The Spirit of the Hero

Chapter 1

Link jolted awake. The cold air rushed into his lungs, tearing at his throat and forcing him into a sudden and violent cough. His heart pounded in his chest as he gasped, struggling to breathe through the pain in his chest and head. Blearily, he blinked at his surroundings. Wha-? Where-?

Above him was a dark piece of sky and the heavy silhouettes of branches. As he gained control of his breaths, he became aware of the chilled earth beneath him. He grasped at the soft pine needles on the forest floor to bring some life to his limbs. Bending his frozen fingers stung, but he was grateful they still worked.

With some effort he sat up, putting a hand to his head. Soft moonlight outlined a small clearing, rimmed by towering pine trees. Only small tufts of grass poked up through the thick bed of needles and pinecones. Obviously, very few beings had ever set foot here, meaning that whatever forest this was, he was very deep into it. But where exactly is this? More importantly, how did I get here? He squinted at the patch of stars above him, tracing from light to light in the hopes of finding a familiar constellation. None appeared, but very few pinpricks were visible to begin with.

Sighing, he turned his attention away from the sky. His fingers, though cold, were far from frostbitten, and none of the forest dust had seemed to settle on his soft green tunic. On the ground to the left he found his sword, and to the right his shield, both completely untouched by the elements. With further inspection he found the soles of his boots spotless, and his hair mostly without tangles. However he had gotten here, he hadn't been here long. What was I doing? Where was I before?

Images of a castle interior flashed through his mind. Warm smiles, laughter, music. Next to him, a woman in pink with beautiful auburn hair. That's right. The feast. Her awakening feast. The Princess had just given a toast, and then... Link gasped and began searching his pockets. Boomerang, bow, candlestick, potions, but where is it? It can't be gone.

At last, in the bottom of his rupee pouch, his hand clasped around the small wooden box. It's still here. Good. His relief quickly turned into confusion. But if I still have it, what happened? I was about to make my toast, and... Try as he might, the last thing he could remember was clinking a spoon against his goblet. This is all too strange. An invasion? But I seem unharmed. Magic, perhaps? But I wasn't wearing this tunic at the feast. What magic would change my clothes but also provide me with my weapons and equipment? To what end?

The wind licked his face and sent a chill down his spine. Whatever had happened, trying to puzzle it out here would do little good. The clearing was nearly empty, with no signs of disturbance and no features that would hint at anything mystical. More importantly, there wasn't much in the way of shelter – without it, he might freeze before the sun rose over the treetops. Traversing the woods at night wasn't ideal either, but the moon was at its peak. The light wouldn't be this good for much longer.

Link pushed himself to his feet, strapping his shield to his back and his sword to his waist. With another glance at the moon, he found south and started off. If this was the forest he was thinking of, the nearest town would surely be south. Few pine forests grew so thickly in Hyrule as the ones on the northern border. Of course, that was on the assumption that this was, in fact, Hyrule. He tried to ignore that thought and instead take comfort in the familiarity of forest travel.

The woods were damp, the earth sinking slightly with every step. Though only a swift breeze grazed his face, he could hear the creaking and snapping of branches far above him and see the vague shadows of the treetops whipping back and forth. Droplets plipped onto his tunic here and there. He shivered and held in a groan as a particularly large one hit his neck and slid down his back. He was tempted to light his candle, both for the warmth and added visibility, but opted to leave it stowed in his pouch for the same reason he stifled his frustration. I don't know this forest. There could be anything out there.