The Legend of Zelda: The Return
Power said to the world:
"You are mine."
And the world kept it prisoner on her throne.
Love said to the world:
"I am thine."
And the world gave it the freedom of her house.
-Unknown
Chapter 25
"Absolutely not."
I growl in frustration and drop my head into my hands.
"Why the Hell not?" I demand, looking up again and glaring at Rue.
We've been over this.
About a hundred times . . . every hour . . . for the last three hours . . .
"It's dangerous, and reckless, and foolhardy!" Rue says with a scowl equal to my own. "It's foolishness to risk your own life! I have perfectly capable women out there reconnoitering as we speak."
"And how long is it going to take them to get back here and tell us what's going on? A month? In that time whatever information they have will be outdated and useless, and hey, the Moblins will have overrun Hyrule. There's no way they're just sitting at the Palace. They're not bright but there's gotta be somewhere there who knows what they're doing." I glare at her. "It's been two months since the first time Dark Link tried to kill me. It's been a month and a half since the Moblins have moved. Lon Lon Ranch was the last place they took before settling down. They were most likely waiting for me to be caught, Rue. They probably figured Dark Link could handle it and what's the point in spreading out now, when they could wait for Ganondorf. But Dark Link didn't catch me, and now they're probably getting desperate. We don't have a month."
"Oh, and I suppose you can do it so much faster," Rue says caustically.
"She's got you there, Link," Hunter says from his seated position on the floor, leaning up against the side of my chair. I shake my head.
"No she doesn't," I reply. "I can go all over Hyrule within the space of a day. Two at most, and get back here probably before any of you would even notice me gone."
"You wouldn't get past the guards at the gate," Rue says.
"I wouldn't go past the guards," I reply.
"Impossible. On both counts. Hyrule is huge, Highness. There's no way you can do it in less than a month."
"Rue, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, I have a name. It's Link. Please use it," I say. "And it may be impossible for everyone else, but not for me."
"And what makes you so special that you should have this ability and no one else?" She demands with a raised eyebrow. I point at the hilt of the Master Sword, sticking up over my back.
"That does," I answer. "There are certain melodies that can get me to a few places in Hyrule, and for those that melodies can't get me to, there are a host of Lost Doors just begging me to use them in the Lost Woods. And I know them all." She scowls at me for a moment more, then:
"Absolutely not," she says for the millionth time. "I forbid it."
"Hey, isn't that supposed to work the other way 'round?" Hunter asks. "I thought he was King."
Oh man . . . if looks could kill . . .
"He does have a point," I say. "Rue, you're not going to bully me out of this one, all right? We need to know what's going on out in the rest of Hyrule, and I have to let the other races in on the rest of the plan. I'm going, and that's that."
"You're not," she says.
"I am," I reply.
"You can't."
"I can."
"You won't!"
"Watch me," I respond flatly.
"Then you're taking the Elite," she says in response.
"No I'm not," I say.
"Yes you are," she responds.
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"Rue!" I cry. "I can't take that many people! There's no way! I'm going alone."
"No you're not," Hunter responds before Rue can. I frown at him.
"Hey, who's side are you on?" I demand.
"The one that keeps you from getting killed," he answers. "Take someone Link. You don't even have Navi right now." Rue blinks.
"Where's Navi?" She asks. "I thought she was under your hat . . ." I shake my head.
"I sent her back to Kokiri Forest for a while," I say. "She's been away for too long and it's starting to catch up to her. I'll pick her up on my way around Hyrule."
"With the Elite," Rue adds.
"Without the Elite," I correct her. Hunter stands up and leans over the chair.
"Look, Link," he says in a low voice, "I understand that perhaps diplomacy is not your cup of tea, but if you want to keep her happy you have to agree to take someone, all right? You're good enough to weasel your way out of whatever deal you make with her, but just give her something to keep her from going homicidal on you, all right?" I frown at him, but he holds my gaze until I sigh.
"Fine," I say. "I'll take two people with me."
"Two?" Rue cries in protest. "What kind of guard is two Gerudo for a King?"
"I can take care of myself, Rue," I point out. "I don't really need a bodyguard. And I'm going to chose which two." We glare at each other for a long, tense moment. "It's two, or none, Rue," I say flatly. "If I want to go you can't stop me." She finally growls in defeat.
"Fine," she says. "Two of your choosing. I'll summon the Elite."
"Don't bother," I say. "I know which two."
"Already?" Rue asks in surprise.
"Yep," I say. "Hunter and Neesha."
For a moment, no one says anything.
Then Hunter bursts out laughing and Rue glares at me.
"They're not Elite!" She cries.
"So?" I ask. "I never said I'd take Elite."
"But . . . Neesha's only a child, and the Sheikah . . ."
"Neesha's twelve," I say. "One year shy of what the Gerudo consider an adult. And Hunter is not only my cousin, but a close, personal friend of mine. They're all the protection I've ever needed. They got me here didn't they? And they found me before your Elite did when the Witches had me. I'm taking Hunter and Neesha and no one else." Rue's face darkens . . .
xxx
"Absolutely not!" Neesha cries.
"Why the Hell not?" I demand, frowning at her.
"Take one of the Elite," she says flatly.
"No," I say just as flatly. "I want to take you."
"Link, I'm no good to you," she argues. "What if something happens? What if Dark Link finds you? What if the Moblins get you? What good am I?"
"The same good that you've always been!" I cry. "You've never let me down before, Neesha. I hardly think you're going to start doing so now. Why is this time different than any other time?"
"Because you're –" She stops. I frown at her.
"What, Neesha? Because I'm what?" I demand, knowing full well what she was going to say.
"Because you're King," she finishes, glaring at me. "You deserve more than some little kid protecting you. Take the Elite." I grind my teeth and try and keep my temper under control. Hunter's eyeing us warily, prepared to separate us if he has to.
"Have I changed, Neesha?" I ask angrily. "Am I somehow a different person than I used to be?"
"You are King," she answers with her typical stubborn tone. "No, you haven't changed, but who you are has."
"King is not who I am!" I cry, exploding. "King is something that I am, not who!"
"Then who are you?" Neesha cries, exploding back. "It's not my fault you're King, Link. I can't do anything about that. You are what you are, and you should act accordingly. Take the Elite."
"I have never, in my entire life, let anyone tell me how to act," I growl. "And I don't intend to start now. And I don't intend to change just because through some accident of birth I happen to be King of the Gerudos. And I don't want you to either."
"I haven't changed," Neesha says.
"Then why won't you come with me?" I demand. "Why do you keep telling me to take the Elite?"
"Because you're King!"
"There! You see?" I cry, pointing at her. "You have changed!"
"How have I . . ."
"You once followed me out of the desert and into the home of your ancient enemy just because you felt like it," I say flatly. "And you refused to go home when I told you to. Now I'm begging you to come with me, and you're refusing. And you're trying to tell me you haven't changed?"
"Link . . . I can't just . . ."
"Forget it," I snap, getting to my feet and storming towards the door. "Just forget I asked, Neesha." She gets to her feet.
"Link, I just want you to be safe. Don't look so betrayed! You have my loyalty!" I pause at the door and glare at her just before I leave.
"I never wanted your loyalty, Neesha," I say darkly. "I want your friendship. Come and find me when you remember what that means."
I storm off on my own down the hallway.
"Well," Hunter says, catching up with me after a few minutes, "that was harsh. Glad to see your temper's intact despite everything you've been through." He scratches his chin. "How long were you holding that in, exactly?"
"Two weeks," I say. "Give or take. Since Zora's Domain."
"Did you have to be quite so hard on her?" He asks. "She is only twelve, you know. We forget that a lot I think." I mutter something under my breath. "Look, Link," he says with a sigh, "I understand your frustration with her. I do. But you have to understand that she's frustrated too. The Gerudo are very hung up on tradition. Even more so than the Sheikah. And Neesha . . . well, she's been a renegade since the day she was born apparently. A real wild child. Running off after you isn't the worst of her crimes, and she's done a lot worse – at least in the Gerudo's eyes. The other Gerudo already frown at her more than anything else, and she's been taking a lot more flak than usual lately because of her relationship with you."
"Why?" I demand.
"Because they think she's too casual with you," Hunter says. "They don't approve. She talks to you like you're an equal. Bad enough she talks to me, a Sheikah, like that, but to talk to the King like that?" He shakes his head. "She's torn between wanting to be your friend and keeping her superiors happy. She's trying desperately to find some kind of middle ground and she just can't manage it. Between you getting mad at her and everyone else getting mad at her . . . she's had a pretty miserable couple of weeks all things considered." He raises an eyebrow at me and I sigh heavily.
"I didn't realize that," I say.
"I didn't think you had," Hunter says.
"Well why didn't she just tell me?" I demand.
"Too close to friendly, and not close enough to middle ground," he answers. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye.
"When did she tell you all this?" I ask.
"You were unconscious for all of last week, Link," he says. "And you've been tied up with Rue introducing you to the life of a Gerudo King for all of this week. You've missed a lot. The Gerudo Hierarchy wasn't the only thing she told me about." I sigh and shove my hands into my pockets.
"Well what am I supposed to do about it?" I demand. "Just sit back and forget about being friends with her? Farore, Hunter, you don't go through everything we've gone through together and then just sit back and forget about it. I don't want to lose her over something so . . . trivial."
"Trivial to you, maybe," he says. "But not to her. This is a big deal, Link. You're King of the Gerudo. She's a Gerudo. They only get one King every hundred years. This is a huge deal to her."
"So what do I do about it?" I ask.
"Well," Hunter says, "you could try talking to her . . . without shouting. I know it's hard, especially considering the . . . volatile nature of your and Neesha's arguments, but if you ever want this solved . . ." I sigh. "She's really upset, Link. If she was anyone else she'd be in tears."
"All right, all right," I say. "Enough with the guilt. I'll talk to her. After."
"Why after?" Hunter asks. "Why not right now?"
"Because right now I'm supposed to be back at the throne room dealing out a punishment for Jinni," I answer. I frown. "I don't see why I have to do it though."
"Because you're King," Hunter answers. I sigh.
"It all seems to come back to that, doesn't it?" I ask.
"Seriously though, what are you gonna do?" He asks, looking at me curiously. "The nature of Gerudo punishment is severe to begin with . . . and she did betray you to the witches . . ."
"No," I say. "What she did was try and protect her people from what she thought was a threat. It was a gross miscalculation on her part, but her heart was in the right place. She can't really be blamed for the witches manipulating her." I shake my with a frown. "I've had it done to me, and it's hard to resist. They had me convinced for a while that I should kill all of you, remember?"
"Still," Hunter says, "the rest of the Gerudo aren't going to be happy if you give her some kind of slap on the wrist and a lecture."
"I'm aware of that," I say. "And I don't intend to." I give him a serious look. "The way Rue figures it, the fortress is divided in three. A third of the Gerudo are behind me one hundred percent. A third of the Gerudo are firmly entrenched on Ganondorf's side. They'll follow me until Ganondorf comes back, but then . . . and the other third are unsure as to who to side with. They're the ones I've got to convince." I turn my gaze back to the front. "Jinni's one of them. And she's an important one of them. If I can get her . . ."
"You can get the rest," Hunter finishes.
"Right," I say. "The trick is getting her. From what I've seen she, like the rest of the Gerudo, respect strength and skill and all of that, but they're used to Ganondorf's brand of strength and skill. I don't know that they'll recognize anything else . . ."
"If this is gonna lead into the a-little-bit-of-love-can-heal-all-wounds speech I'm going to hurl on you," Hunter says. "And the Gerudo will chew you up and spit you out."
"Ha," I say. "I'm not that naïve, Hunter. That might work on other people, but not on the Gerudo. They have a different definition of love than most."
"So what are you gonna do?" He asks. "Ganondorf can offer them power beyond anything they've known. What have you got?"
"I've got courage," I answer. "And pride, and determination . . ."
"Is that it?" Hunter asks. "You think that'll be enough to convince them?"
"Nope," I say. "That's just what I've got. That's not what I can give them. Nobody can give them that but themselves."
"So . . ."
"So I'm gonna offer them the opportunity to do just that. The opportunity to get those things for themselves. The opportunity to live the way they want. The opportunity to just be who they want . . . to be who they are."
"And you think that'll work?"
"Why not?" I ask. "I'd kill for that opportunity. Wouldn't you?" He gives me a considering look.
"You know," he says. "Sometimes you surprise me, Link." I grin at him.
"Keeps life interesting," I say. "Now come on. I'm already late."
"Are they going to let me in?" He asks. "I was surprised enough when Rue didn't complain that I was there this morning."
"They'll let you in," I say. "I told them that you were an ambassador to the Gerudo from the Sheikah and a very important person. You've got the run of the fortress my friend." He blinks then laughs.
"Brilliant!" He says. I buff my nails on my tunic.
"I thought so myself," I say with a grin.
xxx
I sit in the overly large throne (as Hunter pointed out last week, Ganondorf was definitely a fan of grandiose . . . and on top of it he was just too damn big to begin with), and try and look as stern as I can. I think Hunter's doing a better job of it, sitting at my left, in all honesty though.
I'm suddenly very nervous.
If I screw this up . . .
"Neesha's sure she doesn't want to come?" I lean over and ask. Hunter nods.
"Yep," he says out of the corner of his mouth. Geez . . . I can't even see his lips move. Something tells me he's done this before. "She's sticking to her guns on this one. She wants you to have more protection than she can offer, even if you are an 'ungrateful, arrogant, reckless, uncaring son of a bitch.'" I bite back a disgruntled sigh.
"All right then," I say. "It's her choice I suppose."
"Are you really gonna go through with this?" Hunter asks. "It's gonna be a pretty miserable trip if we take her . . ."
"You got a better idea of what to do with her?" I demand. "I'm not gonna have her killed, or flogged or anything like that. She thought she was doing the right thing, even if she wasn't. That's the kind of thing I'd like to encourage, rather than discourage." Hunter shrugs imperceptibly.
"You're the King," he says.
"So I've been told," I mutter under my breath. The ponderous doors suddenly begin to swing open slowly and Jinni walks in, her white outfit gone and replaced with a black one to mark her as being without rank (Rue having stripped her of her status as an Elite the instant they got back to the fortress with me), surrounded by four of the Elite, their weapons unsheathed. Her head is lowered and her eyes are downcast. She refuses to look at me or anyone else.
This picture is so similar to the one I saw of Neesha in that vision . . .
It's suddenly hard to breathe . . .
"Easy Link," Hunter whispers. "Keep it together."
I shake my head.
"Right," I whisper. "Let's get this over with . . ." The grim procession stops just in front of the dais Hunter, Rue and I are on and I get to my feet, everyone else in the room following suit. "Jinni, of the Black," I say, my words ringing around the room. "You have been accused of High Treason against the King of the Gerudo according to Gerudo Law. It has been brought before me that you were an accomplice in the recent attempts of the Witches to kidnap and either kill or corrupt me. Have you anything to say for yourself?"
Jinni is silent.
The Gerudo behind her prods her with a spear and Jinni grits her teeth.
"Nothing," she says, "except that I accept whatever punishment you would lay upon me." She falls silent again. I draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Well . . . here we go . . .
"In that case, Jinni of the Black shall cease to exist." Jinni's face remains fixed, but her shoulders dip ever so slightly. "You shall instead be Jinni of the Red. You are stripped of the title Elite and the uniform of the White. You will once again have to prove your worth before regaining your status. But you will have that chance." She looks up in surprise – she's not the only one. I turn my gaze on the rest of the people in the room.
"I forgo the Death sentence usually inherent in a crime such as Jinni's for one reason," I say. "What was Treason in action, was fidelity in intent. Jinni believed that I was a threat to you, her people. She was wrong, and for this she is punished. But she was not treasonous. Her loyalty to her sisters and their safety is commendable, though I hope in the future she will exercise better judgement in her decision, and perhaps trust her sisters a little more than she did." Jinni is staring at me with open shock on her face now.
"In addition to being stripped of her title, Jinni will be required to requite her role in my kidnapping by acting as a bodyguard for myself and the Ambassador on our journey. A punishment equal to the crime. You aided those who wished to harm me, and now you will hinder them."
A murmur of surprise runs through the room. The expressions range from shocked, to intrigued, to downright unfriendly. Jinni looks torn between all three.
"It's gonna be a long trip," Hunter mutters, rubbing his head.
"Look, it'll only be a couple days," I say. "The Ocarina is the fastest way to travel. We'll hit Kakariko first and work our way around Hyrule." I look back out at the sea of Gerudo faces.
"What could go wrong?"
xxx
A Brief Interlude
Malon curled herself up into as small a ball as possible and pushed herself back against Bruiser's broad back. His protective presence was more than welcome.
A few thin slivers of moonlight made their way through the cracks in the roof of the cart as it creaked and groaned it's way over the rough paths of Hyrule field towards Kakariko Village – the first addition to the list of places controlled by the Moblins since they'd taken over her Ranch. Apparently the Gorons and Sheikah had had enough advance warning of the Moblins' attack that they'd managed to evacuate the town to the mountains via escape routes left since the Great War. Which meant that the occupying Moblins required more slaves.
Too stupid to do the work on their own, she thought sourly. She and Bruiser were the only slaves chosen of their little group. Her father, Ingo, and the Sages all remained behind. The Moblins almost chose Zelda but Dark Link took a fit and killed them on the spot.
Apparently he still needed her for something at the palace . . .
She couldn't help but feel sorry for the Princess. She had thought she would hate her. She had thought that she would resent her and not want anything to do to her . . . after all, she was the woman who Link really loved. If she had wanted too, Malon could have pretended that Zelda had stolen Link away from her, and hate her for that . . .
But Link had never been hers.
In retrospect she'd known it all along.
And she didn't hate Zelda.
When she got right down to it she admired Zelda's courage.
It takes a strong woman to love a man like Link . . .
He wasn't exactly easy to be in any kind of relationship with.
He was moody and sarcastic and had a wicked temper on the best of days . . .
But when he was happy . . . so was everyone around him. His smile was infectious, his laughter uplifting, and he just made you feel good . . . like you could do anything.
Some people are the kind that you want to be like.
Some people are the kind that you model yourself after in the hopes of being more like them.
But Link . . .
Link wasn't like that.
Link was the kind of person who reminded you of who you really are, even if you hadn't realized that you'd forgotten . . . Link was the kind of person who showed you who you could be, and refused to settle for any less . . .
And the funniest thing about him was that he didn't even realize he had this ability.
He never tried to do that . . .
He just did.
She curled up tighter.
She could really use some of that now . . .
He might be a jerk, but she still missed him . . .
But if he thinks he's just gonna dump me and move on, she thought to herself, fanning her anger against the growing urge to cry, he's got another think coming . . . and it's gonna be a painful one.