A/N: 'Hylian' refers to a specific race of people. 'Hyrulian' refers to "all peoples that live in the land of Hyrule, who may be of any race." (Source: Zelda wiki. Entry: Hyrulean)

Chapter II: An Unexpected Gift

The sun was at its peak when Zelda finally woke. Her arms were still caked in the horse's blood. She had made herself stay and watch as he bled out, painting the grass below a sickly dark red. Because she had been the one to take its life, she would see it through to the end, no matter how much it hurt.

Impa had emerged from the trees only at the end, resting an arm around her shoulders as the last bit of blood spurted from the beast's neck. They stood in mutual silence, surveying the scene before them. It was only for a moment however, and then it was back to work. Together, they cut up the carcass and stored what meat they could in two leather knapsacks. Zelda noticed that they had contained almost no other provisions. By the time the girl was finally able to collapse and leave the dismal world behind, the sky was almost light enough to read by.

Impa did not give her much time to reflect on the events of the previous evening when she shook the princess awake. A bite of meat, a sip of water, and they were off, deeper into the forest.

"With Hyrule Castle taken, the realms of the Goron and the Zora lay wide open to Ganondorf's will," Impa explained. "The forest is the only place that might offer any protection. It is a treacherous place, but useful for those who can see its secrets."

Zelda did not feel protected. Every tree was a hiding spot for a servant of Ganondorf. Every sound was the rustle of a patient hunter. Worst of all was that it all looked the same. Every direction she looked was not just similar but identical in every aspect. Every tree, every clump of bushes, was the same as the previous one. The thick canopy concealed all but the trace vestiges of light, so that Zelda could not even tell the east from the west. Somehow, Impa continued forward with no hesitation.

"I look with the eyes of truth, child," Impa said softly when Zelda asked about it. Impa had mentioned her eyes before, but she had never been willing to go into detail. Whenever she had impossibly caught the princess pilfering from the kitchens or sneaking out of the castle, it was always because she saw with the Eyes of Truth. Zelda had begun to think it merely a joke, a not-explanation to keep Zelda from gaining an advantage in her mischief. Now, it seemed that she did indeed see more clearly than ought to be possible.

The pain started around evening. They had just finished a hasty dinner in a small clearing that Impa had managed to find. Zelda would almost had called it unique, but she suspected that there must also exist several identical clearings elsewhere in the tangled forest. She was putting her pack back on when she felt a sting working its way through her right hand. She tried to ignore it at first. Zelda knew that Impa was becoming frustrated with her weakness. Impa had never said anything, but she could see it in the slight twitch of her lips when Zelda asked for food, her restless gait, her tight jaw. Impa needed her to be strong, so she grit her teeth and tried to push through the pain.

It hurt so much though. The pinprick radiated outward until the entire back of her hand was consumed by the sensation. She clamped her teeth shut to keep from crying out.

"What's wrong?" Impa said, instantly at her side. Zelda shook her head back and forth, unwilling to open her mouth. It was nothing. She was fine. Impa caught her by the crown of her head, forcing her to look at the woman.

"What's wrong?" she repeated, more forcefully this time.

"My hand," Zelda whimpered. By that time it was jittering up and down. The princess tried to restrain it, but the hand seemed to be moving of its own volition.

Impa swore. Her eyes were distant, off in that far-distant place they had retreated to whenever Zelda spoke of dreams. The Sheikah wrapped her arms about the princess and rocked her. Zelda grabbed her arm with her left hand. To even think about her right was unbearable.

"It would seem that the goddesses are not yet done with you," Impa whispered. Zelda didn't care. She just wanted the pain to stop.

She tried to say she was sorry. She was sorry for not being strong enough to stop Ganondorf. She was sorry for slowing Impa down while they were fleeing the castle. She was sorry for everything, but she couldn't tell Impa that. Whenever she opened her mouth a howl emerged. Impa just stroked her hair and told her everything would be all right, just like she had done when Zelda was a little girl.

She didn't know when the pain had given way to blissful unconsciousness. The last thing she definitely remembered was a desperate attempt to bite off her inflamed hand. There was now only a dull soreness. Looking back, it was almost ridiculous that she had been willing to lose her entire hand just because it had hurt for a bit.

However, the most striking part of her experience was what had happened while unconscious. Her head had filled with visions of the sort she had not seen since that fateful storm had heralded Ganondorf's arrival. A cacophony of images swirled about her against the endless backdrop of space. She saw the whole of the Lost Woods laid out before her. In that instant, she fully knew its pattern. Each tree, each little stone, was unique. They each had a life-pattern of their own, weaving together in a subtle tapestry that made of the whole forest. The heart had a different fabric than the border, which in turn was different from the strange sources of magic she sensed within.

She saw the history of the Hylians, stepping out of the sky to build a new world for themselves on the vast surface. All over, the races of Hyrule joined to aid the new residents. The long-forgotten Picori emerged from their tiny homes and instructed the Hylians in the ways of magic. The Gorons taught them to build structures far stronger than their original homes. Not all were friendly, however. There were also countless wars fought over the sky-people. Terrible powers all after the Triforce, held off by a lone boy in green from the forest. As Hyrule carved out its bloody history, that one beacon of light kept returning. His face varied over the years, but always she could tell that the hero was the same boy who had snuck into her courtyard so many months ago.

Finally, when Hyrule at last fell, and her legends were lost to time, and the very lands on which she rested were consumed by a vast fiery orb, the Goddess of Wisdom herself descended from the heavens. She was not the fair blue-haired maiden who was known to occasionally come to bless mortals with a smile and a song. Zelda beheld her in her full glory. 'Big' was not enough to describe her. Her golden body expanded until it filled all of space, and Zelda was but a grain of dust hovering before her eye. Blue light flared from her pristine skin, tinging the entire universe with its ethereal presence. It was the color of the sky, Zelda realized. A remnant of the goddess had always been there with Hyrule, watching over her beloved creation.

She had not yet reached her full potential. She was holding back, that the princess might comprehend her. Despite Nayru's impossible size, Zelda was still aware of every bit of her. She knew of all the folds of what passed as skin, every perfectly formed limb protruding form her body, and more. She sensed within her joy and fear and bitter desolation. It was different from what she felt, but it was there nonetheless, and it was clear that Zelda was before a presence that was distinctively Hyrulian. Or more accurately, it was she and all her people who were akin to the goddesses. For all their glory, for all their splendour, all their Power, Wisdom, and Courage, they and their creatures shared the same heart.

Zelda wept before her goddess. Then Nayru did something truly surprising.

She kissed her.

It was a soft tingle upon her brow that spread down until her entire body quivered in ecstasy. She was surrounded in a chorus of divine music that pierced through the sorrow of the past and lifted her into a realm of hope. Zelda was lost in the song, carried away in its timeless melody. However, all things must end, and soon the vision began to give way to the dull greens of the forest.

"Take my gift, my child," was the last thing she heard before the universe collapsed to a point, and Zelda found herself resting against a tree.

"I just had the most beautiful dream," she murmured, but Impa pulled her from her reverie.

"Your hand, Zelda. Look at your hand."

A single golden triangle shone clearly on the surface of her pale skin. She blinked in surprise. She had heard tales of the mystic power, but she had never dreamed that a part of it might be hers.

The implications hit her shortly thereafter.

"He failed." Link could not protect the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf had defiled it with his magic. She had put all her hope in him, and the King of the Gerudo had cut him down like the boy he was.

Rest well, Hero of Hyrule.

She had led him to his death. She had brought him into her battle with Ganondorf, and he had paid with his life. She felt her heart tightening. It wasn't fair. She could picture him lying there, in the Temple of Time. She could see his small hands, clumsily wrapped around the Master Sword, a futile defense against one so powerful. He lay there, abandoned, as Ganondorf stepped into the Temple of Light and claimed the sacred relic for his own.

"There will be time for mourning when Ganondorf is dead." Impa's voice cut into her thoughts. "Think, Zelda," she continued before Zelda could snap back. "Ganondorf touched the Triforce and now possesses at least a third of it. The Triforce is linked to itself. As soon as he learns to use it, he will find you. Wherever you are, he will find your piece."

"Must we fight him, then?" Zelda asked as she rubbed at her hand. Even with the blessing of Nayru, she felt unfit to face his wrath.

"We dare not. Not as we are." Impa had slung her pack, so Zelda climbed grudgingly to her feet. "There are places that weave magics which can hide even the power of the goddesses – for a time. We were fleeing to such a place anyway, but now haste is even more urgent."

Zelda struggled to keep up with Impa's renewed vigor. The straps of her weighted pack dug into her shoulders, and her feet were already raw from the past day's travel, but she stayed at the woman's side. She had to jog at times to keep up, but she did not fall behind.

"Which piece do you have?"

"Wisdom," Zelda responded with no hesitation. Even without the vision of Nayru, she somehow knew, just as surely as she knew her arms belonged to her.

"Ganondorf likely has Power then," Impa muttered. "But who then for Courage?"

"He has both." Her pronouncement made Impa stop short. Zelda was equally surprised. The thought had come to her all on its own, almost fully formed.

"Explain." She narrowed her eyes at the young princess.

"He is vain." She closed her eyes as she attempted to trace out the chain of logic that had presented itself. "He would not kill Link before making him see his failure was complete. He splits the Triforce and gets Power. He then draws Courage from Link's body." It made too much sense to be wrong. Zelda focused on the strain on her lower back to keep her mind from fear.

"Yes, the child would likely have received the other third." Impa said after a pause. She resumed walking, and Zelda trotted beside her. Her calves had started to regain feeling while they were standing still, and once more she found them aching. "Until we learn better, we should assume the worst."

As they continued walking, Zelda realized that she was once more hopelessly lost. The clarity of her vision had faded until the trees were merely trees again. She even found herself forgetting the scenes of Hyrule's history. There was one part she dearly wished she could remember, but she could not even tell what it was about anymore. Her stomach fell as she realized the magnitude of her loss.

Nayru was still with her, however. She was the one part of the vision she knew she would always have. Zelda could almost see the goddess standing before her when she closed her eyes. She put the thought from her head. Ganondorf was hunting them. She had to stay focused. She had to stay strong.

It had been so easy to oppose him, back in the castle. Surrounded by high stone walls and a loyal contingent of guards, she had felt free to plot with no regard for the consequences. He would not have been able to strike back. Now she was trapped in a strange forest. Sweaty, bloody, and completely exhausted, she did not feel like the a strong princess who could stand up to the man from the desert. Whatever schemes she may come up with, whatever slight advantage she might hope to gain, all her efforts were laughable against his terrible ferocity. She had thought to protect the Triforce from him, but he had bathed himself in her people's blood and took it anyway.

Her only remaining hope was that Wisdom, at least, was hers. The tiny triangle glowed softly on her hand, pushing back at least the immediate darkness. Nayru was with her. Impa stood ready by her side. Together, they would survive. Somehow, they would make it through Ganondorf's reign.