The sound of heavy breathing echoed within the densely wooded area. The dry leaves rustled with every step Heala took, aggravating her. The silence would be a godsend. Heala wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked upward to the bare tree branches.
From behind her, the sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs alerted her of the quick approach. Her feet carried her as fast as they could again.
For about a week she had been on the run from local goblins. Her now former friend had tricked her into thinking a necklace was a lucky charm for hunting. Turns out it was enchanted with some scent that attracts goblins.
Sliding behind a large tree, she climbed into the open roots under the tree. When the trees grew strong enough, they began to lift themselves from the ground, creating a "cage" beneath it. They grew tall enough to hold an adult underneath them sometimes. Once in a while, these massive trees would also have vines covering the exposed roots. Covering her mouth, she listened for any sounds.
Numerous feet hurried by her and kept looking about. When she was sure they were gone, she uncovered her mouth and relaxed for a moment.
At the beginning of the chase, Heala had realized the necklace was bringing them toward her. In an attempt to get it far away from her, she threw it off in the distance. However, it kept reappearing in her pockets as if it had never left. She saw it leave her hands. She felt it leave them. Then, as soon as she would reach for a pocket, the necklace would reappear.
Because it would continue to draw them to her, Heala knew hiding would not be a permanent solution from the goblins. Exhausted, she began to look around through holes between the roots and vines.
A cold, wet, and lumpy hand grabbed her arm from behind her. With a rough jerk, she was pulled out from under the tree. The massive goblin had pulled her out and now held her up as much as it could.
Goblins are small, stumpy characters whose height never exceeds four feet. Being only three quarters of her height, he wasn't able to lift her to her feet. When he lifted her it made Heala kneel. They have a smell similar to that of fresh cut grass, contrary to the appearance they have. Goblin skin colors range between a deep green and a deep purple. Their skin is lumpy and covered in warts. Typically, they also hold the overall shape of balls with feet and arms. This one in particular held such a shape. His comrades, however, were small and slim. In the goblin kingdom, dominance is defined by size.
The disproportioned bodies made it difficult for them to walk smoothly. With a large, strong chest and long arms, he had no problem lifting Heala up by her arm to just above her knees. He threw her back on the ground and glared.
His fat face twisted as he grunted at her.
"I don't speak your language," Heala yelled at them as she tried to sit up.
When Heala sat up, she tried to take her legs out from under the tree, the goblins stopped her by grabbing her. Two smaller goblins grabbed her forearms and dragged her out freeing her feet momentarily. This time they didn't release her. Two more came forward. They tied her hands together, then her feet before she could make an adequate effort to escape.
"Can't you just take the damn thing," Heala yelled at them.
They ignored her.
Heala was forced to travel with them. They paid no mind to any protests, or actions she made unless it threatened their ability to keep her with them. In a makeshift wagon that was obviously made while they were chasing her, she accompanied them. It was wobbly and it surprised her how it didn't break apart every time it went over a bump. The wagon was thrown together using sticks, and long wooden planks that seemed to have a shape as if they had belonged to a barrel. It was an uneventful travel. In the mean time, she occupied herself by brooding on the circumstances her "friend" seemed to have gotten her into.
Heala is a young girl from a small village deep in a forest. Her kind is known as wooded elves. The distinguishable feature of wood elves is the pointed ears. Aside from it, they bear uncanny resemblance to humankind.
While most of them have black or brown hair, Heala was born with blond hair and eyes bright as the daytime sky. Like a ripple in a lake, they change colors starting at the pupil. Her traits are well known to be related to a legend passed down amongst her people. Unfortunately, it's not a good story and leads to the ultimate destruction of the wood elf race. Thus, from birth she was segregated. Despite it, she managed to make some friends, or so she thought.
The sudden stop on the wagon jerked Heala from her thoughts. Shifting her gaze upward, a cold fear ran through her blood.
A dark castle stood before her. The wood around it was dead and beginning to blacken. The castle walls seemed to be made of dark, shining rock. Sharp points covered the castle roof sporadically.
Now, the goblins approached more cautiously. With slower movement, Heala was able to fully take in the surroundings. Statues that probably looked proud, now held a heavy coat of dust and were lucky to still have all appendages and limbs. Where grass could have grown stood dry dirt. The perimeter of the castle was outlines with a tall black fence. Like the castle, it held sharp peaks along the top of the fence.
Sooner than she would've liked, the castle doors towered over them. Slowly, they creaked open.
The goblins trickled through the doors, occasionally glancing around nervously. As they stood, they hopped from foot to foot, seeming to preoccupy their simple minds. They seemed scared too.
"You found it?" A deep voice traveled through the dark room.
When the doors closed, Heala had just begun to notice the falling beads of sweat.
In response, the largest goblin grunted and snorted.
"Really," Ganon responded, "You mean you found the true owner."
Another grunt responded. This time it came from behind her.
Following a snap of his fingers, flames shot up in torches along the wall.
The dark room lit to show a large, tall room that had a staircase on each side, meeting in the middle. The combined staircases then lead to the door.
Dark skin with hair that shined like a flame stood out to her immediately. These were traits described in stories Heala heard when she was growing up. The numbing fear she was feeling seemed to evolve. Her stomach gripped coldly at her insides. Staring into his green eyes, she didn't want to believe that those gruesome tales were true.
"It seems the roles have reversed," he held a smirk. "That blond hair, and those blue eyes. None other than Zelda may hold those traits amongst her people," he said somewhat softly, as if reminiscing. His large hand began to stroke his chin. With a wave of his other hand, the cloth was taken out of her mouth.
"Do you know why you're here, Zelda?"
"No," Heala paused, swallowing, "Ganon."
Ganon's laugh bellowed out, causing the goblins to jump.
"You know who I am. What a compliment."
"My name is not Zelda," Heala practically growled at him.
"I don't care what they call you now. You're Zelda," Ganon said dismissively. Before she could respond, he looked off into the distance briefly before looking back down at her again.
"These are different circumstances. Very different. I suppose I should do away with this threat while it's being handed to me now," His joy showed in his voice. The goblins rounded on her with weapons drawn.
"Finish her," he said in a quieted voice. Cold eyes filled with hatred looked down at her before he turned on his heel. His footsteps grew quieter up the stairs as the goblins closed in on her.
Closing her eyes, Heala lifted her bound wrists above her head. Clenching her eyes shut, she hoped the luck would be on her side against these goblins. Luckily she had decent experience defending herself after getting fed up with other children.
A sword was brought down on her hands. With her palms facing upward, fingers curled, the goblin brought the sword down. Watching the sword carefully, she lifted her arms toward the sword as she rolled backwards. This wasn't a tactic she was not familiar with using. Thus, her clumsiness nearly caught up with her when the sword nearly collided with her neck.
She brought herself to her feet coming out of the roll and finished the job of tearing off the rope. The goblin she rolled toward swung its axe at her knees. Attempting to dodge that as well, Heala accomplished this by bending her knees and pushing herself forward. Stretching her hands out as she fell, she grabbed the shoulders of the goblin that held the sword she used to cut her hands free.
In the moment it was caught off guard, she had stolen the weapon. Quickly freeing her tied feet, she was able to defend herself. Surrounded in a circle, it didn't seem like she'd have a good chance. However, She saw that they now seemed uncertain and were ready to flee. It took her best effort to fight off the goblins through bluffs with a weapon she had never used before. Heala swung the sword back and forth, keeping the goblins a short distance away. Eventually they began to flee, leaving her with pumping adrenaline and a fear that Ganon may return at any moment. They didn't leave through the castle doors, but instead withdrew further into the castle. Her heart hammering in her chest, she wanted nothing more than to leave.
Heala ran to the castle doors, attempting to open them. To her dismay, they didn't budge. Turning quickly, she surveyed the surroundings trying to find another escape route.
Holding the sword tightly, she looked to the left and right, debating which hallway to take. Ganon had gone upstairs, and she'd rather not run into him again. Gripping the sword, she headed to her right, following the wall with her free hand.
When Heala was much smaller, she would sit with the other children and listen to the stories her village had to share. Full of anticipation like the other children, she listened to the story of heroism that made their imaginations run wild.
The tale told of a boy in green who rescues the land using the aid of a wise princess. The boy in green would go on a quest and gather items that would grant him the power needed to overcome the evil bearer of power. When the hero had found the sword with the help of his Sheikah companion, he was able to easily vanquish the enemies before him. Thus, he was able to defeat the evil power and bring peace to the land.
After the story, they would go on to tell the children that was a cycle that would never end because a curse casted long ago. The boy in green, the wise princess, and the evil bearer of power were doomed to live out the horrid cycle for centuries, millennia, and more.
Heala was named Zelda because of her striking different appearance. However, they had told her that she isn't a princess so she couldn't be that Zelda. Villagers concluded that she could not be Zelda despite her deceased mother and father naming her Zelda. They began calling her Heala. Hoping they would treat her better, she accepted the name.
A loud thump resounded from just above her, causing her to stop. Nervously, she looked up to the ceiling, glancing further down the never-ending hall, waiting for something to appear. Another loud thump echoed as she gasped and jumped back this time.
Feigning bravery, Heala gripped the sword tightly and backed away from the direction the thumping seemed to come from. Listening carefully, Heala waited for the next one.
When another never came, she turned to continue walking in the direction she had originally gone. Now she took time to look around her, expecting another thump at any moment.
With the next thump, Heala could've jumped right out of her skin. She spun on her heel with the sword pointed in front of her, ready to attack.
When the cold, hard laugh reverberated through the endless hall, a cold fear ran through Heala. Loud, slow and steady, Ganon's footsteps resounded through the hall.
Shining green eyes seemed to glitter despite the dim lighting. He approached with a grin that made Heala's stomach twist into a knot. Each step he took, she took one back.
"Are you ready to accept your fate, Zelda? I won't let you and that boy destroy me again," Ganon bellowed.
Ganon's hands motioned as if he were moving them around a sphere. A small light grew until it filled the motioned area up. White sparks flew from it as it was fired at her. Before Heala could dodge, she was thrown back against the wall. Her vision was lost as she slumped down to the ground. Letting out one last breath, she felt herself slip into darkness.
Ganon stared down at her. Kneeling down beside her, he gently grabbed a lock of hair between his fingers. The soft blond hair made his blood boil. For a long time he had dreamed of the time he could finally end the damned curse on their lives. He was sure that they too wished to one day be born again and not have to seek revenge for his misdeeds.
This time, Ganon mentally noted, Zelda was born with courage, him with wisdom. This meant that the boy who was supposed to be a hero was the bearer of power. Yet, he had not heard of him yet. Had power decided not to taint his mind?
Scoffing, Ganon cleared her hair from her face. Her skin was a milky white as opposed to his dark, sun-kissed skin. Among the Gerudo, he was seen as a strikingly handsome man. It made no sense why the triforce was scattered the way it did. He was prepared to kill Zelda, Link, and himself once the pieces had been gathered. Now that he had the advantage of wisdom, he knew what he could do to truly destroy the triforce. And yet… Ganon wondered if there would actually be an end to the cycles.
Heala awoke in a dungeon cell. The bed was comfortable, however it smelled of moss, damp air, and it was dark. Immediately sitting up, Heala . She didn't think she'd wake up. Relief washed over her as she looked down at her hands. On her right hand was the triforce that children seemed to hate about her. It had never shined as brightly as it did in that moment. She held the bottom right triangle. Gold seemed to be throbbing as she stared at it. With the other hand, Heala rubbed it. Hope made her wish it would simply vanish.
"He said you're Zelda," a voice came from the wall of bars. It was a human. She didn't have much but a sword that looked slightly big for him and a set of armor that seemed too heavy.
Who was she to object to the original name her parents had given her? Now that she probably would never see her village again, there was no point in denying that she would be following in the footsteps of her ancestors.
"Yes, I'm Zelda," she agreed.
"I'm here to take care of you. My name is Amelia."
Amelia smiled innocently at Zelda. Her large eyes wrinkled as the smile reached her eyes. Zelda didn't return the smile.
"Why hasn't he killed me?"
The young girl looked taken aback. "That's because this cycle of reincarnation isn't the same as the others," she began. Her voiced became a quieter as she continued. "I'm sure you're aware of your role as Zelda in the stories. This time you're the hero and Ganon is the wisdom."
Zelda's surprise caused the girl to continue on. "So you weren't aware. He's been waiting for a sign that the bearer of power is alive and rampaging. However, Ganon was still the one boy born of the Gerudo. We're all confused by this…"
"If I'm not a threat, then why am I locked up?"
"Because of that necklace."
Zelda had forgotten about the necklace. Feeling her pockets, she took it out and examined the piece.
"That necklace holds the answer to this mess. It belonged to a Zelda of another cycle! When the Royal Family lost power, the necklace also lost its way. Ganon has been trying to find you for five years."
In her palm, Zelda ran a thumb over the small piece. It looked like an ordinary human necklace. The chain was simple and clean silver with speckled black bits in it. The charm was a triangle made with the same shiny black stone that made up the terrifying castle's exterior. The chain ran through the stone with dangling colored chains in the order of emerald, ruby and sapphire, then reverse on the other side of the stone.
Colored gemstones, such as sapphire and ruby, were items known to the elves as Goron food. They held no value in the elven community, but when a piece is found it's admired by all until a merchant pawns it off of them. In Zelda's case a friend had given it to her. They probably didn't know it had a special bond with her, she hoped. Even though barely any time had passed since she was in her village last, she couldn't remember it very well. Zelda didn't want to remember the village.
Playing with the stone, she looked up at the barred wall only to find it empty. The young girl had left. Deciding she had nothing better to do, Zelda went back to sleep to empty her racing mind.
"Wake up," growled a low, gruff voice.
Zelda turned away from the voice.
A warm hand pulled her shoulder gently. "Ganon would like to speak with you," he tried again.
At the mention of Ganon's name, Zelda's eyes slowly opened. "If I don't want to see him," she asked in an even tone.
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Zelda." His voice showed genuine concern for her.
At this point, she realized she had no reason to fear him. This cycle, he would be her ally if the bearer of power turned out to be evil. In that case, Zelda decided she would accept it. Yet, she was ready for him to betray her.
When she brought her feet over the edge of the bed, she looked up at the man sent to retrieve her. He stood tall and muscular with sharp, defined features. His eyes were slightly small and close together, but the authority lacking in his face was made up for in his low voice.
Zelda was waiting for him to back away so she could get up. She stared at him expectantly.
Instead of moving, he wrapped a cloth over her eyes. "I have to keep the way a secret. This way you won't be able to find your way out of the dungeons," he explained as she was ready to protest. He helped her stand, tied her hands together and brought her out of the cell.
There was no conversation as he led her around. Zelda tried to keep track of the directions, but he did a good job making it seem like they only went straight. The absence of conversation made the time seem to pass more slowly, allowing her to begin brooding on her thoughts.
When he finally sat her down and removed the cloth, she found herself staring at a long table with an irritated Ganon sitting on the other end. Her hands were untied next and she rubbed them gently as they stared each other down.
"It appears that we may need to set out to find the hero. Hopefully we can end this curse before anything," he paused to glance at the table, "horrific occurs."
"What will happen if we let it stay this way," Zelda asked, clearly annoyed. In that moment, she decided she would rather be the damsel in distress.
"Dear Zelda, this is a horrible mix-up of events. While I like not having to look forward to my defeat, I would much rather be doing something other than sitting here memorizing the future that seems to be becoming more and more apparent."
"Tell me what the future is," Zelda responded in a testy manner.
"It's not that simple."
"Why?"
"You may have some courage, but now you're missing your wit, Zelda."
"It's not my fault you don't want to tell me."
"If I don't tell you the series of events, that leaves room for the future to change."
"Do we find Link?"
Ganon visibly flinched at the name. That's right, Zelda noted, this entire time they had never mentioned his name.
"All I know is that he dwells amongst the humans. He is there but he hasn't made himself known yet," he replied curtly.
Zelda stared at him as he rubbed his temples. His flaming hair was short, but she had only just then noticed the flaming beard he wore. It looked thick and merely added to the massive outline he held. He opened his eyes and bore into hers. She sat up, surprised by him suddenly looking at her, but she didn't look away until he did.
Parting her lips, she was ready to voice the questions she had thought over, but he beat her to it.
"From here on, you are welcome to dwell in this castle seeing as how your village doesn't seem to miss you. Seeing as how we are allies, we had better get used to one another. Starting in two days, we will begin actively searching for… him."
Zelda made no objections to his demands. With fresh food placed before her, she didn't feel the immediate urge to throw any of her cheeky comments at him.
After eating in silence, she was brought to a different room. It was plain and small. It only had a dresser, mirror, bed and end table with a lit candle. Opening the dresser, she saw the familiar legendary green tunic she was accustomed to hearing of.
Closing it, she went to sleep.
_