A Princess' Destiny
Chapter 13: Seven Bursts of Lightning
The entire earth shook as lightning struck the ground. A deep, dark cloud swept over Hyrule and rain poured on the land. Lightning struck again and Zelda saw the Door of Time in the Temple of Time open. Bright, golden light came rushing out, and a silhouette of a man came walking forth. The man came into view as Ganondorf with the mark of the Triforce on his right hand and a large grin on his face. Lightning struck again, and Hyrule Castle Town crumbled, and dead Hylians sprouted from the wreckage. Again, and all of Hyrule was shrouded in darkness. All the horrible things Zelda had seen occur in her visions before came about. Again and the rain became fire falling on the land. Lightning struck a sixth time and the armies of Ganondorf, a mix of Gerudos and the undead, met an army formed of the peoples of Hyrule. After a long and horrible battle, the dark army of the evil king emerged victorious, leaving the corpses of Hyrule to rot on the field. Lightning struck a seventh and final time and another silhouette came walking from the Temple of Time...
Zelda woke on the floor of the forest again. It was dark still. How long had she been asleep? She woke Impa.
"What is it, Princess?"
"I had a terrible dream. Seven flashes of lightning, and all of Hyrule was destroyed."
"The number seven again. What was it you told Ganondorf? Seven days?"
"I'm still waiting to see what happens in the next five. It was a prophecy the goddesses told me to give him."
"Well, Link arrived last night. Perhaps it has something to do with that?"
"Impa, I had a vision that Ganondorf got the Triforce!"
"Why would the goddesses tell you that he will get the Triforce?"
"Because he will! Or maybe... maybe he'll only get it if we don't go back and stop him!"
"Zelda, you're talking crazy. Neither you, nor I, nor you and I have the power to stop him."
"But you, I, and Link..."
"Princess... Fine, but if we are seen inside of the kingdom we'll be caught and killed. We must do this Sheikah-style."
They saddled up Impa's horse, Chrysa, and rushed to Kakariko. They hid Chrysa and hurried into Impa's house, where Impa dressed Zelda in the guise of Sheik again. Impa herself wore a mask and hood and after gathering Sheikah equipment, they made for Hyrule Castle Town. A dark cloud swirled above it once again.
When they arrived, they found total chaos in the streets. The cloud was formed by smoke from burning buildings. Ganondorf had raised the dead guards once again, and they, along with a Gerudo detachment, were trying to subdue an army of Hylian citizens. Zelda couldn't help be reminded of her dream.
"Impa, those people will lose!" Zelda cried.
"Then we must help them!"
Impa led Zelda into a nearby building and they climbed the staircase to its flat roof. Impa and Sheik both prepared needles and began throwing them at lone guards, wiping out dozens of soldiers. Finally, they each threw a flash pellet in to Town Square, and in the seconds while both sides were blinded, they jumped in and took down a couple Gerudos.
"We won't be able to force back the armies like this!" Zelda said.
"We'll give it all we've got!"
"Impa, we need to get to Ganondorf!"
Sheik and Impa fought alongside townsfolk. Each of the Sheikah held a dagger. Impa had taught Zelda to defend herself with a small blade long ago, but she wasn't used to fighting enemies with it.
Impa spun her dagger around with such style. Zelda wished she could be like Impa. She would swipe down, spin it into a hanging position and slash up, jab, strike, anything you could do with a dagger she did. Soon, the apprentice became more comfortable fighting, but prefered striking down the walking dead over the female warriors.
Sheik started trying to make his way toward the path to Hyrule Castle Town. He started to draw close, and made a break for it. As he drew close to the gate into the courtyard, found it was closed. There was no way in. And now guards and Gerudos surrounded him.
I'm not supposed to be here, Zelda thought. She couldn't stop Ganondorf herself. The Gerudos pounced at her with their swords and spears in the air. The downside to Zelda's guise was that she was dressed as the Gerudos' mortal enemy. Child or not, they knew the young Sheikah boy was a capable fighter.
Goddesses, forgive me, thought Zelda. I have gone beyond what you have asked! Please, this cannot be the end!
She felt a familiar, powerful energy come over her, channeling through her. It burned inside her, and all she could do was release it through her whole body. All the Gerudos and guards burned from the intense heat wave that rushed from Sheik's form.
She ran from the burning, wailing bodies, wondering how the goddesses could use her to commit such a vile act. She returned to the battlefield and unsheathed a dagger, fighting her way to Impa's side again.
Soon, they saw a figure appear in the town. A young boy wearing green and accompanied by a fairy.
"Link!"
"Pri-Sheik! Don't stop fighting!" Impa grabbed Sheik and jumped up to the top of another building. They prepared daggers and went down again fighting Gerudos and living dead.
Suddenly Sheik broke away from the fight and hurried to the Temple of Time. She couldn't help her urge to face Ganondorf, and he would be there if he was to get the Triforce before Link. She found all three Spiritual Stones sitting in their designated spots on the altar and a piece of parchment laying on the altar with it. Upon closer examination, she found it to be a piece she recognized, torn out of the Book of Mudora. It was a song written in the old form of musical writings. She also found shattered clay laying all around the altar. Something had happened here, but it wasn't what was supposed to. The Door of Time was still shut.
"Thank the goddesses," she whispered. She hurried back outside to find Link fighting his way to the temple. She leapt back into the fight and began attacking a guard, who was trying to bite her. She cut its head off soon, and saw Link hurry into the temple. She wanted to see what happened, but was having a hard time getting back to the temple. Then she saw the last person she wanted to: Ganondorf. He strode up to the Temple of Time and entered.
"No!" she shouted, but she couldn't get there. She was surrounded by the dead guards who grabbed hold of her and forced her to the ground.
They started biting her and sucking blood out. She felt it. She felt her very life force leaving her. It seemed as if eternity passed as this occurred, until she realized her own energy was in her blood. Her spirit energy.
She forced her hands into the signal of light and felt the energy enter her body. With what ki she still had, she mingled it with the light. As the corpses continued to draw her life, their teeth suddenly jerked out of her skin and all of the guards surrounding her fell to the ground.
"Shine light on the living dead," she quoted. She clapped her hands together and stumbled away to the Temple of Time, a safe haven from all the fighting.
She entered to find she was too late. The Door of Time was open. She entered the room beyond, surprised it wasn't the bright light she had seen in her vision. She found a stairway leading up to a pedestal with the symbol of the Triforce on it. And nothing else. No Link. No Ganondorf. Whatever had transpired here, she had missed it, and now they were both gone.
She fell to the ground and started to slip out of consciousness. Lightning. Impa entered and found her, bloody and torn up, lying on the floor of the temple. Lightning. They were exiting the temple, Zelda in Impa's arms. Lightning. They were leaving town and the Stalchildren started to attack. Lightning. Impa hurried back to Kakariko and put Zelda on the horse. Lightning. They were riding up Death Mountain, away from all the conflict below. Lightning. High above, they saw a dark cloud billowing over Hyrule. Lightning...
Zelda awoke in an alcove on the mountain. The sun was now high in the sky above. Impa had fixed a meal of rations she grabbed in Kakariko. Zelda's body was covered in bandages for the sole purpose of healing, not disguise.
"What...?"
"You were torn apart."
"I know, the guards, but..."
"I got the people to retreat to an underground, hidden point in the city. By now they've escaped to other villages in the country."
"And we're on Death Mountain?"
"Yes. Out of reach. So far, no word has been heard from Hyrule Castle Town."
"Not even Link?"
"No. Ganondorf and Link haven't been seen or heard from. But it hasn't even been ten hours, Princess."
"Ten hours is little time for other things, not the unnatural disappearance of two major characters in my visions. You saw. The stones, the song, the door was open! For all we know, Ganondorf obliterated Link and has gone to the Sacred Realm. Or they both have and one killed the other."
"We just don't know, Princess," Impa said. "The goddesses can work this all out. But we can't. Eat and get your strength."
Zelda ate and was forced to go to sleep by her attendant, who promised her more training in the morning.
