Chapter 10: Legends of the Hero of Time
1
Link gazed at the book. He shifted himself into a more comfortable position on his bed, and opened a random page. The book had a lot of old illustrations—but they were quite well drawn. The chapter title read,
Chapter II: The Hero's Destined Meeting with the Princess
"As the Hero wandered into the Market, his dependable fairy, Navi, directed him to the castle. Along the way, the Hero met many unalike people including a lovely ranch girl and her father, who was a farmer. The Hero sneaked past the soldiers who were guarding the castle and made his way into the castle courtyard—which unknowingly to him—was where the Princess was located in.
She was shocked and scared at first, but when she realized he was the boy who was in her visionary dreams, she told him about the evil Gerudo chief, Ganondorf Dragmire, who pledged his allegiance to the king. She told the Hero that he must get the rest of the Spiritual Stones and open up the Door of Time, to gain access to the Sacred Realm.
Now in order to continue the story, one must recognize the beauty of the Princess. She wore a beautiful dress with the Hylian crests adorning it. Her eyes, a light sapphire blue shone brightly in desperation to the Hero. Her stunning smile was not known to many for her heart grieved with the troubles of her Kingdom. She was fair and wise, and had a gentle heart. She was truly the Princess of Time.
For the longest of time, Link believed all these stories to be, as it's called, a legend. Something which most of the times wasn't real. But after the Twilight Invasion, he started to believe those stories weren't fake after all. The Hero of Time was just like him. Good Hylia… Link would give anything in the world to meet the Hero.
He flipped back to the first chapter of the book,
Chapter I: The Boy Without a Fairy
2
The wretched Hero of Twilight had a reason for fighting the knight in the courtroom. But why?
The Gerudo woman paced the room. The Bulblins were not able to find a weakness in the Hero, but she had already found one. The Princess. The Princess was his weakness. Okay, so he was close to the Royal Family—that much was obvious. So how could she get the Hero to act thoughtless?
The woman smiled. This was much more entertaining than she thought it would turn out to be. She had a perfect plan. Yes, this will definitely get the Hero's temper going. She chuckled.
"If you don't mind me asking, Milady, what is that is funny?" Another Gerudo walked in.
"Ah, nothing. I'm just thinking how easy it is to control these ignorant voes." She picked up her curved sword, and began to polish it.
Yes, this is way too easy.
3
Link had spent the entire night reading the book. It meant a sleepless night, but finishing the book was satisfying. The story was more bittersweet than anything else. The Hero of Time saved Hyrule from Ganondorf's evil, but it also meant leaving the one whom he loved.
The Princess.
The story didn't go into further details after the Hero returned to his own time. The ending sentence was, "And so the Hero of Time laid the sword to rest, and continued life in the forest as a boy. The boy without a fairy."
Link got out of bed, and changed into his Hero's Tunic. Dusting off some dirt from it, he grabbed his green hat, and stared at it. The weather was getting warmer and the hat will just feel uncomfortable on him. He put his hat back into the trunk where he got it from, and brought "The Legends of the Hero of Time" outside with him.
The author didn't speak much about the Gerudo in the book. They only mentioned that the Gerudo Sage of Spirit opposed Ganondorf and offered to help the Hero. Were the Gerudo history even documented? It's was a question he would have to ask Zelda.
"Link!"
Link jumped. He was taken aback from the shout right into his ear. He looked towards the sound and saw Fado.
"What are ya doin'? The Princess is already here!" Fado was pacing back and forth. He was not used to the presence of royalty in the village. Link couldn't blame him.
"How long has she been here?" He continued walking towards the main section of the village.
"About fifteen minutes. The kids are havin' a grand time with her."
Link nodded. He followed Fado until he went towards the ranch. Link could hear Beth and Colin's laughter ringing through the air. Zelda and the children were sitting on the grass in the area behind the waterwheel. Talo was showing Zelda his toy wooden sword. Link stood from a distance and listened.
Beth crossed her arms and sighed. "She's a Princess, Talo. As if she's interested in swords. You should talk to Link about that kind of stuff!"
"Well if she can't play with swords, then that's boring!" Talo stood up. He had a knife and he was rather crudely sharpening the sword.
Zelda placed her hand on her hip, and wagged her finger at Talo. "Now hold on, fair knight. Who said that princesses aren't well versed in the art of swordsmanship?" She looked around for a broken branch on the ground.
Zelda was wearing a pair of black pants, and a light green blouse. The blouse seemed made to fit only her. Starting from the top of her arms, the sleeves were snug, and as it went downward, the sleeves opened wider once it reached her hands. Her hair was braided and styled upward in complete perfection. Not a single strand of hair dropped down.
She grabbed a branch and positioned herself into a fighting stance. The two of them pretended they were in a sword fight. They didn't slash at each other but they parried most of the time.
Zelda laughed. "Alright Talo, I forfeit this match and I shall knight you in the name of Hylia for your heroic deeds on this day."
"I'll protect you, Princess Zelda. With my life!" Talo bowed to Zelda.
Zelda giggled. She tapped the sword over Talo's shoulders.
"I Princess Zelda Nohansen Hyrule declare you, Talo of Ordon, Sir Talo of the…" She looked over her shoulders and noticed Link watching from the distance. She smiled and waved at him. Link waved and brought his index finger to his mouth, signaling Zelda to keep his presence unknown to the children.
Talo looked up. "Hey, Princess Zelda! You haven't forgotten the words, have you?" Talo turned his head towards what Zelda was looking at. Unfortunately for Link, Talo caught on and ran to him.
"Link! You made it just in time. I was going to be knighted by the Princess!" Link gave him a quick hug. Zelda walked up to him. So did Beth and Colin.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up." Zelda looked at the children. "Children, run along for now. I'll get right back to you in just a moment." The kids agreed and ran off to play.
"How was that battle in Zora's Domain?" Link asked.
Zelda's grin turned into a frown. "Not well. We were able to get the Gerudo to retreat, but retreating doesn't always mean the fighting is over. I'm suspecting maybe they'll come back once they gather up their army again."
Link nodded, and directed her to a bench.
The two remained silent as they got comfortable on the bench. Zelda tapped her fingers on her lap. (A habit which Link picked up on.) She breathed in and said, "The leader of the Gerudo told me she was going to kill me."
Link's head perked up. What? So she decided to tell Link this right now? Why was she even traveling—she shouldn't be traveling if her life is at risk! "Why would she kill you? What did you do to her?"
"It's probably what I've done to her before I was born." Zelda said.
"What do you mean?"
"In some point in time, Hyrule exterminated the Gerudo race to avoid another demon king from being born. Of course, they didn't know that Ganondorf was still alive somewhere in the Twilight Realm so that perception turned out to be meaningless." She furrowed her eyebrows. "She blames my family for the extinction of her race."
How can Zelda be taking this so easy? A woman walked up to her, and told her she was going to kill her. How can she say it like if it were nothing?
"Zelda, be careful wherever you go. Always have the knights around you." Link said.
She chuckled, and rolled her eyes. "If this isn't having, 'knights around me' then I honestly don't know what is."
Looking around, Link saw knights scattered on all the corners of the village. They were as still as statues so its no wonder he didn't notice them until Zelda pointed them out. Was Aromi one of the knights who were there? Thinking about it now; what happened to Buzi?
"What book are you holding in your hands, Link?" He blinked twice and looked at the book.
"Oh, yes, I wanted to show you this book," Flipping it around to the title side, Link handed it to her. "it's called, 'The Legends of the Hero of Time.' As the title suggest, this story recounts the adventures of the Hero of Time—"
Zelda's eyes lit up. "Oh yes, yes, I remember this book!"
"You do?—"
"Of course I do! My mother used to read it to me as a child. I especially loved the part where the Princess reveals herself after disguising as a member of the Sheikah Tribe. If I remember correctly, there was a beautiful illustration of the Princess with half of her body shrouded in shadow, and another half beaming with light."
"Well," Link paused and hoped he wouldn't get cut off again. "I'm glad you're familiar with the book. I was interested in learning more about the Gerudo and I thought I could figure out more about them if I read this book."
Zelda composed herself and closed the book. She shook her head. "You're not going to find much about the Gerudo in a storybook. Although if you came to the Castle again, I could lend you some Hyrulean history books that have the entire Gerudo history in them." She smiled.
He beamed back at her. "Thank you, Zelda."
She skimmed through the pages of the book. "One thing I don't understand in the book is, who moved the Master Sword from the Temple of Time to wherever it is now?"
"It's in Faron Woods. That's where I got it from." Link said.
"You know, I never had a chance to admire it—the Master Sword, I mean. Believe it or not, I am a fairly big sword enthusiast and from what I saw during your battle with Ganondorf, the Master Sword is an impressive work of craftsmanship."
"Oh?" Link took Zelda's hand and stood up. "Would you like to see it? I can show you where it is."
Zelda resisted and tried to pull her hand away. "No no, if it causes you too much trouble then I wouldn't mind not seeing it. I don't want to cause you any problems." Link tugged back with a little more force.
"You're not causing any problems, Zelda—" He paused.
Staring at him, she raised her eyebrows. "Link? What's wrong?"
Link dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I so rudely invited you into my company that I almost forgot you are of such royal status. Allow me to start again," He cleared his throat. "Your Royal Highness Princess Nohan-I forget your middle name Zelda; I beg of you—I implore thee to come into the forest with me to see a fine work of art!"
At this point, Zelda was giggling and said, "Alright, alright! Just get up," she whispered, "the villagers are staring!" Link while standing up, looked at the villagers. The children were staring, and Mayor Bo's mouth was gapped. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.
The two continued into Faron Woods. The knights were insistent on accompanying Zelda but she told the knights there was no need since she was in the company of the Hero of Twilight who was the greatest soldier she had the honor of being protected by. Link persisted against her decision nonetheless but alas, she still denied the knights' protection.
Walking through the woods during the early days of summer had always been Link's favorite past time when he was a young boy. As well as it was Ilia's. Speaking of Ilia… Link had to talk to her about the kiss. He felt bad enough for not giving her an immediate response but he didn't know what to do. Yes, he has always liked her and he still does but—should he really? How could he address Ilia if he couldn't even address his own feelings?
"I was very happy to see that book again." Zelda said.
Link glanced at her. The book? Oh, right.
"Really? Why so?"
"When I was a girl, that book was my mother's favorite book. She would always read it to me, and she would read it be herself. And once my mother died, my father…" Her voice took on a more spiteful tone. "My father burned the book right in front of me." She clenched her fists.
Link remained silent.
"My father changed when my mother died. He was always cruel and corrupt but even more so after she died." She sighed. "I don't know what was it about that book that my mother loved so much. She was never truly happy with my father. Maybe she wanted to marry a hero like the Hero of Time in the book. But she had to face reality and marry whoever her father had assigned her to."
Was Link's life really as bad as he believed it to be? Yes, he grew up not knowing his parents but he had Rusl and Uli to replace the roles of parents. It wasn't awkward because Link was never treated as an outsider. Rusl found him as an infant out in the woods one day, and decided to take him in. Nothing complicated. But Zelda? She had the benefit of knowing her parents. She knew them, she loved them and they were both taken away from her. She felt more pain then him.
Link saw the normally stoic and reserved Princess in a new light. He'd always seen her under the façade of royalty and assumed her character was as she presented herself in court. He realized that she was in fact burdened by struggles he himself was all too familiar with. He felt oddly protective of her.
"Anyways," Unclenching her fists, she changed the topic. "Setsune is obviously dead, as you can tell. Buzi and Aromi honestly had no part in Setsune's grand scheme. They were questioned out of standard procedure and I can safely say that they were merely threatened by Setsune. For now, there isn't much we can do, but something is definitely off about this whole thing."
"Yes, it wouldn't have made sense if the two of them suddenly switched sides. Unless, of course, a reward was offered." Link said.
"Well, the Gerudo have always had a lot of…" She paused. "Charm. So persuading the soldiers is actually easier than it looks."
Charm?
Oh.
Right. Charm.
"But to go as far as to almost kill you? Would they really do that?" Link asked.
Now this is leading to some confusion. If the knights of Hyrule were on the Gerudo side, then is Aromi with them, too? If this is the case, then Zelda shouldn't even have guards around Ordon Village because they could be in league with those women.
"For the right price, those knights would do anything." Zelda said.
Hyrule was corrupt, no doubt about it. Hyrule, for the longest of times, had always been such a just and prosperous kingdom. How did it come to this? How did it become that Hyrule's own knights were willing to betray the Royal Family for such… such services?
Why would they?
3
"No. Absolutely not." The Gerudo woman took a sip of her wine.
In front of her were a group of knights wearing their armor.
A knight walked up to her and said, "Milady, you have to understand that the Hylian Army is stronger than it looks. We're but a small portion of the Army! We have no chance of taking the rest of them on."
The woman stood up, and got in the knight's face. He gulped, and his throat tightened in fear. The woman stroked the knight's cheek. Sensations of her cold hand sent shivers down his spine.
"You aren't going to betray me," she placed her lips on his and finished in a whisper, "are you?" Unknowing to the woman, the Triforce of Power radiated from her right hand.
As if a dark power overtook him, the knight's face turned from fear to a stone cold expression. "No Milady. Forgive me for my foolishness." He bowed down to her.
She laughed. "Good, good. You are forgiven. Now tell me, what have you found out during your time in the castle?" The woman walked up to a table and opened up a map of Hyrule. Circles were made around Lake Hylia, and Hyrule Castle was circled with red ink. Underneath the castle it said, "All of Hyrule is controlled by the castle."
"Princess Zelda has grown increasingly suspicion with the knights. The knight, Setsune, who died in battle, seemed to have revealed a bit about his true motive. Now the Princess with each passing day is becoming more wary of all the knights in the Army."
She sat on the table, crossed her legs and said, "She hasn't been able to confirm anything yet, am I right? We can't let her find out about you. All of you," she pointed at the knights. "I want you to all go back to the castle before your presence is missed. I have to plan a battle so get out of my sights." She grabbed the map and continued to scribble on it.
All the knights obeyed her and left the room.
The woman sighed. It still all felt like a dream to her. Her race—her family were finally going to make a comeback. They were finally going to get the recognition they deserved after being silenced for so long. She can distinctively remember the tears of her mother. She remembered what her mother always told her, what her mother always wanted her to do.
"Bring back our clan. Show Hyrule that the Gerudo race is not forgotten!"
She will obey her mother's order to her very death.
She will not be forgotten.
She will not be a forgotten race.
A big thank you to my incredibly patient beta reader, wilba1, for reading through this chapter and fixing the obvious mistakes I always keep missing whenever I read through the chapter.