Freedom of the King
Zelda's eyes widened in shock, and she ran past the guard at a neck-breaking pace down to the throne room. Her brother was in a chamber off to the side. He was bloody and clearly unconscious.
"What happened to him?" Zelda gasped as she grasped her brother's hand.
"He claimed that he was attacked by a bandit and that he was on his way back here to visit you Princess. However he is in bad shape. The healers don't think he will live much longer," another soldier that was tending the prince said quietly.
Zelda's eyes welled up with tears. Her brother had gotten her note after all only to be gravely injured to visit her. She stayed with him for the rest of the night, quietly talking to him and cleaning his wounds.
About two hours before dawn, Kael opened his eyes and found his sister sleeping quietly with her head on his chest.
"Zelda?" he whispered hoarsely. Zelda jerked awake and found that Kael was staring at her in wonder.
"My sister, how beautiful you have grown these past two years," he whispered gently pulling a hand through her golden hair.
"Kael, you came back," Zelda whispered, tears in her eyes. He gave her a half smile.
"I promised myself that I would see you one last time before I died. A big pig-like creature attacked me out on the plain. Conan and the others are still out there. I promised and prayed that I would see you again sister. Please forgive me," he whispered, his breathing steadily growing shallower.
"No Kael, you can't leave me. I need you brother; you are all that I have left. Dad has gone insane," Zelda sobbed.
"Sister, Father hasn't gone insane, he is just brainwashed. You must stay alive for the Hero; he will set Father free. He will come with the band of Hyrulian knights that Conan is leading and if he doesn't he will bring the sages," Kael said weakly.
"The sages? What do you mean Kael, who are the sages?" Zelda asked clutching his hand in her small one.
"May the Goddess's watch over you Zelda, be careful," He said before closing his eyes forever. Zelda's eyes welled with many tears and she grieved. She knew that the only reason she had to live know was if Ganondorf needed her for something. She only had a fragile hope for the Hero now. He should have been here by now.
Link and Kariah had left Lania in the Gerudo Fortress and were currently pushing Epona and Arden at a neck-breaking gallop. They had to make it to Hyrule City fast. Suddenly Link could hear the galloping of many hooves and he looked behind him and noticed that a band of wild horses that lived on Hyrule's plains were following them.
"The wild ones have noticed that Arden is their lord and they are following them, they will come in handy when you call upon the sages," Kariah said, using telepathy, knowing that Link wouldn't be able to hear her while they were riding at such a speed.
They started to slow down as the walls around Hyrule became visible. Soon, Kariah, Link and the wild ones were walking and Kariah turned to Link.
"Hero, it is time to call upon the sages. Hold forth six medallions, and with the Spirit of the Hero of Time, call them from the Sacred Realm," Kariah instructed, stopping Arden. Link nodded and from the bottom of his spirit, the words were bidden from his mouth.
"By the power of the Triforce of Courage, the Master Sword, and the Ocarina of Time, I am the Hero of Time, the champion of the Goddesses. I call upon the Light of Purity, the Shadows of Mystery, the Forest of Wilds, the Waters of Diversity, the Fire of Rebirth, and the Spirit of Protection, I call thee from the Sacred Realm of the Goddesses to aid me in the coming war and to free the leader of the land," Link summoned, closing his eyes and feeling the power that pulsed through the medallions laying in his hands.
"Link, look up," Kariah whispered, pointing a hand to the sky. Link's gaze followed her finger and he found that there were brilliant sets of light descending from the heavens. Soon the lights began to fall in bigger clumps of the same colours and they also began to take shape. The yellow lights took on the first physical shape. Rauru appeared out of the light, shortly followed by Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, and Nabooru.
"Sages, we now stand close to the gates of evil, we will be venturing into the castle itself. The drawbridge is closed and we have no way in at the moment. Do any of you have any suggestions?" Link asked facing the sages. They all looked at Link as though he was stupid.
"What?" Link asked indignantly, "Is it a sin to ask for help?"
"I thought that it would be easy for you to figure out how to get in there. You are the thief that was able to get into Hyrule City with no problem at all," Kariah pointed out softly. Link's eyes widened in shock, he had forgotten about being a thief, his destiny seemed to change the moment he encountered the girl in the market place, who was incidentally the princess of Hyrule. He looked at Kariah and she had a slightly sad but unreadable expression in her eyes.
"Why can't I remember?" Link shouted looking at Kariah. She held his gaze for a moment before turning away.
"The only way into Hyrule City is to jump into the River of Time and let it take you to the Temple of Time, from there you will be able to get us inside the walls. I warn you that the streets of Hyrule City have become haunted and barren. There are lost souls wandering the streets, ready to take away your soul. Be careful and we must hurry, the King is deteriorating fast," Kariah said firmly, refusing to look at him. Link muttered something incoherently and then he played the Prelude of Light.
He found himself within the halls of the Temple of Time. He quietly snuck out of the temple and found himself on the deserted streets of Hyrule City. Link hugged the shadows and slowly moved his way to the gatehouse. He kept a keen eye on the town and his eyes suspiciously followed anyone that was moving around.
He eventually made it to the gatehouse and to his utter surprise, there was nobody guarding the mechanism that lowered the bridge. He kicked the latch free and with a groan the bridge fell open.
Kariah led the six sages on the backs of the wild ones and Epona through the gate. Link rushed out of the gatehouse and swung up onto Epona's back and they all galloped towards the castle.
Zelda was still sitting beside Kael's still form when Ganondorf entered the room.
"My dear Zelda, what has happened?" Ganondorf asked, sugar coating his words. Zelda however wasn't fooled.
"You should know, it was your minions that destroyed him," Zelda retorted bitterly. Ganondorf moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. Zelda flinched slightly at the contact.
"It's alright little flower, your father and brother will meet in the same realm soon. If you would like to join them you can," Ganondorf said silkily gently caressing the golden locks that fell around Zelda's face. Her sapphire eyes were still glistening with tears, but they hardened and she pulled away and left the room in disgust.
She made her way to her room and out onto the balcony. The clouds above warned that foul weather was on the way. She frowned but there was nothing she could do about the death cloud that seemed to make its berth above the castle. With a sigh of despair, Zelda turned her gaze to Hyrule City that had long been mostly deserted. The first thing that she noticed was that the sky to the south was finally clear and the field was returning to life. She noticed that the clouds started at the battlements that surrounded the city and the castle. Next she noticed that something was approaching the castle on horseback. She counted eight riders and a sudden fear distressed her. If it was her cousin Conan he would be killed at the gates, and if it was the Hero, he too was in grave danger. She watched them for a few moments before she was able to make out the physical appearance of the lead rider.
Link glanced up as they rode to the castle and for a brief moment his azure orbs were looking to into the fearful sapphire ones of the princess. He gave a slight nod that he had acknowledged her and then he returned his gaze to the gate that was guarded by the king's men.
"Halt!" The guards demanded menacing their spears and the now stopped horses, "What is your purpose at Hyrule Castle?"
"We are here to speak to the King, and let me just say that if you don't say yes, you will have wished you had," Link said calmly, but the dangerous tone behind the calmness seemed to shake the guards slightly.
"You are threatening us, how do we know that you won't threaten the King?" one soldier asked nervously, seeing the magnificent blade on Link's back. Link rolled his eyes and stepped closer.
"We have been summoned, you would do well to order the drawbridge down. Unless of course you would like to answer to the King's right hand man, Ganondorf," Link smirked. At the mention of Ganondorf the guards paled slightly and with two sharp raps on the ground, the guard in the gatehouse lowered the bridge to admit the sages and the Hero and the Lady.
Link nodded curtly to the guards and they approached the throne room. Link knew which way to go with the memories of the time glitch he had experience when he was after Din's Ruby that Ganondorf had stolen.
To have a dramatic effect, Link slammed the Great Hall doors open, and proudly strode into the hall. Ganondorf was sitting beside the king when it had happened.
"Who dares to approach the king without paying the proper respect!" Ganondorf demanded calmly. Link's eyes narrowed as he remembered the fateful battle on the top of Hyrule Castle.
"I have come seeking the aid of the King, there are monsters appearing all over the place and the people are getting killed," Link spoke half truthfully. Link slowly approached the king with the six sages behind him and Kariah beside him.
"And what are they here for?" Ganondorf snarled pointing to the six sages that walked behind Link.
"They are my friends and they agree with me. King of Hyrule, please hear our plea, we come to ask for your assistance to rid the land of the evil beings that are roaming," Link said, still walking closer. Ganondorf finally noticed the hilt of the blade that was strapped across Link's back.
"That is the Master Sword. What is it doing in your possession? You have stolen from the temple," Ganondorf raged, getting up from his chair beside the king. Link smirked slightly and then turned his gaze to the king who was trying to speak.
"Yo..u ha..ve tr..ess..pass..ed.. wi.thin the sa..cred do.ors of time.. for ..that.. you mus..t be.. pu..nis..hed.," King Harkinian whispered. Ganondorf rushed to the King's side and said soothing words to the king. Link shook his head in disgust.
"Link, we don't have much time. Ganondorf sees us as a potential threat, you must free the King and chase Ganondorf out. You won't defeat him today, it will happen later. He is too strong to defeat right now, but we can force him to retreat for a while," Kariah said in telepathy, slipping him the ocarina. Link glanced at her in confusion.
"Play the Lullaby of the Triforce, the rest will work on it's own," Kariah smiled softly. Link nodded and while Ganondorf was filling the kings head with lies and deception, Link played Zelda's Lullaby, the Lullaby of the Triforce. At first it sounded softly but gradually filled the hall and Ganondorf froze at the sound of the Ocarina of Time.
Each sage had their hands raised to the heavens and their respective glow around them. Kariah's voice was soon heard in the ancient song of the Goddesses, long forgotten to the people of Hyrule.
Zelda ran into the Great Hall and froze as she took in the sight before her. The melody of the goddesses and the power behind the sages seemed to awaken a sense in her. Suddenly she saw flashes of her past timeline…
FlashGanondorf attacked the palace in a huge frontal assault. All who were in the Great Hall were slaughtered immediately. Impa had woken her and they had made a quick getaway on Libby.
Flash
Zelda caught sight of a small figure clothed in green with a small fairy fluttering by his ear. She threw something towards him as they raced away.
Flash
Seven long years of training with her surrogate mother, Impa and finally seeing the man that finally appeared out of the Sacred Realm.
Flash
She followed the Hero to most of the entrances of the temples to play him the songs of purity, mystery, wilds, diversity, rebirth and protection.
Flash
Revealing herself to the hero and the final battle…
Zelda suddenly realized that she was the seventh sage and that she should be joining them in this ritual. She slowly walked to the left side of the Hero. Kariah was singing on his right. Link noticed her beside him and he slowly withdrew the ocarina from his lips. Curiously he watched as Zelda slipped her right hand in his left hand.
The electricity from the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom drew the energy from the sages and combined together, they shot the impulsive light at Ganondorf and the King. Ganondorf was knocked down and bound by the magic. The king's paled eyes began to clear to a normal sapphire blue.
Kariah had stopped singing and the magic auras around the sages and Zelda disappeared. Link was acutely aware of Zelda's hand still gripping his in fear and excitement.
King Harkinian's eyes cleared and the first thing he saw was his daughter holding the hand of a handsome young man.
"Zelda?" He asked, surprised to see her holding a man's hand. Zelda dropped Link's hand and rushed to her father's side.
"Father, you're alright!" Zelda cried, hugging him tightly. Link, Kariah and the Sages all watched quietly. The King then looked back at the small group in front of him.
"Darunia? My sworn brother!" The king asked in disbelief. Darunia smiled and thumped his chest in a greeting.
"Brother King. Welcome back to the world of the living," Darunia greeted moving up to the throne to give the king a welcome back handshake. Link and Kariah both smiled quietly at the greetings of the nations.
"You must be the Princess of the Zora!" King Harkinian exclaimed, standing and giving Ruto's hand a shake.
"And Rauru, it's been a while since you have been to the castle. Impa, hello," the king exclaimed. He spotted two unfamiliar people though. One was Gerudo and the other was a small child. The King's eyes narrowed slightly as the Gerudo stepped forward.
"Gerudo, what are you doing here?" The king asked, almost harshly. Link didn't like how the guards had shifted.
"Nabooru is the leader of the Gerudo and her people have never attacked your palace, it was those that are under Ganondorf's influence that have. However she is now in control over all of her people. She is your ally, King Harkinian," Link said calmly, putting himself in front of the Sage of Spirit.
"You trust her, Hylian?" the king asked astonished. Link nodded and Nabooru stepped around Link to address the king herself.
"King Harkinian, I have come in this time of trouble to offer my warriors should you need them," Nabooru said, bowing slightly to the king. King Harkinian nodded.
"And why is there a child here in the hall?" King Harkinian asked, pointing to Saria, who was standing at Link's side.
"Saria lives in the Kokiri Forest. She is their representative for this meeting of races," Link said, speaking up again. Harkinian and Zelda's eyes widened at Saria. The people of the forest were supposed to be a myth. Saria stared back levelly. Link chuckled lightly at their expressions.
"Saria raised me, and gave me my first ocarina, they are not a myth," Link said calmly, as the king and Zelda both regained their composure.
"And who are you young man?" Harkinian asked, taking in Link's sword and fancy clothes.
"Kari, what do I say to him, am I the Prince of Labrynna or the Hero of Time?" Link panicked. Her violet gaze gave him nothing and she didn't answer. Link glanced at Ganondorf who was struggling against his magical bonds. He wondered how he would take the news of him being the Hero of Time, although the Master Sword probably gave him away already. Link met the King's eyes.
"I am the Hero of Time, champion of the Goddesses, and born of the Hylian. My name is Link," Link said confidently and calmly. He drew the Master Sword as proof of his title. Harkinian rose and so did Zelda.
"Welcome, messenger of the Goddesses. You are very welcome in our home," King Harkinian said, giving Link a bow in return.
"You!" Ganondorf spat, his memories also returning to an extent, except the memories of Link defeating him. Link stared coolly back at the King of Evil.
"Traitor! Guards arrest him," The king shouted. The guards moved but with a wave of Kariah's hand the magical bonds that held Ganondorf released him and Ganondorf escaped in a cloud of black smoke. Link watched impassively as the smoke cleared.
"King Harkinian, the leaders of their people are going to rally their armies, we will need all the help we can get. I will go to Kakariko to get the villages to fight Ganondorf; it is war against the Gerudo King who has brought the armies of hell with him. We will need every available male fighter. The women and children are to head to Goron City and the depths of the mountains with Rauru and the priests of the Tempe of Time. Impa, if you can find any of your people left, bring them here. Saria, lead your people deep into the Lost Woods, as children I refuse that you will fight. Ruto, send all your fighters. The females of your race are just as capable as the males. We will need them all. Nabooru, bring your warriors and that goes for you Darunia," Link said, taking complete command of the sages that followed him to rescue the king.
"The rest of us are going to provision and fix the gate that leads into Hyrule City. We will not be undone. Each race must bring their food and the Kokiri will gather food and give it to the Gorons for the provisions of the Hylians and the Gerudo, the Zora must bring fish and the people must bring anything they have," Link said, sending each sage on their way.
"Link, you have not introduced us to this other young woman you have with you," Harkinian said, walking up to Kariah.
"That is Kari, she brought me to the other races, she was my guide through a temporary memory lapse," Link said quietly not meeting her eyes. When Zelda had united the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of courage for a moment, he felt that they had a destiny that couldn't be denied. He glanced at the young blonde standing near the thrones. She was definitely beautiful and the same girl that he had met on the streets of Hyrule City.
"You two seem very close, are you sure that you aren't more than friends?" Zelda asked working up the nerve and giving Link a nervous glance. Much to Link and Zelda's surprise, Kariah chuckled at the princess.
"He's yours if you are interested princess," Kariah said, almost bluntly and Link felt something in his stomach twist. Zelda however wasn't fooled; the look that Link gave Kariah explained that that wasn't the case.
"Be nice to him Zelda, I have a mission of my own and I must leave now if I'm going to put it to use," Kariah said, not looking into Link's eyes.
"Link, I've told you before that we cannot be, I insist that you learn to appreciate Zelda, she is your future after all. Give it time Hero. I'm going out to find Conan and the rest of the Hylian riders. Hopefully I won't be too late. Look for us in the east at dawn on the fourth day. Remember that Ganondorf is strong, but with Hyrule united, you are stronger. Good Luck and stay safe Link, the Hero of Time." Kariah said as she disappeared out of the door.
"Good Luck, Kariah," Link said, his eyes filled with sorrow as he watched her retreating figure. With a shake of his head, Link turned to see the king and his daughter and the rest of the soldiers looking at him.
"We have to get prepared, any of you soldiers that have carpentry skills, we need to fix the houses as best as we can for the warriors that will need places to stay," Link said, looking at the troubled King.
"Link, isn't this a bit sudden, we don't even know if Ganondorf will attack us," The King said quietly. Link and Zelda's eyes both narrowed in disagreement.
"Ganondorf is in possession of the Triforce of Power. It was hidden in the worst place possible and so he found it. How that gold fragment of the Triforce ended up with Din's Ruby is beyond me but he has it. Ganondorf wants control of Hyrule and he will come back here to kill you to get it. We must be ready to fight the King of Evil and defeat him to restore the balance. We have no choice that is why I was born, that is why I'm here. Zelda was born to restore that balance and here we stand on the brink of disgrace. We will win this war, or die fighting," Link said with no hesitation.
"He's right father, he is courageous and wise, I trust him and he wields the Triforce of Courage as I wield the Triforce of Wisdom, we must fight if we are to return Hyrule to its former glory. We must," Zelda said wisely. The King melted at his daughters words and wisdom.
"Very well. Lets get prepared, we have much to do,"
A special thanks goes out to:
Hopeless Maiden – Thanks for your encouragement, your right the reviews will come!
Par armsford – Thanks for your review, I hope that it is still going as strong as I started although sometimes it feels like I'm losing faith in it, but not to worry we are almost done two more chapters to go!
Dragon Sword Master – Thanks so much for your review and for sticking with me for a very long time. I'm sorry but you may be disappointed with the outcome of this story, but I promise it is for a good reason.
Blondie 91- You scared me for a while when you disappeared ;P Glad to have you back on board, thanks for your reviews
Living Arrow – Sorry for the guilt trip on the other chapter lol. Thank you for the review girl and for getting me out of that box. It was definitely a challenge to wiggle out of.
Emeralddestiny – Ok missy, you had better get that computer fixed soon or I'm going to go crazy. Talk to you soon.
And another thanks goes out to all the readers who didn't review. I don't know who you are but by the number of hits I can appreciate that you took the time to read the chapter. I only request that you leave a review this time around.
Kariah