The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Overworld Chapter 1 - Stable Boy

            ...in a town called Eveningale Village. Eveningale was small, a farming village, nestled on the outskirts of the Deku Forest. The only reason anyone really cared about Eveningale was because it housed the Knights' Academy, the training grounds for the Royal Knights of Hyrule.

            Young men would flock to Eveningale in the summer months, when traveling was easiest from other towns. The railroad and the roads were clear of snow, spring melt, and fallen leaves, and the Field itself was filled with bright summer rays and cool moonlit nights for those who preferred to travel on foot or to ride.

            Now, in the late months of spring, Eveningale was preparing itself for this rush. Shopkeepers ordered extra stock from Castle Town. Farmers harvested their spring crops, and prepared to take their animal products in for the first summer market. The Rustle Creek Inn cleaned its bed and board, ready for the tired, young cadets when they stumbled into town.

         Not to mention the Academy itself. The Academy hired stable hands and farm boys from throughout the town, preparing for the new arrivals. Knights began to polish their armor daily again, and practice in the field so they didn't stumble when they were teaching. Masters reviewed their notes and lessons, debating on how to improve since last year.

            Then there was, of course, the problem of Link.

            This wasn't to say Link was a problem to anyone in Eveningale. He was, by far, the best help anyone could hire. All the children looked up to him, and envied him (since he had raised himself in a hollow oak on the edge of the village). And as a pupil, Link learned quickly from anyone who would teach him.

            But Link was nameless, and according to the customs and laws of Hyrule, Link could never be a knight, and could not train at the Academy. Which was a genuine shame, because the orphaned, young man was a master with the blade, a true prodigy. No one understood why combat came so easily to him, or ever considered that it could be because he shared the namesake of every hero in the history of their country.

            The people of Eveningale were, after all, a simple kind of people. They weren't eager to stick their heads into the troubles that plagued their country, and they locked their doors at night to keep the creatures out. Most of the villagers didn't even know how to fight at all, despite the Academy being there in their village. Which made it an even more frustrating shame that Link was not allowed to train at the Academy.

            Link was allowed to work outside the Academy though. Some people thought this was so he could train in secrecy, and that Head Master Kaepora, the Old Owl as he was nicknamed, trained with Link at night. No body mentioned this though, and certainly not to the Head Master. It was probably because no one had a real argument with Link learning to fight.

            Now, on the eve of the summer rush, Link groomed Master Duwan's battle horse. It was a pretty, light gray charger, a little larger than the average horse to account for the extra weight the Master had put on since he had earned his position at the Academy. The horse snorted, and Link chuckled under his breath, before hiding a pair of apples inside the hay in the horse's trough, as if to say, "My condolences."

            The horse followed that gesture with something that sounded like laughter, but only Link would have ever imagined something like that. He had figured that sooner or later he would travel to Lon Lon Ranch, northwest of Eveningale, to breed horses at the renowned ranch. He had a way with horses, a simple gift that let him settle even the unruliest of creatures.

            "Link!"

            Looking up from his work, Link watched as a member of the senior class walked up. The tall, suave, redheaded young man went by the name Bruce, and, normally, he would be the cause of nightmares for Link. Normally. More because of the grueling chores Bruce made Link do than out of terror or fright.