The Legend of Zelda: The Return
Chapter 2
Snickering softly to myself, I lower myself down behind the gate to the Palace grounds. Despite the fact I'm seventeen and should be way beyond the level of maturity my actions will suggest, I can't resist the urge to turn around and make a face at the guard's back.
"No one in past sunset," I mimic spitefully. "Ha. I'm in past sunset." I turn around smugly, content that I am the best in the breaking and entering business, only to have my illusions of grandeur smashed to itty bitty pieces by the glint of torchlight off metal. Damn. Apparently the guard at the gate is not the only one I've got to contend with. I whirl around on my heel, frantically searching for something to hide behind, or under, or beside, or in, or anything! There's nothing. Not a damn thing. I stand out like a Goron at Zora River.
I feel as though my stomach's suddenly turned to a piece of lead in my gut. I'm doomed. I'm so doomed. If I'm not executed for breaking into the palace grounds after sunset, I'll be locked in the dungeon for it. And if I'm not locked in the dungeon for it, Bruiser will kill me for it. I can't win! I'm doomed! I'm doomed! I'm . . .
. . . being grabbed from behind and pulled through a well hidden door in the wall.
"What . . . who . . . let me go! Let me go!" I hiss, struggling frantically to break the iron grip whoever it is has on my arms.
"Would you settle down?" A familiar voice whispers in my ear. "Geez, man, I'm not one of the guards!"
"Sheik! I gasp in recognition. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving your sorry ass," he responds, releasing his hold on me. I turn around, massaging my shoulder gingerly.
"Did you have to save me so violently?" I demand. "I think I'm gonna bruise!" He rolls his eyes, the only part of his face that's not covered by his white shawl.
"You're such a baby," he mutters, moving over to the window to peer out at the guards, waiting for them to leave. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I could ask the same of you," I respond. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen hide nor hair of you for months and then all of sudden you pop up here of all places!"
"I'm a Sheikah," he responds. "I can go and come as I please here. You, however, are not a Sheikah. If I didn't no better I'd even go so far as to say you were a trespasser." He raises a thin eyebrow at me. "What could possibly be so important that you'd risk your neck breaking into the palace grounds for?"
"Actually," I respond, "I've still got to break into the Palace itself." My friend's eyebrow shoots even higher.
"The Palace itself, eh?" He asks. "Mind if I ask why?"
"Because I've got to deliver a package to the Princess," I answer.
"Well why didn't you just drop it off before sunset?" He demands. I shrug sheepishly, avoiding his gaze.
"I . . . uh . . . I got distracted," I say. Sheik grunts.
"Malon again I suppose," he says with distaste. For some reason I have never been able to figure out, Sheik has never, ever liked Malon. If I didn't know better I'd say he was almost jealous, but that would make no sense. Why would he be jealous?
"Yeah, Malon again," I admit. "What can I say, she's a weakness." I turn to look at him. "What about you? Where have you been hiding for the past few months?" I grin evilly at him. "Could, perchance, the Great Bachelor Sheik have found a pretty little girl that's caught his attention?" The young warrior blushes a bright red, visible even in the fading twilight, and abruptly begins to stutter. I smirk. Girls always have that effect on him. "It's true!" I almost crow, then catch myself, and lower my voice. "What's she like? What's her name? What does she look like?" I cock my head to the side. "Do I know her?"
"No! No no no no no no no no no!" He protests. "Link! No! There's no girl!" He shakes his head fervently. "No girl. None. I've just been . . . busy . . . doing . . . uh . . . stuff."
"Stuff?" I ask, unimpressed. "What kind of stuff?"
"Um . . . training stuff," he says. I consider arguing with him – he's obviously making this up as he goes – but there's no point. He's always vague about what he's been up to when he's not with me, and I doubt he'll ever actually come clean with me.
"Well," I say finally, "as long as it's not illegal."
"Oh yeah," he snorts, "like breaking into the palace is on the straight and narrow." It's my turn to blush now.
"Uh . . . are the guards gone yet?" I ask, diverting his attention. Sheik grins knowingly, but looks out again anyway then nods.
"Yep," he says. "They've turned around and are continuing on their rounds." I breathe a relieved sigh.
"Thanks," I say. "Well, I guess I'm off." I jog out the door, Sheik on my heels.
"Not without me you're not," he says. I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Sheik, I'm in enough trouble just being here. I don't want to get you in trouble for smuggling me in on top of that." He smirks at me.
"Link, without me you'll be caught for sure," he says. I glare at him.
"Sez who?" I demand.
"Sez me," he responds. "You're impatient, mule-headed, and not subtle at all. Not to mention out of shape. Besides," he adds as I frown darkly at him, "I know this palace like the back of my hand. I can get you in and out in no time. Face it friend, you need me." I grumble something in the way of an acknowledgement – I am NOT out of shape – and Sheik and I continue on our way. We creep slowly along through the palace grounds, avoiding guards when we can, and having Sheik distract them for me when we can't. However, I can't help but notice as we move along that Sheik keeps giving me odd looks when he thinks I can't see him. It's not that big of a deal, Sheik's always giving me odd looks, but he's giving me more than usual this time, and it's starting to make me paranoid.
"Okay," I say finally, turning around and glaring at him. "What?"
"What do you mean, what?" He asks, looking at me in surprise. "What's wrong?"
"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" I demand. "Every other step you give me this funny look. Like . . . . like . . . I'm doing something I shouldn't be able to do or something."
"Well . . ." Sheik says uncertainly, "you are." I give a start.
"Huh?" I ask.
"Well . . . think about it," he says. "Link, you've been in lead this whole time, not me. And you've taken us, without hesitation, to the one section of the palace grounds that will let you into the palace unhindered." He gestures at the vine covered wall behind me and raises an eyebrow. "No mean feat for someone who's never been to the palace before." I stare at him in surprise. Oh my Goddess, he's right. I turn around and stare at the vines, placing one hand on them in confusion. The same feeling of de ja vu that's been bothering me all night rushes over me again.
"That's . . . weird . . ." I say after a moment. "Dammit, that's almost scary." I turn to look at Sheik, expecting him to have the same odd look on his face, but his expression has changed a bit. He looks almost . . . triumphant now. I frown at him and his eyes melt back into their usual impassiveness. I can't help but get the distinct impression that he knows something I don't and he's got no intention of telling me what it is. I sigh. Never befriend a Sheikah. They're unemotional, secretive, and close mouthed.
Shaking myself free of the eerie feeling, I start climbing up the vines. Maybe this will all make sense in the morning. I get to the top and offer Sheik a hand up and the two of us creep down to the cobblestone walkway that surrounds the moat of the palace.
To our left is a stone wall. To our right is a pair of guards. Right in front of us is the moat. I can't help but sigh. Sheik grins at me.
"What's the matter, is the little baby afraid of a bit of water?" I glare at him.
"I'm not afraid of anything," I mutter, then pause. "Except what Bruiser will do to me if I don't get this package through." With that happy thought in mind I immediately take the precious little package that has caused me all this trouble out of my quiver and slip it into the magical pouch my childhood friend, the Kokiri girl Saria, gave me for my 10th birthday. The thing is not only waterproof, but thanks to its magical qualities, I can fit anything and everything in it. No matter how big. Sheik watches me slip the package into the seemingly too small pouch and shakes his head.
"I want one of those," he says simply. I grin at him.
"Sorry Sheik," I say. "These things are for Kokiri use only."
"You're not a Kokiri," he points out. I wince, but in the dark I don't think he can see me.
"I used to be," I reply, diving cleanly into the water. After a moment something disturbs the water beside me and I know that Sheik has jumped in as well. The two of us swim with the flow of the water for as long as we can before coming up for breath, trying to gulp in as much of it as we can manage without making too much noise. We swim over to the side of the moat and peek upwards. No one's in sight. Sheik leaps nimbly out of the water and with much grunting and heaving I follow him up, collapsing tiredly on the ground beside his feet.
"See?" He says. "You ARE out of shape." His eyes glint evilly. "Maybe you're spending too much time with Malon."
"And maybe you're spending too much time watching me die from a lack of oxygen instead of helping me up," I respond. Sheik laughs and offers me a hand up.
"All right, Mr. Know-It-All," I say, "what now?"
"We go through there," he says, pointing at a small opening on the other side of the moat. A very small opening. I cross my arms and raise my eyebrow at him.
"Through there?" I ask. "Really?" He frowns at the opening and nods. "I'm seeing a problem with that . . ." I say. He nods grimly.
"I am too," he says. "I'd forgotten how small that opening was. I don't think we're going to fit." I roll my eyes.
"Well at least one of us came prepared," I say, reaching into my magical pouch. I rummage around in it for a moment, looking for one of my weapons. "Aha!" I say, pulling out the desired item. "Nothing like a good old fashioned hookshot!" Sheik stares at the weapon in surprise, his eyes wide.
"Where did you get that?" He demands. The urgency in his voice startles me.
"I . . . Dampe gave it to me," I manage around my surprise. "Just before he died." Sheik relaxes a bit.
"I hadn't heard he died," he says quietly. "I'm sorry Link. I know you and he were friends." I shrug.
"It was about a month ago," I say. "He wasn't very pretty, but he was one of the nicest people I've ever met. Not a lot of people knew that." I take aim with the hookshot at the roof of the palace as Sheik nods in understanding. No matter what's going on Sheik always seems to understand. That's one of the things I like about him. I press the button and the hook flies out of the handle with a soft whirring sound, followed almost immediately by a metallic chink as it sinks it's metal claw into the roof of the palace. I jerk on it roughly a few times to make sure it's secure.
"Grab onto my neck," I tell Sheik, "like a piggy back almost." He obliges and I turn around, releasing the catch on the hookshot. I brace myself against the violent jerk as we're sent soaring towards the claw of the hookshot, slamming onto the roof at full force.
"Okay . . . ow," Sheik says from his position on top of me.
"Get off!" I mutter, fighting my way out from under him. I massage my shoulder a bit. I'm definitely going to bruise. "Hmm . . . it's a bit of a rougher ride with two people it seems." I mutter to myself.
"Yeah, no kidding," Sheik says, getting to his feet and brushing himself off. I pull my hat off, belatedly wringing it out, and then slip it back onto my head.
"Come on," I say. "Let's get inside and deliver this stupid thing so I can get home and dry off. Bruiser's likely as not going to . . ."
Hero of Time!
I stiffen at the familiar words, almost afraid to turn around and look.
"Link?" Sheik asks worriedly, looking at me in concern. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Did you . . . did you hear that?" I whisper, finally regaining control of my body and turning around to scan the area for any sign of the man from my dreams. The man with my face.
"Hear what?" Sheik whispers. "Link, I didn't hear anything."
He didn't hear anything . . . and I don't seen anything.
"I . . . I guess it was just the wind," I manage.
"Din's fire, Link you're white as a sheet!" Sheik says. "What happened?" I shake off his concern.
"I'll be fine," I say. "I just . . . I just thought I heard . . . it doesn't matter. Let's go." Shaking, partly from being wet, partly from being cold, and partly from having the living daylights scared out of me, I continue along the roof of the palace.
"So . . ." Sheik says after a moment. "It's all well and good being on the palace, but we still have to get in the palace you know."
"No problem," I say. "We've just got to find a window." I get on my knees and drape myself over the edge of the roof. "Oh look! There's one!" Sheik paces nervously behind me.
"Um . . . Link . . . I don't think . . ."
"Why not?" I demand. "Look, all I've got to do is hook my hookshot into the roof here, and then we just lower ourselves slowly down and into that window there."
"But . . . Link, that's the Princess's window," Sheik says. "I mean . . . she might . . . what if she's in there?" I pull myself up and look at him. Goddess, he looks nervous.
"All the better," I say. "Then we can just drop off this stupid package and get the hell out, all right?"
"I don't think . . ."
"Look, have you got a better idea?" I demand crankily. Sheik's gaze falters.
"Well . . . no . . . but . . ." I sigh.
"What's wrong then?" I demand.
"Link, I can't do that," he says. "I just . . . I can't explain, but I can't go in there with you." I stare at him for a moment. First, he insists on coming all this way with me, and now he says he can't go the rest of the way with me? Sometimes I wonder about him . . .
"All right then," I say. "Now's your chance to take off before the guards find us both." He gives me a relieve look and I grin at him. "Thanks for your help! Couldn't have done it without you!" The relief fades from his features and he gives me that odd look again.
"Yes you could have," he says, before pulling out one of his funky deku nuts and throwing it at the roof. It explodes with a brilliant light and he disappears in the glare. I shake my head. Now what did he mean by that? Shrugging it off to one of his odd personality quirks, and fire my hookshot at the roof, and then lower myself over the edge, rappelling down the side of the palace. I slow to a crawl when I get to the Princess's window and can't resist peering in. There's no one in there. I reach down and begin to work at the window, trying to get it to open, but freeze suddenly when the door to the room opens, and a figure steps into the room. Long blonde hair cascades down her back, and falls gently into sapphire eyes. An absolutely flawless figure is silhouetted in her thin nightgown by the light pouring in from the door behind her. She's breathing hard – almost as though she's been running – and every breath she takes causes her chest to rise in a way that stops my own breath.
Malon is pretty, but this woman is absolutely beautiful. She's so . . . breathtaking . . . so . . . exquisite . . . so . . . familiar.
Why is she familiar? I know for a fact I'd remember meeting someone like her. And yet . . . and yet . . . I can't shake the feeling that I know her. That I know her well. She turns and sees me and here eyes widen as our eyes meet . . .
The back of my hand suddenly grows hot and I rub it absently as I stare at the Princess. Her mouth opens suddenly in a tiny O of surprise and she points at something behind me, but before I can turn and look I feel something slam painfully into my back, sending me swinging rapidly towards the window. I cry out and release the catch on my hookshot as I fly through the window and into the room with a resounding crash. I smash into the floor and roll to a painful stop as Zelda screams in surprise. The sound of her voice sends images crashing back into my mind . . .
Another piece of rubble comes crashing down beside me as I reach for her hand and drag her along behind me. I almost lost her to Ganondorf when the bastard was alive, I'll be damned if I lose her to him now that he's dead.
"Come on!" I shout. "We're almost out of here!"
"Link! We'll never make it!" She cried. "His magic is working too fast! We'll be crushed by the castle!"
"No we won't!" I cry, speeding up. "I won't let it end like this!" We run hell-for-leather through the crumbling palace, dodging Moblins and rubble from every direction.
"Link! The door's blocked off!" Zelda cries.
"Damn!" I cry, skidding to a stop just in front of the barred door. I stare at it dismally. "There's got to be another way!" I cry, whirling around and drawing the Master Sword. It's familiar metallic ring calms me and I wait as the Moblins being approaching us. "There has to be!"
"There is!" Zelda cries, closing her eyes and concentrating. Suddenly she starts glowing and she lifts her arms to the sky with a small gasp. The bars on the door fly up. I turn and look at her in amazement as the door opens.
"How did you do that?" I demand. She smiles.
"It's one of the advantages of being a sage," she says. "I can . . ." She's cut off as a chunk of castle comes flying out of nowhere and strikes my shoulder. I cry out in pain and fall to the ground. The Moblins, sensing my weakness, are suddenly upon me. Zelda screams . . .
"LINK!" Snapping out of it, I struggle to my feet, helped by the tiny hands of Princess Zelda. What was that? Was that . . . a vision? A . . . a dream? A memory? I look up into the sapphire eyes that seem so familiar. "Link! Are you all right?"
"I . . . how do you know my name?" I groan as I straighten up and my back protests painfully against the exertion. "And what hit me?"
I did, hisses a familiar voice. I choke on my questions and whirl around to face the window. There, perched amidst the broken glass, framed by the moonlight, is the man from my dream.
It's like looking into a mirror. A black one. Zelda makes a startled noise as she follows my gaze to where I'm looking.
"Who are you?" I demand. "What do you want?"
Your blood, he says. Your blood will open the seal.
"What seal?" I cry. "What are you talking about?" Zelda's face hardens.
"What is he saying?" She demands, her voice urgent and soothing at the same time. "What does he want?"
"You . . . you can't hear him?" I ask. She shakes her head.
"What is he saying Link?"
"He says . . . my blood will open the seal. That's what he says." I pause. "How do you know my name?"
HERO OF TIME! The figure screams, lunging at me.
"LINK!" Zelda screams as I shove her out of the way, taking the full force of the figure's attack. We fall to the ground in a heap, me, naturally, on the bottom of it. His touch is positively chill and he wraps one hand around my throat as his other reaches for his sword. He draws it with agonizing slowness then raises it above my head.
Your blood, he says with a sardonic grin, will open the . . . He's cut off as something hard smashes into his head and he topples to the side, dropping his blade. Zelda stands above me, her hands on a dented silver tray.
"Quickly, Link! The Package! Open it up!" She orders.
"What?" I cry. "What . . . oh! The Package! Well what good is that?" I demand, reaching into my pouch and pulling the package out. The figure shakes his head and starts to get to his feet.
"Hurry!" Zelda cries. "Open it up!" She's eyeing the figure nervously. "Link! Faster!" I rip open the package and dump it out. Three arrows topple to the floor.
"That's it?" I cry incredulously. "I risk death and dungeons for three lousy arrows!"
"They're no ordinary arrows!" Zelda snaps. "Now quickly! Take the gold one!" Wonderful. She's not just beautiful she's crazy. The psycho version of me is back on his feet again and is looking for his sword. I don't think Zelda's tray is going to hold up much longer against it. I swallow thickly. At this point I'm willing to trust a crazy princess. I quickly inspect the three arrows, the light coming in from the doorway illuminating them. Nope . . . not that one, that one's bronze. Nope . . . that one's silver. That means . . . yes! There's the gold one! In less than a second I've got my bow off my back and the golden arrow knocked in it. As I take aim at the figure, light glints off the point of the arrow and I can feel something snap inside me. A cool power surges up and through me, tingling through every part of me, eventually winding up in my fingers. The back of my hand is burning fiercely now for some reason. The cold feeling spreads, and I release the arrow just as it's tip bursts into a bright light.
"What in Din's name . . ." I manage as the arrow strikes home. The dark figure howls as it's thrown back against the wall and lies in a crumpled heap beside Zelda's bed.
"Come on!" Zelda cries. "We've no time for gawking!" Her face is grim. "I don't think he's alone." She picks up the other arrows and drops them into my quiver, beside the golden arrow. I do a double take. The Golden Arrow! But I just fired it! How could it be back!
"They're magic, Link," Zelda hisses, almost as though she can read my thoughts. "You can't lose them. As long as you have enough regular arrows. Now come on!" The sound of shouting drifts in through the door. I gasp.
"Damn!" I cry.
"Come on!" Zelda says.
"Princess!" I can hear someone shouting from out in the Hall. "Princess!" A guard rushes into the room and the first thing he sees is the combination of the trashed room, the bruised and disheveled princess (wearing nothing but her nightgown), and me. Poor, little old, me. Guess who he blames.
"You're under arrest!" He cries, drawing his sword. "Step away from the princess and . . ." His words die off in a gurgling sound as a twisted blade suddenly erupts from his chest. The body slides off the sword and to the ground and reveals a tall figure standing behind. A tall skeletal figure. I choke.
"For the love of Nayru!" I cry in horror. "A Stalfos! I thought those things were only legends!" The Stalfos steps on the dead guard and advances on the Princess and I. Amidst the ever growing panic and fear and confusion I'm feeling in my chest, one thought, one instinct, breaks through: Protect the Princess. At all costs. Protect the Princess. The Stalfos raises his bloody sword and I react instantly, grabbing Zelda by the waist and whirling around in one motion. I fire my hookshot at the tree on the other side of the moat that her window overlooks and release the catch almost before the claw has embedded itself in the wood. Zelda and I fly through the window, our exit accompanied by the angry howls and cries of the Moblins.
And through it all one thing keeps running through my head:
Your blood will open the seal . . .