Legend of Zelda 1. Beginnings

"Nothing is out there, is there?"

The boy gazed out the window, pressing his hand on his chin while he lazily watched the people below go on about their daily lives.

"My parents keep telling me that everything I need in life is in this castle. Do you think that's true?" He took his eyes off the view below him and looked at his attendant, who was busy writing although he seemed distracted himself.

"Well young sire, much of your life will be spent in these castle walls that is true. But do not limit yourself to one place, a future King must go beyond these borders if he is to truly understand the land he is ruling."He assured him, then stood up and made his way to a couple of the bookshelves.

Without the young boy noticing, he shifted through a couple scriptures and books before pulling out a rather large historical biography. With a loud thump, he set the book down on the table and waited for the boy to notice it, and he did. He turned around to see what had caused such a noise and noticed his attendant smiling and eying the book, as a clear sign that he should take notice.

"What's that for?" He gave a wary look, but despite his doubts he stood up from his chair and stepped over to see what was on the desk.

Taking immediate notice the book, he began to inspect it. It was old, or so he guessed by the amount of dust gathered on it and the faded color, and on the cover were some words written in Ancient Hylian which he could roughly translate to, "History of Hyrule."  
"Don't just gawk at it young prince, open it up and read it! I believe you will be highly interested by some of the records held in there, as most are about your own ancestors!" His assistant gloated as he pushed the book closer to the boy. Confused, he glanced at his old mentor before reaching out and opening the book to the first page.

"You seem puzzled."

"Am I supposed to be looking for something, sir?" He flipped to the other page, but there was nothing but a table of contents. He scanned the list, as certain words caught his eye such as, "Era of Hylia" and "The Picori."

"My father has mentioned these before. He spoke of ancient times to me once, but I can't remember his exact words, nor what he was actually trying to tell me." The boy's face darkened hint of disappointment in himself, and knowing this the attendant flipped the book to face himself and turned to the first chapter.

He directed his finger to show the boy the words he wanted him to read, and the sentences he was focusing on read, "It was in this time period that the first King and Queen of Hyrule had fully established what their kingdom would become, or at least what they had expected of it at the time."  
The boy took a good long look at the phrases and tried to piece together just what his mentor wanted him to understand from it all. Confused and a little frustrated, the boy sat down and let out a heavy sigh.

"Would you like for me to tell you what all of this means in regards to you?" He suggested, letting out a quiet chuckle when he saw the boy grumble and cross his arms.

"It's going to be a doozy, are you willing to listen?"

The boy nodded.

Clearing his throat, he began, "You come from a long line of people that carry the blood of a goddess, young sire. Quite a magnificent royal lineage you have, all were quite benevolent and just. Whether that amounts to the person that you end up becoming, that is up to you. Your ancestors do not chose your decisions in life, remember that. And…" He stopped, becoming hesitant.

"Yes?"

"You're going to become King in a time when Hyrule needs a leader to bring it further into the light. I assume you cannot notice it, how tensions are rising in Hyrule and there doesn't seem to be an end to what could become the inevitable. Once you claim the throne, the choices are yours to what you decide to be Hyrule's fate. You are young, but I see a lot of potential in you."

The boy was lost for words at what his attendant had just spoken out to him, and in his attempts to find a proper response he looked down at the book once more.

"Is this why you're showing me this? To show me the other Kings and Queens of the past?" He asked, still a bit confused.

"You're almost correct! What you said is true, however not only is that the case but I want you to take a good look at everything those people have done. Kings, Queens, Knights, everybody. And one day, you're going to be in that book and known throughout history."

"So what you're saying is—"

"Strive to do something great, young sire. Who knows? Maybe you could change the future of Hyrule itself." He grinned.

"I doubt that! Look at me, compared to my father I've got a small chance at doing half the things he's done to help this kingdom. I won't be remembered, or liked for that matter." He shrugged and hung his head a little low.

"Hmm, go and stand by the window again then," He suggested, making a quick gesture to the window behind them.

"What for?"

"You'll see."

Rolling his eyes, he made his away to the window and looked outside. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the castle guards making his daily round. Noticing the boy, he looked up and waved to him before returning to his duties. The boy smiled a bit then stopped when he heard his attendants voice.

"Did you see anyone that you knew?" He asked.

"Just William doing his daily patrol. Why?"

"Oh so you know his name!" He widened his eyes, amused.

"Of course I do! I memorized everyone's name in the castle and even a couple from the market. A future King has to know his people personally, you know." The boy crossed his arms and frowned.

"Right so." He smiled warmly in agreement. He flipped to another page in the book, but before he could continue his speeches, he heard a guard knock on the door.

"Come right in!"

Quite hastily, a young and lanky guard staggered in, seeming almost out of breath.

"P-Prince Daphnes! Your parents would like to see you, it's about possible your swordsmanship training."

Daphnes opened his mouth in surprise, making his way for the door to follow the guard. Before he left, he poked his head back into the room to see his attendant again.

"Thanks for today, sir."

"Anytime, young sire."

He slowly closed the door, then caught up to the guard that was most likely meant to escort him to his parents that were waiting patiently on his arrival. While they made their way past the long halls, Daphnes thought back to the words his attendant had spoken to him about being a proper King of Hyrule. If what he said was true, then he had a lot to live up to in order to look like a decent king in Hyrule's history compared to his predecessors. He didn't know when the day would come, but he hoped to be ready for it.

"Peace does sound nice…" He muttered under his breath, making the guard stop.

"Did you say something, Prince Daphnes?"

"N-No, it's nothing!" He assured him, continuing to walk on and the guard followed suit. They remained silent for a majority of their walk, until they made it to the last corridor that would lead to the main hall.

"You know I can tell you are going to be something amazing, young sire." The guard blurted out, happily.

"You think so?" Daphnes' face lit up. He heard praise from the citizens in the castle all the time, but this was different.

"Of course! You're a genuine Prince as is, I just know you're going to do great things." The guard smiled sincerely as he opened the door to the hall.

"Thank you, sir!" Daphnes politely nodded before making his way into the main hall of the castle. It was dimly lit, only a couple candles managed to give the area some visibility while he searched for his parents.

"Daphnes, is that you over there?" He heard a familiar voice call out to him, his father.

"Yes! I'm on my way!" He called back, following the echoes.

His parents were standing next to the doorway to the castle gardens, both of them looking rather casual in contrast to their regular formal attire that they wore when working in the castle.

His father was a tall man with a muscular build and deep brown hair that he occasionally wore in a ponytail when he was working. Before becoming King, he was a high-ranked solider that managed to catch the attention of his mother and they later grew close and married years later. At times when he was in meetings, one would think he would be a little stoic and aloof but in reality he was quite a socialite and a kind father.  
His mother was very beautiful, with shimmering golden hair and a warm smile that always brightened his spirits after the most intense days. It was thanks to her that Daphnes was able to be taught by her former attendants and study their teachings. In the town, the civilians like to go on about how her blue eyes and radiant golden hair is exactly like his own, as he most likely inherited it from her.  
Excitedly, Daphnes trotted over to where his parents were which happened to be on the opposite side of the hall, lucky him.

"How was today, Daphnes?" His mother asked, joyfully.

"Did you learn anything new?" His father added with a smile on his face.

Daphnes shrugged, trying not to give away too mainly details, "Just some more information on how the kingdom of Hyrule operates and what ruling it is going to be like for me."

"That sounds fantastic!" His mother reached down and rubbed his head, messing up his hair slightly.  
"Now then, about your training…" His father raised an eyebrow, knowing Daphnes' interest in what he was about go over. "I've arranged some lessons with the Guard Captain tomorrow. He's got quite a schedule so try to wake up early, okay?" He suggested, although he was actually implying for Daphnes to get up early no matter what.

"Yes, father!" He replied, happily. Getting away from all the studies he had to do was more than relieving, and he could learn something fun so this was becoming a win-win situation.

"Right then! Your mother and I will be out in the gardens if you need us." He stepped forward, but then paused and looked back at his son, "Unless…you wish to join us?"

"No thanks, father." Daphnes answered, and he waited for his parents to leave the main hall before running upstairs and across multiple hallways to his own room.

There, he leaped onto the bed and pulled open his journal and began writing. A couple of the younger soldiers told him that keeping a daily journal helps memory, as long as he left out the embarrassing parts.  
A small bluebird suddenly flew to the window, perching itself on the side and calling for its brethren before turning to look at Daphnes, who in turn had sat up to take a look at it. Surprised, the bird flew away leaving behind a small feather that flew into the room from the open window. Curiously, Daphnes picked up the feather and poked his head outside, noticing a whole flock of birds out in the field. He then looked up, out to where the market was and the hills of Hyrule Field. Someday it will all be his, even if it seemed a little scary to think about.

"I shouldn't be getting distracted…" He mumbled to himself, "I have a big day tomorrow."

When he had finally filled out the rest of the journal, he placed it on the desk and decided to take one more look outside to see the colors of the sunset, and to take one more look at his kingdom.


	2. Responsibilities

"Yes, that's it! Remember to keep a strong stance and a centered balance, Daphnes! Don't show any hint of hesitation!"

The Guard Captain instructed as Daphnes spun around, slicing the wooden target in half. He had been at this technique for some time now, so long that they had lost track of time it seemed. But Daphnes, being the persistent young adult he was, kept at it until he had it just right. He took a deep breath and focused his energy on the target before delivering a horizontal blow to the wooden log. A large slice came crashing down, and the Guard Captain eyed him with an impressed look.

"How was that, sir?" He spun around to his instructor with a joyful expression.

"You're getting better! Your improvement is outstanding, as compared to when you nearly sliced my table in half on your first week. How many years ago was that? Six? Seven? Goodness, you were just a young boy back then." He chuckled, taking a quick glance at the wooden table that had a small chip on the edge of it, thanks to Daphnes.

"Right…I remember that." He chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Hopefully, no tables will be mauled by me ever again!" He joked, sheathing his sword as he did so. "But, I should get going sir. There's something that the council wishes to speak to me about. I don't know what it is, but I was told to speak with them them today."

"Go on and meet with him, I'll be here if you need me!"

With a respectful bow to his mentor and Guard Captain, he put his sheathed weapon on the table and made his way to the dimly lit throne room. There before him stood three cloaked older men who were responsible for aiding his parents in the day to day activity of the kingdom and other political business that he wasn't too interested in. At least, not until the responsibility of the kingdom was on his shoulders.

"You're late, Prince Daphnes." One of them scolded, making Daphnes recoil back a bit in a sudden realization that he had taken his sweet time with sword training.

"S-Sorry! I hadn't realized that my training had taken so long…" He rubbed the back of his head, barely taking a glance at the stern men in front of him.

"Do not fret, all is forgiven! However, the King and Queen _did_ inform you of this important meeting today…did they not?"

Befuddled, Daphnes shook his head, for his parents had been out of the castle all day and he had not seen any sign of them. The council member understood that puzzled look and let out a short sigh before gathering himself.

"Right then, allow us to inform you what today entails. You see, we have been looking into this day for some time now and have come to the conclusion that now is the time to entrust you with a very important ancient artifact used by the Royal Family. That is, if you are willing to take the responsibility, Prince Daphnes?"

Daphnes perked up, nodding his head in response.

"Yes, sir!"

With a warm smile, the council member turned back around and muttered a couple words to his fellow members before turning back around, holding a small case in his hands.

"Sir?"

"This is the Wind Waker, it was once used long ago almost in secret to obtain the power of the Gods and controls the winds and more." He cleared his throat, "Now, your parents have thought long and hard about passing this down to you. Your mother had held onto this and she had stated to us that you are more than ready to take on this responsibility."

Proudly, he held out the small, thin case which was decorated with ancient writings and symbols and then opened it to reveal a pearly white baton. Daphnes stared at it with awe, wondering if he could even posses such might held together in a small item such as that. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand and plucked the baton from its case, taking notice of the glances of approval from the council.

"Now then, before we teach you how the baton is used we should go over the history of it. It is quite important to understand the backgrounds of ancient artifacts, you know!" One member announced from the back, making Daphnes roll his eyes a little.

Ignoring Daphnes he went on, "This baton was a sacred instrument used only by members of the Royal Family. In those times, they used it to harness the power of the Gods and control the winds and even the weather in order to bring prosperity to the kingdom. In some recorded events, it has been used as a device to assist the power of the Sages." He stopped, looking down at Daphnes.

"That is where you come in, young sire."

Daphnes raised an eyebrow, listening on with interest.

"You have noticed it, have you not? Not only have tensions been rising between the races of Hyrule but the legendary sword has begun to lose its power. In order to retain power to the sword of the legendary Hero of Time, it must have energy given to it from other spiritual beings. That was the duty entrusted to the Sages, however the seals seem to be weakening, and we suspect it could be because the rightful wielder of the sword is nowhere to be found."

"Which means…" Daphnes thought to himself for a moment and began to piece together the puzzle that the council was going on about, and then he managed to come into a realization of one core thing.

"Compromise."

The old man nodded, "In order to ease the rising tensions and restore the sword's power, we will need new Sages. I have already been informed of two who carry the bloodline of the past Sages from ages ago, and it is our wish that you travel to them and bring them here with you so we may discuss future plans."

Daphnes took a deep breath, for he had only been out of the castle walls a number of times with his own family. Going it alone seemed like a wonderful idea, but not when the entire council of Hyrule was depending on his every decision. But, he shook that doubt away, because this was the responsibility of a future King and he had to take it on without any objections. He wanted peace, and this was the first time to obtaining it.

"It will be done, sir." He answered, firmly.

"Good, I will supply you with maps of various regions in Hyrule including Hyrule Field for starters. The places you will need to venture to are Kokiri Forest and Zora's Domain, and I highly suggest speaking to the Deku Tree and King Zora while you are there before you bring the Sages here."

"Got it!" He nodded, grasping the baton firmly in his hand. "I'll leave tomorrow, at sunrise." He declared, turning his back to the council, making his way down the steps, and out of the throne room.

"Oh, and Prince Daphnes!" One of them called.

"Yes, sir?"

"Your parents won't be back until late tonight, they left you some dinner in your room and a new book they thought would interest you."

"Okay!" He called back to them, quickly walking down the hall and leaving the throne room completely.

He continued down the many halls and corridors of the castle before he stopped at his room, admiring the tapestry above the door that his old attendant had made for him before his passing. Carefully, he pushed open the door and lit up a couple of the lanterns before making his way to the window, ignoring the food on the small round table. He peeked his head out, making sure no guards were on an evening patrol. When he knew the coast was clear, he took a deep breath and admired the sunset that was before him, knowing that he should relish in this moment because tomorrow he will not be looking outside of his castle for some time.  
Suddenly, a small white dove flew next to him, making Daphnes smile and rub the bird's neck with his finger.

"After all these years you still keep coming back, don't you Astra?" He mumbled, hearing the dove make quiet chirps in response. Ever since his attendant died, the dove had been perching by his window in the evenings and as time went by he began to think of it as his own. Whenever he felt scared, upset, or doubtful of himself, that dove would be there to listen to him go on and on about his inner worries and keep him company when there was nobody else to go to. He was never quite sure if it could understand him, but he liked to believe it did, and somehow he knew it did.

"I've pulled myself into a rather large situation, and I don't think I'm truly prepared for what I'm about to deal with." He started, as the dove perched itself in the little nest it had made over time.

"I mean, they're pushing such a substantial duty in my hands, and look at me. I'm barely well-trained with the sword and still have so much to learn…do you really think I'm prepared to take on a responsibility where the kingdom itself hangs in the balance?" He asked, as the dove quirked its head to the side and chirped and cooed in response

Daphnes sighed, giving it a little pet, "I know, I'm thinking too much into it. Once they see that I have the Wind Waker I'm pretty sure it will be okay…at least I hope it will." He turned around to take a look at the baton that was set on the table next to his bed, noticing it shimmer in the light of the lanterns above it.

"I suppose only time will tell, right Astra?" He chuckled, giving her one last little pet before shutting the windows.

Before he got settled in bed, he noticed a note attached to the book that was on the small table. Raising an eyebrow, he crawled over the bed and made his way to the opposite side to read the note.

_"Son, I'm sure whatever the council has told you has to deal with that old Wind Waker, correct? If so, read this."_ He read the note aloud, wondering why his parents would say such a thing unless the book had something in relation to it.

Curiously, he leaned down to inspect the title of the book that was given to him.  
_Ancient Artifacts of Hyrule._..  
Of course.  
He silently thanked his parents and sat down at the table, wasting away the final hours of the night as he read every detail of the book and finished the meal his parents left for him. Like he expected, the Wind Waker had multiple pages of information about it, how the ancient rulers and Sages harnessed its power and even how it came to be crafted. Becoming confident in tomorrows events, Daphnes closed the book once he had finished reading that segment and made his way to the bed, watching the first of the stars appear in the dark night sky.


End file.
