Hello everyone ! Sorry for the delay once again, but blame the school. Way too much homework.
Just to keep in mind: Ganondorf, even if he has an evil mind, was a good king to his people before. That explains that he is acting normally around his courtiers and counselors at court.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10 :

« Zelda, why was Rochnan searching for you in such a hot place like at the Eldin Volcano summit?", I ask absently, my feet toying with the dry grass. The trees offer little protection from the burning sun, the temperature has risen considerably and the wind blows even harder. The vegetation has become rare and between the herbs I notice some sand grains, brought from the desert by the wind. Soon we shall be entering the Gerudo Desert.
The border between Central Hyrule and Lanayru Provincia was crossed smoothly and without incidents. We met no guards, came across more villages than in the previous regions and since our bags were full of provisions, we decided to cut through Lanayru straight to the desert to gain time.

"… Link you've already asked me this question dozens of time."
" Yes, but you have never answered me correctly."
She remains silent.
"Zelda?", I insist.
"Shut up and eat."
"I have asked you a question."
"I've asked you to shut it and eat."

I sigh, feeling hopeless. "You can be such a princess sometimes."
She looks up, annoyed. "I am no princess."
"Someone who has been raised at court, is called "her ladyship", who thinks highly of herself plus is the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom is a princess to me."
"I do not think highly-", she starts, but she pulls herself together. "You've set him to it, haven't you? Telling him stories about how the Zeldas were all princesses." she asks Fi accusatively.
" Me? Do you really think I'd team up with him? Not in a thousand years," she retorts, sounding innocent.

"I'm not a princess. I'm not the heir to the throne, my cousin is."
"… But you were the heir before you left the court, is that it?", I ask, already knowing the answer.
She glares at me in silence, annoyed by my constant questioning.
"… Fine. You can keep sulking. I'll get the truth out of you one day, …princess."
" Lin- !"

"Quiet you two. Instead of behaving like children, you should maybe watch your surroundings", Fi says, her metallic voice cutting us short.
The sky suddenly darkens as black clouds block the sun and the heat. The light decreases until the only glow left is the one emanating from the flames. The sky above our heads is pitch black and we could almost believe that the night has come upon us. A gush of wind blows out the dying fire and I see nothing else apart from the absolute darkness.
I swear in my teeth, grab two flint stones and start knocking them against each other to create sparkles but I end up hurting my fingers instead.
Lightening fills in the sky for only a brief instant and thunder rumbles hardly a second after. The storm is upon us.

"I am afraid we can do nothing else apart from waiting. The desert's climate is known to be very unpredictable", Fi says softly.
I lean back on the dry grass and lay my head on my leather pouch, trying to empty my mind. By dint of staring into blackness, I fall slowly asleep.

I'm staring at myself. In a mirror, or a crystal clear water. Each detail is represented with a deadly precision, the locks of my messy dark blond hair, the pitch black pupils in my icy blue eyes, the faint freckles I inherited from my mother, the healed scar caused by the Darknut…
The reflection suddenly changes and my features blur. Another man appears, similar to me but in many ways different. He's slightly younger, around 17 years old at first sight.
Again another man. This one has pure blond hair and a more manly face. He is the same age as me.
And the reflections shifts and blurs again, again, and again.
I see all of them every night. It always starts with me and goes back until the beginning of time, until the beginning of all legends.
I know their names by heart now, as if the information was already carved into my brain when I was born.

The hero of the Four Swords.
The Hero of Twilight, with a howling black wolf in the background.
The hero of Termina.

There the atmosphere changes, but more faces appear one again. As if… they belonged to another dimension, another world.

The Hero of Princess Zelda II.
The Hero of Princess Zelda I.
The Hero of the Sacred Oracles.
The Hero of the Seven Maidens.

The Hero of the New World.
The Hero of the Great Sea.
The Hero of the Wind.

The atmosphere shifts back to normal.

The Hero of Time, with the Hero of Termina in the background.
The Hero of the Four Sword again.
The Hero of the Minish.
The Legendary Keaton.
The Hero of the Sky.

Sometimes I see nameless faces. The heroes who failed.
I wait for my eyes to open…

But they don't.
Instead I see something new, a new face. He wears a red cape over his green leaf tunic and his hair, color of the sand, falls lightly on his forehead. His eyes are of the same exact icy blue as mine.
I reach out my hand, trying to touch this foreign face, but his features blur.
I have no name to give him. As I search into my mind for a way to call him, I only find emptiness, as if the information had been erased for an unknown reason. But something tells me that this one has not failed.

I am only facing whiteness now, with three words resonating into my head ceaselessly.
Legacy of courage.

Zelda is standing hardly a few meters away from me, facing too a mirror. She stares right through its smooth surface as if she was unaware of her own reflection.
As silent as a man can be in a dream, I creep up behind her.
Instead of her's reflection, there is another girl. She is approximately 12 years old, her ginger hair is brought back into a ponytail and her deep light blue eyes are staring at us. Her name is also Zelda.
The pictures shifts and more Zeldas appear, one after the one. Their hair color and styles, clothes, ages are all different but as every single one appears I am staring into the same fierce blue eyes.
The last one is so breathtakingly beautiful that I hardly dare to look at her. She is surrounded by a divine aura, illuminating her in all her splendor.
For the first time in my existence, I am facing the white Goddess Hylia.

The whiteness ceases and everything is replaced by an absolute blackness. I sit up, panting. "Where I am I? Where am I?", I say, panicked, seeing nothing but darkness.
"Calm down. The storm hasn't gone yet", Zelda's voice utters close to me.
"Oh", I simply answer.
A long silence follows, everyone seemingly lost in their thoughts.

"Zelda. You were the odd one out."
"… What?"
"All the Zeldas… I won't say they looked alike, but they had those deep light blue eyes, like Goddess Hylia. Yours are dark like the night sky. You were the only one."
She answers nothing. "Zelda?", I insist. Finally she utters, her voice slightly trembling: "… I suppose… it's just a coincidence…"
Her voice betrays her in every way. Even if it was a coincidence, I sense that something has happened because of it. Something terrible that she does not wish to bring up again.

We fall into silence again and I begin to lose track of time. Bored, I lie down again and nearly drift off to sleep when I hear a sound.
It is Zelda. She is humming softly a melody in ancient Hylian that seems familiar to my ears, and her crystal clear voice fills in slowly the clearing, echoing around us.

En dafevu nobe fondu
Tye futu keuaenu sale
En dafevu nobe dufu
Tye futue nobe dezu dotfe

Fi joins her, backing the main melody with her voice and some soft variants. All sound of her metallic voice has disappears as she sings.

Den taru kaliano mae,
Yarata sentel
Harano hyohi

Both voices fill me in and I feel at peace. I move my head alongside the rhythm of the tune. A third male voice joins in, singing this time in modern Hylian, and it takes a moment for me to realize that it is mine. I have never sung in my entire life.

Oh youth, guided by the servant of the Goddess,
Unite earth and sky,
And bring light to the land.

And yet the words come to me naturally, once again as if someone was guiding me. I begin to sing louder and Fi and Zelda accompany me. The black sky lightens up and the sun reappears from behind the dark clouds. It shines brighter and the sky founds its flamboyant blue tone again as the last notes fade into the air.

Fi watches me with what it seems to be interest. She smiles and says: "You have a lovely voice, Link. I had never heard a hero sing before. Or at least one pretending to be the one."
"I… I had never sung before, and I had no idea of what I was singing. I had never heard this melody before, although it seemed somehow familiar."
Fi and Zelda look at each other for a second and burst out laughing. "Now, what is it?", I ask, piqued.

"Do you want to know the name of the song?", Zelda says, still laughing.
" Yes! What is it?"
"You are not going to be happy with it…"
I frown. Is it really that bad? "Be out with it!", I finally say, resigning.
"It's a prayer to Hylia. I believe it is called the Ballad of The Goddess."
My eyes grow wide and my face red.
" Me, singing a prayer to Hylia? This is possibly the biggest prank that has ever been played on me!"
I was praying to the Goddess that don't even exist and whom I despise with all my heart. This is a nightmare.
"… well, look on the bright side Link! Thanks to your prayer, the sky has cleared up and we can now continue our journey."

I glare at her furiously as I stand up.

I gaze at the starry night sky, unable to find rest. The stars are clearly visible, not a single cloud veiling the sky and I am able to recognize some of Hyrule's constellations. A cold breeze blows and I shiver. Zelda shifts uncomfortably in her sleep. Trying to doze off, I turn and lay on my right side, facing her. My eyes begin to close and I finally drift off when a detail catches my attention: her hands are trembling. The night may be fresh but her clothes are thick and protect her from the bitter wind.
She starts moving and groaning. Even though her eyes are closed, they are moving beneath her eyelids. Her whole body starts to shake and quiver uncontrollably. Distinct words come out of her lips such as: "No!" or "Never!"
Panicked, I walk to her and kneel by her side. "Zelda?", I ask softly. No response. I utter her name louder but again silence follows my words. I finally begin to shake her shoulders, but as soon as I touch her I am surrounded by an absolute blackness.
It feels as if I was falling into an endless pit.

"…I thank you, Shan. You may now leave", a young woman's voice utters.
" Milady." Shan says as he leaves silently through the open door and closes it behind him.

I am standing in one of Hyrule Castle's numerous chambers, a woman's back turn to me. She is wearing a heavily decorated sky blue dress, its trail lying down on the cold marble stabs, hiding her feet. Her black hair is tied into a complex braid, and golden jewellery is embroiled into her dark locks.
I could have recognized her anywhere, dress or no. The woman whose back is turned to me and who stands so strictly, staring straight ahead, is Zelda.
She suddenly turns towards the window, and stared right through me, not acknowledging my presence. I reach a hand to her face and my fingers traverse her body as if I was only a mere shadow.
I am now facing Zelda, as I had thought, but a younger version of the one I know, approximately sixteen years old at first sight. Even now, I am taken aback by her appearance, being so close to her and unable to touch her body.
Her face is perfectly neutral, without a single expression. Blank. It almost frightens me.

A knock is heard, breaking the eerie atmosphere. She sighs heavily and says softly:"Enter." A tall man in his mid-fifties appears, his hair greying at the temples.

"Milady…", he says uncomfortably. A long silence follows.
"Yes, Counselor Edwin?", Zelda answers blankly, still facing the window.
"Well, milady…"
"Counselor, what is it?", Zelda says as she turns around to face him.
"Your uncle, milady…", he trails off uncertainly.
"Well, what about him?", she asks, now impatient.
"He… he has been… killed in action on the borders of Termina."

Zelda's breathing stops. Her eyes widen and her muscles clench uncontrollably. Her mouth opens but no sound comes out of her lips. The dream begins to blur as the her world shatters.
"He… he… he's d-dead? K-killed in action…?", she asks, mouthing her words with difficulty.
"… I'm sorry milady."
"No… that is not possible… He can't be…dead. No… No. No. NO!", she shouts, as tears fall down from her eyes.
"I'm sorry", he repeats, at a loss for words.
"NO! Tell me it's not true! TELL ME!"

He only remains silent and looks at her with sad eyes. "NO!", she shouts again as she begins to run, pushes him and bolts through the door. Her personal maid shouts as she rushes by: "Lady Zelda, where on earth are you going? What would your father say if he saw you in this state?". Zelda vividly turns around and shouts: "The hell with my father! He was never here for me, was he? They both never were! The only one that was here was Uncle Osden. And now he's dead. Dead like all the others!"
The maid looks at her in astonishment, stricken as Zelda races through the corridor, shoving people aside, stumbling at every step, tears streaming down her face.
She runs through the castle, her feet acting on their own. She finally stops at the entrance of the Grand Balcony viewing on Hyrule's immense Royal Gardens. There she drops on her knees and begins sobbing silently, her face buried in her hands.
There she stays crying uncontrollably for what it may have seemed hours. That's when she hears a male voice speaking to itself, up ahead. Lost in his thoughts, he has not heard her entering the room.
His dark and messy ginger hair falls on his shoulders, and a heavy cape covers his body. From where I am, I can see his face. He is wearing a beard and 2 golden eyes are staring out at the horizon. His name… King Ganondorf.

He runs a hand over his tired face and muttered:
"Thank god Osden is dead... This nearly got out of hand. Now I finally have access to her..."

There is a pause, and all of as sudden, he twirls around and plunges his gaze into Zelda's. She simply stares at him, mouth opened, as the realization hits her.
He killed her uncle. Her only family left.
And now he was going to kill her.

His eyes widen in horror as he realizes his mistake, and without a single moment of hesitation, he shouts:
"Guards! Seize her!"
Zelda looks around her, now afraid. She hastily gets up and starts to leave through the wide open door, but is immediately stopped by some approaching soldiers. She runs through the other door on her left.
"Guards! After her! I want her dead or alive!"

Her breath quickens as she runs through the corridors of the Royal Wing, courtiers watching her oddly, wondering where she is running to.
Guards come from all corners, trying to grasp her dress with their armored hands. All of sudden, someone seizes her arm and pulls her into a dark and uninviting servant's passageway. He instantly puts his hand over her mouth and silences her. His clothes are stained with oil and tomato, and his palms smell of salt: he is one of the numerous kitchen maids.

"Come with me, I know a secret passage in the kitchens."
"But…"
"Listen, do you want to live, yes or no? So follow me now! I'll cover you."

He follows the passageway and leads her into the empty kitchens. He pushes one of the stone slabs of the fireplace and in a deep rumble a door is revealed in the wall, leading into the darkness. He pushes her inside.
"Wait… What's your name?"
The man is around his forties and to tell the truth, he does not look like a kitchen maid. Strong muscles show beneath his apron and tunic and his gaze tells that he is one that you would not simply meddle with.
"You don't need my name."
"… Do you work for my uncle? Did he hire you?"
He looks at her for a moment and studies her face. Footsteps and shouts are heard nearby.
"… You could say that, yes."
"…He knew this whole time?"
"You could say that as well."
He looks at her once again. "You look like him, somehow. You're a smart girl, you'll survive in the wild."

"Hey! You there!", a soldier says, arriving in the kitchen, sword in hand. "Go now!", the man says urgently, as the door slides back into the wall.

"You! Where did she go? Where did the girl go?", the soldier says menacingly. She can hear them from the other side of the wall.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
" Don't take me for a fool. How do you open that door?"
"You shall not touch her."
"Open that door now!"
"I'd rather die."

A clash of metal is heard, followed by a grunt of pain and the sound of someone falling on the ground. The man who had helped us was without weapons and defenseless.
One of the two men stops breathing.
"… You asked for it." the guard says, now alone.

Tears start to flow down her cheeks as she realizes that he sacrificed himself for her.

"Post men around the castle! Don't let her escape!"
Grasping her chance, Zelda runs towards the exit, trying desperately to gain as much time as she can. She falls down countless times but always stands back up, spurred by fear. Now bare foot, dress torn and running in the mud, she emerges outside and races into the darkness, towards the nearest forest, exposed to all threats. Tears have dried on her cheeks and in her eyes I can read fear, desperation and an immense grief.
And the night welcomed with open arms the one that was already destined to be hers so long ago.

I abruptly open my eyes and I all can see for a split moment are her tears, streaming down her cheeks. Her nails are dug deeply into my skin and she clenches my arm so tightly that it is tainted with blood. In the eyes where just a second ago I could see nothing but sadness is now painted pain, surprise and the trembling flame of vengeance. Finally understanding that I now understand how she feels, she buries her face in my tunic.

"He- he killed him…", she says, her voice broken between her chokes. A long silence follows. She eventually calms down and finally begins to close her eyes. A feeling of hate and anger takes over me. Just before she drifts off to sleep, I utter:

"I will end his days. For my father, for all the ones he killed and made suffer, for your uncle, for you. And if I don't, then I'll die trying. That, I swear."

ɸ

"Her ladyship Zelda Nohansen Hyrule and the thief Keaton have been seen together in one of the remaining villages of Central Hyrule… Gleipna, I believe it is called, your Highness. They appear to be heading for the Gerudo Desert."
"Thank you Shan. And please, no need to call her "her ladyship". That title disappeared the day she left."
" Yes, of course, your Highness."
A silence followed, and King Ganondorf turned around, eyeing his counselor closely. "… What is it, Shan?"
"…What a tragedy it is, your Highness. The hordes of Moblin destroying everything…"
"Yes, indeed it is. Our soldiers are doing their best. Alas, those foul beasts are nowhere to be seen, but their acts of brutal violence still spread across the Kingdom."
"Of course, your Majesty."
"Thank you for the information, you may now leave."

Shan bowed and left the room without a sound. Ganondorf turned towards the open window and stared out at the horizon. And the softly he muttered as he so often did:
"Such a tragedy indeed… "

My dear foolish Shan. I wondered how you would react if you knew the truth. Would you call me a traitor, me, your King that you have served loyaly for twenty years, or would you try to understand me? But how could you possibly understand me… I need that Triforce. I need it! Even if the whole kingdom may die, they shall come to me one day. I do not know where they are heading and for what purpose, but they shall not escape our grasp. And soon, I shall finally obtain what I want."

ɸ