LINK FELT the warmth of sunlight on his face, and raised his hand to shade his eyes. He climbed to the top of the stairs, and found he was at the summit of the tower. It had an angled wall around the edge, higher on one side than the other.

Link slowly, cautiously walked up to the edge. Miniscule, wispy waves crashed below, with sparkles of sunlight reflecting back up at him.

He quickly backed away. Being so high up made him feel as though some ethereal force was going to grab him and launch him into the ocean.

Link had already been tossed into the ocean by a gigantic bird, and he was not keen on challenging the providence of the goddesses.

He looked back behind him, and saw a gigantic bell. A very gigantic bell. It was raised high above the top of the tower, and had ornate designs embossed in cast metal. Link walked up to where a simple, thick rope hung from it, swaying slightly in the breeze.

Ring the bell.

Link looked around. There was no one there. A northerly wind gusted past him.

Ring the bell.

Link approached the rope, and yanked it. It barely budged.

Ring the bell, the wind seemed to say again.

He stretched his arms, and then began to climb up the rope. When he got halfway between the bottom of the bell and the top of the tower, he tugged hard on the rope, putting all his weight into it.

The bell lurched, and a booming ring pounded against his ears. It echoed across the great sea, becoming the only sound he was able to hear.

He continued pulling on the rope, ringing it more. With every ring, it sounded like a thunderclap, then faded into a humming, singing voice.

He blinked, and he almost collapsed as he found himself instantly transported to the King of Red Lions far below.

"Ughhhhh," Link groaned unsteadily. "I'm not really used to this whole magic thing..."

"Prepare yourself Link," the King of Red Lions directed, "for it shall be but a moment, and you will see the abilities of the goddesses truly manifest."

Link was about to ask what he meant, before he was interrupted. An amber glow began to permeate from beneath the surface of the water. Soon, the glow became stronger and stronger. It seemed to stretch upward until it cloaked the outside world from their view, encapsulating them in a cocoon of light.

The sound of the waves were muffled, then silenced. The light rippled then began to fade, and Link saw that the great sea had vanished.

Or rather, the surface had.

They descended into the mysterious depths of the ocean. He stared in awe, holding his breath, seeing rays of sunlight shoot down through the water, shimmering through the liquid.

It was a gigantic, expansive world, completely obscured from the view of those on the surface. Link began to feel his lungs heaving for air.

"Breathe Link," the King of Red Lions said.

He released his tense muscles, and relaxed as his lungs tasted air once again. Oddly, although it appeared there was no boundary between them and the water, there was still air for him to breathe, and he felt no water on his skin.

Link gripped the mast, and looked out into the dark, blue, underwater twilight. The darkness was replaced with light.

An expansive land unfolded before him, undivided by seas, but instead was a single, large plain, flowing not with waves....but with grass.

But it was colorless. There were no variations in the hues of anything. It was all a washed-out grey beige.

Further, there was not a single sound in the air.

There was no wind.

There were no animals.

There were no people.

It was as though the entire land before him was preserved, frozen. Silenced in movement and life.

And accentuating the sweeping landscape, was a monumental structure - a building made of finely chiseled stone, ornamented with many towers and spires, topper with comical roofs. The whole structure sat atop a small island in the middle of a body of water, which connected to a motionless river.

"That," the King of Red Lions declared, "is the royal castle of the ancient kingdom of Hyrule."

Link was so overcome with the spectacle before him that he was at a loss for words. He was the first Hylian to see this in nearly a thousand years.

It wasn't just a word on a page anymore. It was something he had heard and read stories about his whole life.

It was real.

They continued to descend down towards the castle, a garden beneath them. The King of Red Lions settled into a square pool of water. The garden overlooked the lake the castle sat in, grand columns forming a perimeter around it.

As Link looked up, he saw a rippling boundary of water, like a domed ceiling far above them.

"How is this possible?" Link asked, still taking in his surroundings, "it doesn't seem like it's aged a day - except for the missing color."

"Ancient Hyrule is trapped in time," the King said. "Which is also why it is vacant of color. Though much of the land is flooded, the castle and its surroundings have been protected."

Link's heart stilled at the significance of what he was witnessing.

"And now," the King said, "you must grasp the master sword. It has not had a warrior pure enough to wield it since the hero of time."

"Am I...," Link asked with trepidation, "Am I truly worthy enough to use the master sword?"

"You are here in ancient Hyrule," the King said frankly. "Only the goddesses could've allowed you to come to this place. They believe you are worthy of filling the role the hero of time filled."

Link took a sharp breath of shock. "I'm not sure I would go as far as saying that," Link replied.

The King was silent for a moment.

"Link," he said, "I told you something when our paths first crossed."

"What?" Link asked.

"I told you," he called to Link's remembrance, "that if none step forward to fill the hero's place, then there will not be any more heroes."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The faded wood of the boat's figurehead formed into a determined expression.

"Do you believe," the King asked, "that the goddesses meant for there to be no more protectors of their world?"

Link looked down, feeling shameful. "Well, perhaps they... No."

The King waited for Link to look back up at him.

"The hero of time," the King said, "was only a boy, like you. A boy that wanted to protect his home. He wanted to protect his people."

The King of Red Lions paused, and Link looked up and made eye contact with him.

"What made him great Link," the King said, "is that he chose to do what was right, and when he failed in doing that, he still kept trying. He was not chosen because he was more powerful than others in Hyrule - he was chosen because he chose to choose."

Link sat in thought for a minute.

He stood up, and stepped out of the boat. He walked onto the bright, but grey grass.

"Where will I find the master sword?" Link asked.

"That is for you to learn," the King said.

Link took a deep breath, and walked through the garden. He could tell that if there was color here, these flowers would be beautiful.

Water features, frozen eerily in time, ran beside flower patches.

He'd never seen such a beautifully ornate space.

He left the garden, and traveled over a long, giant bridge. It spanned a gap between the garden and the island the castle sat on, towering high over the water below. And then, he walked into the ancient castle.

His feet clapped against the smooth stone, sending echoes throughout the whole structure. After walking down a dark hallway for a few minutes, he found himself in a gigantic room. A wide balcony ran the perimeter of three sides of the rectangular hall.

As he was walking, he was suddenly startled by the sight of a monster. He leapt out of the way, preparing for battle, but the creature didn't fight back.

It was a bokoblin, like the ones at the forsaken fortress, only their normally rust colored skin was a pale grey. As he looked around him, he saw more creatures, all frozen still, many right in the middle of attack swings.

The whole room was cloaked in a grey and beige tinge, everything of course, except himself. It was odd, though there were a large number of well armored creatures frozen in the room, he saw no sign of their opponents.

He walked about the room, feeling extremely unnerved at the disturbing scene. There had been a tremendous battle fought in this room. Link saw menacing creatures the likes of which he'd never seen. They towered over him, shielded in fine armor. Piles of rubble from toppled collumns and damage to the castle lay strewn about.

Was he witnessing the battle Ganondorf had made for Hyrule? The very battle that had caused the goddesses to flood the land?

The stillness of the place, and the subdued tones of it cast an eerie feeling over the whole room. Coming down the stairs to the lower part of the room, he spied a large statue. And he knew instantly whom it had been raised to.

It was in the likeness of the hero of time, its finely sculpted marble looming above him. The ancient hero held aloft his blade, chiseled in a dramatic stance.

Link stepped forward to the pedestal of the statue, where there was an inscription carved in the stone.

Erected to the hero of our time, him who hath rescued us. For truly by his hand Hyrule lives on. Though he hath withdrawn himself from our presence, we have the hope from the goddesses. Hope of another to come.

Oh let them proclaim themselves! Let them stand among the pasturelands, saying,

Hyrule shall be renewed, it shall know again the embrace of the goddesses. I shall be her protector, and lay waste to those who desire contention in the land. I shall raise the standard, the blade of ages past, and call together the downtrodden.

Oh our protector, sound forth:

I am thy protector. I am the Hero of Hyrule.

Link stared at this for some time.

He felt a very strong air of seriousness in this place. Was the pedestal literally directing him to speak? Or was it merely poetic?

Could he really be the hero that Hyrule had hoped to see one day?

Gone was the feeling he had felt on his birthday, that all of the tradition of the ancient hero felt... slightly silly. He hoped that the goddesses, especially Farore, would forgive him.

Now he truly felt the weight of what the ancient hero had done. This was not a light matter. As these thoughts ran through his mind, a new thought came.

This is about more than just Aryll. It is about the destiny of all of the great sea.

He felt a chill go through him.

You cannot merely save Aryll and run away. Left alone, Ganondorf will soon cause far more evil than simply kidnapping young girls. Are you willing to challenge him?

Link breathed silently through his mouth, the air of a millenia ago filling his lungs. He drew his sword and raised it aloft.

"I am thy protector!" his voice rang through the forgotten halls. "I am the Hero of Hyrule!"

It echoed, and slowly faded into silence.

He heard the sound of stone grinding against stone. The statue of the ancient hero began to retreat backward, revealing a staircase. It thudded to a halt.

Renew Hyrule, a voice seemed to say. Raise the blade which is rightfully yours.

A rush of energy flowed through him as he walked down the stairs. He felt a slight touch of fear coming upon him.

He could feel it.

The goddessess wanted him to defeat Ganondorf. And while that had been his entire purpose in coming here, the true significance of this undertaking had rested upon him.

He was going to battle against a being that was a thousand years old. A being that had been preparing for revenge for a thousand years. And Link had barely had about a month.

He walked slowly, the silent plodding of his boots against the stone stairs the only sound in the desolate stairway. He came to the bottom of the stairs.

And there it was.

A short hallway ended in a circular chamber. Though they were veiled with the grey-beige color of everything else in the castle, he could see intricate stained glass windows on the back wall of the room.

In the middle of the chamber, there was a small, trapezoid shaped pedestal. And in it, was the sword.

The master sword.

He'd seen several depictions of it in his life. Depictions of what people thought it had looked like. No one alive knew what it truly looked like.

But now he saw it with his own eyes.

The blade of evil's bane. He began to reconsider what he was about to do.

Take the sword Link, the voice from before said. For the hour of Hyrule's renewal is nigh. The hero must stand again.

Link didn't know how he knew, but, with a nervous chill, he felt that the voice was the voice of a deity.

The voice of Farore.

You are worthy in my sight, Farore said, the voice growing stronger as he stepped closer to the pedestal. I have invested you to be my hero. The sword now belongs to you.

He walked into the middle of the chamber. Barely breathing, Link felt absolutely still as he stood before the pedestal.

He clasped his fingers around the handle of the sword.

Was he really meant to do this? Could he really do what the goddesses wanted?

I am as sure of this as much as I was sure of my call to your predecessor, Farore spoke. I know your heart. You are worthy of the cloth you wear, the sword in your hands, and the name you bear.

You shall be my champion.

Link gripped the sword, and felt the metallic ring sing across the cosmos. It relinquished its hold to the pedestal, and as it did, the monochrome covering over all his surroundings melted away.

Color flowed over the sword, revealing the hilt to be indigo in color. The stained glass windows saw the rush of color into them once again, the color flowing into them like turbulent ocean waves. Light began to stream through them for the first time in centuries.

Link stretched the master sword above his head. It felt as though a supernal fanfare heralded the return of the sword to a hero's hand.

Do not fear, Farore reassured. For I give courage to all who seek it with dilligence.

He examined the sword for a minute or so. The blade was an incredibly fine metal, and the weapon was extremely well balanced. It lacked a crossguard, though there was enough thickness in the hilt to adequately protect his hand.

The base of the blade was embossed with the design of the Triforce - three triangles, stacked in the shape of a larger one.

This was more than just the sword wielded by the hero of time. It was the sword wielded by nearly every hero since the formation of Hyrule.

Yet it showed not a single chip, blunted edge, or lack of polish to its sheening metal.

As Link held it, he realized something.

"Where am I going to keep this?" he said aloud.

He felt a weight vanish suddenly from his back. Quickly pulling his brown leather scabbard off, he found that it was empty.

He fearfully reached into his satchel, and fortunately, his old sword showed itself. He sighed in relief. Returning it to its new place, Link directed his attention to the master sword.

He carefully slid it into his leather scabbard, and as it entered, indigos, lapis lazuli blue, and gold colors swirled into the material. The leather was slowly transformed into an elaborately decorated blue sheath.

By the time he slid the master sword all the way in, the sheath had now changed to truly be worthy of the sword it carried. He took in a deep breath. The master sword was in his possession. He'd actually obtained the weapon hidden beneath the depths of the sea.

He returned the sheath to his back, and looked around at the chamber, now filled with light and color. The stained glass windows depicted the seven sages that had assisted the ancient hero.

Rauru. Sariah. Darunia. Ruto. Impa. Nabooru. And lastly, princess Zelda herself.

Link turned around, and began walking to the stairs. He felt reinvigorated.

Farore really trusted him. Perhaps he would be able to do this. As he walked, he realized that his footfalls were no longer the only sound in the castle.

He paused at the foot of the stairs. There was the sound of many pounding footsteps, and clanking metal in the hall above.

Oh no.

He slowly crept up the stairs and spied up over the top, and saw something very unpleasant.

With the return of color and energy to ancient Hyrule, the static monsters had returned to life.