The horse's steps beat an urgent rhythm into the earth. Run away! Run away! The message repeated endlessly in the young princess's ears.
Zelda had run out of tears. She felt Impa steady her once more on the horse's neck. She ran her hand aimlessly through the panting creature's mane. Father was dead. She had feared…no she had known it would happen but it still felt unreal. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen; was it? She had found the fairy boy, they'd had a plan! Yet the Desert King Ganondorf has been too quick. Zelda could only hope that Link would find the Ocarina she had tossed in the moat. Maybe he had managed to find all the stones and could get into the temple.
Even as hope began to bubble up inside her, the sight of her Father's body pierced by Ganondorf's treacherous blade flashed in her mind, and the hope was replaced once more by grief and pain. If only he had listened to her; she had known Ganondorf's pledges of loyalty were lies! No one would listen to the nine year old princess's stories of dreams and prophecies. No one but Impa.
Impa had saved her that night. Snatched her away from under Ganondorf's nose. Zelda had seen him at the scene of the crime, and would have run in to be slaughtered as well if Impa had not whisked her away. As they galloped through Castle Town she knew he would be after her. He had asked questions about the Ocarina before and she didn't doubt he knew its power.
The princess allowed herself one small smile at the thought that he would never have it. She knew in her heart of hearts that Link was the Hero of Time and that he would defeat Ganondorf in the end. But as the thunder clapped above, she couldn't help but wonder who else would die before that came to pass. After all, Link was also a child. She knew he had bravery unmatched but in the face of that man…Zelda shuddered as cold rain and fear slid down her spine.
Zelda didn't remember falling asleep, but she woke up in a bed; warm and dry. She sat up, finding herself in a small cave. It was dark outside, but there was a bright fire lighting up her surroundings. The cave walls were sparsely decorated with tapestries depicting red eyed warriors and sages. The Sheikah eye was repeated often, and Zelda knew this must be one of Impa's hideouts.
As soon as her feet touched the floor, Impa appeared as if from thin air.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"All things considered, I am alright Impa. Thank you."
Impa's face was neutral as she studied Zelda. "What were you thinking throwing the Ocarina of Time into the moat?"
Her voice was not accusatory or angry. It was a question, not a reprimand. Without Impa's trust in her prophecies, Zelda would have gone mad years ago. No one else (until Link) had taken her dreams or plans seriously.
"The Hero of Time will find it before the Desert King. He wouldn't have been back at the castle if he didn't have the sacred stones. I told him to enter the Temple of Time. His destiny awaits him there. Link will find it…"
Zelda had started her explanation with the commanding tone of a princess but it died into the whimper of a child.
Impa dropped to one knee and took her hand, "Princess. I will keep you safe until the Hero fulfills his destiny. I have met the boy and he does indeed contain a fighting spirit. I do not doubt he has succeeded in your task. But you have suffered a great loss and must rest."
Zelda had to admit to herself that Impa was right. She could already feel the black cloud of despair envelop her. All her doubts and insecurities bubbled up. Would Link be able to find what was in the Temple?
She had seen in her dreams, entering a wide white room and stepping into a pillar of light at the center of it. Then he had become the breaking dawn, banishing the darkness that always represented Ganondorf in her dreams. But could the goddesses' power be worked through such a young boy?
When he had found her in the palace, she had felt they could do anything together. Finally a piece of her visions had appeared, proving she wasn't crazy. The boy with the fairy had found her and they had made a plan. The plan…there was something she was forgetting about the plan. Something she had had to do. But she couldn't remember, the pain and exhaustion of the day were catching up to her again and she felt her knees buckle.
Then she was at the Temple of Time.
Somehow she always knew when she was dreaming. It was something about the stillness of the air that alerting the princess that she was having a vision. The Temple of Time stood tall and majestic above her. Even though the rain fell soundlessly against the white marble steps, Zelda could hear the patter of Link's boots. She spun around and saw him climbing the steps to the courtyard. He had a reddish bruise of the side of his face, and his expression was so grim it was almost comical on his young face. Navi the fairy flitted around his head nervously before taking shelter in his long green cap. Link slipped on a puddle and dropped the little sword—a dagger really—he was holding in his left hand. It skittered across the wet stone almost to Zelda's feet.
Link got up and wiped away some mud. Zelda thought she could spot more than rain going down his face, but he moved determinedly forward. Retrieving his weapon Link ran into the Temple.
And Zelda was inside too.
The soaring stained glass gave the Temple room an ethereal glow even on the dark stormy night. Link stepped reverently up to the velvet lined table and one by one placed three objects on it. Green—the Kokiri Emerald he had carried even before Zelda met him. Red—the Goron's Ruby glimmered as if it trapped a flame. Blue—The Zora's Sapphire sparkled like the river. He had done it. Holding a fourth object, Link stepped back—right onto the Triforce engraving on the floor.
Zelda's hands flew to her lips as she felt herself smile, Link had it—he had the Ocarina! Slowly he moved his fingers into position and begin to play. The notes rose and fell seeming to take both an eternity and an instant. As the tune ended there was a soft rumble. The wall behind the stone's pedestal shook and lowered itself into the floor. Beyond that was the white room of Zelda's previous dreams.
Link rushed towards it but stopped suddenly upon entering. Zelda knew he felt the reverence of this place, and even as she anxious looked towards the center, she knew this must not be rushed. In the center of the room was a pedestal with a large sword rising from it.
The sword seemed almost alive as it stood proudly even it its dormant state. Link stepped up to it— barely taller than the sword. He had to step onto the pedestal in order to get a good grip. As Zelda saw him tense to pull, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head, and panic welled in her heart.
Something was wrong. Suddenly time seemed to move too fast and jumbled. She was back at the Temple entrance and he had crossed the threshold. She cried out to Link but, as always in dreams, she was voiceless. Ganondorf seemed like a storm front rolling in, darkening the whole temple. His deep voice reverberating in her skull.
"Foolish boy. Though I suppose I should thank you and the princess brat for unlocking that meddlesome door. Now the power of the goddesses is mine!"
Zelda ran into the Sword Room once more, but it was pitch dark. Suddenly a flash of light blinded her, and she thought she saw a man dressed in yellow before Ganondorf's scream distracted her.
"No! I won't be denied my prize!"
The room was a dim grey. Ganondorf stood by the empty pedestal holding his right hand at chest level.
"Very well. You cannot hide forever and I will have it all. For now I will enjoy my victory this day, in the world you have abandoned." Ganondorf turned and stared right into Zelda's eyes, "Both of you."
He lifted his hand, and she saw the shape of the Triforce outline on in as if engraved with light. The top section glowed gold and when she saw it, her own hand burned as if stabbed by a white hot blade. She screamed, her vision filled with the man's dark smile.
She was still screaming. She could feel Impa's arms holding her fast but she struggled against her like a frightened animal before collapsing silently. She could just make out her right hand, and as her vision darkened she could still see the Triforce glowing there.
"Where did he go? What have I done?" The small princess whispered as she fell into a deep sleep.
"You did what was wise" was Impa's unheard response.
