New era's Dawn on the Eve of War,
Three parts they are, yet only a third whole.
Silver and Blood mix to form Hope,
While Gold and Darkness yield naught but Terror.
The Present looks bleak, yet Hope from the Past,
Gives Future meaning, a Child born unto Fate's own hand.
A Mothers gift priceless, a Father's true and bold,
Are a Child's despair as his task unfolds.
Heritage dark, yet its fruit still shines bright,
These gifts hold far more promise than angst.
Life drapes balanced on the Swords razor edge,
Yet listen well and carefully take heed:
Where the Balance doth sway
Destiny's wind blows both ways.
Angelion se patronus condare patrium.
Part 1
Eve of War
**~**~**
Zelda's Dream
Protect the Protector
Hyrule Castle – Early Morning
"Nooooooo!"
The cry of despair brought half a dozen heavily armed guards running from all directions before it had even finished echoing down the hall. Six sword-wielding men burst through the two double doors located on opposite sides of a lavishly furnished bedchamber, their eyes automatically scanning the dimly illuminated room for any threats towards their charge. Finding none, the confused knights looked questioningly towards their queen. The highest-ranking guard stepped forward, sketching a quick bow before speaking.
"Highness, what troubles you?"
"N-nothing." She raised a hand to calm her soldiers while the other held her sheets modestly towards her chest. "It is of no concern to you. Please, captain put your men at ease." He could see the determination burning in those wide, scared eyes along with the flickering torchlight.
Beads of sweat flowed down her skin, adding an elegant shimmer to her troubled face. Her normally radiant golden locks hung limply around her shoulders as she shivered slightly. She was panting heavily, as if she had just sprinted a mile, and her bed sheets were twisted in a vice-like grip. The Knight-Lieutenant however looked dubiously at her sweat soaked nightgown; obviously she had been trapped in the embrace of a fitful slumber for quite sometime, but the queen quickly put his doubts to rest.
"Out. Now." She commanded, pointing a slender finger towards the exit. Under her stern glare, he immediately bowed and made a hasty retreat for the safety of the guardroom without another word. The other guardsmen had seemingly vanished immediately after her outburst. The kind, benevolent ruler was not anyone's definition of a morning person. And, as a general rule, it was wise not to anger anyone who has the authority to have you beheaded at his or her whim.
The grand oak doors were pulled gently to, and her royal highness was left to brood in her quiet, if uneasy, solitude. She stared out the window as the first golden rays of morning light began to lance out from over the horizon, yet she saw none of it. Her eyes seemed to focus towards some distant part of space, where only her thoughts rolled and flowed in a personal turmoil that continued to haunt her.
Her mind snapped back to the present from whatever distant musings she had been mulling over, and she swung her toned legs gracefully out from under the silken sheets and into the chill morning air. Standing, she slipped her bedclothes off in one fluid motion and she strode towards a small, dust covered chest placed below her window. Opening it, she pulled out the rough fabric of a tunic that she had not worn in months.
A quiet knock on the door made her pause in her task and look up.
"Who is it?" she demanded sourly.
"It's me highness."
The queen promptly resumed her task, ignoring her visitor, as the large wooden door opened and shut noiselessly, allowing the admittance of a tall woman with shockingly white hair and heavy elvin-steel armor. She was easily over six and a half feet tall and her body was both lithe and powerful with slender muscles rippling beneath her sleeves. The large Amazon-looking warrior watched the naked form of her lady liege with a raised eyebrow and an expression bordering on mild amusement.
"Zelda, if you're looking for those undergarments you stole from Link, I returned them to him days before he left…"
The queen's shoulders tensed for a moment then drooped noticeably before going back to rifling through her old dusty trunk.
Impa's gaze softened, showing a tenderness that she hid from everyday prying eyes beneath her ice cold exterior. Her Imperial Highness, Queen Zelda was more than her sovereign lady or a mere protectee. She was almost like a child to Impa, the one she had never been able to have. She was a daughter, a friend, a confidant, a companion and it saddened Impa to her very heart to see Zelda moping about.
For weeks now, the queen had been suffering from terrible, horrifying dreams. The normally vibrant and upbeat girl slowly sank into a depression the likes of which Impa had never seen before. The Sheikah had simply assumed that Zelda missed her longtime friend Link, who had been away for over two months dealing with government matters. Life without the mischievous fairy boy seemed frightfully boring and empty without him around to stir up trouble and generally complicate things.
But, as the days passed, eventually dragging into weeks, the depression wore steadily on and Impa became more and more concerned. She had asked Zelda on many occasions what was troubling her but the queen remained elusive on the subject.
Finally, one day nearly a week past, her highness at last confessed she was having violent dreams of a horrendous future. Unfortunately, the dreams were almost completely forgotten the moment she woke up, though she was still left shaken and confused afterwards. The details she could remember were always blurry and changing, as the future was always in motion. However, they always involved one thing was constant through out them.
Link was there.
And he was dying.
Zelda was so infuriated with herself for not being able to remember what was going on that she was literally making herself sick with worry. She desperately needed to stop it from happening. Today though, there was something different about her. Something had definitely changed.
Impa peered casually over the teenager's shoulder. "Going out today, milady?" she asked dryly.
Zelda fumbled a moment for the rough cotton wrappings that she used to wrap her arms and face with, cursing explicitly as they got entangled with her set of throwing knives. Drawing a deep, calming breath, she counted to ten and slowly untangled them.
"My my my… Ladies aren't supposed to use such foul language. Where on earth did you hear such expressions?"
A small ghost of a smile flickered across Zelda's face as she turned towards her one time nursemaid.
"Learned them from my best friend, my nursemaid and my virgin handmaidens." She quickly slipped the blue and white tunic over her head and tossed her hair to get it out from behind her. She flashed an even bigger smile as she stood and flipped a throwing knife into the air and caught it by its handle. "Turns out they were the most influential people around for a lonely and impressionable princess as she grew up."
Zelda bent down and scooped up the tight pants that went with her outfit, quickly slipping into them. As she did Impa studied the teens form, the older woman's mind working at a furious pace behind the calm exterior. Something wasn't right here. Zelda was trying to act normal when it was all but apparent that she was most definitely not. And Impa was determined to get to the bottom of it this time. No, her royal highness wasn't getting away without answering some questions today.
The queen continued to rapidly wrap her arms and legs as Impa shifted uneasily and apprehensively cleared her throat.
"Zelda, I…"
"I remember, Impa." She paused and looked up at her attendant, her sparkling blue eyes were intensely focused as never before in her life. Oh yes, something had definitely changed. "I can remember every vivid, sickening, horrendous detail of it."
Zelda turned slightly and looked out the clear glass window towards the mist-blanketed peaks of Death Mountain, her face set in stone. The sun had barely crested the horizon and rays of color lanced out through the flowing white mists. Several dark guays were swooping back and forth across the Hyrule Plains looking for easy prey.
Easy prey.
That's what Hyrule was right now, and its people were oblivious to the danger that was coming. Zelda's fist clenched tightly with anger as the Triforce symbol began to pulse in time with her heartbeat. She could feel its power; it was just out of reach and it was offering her so much more than wisdom. Behind that immense power there was a dull ache that was beginning to emerge. Something was coming, and it was going to happen soon.
"Zelda!"
The young queen started and turned sharply towards Impa, the light coming from the Triforce slowly began to dissipate and with it her anger. Impa's face was white as a sheet and she looked as if she had seen a ghost. It was impossible to not see the glow radiating from her hand.
"You seemed to be lost in thought milady." She said, pointedly ignoring the mark. "I did not mean to shout. But please continue, I need to know what's going on." Impa followed Zelda's gaze out towards the land.
"Will it be like before? With Ganon?" Impa questioned, shuddering involuntarily as she remembered the reign of terror the Dark Lord of the Desert had unleashed upon them a long time ago and not so long.
She, like everyone else in Hyrule, remembered perfectly well what it had been like. The torturing, the robbing, the killing. Undead monsters dragging newborn infants out into the streets and butchering them in front of their weeping mothers before slaughtering them also.
Ganondorf had ruled with an ironclad fist, and no one had dared to oppose him. That is, until one day a figure boldly stepped out of the past, a single ray of hope in a dark world, to save them all. Link had fought and battled his way through Ganondorf's minions one by one until he stood and fought the evil tyrant himself. Of course, he succeeded but the price had been high. The land of Hyrule had been devastated during Ganondorf's reign and not much was left to rebuild. Fortunately, he and Zelda had used the Ocarina of Time to reverse time's flow back six years, long before the atrocities had occurred.
Much to everyone's surprise, they suddenly found themselves back in the past. The Palace of Hyrule stood shining once again instead of the gruesome black tower, people who had died lived once again, and the world was restored to its pristine state. Indeed, just as Zelda had promised Link he could go back and gain the time he had lost, so did all the other inhabitants and with that time, came the memories of living in such a dark future.
Most knew the horrors of tyranny and would die before going through it again. They had gotten their second chance at life, and Zelda knew they would fight before letting something like that happen again.
Unfortunately, they weren't that lucky.
Zelda's eyes once again came to rest on her guardian as she stared soberly into Impa's eyes.
"No," she said dully, "it's not going to be like that. There was nothing left. Nothing. There is no forest, there is no Laky Hylia, no Death Mountain…simply nothing."
The Sheikah sat down. Hard. Her elvin steel body armor clanked dully on the stone floor sending a slight vibration across the room.
"My dear goddesses. What can we do?" She ran a hand shakily through her hair as she thought about the implications. No one would survive this time. No one would die and come back six years later. There wouldn't be a happy ending this time.
"In my dreams, the sky was red and the soil was burnt to ashes. Strange black shapes skittered to and from the shadows always out of the corner of my eye." She took a shuddering breath as she recalled the ghastly images of her nightmares. "They kept some of us alive you know. In pens and cages. They breed us, like cattle or horses only we treat the cattle better. And when the children have aged to around twelve years or so, they suck out the innocent souls to be harvested and feed on them. The entire time I watched there was this inhuman laughter that rang throughout the world, mocking us."
Impa stood shakily and moved slowly towards her highness's bed, gingerly sitting on its already rumpled silken sheets. She looked as if the life had already been sucked out of her. If they had no hope, then what was to be done…?
"There's more," Zelda continued.
'As if things couldn't get any worse.' Impa thought with a dour expression.
"There was other voices too, whispering under the laughter. They kept repeating the same thing over and over again.
"New era's dawn on the Eve of War, Three parts they are, yet only a third whole. Silver and Blood mix to form Hope, While Gold and Darkness yield naught but Terror. The Present looks bleak, yet Hope from the Past, Gives Future meaning, a Child born unto Fate's own hand. A Mothers gift priceless, a Father's true and bold, Are a Child's despair as his task unfolds. Heritage dark, yet its fruit still shines bright, these gifts hold far more promise than angst. Life drapes balanced on the Swords razor edge, yet listen well and carefully take heed: Where the Balance doth sway Destiny's wind blows both ways. Angelion se patronus condare patrium. Protect the protector…protect the protector. But no, I know you're going to ask: I don't know what they mean."
Zelda's body seem to shudder even more as she collected her thoughts as if debating on whether or not to share the next part of her dream. She looked as if she might become ill at any moment. She drew another deep breath and continued.
"Then, I was suddenly in the middle of a plain. I don't know where but as I looked around I saw something sticking out of the ground a great distance away. I tried focusing my eyes on it and it appeared clearly to me." Tears were beginning to pool at the edges of her eyes but she ignored them continuing in the same dead tone as before. "It was a bloodied sword, buried in the dirt halfway to its hilt. Below that, there lay the body of a green-clad warrior with an arrow piercing his chest and a pool of black blood spreading outward."
It took several moments for the information to penetrate Impa's shock induced fog.
"Link!" she exclaimed. Of course, the Hero of Time would be at the center of all this. Knowing him personally she knew that where ever trouble was to be found, Link would be smack dab in the middle of it wearing an innocent 'It wasn't me!' expression. Impa found this brief mental image almost comforting for she had witnessed it first hand on many occasions.
"Link," Zelda repeated dully as she choked back a sob that was threatening to tear itself from her throat.
And there it was. Everything seemed to be hinging on the poor boy to save the day once again. It didn't seem fair to her that such a kind, loving person had to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. One would think the goddesses had a cruel sense of amusement on his part.
"Oh Impa," Zelda's self-control was starting to rapidly crumble, as it was wont to do anytime the subject was the blonde-haired youth. "I want him home Impa. Now."
The Sheikh stood quickly and embraced her crying charge. It would have been a very peculiar scene to watch if any outsider had been around to witness it. There was the queen of all Hyrule half clad in a Sheikah warrior's fighting suit crying on the armor clad shoulder of one of the most unemotional, unforgiving fighters alive. It was also a very tender and personal moment for both, as their 'public' personas gave way to their private selves.
Several minutes passed before the tears subsided and Zelda composed herself again. Impa didn't mind though, it was what she was there for and she lovingly did her duty.
"I shall send out messengers at once Zelda." She said softly. "It will take several weeks, but they'll get there and they'll bring him home. You wait and see." She gently lifted the young woman's tear stained face with a single finger. "He's a resourceful lad, and there isn't a braver man that has lived. He's survived Ganon, your temper tantrums, and much worse. He'll be on guard."
Her words did little to reassure Queen Zelda however, so it was time to get her mind on other things. There were preparations to be made and her highness needed some time to herself.
"I know Impa." Her eyes brightened a bit as she smiled. "We've changed the future once…and by Nayru we'll do it again."
Impa stood swiftly, putting her 'business' face on, which more or less consisted of a deep scowl. That's how she communicated to the people under her. Happy scowl. Mad scowl. It was a frighteningly efficient way to get people to work harder.
Zelda stood with her and rapidly finished donning the rest of her 'Sheik' costume. She slid a slender stiletto into its hidden sheath as she tucked the end of her face wrap into her collar.
"Now, I have things to attend to highness. Go and make use of your time. I'll cover you for a few hours. Train or go riding. But use this time wisely."
'Sheik' nodded once as he silently slid the window open. A fresh, warm breeze floated through the window carrying with it the delicious smell of freshly baked bread. The sun was much higher in the sky now, and it was turning out to be a wonderfully beautiful day. The light didn't bother Sheik in the slightest. 'He' wouldn't be seen unless he wanted to be.
He slipped out onto the ledge while removing a large spring-loaded grapnel from his pouch. Taking careful aim, the hookshot flew out and embedded itself on a nearby roof. Impa smiled slightly at the precisely honed movements Zelda exhibited. She would soon be able to graduate from a Ta'nor's Shadow to a full warrior. Those skills would serve her well in the future.
"One more thing." Sheik's voice was husky and slightly muffled behind the facewraps. "We only have until Link's birthday. When he turns sixteen, whatever happens will begin. And once it is set into motion…"
Impa's smile quickly faded into a frown.
"Why when he's sixteen? How do you know this?"
Sheik cocked his head to the side and thought for a moment and considered.
"I think its because that's how old he was when he opened the Gates of Time. We lived six years in the future, came back six years and lived it all over again. The time is drawing near when we will pass our time spent in Ganon's future. Somehow, it's significant and too convenient to be pure coincidence."
"I see," Impa murmured, not really seeing at all. "But how do you know this?"
She just knew Sheik was smiling under that mask.
"Well, I do have the Triforce of Wisdom you know."
Impa didn't so much as crack a smile.
"Scat you impudent brat of a girl. And don't let me catch you naked again. What if it had been Link instead of me?"
Once again, she just somehow knew Sheik's face was reddening. In fact, she could practically feel the heat radiating off of her.
And with that, Sheik/Zelda released the spring-loaded catch and raced across the twenty-story gap between towers, disappearing into the morning. Probably off to steal a few pieces of bread just to annoy Arnin, her oldest manservant.
'She is going to give that old man a heart attack one day.' Impa thought fondly as she turned and walked towards the chamber's exit. 'Well,' she amended herself. 'It'll be either her or Link, one or the other. I swear those two have it in for that poor fellow.'
Thinking about Link suddenly drenched her humor like a bucket of ice water. Things needed to be happening and they only had so much time. Impa once again carefully put on her 'business' face and walked into the corridor, her steps echoing into the silent hall. It was time to motivate the servants into action.
And like Zelda said: They hadn't much time left.
Alright. I have just a few words to say, so I'll try not to waste your time here in these little Author's Notes too badly. I'm pretty pleased with the way this turned out. This is my first copy, but I thought I'd put it up for you to read anyway. I'll correct it, change it, add to it, and make it better a little later on. This is just to satisfy you while I whip up the next batch. This one turned out a LOT darker than I imagined it would be, but that's ok. I had planned on having lots of humor in this story. Tell me what you want.
Now, I'd like to hear from you people. I haven't gotten many reviews on this story yet, though what I do have is positive. I'm not going to bother with it if no one wants to read it so tell me what you think. Aim me if you want to chat at The1calledBreven. I'm on a lot so chat me up every once in a while. Oh, and check out mine and eQuasarus' new story: Changing Faces. Ok, I'm done ranting. See you next time…
Oh, one more thing before I go. To the three people who reviewed my prologue: Thank you very much. This chapter is for you.
Becca: I appreciate the wonderful comments. You were my first reviewer so Kudos to you. I hope to hear from you again soon.
Kentura Dragmire: Send me a picture of you and I'll consider having your children. As for the imagery, I was very pleased with that small chapter. Not as pleased with this one for some reason, but yeah, that's how it goes. And about Ilioseth and the bad guys…are you sure you know what you think you know? Ooooh, think about that one for a while.
Dharmanyo: Impatient? I like that in a person. And yeah I'll check out your stories as soon as I can.