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The King of Hyrule's Daughter
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Transcribed By: Lord Augustus


It is said that in the distant past, the sovereigns of the land of Hyrule kept their control over the populace with the divine relic, the sacred Triforce of the Gods. The grand City of Hyrule was built around the entrance to the Sacred Realm, resting place of this Golden Power.

The first King of Hyrule, Rimas, a man of great Power, Wisdom, and Courage, entered the other world. He traveled to the shining Realm and wandered its mists in a daze until he came upon the sacred relic, the Triforce of the Gods, and took it for himself. He wished for the spirits of the Goddesses to bless Hyrule and turn it into the perfect kingdom.

"From now on, this shall be Hyrule's providence," he proclaimed. "The sacred Triforce, given to us by the Goddesses, shall be the symbol of this realm forevermore!"

With its grace, he ruled over the land in a time of great peace and prosperity. There was no hunger, no greed, no want at all in the country, and everyone was well for many years to come. However freedom from death was not something the King had wished for, and Rimas passed on the relic to his son Rochallor, who wished for the same thing his father had.

Rochallor, upon his death, passed it on to his son Thargelion, who continued to wish for peace.

Thargelion passed the relic on to his son Pharazôn, who fought a just war with it and returned stability to the country.

Pharazôn passed it on to his son Caranthir, who was a good king and who always used the Triforce to further the advance of his people.

Caranthir passed on the Golden Power to his son Juoval, who used it to forge important alliances with other races.

Jouval passed it on to his son Menelmacar, who put down several heated border disputes and ruled afterwards in peace.

King Menelmacar passed on the Triforce to his son, Zoroaster, whom we speak of now.

In the fifteenth year of his reign, Zoroaster, Lord King of all Hyrule, wished to take a wife. According to noble tradition, he was to pick a girl from the upper crust of Hylian society. The one he chose was named Almáren, the beautiful redheaded daughter of a wealthy baron. The King began to court her, and they soon fell deeply in love. A short month after meeting, they announced their intentions to marry.

Their wedding was the largest ever seen in Hyrule, with over twenty thousand in attendance at the ceremony, which was held in front of Hyrule Castle.

Later that night, Almáren conceived.

The whole kingdom was later filled with joy at the announcement that the Queen was with child. Many months passed, and as the time of birth drew near, the doctors and midwives knew that something was amiss. Her Majesty had grown much too large to be carrying a single child. Lo and behold, fraternal twins were born to her when she finally did deliver!

"They are the joys of my heart, the sweet blessings of the Goddesses," Queen Almáren was heard to have said. "I will love them all the days of my life."

Unfortunately, the Queen would never be able to live up to that promise. The intense pain of childbirth was simply too much stress for her, and she died in the arms of her lead midwife. King Zoroaster learned of his lovely wife's death shortly afterwards and was thrown into a terrible depression. Grief swept over the kingdom in a few short days. Thousands of wailing mourners were present at her funeral, including Zoroaster and the two newborn members of the Royal Family.

Their names had finally been decided on after much debate.

The little prince, who was the elder by a minute or so, was given the name Tarquin.

His sister, the tiny princess, was to be called Zelda.

In a world that knew only sadness, they were shining beacons of hope. Life had to go on without Almáren, no matter how difficult and trying it would be.

Life did go on, and the years began to tumble by. Zoroaster grew older and wiser and gray of hair, while Tarquin and Zelda grew tall and healthy. The royal children were everything the people had hoped they would be. They were intelligent, resourceful, kind, levelheaded, wise, courageous, and powerful.

Prince Tarquin was almost the spitting image of father when he was a youth. The boy had the same light brown hair and the same bright blue eyes that Zoroaster once did. He was the heir to the throne, the crown prince, and was tended to and pampered all the days of his life. Groomed from an early age to be a leader, he was boisterous and promised that he would one day be the greatest of all the Kings of Hyrule.

On the other hand, Princess Zelda was like her mother, graceful, very pretty, and possessing a quiet wisdom. She had the same color eyes that her brother did, but her hair was a deep shade of red, much like Almáren, her mother. Zelda was the apple of her father's eye, and she confided all of her troubles in him, and vice versa. However, the happy times were to be replaced by times of woe as dark storm clouds began to appear on the horizon.




Fifteen times the new year had come and gone, and as the country prepared to celebrate thirty summers and winters of the King's sovereignty the chain of events that brought about the world we know today was set into motion.

Enoc, the prophet who had traveled the world preaching about hell fire and repentance of sins, visited Hyrule. The old King welcomed the oracle and listened to what he has to say.

"The time shall shortly come, the New Era is dawning! My King, seek the Wise Men and set them at their divine task!" said the great prophet.

And so it was that the King decreed that Enoc should find the Wise Ones. The prophet would do this with the help of Rauru, the sagely old wizard who had long been the King's official record keeper and closest advisor. Six male Hylians were chosen from amongst the ranks of the city's scribes, warriors, and magicians. They were Hyrule's most learned citizens, and were thereafter known to many as the Seven Wise Men, or as we would call them today, the Ancient Sages.

When they had been assembled, Enoc brought them to a spot one hundred paces from Hyrule Castle told them that the days of peace were numbered.

"This age is coming to an end," he said. "Turmoil will overwhelm Hyrule. Your people will all change, change or die. The works you perform in your lives will serve as beacons of safety for future generations."

Great temples were to be built in preparation for the coming darkness.

The first would be on the very plot of land where they stood. It would be called the Temple of Time, and would seal the gateway to the Sacred Realm of legend. From Hyrule Castle Town, many masons were conscripted, and they set about building the temple.

Seven months into construction, the first of the great catastrophes befell the land of Hyrule.

Zoroaster, the master of his country for three decades, passed away one night in his sleep. His doctors examined him thoroughly, but could not determine the cause of death. Foul play was suspected, and the King's advisors and those who were around him last scrambled to clear their names. The nation was mortified that someone would kill their benevolent ruler, and that horror quickly turned to rage. Riots broke out in Hyrule City. People looted merchant's stores and started fires, trying desperately to act out the pain they felt at the loss of their great king.

Amidst all the chaos and the mourning for Zoroaster, Prince Tarquin, at age fifteen, was proclaimed to be the next King of Hyrule. He promised his subjects that his father's murderer would be found at any cost.

One person stood out amongst the usual suspects, a man named Cyrus. He was one of the late king's most trusted advisors and an able politician, but he dabbled frequently in secret magics. Many had branded him a sorcerer and a traitor from the beginning, but Zoroaster had chosen to trust him and had let him into his inner circle.

It was said by more than a few that Cyrus wanted to know more about the Triforce of the Gods.

Before Zoroaster's death, he could be found late at night searching the castle's archives for whatever clues that could lead him to the sacred relic. However, no one could ever prove that he was secretly conspiring against the King.

Cyrus went to the young prince and offered his services.

"You have a great burden on your shoulders, Highness. To find the one who took your father's life, you must seek the Golden Power," the shady advisor told his sovereign.

Tarquin's eyes seemed to blaze with new ideas and possibilities after he was told this.

The sacred Triforce was an heirloom, a symbol of the Royal Family and his birthright. Once he found it, he would take it and use it to avenge his father's death.

As the masons went back to work on the Temple of Time, the Prince searched every hidden space in Hyrule Castle. With Cyrus' help, he found clue after clue after clue, but still the Triforce eluded him. Three months passed by, and he was still no closer to finding it.

By now, Tarquin had grown sour and frustrated, and was quick to anger. Cyrus' ill advice and will had seeped into the young Prince's mind. He needed the power of the Triforce, but was foiled at every turn, until the day he found a small, golden key hidden in one of his late father's many bureaus. This obscure little object opened the door to the highest room in the castle. Tarquin had attempted to open it before, but neither he, nor Cyrus, nor any locksmith could ever hope to open it.

One night, when all was calm and peaceful, Prince Tarquin slipped up the twisting stairs to the locked room. He swallowed hard as he turned the key, waiting to see whether his months of careful plotting would yield fruit.

Unexpectedly, the door opened as the Prince pushed against it.

Inside, resting on a pillar, was the divine relic of legend.




Emitting a warm light, the three triangular pieces floated there unassumingly, and Tarquin had no fear as he approached it. For quite awhile, he did nothing but stare at it, unsure of how it was the Triforce worked its magic. The windowless chamber was illuminated only by the golden light of the Triforce. Finally, he stepped forward to claim it, but a booming voice halted his advance.

"Tarquin...I am the Essence Of The Triforce..." it said.

"Ye Goddesses, what must I do now?" the Prince asked with respect and a hint of fear.

For a brief moment, there was silence, but finally the Essence spoke to him.

"The Triforce will grant the wishes in the heart and mind of the person who touches it," it replied. "The stronger the wish, the more powerful the Triforce's expression of that wish. If a person with a good heart touches it, it will make his good wishes come true...If an evil-hearted person touches it, it grants his evil wishes..."

Prince Tarquin stood there, absorbing this knowledge. He knew now what he was getting into, what his purpose was.

"I say again, the stronger the wish, the more powerful the Triforce's expression of that wish," the Essence continued. "The Triforce is waiting for a new owner. Its Golden Power is in your hands...Now, touch it with a wish in your heart..."

Tarquin stepped up to the relic and held his hands over it.

"Gods of the Triforce! Hear that which I desire!" said the Prince in a loud voice. "Grant me the power to avenge my father's death! Let NO ONE stand in my way!"

He grasped the Triforce then with all his might and held it to his heart. This was the moment of truth, and the Prince could feel the Golden Power's warmth spreading throughout his body. It radiated through and through, up his arms and down his legs, even into his mind. Soon, the Essence reached his sour heart, and then and there decided that he was unworthy to wield the Triforce.

Prince Tarquin desperately tried to hold the relic together, but he could feel it separating in his hands. It violently split apart into its three component pieces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. The pieces floated before him, taunting him as it seemed.

Suddenly, two of the pieces disappeared from sight, leaving Tarquin with only the Triforce of Power. It embedded itself into him, leaving its mark on his right hand, the symbol of the Triforce with only the top triangle filed in.

For almost an hour, the Prince stood in that empty room staring at the back of his own hand, the sense of failure washing over him once again. That sense slowly turned to anger, then to a powerful rage that would threaten the country and those he cared for the most.

Tarquin stumbled out of the chamber and down the stairs, heady with power.

Of course, the very first person he met was Cyrus.

"What has happened, milord?" asked the magician. "Has thou claimed the Golden Power?"

"I fear I have failed once more, my friend," the Prince replied.

The Prince then went on to explain his experience with the Essence of the Triforce. He went into great detail, and even showed Cyrus the mark on the back of his hand. Upon seeing this, the magician knew that Tarquin held at least one of the pieces, and was eager to begin the search for the other two.

Cyrus immediately began to play to his young sovereign's ego.

"You know," he said in a sly tone. "Your sister is a very bright young lady. She was very close to your father, so perhaps she might know why the Triforce has broken apart."

Indeed, this was true. Zelda was very wise, despite her age. She often spent long hours in many sessions listening to her father talk about all of Hyrule's ancient legends. If there was anybody who would know of the whereabouts of the other two pieces of the Triforce, she would be the one.

That very same night, the young prince resolved to question her about the Triforce. He dismissed the guards that were standing watch at her chambers and entered her bedroom. Princess Zelda was sleeping soundly, as it was very late at night. Still, she could feel Tarquin's hot breath on her neck as he stood over her. It was enough to startle her awake, and she gaped at him with tired, bleary eyes.

"What time is it? Does thou need something, brother?" she asked, half asleep.

"I need the Power of Gold, Zelda," he said in a sinister tone. "I know how vast thy knowledge is, my sister. The kind of wisdom I seek can't be found in any book or ancient scroll. Why did the Triforce separate?! Where are the other pieces?!"

The Princess was flabbergasted. She knew now, just from his tone of voice, that he had at least one piece, the Triforce of Power, and it was enough to jolt her out of her sleepiness.

"WHERE are they?!" he demanded in a loud voice. "I MUST have them!"

All of a sudden, the Princess knew that the worst thing she could possibly do would be to tell him where the other pieces were.

"Certainly, you don't expect me to just give away that kind of knowledge," she retorted, her voice showing firm resolve. "Something like that has to be earned! I can sense much how thy heart has grown cold. Cyrus has warped your mind, Tarquin! You need help and you need to get away from him!"

The Prince was overcome with emotion and the dark forces swirling around in the depths of his psyche. He held his head in his hands and tried to make sense or all the chaos. On one hand there was the love he had for his sister, and on the other there was a sickening feeling of some kind of dark influence. Leaving her room in a daze, the young royal stumbled around the castle for a few hours until eventually finding his way back to his own chambers.

He then collapsed at the foot of his bed, the darkness seemingly raining the energy from his soul.

For three days and three nights he slept fitfully, fighting to keep his powerful desires at bay. When he did manage to venture out, Tarquin was cruel to his servants and subjects, even going so far as to whip and old woman for accidentally bumping into him.

Afterwards, Tarquin spent the next month mulling around in a sunken state in his chambers. The time eventually came for his coronation ceremony, but in the end he did not attend it. He refused to see anyone except Cyrus, who continued to twist the truth and plant seeds of doubt in the Prince's mind.

"Majesty, they are plotting against you," said the snake tongued Cyrus. "Even thy own sister works against thee. She knows who possesses the missing pieces of the Triforce. Allow me to speak with the lady princess. Perhaps she can be...persuaded into giving us the locations of the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage?"

Tarquin looked up at him with a sad, tired look upon his visage. At that point he did not have the energy left to resist Cyrus's influence, and he simply nodded his head.

This was the chance that Cyrus had been waiting for. Finally, he would be able to use the full range of his powers to extract the secrets of the Triforce from Princess Zelda. His mind-control techniques had worked brilliantly on the young Tarquin, so he figured his twin sister would also be easy prey.

The truth, however, would turn out to be quite the opposite.

Later that afternoon, he found the Princess in the castle courtyard lazily picking flowers and attempted to corner her. The air was charged with possibilities and the situation more than tense.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Cyrus said in a pleasant tone, stealthily moving in between her and the nearest door.

Simply hearing his shrill voice sent Zelda into a foul mood.

"What do you want now?" she caustically replied. "State thy business before I have the guards remove thee from my presence!"

"Please, Highness, I am here on behalf of thy brother," Cyrus answered. "Allow me to speak."

The Princess stopped him then and there. She crossed her arms and glared at him with eyes that knew he was devious and false. Quickly she grabbed a hold of her emotions, and prepared to resist what was sure to be an endless line of questions.

"Tell the truth, Cyrus," Zelda calmly said. "I can see right through you and your lies."

"Very well then, I'll get right to the point," he sneered. "Where are the Triforce pieces?! Why did it split apart?!"

"They are quite safe from you and from Tarquin," Zelda answered. "As for why it broke, look at thine own blackened soul and you shall have your answer."

Cyrus grew visibly angry after that. His eyes flashed red and his heavy cloak began to billow, even though there was no wind. Magical energy crackled around him, but the Princess was still not intimidated.

"Tarquin will never have his precious Golden Power, and neither will you, Cyrus," Zelda said sharply, turning her back to him. "This conversation has ended. There shall be no more discussion on the matter."

The Prince's advisor thought otherwise. His own ambitions took hold of him, and he grabbed the Princess by the shoulders and spun her round to face him.

"Give me the secrets of the Triforce!" Cyrus shouted at her. "They MUST be in my posession! Give them to me NOW!"

"NEVER!" Zelda yelled back, slapping him across the face as hard as she possibly could.

Angered beyond all measure of self-control, Cyrus pushed the Princess to the ground. She fell down hard on her backside, and struggled to sit up as the wizard bore down upon her. If Cyrus couldn't have the Triforce, then he'd make sure that Zelda would pay for not telling him. The sorcerer used his powerful dark magic to bind the young lady in place so he could put his dastardly plan into action.

"You've crossed me for the last time, Zelda!" Cyrus yelled in a rage. "Thou shalt never again see the light of day when I am finished here!"

If he didn't learn of the Triforce's location from her, then no one ever would.

Raising his hands in the air, the magician fired his magic bolts at her. They struck the Princess, enveloping her in a shroud of evil energy. She began to scream loudly, and her tiny form crumpled under the intense pain. She continued to scream and writhe in agony at his feet as the yellow magic bolts crackled and snapped around her.

Cyrus was about to deliver the final, crushing blow when, unexpectedly, Tarquin burst into the courtyard, sword in hand.

He'd heard his sister's shrill cries for help, and rushed to investigate. The horror that was unfolding before him was enough to drive the crown prince mad. His love for his sister transcended everything else that had value in his life, and Tarquin was not about to stand by idly whilst someone tried to harm her.

The Prince jumped into battle with a furious yell, swinging his blade in a downward arc. This startled Cyrus enough that he stopped attacking Zelda and turned to block the onrushing Tarquin. He was only partially successful, as he stopped the forceful blow, but only after being severely lacerated by the razor sharp blade.

Pressing his attack, Tarquin put his advisor on the defensive. A normal man would have been dead already, but Cyrus was no ordinary man, and used his magic powers to keep the enraged prince at bay. Dark magic swirled around the sorcerer's arms, allowing him to use them as shields.

Cyrus did little but block His Majesty's attacks. No longer surprised, he could study Tarquin for weaknesses and wait for his chance to strike him down.

The Triforce of Power grants little of anything to those who don't know how to harness its energy. Slowly but surely, Tarquin began to grow tired. Eventually, Cyrus felt the Prince's attacks die down in fervor, and it was then that he made his move. He delivered a swift blow to Tarquin's gut, then knocked the young royal aside.

The Prince was struck again hard, and fell to the ground. His sword was knocked from his hand and it fell to the ground, out of reach. The traitor was soon standing over him victoriously with a smug grin upon his twisted face.

"You have lost, Your Grace," he sneered. "I will take the piece of the Golden Power from you AFTER I let you watch me put your beloved sister into a sleep from which she will NEVER WAKE!"

Only a boy of fifteen, Tarquin didn't have the strength to fight his opponent. He was screaming on the inside, but could not speak because his mouth was almost full of blood after being struck so hard.

And so, he could only stare as Cyrus moved over to where Zelda had been lying. She had begun to stir, and was now sitting up and holding her head in pain. The black-hearted man towered over her, waiting for her to notice so he could make her end that much more dramatic. Princess Zelda turned to see Cyrus, his arms outstretched with a vortex of evil magic whirling around them. He fired this directly at her, and it struck her with such a force that she was nearly bowled head over heels.

Zelda tried to shield herself with her arms, but it was of no use. She could feel the energy being drained out of her, her very life-force, and yet there was no pain. Her eyelids began to close, and a few seconds later, Zelda collapsed onto the soft grass of the courtyard.

As her sleeping form lie there, Cyrus stumbled towards Zoroaster's only son. He appeared to be visibly shaken, and was much more pale than he had been before. The magician had used the last of his energy to put Zelda into her eternal sleep and could barely stand up anymore.

"Damn you, Tarquin," he said, his voice hoarse all of a sudden. "I underestimated thee, and thy skills as a swordsman."

"So it seems," the Prince answered, spitting out a bit of blood. "You cannot take the Triforce of Power from me. I know now what I should have known from the beginning."

"And what is that, My Lord?" Cyrus replied.

"That you are a liar, a shyster, and a traitor!" yelled the crown prince. "I shall defend the Triforce to my last days! You shall NEVER lay your grubby hands on it!"

Panting heavily, half from exhaustion and half from blind anger, Cyrus knew that Tarquin's words were true. He'd known all along that he was betraying his country, his homeland. Born and raised in Hyrule City, the magician had always had a special connection to the land. Now he'd killed its greatest king, severely injured its heir, and doomed its princess to a life without consciousness.

Cyrus screamed loudly as he realized what he had done. He had played his part in destiny, in shaping the world and bringing about the catastrophes that Enoc had been prophesizing for so long.

In a flash of magical energy, the great sorcerer disappeared. Where he went or if he would ever turn up again in the future was left up to fate.

As the light died down, Tarquin realized how truly alone he was.

He moved over to where Zelda had fallen. For a long time he simply held her limp form in his arms telling her to wake up, quietly whispering the words into her slender, pointed ears. The Princess never moved that day, nor would she ever stir again until the Triforce was complete and she was brought back to life.




Tarquin wept for his sister, and carried her to the highest tower in the castle, the room where the Golden Power had once been. He placed her on the altar there, and ordered that she be cared for. The Prince would have stayed there, by her side, until the end of time, grieving for her.

But he did not have that luxury. His duty was not only to Zelda, but to Hyrule as well. The world he had known as a child was shattered, and Tarquin grew much older than he was in just a few short months. Now would come the arduous task of reuniting the pieces of the Triforce. At that point they could have been anywhere, and the ordeal would prove to be difficult.

The future was clouded in mystery, and the young heir to the throne of Hyrule would have to lead his country without his sister's heartwarming presence. He would never forget her, even though he would die and she would never age, her body frozen in time.

Before his life came to an end, Tarquin decreed that every first-born daughter of the Royal Family be named Zelda, in memory of his beloved sister.

For the Prince, his accomplishments would be recorded and he would pass into history. The King of Hyrule's daughter, however, would pass into something far greater, the hearts and minds of every living person from that day forward.

Her legend, the legend of Zelda, had only just begun...


End







Note: This was written for Project Myth, a Yahoo! group dedicated to fleshing out the ancient legends of Hyrule. If you wish to read more stories, go to http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/projectmyth/, or send me an email at lordaugustus@sbcglobal.net.

Also, we need new Project Myth members to write new legends, so if you think you're up to the task, don't hesitate to join because we still have plenty of unwritten stories left.

^_^