Son of the Hero

Chapter 1

When Uther finally stopped, he had been riding for two days straight.

Epona didn't seem to be all that tired, but the moment she hopped off her back and he led her into the small town that they approached, she started to go very slowly. He himself was more tired than he had been in a long time. After working at school and on the farm, not to mention that he got no sleep, and riding for two days, he was exhausted. The people in the town looked at him as he passed, and Uther reached for the amulet on his neck, which was under his shirt at the moment, so others couldn't see it. He sighed in relief, dropping his arm to his side.

Not paying the other attention to the eyes who were watching him, he made his way to the inn, only to be greeted by a stable boy, a little younger than he was. "Could you take my horse to the stables? And get her some grain?" the boy looked up at him, and then nodded without saying a word, grabbing Epona's reins. He walked up the steps to the inn, where the smells of home cooking and the sounds of laughter floated from.

Inside, he was greeted by a large room, with tables placed here and there. A few people sat at the tables, some of them Hylian, some were even Gerudo. But they all seemed to come from different places. Biting down on his bottom lip, he made his way towards a man who must have been the inn keeper. "How many nights?" the man asked, not even turning around. "Just one sir... and a hot meal if you can spare it" he brought out thirty rupees and handed it to the man, who had now turned to him. 

"Alright... YOU THERE!" he yelled at one of the tavern maids, who froze and turned to him. "Get this gentleman anything he wants" 

She didn't say a word, but nodded and motioned for him to follow her down a long hallway.

"Here is your room... you look tired" she said quietly, opening the door and handing him the key. "Thank you" he brought out his wallet of rupees, and gave her five rupees. The girl looked at them in awe, and nodded at him in respect. "Tell me if you need anything, if you need anything to eat, there's soup in the kitchen" she said, her voice a little louder, but still what would be considered a whisper. "If you would, get me a hot meal if you would... and some ail" he knew that his parents would kill him if they ever found out, but they weren't here, were they?

The girl nodded and headed out of the room, leaving Uther by himself. He slipped out of his boots, jacket, and cloak before lying down and looking up at the ceiling, fighting back the urge to sleep. If he slept now, he'd never be able to eat... or, at least, the food would get cold. Luckily, the Tavern Maid came back within a few minutes, putting a large tray of food on the table beside him. There was a bowl of stew, a thick slice of garlic bread, and a large mug of ail. "Thank you..." he said, already half asleep as she made her way out of the room and shut the door, nodding respectfully as she left.

Uther reached for the bowl, and propped himself up against the bed post, lifting the spoon to his mouth. The meat and vegetables burned his mouth, but he barely noticed as he finished off the bowl and the bread, his hunger all but gone. His eyes froze on the mug of ail... Something that his parents would never approve of, that was for sure. But he knew that his father drank once in a while, and it never seemed to effect him much. So why not try a bit. He took the mug and chugged it all down, almost all at once, before putting everything back on the tray, and situating himself to look at the ceiling once again.

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Sleep did not come as easily as he thought it would. For almost two hours he layed their, staring at the ceiling, his eye lids becoming heavier and heavier. But it was as if he was to tired to fall asleep. No matter how much he tried, it seemed impossible to fall unconscious. His mind always drifted back to the amulet around his neck, which he dare not take off (in case somebody stole it). The jem glowed just a bit brighter now, showing him that he was a bit closer to what he wanted to find. His sister.

Nabooru had run away on his sisters birthday, some two months before. He'd thought about going after her, but the fact was... he really didn't have the courage until his father said that he was going. Which of course, Uther couldn't allow, because his father was the Hero of Time, who had eight other heroes to take care of. He had run away (with the help of his other sister, Saria) in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep. But not before stealing the sword of the Hero of Warriors, the shield of the Hero of Twilight, and the bow and arrows of the Hero of the Wild. Goddesses, he prayed that Saria never told them the truth... those three would be furious at both of them.

As he thought of the events of the past few days, he finally drifted off to sleep, his mind filling up with the shadows of nightmares. 

He was back in the odd shop, where he had gotten the amulet. But now, everything was dark, except for the man that ran the shop, who was illuminated from a red light below him.

"Who are you?" Uther asked, trying to step forwards, and realizing that something was grabbing his leg. 

No.

Not something.

Someone.

He looked down to find skeleton hands grabbing at his ankles, pulling him to the ground. Unable to scream, he looked back at the man for help. But he just stood there, that odd smile on his face. "The son of the Gerudo" the man chided, his voice sounding... different, more malice filled now. "The Son of the Gerudo.... You were never supposed to be born child" his face changed, his hair growing longer and changing to a dark crimson, his figure growing taller, his skin turning sickly green, and his ears losing their point.

Uther didn't need to ask who this was.

He knew from every history book he'd ever read.

This was the king of the Gerudo.

"But... you're dead! My father killed you.... Imprisoned you! You're dead!" he insisted, wishing it was true. Ganondorf stepped forward, kneeling down so that the two were face to face. "Your father was an idiot boy... to think that the Twilight Realm would hold me? Well, no matter, I killed his precious Zora Queen. And now... I can't wait to get my hands on you..."

Uther sat straight up, panting. Sweat covered his body, thought the room was actually pretty chilly. Calming himself, he buried his face in the pillow, hand clutching the locket as he drifted back to sleep.

This time, no dreams disturbed him.