Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Legend of Zelda, with the exception of this storyline.
Author's note: Hiyas again! In true Dark Chyld fashion, I'm happy to answer all reviews, this time posted by Sabin Figaro! First off, thanks a lot for reviewing! Let me try to clear the confusion for you. Yes, Sheik was Zelda in disguise, and is a girl, not a guy. Throughout this story, Sheik will be known as a guy for a simple reason. Do you think you could pretend to be someone else for seven years and not start thinking you were them? Zelda just developed a little psychological problem, so don't worry. Sheik is actually a girl, but Zelda refers to that part of her personality as a guy. Eep! That sounds a bit too complicated! Hope I didn't confuse you further! x.x!
The rain had ceased and the sun shone brightly over the land of Hyrule. The dense storm clouds drifted east towards Death Mountain. A rainbow arched over the land and a fresh breeze danced through the village before Hyrule castle. The townspeople were once again outside, resuming their business with high spirits. Children danced in the puddles, dogs ran about in sport, and adults went about trading, playing their own games, or otherwise minding their own business.
Zelda had journeyed down from the castle to escape her troubles. She was met with smiling faces and respectful bows. She spoke to many about trivial things, such as the weather, the reconstruction, and whether the guards were doing their jobs or not.
She smiled and returned their pleasant banters, but her spirit was not in it. Her heart pulled her towards the last place she wanted to go. The Temple of Time.
The foreboding building stood above her, alcoves bathed in darkness, the courtyard dense with shrubbery. The Temple itself was crumbling, its once-majestic arches were half destroyed, the turrets were in disarray, and the glass windows were blown out. The Temple had been branded 'evil' during the reign of the evil wizard Ganon. Gone was its glory, its appeal, its dignity. Evil had touched the Temple, and it would never recover.
The princess was unafraid as she approached. She stepped lightly around hedges and across steps, heading through the rotted doors into the temple itself.
The inside of the temple reflected the outside. A great pillar had fallen across the width of the temple, its top resting in a hollowed-out window. The once-elegant tapestries that had adorned the walls were in tatters, shredded beyond repair. The floor was covered in rubble and water, with a dusty mist hovering about, giving the Temple an ethereal look. Still, Zelda proceeded.
She strode beneath the large pillar to the other side, unseen from the entrance. She slowed her pace and approached a wrecked stone chest, buried in rubble. Somewhere beneath that pile of rocks were three jewels, representing fire, water, and forest. A young, ten-year-old Link had placed the jewels there himself. She raised her beautiful violet eyes to the wall standing behind the buried chest. Behind that wall lay the only room in the Temple that would have survived Ganon's wrath. The room housing the Master Sword, the weapon that belonged to the Hero of Time, who had been Link.
Zelda felt faint and sat upon a worn grey step. Once again, she yearned to see that face once more, speak with the boy once more. He had saved Hyrule, and she, as well as the other Sages, was the only ones that knew. By now, everyone would have forgotten the green-clad stranger. Link… an unsung hero.
He shall never be forgotten as long as you remember him.
The princess stood upright, looking around for the source of the voice. It took a moment to register that the voice she had heard was only a part of her imagination.
Please, princess. I wish only to help you
"Why must you haunt me so…" murmured the breathless Zelda.
You have buried me beneath guilt and pain, princess. I wish to help ease those feelings. But I cannot help you if you do not permit me.
The princess said nothing, afraid of her delusions. The secret voice inside of her head must remain a secret. For the sake of her kingdom, she mustn't let this voice get the best of her. She could afford to loose her mind when the land was safely beneath a new ruler. But not now.
"Please…do not torture me like this… leave me in peace…"
She could almost see a figure through the mist. A ghostly apparition stood, as in her mirror, clad in armor of blue and tattered cloths. Crimson eyes watched her from beneath bangs of gold.
Why are you afraid of me?
Zelda felt a tremor go down her spine as she watched the strange manifestation both with caution and curiosity, love and hate. The source of these feelings was that the figure was both herself and someone else. "I am afraid of no one…."
The familiar stranger moved slowly toward her.
ou fear me. Why? Why do you fear yourself?
"I am not you… I never was. You were just a way to escape Ganon unharmed."
I am more then that, princess. It has been eight years since you donned my identity. Why do you forsake me now?
Zelda's lip quivered, yet she struggled to keep back tears. She had been strong all her life, why was she falling apart now, to a ghost no less?
Is it envy? Is it because Link became closer to me than to you?
The princess had had enough. She spun around and closed her eyes, bringing clenched fists up to her chest. Inside she trembled with agony, but she revealed none of it. She concentrated on the figure, willing the unwelcome presence away. She blocked out the voice and ignored the ghostly manifestation. When she turned and opened her eye, the figure was gone once more.