Well, long time no see! Ever since the E3 trailer for the sequel to Breath of the Wild (which was awesome, by the way), I've been toying with the idea of writing my own story of the events 10,000 years ago, and why things in the trailer came to be. Now that Ancient Roots is finally completely edited, I can finally focus on a new story without thinking about that one anymore! So here's the first chapter; it's pretty short, but I want to set out the basics first before I get really into it. Still, I'd love to know what you think of it!

Sins of Hyrule

Chapter 1: Prophecy

"To know Calamity Ganon's true form, one must know the story from an age long past."
–King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule

~O~

It was this sort of weather that the Princess of Hyrule simply detested.

Fine rain lashed against the windowpanes harder than stones, blurring the outside world from her view as the water spattered across the glass. The wind howled in the distance, far beyond the western plains and the mountains looming on the horizon; each gust sounding like a lingering spirit desperately crying out for salvation.

It seemed only fitting that the weather would be so awful on this day.

The princess watched on from her seat beside the fireplace, its crackling flames keeping her warm as she lost herself in thought. A clock chimed quarter to the hour from the corner of the room, only fuelling her worried thoughts as she anxiously waited to be called for.

Wringing her gloved hands, the princess fiddled with her royal blue skirts in a vague attempt to calm herself down. It had been less than a week since a letter had arrived at the castle signalling the sudden and prompt arrival of the Sheikah—a clan of sophisticated magic users who were propelling the kingdom forward with their technological advancements whilst still remaining traditionally loyal to the Goddess Hylia and the royal family.

They had arrived that morning—ten in total, nine of which were monks and the tenth was the Sheikah ambassador to the throne—and their private meeting with the King had lasted for hours. Whatever they spoke of for so long mustn't have been good, and when she was summoned to her father's office moments after the Sheikah departed, she knew that something was very, very wrong.

Breathe…

But she couldn't help it. Nerves bubbled up from her gut as the torrential downpour outside only grew worse by the minute, her heart pounding against her chest in time with each new onslaught of rain; the windows shuddering against the wind. Busying herself by peering out into the courtyard below, her eyes immediately found a familiar lone figure braving the elements to train.

He'll catch his death in this weather…

"Your Grace?"

Her breath hitched; she mustn't have heard the door opening.

Craning her head, the princess spotted a rather timid guard standing in the newly opened doorway to her father's office; it was time. Nodding simply, she stood and made her way towards the slightly ajar double doors, steeling herself as the guard opened the doors fully for her to enter.

The King's office was as grand as it had always been, rich oak bookcases adorned with gold lining the large circular room, the marble floor decorated with a plush woollen rug. From a black chain hung a chandelier lit with blue flames—a Sheikah invention made to replace wax candlesticks. Between each bookcase was either a standing candelabra or hanging armour, the latter decorated with crimson tapestries.

Behind the thick oak desk were two high arched windows overlooking the glory of Hyrule's rolling plains, between them a large painting of the royal family—the princess, her mother, and her father. A large figure stood at one of those windows with their back to her, flowing purple robes swaying as they sighed and turned to her; dismissing the guard.

"Father," she said once they were alone, bowing her head.

King Daphnes Nohansen Bosphoramus Hyrule hummed in acknowledgement but said nothing, his focus seemingly elsewhere. His circlet, adorned with gemstones from every corner of the kingdom, glowed in the blue lamplight. His features had been marred with wrinkles for years now, emerald eyes dulled by fatigue and stressed.

But despite everything, he still smiled warmly at his daughter.

"Where is Mother?" she remarked, noticing as her father subconsciously fingered his wedding band—something he always did when he was nervous.

"Where else when she is stressed?" he said, making the two smile a little— he spoke of the library, the only place where her mother could lose herself for a few hours. "Now, where are my manners? Come, my daughter; sit."

Taking a seat opposite her father, anticipation still gnawed at the back of her mind. A multitude of aged documents littered themselves across the desk, ancient lettering barely readable. Various diagrams of creatures and objects also decorated the weathered pages, scrolls tied with red rope piled up on one corner as well.

"My daughter… my dear Zelda," Daphnes began quietly, then cleared his voice. "What we speak of here must not leave this room, do I make myself clear?" She swallowed thickly, then nodded. The King took a while before speaking again, "Stories of an ancient evil have been passed down from generation to generation—you yourself heard these bedtime stories as a child."

"Of course, Father, but those were nothing but fairy tales and legends."

He carried on, ignoring her, "One of the Sheikah monks—Oman Au, he called himself—received a vision from the Goddess. He said that the Goddess stood before him and showed him the end of the world."

Zelda blinked, lips parting in shock.

Goddesses above…

"A-And," she stammered. "What shall bring about the end of the world?"

The King lowered his head, almost too unnerved to answer, "The bringer of despair has set foot on this land many times before. It is the incarnation of hatred and malice that has brought pain and suffering to Hyrule countless times. It shall be the scourge of this land if we do not stop it." Her heart stopped when his gaze met hers once more, nothing but terror glinting in his eyes. "The Goddess named this foul entity… Calamity Ganon."

Calamity Ganon…

Her gasp was audible, her body acting as if she'd been punched in the gut. For a moment, her vision blurred so much that she immediately reached out for the desk for support. The name echoed around her mind over and over again, making her world spin.

Calamity Ganon.

Ganon.

Ganon.

Ganon…

Every child in Hyrule had grown up with some variation of the stories about the Hero facing evil to save the Princess. But this was different, this wasn't a story; this was real. They knew nothing about this monster, not even when it would arrive to destroy Hyrule. No one knew what it even looked like, let alone how to destroy it.

Even though she was confused by the "Calamity" part of its name, one thing was for certain: the antagonist of her bedtime stories was alive and preparing to destroy everything that she knew and deeply cared for.

Could they truly stand up to such a behemoth?

She began to fidget with the golden trimming on her sleeve as her throat dried out, effectively cutting off her voice. If she wasn't so paralysed, she would have run for the hills and kept going until she had no strength left to give. And besides, that wasn't her place to do so; it was her place to figure out how to protect her people from this evil.

We must prevail… we must…

But could they?

Daphnes reached out for his daughter's hand, squeezing it tightly. "That is not all…"

Of course it wasn't.

The King used his free hand to sift through various pieces of parchment on the desk, each looking more aged than the one before. Laying a small one on top of the pile, this one crisp and new compared to the rest, Daphnes said, "The Sheikah monk also claims that the Goddess spoke these very words to him."

She leaned forwards to read it, although she quickly wished that she hadn't.

'Beneath a moon that bleeds,
He who has returned time and time again will be freed.
The Goddess-blood princess and fearless knight must once more face this wrath,
Use the power of present and past if Hyrule is to last.'

A prophecy—there was no doubt about that.

This was the prophecy that would begin the battle against Calamity Ganon.

Her mind immediately began to race in a vague attempt to decipher the text, only for her heart to stop when she reread one passage in particular.

'The Goddess-blood princess and fearless knight must once more face this wrath.'

Zelda swallowed thickly; her breath caught up in her throat.

'The Goddess-blood princess.'

The princess.

It was her—the prophecy was talking about her.

She would have to stand up to this colossal beast.

Her blood chilled.

If what the Sheikah claimed was true—not that there was much doubt about that—not only was this colossal beast real and preparing to rise up once again, but she had been chosen by the Goddesses to defeat it. Her breath quickened; her heart began to race.

It should be an honour.

Then why did it fill her body with sheer terror?

Dear Sisters…

"The Sheikah are working on deciphering the entire text; however, it is clear that the Goddesses have chosen you and another to once again do battle with our eternal enemy." The King regarded his daughter with a quivering lip as tears began to fill her eyes. "I wish with all my heart that it was not you… but I am powerless here."

And he was. He was a king who had thousands of soldiers at his disposal, and yet had no other option but to send in his daughter and another innocent into the fray of battle instead of skilled knights. As a king and a father, he prayed that they would have enough time to prepare.

Given her position, she had only been trained on basic self-defence skills, let alone the art of war. What's more, it could take months—perhaps even years—to find the hero of this generation.

And with nothing to say when Calamity Ganon—the name made them both shudder—would strike, then how on earth would they be able to prepare with such impending doom on their shoulders?

How on earth would they be able to live up to the expectation of their ancestors?

Abandoning his seat, the King crossed the room and knelt before her, embracing his daughter tightly.

Running a hand across his back, Zelda forced herself to blink back her tears as she held her father at arm's length. "We must focus all of our efforts on finding the Hero whilst the Sheikah work on decoding the prophecy," she said, focusing on keeping her tone level. "Without him, we are doomed."

The King nodded firmly and took her face into his hands. "When the Sheikah return with answers, we shall heed their words and begin to prepare. We shall not be vulnerable—I will not allow you to fight that creature alone."

But I must still fight it…

"And what if they have no answers?" Zelda asked, her voice quiet and childlike.

The princess lowered her head as he squeezed her arm comfortingly, refusing to meet his gaze as he assured her, "My flower, the Sheikah will not stop until they have the answers necessary to protect the royal family and their homeland. No matter what, they will ensure that we shall be safe from the wrath of Calamity Ganon before it can destroy this world."

She forced a hum but said nothing, still unnerved by hearing its name said aloud.

Daphnes rose and motioned for Zelda to follow suit. "Once we have the necessary answers from the Sheikah, only then will the public know—they mustn't be kept in the dark. But I also cannot force you to silently bear such a burden." He paused, toying with a thought for a moment, then added, "Find him, my dear. He will do more for you than I ever can."

A grateful smile graced her features, and she kissed her father on the cheek before excusing herself. The King watched as his daughter exited his office, eyes sad as her shadow faded from sight. He could just about cope with all that he had heard from the Sheikah, but to think about his daughter going off into war—potentially alone if the hero was not found in time—was too much to bear.

No, she would not fight this battle alone; he refused it.

Nonetheless, he couldn't shake the feeling that the coming days would leave his beloved kingdom of Hyrule hanging in the balance.

Returning his eyes to the documents on his desk, he sent a steward to call for his wife; desperate for her support.

Meanwhile, the princess searched for support of her own. Upon excusing herself, it took all of Zelda's strength to not break into a run as soon as she exited her father's office. Eyes constantly followed her wherever she went, and now was no different. Those who she passed greeted her respectively, though she paid them little mine. They were completely unaware of the darkness lurking beneath the surface of the kingdom. None of them had any idea of the burden on her shoulders as she briskly made her way towards one place in particular.

None of them had any idea.

And until they were finally told, she would have to bear this burden all alone.

No, she assured herself. I will not bear this alone. I cannot bear this alone…

But what if she had no choice?

The princess's breath quickened as her eyes grew warm all of a sudden, her vision blurring with tears. No, she couldn't let anyone see her in such a state—too many questions, too much gossip, too much of her reputation on the line.

By the time she reached the same courtyard she looked out onto earlier, the rain was still falling hard and the same figure she saw before was still training. They seemed to sense someone nearby, for they stopped short suddenly and lowered their blade, breathing hard as they turned towards the nearby presence.

He was positively soaked through, dark blonde hair clinging to his brow as he breathed heavy, his grey tunic sodden too. He didn't seem to have noticed or bothered much by the rain, his cheeks flushed and eyes sharp, his attention firmly on her.

Their eyes met—green eyes finding blue eyes.

She couldn't do this alone.

Her façade shattered.

Zelda surged towards him, his blade clattering against the wet cobbles as he took her in. The man grunted as she collided with him, her knees giving way as sobs tore free from her throat. He held her tightly, soothing her wet hair with his slightly calloused hands, shocked at her emotional outburst but nonetheless allowing her to cling to him as her entire world fell apart.