Alright, so after a long wait, I finally give you all another new chapter for this story, and after this one, we're going to go back to simple, updated versions of old chapters. Also, because my feels are so drained from writing Blood and Spirit, I personally think this chapter is really really weak and lame, but I suppose that's up to you guys to decide. So, enjoy!
Chapter 9: Deceptions in the Darkness
New Chapter, Posted 5/4/14
"The true mind can weather all lies and illusions without being lost."
-Lion Turtle, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Zelda pulled her knees to her chest as she wrapped her arms around them and let out a quiet sigh, the warm fire burning in front of her lighting up her falsely scarlet eyes. She sat close to the fireplace of Impa's house in Kakariko Village, where the two of them had stopped for the night before going onto the Shadow Temple in the morning. The Sheikah guardian had insisted that the princess get some sleep before they head out to save the hero, but Zelda found that she simply could not rest at a time like this, not while basically anything could be happening to Link. All of her worry was entirely focused on him at the moment; she didn't even bother to devote any of it to how she was going to infiltrate the Shadow Temple and go up against Veran to save him. She couldn't even bare to think about the chance that she could lose him forever; the two of them had been so close for so long that she could hardly even imagine what life would be like without him. It was for that reason that Zelda was completely resolved to bring Link home no matter what. She would never be able to live with herself if he lost his life because she failed to help him in time.
"Can't sleep?" a sudden voice broke the princess out of her deep train of thought. Slightly startled, Zelda turned her head to see Impa approaching her from the dark upper floor of the house, a small yet weary smile on her face.
"You could say that…" the disguised princess said distractedly, returning her gaze to the flames before her.
The Sheikah was silent for a moment as she took a seat on the floor next to her. "He'll be fine, Zelda," she said reassuringly. "You always worry about him too much."
"I have every reason to worry, Impa!" Zelda exclaimed, turning her attention to her guardian once more. "I know he's fought through untold danger before, but Veran seems to be so much worse than anything either of us have ever faced!" She lowered her voice to a nervous whisper as she glanced down to the ground. "What if… what if I can't save him?"
Impa frowned with pity for the princess, understanding her dread well. "Zelda, let me tell you a little story…" she began, but the princess merely sighed in exasperation.
"Impa, don't you think I'm a little old for a bedtime story?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the Sheikah guardian.
"It isn't a bedtime story," the Sheikah laughed slightly, shaking her head. "It's something that I think you need to hear right now. Long ago, before Hyrule was even formed, there was a boy and girl who were the very best of friends. The two of them had grown up together, their affection for one another never fading through the years. However, when tragedy struck the pair and the girl was stolen away by evil forces, the boy set out with a resolve to do anything and everything in his power to save her and bring her home. He faced many dangers on his perilous journey and he almost died on many occasions, but he never gave up and he never abandoned hope that he would meet her again. And, through all of his struggles, he finally saved her and the two of them were together again…"
"Impa, I know that story," Zelda frowned, recognizing the tale as one she had studied countless times before. "It's the story of the goddess Hylia and her chosen hero. Everyone in Hyrule knows it, and honestly, I really don't see how that has anything to do with what's happening now."
"Well then, let me tell you another story," Impa said, her cryptic smile widening. "Not too long ago, there was another boy and another girl, this time a princess. When evil fell upon the land and the boy was sealed away for seven years, the princess disguised herself as a Sheikah and took it upon herself to aid the boy when he awakened as a hero. Together, the princess and the hero drove back the darkness and all of the pain that had been wrought upon the kingdom had been undone. In the past, they reunited seven years ago and they have been the best of friends ever since."
Zelda couldn't help but smile softly upon hearing this. "Impa…" she said, rolling her eyes. "I know that's me and Link's story… You don't have to sugar coat it for me."
"Alright then; I won't," the Sheikah guardian said. "But what I'm trying to say is that your story and the story of the goddess and her hero are not so different, are they? They were quite close, as are you and Link, and when one of them was put in danger, the other did not hesitate to face death itself to save them."
The princess shook her head sadly as he smile faded into worry once more. "But they are different…" she sighed. "The goddess's chosen hero had to save her, just like Link had to save me. Not the other way around. Don't you see, Impa? He's the strong one, not me…"
"Strength is not what matters here," Impa said softly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Determination, bravery; those are the things must that matter now. It is true that you may feel as though you are out of your league because you have never dealt with something like before, but do not let that worry you. Worry will only lead to ruin. You must believe that you can help him, just as he believed that he was able to help you."
"Do you really think I can do this, Impa?" Zelda asked in a small, anxious voice.
"Zelda, I know you can do this," the Sheikah guardian said with confidence. "You are stronger than you think. Do you remember what I have always told you ever since you were little?"
The princess smiled softly once more as she recalled the age-old phrase that Impa used to say to her when she was younger, especially during her hardest moments. "So long as there is light to banish darkness…" she began by herself, but the Sheikah joined her in finishing it. "It can never extinguish hope."
"I know…" Zelda said, still smiling as she glanced down. Somehow, hearing that her wise Sheikah guardian had more faith in her than she had for herself gave her a little more hope for the situation as a whole. Ever since she was a young child, Impa had always been able to somehow comfort her when she needed it most, giving her strength and wisdom in every instance. Yet again, the princess found that she was grateful for the Sheikah's trustworthy counsel, something that she had always treasured and always would. "Thank you, Impa."
"No problem, Zelda," Impa nodded, smiling for another moment before her manner grew serious one more. "Now since I can clearly tell that you're still restless, I think we might as well set out for the Shadow Temple now. After all, there's no time to waste."
"Right," the princess nodded gravely as she rose to stand up alongside the Sheikah guardian. After gathering a few supplies, the two of them set out towards the graveyard behind the still-sleeping village in the early hours just before dawn.
Zelda placed her hands on her arms and involuntarily shivered upon entering the dark graveyard. It was a place she had only been to a handful of times; all of them to pay homage to her father's grave along with the other nobles, but she had never seen it so empty before. Rumors she had heard of the ghosts of the dead lurking the place filled her mind, but she quickly placed them aside. After all, the graveyard was not her destination; she was headed to a place that was said to be much worse.
After Zelda and Impa climbed up to the opening that lead to the Shadow Temple, the two of them simply stood before it for a moment, both of them staring into its dark depths warily. "Do you feel it, Zelda?" the Sheikah guardian asked quietly, glaring into the entryway. "The presence of a dark power looming right inside?"
"No…" the princess frowned slightly, wishing that she was as attuned to such things as Impa was. "But I-" She cut herself off upon noticing the soft glow on the back of her hand, coming from the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom. She smiled softly underneath her face coverings, knowing that it was a sign that Link was nearby and more than likely alive. "I'm going in," she said with resolve, not wanting to be another moment apart from the hero.
Impa opened her mouth to protest, but she nodded nonetheless as she began to follow after Zelda, who was almost inside of the temple before she turned around to face her guardian, her expression grave, but hesitant. She hated that she would have to tell the Sheikah this, but she had already decided that she was not going to allow her loyal guardian to go inside of the treacherous temple with her, even though Impa was even more skilled than she was. "Impa, wait," she said, avoiding the Sheikah's eye contact. "I… I think this is something I need to go do on my own…"
"What?!" Impa exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "Zelda, you are not going in there without me! I will not allow it!"
"And I will not allow her to hurt anyone else I care about!" the princess said firmly, not backing down from her resolve. She knew that if Impa were to go into the temple with her, than Veran would not hesitate to kill her guardian to get to her. After all, it was not the Sheikah she needed; it was her. "She already has Link! I won't let her get you too!"
"Zelda, I understand how you feel, but this is far too dangerous for you to do on your own!" Impa said, trying her best to remain patient with her young ward. "Not only is the Shadow Temple filled with danger all its own, but Veran is too strong for you to handle alone. If she manages to capture you as well, there's no telling what will become of Hyrule!"
"I don't care!" Zelda almost shouted in frustration, clenching her fists tightly at her sides. "You don't understand! I have to do this, Impa!" She let out a huffy sigh of aggravation, knowing that her resolve to venture into Shadow Temple by herself had not only come from a desire to protect the one who had protected her throughout her entire life. It also came from an innate need to prove herself, to show Impa and everyone else that she was not the weak, innocent child they thought she was. For as long as she could remember, the princess had always felt as though, because of both her youth and her royal position, others looked upon her as though she were fragile, someone who needed constant supervision and assistance. What Zelda hated even more though, was that everyone seemed to treat her in such a way: her servants, the councilmen, Impa, even Link occasionally. After all, wasn't it for that very reason that he had thrown himself in grave danger; to save her life because he hadn't believed that she could save herself? But nonetheless, the princess knew that as darkness was on the verge of covering her land one more, she was going to do everything she could to protect those who had always done the same for her, even when she had not wanted it.
"Perhaps I don't understand, but I am not allowing you to do this either way!" Impa protested firmly, but before she could say anything else, Zelda was quick to stop her.
"Enough!" the princess shouted in authoritative anger. "Impa, you may be my guardian, but I am still your princess. And as your princess, I command you to stay here!"
The Sheikah guardian's scarlet eyes grew wide in shock upon hearing this. Never before had Zelda spoken to her in such a harsh way, but as much as it took her aback, Impa knew that she was right. Zelda was the ruler of Hyrule and even though she did not agree with her reckless choice, the Sheikah guardian simply sighed and lowered her head in relent, knowing that she could do nothing to stop the young princess as she wandered into certain danger.
Zelda bit her lip as she watched Impa step aside to let her enter the temple, regretting how upset she had got with her loyal guardian. Under normal circumstances, she probably would have agreed with the Sheikah, but this was no normal circumstance. The life of her hero, as well as the fate of her kingdom, were both at steak and the princess knew that it was all because of her former weakness. And, because desperate times called for desperate measures, she had every reason to act as desperately as she was.
Right before Zelda entered into the inky blackness of the Shadow Temple, she turned around to face Impa one last time, giving her a small, apologetic smile. "Impa… I…" she began, wanting to say she was sorry, but not finding the right words. "I'll be back soon. I promise."
The Sheikah guardian said nothing as she simply nodded, a sad, worried look on her face as she watched with dread as Zelda brace herself before finally stepping into the threshold of the temple. And as much as every part of the princess wanted to look back to the woman who had been like a mother to her for her entire life, she only look forward into the darkness ahead of her, where her best friend and hero awaited.
The Shadow Temple was a frightening place to say the least. It was the kind of place that could strike fear into the hearts of even the most brazen, and absolute terror into the hearts of anyone else who dared to venture into its nightmarish depths. Admittedly, Zelda had never stepped foot into the dreaded temple before, but she had studied it enough in her Hylian history lessons to know that it there at "Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred" was rumored to be written, not only in words, but in the blood of those who had been forced to suffer there. Upon seeing the twisted traps such as the multiple sets of dropping guillotines and rotating blades, the princess knew that the Shadow Temple's main purpose had historically been a place of cold-blooded torture, but now, it served only as the final resting place for the many forms of undying dead that roamed its dark halls.
With each and every step she took further into the temple, Zelda clung onto her bow tightly, taking extreme caution as she hurried along as quickly and as quietly as she could. In truth, the Shadow Temple seemed like a very fitting place for the Sorceress of Shadow to take her prisoners, but so far, the princess had not seen a single sign of the hero, much to her dread and worry. After all, there were many secret chambers and passages with in the temple, as Impa had told her before they had even arrived; what if she wasn't able to find Link at all? Or worse yet, what if she met her end within the inky blackness all around her before she even got close?
Shaking such notions out of her mind, the princess pressed forward nonetheless, taking aim at any creature of the shadows she happened to come across and taking them down before they could even pose a threat to her. Not wanting to think about the impending darkness of the area as she trekked further and further into it, Zelda instead turned her thoughts to wonderings. So far, she had not encountered anything out of her league within the temple, despite the fact that she had been wandering around it for at least a few hours now. The traps and puzzles had all been minor to what she had been anticipating and even the monsters roaming around it had been rather sparse. Certainly, Veran was expecting her to come and try to liberate Link, right? So then why hadn't the sorceress placed any kind of overwhelming obstacle in her way yet? Zelda bit her lip as she realized that perhaps the worst was still yet to come; for all she knew, she could be walking right into a deadly trap. Suddenly, the princess wished that she had allowed her guardian to come with her after all, despite the grave danger. If there was any sort of trick or trap nearby, certainly Impa would have had the foresight to warn her about it. But instead, she had pushed the aid that the Sheikah could have offered her away and stubbornly demanded to go down this treacherous road alone, blindly heading off into untold disaster without any sort of help at all.
As Zelda ruminated on her own foolishness in this choice, she almost didn't notice the ground slightly trembling under her feet as she entered a new, mostly empty room. However, when she did feel the rumbling stone beneath her, she stopped in her tracks and glanced down in confusion, wondering what could possibly be going on. Carefully, the princess walked to the center of the room and stopped for a moment, looking around once again as the ground suddenly ceased moving, but only for a moment. When it did begin to shake again, this time it was much more violent, to the point that Zelda could barely remain standing. And it was in the midst of this strange quaking that the stone floor on both sides of the room suddenly began to cave in, much to the princess's horror. Before she could even pick herself off of the ground again, the floor nearest to both exits of the room had collapsed into the pitch black darkness below. Knowing that there was no escape, Zelda simply took in a deep, uneven breath and closed her eyes as the ground beneath her crumbled apart and she began to fall into the seemingly endless void, hoping that she wouldn't be falling into its depths forever, until even life itself faded away.
As the princess awakened from her dreamless unconsciousness, she found that she was staring up into darkness rather than down into it. The last thing she remembered was the terrifying feeling of being in a freefall, but she did not recall blacking out from the force of her fall, nor did she remember landing. Yet much to her surprise, she awakened to find that she was lying on solid ground, somehow without any injuries to speak of despite the fact that she must have fallen hundreds of feet. But nonetheless, upon gathering her bearings once more, Zelda rose to stand, only to find that she had landed on some sort of large ship, floating upon a sea of misty darkness. Unnerved by the strangeness of her new surroundings, the princess cautiously began to knock an arrow on her bow, only find that it was the last one in her quiver. She cursed herself softly underneath her face coverings as she realized that she had been foolish to not bring more arrows along, as in this dark place, there was her only means of both defense and offense.
However, before Zelda could even think about how to find a way off of the boat to search for more arrows, a sudden shuffling behind her caught her attention. Quickly turning around, she found a sight that made her eyes grow wide and her blood run cold. Standing only a few feet before her was one of Hyrule's most dreaded creatures: a Redead. The skeleton-like creature was still as it stood in front of her, but the princess knew that it would only be a matter of seconds before it attacked. And so, not taking any chances, she raised her bow and prepared to fire her last arrow at it, but right as she was letting it loose, the entire boat was suddenly rocked by an unknown force, causing Zelda to misaim. With despair, she watched as her final arrow flew right past the Redead's head, alerting the fell beast to her presence. As the monster looked up at her with its black, soulless eyes, the princess quickly stumbled back in terror, looking around frantically to find a way off of the ship and out of its grasp. However, as she happened to lock eyes with the undead creature once more, it let out a piercing scream that reverberated throughout the entire area, its shrill sound somehow paralyzing the princess's movements entirely. A freezing shiver of bitter cold ran down her spine as she found that she was stuck in place, completely at the mercy of the monster as it slowly began to inch towards her. The only thing that could fill her mind was fear as the Redead began to reach its bony hand towards her face. She desperately wished that she could close her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the beginning of her slow, no doubt painful death, but even her eyes were frozen in their wide, scared position. All she could feel now were the hot tears of horror streaming down her face, for she knew that, without a doubt this was the end.
However, before the creature could lay its hands on her, it suddenly emitted another screech, this one painful, as its movements were halted altogether. Still paralyzed, Zelda was unable to initially see what had stopped the Redead from murdering her, but she allowed herself a sigh of relief nonetheless as the monster collapsed to the ground, revealing who had come to her rescue.
Suddenly regaining a semblance of feeling, the princess gasped in absolute surprise and joy when she saw the hero himself standing before her as he slid his sword out of the now dead monster's body. She barely had time to revel in her happiness in seeing that he was alright before she began to clumsily fall forward towards him, still feeling weak from the paralysis. She had nearly fallen completely to the ground when Link managed to catch her by the arms, albeit somewhat more roughly than how he normally would have held her.
"Oh, Link…" Zelda said with a warm smile as she gazed up into his face, taking in every handsome feature. "I'm so glad you're alright…"
The hero was silent for a moment as he gave her a look of serious confusion, rather than relief as she had been expecting him to show. "Zelda?" he asked tentatively, as if unsure he was really talking to the princess or not. "What in the world are you wearing?"
Zelda smiled with levity as she straightened up and stood, the paralysis now completely gone. "Don't you remember?" she asked, gazing down at the Sheikah garb she wore. "You know… 'Sheik'?"
Confusion filled Link's features once more for a brief moment before he simply nodded quickly, as if trying to recover from it. "Oh yeah…" he said, though there was still a bit of uncertainty in his tone. "Anyway, we should probably get out of here, before anything else happens."
"But… what about Veran?" the princess asked, still knowing that the threat she posed to her kingdom had to be taken care of, even if the hero was fine. "Shouldn't we do something about her first?"
Link frowned at her, his sudden aggravation quite apparent. "We'll deal with her later," he said hurriedly as he began to step past her. "Now, let's go."
"But, Link," Zelda said, sensing that something was off about him, though exactly what it was she could not tell. "How are we even going to get off this boat, much less get out of the temple?"
The hero ignored her question as he sheathed his sword and headed towards the bow of the ship, where the golden symbol of the Triforce was painted. "Come here," he said, not as a suggestion, but rather as a command. Though unlettered by the somewhat harsh tone of voice he was using, Zelda complied nonetheless and came to stand beside him.
"What?" the princess asked in curiosity, examining the mark of the Triforce before briefly glancing over at the hero's hand and seeing that the mark of the Triforce of Courage was nowhere to be found despite the fact that the two of them were standing so close to one another. Although she was confused by this, she guessed that, even though it brought fear to her heart, perhaps Veran had already stolen it from him, hence his apparently frustrated manner.
"Do you have the Ocarina of Time?" Link asked, not even bothering to look over at her as he did so.
"Um… yeah…" Zelda said, pulling the instrument out so he could see. "Why?"
Without even asking for it, the hero simply took the ocarina out of her hands and without hesitation, played the Song of Time, much to the princess's confusion. He sighed in exasperation upon seeing that it didn't do anything, but before he could do anything else, she immediately questioned him about it.
"Why did you play the Song of Time?" Zelda asked with a frown. "You're supposed to play the song of the royal family near the mark of the Triforce."
"Oh, right…" Link said as though he had simply forgot as he turned to the princess and held the ocarina out to her. "So, do you mind then?"
"No…" the princess said, raising an eyebrow at him as she reclaimed the instrument and wondering why he couldn't just play the song himself. But nonetheless, she began to play her lullaby, yet as she did so, she cast a glance over at the hero, noticing the impatient glare he was giving her. He hardly ever got harsh with her, but aside from the possibility that Veran had stolen his Triforce piece from him, she couldn't figure out why he was acting so cross.
Once the song of the royal family was over, the boat suddenly began to shift beneath their feet, moving slowly forward as it began to bounce along through the darkness below. Amazed at this, Zelda looked over at Link, who, for the first time since they reunited, finally smiled in satisfaction that that the boat was moving. "How did you know that would work?" the princess asked, giving him a small smile as she remembered his tales of trekking through the temple himself once. "It's because you've been here before, right?"
Link frowned at her, puzzled once again before simply nodded in agreement with her, though Zelda could tell his response was only half-hearted. As they started to float along, the princess glanced at the hero once more, who did not meet her gaze as he crossed his arms and looked straight ahead, his light blue gaze cold and hardened. Anxiously, she bit her lip for a moment, wondering if Veran had done something to him to shake him up, causing his distant, irritated behavior. Unable to keep her wonderings to herself any longer, the princess turned to the hero and finally spoke up.
"Link?" she asked hesitantly. "Are… are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he said succinctly, keeping his sights set straight ahead.
"Are you sure?" she asked worriedly, examining him for a moment and still seeing no signs of injury, not even his formerly injured leg, much to her confusion. "Veran didn't hurt you, did she?"
"No," he said with a sigh of aggravation. "I told you, I'm fine."
"But… then how did you escape from her?" she continued to press. "Because in the woods, didn't she-?"
"Zelda!" he exclaimed in severe annoyance, finally turning to face her so she could see his livid blue eyes. "I said I'm fine, ok!? Now leave me alone already!"
Zelda immediately recoiled upon hearing Link yell at her, something he had never done in their many years of friendship. She quickly glanced away from him, tears threatening to fall as she felt his burning glaring gaze still upon her. They continued to ride along in silence, the hero not once trying to apologize to the princess for his provoked manner and the princess not even attempting to say another word to the hero. It was as they did so however, that Zelda realized that something was definitely off about Link; there was no room for skepticism, since her worries had pretty much just been proven. She didn't know if something that Veran had done was causing his harshness, or if it was something else, but the princess was determined to get to the bottom of it somehow or another.
As the boat suddenly came to a halt near a long lower platform, the hero turned to the princess again, his expression still cross and angry. "Come on," he commanded firmly. "This is where we get off."
Zelda didn't say a word as she followed after Link and leapt off of the ship, right before it began to sink into the dark depths of nothingness below it. The princess frowned as she looked around at the platform they were on, noticing that the hero seemed to be leading the way even deeper into the temple, as opposed to trying to find a way out. Despite his previous harshness with her, the princess wasn't going to remain silent about her pressing questions for him about the situation at large.
"Um… tell me if I'm wrong but, shouldn't we be heading up instead of deeper if we want to get out of here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
What Zelda didn't see as Link kept his back turned to her was the dark grin that had appeared on his face as he opened the door leading to the next room. "Oh, don't worry," he said mysteriously. "There's a path that leads to the way out right through here…"
The princess frowned at his now cryptic manner as she hesitantly followed him into the room, growing more and more unlettered by the second. Never before had Zelda had any reason not to trust Link, but in light of how he was acting towards her, she began to question whether or not following him through the temple was the wisest course of action. She only hoped that his strange behavior wasn't permanent; after all, this was scarcely the hero who she had just spent the past several days in Termina with, or the hero who had sacrificed his freedom to save her life.
As the two of them entered into the next, somewhat small, square room, the princess was quick to notice that the door slammed shut and locked behind them. At first, she wasn't too concerned about this, until she looked ahead and saw that the door had been the only way in or out. Suddenly panicked, Zelda glanced all around to the room, only to find that it was totally empty, save for her and Link. She bit her lip nervously as she watched the hero draw his blade, even though he still had not turned around to face her yet.
"Um… Link?" she asked in a voice that was little more than a whisper, suddenly feeling as though something was very wrong here. "What's going on?"
Link said nothing as he grinned wickedly, something that Zelda still did not see as she reached for an arrow on instinct, only to be reminded that her quiver was empty. But nonetheless, she kept her eyes trained on the hero and nothing else, knowing that something was certainly off. "Link?" she tried to get his attention once more, her voice even smaller though it echoed throughout the enclosed room nonetheless.
"Wow, princess…" the hero said mockingly, his tone filled with superiority and malice. "I can't believe you still haven't figured it out yet…" As he spoke, he finally partially looked back at her, allowing her to see physical proof that her suspicions were correct. The princess let out a gasp of shock and horror as she saw that his eyes, instead of being the gentle light blue that they normally were, were instead a dark shade of blood red, a color that struck fear into her heart as she backed away from him.
His strange behavior, his anger and bitterness towards her, the fact that he did not bear the Triforce of Courage; all of these had been signs, signs that she should have paid much more attention to. But now it was much too late, especially as she realized the truth. "You… you're not Link!" Zelda exclaimed as she glared at the figure before her, wishing that she had followed her first instinct and had refused to follow him from the start. Perhaps if she had, she would not be trapped inside of an escapeless room with him without any weapon to speak of.
"No, Zelda, I'm not and if that Triforce piece of yours granted you any kind of wisdom at all, then you would have realized that a long time ago," "Link" said as "he" rolled his scarlet eyes at her. The so-called "hero" let out a devious, chilling laugh in a voice that was not his own, but one that was all too familiar to Zelda nonetheless as he lifted his hand into the air, a dark violet glow beginning to surround him. It was only as the light faded away that the princess saw who had been deceiving her all along.
"Veran!" Zelda exclaimed in angry shock, wishing now more than ever that she had a full supply of arrows to defend herself against the sorceress with. But instead, she simply clenched her fists tightly as she stood her ground against her foe, despite the fear that was quickly filling her heart. But all the same, the princess knew she could not give up now, not when she knew that the real Link was still in danger and still needed her help.
"Greetings, princess," Veran said with a cruel snicker, quite pleased with her skillful trickery. "What did you think of my little 'impression' of you dear hero? It was quite spot on, wasn't it?"
"No, it wasn't!" Zelda said rigidly. "You must know nothing about Link because he would never treat me with complete disrespect and disregard like you did! And where ever he is, he better not be hurt for your sake or I promise I'll make you pay!"
"Oh, please, princess," the sorceress scoffed, waving her hand with little concern. "You're all talk and no action, just like your hero is. But don't worry. I know how much you've been missing him and so I plan on reuniting the two of you right now!"
With a triumphant laugh, Veran called upon her shadows once again to subdue the princess. As the darkness began to rise up around her, Zelda glanced around the room frantically once more, only to realize with complete and utter despair that there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. She had been captured from the moment she entered into this room with the fake hero and as she had feared, she had foolishly walked right into the sorceress's hands. So instead of crying out in panic and terror like she had in the woods, the princess simply shook her head in submission as she closed her eyes and waited for the shadows to drag her away. And, the last thing Zelda thought before she was pulled into the void of lonely unconsciousness was that she had failed. She had failed Impa, she had failed her kingdom, she had failed Link and most of all, she had failed herself.
"But Impa, he's been gone for weeks now!" Zelda pouted to her guardian as she paced around her courtyard worriedly, as had become her normal routine since Link left. "What if something has happened to him?!"
"Your highness, I'm sure he is fine," Impa said reassuringly, understanding her young ward's concerns for the hero. "He promised you that he would return, right?"
"Yes…" the princess said hesitantly, knowing where the Sheikah was going with this.
"Well then, you should trust him and his word," the guardian said with a kind smile. "I think, knowing him, if nothing else, then he would return to Hyrule just to see you, princess."
"You really think so?" Zelda asked, frowning up at her wise guardian.
"I know so," Impa said with a confident nod.
"But Impa… I'm still so worried about him…" the princess said with a fretful sigh as she glanced down at her feet. "I miss him so much… Things have been so boring around here without him!"
"I have noticed that you are at your happiest when Link is around…" Impa said with a small chuckle. "Which is why I think he'll return soon. He simply enjoys seeing you happy and of course, I know you'll be overjoyed when he comes back."
"I certainly will be…" Zelda said with a soft smile as she remembered the past few months of friendship the two of them had shared. "You're right, Impa. I just need to trust him more. I believe that I will see him again soon. But until then, waiting for him is still going to be awfully hard…"
The Sheikah guardian laughed in amusement along with the princess, glad to see that she was brightening up, despite the fact that she still pined for the hero's company. "Trust me, Zelda," she said, placing a hand on the princess's shoulder. "The time will fly by. After all, it always does."
Alright, so like I said, this chapter is kinda weak, mostly because I rushed it out so I could work on editing older chapters which will make my life easier. My main desire after finishing Blood and Spirit is to get this done, so that I can finally start Light and Shadow! sigh... a writer's work is never done... Anyway, don't forget to leave me a REVIEW! :D until next time!