Dark Paradise

The doe-eyed girl peered out the window of Lorule castle. Her fingers traced the indentation of the Triforce on her armor – something she did often. She hung her head in defeat.

"Lorule will be lost forever...unless I do...something..."

Her attendant, Yuga watched her from across the room. "You look so lovely, Your Grace. How I'd love to...paint you..."

Yuga was cut off after Hilda shot him an icy glare. How dare he say something like that when she felt so miserable. She wasn't in the mood to have this moment recorded in a painting. Yuga's idea of 'beauty' was so very incomprehensible, even to her.

"You wish to restore Lorule? I think I may be of some assistance to you." His voice was pleasant and soft.

"How? What could possibly fix this?"

"Come with me. I've made a discovery that I believe you'll be very pleased with." Yuga grinned.

oOo

"This better be good, Yuga." Hilda muttered. Yuga covered her eyes with his hands as he pushed her forwards. "Where are we?"

"This is the Sacred Realm, Your Grace."

The Sacred Realm? How did he find it? Hilda's mind was filled with so many questions. She had read about the Sacred Realm, but never thought she'd be standing in it.

Yuga dropped his hands from her eyes. Much like Lorule, the Sacred Realm seemed to be a barren wasteland. Yet, it was beautiful in a way, that place where the Triforce once dwelt. In front of them stood a large slate. A fissure ran down the slate length wise, and a faint light emanated from it.

Despite the strange beauty of the place, Hilda remained unimpressed. "You dragged me out here to show me a crack?"

"Not the crack itself, Your Grace. Beyond it I can sense a parallel world."

"I don't follow you. What are you getting at?"

"The world on the other side is so full of life. It isn't dying like our Lorule. And we both know what is necessary to sustain life. This world has its own Triforce and it still exists. Can you not feel its light radiating from that crack?"

Hilda gasped excitedly, something she did not think she was capable of. "You think so?"

"Hilda, my goddess, my muse, I know so. This world is called Hyrule."

"How do you know this, Yuga?"

"There is a very old book in the castle's library all about the lore of Hyrule. But I suppose there are so many books there, you couldn't possibly have read them all."

"C-could you bring this book to me?" Hilda asked. She hated how desperate she sounded. It all seemed too good to be true.

"Certainly, my dear."

oOo

Hours later he found her asleep in her study. She had fallen asleep while reading the old tome late into the night. He lifted her up out of her chair and carried her down the hall to her chambers. He laid her on her bed. The iron frame creaked lightly under her weight. She smiled faintly in her sleep, her hope restored. No doubt she was dreaming visions of Hyrule.

Yuga smiled too. The princess of Lorule was under his sway. He quietly left Hilda's room and shut the door behind him returning to his own chambers.

oOo

Hilda had finally gathered the courage to step outside the safety of her castle walls. It had been a while since she had last visited her garden behind the castle. It was perhaps the only beautiful place left in Lorule. Purple flowers were arranged in intricate patterns along the grounds. Hilda was in relatively high spirits so she felt more at ease than usual.

"It's so pretty... It's a shame I don't come out here more often..."

Yuga laughed. "Perhaps I should paint it for you."

She heard the nearby gate open.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't 'Princess' Hilda..." The Captain of the Guard slurred as he staggered towards her. "Look at you...enjoying your garden and your warm, cozy castle while the rest of us live in squalor, fending for ourselves. But that's alright 'sweetheart', enjoy it now. Lorule...abandoned by the goddesses after your ancestors destroyed their most precious gift to us..."

Yuga stepped in between them. "You're drunk and your unsightly face is spoiling my view. Go back to that dump of a bar you crawled out of."

The Captain of the Guard looked taken aback by Yuga's directness.

The guard huffed as he went back through the gate, grumbling more nonsense under his breath. "Unsightly? Has that guy looked in a mirror? Thinks he so special...gets to live in the castle with Miss Hilda and wears a crown like he's royalty or something..."

Yuga turned to Hilda who was now visibly upset.

"Perhaps we were better off inside. We're going back in now. We'll discuss our plans there." Yuga sighed. He put an arm around the distraught young woman as he led her inside.

oOo

"You're going to do what?" Ravio was aghast at what Hilda was telling him.

"Please, Ravio, help us!"

"You can't seriously take this other world's Triforce in clear conscience? Has Yuga's cruelty rubbed off on you? Would you risk destroying another world?"

"I...I would for Lorule... And please don't speak poorly of Yuga. He is doing everything he can to help me."

"Your Highness, you can do better than this. Please be careful. You can't trust him."

"That's enough, Ravio. You're dismissed for today. When I see you again, I hope you'll reconsider."

oOo

The wind roared against the windows of Lorule castle as a storm raged outside. The days were dreary enough, but the nights were downright bleak.

Hilda paced the halls. She was dressed for bed, but she didn't think sleep would find her tonight. The dim hallways of the castle seemed hopelessly devoid of life. She clutched the tome close to her chest as she made her way to her study. Before she got there, the sound of footsteps nearby took Hilda by surprise. Her heart jumped up into her throat. She nearly threw the book at whoever or whatever had startled her.

"...Your Grace...? What are you doing up at this hour? Hmmm? You should be getting your beauty sleep."

"I could ask you the same question..." Hilda protested. She cocked her head slightly. Yuga looked a lot different when he wasn't wearing his bright makeup. His lips were a light grey, just slightly darker than the rest of his pale skin.

"Something must be troubling you." Yuga came closer and stroked her long bangs away from her eyes. "My, how stunning you look tonight...of course...you're always lovely in my eyes."

"Ravio is gone... I haven't seen him in days. I can't sleep. Do you think maybe we could go over the plan again?"

Yuga looked elated. "Forget about him, Your Grace. Soon we will carry out our plan and Lorule will be restored. Fools like him will never see the true beauty Lorule has to offer."

Yuga's chambers resembled an art gallery. He led her to a nearby fainting couch and sat down next to her. Hilda opened the book to a page with a sketch of two Triforces. One was right side up and the other upside down. Yuga leaned over her shoulder as Hilda held the book on her lap and read aloud.

"Unknown to most is that there exists a parallel world called Hyrule. Like Lorule, Hyrule is full of legends. One such legend is the origin of Ganon. An evil man of the desert attempted to enter their Sacred Realm to lay his hands on the Triforce. However his heart was not balanced and he only acquired the Triforce of Power. This man became the demon king and is known as Ganon. Responding to Princess Zelda's call, a hero rose up to defeat the demon king and he was ultimately sealed away. Hatred for the hero, the princess, and the sages that served a role in sealing him away flowed through his veins. Although no longer human, the beast managed to retain the Triforce of Power. The Triforce of Wisdom went to the royal family. Legends say it manifests on the hand of each generation's Princess Zelda. The Triforce of Courage is held in the heart of the hero eternal... Hmmm...that's odd..." Hilda mused. "In the legends, Ganon and Zelda are mentioned by name...but what about the hero? Finding him will be difficult...I kind of envy this Princess Zelda...Not a care in the world..." Hilda murmured as she ran her fingers over a drawing of a blonde girl in regal clothes.

"You have nothing to worry about, Your Grace. I will do all the work. Once I have gathered the sages and siphoned Ganon's power, a hero is bound to show himself. All you have to do is act as his guide."

Hilda stood and approached the window, looking out at her fallen kingdom. She studied her reflection in the glass.

"Come away from the window, Your Grace. You are far too lovely to be viewed by the masses. The people of our kingdom...they do not appreciate your beauty as I do."

Hilda continued to look at her reflection. She was set upon by her many worries over her kingdom, but was still very youthful in appearance, despite the constant stress. Eventually he came to stand behind her. She met his gaze in the window's reflection. He wore a mischievous smirk as he flipped his long red dreadlocks. He looked like he was in deep concentration, as if studying a work of art.

"Everyone else is gone. It's just us now. We will save Lorule together." Hilda said, turning to face him.

The wind continued to rattle the windows of Lorule castle. The storm seemed to rage without end. The tome lay forgotten on the floor.