Hylian Folklore: A Retelling of the Twilight Princess

Birth of a Princess

Cheers rang out from every corner of Castle Town. Bells tolled in distant towers and hundreds of white doves were released into the sky. The King and Queen stood in a balcony overlooking the town below. The King looked down at the beautiful baby girl in his wife's arms. Today should have been the happiest day of his life. He should be celebrating with his people, but instead his face was filled with sadness. Today he would be forced to betroth his precious daughter to the Boy King of the Gerudo, Ganondorf. His thoughts were so heavy that he had not noticed the sound of the trumpets. He felt the Queen jab him with her elbow. Remembering that the trumpets were his cue, he quickly raised a hand and the crowds fell silent.

"People of Hyrule, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you, your new princess, Princess Zelda."

He lifted the child from his wife's arms and held her high for everyone to see. The crowd remained oddly quite, for they new what it meant to name a princess Zelda. The King placed his daughter back into his wife's loving arms, looking at them both fondly. The princess had her mother's beautiful blue eyes and delicate features. Like all Hylians, her ears were long and came to a fine point. He cupped her tiny head in his hand and kissed her on the forehead. Her soft brown hair tickling his nose. That was the one thing she had in his likeness, her hair. Most Hylian women of the royal bloodline favored the blond hair like his wife. He took this as a sign that his daughter was special. That is why he named her Zelda, after his Grandmother, Queen Zelda. Though many princesses had been given this name in the past, it was also a name that was given with great caution. Each Zelda lived though dark times, but with the help of the Hero clad in Green, they would rise from the ashes to save Hyrule in its darkest hour.

As the King and Queen walked out of sight, the crowd resumed their cheers, but they were much more reserved then before. He knew they were fearful of what this new princess might bring. They had no idea what was about to take place on this day. The royal family made their way downstairs where many important people were waiting to bestow gifts upon the new princess. There was Darbus the gentle rock giant and Chief of the Gorons, the young Queen Rutela of the amphibious Zoras, and even the Mayor of Ordon Village, Bo. The king noticed two young children playing at Bo's feet. One was a sandy haired girl the king knew as Ilia, Bo's daughter. The other was a young boy about the same age as Ilia. He could almost pass as her twin. The King could not help staring at the boy.

"I am sorry, sir," Bo said when he noticed the King watching the children, "My wife is out of town and I could not find anyone to watch them in such short notice."

"No worries, Bo," the King assured him, "This is a day for a child. Two more is perfectly fine."

"Thank you," Bo said sounding relieved.

The King Looked down at the male child again, saying, "Tell me, who is the young man?"

Bo rubbed his head, "We have been calling him Link."

The king looked puzzled by this. "You don't know his name?"

"No one does," Bo said shrugging, "My wife found him in the woods at Ordon Springs. Only Ordona knows how he got there. We looked for his family but there was no sign of them. We just sorta took him in. Ilia is especially fond of him."

"How sad..." said the King as he watched the young orphan playing with Ilia, "I am glad the two get along so well." He looked over his shoulder to see his wife place the baby in a crib near her throne, "I better join my wife," the King waved good bye to his old friend. As he started to turn around, he felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down to see Link holding onto his breeches. "What is it, young man?" The King asked with a smile.

Link pointed to the baby with a chubby finger. Bo started to rub his head again, "He wants to see the baby, I think."

"Is he mute?" The king asked.