Chapter 2: Her Mission

A young woman with long, light brown hair stood before the throne of the High Lord Magnan, ruler of Hyrule. She wore a brown tunic over a light gray blouse and gray leggings. Her feet were shod in knee-high brown boots and there was a bow strung across her back. Her keen gray eyes were fixed on the grizzled features of the sorcerer. She knew him well enough to know that even when he was silent, he was weaving some sort of spell through the air. She felt his magick like a thick fog as she stood there before his throne, waiting for him to speak. His speckled black and white beard was trimmed well and his black hair was also well kept. He looked the part of High Lord, but the woman knew much better.

Suddenly, with a short laugh, the High Lord stood and put his arms out in a welcoming gesture.

"Elise! It has been far too long! Forgive my silence; I was meditating on something quite unsettling. Please, relax and tell me how you have been." Elise sighed and shook her head, expression never changing. She seemed like a very serious and stern young woman, her eyes revealing a cold heart.

"Magnan," Elise inwardly grinned at the way the man flinched when she said his name. "You know very well how I have been. I know that you have had your men following me for years. Don't take me for a fool." Magnan laughed, running a few fingers through his beard.

"I guess I underestimated your skills, Elise. I am sorry, but you must understand my caution. I just need to know that I can trust you." His deep brown eyes dug into Elise's thoughts and she felt his magick again, desperately trying to enter her mind and know what she was thinking. She threw up a barrier spell and pushed him out of her mind. That trick may have worked when she was younger, but she was a much stronger mage now. Magnan's brow furrowed, but he kept his oily smile on his face. Elise let a cold smile onto her lips and her pretty face looked much better as such. Magnan sighed and sat, looking suddenly pensive and worried.

Elise normally would not have cared what the man was thinking, but he had summoned her for a reason and she wanted to know. She also wanted to get away from him and his magicks before her power failed her.

"What is bothering you? I sense your apprehension." Elise spoke in a low voice, attempting to keep her words private from the two guards stationed on the other end of the throne room. Magnan raised his dark eyes to her and he sighed again.

"Elise, you know how hard I have worked for this seat of power in Hyrule. You know how passionate I am about serving the people and seeing them all happy, yes?" Elise snorted and crossed her arms, knowing that was an out and out lie. She nodded him on, disbelief glowing in her eyes. Magnan's eyes lit up, realizing that there was no fooling his trusted servant. With a single gesture he sent the guards away. The immense doors of the throne room boomed closed behind them and Magnan stepped down off his dias. He fixed Elise with an unsettlingly mysterious stare before he stepped to the nearest window.

"I do not know how many years I spent in my home in the Cold Mountains wishing I was as powerful as I am now. I worked so hard for so many years, Elise. You know that; you were there for some of them." Elise tensed slightly, not wanting him to get sentimental on her.

"I took my time, however, strengthening my powers and looking for a perfect opportunity. That upstart of a Gerudo thief set my plans back a few years when he started all that trouble with the Sacred Realm and the Triforce. Then the Hero of Time arose and I thought I was done for." Magnan turned back towards Elise, a sad expression on his strong face. He looked almost like he was a real person, like he experienced emotions such as sadness or regret. Elise knew that this was not true, however, and did not react. Magnan swiftly continued his tale.

"After the boy defeated and banished Ganon, he disappeared and I was grateful beyond words. I swiftly set my plans and took action. The King of Hyrule was no easy victim, however, and he is not dead as many have assumed." Elise gasped, kicking herself for reacting to this news. She had suspected that Magnan had staged the whole death of the king thing just to gain power, but he was actually admitting it. How surprising. Magnan chuckled evilly.

"Yes, the King lives, but not in a physical form. I reduced him into energy and have stored him in this gem." He reached into his rich purple robes and pulled out a glowing, deep red gem set in a golden claw. Elise's spine tingled when she saw it, sensing the life within it keenly. Her mind picked up on the cries for help the King was uttering and she inwardly shuddered. What a horrible fate that would be, she thought. Magnan replaced the gem in his robes and cleared his throat.

Elise's mind was racing; did the High Lord do the same thing to the powerful Zelda? Magnan sighed and shook his head, having read her mind.

"No, Zelda disappeared on her own and I regret that. I worry about her return everyday. However, that is not what has been bothering me nor is it the reason I summoned you here." He turned and stepped back to his throne. He settled into his throne and rested his elbows on his knees. He lowered his chin onto his hands and closed his eyes. Elise felt his energy reach past her and out into the world. She felt him inviting her to come with him and she closed her eyes, joining her energy with his. In her mind's eye, she saw the expansive rolling fields of Hyrule stretching out away from the Castle Town. She saw the Kokiri in the banishment and she saw a single fairy bouncing around near the exit of the entire forest. Thinking that odd, Elise allowed herself to be pulled along with Magnan's probe of magicks further.

Elise now saw a horse, tall and strong standing just outside the Castle Town, tossing her head and whinnying softly. Her rider, having just dismounted, was speaking to her in a low voice. Elise didn't recognize the words, but the voice sent her mind reeling. She couldn't see the man's face but her senses were going insane. The power rippling off of him, even in her mind's eye, was enough to send chills down her spine. Could it be? Had he returned? Was that…

"Yes, it is the Hero of Time. He has returned to Hyrule." Magnan spoke and broke the trance, sending Elise stumbled when she returned to her body. Gasping and heaving in a few breaths before even opening her eyes, Elise tried to calm herself down. She hadn't expected this to be the reason Magnan had brought her from the Mountains to help him. Shuddering, she wrapped her arms around herself and steeled herself for what Magnan was going to say next.

"Elise, I know he is powerful and I know he is a threat. I also know that you are much more powerful than you yourself know. Besides, when your mother brought you to me, she left me a gift to give to you when you reached this age." Elise's eyes widened at the mention of her mother. The dark High Lord reached into his robes again, but this time the gem he drew out was strung on a silver chain. It was a beautiful gem, roughly the size of a walnut, bearing the coloration of freshly churned butter. Elise dropped her arms to her sides and felt the energy pouring off the gem awakening a deeper dimension of her powers. She took a step towards the man who had raised her and towards that gem.

"Elise, this gem is a very powerful and influential gem. I thought they had been lost until your mother brought this one to me. This is the Gem of Wind, one of the Gems of Power. These Gems would make me all-powerful, Elise, and I want you to find all the Guardians of the Gems and bring them to me. They are the key to unlocking the power within the Gems. Guard this well, Elise, and bring me the other five Gems of Power." Elise took the gem and slipped the chain over her head. Immediately, she felt the power within it rush through her body, filling her with spells and enchantments to control the winds of the world. Magnan smiled and bowed his head to her. She decided she was going to ignore the fact that he was sending out all sorts of bad vibes. She also decided that she should go explore her new powers fully.

As she turned to leave, Magnan barked an order at her to stop. She did so and turned, feeling his cold, harsh magick holding her still.

"Elise, that is not all. I need you to do something else for me. I need you to kill the Hero of Time."