Chapter 1: Awakening

NOTE: This story can also be found on Archive Of Our Own. Click here to read it there.

Open your eyes. The voice that echoed through his mind was haughty and demanding. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter just to spite it. Open your eyes!

Link, please. This voice was different. It was soft and kind, not commanding like the other one. Please, open your eyes.

Link opened his eyes slowly. Above him, there was a blurry blue glow. As his vision came into focus, he saw that he was in an intricately carved dark room. The blue lights on the ceiling were practically the only reason he could see.

Good job, little guy! This voice was stalwart and boisterous.

Link stood up and stretched. His whole body felt cramped, like it had been shoved into a crate for weeks. Maybe longer.

Are you feeling alright? This fourth voice was motherly but firm.

“Yes.” Link’s head whipped around in reaction to find a girl about his age standing next to him. She had long golden hair and bright green eyes the color of emeralds. The girl turned to Link. “What about you?”

Link swallowed the lump in his throat that had mysteriously appeared. “I feel really cramped, but I’m fine other than that.” His voice was hoarse, like he hadn’t spoken in a long time.

Good. The motherly voice kept talking. Now, make acquaintances. Link, meet Zelda. Zelda, this is Link.

“Link?” Zelda suppressed a laugh. “That’s a funny name.”

Link rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the pool he had been standing in. “Yeah, I know. Zelda, do you…know where we are?”

“I don’t.” Zelda bit her bottom lip as she followed Link out of the pool. “Wherever we are, I don’t think we can get out.” Zelda pointed at the wall in front of them. There was a door, but it didn’t look like it was going to budge.

“Shit.” Link looked around the room, before he noticed what looked like a terminal. “Zelda, what’s that?”

“I don’t know.” Zelda stepped towards it and leaned forward. The terminal began to beep and whirl, causing Zelda to shriek.

Link ran over as a small rectangular device popped up out of the terminal. That’s the Sheikah Slate. The boisterous voice sounded bored. Take it. It’s gonna help you on your journey, and so on and so forth. I kinda forgot my lines.

Link snorted as Zelda tentatively grabbed the Sheikah Slate, before she turned to him. “Is it alright if I keep hold of it?” She asked. “It just…it looks so interesting! I’d love to study it in greater detail.”

Link shrugged. “Fine by me.” Right after he had begun to speak, the room began to rumble. Link reached out and braced himself on the terminal.

“The door’s opening!” Even though she was yelling, Link could barely hear Zelda over the noise. Once it quieted down, and once the room had stilled, Link realized she was right. The door had opened, providing the two a passageway through the cave.

“I wonder if the Sheikah Slate did that?” Zelda mused as they stepped through the doorway.

“It’s possible,” Link said, looking around the room. He noticed two sets of two chests in the center of the room. “Zelda, look.” He motioned towards the set on the right as he began walking to the one on the left. “I mean, the voice did say that it would guide us on our journey,” Link said, struggling with the hatch.

“Oh! That reminds me.” Zelda tilted her head up towards the ceiling. “Do you all have names?”

It was quiet in the room for a moment before the haughty voice spoke up. These aren’t our real names…you two aren’t ready for that. But for conversation’s sake, I am Medoh. The loud one is Rudania, the quiet girl’s Ruta. Mama Bear’s Naboris.

“Thank you, Medoh.” Link said, finally opening the first chest. Inside was a well-worn shirt. Seeing it made Link suddenly quite aware of the fact that he was in just his boxers. Embarrassed, Link quickly yanked the shirt over his head, discovering it was a bit short on him.

“Oh well,” Link muttered, popping the latch on the other chest, revealing a pair of old trousers in pretty bad condition. Nevertheless, they were clothes, and considering the fact that he would be spending time with a gorgeous girl, he figured it was good enough.

Link quickly pulled on the trousers and turned to Zelda, who was also dressed in shoddy clothes. “How do you think we get out of this room?” Link asked.

“There’s probably another terminal around here,” Zelda said, scanning the room with her eyes.

Zelda is correct. While Link had thought Medoh’s description of Ruta as ‘the quiet girl’ offensive, hearing her voice again made Link realize that he wasn’t exactly wrong. However, it’s hidden.

Link groaned and rolled his eyes, but he got to work. Zelda scurried over to the side of the room where the door was, while Link surveyed his area. He noticed a glint of light behind a damaged crate and walked over, pushing the crate aside. Lo and behold, there was the terminal.

“Zelda!” Link called. Zelda ran over and tapped the Sheikah Slate onto it, and the cave began to rumble yet again as the door opened.

Light streamed in through the door, and Naboris spoke up. You two must be the shining lights of Hyrule. Go, heroes. Save your kingdom.

Link and Zelda ran through the tunnel, towards the bright sunshine and fresh air. As they broke free of the walls surrounding them, Link ran towards a cliff and propped a foot up onto the rock, surveying the area. Fresh grass spread outward onto the horizon, while a forest of deep green trees spread below him. Link smiled at the sight of the scenery, and he took in a breath.

A breath of the wild.

Story Notes

Hi there! Welcome to The Heroes Of Hyrule! I know this chapter is short, but they’ll be longer soon.

I’m very excited to write this. I’m going to say it up front, however: it will take a while to get to the romance. I don’t like waiting either, so I will try to have as few ‘oh my god just kiss already’ moments as I can.

Also, this will be long. It’s the whole game, what do you expect? Because of this, I will have small fluffy chapters as separate stories in a series titled ‘The Heroes Of Hyrule – Story Segments’.

That’s all! Buh-bye!

-bakergamerwriter