speak...
Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden.
It was a prosperous land, blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace.


But one day a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself...
With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom.
But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand...


...A young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere.
Wielding the sword of evil's bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light.


This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was called the Hero of Time.
The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend.


But then... a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom.
The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed away by the hero...
...Once again crept forth from the depths of the earth, eager to resume its dark designs.


The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them...
...But the Hero did not appear.
Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the Gods.
In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate.


What became of that kingdom...? None remain who know.
The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath.
On a certain island, it became customary to garb young boys in green when they came of age.
Clothed in the green of fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cast down evil.
The elders wished only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend...

Sure Ranil. Whatever you say.

Originally Posted by Lady Ranny

And while I admit Mayule is an uncreative name that I should have changed long ago, I can't change it because I'm too used to it. >_<

Although you are referencing only one thing with this sentence here, I believe it is this very philosophy that keeps your writing from progressing and truly realizing its potential. If you are incapable of changing something, no matter the age of it, this is a very clear indicator that much criticism will be lost on you. These people are telling you their opinions on the prologue, and you are, instead of saying, "Hmmm, I disagree, but I'll take it under consideration" have opted to say, "Nuh-uh. You're wrong. My writing is just fine."

This is your quintessential flaw. Rather than taking the opportunity to consider what these people are saying, reflect on your writing, and make changes accordingly, you are content to flatter yourself with fancies that your writing is just fine and doesn't require major corrections. As any author will tell you, this philosophy will only lead you down a road of monotony and your writing will in time become stale, if it hasn't already.

Hmm...

I have an idea how I could change Mayule's name to something more creative, but how am I supposed to change the prologue to make it more original? Kelli's adventure in Mayule is best briefly described in there because she's a major character in this story.

Any advice would be appreciated.

EDIT: Silver: Well, to be fair, I do see how it is a little similar. But not exactly the same.

Originally Posted by Lady Ranny

In the vast land of Hyrule, there echoes a tale...a tale passed down to the land on the breath of the wind...a tale that tells of a young girl whom the powers of a heroine slept within. A girl who, after living in Hyrule with grief and discovering her destiny, left the kingdom to find out more.

First of all, the first two sentences are almost verbatim from parts of the WW backstory. I also have to agree that the style within which your prologue is written mirrors the style with which the WW backstory is told. Though not nearly as artfully done. Also, what "more" is this girl leaving Hyrule for?

During a dark period of seven years, the peaceful kingdom of Mayia was suddenly overcome by the darkness of a terrifying evil.

Really? Seven years of darkness? You've skipped from the backstory of WW to the in-between story of OoT.

Using the mystical evil power of the sun, this evil conquered that kingdom while looking for a Golden Power that no one in the land knew of. All thought they were doomed...until...

Sun? Evil? Now, I'm not normally one to conform to classic literature standards, but some of them exist for a reason. Ever wonder why sun gods are always good, and why the sun is never a source of evil? It's because it is one of the main reasons why life on this planet exists. The sun provides light and heat, which together allow for life. The lack of sun causes darkness and cold, conditions under which life cannot exist. The sun is seen as a symbol of life for a reason. This is one convention which should not be broken. The sun as a source of evil is contrary to everything it provides us.

Wielding the Blade of Sun's Evil, the young girl, fighting her way through the darkness, appeared before the great evil and sealed it away. With her deeds done, the girl, who became known as the Heroine of Mayia, returned to her own land. All believed the great evil would forever be sealed away.

Question. Let's ignore my statement above for a second and say that having the mystical power of the sun be evil is okay. In that case, if there is an evil being using evil power from the sun, why would a sword that is a blade forged/infused/charmed with the Sun's Evil destroy this being and his power? This makes no sense. Fighting fire with fire rarely works, and, as far as I know, never has in Zelda. Not that this is reason to follow it, but I don't really think that destroying the Sun's Evil with more of the Sun's Evil really makes sense.

Nearly a year later, an evil wind began to blow across the beautiful land of Hyrule. Clouds of darkness gradually covered the sky and the seven wise sages were nowhere to be seen. Some say the evil whom was sealed away could be returning...but the identity of the responsible one remained a mystery.

This part really echoes the WW backstory. I'm not saying you did this on purpose. I am, however, quite appalled that your only concession was:

Originally Posted by Lady Ranny

Well, to be fair, I do see how it is a little similar.

It's beyond a "little similar". There are some very distinct similarities between the two. I am by no means accusing you of intentionally plagiarizing. I am saying that you're either in denial or a fool if you can't see the blatant similarities between the two.

Sensing that this evil presence was more threatening than she's ever seen before, the young heroine now known as the Guardian of the Sun set out to find the hero who once saved Hyrule from evil in the past, the hero known as the Hero of Time and hoped he could obtain the other mystical power, the power of the moon.

Ah, now we finally have something that makes sense (at least in the fantasy setting). The power of the moon should have been the first thing they went to if the sun was the cause of the problems. Though, in all truthfulness, the moon should have been the evil one, and the sun the good power.

What will become of Hyrule now? No one knows...

Cliche much?

Originally Posted by Shinespark

First of all, the first two sentences are almost verbatim from parts of the WW backstory. I also have to agree that the style within which your prologue is written mirrors the style with which the WW backstory is told. Though not nearly as artfully done. Also, what "more" is this girl leaving Hyrule for?

More information on her newly found destiny, which was to become the Guardian of the Sun.

Originally Posted by Shinespark

Really? Seven years of darkness? You've skipped from the backstory of WW to the in-between story of OoT.

Actually, the period of seven years refers to OoT itself. Kelli, the girl in the prologue was saving the land of Mayia while Link was saving Hyrule.

Originally Posted by Shinespark

Sun? Evil? Now, I'm not normally one to conform to classic literature standards, but some of them exist for a reason. Ever wonder why sun gods are always good, and why the sun is never a source of evil? It's because it is one of the main reasons why life on this planet exists. The sun provides light and heat, which together allow for life. The lack of sun causes darkness and cold, conditions under which life cannot exist. The sun is seen as a symbol of life for a reason. This is one convention which should not be broken. The sun as a source of evil is contrary to everything it provides us.

It's fiction, Shinespark. Anything can go in fiction.

Originally Posted by Shinespark

Question. Let's ignore my statement above for a second and say that having the mystical power of the sun be evil is okay. In that case, if there is an evil being using evil power from the sun, why would a sword that is a blade forged/infused/charmed with the Sun's Evil destroy this being and his power? This makes no sense. Fighting fire with fire rarely works, and, as far as I know, never has in Zelda. Not that this is reason to follow it, but I don't really think that destroying the Sun's Evil with more of the Sun's Evil really makes sense.

Because the blade, the Sun Sword, has the power to destroy that evil power. SUN power that is.

Originally Posted by Shinespark

This part really echoes the WW backstory. I'm not saying you did this on purpose. I am, however, quite appalled that your only concession was:



It's beyond a "little similar". There are some very distinct similarities between the two. I am by no means accusing you of intentionally plagiarizing. I am saying that you're either in denial or a fool if you can't see the blatant similarities between the two.

Well, you tell me how to rewrite it then. Because I'm not at all sure how.

Originally Posted by Shinespark

Cliche much?

A lot of things are cliche these days.

Originally Posted by Lady Ranny

More information on her newly found destiny, which was to become the Guardian of the Sun.

I then posit that this information is too vital to be left out. A quick fix, if ever I saw one.

Actually, the period of seven years refers to OoT itself. Kelli, the girl in the prologue was saving the land of Mayia while Link was saving Hyrule.

So this Mayia just happened to be experiencing seven years of darkness the same time as Hyrule? I find this rather unlikely.

It's fiction, Shinespark. Anything can go in fiction.

Fiction, yes. But the best fiction is based on fact. Like I said, I'm not one to tout traditional conventions (sun=life definitely counts as one), but in this case, I have to agree with the greats. Like I said, there's a reason all sun gods are good. Apollo, god of the sun in Greek mythology is among the twelve that rule Olympus. Ra, god of the sun in Egyptian mythology ended up as the central point of worship, for all the many blessings he bestowed.

It is no mistake that throughout human history the sun has received more worship as a deity than any other natural object. It is a sign of life and goodness. To undermine this is to undermine the very foundations and natural order of the universe itself. Can I stop you from doing such a thing? No. But I can certainly tell you why it's a bad idea.

Because the blade, the Sun Sword, has the power to destroy that evil power. SUN power that is.

Which would make sense... except for the fact that you have EVIL SUN power destroying EVIL SUN power. If you had, say, good sun power destroying evil sun power, that would be one thing, but when a sword called the Blade of Sun's Evil is destroying evil sun power, there is something just very backwards about that. Evil doesn't destroy evil. Evil joins evil. Good destroys evil. At least in a classical sense.

Well, you tell me how to rewrite it then. Because I'm not at all sure how.

Well for one, lose the sentences that are pretty clear mirrors of those in the WW backstory. You know which ones I'm talking about. Also, don't try to write it in this semi-detached nature that makes it sound as though you are telling the story from a great distance or time removed from the story you are telling. This worked fine for WW since it was, in essence, a backstory, and not a prologue. It utilized none of the same characters, save Ganondorf, and took place hundreds of years before the game.

However, your prologue is attached directly to the story you are telling. That means that you want your writing attached as well. A direct prologue should tell us more about the story than just bare bones. We should get a definite feel for any important events that affected the land and characters before the story you're telling now takes place.

A lot of things are cliche these days.

That is no reason to fall into the trap yourself, though.

No, I have good sun power destroying evil sun power. It sounds complicated, but it makes sense when you read the story.

And no, HYRULE is experiencing seven years of darkness, aka OoT. I'm merely stating it was occuring at the same time.

Lastly, I don't care about facts when it comes to writing fiction.

As for the rest of your post, I shall consider it. :]

Now there's how you take constructive criticism! You clearly stated what you were unwilling to compromise on, and considered the rest. Although I'm still a bit confused about the sun powers thing, as long as it gets explained later, it's all good.

Yes it is explained. In fact, it did get explained in one of the chapters I've already done, and I won't be doing much editing on it, if any at all.

I apologize for the long wait. This was a tough chapter to edit. The next one should not take nearly as long, hopefully. But I bring you chapter 2. ^^



Chapter 2: The Royal Rescue

After the two dismounted their horses and entered Hyrule Castle Town, Link almost stopped dead in his tracks upon looking at the state of things there. The buildings were in ruins and a light fog hovered over the ground. Mummy-like creatures with golden eyes haunted the town square, seemingly paying no attention to Link and Kelli at all. Link guessed that they were Gibdos, but he’d never seen any with golden eyes before. Kelli, however, eyed them suspiciously for a few seconds, but didn’t say anything. She looked as if it was rather odd that the creatures were even there at all. Suspecting Kelli knew something about the strange monsters that have appeared in Hyrule, Link hoped he could ask her about it when they completed their mission.

As Link and Kelli made their way through the fog and into the castle grounds, they quietly crept about so as not to be seen by the Gibdos. It didn’t help that the fog seemed to grow heavier as they neared the castle either. It didn’t stop them from making their way there, however. After arriving there, the fog was so heavy, Link didn’t notice he was walking towards the edge of a cliff. Almost screaming, Link felt a hand grab the back of his tunic as he was about to fall.

“Whoa, Link! Look out!” Kelli shouted, her hand grabbing the tunic’s collar. She pulled Link back up, so he’d regain his balance and said, “You nearly walked right over that cliff!” Link stood there, looking shaky and trying to get ahold of himself.

“Good F-Farore,” he stuttered. “Th-Thanks a lot, Kel. I don’t even want to think about what might have happened had you not been here with me.” Kelli couldn’t agree more. She didn’t even know it was there either until Link looked like he was about to fall. The trip to the castle doors was going to be tougher than she thought.

“I don’t blame you,” Kelli replied. “This fog has gotten very heavy. At least it’s dark out though, so enemies can’t easily spot us.” Link nodded in agreement, noticing the darkness of the night sky. However, out there it looked different from seeing it in Hyrule Field, showing signs of evil.

As they walked along the cliff, Link and Kelli could finally see the castle door and get a closer look at the castle itself, if only faintly. More evil was radiating from it than it did when Ganondorf had taken over it, and extremely dark clouds hovered over the highest towers. The castle itself looked a dark red and gray, some of the walls looking very old and broken. A lot of the windows that were visible were broken too, or at least looking cracked. Not only was the castle pure evil, but the whole area around it was as well, and it looked more malevolent than ever.

However, they didn’t notice that there was no way to reach the castle’s front door. Link and Kelli found their way blocked by a sea of lava, which the cliff surrounded. The whole castle was surrounded by this boiling hot terror, and it left Link and Kelli clueless about how to get inside. They frantically searched around the place for a way, but they found none in such heavy fog until a little breeze blew some of the fog away and revealed a path sloping downwards towards an area underneath the island on which the castle stood. Kelli’s eyes slightly widened when she put a look on her face saying she had an idea.

“Wait a minute, Link…I think I know where we are,” she said. “I’ve recalled something important. Zelda once showed me a secret passage into the dungeon in case we ever needed to use it. I have a hunch this path leads to it, but I’m not sure.”

“Maybe,” Link replied. “Let’s find out.” The two eagerly started down the sloping path. Although it was not very steep, the fog was beginning to return and would make it hard to figure out where the path went next. When the two finally reached the bottom, they came across a downward staircase leading underground. Was this what Kelli was talking about? Why would it go underground instead of straight to the castle dungeon? Link looked at Kelli hoping she’d have some answers.

“Hey, don’t look at me. I don’t remember Zelda mentioning this part. I guess we have no choice but to go in though,” she concluded. Kelli started looking around when the two reached the bottom, as if to expect someone coming any minute. Link could tell she was trying to find out where exactly they were and he was doing the same. However, all they could see were rocky walls lined with wall torches in the straight corridor, with yet another staircase at the end of it. The two started down as quickly as they could, but just before they could start up the next staircase, a rabble of bat monsters known as Keese suddenly began fluttering about.

“GAH! What the—?!” Link shrieked, a feeling of shock running through his body as the bat creatures flew into him.

“Well this is a fine time!” Kelli complained as Keese after Keese picked at her as well. “Ouch! Link, you know the Spin Attack, don’t you? Let’s spin our way out of this!”

“With pleasure!”

With that, the two gathered power and quickly threw out two Spin Attacks at the same time immediately after drawing their blades. Almost every Keese went down while the survivors fled. With the bothersome bats out of the way, Kelli and Link scrambled up the next staircase hoping to finally reach the castle dungeon. To their pleasure, the next chamber they ended up in was no doubt the castle’s basement from the looks of the stone walls and torches. However, not every single torch along the wall was lit this time around, making it harder to see than in the underground corridor. What’s more, what should have had a door at the end of this new room was merely a stone wall blocking their way forward.

“…Oh this is just swell,” Kelli said after a few moments. “Got any ideas?”

“Nope,” Link replied after thinking a little. “…Well, this stinks.”

“Yeah. We can’t just go back, though…” Kelli agreed. “I guess all we can do is nose around for a switch or something that opens the wall.”

“Indeed. …Hey, there’s a torch here on the ground,” Link said, noticing a brown hand torch lying at his feet. “I’ll light the rest of the ones on the wall so we can see better in here.” After Kelli said it was a good idea, Link took the hand torch and used the flames from the already lit torches to start lighting the burned out ones. Kelli had begun feeling around the wall for a possible secret switch. Just after Link lit the last burned out wall torch however, a small rumbling noise sounded forth in the room. A couple feet away from Kelli, a secret panel in the wall opened slowly to reveal a heavy-looking metal pull-switch jetting outward. Link’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Well, now there’s something you don’t see every day,” he said. Kelli gave a slight chuckle.

“Haha, leave it to the Hero of Time to light the way forward!” she said, chuckling at her own joke. “That switch looks really heavy though. It might take both of us to pull it.”

“Yeah, I thought the same thing. We’ll both grab one side of it,” Link proposed. Kelli nodded in agreement and Link took the switch by both hands. Immediately after, Kelli grabbed her half and the two pulled together as hard as they could. Suddenly, as they’d began pulling with all their strength, the pull-switch shot outward at speed like a horse’s and sent the two flying backwards due to the momentum they’d gathered from pulling.

“WHOA!” Link bellowed as he slammed into the wall behind him. Kelli followed by landing on top of him. The stone wall slowly began to open seconds later.

“Augh!”

“Ow…” Kelli groaned. “Sorry.” She got up off of Link immediately afterward.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. But holy cuccos, what was that all about?” Link asked in slight annoyance.

“No idea. At least we can continue though.”

“True.”

With that, the two young warriors went through the newly opened passage and finally found themselves in the castle dungeon. Prison cells lined many corridors going up and down the entire area. More torches on the walls were the only source of lighting. Link and Kelli kept themselves as hidden as possible since there could be monster guards patrolling some areas. But the entire dungeon was so big, there was no way to know for sure where the king was being held. Link and Kelli simply stood there deep in thought about what to do next.

“Hm…” Link said. “Which way do we go now?”

“Looks like we’ll have to split up,” Kelli replied. “I’ll go this way.” She pointed to the corridor to their left. Link decided to go to the one on his right. However, just when he was about to separate from his new female warrior friend, Kelli suddenly gasped in concern.

“Wait, get back here!” she shouted and pulled Link back into the previous room by the back of his tunic.

“Wah!” Link exclaimed in surprise.

“Shush!”

“Geez,” Link said quietly. “Cut that out. What are you trying to do, choke me?”

“No, listen. I heard big footsteps coming from the opposite direction of where you were headed,” Kelli explained. “…And look!” Staying hidden in the room they were in, they were bypassed by two Dinolfos guards which where two-legged dinosaur monsters. Link and Kelli stayed quiet until the monsters were completely out of their sight and out of their voice range.

“Wow…now why didn’t I hear them?”

“Dunno. Well, now I really think we ought to split up. It’d be easier to evade the guards that way,” Kelli replied.

“Alright, then let’s go before anymore of these guys show up.” Kelli nodded in agreement and with that, the two immediately separated and headed down different corridors. Link carefully, quietly, and cautiously walked about, keeping an eye and ear out for anymore guards and the King. However, getting around wasn’t the least bit easy. Dinolfos and Lizalfos guards seemed to be around every corner. Soon enough, Link came up with an idea on how to make things easier for both him and Kelli. Taking out his old Hero’s Bow from Termina, he quietly readied an arrow on the string and shot any guards he saw to death, letting him roam freely through the corridors. No cell whatsoever seemed to contain the King, however, and the longer it took, the more difficult the search became.

Meanwhile, Kelli had decided on the same idea and used her own bow to take out guards in the corridors she was exploring. However, she couldn’t find any sign of the King either, and was beginning to think about going to rejoin Link in hopes he’d found anything. Just before she could make her decision, however, she came upon a door instead of the usual turns and walls of the castle dungeon. Out of curiosity, she quietly turned the knob, opened the door, and peeked inside. From the small size and various locks, cuffs, and other dungeon supplies, it was obviously just a storage room, but something out of the ordinary lay on a small table that stood against the left wall. It was a dirty, partially torn envelope with another sheet of paper partially sticking out. Immediately picking it up, it didn’t take long for Kelli to notice her name was on it.

“Hey…could this possibly be…?” she wondered. She plucked the paper out of the envelope, and from the surprising look she put on her face after beginning to read the words written on it, it had indeed been what she’d guessed. The letter read:

To the best friend I ever had,

Kelli, where are you? I’ve been waiting a long time to see you again. After hearing that you came back home, I thought if I wrote you a letter, you’d not forget to come find me. I figure it wouldn’t be easy with what I’ve been doing these days, so this letter should help make it less difficult for you. Remember our special place back in Kakariko? You know, that area next to the windmill that overlooks the cucco pen and Impa’s house. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we met there? I hope you will come when we both get the chance. I’m afraid I can’t make it for awhile, though, because I—

The letter cut off there due to a chunk of it having been ripped off. However, the bottom of the piece of paper was still there, and another name was the only legible word there. It read Judo. When Kelli saw this, she couldn’t help but let tears build up in her eyes. Whether she was happy or sad, she could not decide. She’d finally heard from her old best friend, Judo, again, but where was he now? Was he alright at this very moment? Wishing she could answer those questions, Kelli’s trance was broken when she heard more footsteps coming her way. She quickly hid under the table with the letter and envelope still in her hands and watched a pair of Lizalfos guards patrol by. Afterwards, Kelli immediately left the storage room and put the letter away in a little bag attached to her belt for safe-keeping.

Suddenly, as Kelli was walking by a corridor to her left, another pair of footsteps was heard running down said corridor and Link eventually slammed chest first into her and caused her to stub the back of her foot over a loose floor panel. Kelli screamed in pain as her foot’s meeting with the floor was a hard blow. She and Link tumbled to the floor as Kelli’s voice echoed throughout the area, most likely alerting the remaining patrol guards. Within seconds, Link was lying on top of Kelli this time around.

“Link!” Kelli beamed after she and Link hit the floor. “What in blazes are you doing?!”

“Sorry,” Link apologized. “I was running because I was nearly caught.” Before Kelli could make her reply, the two were suddenly grabbed fiercely by their arms and escorted away. Link and Kelli looked around to find that four Dinolfos and Lizalfos guards had found them and were now taking them to their own cell. They tried to break free, but with their hands and arms completely unavailable, the two could do nothing except let themselves be captured. Within the next few minutes, Link and Kelli were both tossed into one fairly large cell together and locked up. Having been thrown to the floor, they got up and brushed themselves off.

“Great! Now look what’s happened!” Kelli exclaimed, angrily looking at Link with her hands on her hips. “This is all your fault, Link!”

“What?! My fault?! You were the one who had to scream so loud the whole castle could probably hear you!” Link retorted, who was now very annoyed.

“Well if you hadn’t made me stub my foot by slamming into me, I wouldn’t have had to scream in pain!”

“Oh give me a break! It couldn’t have hurt that bad!”

“Well it did! Thanks a lot!” Link was about to make his reply when another voice nearby spoke up instead.

“What in the world? How did you two end up in there?” the voice said. It was a deep male voice, and by the sound of it, it was no doubt the King of Hyrule.

“Huh?” Link said, wondering where the voice was. Kelli looked around and soon spotted none other than the King himself locked up in the cell across from them.

“Oh what luck. Your Majesty, I’m glad you’re safe,” Kelli replied in relief.

“Indeed. I’m relieved that you’ve brought Link. I suppose one of the guards at Kakariko told you I was here?"

“Yes, sire. I’m sorry we’ve let ourselves get captured like this,” Kelli apologized. “But you know your castle well. Do you know how we can escape?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t. This castle has changed so much that even I don’t know where some things are anymore,” the King replied. “I do know that the only way up to the first floor from here is now completely inaccessible, however.”

“Well, that sure won’t help us…”

“Indeed. Now what happened?” the King wondered. Kelli started to explain how she and Link had been looking for the King and that she’d found a letter from an old friend of hers.

“After I left the storage room, Link here had to come and mess things up by slamming into me and causing me to scream because I stubbed my foot real hard!” she finished.

“I did not!” Link snapped back. “You didn’t need to scream so loud and alert all the monsters!”

“Both of you, come now, this is no time to argue,” the King stepped in. “Kelli, what’s this about a letter you found?”

“Oh, I’ll show you,” Kelli agreed. She pulled Judo’s Letter from her bag and stuck her arm through the bars of her cell. The King took it over into his cell and began to look it over. His eyes opened up wide when he’d finished reading what was legible and looked up at Kelli and then back at the letter. Did the King know Judo? His expression seemed to show that the words written on the letter sounded familiar.

“Well I’ll be. I had a hunch you were talking about Judo,” the King commented. “He told me he knew you and—wait, what’s this?” With that, he turned over the letter and put an even more surprised look on his face than before.

“What’s wrong?” Link wondered, hoping it was nothing bad.

“There’s a map of the whole castle on the back of this. Well, a map of what it looked like before it became this evil infested place, that is,” the King replied. “I guess Judo didn’t have any other paper to write his letter on. And fortunately for us, the section showing the dungeon is still on here.”

“Oh, wonderful. Does it show a possible way out of here?” Kelli asked.

“As a matter of fact, it does. There’s a secret passage right behind your cell. There isn’t any way for me to escape though.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure out something, sire,” Link assured him. With that, he and Kelli began scrutinizing their entire cell for a switch or something to open the secret passage. It was hard to do so in the dark, but with the sense of touch, the two had no trouble feeling their way around the rocky walls of the cell they were in. It took only minutes for Kelli to finally touch a portion of rock that moved and slowly caused a door on the back wall to open.

“Bingo!” she said with pleasure. “Time to ditch this creepy cell.”

“Here, take this letter back so you can find your way here again,” the King advised. Kelli nodded and stuffed Judo’s Letter back into her bag. She and Link immediately started into the hidden passage and quickly made their way through it. It led them close to the area where they’d first split up, and once arriving at the end and opening the second secret door, Kelli pulled Judo’s Letter from her bag and looked at the map of the dungeon on it. The King was only a few corridors down, and upon quickly heading there, the ruler of Hyrule was relieved to see the two young warriors so soon. Before any of the three could say something, however, several noises sounded forth from the other end of the corridor.

“Footsteps!” the King gasped. “The guards are coming this way!”

“Oh no, they’re not taking us this time!” Kelli assured. Upon saying so Kelli drew her blade, followed by Link drawing his own. A trio of two Dinolfos and one Lizalfos had come running down the corridor with angry looks on their faces. The battle commenced when Kelli’s blade clashed with that of the Lizalfos and Link took the burden of both Dinolfos trying to tackle him. Kelli smiled when she noticed the golden eye color of the Lizalfos and quickly drove her blade into the creature’s flesh three consecutive times. It fell from the blows almost immediately. Link, meanwhile, had spin attacked his way out of the two Dinolfos and took them both out at the same time as a result. When one of the two Dinolfos had gone, a silver object fell from its body.

“Hey, they dropped a cell key,” Kelli said, realizing what the object was. “Perfect!” With that, she stuck it into the lock on the door of the King’s Cell and freed him from his prison.

“Thank you, both of you. Now we must escape immediately before more of these fiends decide to show up,” he said. With that, the trio quickly headed back to the hidden underground passage leading outside and evaded detection as carefully as possible. Within minutes, they were all out on the castle grounds and heading up the sloping path towards the entrance of Hyrule Castle town.

Upon entering the haunted town, Link, Kelli, and the King carefully avoided the Gibdos, Kelli seemingly still having a weird feeling about their appearance there. Then, Link noticed something didn’t look right about the Temple of Time. Looking closely at it as he and the others made their way through town, he noticed it too had been attacked for some reason. It worried Link, as it could be an indication that the evil Kelli mentioned earlier was either trying to destroy the temple and the Master Sword or free Ganondorf. Or maybe both…

Once they were all back in Hyrule Field, they stopped to catch their breath. Link broke the silence five minutes later.

“Your Majesty, where’s Zelda?” Link asked. He was greatly worried about the princess and wanted to know if she, too, had taken shelter in Kakariko like the rest of the Hylians. The King sighed in disappointment before answering.

“I’m afraid she was taken by these evil creatures as well,” the King replied in grief. “I fear she’s being held somewhere else in the castle.”

“No…! Then I have to go back in after her,” Link said in shock and concern.

“I wish you could, Link, but the rest of the castle is now inaccessible, as I told you and Kelli earlier,” the King replied. “Right now, what you can do is go seek the six Sages who are being held elsewhere in Hyrule due to these evil events.”

“I—yes, your Majesty,” Link reluctantly agreed. Although Zelda’s whereabouts seemed to be far more important, Link knew that the Sages probably held the key to entering the castle like before when Ganondorf was in control.

“Kelli, I need you to return to Kakariko with me. We’ll need you to keep an eye on things there until we figure out who exactly is behind all these shenanigans,” the King continued.

“Will do, sire,” Kelli agreed with a bow. “I if I may ask though, you said you knew Judo. Where is he? And the rest of the soldiers?”

“I’m afraid I’d have to tell you a long story to answer those questions,” the King replied. “Now isn’t the time to worry about it. Besides that, I’m sure Judo himself could tell you in better words than I.”

“I see…I suppose I’ll have to find him then,” Kelli concluded. “I know my best friend well, so it shouldn’t be hard.”

“And I wish you luck. To be honest, I don’t know exactly where he is myself,” the King admitted.

“It’s no trouble, sire,” Kelli assured him. “Oh, Link. Zelda once told me you held the Ocarina of Time, correct? If you need my advice, play this song. I’m sure it’ll help you.” With that, Kelli began humming a beautiful, yet mysterious melody that Link had never heard before.

“Correct,” he said once Kelli finished. Immediately after, Link raised the Ocarina of Time to his lips and repeated the notes nearly perfectly. The melody’s mysterious notes ran through Link’s mind as he was easily memorizing it. After finishing, Link then tucked away the ocarina back into his pocket.

“If you play my song, Link, you can talk with me any time we’re separated,” Kelli explained.

“Thank you. I think you know more about what’s been going on than I do, so this ought to come in handy.”

“Ah yes, excellent idea,” the King agreed. “Now we must take our leave. I wish you luck in your search, Link.” After thanking him, Link mounted Epona and started off across Hyrule Field. He looked behind him and watched Kelli disappear on Sunfire with the King by her side across the bridge spawning the river and up the stairs into Kakariko. Wondering which of the Sages to start with, Link continued to ride away through the dark of night that now enveloped the entire kingdom.

And here's chapter 3. Toldja it wouldn't take nearly as long. xP



Chapter 3: Invasion in the Night

As Link rode across Hyrule Field, avoiding monsters, he continued his thoughts about which of the Sages he should look for first. It was a tough choice, considering there were six of them, seven if Zelda was counted, who was the leader and Sage of Wisdom. Of the choices there was his Kokiri friend, Saria, the Sage of the forest, Darunia, leader of the Gorons and the great Sage of fire, Princess Ruto of the Zoras, the Sage of water, Impa, Zelda’s former attendant, leader of the nearly extinct Sheikah race, and the Sage of shadow, Nabooru, a Gerudo and Sage of spirit, and lastly Rauru, the mysterious Sage of light. However, Navi interrupted Link before he could make his final decision between the six.

“You know, Link, I don’t think I like Kelli,” she said.

“Why do you say that? She seems nice to me,” Link remarked. Navi hesitated for a moment as Link was waiting for an answer.

“I dunno, I think it’s the way her attitude was when you ran into her back at the castle dungeon,” Navi responded.

“Maybe, but now that I think about it again, we were both at fault,” Link recalled.

“I guess that’s true,” Navi agreed. “But still, I thought she could have been nicer about it.”

“Yeah, but it’s still not a real reason to dislike Kelli,” Link replied. “Besides, we only just met her today and we don’t know her very well yet. So give her a chance, alright?”

“Whatever you say,” Navi gave in. Link smiled in satisfaction.

“That’s better,” he said and changed the subject. “So which Sage do you think we should start with? I’m not sure.”

“I say we start with Saria,” Navi suggested. “After all, she is one of your best friends. I think it’s best that we saw her first.”

“Oh duh! What am I thinking?” Link agreed, smacking his forehead. “Why should I put Saria off of all people? You’re right.”

With that, Link then turned Epona around to the direction of the Kokiri Forest and went on to start his search for the first Sage. Even though Saria and the other Kokiri were children forever, that didn’t matter to Link at all. In fact, he often felt like Saria was really an adult stuck inside of a child’s body. However, he then was reminded of the Kokiri’s so-called leader, Mido. Not only did he shun Link, but he seemed to be jealous of him all the time as well for being better friends with Saria or having been summoned by the Great Deku Tree, the Guardian Spirit of the forest who was now dead due to a curse from Ganondorf. Link could only hope that now he was grown up, Mido would cease these acts if he ever recognized him.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the Kokiri Forest, Link let out a big, sleepy yawn. It was around midnight now, and he had become quite exhausted from all of the action back at the castle dungeon. Epona also seemed like she could use a rest and Link halted her at the forest’s tunnel entrance and dismounted her. Epona lied down on the ground immediately after, confirming Link’s assumption that she, too, needed a rest. Link then sat down next to her, feeling the relief of being off his feet for awhile after having roamed a large castle dungeon for as long as he did.

“I think I’ll rest a bit before…looking for…Saria…” he said, letting out another big yawn and taking off his bandoleer and scabbard.

“But Link, we—”, Navi began. Before she could finish, Link and Epona were already fast asleep and out like a light, Link’s head leaning against Epona’s side. Geez, those two really were bushed, Navi thought. I suppose I can let them sleep for the night. I’m kind of tired myself anyway. She then landed on Link’s shoulder and also eventually fell asleep herself.

***

Over at Kakariko Village at the foot of Death Mountain, Kelli too was very exhausted from the events in the castle dungeon and had fallen asleep in front of the tree closest to the entrance to the village. It had become very quiet everywhere within the little village. Everyone else, including the King, had also gone to sleep for the night and now it was so quiet, you could hear a twig drop. The only life forms that were up and about were various nocturnal insects and birds, and even they weren’t making much noise. However, the night silence was soon to be broken.

Something was moving through the village at a somewhat fast speed. At first, Kelli awoke to a faint ringing sound that seemed to be coming from somewhere from behind the cucco pen, but only thought it was her imagination. However, she didn’t think so anymore once she heard a loud shattering noise that came from somewhere behind her, like a clay pot breaking. She immediately sat up, half awake, upon hearing the noise.

“Huh, wha…? Who’s there?” Kelli called out, startled. No answer. The ringing sound vanished and didn’t return. Whoever it was must have left, though Kelli felt as if she’d heard that ringing sound before. She couldn’t quite figure out why. It reminds me of the noise that fairy of Link’s makes, Kelli thought. What’s her name? Navi? But it couldn’t have been her. Maybe it was a monster trying to trick me? She decided to tell the King.
However, the King had also heard the noise, and before Kelli could take more than a mere few steps, he was already rushing towards her.

“Kelli! Did you hear a shattering noise?” he asked as he stopped in front of her.

“Yeah,” Kelli replied. “In fact, I was just about to go report it to you, sire.”

“Good. What do you suppose that was?” the King asked. “A monster trying to invade the village?”

“If it was trying to imitate the ringing noise of Link’s fairy friend, then yes,” Kelli agreed, yawning again. “Though, that noise I heard sounded awfully familiar.”

“I see,” the King said. “Well, we’ll have to continue looking into this in the morning. It’s rather late to do so now.”

“Okay,” Kelli agreed. She returned to her tree after the King walked off. It didn’t take long for her to fall fast asleep yet again after sitting back down, and to begin dreaming. At first she saw images of an adventure she’d been on in another kingdom. Then she began to see visions of her childhood. A village appeared…a village that was no doubt Kakariko. Kelli was walking towards the same area described as a special place in Judo’s Letter, and with her was a light brown-haired boy who was several inches taller than her. When they finished climbing the ladder that led to the cliff where the windmill was, Kelli and the boy looked at the fence that stood in the very back.

The next vision showed Kelli and the same boy from before walking through a dense underground cave. A golden-orange hilted sword stuck into an old cracked pedestal and a shield of the same colors hanging upon the cave wall were shown at the very end of the cave. Kelli began to feel strange, and couldn’t control herself. Her dream had her pulling the sword from the pedestal and taking the shield from the wall. A sun emblem appeared on the back of her hand, glowed a few times, and then vanished into thin air. Immediately after, Kelli and the boy were back in Kakariko and the boy was slowly moving away from her as they bid sad goodbyes for one reason or another. When the boy finally disappeared, Kelli immediately awoke with a start and breathed heavily. Tears formed in her eyes yet again and trickled down her cheeks.

“Judo…oh, Judo…where could you be?” she sobbed in sadness. “Why did all of this have to happen?” Kelli was not able to help but know that the dream she had really envisioned the time she and Judo found the sword and shield she carried.

***

Later the next morning, Link awoke to shrieking bird noises and once he was fully awake, realized bird monsters known as Guays were attacking Epona and Navi. Two had grabbed Navi by the wings and the rest were poking their beaks and grabbing at Epona. She neighed ferociously as she attempted to use her feet to kick them away and swung her head around in anger. Navi’s ringing noise kept repeating over and over as she tried to escape her annoying winged attackers. Link gasped when he saw these sights happen before him.

“Oh cru—AHH!” he yelped as one Guay got him right in the gut. Link groaned at the pain, but managed to draw the Great Fairy’s Sword and stab it immediately anyhow.

“Link! Help!” Navi cried. She was struggling to break free from the Guays’ grip on her wings. Link then took out his bow and rained arrows upon them, being careful not to hit Navi or Epona. Soon, the ones attacking Navi were gone and she was free. However, Epona suddenly neighed loudly as one more Guay poked her hard in the shoulder. Link plucked it by the neck and stabbed it to death with his sword. He then shot the remaining Guays, who were fleeing, with the bow.

“Geez…” Link said. “Talk about desperate. Those Guays must really have wanted to do us in.”

“Yeah,” Navi agreed. “That was odd though. I’ve never seen Guays behave that way.”

“Huh, now that I think about it, neither have I. That is weird,” Link replied. “Then again, every monster around here that we’ve met before seemed to have changed. Anyway, now that I’m awake, we’d better get moving.” With that, Link then left Epona some carrots and entered the tunnel entrance into the Kokiri Forest. After crossing the rope bridge and going through a second tunnel, Link came upon the village in which the Kokiri resided. However, Link couldn’t believe what he was seeing when he laid eyes upon the area. The houses were partially destroyed, trees were knocked over, and there were Stalchildren, child-sized skeletons, all over the place. In addition to this, Skulltulas, spiders with skulls as shells, crawled around the entrance to the Deku Tree’s meadow, mad Deku Scrubs hiding in the grass were near the cliff entrance of the Lost Woods, and the Kokiri themselves were nowhere to be found. Link just stood there with more feelings of shock and concern running through his body than ever.

***

However, Kelli and the King had their own problem to solve. Having recently awoken from their sleep, they were talking with some of the villagers and townsfolk about the previous night’s incident. Although a lot of them wished they could have been more help, none of them were able to provide a good solid clue to what could have really happened during the night. All they could uncover was that Kelli seemed to have been the only one to hear a ringing sound similar to that of Navi’s and that the shattering noises were all that was heard by everyone. Whenever their survey was finished, all Kelli and the King could to was stand there lost in thought.

“Well, that certainly didn’t work out as planned…” the King concluded.

“Would it be alright if I looked for clues myself, sire?” Kelli asked.

“Ah, yes, please do, Kelli. I may as well keep an eye out for anything suspicious myself.”

With that, Kelli immediately began searching around for a broken clay pot to make sure that was what had shattered in the first place. She looked in all the places where she knew clay pots were sitting, but found no broken ones until she came near the house of the village’s leader, Impa. Pieces of a clay pot were lying near the bottom of the stairs that led up to the house. Deciding to look around in the front, Kelli went up the stairs and examined the area where the clay pot once sat. After moving around the rest of the clay pots for any possible clues, she noticed a mark on the wall above where the missing pot had been that appeared to be a small dent. It appeared to have been from something crashing into it. Upon now having found what she wanted to find, Kelli decided to report these clues to the King.

“The evidence seems clear,” he said after Kelli arrived with the information. “It all makes sense except the ringing noise you heard.”

“Indeed,” Kelli agreed. “That’s my only stray piece to this puzzle.”

“I bet we’re missing one important clue to this whole thing,” the King said. “We just need to find it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep investigating, sire,” Kelli assured him. “Though right now, I seem to be at a dead end.”

“Hm…” the King responded. “Well, I’m sure something will come up sooner or later. Right now though, we should get back to business.”

“Right,” Kelli agreed. She then started walking around the village, keeping an eye out for any monsters. The King went in the opposite direction to check on all the villagers and townsfolk. With all the danger in other parts of Hyrule, a monster could attack at any time, so Kelli and the King both had to be serious about their work. Just as Kelli was walking by Impa’s house again, she heard someone calling her name. Kelli turned around to see who it was. She was surprised to see Dampe the grave keeper. That’s odd, Kelli thought. Link told me Dampe was dead.

“Kelli! Hey, wait a minute!” Dampe called again. He stopped in front of her to catch his breath from running. His large body and distorted face huffed and puffed once he’d come to a halt. He had a shovel carried in his hand as usual for the Heart-Pounding Grave-Digging Tour he ran in the graveyard.

“…What’s wrong?” she asked, sounding nervous. Was she seeing things or was Dampe really there? Dampe hesitated as Kelli rubbed her eyes to make sure.

“What’s with you? Surprised to see me?” he asked. Kelli felt even more nervous now.

“Yeah…” Kelli responded. “It’s just that Link told me you were probably dead and I couldn’t help but to believe him.” Dampe chuckled.

“Oh he’s not lying,” Dampe explained. “You see, Link’s defeating Ganondorf changed the future, so this time I’m still alive. Princess Zelda told everyone about the adventure, including the results of everything that had occured.”

“I see. Well, what did you want to say?” Kelli asked.

“Oh, I know you and his Majesty already asked me about the shenanigan from last night,” Dampe began. “But I remembered that I actually do have a clue that might help you solve the case.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Kelli wondered.

“I heard flapping noises while in my hut last night. It sounded like wings,” Dampe replied. “Something must have flown into the graveyard.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Hm…well, thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem.” Dampe walked off back towards the graveyard once the conversation was over. Kelli continued walking around the village, unaware of the truth in Dampe’s clue. Even now, however, figuring out what exactly occurred the previous night seemed impossible without more clues, and Kelli eventually decided to give up the thought for awhile and began heading towards the ladder behind the fence next to the windmill. It was tricky getting over there, for Kelli had to climb the rather high fence and carefully get down on the other side without hurting herself. The rest of the way was smooth and easy from there out.

Upon reaching the top of the ladder, Kelli began walking around the back of the windmill to the very area mentioned in Judo’s Letter. Also up there, however, was a couple simply minding their own business. Kelli had seen them once before in Castle Town, but never bothered to care about them always being with one another. That is, until she started thinking so much about Judo. Seeing the brown-haired man with the red-haired woman made Kelli wish even more she could see Judo right that minute. Before she could go gather her thoughts, however, the man in the couple must have heard her footsteps and spoke up.

“Whoa there, what do you think you’re doing up here, Kelli?” the man said. “My girl and I always come here for some privacy. We don’t wish to be disturbed.” By now, mostly everyone in Hyrule knew Kelli’s name.

“Oh don’t mind me…” Kelli replied. “I wasn’t going to bother you.”

“Well…still, we’re used to being by ourselves…”

“If I really must have a good reason to be up here…” Kelli sighed and took Judo’s Letter from her bag and showed it to the man. He looked it over carefully before making his response.

“Ah, Sir Judo wanted to meet you here, eh?” the man said. “That’s unfortunate. I hear he hasn’t been seen in quite some time. In that case, you should be here. There’s lots of places my girl and I could go instead.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to know Judo is known…”

“Indeed. Well, see you around.” With that, the couple took their leave to go elsewhere.

Kelli sat down in the damp grass and watched the village from atop the cliff. It was the very same village where she met Judo. The well down below was the very spot where they’d first seen one another. Now it all seemed like ancient history. Although Kelli knew she had to worry more about what was going on in Hyrule at the moment than Judo’s whereabouts, she couldn’t help but keep it in her mind. It’d been seven years since she last saw Judo, the same time Link and Navi had been separated. Even though she knew she had to wait, Kelli felt as if she couldn’t go much longer without seeing him again. However, with the troubles Hyrule now faced, she could only try hard not to dig too deep in her search for Judo just yet.

Still no feedback? D:

Eh, oh well. Small update. I've rewritten the prologue.