Halym's gaze shifted from her work to the sky. The light from hundreds of stars shone back, mingling with the golden glow of the searchlights behind her. It was a clear night. The young woman of 19 sat on the outer wall of the Forsaken Fortress, the Great Sea spanned in front of her. The waves crashed lazily against the fortress walls far below.
She gave a contented sigh as her attention turned back to the contraption resting in her lap. It was a sort of glider, fashioned to close into a staff. And it was finished. Time for a test run.
Halym hopped to her feet, twirling the staff as she made her way to a ladder. The girl scampered up it one-handed. The bokoblin manning the spotlight snarled and babbled, regarding Halym as she brushed her short raven hair out of her face. It snorted, ignoring her as it continued to search for intruders. Halym wasn't anything new. The majority of her upbringing had been spent at the Forsaken Fortress. She knew the place inside out and upside-down.
Halym leapt on top of the stone railing, and sat crouched as she hit the butt of the staff on the stone. The metal latch released, and the wooden pole split into a V. The delicate paper-like cloth rustled in the breeze as Halym stood. She inspected the cloth in between the wooden V, making sure it was secure. Satisfied, Halym held the glider over her head, grasping the parts of the staff she had left a gap in the paper-cloth.
With a grin and a prayer, Halym leapt off the side. The glider caught the breeze beautifully, and the girl soared over the fortress. She practiced maneuvering, gliding through the golden spotlight beams to tease the bokoblins.
Confident in her mobility, Halym caught an updraft and landed on a stone stairwell. Her heart pounded in her chest with the excitement of her first flight. She did it. She had flown. For so long she had been chained to the ground, to the fortress, envying the seagulls and cursing her father's enchantment.
Halym needed more height. The girl carefully folded the paper cloth back into the hollow staff and secured the latch on the end. She ran up the stairs. Her boots tapped against the stone as she made her way to the large doors holding the prisoners. With a fleeting glance side to side, Halym heaved open the wooden doors and slipped inside. Something caught her attention, and she paused before making her way to the top. There was a new prisoner. Helmaroc must have captured her recently. The prisoner was a young girl, a small blonde thing in a floral island dress. She ran to the edge of the cell, clutching the bars with tiny hands and staring at Halym with big scared eyes. The other two girls present in the dell looked up as well.
"A-are you here to rescue us?" the timid blonde asked, her voice high-pitched with youth. Halym glared at her with burning green eyes, wondering if she should talk to the runt or not.
"Please," the child pleaded, "I want to go home," Halym's gaze softened. She took a few slow steps toward the cell.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," replied Halym, kneeling beside the girl. "What would be the point of freeing you from the cell? I can't get you out of the fortress. I'm stuck here, too." Halym rose and turned away from the girl.
"My big brother will come for me!" the small girl cried, and Halym paused. She turned her head to the side.
"If that's so, then I wish him the best of luck. He'll need it." With that, Halym ran up the spiral woodwork. She emerged at the top of the tower, the wind tossing her short raven hair. A strong gale blasted over her, and she stumbled for balance. She looked to the edge of the tower as feathers rained down. The great bird of the fortress was perched beside her, head tilted and eyes burning.
"Shoo," Halym hissed, waving her hand dismissively. The beast clacked its beak and changed the angel of its head. Halym disregarded it and continued up the path. The giant bird launched off of its perch and landed in her way. It made a soft screech, bringing its great head inches from the girl's. She gave an irritated scoff, pushing away its giant beak. It pushed back, beating its wings in an attention-seeking manor.
"Helmoroc!" Halym shouted, holding her staff in a fierce stance. "Not now! Get out of my way!" The great bird dropped his feathered head to the ground, clicking its beak apologetically. Halym massaged her brow s she gave a heavy sigh. She kneeled next to the bird's massive head.
"I question whether you're a bird of a puppy," Halym stated softly, gently running her fingers over Helmaroc's beak, "I raised you too soft." The bird clacked its beak and closed its bright eyes as Halym patted it. The girl stood
"Now go, you big oaf." The great bird screeched as it launched into the air, its beating wings sending blasts of wind over Halym. It soared to its nest. Halym continued up to the top of the fortress. The wind was strong, causing the girl's dark grey skirt to billow wildly s she climbed on the wooden railing outside of the master's quarters. She paused to admire the view from her vantage point, spotting the far-off blobs of islands with longing. She smacked the staff o the wood to release the clasp. It snapped into its V shape, the light paper cloth flapping in the breeze.
"What are you doing, girl?" Halym froze. Her blood ran cold at the sound of the voice. She quickly hopped down and faced the lord of the Forsaken Fortress. He glared down at Halym, awaiting her response.
"I was just testing my new invention, Ganondorf," she informed him, making steady eye contact. Ganon eyed the glider with a frosty gaze.
"And what does this invention of yours do?" he asked. She suspected he already knew the answer, but complied anyway.
"It's a glider, sir. It'll help me on patrol." His cold gaze never faltered as he continued to glare at her.
"Is that so? Make sure you don't end up in the sea or with a broken neck." He turned on his heel and returned to his room, closing the door with a slam. His words weren't said to express his concern or his care. He actually didn't like the young woman at all. But for the sake of the fortress, it was his duty to protect the Pirate Captain's daughter. She was the descendent of the former lord of the fortress, and in his last moments, he had placed a curse upon his daughter. The ruthless pirate had bound the fate of the fortress to that of the girl's. If mortal harm should come to Halym, the fortress would fall. For that, Ganon kept her safe within the Forsaken Fortress.
Halym took a deep breath as she turned back toward the riling. Once more, she climbed onto it and held the glider over her head. She leapt off.
Halym basked in the surge of adrenaline as she soared over the fortress. The occasional spotlight was shot in her direction, and she made faces at the bokoblins in charge of them. She practiced dips and dives, measuring how fast it took her to regain control.
Through the whistling of the wind in her ears, Halym became alert when she heard something strike the stone of the fortress behind her. She steadied her craft and took a backward glance to catch sight of a plummeting form. She soared to the top of a tower and transferred her glider to a staff. The girl peered down into the water. Nothing but a few barrels…
On impulse, Halym leapt up to alert one of the bokoblins about her suspicion, but stopped abruptly in her tracks. Why the heck should she let them know? Over her years in confinement, she had developed an odd attachment to the fortress itself, but she always despised the creatures inside of it. All except for the Helmaroc King, whom she had been charged to raise.
Halym let a sly grin creep over her face as she casually strolled to the ladder. She ignored the rungs and slid down it, then treaded to her usual spot in between two watchtowers. The girl stretched out on her back. Her hands were propped under her head as she gazed at the starry night sky.
The piercing alarm whistle sounded, and Halym leapt up startled. Sown on the flat plateau, a searchlight was trained on a startled figure. An intruder in the Forsaken Fortress. Who in their right mind would want to break in to this place? Halym was immediately interested in the specimen, green-clad and blonde haired. And he was just a kid! Much younger than Halym. She watched intently as he was manhandled inside by a pair of pig-faced moblins. Halym instantly took off for the prison.