Chapter 46

A Red Moon Rises

Zelda promised to look into the matter of the apparition when we visited her. Especially my description of the man in the mirror had her concerned, though she tried to assure us that no harm could come to our family while we were in the immediate vicinity of the castle and promised to keep us updated on anything she might find.

With our minds slightly eased, we returned home.

Link was on the pasture with Gareth, playing with the horses, while I was doing the laundry in a big tub that was located at the back entrance of the house, where I could still watch my husband and son.

While I scrubbed one of Link's undershirts over the washing board, I caught a glimpse of a reflection on the water's surface. Just a hint of something or someone standing behind me. The hair at the back of my neck stood up and I clenched my hands into fists to stop myself from panicking. Tiny spikes of ice started to spread over my hands, the wet fabric, and the water in the tub, until chunks of ice were floating around in it like tiny glaciers.

Then, someone touched my shoulders.

I immediately flinched and spun around, a dagger made of the frozen washing water in my hand, only to be met with the blue eyes of a very, very startled Malon, with Jalon in her arms. I immediately dropped the make-shift weapon, causing it to melt back into a small puddle of dirty water. „Malon! By the Goddesses! I almost killed you!"

„No kidding", she said, her eyes still wide with shock. „I just delivered some milk to the castle and thought I'd drop by and let Jalon and Gareth play for a bit. I didn't expect to be greeted like this though."

I took a deep, calming breath. „Some things happened lately that made me a bit jumpy. Sorry that I startled you."

„It's okay." She hugged me lightly, making sure not to crush Jalon in the process. He, adorably, also tried to hug me with his tiny baby arms.

I looked at the almost finished laundry. „Just let me hang up the last pieces of laundry and then we can join Link on the pasture."

Link's face lit up with a smile when he saw me enter the pasture with Malon and Jalon in tow. „Malon! So nice of you to visit!"

She hugged him as a greeting. „So nice of you to have me!" Then she set down Jalon on the ground next to Gareth. „I thought our boys might want to play for a bit."

The two toddlers eyed each other like curious puppies. For a moment, I was worried. While five months of difference in age didn't mean much to adults, for infants, it was a lot, and I feared that Gareth might not understand that and accidentally hurt Jalon. But Gareth crawled away, only to return soon after, excitedly showing Jalon a crushed bug, making the younger boy squeal in delight.

I just hoped that Gareth's way of showing affection would develop past that eventually. And if it didn't… well, there were plenty of bugs on the pasture.

Malon and I sat down on the grass, while Link excused himself.

„I don't want to be in the way of your ladies' talk. And someone has to keep an eye on the kids." With that, he jogged after the boys, who had taken a keen interest in the water trough.

„I still can't fully believe it", Malon said as we were watching them. „So much has changed in such a short amount of time."

I fully understood where she came from. Our childhood felt so close, as if it had just been yesterday we were running around the marketplace, pretending to be proper princesses searching for their knights in shining armor. And now we were both wives and mothers. I had become a warrior and mage, she had learned how to be the head of her family and run the ranch.

„True", I agreed. „So, how is everyone at the ranch doing?"

Malon chuckled and plucked a daisy out of the grass, rolling the stem of the fragile little flower in between her fingertips. „They're all fine. My father adores being a grandpa, and treats Matthias like the son he never had. And Ingo… well, he's being Ingo. I don't think he will ever change. But I did catch him babytalking to Jalon once."

„Aw, that's adorable", I commented. Deep down, I had always known that Ingo was a big softie underneath all that grumpiness.

„So, care to tell me what makes you so jumpy at the moment?", she asked.

„That's a long story, and I don't think I should tell you."

„Since when do you keep secrets from me?", she asked, pouting at me.

I wrapped one arm around her shoulders. „You've got enough on your plate running the ranch and raising your boy. I don't want to burden you with my problems."

„Hmhm… But if you ever need my help, you know that you can rely on me. Right?"

„Of course." I kissed her cheek.

Malon's visit had done a lot to calm me, and as I saw her ride off on her wagon, I couldn't help but smile. Whatever the visions meant, and whatever the future held, Link and I would never have to worry about facing it alone. And with that comforting thought, we returned to our usual schedule.

That comfort lasted precisely until I went to bed that night. As soon as I had drifted off to sleep, the nightmare began.

At first I was in an endless void, the kind of blackness that swallows all light and even seems to muffle any kind of sound.

Then, in the midst of that darkness, a flame sprung to life. A flame that began to spread, to become bigger and bigger until it shaped something vaguely human. The flames forming the body soon began to dull, leaving behind a soot-like grey-ish black substance, while what would be the hair still burned and danced around in a non-existent breeze like a flame. And within the blackness of the creature's face, two eyes like glowing embers opened.

This… this man was huge; at least twice the height of a grown man, if not more, and impossibly muscular. He opened his mouth; it was packed with sharp, crooked, black teeth like daggers of obsidian. He stretched out his huge, clawed hand. „My puppet may be free of my grasp now, Glaces. But do not be mistaken. I will rise again. A circle has no end."

I woke up with a startled yelp, with the man's words still echoing in my mind.

A circle has no end.

„That's what he said?", Link asked me to confirm what I had just told him.

After waking up, he had gotten me out of bed and down to the kitchen, where he brewed some calming tea for me. And now we sat at the table, with me clutching the cup in my hands. „Yes. That's what he said."

Link sighed and rubbed his eyes. „We need to go see Zelda again once the sun it up."

„We can't keep bothering her with this. She said she'd look into it, and that's all we can expect of her right now. Remember that she's the sole ruler of Hyrule now. She has more important things to deal with than my paranoia." I put the cup down. „It's just me having these visions, right? Maybe it's really just paranoia, and trauma, and my mind being too weak to deal with everything that has happened."

„Rebecca." Link put his hand on mine. „You are a lot of things. But certainly not weak-minded."

„Still. We cannot push this on everyone unless there's more evid-..."

Link put up his hand, and at first I thought he wanted to insist on telling Zelda again, but then I saw the look on his face. His eyes were wide open in shock, his mouth slightly open. And then I felt it too. A sudden uneasiness, that soon turned into full-blown fear. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up, and then I noticed it. The pale, silvery light of the moon, which was streaming through our windows, suddenly turned red. Blood-red.

Link and I jumped up and ran to one of the windows facing the castle. And behind the castle, a red moon rose, with a red aura spreading from it over the sky, like ink in water.

„Go upstairs and get Gareth. We're going to the castle right now!", Link ordered, and I didn't hesitate.

That was the proof I had been waiting for. Something was very, very wrong. Hopefully, Zelda knew something more.

Zelda was already rushing out the gate when we arrived.

„Link! Rebecca! I was just about to send a messenger to come get you!" She threw her arms around both of us and hugged us. „Are you hurt?"

„No, we are alright."

„Zelda! The moon… what does this mean?", I asked, voice thin with terror.

„It means danger", another voice said, and my breath hitched in my throat when I saw Ganondorf step out from inside the castle.

„YOU!", I shrieked, blasting a spell from my free hand while holding Gareth with my other arm, but Ganondorf parried it without much trouble, sending it toward a wall instead.

„Impressive, considering you barely seem to know what you're doing", Ganondorf said dryly. „But now is not the time for games."

„Do I look like I'm playing games?", I hissed, readying another spell.

„Rebecca!", Zelda cut in. „Enough. Ganondorf knows what is going on, and has offered to help."

„Help?! For all we know, he is the source of what is going on!"

„We have already confirmed that that is not the case", Zelda insisted. „Please. And Link, you too."

Link, who had unsheathed the Master Sword, sheathed it again. „Fine. We will hear him out. But that does not mean that we will trust him."

„I do not ask that of you. But remember that the Triforce of Wisdom does grant me a certain foresight, and this time, I see no ill intentions in him."

I let the magic in my hand fizzle out. „...Fine."

Zelda led us to the throne room, where to my surprise not only the Sages but also Cassandra, Cia and Lana were waiting. Cia was tied up in a rope made of magic.

„Link!", she yelled and tried to lunge for him, but the magic rope crackled with energy and held her in place.

Naboru stepped forth first, glaring at Ganondorf before turning her attention to Zelda.

„With all due respect, Your Majesty, but it is foolish to even allow him to walk freely inside the castle."

„Still holding onto old grudges, Naboru?", Ganondorf asked mockingly.

Again, she merely glared at him.

Princess Ruto approached. „We should kill him now, while he's weakened, and spare ourselves the trouble of having to deal with him later. Besides, pretty much everyone in this room apart from maybe the witches and his little servant still have a bone to pick with him."

„Wife", Cassandra corrected her in a deadpan voice. „I'm his wife."

„Whatever!", Ruto snapped. „Point is: Whatever information he has certainly is something we can find out without having to rely on this… this… monster!"

„Enough!", Zelda yelled, causing everyone to go quiet. „I have already made a decision in the matter. And while I greatly value your counsel, that decision is final. Do not worry. He is under constant surveillance while he is at the castle, and any suspicious behaviour will be reported to me immediately."

Ruto narrowed her eyes.

„Oh please!", Cia called. „Let the Hero kill him. Oh how I would love to see my hero in action again!"

„Cia!", Lana hushed her.

„Okay, and why is the witch here?", I asked, nodding in Cia's general direction.

„For questioning", Zelda explained. „We have reason to believe that Cia's sudden turn to evil and rapidly declining mental state are directly linked to the figure that has appeared to you."

„Oh?" I settled down a little, but still found myself eyeing both Ganondorf and Cia warily.