A/N Because it's November I will be writing a lot more because of Nanowrimo, so expect a few more updates this month! Also, Thank You for your kind reviews! I thought I'd mention where this story takes place in the Zelda timeline as of now so you will understand the story a bit better. Right now the story takes place pre OOT but we will be going further through the timeline! Thank you again for all your reads and reviews! It means so incredibly much to me! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 5.

The castle was buzzing with madness. The Gerudo King would be returning any time today. A strange thing always seemed to happen when the Gerudo came, a feeling. Many would describe it as humble caution but few were willing to realize the root of this silently shared emotion. Fear.

Zelda whimpered as Impa tugged her hair back into a neat braid.

"Hush. When I was a girl, braids were something to wear proudly. It was a sign of honor and respect. The way you styled your hair reflected the kind of woman you were." Impa's face was gentle but her voice rarely matched. Zelda thought it odd, but loved the woman dearly despite her strange demeanor.

"Why don't you style your hair anymore?" Zelda's eyes looked up innocently at her nursemaid. Impa sighed as she turned to find the little girl's veil and clasp.

"Zelda, you ask too many questions." She finally said, taking the embellished box of pins from her cupboard. Zelda squirmed in the wooden chair, clasping her hands together. She knew that when Impa did not answer a question it was a rude question to ask.

Impa carefully pulled the cream and mulberry purple cloth down from the shelf, taking notice of the concern in the princess's eyes.

"What's bothering you, I can see it in your face?"

"Impa… Is daddy really going to let Lord Ganondorf stay?" Her voice was thick and quavering, eyes locked on her hands as the played nervously with her dress. It wasn't that she minded visitors usually, it was just something about that man scared her. There was something about the way he grinned and how his eyes seemed to be set back into his head that disturbed the girl. She didn't like the way he talked and she especially hated it when she had to be polite. There was something sinister, something wrong with him, and it terrified her.

Impa gently tilted her head back, pulling a long, iron pin from the box.

"That is a very small problem for such large concern." She replied warmly, her wisdom creeping its way into their conversation. Zelda bit her lip as the pin brushed against her scalp, blinking to hold back her tears. Even at her age she knew it was rude to cry when someone was doing a favor for you. It was her early knowledge beyond her years that Impa recognized immediately. That was what separated her from the other girls, and brought Impa to the acknowledgement of her vow made thousands of years ago, before either of them had been born. Zelda's mind began to spin, trying to figure out a better way to approach her biggest question, something she wanted confirmed but was too afraid to ask in case it would be.

"Impa… is mummy going to die soon?"

It was said so bluntly it made the world go still for a moment, freezing Impa's hands as they reached for another little girls shaky voice pricked the Sheikah's ears, making her twitch uncomfortably. The queen's death was inevitable but it was the fear in the princess's mannerisms that sent a chill snaking it's way down the woman's spine.

"Why do you ask?" Her voice was always tough as nails against the princess's soft and childish voice. Zelda breathed deeply before looking down at the floor.

"I had another nightmare, this time mummy actually died. I watched her, and she talked to me. It was a name. A boy's name. Like the one's in our stories. She told me to find him, that he would help me when the time was right. Then she was gone."

The little girl pause, pulling at a thread on her linen gown.

"So I ran to see mummy this morning and when I got to the door the doctor yelled at me and told me I'm not 'spossed to see mummy anymore…" Her eyes were glossy with tears, sniffling at the cruelness of the doctor. Were doctors ever kind to little girls?

"The Queen is very ill Zelda, and there is nothing we can do but hope. Hope has stronger healing powers than any medicine."

"But medicine won't make mummy better!" This was the first time Zelda had ever shouted at Impa. She knew better than to raise her voice but there was something in her that had begun to break. Her feeling of an overwhelming realization and the words Impa had spoken mixed into a combination of oil and fire, igniting her frustration. Her dreams were prophetic, something Impa had reminded her of for ages. Now that her deepest fears were becoming reality it seemed like Impa would do nothing to try and prevent it.

Impa took a gentle hand to the girl's chin, wiping away a few stray tears. She wanted to hold her, comfort her and tell her that she wouldn't let her mother die, but she knew there were things she should never interfere with. As much as she wanted to give all her love to this little princess, and tell her that she was wrong and that her mother was fine, she couldn't. Zelda was too clever for that anyway.

"Sometimes in life, there are things we can't control. These things shape us. It's up to you to let it mold you or destroy you." The Sheikah woman's voice was the gentlest Zelda would ever hear from came from her heart and not her head, something she would never experience until their time together would close to an end.

"Now, you must get ready for the arrival of the Gerudo. Your father expects you to look like a proper little girl, and I won't have it any other way."

Zelda nodded as she positioned herself in the back of the chair, letting Impa pin her braids to her head, not saying a word. She knew today was going to be a long and difficult day. From this point on there was to be silence and her presence, nothing more.

Grace smiled idly, lifting the hatch underneath her bed. Saying a silent prayer she grabbed her books and a piece of honey toast and slipped into the small corridor. Her father and brother knew nothing of her hiding spots and the systems of tunnels she explored while they were about. She listened in on every lesson and meeting that intrigued her but also used it to get to the courtyard without being seen. It smelled rancid underneath the stones and floorboards. She often found herself gasping in fright at stray rodents and miscellaneous items that had found their way down there.

Running down the small tunnels, her head nearly tucked down to her chest, she thought about many things most politicians and scholars did. She knew though, that being a woman and being as young as she was her ideals would never be taken seriously, despite this she still pursued her own knowledge.

With a grunt she pushed open a small door, opening up into the fresh air of the garden. She loved it here more than anything. She loved the way the flowers scents mixed and spread through the air, especially after a rain. She loved the shapes of the shadows in the afternoon, the way the plants would wave her good morning and bid her farewell when she left. But what she loved the most was she was free to study about the Gerudo. No one ever judged her about her fascinations and pursuits and that pleased her more than anything.

"Good morning!" She greeted the stone walls and plants as she tore her shoes of, letting herself sink into the bright and soft grass. She pulled out her notebook and pen (which she had practically begged for at winter festival to which her father begrudgingly bought for her) and her book of ancient Gerudo legends and myths and began to read.

"Vigilant must be something the Gerudo take pride in…" She mumbled as she began to write down another verse of a rhyme.

"Welcome! Welcome!"

Grace felt her stomach tighten as she recognized the voice of the king. Had the Gerudo arrived already? Hastily she stuck her pencil in her braid, shoved her toast in her mouth and tossed her books behind a lavender bush. She looked up with a sly grin, she was sure to see them better from above!

Cautiously, she crept back into her hideaway and made her way above the castle's doors to peek outside. To her pleasure she watched as a Gerudo woman walked effortlessly towards the Hylian king. She was enthralled with the way they held themselves. Each part of their body perfectly in sync, making proud and nimble strides, shamelessly displaying their bodies. The sight that most pleased her was watching the arrival of the Gerudo King. Her cheeks flushed as she watched him move. Never had she seen a man so exposed underneath armour. It was a proud display of his manly form, each muscle noticeably tensing as he proudly walked forward. It was intriguing, to say the least, for she had rarely seen any man under thirty besides her brother. She admired the way his eyes were fixed on the king, how the women's chests expanded with honor as he briskly walked past them, barely even paying them mind. His cape stretched behind him in the wind, waving behind him like a flag that never would surrender. There was determination and a sense of power she had never seen in a man before and for the first time, she realized what her father had meant. As fascinating as it was, these people looked frightening, each bearing a body of intimidation and resentment, something she both respected and feared. She reached for her pen,taking notes on her arm in sand script so her father and brother couldn't read them. She began to sketch the face of the man on her arms, noting the difference between him and the women. For some odd reason she felt a chill up her spine when the Gerudo man looked up towards her hideaway. It was almost as if he knew she was up there…

Zelda swayed impatiently on her toes. Customs seemed to long and dreadfully boring. Yet, her father rambled on with greetings and instructions and so on and so forth that soon Zelda had forgotten how a little princess should behave and let out an exasperated sigh. Impa only cleared her throat, making the young girl stand up straight and try to pay attention.

"Impa…" Zelda croaked, trying to whisper loud enough underneath her father's booming voice.

"Shush."

"Impa.."

The glare the Sheikah gave her made her huff in anger. She scowled as she stared at the Gerudo King, taking note of where his attention lay. It seemed odd to her that his body faced her father but his eyes looked upwards. It made her wonder about what he was thinking, if anything, until it snapped towards her. She shivered as their eyes locked for a split second. Impa gingerly placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, taking her protective stance behind the girl. Zelda looked up at her nursemaid then at her father. How could he be so oblivious? Even Impa took note of the strange energy he emitted. There was something disturbing in the way his eyes sat, completely fixed in the king's face, the way he ignored but listened to everything, the way he would walk towards the people, the authority he demanded, it was terrifying to her.

"Come! The evening is upon us!"

The worlds made Zelda's posture lessen, it was almost as if it were a relief. As the King of Hyrule walked inside Zelda watched carefully as Ganondorf neared her.

"What's wrong little princess? Are you afraid?" Ganondorf murmured as he walked by. Zelda shuddered, her deep blue eyes begging Impa for protection. The woman just shook her head and took the girl's hand leading her inside. It was then Zelda truly felt fear for the first time. Impa had always come to her rescue, but in that moment even she seemed to be afraid. When she asked Impa about it Impa only replied with, "When the time is right, you will know. We mustn't act too early."

It was those very words that would haunt Zelda to her grave.