The princess ran her horse across the field at an imperious speed, leaving the trope of knights and their uncivil captain far in the dusty moonlit plain. As she reached the city walls, she turned to cast a disdainful glance over her shoulder. She had more than beaten her own guardsmen to the palace and her dissatisfaction with her father's choice in knights had never been so loud in her. Zelda slowed the horse to a soft trot and crossed the bridge to the sleeping city as a pit grew in her stomach. She did not want to be here, in his presence; a man who had seemed so immortal to her, now so broken and disassociated from all that had made him her father. She felt her heart clench as two guards, without a word, wrenched open the doubled-arched doors of the castle courtyard. She pulled the little, marbled horse to a stop and took a moment to breathe. She could see various lamps lighted in the shining vertical labyrinth that was her home. She felt tears cloud her eyes and she clutched the tin tighter in her hand. The princess dismounted and stood in the cobblestone causeway to the front gate of the palace, dreading with everything in her the reception she would receive. As she paused in respite, she heard clearly the hooves of a great blonde stallion behind her. She recoiled at the sound in the chilling night breeze.
"Hail, young Hyrule." Said Eolan, coarsely.
The captain impatiently reined his horse to his obstinate princess. The look of impudence on her now sunburned face turned to anger in him. He hopped quickly down from his saddle, tearing the helmet from his head, his graying hair spilling over his shoulders. Zelda turned her face from him to the marble bricking of the ground.
"You may be the most insolent and impetuous youth I have ever seen in line to take a throne, and I have seen many kingdoms far less than this." Said Eolan, taking a wide step toward her.
Zelda, spent and unwilling to fight his accusation, only sighed and began her torpid march toward the door. Eolan followed close behind, his frustration building in her silent steps.
"Well? What say you princess? Will you do anymore today to do disgrace to your name sake than abandoning your ailing father?"
At these words, Zelda snapped to attention. She whipped to face the captain, her eyes bright with ire.
"You know nothing. My father is mad and orders me to be made a captive. The guard obeys without question and imprisons me in my own home. I have made an attempt to right this terrible tragedy that has befallen my kingdom… this terrible tragedy that has befallen me, and you mock my efforts. How dare you?" She asked, the bitterness in her voice acrid in the night.
Eolan stood in silence on the steps to the palace, his eyes fused to the frail outline of the king's daughter. He knew her words rang true though his eyes did not drop their gaze. Footsteps, and a flurry of voices interrupted his contemplation as the huge, iron laced door creaked open and the Sheikah mage approached with Zelda's handmaidens at his side. Zelda whirled around to regard his sharp featured face with distaste. He bowed low at her feet, his long, white hair fallen over his cloaked shoulder.
"Good evening your majesty, I trust you've had a good ride? Your father has been rather concerned for your safety this night, I've only just come from his chamber."
Zelda looked warily up at the swarthy Tairyn.
"Master Tairyn... How fares he? Is he better?" She asked meekly.
Tairyn cast his scarlet eyes to his feet, his face taut.
"No, he is worse now I'm afraid. I have brought your women. Get dressed and see him for yourself… He asks for you." He said, turning swiftly from the princess.
He motioned from beneath his cloak to the women who, bowing, surrounded her, taking her hands to pull her back into her haunted castle. Zelda sighed her resignation for the evening and cast a glace over her shoulder to Eolan, her icy look stinging him. He watched as the princess disappeared in the cloud of waiting women. As the heavy double doors boomed closed, he felt a pang of guilt. The eyes of his future queen, in his moment of frankness, had yet been the eyes of a seventeen-year-old girl; volatile and full of some misunderstood pain. For a moment, he wished he could take back what he had said; that he could make her understand his critique as love for her, and for her country. But alas, he could see her now in the upper windows of the staircase, her head bowed in gilded sorrow as they led her to her chambers.
Zelda simply spread her arms in doleful repose as she was quickly stripped and redressed by her women; the simple white cotton gown replaced with fine purple velvet and ivory silk. Her flowing hair was tamed and wound into braids along her face and back, the diadem of royalty placed once again upon her head. When they had finished, the handmaidens excused themselves with bows and blessings, leaving the princess alone in her room. Zelda wearily sat upon her window sill, her blood running thick with sleeplessness in her veins. She opened her palm and looked down at the clandestine tin filled with the miracle herb Impa had given her. She would not sleep again tonight, she mused, as she looked up at the freckled sky and felt the deep hued velvet tight around her arms and chest. She stood, and made her way through the stone arch that connected her bed chamber with her sitting room. The high windows casting blue light the shape of spades across the floor. She turned up the oil lamp on the wall as she passed it, sweeping the shadows into the corners. She went to her sewing desk against the back wall. From its drawers she pulled a bottle and a small jug of consecrated water. When Impa had begun to teach her spell crafting, she had instructed Zelda to secret away herbs, waters and other ingredients for a variety of tinctures and potions in her room. In the bottle, she carefully mixed the blessed water and the herb, she added a bit of tea for taste. She gently shook the mixture and watched as it became a deep, healthful green. Zelda then set the bottle in the fire and let the potion come to a soft boil. She carefully removed the now fortified liquid and poured the contents of the bottle through a cloth into a silver chalice. She muttered a prayer, and with all her courage, she departed for her father's chamber.
Zelda, the potion in her hand and her heart hammering, pushed open the door to her father's bed chamber. There, in the dim glow of candle light, lay the king. Zelda swallowed hard and walked to his bedside, unsure of how he would behave this night. He had been violent with her as of late. She sat uneasily down on the edge of the enormous canopy bed, placing the chalice on the nightstand beside. She noticed then, the corner of a strange mirror partially covered by a bed sheet that leaned against the wall. She wondered at it, sensing something foul, but still she turned her attention back to Daphnes. The king was pale and clammy, his breathing ragged. To Zelda it had seemed that her noble father had aged the equivalent of twenty years in a matter of two months. She licked her dry lips.
"Father?" She said softly, and she enfolded his hand in hers.
King Daphnes stirred; cloudy, uncomprehending eyes finding Zelda's. He smiled weakly.
"Zelda, my child, it seems so long since I have looked upon you. How fares your mother?" He asked.
Zelda could already feel the tears forcing themselves from her eyes. She stifled them and continued to speak.
"She has been dead for years father... you know that don't you?" She said.
A flicker of sad recognition passed the kings grizzled face.
"Oh yes… that is so... isn't it?" He reached out and touched his daughter's cheek.
"You look so much like her... How beautifully you've grown… how proud you've made me, girl." Said Daphnes.
Zelda could no longer contain herself. She would not allow a sob to pass her lips but she cried silently there, next to dying Hyrule, in the dark.
"Father, you must drink this." She said, offering the chalice. The king smiled wanly.
"Has Amencillia been picking berries again? Her wine is most excellent... Is that it, child, have you brought me some wine to clear my head?" He said.
Zelda inhaled sharply and pushed the coming wail back into her chest.
"Yes father… the queen has made you some wine… Please drink." Said the princess.
She cradled her father's head in her palm and brought the cup to his lips. The liquid had barely touched the king's mouth when a shadow appeared, blocking the light from the hall.
"Your Highness." Said the deep, murky voice from the doorway.
Startled, Zelda turned to regard the heavily robed mage as he slowly approached her. He smiled stiffly down at her, quickly taking the chalice from her hand.
"The king is very ill and he must rest, you have seen enough of each other this night. Come, I shall take you back to your room. Sleeplessness does not ware well on such a countenance." Said the Sheikah, running the back of his hand down the side of Zelda's face, his long nails grazing her skin.
Silent panic took hold of her.
"Master Tairyn, I have brought my father something for his head. He must drink it, please allow me to give it to him." She said, her voice trembling.
Tairyn shook his head.
"I cannot, princess. In a moment of clarity, the king has instructed me to be sure he has uninterrupted rest. This wine would only further serve to inflame him." He said, inspecting the chalice.
Zelda clutched the dark blue velvet of his robe.
"I must! He must drink it!" She exclaimed, and she reached desperately for the cup which Tairyn now held out of her reach.
He motioned to the doorway and two guardsmen filed into the room.
"Take the princess to her chambers. I think she may be feverish." Said Tairyn.
The guardsmen bowed and proceeded to take Zelda by the arms and lift her from her father's bedside.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!" She cried, as the two men began to drag her toward the door.
"Let go! Let me go, I command you! I am the daughter of Hyrule!" She shouted, her voice squeaking under the strain.
The king rolled his head in her direction.
"...Zelda? Is that my child? Where is her mother? I must speak to her..." He said.
The princess continued to struggle, the desperate sobs finally breaking through as her weak, sleep deprived body was ripped from her father's room. When the door was shut fast, Tairyn poured the liquid of the chalice on to the floor at the king's bedside. Eolan, who had heard the tumult from the stairs hurried up the steps to the door. Upon seeing the manner in which his command held the princess, he barked caustically from behind them.
"Unhand her! Immediately!"
The men turned, frightened by his tone and dropped Zelda to her hands and knees. Eolan sneered.
"I have seen executions carried out for less than this. She will be your queen, it is treason to handle her this way!" He said.
The guards mumbled their apologies as they timidly made their way back down the stairs to whatever posts they had been called from. Eolan pulled Zelda to her feet. She regarded him through tearful eyes.
"Thank you…" She said, and she turned to climb the stairs to her room.
Eolan followed, unsure of what assistance he could offer but undeniably disturbed by the actions of the guard. Zelda turned to him.
"Please Eolan... let me be. I want to be alone…" She said softly.
Eolan bowed deeply.
"As you wish, princess... goodnight."
With that, Zelda disappeared around the corner to the hall. Eolan sighed, and descended the stairs for his evening duties at the city gates.
Link and Roland arrived back to their village well after midnight. In spite of Roland's insistence that Link explain the extraordinary events of the day, he regaled his entire household with the tale as Link, drained from its remembrance, slipped into the night. He walked with Epona behind him in silent meditation. A strange disquiet had seized his soul since his last look into the eyes of the princess.
I wish I could've told you of my plight…
Her cryptic statement echoed in his mind as he passed the bridge to his home. What had she, the only daughter of the king, been doing in the field? Why had she seemed so desperate to reach the Sheikah woman? Link found himself picturing her now, in all her regal pallor, staring woefully from some iron wrought window into the town below. He sighed, her blue-violet eyes vivid in his thoughts as he pressed forward. He was nearly home when he heard the sound of a woman's voice coming up the path from the deep forest. He smiled despite his unease at the sight of the softly singing red-headed maiden, and walked to meet her in front of his house.
"Hey, Mariana." He said.
She stopped, a large basket of various flowers and berries at her hip.
"Hey Link, It was a lovely day for turnovers that never happened, wasn't it?" She said.
"It was… are you just now getting back? Khai told me you'd gone for berries this morning." Asked Link.
Mariana gave a little snorting laugh.
"Yeah, only just now getting back. The patch I was looking for was a few miles in. I spent all day looking for it. I should have taken a horse I think... maybe. I hope Khai isn't too mad. I got what I came for though, so it's not like he'll be mad for long." She said, setting the basket beside her and lifting her lantern to better see her friend.
Upon seeing his face, she became concerned.
"Link... What happened? You look upset." She asked.
Link smoothed his hair back, gripping a handful of it as he spoke.
"I don't know if you would believe me if I told you. You want to come in for a while? I'm sure Khai can wait another few minutes." He asked.
Mariana nodded, and Link held open his door for her and her basket of berries. The boy turned and lit the lamp, washing the room in dim light as Mariana sat on the ragged couch near the hearth. She noted that the coals were still hot and gingerly fed them more wood. As the fire kindled, Link sprawled dejectedly next to her, his head lolling backward. Mariana poked him gently in the side.
"You want some tea? I'll make us some. You can tell me this unbelievable story from the kitchen, if you want." She said.
Link smiled and nodded to her. She patted his head roughly and walked in to the kitchen. Mariana was the oldest girl in the village. At nineteen, she had been privy to nearly everyone's secrets and stories at some time or another. Link had watched her grow from a shy, quiet girl who was frequently the target of childish pranks by both himself and Khai, to the sweet, silly young woman she had become. Mariana had been raising her little brother and sister herself since their own mother had died five years ago. She always had some sort of advice, and she always listened. The girl smiled over her shoulder as she prepared the kettle.
"So Link, tell me the story." She said.
Link continued to stare at the ceiling as he spoke.
"Roland and I met Princess Zelda today… wandering around in the field with a sword belt on."
Mariana raised an eyebrow as she set the kettle on the fire.
"Whoa... really?" She asked, as she sat back down next to her young friend.
Link nodded as Mariana looked on at him with an expression of astonishment.
"Wow... Why would she be alone? Carrying a sword... it seems like she would have some kind of escort. She's an only child, isn't she? That's some valuable merchandice to have wandering around a Bulblin infested feild. Are you sure it was her?" Said Mariana.
Link nodded.
"She wanted to go to Kakariko to see this Sheikah lady. Then, as we were taking her home, the Hyrulean guard surrounded us. That's how we found out who she was. I still can't believe it..."
Mariana's green eyes were large as he spoke.
"Wow... that's...insane. You were right, if you were anyone else, I wouldn't have believed you. I hear it's rare that anyone sees her... Was she really as pretty as everyone says she is?" She queried.
The boy sighed and turned his face to the red-head.
"She...was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She seemed... so sad, Mariana. She seemed completely exhaused... There was something wrong." Said Link.
He shifted in his seat with a sigh, coming forward to rest his elbows against his thighs and Mariana poured herself and Link a cup of tea.
"Don't worry, she's royalty. What ever the issue is, it cant be that bad. She'll be alright, I'm sure." She said.
Link closed his eyes as he dropped his head, feeling the stiffness of the muscles in his neck.
"You're probably right. Though, I still can't get her out of my head." He muttered to the floor.
Mariana laughed softly.
"Oooo, are you going to run off with the princess?" She said.
Though she teased, Link did not laugh at her jest.
"I... I can't really place what it is. Something just feels… off... like something terrible is about to happen." Said Link, leaning his chin against his palm and looking sidelong to his friend.
Mariana's brows knitted slightly at the boy's unease.
"Like what, Link?" She asked.
He sighed again, closing his eyes for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.
"Can I tell you something?" He asked.
"Of course you can." Mariana returned.
Link straightened himself, staring intently into the fire.
"I have nightmares almost constantly, did you know that?" He asked.
Mariana shook her head, the long braid at the side of her face loosening and falling against her temple.
"... I've had them my whole life... and they've been so much worse in the past few weeks. I haven't talked to anyone about this yet but... I've had this weird feeling lately... like I'm waiting for something... today just... I don't know, felt like it was a part of it somehow." Said Link.
Mariana cocked her head.
"Hmmm... maybe someone's trying to tell you something. There are spirits all around us, you know... maybe someone's trying to reach you. Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon. Fate has a funny way of showing us things. For now though, I would just try to relax and let whatever it is you're waiting for reveal itself... it probably already has." She said.
Link combed his fingers through his hair, thinking suddenly of the strange woman in his dreams. It knotted his stomach.
"I don't know..." He said.
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the crackling fire.
"Well, you should get some sleep and I should be getting home to Khai. It's late and you really have had a long day, kid." Said Mariana.
The two of them stood.
"Thank you for listening to me... I think anyone else would've just shrugged it off or told me I was crazy." The boy said, handing the red-head her basket.
Mariana smiled.
"Even Khai?" She asked, grinning knowingly.
"Especially Khai." Link replied.
The girl laughed.
"He loves you. I do too. Get some sleep." She said.
The two of them embraced and then Link saw her out. They said goodnight, and then he promptly retired to his room. He collapsed into his bed, pulling his blankets about his head as if to fend off the uneasiness that plagued his thoughts. He recalled the face of the princess once more before he passed through the veil of sleep. The unearthly beauty of her features now in retrospection, seemed so ancient despite her youth. How strange it was. Then the boy slept, and dreamt of bizarre creatures and distant lands.
He was awakened suddenly, after only a little over an hours sleep, by tiny voices flittering above his head. Link opened his eyes and sat up in the dark to see, to his surprise, two lustrous fairies standing on his bed posts. He shook himself, making adequately sure that he was not dreaming.
"He wakes, he wakes!" They chimed in unison, as they flew up and about the bedroom.
Link regarded them with dreamy amazement.
"...Fairies?" He asked, his voice still husky with sleep.
The boy had never seen a fairy in his entire life. Roland claimed to have once, and he had told Link numerous stories about a time when the forests were alive with them. Now though, Link stared through glassy eyes as their yellow and green lights threw shadows across the room.
The two, winged creatures laughed a sound like tiny bells and began to sing:
"The great occasion the Fairy Queen will show,
The chosen one 'ere he know,
The danger that begins to grow
To Queen Oona he must go."
Link, confused by their words but astonished nonetheless followed the creatures with his eyes as they fluttered about.
"What... What are you talking about?" He asked.
The fairies tittered.
"Come with us!" They said, flying close enough to Link's head for him to faintly hear the fluttering of their wings.
"Come to see Queen Oona!"
Link rested his face in his hands. He still wan't entirely sure this wasn't a dream. He hadn't been sure since his impromptu awakening. Perhaps he should follow them? He was curious as to see how much stranger the day could possibly get. On the other hand, he had heard many tales in his childhood about fairies trapping mortals in the deep, dark places in the forests. Stories about people being escorted to their deaths after being lured into the trees. He watched as the tiny, luminous creatures stood at the end of his bed, their wings like glass in the moonlight. Link squinted at them.
"Nah... I'm not doing that. I'm not following you two anywhere...today's been weird enough. I'm not even sure whether or not you're real. You might just one of those really vivid dreams I don't realize I'm having... Now please, leave me alone." Said Link, as he flopped back down into his bed.
He saw their lights flicker to and fro for a moment and then depart his bedroom. He breathed a small sigh of relief as silence settled once again, only to be broken seconds later as he heard the sound of shattering glass. Link tossed the blankets off of himself. Quickly lacing his boots, he rushed into the kitchen. The fairies flew wildly about the room, smashing pots and other objects against the ground. Link grabbed a broom and slapped at them.
"Hey! Stop it! Stop breaking my stuff! What do you want?!"
At that the fairies hovered about his head, grasping at his shirt and fiercely pulling his hair.
"Come with us!" They sang.
The boy harshly shook them away and he tossed the broom down.
"Alright, alright, I'll come with you!" Said the infuriated Link. He ripped his sword up from its resting place near the wall and followed the two glowing beings out of the front door with a loud slam.
Deep in the woods, and off of any path Link had ever taken, he suddenly regretted the decision to leave his house without a lamp. The fairies provided a faint, ethereal light that guided his way but still, Link wished he had gotten it. These two could be walking him into a trap for all he knew and he could not even light his own path. As the moon began to drop through the blue-black pin-holed sky, Link began to see more and more that the trees around him had become behemoth; likely as old as the earth itself with branches that seemed to hold the heavens. The air was thick and sweet with the intoxicating night scent of dewy foliage as they came upon a cave burrowed deep into the side of a tall hill. The fairies twittered, and bobbed erratically at its mouth.
"Here! Go boy, the world may depend upon thee!" They said
Link regarded the fairies and their odd statement without a word. He unsheathed his sword and cautiously stepped into the darkness with the luminescent creatures at his heels. Before long, he came upon a pool of water standing in the cave. He stopped, as he could not see any way around and stood, wondering in the quiet blackness. To his astonishment, the pool began to glow with a pale green light and from its waters emerged the Fairy Queen. She moved as if she were still submerged, her neon hair flowing about her face, her wings gossamer and fragile in the pulsing radiance of her light. She looked to the boy with wild, primordial eyes.
"Welcome, knight. It has been many centuries since you have awoken." Said Oona, Queen of the Fairies.
Link sheathed his sword and stared in unabashed shock. At last, gathering his wits, he spoke.
"Knight? I'm not a knight... Why did you send for me? What do you want?" He asked, hoping his voice did not denote his anxiousness.
The queen's expression turned to mirth as she swam gracefully in the air. The Fairy Queen began to sing.
"En daʃeʋu nobe̞ʃo̞ndʊ,
tʏe ʃʊtʊ keuænu sale̞
En daʃeʋu nobe̞ dʊʃʊ,
tʏe ʃʊtʊ nobe̞ dezu dotʃe̞!"
As she sang, Link felt himself calm. A surfeit of colors seemed to flood his senses, whispering to him in languages he could not understand. He knew this song; he had always known this song. The queen laughed blithely at the look of bafflement on his face.
"I forget that you are only mortal. Did the song stir you? Do you want to know why?"
Link could only nod.
"You are the chosen knight of the Goddess, Hylia. You are fated to carry a hero's burden, the barer of the Triforce of Courage and it is on your shoulders that the fate of this land falls." Said Queen Oona.
Link was speechless, his heart racing as he burned with some vague, impalpable recognition at her words.
The Triforce?
"You must go to the princess. She holds within her the Triforce of Wisdom. You will need her knowledge of the ancient affairs and her mastery of magic. In her court there is a man who has begun to resurrect the King of Evil into a human host. He will unleash an army of the dead upon the land. You must go, tonight, for the princess is in grave danger. You must heed me and go. I have a gift to bestow thee." She said.
With a slow gesture of her long, alien hand, a chest appeared as if from it had sprung from the ground. In a daze, Link stepped forward and opened it. Within the chest he found a pair of what appeared to be deer-skin breeches, leather gauntlets, chain mail, and a faded green tunic; embroidered at its square collar. He stared up at the Fairy Queen.
"Those were yours once." She said.
Link stood, frightened and confused.
"...Is... is this some kind of game? That has to be it... there's just no way that... I..." He stammered, his nerves alight throughout his body as he struggled to keep his breathing even.
Queen Oona slowly titled her head.
"Your dreams. Have not your nights been filled with dreams of things dark and monstrous?" She asked.
Link nodded, and Oona leaned down to meet his eyes, her bright hair floating weightlessly around her.
"The mark upon your hand, the malevolent creatures roaming the fields, the meeting with Princess Zelda, it is no coincidence. Go to her, for she holds the answers to the questions that your heart so greatly desires." She said.
Link swallowed, glancing down to the chest and tensely back to the Fairy Queen.
"...The princess?"
Oona swam above him again.
"Yes... If you do not go to her now, the evil that seeks the power that dwells within her will deal her unimaginable torture to posses it... and they will kill her once they have taken it. Search yourself, do you not feel the danger growing?" She asked.
Link breathed a long and overcome sigh as he looked down to the garment in front of him; he could feel it, he had felt it for some time now. He thought of his dream the night before, of the boar and the girl who had been there in his final moments. Suddenly, her face was visible in his mind for the first time. It was the same as the maiden's in the feild. Link felt a cosmic gear click into place. He looked up again to Queen Oona as he slowly slid the chain mail over his white undershirt.
"I have yet one more gift... save the princess... deliver Hyrule." Said the queen, who then reached below her into the glowing pool.
From it, she pulled a shield of blue and silver. It bore the Hyrulean crest, blazed in the color of blood. She handed it to the wide-eyed boy at her feet, who accepted it with both hands.
Dressed in the garb that the Fairy Queen had passed to him, Link made his way back through the deep woods toward the village with Dìoghaltas and Queen Oona's shield on his back. His head swam as the shadowed forest blurred past him. He seemed to move independently from himself, as if some other entity had taken him over as he sprinted through the mammoth trees. In the dark, he thought of the girl; the well-spoken, golden-haired traveler. He knew her somehow, had recognized her from some distant place within himself. The same part of himself that knew he must reach her at all costs.
Was this it then? The meaning of the nightmares all this time? Will she finally be able to tell me?
He ran, the thick ferns and bushes wetting his legs as he hurried on toward his house. When he reached the path he skidded to a stop, out of breath and tried to compose himself. He had to tell someone. Someone had to know that he was leaving and did not know when, or if, he would return.
Through the sleeping village he rode, making his best effort to ride as swiftly and as quietly as possible. He pulled Epona to a stop outside the lighted window of his little sister. He dismounted, and crept up beside to the sleeping Rue. She lay just under the open window.
"Rue… Rueliana." He whispered.
The girl stirred but did not wake.
Link reached down and gently pulled a lock of her ebony hair. Her eyes fluttered open and she leaned up on her elbow, looking inquisitively at him.
"Link? What are you doing here? Why did you wake me up?
Rue squinted.
"...Why are you dressed like that?" She asked sleepily.
Link took a breath.
"Listen, Rue... I need to tell you something. I have to leave… and I don't know when I'll be back...but there's something important I have to do." He said.
Rue, full of concern, came to the window, sleep still in her eyes.
"What are you talking about, Link? What do you have to do?"
Link did not reply, he only scooped the puzzled Rue into his arms and hugged her tightly.
"I love you Rue. Tell the twins I'm sorry. I have to go." With that, Link turned and mounted his horse and was nearly out of earshot when he heard Rue call after him.
Link sped Epona through the gates of the village and out into the field. He allowed himself now, as the darkened horizon rolled out in front of him, to lose himself to his task. The logical part of his mind pressed against his wild flight from his home, nagging him that it was pure lunacy. But even so, he sped faster still, unaware that he was being watched. It was not until the first dart hit him in the arm that he realized. Link recoiled sharply and reflexively pulled Epona's reins. She reared, throwing him out of the saddle and on to the ground. He stood, ripping the dart out of his arm and drawing Dìoghaltas from her scabbard. The boy heard the excited shrieks of the assailing monsters approaching and four pairs of eyes became visible in the dark; Bokoblin, there was no mistake. Another dart hit him, this time in the leg. He pulled it from him and ran for his horse. The gangling, wrinkled creatures charged as Link scrambled to remount Epona. He steered her back around and readied his sword, decapitating one and skewering another. The other two kept coming, slashing with their crude blades at both the boy and his horse. Epona bawled, and kicked the larger of the two in the head, killing it instantly. The last one, Link hit in the throat and it fell writhing as he spurred Epona away. He looked at the dart he had pulled from his arm and already he could feel his nerves starting to burn. Link knew this poison, he had seen it many times as a child when travelers to his village had come, pale and sweating, screaming of searing pain throughout their bodies. It was a terrible nerve toxin that without proper medicine would likely lead him to an agonizing death within hours. He cursed and clenched his fists as the pain built. He kicked Epona forward.
Eolan stood, bored and weary on the bridge to the central gate. The exchange he had seen between Zelda and the two guardsmen still weighed heavily on his mind, even as the sun was preparing to rise and this long shift would at last be done. He had done his duty this night, he told himself. Though, some part of him remained vexed. They had been told to watch the princess closely, to be sure she stayed within the castle walls lest it go unnoticed should she fall under the same illness as had besieged her father. But, the extent to which it had been taken... the king's daughter had been a something of a captive hadn't she? Escorted back to her room should she be caught in the kitchen at night, or listlessly roaming the halls. The Sheikah had ordered this; the strange, silent mage that Eolan had seen only glimpses of in his decades of service. He did not trust him, that the old knight knew for certain. He sighed, Perhaps Zelda had a valid reason when she had accused him of ignorance. The climate of the realm had seemed, as of late, foreign to Eolan. The behavior of men he had once thought of as brothers had been suspicious. Many of them had appeared to group themselves off, forming tight circles of agendas and secrets. Some malevolence was at work, though the captain knew not what. He grunted in frustration and turned to walk to the other side of the bridge for the seventh time that evening, passing the other guard. The young knight paused, noticing the consternation on his captain's face.
"What troubles you captain? You've been pacing all night." He said.
Eolan shook his head.
"The night watch. I still have not grown used to it, it wares on me."
The young knight groaned.
"Yes, this night watch is terrible. Tell me, do you know why we stand here after dark? Is there some threat?"
Eolan stood silent, glancing out into the shadowed hills.
"I don't know…" He said.
The two men passed each other again and all was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, the young knight called to Eolan from beside the field.
"Captain, look! A rider!" He shouted.
Eolan broke into a half-hearted run at this news, joining the other knight in the field as the young guardsman pulled back his bow and took aim. They stared into the moon washed landscape at the approaching figure in the distance. Eolan waved his hand.
"Don't shoot, it's only a boy." He said.
As the large, red mare drew near, Eolan, to his chagrin recognized both her and her rider. Epona came to a prompt halt in front of the two men and Link slipped from her saddle, his knees nearly giving as he reached the ground, his entire body wracked with an intense spasm of pain. He trembled as he forced his legs to step forward, his breath labored and hitching in his throat.
"...The princess…" said Link, and his legs finally gave as he fell forward, his body in a tremor.
Eolan rushed to the boy's side, pulling him into his arms. Link stared up at him, his eyes hazy with the agony behind them. From his violently shaking hand, he dropped the Bokoblin dart at Eolan's feet. Link swallowed, his face pale and shining with sweat.
"Please… Princess Zelda... I have to see her... she..." He rasped, and then Link lost himself to blackness as he went slack in the old knight's arms. Eolan looked down at the now still young man, and then at the dart he had dropped, in veneration. The boy had made it across the fields with one of the worst poisons Eolan had ever seen coursing through his veins. It had already been in his blood for quite a while, by the look of him. He was deathly pale, his breathing labored and his lips already tinted blue. Eolan did not know if the boy would ever regain consciousness. He was too far gone; there was nothing to be done for him with Impa absent from the palace.
Unless...
Eolan laid a hand to the boy's cheek. He was hot to the touch.
"...Help me with him." The captain said, and after a brief hesitation the young knight came to his side and helped Eolan hoist Link over his shoulder. He was a slight heavier than he looked.
"Say nothing of this." Said Eolan, as he bore the boy on his back, through the gate and into the castle.
Zelda sat half dozing at her window, waiting for the sun to rise, when she heard the loud knock upon her door. At first she decided to ignore it and pretend to be asleep, but when it came again she sensed some kind of urgency. She opened her door, surprised to see Eolan outside of it. Across his arms lay the dying Link. Zelda wordlessly stepped aside, allowing the old knight into her bedroom. Quickly, Eolan laid the boy in the princess's bed as her hand went to her mouth at the realization of his identity. It was none other than the benevolent forest boy, who had taken it upon himself to escort her that afternoon. Zelda, hurrying, brought a lamp to her bedside. Eolan set the boy's sword and shield against the wall as the princess sat beside the ailing youth.
"Where was he?" She asked, as she sat beside Link, pressing her hand to his damp forehead.
"He rode to the gates, your grace. He has been poisoned. I do not think he'll live another hour." Said Eolan, showing her the dart that the boy had dropped.
Zelda gasped, and looked up at the captain, who nodded his head slowly.
"He asked for you... I thought I would respect his last wish. Unless... you think perhaps that you could help him, your grace." Said the knight.
Zelda looked to the boy and then back to the captain. She gently waved her hand.
"Please go… I would like some time with him." She said.
With a bow and a soft apology for the life of the boy, Eolan left the room. Zelda stood. She looked down at her kind, young traveling companion; His breathing quick and harsh, the color gone from his face. She smoothed his hair back and laid her hand on his cheek.
"Well now… I did hope to see you again I suppose." She whispered.
She tilted his head to the side and laid her fingers against his neck. His pulse was arrhythmic, but strong even still.
"You will not die, Link." She said, smiling.
For the second time that night, Zelda returned to her sewing desk. From the bottom drawer she pulled two dried mushrooms and a handful of various insects. She ground them into a powder as quickly as she could and added it to a bottle of water. She offered a short prayer as the contents of the bottle bubbled violently in the fire. As it cooled, she gave the now red liquid a few good swirls and went quickly back to Link's side. She maneuvered him into a sitting position, supporting his neck and back with her forearm. With her free hand, she parted his lips and cautiously poured a few drops of the red potion into his mouth. He coughed, and she paused for a few seconds as to be careful not to drown the poor thing. The boy little by little began to swallow the crimson liquid. She slowly drained the bottle into his mouth and laid him gently back into her bed. Almost instantly, his cheeks flushed and his breathing became easier. Zelda's lips pulled into a shy smile as she looked down at the sleeping Link, wary, but intrigued by his presence. A boy lay in her bed, a rather lovely one at that, and she wondered what Impa would have said had she chanced to find her this way. Zelda let out a tired chuckle in spite of herself, it was highly inappropriate. What a strange day it had been. Perhaps when he awoke he would tell her why he had come all this way to ask for her with what could've been his dying breath. She decided to make him more comfortable and so began untying his boots and pulling the gauntlets from his arms. When she pulled off his left gauntlet, she let out a small squeal of terror at what she saw. There on his hand was the same odd birthmark she bore on hers. She stood stunned at the foot of the bed. He had come, the hero that Impa had told her of. Now it would begin… She sank again to his bedside, trying to keep her panic contained and her mind clear in spite of the gnawing urge to cry and then sleep for days. She heard Link begin to stir and turned to see him prop himself up against the headboard. He held his throbbing head as he met Zelda's look. He straightened.
"... You saved me?" He asked, groggy and disoriented.
Zelda nodded her reply.
"Thank you..." He shifted his position and winced at the stiffness of every muscle in his body. He looked down at his now bare palms and back to the princess.
"I took them off..." She said as she wrung her hands.
"I have seen the mark… I was told that if you should come, a great war will begin." Said Zelda, and she showed Link the triangle on the back of her hand.
Link let his head fall backwards with a light thud.
"It is true then…" He murmured.
Zelda turned to him and took his hands in hers.
"What is happening? How did you know to come and find me?" She asked.
Link looked up at her, his vision still spotty.
"The Queen of the Fairies... She told me that there was a traitor in this castle who is trying to resurrect some kind of evil king... Something about an army of dead soldiers... you and I have pieces of the Triforce... I used to be a knight or something... She told me that you were in danger, that someone is trying to kill you... so I came."
The two of them stared at each other. The boy steadied himself.
"We have to get out of here, princess. I have to get you someplace safe, this did not go smoothly at all." Said Link.
Zelda pressed her hand to her forehead, trying desperately to focus.
"Yes… but I must get some things first. We will need to stop at the armory, and at my father's chamber. I must know if I can still save him... Can you stand?" Said Zelda, re-tying his boot laces.
Link swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, groaning quietly on the way to his full height.
"Yep." He said with a wry smile.
Link picked his shield and sword belt up and strapped them around his chest again. Zelda opened the door to her room and peeked cautiously out. She closed it softly and ran to her bureau from which she pulled a pair of leather riding boots. She threw her slippers to the side and forced her legs into them, lacing them tight on her calves. She then returned to the door, opening it again she motioned for Link to follow her.
The two of them made their way through the top floors of the castle. Zelda directed Link through a door that led them outside and on to the railed rooftops of the great Hyrulean palace. Link looked out into the eastern sky and saw that the sun was nearly rising as they passed through yet another door. This time, instead of a lavishly carpeted hallway, they came to an enormous room in which weapons of every kind adorned each wall. Zelda quickly pulled an ornate, well carved bow and its quiver off of the wall and then flew to the rows of swords, taking a small rapier like the one she had carried the day before. She fastened the sword belt at her waist and pulled some type of garment down from the wall and folded it around her belt like a flag at her hip. She rushed past Link to the door.
"To my father." She said, looking back at Link with vehement determination in her eyes.
Zelda led Link briskly through the castle corridors and up a long flight of stairs. They stopped suddenly outside of a room. Zelda, visibly pained took a deep shuttering breath and opened the door. She and Link entered the room wary of the dark energy both of them now felt. Link drew his sword as the hairs on his neck became stiff with some unseen malevolence.
"Father?" Zelda called quietly. The bed was empty and Zelda looked around the room in desperation.
"He is here." Said a voice from behind the curtain of the sitting room. Tairyn stepped forth, a smug grin set upon his face.
"Courage... Wisdom... and Power, all together again. Do you not feel their resonance in your very souls?" He asked, his voice low and grave.
The Sheikah muttered something and with a gesture of his hand the door slammed shut behind the pair. Link moved closer to the princess, sensing this man's intention to strike at any moment. Zelda raised her bow.
"Where is my father, Tairyn? What evil magic have you brought here? Do not make me kill you because on my life, I will." Said Zelda.
Tairyn put his hands up, as if to show that he was unarmed, though he laughed softly at the princess poised to kill him.
"The king is here, Zelda." He motioned to the figure now emerging from the curtain.
Zelda lowered her bow and took a step forward.
"Father?!" She called again.
What stepped into the light was no longer the king but a shambling zombie, seeming to bulk awkwardly out of her father's robes. Its eyes a milky white and its skin tinted a pale green, veins the color of bruises throughout. Zelda subdued a horrified shriek as the creature, drooling, stumbled forward with the back of its right hand raised. Upon it glowed bright the third triangle. Link felt a burning sensation in the back of his hand, as did the princess. Tairyn lunged for the girl, though in a quick reflexive motion Link stepped in front of her and bounced the mage's head off of his shield. As Tairyn lay stunned upon the ground, Link took Zelda's hand tightly in his and fled with her down the stairs.
Zelda lead him down passage after passage as they flew through the castle. Link, not breaking pace, looked abreast to Zelda.
"Where's my horse?!" He cried, his throat ragged with exertion.
Zelda pointed down the flight of steps to the door that they were fast coming to. Link heaved the heavy iron door open and the two of them ran out into the dawn. Link paused, it took him a moment to realize that they had taken a short cut to the stables behind the castle. He whirled around looking anxiously for Epona. Zelda spied her and took Link's hand again, pulling him hurriedly towards her stall. They mounted her just as the guardsmen began to file into the stables from the door the two of them had just come through. Link saw more rounding the corner. He kicked Epona and the horse whinnied, darting away, jumping clear over the stable gates and speeding off into the field. Zelda held fast to Link's waist in the yellow light of morning as Epona bounded through the field toward a hilly pass.
"This route will take us back to Faron, It runs through the hills and it'll make it harder to see us." Said Link, loudly over the rushing air.
Zelda turned her head to see, to her horror, that they were being hotly pursued by four, horned riders, clad in crudely stitched leather. The Bulbin drew nearer as arrows hissed past the heads of the Hylian youths. Link looked over his shoulder. Zelda pulled back her bow.
"Concentrate on keeping speed. I'll dispatch the riders!" She said
She managed to hit one that in its death throes dragged the other off of the great boar on which it rode. She killed two more archers with her remaining arrows as they rounded the corner back into the field, the other boars still persisting behind.
Sitting atop a tree at the gates of Ofaria, Rue sat drearily. She had not gotten back to sleep since Link had woke her and now, she sat gazing across the field with a handful of Deku seeds to throw at the head of the one who had caused her such unease.
If he ever comes back…
She sighed and rested her chin in her palm. As she stared, something caught her attention on the horizon. Squinting, she realized that she could see Epona, with Link and a strange blonde girl on her back, only feet behind them were the boars of the hated riders. A small squeak erupted from her as she dropped down from the tree and ran in a panic to the village to wake her father and Khai. Link urged Epona ahead of the creatures until they had reached the gates of the village, there Link pulled the horse to a stop and quickly dismounted. He looked to Zelda.
"I have to make sure that those things don't pass these gates or go to give any word of where we rode. I have to kill the rest of them, stay with Epona, princess." He said, and then he slapped the horse's behind.
Zelda took the reins, and turned to watch from behind the gate as Link unsheathed Dìoghaltas and stood between her and the Bulblin. The riders slowed their mounts. Babbling angrily in their foul language, they dismounted with their clubs and daggers to beset the green clad boy who waited for them. Link stabbed one and then sliced the other's head clean off as they charged him. One of the smaller monsters managed to get behind him and strike him in the side with a club of rock and wood. Galled with pain, the boy whirled around and sliced the little demon nearly in half. Panting and sore, he turned his back to the carnage as he saw Roland and Khai hurrying out of the gate, their swords drawn. He waved weakly at them and wiped the blood from his blade onto the grass, unable to hear the bowstring taut behind him. Zelda quickly dismounted, and in front of an astounded Khai, she raised her bow and pulled back the last arrow in her quiver. Link had barely heard the arrow shoot by his head as he turned to watch the unseen archer fall. Zelda relaxed her posture. Link jogged over to the three of them as Roland and Khai regarded the princess with shock. She met their gaze with a proud, foggy look and nodded to both of them. Then, her body gave and she lapsed into unconsciousness as Roland caught her just short of the ground. Link sheathed his sword and looked briefly to Roland and to Khai, then he pulled Zelda from Roland's arms into his and motioned for the two of them to follow. Khai and Roland only stared blankly at Link as he held the velvet draped body of the princess.
"Link... is that...?" Khai began as Roland nodded furtively aside.
"...It's a long story." Said Link.
Khai glanced from the sleeping princess to his friend, his dark eyes wide.
"You need to put that back where you found it... that's nothing but trouble you're about to drag into this village."He said.
Link sighed, seeming to ignore him he turned and started down the path. Khai gripped his shoulder urgently.
"Link...don't." He said.
The boys locked eyes for a moment before Link stepped away from Khai's grasp and contiuned toward the village. With a loud groan of irritation, Khai followed behind him with a bewildered Roland at his heels. The boy carried Zelda to Roland's house and laid her in Rue's bed. As soon as he had closed the bedroom door, Link was bombarded with questions from Maraina, Khai, Roland and Rue and was beginning to feel a bit like passing out himself. Yolandae, however, as she came from Zelda's side hushed the titillated crowd.
"The girl is beginning to awaken. She is very distraught. She cries out for her father. Link, what has happened?" Yolandae inquired.
"That girl in there... is she really Princess Zelda?" Rue added, and Link nodded his head.
"The stuff I'm about to tell you, none of you can tell anyone, okay?" He said.
He told them of what had come to pass in the night: the Fairy Queen, his poisoning, his meeting with Zelda, the possessed king, all of the night's events he laid out for his friends to try and comprehend as he still could not. Roland looked at him in amazement.
"So…It seems that perhaps some of the old fairy-tales were true…" He said.
Mariana looked toward Rue's bedroom.
"I'm going to go help her undress. She can have a nightgown of mine. I think what she'll need more than anything now is sleep." Said the red-head.
About an hour later, as Link dozed at the kitchen table, a shaken and disheveled Zelda was led into the front room, Mariana holding her hand like one holds the hand of a lost child. She brought Zelda to Link.
"She says that she feels safest with you, will you take her home and let her sleep?" She said softly.
Link stood and nodded. Of course he would take her home. Though he did not know exactly what had transpired in the days before this fated meeting, he felt her grief as if it were warmth from a stove. He looked at her, her eyes inflamed with sleeplessness and tears, her gaze waxed over as she stared up at him through her yellow hair.
Zelda pulled the heavy hooded cloak over Mariana's pale green sleeping gown and prepared to take the short ride to Link's house. The boy set the exhausted princess up atop Epona first and then climbed on the saddled in back of her. Throughout the short ride, Zelda rested her weight against Link's chest as he wearily navigated the path back to the edge of the forest, the sun blasting them. At last they arrived and Zelda clung to the boy as he lifted her down from Epona's back. They said next to nothing as the two of them shuffled into Link's house, the glass from the broken pots still littering the floor. Link, as quickly as his spent and aching body would allow, closed the shutters to the light so as to give the illusion of darkness. He directed Zelda to his room and she lay down without a word as he pulled the blankets over her. He regarded her there with a kind of surreal understanding.
"If you need me, or if you wake up and you're scared, I'll be right in that front room by the fireplace, okay?" Said Link, gently.
Zelda quickly brought herself upright and caught Link's hand in hers.
"No… please, don't go... Please stay with me... I don't want to be alone." She entreated him, her eyes bright with lingering tears.
He sighed, knowing he could not say no to her and began to remove his belts, the tunic and the chain mail beneath it. He sat down beside the bed, his back against the mattress.
"Thank you..." She whispered, her voice wet with tears.
Link chuckled uneasily in the muted daylight of his bedroom.
"Of course... Thank you for getting us out of the castle... and saving my life twice today… You're a great shot." He said, a smile creeping into his voice.
Zelda laughed deliriously. Moments later she slept. Link sighed again and thought for a moment of how he should make himself comfortable elsewhere. He stood, looking down at her. She seemed to be nearly wincing in her sleep and he found now that he did not want to chance her waking up alone. Reluctantly, he sat back down. At length, he slept.