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Title: Dawn's Early Light
Chapter 5: Unfetter
Author: Sailor Song
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UNFETTER (verb): release from restraint or inhibition
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The body is quite amazing if one stops to consider the wonder of it all. When threatened, it has amazing self-preservation tools. For instance, faced with extreme cold, the warmth is drawn inward to keep the vital organs protected for as long as possible, even if it means loss for extremities such as fingers and toes. The mind is not all that different. When faced with adversity, it forms a hardness, almost like a barrier, that protects and allows a person to continue on. The problem is, that barrier can become too hard, numbing one to a life of coldness and lack of connection with others.
When Zelda awoke, she was acutely aware of everything before she had even opened her eyes to look around. It wasn't just the water lapping against the shore, nor the cool, damp grass against her skin. No, she could sense EVERYTHING: the smell of the storm hours away on the distant horizon, the sounds of the squirrels fighting over a hole to store their food for the winter, the taste of courser bee honey - the earthy kind that can only be harvested near Faron Woods.
There was something else too. An arm that wrapped around her, attached to a warmth that was like being out in the sun on a warm summer's day. It held her close, it was protective. Safe.
… … …
The next time she became conscious, the heavy smell of rain filled the air. She slowly opened her eyes, but it was difficult to see in the darkness that surrounded her. The warmth was gone, and she was entirely alone.
"Link?" she whispered.
There were footsteps followed by, "My lady, you are awake?"
She sat up in a panic. That voice? Her lady's maid? Had she been captured and returned to the castle? No, beneath her was grass, not the silk comforter of her bed or the hard stone of the dungeon floor.
The soft, twinkling light of a fairy in a bottle could be seen approaching. Behind it, the red haired lady's maid from the castle.
She gave a tsk and said, "I told that idiot this would happen while he was gone."
"What is going on?" Zelda asked, noticing suddenly that she was no longer wearing her mourning dress, instead a basic tunic and pair of leggings. No shoes, but at least she had a better chance of getting away in this outfit. "I won't go anywhere with you."
"Good," the maid replied, kneeling down. "You shouldn't be moving around too much." She raised the bottled fairy up, inspecting and scrutinizing Zelda's face before finally saying, "Stay still, and I'll get you some water."
Zelda watched as she walked off down and out of sight, returning only seconds later with a second bottle containing a clear liquid.
"Drink."
Not used to being ordered around, she could only stare in confusion before finally asking, "Who sent you?"
"Many people sent me for a lot of different reasons."
"Could you please just answer the question?" she asked. There was no way for her to defend herself and nowhere she could run to, seeing as she had no idea where she actually was. "You were at the castle. Are you going to try to take me back?"
"If I take you back, I will be a prisoner too," the maid replied.
"Why is that? Aren't you a noble lady?"
"I am, but I was not considered one in the land where I was born," the maid said. "Your brother purchased me in the neighboring kingdom, but that was not originally my home. It was not the home of my people."
"What are you saying?"
"I am a daughter of Gerudo Tribe chieftains. When our king was captured and sentenced to die, the surviving members of my people fled Hyrule in exile. The neighboring kingdoms looked down upon us, and we were forced into slavery."
"But…" Zelda began, but found herself at a loss with a million thoughts running through her mind. Lamely, she came up with, "I read that Gerudos were tall with dark skin."
Without losing a beat, the maid retorted, "I was told that the princesses of Hyrule were supposed to have yellow hair."
Touche.
The maid continued on. "My people have been enslaved for countless decades... centuries. Forgive me if I don't live up to your stereotype."
Before Zelda could say anything in reply, the maid stood and walked away, leaving Zelda alone in the cave with only a bottled fairy for light.
"Poor thing," she said. Pulling the cork, she smiled as the fairy twinked a song and sped off. "Be free." She stood, her legs not strong enough to support her at first, but in time, she was able to walk in the direction that the maid had gone. She found her not far from the mouth of the cavern, sitting alone on the stone slabs.
"I'm sorry for being insensitive towards you," Zelda said, sitting down beside the maid. "I am confused and tired, but that doesn't give me the right to be rude."
The maid put her hand on Zelda's. "It is fine. Link said you would be a little disoriented if you did wake up."
"Link?" she asked, running her hand along a few blades of horse grass, enjoying the feel of the fuzzy sensation that tickled her fingertips. "Where is he?"
"Link is away," she replied. "There was only one place that you two could have possibly ended up after your - may I say, idiotic - escape, and that was in Lake Hylia. He is off leading the guards and your brother away from here on a fool's errand."
Ah, so she *was* still in Lake Hylia. Looking out, she took in the sparking moonlit waters.
"My lady?" the girl said when she was silent for too long.
"I'm Zelda," she replied.
"Yes, Your Highness, I know who you are," the maid replied, a little confused.
"No, I mean, I would like you to call me Zelda," she insisted. "Not 'Your Highness' or 'my lady.' No honorifics. Just Zelda"
The girl looked at her and gave a knowing smile. "I'm Naboo. That's my real name, not the one the slavers gave me."
"Naboo?"
"I was named for my great ancestor, Nabooru, just as you were named for yours." Neither spoke for a while, until Naboo said, "I feel I must apologize. Your brother purchased me in the hopes that I could help him resurrect the Demon King. He made me swear that I would do this." Zelda looked at her in surprise. "I did nothing of the sort," she said hurriedly. "The surviving members of my people hate Ganondorf for what he did to us, regardless of his intentions. If anything, I worked against the prince by helping Link."
"What do you mean?"
"Speak to your husband. I think that's a conversation you need to have with him." Thunder rumbled, indicating that the storm had more coming. "Come. We should get you back inside."
Zelda accepted her hand and rose a little unsteadily to her feet. "Naboo, why are you helping us? Can you at least tell me that?"
"Link promised to help me if he could. Help my people. I believe him to be honest. There is no deceit in his eyes."
That was the truth. All of the politicians she had dealt with in her short stint ruling the kingdom had been some of the most vicious and cruel, full of manipulation and backstabbing. Link, by comparison, was so innocent, so pure.
"I like being here too. This lake, I mean," Naboo said. "This is the closest I have ever come to returning to the land of my people."
"I've been there," Zelda said solemnly. "The Gerudo Desert… I'm sorry, but it is completely barren. It's a wasteland."
"Maybe it looked that way to you, a Hylian who is used to the forests and lakes. To me, a Gerudo… I am of the sand, of the red earth, and I long to see it."
Zelda smiled at her. "I hope you get the chance very soon."
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The cavern was so dark she had trouble keeping regular hours while she and Naboo waited for Link to return. After a few days, once her strength had returned, she wanted to stretch her legs for a bit.
"I'll be right back," she whispered to Naboo.
"Don't drown in the lake," the Gerudo said, rolling over.
Zelda smirked and tip-toed out, first checking from the shadows to make sure that no one was around. After learning that they were staying in a spring dedicated to a spirit of light, she felt it would be disrespectful to wash in or relieve herself near its waters. As long as she was careful, as long as she made sure she was alone, her companion felt it would be fine for her to leave the confines of the cavern.
She sat at the water's edge and dipped her legs into the cool lake water. Scooting to the edge, she lowered herself down. Holding tight to the stone steps, she began to kick her legs. She wasn't sure if this is how one learned to swim, but she had to try. Whatever was coming for her, whatever her future held, she was not going to be anyone's burden. Not anymore.
"Nice night for a swim?"
She let out a shriek in surprise and lost her grip on the ledge. Before her head went under the water, she heard a shout. As calm as possible, she kicked her legs and was able to bring herself up to the surface on her own. Beside her, another head emerged from the water, coughing up water. She was about to attempt to flee to the spirit's spring when she heard him sputter out, "Zelda."
She turned back to the coughing man. "Link?"
He nodded but continued coughing as she pulled him over to the ledge.
"I thought you could breathe underwater," she said as his coughing slowed.
"Normal…*cough*...ly, yes," he said, "if I have *cough* time to change first."
She stared at him as his breathing returned to normal, and once she was sure he was okay, she lunged forward and threw her arms around him.
"Well, that was unexpected," he said, wrapping his arms around her.
She thought about it. It was unexpected, but at the same time, it felt very much like her, at least, the version of herself she wanted to be. She pulled back slightly and leaned in to press her lips against his. There was no response at first, causing her to think she had made a mistake, but suddenly, her kiss was returned passionately. Hungrily. The man on the other end seemed ravenous as though he wanted to consume her, as she felt something firm press against her hip.
This new, brave version of her began to let her hand explore, moving from his neck, down to his chest where she hesitated. Have courage, Zelda, she thought to herself and pressed her hand against the bulge in his wet trousers.
Link, clearly surprised, broke their kiss and began coughing again.
"This is not going well," she said, her spirits feeling a little dampered.
"I'm sorry," he replied. "Maybe we should talk first." She nodded in agreement, and he lifted her out of the water and set her on the stone ledge before hoisting himself out and sitting beside her.
They sat in awkward silence, listening as the waters of Lake Hylia lapped against the shore.
"Naboo said-" "I led them-"
"Sorry, go ahead."
"No, you first."
Silence again. Zelda wished she could undo this whole encounter, but life isn't something that can be restarted with the push of a button. She looked over to him to take in what she could see of Link glistening in the moonlight. Wrapped around his arm was a bright white bandage that stood out against his dark fabric of tunic.
"You're hurt?"
He looked confused, and then looked down. "Oh, no. It's nothing serious. There is a group searching for us, and I may have been a little overconfident about my arrow dodging skills."
"Naboo told me you were leading them away."
"Naboo, huh? Nice to know you two are on friendly terms now."
She wasn't sure she could call the maid a friend. "She's warming up to me," Zelda replied. "Link, she told me some of what had been happening. She said my brother wanted to resurrect Ganondorf, but she said she worked against him, worked with you, to stop it."
"Did she tell you how?"
"She said I should talk to you."
He took a deep breath. "I, well, Naboo and I both, suspected that Ganondorf would use every possible means to attempt resurrection, and…" He paused and took her by the hand, giving her a gentle squeeze. "And the most likely place for him to hide was-"
"Me."
Link nodded. "The easiest scenario was for him to be reborn, and what we feared most was that it would be with your blood, your power. It would make him immune to any light attacks, and everyone would be doomed. If he gained power over Hyrule, the Sacred Realm, the Triforce…" He took another deep breath. "There is a plant, back in my homeland, that we had to keep the goats from eating or they wouldn't be able to conceive."
"The tea?"
"Yeah," he groaned. "The tea. It was wrong, and I am so sorry, but I was worried about telling you in case somehow he had the power to sense a threat to his plan. Then, when you nearly drowned while we were escaping, he tried to possess you again." He paused and scratched at his bandaged arm. "Do you have any questions for me?"
She looked at him. "No."
"Really?" he asked. "None?"
"I knew something was wrong with me," she replied, "and though I couldn't figure out what it was, you found a way to protect me. You saved me." She kicked her leg slightly and let the water swirl around. "He's gone, I can tell. I feel like a new person."
"That was the other thing I wanted to tell you," Link said, this time looking down at his folded hands. "You can have a new life now that you are away from the castle, but you are not completely free. Not yet anyway. I forced you into things… marriage and all that came with it."
She stood and wrapped her arms around herself. What was he saying? "I thought you were… You told me that you were in love with me."
"I did," he replied. "I still am." He stood quickly and walked over to her. "However, that doesn't mean I have the right to dictate your life, your future. If you wanted to have your freedom, I just want you to be happy. It's entirely your choice, but know that whatever you decide, I mean, if you feel it's best we take separate paths, I will respect that."
She didn't say a word for quite a while. Every moment of her life had been planned up until she chose to flee the castle. Now, she was expected to decide the rest of her life. "Do I have to tell you right now?"
"No, of course not," he told her. "Take your time."
She nodded her head. "I'm tired. I think I'll try to get some sleep." Come with me.
"You should," he replied. "I'll stay out here for a bit longer."
She bid him goodnight and started walking back into the mouth of the cavern, but stopped and turned. "Link?"
"Yes?"
I love you too. "I... " Say it. "I… am glad you came back safe."
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"My lady?"
"Not now," she groaned. "Just a little longer." She was having a magnificent dream, and though she could not remember it now, she was desperate to hold on to it..
"Now, Zelda!" Naboo's sharp address caused her eyes to snap open. The maid looked distraught, which was disconcerting in its own way. "It's Link."
She sat up and looked around, finding him lying in a crumpled up, uncomfortable position near the entrance to the cave. He was shivering, but in the warm humid cavern, it was impossible to believe that it was because he was cold unless he had suddenly become ill.
"Look, his arm."
"He said the wound wasn't serious." Zelda's gaze landed on the once-white bandage that was now soaked crimson with his blood. "Poison." On instinct, she stretched out her hands, intent on using her powers to heal his injury, but nothing happened.
"If you are trying to heal him with magic, you are still too weak," Naboo replied. "The light spirit has also not reappeared since it healed you."
"Then what do we do?" He couldn't die. She wouldn't let him. She hadn't even told him-
"...riko," he struggled to say.
"What is he saying?" Naboo said.
Zelda knelt down, putting her ears close to his lips.
"Ka...riko."
She jumped up.
"What will we do, my lady?"
"We're getting him help," she said as she ran out to locate the blades of horse grass she had seen a few days prior, praying to the goddesses that Epona would come when she called.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've got to say WOW at the response to this story, especially at your feedback about Daltus. It made me nervous to create an OC, but I'm glad he's resonating. Thank you SO MUCH for the kind words and encouragement. :)
