Seven

We found the note later that afternoon that the Algrians had captured Zelda and were holding her for ransom. While the King mobilized the army and depleted the treasury, I puzzled. Something, I thought, didn't quite fit- Algria was already rich and powerful. The prince had left the castle the previous day, true, but he'd never seemed to hold any unkind intentions towards Zelda. In fact, I mused, he'd been one of the few decent and genuine suitors, or so it had seemed. Even had the prince been unkind, I couldn't figure out how he would have singlehandedly kidnapped Zelda and spirited her away from the palace- from her room, no less. The Algrian prince had brought no entourage with him.

There were other possibilities, I mused. Zelda might have met him outside the palace- but that seemed improbable, and why would she willingly ransom away her country's treasury for some fun? That was so un-like-Zelda that I knew something was up, something strange, and that Algria had nothing to do with it.

And another thing, I thought: unless the prince's horse was winged or magic, neither of which I'd ever noticed, there was no way he was even halfway to Algria by now, and if he did, in fact, have the princess with him, going would have been even slower. I could catch up to him- a hard day and night of riding and I could catch up.

I didn't tell the King my thoughts or plans- he would have objected, surely. Though the king could, time to time, be wise, when it came to Zelda he was irrational and unthinking, and would only sometimes obey the advice he asked for. So I, too, wrote a note, leaving it on my bed, packed a few necessities, and crept down to the stables, saddling Epona and riding out to the north.

I rode for a day and most of the first night, but stopped around dawn to give Epona a rest, camping by a small stream. I slept, too, until noon, and then saddled up and was off again, for another day and a night, camping from late in the night to just after dawn, next to another small stream that was nearly dry from drought. Early on the third morning, however, I caught up with him, Prince Isen of Algria. He'd pitched a small camp next to a creek and was merrily roasting a sausage over the fire. He was alone, too, but still somehow had not managed to see me coming, despite the flatness of the land in all directions.

"Milord?" I called, a good deal away from the fire, so as not to startle him. "Be you Prince Isen of Algria?"

The prince looked up suddenly, and I saw why he hadn't noticed me- he'd been reading. His face split into a smile as he recognized me- we'd spoken upon several occasions, and he'd seemed to me a good man: a reader and a thinker, suited more for dwelling in pages than for leading an army.

"Knight!" The prince replied. "What a strange coincidence! What brings you here?"

He was smiling genuinely, his eyes unguarded and openly curious. He'd had nothing to do with Zelda's disappearance. With a sigh, I closed the distance between us and sat, and began to speak. His expression darkened as I explained what had happened- the disappearance, the note, the unwillingness of the king to relent. I'd talked for a quarter of an hour, stopping occasionally to have a sip of water that the prince offered me from his waterskien, and then, after I finished, he remained silent for a long while.

"No, Knight," he replied finally, gravely. "I can attest to no kidnapping of the princess by my people. I like to think our government has more sense than to make an enemy of a country as strong and rich as Hyrule. If she is at the capital, which I highly doubt, I will send her back immediately. Though, as I've stated, the chances of this are almost impossible. We're not a greedy or vicious kingdom. We have no reason to kidnap the princess."

"Can you think of why someone might have pointed to your country?" I asked, taking a bite of the sausage the prince had passed me while I told my story. Isen's dark brows furrowed as he thought.

"I suppose," he began slowly, "that you have heard rumors of war with the Gerudo?"

"Yes..." I replied, uncertain where the prince's brilliant, bookish mind might be headed.

"Algria has a wavering, tentative alliance with both your people and the people of the desert. No matter what, this war will do us grave damage."

"What are you getting at?" I asked, an unhappy, uncertain feeling coiling in my bowels.

"This uncertain, teetering position makes us for a good scapegoat, for either side," the prince replied. "Not to mention that Algria is so far removed- a fortnight's journey- that news does not travel to and from us quickly."

"So you think that one of your allies has framed you?" I asked, my stomach turning at the horrible thought.

"Perhaps, Sir Knight," the prince replied. "It may have been the people of the desert, to draw the heat of Hyrule's attentions off of them. Or," he added, eyes locking with mine, "it might have even been your own beloved Hyrule, looking for an excuse and a means to make the first strike against the Gerudo, through their ally."

"But that's counter-logical!" I exclaimed. "Why would the king hide his own daughter, sum up a ransom, and set out to attack a country in the opposite direction of the very threat they were trying to avoid?" I paled as what I'd spoken hit me.

"Algria is a fortnight's ride from Hyrule, and in the opposite direction of the desert. It would be strangely convenient for your army to be two weeks travel from the kingdom when the palace was attacked." The prince looked grim, fishing in his pocket.

I grabbed Epona's bridle, a new sense of urgency coursing through me, despite my horrible fatigue. "I ride back to Hyrule," I told the prince. "Please, Majesty, make all possible haste to Algria, to warn your father, the king. I will try to avert my lord's army to the best of my abilities."

"Take with you my signet," the Algrian prince commanded, tossing me his ring. "Give it to the king and explain- hopefully, he will believe. Waste no time on your journey- your people are in danger, as are mine, and your princess is at grave stake in the desert: the Gerudo are cruel captors."

I didn't need any further motivation. I swung onto Epona's back and galloped away, musing to myself through my urgency that perhaps the odd, bookish Algrian prince would make a good leader after all.

But more urgent was the princess, I reminded myself. And the kingdom, stopping the king from marching on Algria before it was too late.

&-

Two and a half days later, I staggered into the palace, feverish with delirium, legs buckling with exhaustion, proceeding directly to the throne room. I knew what I must have looked like- a madman in my worn attire, raggedy beard, and bloodshot eyes. Epona and I had hardly rested- I feared for my horse, but this stop at the castle would, hopefully, bring good reprieve to her. I was gladdened to know, though, that she was holding up well, rising to the challenge of urgency. And it would be necessary, too, for her to continue holding strong- it was another full day's ride to the desert.

Looking back, I can't say that I handled this particular event well, but the excuse of delirium and fear for my love and country helps to justify my insane behavior. Outside the king's audience chambers, a guard stopped me. "Sir, the king is in a meeting," he stated, eying me warily. "If you'd please-"

"I bear word on the whereabouts of the princess, and a message from the Algrian royal family." I pulled the signet from my pocket, showing the soldier. "My message is of the highest urgency. I've neither slept nor ate in two days, and have stopped only to rest my horse. I will see the king." And I pushed past the dumbfounded guard into the chambers. Definitely not the smoothest move.

The king was on his throne, leaning forward and listening intently to something one of his advisers was saying. As I barged in, they both turned to look at me with annoyance, and then shock as they recognized me behind my wild appearance.

"Sir Link..." the adviser began. I held up a hand, exhaling all I'd said to the guard.

"Milord, I bear news of the whereabouts of the princess. She was not stolen by our Algrian allies- I have the prince's signet if you don't believe me. We were set up, Algria framed by the people of the desert, who even now have the princess in their grasp. When our army has departed on its fortnight's march, the warriors of the desert will invade. Few soldiers will be here to protect the castle and the kingdom. I have no real proof of what I say save for the signet of the prince, but I believe that my words are true. Please, milord, do not march."

"Sir Link," the king replied somberly, looking at me with grave eyes, "you are weary from travel and worry. I will speak with my council about what you have said."

"Milord, if you could but march a day of slow going, and double back at night to defend the castle, you'd draw the desert women from their fortress. You'd be defending the kingdom, and someone could sneak into the fortress to retrieve the princess."

"But do you know where she is in the fortress, Link? We do not even know that she is there, never mind where she might be. The Gerudo have a kingdom within the walls of their compound, a labyrinth that you could easily become trapped in. And, moreover, there is no guarantee that the princess is there. It might be an unnecessary attack."

"The prince's signet-"

"Proves nothing," the King replied. "The prince might have been left out of the loop, or might have been acting. Your proof is uncertain, at best.

Desperation overtook me. "But what motives would Algria possibly have for this ransom? The Gerudo-"

The king had had enough of my delirious ramblings. "The Algrians are in the midst of a severe drought and desperate times! Moreover, this ransom letter stamped with the crest of the Algrian royal family is far more definite proof than some- some half-baked conspiracy theory! Link, I appreciate your concern, but didn't it occur to you that I am aware of how to run my own country, never mind that I want my daughter back desperately as well? You are already guilty of serious insubordination, Sir Link. Now quit my council chambers, before I have you forcibly removed."

Bitterness welled up within me, bitterness and unshakable fury. "As you wish, Sire," I replied quietly, bowing to the king and dropping the prince's signet on the ground. Wordlessly, I turned and left the throne room.

As I stomped to my quarters, fuming, my exhausted mind whirled. I'd never been more furious or desperate in my entire life. I couldn't say here, I thought to myself as I entered my room, kicking the door shut behind me. The king might consider me a liability, might imprison me, might make me to march in the army. But I couldn't leave- not just yet. I needed time to recuperate and so did Epona.

As I cleaned myself up, shaving and washing over the small basin, I made plans, plans to stay a full day, to rest, and then to ride to the desert. I'd go by night- when the sun came up, I'd camp at Lake Hyula with Epona, just downstream of the Spirit Flow, the river that separated Hyrule from the desert. The next night, I'd sneak into the fortress and find Zelda- by then, the king would have marched, and many of the women would have been drawn away to attack Hyrule. I'd rescue Zelda, and take her back to Epona, and then...

Then what?

We'd ride northeast, away from the march of the desert army. We'd camp near Zora's domain during the day, perhaps even in the domain- the Zora were sworn to the royal family and then the next night, I'd return Zelda to the palace, assuming...

Assuming it was still here, and that Hyrule was not lost. Otherwise, we would have to flee, leave until we gathered the power and strength to reclaim Hyrule.

Another wave of anger, fear, and disgust hit me at this thought, the palace, destroyed, seized, Castle town slaughtered...

I would need to warn Esten and Damleda.

I fell onto my bed, preparing my plan further in my mind, readying what I would say to Esten and, after a while, I fell into an exhausted sleep.

&-

The sound of insistent rapping on my door woke me the next afternoon. Sleepily, I rose from my tiny bed, checking that I was clothed before answering the door. "Yes?" I asked, peering out into the hallway. Esten stood there, looking worried and unusually haggard.

"Link? What's happened? Where did you go? We march on Algria tomorrow morning, but the king seems angry about something..."

"Come in, Esten," I yawned, opening the door wider. "I've got much I need to tell you."

&-

Later that night, I stole out of the castle with Damleda and little Rowan. Though the king might've thought me crazy, Esten knew me better than that. He and Damleda had decided that she'd better ride south, to the manor in the woods, where Esten had a few friends among the servants who would take Damleda in- "on a break" was the excuse, if it was necessary. If the palace was destroyed, however, and Hyrule was seized, then Zelda and I would join her, and begin a resistance movement. We all prayed it wouldn't come to that.

I parted with Damleda and Rowan at a crossroads, spurning Epona southwest, towards Lake Hylia. I rode long and hard through the night, but was unafraid for Epona- she'd rested well whilst we were at the palace, and was eager for action.

Such a good horse, I thought to myself fondly, patting her mane and then focusing back on the stars I was using as my guides.

The first rosy fingers of dawn were spreading across the sky as I reined Epona in, looking out at the dark, glassy, shimmering expanse of Lake Hylia. Rumor had it an ancient temple was buried far beneath the waters: I wouldn't be surprised, were it true. It would be the ideal place to camp, given the circumstances and my worry of being spotted somehow (call it paranoia), but unfortunately, taking Epona deep underwater to explore was quite out of the question. I settled with pitching a tent in the dense underbrush and leaving Epona to wander, hopefully unspotted.

I slept the day away.

I rose and washed under the cover of early dark, then stole with Epona across the beds of the noisy, tempetuous river. Around midnight, we reached a steep slope that led upward- I tethered Eopna to a tree where she waited, nearly invisible in the dark, checked the depth of the river underneath the bridge, and then began my climb.

It was a long ascent, taking up the better part of an hour as I climbed slowly, careful to keep quiet. No rock slides. Only one sleepy sentry stood at the single entrance to the fortress, and once I was up, I easily dispatched her.

Pathetic, I thought, dusting off my hands and entering the fortress. Most of the warriors were obviously gone.

Unfortunately for the fortress guards, who patrolled along the sandy dirt, I was remarkably good at the art of stealth- stay low and be patient, that was the key I'd learned in my many times sneaking out of the orphanage and then, later on, the barracks. I crept along, a silent shadow, crouching behind crates and totems when I could.

I eyed the fortress unhappily- the king had been right about a labyrinth. How was I supposed to find Zelda in such a large building? As I unhappily puzzled for a few moments, I noticed something strange. One warrior, dressed in pink pants and a matching vest, hair cut chin length, carried a small bowl towards one particularly small yet foreboding building. This building, I noticed, unlike any other part of the fortress, was well guarded- only five sentries patrolled in all: one on top of a large tower, one atop the fortress, one before the fortress, and two around this removed building. As I watched, the woman opened a small hatch in the brick wall, pushing the bowl through. Task done, she closed the hatch and walked away. There was no doubt in my mind that that was where Zelda was.

Now all I needed was a plan- how to get in, how to get out, how to keep the guards from seeing. I wasn't about to rely on Zelda's magic for anything, as she was most likely severely incapacitated.

Zelda... my stomach dropped as my heart rate increased. I'd hardly thought of her, Zelda: only of the princess who needed retrieving. But Zelda, my Zelda, was locked in there, and I had to get her out.

Thinking quickly, I scurried to a strategic position that afforded both cover and a clear view of all five guards. Would it be right of me to take away their hopes and dreams, to take their lives, just to save one woman?

Yes, I decided, taking out my bow. Yes, I could kill them. They were the enemy, they kidnapped Zelda, and though killing grieved me, these soldiers were far from innocent.

I aimed carefully at the first soldier, posted high above the fortress, looking out over the desert. Pulling the arrow back, I closed my eyes, then opened them, letting the arrow fly. Goddesses save your soul, I prayed, remorse striking my heart as the arrow struck the soldier in the neck. Silently, she fell off the edge of the tower to the swirling sands far below. One down.

Soldier number two fell as my arrow buried itself in her breast, eyes wide as she fell on the top of the fortress's ramparts. I closed my eyes, sickened, then took out another arrow, aiming again for the third. As she turned a corner, out of sight from her fellow guards before Zelda's building, I shot her down. She went quickly- the arrow went through her head.

Four and five, I realized, would not be so easy, and they'd have to be quick. There was no way that I could take down one without the other noticing. I nocked an arrow and waited patiently as they came together, then turned their backs on each other. Quickly, I shot one. She made a small noise as she fell, and the other turned, eyes wide as she, too, was shot in the stomach. She looked down at the arrow in alarm and then quietly slipped into death.

I closed my eyes with remorse for a moment, and then stole quickly and quietly through the bloody sand to the only entrance to Zelda's cell, the one tall window. I cursed for a moment, looking at the sheer stone wall, then to the window, far too high to jump to. Fumbling a little, I pulled out a nifty thing I'd swiped from the armory, a grappling hook-like mechanism with a chain. Aiming carefully, I shot it at the wooden rafter above the window and went flying up. As I reached the top, the mechanism locked and my weight pulled the hook from the wood. I fell to the floor of Zelda's cell, cursing a little and holding my bruised knee. This had been such a stupid idea, I scolded myself, but now I was inside, at least. The hard part was done with.

A terrified squeak from the thing in the corner tore me from my low, quiet cursing.

Her face was bruised, her body gaunt, her nightdress shredded and soiled. "Not again," Zelda moaned, huddling up to a corner. "Please not again... no, Ganondorf," she panted, looking at my male form. "Go back across the desert, Ganondorf. I haven't made my choice."

"Zelda, don't worry. It's me, Link. I've come for you. I'm taking you back to Hyrule."

"Link?" she asked, her eyes hazy as she looked at me. I noticed the shackle lying across the room- she'd picked the lock herself. Good girl. "They said you'd left me for good. They said you'd helped him get me here. They said you're going to hurt me more."

"The Gerudo are full of bullshit. Come on, Zelda. Let's get you back to Hyrule."

She squeaked and flailed weakly in protest as I picked her up, and I noticed that she'd barely touched her meager food. "Have you not been eating?"

"Drugs- some food is the antidote and some is the poison. It's hard to tell which. Link, don't hurt me. Promise not to hurt me."

"I promise, Zelda. You're going to need to close your eyes, though. There's... I had to kill your guards."

"Good," she replied, though she burrowed into my jerkin all the same. "They were cruel. Link, don't leave me again."

"Now's not the time for this," I told her quietly, aiming my hookshot carefully. We went flying up, then flying back down, landing hard on the sand. I felt the snap of a broken rib and gritted my teeth in pain as I cushioned Zelda's landing with my own body, but in a moment I was up again, Zelda in my arms, and running.

She was disturbingly light.

There was no time for stealth now- I sprinted, madly, not caring for the many dark windows of the fortress, not caring who might see. We exited the grounds, thudding onto the bridge, Zelda babbling all the while about Ganondorf, pain, and saying my name over and over and over.

"Hold your nose and close your eyes. Don't breathe," I warned her. "I'm going to jump into the river."

Weakly, she complied, and off the bridge I leapt, down into the deep waters of the Spirit Flow. As the water connected hard with my broken rib, a painful slap, I nearly screamed from the agony. The pain wasn't important, though- Zelda was. Getting her to safety was.

I scrambled out of the river, still clutching Zelda close, and deftly untied Epona. I swung myself up into the saddle, awkward with the added light bulk of Zelda that I carried, but as soon as we were on the horse, we took off, just as shrill whistles began to echo from the fortress. Hastily, I spurred Epona, and off we flew.

Zelda babbled the whole night, eyes wide with delirium. My face was set in a grim line- what had happened to her in the fortress? But that wasn't important right now- the first and foremost goal was to get Zelda to safety. All night we rode, and as dawn broke I realized that we were still far from Zora's domain. I encouraged Epona on a little more, trying to be good to my exhausted horse. Again, Epona did not let me down- we reached sanctuary by noon.

When we began to navigate the skinny bridges and unusual leaps, I tied Zelda to Epona's back, dismounting myself and guiding my horse, whose flanks were white with the lather of sweat. It took several hours until we'd navigated to the large waterfall, and it was all I could do not to collapse right then and there. Breathing hard, I stood on the platform, shouting through the water, "the princess Zelda is in dire need of your aide! Please, open up! I'm a knight of the king's and the princess is here... she's very sick... please, open!"

I pulled Zelda down from the horse just as the flow of the waterfall thinned, leaving Epona to rest in a clump of grass next to a deep little well. Cradling Zelda in my arms and using the very last of my strength, I leapt across the chasm, feet touching mercifully on hard stone paving as my knees buckled out from under me, agony shooting through me as I fell and landed on my hurt rib. As the Zora raced towards us, I sighed in relief. She was safe now. We were safe. The Gerudo couldn't get us here- everything would be alright now.

I slipped into merciful, painless darkness.

&-

I awoke a while later lying on a soft, squishy cushion, my body blanketed by warm water. I sat up, droplets cascading off of me, and realized that I was naked- naked and healed.

"You're awake," said the Zora male who had been sitting next to me. "You have been out many hours."

"How long?"I asked, scratching my bare arm and looking around. The chamber was lit by a blue, shimmering, luminescent light- by water.

"Fourteen hours, maybe a bit more," the male replied. "The princess is still asleep."

"What of the king? The castle?"

"The Gerudo were driven back to the desert by the king and his men," the Zora replied. "It seems they got a tip off from a merchant who saw the Gerudo women marching through the field. Just in time, too- the King was about to depart his army for Algria."

I exhaled, lying back down on the Zora bed.

"The king knows you and the princess are here," the male added, looking at me with dark, curious eyes. "And he knows that you saved the princess."

I cringed, rolling over, resting my forehead on the squishy pillow that just barely sat above the water.

"The king'll have my head chopped off. I went without orders down to the desert to find her, ditching my post."

"Perhaps so," the Zora replied. "Or perhaps he will commend you for doing anything and everything necessary to save the princess."

"Perhaps," I replied. "Why don't I hurt? I broke my rib in the desert."

"These are healing waters," the Zora replied, dragging one long, webbed finger through the liquid I laid in. "They took the pain from you, and the great fairy mended your bone. We took you to see her- you and the princess both, though the princess was less easy to help because many of her injuries are in her heart."

I laid in the water for a while thinking about what the Zora had said. Finally, I sat, clambering out of the pod-shaped bed. "May I see the princess?"

"You may," the Zora replied. "But first you will need clothes, I think." He offered me a long, dark-blue robe, and I gratefully slid it on, the soft cloth absorbing the water from my skin. I shook my wet mane, and then followed the Zora male (who wore a robe much the same as mine) out of my room and into the one next to mine. There, three Zora women stood over Zelda, one wearing the shimmering pale blue and silver robes that marked her as royal, another wearing a dark blue robe like mine, and the third wearing garb of pure white, a cleric. They all stood over Zelda, then turned to face me as I entered.

"She is very ill," stated the cleric, touching Zelda's gaunt, bruised cheek. "It will take her a long time to recover, even in these healing waters."

"I need to take her back," I said quietly, my mouth dry. "Back to her father."

The Zora princess, Ruto, looked at me, pale eyes disconcerting and sad.

"The princess will go nowhere until she is healed. The pilgrimage to the castle is dangerous at the moment- you would not want to put her through more difficult trials." Ruto reverently touched Zelda's glistening hair. "She is in shock, Knight. We will wait to move her once she is awake and rested."

"The king?" I asked, weary.

"His Highness knows our first priority is the safety of the royal family. We keep the waters that feed the castle clean. We are often the eyes and ears of the family outside the palace- water is good for scrying. The king will wait for his daughter."

My mouth straightened to an unhappy slash, and I stepped forward to look at my princess, one of the few people I really, truly cared for. The Zora backed away as I moved close, seeming to sense my pain as I looked upon her.

She was naked beneath the water, her emaciated body covered in bruises and cuts. Her bones shone through her pale skin- I feared that if I touched her, she would flake away like burned paper. I looked closer at the many angry wounds, disregarding her nudity. Her body was beautiful, yes, but seeing her like this, so broken, I felt no arousal of desire: only sadness and anger.

One particularly angry bruise and cut on her stomach frightened me. The water was flowing all around the cut, soothing the angry pink skin, underneath which lay the nasty, purpled bruise.

It was the symbol of the Gerudo, I realized upon closer inspection, the crescent and star familiar to me. It had been carved into her skin.

"She will always have these scars," the cleric told me. "The ones on the outside may fade in time, but they will never fully go away. The scars on the inside will take longer to heal."

"I know," I replied, my voice thick with emotion as I cupped Zelda's skeletal cheek. There was no color below that clear, pale, fragile skin. Her lashes fluttered a little and she moaned. Her skin was burning hot.

"Fever," I mumbled. "From her injuries?"

"No," the Cleric replied, lines of worry creasing her otherwise smooth face. "It's... they poisoned her at the fortress, and the only antidote was in her food, in very small quantities. We're counteracting the poison as best we can, but her body is having to fight it all the same."

Disgust welled up within me. Wordlessly, I turned and left the room. As I furiously stomped aimlessly through the halls of the Domain, I vowed to myself that I would kill Dragmire with my bare hands.