A note from the Hime no Argh herself—

Many thanks to everyone reading and reviewing, and for the kind offers to beta. The Inimitable, a friend of mine from my forum, will be beta'ing this fiction from now on. One of my reviewers, whose left his/her name as Some Say The World Will End, had this to say: "Please say this will be an lz!" I'm not familiar with that term—what exactly is an 'lz'?

Hailfire Sano asked if Link will get the Master Sword in this fic. I certainly don't mind answering any questions you might have, so please feel free to ask them in your reviews, but some questions concerning Fallen Prophecy I won't answer because they might reveal spoilers. So I won't be saying anything just yet on the subject of the Master Sword. Keep reading and maybe you'll find out. :)

This chapter is the last of the previously-posted material. From Chapter 4 onward will be brand-new, never-before-seen plotty goodness.

Chapter 3

Prophecy

The peace talks were not going well. Link didn't need to be privy to them to see that. Friendly contests between Gerudo warriors and Hylian knights and soldiers suddenly weren't so friendly. More and more warriors on both sides were hurt trying to outdo each other in practice or combat. Perhaps worried about their conflicts with the Hylian soldiers and knights, the army captains cleared out a barrack and moved the Gerudo there, but the fights continued. Pavel, the captain of Ganondorf's company, authorized the Gerudos' use of army healers, but few Gerudo took advantage of the offer. They were a proud race dedicated to a fighter's way of life, warrior stoics who believed that strength lay in the ability to endure pain. Link admired their dedication.

They watched Ganondorf. Link knew his friend saw it, but predictably ignored it. Link couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Anyone who looked at him knew his heritage. In the north Gerudo were widely regarded as the lowest sort of bandits and entirely worthy of mistrust; many Hylians openly hated them. Ganondorf had spent years disassociating himself with his own race, and for all that and his loyalty to the Hylian king, he was still only a foot soldier in the army. Link thought it was unjust, and he knew Zelda did, too, but there was little they could do to change the deeply rooted opinions of many Hylians.

Zelda, too, had a lot to complain about. Ignoring her father's restriction, she snuck out of the palace nearly every night to join Link and Ganondorf and report on the peace talks, but there was little to discuss. Zelda herself was privy to only half the discussions, those about less important topics such as crop tallies and intermarriages. The talks of real issues, like border disputes, she was kept out of.

The border between the desert and Hyrule Field was one of the most important and most hotly disputed issues between the Gerudo and the Hylians. The Hyrulean Treaty stated that the northern portion of Hyrule Field, including the northwest sector which bordered the desert, belonged to Hylia, while the south was uncharted and unexplored land. The Kokiri, Gorons, and Sheikah, self-sufficient races, had no need for a portion of the field in which to grow crops, but the Gerudo had very few food sources in the desert. As part of the treaty, the Gerudo paid tariffs for a portion of Hyrule Field's crops, but lately the Gerudo were neglecting their taxes and eyeing the western sector of Hyrule Field with too much interest for Hylia's comfort. If they decided to attempt to break the border, it would mean war.

Kept out of the border talks, Zelda had no way of knowing how they progressed, and nothing to report to Link and Ganondorf. The kingdom waited with bated breath for the outcome of the discussions. Could the Gerudo make peace with the king, or would the talks end in war?

"Goddesses, I am sick of these banquets," Zelda snapped, her back turned to Impa as the Sheikah laced the bodice of a lavender gown. The princess wove ribbons through her pale hair, staring unhappily at her reflection in the mirror. "Another dinner companion, and he and I will undoubtedly be seated too far from my father and the ambassadors to catch a single word. I cannot even ask how the talks are going, never mind that I should be privy to them. All of them."

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Impa said tartly, giving the laces a particularly hard jerk. "You're the princess, aren't you? The same one who wants to be queen? Then what are you pouting for? Demand to be included in the talks. It's your right, isn't it?"

Zelda stared at her reflection, momentarily silenced. "Maybe," she said quietly at last. "But Impa, you don't understand. I cannot push my father. He has already—" She stopped and shook her head.

Impa sighed and turned Zelda to face her, tugging at a few strands of hair until they weren't in the princess's eyes. "He's already what? Go on, girl, I'm not about to bite your head off."

Zelda smiled wryly. "A month ago my father caught me in the weapons room with a practice sword in hand. I was merely hefting the weight. Mother said that in the Saman Highlands, women as well as men are trained to use swords, to protect their honor against rapists."

"So are Sheikah," Impa pointed out, adding dryly, "though our methods of defense are probably somewhat different from what you'd think."

"Sheikah are very odd," Zelda said fervently, and yelped as Impa tugged her hair. "Anyway—stop that!—my father was very angry. He said that women don't use weapons in this kingdom; it's shameful. He reminded me that there has never yet been a sole female sovereign of the Hylian Kingdom. That's when the suitors began coming."

"And?"

Zelda sighed. "Don't you see, Impa? If I'm not careful around my father—if I really make him angry someday—he might marry me off after all."

Impa took over the ribbon-weaving. "Why is your father so dead-set against his daughter succeeding him, anyway?"

"Perhaps it is not that he doubts my ability to rule," Zelda said fairly. "Perhaps it is that he doubts his subjects' willingness to accept me as ruler."

"He's wrong," Impa said decidedly. "There will always be some that won't like you, that's true. You can't win them all. But this kingdom knows you nearly as well as they know the king. They know that you're fair, just, and smart. You have the commoners' confidence because you spend so much time among them. And when you were born, Kylint, the Kakariko headman, heard the shadows welcome you. The Sheikah will support you, at least."

Zelda gaped at her bodyguard. "How do you know all this?"

"I listen. It's amazing what you'll hear when people pretend you aren't there. They go out of their way to ignore the presence of a Sheikah." Impa rolled her eyes.

"Because they're afraid. Your people could try to be less strange. I'm not sure that the Sheikah's support will be of any use to me." Zelda turned to scrutinize herself once more in the mirror. "I feel stupid and useless," she said crossly, "helplessly wondering whether war with the Gerudo will actually occur."

"Go to the banquet," Impa advised. "There'll be an interesting guest there that you should meet." The Sheikah hesitated. "Can you sneak out of the palace tonight?"

"I always do. Why?"

Zelda realized that her bodyguard was very tense. "There's someone else who wants to meet you. I don't like the idea. But he might be of use to you."

Zelda stared at the Sheikah, curiosity piqued. "Whom?"

Impa shook her head. "Not now. Just meet me in the Temple of Time at ten o'clock tonight."

When Zelda saw who was at dinner tonight, her jaw dropped. Link waited beside the doors to the Great Hall, dressed in his finest green tunic and white hose. He grinned at her when she approached, obviously amused by her surprise.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you," Zelda whispered when she was at his side, "but what in Din's name are you doing here?"

"Your dad sent me an invitation," he replied, gazing with interest at the couples filing by through the open doors. "Lin says it's a really good sign. She says he was impressed by my fight against that Gerudo. He might be considering me as a White Knight after all."

"Yes, but why invite you to supper?" Zelda asked impatiently.

Link grinned at her. "I'm your guest. I get to keep your suitors at arm's length, and you get to help me be on my best behavior. I wouldn't want the king to think my conduct is unbecoming of a White Knight."

Zelda liked that arrangement. "Well, Impa did say there'd be an interesting guest tonight."

Link frowned. "How would Impa know I'd be here?"

"She's a Sheikah. She knows everything. Now give me your arm and escort me to my seat."

"Right away, milady."

The arrangement was perfect. Noblemen's sons kept a polite distance when they saw she was already occupied by a male companion, and she didn't need to worry about keeping her dinner partner politely occupied. Zelda and Link entertained themselves with wicked observations of the Hylian court.

"This is the best dinner I've had in a long time," Zelda said happily. "I'm going to tell my father that I simply love your company. He'll think we're halfway to engagement and seat me with you every night."

"You mean we're not halfway to engagement?" Link inquired. He sighed in mock disappointment. "To think of all those lonely nights I've wasted…"

Zelda elbowed him, grinning. "Too bad Ganondorf isn't here. I bet he'd enjoy it."

"Would he?" Link asked dryly. "Everyone would probably be staring at him and whispering."

"No one's staring and whispering at the ambassadors," Zelda pointed out, though she knew he was right.

Nebakh and Farim sat at the king's right hand, conversing intently with the queen. Zelda stared at them in silence for a moment, wishing she knew what they were talking about.

"You need a spy," Link remarked, interpreting her silence correctly.

Zelda blinked at him. "A spy?"

"Yeah. You know, someone to infiltrate the peace talks and report back to you."

"Hylia doesn't have a spymaster. Even if it did, the spies would report to my father. There's no one daring or skilled enough to spy on the king himself," Zelda said dismissively. "Though it would certainly be useful."

After supper, the court moved into a ballroom off the side of the Great Hall. Pages and footmen moved among the crowd, offering drinks and light desserts, while musicians played softly in a side gallery. "Now we make small talk and drink to each other's health," Zelda said dryly. "Popular topics include the latest fashions and who is sharing whose bed."

Link winced. "You do this every night?"

"Almost. It's enough to make you want to tear your hair out."

To Zelda's acute relief, her mother found them before anyone else could. "Good evening, Master Link," she greeted the knight courteously as he bowed.

"Good evening, Your Majesty."

Leona smiled at her daughter. "Dare I say it? You look rather as though you're enjoying yourself."

"I am, Mother," Zelda replied airily. "Link is fascinating company."

"She flatters me, Your Majesty," Link added, pretending to blush.

Leona grinned, white teeth flashing against scarlet lips. "Save that act for my lord. We have an interesting guest tonight from Kakariko, would you two like to meet her?"

"From Kakariko?" Zelda echoed. "A Sheikah?"

Leona shrugged. "Perhaps. I wouldn't know for sure. She calls herself Fallen."

Link and Zelda stared at each other, shocked. Leona didn't seem to notice. "Come, let's not keep her waiting."

"Do you think it's her?" Zelda asked Link in a low voice as they followed her mother through the crowd.

"Got to be," Link muttered. "Who else could it be?"

"Why is she here?" Zelda wondered aloud. "What does she want?"

When they saw the tall, starkly beautiful woman at King Harkinian's side, there was no doubt. Her eyes had changed—they were a sharp, dark brown instead of pure white—but there was no mistaking the jet-black hair or pale, intensely beautiful face. She wore a dark, plain shift and her hair fell to her waist, unlike most females of the court, who pinned theirs atop their heads.

Harkinian nodded as they approached. Link bowed; Zelda curtsied. "Daughter, Master Link, this is Fallen. The Sheikah Impa introduced her to us. She is a fortune teller, it seems."

Fallen looked at all of them in turn, her eyes resting the longest on Link and Zelda's faces. "I shall peer into your eyes and see what future fate weaves for you. Her Majesty first," she said with a slight bow to Queen Leona.

"It would be an insult to refuse," Zelda muttered to Link as Leona approached.

Fallen merely glanced into Leona's eyes before announcing, "You know your fate already, lady. Nothing I say will change it." She beckoned to the king.

"Whisper your fortune, please," the king requested. Fallen complied, gazing into Harkinian's eyes for a few moments, then bending slightly—she was taller than even the king—to whisper in his ear. When Harkinian stepped back, Zelda could not read the expression on his face. She wondered what he had heard.

Fallen glanced between Link and Zelda. "Your fates are intertwined. I must gaze into you together."

She looked for a long time at Link, then turned her gaze to Zelda. A faraway look appeared suddenly in her dark eyes. Slowly the dark shade of her iris and pupil faded away, leaving her eyes white once again.

The woman went rigid, limbs trembling slightly. She opened her mouth and spoke in a voice that tolled through the ballroom like a great bell.

"As the first century in the Age of the Goddesses wanes three shall appear, and they will be the best of friends. The north will be plagued by malady; they will die in the streets of the castle town. The west against the north shall rise, and the land torn asunder by war. At this time the three will be strongest in their union. One will take power and lead the north in battle against the west. But rejoice not at the end of these dark days, for it is but the calm before the storm."

The great, ringing voice abruptly stopped, leaving utter silence in its wake. Color slowly returned to her eyes as Fallen swayed where she stood. Then her knees gave way and she fell into Link's arms.

The ballroom burst into sound, voices rising and falling in nervous chatter. People stood in groups, eyes wide as they spoke to one another. The king and queen stood off to the side; Harkinian's face was red and Leona was talking softly and quickly, her hand on his arm, calming him. Farim whispered in her headsister's ear; Nebakh's glittering eyes were fixed on the king.

Link and Zelda stood alone in the confusion, staring down at the limp, unconscious Fallen. Link looked up at Zelda, wonder in his open face. "She's feather light. Like she's hollow inside. Like a porcelain doll."

"Well," Zelda said stupidly, "I think it's safe to say she isn't Sheikah."

The king finally took notice of them; he was at their side in an instant, hefting Fallen's slight weight from Link's arms and calling for a healer. His clear, firm voice restored some semblance of order to the ballroom. Lords and ladies crowded around the king and prophet as a healer rushed forward. No one noticed Link and Zelda slip quietly out of the ballroom.

They hurried through the halls of the palace, all but empty save for a lone servant or two, heading in the direction from which they came. Important news blew through the palace like wind; probably nearly everyone knew of Fallen's prophecy already.

"Well, she certainly put the fox among the chickens," Link muttered as they strode purposefully through the red-carpeted corridors. "You think she really saw the future back there?"

"Undoubtedly," Zelda said grimly. "That was no party trick. There was a power inside her. I heard it. I felt it."

Link nodded. "Now I do wish Ganondorf had been there. If what she said was true, war with the Gerudo is practically inevitable."

They halted at the foot of the double staircases in the Great Foyer. "You'd better go tell Ganondorf what we heard tonight," Zelda advised, checking the watch chain. It was nearly ten. "I have to meet Impa in the Temple of Time."

"What for?"

"There's someone who wants to meet me, she says."

Link gripped her arm before she could move away. "Zelda—that 'interesting guest' Impa spoke of. She wasn't talking about me, was she?"

Zelda smiled wryly. "Mother did say Fallen came from Kakariko. Let me go, Link, I'm going to be late."

The two parted ways, Link to the barracks to talk to Ganondorf, Zelda to the road to the Temple of Time. When she arrived she found Impa outside the temple, leaning against the doors. The Sheikah glanced up as Zelda approached, then looked away.

"He's inside. I want you to know that I had nothing to do with this. It was Kylint's doing." Impa stood aside to let Zelda pass. Thoroughly perplexed by Impa's words and manner, the princess entered the silent temple.

To be continued.