Welcome to my retelling of the events that occurred 100 years before Breath of the Wild. This is my interpretation of what went down. This story will mainly focus on Zelda and Link's perspectives but will have the odd other perspective to fill in the narrative as needed. I hope you enjoy it and please leave a review! I already have several chapters written so I will try to do regular updates.

Chapter 1

"Push your majesty!"

The queen squeezed her eyes shut and pushed with a deep groan. If the doula hadn't been yelling right in her ear, she may not have actually heard her coaching. The whole world seemed to fall away and all she was aware of was right inside this room. As the contraction subsided, she gasped for air and panted heavily. Any second now, another would overtake her.

"You're crowning, your grace." the midwife said just as the next contraction hit.

"Ahhhhh!" She screamed as she pushed again. It hurt worse than anything she had ever experienced and yet, she couldn't stop and dwell on the pain. Her body seemed to know what to do and her consciousness was just along for the ride.

She opened her eyes and looked up to the midwife. The old woman was still focused on what was going on down at her entrance but seemed to notice the queen's gaze upon her. "The head is out. Won't be long now. Keep pu-"

"GRRRR!" Another contraction shut out whatever else the midwife said. This one mightier than any before. Tears or sweat, she wasn't sure which, trickled down her brow and it was another moment before she could breath again and she gasped for air. This had to be almost over! Before she had truly caught her breath, another contraction pushed the babe the rest of the way out.

The queen lay back on the bed gasping for air. She was exhausted and all she wanted was to hold her baby and fall asleep but her body wasn't done yet. This was a momentary reprieve before the afterbirth came but the worst of it was done.

"A girl, your majesty! A beautiful, perfect baby girl!" The doula said right in her ear.

The queen made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. The sounds of the baby adjusting to this new world drowned out anything else anyone could say and her whole world narrowed to the child.

Outside the room, the King waited impatiently while pacing the room. It had been hours and his wife's screams had grown hoarse but the most recent ones were the most heartbreaking he had ever heard. His beloved queen was in pain and there was nothing he could do! Worst of all, he had put her through this.

"How much longer can this go on for?" He questioned the guard desperately.

The guard looked just as panicked as the king felt but offered no answer. The king grabbed his shoulder and forcefully moved him out of the way of the room. Just as he was about to barge out, the door opened and one of the doulas poked her head out.

She looked startled that the king was RIGHT THERE but composed herself quickly. "A beautiful, healthy, baby girl, your grace!" She smiled and the king's legs nearly went out from under him.

A girl! He nearly wept with joy at the thought. He was a father! At long last! All of the years trying for this moment had finally come!

"You may come in now." The doula said and backed out of the way of the door. The king almost didn't hear her as he was still in shock at the first bit of news he'd been given in hours. He steadied himself and stepped through the doorway to see his exhausted, sweaty, pale wife looking the most radiant he had ever seen her holding the most perfect child he had ever laid eyes on.

He wasn't aware how, but suddenly he was right beside the bed wanting to touch the baby but afraid of breaking such a tiny creature.

"Her name is Zelda, husband." His wife's voice brought him out of his reverie and he looked at her in awe. This absolute mess of a woman was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and she had filled his life up in one moment with more love than he'd ever thought possible.

He looked back down at his daughter. "Zelda…" he breathed. "Princess Zelda…"

The family stayed together in the bedroom the rest of the night. The queen and baby both slept but the king could barely blink, much less sleep for he didn't want to miss one second of his daughter. So he stayed up holding his new daughter, cradling and rocking her as she slept, dreaming of all of the wonderful things she would one day accomplish.

The next morning, the King's personal assistant quietly peeked into the room. The king was still wide awake, sleeping child in his arms. He looked up at the intrusion and was about to get angry until he saw the look on the man's face. Something was deeply troubling him.

The king stood and very carefully placed the sleeping baby in her bassinet. The nanny walked into the room and walked over to the chair the king had been occupying, ready to keep watch of the new royal baby while the queen slept. The king quietly followed his assistant out of the room.

Once outside, the man turned to his king, "I'm sorry for intruding, your majesty, but there is a fortune-teller here with a prophecy you really must hear…"

Rhoam had never known his assistant to be a superstitious sort so he frowned in confusion but proceeded to follow his assistant down the corridors to one of the sitting rooms. Upon opening the door, he understood immediately why his assistant had fetched him.

The fortune-teller was an older Sheikah man, well respected amongst the tribe. Impa had always spoken highly of this man and nothing had every been said to Rhoam to suggest this man was in any way losing his mind. His wisdom had carried the clan through many difficult times in the past so whatever message he had to share, must have been important.

The Sheikah man stood from his chair and bowed deeply to the king. He gestured for the fortune-teller to rise and relay his message.

"Forgive me, your majesty, for the intrusion. I understand congratulations are in order and I wish I had a message to celebrate, however, my news is dire." The old man's eyes carried a sadness as he proceeded to relay the prophecy. The signs were clear that Calamity Ganon's return was imminent. In order to prepare for his eventual coming, the ancient technology of the Sheikah clan must be unearthed. The arrival of his daughter as the red star scarred the sky was what gave the prophecy certainty. The king looked out the window and unmistakably, a red comet marked the sky. This, along with the other signs the Sheikah had seen meant that this was not merely a bad dream… this was real. The threat of Ganon would come and his daughter would need to unlock a sealing power granted only to the daughters of Hylia.

"Gods save us…" Rhoam breathed upon hearing this news. For the second time, his legs nearly went out from under him. He had barely even had a single night with his new daughter and already she had a crucial role to fulfill that he could not in any way prepare her for or help her with. Her mother would need to do so but the princess was just a newborn. How much time did they have?

After relaying his message, the Sheikah man bowed to the king again and begged his leave. The king granted it knowing that Impa would follow soon with plans on how to move forward. The assistant left the room as well so the king sat in silence by himself. As a father, he wanted nothing more than to protect his daughter from the evils of the world and yet as King, he had a duty to his people to sacrifice his daughter's upbringing to focus on sealing away the ancient evil. He wasn't sure how long he sat there thinking but the sun had risen by the time he finally stood and went back to be with his family. Perhaps his queen could sooth his conscience.

SPLASH!

Link looked up from the puddle he had landed in, squeezing his eyes shut to keep the mud out. He started to lift himself up but soon another kick in the ribs knocked him down again. He wanted to cry but refused to let his tormentors have the satisfaction of seeing the pain they caused him.

Groose and his cronies laughed as he fell back into the puddle, "And this time stay down! Maybe next time you'll think twice about showing me up in class!"

It was all Link could do to keep his mouth shut. It wasn't his fault that Groose fought with his size and not with his brain! He swung hard and left his flank wide open for the much smaller boy to deliver the finishing strike. Link was 4 years younger and still could best everyone in his class. Everyone made a big deal out of it and called him a prodigy but he wished they wouldn't. That's why meatheads like Groose and his friends picked on him.

Once they laughed their fill, they walked off and once Link was sure they were out of sight, he stood up and did his best to brush himself off. He was still dripping and covered in mud when he got back to the dorm room he shared with his father.

Link peeked in and tried to see if his dad was here. His boots and sword were here so that meant…

"Link, where have – What happened?! Were you playing in the mud again? How many times do I have to tell you!" Link cringed as his father walked over and took him by the arm into the bathroom.

His dad lifted him into the wash basin and started stripping him down. "Next time this happens, you're washing your own clothes! Every day this… week…" His father trailed off as he noticed the bruises on his son's ribs. The realization hit that this wasn't just from a 4 year old rough housing.

His tone softened, "Who did this to you?"

Link looked down at his feet. He was embarrassed his dad noticed and didn't want to get the other boys in trouble.

"Son, if this happens again, I want you to come straight to me. If you need to defend yourself, I will stand up for you." The deep grooves in his father's face seemed to soften with his little smile.

Link just nodded in response.

"Tomorrow the platoon is to go to Zora's Domain. Just a formality. I will make arrangements for you to come with us. It would be good for you to see a new culture and perhaps learn from their fighting style with us but it will also give you a bit of a break. Your teacher has told me that you're already well beyond everyone else in your class." Again, Link nodded his response. It was a relief to get away from Groose and his gang of thugs for a few days but it did worry him that if he came back, it might get worse.

Once he was all cleaned up, his father lifted him out of the wash basin again and set him on the floor. "Now go get your pyjamas on and head to bed. We'll be up early tomorrow." Link yawned and nodded a third time and turned to follow his orders.

Morning arrived early but Link was ready for this new adventure. He was awake before his father and had gone to the practice range to work on his archery. After splitting 6 arrows in a row, the only thing holding him back from working on the next level up was his size. There just simply weren't any bows small enough that would help him advance any further. This frustrated him to no end so he placed the bow back on the rack and reached for a sword instead. Just then, his father rounded the corner.

"Come Link. We are leaving soon." His father's gruff voice caught his attention quickly and Link put the sword back and followed his father out of the yard.

As they walked through the barracks, Link caught sight of a familiar red pompadour and he looked at his feet before they could make eye contact but he could still feel the hateful gaze upon his back. Soon they met up with the platoon. His father was the highest ranking knight going on this mission so none of the men would question him bringing his son along and they all seemed to like the precocious young boy anyway. He knew to keep quiet and stay out of the way while they were working and lately, he could certainly hold his own as well as many of the men. Overall, none of them minded the last minute addition.

Once his father had checked everything over one last time, they headed out. It was about a full day's journey to Zora's Domain. The knights all had their own horses to ride but Link would have to ride with in the wagon with the supplies as he was still too little to have his own steed.

The road bumped along and Link watched the horses in the pasture as they passed the Lon Lon Ranch. He liked horses and longed to have one of his own. Once, the ranch owner's daughter had let him ride bareback on one of the fillies. The horse had seemed to like him right away and didn't mind his antics but he did fall off when he tried to stand up. Malon had told him not to but he hadn't listened. He had to answer to his dad the next day for it.

The memory made him smile and he hoped he'd get a chance to visit again soon.

Throughout the journey, Link watched the land change from open field and grasslands to wetlands when they crossed the river to windy rocky outcrops as they approached the domain. A company of Zora warriors met them along the path and escorted them the rest of the way to the domain. Link marvelled at the bizarre creatures. Their armour didn't make much sense to him either but they all carried spears or tridents. Their fishlike heads fascinated him. A few of the Zora eyed him curiously as well but said nothing to him.

They got closer to the domain and Link noticed some splashing in the water. When he looked, he saw a few young Zora splashing around in the water. He glanced back at his father. No one seemed to be paying attention to him so he jumped off the wagon and walked over to the edge of the water where the Zora children were playing.

As he stood at the edge, one of the Zora noticed him. She was older with more red on her than the other Zora. And she was really pretty.

"Hello there. What's your name?" She asked quietly. There was a warmth to her that instantly made him trust her.

"I'm Link," he responded, still watching as some of the other children splashed around. Most of them had noticed him now and were watching curiously.

The red Zora smiled, "I'm Mipha. This here, is my little brother, Sidon." She indicated to a really small Zora. He also had more red on him than the other Zora but was still quite a bit smaller than Link. The other Zora there, he noticed, weren't all as young as he had originally thought though Mipha was certainly the oldest. The others ranged in age from between Mipha and her brother and they all looked at him curiously.

Finally, one of the blue Zora piped up. He seemed to be a little older than Link but around the same size. "Come swim with us, Link. I'm Bazz!"

Link took off his tunic and rolled up the legs of his trousers before wading in. The water was cool but refreshing and once he was swimming around, the others approached him. They were far more graceful of swimmers than he was.

He did notice Mipha frowning at him. She seemed concerned but said nothing as he splashed around in the water.

"I'm Rivan." Another blue Zora said.

"And I'm Gaddison." said another.

Link smiled big at the warm welcome. He liked them already!

The little red Zora, Sidon, swam up to him and pulled on one of his ears. "Are you a Hylian?"

Link laughed, "Yes! I'm from Castle Town. My dad and the other knights are here visiting."

Bazz looked towards the domain, "Wow! I'd love to see that!"

"Me too!" Rivan and Gaddison said in unison as they swam off to see the spectacle. Sidon began to swim after them as well.

Link started to follow but Mipha stopped him. "Wait, Link. Those bruises… I can heal those for you."

"Huh?" Link said, confused. Before he could say anything, a blue light shone from her hands and he felt a cool tingling where he was bruised on his ribs. He stared in wonder at the healing magic and Mipha giggled at his expression.

"It's ok! It'll help." When she pulled her hand away, the bruise was gone. Link looked up at her in wonder.

"How did you do that?" He asked, wide eyed.

Mipha just laughed, "It's a gift of mine. Come. Hop on my back and I'll take us to the domain."

Link obliged and soon they were racing up the river and up a waterfall to where he saw his father and the rest of the knights. Bazz, Gaddison, Rivan and Sidon were there as well along with a bunch of other adult Zora. Mipha put him down on the ground and took her place beside the King Zora.

While the adults were talking, Link looked around. The domain seemed to glow brighter as the sun was setting. What had his father called the rock that glowed at night? He wondered if that's what they had used to build this place. The place was surrounded by waterfalls and huge cliffs. Link hoped he would get a chance to explore it before they had to go back to Castle Town.

After a few moments, Link's father handed the king a gift and the two laughed like old friends. The atmosphere became less serious and the other knights seemed to relax as well. Link noticed Mipha smiling at him and he grinned back at his new friend. He really liked it here and he could tell this was going to be a really great stay. The travel had worn him out though and soon, his father was leading him to the inn. Once Link found a bed, he was out like a light.

In the morning, Bazz was waking him up by tugging on his sleeve, "Link! Come with us! I want to show you something."

Link looked around and saw Rivan and Gaddison as well just behind Bazz. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up, swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. He stretched and yawned then followed behind the others as they led the way. Soon they were in what looked like a practice yard like in the barracks in Castle Town. There were lots of tridents, spears and swords lined up on the racks. Link picked up one of the swords and gave it a few swings to get a feel for it.

Bazz watched him carefully, "Hey, I'm not great with swords but you seem like you know what you're doing. Can you show me a few things?"

Link grinned and nodded. At last, someone who wouldn't get upset by his skills! Link went on to show him the basics and helped to correct his posture and form when Bazz tried it out himself.

"There you go! Now you got it!" Link praised and Bazz gave him a pointy toothed grin in response while he kept practicing what Link had shown him.

Gaddison and Rivan were practicing with the spears and Link gave them a few pointers as well. They listened intently and tried out what Link had recommended and grinned big when they got it right as well. Link felt at home here and these people really seemed to like him.

"Hey Link! Want to have a sparring match? I think I've gotten better now that you showed me what to do!" Bazz grinned at the challenge.

Link laughed, "You bet!" They both picked up practice swords, touched the blades together in a salute and started. Link and the Zora circled each other. Bazz was quite a bit bigger and stronger but Link was faster and more skilled with a sword. Bazz sliced across and Link ducked underneath. Bazz sliced downward and Link dodged to the side. When he saw an opening, time seemed to slow down and Link was able to get a few hits in before jumping back.

"Hey, wow! How did you do that?" Bazz said incredulously. Just then, Link noticed Mipha watching them and he turned towards her. She smiled warmly and said to the others, "You were sure up early! Have any of you had breakfast yet?"

They all looked down guilty and Link's stomach growled audibly.

Mipha giggled and motioned for them all to get along and have breakfast.

The days spent there consisted of Link spending more and more time with his new friends. With their new skills, they managed to dispense of an octorocks that was causing trouble in the river system. They dubbed themselves The Big Bad Bazz Brigade and earned praise from Princess Mipha as the saviours of the Zora. She indulged them but Link appreciated it all the same.

Soon, it was time to head back home to Castle Town. Link's new friends gathered to say their good byes. They had learned a lot from Link and he had learned a lot from them. His own skills as a swordsman had improved dramatically since coming here and he felt confident that even Groose and his cronies couldn't best him any more.

"Good bye, Link! We'll miss you! Come back and visit soon!" The brigade all waved their goodbyes and Link smiled back at them. He really hoped he would get a chance to come back soon.

Mipha and Sidon were also there to say goodbye to him. Sidon was shy and hadn't said anything to Link the entire time but Link liked him all the same and waved good bye to the little red Zora.

Mipha smiled softly, "I feel that we will see much more of you, Link. I look forward to it. Safe travels, young one!"

Link smiled back, "I'll miss you guys too and I'll try to come back as soon as I can!" He waved then hopped up on the wagon for the ride home.

He watched from the back of the wagon, waving to his friends until they were out of sight. He was sad to leave them but he knew that one day he would see them again.

This was a mostly light-hearted chapter that sets the stage. Sorry if the formatting is weird. It's been awhile so I'm still working on figuring it out. Anyway, leave a review if you like it and I'll try to update every Sunday.