Legend of Zelda fan fiction. No warning for now. Couple: ZeLink.

The Bold and the Wise
Prologue




-So how will you convince them you're the one they've been searching for two weeks now?

The boy shrugged, not even aware of how he'll be able to talk to the guards a second time after failing to get his point across the first. The king will send an army after him if he doesn't show up, calling him a coward for disobeying His orders.

-I'll have to show them my hand again...

The older man sighed.

-So many twerps before you tried to paint the Triforce on theirs.

The youngster had already tried entering the castle a couple of hours before and the only answer he got was:
''the king told us we'll know the hero when we see him. As far as we're concerned, that kitchen knife of yours is so small it can't even behead a cucco. And that, my friend, looks very much like paint.''

After that, they had shoved him away in such a rude matter that he had to walk away half defeated, bitting his tongue and planning a break through.

Luckily for him, old man Jay, a middle-aged pops actually, was there to prevent him from doing anything dangerously stupid. He watched the brown-haired ten year old hit his glass with his fingers, thinking intently about a valuable argument that'll allow him the castle's entrance.

One two. One two three. One two three four five. It seemed a song was starting to form with each note he played while tapping the glass. Lower, higher, harder, lighter. He almost forgot his problems, lost within the temptation to create a little serenade.

Weird how it all began. Our young Hylian usually hid his Triforce birthmark really well until one day he had to take his gloves off to pick up soaked, muddy turnips. He waited until the last minute to ready his hands and everything went perfectly well. When he was done, he went to the spring to wash. Nothing could go wrong! But then a small ranchgirl called Iona came by, tripped and dropped her bucket into the flowing water. In a heartbeat, the young boy caught it and gave it back. It's then that she had noticed the golden triangles. All his efforts to hide the holy symbol gone as quickly as fifty rupees from a city girl's wallet.

The little girl started telling everyone a boy was blessed with the Triforce, all because he had failed to tell her it was supposed to be a secret. Really, it would've made him sound girly or suspicious, no?

When the curious people asked for more details, she said ''oh, he's a strong, brave lad'', thinking about his generosity and skills with the dagger he used as a sword when travelling around.

That description alone excited the already wild enough imagination of ladies everywhere, who in turn gossiped so much about it the gossip stones themselves were confused on what they were supposed to say.

Of course, no story is a good story if the royal family itself doesn't know about it.

The king had lost a great bodyguard a few weeks before, a young woman who both nursed and protected his beloved daughter Zelda. He wanted to stick to tradition and sent messenger after messenger to bring home any relatives of the said woman to the castle, for he did not want a new bloodline to start living closely to a member of the holy royal family.

His research was in vain and he almost decided to simply train a well-trusted soldier for the job, or even a maid to avoid any possible love affair (after all, his much regretted queen did love him back even though he was fifteen years older).

So when he heard about the lad, he rejoiced and gave up on his idea to recrute a maid. A young man worthy of a blessing such as the Triforce must be strong, trustworthy and too serious to even think about touching the king's precious little girl.

The message posted on all walls went like this:
''Bearer of the Triforce; your King, Danceller Nohansen Hyrule the fifth, demands your presence at the castle to discuss the security of young princess Zelda whom, as you might know, is also blessed by the Goddesses. Come forth and claim your position.''

That left poor Link flabbergasted.

As long as he remembered, the few people who ever knew about his hand laughed it out, saying things such as ''well well, doesn't that make you important! Now, about those cookies you wanted...''

The rest of the time, he hid it, not wanting any unecessary attention. A lot of Hyrulians were still strongly supertitious and the last thing he wanted was to become a messenger of the Goddesses. Well, one of the Goddesses. Which one was his?

But now, because of some wet turnips, the King wanted him next to princess Zelda. The bearer of Power, he thought. Or was Power the one piece that was lost somewhere in Hyrule until someone was innocent enough to reach it?

He didn't know anything about the princess, other than she was supposed to be as lovely as a summer morning following a cold winter night.

Yes, she was supposed to be unbelievably lovely.

Then again, that was said by the same people who threw in the belief he was a grown man with muscles of steel and eyes as sharp as a wolfos. Without the malevolent sparkle, of course.

He pouted and took a sip of fresh, creamy milk.

-Well, you can't just sit here drinking yourself to sleep, kid. You can't break into the castle either.

The boy pouted again, displeased by the way ''breaking in'' could sound so negative when pronounced by an adult.

-I don't think you'll like it there.

-Me neither, but the King gave an order. And...

-...And you are curious. Thus why you want to jump the fences and climbs the walls.

Again, curiosity sounded like a flaw when mentioned by an adult. That made Link quite uncomfortable, but who wouldn't be curious on what's behind the castle walls? Especially when the King himself was waiting for you, probably expecting the epitome of a hero, but willing to give you good food for the troubles he's caused you.

They probably had spices behind those walls a boy like him would've never even dreamed to taste if he stayed outside, gardens with luxurious entertainment accessories, buffoons that forbad sadness to ever set shore on the court's mind, beds that looked as inviting as the fat white clouds he watched when ready to take a nap on a green hill...

What was so great inside those walls that prevented the royal family from ever coming outside and live a life like his while giving the usual orders? They were human too.

-You'll find a way to get in, boy. I know you will. Try talking to them again, try showing them your hand again; maybe they'll be smart enough to finally see it's real. But for Din's sake, don't break in!

Hey, maybe if he dug his way in...