THE LEGEND OF
ZELDA
FATE'S GATEKEEPER
1. Margalo
It was a rainy day, and the sky was dark. Lightning flashed, and thunder roared. The only light in my home was that of the fireplace in the back. There was a loud thud as the door opened, and in stumbled Margalo, covered in blood and bruises. She looked to me with her golden eyes, her dirty blonde hair sticking to her face from the rain.
"They've come back." she said, looking in horror.
I guess I should start from the beginning. Margalo and I grew up in the same village, and are still best friends. She supported me, and helped me as much as she could during my adventures, trying to fight back against the darkness. Three years of fighting, and I was looking forward to some peace in Hyrule. I couldn't convince Margalo of that, though.
She's alert, and she never really relaxes. Well, I let her do her thing, and I'd do mine. I spent weeks enjoying Hyrule like I never could before. Princess Zelda usually invited me over to the castle a lot. We had become better friends during the fight.
I barely saw Margalo, though. Zelda always said she was trying to do her part for Hyrule. I knew that, but she needed to loosen up. Ever since the battles ended for what seemed like for good, there had barely been any crime. One night, however, I had a strange dream.
It was Margalo, and she was in some sort of cocoon with her arms folded over her chest. The pod was like diamond, and I could see through it. I reached out to Margalo, called her name, but she was asleep. The pod moved toward the horizon away from me, and I gave chase. Before I could reach her, the pod exploded, releasing her.
As she fell, I ran to catch her. She was still unconscious, but soon, she woke up. She held up her arms, and something appeared in the air above her hands. Before I could make out what it was, things faded to black, and I woke up in my own bed. I laid there for a while, trying to make sense of what my dream was telling me.
I felt like I had to find her. I got dressed, and went outside into the dark alone. It was cold outside, and the moon was in the middle of the sky. As I walked, I hoped to run into Margalo. I doubt she'd like it if I came knocking at her door in the middle of the night just to tell her I had a weird dream and she was in it.
Soon, I found her by a big tree. She was sitting down with her eyes shut at the base of the tree. I figured that maybe she was just sleeping. She could've fallen asleep during a one of her compulsive rounds around the kingdom. I started to feel like such an idiot, searching around for my best friend who knows everything about me just to tell her about a dream.
Suddenly, she raised her head, and turned to look at me. Her golden eyes shone in the moonlight.
"Link? What're you doing here?" she said, wiping her eyes, and stretching out.
I knew it. She had fallen asleep. I didn't want to tell her immediately about my dream.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"Do you think you can help me?" I asked her.
"With what?" she asked.
"I've been having a strange dream." I said.
She raised an eyebrow.
"I knew it." I thought. "I knew she'd think I'm an idiot for having come all this way about a dream."
"Tell me about it." Margalo said, her expression darkening.
I hesitated.
"Um…Well, it was dark, and…You were in front of me inside a cocoon and-" "And you chased after me, but it exploded, you caught me, and I had something in my hand, right?" she said.
"How did you know?" I asked.
She walked to me, and looked up to me. She was a bit shorter than I was, but that night, she seemed tinier.
"I've been having the same dream." she said.
"What's it mean?" I asked.
Margalo looked up to the sky, solemnly.
"I'm not sure, but the Goddesses have something in store for the both of us." she said.
Then, she stuck her tongue out at me.
"Toldja something was gonna happen!" she said, as if she were eight.
I knew something was wrong. I usually laugh at Margalo's childish antics, but not this time.
The very next day, I went to Hyrule Castle, and told Zelda everything about what happened the night before.
"It's definitely strange indeed." she said. "You two must think about each other a lot to have the same dream."
I spit the water I was drinking from a canteen in shock.
"Wh-what?! We're best friends! Nothing more! Plus, that's not the point…" I said, looking down. "I really think something's gonna happen."
Zelda looked at me for a minute.
"Show me the Triforce, Link." she said.
I held my right hand to her that bore the mark of the Triforce of Courage. She held her right hand to my hand. Connected with the Triforce of Wisdom Zelda wielded, the two began to glow, but soon faded out. Zelda heaved a sigh.
"Without the Triforce of Power, I can't check for anything strange in Hyrule. I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave it up to instinct." she said.
2. Scars of the past
"But Zelda, where is the Triforce of Power?" I asked.
"It was lost after you defeated the darkness led by Ganondorf over a year ago, remember?" she asked.
I looked down.
"I guess my first job is to track the Triforce of Power down before we do anything." I said.
"I'll come with you." she said.
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" I asked.
"Stay here. I'll be right out." she said.
I stayed in the small, garden-like courtyard where Zelda and I had always met up in until she returned. I looked up to the fountain I sat next to, and saw the still figure of her father, the king of Hyrule: Daphnes Johannes Hyrule. Or at least known to the people who knew the king during his rule before he passed, the greatest king Hyrule has ever known. He died when the fighting first began. It was a hellish crusade led by Ganondorf, and his partners Vaati, who was a wind mage, Chiore, a merciless beauty who used her voice as a weapon, and Taurus, the half man, half beast fighter. It took one year to find out how to defeat them…I'll never forget how hard it was.
It was also the first time I saw Zelda cry. Soon, Zelda came back, wearing a hood, and a normal, light blue tunic equipped with arrows.
"See? I'll blend right in." she said.
That sweet smile on her pale face…I'd do anything to keep her that happy. It put me in a spot to see her in despair. I remembered we had seen each other a few times when we were kids, but when Ganondorf attacked when I was fifteen, I found her in the burning castle, injured, and sobbing near the corpse of her father. Nothing could console her for weeks. We snuck through the castle, and made it out of the Castle Town in front of it without being noticed.
Out on Hyrule Field, we searched for Margalo. We found her on the top branch of a tree, looking out on the field.
"Margalo!" I called.
She looked down to me, and hopped from the branch.
"Heya, Link!" she said.
She looked over to Zelda, who still had her hood on.
"Who's this?" she asked.
Zelda pulled off her hood, and smiled.
"AHH! Zelda! It's been ages!" Margalo squealed as she wrapped her in a hug.
"I missed you too." Zelda said as she hugged back.
I had forgotten Margalo and Zelda were like sisters. They were inseparable when they were kids, and they were still the same. It was because of Margalo I was able to see Zelda at all. When I was a kid, I was always real curious, and I heard that if you were lucky, you could see the princess peep out her bedroom window, without a veil to cover her face. Many said she was as beautiful as her mother, who passed when she was born.
I watched her window day after day, hoping to catch the tiniest glimpse of the pretty little princess. One day, Margalo came and told me she could get me in. I thought she was lying at first, but she grabbed my hand, and led me right through the gates into the princess's courtyard without being stopped. She had snuck into the castle before, and befriended Zelda so she could come back at any time. I asked her why she hadn't told me about being able to get in, and she told me that she thought I would think she was lying. "But I was silly to think that, huh?" she had said.
That was awkward.
"So, what'd you guys come find me for?" Margalo asked.
"We have to find the Triforce of Power to explain your dream." Zelda said.
"Oh, really? Well, let's go!" she said.
We walked for a while, without the Triforce pieces picking up anything.
"Link, let's take a rest already. We've been walking for hours!" Margalo whined. We sat for a while, and decided to eat.
"So Margalo, you've traveled around Hyrule a lot. Have you seen anything weird?" asked Zelda.
"Nope. Nothing seems to be going on lately." she said.
I sat back against a stone, thinking about the dream. Maybe there was something missing, or something I hadn't noticed. A diamond pod…Something about Margalo, and something that was in her hand before it all ended. There had to be something.
"Link?"
I looked up to see Margalo.
"What?" I asked.
I noticed I had my head on the rock, practically lying on the ground.
"What are you doing?" asked Zelda, looking over to see what was happening.
"I was thinking about the dream. There should be some sort of clue or something, right?" I said.
"I tried thinking about it, but I can't make sense of it either…" Margalo said. "When we find the Triforce of Power, we could make sense of everything." Zelda said.
Later, we packed up, and headed after the Triforce again. Still, we had no luck, and it was getting late. We set up camp, and fell asleep shortly after. That night, I had another weird dream. I was in a pure white space, and I was floating.
Suddenly, a voice rang out into the emptiness.
"Behold the Keeper of lives, awoken by the powers of the Triforce; behold the Gatekeeper of Fate!"
I didn't know the voice, but I did see the Triforce. All three pieces were together as one, and they floated in front of me. When I reached out to touch them, I woke up. It was finally morning. That dream didn't scare me as much as the old one, but it still made me worry.
This time, I kept quiet. The Triforce of Power would explain everything. We soon came to the site where a one of my first battles took place. The final battle with Chiore. It wasn't easy, but I was somehow able to defeat her.
But it was the most scarring battle of the three I had to fight. If Chiore couldn't use her banshee-like voice, she couldn't fight all that well. She wasn't exactly the best at magic. I had to strangle her. I didn't like it.
I felt like a killer, her skinny body thrashing and kicking at me as she gagged and gasped. I still remember her image clearly. She had whitish-blonde hair, and was dressed in silver. The landscape was empty, but the memories were flowing back to me. I remember Margalo hadn't been there.
Neither had Zelda. I was thankful for that. I didn't want them to think any less of me for what I've done. Zelda inspected the place carefully.
"Link, isn't this the place where you fought Chiore?" she asked.
I never told them the details. I just told them about the site and such.
"Yeah…" I said.
The landscape was still scarred from the fight. Chiore's voice could do a number of things. Set things on fire, blow the ground out from under your feet, and more. I felt Margalo behind me, observing me in quiet. I turned, and she gripped her staff tightly.
That was her weapon of choice. A foldable staff that she slipped inside her belt. It's more powerful than it sounds. It's fueled by crystals that give it magic, so Margalo can cast spells at any time. She released her tight grip, and uttered a smile for me.
"This place has scarred you, huh? It's alright. You don't have to tell me." she whispered.
I could always count on her to understand.
"It looks like there's nothing here." Zelda said, finally done inspecting.
Soon, I heard rustling in the bushes. I pulled the Master Sword, Margalo raised her staff, and Zelda aimed Light Arrows in the direction of the movement. I felt the ground tremble, but I didn't move. Soon, the bushes were trampled, and the trees toppled over as a giant Moblin came from the forest, and toward us. Zelda shot, but missed, and we dodged as it tried to ram into us.
It turned toward us again, and laughed.
"Hm…It seems you were traveling with him the whole time." it said.
"Who? Me?" asked Margalo.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Give me the girl…Unless you wanna get hurt." he said.
I went toward him, and jumped, hoping to get him in the head, but he raised a giant spear, blocking my attack. Margalo followed behind, and stabbed the sharp end of the staff into the Moblin's arm. He raised his hurt arm into the air, launching Margalo and her staff into the air. The Moblin grabbed her, and pinned her down. She couldn't reach her staff, so I stepped in again, and tried to free her.
Zelda shot another Light Arrow, and it hit the Moblin in the face. It recoiled in pain, and let Margalo go. I helped her up, but she slipped. I pulled her up again, and ran for it. I laid her against a tree trunk.
"Are you o.k.?" I asked.
"Damn Moblin must've cracked a rib or two. Doesn't matter. Go on without me." she said.
I left her there, and went to help Zelda.
"Are you o.k.?" I asked her.
"Yeah. What about Margalo?" she asked.
"She's still conscious, but in some pain. She'll be fine." I said.
"You damn Hylians…Come here!" yelled the Moblin.
He picked up his mighty spear, and swung it at us, but we ran away. Zelda aimed at him again, and I slashed my sword across his chest. Zelda's arrows pierced the wound, and he finally dispersed. Zelda immediately went for Margalo, and I followed.
"Are you o.k.?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Margalo mumbled as she tried to sit up.
She winced in pain, and I set her back down.
"Stay still." I said.
"Let me see what I can do." Zelda said.
Her hands lit up as she tried using healing magic on Margalo. I looked at the pile of dust behind us that used to be the giant Moblin.
"Why would that thing be after Margalo?" I asked.
When Zelda was done, she looked back at the dust as well.
"I'm not sure. We have to keep moving, though. There could be more." she said. We helped Margalo up, and it seemed like she was fine. We roamed away from the site, but still no luck with the Triforce. Margalo was getting sore, so we stopped early. "It's been two days already…" I said.
"Zelda, don't you think the castle guards are getting worried about you?" Margalo asked.
"Maybe you're right. I'm sorry, you two. It seems we'll just have to give up for now." Zelda said.
"We'll leave tomorrow. It's getting a little late now." I said.
3. "Find me…"
As we put out the fire, we laid down to sleep. Inside, I was wanting to go on. I wanted so much to know the true meaning behind mine and Margalo's dream, but we really did have to bring Zelda home. That night, I had a dream. Another black space surrounded me.
Just then, I heard a soft voice call out to me.
"Find me…Link…"
"Who's there?" I asked.
"Link…Please come find me…"
I walked toward the sound of the voice, looking around. There was nothing but black. I was sure I'd never find the voice, but suddenly, I woke up. Before I was clear on what was happening, I saw Margalo standing a distance away from me, staring up at the moon. "Margalo? Are you feeling alright?" I asked her as I came closer. She looked at me blankly, without a word. She held out her hand to me, and I froze. Something didn't feel right. She fell to her knees suddenly, and I ran to help her. Before I could get to her, a hole opened up on her back. A gust of wind came, and I was tossed backwards. Something felt so familiar. The hole opened wider, and out came Vaati, Chiore, and Taurus. "No…" I whispered, shocked. As the three landed on the ground, they looked pleased with themselves, yet confused. "Where is Lord Ganondorf?" asked Vaati. Chiore looked back at the hole in Margalo. "She's still in the early stages. We can't get him through until she's grown enough." she said. Here I am, on the ground, shocked while they conversed with each other. "So what do we do now?" asked Taurus. "We take the girl of course. We can help her grow. After all, she is mindless in this state." said Vaati.. I stood as Taurus grabbed Margalo's arm. The hole closed, and Vaati summoned up a wind to carry them off. "No!" I yelled as I ran after them. Vaati turned, and smirked as he saw me coming. "Well, if it isn't the noble hero who 'killed' us." he said. I ignored him, and pulled my sword. I jumped and slashed at Taurus, who held Margalo, but my sword went through him. He smiled, and handed Margalo to Chiore. He jumped at me, and pinned me down by my chest. All the air left my lungs, and the ground deepened where I landed. Taurus did a flip off me, and jumped behind me where he charged me again. I got up and dodged him at the last minute, and turned to get to Margalo. I thought he was going to catch me, but a sudden light stopped him. I ignored it, and got caught in Vaati's wind. Before Chiore could turn around, I jumped right through her, and held onto Margalo as we fell to earth. We landed into a tree, and the branches caught me by my tunic. I hugged Margalo tightly, and the brnach snapped, and we both fell to the ground. I caught my breath, and saw Margalo slowly waking up. "Link?" she asked faintly. Her eyes widened, and she blushed. "Um…Why are we hugging on the ground? And why is your tunic half off?" she asked. I blushed and saw my tunic had slipped, revealing most of my chest. I quickly rolled off of her, and tried to hide my blushing. "Are you o.k.?" I asked her. "Yeah. One minute I was asleep, the next minute I wake up and find you…Me…In a secluded shrub…Without Zelda…" she listed. "No! No! It's not like that! You mean you don't remember anything?" I asked. "Not really…Well, there were voices, but I couldn't hear them…" she said. Soon, Zelda came by with her bow and arrows. "Are you guys o.k.?" she asked. "We're fine, thanks." I said. I turned to see Margalo had her fingers pressed against her forehead. "Are you o.k.? Did you get hurt, or something?" asked Zelda. "Guys…Was I…Kidnapped?" she asked. I nodded to her. She looked at me for a minute, and tears slid down her face. "They're back, aren't they?" she asked. Later on, we explained everything to Margalo, and she seemed troubled. "They're not as powerful as they were, but it seems they're trying to bring back Ganondorf." I said. "I think we should head home." Zelda said. "Someone needs to keep watch over the kingdom." Margalo stood. "YOU'RE heading home, but not me! I want to find the Triforce already, before they do!" she said. I laughed at her. "Don't worry, Tiger. If we can't find it, then I doubt they can, either." I said. Margalo was silent. We returned to Hyrule Castle shortly after, and got an earful from the head minister for bringing the princess out of the castle. Margalo folded her arms behind her head as we walked off the palace grounds. "Hm. That old man's stingy as ever. Zelda can take care of herself!" Margalo insisted. "She's the last heir to the throne. Try not to complain too much." I said. I felt Margalo looking at me. "What's the matter? You sound so bummed." she said. "I am. I'm just a little disappointed we didn't find the Triforce of Power. Also…It's really bugging me that Vaati and the others are back." I said. "Yeah…Me too."