New chapter time! Who knows, I might finally end this cliffhanger. Or not. Read on to find out!
-=]I[=-
"For centuries, the Master Sword has slumbered within these woods, until the day the Hero of the Wild was chosen by the Master Sword. He wielded the blade in the name of Hyrule, and used it to protect his princess from harm. Until, of course, the Great Calamity.
"I'm sure you know the tale of Corruption, of the Hero's fall. The princess set out, and returned the blade to its resting spot in this forest.
"One hundred years passed, and the Hero woke from his slumber. He defeated the four extensions of Ganon's power that resided in the Divine Beasts, took up the Master Sword once again, and freed the princess, slaying Calamity Ganon.
"The rest of their adventure is the less told tale. Together, they deactivated the Divine Beasts and the guardians, and set them to rest where they would remain untouched by mortal hands. As for the Sword…
"I am afraid I do not know where it resides. The last Link, the Hero of the Wild, never returned the blade to the forest. He thought it to be too much of a risk, knowing that Calamity Ganon would return once again, and it might know of the sword's true location. The Sword that Seals the Darkness remains missing."
"So you can't help us?" Zelda asked, clearly losing hope as the conversation continued.
The Deku Tree sighed. "I am of no direct assistance, however, I can tell you where to begin your search."
"Please! We need to find the Sword! If we don't, I fear that this land has no hope of survival," Zelda practically pleaded. She was getting anxious. It had been quite a while since Hylia had appeared to her, and Her Grace has had a sense of urgency about her.
"After the Hero became the next King of Hyrule by marrying the princess, he was no longer seen with the blade. It is not entirely impossible that there is some clue of its location back in the library of Hyrule Castle."
Zelda stepped back involuntarily. If the Sword was in the castle, if Hyrule had any chance of survival, she needed to face her past life. If they found out just who she was, would she be forced to return to that life of weakness and shame? Would she be forced back into that horrendous marriage? Would she…
Would she be forced away from the only person she ever loved? Zelda glanced at Link, who looked equally pale. He did have a past as a soldier in the army, but she didn't think anything could happen that would scar him that badly. The army hadn't seen combat in years, but since they had to quash a small uprising of monsters, and that was only a small strike force. It was unlikely that Link had ever seen real combat before leaving the castle.
"I suppose we should go then. Come on. Hyrule Castle awaits us."
Link looked into the Lost Woods uncertainty. "It's getting late. The woods are going to be dangerous at this hour. We can stay one more night and then leave."
Zelda smiled. "Alright then. But we don't have anywhere to sleep…"
One of the little koroks piped up. "Actually, there is a bed of leaves you can sleep on inside the Deku Tree. You should come in."
The two followed the korok into a hollow room inside the Deku Tree. The korok launched into an explanation on how they were actually inside the navel of the tree, but Zelda tried her best not to think about it.
Link was right, it was late. She was exhausted, but was so caught up with the trials to find the Master Sword that she hadn't realized the toll it had taken on her. Her entire body ached with pain, and her ears were still slightly ringing from the explosion. She thumped down on the bed beside Link.
It was at this moment when she realized that this was very improper. Sharing a bed with a man she wasn't wedded to? The King would probably freak out. But she didn't care about the King anymore, or any sort of standards. If the world was really going to end, she had to live a little first.
-]I[-
"Hello again, Zelda." Zelda was dreaming again, but she wasn't in the Temple of Time like she was before. Instead, she was standing in front of the largest shrine to Hylia she had ever seen.
"Your Grace." Zelda Bowes her head, recognizing the voice of the speaker. The statue shimmered, and a golden light burst forth, manifesting itself in the form of a beautiful young girl. Hylia.
"Yes, it's me. I admire what you are doing, helping Link on his journey. But I must ask you… have you been considering your own destiny?"
Zelda was taken aback. Yes, she knew that she had some role to play, but she didn't know what she had to do.
"Ah, you do not know what you must do yet? Well, you must awaken the Golden Goddesses. They have slumbered for far too long, allowing their power to manifest into creatures of their own mind."
"The Golden Goddesses? But Your Grace, what about your power? Are you not equally capable as them?"
Hylia sighed. "I was, once… but I sacrificed my divine form and power. In truth, I am powerless in stopping any conflict in Hyrule. While it is the land entrusted to me, I am not the true protector. Instead, I seek out those who I know will save our land. The Hero of Legend, and the Spirit Maiden."
"But the spirit maiden is…"
"Yes Zelda. The spirit maiden is me, reincarnated into mortal form. But that form…is the Princess of Hyrule. You are me, reborn into mortal form."
"Your Grace…"
"I don't need to be called that. Remember, you are addressing yourself. I just now realized how strange this is, talking to myself."
"Your… Hylia, I still don't understand what it is that I must do."
Hylia took Zelda's hand in her own. "My child, it is up to you to figure this out. I understand your confusion, and I know that this must be a lot for you to take in, but please, don't lose hope. Take strength in the ones you love, and remember to stay strong. If the worst does happen, you mustn't allow anything to inhibit you from reaching your true destiny."
"What destiny? I don't know what you're trying to say to me. Please, I… I can't do this alone."
Hylia smiled. "You aren't alone, Zelda. Remember that. What you must do is awaken your slumbering power. The Goddesses can help you. Good luck, Zelda…"
Hylia vanished, leaving only the statue behind. Zelda was even more confused than she was to begin with, and Hylia's tone… well, it only made her more afraid.
-]I[-
When Zelda woke up, she found herself with one of Link's arms around her, and her hand lazily draped over his chest. She lay there for a minute, thinking about her second encounter with Hylia. If she really was the Spirit Maiden, and she really did have to awaken her mysterious power, how was she going to accomplish it? Her ancestor had only managed to use her power after the person she loved had nearly died on the battlefield, and she didn't want anything like that to happen to anyone.
"Well, isn't this cozy?" Zelda looked up to see Link smiling down at her. Zelda was confused for a minute, then caught the way that they had been sleeping. Zelda leaped out of bed, blushing furiously.
"I… I didn't… I didn't mean… It's not what it looks like!"
Link just grinned and got out of bed himself, stretching and yawning.
"Don't grin like that!"
Link laughed slightly and picked up his sword. He'd been so tired the night before that he'd fallen asleep in his traveling clothes, as had Zelda. The two of them enjoyed a light breakfast together- (the koroks were watching them from the bushes, which was a bit creepy, but it was quite clear that no one really ruled over the forest children-) and simply enjoyed the serenity of the Korok forest. It was quite lovely; the sunlight shining through the trees gave the world a greenish-golden glow. A few flowers shone with light of their own, and the butterflies and other insects floated from flower to flower, buzzing and humming softly.
"Hello, humans! My name is Hestu! I am here to guide you out of the forest." Zelda and Link stared up at the largest korok they had ever seen, who was holding two massive maracas. A confusing sight at first, but he looked rather friendly (and a bit less frightening than the little koroks hiding behind the bushes.)
"Hello, Hestu. Are those… maracas?" Zelda asked, laughing slightly.
Hestu nodded, raising the maracas over his head. As he shook them, different colors of light shot out of the ends of the maracas. Link and Zelda both laughed slightly as the colorful orbs rained down around them, disappearing before they hit the ground.
In a setting like this, with both of them just purely happy, Zelda looked at Link in a whole new light. He was more than just the person who taught her sword fighting, or the man who rescued her from the Yiga clan. While she didn't trust her own feeling sometimes, was it possible that Link was the person who she was…
No. She couldn't let feelings like this get in the way of the fate of Hyrule. Perhaps after they'd found the Sword, after they'd stopped anything from attacking Hyrule, then she would allow her heart to rule. But for now, it was imperative that she made her decisions based purely on the greater good of Hyrule.
"Well, now that you've heard my song, I think you should follow me. You need to make it to Hyrule Castle, or so the forest children tell me." Hestu led them towards a path and told them what they needed to do. Apparently, leaving the forest was much less difficult than entering it.
They left they korok forest simply by standing in the mouth of a hollow tree, which swept them back to the entrance. Zelda had felt it before, from the first time they'd gone trekking through the Woods. Link, however, looked pale and a bit seasick. Zelda rubbed her hand along his back to comfort him. He smiled appreciatively, and together, the two of them left the Woods. Twilight followed close behind them, occasionally running ahead to chase some squirrel. The Castle towered in the distance, silhouetted against the sun.
"Look! The stable! We can reunite with our horses, and make the trip a lot shorter." Link gestured excitedly towards the stable. "And… I can get some food that isn't mushrooms!"
Zelda looked at him and burst out in giggles. "You… you're really looking forward to food?! Not finding the legendary Master Sword, the Sacred Blade, the Sword That Seals the Darkness?"
"Okay, sometimes a good apple pie is better than Hyrule's fate."
Zelda looked at him, struggling to hold a straight face. "Link, pie is delicious, but you need to be alive to eat pie."
Link looked her straight in the eyes and whispered "then I will perish."
Zelda burst into a laughing fit. Something about Link just made her so happy all the time. A happiness she had never felt inside Hyrule Castle.
As they rode away from the stable, still laughing slightly, Zelda smiled to herself. Despite the Castle, the place where she'd been born and raised, looming in the distance, she felt more at home riding side by side with Link. Even if they did fail, it would be together. And was that really so bad?
-]I[-
"I just realized that we're going into Hyrule Castle. And that it's going to be heavily guarded and incredibly dangerous." Lana stopped in her tracks, staring at the towers in the distance.
"That might be a problem."
Lana nodded. "We can't just walk in the front gate, we'll be spotted and thrown out."
Or thrown in prison. Link thought to himself. Most likely if he was ever spotted again, he'd be arrested for treason against the King of Hyrule. Even if he was only following his heart, and leaving a life that would keep him forever imprisoned, it still was directly going against the King's orders.
But he could never let Lana know. What would she think about him? She'd been so honest with him, confessing her concerns, trusting in him, and yet he was still unable to tell her the truth. He was a criminal. He wasn't wanted for murder, or for arson, but he was still an enemy of the throne. And being with Lana put her in danger.
"Do you have any ideas? You used to live there, didn't you?"
Lana looked thoughtfully at the castle. "There is an entrance we could take… down by the docks, there's a passage inside. Since nobody really uses the docks anymore, and instead goods are directly imported into Castle Town, it should be fairly easy to sneak inside. Provided, of course, you can swim?"
Link snorted. "Of course I can swim."
"Excellent. We can camp on the hill behind the castle. When night falls, we can sneak in through the docks. If I recall correctly, there's a passage leading into the library. It should make the whole ordeal easy. In and out."
Link nodded, repeating the words. "In and out." In truth, he was nervous. Not of the castle, or the guards, but of what Lana would think of him if she found out that he had run from his future. He could take a couple years in prison, but he wasn't willing to give up his bond with the one person who he actually liked.
As they drew closer, Lana seemed more and more entranced by the castle. When he asked her about it, she merely stated "sorry, I'm lost in my own thoughts. Don't concern yourself over my simple musings."
It was almost sundown by the time they reached the moat. Lana pointed out a small opening in the foundation of the castle: the entrance to the docks. It would be a bit of a swim, but nothing he couldn't manage. And his time as a knight taught him that there were no lizalfos in the moat, despite several circulating rumors.
"So, I suppose we just wait now. A couple of hours and the only light source will be the moon." Lana turned away from the castle to face Link. "Are you ready for this? This is against the law. If we're caught… I don't want to think about what might happen to y- to us."
Link smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure we won't be caught. After all, if all else fails, I can bake the guards an apple pie and bribe them into leaving us alone."
Lana smiled at the joke, and slowly her smile widened and she burst out into giggles. When she laughed, her whole face brightened up, and her nose wrinkled in the most adorable way imaginable. If he was caught, he wanted to spend as much time with her laughter as he could. She just had that effect on him; the one that makes you feel like you're flying, even in these darkening times.
It was funny, really. She'd gone from being a nervous, overly-emotional wreck to a truly admirable person in the span of a few days. While Link would never say it out loud, he suspected it had something to do with her life before the wilderness. It wasn't impossible that she'd spent her life sheltered from the real world, and when she was faced with danger, she didn't know how to react. And, of all the people in Hyrule for her to encounter, he had the fortune of meeting her.
"What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?" Lana had noticed him staring at her.
"Hm? Oh no, you're perfect. Um... I mean, your skin is perfect. Clear! Your skin is perfectly clear." Damn. Why was he so flustered all of a sudden? All he had to do was say one sentence, and he somehow messed that up.
"Ah, thank you. You're perfect too." Lana winked at him, causing Link to turn red at the ears.
"Oh, come on, I was trying to speak. Are you making fun of me now?"
"Don't worry, I'd never make fun of someone with a stutter," she said, with a completely serious expression on her face.
"Hey! I do NOT have a stutter!"
Lana giggled and poked him on he stomach. "Yes, you do. Either that, or I'm just so perfect that the goddesses intended for you to say so."
Maybe you are perfect, Link thought, fighting not to say it aloud.
Lana stood up, pointing towards the sky. "Well, enough messing about. I suppose it's about time we headed towards the castle." She was right. The moon was on the rise, and the sky had turned a bluish-black color. The color of twilight.
"What are we going to do about weapons?" Link suddenly realized that a heavy metal sword wasn't going to make it across the water so easily.
"It is the castle. We might not need them. Besides, I know of several weapons stashes hidden around the castle. Princess Zelda showed them to me while I worked there."
"Alright. I could use a new sword anyway." It was true. The knight's sword he'd been traveling with for such a long time was starting to lose its strength and the blade was getting duller. He was due for an upgrade.
Lana and Link pulled off their boots, leaving them waiting on the shores. They could retrieve shoes later. What mattered was getting across the moat without drowning.
As he was preparing to dive in, he noticed that Lana still had the funny device on her belt. Although he was worried about it weighing her down, it had gotten them out of a few situations in the Lost Woods. Perhaps it would be worth it to have the tablet with them again.
"Ladies first?" Link gestured towards the waters of the moat, silver and reflective in the moonlight.
Lana nodded and dove into the water below. Link followed behind closely.
The swim wasn't worth documenting, but it was over quickly. No lizalfos were encountered, partially because having monsters so close to the castle would do more harm than good. Link reached the shore first, followed closely by Lana. He pulled her out of the water as Twilight materialized next to them. Lana opened her mouth in confusion upon seeing the wolf's strange entrance, but didn't speak of it. Probably for the best, considering that Link himself had no idea how Twilight managed that.
As they trudged through the tunnel, Link began to dread the coming expedition more and more. He really did not want to be caught, and he didn't want to drag Lana into these affairs. A growing pit in his stomach constantly reminded him of his failure to obey. Obedience was one of the first things he was taught, alongside loyalty and bravery. Never flinching, never failing, always obeying.
"Link," Zelda said, jerking out of his thoughts.
"What is it?"
"Look." She pointed towards the end of the tunnel, where a few docks and shipping boats lay inside the waterway. Hyrule's Docks.
"We're in."
-=]I[=-
Okay, I lied about ending the mystery of the Master Sword. I mean, I know where it is, but I'm going to leave you in the dark for a little while longer. Instead of the cliffhanger, I put in some fluffy stuffs. I needed to give you some compensation.
For my lovely reviewers: bladeofthebookworms, unfortunately, the koroks were innocent (in some regards. They did steal the seeds for the maracas.) Glad you like the presentation of Link and Zelda, hopefully it gets better once time goes on. Oracle of Hylia, Hero's Shade/Dark Link/whatever he's called these days might just come soon, although I think I've made it obvious enough already. Random Guest, thanks. TP Zelink didn't have any canon evidence, but I still think they'd be cute together after the events of Twilight Princess. Nei, Hestu will be in this. I mean, he was just in this chapter. Umm… sorry about the cliffhanger thing, but I'm not going to make it that easy on our heroes.
That's all for now! See you next week!
~Silver