Chapter 8:
It was just too much. Hope just shook her head a few times, as if she could get the information to fall into place inside of her. She couldn't be Link's and Zelda's daughter. It just wasn't possible.
"Hope?" her father whispered. Hope looked up at him. She felt sick to her stomach. He wasn't really her father.
"Dad, please, tell me it's not true!"
"I, I can't, Hope. I did find you in my kitchen. What Impa's saying. . . . well, it doesn't make a lot of sense but it could be true." He wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face in his arms. She could feel a sob building up.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up. Zelda was kneeling at her side.
"Hope," she whispered. Hope trembled. The way Zelda said her name. . . She had heard the tone before, when her friends' mothers were worried about them. "Hope, I'm sorry that you're so upset. And I wish I had known, so we could have told you." Hope just nodded, unsure of what to say, or what to do. She was so confused. How could she be a Hylian?
Her father helped her to stand.
"Link, Zelda, I think she needs to rest," he said. "Hope's in shock, heck, we all are. Give us both some time to let it all sink in."
"Perfectly fair," Link replied. "You can stay in the guest suites in the castle, as a King from a far-away land, and his daughter. No one outside of us need know the truth."
Hope wanted to yell and scream, that it wasn't the truth, that Impa was just trying to hurt her, to stir up trouble, but she could not get her voice to work. She allowed her father to lead her out of the temple, through a secret passage into the main castle.
"Welcome to our home," Zelda said. She tried to smile reassuringly, but it did not help.
"I'm just going to get cleaned up," Link told his wife. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Impa, perhaps you could show our guests to their rooms."
"Yes my King."
Hope allowed herself to be led into a room. Servants came in, asking if she wanted a hot bath, or a change of clothes, or fresh-cut flowers, or more wood on the fire. She sent them all away. All she wanted to do was get out, but she didn't want to leave her father there. She knew she did not have the strength to bring him back to Earth.
Back to Earth. . . not back home, but back to Earth. His home. Not hers.
She began to sob into her pillow. If this was a dream she needed it to end, now. She wanted to go back to how things were, when it was just her, and her father, living in their mansion. She didn't want to live in a castle. She wanted to return to her own room, in the real world. . . But this was just as real as her room.
"Hope?" Hope looked up. Her father stood in the doorway, wearing clothes that matched the ones she had seen Link in the first day.
"Dad," she muttered. "Dad, why is this happening?"
"I don't know, honey. But I think we should leave. Go home. We can come back tomorrow, so you can keep Zelda safe. I just think it would do you good to sleep in your own bed. I've talked to the Link and Zelda. They agreed that it would be best for you."
"Thanks, Dad." She through her arms around him. She closed her eyes. "Take me home!" she cried. Nothing happened. "Take me home!" she said again. Still, nothing. "Dad, it's not working. We're stuck here!"
"It will be okay," he said, squeezing her tightly. She nodded, but inside she realized that things would never really be "okay" again.
The ground suddenly began to shake. Hope sat up with a start. The Air felt heavy.
"A Daemon is attacking!" cried a soldier's voice. Hope jumped to her feet.
"Hope, stay here. Let the others deal with it. You are not the Hero of Time."
"I'm the only one who ever killed one of those Daemons," she replied softly. "I have to, Dad. Stay here. Nothing will happen to you."
Hope rushed outside. There was a strange flying Daemon above them. It seemed to be a creature made of living shadow.
"I bring a message to you, Hero of Time, Shiek, Queen Zelda. The time has come. Surrender now to my master."
"We will never surrender our kingdom," Link said. He was standing on the roof of the palace. "Tell your master that Hyrule can and will continue to fight him."
"So be it," the Daemon roared. Link drew a bow. There was a glowing arrow in his hand. He shot the arrow, driving it through the Daemon. The Daemon plummeted toward the earth. Hope ran at him, using her sword. She saw the jewel glowing inside the terrible darkness. She plunged her sword toward the jewel, only to be thrown back against the wall.
"Pathetic little Hylian!" he roared. "I am the Daemon of Darkness. Your sword cannot harm me."
The Daemon took off into the air. Hope sighed, and put her sword away.
"They aren't going to make this easy on me, are they?" Hope lamented. She turned and headed back into the castle, where her two fathers awaited her. There had to be a way to stop this latest Daemon.. . . After all, Link had knocked it out of the air. . . With Light Arrows! Of course! Light to break up the darkness. Hope smiled bitterly. At least some things still made sense, she thought to herself. She turned and headed into the castle. This was something only Zelda could help her with.
It was just too much. Hope just shook her head a few times, as if she could get the information to fall into place inside of her. She couldn't be Link's and Zelda's daughter. It just wasn't possible.
"Hope?" her father whispered. Hope looked up at him. She felt sick to her stomach. He wasn't really her father.
"Dad, please, tell me it's not true!"
"I, I can't, Hope. I did find you in my kitchen. What Impa's saying. . . . well, it doesn't make a lot of sense but it could be true." He wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face in his arms. She could feel a sob building up.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up. Zelda was kneeling at her side.
"Hope," she whispered. Hope trembled. The way Zelda said her name. . . She had heard the tone before, when her friends' mothers were worried about them. "Hope, I'm sorry that you're so upset. And I wish I had known, so we could have told you." Hope just nodded, unsure of what to say, or what to do. She was so confused. How could she be a Hylian?
Her father helped her to stand.
"Link, Zelda, I think she needs to rest," he said. "Hope's in shock, heck, we all are. Give us both some time to let it all sink in."
"Perfectly fair," Link replied. "You can stay in the guest suites in the castle, as a King from a far-away land, and his daughter. No one outside of us need know the truth."
Hope wanted to yell and scream, that it wasn't the truth, that Impa was just trying to hurt her, to stir up trouble, but she could not get her voice to work. She allowed her father to lead her out of the temple, through a secret passage into the main castle.
"Welcome to our home," Zelda said. She tried to smile reassuringly, but it did not help.
"I'm just going to get cleaned up," Link told his wife. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Impa, perhaps you could show our guests to their rooms."
"Yes my King."
Hope allowed herself to be led into a room. Servants came in, asking if she wanted a hot bath, or a change of clothes, or fresh-cut flowers, or more wood on the fire. She sent them all away. All she wanted to do was get out, but she didn't want to leave her father there. She knew she did not have the strength to bring him back to Earth.
Back to Earth. . . not back home, but back to Earth. His home. Not hers.
She began to sob into her pillow. If this was a dream she needed it to end, now. She wanted to go back to how things were, when it was just her, and her father, living in their mansion. She didn't want to live in a castle. She wanted to return to her own room, in the real world. . . But this was just as real as her room.
"Hope?" Hope looked up. Her father stood in the doorway, wearing clothes that matched the ones she had seen Link in the first day.
"Dad," she muttered. "Dad, why is this happening?"
"I don't know, honey. But I think we should leave. Go home. We can come back tomorrow, so you can keep Zelda safe. I just think it would do you good to sleep in your own bed. I've talked to the Link and Zelda. They agreed that it would be best for you."
"Thanks, Dad." She through her arms around him. She closed her eyes. "Take me home!" she cried. Nothing happened. "Take me home!" she said again. Still, nothing. "Dad, it's not working. We're stuck here!"
"It will be okay," he said, squeezing her tightly. She nodded, but inside she realized that things would never really be "okay" again.
The ground suddenly began to shake. Hope sat up with a start. The Air felt heavy.
"A Daemon is attacking!" cried a soldier's voice. Hope jumped to her feet.
"Hope, stay here. Let the others deal with it. You are not the Hero of Time."
"I'm the only one who ever killed one of those Daemons," she replied softly. "I have to, Dad. Stay here. Nothing will happen to you."
Hope rushed outside. There was a strange flying Daemon above them. It seemed to be a creature made of living shadow.
"I bring a message to you, Hero of Time, Shiek, Queen Zelda. The time has come. Surrender now to my master."
"We will never surrender our kingdom," Link said. He was standing on the roof of the palace. "Tell your master that Hyrule can and will continue to fight him."
"So be it," the Daemon roared. Link drew a bow. There was a glowing arrow in his hand. He shot the arrow, driving it through the Daemon. The Daemon plummeted toward the earth. Hope ran at him, using her sword. She saw the jewel glowing inside the terrible darkness. She plunged her sword toward the jewel, only to be thrown back against the wall.
"Pathetic little Hylian!" he roared. "I am the Daemon of Darkness. Your sword cannot harm me."
The Daemon took off into the air. Hope sighed, and put her sword away.
"They aren't going to make this easy on me, are they?" Hope lamented. She turned and headed back into the castle, where her two fathers awaited her. There had to be a way to stop this latest Daemon.. . . After all, Link had knocked it out of the air. . . With Light Arrows! Of course! Light to break up the darkness. Hope smiled bitterly. At least some things still made sense, she thought to herself. She turned and headed into the castle. This was something only Zelda could help her with.