Fan Fiction ❯ A Link to His Past ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

A Link to His Past, chapter 1
by Alexandra Spears

*Note* Based on the cartoon
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Link was a happy young boy of twelve, living in a tight-knit village with his parents Arn and Medilia in the kingdom of Calatia. He knew he was descended from two other Links, each of whom had been married to a Princess Zelda. He sometimes wondered if he'd ever marry a Zelda himself--she'd be a distant cousin, yes, but probably a fifth or sixth cousin (second cousins were permitted to marry).

He didn't give it a whole lot of thought at this point, though. He was more interested right now in swordfighting. His father had gotten him interested in it when the boy was seven years old.

"I have a present for you," Nato the swordsmaster told Link one day when Link went for his lesson. He held out a sword with a red and gold handle. "For a very worthy pupil."

"Oh, wow, thanks!" Link said. He swung it around experimentally. Link had been practicing with a sword for five years and he was already very good at it.

"You are my best pupil--boy, you are a prodigy!" Nato said proudly. "Of course, coming from a descendant of not one but two of Hyrule's ancient heroes, I'd expect no less!"

Link hugged the old, white-haired man. "Thanks, Nato!" he said.

"Now go do whatever it is young twelve-year-old boys do. Class dismissed for today," laughed Nato.

Link grabbed his sword and ran all the way home. It was about a mile away, but Link ran so fast on his strong legs that he was home in less than ten minutes.

"Mom! Dad!" called Link as he rushed into their small house, which consisted of a living room, a kitchen, and two bedrooms--one for his parents, one for Link.

The dark-haired Medilia, from whom Link had inherited his brown hair, came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. "Link, what are you so excited about?" she asked as she hugged her only child. She then saw the sword in his hand, and saw his brown eyes--eyes so like his father's--sparkling with excitement.

"He said I'm his best student, a prodigy!" Link said, catching his breath.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Link," said Medilia as she hugged Link and kissed his forehead. "A gift like that deserves a special treat. I think I'll make your favorite dinner and dessert to celebrate, sweetheart." She brushed his longish dark bangs from his forehead. "I'm proud of you. Go tell your father--he's out chopping wood."

Link ran outside to where his father usually chopped wood. "Link!" said Arn, smiling as he saw his young son. "What have you got there, boy?"

"A present from Nato. He said I'm his best student!" said Link happily.

"I always knew you had it in you, Son," said Arn as he wrapped his powerful arms around Link. "Show your mother yet?"

"Yeah, and she's gonna make all my favorite things tonight for dinner!" Link told him.

"Well, I'm done chopping this wood for now. Let's go in the house," said Arn as he slung his arm around his son's shoulders. He looked at Link. "You're really starting to grow, Link--soon you'll be a man," he told him. "Got your mother's build, though," he added, referring to Medilia's slight build. He tousled Link's hair affectionately.


"You're still hungry?" Medilia asked Link, amused, as he reached for more meat.

"Yeah--and your cooking is great," said Link.

"He's a growing boy," said Arn proudly. "Maybe one day he'll be a knight for Queen Seline, and help fight off some of these monsters that that Ganon's been sending after everyone."

"I wanna be a hero when I grow up," said Link.

"I think you'll be a good hero," said Medilia as she smoothed down Link's hair. "But I'll always worry about my little boy."

That night Link put on his shorts and got into his narrow wooden bed, which was made comfortable by a down mattress, fluffy pillows, and warm blankets. He kept his new sword under his bed.

He was kept awake for a little while by worried voices. "They say that Ganon is after that Triforce relic again," Link heard his father saying. "He'll never give up. My ancestors fought him. I wonder if he'll ever be defeated."

"I worry about Link," said Medilia. "I don't think our son realizes just what kind of danger he can get into."

"He'll be fine, darling," said Arn. "I'm sure the goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore will watch over him. I have a feeling about him."

That was the last Link heard before he drifted off to sleep.


A few days later Link was out practicing his swordfighting, a small distance from the village. Suddenly he heard quite a commotion. He was on a hill overlooking the village, and even from this distance he could hear screams. Houses were on fire.

"Mom! Dad!" Link shouted as he ran for his house.

An older man rushing out grabbed Link's arm. "Don't go into the village, lad, it's being raided by Molblins!" he said.

"My parents--!" He tried to run, was held back by several men who'd managed to escape. "Let me go! I have to help them!" Link cried over the noises of people screaming and fires crackling.

He managed to break free and he ran into the village, saw his parents' house. It was destroyed, and a few flames were dancing around the perimeter. Link frantically began pulling at the rubble--and there he saw his parents' bodies. Apparently they had died in each other's arms. "NO!!!" Link screamed. "Mom! Dad! Please, not them!" he cried. He sat down on the pathway that led up to the front door and cried for a long time.


"NOOO!!!"

Link woke up in a four-postered bed, panting and sweating. He sat up and put his hand to his head. The red, green, and blue glow of the Triforce shed some light in the dark tower room in the North Castle. Moonlight came in from his opened window. He tried to figure out just where he was.

Right. He was now sixteen years old and living in North Castle; he'd been there since he was fifteen. He took deep breaths and tried to purge the horrible image from his mind.

Moments later there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Link called, trying not to sound scared.

Princess Zelda, who was also sixteen--and Link's fiancee--came in. "Link, what's going on?" she asked.

"I--I just had a nightmare," said Link.

She was wearing her pink robe. Link watched her as she went over and sat on the edge of his bed. "Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"I'd really rather forget it," said Link. "Maybe I'm just nervous because of our upcoming wedding."

"I've never heard of a man being that nervous," Zelda smirked. "You sure weren't nervous when you got down on your knee and asked me to marry you. Probably feeling brave after having gotten rid of Ganon for us." They'd been engaged for a month now; the wedding was next week.

Link touched her blonde hair. He wouldn't mind having her now. She'd be his first. But the proper thing to do was wait until they were married. "It's nothing to worry about, really, Princess," Link insisted.

"Sure?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah...I just need to go back to sleep," said Link as he lay back down and pulled the blankets up over himself.

Zelda bent over and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "We'll work on what will be our bedroom tomorrow," she said. "Get it ready for when we get married."

Link smiled, and Zelda left the room. "Good night, my hero," she said over her shoulder, smiling lovingly at him.

Link thought he should have made her stay. Because other memories were coming to his conscious mind now....


Link stood crying at his parents' funeral in the village graveyard. Elita, a sixteen-year-old girl who was the older sister of one of his pals, put a comforting arm around him. She'd babysat him quite a bit when he was younger.

He buried his face in her shoulder and she hugged him as he cried. He was so alone now--and so scared. What would become of him? How would he go on without his parents, who had shown him nothing but love and kindness all his twelve years? He couldn't bear to look at the two wooden caskets, both of which were engraved with the crest of the kingdom of Calatia.

As soon as the funeral was over, the village magistrate came up to him. "Link, you're an orphan now," he said quietly. "I need to place you with foster parents. You'll remain with them until you're twenty or until you marry, whichever comes first."

Link nodded. It would be for at least four years, since the youngest age for marriage was sixteen. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks.

"Go with him, Link," said Elita gently as she gave him a hug.

Link went with the magistrate, who walked him to one of the houses that had been untouched during the siege. It was rather out-of-the-way. "This is Jon and his wife Trina," the magistrate said, introducing them. "Jon, Trina, your new foster son, Link, son of Arn and Medilia."

"Thanks, we'll take care of him," said Jon.

"Good luck, son," the magistrate smiled as he patted Link's shoulder and left.

"Well, look what we get stuck with," said Jon. He noticed Link's sword. "A boy gonna play hero, huh?" He grabbed the sword. "This will stay in the shed so you don't cut someone's head off," he said. "You're room's through that door." He gave Link a rough shove.

Link stepped through the door and found himself in a tiny room. He spun around as the door was slammed, heard the click of the lock. Light shone in through a window. The room was bare except for a pillow and a couple of blankets. He sat on the blanket and started to cry.

The door banged open and Jon stood there, his belt in his hand. "Let's get one thing straight--no sissies," he said. "Pull down your pants. NOW!"

Trembling, the boy obeyed. Jon took Link over his knee and smacked him as hard as he could, over and over, with the belt. Link cried out, and Jon hit him harder.

"I'll make a man out of you yet," Jon growled as he shoved Link away. Link tried not to cry out as he landed on his backside, which was extremely sore from the beating. He pulled his pants back up as Jon left the room, locking the door behind him.

Link huddled in a corner of the barren room, desperately missing his parents. "Mom...Dad...why did you leave me?" he whispered, his lower lip trembling, the tears pouring from his sad eyes. He thought of all the happy times with his parents, his mother singing him to sleep when he was little, his father playing with him, and it made him want to cry even more.


Tears came to Link's eyes as he recalled that day, the first day of that horrible year he'd spent with that pair. He'd run away shortly after he turned thirteen. He'd managed to break into the shed, get his sword, and run.

After he'd roamed the world for two years, he'd come across Impa. From there his destiny had been set in motion. Link became friends with Princess Zelda soon after he rescued her from Ganon, and recently Ganon had put her under a sleep spell. Link had journeyed to East Hyrule to get the Triforce of Courage, and he'd defeated Ganon once and for all. It was then that Zelda had given him his first kiss, and that Link had asked her to marry him.

Link hugged his pillow. Surely he and Zelda would have children. What kind of father would he be? he wondered.


Jon and Trina, who still lived in Calatia. were sitting down to dinner. "I heard that brat we were given, Link, saved Hyrule," said Trina.

"Oh really. So that's where he is--Hyrule," said Jon. His expression grew greedy. "Maybe we can cash in on him."