The Missing Piece
Chapter 001: Missing
Thunder crashed as a masked figure on a horse rode in the rain, holding something close to their chest.
Lighting struck, illuminating the area.
There was a house on fire with a woman screaming inside it.
The rider paid no attention to it as the scenery and screams started to fade into the darkness.
Lightning struck again, a different place was shown.
A large open green field with no sign of life anywhere.
Again the rider paid no attention and the scenery faded into darkness.
Lightning struck again and a desert was shown.
The rider got off of their horse with the bundle in his arms. They removed the blanket covering the bundle to reveal a red haired baby.
The masked person stared at the baby while the baby stared back, looking at the smooth white and red blotched mask.
The baby smiled as it reached its arms out. It knew this person even though they wore a mask.
The figure grabbed the baby's right hand and rubbed their thumb on top of its hand where the baby's triangle shaped birthmark was.
"You are... the piece... of my existence."
Sasah woke up.
It was another dream.
The ten year old girl sat up on her bed and looked up as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Again..." She said softly wiping her cheek, "Odd dreams come to haunt me again..."
She moved off the bed and walked towards her window. She slid open the curtains as the sunlight beamed in the room.
The girl opened the window and stared outside. The wind blew gently against her face, moving her short red hair.
"At least it's a beautiful day today."
Sasah walked down the hallway carrying a bucket of soapy water and a scrub brush. She wore a brown maid outfit with a white apron, leather shoes, and a white bonnet.
The red head wanted to scrub the floors of the stables for the horses and the soldiers who owned them. She didn't have to do it for she has a higher status than the other servants, but she wanted too, mostly because she didn't want to seem lazy in front of the other servants.
She turned the corner and almost bumped into her Sheikah superior, Impa.
"Excuse me Impa and good morning." Sasah said before bowing her head.
"Good morning Sasah, no need to be formal around me." The tall woman said before crossing her arms, "Have you seen princess Zelda?"
The orphan blinked in confusion. Impa always kept a constant eye on the princess.
"Uh... no, no I haven't sorry." Sasah replied, "I was heading to the stables to clean."
"No need, that's why we have a stable boy." The woman stated crossing her arms, "You serve princess Zelda and princess Zelda only. You don't need to bother yourself with minor things." She glanced behind herself before leaving down a bit and whispered, "Has she mentioned anything to you?"
"Pardon?" The girl asked.
"Has Zelda mentioned anything to you? Dreams? Anything?" Impa asked.
"No ma'am... Nothing at all." Sasah answered.
"I see..." The tan woman said before a maid walked by, "Maid Mara."
The Hylian teen stopped, "Yes ma'am?"
The Sheikah took Sasah's bucket and brush and gave it to the maid, "Please put these supplies away."
"Yes ma'am." The woman said bowing her head before leaving.
"Come with me to the throne room Sasah, she might be there." The woman stated and started walking.
The orphan sighed and followed her superior.
They walked towards the throne room and spotted Zelda standing next to her father, there was someone else there also. A tall dark man with dark leather armor on.
"Who is this..?" Impa asked suspiciously.
"I've never seen him before in my life, is he an outlander?" Sasah asked quietly.
The king looked up and spotted the two servants.
"Impa, Sasah, you two may come in." King Phoebus said.
The dark man turned to us, Sasah noticed he had a really pointy nose. He doesn't look Hylian, or a local for that matter.
The two servants walked in. They stopped a few feet away from the king, placed their right hand on their hearts, and bowed their heads.
The king nodded in acknowledgement.
Sasah looked at the king and smiled softly. Looking Phoebus is an handsome man. He was muscular with blond hair and a beard. She envied Zelda for having such a good looking father, she often wondered if her father was or if not more handsome than the king.
"This man is Ganondorf, king of the Gerudo in the desert in the west." The king said motioning towards the dark man.
"Gerudo?" Sasah thought as she stared at the stranger, "Are Gerudos usually this tall? That's amazing."
She noticed that the Gerudo king had red hair and yellow eyes. That interested her because having yellow eyes is most unusual. She has red hair also so she started to think, maybe could be a Gerudo as well?
"Sasah."
Maybe her father and mother are Gerudo warriors who fought monsters and left their baby behind so she would be safe from harm?
"Sasah."
Or maybe her parents were Gerudo caravans who sells goods around the world and left their baby behind because they wanted to save money.
"Sasah!" Impa called out.
The red head girl blink in confusion and looked right at Impa, "Yes?"
"You were staring at King Ganondorf, you were being rude." Impa stated.
Sasah blushed and bowed her head towards Ganondorf, "Forgive me for my rudeness Lord Ganondorf, I was daydreaming, that was very rude of me."
The Gerudo stared at her before looking away, "You are forgiven. I know my appearance is different and a bit frightening."
"Nonsense Ganon," Phoebus said, "She doesn't get out much and never saw a Gerudo before, a male Gerudo for that matter."
Ganon chuckled, "Indeed, it is hard to believe."
"Father," Princess Zelda piped up, "Why is male Gerudo something hard to believe?"
"Because child, Gerudo is mostly inhabited of women." The Sheikah informed, "Only one male is born every hundred years and that male is destined to be their king."
Sasah's eyes widened. "Every hundred years?" She thought, "How odd. Very odd but interesting. ... So my father can't be a Gerudo... But my mom can! That could explain why I live with Hylians, because my father is a Hylian!"
"Sasah is daydreaming again..." Zelda said, snapping her servant from her daze.
"Well she is young." Zelda's father said, "Maybe you two should play in the garden while Lord Ganon and I talk?"
The princess smiled a bit, "That's a great idea father."
The Hylian male smiled back, "Then go. We're going to talk about boring matters anyway."
Zelda smiled and hurried to Sasah. The small servant was going to dismiss herself but the princess grabbed her by the arm and rushed her out of the room, with Impa following.
The three were now in the garden.
Zelda then grabbed her friend's shoulders and shook her a little, "You know don't you? You must have had the same dream as me, right?"
"Uh, maybe?" Sasah answered.
"What are you talking about Zelda?" Impa asked.
The blond girl let go of her servant's shoulders and looked at her escort, "I had a dream. It was dark and a storm was raging. I think that storm symbolized that Ganondorf man."
"That is an bewildering accusation Zelda..." Impa said simply, "Have you told your father?"
The blond girl shook her head.
The grey hair woman stared at the young girl, "You must tell him then... Was there anything else in your dream?"
"There was a boy with a fairy, and he had the Kokiri Emerald." Zelda answered, "And you taught him the royal melody."
Impa was silent, Sasah was confused, and Zelda just stared at her eldest friend.
"What is a Kokiri Emerald..?" The orphan asked softly breaking the silence.
The muscular woman hushed her, "It's none of your concern at the moment Sasah, please don't say what Zelda had said aloud until she speaks to her father."
Sasah's feelings were hurt but she nodded in understanding, maybe she's just not important enough to know what's going on.
"Sorry Impa... Please excuse me." The young servant said before dismissing herself.
Zelda frowned, "No Sasah, don't leave!"
But she left anyway. Zelda's business wasn't any of her business.
The servant walked down the hallway, staring sadly at the floor.
"Zelda's business is no concern of mine..." Sasah thought, "Zelda's business is her father's business... Zelda's business is royal business and I am not royal..." She started to tear up, "I am no royal, I am an orphan. A servant to the royals. I am nothing compared to them."
She reached to her room and went in locking the door behind her. Tears dripped off her face. She collapsed to the foot of her bed and sobbed, "Who am I!? What am I!? What's my purpose!?"
She clenched her eyes shut as an image of the masked person who she dreams about popped into her head.
Who is that person? Is the person her mother or father? What is her connection to that person?
"You are... the piece... of my existence."
That is what the person said to her in her dream. You are the piece of my existence. What on earth could that mean? Could they mean her birthmark?
The girl opened her eyes and stared at her right hand, at her triangle birthmark. She stared at it for a long time.
"I am... the piece of your existence..." Sasah said softly before wiping her face. The image of the masked person popped into her head again, then she came into realization, "Mask! They wore a mask!" She then stood up, "If I could identify that mask, I can identify that person! It's a clue!"
She smiled brightly as she hurried and stripped out of her clothes and changed into a blue casual dress.
Obviously that masked man or woman is the key to her past.
She grabbed her small basket and rushed out of her room.
If she could find the mask, she could find the owner.
The red head happily ran out of the castle, getting a few laughs and smiles from the soldiers who guarded the castle. She guessed it was because of her burst of energy and enthusiasm.
"You are... the piece... of my existence."
"And you are the missing piece to mine..."
When Sasah entered town she was immediately greeted by small furry dogs. She smiled and pet one. The wild dogs are so friendly.
The girl looked around and saw people running around and shopping. The hustle and bustle of this small town always fascinated her. Sometimes she thinks she would rather live with the townsfolk, with a nice cozy house, and a mom to greet her when she came back from working at small shop with her father. To eat a home cooked meal while talking about the interesting things that happened from their day. Then sleep on her bed with a homemade quilt on top of her, waking up in the morning knowing she has a real family waiting for her to wake up.
That's just one of her dreams.
She sighed and started walking around with a brown dog following her.
"Hey Sasah, I didn't know it was your day off today." Iday the meat shop owner said.
"Oh, well it's not." Sasah said shyly, "I wasn't needed today so I decided to do some shopping for myself."
"Ah, that's good." The big woman said showing her some jerky, "Would you like to buy some? I'll sell it for ten rupees.
The girl smiled but shook her head, "No thank you."
The woman smiled, "Well if you don't buy it for yourself, why not buy it for your friend?"
The orphan blinked. Friend? She turned around and saw the small stray dog.
"Oh!" She laughed, "Yeah, I guess I'll buy him some." The red head took out her rupees and paid Iday.
"Thank you Sasah." Iday said giving the girl a bag of jerky.
"Thank you, see you later." The girl said walking towards a small brick wall that surrounded a plant and sat on it.
The dog sat in front of her, shaking it's tail happily.
"You're so sneaky, using me for food." The girl said and placed the jerky on the ground for the dog, "But you're cute so I forgive you."
The dog barked and started eating the jerky.
She smiled, "You remind me of the dog I used to have. He was brown too... His name was 'Knight' because he protected me, even though he was tiny like you." Her smile faded. "They found him sleeping next to me by my basket when I was a baby, when I was left in front of the castle... He died though, when I was five years old, he was old when I had him."
The dog huffed.
"I wonder if that dog was always mine, if he belonged with my parents..."
The dog huffed again and walked away.
The orphan frowned, "Even dogs get annoyed when I talk about my parents... Oh well." She got up and stretched.
Once she finds her parents, she'll be too busy talking to them than to other people.
She looked around and spotted the Happy Mask Shop. If anyone knew about the mask in her dreams, the shop owner would.
Sasah walked towards the shop and walked in. The girl was greeted by many masks and a smiling salesman.
"Welcome!" The happy mask salesman said, "How may I help you?"
Her blue eyes scanned the room, "I'm looking for a mask."
"Ho ho ho, you have came to the right place my dear." The man said enthusiastically, "Each mask is meant for a certain someone, which would you like?"
"Well..." The orphan walked up to his desk and went on her tippy toes to look over the counter, "I dreamt of this certain mask. -"
"Ho ho ho, how interesting." The smiling man said.
"Yes. It is white and red. -" She was interrupted.
"I have the one you're looking for!" He said happily and grabbed a mask and showed it to her, "This one is the Mask of Truth, this certainly must be the one you are looking for."
The girl stared at the mask for a moment and shook her head making the salesman frown a bit.
"Oh..." He said putting the mask away and showed her another mask, "This is the Skull Mask."
Sasah shook her head.
The happy salesman slapped his forehead, "Of coarse not, it didn't even have a splash of red!"
"The mask I dream about is shaped like an upsidedown egg, the base is white with red blotches on the eyes. -"
The salesman ducked under his counter, took out a blank piece of paper and a small box of crayons, and placed them on the counter.
"Can you draw it for me?" The man said.
The little girl nodded and grabbed a black crayon with her right hand.
The salesman noticed her birthmark, "Interesting birthmark. Did you know that people believe that birthmarks indicate how they died in their past life?"
"Really?" Sasah asked looking at him before looking at her birthmark fascinated, "But how could someone die from a triangle?"
"Dunno. Maybe it symbolizes something more? But what do I know?" He said shrugging, "I'm just a salesman who reads too many books, it's only a belief some people have."
Sasah nodded and continued drawing. She was trying to remember the details of the mask.
She drew an egg shaped oval and then drew large fire like blotches on the sides. She then drew the eye holes. She grabbed the red crayon and colored in the blotches.
When she finished coloring, the orphan just stared at her drawing. To her it looked horrid, not like the mask in her dreams at all.
"Are you finished dear?" The happy mask salesman asked.
The girl nodded and the salesman took her drawing. He looked at it. He looked at it for a long time.
Silence filled the room.
He kept looking at it. Was there something wrong?
After a few moments the man looked away from the drawing and gazed at the girl, "Are you sure this is the mask you dreamed of?"
She nodded in response.
"I see..." He said scratching his chin. He then put the drawing down and grabbed a book from under his counter.
"You know dear... I'm fascinated with masks of all kinds." He opened the book and turned pages, "They have so much history. Legends. Culture." He turned more pages, "Masks do so much more than to hide your face. It becomes a part of you, or... you become apart of it. They have a soul, just like people."
Sasah blinked in confusion. Masks have souls?
"Here we are." The shop keeper said turning the book towards her.
The red head looked at the book to see a drawing of a man wearing red hood and black leather. He had a sword drawn, fire burning behind him, and he wore the mask.
"That's it!" She breathed excited and a bit scared. She didn't really think the mask would exist.
"That is the evil mask of Jack of Blades." The man said, "He's from an old fable, the story isn't so popular anymore."
The orphan looked up at the salesman curiously, "Evil?"
"Jack of Blades was a hero for hire. His soul lives within his mask and if anyone dares to wear it gets possessed by him..." He said before closing the book, "But it is an old tale and a mask I do not have. Maybe you dream of it because your mama or papa read the story to you, hm?"
She looked down at the counter, "Maybe? I don't know."
"Buck up girlie." The salesman said earning her attention, "At least you learned about your dream mask, eh? Your mystery is solved. Ho ho ho."
Sasah smiled meekly, "Yes, you're right... I know that the mask does exist and not just a figment of my imagination... sort of." She giggled and got teary.
"Oh no no no no, don't cry." He said going under his counter and brought out a box of tissues, "Girls shouldn't cry, they're too pretty for that. No no."
The squinty eyed man offered her the box and she pulled out a tissue.
"Thank you." She said dabbing her eyes with the tissue, "Sorry that I'm emotional... I guess I just wanted more information about the mask, if that mask is just a fable then the only clue to my past is useless."
The salesman shook his head, "No no, don't think that! It's not useless at all! Listen to me." He leaned over the desk and motioned his hand at Sasah to get her attention, "If you dreamed of that mask then obviously you know it from somewhere! Like I said, maybe your mama and papa read the story to you when you were a baby. That mask could have been a decoration on the wall or a prop from a play. It came from somewhere... and so did you."
How surprising. Sasah didn't think that the salesman would be so philosophical?
The girl nodded and smiled at the man.
"It's getting late, I should head back to the castle now." The red head said.
The red headed man nodded and walked around his counter, "I understand. Hurry child before it gets too dark." He escorted her to the door, "Be safe."
"I will." Sasah said walking out of the shop, "Thank you!"
The man waved goodbye as he watched her walk on the path to the castle.
