Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Wolf of Time ❯ A Hero's Initiative ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

I’ve been training my whole life...

My mothers, my sisters, my aunts, have all taught me the way of combat. They taught me the secret techniques of our people. They taught me how to hide in plain view without being noticed. They taught me how to wield the weapons of the desert with effortless grace. They taught me how to navigate sandstorms of the fiercest degree. They taught me how to string a bow and hit a target’s core across the desert itself. They taught me how to dodge the swiftest of guays, and to tread on the sand so that even leevers could not sense my approach.

I now know why... they were preparing me...

They told me stories of our people, how Din herself blessed us with locks that blaze like her own fire child. They told me how we, and we alone, protect the desert from the outside world... and how the desert protects us as well. They told me stories of our history, our heritage, and our pride residing in the temples scattered across a sea of sand. They told me stories of our relics, our artifacts, and our past held safely in the sand’s grasp. They also told me stories of a man... one of our own, exiled, who used the same teachings they bestowed upon me to corrupt the lands outside our desert. They told me stories of the man’s evil, his greed, and his lust for power. They told me stories of the hero who brought this exile to his knees and sealed him away so that his evil may never again plague this world.

To restore our good name, and glory...

I thought about these stories, and I knew I wanted to be like that hero. I wanted to take up the very same sword and redeem my people. I wanted to show the rest of the world our power... my power. My people waited a millennia for me to show them. I had to find it. I had to wield it. The sword that even time could tarnish. The sword whose power is untouched by evil. The sword said to be kissed by our goddesses. Assuming... the sword would accept me.

I must be worthy...

The sword. The very same sword that struck down evil one hundred years ago. The sword held by the legendary hero of time, who sealed the evil away and allowed all of the land to regain its purity. The sword that let him claim each of the sacred crests of the ancient ones. The sword that granted him the power to overcome all the corruption of the land. The sword that held that hero steadfast in time’s stream until he could retake the land from the Evil One’s clutches. That is why I trained as hard as I did. Long after my sisters had laid to rest for the night, I continued until I couldn’t lift my blade any longer, then lift it one more time. Hyrule’s hero of time... I sometimes wondered if he could have done what the legends say without that sword. I didn’t want that sword to forgive my weakness. I wanted that sword to supplement my strength.

He comes...

I trained day and night. I grew stronger, smarter, and larger with each passing day. Finally, I was to be accepted as a true warrior of the village, and be allowed to venture forth outside our desert to other lands. I trained that night too. A few more hours and I would be allowed to prove my worth to my sisters. They had taught me how to fight. They had made me a man. I was a part of every one of them, and I knew that I would be for the next millennia. The thought that I would soon be writing my sisters into the pages of history drove me to practice deep into the night... Then I heard it. A scream carried from the village to the training grounds. I knew exactly which sister it was as I felt a piece of myself chipped away. I knew she was dead. I heard others, my sisters rushing from their beds. Another scream. Again I knew exactly who it was, and feel her leave me forever. I fell to one knee and nearly cried, the feeling of them being torn from me almost too much to bear. I stood, sword in hand, and ran faster than the dessert’s winds to the village. I hear a half dozen more screams before I get there. There were flames burning across the village, my home. I could hear my sisters screaming. Then I saw him... He steps out from my sleeping quarters and stares at me. His blue eyes stared at me with emptiness, almost as though he never had emotion, a mere puppet. I saw contempt burning in those eyes though. I knew it was him... the hero that my sisters had told me legends about. I didn’t understand how he could have survived for so long, but he was there, and he wanted me dead. As I look up at him, I feel my sword slip from my grasp, falling to the ground with a loud clatter. To this day I don’t know how or why I could have dropped it. From above, one of my sisters leaps, plunging her sword into him, yelling for me to run. I stood fast, watched as he killed her with a single swing of his sword. It wasn’t the sword though... As I watched her die silently, I still heard her scream, and another piece of me fell into the darkness. A dozen more of my sisters leap at him. I didn’t understand then, but I knew I had to flee. Again my feet carry me. We found one of our midnight steeds and I hopped up. In an instant the horse shot out of the village. I had never traveled the path, but the horse knew the way to safety.

Safe...

I remember the river smelled different that night as I crossed the wooden plank bridge for the first time. I clutched the horse’s crimson mane tightly, my eyes shut as I felt each of my sisters that this “hero” was slaying in my village. Dawn comes, and I could still hear the screams of my sisters. Eventually, the screams stopped. I felt empty inside. So many of my sisters were torn from me now... I barely noticed that the horse had come to a halt. I looked around, tears in my eyes. Everything was so green. I had no idea where I was, but I knew this was where I needed to be. A desert of green foliage rolled out before me. I turned my head as a noise caught my ears. A large stone wall loomed over me, and I watched as a wooden gate lowered across the moat which otherwise would have stopped me from getting to the wall itself. The gate slammed against the ground. I peered through the gateway and saw people. People dressed in bright colors, flamboyant displays of vanity. The desert would have wept at the sight of these costumed fools. Still I felt drawn into the city. I veer the horse towards the gateway and was stopped short by a man in what looked like the most uncomfortable armor I could have imagined. “Halt! No horses allowed beyond this point.” His voice seemed whiney. I got off the horse “Then... what shall I do with her?” I inquired. He said that he would keep her until my business was completed. I agreed, handing over the reigns and making my way into the noisy town.

Where is it...

I could feel myself being pulled, past the people, over their expansive stone streets. I’m nearly deafened by all the bickering I hear at the covered stalls. Women... not like my sisters at all. They would never be engaged in such petty quarrels as this. They usher me out of their way in harsh, rude tones. I step out of their way. Anything to be done with these inconsiderate people. This strange feeling compelled me past them. I walked on, what I surmised as the town square, with a fountain amongst the bustling people. A pair of lovers dances by the water side while men explode with boisterous laughter not far away. Past some buildings I was dragged by this feeling, up some steps and there I saw it.

The Haven...

It still amazes me today how large this building was. At first it seemed strange to me, yet I was still drawn to its doors. I knew it wasn’t a home, even the largest family could not fill this space. I felt as though this place was welcoming me. This was what had been calling to me. I push open the expansive doors and enter slowly. I heard my footsteps echo in the empty entrance as I walk along the crimson carpet. The temple was so bright I had to shield my eyes to avoid being blinded by its brilliance. Empty. What did I expect to find? The only things worth noting was what appeared to be a hexagonal platform, and a brilliant scarlet carpet sprawled across the marble floor, leading to a stone pedestal. I read the inscription engraved upon it. Three stones... That part got left out of the legends I guess. Not to mention the Ocarina of Time. I didn’t even know what an ocarina was! When I looked up though, I felt the power. Past that stone block engraved with runic markings I could feel the power from that sword I wished to be worthy of. I knew it was here, and I needed it to bring peace to my soul. I needed it to atone my people. At that moment I realized the truth.

I was meant for that sword.