The Legend of Zelda: Deadly Secrets
Chapter One
Link awakened with a jolt. In his mind still echoed Princess Zelda's frantic call. *Link...help...please...help us!*
Sighing, he crawled out of bed and was soon riding Epona out of Kokiri Forest toward Hyrule Castle. The main town, Hyrule Market, had been continuously raided during the past three nights, mostly by some unknown aerial foe that couldn't be stopped. Zelda, of course, had overly taken advantage of Link's being the Hero of Time by calling him out every night. But by the time he arrived, the threat had already vanished and the market trashed, with many goods stolen and buildings ruthlessly damaged.
As he approached the town this time, though, there was clearly something still going on. Many soldiers shouted to each other excitedly, mixed with higher-pitched, strange shrieks and cries. Link dismounted Epona and approached the city gates, and a soldier on the other side unlocked it for him.
"Thank the goddesses you're here, Link," said the soldier, catching his breath from all the running around and commotion. Link stepped inside the gate and followed the soldier into town. "This raid, we've actually kept them here long enough for you to determine who--and what--they are," the soldier continued.
"Who would try and raid Hyrule Market?" Link questioned. "The only person I can think of is--"
A wild rush of air threw him to the ground, catching him off guard and knocking the wind out of him. He lifted his head just in time to see two winged dragons fly over, shrieking and calling to each other. Link thought he saw a person seated on the neck of one, but shrugged it off. There was no way someone could be riding one of those things!
The young soldier helped Link to his feet and both watched the dragons knock over several stalls and booths, scattering various fruits, vegetables, and trays of precious stones into the streets.
"If you were about to blame it on Ganondorf," the soldier said between gasps of air, "I'd say that it's not very likely. He'd rather sneak in and attack the castle, not the city making so much noise."
Looking closely at the dragons as they swooped and glided over the buildings, Link noticed something. "They're not really dragons," he said to the soldier. "They're too small to be true ones, and they're built like birds or bats. Look--they have only for limbs, not six."
The soldier nodded. "The King says they're Wyverns--smaller dragons, but just as dangerous, even though they can't breathe fire."
"I thought Wyverns died out!"
The soldier shrugged. "Apparently not."
Link didn't stand around to argue with the soldier anymore. He took out his bow, fitted an Ice Arrow to the end of it, and shot the wing of a passing Wyvern. The creature shrieked and buckled, falling to the ground with a thud, frantic to shake off the icy magic that held its wing captive. Finally it got free and flew up into the air once more, shrieking still.
A huge commotion of the soldiers caused the one standing by Link to run off in that direction. Link put his bow away and ran after them, drawing his sword. A ring of soldiers clustered around the place where the Wyvern had fallen, and Link had to fight his way through the crowd to see what it was they were staring at. And then he cursed himself for shrugging off the notion of a person riding Wyvern-back.
The person was laying face-up, with a jade-colored Wyvern-skin cloak and a strange mask that fit over the face. The mask was green and yellow and red, with a rendition of a Wyvern's face. Curious, he fought his way into the clearing where the stranger lay unconscious.
"Who is it?" one soldier demanded.
Links shook his head and resheathed his sword. "I don't know. I guess he was riding the Wyvern that I hit with the arrow. When it crashed, I guess this character got knocked off and fell off."
Overhead, the Wyverns circled and shrieked anxiously.
Link took this into account. "I guess this is the one that was controlling them, almost their leader or something. Maybe it's this guy that leads the raids on the market."
The soldiers all nodded. The leader didn't seem too happy, though. "Well, take off that mask and let's see who it is. That way I can throw him in the dungeon until trial. An identity would really help, you know."
Link bent down over the unconscious figure, then slowly pulled off the mask. At seeing the form, the soldiers pulled back, astonished. Link himself couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was a young girl, maybe nine or ten years old, with vibrant blue hair and strange red markings on her face. She was wearing an orchid-colored tunic, cinched at the waist with a belt, and a deep purple skirt that hung absurdly above her knees. Around her neck was a necklace of either teeth or claws, and the cape tied around her neck. A bandanna was wrapped around her head, giving her a thievish appearance.
Of which she was a thief.
The silence was broken by the lead soldier's laughter. "Well, men, it looks like we've all been staged by a little girl for three nights," he said between chuckles. "Seems like a shame to have one of her hands cut off to discourage her from stealing again."
Eventually all the other soldiers joined in, all except Link. He glared at the lead soldier with a hateful passion. This man seemed more of the kind that enjoyed punishing people for crimes, rather than the kind that wanted to protect the city and castle.
That was when the girl woke up.
She leaped abruptly to her feet, and the soldiers pulled back even further. She pulled a dagger from her belt and gave Link a look of such hate that he was too stunned to fight back for a second. She took that second to swipe menacingly at his chest, leaving a long scratch across it. Fortunately he broke out of his trance long enough to jump away so that the cut wasn't too deep.
He didn't pull out his sword just yet, but grabbed her wrists to restrain her. She fought against him for a while, but he didn't let go. Finally she quickly sank her teeth into his lower arm, and he let go in surprise. She tackled him to the ground and attempted to stab him with her dagger. He held her off for a while, wondering how a lavender-eyed young girl like her would have this much strength and stamina.
Then the girl spoke: "Curses for all you Hylians! Curses for a hundred generations!"
And then a Wyvern swept close to the ground, knocking the soldiers down. The girl latched onto its passing tail and was soon accompanied by the other Wyvern in the air. She scrambled onto this one's back and all three headed out to the north.
Link lay there in the street, remembering the girl's words. They were so full of hate and passion, and her voice was drawn into a devilish hiss. It was as if she knew of some wrong the Hylian race had done her, and she wasn't in a joking mood about it.
And that's when he realized that he'd lost more blood than what he'd originally assumed. And that's when he blacked out right in the middle of Main Street.
He awoke to the sound of Zelda's voice arguing with Impa, which didn't surprise him much. His hand went to his wound, and was relieved to discover that it had been bandaged and treated. A smell of medicine stung his nose, but it was better than dying. Zelda was almost immediately at his side, with Impa scowling at him from the foot of the bed.
"What were you thinking back there?" Impa snapped. "The captain of the guard told me that you picked a fight with whoever's been raiding us."
Link sat up, wincing at the pain in his chest. "I'm afraid that you've been misinformed," he told Impa. "It was the raider who picked a fight with me. And don't bother to go looking for her, unless you're so hell-bent on catching a little girl."
"A little girl?" Impa lifted an eyebrow. "I don't believe it."
"Apparently the captain of the guard didn't tell you," Link continued. "He also apparently didn't tell you what that 'little girl' said to me. And it sure didn't make her sound like a little girl."
"What did she say?" Zelda asked. "Something about us?"
Link nodded. "She said, 'Curses for all you Hylians! Curses for a hundred generations!' And she meant it, too. I could see it in her eyes. Why she was mad at us, I have no idea. Do you? Or do you even know who it is?"
Zelda thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know what she meant, or who she is."
Link frowned. "Zelda, you're lying. I can tell. Give me the truth."
Zelda sighed and glanced at Impa, who nodded.
"She was born Hylian," Zelda began. "But she was abandoned as a child. A clan of smaller dragons called Wyverns raised her as their own. During that time, the Wyverns were being hunted almost to extinction by our hunters. Mostly for their skin. Around that same time, the Gerudos had a period of hardship of their own. Their farming soil was disappearing, causing famine and disease. Ironically, it was during that time that Ganondorf attacked us--remember? He was looking for the Triforce of Power."
Link nodded again. "So, how is this related?"
"Well, according to some of our spies, Ganondorf and this girl--I don't exactly know her name--but anyway, she and Ganondorf incorporated some kind of alliance after he got the Triforce of Power. She would raid our villages and towns, and he would protect her and her clan in return for the goods she obtained from the raids. That way, the Gerudos wouldn't die of starvation and the Wyverns wouldn't go completely extinct."
Link's eyes widened. "I didn't know that Ganondorf was so compassionate, especially towards someone who's the same race as his enemies."
Zelda smiled. "Exactly what I thought. When Impa first told me, I didn't believe it either. Then we discovered that the girl regarded herself as a Wyvern, and really chewed Ganondorf out when he accused her of being Hylian. That's when he realized that she felt the exact same way he did about us."
"Since no one knows her name," Link said after a while of thinking, "haven't you at least given her something to call her by? I mean, something to distinguish her from the crowd, per se?"
It was Impa who answered. "I alone know her true name, though I have sworn to secrecy about it."
Zelda nodded. "That's right. And another thing--she actually looks younger than she is. She's fourteen."
"Fourteen?" Link couldn't believe it. "She looked ten to me."
"Well, think about it," Impa snapped. "If she were only ten years old, that would mean that she were only five when she forged the alliance with Ganondorf. You think he would ally with a kid only old enough to strap on her boots?"
Link blushed bright red. "Guess you're right."
Chapter One
Link awakened with a jolt. In his mind still echoed Princess Zelda's frantic call. *Link...help...please...help us!*
Sighing, he crawled out of bed and was soon riding Epona out of Kokiri Forest toward Hyrule Castle. The main town, Hyrule Market, had been continuously raided during the past three nights, mostly by some unknown aerial foe that couldn't be stopped. Zelda, of course, had overly taken advantage of Link's being the Hero of Time by calling him out every night. But by the time he arrived, the threat had already vanished and the market trashed, with many goods stolen and buildings ruthlessly damaged.
As he approached the town this time, though, there was clearly something still going on. Many soldiers shouted to each other excitedly, mixed with higher-pitched, strange shrieks and cries. Link dismounted Epona and approached the city gates, and a soldier on the other side unlocked it for him.
"Thank the goddesses you're here, Link," said the soldier, catching his breath from all the running around and commotion. Link stepped inside the gate and followed the soldier into town. "This raid, we've actually kept them here long enough for you to determine who--and what--they are," the soldier continued.
"Who would try and raid Hyrule Market?" Link questioned. "The only person I can think of is--"
A wild rush of air threw him to the ground, catching him off guard and knocking the wind out of him. He lifted his head just in time to see two winged dragons fly over, shrieking and calling to each other. Link thought he saw a person seated on the neck of one, but shrugged it off. There was no way someone could be riding one of those things!
The young soldier helped Link to his feet and both watched the dragons knock over several stalls and booths, scattering various fruits, vegetables, and trays of precious stones into the streets.
"If you were about to blame it on Ganondorf," the soldier said between gasps of air, "I'd say that it's not very likely. He'd rather sneak in and attack the castle, not the city making so much noise."
Looking closely at the dragons as they swooped and glided over the buildings, Link noticed something. "They're not really dragons," he said to the soldier. "They're too small to be true ones, and they're built like birds or bats. Look--they have only for limbs, not six."
The soldier nodded. "The King says they're Wyverns--smaller dragons, but just as dangerous, even though they can't breathe fire."
"I thought Wyverns died out!"
The soldier shrugged. "Apparently not."
Link didn't stand around to argue with the soldier anymore. He took out his bow, fitted an Ice Arrow to the end of it, and shot the wing of a passing Wyvern. The creature shrieked and buckled, falling to the ground with a thud, frantic to shake off the icy magic that held its wing captive. Finally it got free and flew up into the air once more, shrieking still.
A huge commotion of the soldiers caused the one standing by Link to run off in that direction. Link put his bow away and ran after them, drawing his sword. A ring of soldiers clustered around the place where the Wyvern had fallen, and Link had to fight his way through the crowd to see what it was they were staring at. And then he cursed himself for shrugging off the notion of a person riding Wyvern-back.
The person was laying face-up, with a jade-colored Wyvern-skin cloak and a strange mask that fit over the face. The mask was green and yellow and red, with a rendition of a Wyvern's face. Curious, he fought his way into the clearing where the stranger lay unconscious.
"Who is it?" one soldier demanded.
Links shook his head and resheathed his sword. "I don't know. I guess he was riding the Wyvern that I hit with the arrow. When it crashed, I guess this character got knocked off and fell off."
Overhead, the Wyverns circled and shrieked anxiously.
Link took this into account. "I guess this is the one that was controlling them, almost their leader or something. Maybe it's this guy that leads the raids on the market."
The soldiers all nodded. The leader didn't seem too happy, though. "Well, take off that mask and let's see who it is. That way I can throw him in the dungeon until trial. An identity would really help, you know."
Link bent down over the unconscious figure, then slowly pulled off the mask. At seeing the form, the soldiers pulled back, astonished. Link himself couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was a young girl, maybe nine or ten years old, with vibrant blue hair and strange red markings on her face. She was wearing an orchid-colored tunic, cinched at the waist with a belt, and a deep purple skirt that hung absurdly above her knees. Around her neck was a necklace of either teeth or claws, and the cape tied around her neck. A bandanna was wrapped around her head, giving her a thievish appearance.
Of which she was a thief.
The silence was broken by the lead soldier's laughter. "Well, men, it looks like we've all been staged by a little girl for three nights," he said between chuckles. "Seems like a shame to have one of her hands cut off to discourage her from stealing again."
Eventually all the other soldiers joined in, all except Link. He glared at the lead soldier with a hateful passion. This man seemed more of the kind that enjoyed punishing people for crimes, rather than the kind that wanted to protect the city and castle.
That was when the girl woke up.
She leaped abruptly to her feet, and the soldiers pulled back even further. She pulled a dagger from her belt and gave Link a look of such hate that he was too stunned to fight back for a second. She took that second to swipe menacingly at his chest, leaving a long scratch across it. Fortunately he broke out of his trance long enough to jump away so that the cut wasn't too deep.
He didn't pull out his sword just yet, but grabbed her wrists to restrain her. She fought against him for a while, but he didn't let go. Finally she quickly sank her teeth into his lower arm, and he let go in surprise. She tackled him to the ground and attempted to stab him with her dagger. He held her off for a while, wondering how a lavender-eyed young girl like her would have this much strength and stamina.
Then the girl spoke: "Curses for all you Hylians! Curses for a hundred generations!"
And then a Wyvern swept close to the ground, knocking the soldiers down. The girl latched onto its passing tail and was soon accompanied by the other Wyvern in the air. She scrambled onto this one's back and all three headed out to the north.
Link lay there in the street, remembering the girl's words. They were so full of hate and passion, and her voice was drawn into a devilish hiss. It was as if she knew of some wrong the Hylian race had done her, and she wasn't in a joking mood about it.
And that's when he realized that he'd lost more blood than what he'd originally assumed. And that's when he blacked out right in the middle of Main Street.
He awoke to the sound of Zelda's voice arguing with Impa, which didn't surprise him much. His hand went to his wound, and was relieved to discover that it had been bandaged and treated. A smell of medicine stung his nose, but it was better than dying. Zelda was almost immediately at his side, with Impa scowling at him from the foot of the bed.
"What were you thinking back there?" Impa snapped. "The captain of the guard told me that you picked a fight with whoever's been raiding us."
Link sat up, wincing at the pain in his chest. "I'm afraid that you've been misinformed," he told Impa. "It was the raider who picked a fight with me. And don't bother to go looking for her, unless you're so hell-bent on catching a little girl."
"A little girl?" Impa lifted an eyebrow. "I don't believe it."
"Apparently the captain of the guard didn't tell you," Link continued. "He also apparently didn't tell you what that 'little girl' said to me. And it sure didn't make her sound like a little girl."
"What did she say?" Zelda asked. "Something about us?"
Link nodded. "She said, 'Curses for all you Hylians! Curses for a hundred generations!' And she meant it, too. I could see it in her eyes. Why she was mad at us, I have no idea. Do you? Or do you even know who it is?"
Zelda thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know what she meant, or who she is."
Link frowned. "Zelda, you're lying. I can tell. Give me the truth."
Zelda sighed and glanced at Impa, who nodded.
"She was born Hylian," Zelda began. "But she was abandoned as a child. A clan of smaller dragons called Wyverns raised her as their own. During that time, the Wyverns were being hunted almost to extinction by our hunters. Mostly for their skin. Around that same time, the Gerudos had a period of hardship of their own. Their farming soil was disappearing, causing famine and disease. Ironically, it was during that time that Ganondorf attacked us--remember? He was looking for the Triforce of Power."
Link nodded again. "So, how is this related?"
"Well, according to some of our spies, Ganondorf and this girl--I don't exactly know her name--but anyway, she and Ganondorf incorporated some kind of alliance after he got the Triforce of Power. She would raid our villages and towns, and he would protect her and her clan in return for the goods she obtained from the raids. That way, the Gerudos wouldn't die of starvation and the Wyverns wouldn't go completely extinct."
Link's eyes widened. "I didn't know that Ganondorf was so compassionate, especially towards someone who's the same race as his enemies."
Zelda smiled. "Exactly what I thought. When Impa first told me, I didn't believe it either. Then we discovered that the girl regarded herself as a Wyvern, and really chewed Ganondorf out when he accused her of being Hylian. That's when he realized that she felt the exact same way he did about us."
"Since no one knows her name," Link said after a while of thinking, "haven't you at least given her something to call her by? I mean, something to distinguish her from the crowd, per se?"
It was Impa who answered. "I alone know her true name, though I have sworn to secrecy about it."
Zelda nodded. "That's right. And another thing--she actually looks younger than she is. She's fourteen."
"Fourteen?" Link couldn't believe it. "She looked ten to me."
"Well, think about it," Impa snapped. "If she were only ten years old, that would mean that she were only five when she forged the alliance with Ganondorf. You think he would ally with a kid only old enough to strap on her boots?"
Link blushed bright red. "Guess you're right."