The Path of Destiny
Chapter 1
In the pitch blackness of the night, an evil feeling spread through the air. "Sheik, we must hurry! Wake up!" Impa whispered as she shook Zelda, who immediately woke. Zelda instinctively reached for her knife, which was conveniently tucked under her pillow, and had the naked tip of her blade at Impa's throat before she had even opened her eyes. Impa smiled with pride as Zelda sheathed her knife. Impa used their shared sign language to repeat that they should hurry. Zelda's fingers flashed in a quick question, "Did you get everything?" At Impa's nod, Zelda slid out of bed, unconsciously pulling her pillow under the wollen blanket as she went to make it look like a tucked in body. It wouldn't fool those monsters that could sense body heat or a person's presence, but it might just buy them a few precious seconds.
Zelda followed Impa outside after picking up her pack Impa had set aside for her, using her training to move quickly and quietly. It crossed her mind that it must be a very serious situation if Impa had called her Sheik. Impa always called her Princess Zelda in private, unless there was the chance of being overheard. Seven years ago, when they had first gone into hiding, Impa had put Zelda throuh many grueling drills which trained her to wake up instantly and alertly. "If this was a drill, Impa wouldn't have called me Sheik, and shw would have stopped it by now. So this must be real," thought Zelda. A spark of excitement coursed through her at the thought. She couldn't wait to try out her newest combat skills on someone besides Impa. Slowly but surely, Zelda had begun to surpass Impa by melding techniques she'd learned from the guards with her Sheikah training. The guards at the castle had wanted to impress her and make her feel safe by showing her their techniques using spears and hand to hand combat. Zelda had modified some of their spear techniques to be effective dagger attacks. She had tried them out on Impa, giving her a few surprise nicks and close calls.
Impa's hand signal to stop brought Zelda's attention back to the present. She also told Zelda, "Mind your eyes." Zelda realized the situation was indeed quite serious at that. She watched in fascination as Impa drew her sword from it's scabbard she kept on her back during all waking hours. The scabbard was very unique, having a distinct eye symbol on it. The blade had been a gift to Impa, and she treasured it above all else. Some brave and gossipy souls said that Impa's husband had gone mad and that Impa had slain him with his own sword, the one he had given to her, the one she currently held in her hands. Was it a trick of th elight or did Zelda really see blood dripping off the tip?
Zelda never got a chance to check because something lept out at them at that moment. Thought ceased and training took over. Zelda had been drilled so much that her counter attack was like instinct, but Impa stopped her. Impa rapidly sent her hand signals with her left hand as she distracted the monster with her right. "Monster too strong, go without me, I distract." When Zelda tried to protest, Impa continued, "Link will need you as guide. I will be fine, but need Link's help! Wait at Temple of Time!" This wasn't enough to make Zelda leave. After all those years of hiding and watching each other's backs, Impa had become her only parent, friend, and confidante. At that moment, nothing would have torn her away from Impa's side. Except for one thing. The fear and desperation in Impa's eyes convinced Zelda. She finally realized that all these years of hiding would be wasted if she died before she could help Link. And Link didn't know what to do. Zelda put a hand on Impa's shoulder and squeezed before she ran away to wait at the Temple of Time for Link to arrive. "Please Gods, take care of Impa! Give her strength to last until Link may help her!" Zelda slid from shadow to shadow as she wondered when Link would come.
After traveling a few miles away, Zelda nimbly climbed up a tree without ruffling a single branch, not a single leaf twitched to betray her presence. She looked off into the distance, back to the place where she and Impa had been hiding for the past seven years, Kakariko Village. "Well, Impa hadn't really been hiding, considering everyone in the village knew she was there," Zelda thought with a smirk. All Impa had done was ask everyone to keep quiet about her presence, and they respected her wishes. Impa had opened the village to common people, so they all loved her to some degree. No one there followed Ganandorf, so they had been surrounded by friends. All Impa had to do was disguise Zelda, which she'd done by giving her new clothes, a new lifestyle, and even a new name. She'd even become one of the Sheikahs, having gone through the Ritual of the Blood.
Zelda let her mind drift through her memories as she scoured the land around her from the top of the tree. Seven years ago, Impa had taken her to an underground cavern, so big that their footsteps echoed off the ceiling. The room was pitch black, except a strange red glow illuminated the middle. Directly in the middle of the room was a pedestal made of rosewood with a vial filled with some red looking liquid sitting on the middle of that. Upon closer inspection, the pedestal had carvings of a trange looking open eye, and the vial was shaped as an eye. Impa walked ever and stood at the opposite end of the pedestal. She reverently picked up the vial and carefully lifted the lid, which was cleverly concealed making it invisible to anyone unfamiliar with it. The lid was very thin and long, Zelda gasped when Impa methodically sliced open her fingers. She had removed her gauntlets when Zelda wasn't looking, but Zelda didn't seem to notice. All she could think of was that she'd never seen Impa's hands before, they'd always been covered by her black gauntlets. Her hands were covered in slash scars, obviously she'd done this ritual many times. Zelda had wanted to cry as she watched IMpa make a fist and let the blood drip into the vial. "I'm adding my blood to the other Sheikahs blood in here. That way, there is always a generous supply of Sheikah blood, and even some variety," Impa told her quietly. As she spoke, Impa proceeded to repeat this with her other hand, also covered in scars.
"Now Princess, this is going to hurt, but I swear it is neccessary. Look at me," Impa commanded as she let her left fist drip. Zelda looked up at her with tears streaming down her face. "The poor child," Impa thought sympathetically, "she has such a hard road ahead of her." Impa pushed her thoughts aside and solemnly asked Zelda, "Do you trust me, Princess?" When Zelda nodded, Impa smiled. "Then just concentrate on that trust." Impa quickly bandaged her hands and slipped her black gauntlets back on. "Alright, now just close your eyes and concentrate on your trust."
Zelda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She thought of all the times Impa had helped her, picked her up when she'd fallen, playing her lullabye until she fell back asleep when she woke up with terrible visions, and even had taken her away to save her from Ganandorf. She opened her eyes and was astonished to find her hands already bandaged. "There, that wasn't too bad was it?" Impa asked gently. Zelda smiled and shook her head. She could feel her fingers throbbing faintly, but it wasn't as bad as she had expected. "Alright, now I want you to take a sip of this." Zelda's smile vanished and her nose scrunched up as she shook her head violently.
"Impa, please tell me that's a joke." Zelda looked up as Impa sighed. "I don't want to disappoint her," Zelda thought to herself. So she took a sip of the vial. She almsot dropped it as everything went red. "Impa! My eyes!" Zelda screamed as her head began to pound. It felt like her eyes were burning, and the red intensified.
"Zelda, listen to me! Calm down, Princess! Take a deep breath." Zelda did as Impa instructed and the pain lessened some. "I need you to close your eyes and concentrate on seeing white." Zelda again did as Impa instructed and was relieved when all the pain faded, except from her hands of course. She slowly opened her eyes, wary of the blinding red from moments ago. "When you want to see normally, do what you just did. But in places like this, where you are surrounded by darkness, you can use your Sheikah sight to see through the dark. But you must be careful when you use it. Look at me, Princess." Zelda glanced over to where Impa was, and gasped. Impa's red eyes were glowing in the dark! "Your enemies can see your eyes. But if you are running away in the dark, then you will be able to see where you are going. To do this, close your eyes and concentrate on seeing black. Go ahead Princess."
Zelda closed her eyes and projected black onto the back of her eyelids. She felt her eyes almost shift, and she knew she would see the red again. This time though, she opened her eyes slowly and carefully, and began to get used to her new ability. She laughed as she looked around, finally able to see the ceiling and walls. Her laugh echoed back to her, but it almost sounded mocking. She stopped laughing, but still smiled. "Alright Princess, that is a very special Sheikah skill, not the only one, but it is quite unique. Now, your body is also affected. You will become stronger and faster. We will begin training in the morning. Any questions?" Impa gazed at her Princess, pride filling her heart. The girl would grow up to make the Sheikahs very proud. "Impa, are my eyes always red now, like yours?" Impa nodded at Zelda's question. Zelda thought for a moment before asking shyly, "Will I look like you when I'm older?" Impa's face registered her surprise as she asked gently, "What do you mean Princess?" Zelda gestured toward Impa's chest, and Impa laughed at her innocence. Seeing Zelda's confusion and hurt, she hastened to reassure her. "Every girl goes through changes as she becomes a woman. Developing breasts is one step, but there are many other things as well. I will tell you them when you are older, alright Princess?" Zelda smiled and nodded, excited about someday becoming a woman.
"This is not the time to be taking a trip down memory lane!" Zelda thought as she stared at Kakariko Village. She almost cried out as an explosion occurred near the river close to the village. "Impa must have lured the monster down there so as to not damage the village," Zelda thought as tears clouded her vision. Sheikahs had knowledge of a secret attack that emitted a large explosion just like the one Zelda had seen. It was a sacrificial attack, it guaranteed the death of the opponent, but it also killed the Sheikah. Impa had just killed herself to stop that monster. The monster had been extremely strong, Zelda had sensed it. She'd never seen one before, or she might have known it's weakness. Zelda clenched her fists and looked down at them. She had taped her fingers, it covered her pink scars so no one asked embarrassing questions. "Oh Impa! You've taught me so much, but I still need you!" Zelda screamed in her mind. She wiped her eyes, and told herself to wait for a better time to mourn. She quickly said a prayer for Impa's soul and ran lightly and quickly toward the Temple of Time.
A/N: Please R/R! And I don't own Zelda or anything at all. This is the only disclaimer for the whole story!
Chapter 1
In the pitch blackness of the night, an evil feeling spread through the air. "Sheik, we must hurry! Wake up!" Impa whispered as she shook Zelda, who immediately woke. Zelda instinctively reached for her knife, which was conveniently tucked under her pillow, and had the naked tip of her blade at Impa's throat before she had even opened her eyes. Impa smiled with pride as Zelda sheathed her knife. Impa used their shared sign language to repeat that they should hurry. Zelda's fingers flashed in a quick question, "Did you get everything?" At Impa's nod, Zelda slid out of bed, unconsciously pulling her pillow under the wollen blanket as she went to make it look like a tucked in body. It wouldn't fool those monsters that could sense body heat or a person's presence, but it might just buy them a few precious seconds.
Zelda followed Impa outside after picking up her pack Impa had set aside for her, using her training to move quickly and quietly. It crossed her mind that it must be a very serious situation if Impa had called her Sheik. Impa always called her Princess Zelda in private, unless there was the chance of being overheard. Seven years ago, when they had first gone into hiding, Impa had put Zelda throuh many grueling drills which trained her to wake up instantly and alertly. "If this was a drill, Impa wouldn't have called me Sheik, and shw would have stopped it by now. So this must be real," thought Zelda. A spark of excitement coursed through her at the thought. She couldn't wait to try out her newest combat skills on someone besides Impa. Slowly but surely, Zelda had begun to surpass Impa by melding techniques she'd learned from the guards with her Sheikah training. The guards at the castle had wanted to impress her and make her feel safe by showing her their techniques using spears and hand to hand combat. Zelda had modified some of their spear techniques to be effective dagger attacks. She had tried them out on Impa, giving her a few surprise nicks and close calls.
Impa's hand signal to stop brought Zelda's attention back to the present. She also told Zelda, "Mind your eyes." Zelda realized the situation was indeed quite serious at that. She watched in fascination as Impa drew her sword from it's scabbard she kept on her back during all waking hours. The scabbard was very unique, having a distinct eye symbol on it. The blade had been a gift to Impa, and she treasured it above all else. Some brave and gossipy souls said that Impa's husband had gone mad and that Impa had slain him with his own sword, the one he had given to her, the one she currently held in her hands. Was it a trick of th elight or did Zelda really see blood dripping off the tip?
Zelda never got a chance to check because something lept out at them at that moment. Thought ceased and training took over. Zelda had been drilled so much that her counter attack was like instinct, but Impa stopped her. Impa rapidly sent her hand signals with her left hand as she distracted the monster with her right. "Monster too strong, go without me, I distract." When Zelda tried to protest, Impa continued, "Link will need you as guide. I will be fine, but need Link's help! Wait at Temple of Time!" This wasn't enough to make Zelda leave. After all those years of hiding and watching each other's backs, Impa had become her only parent, friend, and confidante. At that moment, nothing would have torn her away from Impa's side. Except for one thing. The fear and desperation in Impa's eyes convinced Zelda. She finally realized that all these years of hiding would be wasted if she died before she could help Link. And Link didn't know what to do. Zelda put a hand on Impa's shoulder and squeezed before she ran away to wait at the Temple of Time for Link to arrive. "Please Gods, take care of Impa! Give her strength to last until Link may help her!" Zelda slid from shadow to shadow as she wondered when Link would come.
After traveling a few miles away, Zelda nimbly climbed up a tree without ruffling a single branch, not a single leaf twitched to betray her presence. She looked off into the distance, back to the place where she and Impa had been hiding for the past seven years, Kakariko Village. "Well, Impa hadn't really been hiding, considering everyone in the village knew she was there," Zelda thought with a smirk. All Impa had done was ask everyone to keep quiet about her presence, and they respected her wishes. Impa had opened the village to common people, so they all loved her to some degree. No one there followed Ganandorf, so they had been surrounded by friends. All Impa had to do was disguise Zelda, which she'd done by giving her new clothes, a new lifestyle, and even a new name. She'd even become one of the Sheikahs, having gone through the Ritual of the Blood.
Zelda let her mind drift through her memories as she scoured the land around her from the top of the tree. Seven years ago, Impa had taken her to an underground cavern, so big that their footsteps echoed off the ceiling. The room was pitch black, except a strange red glow illuminated the middle. Directly in the middle of the room was a pedestal made of rosewood with a vial filled with some red looking liquid sitting on the middle of that. Upon closer inspection, the pedestal had carvings of a trange looking open eye, and the vial was shaped as an eye. Impa walked ever and stood at the opposite end of the pedestal. She reverently picked up the vial and carefully lifted the lid, which was cleverly concealed making it invisible to anyone unfamiliar with it. The lid was very thin and long, Zelda gasped when Impa methodically sliced open her fingers. She had removed her gauntlets when Zelda wasn't looking, but Zelda didn't seem to notice. All she could think of was that she'd never seen Impa's hands before, they'd always been covered by her black gauntlets. Her hands were covered in slash scars, obviously she'd done this ritual many times. Zelda had wanted to cry as she watched IMpa make a fist and let the blood drip into the vial. "I'm adding my blood to the other Sheikahs blood in here. That way, there is always a generous supply of Sheikah blood, and even some variety," Impa told her quietly. As she spoke, Impa proceeded to repeat this with her other hand, also covered in scars.
"Now Princess, this is going to hurt, but I swear it is neccessary. Look at me," Impa commanded as she let her left fist drip. Zelda looked up at her with tears streaming down her face. "The poor child," Impa thought sympathetically, "she has such a hard road ahead of her." Impa pushed her thoughts aside and solemnly asked Zelda, "Do you trust me, Princess?" When Zelda nodded, Impa smiled. "Then just concentrate on that trust." Impa quickly bandaged her hands and slipped her black gauntlets back on. "Alright, now just close your eyes and concentrate on your trust."
Zelda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She thought of all the times Impa had helped her, picked her up when she'd fallen, playing her lullabye until she fell back asleep when she woke up with terrible visions, and even had taken her away to save her from Ganandorf. She opened her eyes and was astonished to find her hands already bandaged. "There, that wasn't too bad was it?" Impa asked gently. Zelda smiled and shook her head. She could feel her fingers throbbing faintly, but it wasn't as bad as she had expected. "Alright, now I want you to take a sip of this." Zelda's smile vanished and her nose scrunched up as she shook her head violently.
"Impa, please tell me that's a joke." Zelda looked up as Impa sighed. "I don't want to disappoint her," Zelda thought to herself. So she took a sip of the vial. She almsot dropped it as everything went red. "Impa! My eyes!" Zelda screamed as her head began to pound. It felt like her eyes were burning, and the red intensified.
"Zelda, listen to me! Calm down, Princess! Take a deep breath." Zelda did as Impa instructed and the pain lessened some. "I need you to close your eyes and concentrate on seeing white." Zelda again did as Impa instructed and was relieved when all the pain faded, except from her hands of course. She slowly opened her eyes, wary of the blinding red from moments ago. "When you want to see normally, do what you just did. But in places like this, where you are surrounded by darkness, you can use your Sheikah sight to see through the dark. But you must be careful when you use it. Look at me, Princess." Zelda glanced over to where Impa was, and gasped. Impa's red eyes were glowing in the dark! "Your enemies can see your eyes. But if you are running away in the dark, then you will be able to see where you are going. To do this, close your eyes and concentrate on seeing black. Go ahead Princess."
Zelda closed her eyes and projected black onto the back of her eyelids. She felt her eyes almost shift, and she knew she would see the red again. This time though, she opened her eyes slowly and carefully, and began to get used to her new ability. She laughed as she looked around, finally able to see the ceiling and walls. Her laugh echoed back to her, but it almost sounded mocking. She stopped laughing, but still smiled. "Alright Princess, that is a very special Sheikah skill, not the only one, but it is quite unique. Now, your body is also affected. You will become stronger and faster. We will begin training in the morning. Any questions?" Impa gazed at her Princess, pride filling her heart. The girl would grow up to make the Sheikahs very proud. "Impa, are my eyes always red now, like yours?" Impa nodded at Zelda's question. Zelda thought for a moment before asking shyly, "Will I look like you when I'm older?" Impa's face registered her surprise as she asked gently, "What do you mean Princess?" Zelda gestured toward Impa's chest, and Impa laughed at her innocence. Seeing Zelda's confusion and hurt, she hastened to reassure her. "Every girl goes through changes as she becomes a woman. Developing breasts is one step, but there are many other things as well. I will tell you them when you are older, alright Princess?" Zelda smiled and nodded, excited about someday becoming a woman.
"This is not the time to be taking a trip down memory lane!" Zelda thought as she stared at Kakariko Village. She almost cried out as an explosion occurred near the river close to the village. "Impa must have lured the monster down there so as to not damage the village," Zelda thought as tears clouded her vision. Sheikahs had knowledge of a secret attack that emitted a large explosion just like the one Zelda had seen. It was a sacrificial attack, it guaranteed the death of the opponent, but it also killed the Sheikah. Impa had just killed herself to stop that monster. The monster had been extremely strong, Zelda had sensed it. She'd never seen one before, or she might have known it's weakness. Zelda clenched her fists and looked down at them. She had taped her fingers, it covered her pink scars so no one asked embarrassing questions. "Oh Impa! You've taught me so much, but I still need you!" Zelda screamed in her mind. She wiped her eyes, and told herself to wait for a better time to mourn. She quickly said a prayer for Impa's soul and ran lightly and quickly toward the Temple of Time.
A/N: Please R/R! And I don't own Zelda or anything at all. This is the only disclaimer for the whole story!