Prologue:
Breathless
Thunder. Drops of cold condensation stung her face with undeserved glee as Zelda clung to her protector's waist and the horse beneath them screamed wildly, viciously beating the ground beneath them. Another dull beating joined chorus with their own horse's hoof beats, and a demonic horse's scream tore through the air with more fury than that of the thunder.
"Impa!" she wailed, giving the name three syllables as she realized he was following them, and she felt the strong woman's abdominal muscles tighten in tense reply. Impa let out a loud hah!, urging the horse beyond it's limits as stone buildings flew past with dizzying speed, and Zelda felt her own stomach tighten, giving her the tell-tale warning of vomit. Her terror forced it back. If she had to throw up, then that meant leaning over the speeding horse, and she knew she'd much rather keep it down. The black horse she knew her pursuer had chosen for the chase screamed again, ripping at Zelda's innards with the most terror a ten-year-old girl could handle, and Zelda buried her face in the small of Impa's back, tears joining the rain down the child's face.
The hoof beats rang a different tone, and Zelda picked her head up again to find them both on the wooden bridge across the moat leading out of the city. Something in the semi-conscious realm of her mind reminded her that this is the farthest she had ever gone; her father never allowed her out of the city. Her father wasn't here now. She had watched the one chasing her make sure he would never be there for her again. Anger, warm and fast, raced across her mind, only for a moment, and vanished for fear again as the horse gave a lurch, desperately trying to follow the steady stream of commands from Impa to go faster, faster, to escape the Gerudo king. At the end of the moat, a small boy clothed in green stood with an alarmed and confused look on his face, and Zelda acted on an intuition, adrenaline fueling the decision. Feeling around quickly in a bag she had had five minutes to fill before she was snatched by Impa and thrown on the horse that was racing to attempt freedom, she found the small instrument, and lobbed it to the boy.
She heard a splash, and she didn't look back to see her pursuer stop to talk to the boy, and the boy unsheathe his sword in reply. She didn't hear the mocking laugh he gave at the action, or see the dismissive way he had used his magic to push him down. She did, however, hear the scream of the black horse again, and knew the chase was on.
And that it wouldn't end until either she was captured, or he was dead.
Ocarina of Time
Zelda's Escape
Chapter 1
The storm passed, along with the immediate chase. They had lost him, for the moment, and the horse, Regal, was breathing with a determined effort. Zelda slid off the horse, exhausted, and trotted over to where, despite the day-long, high-speed gallop they had just endured, Impa was cooking; keeping a sharp hawk-eye out for anything that would signal another agonizing race.
Zelda whined, rubbing her backside where she would feel the horrors of saddle burn for a few days, and plopped down beside Impa, warming her still-soaking clothes by the small fire her protector had produced. Ripping off the turban only young girls of royalty wore and casting it aside, she let her golden hair hang loosely to dry. Glancing at the turban, she always thought it had looked ridiculous, making the top of her head an odd oval shape, and debating just leaving the troublesome thing behind. Impa glanced sideways at her, and Zelda saw the secret smile play on her lips, insinuating to Zelda that she had probably felt the same way about it. However, Impa walked over to pick it up, and removed a talisman from the front, and tucked the turban away. When Zelda gave her an inquisitive look, Impa merely chuckled, and looked to the horizon. First taking a moment to understand, she sighed. Evidence. Gannondorf, the Gerudo king, also known as the King of Thieves, was still hunting them, and they couldn't leave anything around to aid him in his search. After Gannondorf swore his allegiance to her father, the king of Hyrule, he betrayed him, using his magic, made powerful but tainted by murder and hate and greed, to kill Zelda's father before her eyes. Well, not knowingly. Zelda had a knack for spying, and was watching through a window when he had committed the deed.
Gannondorf wouldn't have known, his original plan to make the death look natural and take the child in her own ignorance, but she had screamed. She had screamed high, loud and long, and tore from the spot to her room in a fit of blind fear to gather her things, planning to make as much distance between her and the murderer as possible. She whirled to face the door to her room, where Impa had appeared with all the warning of the wind. Hoisting her over her shoulders, she ran toward the horse stalls with the near-supernatural speed of the Sheikahs, Zelda protesting all the way, painfully unable to know who to trust. With a short, impatient hush from Impa, who rarely spoke, Zelda was thrown on the horse, and the escape began.
The boy that had been trying to enter the town had been trying to find her. She stood trying, somehow, to make out the castle between the hundreds of miles they had crossed in the humid and dark storm. Link was a friend, but also one whom Zelda was convinced would stop the evil she had seen coming for a while. She had sent him to gather mystic stones of three different elements, fire, earth and water. Having told him the location of the earth stone, he had left, and she continued the position she was in before she had met him, spying on her father and Gannondorf, who had been in a meeting. She could only assume he had succeeded in retrieving the first stone, as he had come back unharmed, but wondered if he had merely witnessed the chase, or if Gannondorf had recognized the potential she had seen in first meeting him, or, more likely, stopped out of interest that a forest boy had come out of the trees, but dismissed the fact to continue to pursue his main goal.
Mist hung sulkily around the valley they sat in, under the shade of a lone willow, smack in the middle of the vast field. "We are hiding in plain sight," Impa had whispered when Zelda inquired about the lack of cover, after scanning the valley for any potential threats. Zelda didn't understand, and made that perfectly clear to Impa, in the way only a child can. Impa rolled her eyes with a faint smile. "When one hides in the shadows, peeking around the edge, it makes it obvious to anyone who sees that you are one hiding. If you sit peacefully in the shade of an oak, one tends to disappear, while easily blending in. If we were seen, from far away where they cannot make out our clothes, we would be simple folk, taking a break from the tense farm life. If anyone got close enough to make out otherwise, I would not allow them to leave without having my full personal trust." Impa put heavy emphasis on the last three words, and Zelda understood that this would be a very hard thing to obtain.
She gave an almighty sigh and leaned against the trunk of the massive tree, then sunk the ground, wincing as her tender backside hit the ground. Impa watched her as the young girl closed her eyes. Her bottom lip twitched once, and the tips of her small mouth turned down as her nose went from a pale peach to a bright pink. Impa stood silently and walked over to the small girl in a pink royal dress, weeping silently. She kneeled down and sat beside the child, and did something Zelda had found familiar and beautiful as far as she could remember. She hugged her, a simple, slow movement that drew Zelda into her strong arms and held her against the chest that held the same beating heart that soothed her cries as a baby. Zelda didn't return the hug; she felt like a boulder was wrapped her and kept her safe. That boulder was strong and would never be broken, and Zelda leaned into it and wept for the loss of the life she knew. Impa let the child cry, feeling the sobs coarse through the body and helping to absorb the sorrow the girl felt. She rested her chin on the vibrating girl's head and watched the valley, vigilant as ever.
Chapter 2
The suns rose majestically over the scenery, transforming the green land into a bright yellow-orange. Of course, Zelda was not aware of this, as she was still curled up under the tree, vehemently opposing Impa's instruction to get up.
"One more day." Zelda mumbled, and Impa chuckled.
"If you don't get up, I'll carry you to the horse." Impa teased, and heard the scowl in Zelda's voice when she responded.
"Go away. It's too early and my hiney still hurts from last time." Oh, the wonderful things a child is able to say. Without even a moment to prepare, Impa swiftly gathered the four corners of the blanket Zelda had cocooned herself in and hoisted the very surprised, half-asleep girl over her shoulder.
"Hey!" Zelda shrieked, trying as hard as she could to sound furious, but letting a giggle slip uncontrollable from her lips. "No! Put me down! Impa!" Impa laughed a quick laugh and placed the girl on the ground in the sunlight, snapping the blanket Zelda had rolled herself in and watching the girl roll down the hill. At the end of her involuntary tumble, Zelda attempted to get up on wobbling, disobedient legs, and they went out under her. She flopped onto her back and Impa watched with amusement as Zelda gave her a very dirty look, however marred it was by the fact it was given upside-down.
"Ready to go?" Impa asked, sticking her head into Zelda's field of vision and giving her an innocent smile. Zelda snarled and attempted again to get up, now that the world had kindly stopped spinning, and walked primly to the horse, a slight wobble in her step. Impa followed her, and climbed effortlessly onto the horse, while Zelda, who had reached the horse first, was still struggling to get on the horse's rump. Impa watched patiently for a while, letting the girl attempt independency, until Zelda sat frustrated on the ground and, without looking at her, reached her arm out to Impa for assistance. Impa obliged with a smile, and hoisted Zelda onto the horse, riding off as soon as Impa was sure she was secure.
Impa's first priority was to find water. They reached a river that flowed constantly and musically southward, and led straight to Lake Hylia. Impa hoped they would find refuge there, and raked her mind for anyone she knew who lived there, anyone she could ask a favor of. If there was nowhere they could hide, their second plan would be Zora's Domain. The king of the Zoras would shield her. He had always been faithful to the king, and Zelda would have a companion, Princess Ruto. However, Impa thought ruefully, they would need a last resort. Death Mountain? No. One could not find food easily there. Besides, Zelda's disguise would have to be simple. Impa could only make small changes to the body. Her magic would not permit a full-body transformation. A human living with the Zoras was one thing, but Gorons, who resided exclusively in Death Mountain, don't display trust as easily. She supposed she could ask the Great Deku Tree if Zelda could stay with the small village of the Kokori, a group of children, but Zelda would easily outgrow them. They stayed children forever, whereas young Zelda would not.
Grumbling, Impa shook her head, as if to shake loose the confusion and stress clouding her mind, her pure white hair, bleached not for age, but for status, fighting to break free from the stiff bun it was bound into. She stared at Zelda, who was currently stroking Regal as he drank sloppily, splashing the hem of Zelda's royal dress with muddy water. The tips of Impa's mouth descended into a slight frown. Zelda would need to lose her identity, a feature that the dress clearly announced, along with the silver bracelets that jingled jovially on Zelda's small wrists, and a small, pure gold hoop earring that glittered on the tip of her elf-like, pointed ear. Zelda's blue eyes complemented perfectly the bright noon, as they shone with amusement at some of the horses' small noises. Impa knit her brow in concentration. Should they risk going into Kakariko Village, Impa's own home town, to find clothes for Zelda, clothes that would match her new identity? How would they get past the guards? Would Gannondorf be waiting in an ambush? They couldn't possibly risk it. Maybe they would buy a tattered farmer's gown from the farm girl that outgrew it? Impa tapped her lip, lost in thought.
A shriek ripped her from the concentration, and without even looking, Impa was on her feet and moving eerily fast toward the source. Zelda was by the river, desperately scrabbling away from it as a huge yellow eye stared out from the river, fixed pointedly on the small girl. Zelda let another cry escape, and the river churned as a great, scaly lizard rose, and it whipped its great maw at the child. Zelda sat paralyzed with terror as the great reptile lunged at her, it jaw wide and ready to receive a quick meal. Regal gave a great scream and prepared to run, but twitched its ear to the blue flash that was shouting at it to stop and stay as it streaked by. Regal backed away, but stayed close as its master commanded, twitching with fear.
Impa, within a space of a breath, whipped out three throwing stars and cast them toward the open mouth, lined with jagged, yellow teeth, stained with rust brown, the blood of the meal it devoured yesterday. As the throwing stars hit the roof of the lizard's mouth with three distinctive thumps, the creature roared in pain, the sound so intense that it forced Zelda to slap her hands over her long ears, causing her to lose the balance she had fought to gain. Impa snaked her arm under Zelda's shoulders and hauled her to her feet, grabbing her hand and yanking her into a dead sprint, away from the vicious waters.
The lizard screamed again, watching with rage as what it had thought was an easy breakfast dash away. It tasted its own blood, seeping from the wounds the woman had inflicted, and ruefully decided against a chase. It slid under the water, the blood from its mouth webbing out into the water like ink, only to be swept away by the ever-busy current. Settling on the bottom of the river, it decided on fish again, seeing as they were attracted by the blood, and reasoned that it would have been impossible to digest the many layers of clothing anyway.
Chapter 3
After disposing of the soaked and ruined royal dress, an act that was pursued with an hour of grumbling, issued from Zelda, on how that was her favorite and best dress. However, the complaints were ignored skillfully by one who had grown up with the issuer of the countless arguments. Eventually, Zelda just ended up sulking in her used pheasant gown, bought from a merchant with a dark moustache and a greasy look.
"Pleasure doing business with you…" He had wheezed after the rupees left the warmth of Impa's hand and were deposited in the calloused, stained hand of the merchant. Impa tried not to respond, as a less than enthusiastic statement took form in her mind, much less crinkle her nose at his odor, which smelled like he had been in the rubbish pile, and prayed that was not where he obtained his merchandise. Zelda slipped into the dress, a simple white gown with a forest-green smock attached to the front, a dress solely for practical use, and frowned as she looked down at it.
"It smells funny," stated Zelda, blunt as always. Impa was busy inspecting the dress as she responded.
"We'll wash it later. It must have been owned by a chicken farmer." Impa immediately proved her suspicion by flicking some chicken business off the hem in the back. The dress was a little long, hung loosely, but otherwise fit well. Obviously they couldn't have tried it on, being as the merchant might not have reacted well to discovering the fugitive princess. Impa did not worry. She just had to cover her snowy hair, the sign of a respected royal family servant, to fool the grimy man.
"Now…" Impa said, thinking aloud, circling Zelda. "to disguise you." Impa laid a broad hand gently on top of Zelda's blond head. Zelda felt a thrum of magic, like static electricity, and it raised a few hairs on the back of her neck. She felt the tiny hairs on her arm pull attempt to crawl away as a prickly feeling pulled at her scalp. Her eyes grew sore as the dilated, and she flinched, earning a clipped hold still from Impa. Her ears suddenly grew cold, and she could feel the cartilage contract, forming into a newer, rounder shape. Her beautifully manicured nails gave small cracks as the edges frayed a bit, due to the fact that her hand was getting broader, less tender, as calluses formed on her finger pads and palms. Her leg bones gave a groan as they extended, and Zelda gained an inch or two. Suddenly, the sensation was over, leaving Zelda a bit disoriented, and Impa fell backward with a huff. Zelda shook her head, clearing her mind, and was shocked to find not blond hair hanging in her face, but a light brown! She ran to the side of the river, first inspecting the clear water, then stared down into a vaguely familiar, but strange, new face. Shocking emerald-green eyes stared at her, wide-eyed, from the water, and the reflection's hand reached up and touched her face, mirroring Zelda. Zelda felt the rough calluses run down her cheek like sandpaper, and the fingers traveled up to her ears, both of which were rounded at the top. She looked with wonder and a slight panic at the face in the water studying her.
She turned her gaze to Impa, who gave her a slight smile.
"Th…this is what I look like from now on?" Zelda stuttered.
"No. I can't hold on to the magic and protect you at the same time. Magic takes concentration. This is how you will look when we have to go to the villages." Zelda returned to looking into the water, reasoning that she looked pretty good, now that she had gotten over the initial shock. Plus, she didn't have to worry about her dress length, as the couple inches Impa added raised the hem off the ground. She busied herself with playing with her new hair, which now hung down to her mid-back like a cascade of muddy water. Impa let go of her concentration, and Zelda watched, amazed, as her reflection turned from the brunette farm girl to the blonde princess once again.
"Good. Now, we start your training." The smile slid immediately off Zelda's face.
"Um…" Zelda started, turning again to look at Impa. "training?"
* * *
Zelda stood nervously facing Impa, crouched into a fighting position. Impa was, as usual, calmly reciting instructions.
"Always stay calm. A Sheikah never wavers." No sooner had Impa finished the statement, she came rushing, without warning, at Zelda. Zelda did what any sane ten-year-old girl would have done. She screamed and started running the other direction.
"Zel-da!" Impa called at the bushes Zelda had made a flying leap for. The treetops shaded the two, as they had started their practice in a clearing in the woods. Zelda responded from behind the safety of the thin covering of dark-green leaves.
"Are you insane?"
Impa failed to restrict the laughter fighting its way out.
"Don't laugh at me! You came rushing out of nowhere!" Zelda sounded indignant. Impa's unprofessional laughter continued. Zelda came out and glared at the woman sitting on the ground, arms wrapped around her midriff. The girl stood impatiently, arms crossed and frowning, and waited the laughter out. The giggles subsided.
"Finished?" Zelda asked curtly, and Impa looked up at her, eyes glittering.
"Oh, yes." She said with a smile. "Shall we try it again?"
Surprise crossed Zelda's face, along with a little panic. Zelda didn't even need to say anything.
"Very well. We'll start with magic." A smile spread on Zelda's face. Yes! After hours of physical training, they were going to try magic. Impa crossed her legs on the floor in the middle of the clearing. Zelda scuttled over to her, and sat in front of her mentor, assuming the position as well, facing Impa.
"Hold out your hands," instructed Impa. Zelda obeyed, splaying her fingers in front of Impa, palms up. Impa reached out and corrected Zelda, gently putting all of the fingers together, and the two hands touching. Zelda looked like a beggar, holding her hands out for spare change. Impa mirrored Zelda, then placed her hands under Zelda's, her fingers surprisingly cool. Zelda looked up from her hands into Impa's eyes, and could see a small smile play on her face. Suddenly, her fingers tingled, and Zelda's gaze snapped back to her palms. Her palms turned pink, like a light was trying to get through, and Impa's fingers turned warm, warmer. A flame sprouted from Zelda's palm, and her eyes grew wide. Her hands didn't burn, though. The flame felt cool, like room-temperature metal under warm hands. Zelda tore her gaze back from the fire and looked at Impa. Impa whispered the name of the magic, her voice barely audible.
"Din's Fire…"
Chapter 4
Four years passed from their first day of training, and Zelda stood as a strong young woman; confident, proud and beautiful. Her physical skills now pleased Impa; Zelda could pass for a true Sheikah. Her magical skills were adequate, but not enough to fight with. However, she could change her appearance, a skill she picked up easily and could now do better than her teacher. When Zelda wanted to, she could easily change into a Sheikah warrior, and called this alter-ego Sheik. Impa accepted the name, resisting the urge to point out Zelda's obvious lack of creativity.
Ever since a couple weeks after their great escape, the land had started to grow darker. Beasts…strange beasts roamed Hyrule. Grass and other various plants had started to die, ironically yellowing in the lack of sunlight. Hyrule Castle was completely lost in the oblivion; darkness surrounded the market that thrived just outside it. Zelda often watched the swirling clouds above the town, wondering whether they were a result of Gannondorf's hostile regime. One day, she decided to inquire about the clouds, and Impa confided to her what happened. Zelda sat and listened to the story Impa told.
Just weeks after we escaped, young Link, the boy in green, found and collected all three of the mystical stones. Put together in the temple in the market, they acted as a key, opening the way into the sacred Temple of Time. Inside the Temple of Time, sealed away by the seven sages, was the Master Sword, the legendary sacred sword that banished a great evil, much like this one, long ago. Gannondorf, after discovering the boy with the earth stone during the chase, pursued Link in secret, following close behind and watching Link best every obstacle to get the stones. Pleased, Gannondorf knew that the stones would open the Temple of Time, and uncover the location of the Triforce, the symbol of the goddesses Din, for power, Nayru, for wisdom, and Feyora, for courage. It has incredible power, granting the one who touches it with one wish. It could give Gannondorf exactly what he wanted. Power. So he followed young Link into the sacred Temple, and watched gleefully as the boy unwittingly unlocked the Triforce by removing the blade from its pedestal. It fell into Gannondorf's hands, and he's been warping the land ever since. Link, after removing the sword, is currently in the Sage's temple, and has been asleep since the moment Gannondorf touched the Triforce. However, Gannondorf did not know the Triforce would shatter the moment he made his wish, and he wants to make another. He has to reassemble the Triforce, which has hidden itself among us. Gannondorf, the one who touched the Triforce, got the Triforce of Power. Link was chosen to receive the Triforce of Courage.
"And the Triforce of Wisdom?" Zelda prompted, horrified that she might already know. Why else would he want her so desperately? She had to hear Impa say it, though…
"The Triforce of Wisdom chose…you."
* * *
Questions consisting of every different way to ask "are you sure" plagued Impa for the next few hours, long into the night. Zelda went through several different emotional stages, as to be expected from one who just found out they were embodiments of a goddess. Denial reined its ugly head a few times. From the stubborn "you're just making that up" to the panicky "you must completely insane!" there were more different colors of her denial than in a rainbow. Then there were all the emotions from "I can't believe it!" to "it's all my fault." Don't ask how that one got in there. Finally, exhausted, Zelda slumped under a shady tree with a sadly confused expression. Impa, during this façade, sat in the middle of the clearing, legs folded and eyes closed peacefully, completely tuning out the psychotic rant (everybody deserves one).
Impa, interested by the silence, cracked open one eye and peeked at the slouching figure. Impa uncrossed her now-stiff legs and calmly approached Zelda. Staring determinedly at the ground, she mumbled sullenly, "It can't be me."
Impa smiled patiently. "I can prove it if you want." One of Zelda's eyebrows peaked in interest. Impa asked for her left hand. Hesitating, Zelda gingerly held it out, palm down, and Impa's fingers wrapped around the wrist.
"If I do this, it's not going to go away. It will be like a tattoo." Zelda hesitated a little longer; Impa could feel the tensed muscled in her arm.
"Go ahead." Zelda mumbled.
"Watch…" Impa whispered, and Zelda lifted her gaze to see the hand as it started to tingle, then grow comfortably warm. The Triforce appeared, like a shadow at first, and then one of the triangles lit up, shining with an iridescent light. There, written on her skin, was the Triforce of Wisdom, glowing with the purest of light. Tears prickled her eyes, and fell of their own accord onto her lap. She lifted her eyes to Impa, worry shining through them.
"Link…" she whispered.
"He's fine." Whispered Impa in response.
"How do you know all this?" came another whisper. Zelda had said it without moving her lips, staring with wonder and awe at the glowing triangle on her hand.
A mysterious smile touched Impa's lips.
"Child," she whispered, softer than before, "secrets are the way of the Sheikah." The two sat, foreheads touching and watching the Triforce, until the sun touched the sky the next day.
Chapter 5
Regal whinnied in unenthusiastic protest as the two women slid onto his back. It was fine when the girl was young, under a hundred pounds, but this was just ridiculous. Horses shouldn't have to put up with this kind of thing, Regal thought half-heartedly. Zelda giggled at the horses' grumbling.
"Oh, come on now, Regal." She said, teasing the horse. He snorted.
"What? Are you getting too old for this?" Regal shook his head in annoyance, and Zelda laughed at his response.
"Zelda." Impa said, reproving, but with a faint smile. "Don't tease the horse."
The smile did not go undetected. "Oh, so now we're taking his side." Zelda joked back. Something sparkled in Impa's eyes.
"I take the side of the one who smells the best." She said coolly, and Zelda's mouth dropped. Impa gave a delighted belly laugh.
"What?!" Shrieked Zelda, an action the horse did not appreciate. He gave an unexpected jolt, and Zelda nearly fell off the horse. Impa gave a fresh peal of laughter.
"It's not like you've had a chance for a bath-" Zelda started, but Impa immediately sobered, looking around, and cut her off with a tart shh!
They sat in silence, the horse twitching occasionally to ward off the blood-thirsty flies. A dark smile, unseen by the two women, crept over the mouth of the shadow in the trees. Zelda blinked, uncomprehending, and watched the tense face of her protector. The silence in the woods was so loud it could make one's ears bleed. Regal stood with one hoof quivering in mid-air, having obediently halted completely when told. His three remaining legs shook as the weight of the two humans plus his own bore down on him. He started to panic; he was losing his balance! His breath came quick, and a slight pressure on his neck told him to be calm. He couldn't be calm… He was going to fall if he didn't put his hoof down. He couldn't hold it any longer…
Snap! Impa's head whipped down to see Regal's hoof, settled on a twig that was broken completely in half. With little time to think, she shouted hah! and Zelda found herself jolted into motion. Something crashed in the trees behind them, and Zelda looked back, unable to see it, but it was large. She could hear the crashes, the bushes breaking and the leaves shouting.
Hah! Hah! Impa barked. Faster! Faster! Trees and branches whipped past the terrified Zelda, cutting her face and her hands, any skin left uncovered. Multiple abrasions littered her skin, along with Impa's, as they tore through the brush. She could hear whatever it was crash closer, closer, faster, Regal, faster! With a scream the horse broke through to Hyrule Field, but they didn't halt. Foam blossomed from both sides of the horses' mouth as he ran with full might, exhausting every reserve he had to get away from the thing, get the people away from the thing…
Dark purple light flashed behind them, and the last thing Regal heard was the screams of his masters as they fell to the ground.
Zelda and Impa toppled from the horse as it fell forward. Regal was dead before he hit the soft grass. Zelda and Impa tumbled onto the grass, rolling with the fall, away from the horse. Zelda pushed herself up, panting with the adrenaline rush, and flinched as a hoof stained with dirt and blood slammed the earth next to where her hand lay. It lifted, and two huge boots replaced it, inlaid with elaborately carved silver. The hem of a cape dangled near them, a dark red in color, and her eyes followed up the man that stood before her, until she met the eyes of the hunter.
Gannondorf.
Chapter 6
Heart racing painfully in her chest, her blue eyes locked onto the cruel eyes of the dark king of Hyrule. Blood oozed from the many bleeding cuts on her face, and she swiped a rogue drop from her eyes. Her mind was screaming for her to move, but her body would not obey. A small squeak was all that her constricted throat could manage.
A cold chuckle dripped from his lips as he stared at his elusive prey, finally his, finally caught, finally in his grasp. His gloved hand reached across his plaited iron armor as he went for his broad, cold-iron sword. Zelda watched, helpless, as the sword slowly parted its sheath with the wheezy rasp of metal against leather. She could only wince as the sword was lifted above his head, his evil eyes squinting with anticipation and an insane grin stretched across his face.
Impa shook her head and raised it to see the supposed final moments of the princess's life unfold before her, a few feet away. Her head cleared, and Impa saw the huge sword lift in the air, reach its climax, and begin its deadly descent, its aim: the center of the girl's blonde head. With superhuman speed, a long chain was freed from her belt, and a battle cry rushed from her lips as, with a powerful slashing movement, the thin chain whipped toward the man, the shocked air whistling shrilly through its links. The chains wrapped around the sword once, twice, and she swiftly tugged the chain back, as if reeling in a giant fish. The sword jerked and missed his target, striking the ground inches from the shocked girl. A ferocious growl issued from Gannondorf as his cruel gaze locked onto the protective target. He thrust his sword at Impa, and the agile woman ducked, twisting in an elegant way to avoid the sharp tip and blades. Rage bubbled out in the next growl, and he continued with skillful thrusts, slashes, and parries. Impa complemented every attack, almost invisible in the way she moved. Her hips turned and her arms flew as she started to fight attacks of her own. Throwing stars pelted Gannondorf's armor, a few hitting home and opening inch-long slits beneath some unprotected areas of his body. Annoyance and frustration now fueled Gannondorf's attacks as he attempted over and over to remove the only thing keeping him from his prize. Zelda watched her mentor, transfixed, as the woman moved professionally, as if she knew every attack he would try.
She didn't. Gannondorf cheated. After another lost thrust, a move forcing her to dodge close to him, a short knife was whipped out from an undetectable pocket of Gannondorf's armor, and plunged quickly into her exposed side. A short gasp came from Impa as she toppled, pain causing her to lose what balance she had. Her training as a Sheikah had nothing on this, and she looked desperately at the spot the princess had been occupying. She was gone.
Zelda, since she was trained by the mistresses of combat and stealth, took the advantage of Impa's distraction to struggle to her feet and hide in the trees close by. Gannondorf grinned at his victory over the woman, who was bleeding uncontrollably on the ground, and followed her gaze to the empty spot of grass the princess had vacated. The grin turned into a surprised and enrage snarl, only for a moment, then his eyes slipped back to the fallen Sheikah.
Zelda stood flattened against a great oak tree, breathing hard with tears sharing some of the trails the blood had carved. The saltwater hit some cuts, salt seeping into the open skin, but if Zelda noticed, she didn't show it. Gannondorf's voice slid greasily in her direction.
"Zelda," the voice called, the madness behind it evident, even without Zelda having to see the insane grin that had returned with full force to his pointed face. Tears of terror choked her as she attempted to control the panic rising in her gut. He continued. "Zelda, I don't have to kill this woman out here…" Zelda suppressed a gasp. She could hear Impa protest in a disgusted, horrified voice, but she was batted down with a swipe of the huge blade to the cheek. Impa tried to move away, but his large boot lifted from the ground and laid itself on her wrist. He pressed hard, making it sink about a half an inch into the dirt before a snapping noise issued clearly. Impa cried out, pain raking up her arm as her broken wrist screamed in agony. Zelda responded with a cry of her own.
"No!" her voice cracked, pitching it high and sharp with desperation. She began to move out, but a disapproving cry from Impa dissuaded her. Impa lay on the ground, Gannondorf's boot still on her wrist, and couldn't make herself speak through the pain of the wounds, but she would rather die than see Zelda in the hands of the evil man. He looked at her, disgusted, and pressed harder, causing a fresh lance of pain jolt up her arm. Her back arched in pain, and she quieted, rare tears running down her face.
"Impa?" her voice squeaking again, as Zelda fought a lump in her throat. Impa screamed her last word.
"Run!"
Zelda ran, hating herself and stumbling violently in the harsh woods. Scarlet rage caused his eyes to reduce to slits again, and he screamed as he drove his sword through Impa's chest. Impa had only enough time to feel Zelda use her magic to transport, a skill used rarely and only in times of dire need, to escape. Her last cry was one of victory as she died.
Chapter 7
The next morning, a young man just shy of six feet shook his head clear of the water he had rinsed his ear-length brown hair in, which now hung clumsily in his bright hazel eyes. He slipped his leather tunic over his bare chest, layered with the lean muscles of a boy raised on a farm, and spattered here and there with light brown hair. Fish skittered away from the spot near where he sat, his strong chin searching the horizon for anything that would make his day of interest, instead of the mindless menial labor he endured nearly every day. He thought curiously of the news he had heard from the postman, who ran quickly through the fields, bringing constant news of the other parts of the vast land of Hyule. Yesterday he told of a huge fight in western Hyrule, a few days' walk, a days' run, from the southern part he and his small village occupied. Lake Hylia sparkled like a firework in the morning sun, and he had to shield his eyes to look in the direction his mother called from, beckoning him.
"Aaron!" her shrill voice called in her impatient tone, one that resembled a seagull's shriek. Seagulls often stopped by Lake Hylia to feast on the plentiful fish that thrived in the vast body. He squinted into the sky, following one as it soared overhead, seeming to mimic perfectly his mothers' call. Aaron laughed at the gull that now landed on a log that was half drifting, half caught on the sandy shore. It ruffled its feathers and gave him a wary glance, as if Aaron would scold him for his happy disrespect, but Aaron merely winked at the bird, and hoisted himself to his feet to go find his mother.
Aaron's mother sat with her red hair in a loose bun, strands hanging in her face, giving her a mildly messy look. She gave Aaron a disapproving look, one that would send squirrels scurrying into their tree-holes, but Aaron returned her glare with a confident grin, his hair still damp with the Hylian water, which made him look just as messy as his mother's bed-head. His mother sighed and smoothed it, starting to list chores he would have to attend to quickly if he wanted to have the rest of the afternoon off. Aaron grumbled, knowing the chores would take up the whole of his morning and half of his afternoon. She eyed him, and he relented, accepting the jobs. She reminded him to inspect the crops as well. They had to make sure the lack of rain hadn't reduced the lake's water level too much. If so, he would have to abandon his daily chores to aid his mother in scooping up the lake water and carrying it in buckets to the ever-thirsty crops.
Aaron assured his mother he would, and she freed him to his responsibilities. He walked off with a somewhat less enthusiastic gait than before, approaching the huge fields in his own time. The corn whispered as the hulls scraped against each other and the leaves made contact. He walked over to the large ladder that led to a high platform, high enough to take in the entire corn field at the top. Aaron reached the top with ease, and stared, bored, at the same green stalks that waved at him, same as yesterday and the day before. Knitting his brow together, he noticed something different from the mental picture burned into his head from repeated views. A dark spot of bent corn stalks, most snapped at the base and leaning on their companions, marred the scene of the perfect, undulating corn. Descending from his perch, he cursed the supposed culprits, probably raccoons making their nests in a sea of food, and started toward the spot. Pushing the corn away, he wore a scowl as he took his first glance at the offender, and the scowl changed immediately to shock as he gazed at the thing that would surely make his day an interesting one.
Chapter 8
A brown-haired girl lay bleeding in the circle of destroyed corn, multiple cuts on her face and hands marred what Aaron could see was a beautiful face. She lay on her side, a sad look on her unconscious face, tear stains trailing some of the dried blood on her cheeks. Aaron stuttered, then regained his wits and fell to his knees, pressing two fingers gently against her smooth neck, and gasped at the detection of a flutter of a pulse. He held his hand an inch from her pink lips, and felt a shallow breath tickle his palm. He looked around, confused at the lack of a trail showing the direction she came from, but dismissed the mystery, and started tending to the girl. He studied her shallow cuts and reasoned that he couldn't do much of anything until he could get a warm cloth and a bed for her to rest on. He slipped his arms under her, one under the small of her back and one under the back of her knees, and lifted her, grunting a little at the surprising weight of the thin girl. Wincing as he toppled a few more corn stalks in the process of extracting her from the field, he brought her to the small cottage he lived in, calling out to his mother.
Annoyed at Aaron's disrupt of her work in the kitchen, as she was cooking her famed vegetable soup, one of Aaron's favorites, she tromped out of the house to watch as Aaron approached her with the bleeding girl. She didn't even ask for an explanation, as Aaron's face hinted urgency, and she raced inside to fetch some towels.
* * *
Zelda awoke lying in a surprisingly comfortable bed, laid on her back with her hands crossed on her stomach. She blinked, confused. Where had she transported? She winced as she tried to move her head, as the latter screamed with a raging headache. Transportation took a lot of magic. She was surprised she ended up in one piece. Wait…did she? She wiggled her toes. Yes, she confirmed, relieved. One piece.
The movement she did manage put a boy of maybe sixteen in her view, his hair hung in his face as he slept with his head resting on the side of the bed, his knuckles digging slightly into his cheek. His rhythmic breathing was slow and deep, and she almost fell asleep again, now assured that she was not alone and sensing the other presence to be benevolent, when he jerked awake, the rapid and unexpected movement sending a shock to the startled Zelda. He blinked at the soft gasp she gave, and they locked eyes, his blurry light hazel with her alert clover-green. They held eye contact for a moment more, allowing Aaron to come to his senses and notice she was conscious. He jumped again, and this time she just blinked in confusion. Odd boy, this one. He stuttered, attempting to initiate a conversation with the pretty girl, but just ended up babbling gloriously for a full minute.
"Uh, I... What…um, you…are…um…" he slumped for a second, gathering his thoughts, and tried again. She wore a faint smile, slightly amused at the boy's attempts.
"Uh…hi." He finished, looking at her hopefully. She giggled.
"Hi." She replied simply.
Aaron wallowed miserably in the awkward silence. The bandages he helped his mother apply clung to her forehead, and a few taped bandages covered the worst cuts on her hands, neck, and face. Her tired eyes were a beautiful green shade, and they held his. He groped for a new conversation starter, and she watched him intently.
"I'm, uh, Aaron." He said finally. She paused for a moment to assure herself that she was, indeed, in her disguise, before answering her chosen name for her third alter-ego.
"Ahimsa." She replied, and smiled. He returned the smile, a hint of relief behind it.
"That's pretty." He observed. Her smile grew.
"Thank you." she responded. "It means 'soul.'" He gave her a happy smile, content that they were at ease with each other. She blinked, and her smile turned into a thoughtful frown. "Where did you find me?"
"Oh," he said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "The cornfield. Don't you remember?" She blinked again, confused. Why had she been transported to a cornfield? She couldn't remember concentrating on anything in particular, other than that she hadn't eaten for…oh.
"Um…yea. The cornfield. That's right." She didn't know what else to do, so she improvised.
"What, well, you don't have to tell me, but what…" he searched for a less personal way to ask.
"Happened?" she finished, looking gravely at him, while struggling furiously to think of a story to replace the truth. She didn't have to.
The door creaked, and Zelda's eyes snapped to the source, Aaron turning to follow her gaze. A woman of about forty poked her head in, then smiled to see the open eyes of their guest.
"Oh, hello! It's good to see you awake. My name is Illia, and this is my son, Aaron." She smiled joyfully and hospitably. She was pretty, a little silver highlighting her red hair, and strong arms wrapped around fresh towels, folded neat and clean. Her smile was beautiful, open and simple, instead of the over-used smiles she was used to at the castle as a child. This smile reminded her of someone else's smile, whose memories prickled her eyes with tears. She didn't mean for them to well, and was surprised at their unexpected arrival. Mournful tears slipped down her cheeks, and Illia's expression of hospitality dissolved into one of worry. She set the towels on a dresser and rushed over to replace Aaron by the side of the bed, who jumped back to allow his mother space. Illia sat tenderly on the side of the bed, moving the bed to favor the side Illia took and causing Zelda's head to shift, sending another painful spike to her forehead.
"Oh! Oh, no. No, don't cry." Illia said in dismay, a look of pity on her face. "No… oh, dear. What did I say?" This question was aimed at Aaron, as if Aaron had the answer. Aaron, of course, did not. He stood baffled in the corner, completely confused at the sudden arrival of the tears. Zelda sniffled, which sounded depressingly pitiful, even to her, and apologized quickly.
"It…it's nothing. You just… you remind me of someone." Zelda said softly, not expecting a reply.
Illia smiled lovingly. "Was it the king?
Chapter 9
Zelda's eyes widened in panic, and Aaron's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hair.
"Wh...what?" Zelda floundered with her words, possibilities racing through her mind. What? What did she mean by that? How could she have possibly known? Questions swirled around and around in her head. Had she really been caught? Did Gannondorf catch her and try to put her off her guard by imprisoning her with nice people? Was she just in a really nice dungeon? She doubted that one. She sat for a minute, stewing in her panic.
Illia was startled by the reaction. She hadn't expected the girl to respond so dramatically. The poor thing was having a complete meltdown! Illia began to speak rapidly, trying to calm the girl.
"No, no, no! It's OK, the disguise was very believable!" Illia shouted, trying to get through to the girl. Zelda looked at her suspiciously, still thinking furiously.
"What gave it away?" she asked, genuinely curious as to what she missed.
"Well," said the woman, who flushed a slight pink. "You're…you're ears. They're pointed. I knew that meant you were either of royal blood or you were Kokori, and you're too old to be a Kokori, so I reasoned you must be the lost princess." Aaron's eyebrows still hovered high, but his gaze had now shifted to Zelda. The look in his eye was less hospitable now, and more hurt. Zelda had lied to him right off the bat. She lowered her eyes from his in shame. She was furious with herself for missing the ears. They were the most distinguished quality she had! Royal blood had always produced pointed ears. She must have lost the focus for them when she teleported.
"Please…" Zelda whispered, barely audible. She couldn't look at either of them. "Please, don't tell. Don't tell him." The two looked at each other confused.
"Who?" Illia asked. Zelda looked at the balefully.
"Gannondorf." She whispered. Both Illia and Aaron saw the spark of fear in Zelda's false green eyes.
"The new king? What does he have to do with anything?" Aaron asked from his corner. Zelda evaded the question.
"Just… don't tell anyone. Please." Aaron was about to push, but Illia caught him. Aaron's mouth shut, and his question died a quiet little death.
"Of course we won't. Don't worry, Princess." Illia said kindly, almost motherly.
"Please. My name is now Ahimsa. I am a farm girl who's been moving from town to town, buying and selling produce." The girl looked somewhat deflated, having just barely left out the part including Impa as her aunt.
"Of course, Ahimsa. Now please go back to sleep. You will be fine in about three days." Illia said, standing abruptly, and turning to exit the door. Aaron gave her a questioning look, but Illia motioned him out with her. Aaron preceded her out the door, but Illia stopped thoughtfully before exiting. She turned to the half-asleep girl, who just realized how exhausted she really was.
"Ahimsa… who do I remind you of?"
Ahimsa smiled sadly. "My caretaker, Impa. Gannondorf…"
"Shh. I know. Sleep well prin… sleep well, Ahimsa." And the door shut silently.
* * *
Three days later, just as Illia promised, Ahimsa was out of bed, her bandages were gone, and she didn't even have scars, thanks to a salve Illia found in the cupboard. Ahimsa corrected her mistakes in her disguise, and was now a farmer girl, muddy brown hair hanging loosely over her emerald eyes and her small, round ears. Her simple dress was patched and looking new. Well, slightly used. Aaron had been talking to her almost constantly since she had woken up the second time. He listened with intense and eager excitement as she told countless stories of both castle and fugitive life. Impa was mentioned many times, glowing stories of her bravery and selflessness, her kindness and the strength of her role in Zelda's life. In return, Aaron gave her the grand tour of the vast Lake Hylia. He led her around the shores, through some caves, and finally into a group of trees shrouding a small, crystalline pond, six inches deep and about eight feet in diameter. A miniature waterfall flowed endlessly into the spring, splashing water coloring the rocks on either side of the fall shades of dark browns, greys, and blacks. Upon their discovery, Ahimsa stood in awe of the spring, and immediately wanted to get closer. Aaron refused.
"What?" Ahimsa inquired, but Aaron shook his head determinedly.
"I don't know, Ahimsa. Something about that spring isn't natural." He observed in an uncertain voice. Ahimsa donned a thoughtful look. He was right. She approached the pool of clear water. Something thrummed in the air, like a little, useless force field, just hinting of its existence. Ahimsa smiled as tingles sailed up her legs the closer they got to the pool. She turned her bright eyes at the nervous Aaron.
"I know why it's different…" Ahimsa said to Aaron, as Aaron recognized a luminous excitement in her eyes. She stood bursting with happiness at her conclusion.
"It's a Fairy Fountain!"
Chapter 10
Aaron stared in awe at the spring as it glowed with a thrum of light.
"A fairy fountain?" He blurted in disbelief.
"Yes!" Ahimsa crowed, and turned her attention back to the fountain.
"But…those are only legendary!" Aaron cried. Ahimsa gave him a disapproving look, and he blushed.
"Oh right. You Sheikahs and your secrets." He mumbled, and also focused on the fountain humming with power. "So…a Great Fairy lives there?"
"Yes." Ahimsa whispered in an almost reverent voice. She circled the spring, her finger to her lips as she inspected the light radiating off the center of the pool. "A Great Fairy judges one's heart and decides if it should help you, harm you, or leave you alone." Aaron whistled in admiration.
"So…how does it work?" He finally asked after an hour of watching Ahimsa circle and analyze every inch of the pool, the rocks, and the falls. Ahimsa had worn an increasingly frustrated look as she tried everything to summon the Great Fairy.
"I don't know. They at least make an appearance to reward you for finding the pool…" Ahimsa growled and flopped down next to Aaron. Aaron sat thoughtful for a second.
"What if you go in it?" He asked, and Ahimsa admitted she had thought of that, but dismissed it. To tell the truth, she didn't want to contaminate the waters. She didn't want to displease the Great Fairy. But she didn't say that. However, now that Aaron had said it aloud, she had to try. Ahimsa stood slowly and walked hesitantly to the side of the pond. She gave one last, furtive look at Aaron, thought a minute, removed her shoes (as it was only polite), and stepped into the pool. The tension could be torn through with a sword. Ahimsa stood in the center of the surprisingly warm pool, trying not to wince and close her eyes. After a full minute, slouching, she gave up, admittedly a bit disappointed, she turned back toward Aaron to get out, but Aaron's eyes were wide and his mouth was slack. He whipped his brown hair out of his face to get a better look, and was staring, to Ahimsa's horror, right over her head. Slowly, slowly, Ahimsa tilted her head up to look in the eyes of the Great Fairy herself, floating, amused, an inch over Ahimsa's head.
Ahimsa scrambled out from under the Great Fairy, in the form of the most beautiful woman Ahimsa had ever seen. She was nude, but modestly covered any indecent parts with forest ivy. Her hair was a shade of deep crimson, and it floated around her in mid-air, like it would under water, creating the effect of a great crimson halo around the fairy's head. She smiled, the smile touching eyes the same shade as her hair, and spoke in a warm voice.
"Zelda." Came the resonating voice. Its echo would have made crystal on a chandelier clink musically together. The voice warmed Zelda from the peak of her head to the tips of her toes, and she couldn't help but smile at the benevolent presence.
"I will aid you on your journey." Relief didn't need to flood Zelda's every cell. She knew the woman was going to help her the first time she had smiled. But the Great Fairy did not hand her anything, bless her, or make her stronger, as were the cases for anyone who was supremely lucky enough to win the spirit's good graces. The Fairy spoke again.
"My gift to you, Child of the True King, is the safety and power of this pond. I have decided to relocate, you see, and this spring will remain blessed with my presence. I want you to keep it safe until its power is no longer of use to you." Zelda could not believe what she was hearing. Never, in any recorded history books, ever, ever, had a Great Fairy given a mortal their Sacred Fountain. Zelda stared in awe at the Fairy floating above her. The Fairy smiled, pleased, at her reaction. "May it help you on your quest."
With these parting words, the Great Fairy began to spin, first slowly, then faster and faster, pulling and stretching her body to impossible lengths until…
She was gone.
Zelda stood in disbelief and shock, then turned slowly to Aaron. Who, after watching the Great Fairy leave, was staring oddly at Zelda.
"I can't believe it…" Zelda whispered.
"Princess…you're…" Aaron stuttered, and Zelda batted him down, distracted, and started toward the pool, leaning over the side to gaze into the blue water.
"I told you not to call me…" but she stopped in mid-sentence when her reflection stared back.
Zelda's reflection stared back.
Princess Zelda's.
With a cry, Zelda immediately started fixing her disguise again. Aaron, who had never seen the princess in her true form, stared as the girl changed from the elegant Princess Zelda to the charming Ahimsa once more. During this transformation, Aaron noted a few things. One: Ahimsa hadn't changed herself much. Merely the colors of her hair and eyes and the shape of her pointed ears. Two: she looked like a completely different person. Three things were changed, and the girl was transformed completely into a farm girl. Maybe it as the air she held herself when she was one or the other. Aaron didn't see much of the Princess form, but he could tell that in the regal form, she habitually held her head back, her shoulders straight, and her posture firm. In her disguise, she was more relaxed, laughed easily, and even played rough once and a while. Aaron reflected on this a bit more, and was admiring both sides when Ahimsa pelted toward him, clamping on to his arm with a vice-like grip.
"This is a secret." She said, eyes sparkling, waiting for a response.
"What shall we call it?" came Aaron's easy response. Ahimsa beamed, then turned to study the site once more.
"The Temple of Water." She said with finality. And that was that.
Chapter 11
They left the nearly invisible pool, hidden so cleverly in the nondescript patch of trees. Ahimsa was completely giddy, and Aaron was in such good spirits, he didn't even ask her to calm down, a phrase he often used when Ahimsa got a bit hyper.
"Isn't there already a Water Temple?" asked Aaron thoughtfully, recalling a lecture given by a wandering merchant, about three temples. The Water Temple, which was guarded by the Zoras, a race of creatures that look human-like, but have blue skin, blacked-out eyes, no hair, and a beautiful fish tail growing out the back of their heads. Aaron winced at the description, but when shown a drawing by a skilled artist of a zora, Aaron was amazed at their beauty. The second temple they were told of was the Fire Temple, housed by Death Mountain and guarded jealously by the Gorons. The Gorons, Aaron recalled, looked like great boulders when curled up, but when, with deep groans, they uncurl, they stand surprisingly tall, over six feet. Their rounded bellies and equally rounded, bald heads help serve the illusion of the harmless boulder when curled up. They eat only rocks, and can survive great levels of heat, which is why they were chosen to guard this temple, as Death Mountain is an active volcano. The last and most mysterious temple they were told about was the Forest Temple, its location only known by the Great Deku Tree, a mystical guardian spirit housed in a mountainous tree, who watches over the playful Kokori.
Ahimsa's matter-of-fact voice coolly interrupted Aaron's train of thought.
"Yes, there is a Water Temple, but this is different. This is the Temple of Water."
"But…you just switched the words around." Aaron pointed out. Ahimsa gave him a brief sour glance.
"So? I think it actually sounds better." She responded curtly. Aaron just shrugged.
The two reached the cottage and Ahimsa and Aaron clamored in to find Illia at the stove, busying herself with that night's supper. Illia turned to greet them and found them both in poor shape.
"Ahimsa! The hem of your dress is soaked. Have you two been in the lake? You know it's not safe this time of year. The bluegills get very vicious during their mating season." Illia continued scolding, having taken it upon herself to finish raising Ahimsa. They had convinced the other people in the village that Ahimsa was hired help, doing the dusting and the cleaning in exchange for food and housing. This was accepted easily, as it was not an uncommon practice. Ahimsa and Aaron exchanged furtive glances, accepted the lecture, and then stole to their rooms. After a few minutes of busying themselves to satisfy Illia (who could hear through the ceiling if they were being lazy or otherwise unproductive), and then Ahimsa poked her head through the crack in Aaron's door.
"Hey," she whispered, grabbing his attention. He glanced at her and smiled.
"Hey."
"So what do you think the pool does?" she asked, slipping into his room. Wood walls gave the place a dark, murky look, but the bright quilt his mother had made evened the tone of the room. Other bright bits and pieces, like rugs and even a colored candle made the room comfortable. Ahimsa settled on the bed while Aaron kept his place on the floor, sharpening arrows for hunting later. Ahimsa looked around the room and giggled as her eyes rested on Aaron's name, scratched roughly and sloppily on a bare part of the wall, just high enough for a toddler to reach. Aaron looked up at the giggle and followed her gaze to the rough hewn name. Aaron chuckled and said simply, "Ah, when we were young." He returned to his steady scraping motion as he sharpened rocks.
She watched him, without speaking, as his powerful arm stroked the rock, slowly breaking off sharper and sharper pieces. Then, when he finished, he laid it down gently in a pile of four finished arrowheads and chose a rock, taken from the lake shore, from a significantly larger pile. He would start the repetitive job again. And again. And again. Ahimsa watched, slightly frustrated at the mindless labor, but… more at peace with the steady scraping than with anything she had ever heard in her life.
Hours later, Aaron placed the last finished arrowhead on the pile and blinked at the sound of steady breathing behind him. He turned to find Ahimsa, whom he'd forgotten about entirely in his concentration, fast asleep on his bed, a faint smile on her lips.
* * *
Aaron and Ahimsa laughed all the way to the Temple of Water as they recalled the confused expression Illia displayed when they told her where they were going.
"The Temple of…" Illia had trailed off, confused.
"Don't worry, we'll be back by supper!" Ahimsa had called over her shoulder, leaving Illia to wonder if all teenagers were this crazy or if it was just the ones she knew.
The pair shuffled through the thick brush to the pool, disturbing a family of raccoons, who disappeared, hissing, into the low bushes. They found the shallow pool, sitting innocently in the morning fog, but no longer pulsing with light. Ahimsa shot Aaron with an uncertain look, and shed her practical slippers to dip her toe into the fountain. Power thrummed up her leg, and she shivered with pleasure as the warm water, even in the chill of the morning, enveloped her toe.
"So…how are you going to use its powers?" Aaron asked, circling it much like Ahimsa did the previously day. Ahimsa gave him a look, like every child knew, and said with the tone one uses to answer a painfully obvious question,
"You bathe in it, of course!" to Aaron's horror, Ahimsa began to yank her dress over her head.
"Wha- Ahimsa! Don't!" he said, covering his eyes, but summoning every ounce of willpower to keep from peeking.
"Don't be such a child. I'm covered. Open your eyes." Aaron hesitated, although his lower half thought this useless, but uncovered his eyes.
Ahimsa sat on her knees in the pool, water up to her midriff, and half her body covered in a winding bandage. The bandage, he could see through the clear waters, started at her left foot, winding a few times around the arch, then wound up her leg, leaving about eight-inch spaces of bare, pale leg showing. When it reached her upper thigh, the bandage wound around and around, weaving a cover around her indecencies, and down her right leg. The same pattern followed, then retraced itself up the leg. Above the pelvis, the midriff was left bare but for the length of bandage that bridged the upper and lower half. Now the bandage wound tight around the bosom, wound, thankfully, a couple of times, and up to the shoulder, where it curled down the right arm, winding loosely until it reached the hand, wound a few times there, then, as with the right leg, wound itself up the arm again, retracing its trail, until it was at the shoulder again, and wound its way down the left arm. The final part was wound a few times around what Aaron knew was the Triforce symbol, shown to him and his mother when she woke and told her story, on the left hand, and tied on the back of said hand, covering the whole body with a single length of bandage.
"Quit staring." Ahimsa said snidely, but was interrupted by a splash in the lake nearby. Ahimsa's head snapped to the source of the noise. Something began to make its way right to where the pair was sitting. Panic rose in her chest.
"Hide!" she hissed, giving Aaron a two-handed shove into the bushes next to the fountain, and Ahimsa crouched in the pool, closed her eyes, prepared a protective barrier if needed, and began to meditate, as none other than Gannondorf himself strode in on his horse into the private clearing.
Chapter 12
The disguised Zelda's heartbeat raced furiously as she attempted to stay calm. Those cold, cruel eyes scoped the scene and fell heavily on the lightly clad Ahimsa in the pool. Ahimsa tried not to shake, but terror was spiking her adrenaline, and Ahimsa was fighting a life-or-death battle with her fight-or-flight response. However, her calm mask must have fooled the savage king for he suddenly barked out.
"Maiden!" his commanding tone nearly made her lose her calm disposition. She spoke evenly.
"I do not thank you for disturbing me. Or for soiling my good dress." Came her slightly annoyed response.
Gannondorf looked down. His horse had indeed stepped on a clean white dress. However, he bristled at being address with no fear. She sat on her knees in the pool, clad only in bandages, and facing his left, her eyes relaxed and shut lightly. Her back was arched slightly, and her hands rested on her thighs, barely touching them. Her muddy brown hair hung in her face, slightly damp from the fog shrouding the lake and everything around it. She appeared to be deep in meditation.
His lip curled as he began again. "I am-"
"I know who you are. I could sense you from five hundred feet away. You are Gannondorf, King of the Gerudos. You serve under our king." Gannondorf hissed in an enraged breath at the word 'serve.' Ahimsa merely continued. "Tell me, how is he? I have not heard from our messenger for a long time. I'm afraid he's been replaced before he could be told of this location." Innocence laced Ahimsa's voice so naturally, so seamlessly, that Aaron, hiding in the bushes, not daring to breathe, couldn't tell it was the actual princess Zelda, the way she always talked with so much fear and anger about this man.
A sneer could be heard in the obviously relished response. "The king is dead, and has been for over four years." Aaron, chancing a peek out, saw a tiny muscle twitch under the eye that was facing away from the menacing king. "I took his place." At this, Ahimsa opened her eyes, but they were webbed with silver and completely unfocused, a fact she was fighting to maintain. One eyebrow cocked, but that was all the response Gannondorf's words received.
"And what of the princess? I thought she would resume her father's responsibilities." Ahimsa's voice continued as smooth as polished marble. Aaron was severely impressed. Again, a mocking laugh hid itself in Gannondorf's next words.
"The princess has run away in fear of her responsibilities. I have resumed them until she is found." this sentence was as smooth as grease, slippery and unpleasant.
"Then the crown will be restored?" Was Ahimsa's simple response, Gannondorf evaded the question.
"What of these bandages, maiden? Are you hurt?" the question caught Ahimsa off-guard. She blinked, then answered as if the hesitation never existed.
"No." Her eyes closed again, unfocused eyes covered by the thin lid. "They help me focus, dispersing the stress magic causes to my mind across the body. The bandages serve as a transport, allowing magic to flow evenly across the body and enabling me to use more powerful spells quicker and cleaner." She fell silent, and the only noise was the occasional deep whinny from the deep black horse and the whisper of the small waterfall.
"Use spells easier, you say." He said thoughtfully, tapping his gloved finger against his chin. The horse gave an unpleasant snicker and shifted uneasily, soft thumping hoof beats moving around her to stop behind. Suddenly, she could feel the horse's hot breath run across the back of her neck, sending goosebumps up and down her arms and legs. A soft laugh grumbled close behind her.
"You can find the princess for me, can't you." It was a statement, not a question. Ahimsa internally shivered. But the calm voice came again, and slid easily out of her throat.
"I can…to some degree." She commented.
A rough rumbling noise issued from Gannondorf's throat. "Explain yourself."
"I can find rogue hairs she has dropped, some cloth, anything she has left behind, as long as it's not attached to her self." She explained coolly, and Gannondorf made a thoughtful noise. "But…" She continued, and the horse blew another sickly humid breath onto her neck.
"What?" Gannondorf growled cautiously. If she asked for money, he told himself, he would kill her on the spot. Watch with pleasure as her blood turned the water in the pool a savage red. The thought put a cold smile on his face.
"But I would need a sample of her hair. To root the spell." Irritation flickered across his pointed features.
"Very well. I shall return here in three days time with the hair. Have the spell ready at noon." His smile bit sharply into his face. The hunt would continue.
The trees around Gannondorf's horse protested loudly as he exited the clearing. Eventually the splashes of the foul horse's hooves faded away. Ahimsa peeked barely under one eye, double checking, before groaning loudly and standing up, allowing water to pour off her legs and drip from any wet bandages. She walked wearily over to the white dress, now decorated with a muddy hoof mark, and slipped it over her head. She stood and faced the broken bits of foliage that served as the trail Gannondorf had hewn dispassionately, her posture stiff and uncertain. The bushes rustled dryly and Aaron cautiously walked clear of them, his concerned eyes on nothing but Ahimsa. Ahimsa looked at him through the corners of her eyes and gave a very shaky, sad sigh. Before he knew it, Aaron was supporting Ahimsa's weight as she leaned against him, shaking uncontrollably. Aaron blinked, let his features soften a bit, slid his arms around the girl, and let her bury herself in the safety and concrete solidness of her best friend.