Legend of Zelda: A New Age

Chapter 1: The Runaway

Hey y'all! Thank you so much for reading this fanfic! This is my first one so please pardon me if I make a few spelling typos here and there or some parts just don't sound quite right 😅 Also constructive Criticism is much appreciated! Thank you and I hope you enjoy!
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It was dark as night and there was a cold breeze in the air. Rain was pouring down hard enough to put a dent in your skin and the air was thick and heavy. There were soldiers shouting in the distance as they chased after a boy, no older then the age of 17, through the woods and up the mountain. It was getting harder and harder to breath the further up he ran but he had to keep going if he wanted to escape the soldiers his father had sent after him.

The boy, Link, finally heard their cries fade in the distance and what sounded like a call to head back. He sat down beside a tree while he struggled to catch his breath. His father sure did have ways of trying to keep tabs on him. He took out an apple from his satchel as he started to plan out where he would go the next morning. He sure couldn't stay in this town much longer, not with what was in store for him if he was returned back to his father, in a house that he felt like he could no longer call home.

It started the previous morning, his father, lord over the New Castletown, was an unfortunate alcoholic, and his mother liked to spend her nights entertaining the men and nobles at the tavern. He had gone out to run errands for his father like usual, the typical looking at the markets for fresh vegetables, herbs, and other produce. He then walked home and attended to the horses when he suddenly heard an angered shout from inside. He ran through the door and saw his father holding a letter in his hand. He shot daggers at Link as he approached and yelled, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

At the top of the letter it was addressed to Link, and read,
"Dear Link,
Do you remember the stories of old, of the heroes whom wielded the triforce, to protect this land from evil? Well we have reason to believe that you may be a reincarnation of the hero. The royal guard said that the sword you turned over to us turned out to be the legendary sword, the sword that seals the darkness. I humbly request that you attend a meeting at Hyrule castle within a fortnight at noon.
                                                      Sincerely,
                                                   Queen Barenziah

Link stared in disbelief at the letter, that was, until his father started shouting once again.
"Of all things that could happen, THIS IS IT? Do you even remember what happened to your great grandfather, or must I remind you? Of how the previous hero murdered him in cold blood, all because they had different opinions?! Of how it took me years to redeem our family name and regain our position, and now come to find out that YOU are the cause of this! You are a disgrace to this family, I want you out of my sight, NOW! Or even better, throw him in the cellar! You will miss this meeting one way or another, whether it means you're dead by then or not.

He gestures towards the guards standing by the door and they immediately secure Link in a tight grip. Link tries to kick at them and get them to release their grip on him, but it is no use. They toss him in the dungeon with a small wine skin of water, only halfway filled. They lock the cellar doors and then bolt them shut. Link tumbles to the ground like a rag doll and and immediately gets back up and runs toward the door.
"Let me out! It's not my fault, I didn't choose this!" He shouted as he banged on the door, but no one would answer his cries of help.

He looked around for any source of light besides the crack in the door. He managed to find a lantern and lit it. He saw that there was a window, but it was boarded shut, so he looked around for any tools he could use to take the boards off. After searching for what seemed like forever he finally found a hammer. He went over to the boards with it and started tearing them down, getting some splinters in his hands in the process. He knew that he'd have to make this quick when he breaks the glass or he'll be caught and probably be given a worse punishment. Thankfully he was pretty sure when he was tending to the horses earlier he forgot to take the gear off of his so it's a straight run to there. He gets the hammer ready in his hand, swings his arm back, and shatters the glass.

It bursts with a loud crack and a few pieces of glass get stuck in his hands. He flinched for a moment but quickly hoists himself up and jumps out the window. He sprints towards the stable and practically jumps on his horse. They make a mad dash towards the village to gather supplies real quick, but by the time they get there it's too late, guards are stationed everywhere in the event that he were to escape. He quickly whirled around when he started seeing arrows whizzing past him, just barely grazing his hair.

He motions for his horse to go into a full on gallop towards the mountains where they'll hopefully be safe. They run in between trees to try and shake the oncoming soldiers but it's too late. The soldiers have already caught up to them and are preparing to fire another round of arrows. The two manage to dodge the first half, but Link's horse takes a bit in the second and falls to the ground along with Link. He's stunned for a moment, but had to keep moving. There would be time to grieve for his loyal steed later but for right now he needed to run. He started running in between trees, hiding under huge rocks and small caves, and would climb up a tree whenever the soldiers got too close, which is how he got to where he is now.

He wondered if he truly was the hero from legend, he sure didn't feel courageous like him, and the supposed triforce had not appeared on his hand yet. He sighed and leaned his head back against the tree. "What am I gonna do now?"
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Hey y'all! Again, I hope you enjoyed, and I think my upload schedule will hopefully be one chapter every Saturday, depending on if I'm feeling super productive that week maybe two or three chapters but we'll see. And I do plan on making an official cover for this story, the one that's on now is just temporary until I have time to make one
Hope y'all have a lovely day/night <3
- Jade