Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, walked down the corridors of the Royal Palace, her long sky-blue dress trailing behind her. On her brow she wore a golden tiara signifying her station. It was a beautiful morning, and sunlight shone through the windows of the corridor.
Despite the apparent tranquility, Zelda was ill at ease. She couldn't explain why, but for some reason she possessed a sense of foreboding. Things were running smoothly in the country; trade and exports with the other nations were at an all time high, there were no wars, no disputes, no nothing. Still, there was that nagging feeling at the base of her skull, warning her of some future calamity.
She paced the hallways, trying to shake the strange feelings, when a young page came barreling down the hall after her.
"Princess Zelda, Princess Zelda!" he yelled. She turned to face him. He fell to a knee and kissed her hand, "You must come quickly! Your father has fallen ill!"
"What?" Zelda gasped.
"It happened suddenly. One moment he was fine, and then the next, he was collapsed on the floor, pale and sweating heavily!"
"Take me to him…Now!"
* * *
Impa, Zelda's attendant and bodyguard, was already at the king's side when she arrived at his chamber. The tall, grim Sheika was deep in thought, staring at the king's stricken form. "Impa!" Zelda exclaimed, "What's happened to my father?"
"We don't know, your highness," she said, "He just collapsed into unconsciousness and hasn't woken since."
Zelda looked down at her father's shivering body, her heart caught in her throat. "What could be wrong," she thought, "Is this why I've been feeling so strange?"
"Your highness?"
Zelda turned to face another page, his face turned down in embarrassment and shame.
"Forgive me, highness," he stammered, "but there is a messenger demanding an audience with you,"
Zelda was about to turn on the page for even suggesting she leave her father's side, but he quickly declared, "He claims to know what ails your father."
"How?" she asked, "He only fell ill moments ago…how could anyone outside this chamber know?"
"He did not say, highness, only that he knows of the problem and demands your presence."
Zelda thought a moment. "Very well," she decided, "I will meet with him in the throne room. Bring him there."
* * *
Princess Zelda awaited the stranger's arrival, sitting in her throne, pondering the situation and what could be done about it. She had summoned the greatest doctors of every race, Hylian, Goron, Zora and Gerudo. All she could do was wait patiently for their arrival. And that of this messenger.
There was a doorway directly parallel to the throne forty feet away, and through this door came the page, followed by a tall, slender figure cowled in pitch black clerical robes. The page left the room, closing the door behind him. The figure walked up to the dais, stopping at the first stair. "What business do you have with me, sir?" Zelda started politely, not wanting to admit to anything.
"I know of the king's sudden sickness," the stranger replied in a throaty yet still fairly young voice, "and I know how it may be ended."
The loving daughter in Zelda's heart leapt, but the part that made her Princess was suspicious. She chose her words carefully, keeping a cool demeanor.
"The king's health is not to be discussed with anyone. However, I can assure you that he is in fine health and…."
"Please, your highness," the cleric interrupted, "I know you are very wise and skilled in the ways of earthly politics. However, I warn you not to insult my intelligence, or my resolve. The king is deathly ill, and I know of it."
Zelda's jaw tightened, but she kept her voice even. "How, sir, did you come of this knowledge, if what you claim is true."
"Because, your highness," the man replied, pulling back the hood of his robes to reveal his face, "I caused it."
Zelda had been party to more diplomatic negotiations and political fiascos than she cared to remember, and as such, knew that any display of emotion in such circumstances were a potentially dangerous luxury she could not afford. Despite this, Zelda was visibly startled when she saw the man's face. Though it was younger and not as defined, she would recognize the features anywhere: sharp, hawk-like nose, wild, fiery red hair, cocky lopsided grin, and deep, penetrating golden eyes. Ganondorf.
"But…how…" Zelda thought. The man laughed at her reaction, a laugh that sounded far too familiar.
"I know what you're thinking," he said, "You are thinking something along the lines of 'how? How does he look so much like a man that has been gone eight years?' Oh, I shall never forget the look on your face. Absolutely timeless."
He started to climb the steps, but thought better of it and remained. "My name is Rolondrof. The man you call Ganondorf is my half-brother. And, before you ask, after the Gerudo had finished with our father's…services…he returned to outskirts of the Valley. He remarried, and thus I was born. My father and I watched from afar as Ganondorf rose to power, only to have him one day vanish. Disappear from the land without a trace." His smile faded into a scowl of absolute hatred, "Because…of…you. You, the Sages, and the boy they call Link. You banished my brother to the Gap Between Realms. Which is why your father is made to suffer."
"How dare you…" Zelda hissed, regaining her voice, "Your 'brother' was a monster, one that came close to ending all life in his quest for power. What I did, I did for everything and everyone, including you. Now you dare to strike at me through my father. Be warned, Rolondrof; I am not someone you wish to have for an enemy. Heal my father, or so help me, I'll see you locked beside your brother in the Gap."
Rolondrof was laughing hysterically. "Bravo your highness," he said through peals of laughter, "Bravo. Such a marvelous speech. Your reputation is quite deserved. But I did not come here to listen to your warnings. I came to give my own, along with an alternative."
"Tell me your alternative." Zelda commanded, her voice dripping with venom.
"I can cure your father," Rolondrof started, "On one condition: you will release my brother from his imprisonment. Do this and your father shall be spared. Refuse, and he dies. I do not joke, highness; he will die, and my brother shall be released regardless, through means that will cause you to most certainly regret any inaction now. That, Princess, is my warning. Heed it well."
"Even if it was possible, I would not unleash Ganon's evil on this world again. My answer is no." Zelda's tone was firm and determined, yet inside she was being torn apart. She had to choose between her father's fate and that of Hyrule's.
Rolondrof scowled at her from beneath his heavy orange brows. "Though I had hoped differently, I expected that this would be your response. Very well, Princess, if that is your decision, then let me offer my condolences, for you have just rung the king's death knell. He will die, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it."
With this he pulled a small pebble from his cloak. He raised it above his head and paused, hissing, "Do not bother to bring the boy into this. He is being taken care of. And he will suffer far, far more than you are now." He dropped the pebble, and in a flash of light, he was gone.
Zelda's head fell into her hands, sobbing out her grief. From the shadows behind her throne, Impa emerged and placed a loving hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry," she said, "We will find a cure, and Link will not be easy to destroy."
"I hope so," Zelda sobbed, "What did you come up with?"
"He knew I was here; that's why he did not climb the steps. He knows of the Sheikah, and it can be assumed that he knows many of our ways, thus the disappearing. I also believe he is a magic user. There is no other way to explain the king's current health. There is no way he can be poisoned, as I taste every dish of food prepared for the royal family. There is much more to this man than meets the eye."
"Get me Link." Zelda said in as commanding a tone as possible.
"I can't, your highness. No one in Hyrule knows where he now lives."
"Get…me…Link. For his sake…and for ours."