The Truth

Gunda shifted nervously under Nabooru's intense glare. "I… he…" she began.

"Don't bother trying to explain yourself," Nabooru interrupted. "I am absolutely appalled at you, Gunda."

Gunda suddenly straightened her back and held her chin up high. "I don't know why you're so surprised. We have been worshipping our Lord Ganondorf for years behind your back. Now, at last, we have been discovered. So… how did you find out anyway?"

"Oh, I have my sources," Nabooru told her. "Do you think I simply ignore my people and lounge around the temple all day long or something? I have always managed to keep an eye on what's going on outside. I should have imprisoned you long ago, when you first started acting up."

"You traitor," Gunda hissed. "The ancient laws set by our ancestors specifically ordered that we always remain loyal to the one King. You defied Lord Ganondorf, and now look what has happened! He is gone, and we are without a king!"

"What is your point, Gunda? We can manage by ourselves perfectly fine while we wait for the next king to be born."

"Yes, so you can betray him as well!" Gunda cried. "We could have ruled all of Hyrule had it not been for you joining that wretched boy against our king! I will never, ever forgive you for that! Never!" She continued to spit out threats as she was led away.

Nabooru turned and rolled her eyes. "Break my heart," she muttered. After a moment she glanced at me and hurriedly rushed over and knelt beside me.

"You all right, kid?" she asked me, brushing me off and looking me over. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" she added with a hint of anger in her voice as she examined me.

"Nah," I replied, shaking my head and puffing my chest out. It was painfully obvious that I was trying to look tough. She snickered and ruffled my hair playfully.

"You a tough guy, huh?" she teased, giving me a playful punch on the arm.

"Yeah," I replied proudly, lifting my arm and flexing to show my muscles, or in my case, lack there of. "Just like my father," I said without thought, thinking about all the stories my mother had told me about my father. Then I suddenly recalled what the Gerudo rebels had said about my father. Could they be telling the truth?

When I glanced at Nabooru, I noticed that her smile had vanished and she was now studying me with a concerned look.

"Well, we better get you home, Highness," she said quickly, smiling weakly. "And don't worry about them," she added, gesturing toward the other Gerudo rebel women, now surrounded by Nabooru's Gerudo guards. "They will be punished for what they have done, I assure you."

She held my hand and walked me out to their stables, where they kept their fine Gerudo black stallions. She saddled one up, and we were off. The midnight blue sky was beginning to lighten, and by the time we were approaching the castle gates, the sun was peeking out over the horizon. I suddenly felt extremely exhausted from the day's events, and I dozed off, only to be awakened by my mother's shrieks of joy.

Nabooru hopped off the horse and helped me down. I turned to see my mother, tears streaming down her face. Link stood behind her, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He wore the same stern expression that he always had, even in times like these.

"Oh, Goddesses," Mother gasped. "Kiran!" She ran to me, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around me tightly. "Oh, my darling. I was so worried." She hastily stroked my head and showered me with kisses.

"Thank you, Nabooru," I heard Link say. "This means so much to us."

She grinned slyly. "Ah, no problem, Link. Don't worry about it."

"Yes," my mother said, standing up but still clasping my hand. "Thank you so much. How can we ever repay you?"

Nabooru bowed. "I was merely doing my duty, Your Highness. And I assure you that the men and women responsible for this will be taken care of." She shook Link's hand, that impish smirk still on her face.

"Mama," I said anxiously, tugging on her sleeve. Chuckling, she turned away from Link and Nabooru's conversation and bent down to my height, smiling through her tears.

"Yes, honey?"

"One of the Gerudo ladies said that Ganondorf was my father," I told her bluntly.

I saw her suddenly stiffen, her eyes widening. "Th-they told you that?" she asked, fear emanating from her eyes. I nodded.

"I got really mad and I told them that wasn't true, but they said that it was and that it was why they took me," I tried to explain.

She placed her hand on her chest and breathed heavily. "Oh, Goddesses," she whispered.

"Who is my father, Mama?" I asked, not acknowledging her clearly shocked demeanor. She did not answer - just stared as if she were reliving a nightmare.

"It's not true, is it Mama?" I asked, feeling angry and frustrated at her for not answering me.

"Link," she muttered suddenly. Her eyes widened even more. "Link!" she managed to cry out before her eyes started to roll back.

"Zelda!" Link cried, leaping to her aid. He caught her as she stumbled backwards and fainted in his arms.

"Mama!" I screamed angrily, charging at Link and clenching my hands into fists. I pummeled him, willing him to let go of my mother. I had to know the answer. I had to know.

Link stared at me indifferently as I screamed and beat him uselessly; I could not hurt him no matter how hard I tried. Suddenly, I felt strong arms grab me from behind and pick me up as if I weighed no more than a feather.

"No!" I screamed as I was carried away, squirming and kicking the entire way back into the castle, up the stairwell, and into my bedchambers. I was placed gently on the bed, and I whipped around to find Impa, the Sage of Shadow, staring back at me. I had only met with Impa on two occasions before this, when my mother had needed her for something or other. I glared at her confusedly.

"I came here to help search for you," she explained. "And to support your mother in her time of need. Now relax, Kiran. You've been through quite an ordeal." She turned away and headed for the door to give me my privacy.

Impa had been my mother's beloved caretaker when she was younger. She had protected my mother from Ganondorf and hid her from him for seven years while the Hero of Time slept. Thinking of Ganondorf suddenly reminded me of the question burning in the back of my mind.

"Wait! Impa, what's going on?" I asked her anxiously. She turned to face me, a very serious expression on her face.

"Your mother is going through a difficult time," she replied, stepping into my room. "She's remembering the past, reliving memories that she has tried hard to forget over the years."

"Huh?"

She sighed. "Do not fret, child. Your mother will be all right," she said, looking away thoughtfully.

"What about the Gerudo lady? She said that Ganondorf was my father. That can't be right." I paused, scratching my head. "Can it?" I asked.

Impa remained silent, that pensive look still on her face. After a moment, I wondered if she had even heard me.

"Impa?"

"It's true," she finally said. "Ganondorf is your biological father." I felt my heartbeat quicken. It was true?

"But... but that can't be," I protested. "Mommy hated Ganondorf. She told me-"

"She wanted to protect you," Impa interrupted. "But I think it is time for you to know the truth." She sighed and rubbed her temples, preparing herself to finally reveal something to me.

"You know that Link and your mother were in the Temple of Time when she revealed herself to him, and that Ganondorf had been waiting there and discovered her. He took her to his castle and there she remained until Link came and defeated Ganondorf. Well, in the meantime, Ganondorf... took advantage of her." Impa looked at me and lifted her eyebrows. "I know you know about the basics of the conception of a child and all that. But do you know what rape is?"

I shook my head. She explained to me briefly and cautiously what it was, and even then the mere thought of it sent shivers up my spine.

"Ganondorf did this to your mother before Link arrived at the castle," she said gravely. She shook her head. "It was a horrible deed he did. It nearly destroyed her."

My breath caught in my throat as I tried to understand what Impa was telling me. "Why?" I whispered.

She sighed. "No one really knows why. It has been assumed that he did it for his own sick pleasure, out of lust. Or perhaps he merely wished to torture her in that way." She furrowed her eyebrows and rested her chin on her hand. "But it just doesn't seem right," she said softly, almost to herself. "There must be something more..." She trailed off, shaking the thought away. "Anyway," she continued, looking at me, "she became pregnant with you, obviously."

I just stared at her as the words sunk in. Ganondorf Dragmire - the King of Evil, the single man everyone hated and feared the most - was my father?

Suddenly, everything made sense to me. The people staring at me disapprovingly, the servants avoiding me, the guards never looking me in the eyes, and the friends I never had; it was all because they knew who I was. I now knew why my mother was so uneasy whenever I asked about my father. Why I looked so different from everyone else. Why Link always avoided me.

"I'll tell your parents that you know the truth now," Impa said as she stood up. She lightly placed her hand on my shoulder. "This doesn't change anything now, Kiran.," she told me firmly. "Your mother loves you very much, and she always will because you are her child. I have to get back to the Shadow Temple now. Goodbye, Kiran." She exited the room, leaving me with innumerable questions swirling around in my young mind.

I supposed I couldn't blame anyone for treating me the way they did. After all, I was the son of the despicable Ganondorf. The thought was unfathomable to me. And if he had done that to my mother, why did she keep me? I wondered. But suddenly, a dark, ominous voice interrupted my thoughts.

Finally, you know the truth.

Terrified, I snapped my head up and looked around the room for the speaker. But no one was there. I stared at the wall for a long moment, convincing myself that I had imagined the voice. Finally, I slipped into bed and tried desperately to sleep. But the voice came to me one more time.

Finally, it can begin.

Shivering with fear, I shut my eyes tightly and prayed to the Goddesses to let me sleep.

This was some birthday, I thought.