Hero, God I hate titles...

[Dirty Harry]

Hmm...this might be worth posting. Anyway, I'll see the response, and I'll deem whatever from there. Hope you enjoy a really evil Link...

Author’s Note: Warning. This chapter contains
· lexical horse riding
· doom preparing his final assault on the castle
· turn-of-the-millennium lingo
· Brooklyn Speech
· interpolated clauses
· a very polite villain

Now that the introductions are out of the way, and you’ve learnt a bit about this chapter’s editing process, let’s continue with the chapter.

Chapter One

No Hero


“Link?” Zelda asked. When he didn’t respond, she prompted him again.

“Yes?” Link answered reluctantly. Even as he answered he was already turning away.

“Link, Hyrule...Hyrule needs you. You know it, I know it, the people know it.” Zelda faced him across the table. The group of Sages were watching the two of them intently. “We need a Hero.”

“The land’s at peace.” Link answered stonily, but to all of those present, he was blatantly lying. The land hadn’t been at peace for many months now, and even as they gathered there in council, the inevitable doom hung over their heads, haunting the castle walls.

“Link, Ganon is virtually at our door. We must stop him, or all is lost! Without you, our forces have no banner to rally around, no hope to believe in and no courage to fill them!” One of the sages, the Forest Sage, said, “You must head out to battle, or Hyrule will fall!”

“I told you, for the millionth time. I. Don’t. Want. To. Go. Got it?” Link replied, uninterested. “The life of a Hero, however lucrative for my forefathers, is not mine. Find yourself another to fill these boots.”

“Link, it’s not about wealth or power, or prestige or any other materialistic ambition! It’s about duty; duty to your friends, your people, your country, and your Ruler!” the Fire Sage bellowed, annoyed.

“Friends? What friends? Being a Hero is a lonely job, y’know, ” Link pointed out calmly, “And my Ruler? Her? Pah.”

Zelda clenched her fists tightly, as a single tear trailed its way down her cheek, but she quickly hid it behind a gloved hand. Meanwhile, Link continued his rebuttal of the Sage’s words.

“As I have said before. Your forces, Princess-”he spat the word viciously- “are surely more than satisfactory in defeating the meagre forces of that renegade, Ganon.”

“You don’t know what Ganon can do! He’s a great magician and sorcerer, a powerful warrior infused with dark magic. His soldiers are demonic murderers all intent on killing!” the Spirit Sage said icily. “None of our soldiers stand a chance! Not unless we have-”

“Nabooru, Saria, Darunia,” Link said to the Spirit, Forest and Fire Sages, “and Impa, Rauru, and Ruto too.” He addressed the Shadow, Light and Water Sages. “I have told Princess Zelda, and all of you, that I don’t wanna be Hero any longer.” Link glanced at each of the Sages with frustration. “And I continually have been denied leave of my post.”

As he was talking, Link drew a long sword from his side. It had a silvery sheen upon its blade, and its guard was a simple, dark blue that shone with an inner light.

“This blade-the Master Sword, the heirloom of each Hero-I’m giving it back to y’all and don’t have any desire to continue its use.” Link laid the sword upon the table, where it suddenly rusted and dirtied. It looked battered and worn now, almost upon breaking point. “Here’s the proof-I’m not your Hero. The Master Sword denies me, and, as far as I’m concerned, the post of Hero isn’t mine any longer.”

“Link, I’m asking you again, we-”

“I don’t care!” Link shouted. The room froze in silence. Nervously, the Sages focused their attention on Link, unsure what new angry revelations were about to come to light. Zelda stared at the table intently, avoiding Link’s prowling gaze, while he scanned the room furiously. Finally, Link broke the ominous silence with a quiet, but final statement. “I don’t want this position. I don’t wanna be a Hero. I’m not cut out for being a leader of men, for being a Hero of men.”

Frosty hostility slowly began to grow, and tensions built upon hours of pent-up frustrations. In a desperate bid, Zelda tried to remedy the situation.

“Link, this country needs you. Its people need you. I...” She trailed off, and Link’s eyes suddenly were ablaze with a rage long repressed. “Link, as reigning Princess of this country; I need you.” As she said this, she sank onto one knee, prostrating herself before him. The Sages around the room cried out, enraged by the humiliating act, but Zelda continued. “I need you to fight for us, to defend our country. Please, Link. You’re our only hope.”

No-one in the hall could tell the outcome. Hidden behind hostile eyes, the thoughts running through Link’s head were impossible to decipher.

Then...

“I...” Link drew a breath, then continued. “I will not help you.” Link turned on his heel and walked toward the door. When he reached it, he paused for a second, and the table of Sages waited with bated breath, ever hopeful that he might change his decision. But he merely kept his back to them, and said, “Princess, ladies and gentlemen, our business relationship is over. I thank you for your hospitality, and wish you good fortune and health.

“Goodbye.” Link farewelled the table of advisors, unable to bear even the slightest glance backward. He knew that his resolve would falter beyond recovery, if he even dared look at Zelda again. He walked through the doorway and shut the door behind him, resolving never to look back.


Link walked through the castle gates-had it really been all right, he thought, to leave them like that?

But then, she’d been using him all along. Zelda had just tried to control him, to make him fight her wars and defend her country, until he died trying, and then she would find a new Hero to replace him, and entrap with her smile, and her tinkling laugh. There was the way she would always wittily turn his arguments against him, he mused, and how-

“Stop thinking about her.” Link commanded himself. Briskly, he retrieved a long sword from the armoury, and put some chain mail on, then mounted his horse and began to proceed through the devastated town. Everywhere he looked, soldiers were tired from a day spent fighting, or from hauling the dead corpses of their friends and comrades from the battlefield.

Underneath the evening sky, the cries of women and children could be heard amidst the bawling of infants and the sickly. On his way to the only gateway out of the town, a bunch of beggars appeared, pleading with Link for money. He shrugged them off, and continued on his walk along the desolate lanes of misery.

“Sir! Sir, where are you goin’?” A soldier called out to him as he left. For an instant he thought the soldier recognised him as a great Hero of some kind, but his fears were unfounded. “Sir, we’ve got orders that no-one is allowed to pass through here, and go out beyond the City. You should know by now that Ganon’s forces would kill ya if ya went out!”

Link didn’t answer. Grimly, he dismounted, pulling out his bow at the same time.

The guard’s death was quick. Link merely shot him as he was about to call out to him. It was just another thing he had to do, another job to pull off. Another soul he would send screaming to the Pit. Quickly, Link opened the bridge up, and rode out of the City.

In the distance, he could see campfires and tents. Pressing his steed into a hard gallop Link dashed toward the camps, listening as the Sentry announced his arrival to the Camp’s leader.

“Link!” a deep voice boomed from within the tents. “How very nice to see you!”

What emerged from the tents was a monstrosity Link was still repulsed by.

It was, maybe, eight feet tall when hunched over on four legs, and larger still when it stood only on its hind legs. It’s muscled and powerful body was one capable of much leverage; terrifying and cruel, scars and wounds etched themselves all over the rough hide. Upon its savage head sat a slobbering pig-face, with demonic red eyes and a set of brass horns.

“So, our bargain is still up?” it queried. “You killed the watchman? Left the gate open?”

“Yeah, course I have. And you’ll keep your bargain, Ganon, Prince of Darkness?” Link asked.

“Of course, Linky!” Ganon replied, a wolfish grin spreading manically across his face. Link flinched at Ganon’s misuse of his name, and the taunting tone that the monstrous being had employed along with it, but he endured it. After wall, he was in Ganon’s camp, and he had no chance against Ganon’s monsters. No chance whatsoever. “You can go, free from the conflict, and live in some little bit of the land. And I shall make sure no-one will bother you unless you wish to be bothered, yes?”

“Yeah. Good, we understand each other.” Link smiled grimly, then turned on heel and began to walk off.

“You’re a selfish little bastard, aren’t you, boy?” Ganon sneered from behind him “You sacrificed a whole Kingdom just so you wouldn’t have to do your own job. Well, too late for regrets! The city’s probably burning already!”

Link just kept on walking.

“I have no regrets about this,” he muttered, grinding his teeth in frustration.

[AmayaSaria]

Wowowowow. Finally got time away from work to come on and read this. And it made me sad ;_; Why Link, why? ;_; I like the idea of your story so far, and your writing is very smooth! =D

Do you have any more upppp? :3