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"The Dragon's Hoard"


The Dragon's Hoard

By: Haiku


Long ago, when Mankind was considered young, and dragons were already old, the eldest of dragons called all the dragons from around the world to the Temple of the Triforce, for it was there that the dragons witnessed the creation of the Triforce, and was their most sacred place. There, they decided that they would watch all the men of the world from the harm and evil of people. Then they departed, each going to a separate kingdom. However, people mistook their protection for aggression, thinking that their attacks on invading armies were lucky coincidences, and the attacks on their plundering armies where of evil beast. Over time, the good dragons died out, and where replaced by evil, wicked worms, their desire for gold a thousand fold of that of the greediest man. If a man steals one coin out of a dragon's hoard, it will kill thousands for revenge, its lust was that great. But among the evil dragons, The triforce was forgotten, until the dragon Brimstone, for that was his name given to him by man who had survived his flaming breath, and he has uncovered the secret of the Triforce. He has the largest hoard of any dragon, but a dragon's thirst for gold cannot be quenched. At this moment he is heading for Hyrule.
 
 

It was a beautiful day at the castle. Today was Link's fourteenth birthday, and Zelda had a surprise for him. Link was walking towards the castle, and it was a hot summer day. He was glad to get indoors when he got to the castle. He was waiting in the lobby for her when she suddenly appeared from around a corner. She had a surprise party for him. Halfway through the party, there was a great rumbling, and a mighty wind began to sweep the castle. Everyone including the king went outside to see the commotion, for it was a clear summer day, and there wasn't been even a breeze for hours.

Terror struck their hearts as they saw the evil dragon circling around the land of Hyrule. Everybody gazed up at the dragon, unsure if it was going to strike. It was redder than crimson, and crimson light poured out of its eyes. The dragon was muttering to itself, wondering what to do next. "I hear that the Triforce is in this land, yet I do not see where it could be kept," it muttered to itself in its rumbling voice. A dragon's eyes are as sharp as that of an eagle, and in his greedy eye, something as glorified as the Triforce should have a magnificent temple dedicated to it. "Maybe they hide it in the castle," he thought, and dived down for the castle.

The people at the castle gasped, and Zelda hugged Link, her head on his shoulder for support. The dragon landed in the courtyard, and hundreds of guards encircled the crimson worm, but as most people know, it would take a whole army to kill the mighty Brimstone, and that would be if he hadn't burned them on the spot. They guards held out there spears, ready to charge, and archers had there bows notched on the walls encircling the court yard. Then the dragon spoke. "Your weapons are useless, my teeth are like daggers, my claws spears, and my tail a mighty sword, and my flaming breath is like a thousand pitch-arrows alight. Try as you may, but I have business with the king," he said, and shot flame well into the air.

The soldiers faltered from his display of strength, and retreated out of reach of his claws and tail. A few totally panicked and dropped there weapons and fled back into the castle. Link picked up a sword from the guard master who just totally panicked and ran into the castle. It was a light sword, and was very sharp. The dragon just laughed at the guards display of cowardice. "Ho ho ho, my what scared little mice we have! Now, down to business," he said, and turned his scaly head towards King Harkinian. "King, tell me, where is the Triforce!"

It was common knowledge that dragons valued gold and precious stones and metal above all else. It is also known, When a dragon ask for plunder, he is unsure where it is kept. "Dragon, we do not know where the Triforce is," said the king, his legs shaking.

"Liars!!! You know where it is!!! Tell me where it is or I will take what you hold most dear!!!" the dragon roared at the top of its thunderous voice, shaking the castle and frightening the daylights out of the king.

The king glanced nervously at Zelda, his only daughter, and heir to the throne. The dragon sought out his gaze, and traced it to her. "So, she is your most dear. She would make a fine treat. It has been a long time since I have had royal cuisine!" it roared, and began to step towards Zelda. Zelda took to running, but the large worm can move faster. Link stabbed the guard's sword at the underbelly of the beast, but it broke, because it is known that dragon's fuse gems to their underside, so that adventures arrows and spears can't penetrate the beast hide. However, the beast felt the blow, for in his rage, he chipped some jewels off its stomach.

It stopped and was facing the wall where it had cornered Zelda. It was only about five feet away, and she was so scared that she wet herself. (She usually has more composure, but she had four glasses of punch, and was on the way to the bathroom when the dragon appeared.) "Ho ho ho, The little girl couldn't contain it," he said, looking at the wet spot enlarging on her shorts, and the stream going down her leg. "If you want to see her again, you will bring me the Triforce. If not, I will spread her guts and entrails on the castle door, and put her head on display for all to see in the village. Ho ho ho, now I must go!" he cackled, and flew off with her grasped in his claw.

Everybody stood there in dismay, and tears began to flow from Link's eyes. He fell unto his knees, and stared at his hands. "I. I should have done. more. I.I.. Its all my. fault!" he said in between sobs, and then he began to bawl, not caring if he ever stopped, or about the people watching him. The king was also crying, but managed to keep himself under control. But Link couldn't, and it was Impa that took him to his house. Saria saw Link coming back, and decided to see how the party went. She climbed up the ladder, and heard a strange noise from the bed that didn't take long, must have been some party for him to come home immediately after getting there. She turned to leave, but she heard a muffled sob, and she turned around, Link had rolled over, and was looking at Saria with eyes blood-shot from crying. The look upon his face was horrible. She had never seen him this sad. It was a look of horrible despair.

She rushed over to his bedside, and asked, "Link, what happened? I have never seen you like this," she said, and the sight of him almost made her want to cry.

Link sniffed, and managed to croak "This. This dragon came. It. demanded the Triforce. The king said he didn't know where it is. The dragon didn't believe him, and he t.t. oh, Saria, he took Zelda. Said that is what he would miss most. Right before he took off, he said if we didn't bring him the Triforce, he would smear the castle door with her guts and entrails, and he would hang her head from the center of the village. Then it left." Link then began to bawl at the top of his lungs, and Saria then wrapped her arms around him to comfort him, and saying things to him to try and soothe him. After about fifteen minutes of crying, Link fell asleep, and Saria tucked him in.

The next day, Link got up, then remembered what happened yesterday. He began to cry, but he had got all of his feelings out. They where mostly sobs and tears. Link then began to look around. He knew they would be probably looking for a way to get Zelda back. At that moment at the Dragon's hoard.
 
 

Brimstone had put a magic sleep on Zelda. The dragon got to his hoard at about nightfall. It would take about a week to get there on horseback, galloping the whole way. When she woke up, it was morning. Her shorts had dried out, but they stank of urine, and where now itchy. She laying on a feather mattress. It was comfortable, but she began to cry again. She was being held by a dragon. She remembered the tales Impa told her of knights rescuing maidens and princesses being held by dragons. She never thought that she would be held by one. All of a sudden, the dragon appeared at the doorway.

"There are some clothes for you to change into in the wardrobe, after all, you need to clean up after your little 'accident!'" He laughed a deep, rumbling laugh. Zelda was quite embarrassed by this. Had it been anybody else, much more then pee would have come out. She saw the wardrobe in the corner, and opened it up, and took out a simple silk dress that was embroidered with gold and silver thread. She saw a necklace hanging up, it was gold and had the crest Cornatoilia. The dragon took it over almost eight thousand years ago.

The dragon was standing at the door, watching her. "Would you please go while I change?" she asked. He slowly walked away. After she had dressed, she sat back down on the bed. Almost immediately, the dragon appeared at the front door. "Come, my child. Eat, for you have not done so since that night back at the castle," it said, looking at her it's strange eyes. She didn't move. "Now, my child, you have to eat. You are too valuable to me for you to die. I need you so I can get the Triforce, and make my collection the greatest among dragons!"

The dragon stared, and then she said, "You will never get the Triforce!!!"

"Oh, I think so, my dear," he chuckled. "I have been observing you and that boy, and you with your father. That child would do anything for you, and I am certain he would give up the Triforce for you. I, of course, will stick to my end of the bargain." Although dragons these days are evil, the magic that is in their words binds them to a promise, and makes it impossible to break it. They also have a great power of suggestion, and you have to be careful and wary of the words that they speak.

The dragon then spoke again, "Come, my guest, for you are hungry, and I have food for you. I hope you like beef stew." The dragon then exited, and Zelda followed anxiously. The dragon walked on for a couple of minutes, then turned into a large room. It was the kitchen, but instead of people, there were enslaved skullkids making food. They looked really sad, and they were skin and bones (even thinner than usuall).

Zelda walked in, and sat at a small metal table, for all the wooden tables had rotted away centuries ago. They brought the food over to her, and one of the smaller ones tripped and banged his head on a table. Zelda rushed over to see if he was ok. "Are you all right?" she asked the skullkid.

He was starved, and they were even sadder than usual. He was weak, and couldn't even stand back up. "Leave the imp there. They are unimportant," he said in a menacing tone. Zelda then had this strange urge to just leave the little creature there, but she didn't. Their torn and ragged clothing had crude symbols of the Triforce stitched in.

She saw them, and her eyes widened. "You took these poor people from Hyrule! Why?!" she demanded, and the skullkids looked at her. Skullkids were often shunned for there appearance. Also, they had been there many years, but the years had not worn away the memories of their happy home in the Lost Woods.

"I kidnapped them about four years ago when I was going through the region, and I got hungry, and I swooped down to where I thought that I saw children playing. I went down, and I saw these retched things! They tried to fend me off with sticks and stones. Ha! As if that would work! I grabbed them and took them to my castle here," said the dragon, and swung his long spiked tail over his head like a scorpion, prepared to kill the injured skullkid. The little being was terrified, he looked like he was only a child, he was about a foot shorter than the other impish skullkids. The little skullchild began to cry, and covered his face, fearing death. The dragon raised his tail, and prepared to kill the small child.

Right before he was about to do it, Zelda stepped in front of him. "If you want to kill him, you have to kill me first."

The dragon was enraged. He had never been defied like this before. "Move out of the way, stupid little girl. You don't know who your dealing with," the dragon growled menacingly. Zelda had a strange urge to pick up the skullkid and thrust him on the dragon's spikes, and watch him scream out in agony, that would feel so.... She shook her head free of that horrible thought, and stood her ground. The dragon turned his head and got within a few inches of Zelda's face and looked at her with his white pupil, and her face was being bathed by the crimson light pouring from its iris.

She stood her ground, and then she said, "Let them go. Release them, and I will cooperate. Otherwise, I will resist you all the way."

The dragon's eye began to twitch with fury. He then let out a tremondous roar. "All right!!! I will release them!!!" But then he dropped down to a to growl so menacing that it was no better than his roar, "But if you try one thing, one thing, I will burn the entire Kokiri forest, and watch your friend Link die in agony," and chuckled with that last thought. "But before I take those retched things back, I want you to see my treasure," he said, and led Zelda farther in the depths of the castle, lit only by the light coming from his eyes.

Then they came onto what was once was the throne room. But now there was a humongous pile of gold. Zelda was in awe of the massive mound of glittering valubles. Zelda moved closer to the mound, and picked up a gold coin. On it was the royal seal of Hyrule. Hyrule! "You were the one who robbed that caravan that was supposed to bring these coins to the royal treasury! There was a large flood, and we didn't have enough money to buy supplies for the victims. Many people went hungry, and some starved to death!" she yelled, spit flying from her mouth. The dragon just chuckeld, and called all the skullkids. He put them all on his back, and took off. There were about ten skullkids riding on there. Zelda saw the small skullchild that she had saved. He had a large lump on his head, but then he saw Zelda.

His bright eyes looked at Zelda, and they filled with tears. "Thank you" he managed to say, through sobs, and then he hugged her tightly. Then the dragon took off, and she knew she was going home.
 
 

Link had visited the Forest Temple and pulled out the master sword. He then went to the castle, and they planned how to get Zelda back. They decided that the only safe way was to get the Triforce, and see if they can try to use it to defeat the dragon. Link went into the Golden Land, made fun of Gannon, who was magically bound inside the Golden Temple, and got the Triforce. He came back, and decided what to do next. They decided that the dragon will probably come back, expecting that they have got the Triforce out, and are making the trade.

"Now, Link, you need to use that thing so that we can make a duplicate that will fool the dragon for long enough so that we can bring up a force so that when he comes after us, we can suprise him when he is half-way back here."

At that moment, there was a familiar rumbling, and the hall doors burst open with a rush of wind. Then, about ten or so skullkids rushed in, and Zelda appeard holding the small skullchild. His head was bleeding, and it turned out that he had been more badly injured than he thought. Link rushed up to her, and didn't notice the small skullkid she was holding. He hugged her tight, then a muffled "YEEOWCH!!!" came from the small child.

Link stood back, and the small child looked up at him with wide eyes. "Z...Zelda, you're safe!" said Link, his eyes beginning to shine with tears.

"Uh, Link, could we adopt him?" she asked him, with an expectant look on her face.

"Sure we ca... adopt???!! How can we adopt? We aren't even marri... Does this mean what I think it means!?!?!" Link said, ecstatic.

"Yes, Link. Will you marry me?" she proposed.

"Of....Of course I will!!! Also, of course we can adopt him. Welcome to the family, son!" he said, feeling like a big balloon inside was rising, and nothing could pop it. He then saw the nasty gash on his head and said "You're going to need that taken care of."

"Yes, uh, father?" the small child said to his soon-to-be father.

"Yes, son." Link smiled at the little child. As he was soon to find out, he had been only a baby, and his mom died on the travel over, because she had just given birth hours before the dragon came five years before. Then there was a roar, and that bubble that was inside of him began to deflate. They went out to the courtyard, and there was the dragon, surrounded by guards armed with spears. Before Link went out, Link made his wish. I wish that the triforce will never be held by that evil dragon, he wished with his heart.

All of a sudden, the Triforce glowed, and a duplicate formed. Link touched it, and he could tell that it wasn't the Triforce. It didn't radiate the type of power that the Triforce does. Link hid the real one in his pack, and went outside, and drew out the Master Sword. He then walked over to the dragon, and it spoke, "I have upheld my end of the bargain. Now, why don't you hand over that lovely object in your hands..."

Link had that same sensation again. He had the sudden desire to throw away the fake, and give him the real one. Link shook the thought from his mind, and did his best to look sad that their most sacred object was being taking by an evil dragon, but a smile crept onto his face. "What are you smiling at?!" the puzzled dragon asked at his smile.

"Because I have... Because I have been asked to be married to Zelda" he said, thinking of a suitable excuse. Something about that dragon scared him (beside the obvious). He had almost slipped and told him the truth.

"Yeah, whatever," said the dragon, not suspecting a thing. He took the thing, and he thought, I thought this thing was supposed to be more powerful. And he thought that they might be tricking him. He began to use his magical sight to see the true extent of its power. His white pupils began to glow, and he searched the object. He saw that there was no power within the thing, and then he turned his eyes to Link. He saw the power radiating from the Master Sword, but then, he saw the awesome power of the Triforce.

"A fake!!!" he roared, and threw it aside he looked at Link, and Link could tell that he knew that it could tell that he had the real thing.

Then Link yelled "Now!!" and archers appeared with large bows and arrows, and began to fire at the dragon. The dragon saw it coming, and transformed his wings into a hard shell with spikes on it. The dragon spun around, and sent blue flames at the archers. They ducked down, and the dragon charged Link. Link ducked out of the way, and slashed viciously at the beast. His sword clanged harmlessly off the shell, and Link was cornered by the beast.

Link ran underneath the Dragon, and went behind it. He pulled out the Triforce, and there was a strap going around it. Link had nothing to use, and he put the Triforce on his face, and looked through the upside-down triangle hole, and he felt himself began to swell with power. He looked at his hands, they where the hands of a grown man, not a sixteen-year-old adolescent. Link then looked at Zelda, and his small soon-to-be child. He then looked at the beast, and charged at him. His shield had transformed, and it was now super-shiny, and reflective. Link struck the beast in the stomach with his sword, and jewels went flying in all directions. They began to strike at each other, until almost all the jewels were knocked off. Then Link pointed his sword at the dragon, and then a beam erupted from the end. It shot through Brimstone, and he dropped with a tremendous thump. Noel got closer to the dragon, and it reached out with his claw, and touched the Triforce. I wish that I may never let my greed take over my life again, the dragon wished, and all of a sudden, the beast stood up.

"I am sorry for the trouble I have caused you. I will never let my greed take over my life again." Then the dragon bowed, and flew off.
 
 


Epilogue

It had been three years since the incident with the dragon. At their wedding, a week after the defeat of the dragon, Link had a hard time deciding who would be his best man. There ring-bearer had, of course, been the little skullchild they had adopted. And since skullkids don't usually have names, they named him Arakion. Link had finally decided that Mido would be his best man. Zelda had decided that Saria should be her bridesmaid. The wedding went perfect. Arakion had grown-up, by skullkid terms. They quit growing at age seven. Arakion had started to make regular visits to Saria's house, and they had become good friends.

Unknown to each other, they both had a big crush on each other. It was Arakion who had decided to make the first move. "Uh, Saria, can I ask you something?" he said. He had the suspicion that she might like him, because every time he turned around, she seemed to be staring at him. She was doing it again.

"Huh? Oh! Of course!" she said, hoping that he would notice, because she liked him very much, and didn't want him to stop being friends.

"Uh, Saria, I.I.I.love.you," he said, and his face turned red.

She looked at him and smiled. "I've been waiting for you say that for so long. I love you too." Then they hugged each other.


The End