Blood Moon: A Story Before the Calamity

Chapter 1

     Link never wanted this.

     Then, how come he was standing at the Knight Competition, staring down at the ground while the other competitors waited anxiously for the trial to begin?

     Curse his "courage". Curse his meddling with matters that only complicate matters even further than the mess that was his life.

     He should have let the soldiers who were "top tier" and "fearless" save the Princess's life. Who was she anyway? In Link's opinion, it was high time Hyrule had a bit of democracy. However, it was like his body didn't belong to him anymore. When the Guardian woke up and aimed the red dot that meant certain death at Princess Zelda, and these bodyguards fled in terror, instinct made Link step in. He had cursed himself over and over again for complicating his own life, but the deed was done. One of the guards reported to the King, apparently, and now, people everywhere were talking about him.  

     The Knight competition was something Link had no interest in. After all the pain he suffered through, he just wanted a quiet life, a normal life. He was so tired of complications, so tired of "fate". Joining the Royal Guard at 12 years old was enough. Aiming higher would only mean more space to fall.

     Why can't people mind their own business? After being pelted by unnecessary attention and talk of how he would "definitely win the Knight Competition", and how he would "have such a huge honor", and how his skills were "too good to waste", he finally gave up. He would enter the Competition, if just to quiet the crowd. He saw this coming anyway. He had a knack for messing up.

     The eyes of the crowd burnt into Link as the competitors lined up and marched onto the duel platform. His eyes were anywhere but on the top tier, where the Princess and the King themselves were watching. He didn't bother looking for his family in the audience like some other Royal Guard knights were doing. If he should look anywhere for them, it would be up into the skies.

     The rules were simple. 2 competitors duel with wooden swords until the blade of one was at the throat of the other. The winner goes on to compete with another knight until they are defeated. If a competitor defeats a longstanding champion of over 10 victories, then a rematch will be in order post-competition. 

     This competition would test strength, endurance, defense, and performance underneath watchful eyes. Over 1000 hopefuls signed up, 50 were selected for the actual competition, and only 1 will stand beside the Princess as her bodyguard.

     Link watched the first two competitors, randomly selected, walk nervously up the stage as the rest took a seat backstage. Their fight were over in minutes, with one standing over the other with the sword resting on the other's shoulder.

     The fights dragged on. The audience were getting restless, whispers bounced around the stadium, bets and rumors flying all over the place.

     When Link's name was called, a sudden, bone-chilling silence ensued. Then, talk began all at once.

     "Link?"

     "Oh, the Master Sword..."

     "Royal Guard at twelve..."

     "His family..."

     "Win for sure..."

     "Only a pot lid..."

     "Can you believe..."

     "Flurry rush?"

     The noise died down when the duel started. Link was against the twice-winning champion so far. It was ridiculously easy to take down the guy. 

     The one time Link's duels actually stretched beyond 2 minutes was against the biggest competition he had in the Royal Guard, a competent knight named Mido. They were never friends, but the look Mido gave him at that moment was nothing short of venomous.

     "Well, well, well... Link."

     Link stayed silent. His eyes were on the blade, waiting for a good chance to strike.

     Suddenly, like a cobra, Mido attacked. Link twisted to the side, the blade narrowly missing his Knight's tunic. Mido wasn't stupid. He saw Link's counterattack heartbeats before it came and blocked with his shield. However, his parry was a little bit sloppy, and Link was able to land an attack at his side. 

     Link saw another opportunity to attack as Mido forgot to look after his defense when he swung at Link's neck, narrowly missing when Link ducked down a split second too late to be graceful. Spinning around, Link jumped aside to avoid another incoming attack and struck his chest plate. The sound echoed dully around the stadium.

     "I'm not going down that easily!" Mido hissed. 

     After a few more minutes of engagement, however, Mido was tiring. He did not have the advantage of childhood training that Link had. When he attempted a side strike, Link backflipped and rushed forward, eyes on the weak spot Mido had left vulnerable, placing his blade at the neck of his opponent.

     Mido stared down at the blade, as if unable to comprehend that he had lost. However, he dipped his head to Link, respect finally won. Link watched as he walked off the stage to join the other competitors. 

     Wiping off the sweat on his forehead, Link accidentally looked up to the balcony and caught a pair of green eyes. The Princess was staring at him, with an expression that stated clearly that she didn't want him as her knight, the one to accompany her everywhere. He saw a stubborn sense of independence, and of something in her face he hadn't expected from a Princess, brought up on the softness of the castle: a certain hard way she set her face that suggested she had been through trauma and grief. He recognized all of these in a split second, because they were what he saw everyday when he looked at the mirror.

     He hadn't expected to feel kinship, of all things, to the Princess.

     It was obvious Link was going to win. As he took down opponent after opponent, he felt nothing. Not when the judge declared him winner and the Princess's knight, not when he was patted on the back by some and stared at with hatred by others, not when he packed up and prepared to leave for Hyrule Castle the next day. 

     If his past had done him any good, it was take away the hindrance that was emotions. There were no need of feelings in the world. There were only strength and weakness. To fight without remorse, to kill without guilt, these were the most important lessons of a knight. It was easier for Link than for many of his teammates. There was no one left for him to love anyway, so why be weak when you can choose strength?

     As he sat on the carriage taking him to Hyrule Castle, his few possessions at his feet, Master Sword safely on his back, he thought about his family, the lost pack, for the first time in a while. Father, Aryll, Mother. Battle wounds, sickness, murder. What would they think when they see him now, the most accomplished knight in Hyrule but the most alone?

A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Thank you and have a great day!