Chapter 14
Zelda left early the next morning, flying before Gabriel could widen his search to include the ranch. Talon had been there to see her off as she rode Destiny out of the stables, but Malon had been conspicuously absent. Zelda had not seen the red-haired girl, since their argument the night before and had assumed she was still brooding in her quarters. It was a quarrel that Zelda had found no way to resolve, even after long hours struggling with it.
The wind whipped through her now-clean hair as Zelda crouched low on Destiny's back. It was easy to forget your worries when riding over the grassy plains, but the princess could not escape Malon's stricken face in her memories. "Promise me he will pay princess" whispered the face "Promise me." Zelda shook the ranch-girl out of her memory. She would have to face Malon again, but for now it was easier to put the problem aside. Reclaiming her throne was a more pressing issue than stopping her friend's revenge.
Hyrule field rolled by under Destiny's pounding hooves, the dark clouds above turning its expanse a washed-out green. Huge and threatening, the giants of the sky hovered low over the princess's head. No rain had fallen, but Zelda did not want to tempt fate much longer. She had to get into the Great Forest, before the clouds unleashed the imminent downpour.
The forest became a line and then a dark smudge on the horizon. Its shadowy depths both a haven from the elements and a dangerous trap for the unwary. Zelda shivered as she remembered the stories told about the poor souls who had wandered into the Great Forest and never escaped, their bodies slowly changing into a demonic skeleton warrior as the flesh rotted off their bones. It was a fate the princess hoped to avoid.
According to the royal scholars Zelda had studied with when she was younger only one path led safely into the forests heart. One path that avoided the many dangers of the trees and stayed straight and true instead of meandering in senseless circles. Impa had found it once, Zelda had heard her nurse talk of it many times, but how the Sheikan woman had accomplished it was beyond the princess's knowledge. As a young girl she had asked Impa how to find the path to the heart of the forest, excited by the tales of adventure and wonders that Impa had described. Each time the nurse had smiled knowingly and given Zelda the same answer, "Only your destiny can grant you access and only the guardian can give you your destiny." For a younger Zelda it had been a very frustrating response.
Galloping toward the forest, the teasing riddle of a loving nurse had become deadly serious. Somehow Zelda had to solve how the nurse had entered the forest before Gabriel caught her or she became trapped inside the trees. The princess's face hardened in determination, she would not be stopped from avenging her country.
***
The forest was dark and foreboding as Zelda stood waiting upon its edge. Light seemed to disappear as it ventured beneath the eaves of the towering trees. Even in winter, the dense layer of branch and skeletal twig blocked out most illumination from the shrouded sun. Peering into its depths, Zelda could not say much for the cheeriness of the place. The forest was like a graveyard, watching and waiting.
Having no other course of action, the princess had spent the day travelling along the edge of the trees, neither leaving their shelter, nor venturing into their depths. Somehow she had to find the fabled path that would take her safely into the wood's embrace, but she still had no idea how to do so. Even after all morning mulling over Impa's words Zelda had progressed no further toward understanding them. She travelled onward hoping against hope that despite her ignorance the way would be shown to her.
The sky began to darken as afternoon crept into evening, the twilight leeching color from the already stark forest. Shadows that had been apparent under the trees became nigh impenetrable to the mortal eye, turning slowly into a blanket of darkness that would make traversing them impossible. A trickling stream that ran lightly along the edge of the forest was the only movement besides Zelda herself as she rode along beside it.
Her futile search for the forest path had worn the princess out, sapping her strength and inner confidence. Doubt which she had fought hard to suppress during the daylight hours rose quickly to haunt her. Malon came first, her accusing pleas burning their way into Zelda's soul. The ranch-girl was quickly joined by Gabriel's mocking laughter and then Demon's pain-filled gaze, all three ghosts swirling their way through the princess mind. Zelda could not push them away; her own sense of despair would not let her. The world was riding on her shoulder and it was a burden she could not bear for long.
She tried to concentrate, narrowing her tear-ridden gaze and calling up an image of her nurse in her mind. "Please," Zelda whispered, oblivious to her surroundings. "Give me strength, Impa. Help me save him, help me kill him, I don't care...Just make sure Hyrule survives." Which of the haunts she was talking about Zelda didn't know, and in her desperate state she didn't really care.
Coming out of her lonely reverie, Zelda noticed a faint green light flickering from just inside the edge of the forest. It seemed to barely be alive, more of the shadow of a flame than a real one. A remnant of some forsaken magic from a bygone age. Fearful, yet drawn by desperation, Zelda started toward it, hoping for a miracle.
The flame flickered steadily, seeming to draw farther away as Zelda got closer. The princess approached the edge of the woods warily, but her curiosity was picked and it would not be denied. She nudged a reluctant Destiny towards with a small movement of her knees and with a final glance at Hyrule Field headed forward into the Great Forest.
The pale green light led Zelda steadily onward, trees towering over her on all sides. The unearthly quiet of the forest made the princess nervous; it was like she was encased in shroud of silence which blocked all of the usual night noises. Even the whisperings of the branches above her in the night breeze were strangely muted. The magic of the Great Forest was at work and Zelda knew it.
The trees opened suddenly ahead of the princess, like curtains unveiling the beginning of a play. Destiny trotted forward into the small clearing and stopped abruptly with a jolt that almost knocked Zelda from her saddle. Bracing herself against the horse's saddle, Zelda stared forward at the pale flame. It had stopped in the middle of the clearing and now seemed to gesture invitingly toward the princess.
"Come closer princess." a voice whispered from among the dancing green light. "Come and be judged."
Zelda felt herself drawn irresistibly to the centre of the clearing, pulled like a moth to a candle. She slid quickly off of Destiny and strode forward, coming to a stop a few paces from the flame. Mutely she stared deep into the swirling greenish light, discerning what appeared to be a gnarled face. The features on the face were smooth and slanted, seeming almost elven in appearance. Flames gathered around it in a pale cocoon of light. Zelda was too absorbed in the amazing spectacle to respond as the figure began to speak once more.
"Why have you come to the forest?" the face asked, its glowing presence filling Zelda's vision.
"I need to talk to the Deku Tree." Zelda started "It is a matter of great importance." She had decided not to question the appearance of a flickering phantom in the middle of the deserted forest. Strange things happened when walking among the ancient trees of the Great Forest and it was better to go along than to fight against them. Hyrule was a land of magic with many strange creatures and none knew it better than the princess.
The face seemed to deliberate for a moment before responding to Zelda's statement. "I am sorry, but no mortal is allowed to seek the Great Deku Tree. Only the children of the woods, the Kokohiri and the Destined can enter his presence."
Zelda knew the Kokohiri as a legend of immortal children who lived in the deepest sections of the woods. Clad in green the played and sang in eternal happiness, perfectly in tune with the forest. Beyond all doubt the princess knew she was not one of the ageless children and she had no idea what the Destined were. Zelda quickly changed the subject in an attempt at distraction.
. "Who are you?" she asked, eager to learn more about the strange apparition.
The spirit paused for a moment before answering. "I am the Guardian of the True Path. I protect and I reveal. I guide and I deceive...I give and I take away."
Zelda nodded despite her inability to comprehend what the spirit was talking about. "Than you can grant me passage to the True Path?" she asked, hope evident in her voice.
The spirit's eyes narrowed and looked her over carefully. "You have not accepted your fate, girl." he started, "I cannot let you pass."
Zelda clenched her fist into balls, emotion clouding her voice as she pleaded with the face. "I must speak to the forest guardian, Hyrule depends on it. Please!"
The ghostly face turned inside its green halo. "I cannot. It is forbidden for any mortal, unless...No." the spirit shook its head. "The Cycle says that only one Hylian will ever pass here. You cannot be that one...You are Hylian are you not?" he asked, pointing to Zelda's distinctively pointed ears.
Zelda seethed in frustration, ignoring his question. "If you cannot grant me access, at least answer me a question. A woman named Impa once entered this forest, how did she make it inside?"
The spirit stiffened in shock. "How did you know of Impa?"
The princess smirked triumphantly. "She was my nurse."
Respect flickered in the eyes of the spirit. "Impa was one of the greatest mortals the world has known. Her courage and wisdom were enough to merit a summons from the Great Deku Tree, the only summons ever given to a mortal. You have been honoured by her attention."
Remembering her nurse's untimely demise Zelda's smirk disappeared. "I know." she whispered "I know."
The spirits blank face focused on Zelda, seeming to burn into her very soul. The green flames which had before been idly flickering suddenly seemed to reach toward her "I know of only one child cared for by the Sheika Impa. The princess of Hyrule herself. Who are you girl?" There was raw hope in its voice.
"I," began the blonde-haired girl "am the princess."
The pale green light swelled in intensity, pulsating rapidly as the mask-like face in the centre grew until if filled Zelda's vision. A strange urgency filled its gaze, an urgency that beseeched her to attempt some hidden task. "What is your name?" the spirit asked, shadows moving slowly across its features
Zelda stepped back, confused by the spirit's reaction. "I told you," she replied "I'm Zelda, princess of Hyrule."
The spirit's face shook impatiently and it moved toward Zelda. "The Cycle must be fulfilled by one who has embraced her fate. Think girl, who are you!" it roared, all traces of calm lost.
Despite her fright, Zelda stood her ground. Her exasperation at the spirit drove her to try a new tactic, giving herself a title that she rarely used. "Once again I tell you!" the princess cried, planting her hands on her hips. "I am the Princess of Destiny!"
Shockingly, the spirit backed away and bowed to the ground, a small smile gracing its features. He made a small gesture in the air, accompanied by a flash of light. "I bind you to your word Princess of Destiny. Take up your rightful title and the responsibilities that accompany it." The spirit paused for a moment, letting the full force of the words sink into Zelda
The princess wondered exactly what the spirit meant. She was the Princess of Destiny; Impa had been telling her that since birth. It was a fact of her life that one day she would be called to take the position. Light dawned in her eyes as she realized what had just occurred. The spirit had just placed the title upon her. For the first time in her life, Zelda had taken up the burden destined for her. It was a sobering thought.
"You have embraced your fate...the Great Deku Tree will see you" the spirit paused for dramatic affect. "I grant you passage."
The trees spread aside behind him with barely a sound, revealing an arrow-straight path leading directly toward the centre of the forest. It was flat and grassy with not a stump or bramble to block its passage. Seeming to continue forever, the princess knew instinctively that it was the path Impa had taken. The path that would take her to the Great Deku Tree, to Demon and eventually to fight the great darkness that was enveloping Hyrule. Zelda had found her destiny.