Chapter 7:
Hope opened her eyes. They were there. Her father was sprawled out on the grass, still in his work clothes, a suit, his tie hanging loosely, his top botton undone.
"Dad, you okay?" she whispered.
"Fine," he replied, coming to his feet. He looked her over. "I feel a little silly though, a tad over-dressed." She smiled.
"I bet. You look over-dressed, except maybe as royalty. Then you're a little under-dressed." She frowned. "I have no idea how I'm going to hide you here."
"Who says you have to hide me? Maybe I am a noble king from beyond the mountains." She shook her head.
"Probably not the best idea, claiming to be a king."
"Why not?"
"Because if they ever found out differenty. . ." She sighed.
Her father began looking around.
"Is that the Ranch?"
"Yes, Dad."
"And Hyrule Castle, over there? Zora's river? The Temple of Time?"
"Yes Dad. You're in Hyrule."
"I'm in Hyrule," he repeated, a silly grin on his face. "This is like a wild dream."
"You said it," she replied. A thought struck Hope. "I have an idea. take my hand."
"Again? Can't we walk?"
"No." She raised the Fairy Ocarina to her lips, and began to play the Prelude of Light.
Suddenly they were in the Temple of Time. And they were not alone. Impa was there, talking with Link and Shiek, just before the Door of Time. Impa frowned when she saw them.
"What are you doing here, Hope?" she demanded. "I told Saria to watch you."
"There was a Daemon attacking the ranch. So I killed it," she replied, shrugging. Impa glared at her, then noticed her father behind her. She went pale.
"Impa, what is it?" Link asked. "Who is that man?"
"That is King Larsk," she whispered. She bowed her head to Hope's father. He made a face. "He comes from Earth, the Land without Magic." Her father lookedd at Hope and shrugged. She made a face, not quite understanding the Sheikah's behaviour, and shrugged as well.
"You know me, Impa?"
"I do indeed," she replied softly. "I am surprised that you know me."
"You are something of a legend where I come from," he explained. "The Hero of Time and Shiek as well." He inclined his head toward them to show his respect.
"I must admit," Link said, coming forward, "that I know abosulutely nothing about you, King Larsk."
"Call me Herold, Hero of Time."
"Only if you call me Link."
"Done, Link." He gave the other man a smile. "Hope tells me that there has been a threat made against the Queen of Hyrule."
"By a Daemon, yes," Shiek said. Hope flinched. She wished she could see Shiek become Zelda.
"They will not steal anyone else from this kingdom," Link said angrily. Hope felt sorry for him, suddenly realizing that Link was Amelia's father. It was plain by the way he spoke, the pain that was in his voice. "They have stolen both Princesses from us, Amelia," his voice cracked when he said the name, "and her twin, who did not live beyond her first day of life." He shook his head, as if trying to clear away any unpleasant thoughts. Impa made a sour face. She shook her head, and Hope could have sworn that she saw a measure of sadness in the hard Sheikah eyes.
Impa gestured to them.
"Perhaps you had all best sit down," Impa said at last. "They are here now. They might as well know the truth." She turned to Hope's father. "The tale begins with the birth of the twins of Princess Zelda. One, Amelia, was a perfectly healthy baby girl. The other was a sickly one, who's heart was not strong enough to let her go on living." She turned back to Link and Shiek. "I beg you're forgiveness. I stole the child away during the night,as the two of you slept."
Silence rang through the room. Shiek melted into Zelda, wearing her princess finery.
"You stole my baby?"
"I had to, my queen," Impa replied. "She was dying."
"Who was the child in the bassinet then?" demanded Link.
"An illusion child," Impa replied softly. "I created the illusion and took the living princess with me to the Sacred Realm. I saught after Rauru. He opened a portal to the world known as Earth, into a Kingdom. King Larsk ruled there, in a giant castle filled with technology."
Hope turned to her father.
"Dad, what is she talking about?" she asked. Her father had gone ghostly pale. He looked as if he might faint.
"Hope, I," he stammered.
"He is not your father, Hope," Impa said softly. Hope spun to face Impa.
"Not my father? What do you mean, not my father?"
"He found you in his kitchen when you were a babe." Impa looked over at her father, as if he would verify that her words were true. But they couldn't be true.
"Impa's right, Hope. I did find you in my kitchen."
Hope sank to the ground.
"But, no, I mean, I've seen pictures of mom when she was pregnant!"
"That was my wife, who died three years before you were born." Hope could not believe it. This wasn't happening. It just couldn't be happening.
"Hope," Impa whispered, then she shook her head. "Forgive me, Princess Hope, your true mother and father are here. You are the daughter of the Hero of TIme and Princess Zelda."
AN: BWA Ha haaaa! Cliff hangers!
Hope opened her eyes. They were there. Her father was sprawled out on the grass, still in his work clothes, a suit, his tie hanging loosely, his top botton undone.
"Dad, you okay?" she whispered.
"Fine," he replied, coming to his feet. He looked her over. "I feel a little silly though, a tad over-dressed." She smiled.
"I bet. You look over-dressed, except maybe as royalty. Then you're a little under-dressed." She frowned. "I have no idea how I'm going to hide you here."
"Who says you have to hide me? Maybe I am a noble king from beyond the mountains." She shook her head.
"Probably not the best idea, claiming to be a king."
"Why not?"
"Because if they ever found out differenty. . ." She sighed.
Her father began looking around.
"Is that the Ranch?"
"Yes, Dad."
"And Hyrule Castle, over there? Zora's river? The Temple of Time?"
"Yes Dad. You're in Hyrule."
"I'm in Hyrule," he repeated, a silly grin on his face. "This is like a wild dream."
"You said it," she replied. A thought struck Hope. "I have an idea. take my hand."
"Again? Can't we walk?"
"No." She raised the Fairy Ocarina to her lips, and began to play the Prelude of Light.
Suddenly they were in the Temple of Time. And they were not alone. Impa was there, talking with Link and Shiek, just before the Door of Time. Impa frowned when she saw them.
"What are you doing here, Hope?" she demanded. "I told Saria to watch you."
"There was a Daemon attacking the ranch. So I killed it," she replied, shrugging. Impa glared at her, then noticed her father behind her. She went pale.
"Impa, what is it?" Link asked. "Who is that man?"
"That is King Larsk," she whispered. She bowed her head to Hope's father. He made a face. "He comes from Earth, the Land without Magic." Her father lookedd at Hope and shrugged. She made a face, not quite understanding the Sheikah's behaviour, and shrugged as well.
"You know me, Impa?"
"I do indeed," she replied softly. "I am surprised that you know me."
"You are something of a legend where I come from," he explained. "The Hero of Time and Shiek as well." He inclined his head toward them to show his respect.
"I must admit," Link said, coming forward, "that I know abosulutely nothing about you, King Larsk."
"Call me Herold, Hero of Time."
"Only if you call me Link."
"Done, Link." He gave the other man a smile. "Hope tells me that there has been a threat made against the Queen of Hyrule."
"By a Daemon, yes," Shiek said. Hope flinched. She wished she could see Shiek become Zelda.
"They will not steal anyone else from this kingdom," Link said angrily. Hope felt sorry for him, suddenly realizing that Link was Amelia's father. It was plain by the way he spoke, the pain that was in his voice. "They have stolen both Princesses from us, Amelia," his voice cracked when he said the name, "and her twin, who did not live beyond her first day of life." He shook his head, as if trying to clear away any unpleasant thoughts. Impa made a sour face. She shook her head, and Hope could have sworn that she saw a measure of sadness in the hard Sheikah eyes.
Impa gestured to them.
"Perhaps you had all best sit down," Impa said at last. "They are here now. They might as well know the truth." She turned to Hope's father. "The tale begins with the birth of the twins of Princess Zelda. One, Amelia, was a perfectly healthy baby girl. The other was a sickly one, who's heart was not strong enough to let her go on living." She turned back to Link and Shiek. "I beg you're forgiveness. I stole the child away during the night,as the two of you slept."
Silence rang through the room. Shiek melted into Zelda, wearing her princess finery.
"You stole my baby?"
"I had to, my queen," Impa replied. "She was dying."
"Who was the child in the bassinet then?" demanded Link.
"An illusion child," Impa replied softly. "I created the illusion and took the living princess with me to the Sacred Realm. I saught after Rauru. He opened a portal to the world known as Earth, into a Kingdom. King Larsk ruled there, in a giant castle filled with technology."
Hope turned to her father.
"Dad, what is she talking about?" she asked. Her father had gone ghostly pale. He looked as if he might faint.
"Hope, I," he stammered.
"He is not your father, Hope," Impa said softly. Hope spun to face Impa.
"Not my father? What do you mean, not my father?"
"He found you in his kitchen when you were a babe." Impa looked over at her father, as if he would verify that her words were true. But they couldn't be true.
"Impa's right, Hope. I did find you in my kitchen."
Hope sank to the ground.
"But, no, I mean, I've seen pictures of mom when she was pregnant!"
"That was my wife, who died three years before you were born." Hope could not believe it. This wasn't happening. It just couldn't be happening.
"Hope," Impa whispered, then she shook her head. "Forgive me, Princess Hope, your true mother and father are here. You are the daughter of the Hero of TIme and Princess Zelda."
AN: BWA Ha haaaa! Cliff hangers!