Author's Note: What's going on now? Well, you'll just have to see! The Book of Mudora, I thought was a nice addition to Zelda's tale. No I'm not vain & in need of my name in my story, I just thought it would help connect games better. Besides, it's not even my name. I actually chose that screen name in order to write a fanfic called "The Book of Mudora", and have excerpts that would help connect all the games. This appearance in Princess' Destiny was planned from the beginning, but it was to be a cameo. Now I have no plan to write "The Book of Mudora" at the moment. If I were, it would have to wait until after Hero's Path, Princess' Destiny, the sequel to Hero's Path, and the prequel to Princess' Destiny. That's a bit of a wait, but these things are all more important (if not more interesting) to Mudora.
Now, Zelda is about to embark on a quest of great proportions. So quiet down… it's story time!
Chapter 6: The Ocarina of Time
A storm cloud billowed above Hyrule. Lightning flashed. The drawbridge lowered as Zelda and Impa rode out of Hyrule Castle Town on a white stallion. There on the field was the Kokiri boy, Link, that Zelda had met only this morning. Already, it felt like ages. He was startled to see them ride past. Of course he was. He was coming to see them, and they were leaving the castle. But they couldn't stop; Ganondorf would catch them…
Link was surrounded by white walls, and was holding a large, blue Ocarina. The Temple of Time she recognized from the altar he stood in front of, but could the instrument be the Ocarina of Time? He played a tune on it, a slow, almost sorrowful tune. "Remember this song, Zelda," he said. "You must remember…"
"Zelda?" Impa said. "Are you awake, now?"
Zelda was opening her eyes. Chub was gently pecking her cheek. She saw Impa's face with a background of wood thatching.
"Where are we?" Zelda asked.
"Kakariko. This is my house, Princess."
Zelda sat up and rubbed her eyes. Was she finally done dreaming? Normally, if she dreamt she'd come back to her cozy room at the castle, but they weren't there. She was sitting on a straw mattress in a wooden cottage. Books lined the walls of the house on shelves reaching up to the ceiling. She realized she was still wearing her dark colored leotard. Then she remembered what had occurred that night.
"Why… when did I…?" she started.
"As soon as I dropped the flash pellet you fell unconscious," Impa answered. "A vision?"
"Yes. We were fleeing the castle… and then Link taught me a song…"
"You'd best remember it," Impa said. "A song that comes in a vision is one not to be forgotten."
"Yes, I know. And it wasn't his ocarina he played, either. I think it was… Impa!"
"Yes?"
Zelda grabbed her satchel that was sitting beside the bed and reached in until she found the black box. She opened it and removed the green, leather-bound book inside, the Book of Mudora. Flipping through, she searched for the passage on the Ocarina of Time. When she found it, she showed Impa.
"The royal composers?"
"Do you know them?" Zelda asked.
"Know them? No. Sharp and Flat died before I was born."
"Oh."
"But, it does explain something. How are you? Do you feel like a stroll?"
"A stroll?"
They left the cottage and stepped out into Kakariko. It was a small farming village built in a valley. It looked very pleasant, though it was still very dark out. As they walked, it started to rain, which disturbed Zelda, but Impa didn't even seem to notice. Impa led Zelda out behind the house and down into the valley. They crossed under a hill in the midst of the village, crowned with a windmill, by means of a stone tunnel. Past the tunnel they reached a graveyard, uniform across the entirety of it and very foreboding.
In the front of the graveyard was a large stone that read:
"R.I.P
Here lie the souls of those who swore fealty to the
Royal Family of Hyrule
The Sheikah, guardians of the Royal Family and founders
of Kakariko, watch over these spirits in their eternal slumber."
"This cemetery is for the Sheikah and those who died in the Hundred Years War," Impa said. "Now, follow me."
Zelda followed her to the back of the graveyard. There were two gravestones in the back area beside a large headstone. The two smaller headstones read, "Royal Composer Brothers, Sharp the Elder, R.I.P." and "Royal Composer Brothers, Flat the Younger, R.I.P."
"What good does this do us?" Zelda asked.
"Look at this large gravestone," Impa said. "Royal Family Tomb," she read. "Prepared by the Royal Composer Brothers".
"And?"
"Don't you think it is odd, Zelda? Not once has a member of the Royal Family been buried here. Where was your mother buried, Princess?"
"In the Royal Tomb of Hyrule near the castle!" Zelda said.
"Yes. And if this were to be the new tomb, they would move the bodies of past kings here. Not one has been moved here!"
"Right. So…"
"So either this is a staging of the Royal Tomb, or…"
"Or something else is buried here!"
"Yes!"
"We must find out, Impa!"
"But, Princess we can't just go grave digging! How suspicious would that be?"
That's true… Zelda thought. But there has to be a way…
What? Who was that? Someone else's thoughts intruded on Zelda's.
Who?
Are you… a member of the Royal Family?
Yes! I am Princess Zelda Hyrule. Who are you, and how can you communicate with me?
I am Flat, the royal composer.
Are you not dead?
Yes, I have shed my mortal coil, but was commissioned to wait for a member of the Royal Family to come and claim their right.
My right?
Yes, if you are truly with the Royal Family, show your credentials. Prove that you are by a melody.
"Impa, play the Royal Melody!" Zelda said.
"What? Why?" Impa was scouting around the large tombstone.
"Just trust me," Zelda said.
Impa pulled out her ocarina and played the song she played as a lullaby for the Princess. As she did, the large stone began glowing. A lightning bolt came down out of the sky and crashed on the stone. The tombstone exploded, knocking Zelda and Impa backward.
"All right, I trust you," Impa said. As they came back to the area of the tombstone, they saw a hole in the ground where it had stood.
"Should we?" Zelda asked. Impa grabbed hold of Zelda and jumped down. Inside it was dark and damp and very cold. It smelled terrible.
All around Zelda heard whispers. You have broken into the Royal Family Tomb. Beware the lurkers in the dark. Shine light on the living dead.
They walked forward through the tomb until they heard a loud, shrill scream. There, standing in front of them was the most terrifying sight Zelda had ever seen: the living dead. It was a thin, bony Hylian man, with only patches of skin in places, with a twisted and grotesque face. Zelda couldn't move. He shrieked again, only to scare Zelda more. Impa grabbed her and jumped over the zombie.
"Come, Princess! We must be of courage here!" Impa said, setting her down. She took the princess by the hand and ran, forcing Zelda to run as well. On either side of them were lines of these undead men. Finally, they reached a doorway and ran through. There was a door that they could close, and Impa did. She held it closed. "These creatures may attack!"
Zelda shook out of her fear. Impa was right, now was a time to act. She noticed a tombstone opposite the door. On it was some writing.
"This poem is dedicated to the memory of the
dearly departed members of the Royal Family.
"The rising sun will eventually set,
A newborn's life will fade.
From sun to moon, moon to sun…
Give peaceful rest to the living dead."
A musical staff was inscribed to the side of the poem, with a tune written on it. Underneath it were the words, "For the magic of the Royal Family."
"Impa! Come play this song!" Zelda said.
"What do you mean?"
"Here! I'll hold the door!"
"You cannot withhold several grown men who know no pain!"
"Then toss me the ocarina!"
Impa removed it from her neck and threw it to Zelda. Zelda caught it and began to play. As she played, she heard someone whisper. The heir to the secret…
Suddenly, the tomb began to glow. Brighter and brighter it shone until it exploded like the previous one. Zelda fell backward, but stood up and saw that where that tombstone had been was now a small, ornate chest. She picked it up and opened it. Lying inside the box, neatly on a cushion, was a large, blue ocarina, like the one from her vision.
"The Ocarina of Time!" Zelda said. "This has to be it!" Suddenly there was a beating on the door. Several beatings followed. Impa was becoming hard-pressed to continue holding the door. Zelda ran over to help. Bony hands burst through the wooden door, grasping at Impa.
"This isn't working!" Impa said. "There has to be a way to stop them!"
Give peaceful rest to the living dead, Zelda remembered. For the magic of the Royal Family. She backed away from the door.
"What are you doing?"
Zelda played the song again on the blue ocarina. As she played, the hands stopped. They all froze. The beating stopped. Impa drew herself away from the door. Zelda stopped playing and the hands drew out of the door and they heard a thudding sound as each corpse hit the floor outside.
Keep the Sun's Song in your heart, Zelda heard. Now, we can go to eternal slumber…
"How did you know all that?" Impa asked. "The Royal Melody, the Ocarina, all of that?"
"I was told. By the composers' spirits."
"Communicating with spirits? That sounds like…"
"What? What is it, Impa?"
"Nothing, never mind. Let's go back to my house and sleep."
