The two heroes charged into the Desert in search of Zelda.
"Now, Kyoshiro, this is really important… there are posts erected throughout the Desert. The posts have large, red cloth tied to them. If you see such a post, you must walk towards it. They mark the only safe path through the Desert. Just to be safe, when you approach the post, reach out your hand and touch it. That way, you can check to make sure that the post is real and not a hallucination." Zukto explained. Kyoshiro concentrated to make sure he understood everything.
"But wait a second; it is dark right now. And I think it might even get darker. How the hell can you see anything?" Kyoshiro asked incredulously.
"… Granted, you have a point… I guess right now, I'm banking on the fact that I spent so much time going back and forth through this part of the Desert." Zukto replied.
"So I have to rely on your memory? Well… if there is no other way… I'm still behind you." Kyoshiro declared. Zukto felt like a thousand rupees.
"Excellent! Come, this way!"
Further ahead in the Desert, Nabooru gathered her team together.
"I saw no one the entire time we searched; what about you?" She asked. A lot of guards muttered together.
"I don't think we saw anyone, Master Nabooru." One guard replied apologetically.
"Well… ruling out the fact that the Princess might be… well, ruling out that fact, we still have somewhere to look." Nabooru skipped over the unpleasant part. She knew that Zukto would never hear of it. Some of the guards nodded in agreement.
"I've worked you really hard today, and I apologize. If half of you want to head home now, I will allow it. The half of you that remains with me will not have to stand guard or do other work tomorrow as my way of thanking you for your efforts." Nabooru explained. The girls immediately thanked Nabooru, and split into two smaller groups. Some of them made their way back home. Nelona was one of the girls who remained with Nabooru.
… Where the hell is Zukto? I have not seen him for hours. He should be out here with us. Nelona frowned.
As Zukto and Kyoshiro made progress through the Desert, they met with the group of Gerudo guards heading home.
"Ah, Zukto, there you are! I was wondering if we were going to have to start looking for you next." One Gerudo woman joked.
"Y-yeah… I'm sorry… my friend and I got caught up in our training, and we didn't find out until a little while ago that the Princess went into the Desert by herself."
"Oh yeah; I might as well explain now. Master Nabooru is pretty sure that your friend is nowhere in this part of the Desert. Master suspects that the girl found her way to the Desert Colossus. Further, we were told that half of the group is allowed to rest. That's why some of us are going home. Trust us: there is still a group out there looking for your friend. Let us know how everything goes!" As the guard finished explaining, she waved and took off to catch up with the other guards.
"… The Desert Colossus…" Zukto muttered.
"Is anything wrong?" Kyoshiro asked.
"No. Nothing's wrong, except the obvious of course. The Desert Colossus is where the Spirit Temple resides."
"… Maybe that's where our next weapon is?" Kyoshiro offered.
"I figured as much, but what bothers me is why Zelda felt the need to go there by herself. She did not even know her way through the Desert; or at least, that's what I assumed. As far as I know, she has never been here. I lived here for the last eight years, so I can speak confidently about the fact that the Princess has not visited or spent time here." Even though Zukto was sure of himself, something was nagging at the back of his mind. But he was too busy to pursue it.
"Who knows what in the Goddesses' names she was thinking." Kyoshiro muttered.
"At any rate, we need to hurry. The sooner we find her, the better." Zukto sighed. Kyo nodded in agreement.
Nabooru and her small group of Gerudo guards stopped at the Oasis outside of the Spirit Temple to rest.
"If you see anything, let me know straight away." Nabooru requested. It went without saying, but the Gerudo nodded. Nabooru sat down on the ground, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. She began concentrating. Just as she started to get a feel for the different levels of magic power in the area, her concentration was destroyed by a single realization.
"G-girls…! G-Ganondorf is here!" Nabooru gasped. All of the guards tensed up.
"W-what do we do?"
"… I want you to go back to the Fortress immediately. You will be safest there. Please, do as I say." The small group of women looked at each other nervously. They knew how Nabooru felt about Ganondorf, which made them want to stay to support her, but they also knew what Ganondorf was capable of. In the end, they hesitantly obeyed Nabooru and left. They figured that it would be more important to support Nabooru in the long run; after all, no matter what Ganondorf did to Nabooru, he would not kill her. When she returned to the Fortress, she would expect her guards to be there for her.
Zukto and Kyoshiro, as they entered the Colossus, passed the second group of guards. Zukto looked curiously at them, but no one said anything. Finally, Nelona stopped and explained.
"Master is waiting for you ahead. You must speak with her personally; things are pretty serious, it seems. Keep your wits about you." She warned. Zukto and Kyoshiro exchanged glances after this somewhat cryptic message, but they wasted no time in finding Nabooru.
"Ah, Zukto, there you are. I would say better late than never, but now is not the time for joking around." Nabooru said gravely.
"Did… did something happen?" Zukto asked hesitantly.
"… Ganondorf is here. I am familiar enough with him that I can sense him when he is nearby."
"… What about… What about Zelda…?"
"I have not seen her. She is either right outside of the Temple, or perhaps she went in. But we need to get closer. Follow close behind me and be as silent as possible." Nabooru explained. Zukto and Kyoshiro obeyed. The whole time, Zukto was afraid his pounding heart would give them away.
Ganondorf is here? Why now? He has not visited this place in nearly a decade, at least to my knowledge. Did Zelda know he would be here? I remember her asking me about him, but of course she never explained why she would care about him. I have heard that Ganondorf possesses powerful magic, and a short temper. I hope they have not started fighting; I fear for her safety if that was to happen. Oh Goddesses, please keep her safe until I find her…
They stopped at a large, stone archway that stood before the Spirit Temple. It was incredibly dark, so they could not see much. But Kyoshiro surprised everyone.
"… Whoah, whoah, you guys… I can hear someone speaking." He whispered. Zukto whirled around and stared at Kyoshiro expectantly.
"Well?! What do you hear? I don't hear anyone talking except us."
"Well, you don't have the Hylian ears, you know. But anyway, let me focus for a second…" Kyoshiro fell silent. Zukto practically held his breath in anticipation.
"… I can't hear everything, but it sounds like… a guy is really excited to meet someone for the first time." Kyoshiro explained.
"A guy? So someone is here? Keep listening." Zukto prompted. Kyoshiro paused for a moment.
"… A female's voice now. She says that it has been too long since she could move about 'in this world.'"
"… Well, that is a little… odd… but go on."
"The guy is trying to make a deal with her. He says he needs her help."
"What is she saying?"
"She can't promise anything because her 'other half' is not willing to cooperate."
"… Other half…?"
"Don't look at me! Oh hey wait… there's a new voice. Also male."
"What is he saying?" Zukto waited for Kyo's response. Kyo fell unnaturally quiet.
"… Should we run for it?" Kyoshiro suddenly asked. Zukto did not like the sound of Kyo's question but he asked for an explanation anyway.
"Why?"
"They know we are here." Kyoshiro responded. Zukto had to admit that he was not terribly surprised.
"We have no reason to run. We will just explain that we are looking for a friend. And that is the truth. Maybe they can help us, even." Zukto explained. Nabooru agreed with Zukto on principle, but she was worried about a confrontation.
Within a few moments, everyone could hear footsteps approaching through the sand. Nabooru tried to steady her breathing; it was Ganondorf. The aura of dark energy approaching was unmistakably his.
"Who goes there?" A deep, sinister voice questioned. Nabooru shivered; it was Ganondorf's voice. Zukto and Kyoshiro, however, were still ignorant to this fact.
"Excuse me, but my friends and I here are looking for someone. This person has been lost in the Desert for a while now. Maybe you can help us?" Zukto asked.
"Lost? In the Desert? Boy, your friend is likely dead." The male scoffed.
"Not likely." Zukto responded calmly.
"… Nabooru, come here." The voice requested. Nabooru looked at Zukto pleadingly, before doing as the voice asked.
"Yes, My Lord?"
"Why are you dragging around these two?"
"They came to the Fortress and started asking me some questions about the Temple here. I don't know why. I only answered them vaguely because I don't know their motives." Nabooru lied.
"And let me guess, this missing person is part of their group?"
"Yes. Since I know this Desert so well, I figured it was only natural that I help them."
"What does this missing person look like?"
"It is a woman. She has black hair and red eyes." Nabooru explained. Ganondorf's face remained stoic.
"… I am sorry; I have not seen such a person." Ganondorf lied. Zukto had a feeling something was up, so he did the only thing he could think of.
"Zelda! It's me, Zukto!" He yelled as loud as he could. Ganondorf glared at Zukto, though it was too dark for anyone to see. Further from Zukto's group at the arch, a pair of people near the entrance to the Temple had been conversing. Zukto's yelling startled them; the man spoke first.
"… Zukto?! My brother? So he is here, then…" He seemed amazed. The woman still had not regained her composure.
"… Is something the matter?" The man asked. He approached the woman and laid a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, the woman sprung to life and tried to attack! He stumbled backwards, just barely avoiding the surprise attack.
"Whoah, calm down Princess. We were just having a discussion about a business proposition…" He explained.
"Get away from me! And who are you?!" Zelda yelled. Zukto felt relieved to finally hear her voice, but then he grew worried. Was she in danger? Without saying anything, he tore past Ganondorf in an effort to reach Zelda. Ganondorf was taken by surprise at first, but when he recovered he was unsure what to do. He finally decided to raise an arm and charge up a magic attack in the palm of his hand. He aimed at Kyoshiro.
"Do not move, boy." He threatened. Kyoshiro obeyed. Nabooru felt terrible that she could not help Kyo: she had to continue to pretend that she was working for Ganondorf. Thankfully, she quickly came up with an idea.
"My Lord, do not waste your time with him. Allow me to keep him occupied." She offered, drawing her blades for show. Ganondorf stopped to consider the option.
"Very well. Do not let him move an inch." Ganondorf headed in the direction that Zukto ran in. When Ganondorf was far enough away, Nabooru hastily whispered to Kyoshiro that Ganondorf was immensely powerful and that she was forced to obey him. Kyo nodded, and asked her if they could do anything to help Zukto and Zelda.
"Princess, I'm coming!" Zukto yelled. Zelda felt relieved to hear a familiar voice.
"Whoever you are, you better back off. When Zukto gets here…" She warned. The man laughed.
"Zukto, my dear brother, come join me…!" He requested to the area at large. Zukto literally stopped in his tracks for a moment. Zelda did too.
What in the… Zukto has a brother!? And he is here?
No way… my brother has the Princess?! This is where he has been all this time?! He ran even faster. Finally, he could see two figures standing across from one another in front of the Temple. He stopped when he could distinctly discern which figure was Zelda and which figure was his brother.
"Ah Zukto, it has been far too long… Although, I wonder… is it a mere coincidence that you and I have been finally reunited here?" The man asked, chuckling to himself as he ran a hand through his long hair nonchalantly.
Kkladekk and Zukto, being brothers, shared a few similar physical characteristics with each other. Both had the same shade of brown hair, though Kkladekk's hair appeared to be longer than Zukto's. Their eyes were the same shape and color, and they were about the same height. Zukto's build was more muscular, however, in contrast with Kkladekk's.
"Brother, why did you kidnap Zelda?" Zukto pressed, glaring daggers at him.
"Kidnap? Oh no, my dear brother, you misunderstand. Your friend came to me of her own free will." Kkladekk explained smugly.
"That's a lie!"
"Oh yeah? Why don't you ask your friend yourself?" Kkladekk smirked. His voice was taunting.
"… Zelda… did you… come here by yourself?" Zukto slowly asked.
"Zukto, please, you have to believe me. I-I do not remember! I do not remember anything! I remember arriving at the Fortress, and I remember talking with Nabooru, but all of a sudden my memory does not exist after that. I have never seen this place before in my life; I do not know how I got here! Also, I do not know who this man is!" Zelda explained desperately. It was obvious that she was distressed; more so than she had ever been around Zukto before. Zukto believed her, but the fact that she could not remember the last several hours was extremely troubling for him. How was she able to cross the Desert in such a condition?
Kkladekk remained silent throughout her explanation. The look on his face was a mixture of rage and amusement.
"Your performance is admirable Zelda, but I do not buy it." He said darkly. Just then, Ganondorf returned.
"Kkladekk, I am here. Need my help with these two?" He asked gruffly. As he spoke, an icy dread spread throughout Zelda's body. She looked over in the direction of his voice, barely able to breathe. It was him.
"What's wrong with her?" Kkladekk asked, pointing at Zelda. Ganondorf looked over at her.
"… She regained her control. The other one could not suppress the host any longer, it seems." Ganondorf explained. Kkladekk swore under his breath.
"Brother, this is entirely your fault. You awakened the host. I was just about to finish something incredibly important. How in the name of Charcai do you plan on making it up to me?!" Kkladekk yelled.
"I owe you nothing. First and foremost, it is my job to protect Zelda. Everything else comes second!" Zukto declared, getting mentally prepared to fight; he would not hesitate to battle against a family member, given the circumstances. Zelda finally snapped out of her distress due to Zukto's words. It would be better it seemed, in this scenario, to fight first and ask questions later. She got into a defensive stance, ready to support Zukto.
Even though she was prepared to fight, memories were surging back to the front of her mind. Her dead parents, the fight she got into just months before, the nightmares... part of her questioned whether she was in any shape to be fighting, but she had no choice. Suddenly, Ganondorf grunted in pain and interrupted her thoughts.
"Why you—" He snapped. He was kneeling on the ground, holding his side. Blood was slowly trickling out of a wound and onto his hand.
"Finally, the group is back together!" Kyoshiro loudly declared as he sauntered up to take a place close to Zukto and Zelda. The three of them stared at Kkladekk expectantly, daring him to make a move. Having the group together somehow filled Zelda with courage. She pushed her memories aside and glared with determination at their adversaries; if Kyoshiro was bold enough to directly attack the Great King of Evil, then surely she could also take a stand against him.
"… I am not so stupid as to pick a fight when I am clearly outnumbered. Ganondorf, we must leave now. I fear our business will have to be postponed." Kkladekk ran over to Ganondorf, and the two disappeared with a flourish of magical energy. Zelda collapsed to her knees, feeling all of the energy leave her body in a rush.
"Princess!" Zukto ran over to Zelda and kneeled down to be level with her.
"… Was so… scared…" She muttered, burying her face in her hands. Ganondorf's intense stare pierced through her mind still.
"Shh, Princess, everything is going to be okay now…" Zukto said soothingly. Nabooru finally rejoined them.
"… We need to talk." She said. She sounded very serious.
"Here? Now? The Princess needs a break. Can't we get her back, and then—" Zukto began.
"Everyone, into the Temple now." Nabooru demanded. Kyoshiro did not object. Zukto nudged Zelda to stand up, but she either could not or did not want to. She remained on her knees staring at nothing in particular. Zukto looked at Nabooru for help.
"You're a man, aren't you? Just pick her up already. Hurry up." Nabooru looked exasperated, but she said nothing further. She followed Kyoshiro into the Temple. Zukto looked a little flustered, but he took a deep breath and bent down so he could be level with Zelda's face.
"Hey, mind helping me out? If you will not, or cannot, walk, then I need to carry you. I don't want to hurt you, so it would be easiest if you could stand up for me before I try to pick you up." Zelda wordlessly looked up at Zukto, obviously thinking about what he just said to her. He reached out a hand towards her, and she hesitantly grabbed it.
Zukto gently pulled her into a standing position before scooping her up into his arms. He stood still and held the Princess in his arms for a moment, wondering if the entire situation was merely a dream he was having.
"… Princess?" Zukto began.
"… Yes?" Zelda responded, sounding drained.
"Let me know if it feels like you are slipping."
"Fine…"
"I promise we will get you somewhere safe to rest soon." Zukto explained, blushing. She did not say anything. He entered the Temple where Nabooru was waiting.
"It took you long enough." Nabooru sighed when she saw Zukto.
"… Master, what is going on? You are never this…"
"Zukto, I am sorry. But I have some information for you and it is serious. Listen. It involves all of you, but mostly the Princess."
"We're listening."
"Okay, well, let's start with what you know. What do you know about that scar on Zelda's face?"
"All she said was that she was born with it..."
"She said that, but that doesn't mean it's the truth. Marks like that don't just magically end up on a child's face in the womb. I was upset at my girls earlier because I overheard them gossiping about the mark on the Princess' face, but they have a point: that mark can only be the result of being subjected to seriously dark magic; more specifically, that scar is the sign of a curse. Someone laid a curse on the Princess." Nabooru explained. At first Zukto was too stunned to respond, but he suddenly remembered overhearing the conversation Zelda had with the Leader of the Firean tribe. He forgot all about hearing the word 'cursed…' Back then, Zelda had written it off as the Temple being cursed. But now everything made sense.
"…I actually did overhear something like that before, but I did not understand it at the time." Zukto nodded to show he understood Nabooru's explanation.
"This cannot have just been some kind of an accident, and it most certainly did not happen before she was born. Princess, do you mind telling us exactly what happened?"
"What do you mean, what happened? All I can remember growing up is my face looking like this. I have no other memories. I have explained this dozens of times already: I was born like this." Zelda was exasperated.
"…If you don't mind my asking, Princess Zelda… are there holes in your memories?" Nabooru asked softly. Zukto glanced over at Nabooru with a start.
"…Yes. Lately, I find myself being unable to remember several things from my past." She responded matter-of-factly.
Oh! That's right. The Princess herself admitted to me that she could not remember wandering through the Desert! Then it must be true that her memory has somehow been affected. Zukto was nervous about where this conversation was headed.
"…I thought so. We don't know exactly what the curse does, but I think one of the side effects is that the curse is warping your memories. Zelda, the way I see it is that the curse does not want you to remember what you used to look like." Nabooru's face looked grave.
"Th-that… is the most ridiculous thing…" Zelda muttered to herself, not looking at anyone.
"So, who attacked you?" Kyoshiro asked.
"…Don't tell me… did Ganondorf do this?!" Zukto blurted out. Everyone stared at him except Zelda.
"G-Ganondorf? I didn't realize he was capable of such advanced magic…" Nabooru's face fell.
"…I had been searching for Ganondorf for a couple of years. One day, Master Impa told me that she found out some information about his current whereabouts. I never hesitated for a second: I went straight to where she told me he could be found, and he was indeed there. I provoked him because I wanted to fight him. He did hurt me, but none of my injuries from that fight were fatal. I cannot remember him leaving this mark on my face… but if that fight was indeed how I came to bear this scar on my face, then it must have been Ganondorf. I have never fought with anyone else who would seek to permanently mark me so." Zelda looked tormented.
"So it likely was Ganondorf, then… but this magic is just not magic that he could have learned from around here. He seems to be working with that other guy, Kkla-Kkladekk… maybe he taught Ganondorf that magic?" Nabooru guessed.
"… Kkladekk…" Zukto muttered to himself, suddenly realizing that their journey was going to be more dangerous than he had anticipated.
"So you know him then." Nabooru observed.
"… Kkladekk is my brother; my older brother." Zukto explained. Nabooru looked questioningly at Zukto.
"Oh hey, I remember now: Goddess Din told us that one of the members of that organization called 'Darkness Orb' was named Kkladekk. So she meant that your brother was a part of it? Why didn't you speak up sooner? Your brother is our enemy; you weren't trying to defend him or anything, were you?" Kyoshiro crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking expectantly at Zukto.
"No, I swear to you on my life Kyoshiro that I am not trying to defend anything that my brother does. I almost didn't want to believe Goddess Din when she said it, because my brother never struck me as the type to scheme up anything wicked. To top it off, I have been stuck here in Hyrule for eight years as you know; I kind of had given up hope that I would see my family again. It indeed appears to be the case that my brother is involved in all of this in a big way, though I still do not understand how he came to be involved."
"Well anyway, it seems obvious to me that Kkladekk is no friend to Hyrule or her people. He has something dangerous in mind." Nabooru looked concerned.
"What I want to know is why the Princess started a fight with the so-called Great King of Evil." Zukto asked suddenly.
"… Princess, are you still with us?" Nabooru asked. I would love to know the answer to that question, too. Challenging Ganondorf was way too risky a move.
"…Yes." She responded quietly.
"Care to explain what is going on?" Nabooru continued.
"I… cannot say." Zelda shook her head. Zukto could tell that she had been hesitating; there was likely something that she was hiding from them, still.
"We have a serious situation on our hands, and yet you won't come clean?" Nabooru sounded frustrated.
"What are you saying, a serious situation? I am just fine, okay?" Zelda snapped.
"…Is that you talking, or is it your other self?" Nabooru suddenly asked. Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow, and Zukto's eyes widened.
"Did you say 'other self?' What do you mean by that, Master Nabooru?"
"When you first introduced Zelda to us back at the Fortress, she seemed very engaged in the conversation. I thought she seemed sincere and even a little friendly. But all of a sudden when we all separated for the night, she changed. Zelda got quite hostile with me, so I decided to give her some space. I guess as soon as I left her, she decided to run out here to the Colossus to meet with Ganondorf and Kkladekk. The reason she came out here to meet them was because there seems to be someone else living inside of her mind. That someone else must have been who opened the gate, and who traveled through the Desert unaccompanied. That's why Zelda claimed that she could not remember how she got to the Colossus: she never actually came here of her own will. Zelda's other personality must have taken control of her mind and brought her here. If you need further proof… Kyoshiro, didn't you say when you overheard the conversation earlier that a woman said her 'other half' would not cooperate?"
"Oh, yeah, I nearly forgot about that." Kyoshiro responded.
"Well there you have it: Zelda's body somehow is playing host to two very different people." Nabooru looked mystified, but Zukto could swear her face also had a hint of 'of course this is happening.'
"… Ah… there might be something else… Zukto, remember when… you first asked me at the Castle about why I had been hiding my identity? After you and Kyoshiro left me, I… I heard a voice speaking to me. But there was no one in the room…" Zelda suddenly rejoined the conversation. Zukto watched Zelda carefully as she spoke, but when she finished he turned to Nabooru to gauge her reaction.
"You are hearing voices? That voice must belong to whoever shares your body. And I guess that when your other self emerges, you have no recollection of what happens." Nabooru looked pensive.
"Princess… I'm so sorry…" Zukto muttered.
"Whatever…" Zelda sighed.
"Sorry for divulging all of these… personal details Princess, but if you are going to continue working with Zukto and Kyoshiro they need to know about these things. Don't you think?" Nabooru prompted.
"Talk about me all you want; see if I care. Oh, Zukto, put me down right now." Zelda suddenly demanded. She sounded angry.
"No, I will not. You could not even stand a moment ago. And now we need to walk back through the Desert. You are in no condition to walk through the Desert yourself right now."
"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do! Why does everyone do that?! I can make decisions for myself!" Zelda yelled. Considering that most of the time she was too busy lost in her own thoughts to even hold dialogue with someone else, seeing her angry was hard for Zukto to deal with mentally.
Such disrespect. Why don't you let me take over again, hm? I can straighten them out for you…
"N-no! Get out of my head! Who are you?!" Zelda yelled, this time at seemingly nothing. She clutched at her head. Zukto looked scared.
"She mentioned a voice earlier. It must be the voice again; her other self is talking to her." Nabooru explained.
"What do we do?!" Zukto asked, panicking.
"… We need her to calm down. I'm worried that stressful situations might provoke these… attacks, if you will." Nabooru's composure was uncanny, but it made her a natural-born leader in serious situations. Zukto was immensely grateful for her help; already, he felt himself calming down.
"Princess. It's me, Zukto. You need to relax. I will not let anything happen to you. I just want you to be safe. Please, let me help you…" Zukto muttered to Zelda. The grip she had on her head seemed to relax a bit.
"Zukto… I…" Her arms went limp and she did not say anything else.
"Princess?! Zelda, please, say something…!" Zukto pleaded.
"Zukto, stop. I think she is so exhausted that she blacked out. We need to get her back to the Fortress. Be very careful with her." Nabooru warned. Zukto thought the warning was unnecessary, as he was obligated by the King of Hyrule to be just that. The group left the Temple as fast as possible.
When the exhausted group finally reached the Fortress, the sun was rising.
"Zukto, I know none of you planned on last night turning into what it did, but you three should probably come to expect… unexpected detours. I sense that everything going on right now is interconnected, and none of it will simply cease to be an issue of its own volition." Nabooru advised.
"Yeah… well… it might not have been a total loss…" Zukto muttered, thinking about Zelda. She had not moved since she blacked out in the Temple.
"… Follow me. I'll show you where we can let Zelda rest."
"… With all respect Master, I really want to keep an eye on her. She can stay with me." Zukto said. He felt a little embarrassed about being so upfront, but it was also kind of empowering. Nabooru looked amused.
"Don't take advantage of her now." She teased. Her attitude had done an about face. Honestly though, it was normal for Nabooru to make jokes. Zukto turned red.
"I would never be so cowardly!" He declared defensively as he headed home. Instead, Kyoshiro ended up following Nabooru.
Zukto immediately laid Zelda on his bed when he got home. While she was not particularly heavy, Zukto noticed that his arms were really stiff and sore from having to maintain one position for so long, with weight they were not accustomed to carrying. The next couple of days might be a little more difficult, he noted. He found a chair and pulled it up to the side of his bed. At first he sat in the chair at Zelda's side to watch her, but fatigue soon caught up with him and he fell asleep.
Zukto was awoken suddenly—he did not know what time it was—because there was a lot of movement near him. He raised his head off his chest to assess the situation. Zelda appeared to be asleep still, but she was muttering and tossing around in her sleep.
Is she having a dream…? Should I wake her…? Zukto thought with uncertainty.
"M-mom… dad… no…" Zelda cried out softly. Zukto felt like someone took one of his arrows and jabbed it straight through his heart. He could not sit there silently and watch anymore. He reached out a hand to touch Zelda's shoulder so he could shake her gently.
"Princess? Princess Zelda, wake up…" He muttered quietly. Her eyes flew open and she quickly sat up.
"Whereami?!" She panicked, breathing heavily.
"Princess, you need to calm down. It's just me, Zukto. You're at my house."
"… What in the hell…" She muttered as she let herself fall back onto the bed. She covered her face with one of her arms.
"I do not actually know what time it is, or what day it is. I assume it's late the same day we returned from the Desert. But last night, I think anyway, was really rough for all of us." Zukto explained. Zelda did not say anything for a while.
"… Ganondorf killed my parents." She finally said, almost too quietly for Zukto to hear.
"B-but, your Father is still alive. We saw him… didn't we?"
"… That is not my Father." Zelda responded harshly.
"I am sorry Princess, but I just simply do not understand what is going on."
"… According to the King, my Father, I am his daughter by birth. I was born in the Castle. But I was not raised there."
"… Really? Then where… oh, this is just a guess; were you raised in Kakariko?"
"Yes. I guess you pay attention a little. At any rate, I was raised in Kakariko. And not only that, I was raised with a different name than Zelda, and I was never told that I was the Princess of Hyrule. I was utterly sheltered from my identity. Until…"
"Until?"
"I… came home one day… and my parents… were dead. They had been murdered." Zelda could barely get the words out. Zukto's heart sank.
"I… wow, I just cannot imagine what that must have been like…"
"I am… not finished. After that, Master Impa approached me for the first time. She said I must train with her. At the time, I did not really understand what it meant. But it did mean, for me, that I had a pseudo replacement for the parents I just lost. Master Impa was there for me when no one else was.
But again… like always, just as things were going smoothly with my training, the King suddenly appeared in town one day. At that point, my parents had been dead for several years. He finds me, and drops the bomb on me that I am actually the heir to the Hylian throne and that I must join his family in the Palace immediately. I had lived about a decade and a half. I was really frustrated with people just showing up whenever it was convenient for them to tell me what I should do with my life.
I only went with him because Master Impa insisted. But every chance I could, I snuck out of the Palace and went back to Kakariko. It was actually really recently, maybe a few months before you found me, that Master Impa took me aside and revealed to me where I could find my parents' murderer. Of course, when I found out I…" Zelda trailed off.
"You do not have to continue if you do not want to, Princess. I… appreciate you telling me all that you did. Now I can fully understand how hard it has been for you."
"Do not say that. I hate it when people say they understand, because they do not. They only assume that they do. How could they…?" Zelda looked torn. Zukto did not know how to respond. He did not want to make her more upset, but how could he try to comfort her when she talked like that? She appeared to disapprove of sympathy.
"Oh, um, Princess… what was going on when I woke you up?" Zukto asked tentatively. The atmosphere was still tense, but he was genuinely concerned. It was a hard position to be in.
"… I have had the same dream continuously for several years now. I dream about the day that I found my parents dead in our house." She answered. It was not abrupt but it was still oddly devoid of any emotion, given the subject. With this, Zelda sat up again and drew her knees to her chest. She laid her head down on her knees.
I have to help her calm down… Right? It would be wrong to leave her like this wouldn't it? But she has surely been in a state like this before…
"Hey, Princess…" Zukto began. Maybe changing the subject would work.
"… What?" She did not sound angry, but she did not sound thrilled at the idea of questions either.
"You said part way through your story that you had lived for a decade and a half. How long ago were you fifteen?" Zukto could not help but be curious. Honestly, he felt like he would completely fail to even guess what her age was. To Zukto's surprise, she actually raised her head off her knees to look at him.
"That seems like a pointless question." She still looked a little upset, but it did not appear as though she had been crying.
"Well… mind humoring me?"
"… I am twenty now." Zelda responded, a little on guard. Zukto was a little surprised.
"You are twenty? And the King lets you wander around like this? Don't you… I mean, are you…" Zukto could not spit the question out. He could feel his face reddening a little. Zelda looked confused at first, but soon enough her face lit up with realization.
"You want to know whether I am going to be married soon, do you not?" She asked. Zukto could not tell what the look on her face meant. He nodded slowly.
"I do not know why it concerns someone like you, but no. I have no plans to marry anyone."
"Don't you have to marry, you know, to be…?" Zukto could not complete his thoughts out loud because he was too embarrassed about the subject matter. Zelda looked frustrated.
"I do not need another man in my life telling me what to do. I have too many of those already." She scoffed. Zukto looked slightly shocked at first, but could not help laughing. At first it was slight, but the more he thought about what she said, the funnier it was.
"What in Nayru's name is so amusing to you?!" Zelda glared a bit at him.
"I did not realize you were so popular with the opposite sex, Princess." Zukto teased. Zelda's eyes widened in shock, but the shock soon gave way to embarrassment. Her face turned a bright red color.
"I-I said no such thing! You are putting words in my mouth!" Zelda cried. Zukto had to admit that it was adorable when she was flustered.
"So what did you mean then?"
"… I have had suitors in the past. But I scared them off. All. of. them." Zelda purposely paused between words to better emphasize her point. She was obviously trying to scare him off, too.
"Might you divulge details of such adventures?"
"Hm, why not. Typically when a suitor came to the Palace to meet with me, I would tell him that I was studying magic."
"Mhm, and then?"
"They always seemed interested, or maybe they were just pretending to be interested. At any rate, when they expressed interest, I always… put on a little demonstration."
"Like what?"
"Well, I liked to show them that I could manipulate shadows. So when I grabbed onto the shadows of suits of armor, I made them do different things. I could make them march around, salute the guests, or practice sword play."
"Wow, that's pretty impressive."
"They did not think so."
"Why not?"
"They never actually told me… but I honestly think they were afraid that I would kill them in their sleep if they actually married me!" With this, Zelda burst out laughing over the ridiculousness of the thought. It was so sincere; Zukto could not help but smile. Moments like these… he never wanted them to end.
"I do not blame them for worrying." Zukto responded with pretend seriousness.
"Ha, I knew it." Zelda scoffed.
"Knew what?"
"You are not up for the challenge."
"Says who?"
"Says me, of course. And my word is all that matters."
"Is that so? Well, you better prepare yourself to be amazed then. I am merely biding my time, you see."
"It will take you so long to amaze me that Zora's Domain will freeze over." Zelda retorted. Zukto laughed again; he was having way too much fun.
"Thank you, Princess."
"… What for?"
"Hm, nothing in particular." Zukto responded, choosing to be a little mysterious himself.
I guess... this is not so bad. Are we friends? I still feel nervous about saying it out loud, but... I can secretly like talking with someone like this. Right? He actually treats me like a person: not a pawn, tool, or some monster... really, maybe I am the one who should be thanking you, Zukto.
"We have spent enough time here, have we not? We should find Nabooru and Kyoshiro; we do have a mission, after all." Tucking away the strange feeling of contentment that was budding inside of her, she wanted to make it clear that it was back to business as usual. Zukto felt disappointed, but then again, it felt like he made a lot of progress in such a short amount of time. And they still had a long journey ahead of them… surely there was time? Zukto stood up, and offered a hand to Zelda.
"Do not stand up too quickly; you might still be tired from everything that happened, and I do not want you to faint because you stood up too fast." Zukto warned; his hand still outstretched. Zelda felt like telling him off for assuming that she would be so careless, but she decided to cooperate just to get it over with faster. She grabbed his hand. Zukto smiled as he helped her stand up. He was right; she was still tired. It seemed like she was a little unsteady on her feet.
"Is everything okay?" Zukto asked. Zelda nodded.
"It just has been a while, I think, since I stood up. I just need to get used to it." Zukto thought that sounded pretty reasonable. Then he noticed that they were still holding hands. He awkwardly let go before she had a chance to scold him about it. As far as he could tell, she did not react at all to it.
Zukto had the curtains pulled in his house, so he could not tell what time of day it was when he was there with Zelda. Leaving his house revealed to him that it was late-afternoon, or perhaps early-evening; the sun was lower in the sky, but not quite setting yet.
"I think we were asleep for quite a while. Roughly half the day, if I were to guess." He observed.
"Well, considering everything that happened… even though I cannot remember all of it… it seems logical." Zukto wondered if her memory loss affected her as much as it bothered him.
The rest of the time they spent looking for Nabooru passed in silence. Things were more or less back to normal between them. Zukto felt like he would have to return to grasping blindly at opportunities to connect with the Princess, and she seemed like she was just as aloof and calculating as before.
