--------------------------------
Link was a bright Hyrulian child who believed that he was
given a destiny from the gods. This
destiny was to become the hero of the kingdom of his native Hyrule, a hero that
was said to appear in different forms every hundred years. He clung to this
dream during the afternoon play. He clung to this dream until the day his
family was murdered. During the Great War between the nation of Hyrule and the
forces of the evil wizard Ganon, Link’s parents were burned alive in their
homes and he was sent away, no older than five tender years, to live with his
uncle on the farm outside the city in the village of Karokai. In the village,
he grew up knowing nothing but the art of tilling land and he soon forgot his
childhood dreams.
During
his later years, Link, like any well-mannered but impoverished 12-year old,
took to sword-play and dreamed again to join the royal army and become a great
soldier like his father. But, after joining the army he realized that he was
unwelcome and unfit to become a royal hero. Through three years of midnight
marches, bitterly cold excursions, and watching his intimate friends become
distant captains and commanders; he realized the poverty of his dreams.
However,
he grew hopeful again when during one particular campaign the royal Hyrulian
army marched into the dark forests that bordered the very edges of Hyrule.
Here, they had heard rumors that the ancient spirits of the forest and the
mother Deku tree, were under attack from a profane evil. The army devised a
plan to search the forest to root out the nature of this evil, and then
subsequently send in knights and mages to properly deal with whatever evil they
were to encounter. Link’s troop was recruited to search this forest and report
back. However, this encounter would prove to be much more than a simple
investigation.
With his small troop of fifteen
militiamen, Link pressed on towards the quest of discovering the source of evil
within the forest. As Link delved into the forest and edged a dark ravine, he
felt his boots sink further into the depths of the muddy embankment. At the
plopping sound of his feet, a number of small serpent like creatures scurried
into the distance and Link could hear faint shrills emerging from the placid
background hum of forest creatures. As soon as he could make out the distinct
voice of two old women, a great flash of light was hurled towards Link and his
company. It struck the pine grove and the Deku trees to his side and exploded
into a great flame that separated the troop into two divisions. Together with
his men in the front-most part of the troop, Link charged forward. However, his
men were routed again by another ball of fire hurled at the front of their
line. Link and his men were hurled to the ground by the force of the explosion
and a few fell into the depths of the ravine bellow.
As he
turned up to see the source of the fire bolts, he could make out the figure of
two haggard witches circling his head on a mounted broom. These two creatures
were especially ugly, with contorted noses twisted in considerably gruesome
positions and proportions. Their eyes glowed like a yellow-cat illuminated by
firelight and once they beheld the fallen members of Link’s troop, they let out
a cackling laugh and descended to the earth.
As they
touched the ground near Link’s feed, one of the witches turned to the other and
proclaimed, “We’ve done it Twinivera, we’ve killed them all.”
The other abominable woman, replied
“I’m sure we can live in peace now, without those soldiers disturbing our
mushroom groves and spilling the blood of our most sacred creature, the snake.
These men dare take away our only joy in life, forcing us to join the city of
Hyrule and abandon our worship of Shinera, the only God of light and truth. Now
that they have ventured into our holy land, we shall make sure their treachery
is rectified in blood.”
At the end of this statement, both
women gazed into the shrouded distance as if contemplating what evil they could
bring on the Hyrulian people. After this short pause, Link lunged forward from the
muddy ground and plunged his sword into the witch named Twinivera just below
the sternum. She let out a startled shriek and the other witch, leapt into the
air on her broom and hovered above the ground. As Twinivera choked and gasped
for air, the hovering witch screamed and conjured a rain of fire that descended
quickly on Link. He covered his face with his sword, but the interaction
between this dark magic and his blade caused it to explode and shatter into a
hundred pieces. Then suddenly, the frenzied magic ceased and Link could see a
hundred arrows overcome the dark witch and thrust her to the ground. As he
approached her body, she spoke in an exasperated gasp.
“They will betray you and kill your
dreams”
After her eyes fell dim, the other
soldiers stumbled to their feet and Link could hear the rest of his troop
coming from the forest. Link turned to meet them but they celebrated the
slaying of the twin witches. He could not be more thankful that these brothers
had unleashed arrows in his most desperate hour of need and he proceeded to
thank them, each one for their help.
Following behind his troop, the
royal Hylian knights emerged on foot and confronted Link. One of the captains
named, an older schoolmate Link remembered from the academy spoke to him
openly,
“You disobeyed orders, and do not
think that your actions here make you a hero. Your men nearly died because of
your misguided arrogance, and many will no longer hold a sword. Anyone can kill
those witches, but we meant to secure them, to learn the cause of their evil,
and then to bring them to trial for their ignominy. Such rash and impulsive actions befit a
low-born rustic like you, Link. I remember you from the academy and I am not
surprised. By decree of nature, you cannot comprehend the deeper truths of
justice, nor employ the light of reason to see past apparent ‘evil’ and uncover
the roots of treachery and mutiny. As a creature of the sword, your lot is in
obeying orders and carrying out the wishes of more noble beings.”
Then, emerging from the forest, the
great princess Zelda of the Kingdom revealed her presence. She replied to the
conversation as though she was well aware of everything that had since
transpired:
“Captain, please make your way to the
witches’ house, I wish to speak to this young man myself”
As the royal knights continued
through the forest, she approached Link and spoke to him with grace and
kindness.
“Link, I have foreseen part of your
destiny, and I must urge you to listen to the advice of wiser beings. Although
you are not noble, you have a divine destiny to help save Hyrule and I cannot
fully comprehend the part you will play. However, I have also seen the evil
that is coming and I want to request that you take up arms in search of a
sacred bow that dwells within this forest. Once you discover this bow, I hope
it will reveal more about the nature of your destiny and aid the kingdom in its
current struggles against darkness. Once you have found this bow, please return
to the castle and I will help aid you in discovering a new more powerful
sword.”
With this, the princess named Zelda
turned and followed the royal soldiers, taking with her Link’s troop, but
leaving behind a brown steed to become Link’s companion. They then both invaded
the darker regions of the forest and Link could almost hear the echoes of some strange
sound melody guiding him onwards. When the horse could go no further, Link
unmounted and caught glimpse of a shimmering blue light through the thickness
of the forest.
No comments:
Post a Comment