The Legend of Zelda: Wisdom and Courage

Chapter 1: Hylian Sunset

Wisdom and Courage

Book 2 of the Bound Destinies Trilogy

Chapter 1: Hylian Sunset

A variety of gentle sounds could be heard echoing across the vast Hyrule Field as the orange glow of the setting sun began to cover it: the rushing of Zora's river in the distance, the call of the birds as they flew overhead, the crickets beginning their evening songs, the rustling of the animals settling down for the evening at Lon Lon Ranch. But on this particular evening, the sound of rushing horse hooves erupted over the natural sounds of the field.

A pair of horses, one a magnificent brown mare and the other a royal white stallion, raced across the field, each at the behest of their respective owners. And the strong, playful laughter of both of their youthful riders was almost as loud as the horses' hooves.

"Link!" the young woman riding on the white steed called out laughingly and breathlessly to the rider of the brown horse, who was gaining the advantage as the two raced across the field. "Slow down!"

"What's the matter princess?" the young man on the brown horse called out with equal verve as he smiled back at her. "I thought you said you'd be able to keep up!"

"Hey!" Hyrule's princess said defensively. "I told you not to call me that! And besides, we've been at this for hours! Sage is getting tired and I'm sure Epona is too!"

"All right, fine," the young hero said, gradually bringing his speeding horse to a halt. The princess quickly followed suit behind him. "But just so you know, Epona could keep going even longer."

"Are you implying that she's stronger than Sage?" Princess Zelda crossed her arms as she relaxed on her horse's reigns. "I'll have you know that Sage is a purebred, one of the finest horses in all of Hyrule."

"Does that really have anything to do with it?" Link asked, giving her a clever grin.

Zelda couldn't help but laugh as she reached down to pat Sage's side, knowing that such playful mannerisms were common between her and the hero. "No," she agreed. "I guess not."

A warm summer breeze brew through the grass of the field, as the two of them hesitantly glanced towards the castle, its ivory towers reflecting the orange of the sunset. "It's getting late," Link said, finally noticing that the sun was almost gone. "Are you ready to head back?"

Zelda's smile faded as she quickly looked away from the direction of the pristine castle she had always called home. "We don't have to just yet…" she said, not ready to abandon the feeling of freedom that she experienced whenever she would sneak out of the castle to explore Hyrule with Link. It was a feeling she treasured, and one she certainly couldn't get within the cold stone walls of her stately castle home, where she was constantly burdened with an ever growing list of responsibilities that weighed her shoulders down. In a less than a year, she knew that she would most likely be crowned queen of Hyrule, an appointment that would make leisurely occasions such as this almost impossibility. But at least for now, it was easy to see why Zelda looked forward to her outings with Link, which seemed to be occurring more and more recently as of late. At least twice a week, he would help her slip out of the castle to whatever adventure fate would lead them on for the day, unnoticed by anyone but Zelda's watchful nursemaid Impa, who trusted the young hero enough to keep the princess safe from harm. After all, the two had been doing this for years, ever since they were children.

For any outsider looking in, the relationship that Link and Zelda shared didn't appear to be so complex. Aside from their differing social statuses, there had been little able to keep the two close friends apart for the past seven years and that much was clear to anyone who saw them together. However, there was a much deeper side to their friendship than most realized, as it had been because of their almost instinctual devotion to each other that the two of them managed to save Hyrule before great destruction ever even had a chance to befall it.