Heroes of Hyrule

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the content I have borrowed from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This story is written as fanfiction and I do not intend to profit in any way from this work.

From the Private Writings of Beedle the Merchant

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a hero adventuring through a land so vast as Hyrule will often be in need of supplies. That is where merchants such as myself come into play, particularly in the aftermath of a major crisis such as the massive earthquake that launched Hyrule Castle into the sky months ago. The Upheaval, as that earthquake is now known, wreaked havoc upon our lands. Shifting earth created countless caves, as well as Chasms that spew toxic Gloom. After the Upheaval, we have been able to see dozens of islands high above us in the sky; ruins drop from those islands all too frequently, making us live in fear of being crushed by falling rubble. Worst of all, Princess Zelda is missing. There have been sightings of her at different stables around Hyrule, but the latest in the Lucky Clover Gazette is that these have been mirages created by the Demon King to sow chaos across the land.

Without Zelda’s leadership, all of Hyrule must work together to undo the damage that the Upheaval has wrought. Some folks focus on rebuilding, going about life as normal. Others fight the myriad monsters that have spawned since the Gloom started spreading through the land from the Chasms. The Hero of Hyrule, of course, ventures throughout the land, fighting monsters and solving problems everywhere he goes. But me? I travel from stable to stable on a road that never ends, doing my best to support our Hero so that he is well equipped for all the trials he must face.

Of course, it’s not easy keeping up with Link, our hero and companion of our beloved Princess Zelda. He has special technology that allows him to appear and disappear as he pleases. I am not so fortunate. I am left to walk the road on my own poor feet, regardless of weather or monsters or any other inconveniences. Neither am I blessed with Link’s seemingly infinite storage, from which he produces rare bugs, precious gems, monster parts, and other oddities that I’m more than happy to take off his hands. Everything I buy from him goes into the massive pack that I carry on my back, which I keep stocked with useful things traveling heroes might need–arrows, foodstuffs, elixir ingredients, and so on. But the pack is heavy and the road is long, and whatever stable Link visits, I must be there for him.

The stablemasters and I have worked out an arrangement to help me with this seemingly impossible task. They have a horse called Smokescreen that I can borrow to make the road fly by under my feet. It moves faster than any other horse alive, even the ones Link rides. The road blurs under his shadow-wreathed hooves. Monsters never notice him, and nor do other travelers; he moves without sound, all but unseen. Smokescreen makes it possible to be at whatever stable Link is in moments, though of course no one knows about him except for me and the stablemasters.

But how can I know where he is going? He doesn’t tell me, but I have my ways. Penn from the Lucky Clover Gazette flies all over Hyrule on those Rito wings of his, and he’s enlisted Link as a junior reporter with the Gazette–can you believe it? So he tracks Link’s movements for me, and whenever I get word from Penn that Link is approaching one of Hyrule’s many stables, off I go to meet him as fast as my legs and Smokescreen can carry me.

Thus I’ve made my way to the Dueling Peaks stable for what feels like the tenth time this week. Man, Link sure can move! I think he must have some work going on in Lanayru, based on the fishy smell hanging about him lately and the number of luminous stones he has to sell me. He always buys out my full stock of arrows, too, meaning I have to make extra trips to my suppliers to restock. But I’m not complaining. It’s an honor to serve the Hero of Hyrule, and of course, he keeps me in business.

As if on cue, Link appears in my field of vision through the openings at the front of the stable’s inn. He sprints down the path in the rain, looking more careworn than usual.

“Oy, Link! Come rest awhile!” the stablemaster calls out to him. Link turns off to the stable and pants under the eaves. Water drips from his tunic and trousers onto the wooden floor. A weapon that seems to be constructed from a wicked-looking monster horn and a sword damaged by the metal decay that came with the Upheaval is strapped to his back, along with an expensive-looking shield that seems to be from a bygone era of royal guards. I wonder where he found that?

I haven’t got much chance of finding out. He doesn’t talk much, does Link. But I can tell by the way he walks past the stablemaster to where I sit against the main support post for the roof that he has business to conduct with me.

“Greetings, Link! What do you need?” I ask, cheerful as always. The Hero of Hyrule doesn’t need any trouble from me, or from anyone, really. In times like these, living in Hyrule is trouble enough.

“Arrows. As many as you have,” he answers, his voice low.

“Not a problem at all.” I pull them out of my pack and hand them to him, and he gives me rupees in exchange. All my trades with Link are fair market value, and he has my prices memorized by now. “Anything else?”

“Found some neat bugs.” He pulls a golden beetle from his pocket, and my eyes nearly burst from my skull with excitement.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Is that…an Energetic Rhino Beetle?!”

He smiles and nods. I can’t believe my luck.

“I’ll give you 80 rupees for it.” That’s no small sum–in fact, it’s far more than he paid for the arrows–but it’s been since before the Upheaval that I’ve seen one of these beautiful, rare insects.

He gives me the beetle and I hold it reverently, holding it up so that its lovely shiny carapace catches the firelight inside the stable. Only after a few seconds of breathless admiration do I remember to hand him the rupees.

With that, he goes to the stablemaster to buy a bed for a rest. He doesn’t always do that when he comes to stables, but I’m grateful that this time he has. I’ve been running ragged between here and the Wetland Stable and the Foothill Stable while he’s been doing heroic deeds in Lanayru and Necluda. Since Link is taking time to relax, that means I can, too–and it gives me extra time to admire this delightful Energetic Rhino Beetle. My road may never end, but at least for tonight, I have a reprieve. At first light, we hit the road again, each doing our part to help Hyrule. I know that nothing is too hard for Link. He will save Hyrule and bring Princess Zelda back. I’m just grateful to be able to help, in my own small way.