Legend of Zelda:

Ascendant Legacy

Chapter 9

Light's Dusk

[This work is merely fan based, and is no way affiliated with Nintendo or any of its trademarked franchise of "Legend Of Zelda" or any characters there in. In short, please don't sue me.]

The sun and soft sheets of her bed felt warm and gentle on Zelda's skin. The groggy influence of sleep slowly began to lift. And then a sudden rush or realization snapped through her mind and she sat up so quickly that her covers were thrown away. She reached to her throat and found that neither fingers made of shadows held her, nor a strange man in exotic robes tortured her. She was in her room, not the Temple of Time, and the sun had already broken over the mountains. Impa then rushed into her room with all haste and stood deathly still.

"Princess! You must make haste. We have much to do. We must prepare for the ceremony, but before that we must meet with the other Sages. Come, your highness!"

"Impa?" Zelda said with confusion racking her mind. "What happened?" The look on her face told Zelda that she had no idea of what she meant. Unsure of anything anymore, the princess started anew. "Impa… did I leave anytime last night?"

"Leave? Not to my knowledge, Princess. Why?" Impa said with a quixotic look on her face.

"Nothing." Zelda returned quickly and rose from the bed. "Just a dream that's all." The floor was cold, despite the sunlight through the window, and the pit of her stomach felt like it was dropping right out from under her. The feeling of what now dismissed as a wayward dream had struck her in a way that no other nightmare had. Her dreams had often been troubled, but rarely had they been so painful or so… real.

"Your gown in prepared and ready, my lady. We shall attend to the council first. With all luck, we should be back to the castle with time to spare. However, I have left instructions that the ceremony be postponed should we be late. The Zora and Gorons will begin with their ceremony and entertainment, which should buy us enough time."

"Impa?" Zelda said, being rushed with all of these instructions. "Is something wrong?" Impa had never been this anxious at anytime that Zelda had known her. Even when Ganon had stormed the castle and they both ran for their lives, she had never so much as rushed a word. Now, it seemed like the anticipation had completely taken hold of her trusted guardian and friend.

"Yes, Princess, I only think that perhaps we should reconsider this. We're not removing a sword from a stone; what they sages are trying to do is meddling in the affairs that no mortal can oppose." The tone of the Sheikah's voice wavered for a moment, as if searching for the tone to convey, but concern was replaced with cold hollow sentiment.

"Something is wrong." Zelda said. She tried to clear her head, but her thoughts kept eluding her due to a subtle yet pulsing headache. "I… something happened at the temple… Is there any word of Link?" The young woman asked, obviously confused. Her mind was jumbled and every memory of last night seemed to be dimming away, at first dismissed as a dream, and now slowly being forgotten altogether. She couldn't be sure of anything anymore. Between the thought of becoming queen, and the meeting with the other sages, her concentration was scattered at best.

"What news of Link?" She asked again, looking up though a daze she couldn't seem to shake.

"There has been no word from him in years. I doubt we shall ever see him again." Impa's face contorted in a smirk or satisfaction, something of a smile with pure contentment.

"Impa! How dare you say such things? How could you possibly think that?!" But the princess's shock and query went unanswered as Impa's powerful and cold hand began pushing and motioning her quickly.

"We have pressing matters, Princess. We have no time to waste on silly whims."

Zelda was somewhat shocked at Impa's attitude. She was unsure of what to think, other than that something was off. Had the pressure finally gotten to Impa as it had her? She was unsure, but by the time she looked up, she was now in her private quarter.

"I shall return in a few moments, your Majesty. I hope you find the gown to your suiting. We must hurry if we are to keep our delicate schedule intact." Impa slipped from sight, closing the door behind her, leaving only more confusion as she did.

The young soon-to-be queen's head swam. She stood still while the world around her seemed to move for a moment. Maybe it had been a vision. Maybe it had been a dream or delusion caused by stress. Zelda was scared. She felt the anxiety in her chest, constricting her lungs, and causing her to gasp aloud. She found a chair and sat down for a moment, trying desperately to regain her composure.

Slowly, she slid her sleeping dress off and adorned her regal gown. The fabric was cool and light, almost cold despite the bright colors of white and gold that radiated from it. Today she would be crowned the sole ruler of the kingdom, but her heart and thoughts were elsewhere.

Impa returned as promised, and the two walked from the tower to the castle. The steps they took seemed odd, and the princess felt something looming behind her. All her senses kept telling her something was off, but when she turned around, all she ever saw was Impa, still half smiling. In silence, they continued until they came to the central chamber of the castle. Her royal guard was waiting, dressed in their ceremonial garb, standing at attention.

With their royal escort leading the way, they made began to walk to the council's chamber. There, the heads of states and nobles all smiled, but again, the feeling that something was wrong echoed in Zelda's heart. The faces were all seemingly emotionless, like the faces of dolls on a shelf. Their words came as kind and softly as they always had.

"How beautiful she looks."

"She's radiant."

"Our magnificent queen."

All these things were heard, yet rang false somehow. Zelda tried to smile and give her usual caring outlook to her subjects, but the unnerving eyes of her observers forced her vision to the ground. Slowly, she made her way towards the Speaker's Pedestal to address her subjects.

"My people," the beautiful young woman began. "I have had the honor and the privilege of serving as your princess these eight years. With the help of the magisters, and mostly, you, the subjects of this great land, we have strived hard to create a new age of peace and prosperity in Hyrule. I have heard many say that my late father would have been proud of me. I would like to think, instead, that he would have taken greater pride in his people and all of their efforts. " She took a deep breath.

"Our country should not be measured in the "strength" of its leader, but by the strength of its people and the prosperity that they enjoy. While it is with immense humility and honor that I become your queen, I want you all to know that I am not the power behind our kingdom; the people are the true rulers." She looked up, and while the smiles on the people's faces would have given her renewed hope and faith, their gaze was hollow and still disturbing.

"I hope that one day, I can be known as great a ruler as my father, and lead all of Hyrule into a time of hope and unity. May the Goddesses guide and protect us, always." She bowed low, and the applause came crashing in response. When she looked up, however, it seemed odd that the crowd seemed to move and act in a strange and eerie unison. It was almost as if they were actors, playing their parts on a grand scale.

Impa signaled the guards and again, they began their trek towards the coronation in town. However, they broke away, back to their tower, explaining that an urgent matter of security must be attended to. It was a clever and simple lie that no one looked too deep into, and had bought them an hour of time to convene with the sages. When the two had finished climbing the tower, they shut the door behind them tightly, and prepared for their journey.

"Very well princess, all things are prepared. I would like to voice my opposition again-" Impa began to say.

"Impa! I realize that you do not agree with my judgment, but I am tired of your prattling. I am aware of the risks, and I shall face them accordingly. I can take care of myself! Am I, or am I not, the Sage of Wisdom, and the Ruler of Hyrule?" Zelda snapped. For a moment she felt hot and irritated to her core, but after breathing for a moment she was shocked at her own actions. She was about to apologize to Impa, until she saw the look on her face. It was a smirk, one full of self vindication and satisfaction. It took her aback, and confusion began to overtake the young princess once again, along with a throbbing headache and a feeling of nausea.

"You are right, my lady. I should know better than to question your judgment." The Sheikah guardian apologized and bowed.

"I- I'm sorry too Impa. I shouldn't have lost my temper. I suppose it's… just the stress of the ceremony." Zelda's voice was a little weaker than normal. All her focus was being directed on not throwing up. The events of the night before seemed to be forgotten all together, now.

"Well, my queen," the Sage of Shadows' tone almost instantly changed from apologetic to light-hearted, "It's best not to dwell on things. We must hurry now. Please, open the way to the Temple of Light, and we shall be on our way."

"Yes…. you are right..." Zelda mused to herself, her mind in a daze. Slowly, the Princess touched the back of her right hand, making the Triforce symbol glow and resonate. For a moment, she thought she felt a pulse behind her, mirroring her call, but before she could turn to look, a corridor of light opened up in the small room, stretching into the unknown.

As the two stepped forward, Zelda thought she heard a strange voice behind her.

"Yes, Princess… I always am."