Chapter V.

Zelda spent the rest of the night thinking. Her nimble fingers drummed her desk, frustratedly. She tried to prioritize, but every time she thought she had a reliable plan, another priority would pop into her head and tarnish her scheme like a tent in the rain. Eventually, her depression-spiral grew more ponderous and heavy. Her emotions were muffled. Zelda mused how it felt like she was a floating body in the water after a massive storm, barely alive yet not struggling for life. She inhaled a long, heavy breath before releasing it.

"Link will have to wait, tonight." She affirmed, thinking about her friend. She placed a hand to her temple, knocking the knuckle against the small groove. How long had it been since she had felt her own delicate skin, clean and unscathed? "But tomorrow can't. How will I make an announcement?"

Her plight expanded like a mold-ridden sponge the more she considered the ratio between those who have died dead and those who were traitors. Who would be left to carry out a single rebellion? The question resonated in her mind, throwing millions of smaller questions around. If any were left, how strong were they? What did the village look like now? How many of her people were even still alive? She averted her eyes to the window.

"Vaati." The name stung her lips. "Yet another thing I have to worry about."

Her head spun. She was strong enough to carry her own, she knew. There was no way she was going to roll over and give up, but when her kingdom was ruled by one mad man, what could she possibly do to stop another mad man from coming in and taking over as well? It would take all of her strength to take Ganondorf down from his thrown alone.

As if Vaati be strong enough to take on Ganon. She inwardly scoffed. That certainly begs the question: who's the greater fool? The fool, or the fool that follows him?

A bitter smirk crossed her lips. She wasn't worried since Ganon could just crush Vaati under his boot. Then again, Ganondorf still wouldn't have budged from his position of power if that were the case. She ran her palm across her cheek, mindlessly. She rose to her feet and peered outside the stained glass window, straining her eyes to see passed the bright color; a garrison had positioned itself around the castle. Each female warrior stood with spears and swords in their hands, ready for any enemy creature to approach.

She couldn't say she was disgusted or disturbed; she was actually amused by the sight. The soldiers appeared to guard each other, even flashing each other reassuring glances. Even with her limited vision, she could still see the stars pierce the sky. No matter who ruled the kingdom, the stars would still shine in the darkest of nights. Zelda stepped away from the window, trying to collect her thoughts again. It was a bit late for her, but that didn't matter. She had stayed up later before as a child.

After pacing back and forth, she came to the sad conclusion that she couldn't change her world without first changing the way she thought of her situation. A muffled scream snapped her back to reality.

"Good Goddesses!" Zelda gasped, instinctively clutching her chest. She turned towards the window where the scream evolved into a bark.

"Stop, Prisoner!" An aggressive voice bellowed from outside.

Zelda dashed over to the window. Through the colored glass, she could make out a young man dash out into the night with a sword and shield by his sides. The Gerudo guards started to chase the runaway, but the leader of them came to an abrupt halt.

"Let him go." Zelda could hear her order the rest of them. The other guards cocked their heads to the side and let out frustrated whines, but eventually slumped back into position. "He's too weak to get very far, and no where to run. His friends are all dead."

Zelda's heart fell to her stomach. Without a moment's hesitation, she opened her chamber doors and dashed down the corridor. Despite her fast legs, she felt like she was running in slow motion. Everything around her became blurs of colors and hollow noises. Her chest burned with each huffing breath of the thin, dry air.

A strong arm managed to slam itself across Zelda's waist like a bar. Her chest expelled the air, causing her to gag and wheeze.

"No, Zelda!" A voice warned her. "You mustn't!"

"Impa, please!" Zelda wheezed, struggling against Impa. "I need to see him!"

"It'll be better this way." Impa assured Zelda, gritting her teeth as she continued to restrain the young princess. "Don't ruin this chance he has to save us!"

"He'll die!" Zelda argued. Tears welled around her eyes at the thought of seeing Link's lifeless corpse in a wheelbarrow.

"There's nothing we can do right now." Impa choked out, releasing her arms. "Worry about yourself right now."

Zelda stopped her attempt to reach the door. She sighed, calming herself down.

"Link…my friend…" She breathed, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "I don't know if I can do this alone."

"You're never alone, Zelda." Impa rested a hand on the young princess's shoulder. "Your Highness, you appear in all of your splendor every day. You have captured the hearts of many and still have wonder in the hearts of those too afraid to say so. You won't ever have to be afraid."

"I kept screwing up." Zelda uttered in a shaky voice. "This was supposed to be my brother's job, not mine!"

"Yet not even your brother could've stopped this." Impa assured her. "Sometimes, bad people just get what they want."

"That's very black and white." Zelda spun on her heel to meet her maid's eyes. "I've never enjoyed the term 'bad people.'"

"I know." Her maid nearly chuckled. "But with all of the complex ideas that may be running through your mind, this is an easily understood concept."

The princess placed a hand to her head. "I have to carry on."

Impa removed her had from Zelda's shoulder. "And carry on you will."