The Legend of Zelda: the wilds of Ilsingrose

His Blood Awakens

"Link!" I could hear the princess scream. I tried to open my mouth, tried to tell her that everything was fine. But my voice failed me as pain exploded in the back of my head and my vision swam. I fell to my knees, still gripping my broadsword.

'Shit!' I thought as a boot hit my shoulder, knocking me flat into the snow. Temperature shock hit me hard, causing me to gasp. I was not dressed for the weather.

White long sleeve shirt under the lapis blue tunic of a royal guard, tan trousers with knee high boots. The only armour I wore was my leather wrist guard. The snow began to soak into my clothes, chilling me.

By comparison Zelda was much better equipped for the climate. At Least she wore a coat over her court clothes. Tall fur-lined boots and a hooded cloak covered her pretty well. She clenched her rapier tight.

I forced my face up, pushing myself up on my elbows. Blood had begun to trickle down my face. I met Zelda's eyes, green as a thunder-wing and filled with fear, and called out.

"Princess, run!" she nodded, turned and ran. I shifted my eyes to the masked man and shot him a dark glare, but a hard kick was planted in between my shoulder blades, knocking me down once again. My sword was struck from my hand.

Something grabbed my hair, lifting my head out of the snow. My eyes widened, looking on in shock and horror at what stared back at me.

The impish goblin had a wide mouth, spread into a smile full of sharp teeth. Small, pitch eyes bore into my own. It was short, had I been standing it would have come up to my mid-thigh. I could feel its long claws scrap at my scalp, still holding my hair tight.

The imp growled at me, and the masked man hissed raspy words at it. I didn't hear what he said but a sharp pain exploded in my shoulder.

I tried to turn my head but the imp held it in place by my hair. I didn't need to look to know that I'd been stabbed. The man knelt beside me, whispering in my ear.

"You may have protected her for now, boy. But next time our master will have the one bearing the blood of Nayru and you will not be there to stop us." he began to laugh. A sick, raspy sound sent shivers up my spine.

The blade was pulled roughly from my shoulder. The imp released its painful grip on my hair and by now I knew I was bleeding from cuts on my scalp as well as my nose and shoulder.

I tried to lift myself. A hard kick hit my ribs, sending me into a fit of coughing. The snow had been stained red with blood. Mortified, it dawned on me that it was my own. Footstep crunched in the snow, the man and his imp lackey left me.

Fresh powder drifted down, stinging when it came in contact with my wounds. I finally managed a sitting position, leaning most on my weight on a nearby rock. I did my best to take stock of everything.

Dusk had well since passed, plunging the ice covered world around me into frigid night. Where was Zelda? I prayed another knight or royal guard had found her and was keeping her safe. She had her powers, so I wasn't as worried as I could have been. She's a capable woman. I trusted she knew what to do, regardless of the situation. I, however, was a different story.

I was alone and wounded in a mountain pass goddesses knew how far from the castle. Both my tunic and trousers were soaked from the snow and blood. I felt dizzy. Reaching up, I pulled a section of my bangs in front of my eyes. Platinum blonde hair was dyed with crimson.

I like hell I'd die here. I simply couldn't. Dying would mean leaving my sister Liliana, my father, the princess, and... him. Oh goddesses. Sheik, my dearest.

I cast a glance around the pass, looking for my sword. The glint of moonlight caught my eye. Half wedged in a bank was the broadsword of a royal guard.

I forced myself over to it, drawing it free from the snow when I heard a laugh. It was clear, a pleasant sound so familiar to me, I just couldn't place it. Before I could turn around, they spoke.

"Well, she's not the master sword, but she looks capable all the same." the voice sounded like a young male, the tone was clearly amused. Turning around, my eyes got wide and a gasp slipped past my lips. Standing before me, with a mischievous twinkle in his ultramarine eyes and crooked grin on his lips, was the Champion of Hyrule.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came. The dull throbbing in the back of my skull grew. 

'great now I'm hallucinating.' The world pitched and once again I lay in the snow. Someone to my left shouted my name, quick footsteps echoed in the pass. As my vision faded, I heard the champion speak.

"Take it easy now kiddo, guess I'll be seeing you later." with a laugh from the blonde haired hero, my world went dark.