This story is an expansion of the original Legend of Zelda as well as the Adventure of Link, with some slight AU tendencies. I love these two old games, but they are quite different from the new ones that you younger fans might know. The story being an excuse plot for a game, for one. I mixed a bit of newer (relatively) Zelda lore with the old-school stuff to come up with this.

Many thanks to the site GameFAQS for giving me the proper names of enemies and bosses. Though I still like stuff like 'Killer Tulips' over 'Manhandla'.

Chapter 1: The Village of Waterfront

It had no right to be sunny on that day, but it was. Crystal blue skies were overhead, the sun shone brightly, and the weather was beautiful. But the events in the village of Waterfront were getting ugly indeed. Just two days ago, they had gotten word that the King of Beasts, Ganon, was coming in for a visit. Everyone worried about this. Was there something wrong? Some new law to go into effect? Some new tax to be levied? Or was this just an excuse to torment the poor fisherfolk of Waterfront? It could have been any of those reasons. It could have been all of those reasons.

So the villagers gathered onto the main street of Waterfront, nervously awaiting the appearance of the great and terrible King. On the cobblestone ground, parents stood in front of their children, who were part curious and part afraid. The elders of the village inspected everyone, whispering advice to keep the King from being too angered or offended. No one knew what exactly would happen.

And then the birds fell silent. Small animals scurried out of the way and into hiding. The nervous chatter of the villagers died down. He was coming.

Ganon entered the village riding atop a massive black lynel. The steed had the body of a powerful horse, the torso of a strong man, and the head of a fearsome lion, as well as blade bones growing out of the sides of its arms. As it would accept no bridle, the King controlled it by grabbing onto its mane. No one else would dare to do such a thing. The King was like no one else. A beast man that was nine feet tall, his skin was pale blue-green and thick, like that of a boar. He had curved tusks growing from his mouth and an oxen tail growing from his lower back. His hands were large enough to crush boulders and his black hooves looked as though they could crack steel. This was why no one dared to challenge the mighty King of Beasts.

The villagers tried not to grasp or cry out in horror, instead remaining meek and silent. The children saw and feared him, clinging to their parents and now agreeing to stay out of sight. While every monster in his retinue could bully the poor humans, the King commanded respect and absolute order just in a glance.

Once in the midst of the crowd, the King of Beasts looked over the frightened villagers, then snorted. It was difficult to tell if he was amused by their compliance or angered that he would have such cowards, little more than animals in his eyes, for subjects. He dismounted the lynel and walked along the street, his brown cape curling behind him. Spotting the leader of the village, he pointed the old man out. "You! Over here, now." His voice was gruff, as if he could break out into an unearthly howl at any moment.

The old man in the red robe came forward, dropping to his knees and bowing his head. "Yes, your mighty Majesty? How may we, your humble subjects, serve you?"

"Get up," Ganon grouched, getting an immediate reaction. "Your village has been making weapons, like this." He brought out a spear, which didn't seem too impressive. It had a long wooden shaft and a metal spearhead that was tied on with rope. "What for?"

The elder was caught in a moment where he wanted to lie. He'd get punched either way, so he opted to tell the truth. "Y-yes, your majesty. We use those to fight the vicious sea Zolas."

Ganon then struck the man across the chest with the handle of the weapon. "You fool! No one is allowed to make weapons of metal! Make them with wood, or stone if you must. But no weapons can be made out of metal outside of my castle!"

The old man looked up from where he was in the road. "But, but your majesty, it's not a lot of metal…"

"No metal whatsoever!" he shouted, snapping the spear in two with just one hand. "Men, go find any more metal weapons and bring them here to be destroyed."

The beasts with him growled, then went into the villagers' houses and buildings. All of the humans stayed where they were; they worried as for what they would find when the beasts were gone. Would they destroy everything in trying to find those metal-headed spears? Would they steal the stored food stuffs? Or would they leave excrement behind which would leave a stench that would never fully come out?

While his servants were doing so, Ganon huffed and strode down the street some more, observing the village for anything else he could object to. Everything seemed to be in order, which annoyed him. Perhaps he had been looking forward to another village burning. While he ordered absolute obedience, he was said to enjoy inflicting punishment.

There was one woman who was looking queasy and pale, near the edge of the group. She was with child and suffering some ill effects from that. There was a child by her side as well. For no reason other than she was standing a bit out of the crowd, Ganon swept his hand out to shove her back.

He found a slight resistance to this as the woman stumbled back. Turning, he saw that the boy had stepped in front of her and had tried to stop Ganon from striking his mother. He had failed miserably, of course, only getting himself pushed onto the ground. And as if that bit of disobedience wasn't enough, the boy had a look to his green eyes that was like steel. Not angry, not hateful, just resilient.

But that was just as much reason to pick on him. Ganon snatched the blond haired boy off the ground, holding him in the air. "Oh, you think you can defend her, do you?"

The boy nodded and started to open his mouth.

"Silence!" Ganon shouted, striking the boy's face with a curse. "You will never speak again, you miserable little mongrel." He threw the boy into a nearby tree.

The pregnant woman paled and ran to him, calling his name.

"Don't speak out of turn!" the King of Beasts shouted. "And that boy does not deserve a proper name anymore for standing against me." He thought of giving the boy an insult for a name, but soon decided that no, he should have a name that was no name, just some meaningless word. "You will call him Link from now on, and my word is absolute law. Understand?"

The woman, who was kneeling by the boy now, nodded frantically. "Ye-yes, your majesty. He will be… Link."

He snorted, but the beasts he commanded had started bringing out more of those metal tipped spears. He left the woman and boy for now to start a nice bonfire. Not enough to burn the village to the ground, as they still provided a good supply of fish. But enough to teach them a lesson.

The newly named Link stirred and looked up to his mother. He tried to say something, but no longer had a voice. Some tears came to his eyes and his mother hugged him.

Years passed. Waterfront had not made metal tipped weapons again, and had even increased their efforts to keep the tyrant pleased. Every day, the boys and the men of the village would go out to fish. They were allowed to keep enough to feed themselves, mostly. But in order for them to keep that privilege, the women had to contribute too, making clothes, ropes, and anything else they could to keep the terrible King satisfied.

Link was among the fishermen, even though he was cursed to be without a voice. He was a young man of sixteen years and had gotten good at the village's trade. Every morning, he went out with his father's crew on their wooden boats to drag nets and catch enough fish to make the quota. Oftentimes, he was called out to capture some harder ones, like octopus, sharks, and puffer fish. It took bravery and skill to capture the fighters of the salty ocean, and he was one of the youngest who was allowed to capture such beasts.

It was a day like any other at first, the sky dark blue in the pre-dawn hour. His father called him aside. "The palace has sent a message that they want a live red octopus, at least eight feet long," he told him. "They sent us the tank, which I'll bring aboard the Kit. Would you capture the octopus for us?"

Giving a smile, Link nodded. He liked hunting octopus. They were tricky beasts, speeding away and shooting ink at pursuers. Usually, he hunted octopi for special meals in the village. Capturing one live would be a challenge.

He father smiled. "Great, then get your supplies. And be careful: the seas may look calm today, but they can change at a moment's notice."

He nodded again, knowing the truth of this old saying. Then he went into the tool shed to get his things. It was a mud brick hut near the docks, where most people in the village kept their fishing tools.

To capture an octopus… octopi couldn't be caught with a normal hooked fishing pole, as they would either snap the pole or just be disinterested. And they would fight back. Link picked out a wooden sword with a blunted edge; he wasn't sure how damaged the palace would accept it, but this would help. He also picked out a wooden shield which had a special oil treatment that would resist the suckers on its tentacles. And if the palace wanted at least an eight foot long octopus, then he would also need a net. Something large enough to take the animal, small enough for him to handle, and strong enough to take the thrashings.

Also, he would need a depth bag. This was something the local witches made with their magic, a simple side bag made of animal skin that somehow could hold much more than it appeared to be capable of. He could easily fit the shield, the sword, and the net inside, as well as his pocket knife. The last was a gift on his last birthday, a vital tool for their trade. It was one of the few metal tools that King Ganon allowed, simply because it could not be replaced easily with things of other materials. And the pocket knife's blade wasn't large enough to make an effective weapon. It would require a person to get awful close.

With those things, Link left the tool shed and headed for his father's boat, the Kit. It was the largest one in the village, as his father was known as the best fisherman and captain in Waterfront. Thus, it was the only one that could hold the large glass tank and still have enough room to work on. Not by a lot, though. Once the other crewmen were aboard, Link's father gave orders for the sails to be raised and the fishing boat to head out.

They traveled quite a ways out to sea, the other crewmen talking animatedly amongst themselves. Link listened as always, although he could only join in with gestures. He couldn't even laugh or scream thanks to the curse Gannon put on him. Many of the villagers respected him for not giving up even in his silent state. Once they were out far enough for him to find his target, Link dove into the water.

Like other men in his village, he wore the traditional outfit for the fishermen of Waterfront. His clothes could withstand being underwater for long periods of time without being ruined. His pants were snug, but just loose enough, so that he had free movement of his legs. His belted tunic was longer and looser, but this was so biting fish found it harder to grab hold of flesh. Also, it was enough that, if he got into trouble, he could remove his shirt and use it as a pillow for sleeping on rocky beaches, or tear off an edge for use as a bandage. If he did get into trouble, he would also remove his long cap and throw it into the sea so that the others knew he was lost; his name was sewn to the inside hem. Some others in the land thought the floppy tipped hat was silly looking, but it floated easily and was a distinctive tradition. And all the fishermen wore particular colors; Link wore his family's color of a light forest green.

On getting used to the condition of the water, Link took a deep breath and dove down to search for signs of an octopus. They were normally down on the ocean floor and he wasn't past the continental shelf yet. The sunlight was enough to light up the water, but there was still some murkiness. After looking for a little while, he swam back up for another breath. A search for an octopus could take time. Even more so for a specific kind.

Before he found a red octopus, he spotted a gray one. It would make for a good meal, so he took out the sword and shield to fight that one. He lured it into pursuing him to the surface, then weakened it and swapped the shield for the net. With that one caught, he swam to his father's boat and put it in the holding tank. He gave his father a sign that he knew it wasn't the right one, he was just taking advantage of an opportunity. Then Link swam off to find a proper red octopus.

After a while longer of searching, he spotted a movement of red on his way up for breath. A moment's glance confirmed that he had his target, an octopus that looked to be nine feet long. Link got up to the surface, breathed, then took out his sword and shield again. As red octopi were particularly violent, he stayed on the surface a moment to pray to the three goddesses, Farore, Nayru, and Din, that he would have the courage, wisdom, and power to capture this beast without getting it or himself killed. Then he took a deep breath and pursued the red octopus.

It had moved, but Link was able to find it again, coasting along the ocean floor. From its slow speed, he guessed that it had no purpose in mind. Link swam faster, then brought his shield up as the octopus noticed him. It realized he was a threat and brought three of its tentacles up, then fired a cloud of ink at him.

Knowing their usual tricks, Link got upstream of the ink cloud and struck it with the flat of his sword. It curled a tentacle around the sword and tried to pull it away from him. Keeping his grip strong, Link turned himself around and kicked at the octopus with his leather boots, near its eyes. But it moved, so he couldn't daze it as he had hoped. It tried to grab hold of him, so he had to wriggle away and bash its body with the shield. This got it to let go of his sword, but then it swiped at his arm when he was vulnerable and snapped the arm band of the shield. It fell off his arm.

Kicking himself away, Link reached into his depth bag and pulled out the net. The red octopus darted after him, deciding to attack him head on. The young man swam out of the way and opened up the net, holding it at one corner. The octopus then darted at him again, heading right into the net and getting tangled up in it. Quickly, Link wrapped his arms around the octopus's body, getting it partly secured in the net. The octopus was stunned briefly by the capture, so he followed the edge around until he had the net by the four corners. Then he started heading for the surface. His heart was pounding and his lungs were trying desperately to get a fresh breath.

But then the octopus recovered and tried to dart away, spraying more ink. The cloud was thinner this time, but it was still enough to cause his eyes to sting. Struggling against it, he tried to redirect its motion towards the surface, just inches away. It struggled back, to and fro, and finally upward. Link burst through the surface of the ocean and gratefully gasped in air.

His vision was blurred from the ink attack, but he could make out a gray image on the water's surface. Although the octopus tried to jerk him away, he worked to keep it at the surface. The commotion they were causing should cause the crewmen to notice, and wear the creature down. Hoping for that, Link watched how it was moving. If it was going to try darting downward, he'd need to get a breath of air, and fast.

"Ho, Link!" one of the crewmen called out. "You got one?"

He nodded, not having a free hand to signal them normally. The octopus then jerked him roughly to the right as it tried to go down. He kicked his legs, caught in another tug of war with it. When the boat came up beside them, the octopus had stilled, running low on energy. He handed the net to two of the crewmen, then stayed in the water to make sure the octopus didn't try escaping then. While they got it in the tank, Link grabbed hold of the edge and pulled himself aboard. He was dripping water everywhere, but that was to be expected.

"That is a magnificent octopus," his father said, coming over to congratulate him. "Great work, Link. The palace should be pleased."

He nodded once, then tapped his forehead just above his eyes.

"Did its ink get you? Hang on; I brought plenty of fresh water, knowing that might happen." He went into the pilot's area, coming back with a bottle of water to help Link clean the ink out of his eyes.

"Are you going to be training him up to replace you soon?" one of the crewmen said. "I mean, he can't talk, but I thought it'd take us all day to get a red octopus big enough for King Ganon. And he manages it before lunch with only some ink in his eyes."

His father smiled. "I'd be proud to do that, but the lack of speaking might cause problems."

Link shrugged, then wave his hand. That wasn't too important to him; he just wanted the village to be safe. Then he made a circle around his wrist, and pointed back out to the sea. A curl of his hand to mimic the waves, then spreading out to indicate swimming.

"Lost your shield then and going back in the retrieve it," his father translated. "It's just a shield, but might as well not waste it. Careful down there. When you get back, we should be starting lunch." He turned to the others. "And we'll have to head back too. I know it's still early, but the King wanted this octopus as soon as possible. We've got to get it to its courier."

Bringing his sword back out, Link jumped into the salty waters once again. He swam out to where he thought the shield might be, then dove. When he got to the sea floor, he didn't see it immediately. But he swam around in circles until he spotted the small rectangular shield. He grabbed it and was gong to head right back up, but a golden glitter caught his eye. Given he didn't want to spend long down there, he grabbed the item in his sword hand, then swam back up. It was made of hard material, kind of like a metal. But it didn't have sharp edges. One was jagged, though.

He broke through the surface, got his breath, then glanced around for his father's ship. Once he had that located, he brought up his hands to look at what he had. The shield could be repaired, possibly by the end of the day. And the golden thing… it was muddy from the sea bottom, but some of its surface still sparkled. It was vaguely like a triangle, with two straight edges and the one jagged edge. It was like it broke off something.

It might be worth something, which could be traded for something more useful to the village. Or even just his family. Link tucked it into his depth bag, then swam back to his father's boat. They ate lunch and celebrated the early capture while they headed back to the village. As he got into trying to fixing the shield with one of the crewmen, he didn't think to show the golden fragment to his father.

Back in town, a number of the women came out to marvel at the red octopus in its large tank. It had recovered enough to glare menacingly at everyone else, daring them to reach into the tank so it could rip their hands off, or something like that. The moblins who had brought in the tank seemed surprised to have the octopus so early, but then just shrugged and carted it off to their wagon. The only payment they left behind was a written statement that the octopus would count towards their taxes.

Link got the shield to a woman who could repair it, then went back to the docks. But his father just waved him off. "It's fine, Link," he said. "You take it easy the rest of the day; you deserve it."

He smiled, then bowed to his father as a way of saying thanks. Given that the tools were shared, he returned the sword and the net to the tool hut. He went to check in on his mother, who was busy with his younger siblings and trying to get her work done. He watched over his sister and brother for a little while, then sent them off to do their own work for the day. Then, he had to figure out what he wanted to do to relax.

Curious, he went to the shore and brought the golden fragment back out. Link washed the mud off, hoping to find some inscription on it. But there was nothing. However, it did not seem like gold. It was too tough to truly be that precious material. So what was it?

When he had it clean, something curious happened: the fragment began to glow. As he watched, the glow began to extend into two lines. The fragment seemed to be pointing in two different directions. It must be some kind of magical object then. Where was it trying to lead him? He moved the fragment about by passing his hand through the air, but the lines remained fixed, always pointing in the same directions. So he started walking in the direction of one of the lines. It steadily grew brighter as the other line dimmed.

As he walked along the beach, he noticed it was beginning to turn downward. He looked around and realized that he was approaching the Smoking Rock, an odd little volcano that continually spewed fountains of molten lava. While it was a dangerous area to explore, he had been here before. The local kids always claimed that there was some kind of precious treasure here, somewhere.

Link followed the fragment's glow until he reached a fire hole, a place where the fire fountains came out. This one was large, but currently inactive. The glow was still pointing downward, into the fire hole. Looking carefully inside just in case it had decided to be active, Link spotted nothing that would cause alarm. So he dropped into the fire hole and looked around.

After a short walk, the daylight started to be blocked. He worried about it being too dark to see, especially some hole in the floor. But then he spotted something odd: a wooden treasure chest. What was that doing here, in a fire hole? It was said that imps like Miniblins would steal items and hide them away in such chests, in highly dangerous place. But still, a wooden one in a fire hole? Whatever was inside would surely incinerate if the fires became active.

But it was also said that if you found a chest of the Miniblins, then the treasure inside would be yours. Link opened it, expecting something simple like a green rupee. Instead, there was a snake inside.

He let go of the chest's lid, wary a moment. Snakes were unpredictable creatures, but generally did not like to be startled. However, the snake in the chest did not move. A closer look proved that it was not real. Link pulled it out and examined the form of it, with green scales and magical runes. This, this had to be a snake rope. It was a rare item, but also quite practical.

He put the snake rope into his depth bag, but then noticed that the fragment was still glowing in this direction. Careful as the floor was now dark, he kept going. The glow grew more and more downward until Link heard a rock he had kicked tumble down a hole. It fell for a long ways before plopping into some substance. Whatever the fragment pointed to was down this hole.

And he had just picked up something handy for this kind of situation. Taking a moment to thank the goddesses, he pulled the snake rope back out and attached the head to a rock that felt quite sturdy. The head automatically bit down on the rock, putting it in place. Link then pulled on the tail, wrapping it around himself. Once it touched in a circle, the magic caused the tail to hook around the body, holding onto him. He then took a deep breath and climbed down into the pit.

The snake rope held admirably. With some coaxing and sliding his finger downward, he got the rope to extend itself. Placing his feet against the wall of the dark hole, he reached into his depth bag and pulled the fragment back out. It was more horizontal now, pointing him towards his right. When he looked there, he spotted a glitter of gold.

At first, he stepped to the side with his feet. But then he had to reach out with his right arm, pull himself over, then reach into a pocket in the wall and grab the golden glitter. He then walked back to the straight position, not wanting to risk hitting the wall and hurting himself. It was too dark to see, but it felt like another fragment. He placed both in his depth bag, then climbed the snake rope, running his finger up it to keep it taunt and short. Once he reached the top, it was easy to pull himself up, then detach the snake rope to put it back in his bag.

He left the fire hole before examining the new fragment. Just like the other one, it was a yellow triangular piece with two straight edges and one jagged. There were points where the two fragments fit together perfectly, making about half of a triangle. They were both glowing now, and pointing in the same direction. A third piece to this triangle, then?

Link followed them back to Waterfront, then through the village, than along the other stretch of beach. The second guiding line led him to another famous site around Waterfront, the Devil's Fountain. This was a cluster of rocks around a rough part of the ocean, which, at every high tide's peak, caused a strong spray of water to burst out of an underground cavity. At all other times, it gurgled and growled like some demonic beast. It was currently groaning as the high tide was growing.

He spotted a woman of his village there, so put the two fragments away. She looked distressed, crying and kneeling by the fountain hole. Link walked up to her, making his boots crunch against the loose stones to get her attention.

She spotted him, then got up. "Link? What're you doing here? Oh, never mind, can't you help me? The sea Zolas have kidnapped my baby and placed her inside the Devil's Fountain, like they're sacrificing her. Please, if you can do anything to get her back safely."

Kneeling by the hole's edge, he looked around. And yes, there was a baby inside the rocky cavern, crying but being drowned out by the cavern's groan. He patted the woman on the back, then brought out his snake rope. Thinking, he took off his shirt, then set up the rope in the same way as before.

"When did you get a snake rope?" she asked. "Although, I suppose it's pointless to ask you questions."

Link smiled at her, trying to reassure her. Then he lengthened the rope before jumping into the hole of Devil's Fountain. It jerked him when it went taunt, then he was swinging a bit. Getting his senses back, he lengthened the rope, then kicked his legs to swing himself over to where the baby was. He had to sling his shirt over his shoulder, but was able to get to the wall, then grab hold of it and climb onto the platform. Unexpectedly, he spotted another golden fragment next to her. Link took a second to retrieve that and stick it in his bag. He then wrapped her up in his shirt, then looked over the water filling the cavern. This was going to be the tricky thing. He had to be brave or neither of them might make it. He jumped off the ledge.

The mother gasped, but he kept hold of the infant, close to his chest. He let the rope steady, then ordered it to shorten back up again. On getting to the edge of the hole, he twisted himself a bit so that his back was to the rock, then brought himself up a little more until he could hand the baby to her mother.

Grateful, the young woman took her. "You're okay now. Link, thank you so much. That was amazing."

He didn't immediately reply, as he was turning himself back around and climbing out of the hole. The groan was growing louder, so he detached the head of the rope, then waved her to follow him away from the fountain. When they reached the sand part of the beach, the Devil's Fountain erupted into a cascade of water.

The mother shivered and held her baby close. "I'll get your shirt back to you when I have her blanket back. I don't know how to repay you. My child is the most precious thing I own."

Link smiled, then shook his head. He wasn't concerned about a reward. And there was the thing that had led him there in the first place. He opened up his bag and brought out the three golden fragments.

"Oh my," the mother said, seeing them sparkle in the sunlight. "What are those, I wonder. You'll want to be careful with them."

Link was focused on putting the there pieces back together. Putting all the jagged edges together caused them to form a partial triangle; one piece seemed to be missing. Even so, he could feel that it had some great power, hidden somehow. A flash of green light appeared around them, startling the mother and the baby. Energy swirled around Link, causing the partial triangle to lift off his hand and float in front of him. A thin cord emerged from one corner, then reached out and wrapped around his neck, casing the golden item to fall onto his chest.

And a voice spoke an unearthly but gentle voice, like that of an angel, or a goddess. "Finder of the sacred power of Courage, this piece of the Triforce has found you worthy of being its bearer. Brave one, receive then the blessings of Farore, which will light the dark pathways of the dungeons for you. May you find what you seek."

And then the voice and energy were gone. Link, the mother, and the baby were all back at the beach, listening to the waves of the ocean. Link was puzzled. What did this mean? He hadn't heard any talk about this.

But the mother paled. "Oh my… so that is the Triforce of Courage…" she looked down, worried.

Turning to her, he held out his hand and curled his fingers, bringing them to his chest. Tell me, he asked of her. What was this thing?

But it made her nervous and fearful. "We, we should call on the elders. They can explain better." She hurried her steps, glancing around like someone was spying on them.

Link followed. She still had his shirt, after all.

That evening, a town meeting was called. Link felt puzzled that this golden triangle could cause such a fuss. From the looks of many of the other young people, even those the age of the mother, he wasn't the only one. Perhaps it was too valuable a treasure to hold on to? Some of the monsters were terrible thieves who would take anything the King of Beasts determined were too valuable to be in the hands of mere peasants.

The leader of the village stepped forward, close to a large fire that was in the communal fire pit. While it was lit every night, the flags had been set up. Those only went up during festivals, holidays, or any other important event. How important was this thing he had found? The old man waved to him. "Link, come forward."

Without hesitation, he did so. The Triforce around his neck glowed orange in reflection of the fire; it caused a great many gasps and wondering whispers among those who had not seen it yet. His parents kept talking to each other quietly, deeply concerned.

"We have been told that you have somehow found the sacred Triforce piece of Courage," the village leader said, "as well as received the blessings of the goddess Farore. Is this correct?"

Link nodded, which cause a ripple of murmurs.

"Could you explain how you did so?"

He looked back to his father, who came forward. Link began making signs. Sometimes he had trouble, since the things he was trying to relate he didn't normally deal with. But his father was the one he 'spoke' with most often with these hand signs.

"The first piece you found in the ocean, after you captured the red octopus," his father said. "He had gone back down to retrieve a lost shield, and you found it then? Yes. When he… he cleaned it off and it led him to the fire holes. He found a snake rope in a miniblin chest, then used it to find the second piece. He was then led to the Devil's Fountain, where he rescued the infant and picked up the third piece. The three pieces then formed the chain which he now wears."

"I see. Strange that these pieces should all be so close to our village."

His father then looked down. "Elder?"

"Yes?"

"It… this is not the first time the Triforce of Courage has appeared in our village. It appeared several years ago," he then looked to Link, "when Ganon cursed him."

"Did it?" the old man asked. "Explain this."

He looked reluctant, but then admitted, "After we had placed him in bed to recover from hitting the tree, those three parts of the Triforce appeared in our house, in a strange glow of green light. We knew what it was, but were not sure why it appeared. It split into three, then vanished. I think… it may have been waiting on him to find it."

The elder nodded. "I see. That may be so, after he had stood up to the King of Beasts so young."

Looking to the elder, Link spread his hands out. He didn't know what this was about. So, what was it?

The elder seemed to grasp that sign. "I know the tale has been disappearing as of late. Ganon would like for us to forget about it. But the goddesses are still prayed to; they must be seeking out a way to fix things. We shall just have to pray and hope that Ganon does not watch us tonight.

"The sacred Triforce is the most powerful relic in the world, created by the love of the goddesses. It consists of three pieces, the Triforce of Courage, the Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Power, each shaped like a triangle and forming a triangle when they are brought together as one.

"The oldest legends, which have been most consistent over the generations, state that whenever a person of a balanced heart touches the Triforce in its whole form, then that person will be granted any wish they desire. But when an unworthy person touches it, it may grant a wish, but it will split into its three components. And if an evil person such as Ganon ever manages to get and hold onto the whole of the Triforce, then the world shall be corrupted and turned to evil.

"It has been long ago, but Ganon once sought out the Triforce and managed to hold on to it for a short time. That is why our lands are so twisted and dangerous these days, with dark monsters roaming everywhere. But then the Triforce split itself into many pieces, scattering itself all over the lands of Hyrule, leaving him with only a sliver from the Triforce of Power.

"Ganon was enraged by this and swore that one way or another, he would overthrow the goddesses and make himself into the ultimate god. He has been seeking out the fragments ever since, but they continually elude him. Sometimes another manages to gather a piece or two. Gannon will kill such persons and the fragments scatter once more. If he knew that one of the Triforce pieces was here, then he would not hesitate to destroy our village entirely in order to reclaim the piece."

People murmured at the end of the story, talking amongst themselves quietly. Clasping his hand over the Triforce of Courage, Link bowed his head. He didn't want to bring ruin to his village. He hadn't even known what it was. It had just come to him. It wanted him to repair it.

"But, the fact is that this piece of the Triforce seems to have sought you out specifically," the elder said. "You defied the King of Beasts in order to protect your mother and the goddesses honor people of heroic qualities. You could deny the piece and let it go back into hiding. Or, you could accept it. I am not sure what this portends. Perhaps you are meant to be a hero. Perhaps the goddesses, at least Farore, believe that you can gather the entire Triforce and be worthy of its power. What will you do with it?"

Link considered it, then pointed out towards the end of the road.

"You're going to leave Waterfront?" his father asked, shocked, maybe scared for him.

Not sure of how to relate it, he made several signs. Maybe they would figure it out.

The elder did. "You do not wish to put the rest of us in danger, so you will leave so that Ganon's vengeance will not fall upon us?"

He nodded. Then, he put his hand over the Triforce piece and shrugged. He didn't know what he would do after that. But he would do something.

"Link, must you leave?" his mother asked, coming up to him.

Unfortunately. He hugged her, patting her back. While he would miss his family and neighbors, it seems that he had been called to another path.

"I see," the elder said, bowing his head in deep respect. "It is good that you will do so for our safety. But it is dark; you could wait until morning."

Link shook his head. That wouldn't do. Ganon had many spies in the land. Even a delay until morning could end up with the village in devastation. And it had already been several hours since he picked up the first piece.

"Still, it is dangerous to go alone." He turned to the villagers. "We can spare some items to send with you."

Several people agreed, so Link nodded and waited on them by the fire pit. While they were waiting, the leader got together a torch and lit the end on fire, so that he had some protection on his first night. The first person to come back was the woman he had given his broken shield to. "Here, I managed to get it fixed. While it's fitting for the sea, it is a bit small for battles on land. The oil coating should be distasteful to any Likelikes, but still, be careful."

Then one of the other elders of the village came up to him with a wooden sword. This one had sharp edges. "Take this," he said. "It is one of the best crafted weapons we can have with the King's restrictions on weaponry. I'm sorry we cannot give you anything stronger."

He smiled and thanked him with a bow. It was better than nothing.

Next, his parents came up, and gave him a money pouch, his depth bag, a fishing pole, and a beaded bracelet. "We couldn't afford to give you many rupees, but perhaps these tools will all be useful," his mother said. "And, as you can't tell others your name, I've had this made up for you, in case you had to travel."

He looked at the bracelet before putting it on. It had the name Ganon had given him spelled out on white beads. Smiling, he hugged them again, as well as his younger siblings. This was for their safety.

Finally, the woman with the baby came up to him. "I really do not have a lot, but please, take this as well," she said, handing him a glass bottle that had milk inside. It had a cork stopping the top. "It may not seem important, but bottles are very useful and can hold many things. It will even keep milk fresh and good for longer than most containers."

He bowed to her in thanks. As that seemed to be all the gifts, he patted his heart and bowed to all of the villagers of Waterfront. Then he left to silence. They waved him goodbye, but did not dare to call out and alert the spies of Ganon.

This whole chapter was taken from a bit in the original which you can complete in less than a minute: Start game, walk into cave, old man says 'Its dangerous to go alone. Take this.', and you take the Wooden Sword. Yeah. If you want any more story, you have to watch the intro video or see the manual.