Stroke of lightning

Chapter Three

King...Rhoam. Last king of Hyrule? Why did that name sound so familiar. Why did hearing that name made Link kneel. Why did hearing that name fill Link with immediate guilt and shame. WHY?!

Link's head felt like it would be split due to the reveal. Even on one knee he grasped his head, gritting his teeth before he let out a grunt. It felt like something was about to break in his mind, a barrier created by the amnesia his revival brought.

Link decided he would endure. He WOULD get the answers he sought.

Rhoam, seeing Links struggle with his memories decided he would give him a push. "You, are Link. Royal knight to hyrule, and personal guard of Princess Zelda, my daughter."

That seemed to do it. Link's eyes widened as, like water bursting forth from a dam, memories flooded his mind. Memories of a time long lost to the ravages of time. Laughter echoed in his mind, the joy of playing with a friend he couldn't yet know.

Memories of his training, intense especially for a young child made his body ache with a phantom pain.  His father, face stern but eyes holding a warmth only fathers could hold, taught him the art of wielding a sword.

Memories of cooking, a joyous time for the glutton link had always been nearly brought a smile to his face. His mother, her smile radiant like the sun, taught him the magic of cooking.

Then his memories took a sinister turn. He regained the memories of war. The monster blood he spilled in the name of Hyrule. The hordes of monsters he had slain with a cold and merciless heart. He had killed thousands upon thousands by the time he was 14.

He regained the memories of being chosen as the hylian champion. The feeling of being crushed by responsibility fresh in his mind. The looks he got as he walked out of the royal throne room from servants made him want to curl into a ball. The pity was palpable.

He remembered that day holing himself up in his room, wishing it was all a dream. His Father had been the one to comfort him.

"Link. I know this is a lot. Believe me, i know." His father had began, sitting beside the 12 year old. His father sighed, reaching out and pulling Link close. "I know that it feels as if the world is slowly crushing you. I know that it feels as if the world is now your responsibility." He added as Link couldn't help but nod slightly.

"I also know that isn't the case." This caused Link to look over, seeing his dad grinning at him. "This world is as much your responsibility as it is mine, or your mothers. It is not yours alone. This burden is not yours alone. Everyone stands with you, beside you. You may be the one to wield the legendary sword that seals the darkness, but all of us will be the shield that protects you from that evil."

Link looked at his father with wonder, his father smiling as he ruffled link's hair. "So chin up. After all, look at it this way. Now you really are a hero like the stories you loved as a boy." He said as Link couldn't help but grin. His father was right. Now he has his fair share of responsibility, but he wasn't the sole carrier. He had support, he had people he could rely on. He wasn't alone. Not now, not in the future.

That memory caused a pang of sorrow within him. He ended up failing, unable to live up to his burden. He couldn't remember where he went wrong exactly, and that made him feel worse. His failure, whatever that was, cost Hyrule so much over the years. Guilt filled him, though that was very quickly replaced by resolve. He'd make this right.

By the time all the memories he would get at this moment had returned he was kneeling in front of King Rhoam, attention solely on the former King. The former king nodded his head at Link, pleased to see Link had regained any memories at all. "What do you remember Link?" Rhoam asked as Link explained he remembered much of his childhood, and held memories up until he was about 14. He came to learn that was about 3 years before the calamity.