In The Hand of the Goddess
Disclaimer: Don't own Zelda
A/N:Thanks very much to all of you out there with your kind reviews! And yes, I have to admit that I did get some inspiration from Tamora Pierce, but this won't be like the book that happens to have the same title. Do you guys like quotes or song lyrics posted in fics? If you do, then I'll do it again, because there are so many I have that would work well with this fic, so please let me know. Also, for you Zelda freaks out there, I'm collecting info about the storylines of the Zelda games for a future fic that I'm thinking of writing, so if you know a lot about it or have a good site, please let me know. Thanks very much!
Part Three: Wisdom
Only the rumble of thunder that seemed to shake the very foundations of the building broke the sacred silence within the snowy marble chamber, causing the figure in the center of the room to pause. For a moment, the cloaked personage did not stir, not even when lighting flared across the sky outside. It flooded the magnificent building with light, however it could not illuminate the entire area, failing to penetrate the high vaulted ceiling that remained in inky blackness.
Sapphire eyes blinked slowly as the young woman drew back the hood of her cowl, giving herself a moment as thunder crashed yet again. She closed her brilliant eyes briefly, sighing gently. Slowly she made her way down the middle of the chamber, her footsteps echoing softly as she went.
As she walked, Zelda again wondered what she was doing here in the Temple of Time, this sacred place. No one, not even the royal family of Hyrule often came to this holy building. Yet desperate times called for desperate measures. She felt lost, scared, and in need of guidance. As she approached the alter before the Door of Time, she reminded herself that it was here that the Goddesses were most likely to hear her prayers.
When she finally reached the alter, she dropped to her knees, clasping her hands together. The young woman bowed her head, causing her golden locks to fall around her face like a waterfall. For a moment, there was simply the sound of her rapid breathing and her pounding heart, before the girl dared to speak.
"Oh Goddesses, I beg of you to listen to my words," Zelda began, her voice low, yet clearly audible through the hall. "You chose me to be born into this royal house, to be a leader over my people, but I feel lost." She hesitated, gathering her courage before continuing. "What would you have me do? You well know the troubles of the lands, better even than I do, so you know why I have come, why I beseech you to give me direction, to tell me what I should do for my people."
The Princess sighed deeply. "Please, guide Hyrule to a better destiny than that which I have foreseen."
She drew the symbol of the Triforce in the air above the alter with her slender fingers, rising slowly to her feet. An icy breeze blew against the back of her neck, and the girl turned, startled to find that one of the great wooden doors of the temple stood open, a cloaked person entering the hall.
For a moment, a surge of panic raced through Zelda as she watched the new arrival close the door, cutting off the chilly air current. Rarely did anyone come here to the Temple; perhaps it was someone seeking to kidnap her. She banished that thought almost immediately though, for the Temple of Time was hallowed ground. The Goddesses would allow no bloodshed or ill behaviors of any kind to happen within.
Telling herself that it was silly to be afraid of a fellow worshiper of the Goddesses, she began towards the doors, ready to leave. If her father were to discover that she had left the Castle again she would be in serious trouble.
The cloaked figure had begun to walk forward, meeting Zelda half way. As the girl was about to pass, the other spoke.
"Greetings, Princess of Hyrule." A curtsy was swept, proving that it was a woman who spoke, startling the young Princess.
"Greetings," Zelda replied, catching the smell of the sea, fresh rain, and wildflowers. "Forgive me for being abrupt, but I must leave." She started to move, but the woman's voice caused her to pause again.
"Your Highness, might I inquire as to why you have come here?"
Zelda was taken aback by the question, but saw no reason not to answer. "To pray to the Goddesses. I seek their wisdom, but they do not respond. I fear that perhaps I have done something to offend them, that they have turned their favor from Hyrule and that is why they do not answer my prayers."
The stranger turned her head towards the girl; her features reveled to the young Princess. "The Goddesses always answer, just not the way you might expect, Zelda of Hyrule."
A gasp escaped the young Princess's lips, frozen in shock as the slender, willowy woman removed her hood, causing her shimmering midnight blue hair to fall in waves down her back. She smiled at the shock in Zelda's expression, her lovely sea blue eyes shining with laughter. A golden aura blanketed her like a shroud, her dress of pale azure silk rustling softly as she dropped the cloak.
"My Lady Nayru," Zelda managed to whisper, dropping into a low curtsy, her knees trembling. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that one of the great Goddesses would ever appear to her! "Please, forgive me my Lady. I did not mean to disrespect you-"
Nayru took hold of the girl's wrists, pulling her upright, her eyes sad but kind. "There is not need to be so afraid," she said gently. "I do not blame you for thinking we have deserted you. It has been a trying three months, has it not Princess?" She sighed and shook her head. "Tell me about your dreams."
Zelda hesitated, her eyes still uncertain. "They are always the same, my Lady. First comes the evil shadow, threatening to consume all. In the very heart of it, I see the form of a tall man, and in his mind is the image of the Triforce. Then comes a horrible battle between Gods, the Realm of the Gods merging with that of the mortal world. It has been the same for months."
The Goddess nodded absently, not seeming at all surprised by what she was hearing. "You know your dreams are prophecies, do you not Zelda?"
She managed to bob her head in acknowledgement. "Yes, I do. But I do not always interpret them correctly." The Princess watched as Nayru walked across the room, motioning for the girl to follow. The Goddess stopped before the alter, reading out loud the familiar inscription.
"Ye who owns three Spiritual Stones, stand here with the Ocarina of Time and Play the Song of Time." She sighed yet again, shaking her head. "I had hoped that it would never be needed."
"What would never be needed?" Zelda asked, perplexed.
Nayru shook her head. "It isn't important right now Zelda. What matters is that I have need of you."
"Need of me?" the girl repeated blankly. "My Lady, forgive me, but I am just a girl, one who happens to be next in line for the throne. I don't know if there is anything I could do for you."
"I will be the judge of that," the woman assured her with a smile. "After all, you are my Chosen."
"Me?" For a moment, Zelda did not sound like the dignified young Princess that she was, only a teenage girl who was just as unsure of herself as others her age. "Why me?"
"For reasons of my own," Nayru replied, her eyes riveted on the Door of Time before them. "Normally we do not descend to earth, not even to visit our Chosen, but times change. Even the Goddesses need aid at times." She gave Zelda a wry smile. "Once more the Goddesses walk among mortals, as they did in the days of old."
Zelda shivered, remembering the old myths. "The days when the Evil King ruled, the one who had fallen from grace and desired to surpass even those who had created him. That was the time that you and your sisters visited the land of Hyrule. The days that are known as the Years of Shadow and Flame for the Hylians."
"You know your history well Princess," Nayru praised softly. "Do you remember what happened to end those years of suffering and ruin?"
She hesitated, thinking back on her lessons as a small child. "I believe it was the daughter of my great-great-great grandfather, Zelda the Wise, along with her companion, a stranger no one ever knew, who over threw him. Legends claimed that they were favored of the Gods, and it was this privilege that allowed them to defeat the King of Evil. After the Years of Shadow and Flame, my ancestor unified the kingdom once more. All Hylians still remember those dark times, still fear the rise of that shadow from the west."
"So it was." Nayru turned to face the young heir to the Hylian throne, her face grave. "And so it will be again."
The color drained from Zelda's face, and she felt as though an icy madness was threatening to consume her. "No. It cannot be. I won't allow it to happen!"
"Things are already set in motion that cannot be stopped," the Goddess stated quietly. "Yet, two could once again defy the evil one, could once again defend the Land of Hyrule. Two who are descended from the same bloodline are the only ones who even have a hope of doing so."
Zelda immediately understood what Nayru was saying to her. "I am one of those two, am I not? It was Zelda the XVI, from whose line I am the twentieth of that name, who defeated the Evil King. That is why you need me."
Nayru nodded solemnly. "I am afraid so. You are the last of her line, besides your Father, and he is too ill to be of any use."
She felt trapped, trapped by the obligation that Nayru had placed upon her frail shoulders. She didn't want to be in any danger, but who would? History was repeating itself, and it had her right in the middle of it. Zelda lowered her head, fighting back anger and sadness, before lifting her head to gaze at the Goddess.
"What is it you want me to do, Lady Nayru?" the Princess whispered, her regal air in place once more, a shield that helped her keep her composure.
"For right now, nothing," she answered, turning to walk alongside the Princess back towards the doors. "We will see each other again, and I will give you better instructions then. For now, it will be up to you to protect your people, and the Ocarina of Time. No matter what, do not allow that sacred instrument to fall into the wrong hands. Do you understand?"
Zelda nodded, biting her lip. She desperately wanted more information, but knew better to press a Goddess when she did not want to say anything more. "Yes, lady Nayru."
The Goddess took her by the shoulders, her fathomless eyes holding her in place. For a moment, Zelda felt as if her entire self was laid bare to Nayru, as if the Goddess could see into her very soul.
"My Chosen, the one who can help you will come soon. You will know him because he will swear in the name of the Goddesses. Trust him child." Nayru leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead. "May peaceful waters find you, my Chosen, Zelda of Hyrule." Nayru smiled gently, then without warning, she vanished.
Zelda gasped sharply, staring at the place where the Goddess had been. Glancing upward, she saw another flash of lightning and heard the thunder rumbling through the air. The Princess knew that it was a sign of dark times to come.