Memories of Hyrule Past

Chapter 3 - The Master Sword

Summary: As sword competition champion, Link earns the opportunity to attempt to draw the legendary sword that seals the darkness.

The trip back to Hyrule Castle was uneventful. When I arrived back at my unit, I found a letter with the Hyrule Royal Insignia waiting for me. And she got my name right.

Link,

After you won the Hyrule Swordsmanship Championship, I mentioned another trial awaited you. Each year the winner of the competition is given an opportunity to see if they will be chosen by the sword that seals the darkness to wield it. Therefore, you will accompany me to the place the sword is kept and be given a chance to draw the sword from its resting place. We will leave in one week.

Zelda

Princess of Hyrule

That was two days from now. And when the day arrived, Princess Zelda, two Royal Guards, and I headed off to the place where the sacred sword was kept. Apparently, the exact location was a well-kept secret. The first part of the journey took us northeast past the Rauru Settlement and Military Training Camp. Her Highness rode behind the two guards, and I rode next to her. We were mostly quiet as we rode, but Princess Zelda did ask me a few questions about my family. There was little I could tell her other than about my mother and father. One thing she said we had in common was the loss of our mothers at a young age. She told me she had been making this trip for the last couple of years. When she was very young, her mother made the trip, and after her mother died, her father had, until she was old enough to take over. I got the impression this trip was viewed as something of a formality, without any expectation of success.

Eventually, we all rode into a wooded area and ended up near some sort of entrance. We dismounted, and Princess Zelda said that only she and I could proceed further. The guards would need to wait here. The area beyond the entrance was covered in fog and looked very mysterious. I couldn't imagine anyone trying to navigate in the dense fog.

"I am afraid you will need to be blindfolded. The location of the sword that seals the darkness is highly secret," said Zelda.

"I understand, Your Highness," I answered.

So, I was duly blindfolded by one of the guards, then Her Highness took me by the arm, and we walked through the woods. The path took many turns, and I had no sense of direction. Finally, she announced we had arrived, and I could remove my blindfold.

I found myself standing on a triangular stone platform with the legendary sword in front of me, the hilt and upper part of the blade visible, but the lower blade encased in stone. In appearance, it looked a good deal like the Royal Guards sword I carried. But at the moment, all I could think about was how humbling to be standing before the blade that had served the heroes of legend for countless years. In front of the pedestal was a gigantic tree that looked as old as the hills.

"Link, you may now attempt to withdraw the blade," said Zelda. "Try your best. But if you feel your strength ebbing away too quickly, you must stop at once. It would be dangerous to continue in that case. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness," I answered.

I knew that no one in living memory had been able to draw the blade, and I thought it unlikely I would either. I reached down, gripped the sword, and began pulling. I pulled as hard as I could, and at first, nothing happened, though I started to feel weaker and weaker. But as I kept pulling, I started to feel the sword move, and I sensed a small chirping sound within me. I kept on pulling, and to my and Her Highness's utter amazement, I was able to remove the sword from its resting place.

I didn't know what to do next. I stood there awkwardly with the sword in my hand, looking at it, then looking up at Princess Zelda. And she, in turn, kept staring at me with her mouth open for what seemed several minutes. I think she was trying to take in what had just happened. Then she finally spoke, and her voice was quaking in what I think was a combination of fear and excitement.