A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read! I am super excited to write this story and hope that everyone else will enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. This will be a multi-chapter, so I will try and upload frequently. Please leave a comment and follow! If there are any errors be sure and let me know. Thanks again!
As most pleasant moments go: there's always a calm before the fatal storm.
The sun was gleaming its golden rays upon the garden, and each swaying flower and stalk of grass seemed to hum with life along with the young girl sitting among the colorful plants. Her hair seemed to reflect the very same gold of the sun, and it seemed her radiance alone was enough to allow the flowers around her to thrive. She hummed pleasant songs from ancient times as she plucked the various hues of flowers and gathered them in her small arms with a content grin etched into her innocent features. She felt the garden was safe, warm, and peaceful. But falsely so; she hardly heard the clatter of armor as a guard crumpled to the ground off in the distance, and simply continued her song as she basked in the sunlight. The hum of her voice masked the sounds of strangled cries from reaching her ears.
The storm had arrived, and she hadn't expected it. A pain exploded at the back her head, just above her neck. The warmth of the summer day seemed to escape her instantly, as if fleeing the violent scene and leaving her on her own. The flowers fluttered out from her small arms, and before they had a chance to fall to the grassy ground beneath her, all went black.
"Must you wreak so much havoc on the streets?" The matured lady grumbled and pinched the bridge of her nose and took an exasperated breath as she attempted to stifle her temper. "You're going to get caught again. And they very likely won't be as merciful upon you for a third offence." She brought her hand down and glared her blood-red eyes into the young woman's own violet-blue ones. The girl simply smiled sweetly, flaunting deceiving innocence that hid the actions she had performed only moments ago. But the lady knew better than to fall for her sweet smile, and knew all too well that this young girl loved to cause trouble.
"I'm sorry, aunt," the young woman shrugged. "I couldn't help myself. It wasn't my fault the guard was standing so close to the moat. He was just waiting to be pushed in." A glimmer of mischievous humor shone in her eyes. "Plus, I got twice as much food this time from the markets. It will feed us for two weeks at least."
The older lady sighed. "Yes, but you could have accomplished as much without bumping that royal guard into the moat." The younger woman attempted to cover her snickers, but to no avail. She began giggling uncontrollably. The lady sighed, but couldn't help but grin along with her. "You're worse than me for causing trouble." She rustled the girl's golden hair playfully. "Well, let's bring those bags of food home. We don't want them getting stolen." The girl nodded and hoisted the heavy sack of reserves onto her shoulder and followed the tall woman through the alleyways of town. She admired the woman's tall posture and strong steps; it seemed so out of place among the slums of town. She saw the woman as her own aunt, and owed her for saving her life when she was only a small girl left on the streets in the stinging rains of autumn. The young girl was much older now, reaching nearly nineteen years of age. She was no longer the helpless child sobbing on the streets, but rather a strong and wise woman that fended for herself and her "aunt".
They left the nicer part of town and watched as the well-built and refined stone buildings turned into shabby wooden homes surrounded with stuffy air and filthy people. Sure, it was a community of poor souls and widows, but the girl knew this area as home. It was all she had ever known. She offered smiles and warm "hello's" as she walked past the small shacks and burning fires, stopping to hug children that rushed from the wooden structures with excitement at the sight of her. Soon enough, the two reached the outskirts of the poor community and approached a crumbling stone building that looked older than the entire town. The weathered spire reached toward the skies, and the red rooving appeared more of a dirty rusty color from the film of dust and wear. Her "aunt" pushed the rotting wood door open and stepped inside with the girl close on her heals. The air inside was stuffy and ancient, but the girl couldn't help but feel like there was something sacred and familiar about it, no matter how many times she would enter through those double doors.
This building was home for her. She knew it was far from livable according to the standards of the higher classmen than she, but it held a place in her heart nonetheless. Her "aunt" beckoned her to set the bag of food next to the ancient fireplace at the left of the room, and the older lady started a fire and hung a chipped pot over it. As she did so, the young lady began sorting through the large sack of food and organized what was inside. She spotted something particular that she was most excited about inside the bag, and grabbed it and peered at it in her palm. It was a pomegranate, a rare and expensive fruit that even the middle class often couldn't afford since it did not thrive in the area. its gem-colored skin stood out against the bland beiges and greens of the rest of the food. With a grin, she slipped it into a worn leather pouch on her hip and continued sorting. She would enjoy it later.
"Aunt," the young woman broke the comfortable silence. "May we feed the children today?"
"Dear, it's—"
"We have plenty of food," she interrupted with a pleading tone. "We haven't in several days. I know that they're surely starving."
The older lady sighed. "If you insist. But we must be sure to monitor how much food they take this time," she teased. The younger lady snickered as she recalled the last time they fed the children; several of them snatched servings from other children when they weren't looking. They would have to be sure and keep an eye on them this time so everyone had plenty to eat.
"Thank you, Ampi," the lady said to her "aunt". She proceeded to hand her several ingredients from her now-organized food to make a stew. "Oh," the girl remembered. "I found basil leaves today in the market." She handed the green stalks to Ampi, grinning excitedly.
''You did?" The lady exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise! This will go lovely with the stew," she cooed as she began to pluck the fragrant leaves from their stem. Her cheerful face suddenly became serious, and she paused. "Did you buy them?" She looked over at the young lady, who was avoiding her stare and pretending to be distracted with cutting potatoes directly on the stone floor.
"No," she responded softly.
"Oh, dear…" Ampi continued to look at her. "I really do appreciate your care, sweetheart…but you can't keep stealing expensive herbs like this." The young girl still refused to meet her stare. "They were just right there," she explained in a still soft tone. "I thought a couple stalks wouldn't hurt. Plus, you ran out of spices several weeks ago and we're almost out of salt even…I thought I'd splurge a bit." She continued to chop at the potatoes.
Ampi reached her hand out and squeezed the girl's arm comfortingly. "Don't worry about it, dear. Thank you. Your kindness never ceases to warm my heart." She turned to continue stirring the pot.
They prepared the stew in complete synchronization, after having years of practice. In no time at all, the food was done. "I'll go ring the bell," the girl said and hopped up from her spot on the floor and began climbing the sturdy stone staircase behind her. She reached the top of the building, and climbed through an open archway out to the spire of the structure where an ancient, rusty bell hung stilled under the worn spire. She nimbly made her way over, and shoved the bell with a grunt and watched as it began to swing and ring, its deep sound echoing through the entire community. She quickly made her way back down, and within moments children with dirt-covered faces and tattered clothes poured into the space, each clutching their own worn bowl or cup.
Ampi and the girl gave a hearty serving to each child, and they sat themselves around the stone and on old pews as they scarfed their stew down. The young lady grinned joyfully as she watched them eat and chatter, their deprived and sullen faces brightening with smiles. By the time the stew was almost gone, dearly a dozen and a half kids were sitting in the old building with warm food clutched in their hands. Almost each kid either ran to hug the girl or gave a heart-felt "thank you" as they left, and the kids were gone almost as quickly as they came.
The air of the stone building began to chill as the sun slipped behind the horizon.
"Well," Ampi said as she hid the remaining food safely behind a loose stone nearly the fire place. "I am going to retire to bed now." She turned to the young woman and touched her face with a mother-like fondness. "Your heart is truly the kindest I've ever seen. Even kinder than the King of Hyrule's." Ampi's face flickered with an odd expression at that, one that nearly looked like sadness or guilt. It quickly went away. "Zelda, your heart and wisdom will take you far in life." She turned and went into the separate room behind the fireplace.
The young woman was shocked, for Ampi rarely called her by her real name. But she was warmed by her words, and left to her own sleeping mat in the attic of the building to sleep.
The girl woke in a start. Blurred memories of a dream—no, a nightmare—echoed in her head. The details were fuzzy at best, and all she could remember was bright sunlight and the smell of flowers. The back of her head seemed to throb with the pain of memory, and she gently touched the scar above her neck. She slipped on one of her ragged pair of trousers with a dusty beige tunic and stumbled down the stairs with bare feet. She spotted Ampi cutting up apples on the ground.
"Ampi?"
The lady looked up with her usual stern face. "Good morning, Leda." Well, the girl thought, at least she's acting normal again and calling me by my nickname.
"I had the dream again."
Ampi stopped and stared hard at the dull dagger she was using as a knife in her hand. "Again?" she pondered quietly. The girl nodded. "I don't know what to think of it," Leda replied. "It's one thing if I only had it a time or two, but it has reoccurred so many times that I feel that it means something, I just don't know what."
The older lady didn't reply, and continued chopping apples. She was quiet for a long time.
"Leda, I told you to wear shoes even around the building." She changed the subject abruptly. "I don't want you to get splinters or step on an old piece of pottery."
"Ampi, why are you avoi—"
"Go put your boots on, please."
The girl grunted with frustration, but decided not to argue and instead clambered up the stairs to slip on her pair of worn leather boots. It was always impossible to get Ampi to talk about something that she was uneasy about discussing. She was the most stubborn person Leda had ever met, even more than herself. The woman would always change the subject, and instead start acting more stern than usual and ordered Leda around. Though they were synchronized in their daily tasks, they still butted heads every so often.
Leda hopped down the stone steps as she twisted her long golden hair into a braid and headed to the wooden doors. Per habit, she skimmed her eyes over the ancient carvings on the alter-like stack of stone at the back of the building as she walked. Ampi had educated her in Hylian, but the writing was worn like the rest of the stone. She could only out a few characters that read clipped words like "-forc-" and "N-yr-". The most complete word read "T-me", which she could only assume was "time". But she wished to know what context all these words and characters were being used in.
"I'm going to go to help out in Ragtown," she told Ampi. Ragtown was the name everyone used when talking about the slums of town, and most higher classmen wanted to refuse to think that it was a part of their own town. There apparently had been several complaints and petitions made by citizens to legally separate the two towns and give them different names, but the King, being a kind-hearted man, argued that people in Castletown should not see each other with different opinions according to classes and instead all as just Hylians and be one as citizens. His speech finally silenced everyone, and softened the hearts of the wealthy complainers. Since then the poor classmen had been receiving better treatment, though it was still rather harsh.
Ampi only grunted in response, and Leda left through the doors. She felt a bit bad for lying to her "aunt" who did so much for her, but she was a thrill seeker and loved the bustle of Castetown. No, she wasn't going to spend the day in Ragtown like she said. But she vowed to behave and refrain from being mischievous and teasing the guards.
After walking through the roads of the slums, she entered into the main area of Castletown where markets and people bustled with unwavering energy. She grinned. The excitement from the people always made her excited. She strapped her waist pouch tighter to her hip and set off through the crowds, enjoying street musicians and taste testing foods that the markets were handing out. Ampi insisted that Leda stay away from the main area of Castletown, though she understood not why. The people were always friendly and chipper, and Leda had almost never seen any contention in her time spent there.
She found herself walking past the grand bridge to the castle in the distance, and spotted the guards standing unflinchingly near the moat. She noted, with a suppressed giggle, that the guards were now standing farther away from the moat, probably being wary of getting bumped into it again.
Suddenly, she felt a hand grasp her bicep, and she turned to face an older lady with a well-made skirt hanging from her hips and jewels adorning her hair. She was clearly one of the more wealthy of Castletown.
"What is a young lady like you doing wearing such informal clothing?" She scolded.
Leda looked at her, confused. "Uh, pardon me?"
The lady glanced at her trousers. "Ladies wear skirts, dear."
She peered down at her pants as well. "Sorry, ma'am, I'm, um….well, I'm from the poorer part of town," she explained.
The lady let go of her arm. "Oh," she wiped her hand on a handkerchief in her pocket. "Well, that explains things." She gave Leda a once-over. "Poor girl. You're sure a pretty face to be raised in such awful conditions." And with that she sauntered away.
Leda stood, bewildered. With a sigh, she brushed off the moment. People often judged her for wearing pants since it was the social standard to wear skirts and dresses. She wasn't fond of skirts, however, and felt they restricted her movement. She always vouched for trousers, and thankfully her status of living Ragtown allowed people to accept her wearing "man-like clothing" since finer clothing was so costly. With a slight shake of the head, she continued her happy wandering through the markets and masses of people.
The sun was high in the sky, and her stomach began to grumble. Leda silently scolded herself for forgetting to grab something to eat in the morning since she was so anxious to escape the tension around Ampi. The girl knew she didn't have enough rupees since she had spent most of them yesterday on supplies and food to last the next while, but she checked her pack anyway to see for sure. Her hand bumped the pomegranate from yesterday, and she was filled with sudden excitement. Though she had planned to share with Ampi, she knew she needed to eat lest she'd become faint. Plus, there was always next time.
Leda was just about to split the unique fruit with her fingers when she spotted an elderly man rummaging through the wooden waste bins stacked haphazardly between two buildings. He was clearly from the slums of Castletown much like herself, but looked a lot worst with thin, baggy clothing hanging on his skinny frame. She curiously walked over, and saw he was sorting through the half-eaten hyrdomelon rinds that were nearly rotted.
He hadn't noticed her slow approach, and continued rummaging. She stared at the fruit in her own hand, relishing the red-purple hue of its skin and noting the small bruise of imperfection near its stem. With a sigh and silent good-bye, she walked to the man and took his rough and scrawny hand in her own and placed the pomegranate on his palm.
The white wisps of his eyebrows rose up his forehead as he looked from the fruit to her. His voice came scratchy and soft. "Oh, no. I can't take this, I don't wanna be a burden," he tried to thrust it back at her, but she shook her head.
"I insist, sir," she smiled.
"Are ya sure?" He didn't seem to believe her. She nodded in response, and a smile stretched across his wrinkled face and made his gray eyes twinkle.
"Yer too sweet, m'dear," he exclaimed as he touched the pomegranate to his heart like it meant the world to him.
"Anything to help a fellow Hylian," she smiled and began to turn away.
"Yer eyes…" She heard him mutter suddenly.
Leda turned back slightly. "Pardon…?"
"I haven't seen anyone with such eyes like yers since…" He stopped suddenly, lost in thought. He shook his head. "Never mind." She raised a single eyebrow. "Thank ya so very much, m'dear. Hylia bless ya." She smiled hesitantly, and walked away.
What was he talking about? She inquired silently. My eyes…? Huh. She shrugged and continued around the markets and took time to admire the jewels of topaz from the Gerudo desert and fishing rods from Zoras. She had always heard of all the differing races around the lands, but had yet to ever meet one since most stayed in their respective providences. There had been a war with the Gerudo a centuries ago, but there were still strains on the relationship between the two races.
Leda was happy, though, that they were connected enough to trade with each other. That was a sign of healing. She wanted to travel the lands and visit each of the races, but Ampi had quickly shut down any idea of straying too far from Castletown. The farthest she'd been was partially through Hyrule field, but Ampi had somehow caught her wandering and dragged her back to Ragtown.
By the time the sun was beginning to fall lazily toward the horizon, Leda was on her way back to what she considered home. Even though she loved the bustle of central Castletown and the well-dressed people and buildings, she still adored the people of her community. Even if others saw them as filthy and poor, she saw them as selfless people that deserved love just as much as the wealthy.
As she walked into the old structure, she spotted Ampi sitting near the fire with her attention on a thick book with a worn cover. Leda never understood where she managed to get all her books since they were expensive, but she wouldn't complain since Ampi allowed her to read some of them, such as books on the history of Hyrule. She saw that Ampi was reading one of Leda's own favorites: the uncompleted record of a hero and the Goddess Hylia mortally reborn through history. It amazed her to think that their reincarnations may even be living among the world today, though she doubted she would ever meet them.
"How was Castletown square?" Ampi said in a cool voice without looking away from her book.
Leda's stomach dropped, and her mouth moved to speak but no words escaped past her lips. She had been caught; but how?
"I thought you were helping around Ragtown." She finally looked up from the book and pinned Leda under a stare that made her want to melt into the stone wall behind her.
"A-Ampi, I'm sorry I know you don't want me to, b-but I just…I just wanted—"
The older lady sighed. "That's enough, Leda." Her voice was surprisingly calm. "Just so long as you didn't cause any problems." Leda nodded quickly to assure her.
"If you must go to central Castletown, then I guess I cannot stop you."
Leda was taken slightly aback.
"But," her "aunt" added quickly, "I must insist you wear a cloak whenever you go."
Leda nodded once again, though she was unsure why Ampi wanted her to be so secretive. "Of course, Aunt. But…may I ask why?"
"Well," the lady tried to decide whether she wanted to explain or not. "It's best to be careful. Just like how I don't want you to tell anyone your real name; you never know who may be watching."
Her explanation didn't sooth the young woman much, but Leda knew she wouldn't get anything else out of her. She suddenly remembered the elderly man. "Yer eyes," he had said, whatever he meant by that. Perhaps moments like that was what Ampi was talking about. "I made dinner already," Ampi didn't give her a chance to reply whether she wanted to or not. "It's by the fire." Leda made her way over, and tore a piece of the bread sitting on a risen stone near the warm fireplace. She was interrupted suddenly with a sudden pain.
Leda yelped, and dropped the bread onto the floor and grasped her right hand with the other.
"Leda?" Ampi was on her feet in the blink of an eye. "What is the matter?"
"My hand," she started, and then hissed as another wave of pain surged from the back of her hand and up her arm. Ampi was in front of her in a moment with surprising speed. She grabbed Leda's hand carefully and pulled it forward so they could both peer at it. Leda gasped at the sight.
The back of her hand was enveloped in a golden light that shone so bright that they both had to squint their eyes. The luster began to soften, and the light formed itself into three triangles joined together to make a single one that sat brightly on the back of her hand, the bottom right piece shining brighter than the rest. The light pulsed, and with its beat Leda could feel a dull pain spike like greedy fingers up her arm.
For the second time that day, Leda couldn't seem to form words in her mouth.
"The Triforce," Ampi gaped as well and continued to stare at Leda's hand.
"W-what?" Was all she could manage to say.
"The Triforce," she repeated. "The divine power."
"I don't….What do you mean?"
Ampi's blood-colored eyes shot up and stared into Leda's. "You are the Goddess reborn."
A/N
And that's it for now! I promise I will add in a "certain someone" that I'm sure you're all expecting in future chapters. For this one though I really just wanted to develop "Leda" and explain her kind heart and mischievous side. I really hope you all enjoy though! Once again, be sure to comment and tell me what you think. I am open to suggestions and constructive criticism. Until next time.
-Ximnah
