The Legend Of Zelda: The Curse Of Zant

Chapter 1: Serenity Broken

At last it seemed like Hyrule kingdom was finally free of attacks from evil beings. It had been months since Ganon's last attempt to claim the kingdom for his own. He had failed gravely, and Link had not only defeated him, but also weakened him gravely. It was most likely that it would take the demon king much longer than a few months to recover... and if they were lucky, he wouldn't.

Since Link had saved the kingdom once again, the king of Hyrule had not only allowed him to stay at the castle along with Princess Zelda, but had also given his blessing on their engagement. It was now nearing the end of spring time, and the happy couple's wedding would take place the very next evening - which also happened to be the summer solstice.

Although it was traditional for him not to see his bride to be the night before their wedding, Link could not help himself, and so now here he was stood outside her bed chambers awaiting an answer to his knock on her door. Though he was nervous on the inside, on the outside it was not showing.

When the door finally opened and the beautifully angelic Princess stood before him, he smiled and all the nervous feelings faded away.

"My dear Link, what are you doing here at such an hour? You know we really shouldn't be seeing each other until tomorrow at the ceremony." She greeted him, her voice soft and warm as per usual.

"Your highness, my beautiful bride to be, I just couldn't wait that long. I had to see you before. At least for a moment, and no one has to know." He informed her, taking her hand into his and bringing it to his lips and planting a sweet kiss on her porcelain like skin.

"Okay, come on in... but be quick! My father shall not like this if he were to find out." She caved in, opening the door wider for him to step through.

With a bow of his head, he accepted her invitation and entered the room that, come tomorrow night, he would be sharing with the Princess. Once he was safely on the other side, Zelda peered around the hall of the castle to ensure that no one had seen, and once she could confirm that there was nothing, she closed the door.

"What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" She asked politely, tilting her head to one side as she admired the sight of him in his rupee green tunic.

"I uhh.... I just needed to see you one last time before we tie the knot, your highness." Link stammered.

Even the sight of the Princess in her night gown was giving him butterflies. He normally would never go against tradition, but there was something on his mind that he was just desperate to share with her. After tomorrow, he wanted a fresh start, and that meant no secrets or misunderstandings. The sooner he clarified this with her, the better.

"Oh, is something wrong my dear Link?" She questioned with fear flashing in her eyes.

"Not at all Princess, please do not be alarmed. What I have to say might change your mind on me though." He prepared her - and himself, for what he was about to say.

Gesturing for her to sit down, he waited until she had made herself comfortable before pulling up a wooden chair and sitting down on it, backwards with his arms propping him up.

"Please continue." Zelda requested.

"As you wish, Princess." He obliged. Taking a breath, he continued. "You see, I do love you quite dearly and I'm afraid that you might become angry at me for what I am about to tell you." He began nervously, searching for the right words and tone to use.

"For what reason would I possibly be mad at you?" She inquired.

"Well your highness, while I was on my quest to save you and the rest of Hyrule from eternal doom, there were a lot of females that I encountered on my journeys. They were all very friendly... but some were a little flirty." He admitted sheepishly, his voice glazed with embarrassment.

Link sat and observed the Princess, trying to read her expression to tell how she was feeling. She closed her eyes and bowed her head with her two hands joined together in front of her face. For a moment, a fearful thought entered his mind... until finally she her hands dropped to her sides and she lifted her head while opening her eyes at the same time.

He watched intensely as she opened her mouth to speak, but just as the words were about to escape through her lips, a song of screams echoed throughout the castle. Screams to terror and cries for help were bouncing off the wall amongst the sounds of swords clashing and concrete breaking.

Unsheathing his sword, Link jumped up from where he was sat and sprinted towards the door, only stopping when he felt Zelda's hand on his shoulder.

"My dear Link, please do be careful." She pleaded.

"Don't worry Princess, no harm will come to you or anyone else." He assured her.

She nodded in agreement as he turned back towards the door and twisted the handle.

When the door swung open, the pair were taken by surprise as a shadow being from the long sealed off Twilight Realm barrelled into the room, knocking Link off of his feat, sending him flying in one direction and his sword in another.

Filled with a fierce anger, the Princess made a dive across the room for the sword. Grasping it only seconds before the intruder could, she swung at them with full force, only for them to dodge the blow.

Having only just regained focus, Link scrambled to his feet and because he was without sword or shield, he tackled their enemy, taking them down to the floor. The only weapons being his hands.

Despite the strength that he had gained across many of his quests, this time the young hero was caught off guard. As he was about to get the upper hand, another of the creatures came crashing into the room and made a move to attack.

The next thing that Link felt was a sharp pain in his side before the room began to spin in his dizzy state. Within seconds he had hit the floor with a harsh thud and as his eyes fluttered closed the last thing he saw was his Princess in the clutches of the intruders and her cries for help filling his ears until everything faded into the distance, leaving him in nothing but darkness.