~A Link to the Past~

Hello folks! I'm the Supreme, and this is my newest story, based off of "Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past". I mainly wanted to write this story because I noticed that there are plenty of Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword stories, but no Link to the Past stories. Plus, A Link to the Past is the best Zelda game in my opinion (Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time are a close second), and I want to do the game justice. Now, obviously, there will be some creative liberties taken, but there's bound to be when you have a game like A Link to the Past. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating, since I've got college in about a week, but I'll do my best to update. I'll at least update more often than my ill fated other stories. And now for the disclaimer: I CLEARLY don't own the Legend of Zelda series. Anyway, On with the show!

Prelude

Link was standing in a dimly lit room. The only source of light for the room came from a massive hole in the ceiling, in which a tiny ray of light shined into the bleak room. The stone walls towered menacingly around the young boy, casting ominous shadows on the tiled floor. The room was ancient, the walls were covered in moss and lichen, the floors tiles cracked and chipped from the eroding claws of time. The once beautiful ornaments and decorations that adorned the chamber were decayed and damaged, only adding to the decrepit state of the once mighty palace he stood in. On the floor, right where Link stood, was a mosiac of the Triforce. It was the only part of the room that had not suffered the deteriorating effects of time, still appearing as beautiful as when it was first built.

"So you've come," boomed a deep, menacing voice that emanated from behind Link. Gripping his shield and sword tightly, Link turned to face his foe. He could only make out the silhouette of the figure, but he easily see the figure towered above him, at least eight feet tall. His massive frame was dark and imposing, even without the light to reveal the features of his body. It was the unknown, the mystery of his appearance that was the most fearsome aspect of him.
The only thing Link could make out of the figure was his eyes. They were bright, shining as though miniature stars. Yet they did not hold any warmth or security in them; they only burned with malice and evil intent. His very eyes radiated Power.

"So we meet at last, Ganon," Link said in a voice that echoed with such Courage he could hardly believe it was his own.

Ganon chuckled darkly, a deep booming sound akin to the sound of war drums. "I never imagined a boy like you would give me so much trouble. It is unbelieveable you managed to defeat my servant, Agaihnim, twice! You truly are the Hero of Hyrule."

"I won't let you harm the people of Hyrule any longer! I will defend this land, and any other land you try to conquer, to my dying breath!" Link roared boldly. He was surprised by how fierce he was right now. What had gotten into him suddenly? He should be cowering under a table right now, like any other sane person would do.

"You truly are an impressive boy, Hero. Quite possibly the greatest hero since the Great Hylian Knights themselves!" Ganon applauded, a mocking respect in his voice. However, his eyes quickly darkened, and his voice took on a threatening tone. "But do not think I will simply lay down and accept defeat just like that, Hero. I will never give you the Triforce. I will destroy you, and make my wish to conquer the Light World a reality!"

"I won't back down, Ganon," Link responded courageously. "I will defeat you, and I will undo all the damage you have done." With that, Link raised his sword, prepared to fight.

"So be it," Ganon muttered, taking a single step into the light. Link could barely make out his lower half now; he could see a massive leg, covered in dark grey fur, leading to a large, hoof-like foot. Ganon wore what appeared to be a belt of bronze around his waist, decorated with the skulls of his defeated foes.
He sure knows how to make a guy intimidated, Link thought to himself, but shook the thought aside. He HAD to defeat Ganon; not just for himself, but for all of Hyrule, perhaps even all the world.

Ganon took another step, revealing his other leg. "Prepare to die an extremely painful, long, horrendous death, Hero..." Ganon muttered, before springing out of the light.

"Wake up, Link!" The first thing Link realised when he awoke was that he was safe, away from whoever was haunting his nightmares and the terrors that came with it. He sighed in relief.

The second thing he realised was that his uncle was still shaking him.

"I'm awake, Uncle!" Link shouted as he playfully shoved his uncle away. His uncle grinned in response.

"Good, because we have some serious preparing to do, Link." Link's Uncle said, his goofy grin still not leaving his face.

Link frowned in confusion. "Preparing? For what?" He asked hesitantly. He loved his uncle, but the man had a bit of habit of tricking Link into doing tedious tasks under the pretenses of them being surprises.

"Don't tell me you forgot about the Festival already?" Uncle asked, raising his eyebrow. "You were the one who insisted we go this year, Link."
Link's face instantly broke out into a massive grin. "That's right! The Festival is tonight!"

The Festival of Hyrule was one of the most famous and celebrated events in all of Hyrule. It celebrated the end of a great evil that was sealed long ago, and was always held in Hyrule Castle Town on the summer solstice. There were many stands, games, banquets, and dancing, and toward the end of the night, the Hyrulean Guard sets up a large circle of candles in the town square. the King of Hyrule and his eldest child always light the first two candles, then the citizens each take turns lighting a single candle. Since there are a limited number of candles, few people get to light a candle, and those that do are said to have good fortune for the rest of the year.

Link had wanted to going to the Festival since he could remember, and though he did once when he was five, the other times he had been unable to due to his uncle and him being away. The problem was, Link's Uncle was a respected swordman throughout all of Hyrule. He was often called upon by the Hyrulean Guard to help in fighting off the occasional Moblin, or to help arrest a group of local bandits. When he wasn't doing that, he was tending to the farm that he and Link lived on. Between the two of them put together, it was rare they ever had time for Festivals.

"Now Link," Uncle said, now serious, "Remember, we must first gather up the harvest and bring into town. We'll sell it at the market before the Festival, and when we're done I still need to have a talk with the Guard about the recent Moblin attacks, but after that, we can go to the Festival."
Link cheered and quickly rushed outside. The quicker he could get the harvest gathered, the quicker they could get to town. Behind him, Uncle chuckled to himself. The boy was an eager lad, to be sure. He was always ready to do whatever was needed, ready to give 100% to any task. He was a great kid, and Uncle often thought of Link like his own son.

He had raised the lad since he was only a few months old, when Link's parents mysteriously vanishedone afternoon. Uncle had found the baby on his doorstep, with a short and abrupt letter:
Protect my son,
~Phillip~
Since that day, Uncle had treated Link like his own son, and the two had become as close as family could be. Uncle had no dobt in his mind that Link would become a great young man one day.

One day, his Link would become a Hero.

"Princess Zelda!"

The call rang through the castle like a gong. Normally, a person would have been startled by such a loud outburst, but to the residents of Hyrule Castle, this was nothing new. The woman who had shouted was an elderly woman, wearing a long burgundy cloak. Her long silver hair fell messily into her face, which was filled with many wrinkles and age lines. Her red eyes burned with annoyance as she stormed down the hall till she reached a large wooden.

Huffing, the woman banged on the door before shouting, "I know you're in there, Zelda! Your father is very angry with what you did!"
A voice called out angrily from behind the door, "He's the one who doesn't care about what I have to say!"
Sighing, the woman assumed a more gentle tone before asking, "May I please come in, Zelda? It is awkward to be having a conversation with you from behind this door."

For a moment, there was silence from Zelda, and the elderly woman have expected her to have just ignored her. However, after a few more seconds, the door swung open, revealing the young princess standing in the doorway, a sour look on her face. Her blond hair was braided elegantly, and she wore an exquite circlet, made of solid gold and encrusted with several sapphires, on her head. She wore a beautiful purple dress made of silk, the designs of the royal family boldly displayed on the front of the dress. Overall, the princess looked just that: like a princess.

"I'm not apologizing, Impa," Zelda said firmly, her blue eyes lit with determination. If there was one word to desribe the Hylian princess, it was stubborn. She always held her ground, and refused to give up her beliefs; to her, her ideals were everything.

"I'm not saying you should," Impa replied, a small smile on her face, "But you were rather rude at the meeting-"

"Agahnim was being totally unreasonable!" Zelda cut her off, beginning her rant once more. "He's suggesting we cancel the Festival, Impa! And for what? A group of Moblins that isn't even a threat to us!" She huffed angrily before flopping down on her large bed.

Impas chuckled before sitting next to her. "I agree, Zelda. I don't think we should cancel the Festival, especially when it is only a few hours away. But you're still a child, Zelda; you need to have more respect for your elders."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "I'm fourteen, Impa. I'm not a little kid anymore. And I can't keep sitting around doing nothing. I'm the princess, I should be preparing to rule the kingdom, not be treated like some helpless little girl."

At this, Impa laughed. She put her hand on Zelda's shoulder lovingly before saying, "Zelda, you are hardly helpless, and you are hardly a little girl. You are the smartest girl I have ever met, by far; You excell in your studies, you are a knowledgeable in politics as your father, and you even have a grasp on advanced magic. You will grow to be a fine queen one day."

Zelda smiled warmly at her caretaker before hugging her tightly. Impa was always there for Zelda, always treating her with love, care, kindness, and respect. Impa was like family to Zelda, and she didn't know what she would do without the elderly Sheikah woman there.
"Zelda," Impa whispered, causing Zelda to reluctantly break their hug. The elderly woman then pointed to the doorway, where none other than Zelda's father, King Sopranus, stood.

He was a middle aged man of average height and weight, though he often looked much larger due to his large green cape, which billowed around him like a massive green cloud. His shoulder length sandy hair was curled prestinely, as was his long and regal beard. Upon his head was his crown, a beautiful object of glittering gold, adorned with every jewel possible. His features were weathered, though he almost always wore a warm smile upon his face.
He walked into the room and sat down next to Impa and his daughter. Giving a small smile, he looked at Zelda and said, "Zelda, I understand why you got so upset. You hate the idea of cancelling the Festival, and honestly, you weren't alone. The rest of my advisors, as well as myself, unanimously agreed to keep the Festival open."

Zelda's eye widened and she turned to look at her father. "Really?"

Sopranus smiled his signature smiled before replying, "Of course. No one else even considered cancelling the Festival, and even Agahnim relented fairly quickly upon realising how important it was to our culture."

Zelda snorted, "That's a first."

Sopranus frowned at his daughter. "Zelda, I don't see why you despise him so much. He's been one of my most trusted advisors for the past ten years. It's not like he's done anything harmful to our kingdom."

Again, Zelda snorted. "I don't trust him, Father. He's always acting as though he rules the kingdom, and not you. He acts as though he's some kind of saint, and yet he constantly proposes dangerous and potentially disastrous measures." Zelda stopped hastily, before hesitantly continuing. "I just... I don't think he's as great of a person as you think he is, Father."

Sopranus smiled at his young daughter's intellect; she was much smarter than he was at her age, and far more caring. "It'll be fine, Zelda," Sopranus assured her, before rising off the bed. "Now, I need to prepare for the festivities. I'll see you when the Festival starts." With that, he kissed his daughter on her forehead and gave a kind nod to Impa before making his way back to his own quarters.

"Well then," Impa said, also rising. "I'd best be leaving too. even an old Sheikah like me needs to look nice for a Festival like this." Zelda gave bright smile at this, and nodded. With one last smile at Zelda, Impa turned and headed out the door.

"Well then," Zelda sighed, finally getting off her bed and walking toward her closet. "I suppose I ought to get ready myself."

Meanwhile, sitting in his chambers, a cloaked figure observed as the Festival was being set up. His red eyes burned with ambition and malice. Behind the cloth that hid his face, a villainous smile grew across his face.

"That fool of a king defied my request," The man muttered to himself. Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind the figure, ominous and mysterious.

"It does not matter, Agahnim," the shadow replied, its deep voice little more than a whisper in the wind. "I'm sure this will only making finding the Seven Maidens even easier. Then our plans can begin."

The figure known as Agahnim chuckled before responding. "Soon you will be freed, my king. Soon, this world will once again feel the wrath of Ganon, the King of Darkness."

So here is the beginning. Sorry about the short, and frankly abrupt, ending. I was kind of struggling towards the end there. A few things about this story now that the chapter is over; First, I know Castle Town doesn't show up in A Link to the Past, but I thought it would be weird if it was just a random castle, in the middle of nowhere. Also, the Festival is kind of random, but it serves a purpose that will be shown in the next chapter.And I know people are gonna be confused by my depiction of Impa, so I'll just say it now; she's the Impa from the old Zelda games. You know, the one who looks like an old and decrepit woman rather than a badass warrior. Don't worry though, Impa's still gonna have an important role in the story.

Finally, I'll discuss the names. I know Phillip isn't that great of a name for Link's dad, but I named him after Phillip of Macedon. Since many people who read this won't know who that is, he was the father of Alexander the Great. Much like Phillip of Macedon, he is a great hero who is nonetheless completely outshined by his son. As for Zelda's father, King Sopranus, he was named pretty randomly. I thought Daltus, who is her father in a few other games, sounded a bit like Alto, which is a type of singer. Soprano is another type, and that's where I got that. So... yeah.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully, I can get the next chapter up quickly. Reviews are always appreciated.

Until Next time, Take my hand and let's swan dive toward adventure!

~The Supreme~