The Heaven & Hell Child
Chapter II: How the People take it
Zelda took a deep breath. The princess tried to convince herself that what she was being silly. Her people would look at her with sympathy, not anger. Ganondorf had destroyed their lives. Hyrule Castle and the market beneath it had been wiped out and had everyone slaughtered. The gorons had all been captured and were going to be dragon food. The zora's beautiful domain had been frozen. The zora who had not fled had met the same fate as their home. The gerudo had been made to look like fools, betrayed by their own king. The people of Kakario Village had been forced to work as hard as slaves, while receiving almost nothing. The Korkri had lost their guardian and their home had been the home to fiends and monsters for seven years.
Yet, even as she told herself that her people shouldn't blame her, she felt a fear ebbing at her strength. She was carrying the child of Ganondorf, the King of Evil. People would fear her as long as she carried it and they would fear it from the moment it was born, till the day of its death.
The princess knew she didn't have much of a choice. She could already hear the crowd of people outside cheering for her. She looked behind her. The only thing standing in the way of running was Link. He wouldn't stop her. She could run now. She could leave Hyrule and raise her child in some other land. She had heard of so many wonderful places as a child. She could leave the continent and raise her child where no one would never know who its father was.
"Princess Zelda!" She reprimanded herself strictly. "Did your parents raise you a coward?" She thought to herself.
"It wouldn't be cowardice to protect your child," another voice in her head argued.
"Protect your child?" The first voice mocked. "You don't even want it!"
"Zelda?"
Link's voice broke Zelda out of her thoughts. She looked up into his converned face. The princess took another deep voice and then nodded. "I can do this," she told herself. She continued to repeat these words over and over again as she walked out onto the balcony overlooking Hyrule City.
Hyrule City had been constructed during Ganondorf's reign as king. The lord city had been constructed primarily for the rich people Ganondorf hired and worked with over the years. Quite a few of them were still alive and resented the fact that Ganondorf was gone. They had been paid so much better in those days. Now they actually had to work for a living.
Ganondorf had used this city as his second base. Therefore it had a giant balcony where someone could address a large sum of people at once, in the city hall. Now the people of Hyrule cheered for a new leader, a leader they had loved and adored in their time of need. Princess Zelda took short, graceful steps as she crossed the balcony. She arrived and put her hands on the banister. The people screamed praises and cheers at the princess. It brought a smile to her face that they had such faith in her.
Zelda raised both her arms as a signal for silence. The people quickly fell silent. The princess took one deep breath and began.
"People of Hyrule!" She cried out, her voice magically amplified so everyone could hear her. "It brings great joy to my heart to see all of you, here, united, not under slavery or evil, but under peace!"
Zelda's speech dragged on for quite some time. She addressed every problem that was left in Hyrule because of the evil king. Her kind words strengthened the people's faith in her, and all of her plans benefited each of them. The time of horror came. It was time to address the issue of her child.
"Good people, I know Ganondorf took something from each and every one of us. Many of us have lost homes, families, jobs, or worse. I know hundreds of woman were forced to endure sick and demented hours, while Ganondorf's men took advantage of their bodies…" Zelda paused. She didn't know if she could possibly continue. She looked around for support. Link was still inside, behind her. She didn't have anyone to help her. She felt her throat go very dry and her heart was thudding harder than she could ever remember. She slowly got up the courage and continued. "I too was victimized in this way."
It took a moment to sink in, but when it did the people gasped. Many of them began to curse and shout. Zelda did notice however, that none of them were cursing her. They were furious at Ganondorf and seemed to feel complete sympathy for her. It reassured her, but she knew everything would change with the next part.
"I too had to endure a time with the King of Evil, as he named himself. I had to feel his sick rough hands caress and stroke my body, for his insane pleasure."
Zelda hadn't intended it this way, but her statement had only angered them further. "How dare he defile a member of the royal family?" Some shouted. "I hope the bitch is happy in Hell!" Others called. They didn't even seem to realize that she was there anymore. The princess turned to Link for assurance. His face was cold and impassive as marble. Zelda knew him to well. The coldness in his eyes was a shield. She knew he felt a world of sympathy for the princess, along with an equal amount of hate for the dark king.
Zelda turned back to the people and began again. "The time Ganondorf used me for, has altered my life, forever." The people grew silent, although they continued to mutter about this new development. "I wish that I wasn't here right now. I wish to the gods that someone else were here to tell you this." A tear formed in Zelda's eye. She tried to blink it back, but they continued to formulate and eventually they fell. "A month ago, I would have been happy to put the entire ordeal behind me, as we are all trying to do. A month ago, I would have been happy to move on with my life, scarred, but otherwise unaffected. I regret to say, that that will never be a remote possibility." Zelda stopped. The desire to run and hide was greater than ever. The need to be with someone who she trusted was overwhelming. How could she tell them.
"What Ganondorf did to me, on that night… it will continue to affect Hyrule for generations. Now, I, Princess Zelda of the Royal House of Hyrule, carry within my womb, the child of Ganondorf, King of Evil."
Her words struck every single person in Hyrule City a physical blow. No one spoke. No one knew what to say. The great woman who had protected them for seven years, the woman who was rebuilding their lives, was carrying their worst enemy's child.
"I'm sorry," Zelda whispered as she turned and ran from the balcony, tears streaming down her cheeks, unchecked.
Link grabbed her and pulled her into his strong embrace as she came into the room. Zelda continued to sob into his chest while he tried to whisper soothing words into her ear. She didn't even hear him. The second she had told the people, it had all come back to her in full force. She could almost feel Ganondorf tearing the clothes from her body, touching her in a way that no man had the right to. She could feel him inside of her. She wanted to scream. She had wanted to cast a spell, but she couldn't control the magic. She had been so overcome by fear.
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Later that evening, Zelda was back in Hyrule Castle, in her bedroom. She gazed out her window and stared at the kingdom that she had once been thrilled to look upon. She wasn't sure how the people would react. They seemed to be taking it well, most of them.
In all honestly she didn't care what they thought anymore. Giving her speech today had brought back the memories she had been trying to put behind her in full force. She could still feel Ganondorf touching her and it made her very flesh crawl.
Link was getting worried. Zelda had locked herself inside of her bedroom upon their return and refused entry to everyone. Impa had returned from the Shadow Temple, but none of the sage's attempts at communication had succeeded. Zelda remained sequestered in her own dark thoughts.
Link didn't know much about pregnancy, but he did know that it was very important for Zelda to keep up her strength and to eat, even if she wasn't at the point where she was eating three times as much as a normal person. He was worried abut both her and the baby. He was in the least bit sure why, but he felt obligated to protect the baby, even if it was Ganondorf's and not his own.
Link still stood outside Zelda's door waiting. He hadn't left it since she had begun to ignore him. The Shadow Sage came by every once in while to see if anything had changed. Every time she would find Link, sitting against the hall wall, still in his desperate attempt.
Zelda had been in there for close to six hours now. Link hadn't heard her make a sound. Occasionally, Link pressed his ear to the door. He had heard her quietly sobbing at one point, but since then, there was nothing.
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Most people felt sympathy for the princess, but there were a few who did not believe Zelda's story. In a basement level laboratory, there was a boy and a girl. Both of them were young, maybe in their teens. The girl was probably about seventeen, while the boy was almost eighteen.
The girl was very attractive, for someone who spent most of her time underground. Her face didn't have a single blemish or mark. Her dark brown hair was tucked back under the collar of her light violet robes. There were several pouches, bags, and flasks around her belt and shoulders. There was a strange scent about her. Most of her bags were filled with flower pedals and mystic stones. Others contained vials filled with potions and other strange concoctions that she had cooked up. She wore a silver chain around her neck with a sapphire shard at the end. The sapphire's pale blue color almost matched the color of her eyes. The young woman's name was Kare, a Mage of Iyesta; the Goddess of Light.
Her lover, Thunder, was a dabbler in the magic. He had a few pouches on his belt, that contained a few magical trinkets, but he was not particularly fond of it. He preferred the intense blade upon blade art of battle. He wore a coat of chain mail beneath his white shirt and leather pants. A sword hung from the side of his belt and a dagger was attached to the side of his sword's scabbard. His neat black hair was pulled back into a pony-tail that ended just passed the shoulders.
Kare continued furiously crushing the herbs in the bowl in front of her. "I bet this is all a lie!" She fumed as she added crushed berries. "I bet she just got knocked up and now she's blaming Ganondorf!"
"We both know she's a whore, sweetie. But no one will believe us. You're a "witch" and I'm a poor soldier."
"Those days of persecution are behind us. Ganondorf is dead. The witching hunt is over. I can be considered a valuable member of society," Kare argued back.
"You're a poor "valuable member of society" and I'm still a poor soldier," he pointed out. "We're not better than peasants."
"Then we'll deal with the whore ourselves!" She raged.
"Assassinate the princess? I can't think of anything crazier."
"We have no choice!" She yelled back.
"It's not our problem!"
"It will be when some shmuck takes the throne!" She shouted. It took a moment, but once it passed, Kare calmed down. "My love, what if it truly is the son or daughter of Ganondorf? What if the heir of that tyrant becomes our ruler?"
Thunder looked up at her and nodded. "When?" He asked.
"Soon," she replied. "Soon."
"Well," Thunder said as he made his way around the table. "Soon, but not now, right?" He asked as he pulled her close.
"Soon, but not now," she replied with a nod as she felt his hands underneath her robes, starting to feel her up. "Okay, I'm done with the table. Bedroom, now," she ordered.
"Maybe later," he said just before he tore her robes wide open. "Maybe later."
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Link, Nabooru, and Knight Commander, Sir Jammis were walking briskly down the halls. Link had given up on trying to talk to Zelda almost an hour ago, while Impa had taken his place. Commander Jammis was the new head of the Hylian army. He had been a member of the original army, before Ganondorf had come in. At the time he had the rank of Lieutenant. Now, he proudly wore the ceremonial armor of a Commander.
"And several of my soldiers are hiding Ganondorf's men. There are several Gerudo who are loyal to me, but a small percentage preferred Ganondorf's… night visits," Nabooru explained.
"So what does that have to do with us?" Link asked.
"We want to do this without spilling Gerudo blood. The traitors will be imprisoned, but I refuse to let any of them die by another Gerudo blade," the Spirit Sage replied.
"But you're fine with letting us kill them?" Jammis said with a small smile.
"Make no mistake, Commander. Those women were the same ones who kicked me off my throne and gave to Ganondorf, right after they cleaned off my ass print. I don't care if they're slaughter. I just can't do it without looking as bad as Ganondorf."
"Alright. We'll send a small unit of soldiers to the Fortress, but we're still not a whole army yet, Nabooru," Link explained. "You have your orders," he said with a nod to the commander. Jammis saluted him and left briskly. As soon as he was out of earshot, Nabooru spoke.
"How is Zelda faring?"
"I don't know. She's been in her room ever since we came back for the city. She won't talk, eat, or anything," Link replied with a sigh.
"I figured as much. Ganondorf never impregnated any of my women, but he did rape more than one," the Gerudo queen said half expectantly. "Have you considered returning the Sacred Sword?"
Link nodded. "I tried. The sword won't return me to the past," he explained. "I thought that might happen. That's why I came up with a plan."
"Wait," Link interrupted. "What made you think that that might happen?"
"You've been in this time to long to change it. Fate has been written out a certain way and it refuses to change. If you had affected nothing of this time, then you could still return. Instead you've ended a war, helped rebuild an entire kingdom, and the list goes on if you count the single lives you've influenced," she explained.
"Oh. Okay," he replied, while trying to figure out what she just said. "You said you had a plan?" He asked abandoning the attempt.
"Yes. There is an artifact, which was made by a very powerful oracle several hundred years ago, in a distant land. Impa and I have located the area where it was buried. If we are correct, however, you can use the magic inside of it, the Ocarina of Time, and the Master Sword to go back in time."
"And stop Ganondorf from rising to power?"
"No, as I said before, you've had to large an effect on history to do that much. You can, however, go back to the night when Ganondorf raped Zelda, and stop it from happening."
Link's face brightened. "We could stop it from happening?"
Nabooru nodded. "The artifact, The Harp of Ages, is located inside of the oracle's tomb, in the land of Labrynna. If you can find it-,"
"I'll find it!" Link said firmly.
"When you find it, do not use it yourself. Bring it back to us," she said very clearly. Link nodded.
"Do you have a map?" He asked.
"Yes. It's in my room, here," she replied.
"Show me."
Nabooru led Link down the halls of the west tower, towards her private chamber. Shortly after Link defeated Ganondorf, the sages had all been given private chambers in the castle.
Nabooru hadn't really done much with her room. She did not particularly like visiting anywhere outside of the desert. She found the weather to be grossly uncomfortable and she hated waking up in the morning and not feeling the sand between her toes. The other sages were uncomfortable as well.
The room was scarcely furnished. All there was in the room was a bed, a table, a few chairs, and a dresser. There was a case on the table, which contained the map. Nabooru took it off the table and handed it to him.
"You should leave first thing tomorrow," she advised.
"I'm leaving now," he replied. "Labrynna is about a day's ride away. I'll be there and back in less than a week."
Before Nabooru could respond, Link left the room, to pack. He was ready to leave within an hour.
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Zelda awoke the next morning and looked around. She hadn't meant to fall asleep. She didn't even remember resting her eyes. The princess hauled herself off her bed and went to her door. She still wasn't ready to talk to anyone, but she needed to keep up both her strength and the baby's strength.
She made her way down the halls towards the dining hall. There was no one inside, but the table was still full of food. She was slightly surprised that Link wasn't there or hadn't left a mess. The table hadn't even been touched and looked as if it had sat out for at least an hour.
Zelda let out a sigh of relief as she sat down. She still didn't want to be with anyone at the moment. The idea of sulking was still appealing. The best part was that she could do it anywhere. She was doing it now as she scooped a couple of raw onions onto her plate.
Zelda was half way through her strange meal of cream and onions before she realized what she was eating. "Disgusting," she muttered… and then shoved another piece of onion in her mouth.
When Zelda was finished with her abnormal meal, which was almost twice the size of her average food consumption, she stood up and decided to return to her room. Still, as she continued through the halls, she saw no one.
Zelda opened the door to her room and looked up. "Who are you?" Zelda demanded when she saw a man lying on her bed. He smiled and jumped up. The man rounded on Zelda shoved her back into her closed door.
"Tell the people the truth, my lady," he said in mock tones as his fingers wrapped around her throat. "Tell them," he said turning suddenly serious and his eyes filling with flames.
Zelda tried to croak something out, but she couldn't breathe. She tried to pry his fingers away from her neck.
"Help," she cried to the door as she saw something move.
A woman stepped into the room. "Hello, Zelda," the woman said with a sardonic smile.
"Kare?" Zelda asked in surprise.
"Sweetie," Kare said with a wave of her hand. Thunder released Zelda. She collapsed to the floor. The princess was overcome by a fit of coughing for several seconds before she managed to regain her composure. She defiantly cast a scathing glance at Kare and the brute of a man standing beside her. Zelda could only guess that this was Kare's latest boy-toy.
"Don't give me that look, bitch," Kare muttered.
Zelda pulled herself to her feet and defiantly threw her head back, pulling the hair out of her face. "What do you want, Kare?" Zelda asked impatiently. "I don't have time for this."
"I'm making you a simple offer, Shiek. Tell the people of Hyrule the truth. Stop being the cowardly little girl you've were for seven years."
"What truth Kare?" Zelda asked irritably.
"That you got knocked up and blamed Ganondorf," Thunder blurted out.
Zelda's mouth dropped and she glared at Kare with ice cold eyes. "How dare you?" The princess fumed. "Kare, I thought I understood why you acted the way you do, but now I'm at a loss."
"Ganondorf raped me, you bitch. He never touched you and now people are going to treat you like a victim!" Kare shouted.
"I'm pregnant with Ganondorf's child, Kare. I didn't make up anything."
"Deny it all you want. I know you, Shiek. You almost got the rebellion killed, because of that boy." Zelda was about to point out that Link defeated Ganondorf, but Kare continued quickly. "Thunder, kill her."
Zelda turned to the big man and called a complex spell that Kare had never learned, at least as far as she knew, to her mind.
Before she could call forth the spell, Thunder's hand was around her neck again. Zelda was pinned to the wall. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't focus on the magic. The words to the spell had slipped from her lips before she could say them.
"Link," she croaked.
Now I have become the jackass who ends it right there. Please read and review and feel free to send in ideas.
