Waiting Seven Years

Written by Becki

(C) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

All ideas and characters (except Kiehs) belongs to Nintendo.

claps All right, this is expected to be my first decent Zelda fanfic. I actually began this series a while ago but got stuck on year three. But that was a long time ago (and I mean long time ago) and I have improved much since then (A lot.); So, I'll let you people guess why the title is why it is.

Oh, and a warning. Zelda x Link fans may not particularly like this fic, but they might not particularly hate it either. (Don't worry, I don't pair Link or Zelda up with anyone else, or completely bash them. (And no pairings with OC's either --; such pairings tend to annoy me.) You'll just have to see what happens.) And also, this is pretty much my first time using a first person narrative for a fanfiction. Forgive me if I suck at that too.

Becki

My name is Zelda. I am known to some as Sheik, the survivor of the Sheikahs. To others, I was a barrier deflecting them from their most malevolent desires. I was the Princess of Hyrule, the heir to the throne. But my most important role was as the Seventh Sage. My power and wisdom may be great, but I fear that my decision making in the past was blundering and rash. Because of this, I forced my friends to care for my mistakes, to fix the conflicts I have caused. It has been years since the golden years whence the Hero of Time had rescued Hyrule from grave disaster. And as I sit, I remember these things. The untold secrets I yet have to reveal.

But I have no longer anyone to reveal them to.

Will you listen?

Year One: Escape

I could hardly breathe. Squeezed in between the saddle and the muscular form sitting behind me, I held my breath as if it could make me invisible, undetectable and unnoticeable. My hands clenched at the horse's mane, the white hairs poking in between my fingers. And to make matters worse.. it began to rain. The clouds swollen with black, purging the rain down upon our heads. Impa tightened her grip on the reins. The horse clambered along down the path, its hooves clashing against the ground like the thunder which preceded it. The movement-made wind stung my face, but my eyes began to tear as it was anyway.

All was lost. My father, the King of Hyrule, was gone. The man that I had swore to be our enemy was believed to be a friend. The prophetic dreams I had, became true. Nobody believed them except Impa, my best friend.

And.. and Link.

It was over. My hair fell loose from my cloth headdress, falling into my hurting eyes. The rain became thick, and although I could not see, I knew we were in hot pursuit. He would not let us get away so quickly and easily.

Not Ganondorf, King of the Gerudos.

The Ocarina of Time was clutched in my free hand by my lap. My most precious possession. The only keepsake I had of my mother. Truth be told, I never knew her. She died when I was a year old. But the Ocarina was always warm when I touched it. I knew, it was her embrace. But it felt so cold now.

The wind whistled through the mouthpiece, trailing a sour, wet note the whole way. With despair I closed my thumb of the hole, and the tone was stopped.

The crowds parted as the white steed darted through, guided by Impa's touch on the reins. I could see the chaos with my own two eyes, the people of Hyrule running and yelling. They watched us with just as much fear as we watched them. But they did not know what had happened. They did not know what could happen.

The gate! The drawbridge was already opening. The Hyrule guards and dropped the chains on the crank, and the wooden structure quickly lowered. It was completely down just in time for us and the horse to pass through. But as I forced my tired eyes further down, my heart jolted with a sickening jump.

A figure was already waiting. A green clad person, face wet and eyes bright. A globe of winged white light hovered above his head, dipping as the rain continued down. I stared, completely stuck in dilemma.

My hands slipped against the Ocarina, but before my decision was made, our horse just missed trampling upon him, and he began to shrink as the horse continued on without the slightest halt.

"Impa!" I cried out, an arm lashing out. My nurse firmly secured her grip along my waist and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, I cannot stop." As she spoke these dreaded words, even before the tumbled from her red painted lips, I moved quickly. My frozen fingers were stiff on the Ocarina, and I prayed silently that it would not break at the hands of the earth. Pulling back my wrist, I wound my arm back and threw it as hard as my strength would allow.

At that moment, the Goddesses answered my prayer. A wind picked up, guided by my hand. The blue flute soared on the wings of the gale, and I just barely saw the splash in the moat. As I nearly fell off of the horse following my fortunate toss, Impa pulled me back as I cried out with surprise.

I regained my spot at the stallion's mane, my eyes closed and mind spinning with anxiety. Impa's arm tightened as the horse moved along the rocky terrain. My only hope was for Link's decision. Ganondorf would not.. no... cannot open the way towards the Sacred Realm. All of Hyrule depended on it.

It was long. Far too long.

Impa and I stared long at the direction where Hyrule castle lay. We remained on our horses in case we would be pursued again. But nothing happened. The rain had suddenly stopped, but the clouds were still dark with their looks of distaste. I knew nothing of Link, of Ganondorf.

I hoped that the spell I had cast on the Ocarina had preserved. If it hadn't, Link would not know what to do. Then all the troubles I had caused would be pointed to him. If that be the case, I could never forgive myself.

Impa spoke kind and comforting words.

"He's a good lad. We can trust him and his potential. Your dreams have never been incorrect, princess." She said, her eyes sharp with such sureness and confidence.

I smiled weakly, brushing the wet, limp strands of blond hair from my brow.

"Y-yes.. I'm sorry for losing courage, Impa." And she said something that I would always remember.

"Courage is never lost. It can only be found. Now, I am unsure what we must do. But I know that it would mean certain fatality if we return to the castle."

"Then.. what do we do..?" I said heavy-hearted. I rubbed the back of my hand where a cut had formed.

"I don't--"

Something must have cut her off, because she stopped still and abruptly turned her head to one side. Her keen eyes were searching the wood, and she motioned me to be still.

Drawing her saber out from the sheathe at her side, her other hand groped for the reins. The horse as well, seemed apprehensive, which caused the same nervousness in me.

As soon as the hedge and the bushes started to sway, I froze with silence. My trust was entirely in Impa, she got me out of Hyrule Castle, I knew whatever it was, she could.. she could protect me.

A soft glow appeared along the hedge. It was bright and mystifying. I held my breath. A lantern first hovered out of the foliage, a bright light from within flickering. Then a bony black hand followed tight on the lantern's top. Two glowing gold eyes, and a ghost like figure.

Impa tensed. The poe glittered a warning grin.

"Princess Zelda, I bring news from the Evil King. It is only a futile effort to keep running. That boy of the forest is dead."

I tensed inside.

He's lying! My true instincts told me. But I listened.

"Return to Hyrule and you will be spared." I felt anger stir in my soul, and I spat it out loud.

"Who does he think he is speaking to? Is he some coward to send a minion to speak with me? It is purely an act of disrespect. Return to your king and give him my answer." I may have been thought of as a spoiled, self-centered brat. But I wanted to make sure that my reply was clear. I would be content to never lay eyes on that beast again.

"It is by your death." The messenger cackled. With a simple spin, it dissolved into the air.

I couldn't stop it from happening. Tears spilled from my eyes, I wanted to stop it and I couldn't understand why it was happening. Impa frowned and sheathed her weapon.

"Princess, we must plan something." She said firmly. I couldn't speak. She didn't know that I was crying, but I didn't want her to know. I couldn't lose.. no, I had to find my courage. But I something came to me as if from nowhere.

"I..Impa.." I said with as straight a voice as I could muster. "Go back to Kakariko."

"What?" She said roughly, and I knew she was frowning.

"Impa, please, trust me. If you stay with me, your life will be in danger."

"But it is my duty to protect you."

"I know this is what I must do. I must find my strength. If you return to the village, Ganondorf will think I am with you somehow, but he can't lay a finger on you. We must allude him. You said so yourself, my visions have never misguided me."

"When did you foresee this?" She said, and I could sense a slight bit of skepticism in her voice.

"I.. I didn't." I confessed. "But it is an instinct. Please."

Impa sighed and there was a bit of silence. The horse paced its forelegs and nickered lightly. Then I felt something itching at the back of my mind. A strange presence that began to make me feel uncomfortable..

"Princess!" Impa said suddenly. Without warning, she clasped her arms over my head and threw both me and herself off of the horse. We hit the ground, and I screamed as I felt the pain in my head grow. Her strong hand was on my cranium, protecting my head from whatever physical force that chosen to attack us.

She whispered softly into my ear.

"Go!" There was great pressure in her voice as she spoke those words. "Go, I trust that Nayru's wisdom speaks through you!" I heard the high pitched ring of her thin sword as she drew it out.

I scrambled to my feet and felt her shelter raise. Quickly, I thought of the woods. The place where Link had been sheltered and guided, the place of great tranquility and safety.

Without any more beckoning from my nurse, I entered the forest, feeling the cool shade of the trees upon my face. The twigs on the ground snapped under my sandals. And I, unaccustomed to vigorous physical activity sought my breath. It was strange how absurd my ideas of the forest were. I had always imagined the swaying trees and the pallid light strumming through the leaves. The haven of a place where intelligence and gentleness was invited.

How wrong I was. The dry branches scratched my fair, pampered skin. The trees bit at my clothes, and I could see in the broad sunlight the swarms of insects and airborne particles of dust and pollen.

I yet did not know what had attacked us was. All I could know, it could have been the Evil King himself.

My mind shuddered at the thought. My thoughts could not be spared for such a sad man.

Please Link.. I remember thinking to myself as I ran through those woods. Please.. I'm sure.. that you can fix all of this.. I wondered where he was, whether the Triforce had excepted his noble soul.

I stopped still and wiped my face with my dirty sleeve, only successfully making my cheek dirtier. The tears threatened to spill, but I forced them into bay, I couldn't be the spoiled Princess I was. I couldn't.

Music touched my ears. Such beautiful music..

I turned my head up, my hair fell loose from my headdress and tumbled wearily into my brow. The wavering notes upon the faring breeze. I still remember the tune. That simplistic tune that broke all barriers of the years, making sure that I would always remember.

Pausing, I wondered what in Hyrule could be in the forest as well. Perhaps.. the children of the forest, the Kokiri? I felt both elation and relief sweep through my body. I could get help. There was bound to be people who would combat Ganondorf, disregard his ways.

Creeping passed the birch trees, I tried to locate the direction from whence the song came. It wasn't difficult, the music was quite clear, wafting through the trees and dancing along the leaves.

When I parted a pair of branches, sunlight brightly greeted my eyes. There was a clearing where the trees dare not grow. A clearing where the patch of blue sky was easily seen, where the sun smiled freely down. I could see the toadstools dotting along the rotting logs, the clean stumps sticking quite defiantly from the ground.

There was a figure whose back was to me. I felt disappointment cloud my desires. It looked like a figure of a young boy, perhaps two or three years my senior. But he was not clad in the green of the forest like I had expected. Then fear overtook me.

And it was then I gasped suddenly. I remembered reading about events of gangs and bandits who wandered the forests and secret places with their hideouts. They never traveled by themselves. Never.

He heard me.

Spinning around, I saw the boy's face clearly before I retreated back behind the branches. It was the face of a gentle boy, and he was not all that unattractive. He had dark bluish eyes lined with silver around the iris and silver hair, but I specifically remembered his piercing eyes.

I knew it was too late, he had seen me. I could easily get away, but he would most likely be a faster runner than I. And as it was, my feet wouldn't budge.

The music had stopped. I heard a knife released from its sheathe and his voice.

"Come out! If you dare spy on someone, it's best that you at least try to have some stealth."

Then I did something that could be called either stupid or incredibly brave.

"Well, of course playing music in the middle of a forest couldn't attract any attention." Again, my pride forced my tongue to antagonize whoever this was. "Could you blame me for being interested?" I bent the branches back and revealed myself to him, fully convinced that he was not a danger. I prayed that Impa was correct about Nayru's wisdom through me.

He creased his fair brow and looked at me, as if he had expected to see some great ugly beast.

"Who are you..?" He asked, his eyes fell lingeringly on the Triforce design at the sash of my robes. I studied him in return, and couldn't help but notice the dark scarlet colored, eye-shaped brooch which clasped his gray cloak together. At that moment, I gasped, recognizing the symbol.

"You.. must be of the Sheikah tribe!" I knew at once that he was not a threat. Impa herself was of the Sheikah, and they have had a strong bond with the Royal Family.

"...." He eyed me suspiciously, and I could not help but notice that he had not lowered his weapon. "Why would it matter to you?" He asked with a frown.

"Well, because.." I paused. It would be a dangerous plan to let just anybody know who I was. Whether they played very pretty music or not. "It.. interests me."

"Would you like to answer my question now?"

"Oh, yes.." My mind flew with answers to give. Finally, I chose one. "Rehna. My name is Rehna."

"...Odd."

"Well, I don't suppose your name is any better." I took that single word as a sting to my pride. I had chosen the name of my late mother. It was about the only thing I knew about her, and I had always thought it a beautiful name.

"...My name is Kiehs." He said, lowering his short blade. He seemed to think I was no longer some kind of threat, and sheathed his knife. He turned away.

"Wait.." I called. He sat down and brushed his unusually colored hair away from his even stranger eyes.

"Are you ready to tell me the truth?"
"Wha- what?"

"Your name. It isn't Rehna, is it? I can see the false truth written on your face." He said, expressionless. I stared at him incredulously with a frown.

"How can you know..?"

"The Sheikah hold truth sacred." He said simply, a flute in his hand. The source for that beautiful music. "I don't see why you should hide your name."

"Well.. there are several reasons." I said logically. "You could be anyone. Seeing how I've met you a few minutes ago, I don't see how I can trust you."

"I gave you my name, didn't I?"

"But.." I said with a mischievous face. "How do I know that's really your name?"

"You don't." He said.

"...You.. are a puzzling person." I said, raising an eyebrow.

"..." Silence. How strange it must have been, I, the Princess of Hyrule conversing with one of my own subjects. Well, I hated referring to them that way.. but..

"Well, if you really must know, my name is Zelda."

"I know."

"What?!"

"I knew that. Blond hair, blue eyes. Traditional Hylian traits, indeed. Not to mention the rich clothing and the fact you freely wear the Triforce on your garb. It didn't take much to guess."

My face grew hot. I must have underestimated him.

"And.. you're not even curious why I'm out here, unescorted and alone?"

"...I don't suppose you were being forced to marry and wanted to run away from home?" He said sardonically, repeating such a cliché idea made me shudder. I sighed and covered my eyes with a hand.

"Never mind. Anyways, would you be interested in helping me?" I looked through in between my fingers to look at him. He stared at me seriously.

"What kind of aid are you looking for?"

"You.. don't understand." I said, lowering my hands and being as hopeful as I could. "You don't."

He was still, but his eyes stared distantly, almost right through me.

"I don't know how much I could offer. I live alone."

"You.. don't have a family? Where.. do you live...?"

He stood up, his flute at hand.

"Deep in the forest."

"So.. you'll help me?" I felt something probe closer, that same force Impa was protecting me from. "Please, hurry, something's coming.."

"Fine." He said finally. "Follow me."