10 – Captive Trees

Little Princess Zelda found herself wading through a mist of pure darkness that stretched off towards the horizon as though infinite and, at the same time, manage to cling to her as though suffocating. It was cold here. Cold and empty. Chewing on the end of one thumbnail, the little Princess blinked her wide blue eyes; once, twice. Still the darkness remained.

A voice ghosted out from the emptiness. "You're a good girl, aren't you, Zelda?"

The Princess beamed. It was her mother! "Yes!" Zelda squealed happily. "I'm going to be the goodest girl in the whole world!" Her mother laughed, a warm, light sound that made the Princess' heart tingle. She could feel her mother beside her, but still couldn't see her. If it wasn't for all this silly darkness! Zelda turned in the direction where she supposed the Queen was standing. "And then you'll love me, won't you?"

Her mother laughed again, and Zelda felt soft lips brush against her brow. "I love you anyway!" her mother replied, her voice thick with both affection and amusement. Zelda giggled, beaming once more – her mother's words sent pure warmth flooding into her heart which then ran like honey through her whole body.

And then her mother was gone, leaving only a hole of cold emptiness in the murk. The corners of Zelda's mouth turned down. "No..." But hadn't her mother been gone for a long time now? Hadn't that hole really been a part of her heart not the darkness? And hadn't she carried it every day since her mother had...had...? Her face crinkled as she tried to pound at her mind. Why couldn't she remember?

A thin sliver of light split the darkness. Little Zelda watched as the light rose higher and higher, stretching and unwinding until, set before her feet illuminated by a misty indigo glow, a flight of stairs curled down into the dark depths. The Princess hesitated, shrugged, then tentatively made her way down, skipping all the way. The ghostly light, tinted purple and midnight blue, curled around her legs, tickling her.

"I'm going to be the goodest girl in the whole world," she breathed to herself. Suddenly this was the most important thing in her life. Nothing else mattered except that she be good. "I promise!"

Zelda stopped short as a swirl of myriad light appeared above her head. She waited patiently as the whirlpool of colour steadied itself, forming into the face of a young man with a cruel glint in his eye. The little Princess frowned. She was sure she should remember this person. He was a...a...a nobleman! A young man! And he'd come to the Palace when she was just...fifteen? That couldn't be right. She wasn't even fifteen now! Zelda sighed – why was her mind all muddled up?

"Lock the door behind you, Princess," the young nobleman said, his voice husky. There was a feverish look to his face and a film of sweat glistened on his skin. "We can play...we'd be quick, no-one would know."

"No, thank you," little Zelda said matter-of-factly. She didn't quite understand what the young man wanted, but knew she didn't want to be a part of it. "I'm a good girl."

"Oh, come now," the nobleman went on, as though he hadn't heard her. "Surely you don't think I have any bad intentions, do you?"

The little Princess looked up thoughtfully. "You look bad," she declared. "I don't like bad people."

Anger flashed on the man's face. "And what if I make you, hmm? What then?"

Little Zelda's fists curled. "You look like you want to hurt people!" She was shrieking in her tiny voice. "I'm going to stop all bad people like you! I promise!"

There was a flash of light and then the Princess found a short, stubby sword in her hand.

"Hey, come now," the nobleman said. "There's no need for-"

Zelda waved the sword in a furiously wild flutter. There was a crack of glass from above, then a scream and when she looked up next the young nobleman was gone. All she could hear were unfamiliar voices asking her what was going on, and asking after her well-being. She didn't even pause to think about what had just happened. Dropping the weapon, Zelda turned away, then trotted down the last flight of stairs. Slowing down, her hand flying to her chest, the little Princess gasped as she spied a man huddled on the ground at the foot of the staircase. She gingerly took a few steps towards him and. after satisfying herself that it wasn't the young nobleman, she peered down in concern.

"Are you hurt?" she said. The man groaned in response and, without even thinking about it, Zelda's mouth curved down into a sympathetic frown. Crouching, she pushed with all her strength until she managed to turn him over. Blond hair and blue eyes gazed back at her. Zelda blinked. "I think I know you... Her head hurt. "...do I?"

The man pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Could you pull this thorn from my foot? I hurt my arms and can't reach."

The Princess gazed down at the man's injured limb, then grimaced as she saw the large, blood-soaked stake that was peeking out from his boot. "Oh, dear!" she gasped, wincing in sympathy.

Curling both her tiny hands around the stick she pulled and pulled until she finally fell on her rear when it came free. She looked at the stake with disgust, then threw it away. It clattered in the darkness.

"Thank you," the man said. "You're truly very kind."

Zelda felt her cheeks burn and so she cast her gaze at the ground. As the man slowly staggered to his feet, the Princess stood up, too, reaching out to steady him. "Where am I?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Princess Zelda," the man said, smiling. He seemed to have completely healed in just a heartbeat. "I think I owe you an explanation."

The Princess blinked. "You know my name."

The man with the blond hair and blue eyes said nothing. He reached into a pouch on his belt, pulled free a green hat, then set it upon his head. "Welcome," he said, glancing back at her with a wink, "to my mind."

"Your mind?" The little Princess shuffled forward as the man began to walk on.

"Yes...yes. This, everything you see around you, is a construct of my mind."

Zelda looked around uncertainly. "This horrible darkness?"

The man threw back his head and laughed. "Ah...no...well, yes. I haven't actually got around to decorating the place yet." He looked at her again, a wry grin on his face. "You see, this is my home away from home. The only people I let in here are those who wish to come in, and those whom I invite."

"Invite?" Her already tiny voice sounded even more diminutive in the vast, churning gloom.

"Yes." The man cleared his throat noisily. "Via a...ah...special serum."

Poison. The word burned into the Princess' mind. She didn't understand what it meant fully, but something dark clawed at her heart and memories. He poisoned you and brought you here.

And then as soon as it had appeared, another thought forced its way into her mind: Poison? Don't be silly. It's just your imagination. He's a good man.

Stopping short, the man spun around on his heels gracefully. "Here," he said. "I have power. Here, I – well, let me show you." He stepped aside. Zelda shrank back in fear as an immense cloaked figure stood there, its face skeletal, one bony hand curled around a weapon that was topped off with a curved half-moon ring of steel.

"What is that?" the Princess asked, her voice hushed. "Who is that?"

"This, my dear," the man replied ominously, his eyes dark, "is the Big Grim."

She looked at him, her own eyes wide. "The Big Grim?"

"Death himself."

Little Princess Zelda looked from the Big Grim to the man and then back to the Big Grim again. She scrunched her eyes up as she stared and stared and – "No, it's not," she said. "It's just a Stalfos dressed up in a cloak and holding a scy-...a scy-...a sharp thing." She giggled in relief as the Big Grim had the grace to look away, abashed. "Silly pumpkinhead!"

The man smiled. "I can see that nothing can get past you, my dear." He snapped his fingers and the Big Grim vanished. Seeing Zelda gasp, he smiled again. "Oh, don't worry. Like I said, it is I who is in control here." He snapped his fingers once more and a banquet table laden with fruits and sweets sprang out of the murky shadow. Two chairs slid out from the table. "Come, sit."

After a moment of trepidation, Zelda sat herself down – and found that she was a fully-grown adult once again. She gazed down at herself, saw that she was dressed in her old Sheikah garb, sans the mask.. "What...?"

"All in good time, my love," the man replied. He smiled as the Princess looked up at him with a frown. "But we haven't been properly introduced. You, of course, are the fair Princess Zelda while I..." Another more nervous smile ghosted across his face. "I am Link, Hero of Time."

A knot of pain throbbed over Zelda's brow. "Link...?" she whispered. "I know that name..."

"Sssh..." the man who called himself Link replied. Zelda swallowed as she waited for him to continue. He was gazing at her with such intensity that eventually she had to look away. "Let me explain." He leaned back in his chair. "As you know from experience, there are worlds upon worlds in every reality – worlds which are exact copies of the world we call home, save for minute differences, worlds with other Links and other Zeldas. I understand that you yourself have travelled through a few."

Had she? The dull throb in her head became a spike of pure needle-like pain. It sounded familiar, but she just couldn't remember.

Seeing that she wasn't going to reply, Link went on. "I am from one of those worlds. In my...reality...I committed a terrible terrible crime, something I'm dearly sorry for now, something I have truly atoned for me, believe me. My punishment was that I was to be sent into the very distant past – it worked, save that I had to flee and, as I did so, I found a crystal that acted as a portal between worlds. They sent me back, but not as far as they would have liked – I stopped at a certain time period thanks to my crystal and then I jumped from place to place, from one reality to another, from one time to another time...until I came here." He looked around him, his expression thoughtful. "This Hyrule...for some reason, here I only exist within my mind, while in other places, I existed as a physical person." He glanced at her. "No, don't try to think about, I can't make sense of it myself." His eyes glistened as he smiled. "Here within my mind is everything that I need – me, the crystal...and now, you."

"Me?"

Link smiled once more, reaching over to take her hand in his. He began to stroke her skin and Zelda had to fight the urge to pull away – his touch was ice-cold and, besides, it didn't feel right. If only she just knew exactly why.

"I've watched you in my travels," Link said slowly with a lick of his lips. His leaned in close as his voice dropped. Zelda kept her back straight and her gaze level, though all she wanted to do was run. "It's true that all the Zeldas I've encountered have a share of that purity that makes you all unique. But you...you..." He shook his head. "Do you know how rare it is for a person to dedicate themselves not to the fulfilment of their own needs, but simply to just lead a virtuous life? Do you know how precious it is? You, Zelda, are a precious jewel..."

"Oh!" She was flattered despite her misgivings.

A pained expression crossed the man's face and, strangely enough, Zelda found herself wincing inwardly with pity. He clearly wanted to say something, but didn't know how to. "You..." he said. "You're the...the..."

The words came to her lips, unbidden. "The goodest?"

Link laughed. "Yes...you're the 'best', indeed." His gaze grew intense again. "And this is why I need you, my dear. I love you. Come into this darkness and spread your light." His eyes were pleading now, his voice insistent. "Let yourself fall into my embrace."

A whisper of disquiet flitted through the Princess' head. She'd heard those words before. She'd heard that voice before. Had it been this Link who had been interfering in her dreams?

And then another thought came to her: What dreams? What words? What voice?

Zelda looked up at him and almost gasped. So close to her, his face seemed to be illuminated, radiant, his features so handsome that, in spite of herself, she felt heat rise to her face, her heart thumping.

"Do you know why I love you?" Link asked.

Zelda heard herself reply in a breathless whisper. "Why?"

"Because, my love, you truly are the most honourable, honest and virtuous person that has ever lived. I need you. I need you. I'll fill your life with a love that will lift you into the clouds and will never let you down."

Zelda's mouth went completely dry. There was nothing now. Nothing except her and this beautiful stranger, this man who promised to love her simply because she was good. Tears came to her eyes. "I...I don't know..."

"I'll love you like no other."

"There is no other." She blinked. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong with what she'd just said.

The man called Link moved away from her and Zelda almost whimpered, sadness flooding her heart. "You don't have any children, do you?" he asked. When she shook her head, he said, "Then look what I've brought for you."

His smile widened into a grin and, from the shadows, a gaggle of young Hylian children ran out, laughing and squealing as they surrounded her chair. "Stay with us!" one of them said. "We love you, Princess!" said another.

Zelda gazed around at all the smiling faces and she felt her heart catch in her chest. "I...I don't know what to..."

Link fixed her with shining eyes. "You'd be so loved here that you won't need anyone or anything else. Look! I brought one of your friends!" He gestured up to a golden cage hanging at a distance where, inside, a solitary Fairy lay slumped against the bars. The Fairy saw Zelda and gasped. "Hey!" she said. "Princess! We have to-"

"Who is-"

Link snapped his fingers and the Fairy's voice vanished, though her lips kept on going. "One of my associates found her," he said. He took Zelda's hand once again, raised it to his lips and left the tiniest hint of a kiss. "Oh, and don't worry about her name, it'll come back to you, I promise."

Zelda gazed at the cage, her heart wanting to savour both the touch of his lips on her hand and the laughs of the children, her mind protesting. "Why is she imprisoned?"

Link cleared his throat. "We must hurry, Princess," he said, ignoring her question. "My enemy – a bad man – is coming."

Zelda, trying to split her attention between Link and the children, blinked up at him. "What does he want?"

"He has two purposes. One, he wishes to take some treasure from me, and two, he wishes to split us apart, to destroy our love."

"Don't let him do that!" one of the children cried, his face anguished.

"Stay here with us!" another added, tears in her eyes.

Zelda swallowed. Every inch of her soul wanted to relent, to give in and let herself be swallowed by the whirlpool of love that tugged at her – and yet, there was one small corner of her deepest self that stood up in protest. Something was amiss here. Something was wrong. "What," she said, "is this treasure that you speak of?"

Link gestured dismissively. "It is nothing, my love. Don't trouble yourself over it."

"Can I see it?"

"No." She almost jumped at the abruptness in his voice. Seeing her discomfort, Link smiled and softened his voice. "Come, my love. You said it yourself, there is no other. Choose...do you wish to stay or go? Choose." He began stroking her hand again and she noted once again at how ice-cold his touch was. "I'm just like you, my love. All I wanted...was to do good and be loved."

A sudden memory seared into the Princess' mind. A voice from the past, a voice that said: The only reason you bother to help other people is so that you can feel good about yourself. That isn't true righteousness! She almost flinched at the anger in that voice and yet, at the same time, a part of her yearned to look deep past the anger, to look at the pain that had caused such bitterness and then smother it so that the person – whoever it was – could become whole once again. Become the person she always knew he was.

Zelda blinked. He?

"Choose, my love," Link said. "Forget the promptings of your thoughts. These are just doubts to waylay you from the path of true happiness. You'll be happy here. You can take care of the children and do good here. You'll be loved. You'll do good and be loved. Choose, my darling, choose."

The Princess looked from the children's smiling, beaming faces, their eyes pleading, to Link's handsome and confident demeanour. She felt the children clutch at her tunic as though they could physically make her stay. She felt Link's gaze upon her, felt the yearning and love that burned in his eyes.

Zelda smiled. And when she opened her mouth to reply, the man who called himself Link could do nothing else but grin.