A Link to the Past Prologue

Many centuries have passes since the Imprisoning War. The land of Hyrule healed its wounds and the people lived in peace for a long time. Memories of the vicious Imprisoning War faded over the generations...
So it is no surprise that no one was prepared for the new disasters that have recently struck Hyrule. Pestilence and drought, uncontrollable even by magic, ravaged the land. The king of Hyrule, after council with his sages, ordered an investigation of the Imprisoned Dark World (as the Golden Land [or Sacred Realm] had come to be known), but the wise men's seal was apparently intact. He offered rewards for anyone who could find the source of these troubles. In answer to these summons a stranger named Agahnim came and quelled the disasters with a previously unseen form of magic. As a reward, the king gave him a new position as chief advisor and heir to the Seven Wise Men. The masses proclaimed him their hero. Peace had returned to Hyrule... or had it?
Of late, rumors have traveled their whispering path with alarming frequency. Rumors saying Agahnim now rules the country with his magic... Rumors of strange magical experiments in the castle tower at night... The people of Hyrule were gripped by dread.

One night, a girl's voice awakens you from your sleep. "Help me... My name is Zelda... I am in the castle dungeon." She telepathically pleads.
You jump out of bed not knowing whether the voice was part of a dream or reality. Upon leaving your bed, you find your uncle, who should be fast asleep at this time, preparing to go out, girded for battle.
"I'll be back by morning," he says as he departs. Don't leave the house."
You watch him leave with the family sword in hand and shield on arm.This is a night like no other... Who is Zelda? Where had your uncle gone and for what reason? And so, on an ill-fated night, a new chapter in the legend of Hyrule's hero begins- a new chapter in The Legend of Zelda!

- Taken from pages 6-7 of A Link to the Past instruction booklet