Destiny of the Kingdom

Chapter 13: Lost and Found

The last rays of the departing day's sun set over the mountain tops far to the west. The blue sky of the day faded; changing into a mixture of purple and orange hue covering the entire sky as far as one could see. Specks of dots began to appear, layered behind the mixed colored sky. They were stars, beginning to shine bright as day faded into twilight. Thin, scattered white clouds covered parts of the sky, layered over top the mixed colors now showing through the transparent clouds.

Strong gusts of wind blew from the northern mountains of Lanayru down onto the rolling hills of a quaint but familiar village, Hateno. The tall grass from the fenced pastures of farms to the village's east blew over, side-to-side, at the sudden gusts of wind. The hilly terrain caused the wind to redirect in all directions, sending the gusts toward structures at the entrances of the farms. The farmers, putting away their tools in their sheds after a long day's work, headed for home to cook the evening's meal. Several farmers felt the immediate gusts of wind, which sent a shiver down their spine. It was early spring in the village, as farmers began planting and nurturing crops for the coming summer growing season. Nights in the village this time of year were typically mild. But on this given evening, a cold front from the north approached, dropping the temperature around ten degrees. After a brief shiver, the farmers gathered themselves and went inside their homes to prepare the evening's meal for their families.

The central square of the village to its west saw merchants closing shop for the day. Locking their shop's doors, the proprietors of each establishment left for home, also readying to prepare the evening's meal. The cold gusts of wind from the north also made their way down to the square. Each merchant felt the cold traverse across one's body, causing the hair on one's arms to stand up. It was abnormal for such a cold front to enter the village this time of year. Thinking nothing more of it, each merchant brushed off the breeze and proceeded home.

The sky darkened as the colored hues faded; the stars were now layered on top and shone brighter, becoming less transparent and more solid in the foreground. The village square became eerily quiet as no more remained. At the top of the hill from the village's entrance, a familiar path ran up another hill toward the familiar boxed houses. The cold wind gusts blew in between the houses and over top the wooden bridge spanning the ravine below before stopping in front of a small house on a plateau surrounded by mountain sides and a small pond.

The house sat quiet all day, with no one inside. Usually, when home, its occupants would make for the village square or perform chores around the house on any given day. But today, they were nowhere to be found, almost as if they had vanished from existence.

The wind blew the wooden shutters from side to side, making a knocking thud against the stucco siding of the house. The wind took the path of least resistance and blew itself along the sides of the house before hitting the sides of the mountains in the back of the house. The temperature immediately dropped ten degrees, spawning a chill in the nighttime air.

Gazing through the glazed windows at the front of the house, all one could see was blackness inside. The house was eerily quiet, just like the rest of the exterior of the village. While the village's residents began to consume the evening's meal, no meal was prepared for the occupants of the empty home.

Suddenly the dark interior of the house began to emit light. A yellow light and sphere engulfed the main room of the house where the outline of two figures appeared within the sphere. The sphere began to fade as the yellow light dimmed; the two figures became more transparent, emerging with recognizable features as the sphere vanished and the light went out completely. Standing in the center of the main room, stood two familiar Hylians, Link and Zelda, having arrived home from their trip through time.

Coming to, Link sighed a breath of relief, acknowledging they were home in their own present time. Zelda raised her right hand and placed it on her chest. Breathing shallowly, she slowly regained her composure, allowing her breathing to return to normal. Both Hylians, unsure of their current location, as they stood in a dark room, noticed a faint light coming from the glazed windows of the house's front.