I leapt back from the mirror in shock, nearly causing Impa to topple over
as I did so. I began to shake all over as I sank down onto my knees. I put
my head in my hands and sat there on the floor for what felt like an
eternity.
"ZELDA!" Impa cried, putting her strong arms around me in such a way that would have comforted me. Instead I shook her off and crouched closer to the ground.
"Please, no!" I said, surprised at the choked sound of my own voice. How could this be? Shira was dead. Gone forever. So why was she dwelling in my bedroom mirror?
"Zelda..." Impa said softly as she stood. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
"Please, just leave me alone!"
To me, my voice sounded so distant, on the verge of tears. It was like my mind was closing in on itself. My own consciousness seemed to be spiraling inward, slipping out of my grasp as further and further I found myself falling away into nothing.
At last I gave up the fight, closed my eyes, and went limp on the floor. I saw and knew no more.
* * * * *
....
"Zelda.." A murmured whisper seeped into the nothingness of my mind.
....
"Zelda." A voice. Do I know that voice?
....
"Zelda!" It grows louder. I felt warmth return to me.
....
"ZELDA!" A rushing wave of dizziness swept over me as I returned to the present time.
"Impa?"
"Oh, Zelda!" The voice answered.
Suddenly Impa held me tight, close to herself, as she broke down in sobs.
"I'd thought I'd lost you!"
"Why would that happen?" I wondered aloud. "Impa, you're not telling me something."
"I'm not telling you," she replied, letting me lose but holding my shoulders tightly as she looked straight into my eyes, "Because I do not know what happened myself. But you must tell me, Zelda."
"Tell you what?"
"Tell me what you saw."
I looked back. What did I see? I remembered a mirror, and new clothes. And something about a reflection. What was it?
"I... I don't remember."
"What?!"
"I remembered a reflection, and then I lost hold of myself. That's when I collapsed. But that's all I remember. I promise."
"Hm." Impa stood up and walked away, her back turned to me. She seemed confused about something. It was only at that moment that I was lying in bed, if that's what you can call it. There were so many pillows stacked behind me that I was actually sitting up. Impa must have been sitting on the edge of the bed.
As I tried to sit up, a portion of my hair slipped over one eye. I blinked. Impa turned around and laughed.
"How very princesslike you look right now!" She said, rather sarcastically if I may say so myself.
I tucked the stray hair behind my ear and pushed myself up, leaning on one hand. "What a nice thing to say," I replied, grinning.
There's not much to say about what happened in that sunlit room, except that as Impa brushed my hair and explained what had happened the way she saw it, everything seemed to make sense. Slowly the fog lifted.
I'm still not sure what happened, but this is what Impa and I managed to come up with: at the sight of Shira, my mother, I went into some kind of shock. My mind couldn't handle the stress and went into some kind of breakdown.
"I was so scared," said Impa, putting the last touches on my hair as she softly laid the circlet upon my head. "You were deathly pale, and stone cold. I was so afraid that It was going to happen to you, too"
"It?"
"You know that Sheikah represent Shadow, don't you?" Impa asked.
"Of course.
"Well, the Hylian people are referred to by the Sheikah as those of light. Shadow and light are opposed. Every time a half Sheikah was born, he or she eventually was overcome by one or the other. Either way, that person slipped into the shadows forever."
I shuddered.
"Not a comforting thought, is it?" Impa remarked, a note of mirth returning to her voice. "But you have proven that you are stronger than your Father thought. You truly are your Mother's daughter."
"What does my Father have to do with it?"
"He knows very well what happened to the others with the same heritage as you. He thought you would eventually be overcome like them, and therefore you are almost completely worthless to him. All he cares about is an heir. So, he has been looking for another. Either another wife who will produce a son, or someone he can adopt."
"So, I'm nothing to him?" I demanded, though I felt surprisingly calm.
"I don't think so, Zelda. You are his daughter, and you remind him very much of your Mother. Deep down, I think, he loves you. But let's just say that your Father is a difficult man. He wants what he wants when he wants it. He's the King. His word is law. Or so he likes to think. He's just like the other kings. Hyrule is his little playground, and everyone in it, including you and I, are his private little toys. Dolls to him, really. He likes to think that he can just pull a string and make us dance."
I said nothing.
"Come on, Zelda. It's time we had a little chat with this so-called father of yours."
"ZELDA!" Impa cried, putting her strong arms around me in such a way that would have comforted me. Instead I shook her off and crouched closer to the ground.
"Please, no!" I said, surprised at the choked sound of my own voice. How could this be? Shira was dead. Gone forever. So why was she dwelling in my bedroom mirror?
"Zelda..." Impa said softly as she stood. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
"Please, just leave me alone!"
To me, my voice sounded so distant, on the verge of tears. It was like my mind was closing in on itself. My own consciousness seemed to be spiraling inward, slipping out of my grasp as further and further I found myself falling away into nothing.
At last I gave up the fight, closed my eyes, and went limp on the floor. I saw and knew no more.
* * * * *
....
"Zelda.." A murmured whisper seeped into the nothingness of my mind.
....
"Zelda." A voice. Do I know that voice?
....
"Zelda!" It grows louder. I felt warmth return to me.
....
"ZELDA!" A rushing wave of dizziness swept over me as I returned to the present time.
"Impa?"
"Oh, Zelda!" The voice answered.
Suddenly Impa held me tight, close to herself, as she broke down in sobs.
"I'd thought I'd lost you!"
"Why would that happen?" I wondered aloud. "Impa, you're not telling me something."
"I'm not telling you," she replied, letting me lose but holding my shoulders tightly as she looked straight into my eyes, "Because I do not know what happened myself. But you must tell me, Zelda."
"Tell you what?"
"Tell me what you saw."
I looked back. What did I see? I remembered a mirror, and new clothes. And something about a reflection. What was it?
"I... I don't remember."
"What?!"
"I remembered a reflection, and then I lost hold of myself. That's when I collapsed. But that's all I remember. I promise."
"Hm." Impa stood up and walked away, her back turned to me. She seemed confused about something. It was only at that moment that I was lying in bed, if that's what you can call it. There were so many pillows stacked behind me that I was actually sitting up. Impa must have been sitting on the edge of the bed.
As I tried to sit up, a portion of my hair slipped over one eye. I blinked. Impa turned around and laughed.
"How very princesslike you look right now!" She said, rather sarcastically if I may say so myself.
I tucked the stray hair behind my ear and pushed myself up, leaning on one hand. "What a nice thing to say," I replied, grinning.
There's not much to say about what happened in that sunlit room, except that as Impa brushed my hair and explained what had happened the way she saw it, everything seemed to make sense. Slowly the fog lifted.
I'm still not sure what happened, but this is what Impa and I managed to come up with: at the sight of Shira, my mother, I went into some kind of shock. My mind couldn't handle the stress and went into some kind of breakdown.
"I was so scared," said Impa, putting the last touches on my hair as she softly laid the circlet upon my head. "You were deathly pale, and stone cold. I was so afraid that It was going to happen to you, too"
"It?"
"You know that Sheikah represent Shadow, don't you?" Impa asked.
"Of course.
"Well, the Hylian people are referred to by the Sheikah as those of light. Shadow and light are opposed. Every time a half Sheikah was born, he or she eventually was overcome by one or the other. Either way, that person slipped into the shadows forever."
I shuddered.
"Not a comforting thought, is it?" Impa remarked, a note of mirth returning to her voice. "But you have proven that you are stronger than your Father thought. You truly are your Mother's daughter."
"What does my Father have to do with it?"
"He knows very well what happened to the others with the same heritage as you. He thought you would eventually be overcome like them, and therefore you are almost completely worthless to him. All he cares about is an heir. So, he has been looking for another. Either another wife who will produce a son, or someone he can adopt."
"So, I'm nothing to him?" I demanded, though I felt surprisingly calm.
"I don't think so, Zelda. You are his daughter, and you remind him very much of your Mother. Deep down, I think, he loves you. But let's just say that your Father is a difficult man. He wants what he wants when he wants it. He's the King. His word is law. Or so he likes to think. He's just like the other kings. Hyrule is his little playground, and everyone in it, including you and I, are his private little toys. Dolls to him, really. He likes to think that he can just pull a string and make us dance."
I said nothing.
"Come on, Zelda. It's time we had a little chat with this so-called father of yours."