:::Disclaimer::: I do not own anything you recognise =D
The first thing she noticed was the chandeliers. The grand golden lights, crafted from the very best metal workers throughout the whole of Hyrule, each weighing over a tonne each, she noticed, that some were missing. How on earth the brutes had managed to remove them from the ceiling she had no idea, but a few still remained, although at awkward heights, as if somebody had attempted to lever them off the stonework and failed. Failed miserably. They were not lit, so the room was bathed in a dark eerie mist, and you could not see far in front of you. Zelda found herself squinting through the dimness, not a very ladylike manner indeed.
'Stop pulling that ridiculous face and smile for Din's sake!' She was thrust forwards harshly, and found herself with her arms splayed out across the floor, the rips and tears in her gloves obvious to her now. She lay upon the cold floor between the two highest balconies of the five, flanking each side of the enormous door-arch. Upon the three lower balconies swarmed bublins and creatures of the suchlike, all grinning evilly at her through blackened and yellow teeth, their slitty eyes bright with malice. In their greasy little fingers they clutched crude wooden clubs of various sizes, some with sharp-looking spikes, others just plain cracked wood. What had happened to Ganondorf? What had happened to the order of his evil schemes, his perfect shining army? Everything seemed botched together, lifeless and limp, a halfhearted attempt at oppression. Oddly, she missed the dark days of Ganon.
'Zelda. Wench, witch, and temptress of Hyrule!' The voice was cracked and hoarse, and Zelda scanned the room with empty eyes searching for the source. She found herself searching in the wrong place, and earned herself a hearty slap.
'Face the king! Stand when he addresses you!' She was thrust forcefully to her feet, and her head was cracked round so her gaze met with that of a man, no woman, no . . . thing she had never seen before. A dark figure stooped, hence her search missing it the first time, barely above the creatures perched around it, with black flowing robes covering its whole body. Just visible beneath a drooping hood were two very distinct red eyes, easy to glimpse even though Zelda stood so far away in the emptiness.
'Do you answer to this name witch?' The voice was not masculine . . . but definitely not feminine. It was hard to describe, the tone highly strung, yet oddly sounding as if it were dying. A hard poke in Zelda's back made her reply.
'I address myself as Zelda. Nothing more.' Another poke. 'Your . . . grace.' There was much commotion among the creatures, large bangs of cubs hitting the stone of the balconies, and Zelda winced for her stone's well being. It took a moment to remind herself that it no longer belonged to her.
'You are guilty of many crimes. Too many to list at this precise moment, however, what irks me most I must say, is the fact that for five years, five whole years you made the people of this land address you as one of royalty! You stole the crown from the rightful heir of Hyrule, and for that you shall be severely punished.' More club banging and grunting. 'Do you plead guilty?' So this was a trial was it? An unfair trial on accusations that did not reflect the truth. A sickening feeling entered her stomach as she realised that the creatures were the jury.
The guard to her left looked as if he was about to poke her again, and Zelda was tired of the constant addition of bruises to her body. So, with as much dignity as she could muster, gathering her soiled and dirtied skirts around her and straightening her bodice, she spoke.
'I believe you are viewing the facts through the wrong eyes.' Poke. 'Your grace.' It was a curt but polite reply. Zelda felt almost proud of herself, until she realised that this meant little in the balance of power.
'The accused does not answer the question. Therefore it has pleaded guilty.' Zelda frowned at her new apparent title as an 'it'. 'Sentenced to life in imprisonment, subjected to embarrassment and humiliation in front of my people, and great painful suffering. All those in favour make a noise now.' Zelda prayed to the Gods for silence. But today they were not listening. The entrance hall was soon filled with thousands upon thousands of screeches and grunts, and they echoed menacingly around the walls.
Silence flittered through the crowd as the dark figure raised a hand from under its robes, at least she thought it was a hand, and began to rise in height. It rose and rose, until it stood a good head and shoulders of height of the creatures, and tears caught in the corners of Zelda's eyes as she realised what was shining upon its dark and mottled skin. The entire room was bathed in a glorious golden glow, emitting from three small triangles upon its crude hand . . . the TriForce of Wisdom. Zelda's emblem. Shining there on this creature's hand. Zelda shut her aching eyes and wept.
A smile crept across the young man's face as he slunk ever so slowly along the wall, his leather boots making no noise against the dirtied stone. Man this place looked different. What the Din had happened to the magnificence that reigned here when Zelda was up on the throne? Actually, he thanked the absence of light from the ceiling, giving him his cover of darkness to creep through. He gazed through wide eyes as the young Princess lay slumped on her knees weeping. Evidentially he had just missed something crucial, and he cursed himself for his lateness.
He inched closer and closer, willing Zelda to open her eyes and glimpse him, but she didn't. Instead the guards to her sides yanked her harshly to her feet, and frog marched her back through the doorway he had just crept through, under the colossal archway and out into the stinging biting rain outside. He thrust a fist into his mouth to stop him crying out as he witnessed the slicking of her skin under the guards' blades, and small tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. Poor, poor Zelda. Slowly but surely the crowds of evil creatures retreated through the doors on their elevated perches, until he found himself alone in the sparse room.
He waited a couple of minutes more just to be sure that everyone had gone, and then he smiled. Smiled at the cleverness of his former leader, how she had the stairway chiselled down until it was left as just a mounting block for horses, so all the balconies around were only reachable from the higher floor. He smiled at the thought of the secret doorway she had carved in the smooth stone around the back of the castle, and how these dismal excuses for beings had never found it. Instead choosing to enter the castle up a wooden ladder and through a broken window. How dignified. But that was not why he was here. He muttered to himself to focus.
Carefully, he removed a metal contraption from his belt and fixed it onto his hand, it clicked softly as it slid into place, and he aimed at one of the rusted light fixtures upon the ceiling. As he whizzed silently through the air, he winced as his destination swung creakily and alarmingly far from side to side. All the diamonds clinked against each other with each swing, and the young man feared discovery. But no one heard the noise from behind the thick oak doors, and he let out his breath slowly. He clawshotted to the next gleam of gold and dropped effortlessly onto the middle balcony, the one that his new 'ruler' had occupied only moments before and sighed. This was not an easy job.
Having lived in the castle almost his entire life, he knew its secrets, or at least knew some of them, and he also knew that the idiot who had stolen Hyrule had absolutely no idea about this one. Removing his sword from its sheath, he swung it around his head with force so it smacked the stone with great force. Again he feared discovery, but again nothing. After all the castle was a public place, with the residents encouraged during Zelda's reign to visit as often as they could to take in the splendour of the place. Well, the once splendour of the place. Most of that had gone now.
The stone cracked under his silver blade, and he gently pushed it, with as much caution as he could until he had made a young-man-sized hole. He slipped quickly inside, doing his best to replace the stone by the light of his little lantern. The effect was good. Now it just looked scarred, as if someone had damaged it many years before. He doubted anyone would notice.
He began to ran through the passage in the wall, fearing all the time for the oil level in his lantern, counting the lines in the stone as he went, until he though he had found the right place. Hoping with all his heart he had not miscounted, once again, he smashed his trusty weapon into the wall until the stone winced and caved in under the force of the blow. He jumped lightly into the room beyond, a grin lighting his face as he realised that the lock on the door opposite him had not been cracked, and everything in the area had stayed just as he had remembered it. Although coated in dust nonetheless.
He had managed to gain entry to the bedroom of the great Princess Zelda. He scooped as much items as he could making for more personal items. Her sewing, a small light dress from her personal wardrobe stores, which were huge and containing many duplicates of the same outfit, a pair of shoes and some writing equipment. In her vanity he found something that looked like her diary, and a sharp looking dagger. Scouting around the room for anything else he could bring, he spotted her engraved chest. It was a beautiful elegant thing, made for her by the Zoras of the Zora's Domain, crafted lovingly and carefully, many years work going into its smooth and shining wood. He easily flicked open the lid, having a light touch with locks, not that it had been a hard one to crack, it was more for show than for purpose, revealing stores of many little bottles. They glowed all different colours, and some even moved, he shuddered at the thought of what could have been under those stoppered corks. HE flicked a few essentials into his bag, and thinking of being nice, he added a couple of Zelda's scents. She'd like that he hoped.
And then with a bag bulging and threatening to split at the seams, the young man hurried back the way he had come.
A chink of light. Could it be? A glimpse of the outside world? But no. It was the mere glow of a little lantern in the passageway beyond her door. She had been here since the so-called 'trial', and the boredom was beginning to seep in. She longed to be sewing or reading, or maybe even dancing with her sword, anything but this hateful darkness. That was the cleverness you see, the darkness, the dimness, designed to make her lose her mind in here, cut off from her friends, her subjects, but she refused to lose it to that weird being that called itself her leader.
Again. The chink of light. That was strange, she could just peek it from the tiny gap under the great oak door, as if someone was running up and down the outside corridor looking for a certain cell. Zelda had no idea if she was the only prisoner, so she guessed that if someone was going to be rescued it wouldn't be her. No one knew she was here but the hateful guards and the ridiculous ruler. Then to her surprise the door began to creak open, slowly but surely, spilling the glorious light into her dim cramped cell.
'Zelda.' A young man's voice, a voice she did not recognise. Her heart sunk. It wasn't Link. A slight figure slipped through the doorway clad in shining silver chainmail, a few pieces of equipment similar to Links fastened tightly into his belt, and a bulging bag upon his shoulder.
'Princess, quick! With me! Put this on!' he thrust a garment at her, and Zelda's eyes widened visibly. It was one of her undergarments from her bedroom. How on earth had this man obtained them? They looked dirty, then it hit her. It was a perfect disguise. There was no way she would be recognised wearing these items, the whole of Hyrule was used to seeing her clad from top to toe in finery, and there was no way she could ever gain a new outfit from inside this cell. The prospect of freedom was tempting, glinting, but she shook her head the newcomer. He smiled as if he expected her reply, and held out her sewing project of the phoenix, then her scent bottles, and her expensive terino dagger. Zelda's face lit up, and she almost jumped into the man's arms. But remaining her dignity, she stood to her full height, which was similar to that of the man's and once again, shook her head.
'Have I seen you before? I recognise your face.' It was pointed with purple eyes, and light brown hair similar to her own flowing loosely around his shoulders. He was handsome, but his features almost feminine, a pointed chin and high cheekbones.
'You may have seen me in your palace. I have worked under you as a courtier since I was nine years old.' Nine years old? That was incredibly young to enter her service. He looked at her meaningfully as if he was trying to portray something with his steady gaze. Then it hit her like a tonne of bricks.
'How old are you now, tell me.' It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Zelda needed to know the truth.
'I am nineteen your grace.' Zelda now knew all she needed to know. A smile crept across her delicate pale lips, and she took her long lost brother into her arms.
'It saddens me to see you alive. Tell me. Why did you fake your own death only to return in my service as a courtier? I missed you, Darnell.'
It felt good to be in her arms again, his loving and caring sister, and it was as if years of pain and hurt just melted away. When he had sat and watched with wide eyes as she had wept by his grave, her constant sadness of his loss heavy upon her shoulders day and night, but he had done what he had needed to do. What he was meant to do. He had persuaded Link that he could not part with his sister forever, and the great swordsman had agreed to let him apply as a courtier, putting in a kind word to the head of the servants so he could be let in at such a young age. He was never recognised, his hairstyle changed and his face dirtied by soil. No one expected to see the young prince again, less expected to see him working as a courtier, so no one inspected his cover. He had his name changed, a life story invented for him, fake documentation stating his date of birth and his parents, who had died in an unfortunate fire shortly after his birth. No. No one expected to see the young prince again. The young man he now was, unrecognisable from his past, except of course, by his only sister.
'My gosh. This is so strange. You being with me the entire time I sobbed over your death. You have put me through a lot, but you are forgiven. And I must apologise to you.' Darnell looked at her quizzically, squinting under his long floppy fringe. 'But I cannot come with you. I am here for my people. My blood rushing through my veins is the only thing keeping them going, the thought that I am still alive. If I leave here, then my disappearance will be made to look like my death, and my people will lose hope and cave in to this new force of power. I cannot come with you.' She sank with a heavy heart onto a nearby hay bale, holding her head in her hands. She looked so pitiful, much older than her twenty-three years, old age seemed to scar her face.
'But! No! What if we made some gesture to the people that you had escaped? Dress you up in your finery again, rode you on a horse through the streets?'
'Only to be tackled by those brutes of guards and slaughtered in front of my people? I don't think so Darnell.' Her brother frowned and paced the room in annoyance, running a shaking hand through his flowing hair.
'We will think of something! I assure you! There must be a way! I shall call on the resistance to be your bodyguards and hold off the idiots whoa re trying to keep you here. It is possible!' Zelda flapped her hands in an effort to lower his raised voice.
'Sshh! Someone will hear you!'
'Well they might as well! All the trouble I've gone to, to get you out of this hellhole, blown my cover, broken the oath I swore to Link to never tell you my identity! You know I faked my ending so you could have the throne! Did you know that? Father wanted a boy you know Zelda. He was going to have you carted off to some foreign country to work as a milkmaid, just so Hyrule could have a king instead of a princess! For a woman can never rise above the title of Princess in this land. A woman can never be a king.' Darnell took several deep breaths after his outburst, casting Zelda a deep look straight into her eyes. 'Just you being here makes my sacrifice a waste of time. They are going to slaughter you sooner or later, and then what will your people have? Nothing! Zelda look, I am going to make sure that they know you have escaped. They will see it as a good sign and be happier and . . . stuff yeah look you see?' Zelda sighed. As much as she knew she couldn't leave, she had to go. There was nothing she could do.
'Fine. I shall accompany you. But I shall warn you. I value my people above my life.'
'I know. I have worked under you for ten years.' This fact scared Zelda a little. Her brother had been with her all her life, and she had never suspected a thing.
