Author's Note: So fun fact, I was writing this chapter out, and it got really long... so I decided to break it up. I therefore actually have some of the next chapter already done! Though now that school is in full swing, I am not sure when I will be able to complete it but hopefully soon! Anyways, thank you to the few people who left reviews in the last chapter! It was definitely good to hear from you about what you all truthfully thought about me as an author and about this story. Thanks! Also, I hope you are all ready for somewhat of a shakeup! I'm not giving it away, you have to read the story on your own to see what happens! Oh and shout out to Marginallyflailing! Thanks for being an awesome friend and for your support! And for letting me win so easily when we played Zelda Monopoly the other day ;)
Thank you to all of my returning supporters and to all of the new readers!
Chapter 8
"The kingdom is falling apart!"
"Zelda don't say that!"
"Well we're all thinking it, Father! What's wrong with me saying it then?"
"Zelda that is enough!" The king rose and slammed his fist on the table, catching the many royal advisors in the room by surprise, making them jump in their seat. "I thought you were old enough to participate in these meetings but clearly that was ill judgement on my part."
"No Father. The only ill judgement going on here is your refusal to deny the current state of your- of our kingdom! I mean, when was the last time you left this castle?"
"Zelda, I will not accept this backtalk that- "
"People, even just down in Castle Town are dying everyday! Yet, you would rather pour our money and resources into fighting the Gerudo out west?!"
"You may have been young when this chaos started, princess, but the Gerudo were the ones who attacked us first," one of the advisors meekly stated.
"Yes this man is completely correct," the king nodded his head in agreement. "We were the prey, the targets in this entire catastrophe."
"I agree with you, Father. We were the targets because you are the one who painted it for them!" The king's eyes narrowed slightly as he gave his daughter a cautioned look. "You blamed Link for a murder that you have no proof he committed. We do not know who murdered Ganondorf, and we may never know. But you put the blame solely on Link's shoulders, and all the nation of Gerudo saw was an assassination on their leader, possibly sanctioned by us! That is why this whole, bloody war started Father! It's all your fault!" the princess shouted, letting the words she had so badly want to say to her father many times before, roll off of her tongue.
"Zelda that is enough!" The king once again slammed the table, startling those around it, even the princess. "I thought you were old enough to partake in our meetings but it is clear your teenage heart is not mature enough to handle these types of talks objectively."
"My heart yearns for the lives of every Hylian, Father"
"But it yearns most for that boy, Link." Zelda caught her breath as his words cascaded around the room. "And you will never be able to judge "Zelda, get out of here." She remained seated staring defiantly at her father. "Now!"
Zelda gazed into her father's eyes before throwing her hands onto the table. She angrily pushed against it, sliding the chair backwards, before swiveling out of her seat and stomping out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
She stormed into the hallway and past a curious Impa who quickly caught up to the angry princess.
"I take it that it did not go well?"
"Did not go well?" The princess huffed out. "He kicked me out of the room! I mean, why invite me to join a meeting with the advisors if he is just going to… insult my opinion of things?!"
Impa walked alongside the princess who furiously stomped her way towards her place of solitude: the Courtyard.
"Princess, what did you say that irked him so?"
"The truth, Impa! I said the truth! And he couldn't bear to hear it! He embarrassed me in front of a group of people whose trust I still have yet to obtain."
"Zelda, I'm sure that- "
"They see me as just a little girl still."
"Princess, you are just fifteen."
"Exactly! Fifteen! Sixteen in a few months. That is not the age of a child!"
Zelda threw open the door in front of her and marched on forward.
"There is no use in being upset about the events that have transpired today."
"I'm not upset, Impa."
"Well then, what would you say you are feeling presently?"
"I don't know Impa. I'm just…"
"You're thinking about him again, and what this kingdom has done to him, aren't you?" Zelda did not reply.
They finished their walk in silence. Finally reaching her destination, Zelda twisted around and politely asked Impa for some time to herself, to which her nursemaid obliged.
Zelda slowly made her way to a small patch of Blue Nightshades. She knelt down and played with the petals in her hands, her fingers slipping through them as her nose slowly filled with their lovely aroma. Their smell always did well to help her calm down, and though they were not her favorite flower, that being the Silent Princess, this flora still helped her to escape. She rose back up to her feet and gingerly made her way across the grassy knoll. The sun had been hidden behind the clouds all day, briefly making an appearance here and there. But now, as she sat down on the snowy white stairs, as a few memories, joined by her tears, ran amok, so did the rainfall. It wasn't heavy, per say, but it was enough to accent her already glum mood. She sat there letting her emotions pour out. For how long, she did not know, or care for that matter. For in that instance, she needed to relieve her young mind from the stress and sadness running rampant in her mind.
At one point, she must've fallen asleep as the princess had no recollection of a blanket being lightly placed over her. Wiping at her once sodden eyes, she wrapped the blanket tightly around her and got up. She didn't say much to the guards or the few servants she ran into on her way back to her room. All she could muster was a lowly smile.
Eventually, she reached her room. She walked in and closed the door behind her, letting the blanket slip off of her as she turned back around to look about her room. Nothing had changed. It was all the same as when she had been a child. Her bed, her dresser, all in the same place. Maybe her father had a point. Maybe she really wasn't old enough to understand it all yet.
A small smile grew on her face when she walked over to the corner of her room and peeled back the bent floorboard there. Zelda peered at what had been hidden underneath. Her hands reached down and grabbed at the items there.
She walked over to her bed and carefully let them down before jumping onto the bed herself. Propping herself up with pillows, she reached out to admire the first item to have ever been hidden in that secret place of hers: the Ocarina of Time. She mused as memories of the first time she had tried to play the instrument surfaced. Her mother had always played for her on the instrument when she was a young girl. Often times, the notes she played ever so softly would be the last thing she heard before drifting off to play in her dreams. When she was about six, her mother, after constant nagging from the young princess, had told her that if she could learn to play her song, Zelda's Lullaby, on the ocarina, then she could have it. Zelda smiled remembering how some days, she would spend hours in the courtyard trying to perfect the notes only to be disappointed day after day. In fact, it wasn't until Link had shown up that she finally learned that all those years she had been playing it wrong.
Her smile faltered at the very thought of his name. How long had it been now? Almost six year. Six long and conflict-ridden years. And yet, here she was, doing what she had been doing all those years ago. Waiting… just waiting.
Zelda put the ocarina to the side and reached for the next item. How could she not light up and giggle slightly when she picked up the slingshot Link had given to her for her birthday all those years ago. She remembered staying up late into the night with him by her side, flinging rocks and Deku Seeds at unexpecting guests and soldiers. And of course, how could she not think about that time when her and Link snuck off to the town below the castle and accidentally shot a rock right into the buttocks of pretty, young lady. Luckily for the two children, the lady did not seem to place any blame on them, for she did not see them hide behind one of the many stalls in the Bazaar. Unfortunately for a passing by gentleman, she had begun to yell at him for reaching behind her and tapping her on her behind, to which the young man of course denied doing. The two had filled the town's center with yelling, as she kept accusing him of doing such an indecent act and he kept denying such allegations. It must have lasted the better part of a half an hour but Zelda couldn't be quite sure, as all she could really remember was how hard her and Link laughed throughout the entire time ordeal. Funny enough, Zelda had heard through the grapevine that a few years later, the two had wound up joining in a union.
She placed the slingshot down eventually and she sifted through a few more of her hidden belongings. There was a small harp that her mother said once belonged to the Goddess Hylia, though Zelda had always doubted that, a purple, mirror-like object that revealed secrets hidden in plain sight, though Link had always just used it to cheat at the treasure chest game in town, a bizarre mask Link had given her that he claimed had turned him into a Goron but of course he could never prove it in front of her and many other small keepsakes and treasures of hers. None of them peaked her interest however as much as the few rolled up pieces of paper did. She clutched them in her hands and carefully untied the fraying string that had kept them rolled up together. Once undone, they slid down into her lap, one falling off of the bed entirely. She placed the papers next to her and reached down to the side of her bed, picking up the parchment that had fallen. Her eyes glanced across the top of it, a few stamps of stables and outposts this paper had traveled through littered the top. It wasn't until her eyes danced across the first few words that her heart skipped a beat. It was then that she immediately remembered what this stack of papers had been.
To Princess Zelda,
Princess,
Zelda,
Zelly,
After the previous headers had been scratched out, Zelda smiled as she read the words:
Hey you,
I just wanted to say… well… Happy birthday! I really wish I could've been there for you on your special day. I especially know how much you dread being alone at your birthday party but if you get this letter, that means Malon is there! And I know you and her are like best friends so at least you can spend the night with someone who will make it fun! And speaking of Malon, I'm gonna try my best to send you a letter every once in a while. I'll address it to Malon who can deliver it for me as I'm sure all royal mail gets read before being delivered so to avoid that, I'm going to address these letters to Lon Lon Ranch. But enough of these finnicky technicalities. I hope you've been well. I know ever since I left, things have been pretty rocky. I actually ran into a Gerudo woman who is leaving Hyrule for the same reason I am. She wishes to escape witnessing the upcoming horrors. A passing by Hylian, upon hearing the news from me, changed his course to avoid Hyrule completely. Because we all know what is about to happen. The winter months are coming, and with it, more conflict.
And it's all my fault.
Zelda's heart sunk at this statement.
Zelly, please be careful in the coming months. Listen to your mother and father. Listen to Impa. I know it may seem that what she does to you is… mean and she's only doing it to make you mad, but trust me Zelly. Impa, as well as everyone around you in that castle, is only trying to do what's best for you. Everyone except maybe that one servant, Meredith.
The princess smiled. She remembered how whenever the two used to run amok in the castle, this one particular servant would always blame them for something rotten, and it always resulted in the two being separated for a couple hours as a way to punish them. The thing was, they never actually did any of the things she accused them of doing. They both swore to each other that she was just after them because she was jealous of the two for whatever reason that might've been. The princess had always been scared of her for that reason, but looking back on it now, it was a silly thing to be scared of.
As I said, I'm heading out of Hyrule. I need to get away from the storm that's approaching. Where I'll go? I do not know. I may wander about the Northern Mountains or explore the land beyond the woods. Danger will be omnipresent there, but I feel there to be many secrets hidden away in those rocky peaks and faraway lands. Wherever my journey may lead me, do not fill your mind with concern for my wellbeing! I can take care of myself! After all, who still owns the all-time highest score at the shooting gallery?
Zelda had always been bitter about that record. She'd come close to it one time and Malon had told her she once was one single point shy of hitting it but even to this day, Link still owned the record.
For now though, I must go. I'll write to you whenever I can. Please stay safe. Hopefully, I'll see you soon.
~ Link
Zelda lowered the paper from her eyes with a bittersweet smile. She could remember the exact moment she had first read this letter, all those years ago. Thinking back on it, her life had seemed so simple then. No daily lessons on how best to govern, no seemingly mindless trips to throne room to hear from the town's people. Back then, it was all about her, and her happiness… and her forest boy delivering to her the happiness she had been so lucky enjoy. As she bathed in nostalgia, a single tear cascaded down her cheek.
What had happened to those smiles she used to proudly wear? What had happened to the happiness that had once coursed through her veins?
It wasn't to say she never wore a fruitful smile or had nothing to be happy for. It was just somehow different. Nothing seemed to excite her or make her heart flutter like it used to. Link's occasional letters always did help but as time passed however, and as she grew older, the princess found herself grow weary of waiting for his intermittent writings. Link had grown to be her best and most trusting friend as a child. But her childhood was coming to a close and it was time to say goodbye to aspects of her life that had no place in her coming adulthood.
It was time to finally say goodbye to Link.
The king's appointed knight, or champion as he was sometimes called, escorted the king and queen's carriage as they made their way out of the castle's grounds. Zelda seldom had an excuse to ride her white steed beyond the castle's small field and therefore chose to ride Medea, her horse, instead of joining her parents in the open carriage in front of her.
Along with a small contingent of soldiers, the entourage slowly made their way down to the main gate. The princess watched as the castle glowed a brilliant pink in the rays of the setting sun. The scraping of the metal gates drew her attention back on the small party. Her eyes focused on king's knight in front of her.
She had never come to care much for this man. His smile was nonexistent, his expressions were cold. He did his job with the lowest amount of effort possible, Zelda had never trusted this man for this reason. The king had only chosen him to fill this role after the last one had fallen ill. They barely knew this man.
'Link would've made a fine champion' the princess surmised, though she immediately dismissed this thought. The last time she saw him, he had been just a boy still. He could hold his own, no doubt, among the many monsters that plagued Hyrule, but being able to protect the princess and her parents from the demons amongst the Hylians was an entirely different thing.
"Princess, take heed. There may be trouble ahead," one of the accompanying soldiers warned her, snapping her out of her deep thought. She looked ahead as the buildings of the Bazaar began to near. Momentary elation filled her as the pleasant memories of past trips into town crossed her mind, but it soon disappeared upon seeing a reward parchment plastered on the sides of some of the buildings. Upon reaching the slightly fainted poster, Zelda slowed Medea to a halt and swiveled her head to view the parchment, a frown replacing her smile.
Large, bolded letters that read: WANTED for ASSASSINATION ran across the top of the paper followed. Directly under the lettering was a sketch of a boy of maybe ten years of age, wearing an all too familiar green tunic and Kokiri style cap. Underneath the sketch, marked by red ink, read: Reward 5,000 Rupees.
Zelda sneered at the poster every time she saw it. There had never been enough circumstantial evidence to pin the assassination of the Gerudo king onto Link. The princess argued this point on countless occasions to her father but every time, he refused to hear it. His stubbornness to accept altering views eventually led to these wanted signs being plastered across Hyrule, and eventually led to a faltering relationship between her and her father.
"Princess, I'd advise that we try to stay with the rest of the group. It would be better for us to stay in larger numbers."
Zelda turned to look ahead, where the carriage had pulled away from them and saw a crowd beginning to form around it. She turned her head one last time to look at the poster before clicking her tongue, urging her horse forward, her eyes staying on the poster momentarily as she began to move.
The accompanying soldier and Zelda had begun to close the distance between themselves and the carriage when they were suddenly cut off by a group of townspeople, all of them taunting and shouting at the teenaged princess. Zelda grasped the reins of Medea, tugging on them gently, as she struggled to maintain control over her as the crowd grew closer. The soldier by this point had tried yelling at her through the noise to keep on pushing through but his voice was drowned out by the rioting crowd. They soon began tugging on Zelda's legs, trying to pull her onto the ground. She frantically kicked her legs, trying to escape their grasp. Medea began to stumble backwards and shake her head as the crowd swarmed them. The princess quickly looked back but her eyes grew large as she watched the soldier get dragged off of his horse and onto the ground below. He lay there for a brief second, staring at the princess, but the two quickly lost sight of each other as the mob surrounded him and threw fists and kicks at him. Zelda watched as this young man was pummeled by the very people he was serving, and began panicking. She turned her attention back forward to the carriage in front, which was being rocked violently. Horror struck her face as she saw the king's knight suddenly jump off of his horse and begin swinging his sword at the many Hylians around him. The other soldiers accompanying them began to follow suit, yelling at the crowd to disperse while simultaneously swiping their swords at them, trying to get them to move away from the royal figures. This tactic enjoyed slight success as the crowd began to give way for the carriage to trot forward.
Unfortunately for the princess, she was a good sixty yards from the nearest soldier, meaning she would have to get out of this alone. The princess clung to the reins of Medea as both of her legs were being tugged on. The horse tried to keep its calm, trying to raise its head and keep the Hylians around from grabbing at it. However, the princess's efforts to keep Medea calm proved to be futile as one of the town's folk reached for and yanked on the horse's tail. The horse began bucking its back legs, no doubt impaling some of the rioters behind it square in the chest. Zelda tried her best to stay seated as each buck sent her flailing about in the air. The princess clung to the reins but the force at which the horse was bucking was enough to send her flying into the air. She desperately attempted to grab at the reins as she flew off the saddle, the rope-like material slipping through her hands but luckily, her index finger barely managed to wrap around it at the last second. Using every bit of strength she could muster, she tried pulling herself back onto the saddle, having to also kick away the men and women who were reaching for her dress and legs to yank her off the horse completely. After what felt like several minutes, she managed to clamber back onto the saddle. She tried to steal a quick peak in front of her, only to find her hope of escaping this situation be stolen from her. Some of soldiers protecting her parents appeared to look injured, with a few falling to the ground only moments later.
Zelda couldn't deny it. For the first time in her entire life, she felt scared. All her life, there had always been someone there to protect her, someone she could truly count on to get her out of whatever mess she found herself in. And whether it had been Impa, who had decided to stay back and watch the castle, or Link, both were able to keep the princess calm while they defended her. But for the first time ever, she had truly felt defenseless.
The noble, white steed suddenly found itself getting spooked and reacted by whinnying and rearing its two front legs in the air, sending the surprised teenager into the air. Sadly, her attempts to remain on her horse this time were fruitless. The princess landed on the ground with a thud, her back smacking hard against the cobblestone. Momentarily, Zelda laid there squirming in pain. The impact of the landing briefly caused a loss of breath but she quickly recovered and immediately reached for the small Kokiri Sword hidden in the folds under her dress. She jumped up to her feet and pointed the sword outwards, spinning quickly in a circle. The faces of many townspeople washed through her vision. There was no denying it, this battle was surely over. The princess tried not to tear up, she couldn't let them beat her that way. She had to remain strong, just like Impa had taught her. She heard her name being yelled at her in her mother's tone but there was no way she could set her sight on the queen. She had to focus on remaining valiant in this time of imminent defeat. She took a swipe at one of the men wielding a pitchfork but as she was retracting the short sword, someone managed to strike her hand, causing the sword to tumble out of her hand. She immediately knelt down to pick it up but as her hand reached out for it, the sword was kicked away from her. Screaming and chanting littered the air but in that one instance, all she heard was the metal of her sword skid against the cobblestone street away from her. She watched it disappear behind the many legs before sighing out heavily and raising her hands above her. This action was met by cheers as her hands were forced down and behind her.
"Down with the monarchy!" screamed a chanting man who spat on her garment as she was paraded by.
"Down with Hyrule!" yelled a lady adorning torn up robing. Zelda tried to pause and look at the baby in the lady's arms, but she was quickly jerked forward towards the cart that held the small resistance fighting against the crowd to protect the king and queen.
The crowd parted as the princess was corralled forward.
"Zelda!" the queen, Hylia, yelled once her daughter had come into her line of sight. The townspeople snickered and jeered at hearing the queen's distraught tone. As the princess was brought before her parents, restrained at her wrists, the clashing of swords between the few remaining soldiers and townsfolk ceased. All eyes were suddenly upon her, the hostage. "Zelda, sweetie, stay strong. We will figure this out," her mother reassuringly conveyed.
The princess lovingly smiled at her mother before adopting a rather stern face.
"There is no need to worry about me, mother. I do not believe there is any malice amongst these fine folks. I think they only wish to open up dialogue with you both."
"How could you be so rash in your thought towards these… these cowards who are using a fifteen-year-old girl as a ploy?" her father quickly erupted, standing up in his seat.
"You know, yer highness," a man suddenly spoke up. He walked forward and bowed only slightly, more in mockery than that of respect. "You really oughta listen to yer… rather charming daughter." As he said this, he brought himself to the princess's side and creepily sniffed along her neck, casting a devilish smile after. The princess tried her best to not acknowledge this lowly act of his. "We really do mean ye no harm. It's just… rather impossible to gain an audience with ye in the castle so… I guess the blood ridden streets of Castle Town will do, don't ye think?" he finished with a chuckle.
The king glared down at the man.
"Then let us open up a conversation. Just don't even think about harming my daughter, your princess."
The man reacted by appearing to look taken back.
"What?! Me harm the fair, maiden of Hyrule? A thought like that would never cross my mind." The fowl smelling man ran his hand through her hair and brought his lips right up to her ear, whispering into it, "That is, unless you were to find yourself lost in a dark alley one day. I'm sure you could provide me with some... great entertainment." He licked his lips once while Zelda tried her best to stare straight ahead of her. He finally began backing away from her. "No, you see yer highness, what we, the… fair and just people of Castle Town and of your disaster of a kingdom want, is you to end this merciless war with the Gerudo and let the people take back a Hyrule that is rightfully theirs."
The king scoffed at his request though the crowd around him cheered.
"I cannot just… end a five year long war like that, especially when we are so close to victory. Do you not have any sense of pride for your country, or any respect for those that have perished fighting for this fair kingdom?"
"Oh believe me, yer highness, I have nothing but respect for them. But unlike you who has enjoyed living up there, in that… fancy shmancy castle of yours," he said while pointing to the castle to his right, "I have witnessed the horror of your war first hand." He paused and began describing an attack on Castle Town that had left many dead a few months prior.
"We did our best to protect the town!" Zelda spoke up, interrupting him after she could no longer bear to hear the gory details of the raid.
"And you, yer highness, will speak only when spoken to, ye wench!" the man furiously stated, bringing his hand up to her and slapping her across the cheek with enough force to send her falling to the ground.
Zelda tried not to whimper or let her eyes get soggy. With as much courage as she could muster, she stood back up with a defiant look. She was greeted by the malicious smile of the man.
"I think this wench ye call yer daughter has caused me to feel, rather exasperated. We will resume talk later." He redirected his attention to the King and Queen. "I will keep yer daughter locked up tonight, more as… how you fancy folk would say… as collateral, should you decide not to show up tomorrow. You may proceed back up to that palace of yours. However, due to the wench's actions just now, I think some punishment needs to occur for delaying our talk."
The king's eyes narrowed as he looked down at the man.
"You better dare not hurt my daughter, do you hear me?"
The man chuckled. "Yer highness, I am a man of me word! I will not harm you daughter." Zelda relaxed slightly at hearing this. "But you didn't say anything about the fair queen of ours."
The next moment played out in slow motion for Zelda. She watched as the man quickly raised his arm into the air and saw the glistening blade of a small sword be tossed into his hands. Without even a moment's hesitation, he released it from his grasp, throwing it right between the queen's eyes. The crowd went silent as they watched the knife pierce her skin. The queen turned to look at her husband, a small dribble of blood trickled out of the wound, before her body went completely limp, falling into his arms. Zelda's blood curdling scream echoed out in the silent plaza. She wanted to run to her and hold her and be with her mother, Hylia, in her final moments, but she was held back by her captors.
Instead she was forced to watch from afar as her mother died before her.
"Are you okay, Link?" I hadn't realized it but I had clenched my hands closed as I finished the relaying the details of what had happened. "Link, you can't be mad at yourself. This… wasn't your fault." Her voice faded though as she finished her sentence.
"See Malon, even you agree deep down that it truly was the result of my actions and mine alone."
"That's not true, Link. I didn't say that."
"Sometimes, it's the things we don't say that speak the loudest." With that, silence followed. We both chose not to look at each other and instead watched the river's flow as it gently trickled under the bridge in front of Kakariko Village. We had taken up a spot on the old bridge, our feet dangling just high enough to avoid touching the cool water.
"You know, I'm sure the princess would agree with me. You've only ever had Hyrule's best interest in mind. I think that… no, I know that she would never blame you for any of this or what happened in the other Hyrule. The Great Deku Tree's death, Ganondorf following you into the Sacred Realm, the Hyrule-Gerudo War, the queen's death."
"Zelda getting lost herself in the land lost in time."
Malon turned her head, a puzzled look being worn.
"Wait, which Zelda are we talking about? The one from the other Hyrule, or the Zelda from this Hyrule?" I didn't say anything, which gave Malon the answer she did not want to hear. She grabbed both of my hands in hers and focused on my eyes. "Link… please tell me that she is okay. Please tell me that our Zelda is alive!"
I couldn't bring myself to say the full truth. Instead, I sighed and mumbled my response to her.
"She's not… dead."
She retracted her hands and stared into the current below. "Oh Goddesses…"
I didn't know what to say next. I didn't know how to break the truth to her about what had happened to me and Zelda when we found the Gate of Time.
"Malon, the next part she only told me in small detail. I want to hear the full story though. From you… from her best friend."
She remained silent at first, no doubt still trying to figure out the hidden meaning of my words.
"I didn't… do that much though," she testified in a whisper.
"That's not how she saw it. She told me that she owes you her life."
"Like I said, I didn't do that much."
Let me know what you thought via a review! Thanks again everyone and see you again next chapter!
~ PenguinForce
