Before Sunrise, October 3rd, 610 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Day 444
The Princess' Chambers, Lake Hylia
For well over a year, Zelda had not experienced a pleasant dream when she slept. The horrors of her parent's shattered bedroom, the light leaving her mother's eyes, the blood and the screams of the men inside the infirmary… even the memory of the whip lashing Link's young back, all returned and tormented her. If she were fortunate, she would simply sleep and dream of nothing - but that was rare. As this night slowly approached its end, however, the princess felt herself being guided into a warm, comforting place.
The world seemed to glow with an orange-golden light. Zelda was sitting near a country home in the forest. The sounds of birds and small animals filled the air and the babble of a small stream echoed nearby. As is the case in dreams, the princess had completely forgotten her life in the real world, and felt completely at peace within this new one. She was home, beside her woods, and enjoying the peaceful sounds of nature. "Are you alright, my love?" called the strong voice of a man off to her side.
Turning, she found a tall, shirtless man strolling toward her carrying large armfuls of firewood for their home. The sight of him like this always made her heart beat faster and the heat rise in her cheeks. She smiled at him and rested a hand upon her pregnant abdomen. She had been about to answer him, when a strange musical tone – like the continuing hum or ring of a bell - rose up in her ears. The closer he came to her, the louder the sound became, until all other sound was drowned out.
Looking up and attempting to shout to him, Zelda found that her husband's expression had changed completely. His eyes were now a terrifying red and his teeth had transformed into a rank of menacing fangs. With a flick of his arm, he slashed a small knife across her throat and the hum was shattered by the voice of a woman crying, "Your Grace!"
Thrashing and crying out, the princess furiously beat her fists against her own bed, before opening her eyes and taking in her surroundings. The house, the forest, the terrifying man, even the changes to her body were all gone… and she was alone within her stone chambers in the Temple of Water. Thoroughly unsettled and unable to get back to sleep, she decided to pull a robe over her night dress, and walk about the throne room. The movement might help to relieve her anxiety and -if that did not work- she could always send for some tea.
As she entered the throne room, her memories of the dream rapidly faded. She remembered that there had been a man, first handsome then terrifying, but his face became blurred and she could not picture him clearly. There was a small house and a forest, but she could not remember where it was. The only thing that stayed with her, was the sound of that tone -which still seemed to be ringing lightly in her ears. Waving a command to the guards to wait outside, the princess slowly paced back and forth in the room – passing her own throne first on her left, then again on her right, over and over.
Though the beat of her heart had slowed and her body ached for sleep once again, Zelda could not seem to get the ringing tone from her dream out of her mind. After several minutes of useless effort, the teenage sovereign stopped beside the great wooden chair and rested a hand upon it. Lifting her head back and un-focusing her eyes, the girl made every effort to breathe slowly and to relax the muscles of her head and neck, but to no avail. Taking a breath to call for her servant, the princess noticed a small glimmer of strange light upon the wall. All of the temple's interior was illuminated by torch or candle light, giving each room a strong yellow-orange atmosphere. But this light, was a shimmering almost iridescent blue.
Searching around herself, the girl's eyes fell upon the magnificent Master Sword – still hanging proudly within its scabbard on the wall behind her throne. From the rim of the scabbard's locket, glowed the rippling light. Curious, Zelda stepped around her throne and approached it. The sound in her ears magnified intensely, but it did not cause her pain. When she drew near enough to touch it, the princess could feel that this was more than just a noise… it was a message. She reached up and lightly lifted the sword free from its mount and brought it down to her. Running her fingers over the grip, she meant to draw the sword out, partially, and admire its light, when the musical tone suddenly stopped and a voice spoke out behind her, "Hail to thee, honorable Zelda."
The startled Princess quickly whirled around and faced the intruder. It was a woman, standing just a few paces behind her – in front of her throne. She appeared to be a Hylian, though her clothing did not match anything the princess had seen before. She wore deep blue and purple robes, with a strange sort of cloak draped over her shoulders and arms, clasped upon her chest with a large sapphire-blue stone. Her features were soft and delicate, but something about the aura of her presence told Zelda that this woman was incredibly powerful and deadly. The one thing that struck the girl with fear were the woman's eyes – they were entirely blue, no pupils or irises, just two completely sky-blue orbs, that glowed with a soft light.
"Who…Who are you?!" she gasped, letting the sword slide back down into its scabbard, and stepped back away from the newcomer. The stranger looked at her curiously for a moment, before crossing her legs and bowing lowly to her. "I am the servant, your grace; timeless sentry and faithful companion. I serve only your will." Confused, and still very frightened of the stranger, the Princess backed against the wall behind her and began to slide along it toward her chamber door. "T-the guards are close…" she stammered, "They will come if I scream!"
The woman slowly rose and looked at her again. Her expression remained calm and undisturbed – the threat of the guards did not trouble her in the slightest. "You have reason to fear, your grace, but not from this servant. I would speak with you." She softly replied. When they were several paces apart, Zelda stopped and tried to control her emotions. Yes, this stranger had appeared suddenly and unexpectedly, but the princess quickly realized that she must be connected to the sword in her hands – and she had made no threatening moves toward her. The power that she radiated was incredible, but it felt wholesome and pure. Taking a deep breath, she carefully opened her mind and gently reached out toward this 'servant'.
Light… purer and more brilliant than any the Princess had ever seen before cascaded over her surroundings. Where her training with Impa had always been in a dark, shadowy place, this being shone out over the world and filled it with hope. "The shadow draws close now, your grace." Her voice echoed in Zelda's mind, "Even now, its corruption seeks to consume all life upon this land. You must be careful!" In the distance, beyond the light, a faint rumble of thunder made the princess' ears twitch. "What… can we do?" she asked, desperately searching around herself for any sign of the threat. "All is as the Great Goddess wills…" her voice answered, "What will be… will be."
A second, much closer rumble of thunder came, followed by a sickening, deep growl. "Please, speak plainly!" the princess cried, sensing the approaching danger. "The Knight… he who is chosen by The Most Holy, must be found… for he is lost. The Goddess must awaken. Within the shadow, she will find him, though he is unlooked for." The ground began to tremor and shake beneath Zelda's feet. Though the light of this being did not diminish, the edges of its reach seemed to retreat inward. The girl rushed forward, away from the encroaching darkness. "I don't understand!" she cried, but when her new companion opened her mouth to speak again, another voice suddenly cried out from the shadow behind her, "Tobin? TOBIN!"
With a sudden gasp, Zelda's eyes burst open again. She was sitting upon her throne, with the Master Sword (still within in scabbard) laid across her lap. Her vision was blurred, momentarily, by an unfamiliar after-image: her hands were reaching out and cradling the head of a comrade… but she could not remember ever seeing this. After a moment, the sound of the sentries' horn echoed through her mind, and a cascade of fear grabbed her heart. "Link…" she whispered.
As Ganon's horde dashed forward in their pre-dawn charge, the princess frantically reached out and touched the hearts of all of her soldiers on the front line; easing their pains and invigorating their resolve. By the light of her grace, the enemy was driven off and the lake protected for another day, but Zelda was badly drained from the effort and forced to rest for several days.
At their first chance for privacy, she told her warden about the vision and the cryptic warnings that the woman had given. Impa seemed encouraged that the spirit of the sword had reached out to the Princess, but she was unable to glean much from what was said. "All is as the Goddess wills." Was a common saying among Hylians – simply meaning that the events of the world outside of our control, are in the Goddess' hands. The Goddess' Knight being lost was obvious – they simply had not found the man to wield the sword yet. Impa had hoped that it would be Alfon, but the sword seemed to reject him once it was in the Princess' presence. The Goddess awakening referred to Zelda and her training – but they were already making efforts toward that end.
The only line that they could not understand was 'finding him in the darkness, though he is unlooked for.' "How do you find someone… when you are not even looking for them?" the Princess asked. Impa shook her head and scowled in deep thought. "I imagine, your grace, that it means we will stumble upon who we are looking for… somewhere in the darkness – somewhere within Ganon's territory. He is out there… and we have to find him! Or all will be lost."
Late Evening, February 16th, 611 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Day 580
Throne Room, Lake Hylia
For weeks, the young sovereign tried to reach out to the spirit again and again. But, beyond the ringing song of the blade, she could not find its voice. The shadow over the lake had grown deeper. The temperature had plunged below the limits of the wisemen's measuring devices, and the last reserves of food were running out. More men at the front line were freezing to death than were being killed by Ganon's soldiers. If something were not done soon to give her hope… Zelda was resolved to approach the line… and surrender herself to the beast. Time and again, when they needed her most, the Princess had used all of her power to strengthen and preserve her people – but she was slowly losing and her power was not enough to turn the tide.
One evening, in mid-February, after Impa had gone to bed, she slipped out of her chamber once more, dismissed the guard, and removed the sword from its mount. Tomorrow, the council would meet and press Lord Alfon for a plan to survive until the spring. If he could not present her with any meaningful hope… she would do what she had to, to protect her people. Sitting upon the throne now, she lay the Master Sword across her lap, and rested her shaking hands upon it. "Give me hope…" she whispered in a hoarse voice, "Tell me that something can be done." But the blade remained silent and cold.
Her shivering grew worse as she imagined the disgusting horrors that Ganon would undoubtedly subject her to. He likely would not even spare her people… but what choice did she have? If there was any chance at all, she would have to take it. Tears welled and streamed down her cheeks, falling upon the scabbard. Fear now turned over to anger and frustration. She was the rightful sovereign of this land! Goddess-incarnate! And yet she was still just a child – a girl who could not muster enough strength to communicate with this sword! "Damn you!" she croaked, squeezing the weapon tightly, "I am the Goddess reborn! 'Faithful companion' indeed! I command you to speak to me!" Her voice rose at this order, nearly to a shout, causing the guard outside to open the door and peer inside. She angrily waved him away, and he swiftly closed it again.
Just as her heart began to lose all faith, the woman's voice softly spoke out from the sword in her lap. "Your faithful servant awaits your command, your grace." Zelda glanced down at it – amazed that she had returned – before the rising light in the room drew her up once again. The sword's spirit now knelt, head bowed, before her – filling the room with a soft blue glow. "What do we do?!" she choked out, "Tell me what we must do! My people are dying, my army withering, and there is no escape!" The woman reverently rose, and regarded the girl with a mournful look. "You must find courage, your grace."
The princess could only stare at her – more tears streaming down her face. It was so easy for one to tell you to have courage, it was quite another thing to fashion it under such extreme circumstances. When she did not answer, the spirit continued, "Deep within the Great Forest of Faron lies the most Holy Temple of Farore. There, for millennia uncounted, the daughters of the Goddess have cleansed themselves… and received the blessing of the Mother of Life."
The young woman was confused… she had asked for help – not a history lesson! "We need your power on the battlefield!" she shouted, "Where is the knight who would carry you?!" "He is lost-" the spirit tried to answer, but Zelda was desperate and furious, "NO MORE RIDDLES!" she shouted over her, "We have an honorable knight already! Serve him!" The woman regarded her with a puzzled expression, "I serve he who is sent by the Great Goddess, your grace." She answered quietly. "You serve the Goddess Reborn! Do you not?!" the girl challenged. The blue spirit again bowed her head obediently, and the Princess finished, "Then I command you to serve the knight who would protect this realm from Ganon's evil!"
"As the Goddess wills." She answered, before fading from sight.