Chapter 11
Zelda stood transfixed where Demon had left her, still staring out the window where his shadowy figure had disappeared. A hazy fog seemed to have cloaked her mind, shock making even simple thoughts confused and difficult. The evil that haunted her nightmares had appeared to kill her, but when Demon had Zelda by the throat, her life in his hand, the black-cloaked warrior had turned tail and fled. She wondered briefly at the look in his eyes as he had fled. There had been terror and pain in his gaze, but also something else. A little bit of blue in a sea of darkness that Zelda thought she recognized. Something had changed in the warrior as he had stood over the princess, with his dagger, but what, Zelda was not certain.
She had found the Hero of Time and in him, the power to destroy evil. Demon was the least likely person Zelda would have ever given the legendary title, but for good or ill, the Hero had been named. She looked over at the tapestry on the wall and compared it to Demon's image in her head, they could not have been more different. For the first time since she had been named the Princess of Destiny, Zelda felt the whole weight of the world on her shoulders. Some-how, she had to band together with that black-cloaked homicidal maniac and defeat an evil which could not be possibly worse than he was.
Zelda picked Demon's dagger up off the floor and studied it's twisted contours. The weapon was warped and skewed, perfectly mirroring its owner's soul. Slightly curved was the blade itself, ideal for slitting throats from behind. Zelda shuddered as she wondered how many souls had poured out their life-blood on the knife she was holding in her hand. It became even worse when she realized how close the dagger had been to adding her name to that list. Turning to the doorway she tucked the dagger into a recess in her gown.
Zelda gasped as her gaze turned to Impa's body on the floor, she had almost forgotten about her nurse! Kneeling at her side the princess cradled the woman's head in her lap. "Impa," she whispered "Please don't die on me.". The princess couldn't bear the thought of losing the beloved nurse who had been her closest friend.
Bitter tears ran down her face as she cried. Zelda's life was turning upside down and she had no way of righting it again. Her nurse was unconscious in her arms and her destiny had betrayed her. Leaning over Impa's still form, hard sobs wracking her body, Zelda could only wonder what was to happen next. The rational part of Zelda's mind slowly kicked in. She had almost been killed. Never in her life had she been so close to death and the revelation scared her.
"I don't think there's any fear of me dying." Impa whispered. "My skull's thicker than the castle walls and twice as hard." She looked sort of bemused from her prone position on the floor. "Stop crying princess or you will ruin your complexion. Did you, by chance, see the one who hit me?"
The look on Zelda's face gave Impa her answer. "It was that man from your dream wasn't it? The one that you met in Lord Arawn's dungeons."
The princess nodded. "He surprised Gab..." Shocked, Zelda cut off her sentence. Gabriel! She had totally forgotten about the nobleman who had betrayed her, ran for his life and left her alone with an assassin. Her eyes narrowed and the tears began to cease as her terror turned to anger.
"That uncouth, slovenly, treacherous son of a gibbering commoner." she snarled, curling her hands into fists.
Impa raised an eyebrow. "I know this may not be the best time princess, but a member of the royal family should not use such language. Even for one so dark as the Demon."
"I wasn't talking about Demon." Zelda muttered. "I was referring to that former suitor of mine. Gabriel abandoned me to the assassin! He ran from the room instead of defending me!"
Impa's eyes narrowed to slits. "He left you alone with Demon? How did you survive?"
Zelda's eyes suddenly drifted far away, a peculiar mix of fear and fascination gracing her features. "Demon was about to kill me, there was no way I could have stopped him. He raised this dagger-" she pulled the weapon from her gown "Above his head and it was like I was looking death in the face. But..."
She paused for a moment, lost in the terror of the memory.
"Then he stopped. It was almost like he became scared himself. He dropped his knife and ran."
Zelda turned her gaze back into Impa's eyes. "He is the Hero of Time Impa." she murmured softly "I saw the mark on his hand"
Impa nodded. "I thought as much princess." The nurse levered herself out of Zelda lap, groaning softly. Congealed blood marked the wound on head, but it was no longer flowing freely. "I think we must consider out next actions carefully. You say Gabriel betrayed you."
Zelda nodded slowly. "He did not run out of fear, he deliberately gave me to the Demon."
"That man is powerful, with many allies. Something is brewing that will change the course of history. The Hero of Time had re-appeared, and our greatest ally has shown himself to be a traitor."
Tears began to form once again in Zelda eyes. "Do you know what he was doing before Demon attacked?" she whispered "He proposed, Impa. Gabriel asked me to marry him and then abandoned me to certain death."
Gabriel had been second to only Hyrule in Zelda's mind. She had loved him, or thought she did for such a long time that she could not imagine life without the brown-haired noble. Ashamed she realized that even after his betrayal, she still wished for Gabriel to come and comfort her. Kiss away her sadness and tell her it was all a mistake.
The fear of Demon's attack was starting to dissipate with his absence. Zelda had never been easily frightened, a life of politics had ensured that and even Demon's attempt on her life could not cow her for long. She had been more scared of his presence than anything, and now that he was gone her reason was reasserting itself.
Impa slowly helped Zelda to her feet. "It seems I have gravely misjudged the situation, princess. I knew there was a rebel faction in Hyrule who wanted you deposed, how else did the Aratians kidnap you so easily? But I never knew that one such as Gabriel would be involved. We must leave the castle for a while and observe the reaction of the other nobles. See who is with you and who against you. You are no longer safe here."
Clenching her fists, the princess' eyes flashed. "I'm not leaving that traitor alive Impa! I will not concede victory to Gabriel!"
"We don't have a choice. Most of the castle guard are from Gabriel's own regiment. He controls them princess, not you, and he's also been replacing nobles within the court with his own people. You gave him the authority remember? You signed the documents last fall."
"I trusted him! A traitor!"
"We trusted him. Too much. Please Zelda, you must listen to me!"
Zelda started at Impa's use of her name. The nurse had always called her "princess", never before had she used her actual name.
"I cannot take you to a human settlement, faces such as our are too recognizable inside Hyrule." continued Impa. "Neither can we seek refuge with a non-human faction, the Gorons or Zoras, they would not want to meddle in our political strife and would likely turn us right back over to Gabriel."
Zelda started at Impa's reference to the other sentient creatures who lived in Hyrule. The Gorons were giant boulder-like creatures who ate rocks and lived in the mountains. Zelda had only ever seen one during the annual embassy to Death-mountain, the Goron's ancestral home. Zoras were the polar opposite of the Gorons. The were a primarily aquatic people with thin lithe bodies and cat-like grace. Zelda had heard of them only in legend, but she knew they existed somewhere in Hyrule.
"Where can we go?" Zelda asked "You've just about ruled out every possibility except the Gerudo's and Goddess help me I am not going to them for aid." The Gerudo race of warrior women had a rather stormy relationship with the royal family. In the last few years it had almost developed into a feud. Zelda did not want to know what the Gerudo would do if she showed up at their desert fortress, but it would probably not be in her best interest to find out.
"We must go to the Lost Woods and speak the spirit of the forest, the Great Deku Tree. Only he can tell us what to do from there. Whatever had happened this night, Princess, is the beginning of a new rotation in the Cycle. Evil has awakened and we must be there to fight it."
The nurse hurried over to the princess's bed and began to pack necessities into a small satchel. She turned her head to Zelda and looked over her attire, "Go change into something you can travel in, princess. We have a long road ahead of us and a frilly gown like that one will just slow us down. Hurry!"
Zelda ran to her wardrobe and opened the great wooden doors. So many times she had stood in the same position, she mused, picking out clothing for state visits or formal balls. Never had she come before those doors with as many worries as she did know. Banishing the melancholy threat from her mind she rummaged deep into the back of the wardrobe, looking for one of the few secrets she had managed to conceal from Impa.
Pulling the outfit into the light she paused to admire it. Impa, looking up from her preparations on the bed, raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I was informed of that purchase, princess."
Zelda shifted the traditional Sheikan outfit from side to side guiltily. "I guess I...never found time to tell you."
The nurse walked over to Zelda and took the suit from her hands, admiring the quality. Traditionally, Impa's people the Sheika's, wore long bands of white cloth wrapped tightly around their body. Even the face of a Sheika was kept covered, only the eyes could be seen through the white cocoon.
Zelda's outfit was no exception, it was true to the Sheika guidelines in every way. The princess dressed hurriedly, taking care to leave her head uncovered. She knew it was dangerous to do so, but she could not bring herself to traverse her own castle in disguise. That would be admitting something had drastically changed and Zelda didn't want to think about that yet.
Impa walked over to Zelda's hearth and pressed one of the Triforce symbols engraved upon it. The whole wall swung open, revealing a secret passage Zelda had never known existed. Impa gave he a smug smile. "There are many things you do not know about this castle, princess." she said in response to Zelda's silent question. "Now follow me."
The nurse spun and began walking down the secret corridor. Noticing Zelda's hesitation she looked back over her shoulder. "Come on Princess!"
Zelda was looking off into space, staring sightlessly forward. "I just can't believe he would betray me." she whispered. "Gabriel seemed to be such a good man, I wish..."
Impa's look softened. "We shall see princess, maybe this is all a mistake." She gestured for Zelda to follow her and this time the princess did so.
They moved quickly through the passage Impa had unveiled, a torch they had found at the entrance lighting their path. Impa had closed the passage from the inside, effectively shutting them off from the rest of the castle. The passage was remarkably clean from what Zelda could see. Only a layer of dust on the floor showed how little it was used.
Impa led the princess through a series of turns and intersection, slowly working her way upward into the higher floors of the noble's quarters. Zelda wondered exactly where Impa was taking her, they were definitely not heading for an escape.
The former Shiekah finally stopped behind a door like the one that had led into Zelda's room. She turned to face the princess, her features distorted by the flickering torchlight. Shadows danced across her figure, making her very hard to distinguish against the dark passage wall.
"From here on you must be silent princess. This door leads right behind a tapestry in Gabriel's chamber. Any movement or sound could betray our presence."
She turned to open the door, but Zelda stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"This door leads to Gabriel's chamber? What madness would make us want to enter?"
Impa turned her attention back to the princess. "You said you wanted assurance of Gabriel's treachery, there's only one way to confirm it."
The blood drained slowly from Zelda's face. "You cannot make me speak to him. I won't allow it."
"I don't think you will have to." Impa muttered. "I think he will confirm it without your help."
The nurse eased the door open and stepped silently through, motioning Zelda after her. She pulled the passage closed after the princess had stepped through, but left it slightly ajar. Who knew what sort of quick getaway the two might need?
The tapestry they were behind was a blood-red color and it fell almost to the floor, golden tassels from its border effectively concealing the small section that it left uncovered. Zelda hardly dared to move as she stood pressed up against the rough stone wall. She could hear nothing from the other side of the curtain, but she knew someone had been speaking and was about to speak once more. Zelda and the nurse had stepped into the middle of a conversation. A conversation that would prove to be pivotal for Zelda's future and the well-being of Hyrule.
From her position behind the curtain Zelda could sense three presences in the room. From the obvious power she felt one of those presences was Gabriel, but the other two were a mystery. The sound of Gabriel's voice echoed through the chamber as he began to speak.
"In view of these complication we cannot continue with the original plan. I had hoped to marry the princess and gain public support before revealing myself, but that is no longer possible. Too much had been revealed to the princess, she must be removed."
There was a pause in the speech as if Gabriel was evaluating his listeners.
"You two have served my family for as long as I can remember, it is time today to prove the depth of your loyalty. Go to the princess's royal chambers and kill whoever you find there. Our master will be pleased with your actions."
Zelda closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She had it out of his own mouth. Gabriel, despite all of his promises and kisses, wanted her dead. A hollow seemed to open up inside of her as all the warm memories of moments shared with Gabriel melted away. Too much had happened to the princess during a few short hours. It was starting to overwhelm her.
A gravelly voice that was not Gabriel's replied with a smooth "As you wish." accompanied by the sound of bowing. Two sets of boots left the room, leaving Gabriel alone with the concealed listeners. Zelda tried to dig herself deeper into the wall, unnerved by the close proximity of her former suitor.
There was the sound of a chair being pulled across the carpet and a shallow thump as Gabriel sat down. An bottle was uncorked and the sound of liquid being poured could be heard even behind the heavy tapestry.
"Ah, Zelda," Gabriel began "would that things had turned out otherwise."
Zelda went stiff with shock behind the tapestry. He could not possibly know she was here. Neither she nor her nurse had made a sound since entering the chamber. There had been nothing to alert the lord to their presence.
"Maybe you soul is watching me now," Gabriel mused " Wondering why I did what I did."
Zelda almost collapsed with relief. The man had no idea she was in the vicinity, he was only talking to the shadows. Despite her hesitations she leaned almost imperceptibly closer, hanging on Gabriel's every word.
"You were a beautiful women Zelda and I do love you, but other priorities are more important than my fancies. I regret your fate at the hands of that hellish murderer, but better your blood on his hands than on mine. Although it is ironic that the Hero of Time murdered the Princess of Destiny. Somewhat tragic.."
The Princess of Destiny narrowed her eyes in confusion. How had he known Demon was the Hero? In her mind, the man's list of betrayals lengthened.
"You are dead Zelda and with you the opportunities and risks of your life. Hyrule will need a new leader in the face of your untimely demise. A ruler with the strength of will and foresight that you lacked."
Zelda could hear Gabriel's harsh laugh vibrating against the tapestry. "When the loyal citizenry of Hyrule hear of their beloved princess's death they will discover that you and I were to be married. By the ancient laws of Hyrule, our betrothal will designate me as the rightful ruler. The people will assume that you, Zelda, by giving me your hand in marriage, entrusted me with the kingship. Of course, the Aratians will be pleased when I give them Hyrule on a platter."
Everything was quiet as Gabriel prepared to reveal his betrayal of Hyrule to the empty air. The man was oblivious to all around him, engaged in a one-sided conversation with what he believed to be Zelda's deceased spirit.
"You see princess, a place in the Aratian nobility has much more... promise than the throne of a backward country like Hyrule. They have offered me anything I wish to betray Hyrule to their tender affections. And my master will be pleased that I have attained such rank when he returns."
The man sighed, the victory leaving his tone for a moment. "The things we do for power. Oh Zelda, if only…" The tone hardened. "But I have no regrets. I cannot!"
There was a short pause as the noble savoured the moment.
"Long live King Gabriel" he cried, the note of triumph obvious in his voice.
Zelda gasped, her knees going weak with shock. The full extent of Gabriel's plan finally revealing itself to her. The man was going to seize the throne of Hyrule, Zelda's rightful property and turn it over to the Aratia. Nothing was as disgusting as a traitor to his own country and Zelda felt the anger twist inside of her. Gabriel was trying to go against everything that she stood for, destroy the very things that Zelda had spent her life defending. A small hiss escaped her lips, a momentary slip from the absolute silence she had been practising, but it was enough.
Gabriel whirled to face the heavy red tapestry, sword appearing almost magically in his hand. "Who goes there?" he snarled and whipped the tapestry aside. His expression froze in shock as he recognized Impa and Zelda cowering against the wall.
"How..." he whispered, for a moment regret was visible on his face, but then it was gone. "It seems that I have under-estimated you princess." Gabriel smirked. "How you escaped I won't ask, it does not matter."
Gabriel raised his sword above his head. "Prepare to die, beloved."
Zelda stood frozen, locked in the moment. The man she though she loved raised the sword above his head in the preparation for a mortal strike. Metal glinted briefly in the torch-light as the weapon began to descend toward the cowering princess.
She was going to die, Zelda knew that it was too late to save herself. All of the betrayals and events of the night had finally culminated and the princess knew she could not escape. She had often wondered about what one would think of in the last seconds before life was snuffed from the body. What your soul would turn to when all other worries vanished. Somehow, Zelda found herself visualizing Demon in her mind, his blue-eyed stare captivating her mind. He was the Hero of Time, she marvelled, all along.
Gabriel's blade came down, preparing to plunge itself into Zelda's soft flesh, a weapon eager for blood. It's wickedly sharpened tip drove downward, but a flash of purple intercepted it's thrust. Zelda stared horrified at Impa's torso, impaled on the end of Gabriel's sword. The former Sheika was pierced all the way through, the tip of the weapon visible out her back as she grappled with the noble. Gabriel struggled wildly to free himself from Impa's failing grip, but for the moment he was held fast.
"Find him." hissed Impa, blood soaking through her clothing.
Finally breaking out of her horrified reverie, Zelda scrabbled wildly for the edge of the secret door behind her. Swinging it open she threw herself through the opening and then slammed the barrier shut. She couldn't stop running, flying wildly threw the secret passages. Impa was dead and with her Zelda's last connection to her parent's and her previous life. Her nurse, her country and her love had been lost to Gabriel, nothing was left. But even in the darkest reaches of her despair she found new hope.
Find him Impa had said. Find the Hero Of Time. Zelda felt the calling in her soul. It had been Impa's dying wish and Zelda would honour it. A new purpose filled the princess's step as she began to head downward, somewhere at the bottom of the castle she would find an exit. The Great Deku Tree was waiting and somewhere out there Demon was too.