Chosen of the Triforce

by

Maria Ruiz

***

Book One:

"Awakening"

***

Chapter One

"Long ago, there was a young Hylian boy who lived among the Kokiri people. His name was Link. The Great Deku Tree had hidden him among his own children during the chaotic wars that forged the original kingdom of Hyrule."

"A tree can have kids?"

There was a brief pause. "The Great Deku Tree was a magical tree. He made the Kokiri people with his powers."

"How?"

"Erm... I really don't know. I've never asked a Kokiri."

"I've never even seen one."

"The elderly man chuckled. "Maybe someday, Kurda. But if you want to know what a Kokiri looks like, just look in the mirror."

Curious, Kurda picked himself up and looked into a mirror on the wall. He saw a boy of ten staring back at him with big, round, bluish-violet eyes. Hair the color of sunshine framed either side of his face, and he tried to tuck it behind his pointed ears with no luck. Longer tufts of hair at the back of his neck were tied together in a short ponytail with a small rubber band. He was wearing his usual brown workboots, since he'd been working out in the barn earlier. Over that, he was wearing a loose, faded blue shirt that didn't quite fit, and a pair of dirty jeans.

"I'm Hylian, not a Kokiri, Grandpa," Kurda said as he turned around.

"I know. But you see, all Kokiri are children. They never age, and can never leave the forest. Or they risk losing their innocence. And once one loses their innocence, they are no longer children...and so, the Kokiri would die."

Kurda's round eyes grew even rounder. "Never? But...who takes care of them? The Deku Tree?"

"Yes...in his own way. His spirit is supposed to protect the forest, and his children. Even his adopted children..." Kurda's Grandpa smiled. "But even the Great Deku Tree can't watch out for all his children every moment from everything. And since Kokiri don't have Grandpas, each one has instead, a little guardian fairy that always remains at their side to guide and protect them with their wisdom."

"Wow..." Kurda sat down with his grandfather again.

"Yes, but there was one boy among the Kokiri who didn't have a fairy..."

"Link, right?"

"Right. He had been hidden among the Kokiri, although until then, the Great Deku Tree had made it taboo for anyone from the outside world to enter their forest. Because he knew that Link was a child of destiny, to be protected until the world called for him."

"So what happened?"

"Eventually, the day came when the Great Deku Tree sent his own personal attendant, the fairy princess, Navi, to bring Link before him. The Great Deku Tree was under a terrible curse, and knew that he would soon die. An untold evil had finally broken through the forest barrier and threatened all of Hyrule. No longer able to protect either the forest or the Kokiri, the Great Deku Tree sent Link out into the world to find his destiny. The Great Deku Tree knew that he was the only hope for not only the Kokiri, but the entire world. In his final moments, the Great Deku Tree instructed Navi to accompany Link as his guardian fairy."

"So Link left the forest? I guess if he knew he wasn't a Kokiri, he wouldn't be afraid of dying."

"Perhaps. Though according to the story, he was raised believing he was Kokiri. Not even the Kokiri suspected otherwise. Not until much later. But Link was a boy of great courage. He left the forest, honoring the Great Deku Tree's wishes, knowing very well that he could die. He never seemed to know fear."

"So he lived?"

"Of course. He was really Hylian, remember? The Great Deku Tree had also warned Link of the evil man responsible for his death and the troubles coming onto Hyrule. A Gerudo man called Ganondorf."

"Ganondork?"

"No, Ganondorf," Kurda's Grandpa shook his head. "An evil king who was looking to control the kingdom of Hyrule through the most forbidden of power..."

"Wait a minute, Kira told me all Gerudos are girls!"

"Most are. But once in some great while, a single male is born to the desert people. And according to their laws, this male always becomes their king. ...Though I suspect they threw out that law after Ganondorf's rein, since that law is no longer found among their people. In fact, the only record of that law is this story, which is more ancient than any of their existing recorded history."

Grandpa finally had Kurda's full attention. "So what did Link do after he left the forest? Did he find Ganondorf?"

"Not that first day..."

"Or the day after that," Kira interrupted as she walked into the room. "Grandpa, that old myth is older and longer than spit. And we have to leave for Castle Town now if we're going to reach it by tomorrow morning." The eighteen-year old raven haired girl wiped grease from her hands onto her jeans. She wore a red checkered shirt and small black boots. Her hair, obviously cut by herself, hung just above her shoulders.

Grandpa looked up. "Everything's ready?"

"Yep, all ready to go. Even the cuccos are packed up tight."

Kurda pouted. "Aw, can't I hear the rest of the story?"

Kira stared down at him. "Sorry shrimp. I'm just surprised you haven't heard it before. Pick up your things and let's go."

"But...!"

"Look, Link saved the princess, defeated the evil king, and everybody lived happily everafter." Kira gave her little brother an exasperated look. "And that's it, end of story. Happy now? Good, now get your little butt moving!"

There was no arguing with Kira, and so Kurda gathered up his satchel and ran out after his Grandpa. Usually no one was as excited about a trip to Castle Town than he was, but he had really wanted to hear the rest of the story. But now Grandpa would fall asleep as always, and there would be too much to do once they arrived to have time for storytelling. With a sigh, Kurda slid down in his seat. Then Kira started up the engine, and the car roared away, leaving a big brown dust cloud in the wake of their trailer full of clucking cuccos.

Castle Town was a bustling market town that hadn't changed much in hundreds of years. It had merely grown larger, and had adjusted its streets long ago to permit motor vehicles full access. Once only the single drawbridge had allowed people in and out of the city, but now there were many roads of traffic that led inside. And considering that there were as many on horseback as on motorcycles on the streets, the accidents could be nasty sometimes.

From the side of the road, Kurda watched as a blue truck skid to a stop in front of a petrified horse. The young girl riding the mare seemed as unaccustomed to the area riding conditions as her steed. A bit shaken, she tried her best to get the horse to move out of the street. The driver of the truck, growing impatient, began to honk the horn loudly. Still, the horse would not budge.

Kurda set down the cucco cage he had been unloading from their car's trailer. He ran over and took the horse by the reins. "Need some help?"

The girl looked down at Kurda. "I-I can't get Tala to move."

Kurda pulled on Tala's reins. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here..."

Just then, a Zora popped his head out the window of the truck. "Hey, kid, get your stupid horse out of the street! This isn't a ranch!"

"Keep your shirt on!" Kurda snapped back at him. He tugged harder at Tala's reins. That horse was really solid. Finally, after throwing his weight into it, he felt the horse budge. Until finally it...

Clop, clop, clop...

Kurda led the girl and her horse out of the street. As soon as he did so, the rude Zora drove past. More than a little over the speed limit, Kurda noted to himself.

The girl smiled down at him. "Thanks. Both Tala and myself are new to Castle Town, and it's hard to get used to."

Kurda shrugged. "Yeah, streets are crazy."

"So I've noticed...by the way, I'm Merlyn. I'm here with my Dad, setting up a market stand for the fair tomorrow."

"Really? Me too..." Kurda looked back at his Grandpa and Kira setting up the stand on the street corner. "We're setting up over there. Usually we don't come near this place, we live way out in the country. In the eastern fields area, that's where our ranch is. ...Oh, my name's Kurda."

"Kurda? What a strange name," Merlyn giggled.

Kurda thought her name was far stranger, but kept his silence. He just lifted his brows curiously at her. "And where is your ranch?"

"Hmm? I come from Lon Lon Ranch. The oldest and finest ranch in the world, yessiree!"

Kurda stared. "You're not kidding me."

"I kid you not." Merlyn smiled proudly. "We're world famous, historic, even. My Dad says Lon Lon Ranch was even mentioned in some of the old legends, proving the superior, everlasting quality of our products."

"Sheesh..." Kurda rubbed a hand across his forehead. If she was telling the truth, then his family's little street corner market was going to have some heavy competition.

"Fresh eggs! Get your fresh eggs here!"

It was the next day, and Kurda had been sent out to wander the market with a carton of eggs to sell while Kira and his Grandpa worked the stand. He shifted the weight of the egg carton from one arm to the other. It was hot, and he wasn't sure if the eggs really were fresh anymore. Nevertheless, he continued to chase after people on the street, harassing them to buy his eggs.

Then he got an idea.

After setting the carton at his feet, he took out four eggs and held them between his fingers. "Hey people!" He yelled at the crowd. "Watch this!"

Most didn't pay attention until he threw the eggs into the air. As they fell, he caught them one by one, then threw them over his head again. Over and over and over, he threw them, never dropping them once. Kurda had excellent hand-eye coordination, and juggling them was a snap for him.

The boy with eggs circling his head quickly drew a crowd. Somehow, Kurda managed to sell his eggs without stopping any of the eggs in the air. He had sold half of his carton, when a group of older boys stopped over to stare. They were whispering between themselves like a flock of plotting vultures. When Kurda saw them turn their yellow eyes towards him and point, he knew he was probably in for it. But he wasn't about to run away. He had a business to run, and he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of scaring him away.

"Fresh eggs here! Get 'em before they drop!"

The biggest of the gang approached Kurda with a sneer. "You think you're hot stuff, don'tcha? Eh, country boy?"

Kurda eyed him, but didn't say a word.

"What's the matter? Scared? Or maybe you're just too stupid to speak." His companions sniggered behind him.

"I can speak," Kurda finally replied. "Now, are you going to buy some eggs or get out of my face?"

"Why you little...!"

"No? Then clear the street!" Kurda turned around with a frown, looking for better customers. He was still juggling the eggs with almost no thought. What happened next didn't quite take him by surprise, but he hadn't really expected it. He had encountered many a bully before, but most were cowards who moved on once they found they couldn't get the reaction they wanted from him.

There was a flash, and Kurda caught it in the corner of his eye. His eyes narrowed, and in a heartbeat, he heard a sudden commotion and a scream. He leapt into the air just as the other boy's dagger found its place where Kurda had been standing just a moment before. He backflipped and twisted in the air. Then landed squarely on his feet, standing with his back to his attacker, and facing the rest of the gang.

The eggs Kurda had been juggling, suspended in the air for a second, then came down... SPLAT! Yellow yolk and broken shells oozed down the older boy's head. He whirled at Kurda with an angry cry. But this time Kurda was ready, and he kicked the dagger out of his hand faster than even he could see. Then another blow to the face, and the stomach, and...

Thump.

Blade underfoot, Kurda stared down at his attacker. As if coming out of a dream, he took in everything fully for the first time since the confrontation had begun almost no more than a minute before. He had never been in a real fight before, and he didn't know what had come over him. His every move had been like instinct. Bewildered, he looked around, and saw the rest of the gang watching him with round, frightened eyes.

No one had ever beaten their leader before. They were torn between anger and the need to avenge him, and fear of the strange boy who was powerful enough to take down their worst. Finally, the fallen one stood, making the decision for them.

He narrowed his eyes at Kurda, his face a twist of hate and respect. "Alright. We were going to the Lost Woods in the outskirts anyway. You can stay in this weakling city all you want."

The gang left, leaving only a handful of bystanders who came over to see if Kurda was all right, or to congratulate him for standing up to the bullies. Though Kurda was still too stunned to acknowledge any of them fully. He slowly lifted his boot off the dagger and stared at it. Still not sure what had come over him, he picked up his carton of eggs. Within the hour, he had sold them all.

As he made his way back to his family's market stand, Kurda realized how late it had become. All that remained of the sun in the sky was a watercolor wash of orangish red on every surface that wasn't lost in shadow. The street he now walked was nearly deserted. He hadn't seen either horse or motor for awhile. He just hoped he was headed in the right direction.

He patted his pocket pouch filled with 36 rupees. When Kira saw how well he had done, she would be pleased. Maybe pleased enough to stop teasing him for a few days. He paused. On second thought, he wasn't going to depend on it. But first, he had to find her...where was that stand? Kurda stopped and looked around with a frown. He should have reached it by now...

"Boy, are you lost?"

"Huh?" Kurda turned and saw a man in a brown-feathered cloak standing on the side of the road. He looked around and saw that the street was otherwise deserted. Which meant the stranger was speaking to him.

The cloaked stranger nodded before Kurda could respond. "You're looking for your family, aren't you? Well, you won't find them here. They've packed up for the night." He glanced away thoughtfully.

"Drat! Why didn't they wait for me!?" Kurda ran up to the stranger. "Do you know where they went?"

"I'm afraid not. But I suggest you find them quickly, Kurda." His eyes flickered with a strange light. "Your past is about to catch up to you, whether you like it or not. And if you can not save them now, you may not have another chance."

Kurda blinked in confusion. He did not like the sound of that one bit... "What are you talking about!? Where's Kira and Grandpa? Did you do something with them!? Tell me!"

"...Find them. That is all I am allowed to say." Before Kurda's shocked eyes, the feathered stranger faded away. "Until next we meet again, old friend."

"Wait!" Kurda cried. But the stranger was gone as if he'd never been.

Now Kurda knew fear. He raced through the streets, calling out for his family. No one answered, and he continued though his voice became sore. The streets of the city seemed to be endless, and if not for the streetlights, all would be pitch black under the moonless night sky. Even the stars were lost under merciless dark clouds.

Growing tired, Kurda would not give up.

"Kur...da?"

"Grandpa!?" Kurda halted and spun around. Lying prone in the alleyway, was his grandfather. He rushed over. "Grandpa, what happened?"

"Monsters..." He wheezed as the boy helped him sit up. "I couldn't stop them..."

"Monsters in the city? How? Where's Kira?"

"I don't know... Kira disappeared. I think they took her..."

"We have to save her!" Kurda looked around desperately. Wasn't anyone around to help them? He turned back worriedly to his grandfather.

"It may already be too late... Something terrible is happening... I can feel it. Kurda, I think they were looking for you. You need to get out of here before they come back..."

"Looking for me?" Kurda's blood turned cold. Had the street gang from earlier in the day come seeking revenge? But they had said they were leaving...and they weren't monsters. And they had no way of knowing who his family was... No, this was worse than a street gang. "Why would they want me?"

Kurda's grandfather looked him in the eyes. "I had hoped your time would not come so soon... Indeed, I had hoped it would not come at all."

Kurda blinked. "Grandpa, what are you talking about?" First that stranger, and now Grandpa was talking strangely...what was going on?

"You're not ready." He gripped Kurda's arm. "Kurda...I want you to listen very carefully." With much effort, he removed the glove from his right hand. Revealing a tattoo that Kurda had never seen before. But he could not call himself a Hylian and not recognize it. It was the icon of the Triforce, the three triangles at the origin of creation.

"Grandpa..."

"I can not expect you to understand the weight of this now... And I haven't the time to explain. Just take this and guard it well." Grandpa took Kurda's hand and placed it over the Triforce. Kurda gasped as he felt 'something' pass from his grandfather into him. What it was, he couldn't grasp, but it was very familiar somehow. His eyes widened as he watched a glowing Triforce appear on the back of his hand. One corner of the Triforce glowed more brightly than the others, the triangle Kurda recognized as the Triforce of Courage. Then it faded, until it appeared to be nothing more than a tattoo identical to the one on his grandfather's hand.

But when he drew his hand away, he saw that the mark on his grandfather had disappeared. He swallowed nervously.

"Kurda..." Grandpa whispered. "It has remained a secret for so many years... We are descended from the original Hero of Time...and thus, we carry his spirit and power from generation to generation, should evil ever arise again. I never had the opportunity to pass it onto your mother, bless her soul... And I had hoped I wouldn't have to pass it to you for many years yet...and I prayed you would never need it. But I now have no choice."

"Grandpa...I don't understand. Who is the Hero of Time?"

Kurda's grandfather chuckled at the irony. "Soon, you will know too well. Now that I think back, I think I always knew...you were different, even as far as our family goes... I have only now passed the Triforce on to you, yet I saw his spirit in your eyes on the day of your birth...and I knew your terrible destiny would come, though I've tried so hard to deny it."

Kurda was silent, not sure what to say.

"I'm sure I must sound senile," Kurda's grandfather managed a smile. "So much, so soon... Go now, Kurda, to the Kokiri Forest. Find the Great Deku Tree. If anyone can help you now, he can."

"But Grandpa, you need help!"

"Don't worry about me, Kurda. My time is done. Just remember that I love you, boy, and I'll always be with you."

Kurda felt the tears welling up in his eyes. "No, Grandpa! I won't leave you!"

"You must... For the sake of Hyrule, and the world, you must go. Run now for the forest as fast as you can, and don't stop...!" And then he was gone.

Everything was silent. Then there was only the sound of Kurda sobbing softly over the body of his grandfather. Then he looked up and saw the wind blowing gently through his Grandpa's brown hair. He felt it across the back of his palm, which he stared at through tear filled eyes. His yellow hair rustled violently in the wind, and he turned his face away from it, to look down the street. He knew what the wind was telling him.

"Yes, Grandpa," he whispered. "I'll go to the Great Deku Tree."

Then there was only the sound of leather on stone as he ran out of Castle Town as fast as he could go. By daybreak, he had left the city far behind.

Day in and day out, Kurda traveled across the vast fields of Hyrule. He was tired, hungry, and weak, but he would not stop. Not until he reached the forest and the Great Deku Tree. Sadly, his spirit was stronger than his body, and he collapsed at the edge of the woods. He did not feel the leafy stick that prodded at him many times. And he didn't notice all the small hands that pulled at his clothes and dragged him away into the darkness.

"I can't believe it...after all this time, he's finally come home."

"I thought he was dead."

"I don't remember him at all."

"It was sometime before you, I think, Jeba."

Strange voices... Kurda struggled to open his eyes. Was it all just a dream? After opening his eyes, he saw blurred green images standing around him. "Wha? Who's there?" His eyes came into focus.

A smiling girl with puddle-blue eyes and unusual leaf-green hair was standing before him. She had her hands held together. "Welcome back, Link."

Kurda's eyes widened, and he sat bolt upright. "Saria!"

Only then, she was gone. The other children were standing around staring bug-eyed at him. They were all wearing the same type of green forest clothing and boots. Something in Kurda's mind knew at once that these were the Kokiri.