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olding only a lantern in his hand, Link trudged through the soggy grass and mud-filled ground towards Hyrule Castle. He'd been there once or twice already with his uncle when he was summoned for meetings, but he was largely unfamiliar with the castle. He sloshed through the damp ground, crossing the bridge and coming to the main gate inside the outer wall; however, it was not open and a guard stood there blocking it. The guard refused to yield to Link at the gate, instead yelling at the boy to return to his home, that he should not be out on a night like this. Dejectedly, Link decided that there was no way to help the girl whose voice he heard, believing that his uncle could take care of whatever was wrong, yet no sooner than had he crossed the bridge once again, he heard the girl speak in his mind once more. "Please, my name is Zelda. I am imprisoned within the dungeons of Hyrule Castle. I believe that somewhere there is a secret passage into the castle walls. Please, help me."

Because of this encouragement, Link doubled back and began circling the castle walls, trying to find an entrance that would take him inside. The search was difficult in the dark of night and in the downpour, but eventually, hidden behind some bushes, Link managed to find a small cavernous maw opening to a steep rocky descent into a small corridor below. The rocks leading into the small snug basement were very slippery, and Link almost slipped and fell as he descended into the secret passage. As he set foot upon the tile, he saw out of the corner of his eye the image of his uncle, slouched over against the wall with wounds upon his sword arm and his abdomen, blood slowly leaking onto his clothes and the floor beneath him. Link rushed over to him and Llewelyn looked at him in surprise. "Link," he said, breathing heavily, "I'm sorry; I didn't tell you because I didn't want you... to get involved. Please... take... take my sword and shield; you remember the techniques I've taught you, yes?" Link nodded to his uncle; he had been told that some of them had been in his family for many generations. "Please, be careful. The guards... they may not recognize you, so try to keep from being seen. You must rescue Zelda in the dungeons. Time is critical, so you must hurry, but be safe as well." Llewelyn coughed loudly as Link laid him down onto the floor, Link's eyes showing much sadness. "Link, Zelda... she is your destiny..." With that, Link's uncle breathed his last, and Link only mourned for him silently. Link knew he did not have the time to bury his uncle or grieve for him with tears, for Zelda needed his help. Leaving him behind, Link took his uncle's sword and shield.

He soon found himself within the inner courtyard, and Link was almost relieved to see the beauty of the garden, but he could tell something was wrong; despite the late hour and despite the torrential rains, guards still patrolled the gardens, almost as if they were expecting an attack and were defending the castle. It was as if suddenly they had gone to war, Link observed, but he was very confused, for what war were they fighting? They had been at peace for hundreds of years. Link remained hidden within the bushes, out of sight from the guards' patrols, soon stealing his way into the castle doors, closing them behind him with a gentle thud.

Dripping wet, Link trailed water upon the decorative floors and ornamental rugs of the castle. It was hard to stay hidden, for the castle was lit by candlelight all around, keeping the shadows at bay. Link crept between what shadows existed, however, using his sword only when he needed to, downing the castle guards as his uncle had instructed using his family's techniques. As he wandered, Link soon learned strange things about the guards; some of them were very alert and attentive, pacing back and forth, seeking out any strangers within the castle, yet some of them seemed to be lost within a permanent daze, oblivious of everything around them, running into walls an objects without notice. Leaving the latter behind and sneaking past the former, Link descended into the lower levels of the castle where the dungeons lay; there, he found the princess Zelda held prisoner within her cell, but she was guarded by a knight of the castle. The battle was fierce between Link and the knight, Link using everything he could -- sword and shield, clay pots, even a boomerang he had found earlier -- to either distract or harm the mace-wielding knight, and though Link did not escape from the battle without injury, his persistence was enough to destroy the knight, his makeshift and adaptive strategy winning through it all.

Link opened the cell where Zelda was, and the princess greeted him with open arms and an embrace; while she did not know him well, only having seen his face before, she knew that he was the nephew of Llewelyn and that he would be one she could trust. Before Link could speak to reassure the princess of his true intentions, she was first to speak; "Please, I fear that the wizard Agahnim has already taken control of the minds of the guards in the castle. There is a secret passage built long ago through which we can escape." Zelda thanked him generously, and Link mentioned that it was nothing, and soon they were off to the throne room where the secret passage was; together, princess and hero pushed a bookcase to the side, revealing a hidden passageway leading into the sewers.

Link and Zelda trudged through watery pits of grime as rats and bats harassed them, biting their ankles if they should come too close. Only Link's lantern provided light as they crawled through the sewers of Miakoru Town, as Zelda explained to Link. The passageway, as the story was told, was built a long time ago in case something should happen at the palace to provide a means of escape. Before Miakoru Town was stricken with the plague and torched with cleansing fire, the corridor led them to a small cavernous opening in the side of the mountain just west of the village that was magically sealed to prevent anyone from discovering it; since then, it then led into Sanctuary, for it had been carefully been built where the cavern exit was, thus eliminating the need for the protective seal. In time, they found themselves traveling up a stairway of stone into the very rear of a building, which Zelda explained was Sanctuary; somehow within her heart, she had the faith that the sage who lived there would be able to help them, for he had served the Royal Family his entire life. At Zelda's instruction, Link pulled a switch in the wall to open up a stone tablet between the rear of the building and the chapel; as the sage turned to see the rising of the stone slab, he was both delighted and relieved to see Zelda safe with his very own eyes, for he as well had heard the rumors of the wizard as well. He was somewhat surprised to see Link as well, but there was a curious understanding within his eyes.

As Link stepped forward into the Sanctuary, suddenly realizing that it was already day, the sage informed Link that already Agahnim, in the king's name, had issued forth a proclamation accusing Link of having kidnapped princess Zelda. Zelda insisted that it was not true, but the sage did not need her convincing, already believing the truth. Zelda and Link stepped out into the chapel, where they then moved to the pews to sit down and rest while discuss recent tidings. Only then did Zelda reveal to both the boy and the sage the methodology behind the wizard's actions; she told them the legend of the Sacred Realm, now oftentimes referred to in the legends as the Golden Land, the resting place of the Triforce. Supposedly, a great evil by the name of Ganon was sealed there long ago by the seven Sages, changing it from a place of beauty into a dark and evil land, what Agahnim referred to as the Dark World. Agahnim had told Zelda that, by sending the descendants of the seven Sages into the other plane of Hyrule, the seal holding the beast back would break and tear, and he would come to conquer Hyrule.

Zelda was very worried, but she remained free of panic. Perhaps the sage of Sanctuary was more afraid of the consequences of this. The Sage, whose name was Isaac, placed his arm upon Link, and looked him in the eye. "Link, I hate to charge you with this, but it seems as if you are the one destined to take this charge. There are not many left who could hear the magical whisperings of the Hylian race, their bloodline thin. I sense there is something more behind this Agahnim than meets the eye. You will need to find a sacred blade that has been hidden over the years; only the Seven Wise Men know of its location. I am told that one of them lives in Kakariko Village, and so perhaps you should seek him there; his name is Sahasrahla. Don't worry about the princess; I will make sure to keep her safe here." He began to leave for a moment, but then turned around. "Oh, and Link... do be careful. I think we all depend upon you now."

Link nodded his assent and looked to Zelda, also very nervous about all of her problems now resting upon the boy who had saved her. As the sage retreated into his private quarters, Zelda once again threw her arms around Link and looked to him sympathetically. "Promise me you'll come back."

"I do not make promises I cannot keep," Link said sincerely. "However, that I can do; I can promise you I will return for you."

Link left Sanctuary and waved a final goodbye to Zelda as his path took him westward towards Kakariko Village, but as he was entering, he noticed a piece of parchment posted to one of the gateposts. It was a advertisement for a wanted man, just as the sage at Sanctuary had told him, warning the villagers of a man who had recently abducted the princess Zelda recently; The advertisement offered significant awards for those who would aid the castle in finding him. The sage's warning truly hadn't sunk in until just now with Link, suddenly realizing that he was now a wanted man. However, his goal was to find information about the eldest of the Wise Men, and he knew he must enter.

Kakariko had been a peaceful town ever since it had been recreated after the receding of the waves. The few guards that lived there were generally more than kind, and trade and business had flourished there under the peaceful times. The citizenry often helped one another in times of tragedy and shared together in times of peace. However, the attitude of the city had changed of late; many more of the castle guards were wandering the streets of the city, one of the most obvious results of the scare over the princess' disappearance. Many of the townspeople did not mind, but it did make them cautious while they were in the streets. Link traveled the lesser crowded streets and alleyways as he went from house to house, and following the sage's advice, he knocked upon the door of an old woman's house at the edge of the village. The elderly woman answered the door, and she was quite shocked to see the one whom the posters talked about at her door, but she knew that the declaration was a ruse. She quickly invited him into her house, hoping that no one else had seen him.

The lady introduced herself as Rebecassa, the wife of the Wise Man Sahasrahla. She knew that there was much trouble in the land of Hyrule, and she had known that her husband had escaped successfully to the far eastern reaches of the kingdom, suggesting that Link look there if he truly sought to talk to him. However, soon the topics drifted from Sahasrahla towards the Master Sword, and of this she knew some, having learned much of the lore from her husband. She told him of the forging of the Master Sword and of its use in the legendary battle of the Imprisoning War so long ago, but she could not help Link find its location, instead encouraging Link to find Sahasrahla in the eastern ruins, giving him her blessing to give to him should he meet him.

Figuring that he should remain well away from the castle, the journey east took him through field and forest as he traveled the southern hub of Hyrule Field. Even here, guards from the castle roamed thickly, and Link was spotted by one or two of them, giving chase whenever he was spotted. Link did his best to avoid detection, oftentimes hiding in the trees to prevent him from being placed in a position where he had to battle enemies, for they were, after all, the guards sworn to the Royal Family, but at the same time, sometimes he knew he had to fight and slay those that came after him, forced into combat with arrows and swords seeking to kill him for crimes he did not commit.

Finally, Link entered a desert-like region in the east that was full of ruins and broken structures. Monsters ranged all over the expansive broken soil as broken hills and sheer cliffs rose and fell over its face. By and large, they were not as interested in Link as were the guards unless Link happened to get too close, and then they would attack without relent. Between the monsters and the mazelike passageways of the Eastern Ruins, many of the corridors looking like other parts of the barren lands, but sufficient searching enabled Link to eventually find a small house-like structure within the middle of ruins, still intact and relatively sound. Link approached the home and slowly stepped in as he knocked, peering inside.

Within the house sat an old man, Link noticed. "Sahasrahla?"

The man nodded his assent, however he was quite surprised to find out that someone such as Link had found him. Sahasrahla inquired Link of his desires and intentions, and Link answered his questions with mentionings of hoping to defeat Agahnim and using the Master Sword. "Ah, yes, so you truly wish to wield the Blade of Power. It is no easy task to obtain the goddesses' approval to use the blade. If you truly wish to use the Master Sword to defeat Ganondorf, you must do as some of the legends have told us. You must go to the temple just to the east of my hut -- the Eastern Palace. There you must obtain the Pendant of Courage, cut from the very same gem of the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. Bring me this pendant, and then I will believe in your courage."

Link frowned for a moment, disliking being put to the test, but he could see why the Wise Man had to be careful. He eventually trudged off towards the Eastern Palace, a great temple dug into the mountainside, adorned on both sides of the doorway with large statues and pillars. Link stopped for a moment to take in the view of the palace, readying himself to go into battle once again. Zelda and the sage, and for that matter, the rest of the maidens and all of Hyrule, they were counting on him to succeed in his journey. He had to wield the Master Sword against Agahnim. He had to retrieve the Pendant of Courage.