In a time before the Legends...
Before the Epic we know began...

Before a Man became a Monster...
Before a Hero would be born...
Before a Princess would be burdened...

The War had yet to begin...

Chapter 1
The Beginning

Long ago, before Time was Time,
Before existence...there were the Gods.

Three Noble Brothers and their Sister,
they created the universe we know, and
as a symbol of their power, they created
the first world, Hyrule...

After their work in starting this realm
was done, they took upon themselves a
vow, to never interfere with the progress
of the universe unless they themselves
became threatened, and left to let the
realm evolve on its own.

Before they vanished from the universe,
the four created a symbol of their power,
an all powerful object of balance, which
they named the TryForce. Bound with
Wisdom, Courage, and Power, the three
Virtues were united by the power of
the fourth, the Virtue of Love.

The TryForce was hidden away to wait
for one who had all four virtues in their
heart, but none with true balance came
into life. The legends of the powerful
symbol became the object of greedy beings,
and blood was spilled in the quest to find it...

The night was silent, people sleeping safely in their homes, guarded with the knowledge that their towns were protected by the forces of the land. Tylon was a powerful country of Hyrule, being the central land and capital of the Trindon continent.

It was also home country of the Hyrulian royal family, the Clan that ruled the entire world from this place, over the lords and kingdoms of the planet. The people all over would trade the Clan of Alahyde for no other dynasty, for no other was as compassionate and caring of the people as they were.

Those that lived outside the laws of the world, however, were a different matter altogether.

The screams of terror were ended sharply as their owner was slain, a slash to the throat severing the woman's vocal cords. Her killer merely glanced around, grabbed the box of rubies on a dresser, and walked out to join his fellows, saying not a word through the entire event.

He and three others arrived to where a fifth man waited, one that was noticeably taller than the four that stood before him. The first man nodded and handed him the box, the leader looking inside, then smiling. "You have earned your spoils," he muttered, tossing the box back to the man. "I have bigger plans now. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun getting to my goal."

"That sounds like our boss," one of the other men cracked with a grin. "We're less than a month's travel to Death Mountain, are you sure that what you're looking for is there?"

Nodding, the leader turned to look towards the tall mountains in the distance. "Very sure, my source of information is never wrong."

Racing through the halls of a huge temple, a man in shining red armor hurried down the corridors, a distressed expression on his face. His red hair bounced from his pace while his deep red eyes had a look of horror in them.

"Alahyde!" he called, bursting into a large room that overlooked an energy storm, pillars floating in the air without support on the ground. "Alahyde, We've got a major problem on Hyrule!"

The man standing into the room, his hair and eyes shining green like emeralds, turned calmly to the red head, nodding slightly. "I know, Harkanian. It's Ganondorf, he's found how to unlock the gates of the Sacred Realm."

"Yes, he's found the way, and he'll claim the TryForce and become a near God if he's not stopped!"

"We cannot interfere," Alahyde replied to his companion. "Unless it threats even Us, that is the vow We took when We created Hyrule and the universe it exists in. That is the law We placed on Ourselves, and it is the law We must follow."

"Dragmire obviously has not followed any of Our laws," Harkanian snapped in reply. "He has to be the one who told Ganondorf how to open the Gates, I have no doubt now that the exiled Gerudo is indeed who he claims!"

Alahyde sighed as he looked out at the storm of energy that raged outside the temple. "Dragmire has certainly had a hand in this, but as to his connections to Ganondorf, We must not assume anything unless it is proven, that is Our way."

Harkanian sighed and lowered his head, then looked up towards the other man. "We're the Gods, Alahyde, and all on Hyrule know Us. We'll obviously be Ganondorf's first targets once he gets the TryForce, it's obvious he is a threat to Us."

"We must wait till he proves so," Alahyde stated as he turned around again. "You think I don't know what You do, Brother? That Ganondorf wishes to usurp and replace Us? I know this as well as You and Latyra do, but until that mortal proves a real threat, We can do nothing, that is the law We agreed to."

Looking back to watch the storm, Alahyde sighed again. "These are times that I wish Our Sister had not left, She was indeed the wiser between Us two."

"She was the more compassioned," Harkanian added. "But yes, We need Her in these times. She felt best to leave and create other realms though. Perhaps She will one day return, and I hope it will be soon. But in the matters concerning Ganondorf-"

"Enough of it for now," Alahyde ordered calmly, turning and walking away. "You are headstrong and ready for battle always, that is Your only fault, Brother. We will wait for Latyra to return to the temple, until then, We do nothing."

The tall man with red hair walked into a tent, smiling as he saw that he had a visitor, one he was indeed expecting. "Nice to see you again, after these few years since our last meeting."

"I'm sure you are," the black haired visitor replied as he smirked slightly. "You do know the plan. You open the Gate and-"

"And claim what rightfully belongs to my lineage." Chuckling, the red haired man sat down in a chair. "I know my task well, I've only been planning it for the last six years."

The man nodded as he continued to stand in the corner. "I have something for you though, something to insure that My...Brothers do not interfere. Once you gain the TryForce, you'll be the largest threat possible to both them, and everything else."

Pulling a handle from within his cloaks, the man produced a large ornate, yet evil looking scythe, holding it out to his host. "It is the one weapon that can kill a God of Virtue, I trust you will put it to good use, Ganondorf?"

Smiling, the red-haired man nodded and accepted the weapon, testing its balance and finding that it handled well enough. "Yes, indeed I do..." He gave a soft laugh as he turned away from his companion, then cocked his head back towards the other man. "You have a way for me to enter their realm, do you not?"

"In the plains of Rivedale," the black haired man replied. "There will be a weakening of the barriers, I expect you to use that and enter from there. Once you have entered their Realm, you will be free to kill them. I advise you leave not even one of those three alive, or they will retaliate eventually."

Ganondorf nodded as he turned, only to find his visitor gone without a trace. He chuckled as he shook his head, then turned back to his plans. "So like you."

Leaving his tent, the man looked out at the encampment, nodding to a blue skinned man with black hair and red eyes. "Round up everyone, we make way to Rivedale."

"As you command."

Smirking, Ganondorf continued. "Oh, and Agahnim, take a group of your Drow out to the Androga area, there's a ranch there if memory serves correct. Be so kind as to, 'relieve' them of their horses. If the owners and ranch hands try to stop you, kill them."

Bowing, the man chuckled softly. "It will be done, sire. Shall we leave now?"

Ganondorf nodded as he made his way to a large jet black stallion and mounted the animal. "Yes, the sooner, the better. Be sure and hurry, I want my best to be there were we reach Rivedale."

"Harkin! Harkin, time to come in!"

A small brunette Hylian boy sighed as he closed his book and ran from his spot under a tree to where his father waited in the doorway of their home. "Alright."

"Reading again?" the man cracked with a smile as his young son walked in the door. "You're going to kill your eyes reading in such low light. Come on, time to get to bed."

With a groan, the boy headed to his room and set his book on a wooden desk before pulling his shirt off and climbing into bed. He was not anxious to go to sleep, having become rather engrossed with his book, but rules were rules.

"Arewon, you're tense as a rock."

The older Hylian man, Arewon, sighed as he looked out at the night, his eyes keeping watch. "I have good reason, Deline. The Ulgranda have been spotted in the area. They come near here, they'll be after the horses."

"The Gerudo do the same," his wife, Deline, stated. "You've never worried about them."

"The Gerudo aren't killers," Arewon replied. "And the Gerudo leave some payment in exchange, there's a reason they are protected by the law of the Gods, just as we are. I worry of the Ulgranda though. Their leader supposedly killed a Latyra clansman, and if that's true, he won't hesitate to have another of the Clans killed again."

With a sigh, Deline walked to her husband's side. "Few people know that we live out here, let alone that we're of direct Tridelan blood. It shouldn't be anything to worry about."

Arewon merely kept watch while his wife went to bed, his eyes narrowed in alert. For at least two hours, he stood there, his awareness ebbing, but his resolve not. They were out there, he knew it. They were going to strike his home, the winds in the night were nothing but signs of that.

Something caught the attention of his elongated ears, causing Arewon to cock his head towards the darkness outside the ranch gates. Eyes narrow, he could make out the shapes of several forms; he had been right.

"Grath! Jareth! We got thieves! Get your asses up!"

As the thunder of heavy hoofs raced towards the ranch, Arewon quickly pulled out a sword and crossbow from a cupboard while the two ranch hands raced out to join him. The three readied for battle, but their vigilance was in vain; streaks of light cut out from the darkness and slammed thought both men standing at Arewon's side. The Hylian cocked and fired his own crossbow, only to gasped when the arrow was caught be the very target he had fired at.

"That's at least three fools who will die tonight," stated the cold and heartless voice. Its owner stepped forward into the moonlight to reveal his pale blue skin and jet black hair. Arewon's eyes narrowed while he drew his sword, knowing very well what this thief was.

"Why do Drow have to steal from a simple farm?" he spat in anger. "Are things in the Underdark so bad that your own demonic breeds can't progenerate anymore?!"

"Our stallions are ill met to the conditions of your accursed sun," the Drow replied with a smile. He drew his own sword, while signaling for his men to hold back. "Besides, lord ul Dragmire wishes the finest of this land. Considering your bloodline, I'd think you would be the best to obtain from, Chosen of Tridela."

Arewon's eyes went wide from shock. The Drow knew exactly who he and his family were, there was no denying it now. That meant these Drow had very little to no intention of letting him or his family live. "Leave my family out of this!" he called in slim hope. "You've killed my workers, all that's left here is my wife and child! If you must kill me, at least spare them!"

"I'm afraid negotiation, Tridelan, is out of the question now." The lead Drow chuckled, his sword glowing in the shadows as he stepped towards Arewon. "Your ancestors are the reason we were outcast from the surface, and as direct descent of the Drow royalty, I take it personal. It's time for vengeance."

There was no way of escape now, Arewon knew it. However, if he could fall back quick enough and get his son and wife out...

"Lord Agahnim, we caught the woman."

"No!"

With a grin, Agahnim looked back at his lieutenant. "Excellent. And the boy?"

"He escaped towards the Kokiri Forests," the lower Drow replied apologetically. "I offer my regrets of failure."

Agahnim frowned, then looked back at Arewon. "It seems," he stated with a drawl. "That part of your request will be granted for the time being. A boy not even of age is no great concern to us."

"What about the woman and him?"

"Kill them both," the Drow ordered, laughing when Arewon raced forward to strike. With a fluid spin, Agahnim parried the man's sword, then sunk his own deep into Arewon's chest, turning at Deline's scream to fling a bolt at her and strike the woman down dead. He took only a moment to look at the scene, then nodded to his men. "Get the horses," came the snappy command. "We'll not waste time with the boy, let the forest eat him."

The group quickly gathered what horses they could, only stopping to kill off the remaining ranch hands before leaving. They didn't even bother to make a second search for the child, but if they had, they would have found he had been watching everything with horrified eyes.

In an instant, he raced into the nearby forest, not knowing what he would find. All he hoped for was a quick end to his pain.

"Lord Ganondorf!"

The thief lord looked back as a rider reached him. "What is it?" he said, turning to face the direction of the faintly rising sun. "It's almost time."

"Agahnim has returned from his task," the messenger replied, pointing towards the growing group of cloaked and hooded Drow. Ganondorf sighed as he noticed his own horse start to protest being in the faint light of the sun.

"Get Reaver under cover, he's going to get burned out here," he ordered, leaving his minion to lead the Drow horse off to shelter while Agahnim rode over, his hood drawn tightly over his face while black gloves covered his hands. Ganondorf smiled as his lieutenant dismounted and clapped the Drow on the back. "Good work, we should have enough mounts for the day while your own breeds rest in the underground. How went the raid?"

"They were Tridelans," Agahnim stated matter-of-factly. "A man and a woman, plus Hyrulian workers. We killed all but the child, he-"

"You left a Clan child alive?" Ganondorf spun sharply to face the Drow, his eyes narrowed while his brows curled angrily. "I would have thought for someone with an ancestral oath to slaughter Tridela's Clan when possible, you would have hunted him down like he was a pack animal."

Agahnim merely waved his hand as if to dismiss his shortcoming. "He's not even of age, I've been keeping eyes on the Clans. The boy ran into the Kokiri Forests, so even if he lived past the night, the creatures there will surely eat him alive. In any case, I felt best to get here to Rivedale as you had wished."

Ganondorf felt as if he were going to beret his companion, but discarded the notion. Agahnim was right, the Kokiri Forests were notorious for the deaths that happened there. The boy had all but committed suicide by going into them. "There's only a few minutes before the Barriers between our plane and that of the Gods weakens. We've already set the rift gates for then, and I've got my own surprise for those fools."

"Our 'mysterious' benefactor has provided their gift?"

Ganondorf glanced back at Agahnim, then smiled. "You know full well who he is, don't you?"

"It's hard to not conclude it so with the power you hold, the name you were given, and the knowledge that he has handed you." Agahnim sighed, then hissed as the sun rose over the mountains. He pulled a cloth mask across his face while pushing what looked like goggles over his eyes. "Damn that sun," he muttered harshly. "Did the Gods have to make it so big and so damaging to our kind? Life in the underworld is hard enough."

"They felt it should be a monument to the potential of this realm," Ganondorf replied as he slipped his new scythe out from his cloaks. "Just as the moons bestow power to beings of the night, so does the sun take it away. That should change once I rule the celestial hierarchy."

As the rays of the sun crawled down over the mountains and over the plains of Rivedale, a crackling ripple was revealed before the band of thieves. Ganondorf smiled in response, raised his scythe, and cut down hard to tear open a rip in the very fabric of reality. Energy lashed out from the rift, revealing the plasmic storm that lay beyond the reality of Hyrule.

With his scythe in hand, Ganondorf stepped through the rip, his feet touching the ethereal stone floors of the temple within this dimension. Energy storms raged outside the walls of the construct, but that didn't matter to him as he strode down the halls towards a massive pair of doors. He didn't have much time as it was to do his task, so every second counted.

With a mighty crack, the doors were blown open. The three occupants of the chamber spun in shock to see Ganondorf enter with a malicious smile on his face. None of them had even thought to expect such an invasion.

"Damnit, I told you he would be trouble!"

"Now is not the time, Harkanian!"

With a laugh, Ganondorf drew his scythe and stepped towards the Gods. His eyes seemed to glow with fire, one that Alahyde knew all too well. "It seems," he spat in amusement. "That your realm is not as safe as you thought, nor are your lives. I hold in my hand a weapon that will slay even you Gods! Your time is over, fools!"

"How dare you set foot in Our world!" the blue haired of the three snapped while drawing a blade from his side. Even as he raced at the bandit king, Ganondorf slashed in an instant, causing the God known as Latyra to scream and explode apart into death. Alahyde and Harkanian stared in utter horror; no weapon forged by mortals could even hurt a God, there was no doubt now who indeed Ganondorf was!

"Any lack of faith in my birthright now, uncles?"

Harkanian snarled and summon out an massive ornate red sword, one different from his brother's, but powerful still without a doubt. He ran at the intruder even as Alahyde called for him to stop, and like Latyra, was struck down by Ganondorf's own blade, torn apart by the unholy and demonic energies bestowed in the scythe.

Ganondorf smiled and locked his attention on the one remaining God of Virtue. "Well, first fell Courage," he chuckled, the blade of his scythe glittering with black energy. "And then, my favorite virtue, Power." His own eyes flashed with deep red light. "What say we finish up the set and take Wisdom as well, Uncle? You can't fight me, so you might as well take death like a God and just give up."

"Despite what your Father thinks," Alahyde spat while backing away. "I do indeed plan ahead, and I do in fact have My own...what would He call it...My own 'trump card'. The vengeance of all Creation will befall you, Ganondorf ul Dragmire, and it will be by my design!"

Ganondorf only mocked the God's words by laughing, then ran forward with his scythe, surprised when Alahyde disapperated into nothing. "What?!" the Ulgranda leader roared in anger. "No! Damnit, no, how could he have done that?!" Ganondorf screamed his fury, then turned to face the energy storms that raged outside. Two streaks of light cascaded about in the storms, as if lacking coordination to find a way to revive their true forms.

"At least," he muttered through clenched teeth, "those two cannot interfere. I have more important matters to attend to!"

With a violent turn, Ganondorf stormed back through the temple and passed through the rift just as it began to collapse. In his fury, he had failed to notice that the two cascading energies escaped the storms and fled their way to the realm of the mortal plane. He would have cared little though once he returned to his band.

"I take it that the Gods are no more," Agahnim asked through his mask, then gestured to the violent storm clouds that even now began to block out the sun. Thunder cracked through the air while lightning split the sky with every flash. The Drow began to unmask themselves once the sun was blotted out, but Ganondorf's response did not make their moods of victory complete.

"Alahyde escaped," Ganondorf stated angrily. "That bastard, he had expected me to do this. He claims he has his own back-up plan, and while it may be just a bluff..."

"A God's threat is not to be taken lightly," Agahnim whispered uneasily. He spoke from long memories of his race, of why they were forced to shun the light of their sun. "He will not rest for long now, you've proven you're more than a threat to the hierarchy of the Celestines."

With a nod, Ganondorf mounted his horse and looked out towards the massive mountain range in the distance. There was only one other thing to do now, and once it was done, not even Alahyde could stop him. He tilted his head back slightly to find that his men were ready, and swept his arm forward. "On to Death Mountain!"

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