It's back.......
18 years before the end of COGD, we find....
A CHILD OF EQUALLY GREAT DESTINY
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"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The newborn's cries filled the room.
"Congratulations. It's a girl," the midwife beamed. She proceeded to wash the infant, wrap her in
blankets, and place her in her mother's arms.
Tears of joy trickled down the Queen of Hyrule's face. "My baby..." she whispered, kissing the
child on the forehead. The King gathered his wife and daughter in his arms. "Truly, this is the
happiest day of my life. All of Hyrule will celebrate the birth of Princess Zelda!"
A young Sheikah woman spoke up. "I promise I will perform the task of royal nurse to the best of
my ability. I would protect the Princess with my life if necessary."
"I know you would, Impa," the Queen said weakly, lying back against the pillows with the
Princess sleeping in her arms. "I know you would."
"I think we should all leave so mother and daughter alike can rest," the King remarked. The
others nodded silently, then exited.
The King paused. He kissed his wife's cheek, whispering, "I love you." He then bent to kiss his
baby on the top of her head. "I love you, too, little one." With that, he left the room, closing the
door softly behind him.
About two months later....
Hyrule Castle was enveloped in silent anxiety. The Queen had fallen ill, and showed no signs of
improving. The King paced nervously through the palace, spending as much time with his wife as
possible. Impa had been given complete charge of the infant Princess. Indeed, the Queen had
insisted on caring for her child on her own more than any Hyrulean monarch before her. She
would cuddle the baby in her arms while greeting foreign officials or while in important meetings.
It was rare to see her without little Zelda with her. But now this. The Queen was almost too weak
to move, let alone care for a child. Impa was glad that Zelda was young enough to be blissfully
unaware of the surrounding sorrow.
One fateful morning, Impa summoned to the royal chambers. "The Queen is slipping away
rapidly," the servant explained. "She wants to see her daughter one last time."
Impa hurriedly gathered Zelda in her arms and rushed to the Queen's bedside. The dying Queen
hoarsely whispered, "Let me hold my baby." Impa gently handed Zelda to her mother, who
murmured, "I love you, Zelda. I always will, even when I am no longer with you." She kissed her
daughter on top of her head. Zelda giggled. The Queen smiled weakly, stroking what little hair
her baby had. "Always remember I love you," she whispered. Then, the Queen gave a small sigh
and ceased breathing. The King, who had been silently standing there holding his wife's hand,
began sobbing with pure grief, not caring that a king was not supposed to show strong emotion.
Zelda, though small, sensed something was wrong. Why was her mother so still? The infant began
bawling as well. Impa lifted the Princess from her mother's limp arms and began attempting to
soothe her. "Shhhh," Impa cooed. "You will be all right, Princess."
The King turned to Impa, trying to hide his tears. "Impa, you must act as a mother to Zelda now.
Can you do this?" He looked at her hopefully, in the way a pleading child might.
"Of course, Your Majesty. It will not be the same as having her real mother, but I will give this
task my full attention. I've grown to love this child dearly."
"Good," the King said "Now take her to a part of the castle where it will be quieter. I don't think
an environment of grief is healthy for such a small child."
Impa merely nodded, then left, glad to be away from gloom and death herself