A/N: I found the first 2000 words of this in a notebook from two years ago and decided I liked it. With a plethora editing, it's turned into something I'm actually quite proud of. It's AU, no timeline, just kind of an amalgamation of several games' worlds, though most notably TP and OoT. It's... maybe a twoshot. I mean, it's probably fine as it is right now, and I'm still trying to decide if the second part will actually enhance the story at all or just get in the way of what I was trying to convey here. So let me know if you want to read more!

There are minor aspects of this that were partially inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Sacred Reliquary by Sharper Than the Sword. I haven't read that since 2011 and hardly remember it, but for some reason the way they interpreted the connection between the Triforce bearers really stuck with me over the years and I wanted to use some of that here.

Unity

By TwilightWakerofTime

Even as they carelessly dragged her down the stone stairs, their firm grips leaving bruises on her arms with their tight, suffocating holds and their pace far too brisk for her tired, beaten feet, she remained quiet. She did not cry or scream or beg as the darkness enveloped them, the guards' dim torch the only light. She did not cringe at the damp, rank smell that met her. She did not balk as they paused near an empty cell, the stone stained dark with who-knew-what, nor did she taunt the guard when she could not find the right key. She kept her face blank, impassive, and regal, even when she stumbled over her once-pink skirt, tearing the fabric that was now caked with dirt from four days of traveling without a change of clothes. They laughed at her expense, the trilling feminine chuckles of the Gerudo following them back down the passageway, but she did not react.

She was strong. She had to be strong. Her dignity was all she had left.

And then, moments later, once the dungeon grew silent yet again, she began to cry.

Zelda slumped against the wall, not minding the sliminess as her long-overdue tears were finally let free. It had been less than a week ago that she was Hyrule's princess, beloved by the people and next in line to continue the king's great legacy. Now her father was dead, slaughtered by the King of Thieves, and her kingdom had fallen to the enemy. She knew nothing of what had happened since then; as soon as they received news of her father's death, Impa had immediately taken her and fled the castle, escaping to the south and away from the Gerudos' desert. But despite it all, it turned out they were not fast enough. The Gerudos had anticipated their route and stopped them at the entrance to the forest. Zelda was taken away from her caretaker while she was battling the Gerudo soldiers. Impa could be dead, for all she knew.

And now she was captured. Any moment that door would open and the King of the Gerudos would stride in and murder her as he had her father. She really could see no reason to stop crying in this situation, at least now that she was alone.

"Hey," a voice called softly from somewhere in the darkness. "Are you okay?"

She froze. At first, she irrationally thought it must have been a guard, and shame and anger filled her at the thought of her appearing so weak to the enemy after such a good display earlier. But that ebbed away as she realized it was a young man's voice—it couldn't be a Gerudo.

"I'm sorry," the other person said awkwardly upon hearing her silence. "I mean… you're obviously not okay if you're here. And I didn't mean to scare you."

"No… that's alright," Zelda breathed. She knew she was blushing. He'd heard her sobbing like a child. At least he couldn't see her. "Are you… You're a prisoner too?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Guess so. You don't sound like their typical captive, though. They've mostly brought in soldiers, especially high-ranking officers."

"Does that mean you're a soldier?" she inquired. She tried to imagine that. He sounded young—probably around her age. She supposed he could be soldier, though probably a rather new one. He did make her feel safe; his voice was gentle and kind, and the conversation let her forget that her father was dead, her kingdom invaded, her caretaker missing…

"No… I'm not." He gave a hollow laugh. "I suppose you could say I'm not their typical captive either."

Zelda frowned at that. She expected him to elaborate, but instead he had fallen silent. She squinted in the darkness toward where she'd heard his voice, but she could see nothing. She hadn't even noticed him when the guards had brought her in. She supposed she'd been too focused on keeping her expression straight. Zelda briefly wondered if he had seen her when she'd come in, and what he might have thought. Would he have recognized her as the princess?

In the newfound silence, Zelda leaned back against the wall again, feeling the emotions from before drain from her body and leaving behind a pervasive, empty fatigue. Her desire to mourn her misfortune with tears had vanished with the realization that someone else was with her. She only cried when she was alone, or, once or twice, with Impa. She'd learned from a young age that crying in public was not acceptable for a princess, and it was even more significant now that she was older. Now she was a future ruler and she had to appear strong. After all, now that her father was dead—Zelda still had some difficulty thinking of that as a fact—the kingdom was hers.

Or it would have been… if not for the Gerudos' king.

Ganondorf.

An unexpected wave of hot anger accompanied that name, and she clenched her fists tightly. This was all his fault. She'd only met him once or twice before, but the memory of him slid into her mind as though she'd known him all her life. Dark skin, an imposing figure, flaming hair natural to his people. Zelda couldn't really think of ever hating someone before, but she hated him now, with every bit of a loving daughter's broken heart.

"So," the boy from the other cell voiced suddenly, "what's your name?"

She'd been so lost in her reverie that his words caused her to start, bringing a hand to her chest in surprise. She blinked, even though it made no difference in the blackness, and took a deep breath to calm herself. She was a little uncomfortable with the direction her thoughts had been heading. She knew better. She was renowned for her wisdom, and she was certainly wise enough to know such thoughts would lead to revenge. No good would come from that.

"Did… did you hear me?" the boy asked, clearly confused.

She sighed. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"Your name," he repeated. "What is it?" He paused. "My name is Link."

The name struck a chord in her, though she wasn't sure why. Familiar? Was it familiar? She couldn't imagine how that was possible, since he already said he wasn't a soldier… Maybe they had met somewhere else. Perhaps it was related to the reason that he was the Gerudos' prisoner. "How exactly did you get here?" she questioned.

"Well, the Gerudos brought me here..."

"That's not what I meant," she grumbled in frustration. "Why did they capture you?"

"I…" Link began uncertainly. "I don't… really know for sure." He paused. "I know why I was originally brought here. The Gerudos attacked my village. I'm not very good with a sword, but I'm better than anyone else in the village, so I had to try and defend it. They… defeated me pretty easily, and when I woke up, I was here. I figured I was brought here to be executed, but it's been a few weeks and I'm still alive. There have been other prisoners brought in, but they've been… killed, I guess. Or taken elsewhere."

Zelda's mind was whirling. None of it made any sense. Why capture a random villager and keep him alive for such an extended period of time in a high-security dungeon? He didn't seem to have any special skills, so there was no way he could be considered a threat…

Unless Link was hiding something?

Did he have something they wanted? Maybe even something Ganondorf needed?

But if that was the case, how did he not have it by now? She didn't doubt that the king had many ways of getting what he wanted.

"Now that I've told you my story," Link said, bringing her back to the present, "what's yours?"

She took in a deep breath. She'd been expecting that question from him, but she still didn't have an answer. Should she tell him the truth?

A thought suddenly occurred to her. What if he wasn't really a prisoner and he'd made the story up? What if he was some kind of spy to make her reveal something? It certainly would explain a few things. She raised her head a little higher, staring intently at the dark space across the room with narrowed eyes.

"Not much to tell," she said as lightly as she could manage. "I… My caretaker and I were stopped by Gerudo. We'd left Castle Town after Ganondorf took over. She and I were separated when I was brought here."

"Ganondorf took over Castle Town?"

The disbelief in Link's tone made Zelda pause, her eyes widening in realization. Of course, if he'd been in here for as long as he claimed, he'd have no knowledge of the attacks. "Yes…"

"...Oh." There was a beat of silence. "I hope… everyone from my village is alright. Many of them fled to Castle Town. I have no idea what happened to them after we were attacked. Was anyone hurt in the invasion?"

"Some people." She forced down a surge of sorrow. "My father was killed."

"I'm sorry."

"Why? You didn't kill him." The angry retort was out before she could stop it. She quickly bit her tongue to prevent any more from spilling out. Link had thus far done nothing to deserve her anger. "I apologize. I didn't mean to sound so harsh."

"It's fine," he said at length. "I'm sorry too. It was stupid of me to bring up bad memories for you, anyway."

She closed her eyes. He shouldn't be apologizing. He had done nothing.

"You know, you still never told me your name."

Her eyes snapped open again, though the darkness that met her was nearly indistinguishable from that behind her eyelids. "I was trying to avoid telling you," she admitted wearily.

"Oh… I'm sorry." She almost laughed at his tone. He sounded genuinely apologetic. "Can you tell me why?"

"It's a long story."

He laughed. "Well, I don't think either of us are going anywhere!"

She hesitated. She saw no reason not to tell him—after all, if he was a spy as she feared, then he'd already know her name. In some ways, perhaps her nervousness stemmed from the thought that this kind boy might treat her differently if he knew she was royalty. She didn't want to be different with him. She hadn't had such a… casual conversation in a while. Everything seemed to be so simple between them, without the pretences and hidden agendas or hero-worship and jealousy that often followed political discussions. It was an incredibly refreshing experience to be able to talk to this completely normal villager as an equal.

Funny how she had Ganondorf to thank for that.

"Fine," she conceded. "My name is—"

A creaking sound followed by a bang echoed through the dungeon, causing Zelda to jump in alarm. There was a pregnant silence in which she sat in confusion and terror before heavy footsteps began pounding down the stairs that led to the cells. A door slammed shut behind them.

Someone had come to visit. It was probably just a guard coming to check on them, yet for some reason Zelda sat up straighter, suddenly feeling alert. A strange sense of anticipation was building in her chest, becoming stronger and stronger with every step the stranger took. Her fists clenched, her face became serious, and every fibre of her being tensed. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shake the foreboding sense that something very important was about to happen. This coming person set her on edge, and she had yet to fathom why.

And all the while, a strange warm feeling was slowly spreading from her right hand to the rest of her body.

As the light from a torch the visitor was undoubtedly carrying bounced off the nearby walls, she heard Link moving in the cell across from her. "Nabooru?" he called uncertainly.

"Not quite, Hero," a deep, rumbling voice said. It sent shivers down Zelda's spine. "Your guard is busy with other matters today."

Zelda's breath caught in her throat. A male walking freely into the dungeon of Gerudo's Fortress? There was only one person who that could be.

The tall, looming figure came into view, the torchlight highlighting his angular features and sending eerie shadows scattering across the walls. It made the newcomer seem even more intimidating—and that was saying quite a lot, considering his ornate black armor and naturally fierce eyes. The air now felt like it was charged with rigid energy; everything seemed to slow to a stop, as though the world itself was holding its breath.

Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudos, had arrived.

"Wh…What did you call me?" Zelda heard Link's voice waver at the sight of the man. Zelda wondered if he'd ever seen Ganondorf before, or even knew who this person was before them. Regardless, Ganondorf was terrifying enough without the knowledge that he was the ruler of a race of warriors.

"You don't know?" Ganondorf chuckled. He turned to Zelda, whose instincts were screaming at her to either shrink back or charge forward, leaving her paralyzed with indecision. "What about you, Princess? I have a feeling you knew."

Zelda blinked. Knew what? Was she supposed to know why he'd called Link "Hero"? "I have no idea, Ganondorf," she managed to grate out through her clenched teeth, though her anger was growing by the second and threatening to burst. Here, right in front of her, was the usurper who waged war on her people. Here was her father's murderer.

"Really?" he rumbled with amusement. "Do they no longer teach the Royal Family the legends? Perhaps this will jog your memory."

He held up his right hand, clenched in a fist with its back facing toward her. When Zelda's gaze was inevitably drawn to it, it exploded in golden light, illuminating an all-too-familiar symbol on the back of the king's gauntlet. Her eyes widened in shock as it steadily grew brighter…

That ever-present sensation of warmth that had lingered in her own hand suddenly surged, rushing through her body with invigorating energy. Light flooded into the formerly dark dungeon from the back of her hand, nearly blinding her unadjusted eyes. Once she blinked away the pain, she stared down at her hand, stunned.

The Triforce of Wisdom. She'd always known about that mark and its significance, but until now… the fact that she might contain a small piece of the gods' power had never really sunk in. Now, her hand glowing and her body thrumming with pure, heavenly power despite the abuse her journey and subsequent capture had put her through, she was feeling simultaneously terrified and exhilarated. It was overwhelming, the shock of emotions making her want to scream and sigh and cry and laugh all at the same time.

And when she looked up from gaping at her hand, the sight that met her only served to make her head spin again.

She could now see the boy in the cell across from her. It struck her, despite everything, how incredibly familiar he looked. His blond hair, dirty and unkempt as it was after weeks spent in the dungeons, his torn green tunic, and his bright blue eyes that sparkled as the light reflected off of them… all of them dredged up such overpowering sensations of connection that she almost sobbed. Then, when she finally realized that his face was just as illuminated as her own and Ganondorf's, she noticed that he, too, had a glowing golden mark on the back of his hand.

All of the ancient legends she had heard as a child came rushing back in a dizzying wave at that moment. The Princess of Destiny had the Triforce of Wisdom, and the great evil possessed the Triforce of Power. If this boy had another piece, then that could mean only one thing…

"You've figured it out, haven't you, Princess?" Ganondorf murmured.

Yes. Yes, she had.

Zelda was looking at the reincarnation of the Hero of legend.

Ganondorf took a step forward, his lips curling into a mocking smirk, but Zelda was barely aware of it as she stared unashamedly at Link. "At long last," Ganondorf boomed, his voice making her wince with its volume and conviction. "Once again, I have gathered all three of the pieces before me. Power, Wisdom, and Courage… all meeting in such an unlikely place. The ultimate power of the gods, all contained in this small dungeon." His eyes alighted with an expression that would have been something like wonder on anyone else's face. On Ganondorf, it merely looked like twisted glee, greed and malice in his grin. "Do you feel it?" His voice was dangerous, something much deeper and more intense in his tone than before. "That power? The pure potential that the three of us hold?"

Of course Zelda felt it. It was humming in her veins, practically singing in her ears, almost begging to be released—but she didn't know how. It sensed the presence of its sisters and strained against her skin, wanting to be whole again. She ignored it, using all of her mental might to push back those thoughts and instead focus her full attention on Link.

Ganondorf's eerie laughter echoed through the dungeon, seeming to break him out of his own reverie. "Now I have finally managed to secure you both," he declared. "There is no chance of escape. The Triforce is within my grasp…"

Link held her gaze, his intense blue eyes meeting her own. The Triforce's urge to be freed doubled with the speed of her heartbeat, but it was almost as though she were frozen in place, enthralled by the Hero's eyes. She saw her own fracas of emotions reflected within them: the uncertain longing, the dread, the joy—and especially the bewilderment; unlike her, he had possibly never even heard of the Triforce. But above all else, she saw determination. She saw the Hero's Courage. It bolstered her. It gave her confidence. It reassured her, whispering about forgotten legends of past victories over deadly foes.

Another shudder of power pulsed through her body. A small, confident smile appeared on her face, which Link returned. Something beyond words passed between them.

In every generation, the Princess and the Hero were always allies. That was not about to change now.

"All that remains," Ganondorf growled, his voice low, "is for you to give it to me."

For the first time since the speech began, Zelda tore her eyes away from Link to look at the enemy. "Never," she murmured, quiet but firm. She glanced back at Link and saw him nod.

"She's right," Link announced. He was far louder than hers, his voice brimming with a determination that filled Zelda with an odd sense of pride. "No matter what you might do to us, we will never break."

"I don't need you to break, boy," Ganondorf replied, a menacing smirk crossing his face. "The Triforces are already resonating. They merely need you to give up a bit of resistance."

"I believe you are forgetting something, Ganondorf," Zelda challenged, refusing to be intimidated. All she needed was a small glance at Link and her fears were soothed. "We have defeated you countless times in the past. On every occasion, you always fall. Your Power means nothing against our combined might."

"You are trapped, Princess. There is no way out of this one. Your Hero is helpless and untrained, and you are but a mere child."

"That doesn't sound any different from the legends to me," Link said with a smirk.

"Oh? And you think you can win?" Ganondorf's voice was caught between anger and amusement.

"We don't think we can..." began Zelda.

"We know we can," finished Link.

The evil king regarded them coldly for a long stretch of silence.

A sneer crept onto his face. "How pathetic," he scoffed. He seemed to contemplate adding more, but he appeared to dismiss it without further mockery. "Enough talk. I am done waiting for what is rightfully mine." He turned to Zelda. "We'll start with the princess."

He took a step forward.

"Stay away from her!" Link shouted, on his feet in an instant. Zelda's expression hardened, her hands balling into useless fists.

Ganondorf laughed raucously. "It's good to see you finally like this," he hissed. "Weak, useless, with no chance of escape… Neither of you know when to give up."

"Or maybe that's you, Ganondorf," a feminine voice cut in.

Zelda started at the sound of a newcomer, and all three Triforce bearers turned in shock just as a Gerudo scimitar pierced straight through Ganondorf's abdomen. The evil king roared in rage and pain, sinking to the ground. Zelda, still completely stunned by the turn of events, hardly realized when her cage was suddenly unlocked and she was pulled to her feet out into the hallway of the dungeon, being pushed alongside Link in the direction of the stairs to the exit. "Go!" the stranger shouted, who Zelda could now see was a dark-skinned Gerudo woman with long hair. "This won't keep him down for long. I'll make sure you are not followed for as long as I can. Link, your horse is just outside the dungeon. Take the princess and flee."

Link hesitated. "Nabooru—"

"Get out of here, kid," the Gerudo snarled. "I've given you a chance. Don't waste it."

Link bit his lip in frustration before nodding. He grabbed Zelda's arm and sprinted with her back up the stairs, taking the steps two or three at a time. Zelda stumbled numerous times and was suddenly very grateful that the majority of her dress had already been torn off of the bottom. She would certainly have tripped over it by now if it was at its full length.

They burst out of the dungeon door and into the desert's dry air, the heat meeting them with a blast. There were no Gerudo in sight, much to Zelda's surprise; when she had been brought here, she distinctly remembered the area being filled with guards. Link then tugged on her arm, breaking her away from that line of thought, and she was forced to continue following him to where a brown-and-white horse was eagerly waiting.

"What's going on?" Zelda asked breathlessly as Link gracefully swung himself over the back of the horse. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later," Link said. He swiftly turned back to Zelda, offering a hand to help her up. He gave her a serious look. "For now you'll just have to trust me to get you out of here."

Zelda couldn't say why, but she never hesitated. It didn't even cross her mind to doubt his words. She took his hand and mounted the horse in front of him.

Wasting no more time, Link lifted the reins of the horse and charged toward the gates leaving Gerudo's Fortress.

Words: 3835

Published August 12th, 2015