Ch. 1 - Disturbance
A stirring of the mind.....
My vision appears hazy, but clears up rather quickly. What's going on? There is light.. I barely know what light is anymore..
I glance down at my blood red hand, illuminated in the white light. Still scarred from the battle..
I slowly make my way to the tear in the walls, the slight, accidental rip, no doubt because of a careless action of a careless person. Hah, probably Link! I wonder if Link still lives...
I have no way of knowing the time, the year. How many generations have gone by since my forgotten era of terror. Terror of all those who lived below me, which was about everyone in Hyrule. It didn't bother me that they were afraid. I had what I wanted: the Triforce of Power.
But just one Triforce didn't seem to be enough. I needed more, needed everything. In that lies my main error. I need to learn to let fate take its course. Only a small bit of power is needed for immense destruction; being too power hungry can put your entire life in jeopardy. That was what I had learned from it.
In an instant, I appear right at the tear in the tender fabric of the Sacred Realm. I have my doubts about leaving this place: will I forget everything I figured out? Will I become suddenly crazed with a passionate desire for power? There's only one way to find out...
Taking a deep breath, I emerge from the Evil Realm for the first time in who knew how long. My fears and doubts suddenly leave me. Taking a deep breath of Hylian air, I suddenly remember why it all seemed so important to me, and why I need it back......
Princess Janine lay in the gardens of the remodeled Hyrule Castle, picking daisies and roses for no real reason. She waited for her prince to arrive, though she had a feeling it was never going to happen. She was nearly sixteen years old and still she hadn't met anyone who even interested her. Her mother kept telling her about how she hadn't been married until she was sixteen, then she'd cough and remember quietly that she was actually fifteen. Poor Janine, at least, wasn't alone.
I handsome, young prince strode up to her, running his hand through his golden hair. "Janine?" he asked carefully.
"I don't know where he is," she said, without looking up. "You know he hasn't been feeling well."
"How did you know I was looking for dad?" he asked, astonished.
"We're twins. I know you," she said, finally looking up. Her golden-blonde hair halfway hid her smile. "Besides, all you want to do lately is train at archery and fencing."
He smiled modestly, sitting down with his sister. "And all you want to do is sit here picking flowers for when the man of your dreams shows up," he teased, watching her face turn slightly crimson.
"We're going to have to get married sometime," she said reasonably. "Mom, Dad, and Grandpa aren't going to be around forever. We need families of our own to take their place."
"But we're not going to get married unless we go try to meet someone. Now let's go to Gerudo Valley and see if they'll let us use the archery course."
"There are no eligible men there!" Janine complained, taking her brother's hand as he pulled her to her feet.
He grinned. "No, but there are plenty of women!"
"Ewww! You are NOT marrying a Gerudo! They're thieves!"
Despite her complaining, she went along with him to the castle stable. The fiery red horse was absolutely perfect for their journey. Epona was the best behaved horse they had, especially for their father.
"We can't make too much noise, girl," Prince Jason whispered. "Dad doesn't know we're going."
"Mom is going to completely flip on you!" Janine hissed. "Unless Dad gets to you first; then you'd better hope you've practiced enough fencing!"
Epona, once out of the stable, neighed noisily. Princess Zelda rushed out onto her balcony, followed by a staggering Link. "What do you two think you're doing?"
"Good girl, Epona," Link coughed. The horse whinnied in agreement.
"Both of you get in here at once! There's someone here to see you," Zelda said sternly. "No, Janine; it's not a suitor, and no, Jason; it's not a lady. It is a girl, but not one you're interested in."
Sighing, the twins trudged back up to the castle, after repenning Epona.
"Hi guys," the red-haired girl said. She'd been waiting for them near the side entrance to the castle. "Are you busy today?"
"Naw," Jason said. "Why? You have something planned for us, Kelsey?"
The girl grinned. "Of course. When don't I?"
The three of them strolled aimlessly through the castle halls. "What fun-filled adventuresome place do you have planned for us this time? The zoo?" the prince teased. The girls muffled their giggles.
"It's much more interesting than my previous plan," Kelsey laughed. "The picnic at the lake was definitely a flop."
"When it rained the entire time and we had to make the picnic blanket into a tent?" Janine recalled. "Yeah, that was a little difficult."
Kelsey beamed in excitement. "This time...we're infiltrating the Gerudo's Hideout!"
The twins exchanged a hopeful glance. "We're in," they said in unison.
"Great," she said, nodding in satisfaction. "No one knows we're going, so if we get caught we'll rot there for all of eternity."
"Oh, that makes us want to go even more," Janine laughed dryly. "I'm totally up for being held captive by psychotic Gerudo warriors! Let's go!"
And so, the three of them sneaked off to Gerudo Valley to retrieve an artifact from the leader's chamber.
"I'm glad you got here quick," Zelda said to Malon. "He keeps getting worse."
"Good thing I studied medicine and healing a while back," Malon said to herself. After trying several potions, none of which seemed to work, Zelda had sent for Malon to see what exactly was wrong with her husband.
Link fell asleep rather quickly after he got up; he had been sleeping a lot recently. Zelda, on the other hand, had been having horrible nightmares of which she would not reveal the nature. Only that they were too disturbing to allow her to get decent rest. He kept muttering strange things in his slumber, but when he awoke, he couldn't remember why.
Malon inspected Link closely. "He's not eating enough," she commented. "Probably having problems holding the food down. I know all too well that Link is a healthy eater. He's very pale. Telling the truth, I'm not exactly sure what's wrong. But I have a feeling it's not something natural."
"What do you mean?" Zelda asked fearfully.
"Someone is using magic to make Link this way. And whoever that is has far more power than you can even begin to imagine."
The princess froze, staring into Malon's deep green eyes. "You mean he's going to die?" she asked fearfully, biting her lip.
"No," Malon said reassuringly. "Magic alone cannot kill. It can just make its victim very illness-prone. I'm sorry, Zelda."
Her head sank into her hands, and she let the tears fall freely from her eyes. Link was going to die before the week was out, she could just feel it.
Jason peered around the corner. "Now what?" he hissed, trying to avoid being seen by the defensive Gerudo.
"Go up the stairs, moron," Janine said. She shot out ahead of him, running up the stairs. Before long, the three of them were caught.
"Freeze dirtbag!" one of the Gerudo yelled, running toward the princess with her spear outstretched. Kelsey and Jason shook their heads in mourning, until Janine turned toward them and yelled:
"GUYS! Aren't you going to help me out?"
After that, they were all knocked out.
A great clang awoke Janine from her unconsciousness. She glanced around, frightened.
"You're okay," a somewhat harsh voice said. Keys dangling from her hands were the source of the clanging. "I'm Rikaaya. You're the Princess of Hyrule, correct?"
"Correct," she said slowly. "Why are you releasing me?" she asked when the Gerudo started unlocking the cell.
"You are needed. Come with me."
Without a word, she did just that. They marched quietly to the cells of Jason and Kelsey, who were also freed by Rikaaya. She turned to face the three of them after she was certain that all was safe. "There has been a terrible mistake," she said quitely.
"What kind of mistake?" Kelsey asked nervously.
"Ganondorf, the King of Evil, has broken free of his prison in the Sacred Realm. A tear was found in the skies near the Spirit Temple, where the Evil King must have slipped through. We are in need of the Hero of Time to aide his kingdom while hardly a soul knows it is in danger."
"Do you think she's making this up?" whispered Jason, leaning close to his sister's ear.
"No," she replied trustingly. "It's true. I can just tell." Jason shrugged and listened to the Gerudo's talk.
She narrowed her eyes at the prince, but said not a word to him. Instead, she spoke to the group. "I was hoping you could take me to the castle and get your father, Link, to come with us back here. He alone has the power to destroy Ganondorf. Many Gerudo leaders would have me killed for even mentioning his demise, so I am risking my life by just talking to you. You have to trust me.
Kelsey sighed. "This was my stupid idea, so I guess it's my call, too. We'll do it."
"Wait," Janine said suddenly. "Daddy hasn't been feeling good lately. Should we ask him anyway?"
Rikaaya shrugged. "It couldn't hurt. Maybe he'll be feeling well enough to help us by the time we get to the castle. Thank you for agreeing to my plea."
"No problem," Jason said uneasily. As much as he loved a good adventure, just like his father, there was something he didn't quite trust about this Gerudo girl. A thief should never be trusted, he told himself, sliently following the girls toward the exit.
~end of ch. 1~
So whaddya think? I know, I know; I'm starting WAY too many things that need additional chapters. I'll find time, I will! Comments? Suggestions? Something random you just feel like saying? Put it in the review! Please, please review! :) Thanks!