Tales from Hyrule: The Fisherman's Anecdotes

The Violin Girl

One by one we left the gate of Hateno and rode down the steep hill. It was me first, then Gab and Landen. Eughan was the charioteer, then Kal and Bowie on the tail to guard the wagon from any assaults from behind.

We didn't get further than the Ginner Woods before we heard a high pitched scream. Gale stopped, his ears were pointed as he looked into the woods. I listened with him; a snorting sound was heard.

"GET AFF HER!!" I heard my brother yell from the back, and shortly after I saw him riding into the woods with his blade drawn. I could barely see what happened, but I heard the noise of sword swinging, a cut and blood splashing followed by a familiar squeal; Bokoblin.

Kal returned from behind the trees with a girl. She was shook, and with a stuttering voice she thanked him. Kal was notorious for acting first and thinking later, but in this case it was good; his quick reactions was also a reason he was put last to guard the tail.

"Wit's a lass like yersel' daen oot in the woods?" My heroic opportunist of a brother asked.

"I.. I got lost..." the girl replied. Her hair was purple and she carried a violin on her back.

"So where ye tae?"

"Dueling Peaks Stable..." she said. "My father is waiting for me there."

Dueling Peaks Stable was to be our first stop either way, so we all agreed we'd give her a ride.

"Wit's yer name?" Kal asked.

"Fiola..."

"Bonnie name fir a bonnie lass, seems tae fit ye," he nodded towards her violin as he helped her up on the wagon. "Am Kaliam but ye can jist call me Kal." As predicted, he put on his charming smile. "Yer safe wae us."

"Kal and I will protect ye!" Bowie filled in.

Bowie was a little bit like a human Goron. Big, strong and kind but not the sharpest razor. His actual name was Frederick, but an incident with a Lizalfos that gave him a permanent scar on the elbow some years ago made Kal start calling him Bowie, and the rest of us got so used to it we almost forgot that we used to call him Fred.

We passed Camphor Pond and Ovli Plains, rode along the Fir River as the landscape grew a little more dramatic, with the Cliffs of Quince on our left and Robred Dropoff on our right before the road turned and we reached another grove, with what seemed to be an abandoned cabin in the middle of it.

The walls of Fort Hateno laid just ahead of us. The divider between East and West Necluda, where the great hero Link fell 75 years ago.

My weariness grew inside me as I stopped before the decayed wall. Dark memories of Hyrule were to be displayed on the other side of the gates. I braced myself mentally and emotionally. I turned over my shoulder and spoke to the group.

"We're aboot tae pass Fort Hateno. None ae us huv seen a Guardian before, so prepare yersels. Many knights fell tae them oan this battlefield against the Calamity." I said before leading them through the gates.

—-

An apricot yellow light was falling on us as the sun was setting behind the Dueling Peaks in the west when we passed through the gate. Hundreds of big spider-like mechanical carcasses were spread across the landscape known as the Blatchery Plains.

Never had I ever seen a real Guardian before this, but it was like I could feel the despair, the fear, the panic, hopelessness and sorrow as I gazed over the remains laying on the battlefield. An uncanny feeling along with a wave of shivers went through my body the instant before a mechanical sound was heard somewhere on our right. I immediately turned over my shoulder and my gaze met the blue light of one of the Guardian heads having rozen up and was eagerly turning its single eye to the left and right searching for a target. It was buzzing rhythmically as it slowly spun and changed direction. It must have reacted to the sounds of the hooves as we walked through the gate.