Chapter 6:
Hope found her father standing over her. He looked worried. She sat up, feeling a little dizzy.
"Dad? What's wrong?" she asked.
"What's wrong?" he echoed. "The machine would not let me enter. Then I come in here and find you on the floor. What happened in there?"
"I was just playing the secret character," she replied.
"Hope, I don't want you to play this game again."
"What? But why?"
"Because we ended up with the bugged copy." His face fell. "The secret character doesn't work properly. The pain is real enough, and causes wounds." Hope thought back to her scratched hand. He was right. But she had to go back in, to find out what happened. She couldn't wait for it to come out for six monthes. Not after she had distroyed two Daemons.
"But, Dad. . ."
"No buts. Look, honey, I'd just die if something happened to you."
"It's just a silly game," she replied. "Nothing will happen to me."
"I don't want you playing it any more. I mean it." Hope heaved a sigh. She took off the rest of her requipment and followed him upstairs for lunch.
Her dad sat across from her.
"Was it hard?" he asked. She gave him a half smile.
"Not really. Impa doesn't much like me, I'm afraid." He laughed.
"No I guess she wouldn't. Did you enjoy playing the part of Ganon?" Hope froze. "What?" her father asked.
"Ganon?" she squeeked.
"Hope? What's the matter?"
"I wasn't Ganon," she whispered. "I was me. People kept saying that Iooked like Princess Amelia."
"Who is Princess Amelia? Hope, are you sure this is the same game we're talking about? We designed it so that you could only play as Link, Zelda or Ganondorf."
Hope stared at her father. It couldn't be. She had met them, Link and Zelda, as older adults. She had fought those Daemons. It was no dream. It was a game.
"Dad, I was fighting creatures called Daemons," she told him. "They wanted to distroy Hyrule. Link and Zelda were all grown up, your age. After I destroyed the first Deamon, a Fairy gave me the power to go back and forth between here and the game, a way to save when exitting. If I say "I am needed elsewhere-" She cried out. The world was spinning around her, changing.
Suddenly, Hope was outside. She was in her Hyrulian outfit, standing near the castle. She Felt her breath catch in her throat. She had not been in the simulator. She had been in the kitchen. How did she get here?
"Take me home!" she cried, her heart pounding. Hyrule disappeared, and she returned to her kitchen. She was back in her normal clothes. She sagged in relief. She must have been dreaming. But then she looked at her father's face. He was ashen.
"Hope, what just happened. Where?" Hope shook her head in amazement. There was no way, was there? Had she really travelled to Hyrule?
"Dad, did I just disappear?" she breathed. He nodded. Hope shut her eyes, trying to think. The Fairy of Calm had called her Hope of Hyrule. At the time she had dismissed it, but now. . . . No, it couldn't be. She must be dreaming. Any minute now she'd wake up.
"How did you do that?" her father asked. Hope looked at him.
"I don't know. All I said was-" she stopped herself from repeating the phrase. "I said the phrase I used to start the game, and I was in Hyrule."
They sat together in silence, each staring at the other.
"Hope, you must tell me more. Maybe we can figure out what is going on. Who is Amelia?"
"The dead Princess of Hyrule, I'm assuming Zelda is her mother, Link her father." She shot to her feet. "Dad I have to go back!"
"What! No, you can't you could get stuck there for all I know."
"Dad tomorrow another Daemon is going to attack Zelda, and kill her. I can't let that happen! Listen, you don't understand, you've not seen it, but Hyrule is in danger. And I think, for some reason, that I'm the only one who can save her, I may not be a Hylian, but I care about what happens to them as if I were Hyrule's child."
She staggered backward. All of a sudden she wore her Hylian clothing, the blue tunic and the blue pants. She lifted her sword, staring at it in dismay. There was no way. . . . How did all this stuff come to the real world? Was the game playing tricks with her mind? Was she really still inside the simulater? Was that the bug perhaps? Her father stared at her.
"You look like you belong in that outfit," he said. Hope swallowed. "Hope, maybe you do have to go back. But, I want to come with you."
"Dad you could be killed," she protested.
"I can handle a sword just as well as you can." Hope looked him over. It was true, he was exallent at weilding a sword in the simulator, but that meant nothing. Not when it was real. Or, did it?
"Take my hand, Dad. If I can get us there I will." She took a deep breath, hoping that this would work, that he would make it over safely.
"I am needed elsewhere."
Hope found her father standing over her. He looked worried. She sat up, feeling a little dizzy.
"Dad? What's wrong?" she asked.
"What's wrong?" he echoed. "The machine would not let me enter. Then I come in here and find you on the floor. What happened in there?"
"I was just playing the secret character," she replied.
"Hope, I don't want you to play this game again."
"What? But why?"
"Because we ended up with the bugged copy." His face fell. "The secret character doesn't work properly. The pain is real enough, and causes wounds." Hope thought back to her scratched hand. He was right. But she had to go back in, to find out what happened. She couldn't wait for it to come out for six monthes. Not after she had distroyed two Daemons.
"But, Dad. . ."
"No buts. Look, honey, I'd just die if something happened to you."
"It's just a silly game," she replied. "Nothing will happen to me."
"I don't want you playing it any more. I mean it." Hope heaved a sigh. She took off the rest of her requipment and followed him upstairs for lunch.
Her dad sat across from her.
"Was it hard?" he asked. She gave him a half smile.
"Not really. Impa doesn't much like me, I'm afraid." He laughed.
"No I guess she wouldn't. Did you enjoy playing the part of Ganon?" Hope froze. "What?" her father asked.
"Ganon?" she squeeked.
"Hope? What's the matter?"
"I wasn't Ganon," she whispered. "I was me. People kept saying that Iooked like Princess Amelia."
"Who is Princess Amelia? Hope, are you sure this is the same game we're talking about? We designed it so that you could only play as Link, Zelda or Ganondorf."
Hope stared at her father. It couldn't be. She had met them, Link and Zelda, as older adults. She had fought those Daemons. It was no dream. It was a game.
"Dad, I was fighting creatures called Daemons," she told him. "They wanted to distroy Hyrule. Link and Zelda were all grown up, your age. After I destroyed the first Deamon, a Fairy gave me the power to go back and forth between here and the game, a way to save when exitting. If I say "I am needed elsewhere-" She cried out. The world was spinning around her, changing.
Suddenly, Hope was outside. She was in her Hyrulian outfit, standing near the castle. She Felt her breath catch in her throat. She had not been in the simulator. She had been in the kitchen. How did she get here?
"Take me home!" she cried, her heart pounding. Hyrule disappeared, and she returned to her kitchen. She was back in her normal clothes. She sagged in relief. She must have been dreaming. But then she looked at her father's face. He was ashen.
"Hope, what just happened. Where?" Hope shook her head in amazement. There was no way, was there? Had she really travelled to Hyrule?
"Dad, did I just disappear?" she breathed. He nodded. Hope shut her eyes, trying to think. The Fairy of Calm had called her Hope of Hyrule. At the time she had dismissed it, but now. . . . No, it couldn't be. She must be dreaming. Any minute now she'd wake up.
"How did you do that?" her father asked. Hope looked at him.
"I don't know. All I said was-" she stopped herself from repeating the phrase. "I said the phrase I used to start the game, and I was in Hyrule."
They sat together in silence, each staring at the other.
"Hope, you must tell me more. Maybe we can figure out what is going on. Who is Amelia?"
"The dead Princess of Hyrule, I'm assuming Zelda is her mother, Link her father." She shot to her feet. "Dad I have to go back!"
"What! No, you can't you could get stuck there for all I know."
"Dad tomorrow another Daemon is going to attack Zelda, and kill her. I can't let that happen! Listen, you don't understand, you've not seen it, but Hyrule is in danger. And I think, for some reason, that I'm the only one who can save her, I may not be a Hylian, but I care about what happens to them as if I were Hyrule's child."
She staggered backward. All of a sudden she wore her Hylian clothing, the blue tunic and the blue pants. She lifted her sword, staring at it in dismay. There was no way. . . . How did all this stuff come to the real world? Was the game playing tricks with her mind? Was she really still inside the simulater? Was that the bug perhaps? Her father stared at her.
"You look like you belong in that outfit," he said. Hope swallowed. "Hope, maybe you do have to go back. But, I want to come with you."
"Dad you could be killed," she protested.
"I can handle a sword just as well as you can." Hope looked him over. It was true, he was exallent at weilding a sword in the simulator, but that meant nothing. Not when it was real. Or, did it?
"Take my hand, Dad. If I can get us there I will." She took a deep breath, hoping that this would work, that he would make it over safely.
"I am needed elsewhere."