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A Princess' Destiny
Chapter 9: Prophecy of Destruction
She climbed the stairs at the foothills of the east mountains, and stared down into Kakariko Valley. A dark cloud billowed over the sad town, pouring droplets of water as if to mock it. A few feet of the lowest part of the valley were submerged under water -- an effect of the constant rain falling in the valley. Looking up to her left she saw Death Mountain. A cloud of fire churned around its peak.
While busier than usual, the town carried an over-all tone of depression. Something terrible happened here. Winds pressed from the west, and her vision was obstructed by green fabric. She lifted a gloved hand and brushed the cloth out of her face. It was a floppy hat on her head. She looked down at herself and found she was an adult individual dressed in a green tunic, not too unlike Link's.
A bright light whizzed past her vision. She followed the swift flash and found it to be a fairy, floating near her like a guardian or companion. Suddenly she realized, she was the man, Link, who had appeared in a vision before. She stepped down in the valley, down to the water, as that was the only way to get where she was heading. Where was she heading?
As she dredged through the murky waters, she noticed rubble and bones floating or sunken all over the area, adding to the impression of some catastrophe that had occurred. She came up at an incline in the vale, and stood in an area with level ground above the water level. Right in front of her was the town well, but it no longer had its top, so water couldn't be drawn. But what water? The well was empty, except for the little bit of water build-up from rain. What had happened?
Staring up the slope ahead, she saw the windmill which drew the water from the well. She climbed the stairs to the mill and went inside. There stood a man with an instrument of some sort. It was a box, and when the crank on the side was spun the horn on top played music. She had to wonder at the control ability of such an instrument. Suddenly, the man spoke.
"It's all that Ocarina kid's fault!" he said. "Next time he comes around here, I'm gonna mess him up! He came in here and played a strange song. It messed up this windmill! I'll never forget that song!" He proceded to play a very happy tune on his instrument, which was strange due to the great problems he said came about by it. Zelda pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and decided to memorize it, as though she could prevent these problems from ever occurring...
Again, Zelda awoke to the smell of bread baking in her cot at Impa's house. She wore a robe that was much too large for her, remembering the night before Impa decided to wash her training suit.
"Good evening, Princess," Impa said.
"What time is it?" Zelda asked.
"About eighteen on the clock," Impa said. "Bread will be ready in a moment."
"Impa, every night I have visions now."
"That can only mean they are drawing nigh to passing. Why, every piece of your visions has come to light and begun their course. It seems only natural that-"
"Impa," Zelda interrupted. "Last night I dreamt that Kakariko was a horrible mess."
"Yes, Kakariko's depression has been in your visions before..."
"But I think it was brought about by Link."
"What?"
"I was Link, and I had the Ocarina of Time. And a man told me that a boy with a magic ocarina brought about all of Kakariko's problems with a song."
"Do you know who the man was?"
"A musician in the windmill."
"And do you know the song?"
"Yes. I memorized it."
"Then perhaps we should ask him about it," Impa said.
"That's a splendid idea, Impa!" Zelda said. "Oh, but I can't be seen around here, can I? The entire Royal Guard is looking for the both of us, right?"
"No one here believes I would kidnap you, Princess," Impa said. "And they would give their lives to protect me. But if they believed I had kidnapped you, I would lose this entire village for acts of treason."
"So..."
"So we will disguise you so that you will not be recognized."
Impa went out and removed Zelda's clothes from the line hanging between Impa's house and the next. She used the art of leaping to reach the line, because it was so high in the air. After Zelda dressed, Impa pulled out the roll of bandaging material Zelda had used previously to mask her identity. Impa made an excellent disguise with the material. A mask that came halfway up Zelda's face, gloves and shin coverings, and topped it off by wrapping her chest to flatten it. By the end, Zelda looked like a mysterious young Sheikah boy. Finally, Impa took red paint and put the Sheikah eye symbol on Zelda's wrapped chest.
Zelda put her own touch to it by hiding one eye behind her bangs, the longest hair she had.
"Absolutely marvelous," Impa said after Zelda viewed herself in a mirror. "Now you need a name."
"That's easy," Zelda replied. "Sheik."
They left the house and Zelda started to walk to the mill, when Impa stopped her. "Wait, Prin... Sheik."
"Yes?"
"We will train first. Then take care of your vision."
"Yes, sensei."
"See, your already playing the part of a humble apprentice."
Training turned out to be something Zelda didn't want to be a part of at all. She sat cross-legged on the clothesline, meditating.
"This is an exercise of balance. If you can master this, you will hopefully attain some level of inner calm, allowing you greater control of your own ki."
Zelda fell off several times before she started getting control of herself even slightly. All she could think about was her vision and the horrors that would visit Kakariko, on account of the boy in whom she had put the trust of Hyrule. Every time that thought entered her mind, she would lose all concentration and fall, only catching herself on the wire every other time.
Finally she sat to meditate and as the thought entered her mind, she brushed it away. It came right back and she forced it to the back of her mind. It returned once more, and she sought courage and fell.
That's when she realized, whatever comes upon Hyrule, she and Impa would meet it together. And whatever troubles come to Zelda, she always has Impa to help her through them. She was able to balance cross-legged on the wire with this thought in mind for about eight seconds. At that time, the thought of Link becoming one of those troubles crossed her mind, and she fell again.
"Impa, this isn't working," she said.
"What do you mean? You managed almost ten seconds that time. No fledgling Sheikah can do this for extended periods!"
"I cannot focus until I know the truth."
"Very well. We will go and see."
So the walked to the mill. Along the way, they received several strange stares, but not a one of the people they passed recognized her. They all believed her to be Impa's male apprentice. If there's anything Sheikah knew, it was how to make a disguise, Zelda decided. She had never felt this much liberty, to walk the soil among the common people. All her life there was a big fanfare if she were to so much as walk across Hyrule Castle Town to visit a noble, accompanied by Impa and several guards.
Finally, they reached the well, and the mill behind it. Climbing the stairs to the mill, they went inside and found a man standing inside. It was the same musician, with the same strange instrument, but he looked younger in the face.
"Go around! Go around!" he sang.
"Excuse me sir," Impa said, "But my apprentice has a question or two for you."
"Yes?" He stopped his instrument and singing.
"Have you met a boy with an ocarina?"
"Not that I know of..."
"Oh. You haven't heard any strange, magical songs?"
"No. Can't say as I have. Maybe if I heard it..."
"Hmm..." Zelda said. She pulled out the Ocarina of Time and quietly played the tune she learned from her vision.
"What's that? Sounds nice..." the man said. Then all the machinery in the mill started moving super-fast. "What's going on! It's going way too fast!"
"Impa! It's happening!"
Impa and Zelda ran outside, to find rain pouring hard and fast, and the well quickly emptying.
"No!" Zelda shouted. "No!"
She was the boy with the ocarina. She was the one who messed up the mill, and eemptied the well. She was the one who brought destruction to the village...
She started to cry. What had she done?
"Zelda, you mustn't cry," Impa whispered as she held her close. "We can work this out. This isn't your fault!"
"No, Impa. It is. It is! I did it..."
Impa forced her to resume her training, but this time on the wooden beam-top of the well. Zelda felt as though she was being mocked, but realized if she lost her balance she would be extremely hurt. So she forced herself not to think on her dilemma. But the more she didn't think of it, the more it came to mind. It was much easier to balance on a wooden beam than a clotheswire, but she couldn't concentrate. And why should she have inner calm? She had just destroyed a community! Link wasn't the one who brought this on the people, it was their princess, the future leader of the people.
No, that wasn't true. The future "leader" was Ganondorf. He had already declared himself king in his own mind, and was one of the strongest willed men the world had ever seen. Also, Zelda herself had prophetic dreams of his reign. Hopefully she could keep it from happening. But she had a vision of this, too.
This had to be in the goddesses plan.
What do you want from me? she thought. Why did you want me to do this? To become the enemy of the people? No. She was no one's enemy. No one knew it was her, but Impa and the musician. Impa would keep her secret. Impa knew the truth. And the musician would grow to hate Sheik, not knowing her true identity. The enemy was Ganondorf still. And Link was still the savior.
That's right. If Zelda had caused this trouble to Kakariko, Link was still an admirable hero to the people, and would have the people on his side. Everything happens for a reason? she thought. All my visions are to pass? Then why did I have to drain the water supply? She realized the only answer would come from a vision, or a search of the well itself.
Her eyes were tightly closed, and she began to feel drowsy. The constant beat of rain on her body ceased, as if her whole body went numb. And her consciousness started to slip...
