The Legend of Zelda: Dark Warrior - Prologue

P R O L O G U E1

A cold wind swept across the twilit plains of Hyrule, as Collin sat on the roof of his house watching the sunset. The son of Kakariko Village's chief, Collin made it his nightly ritual to sit on his roof and watch over the land. He couldn't see much over the cliffs that bounded Kakariko on two sides, and lately the smoke from nearby Death Mountain had been obscuring his view.2

Normally the ten-year-old didn't watch for anything in particular, but on this particular night there was much to watch. Not long ago, the entire village had been on the roof with Collin, watching a band of raiders who appeared to be approaching Kakariko. Thankfully, they had changed direction while crossing the gorge.3

Now Collin watched the group, shrouded in shadow against the last of the day's light as they rode farther into the sunset. Once they were out of sight, Collin turned his attention to the small, golden pendant around his neck. He was fond of the way the last few rays of sun made the gold shine in a brilliant, almost surreal way.4

"It's getting cold," came a voice from behind him. Collin turned to see his brother Tal standing in front of the door. Though Tal was seven years older than Collin, the two of them looked remarkably similar; both shared the same brown hair and deep hazel eyes. The similarities stopped there, however. Collin shared absolutely none of his brother's interest in swordplay. Tal had been training with Rath, an elderly swordsman who had served in the Royal Army during the war. Tal planned to join the Imperial Guard when his training was complete.5

"You shouldn't be out at night this time of year, especially not with those outlaws running around."6

"Do you really think they'll come here, Tal?"7

"I don't know. Ever since the Imperial Guard stopped them from raiding Castle Town, they've been focused on getting in there. Word is they're getting closer with every attempt. Their leader is smart, and ruthless. If they do get into Castle Town, no one knows where they'll go next. Now come in before you get sick."8

Despite his rough demeanor, there was no denying that Tal cared about his little brother. Collin could recall multiple occasions where his brother had protected him from older bullies. He had never seen Tal appear scared before, but Collin could hear a small bit of worry in Tal's voice whenever he discussed the raiders, particularly their leader.9

It was not as though there was no reason for concern. Stories were rampant about the leader of the bandits, all painting him as a cunning warrior. One of the common stories was that he had bested three of Hyrule's strongest knights in single combat. His history was mysterious, though a popular theory was that he was the last descendant of a race of desert thieves. Some historians linked him to ancient myths of a dark wizard who had tried to destroy Hyrule in ancient times. There was, however, one thing that everyone agreed on: he was a very dangerous man.10

As Collin reentered his house and crawled into his bed, he could not shake the image he'd created of this terrible swordsman. His eyes grew heavier and heavier, but once they slid shut, the silhouette of a large man on an imposing black horse brandishing a blade remained. That was when Collin knew this would not be a restful night.