***ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY**
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In Sotto Voce
By The Wolfess
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Chapter 15
The queen was having breakfast in her solar alone when the news came. A burgundy and gold royal eagle flew in through the open window and landed on the back of the chair opposite her, his piercing eyes seeming irritated about the scroll tied to his leg. She freed him, fed him a scrap of sausage off her plate, and then sent him on his way to the Aviators in the Loftwing Tower. The message was from the general elected to deliver her pardon—along with the council's foolishly elaborate gifts—to the Sheikah and the Zora hiding in Kakariko Village. Zelda still didn't approve of the gesture. You would think that Hyrule itself was crawling on its knees, begging for their help, when they owed fealty to the crown anyway. Still, she supposed that they were begging at this point, weren't they?
Dismissing these thoughts from her mind, Queen Zelda broke the wax seal and read over the letter. Auru reported, in an obviously relieved tone, that they accepted the gifts and were, in fact, quite touched by them. He also mentioned the misgivings they brought up, but these were topics that had already been debated. The council thought she should be more apologetic. Zelda wasn't willing to ask for forgiveness, but she was ready to offer pardon and ask for aid, which is what she had done. They should be grateful to have gotten that.
The queen rolled the letter back up, set it on the table beside her food, and sat back in her chair. She took a couple measured breaths and folded her hands in her lap, looking around the solar. How fitting that she should get the news of Impa's return here, in the very room where they first met. The Sheikah woman had been standing at the window looking out. Her frame was silhouetted in the afternoon light, and when she turned to see who had come inside, light danced in her silver-white hair and cast a glow about her head, as if she were some angel sent to walk beside Zelda.
The queen tried to shake the image out of her mind by reminding herself that Wizzro and Kishla had set up that whole affair. Perhaps he had used some magic to make Zelda find her so beautiful that day, and every day that they had been together…magical. Unbidden, the memory of Link's defense of Impa's character in the library the day they had their picnic rose to her mind. He argued that she was innocent. If she was used by evil, Link had said, then she did not know it. He would have known because of their connection. But his theory was a shaky one at best. Impa's affiliation with and tutelage under Kishla and her purposeful distraction organized on the day of the attack proved that she had been involved…didn't it? And even if she wasn't purposefully complicit, the magical influence could still have influenced their emotions…couldn't it?
Queen Zelda mulled over the details of the argument against Impa again in her mind, rolling around her misgivings and suspicions like a long-flavorless wad of gum. Her appetite was gone, leaving her with just a queasy feeling in her stomach. Suddenly, a bright, clear trumpet sounded in the distance, interrupting her thoughts.
Zelda shook her head and waited to hear the sound again. The first sound was familiar to her: Hyrule's traditional Call to Arms, usually played at the entrance to Castle Town itself when a friendly army arrived outside the city. Each tribe's answering call would be played in answer, and then the friendly army would march through the main street of the city to the Castle Gates themselves, where the monarchs were expected to meet them.
The queen stood and crossed to the window. Since she had just received the general's letter, surely it wasn't their Sheikah and Zora allies. The answering call was being played as Zelda rested her palms on the cool stone of the windowsill. One long blast from a single trumpet sounded in a low minor key. This was followed by a slow series of notes, played by multiple trumpets in chorus, reminiscent of the lonely cry of a morning dove. This was the Sheikah Clan's call, there was no mistaking its somber sound. War was never something the shadow clan delighted in, and their answering call was more of a musical sob than a resounding battle cry. Before Zelda had the chance to think more about the sound—it was not a sound she had heard in her lifetime—the trumpets played another song. This was a flowing cascade of triumphant notes, like water falling over rocks at the base of a waterfall. There was no mistaking the resounding music of the Zora Kingdom.
Zelda gathered her dress in her hands and started hurrying toward the door, her lunch forgotten. She gave a quick glance over her outfit to see if she needed to change before the armies arrived. There had been an unnatural chill in the air that morning, so she had chosen a thicker gown, a snowy gray number with a dark gray and black fur lining around the neckline and sleeves. Combined with a complimentary silver crown, Zelda felt satisfied that she was presentable. There was no time to dress anyway, not when the knowledge of who was marching toward her castle door was making her heart hammer in her chest and her blood rush into her cheeks.
Link, waiting just outside the solar door, was automatically at attention as soon as the door swung open. He fell into step just behind her and kept up easily with her hurried pace. "Who's arrived?" he asked. Although he knew what the trumpets meant by now, he didn't know what all the answering calls were.
"The faster song, the second one that played, was the Zora Kingdom," Zelda answered, leading them down the twists and turns of the corridors. "The sad one, the first song, was the Sheikah Tribe."
Link was silent as they descended the main stairwell. He knew Zelda was leading them straight to the front door of the castle, where the allied armies would wait for her to greet them before being directed to their camp within the castle walls. What he didn't know was what was going through her mind. As much as he would like to have asked, their growing closeness was all but gone since the incident in Zelda's training grounds. She would not answer him.
It wasn't long before their silent march led them to the atrium. The servants stationed there opened the large double doors, and Queen Zelda exited onto the castle terrace. There she stopped and folded her hands together in front of her. Her eyes were fixed on the archway through which the armies would come, and that gaze was as level and steady as a hawk's. Link frowned from his place right behind her. Her jaw was set and flexing as her teeth clenched, and her knuckles were white with the grip she had on herself. Link couldn't tell if she was terrified or furious, but either way she was taut as a viola string ready to snap.
They could hear the stomping of marching feet and the clanging of armor and weapons first. Link could pick out the sound of a few horses, but he didn't hear many. He supposed that the Zoras wouldn't ride at all, being that their advantage on the battlefield was in watery areas, and the Sheikah were a small clan and probably only had a few mounts. He tried to listen harder, straining to try to estimate how many were coming and what armies they were a part of. Some of the more experienced warriors could tell a rough estimate of the size of an approaching army just by hearing them, but he wasn't very good at it yet. Still, he gave a silent guess and waited.
The Sheikah army was in front, and the hero could see a white steed at the lead. As it approached, he could make out that it wore black colors with red designs, and its mane and tail were colored with black and red die. The horse was still too far away for him to make out what the designs were or who rode it, but he could only assume that it was Impa. He bounced on his toes a little, both out of excitement and nerves. When he last saw Impa there was a lot of tension between them, but he still considered her a friend. He occupied the waiting time by trying to think of a way for him to show her his support without making Zelda too angry at him.
As the approaching army drew closer still, Link's brow furrowed in confusion. He could see now that another horse rode next to the Impa's. Normally, the leaders of each tribe rode in front of their tribes individually. Impa would ride in front of the Sheikah, and then, behind them, Ruto would be in front of the Zora. This was the traditional formation so each army could be greeted and sorted individually. This was obviously not what the approaching armies had decided to do. The second horse was a brownish beast with a white main and tail, white socks, and a white stripe down its face. At least, Link assumed those used to be white, as they had been dyed completely blue, and blue was not a naturally occurring color in horses. The horse also sported blue banners with pearled, white accents. Riding atop it was a blue figure who he could only assume from this distance was Princess Ruto. King Zora never left the Domain, and he would have sent his daughter as his representative.
As the horses got close enough, Link could see that the banners on Impa's horse were checkered red and black. The black squares had the Sheikah Eye in red on them, and the red squares had black Ravens on them. Beside the Sheikah horse, the Zora mare had solid blue banners with Nayru's symbol—also the Zora's Sapphire—in white. As richly decorated as the mounts were, it was their riders that had everyone's primary attention. Impa and Ruto rode side by side, their horses' steps in sync with each other. Ruto wore no armor, but the golden Water Dragon's scale shimmered with an unnatural light that seemed to envelope the Zora Princess in a golden glow. Beside her, Impa was dressed as she always was, in her blue battle garb with silver armor. The red Sheikah eye stood out on her breast plate. Strapped to her back was the enchanted Biggoron Sword, but in her hand, held proudly erect, was the red and black naginata of the Sheikah Tribal Leader.
As they passed through the main archway, Link looked past the two horses to the armies behind them. What he had expected to see were two distinct armies. The Sheikah would be in front, and the blue sea of the Zora would be behind them. As with the two leaders, this was not what Link saw when he looked out upon the ranks of the approaching army. They were mixed together. Zora foot soldiers marched beside their Sheikah counterparts, archers with archers, cavalry with cavalry, and so on. At this sight, Link's jaw clenched too. They came at Zelda's call, bearing her gifts, all as requested and required by ceremony. But they came integrated, presenting a united front. They were not two armies coming separately, but one army with two leaders, united with—and perhaps against—the mother country that called them to arms.
The armies pulled up as they approached the central courtyard at the base of the steps. The tension in the air was palpable as all eyes drifted from the united tribal leaders to the queen and back. Link's fists clenched behind his back, his eyes locked on Queen Zelda. For her part, the queen took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and led it out slowly. Her eyes were closed, but her hands were steady and her shoulders were still. Link smiled a little. The inner steel she had shown on the day she agreed to pardon Impa and Ruto was still with her on this day. He knew she would not falter.
When Zelda opened her eyes, it was red that met her gaze. Impa's eyes. Zelda's breath caught, her chest tightening, but she let no trace show. She was a queen, and a queen showed no weakness. Instead, Zelda took another breath and shifted her focus from Impa's intense gaze to the rest of her. The Sheikah's face was utterly blank and her body was still, like a stone statue. No part of her betrayed the emotions that may be going on inside. Her training was good. She was rock steady. I can be stone too, Zelda thought to herself. You will see how strong I can be.
The queen's gaze shifted from the Sheikah to the Zora Princess beside her. Ruto was all sass and expression, but little of her body language was friendly. Her fins fluttered in agitation, and her smile was sharp, challenging. She screamed try me, I dare you, as if Zelda would be stupid enough to agitate either of them when she so desperately needed their help. She would have to choose her words carefully here. One misstep could drive them away, and then it would be more than her that lost everything. It would be the entire world that was lost.
"Welcome to Hyrule Castle," Queen Zelda said, spreading her hands out in a gesture of welcome. "I cannot express the depth of my gratitude. Hyrule, and the whole world, are at the brink of disaster. We are all that stands in the way of evil's approach. I will be honest with you: without a united front, without your aid, we will fail and the world will succumb to darkness." Silence met the pause in her speech. They were not moved, but they were not angry either. Zelda took this as a positive sign. "I know that there is tension between our people. There are many sides and many opinions of who is at fault and what happened. Today, however, is not the day to resolve our inner conflicts. It is a day to set them aside and unite on behalf of something greater than ourselves: Hyrule, the mother country who feeds and cares for us. The country we call our home."
There were smiles within the ranks of the joined army. Even Ruto's fins seemed to calm a little. Zelda felt bolstered by the positive reaction. "I have called you to join the other tribes of Hyrule on the field of battle, this is true. I do this, I send out the call, but I do not ask you to fight for me. I ask you to fight alongside me, on equal footing, on behalf of Hyrule. I ask you to fight so that your children may have a peaceful life. I ask you to fight so that there may be light in our future. Divided by our squabbles and accusations, all shall perish. United on behalf of something greater than ourselves, however, and I believe that light and goodness will triumph over all evil. If we are united, we cannot fail."
There was quiet applause from the armies, a tentative acceptance of her olive branch. The queen was happy about this, but Zelda's eyes could not help but watch Impa's face instead of looking out over the crowd. Where a moment before there had been only stone, now a small smile passed over the warrior's features. There was something soft about her mouth and a look in her eyes that seemed almost proud. Zelda's body shuddered. She had to avert her gaze.
It was best to wrap up as quickly and gracefully as possible. "You are our honored guests within these walls, and there is plenty of room and provisions for all. Hyrulian Captains will direct you to your barracks shortly. Once you are settled, your generals and captains will meet with the others to discuss battle plans and training, so that we may all be united and ready for the march." She paused for a moment, and then continued. "One last item of note before you are dismissed. Now that all the tribes of Hyrule have been united, we will hold a celebratory feast. We will dine without restraint and enjoy one another's company, for it may be the last night of peace that many of us experience. On the morrow following the feast, we will march out together to meet the darkness head on in battle."
The cheers that met this proclamation were louder than before. Everyone loved a good pre-war feast. Zelda smiled and held her hands up for silence. Once it had quieted, she gave a dismissal. "Thank you, once again, for coming when you had every reason not to. We are in your debt. You are dismissed. Hyrulian Captains, please direct them to appropriate quarters. Go in peace, my friends."
The armor clad Hyrulian Captains dispersed, and attention shifted off Zelda. She took another deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out slowly. Now for the hard part. Down at the base of the steps, Impa and Ruto still sat atop their horses, waiting. There were always different instructions for the tribal leaders, as they were expected to meet and dine with the queen. Zelda turned to Link before walking over to them. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, letting her hand touch his upper arm as she spoke. "Link, I know that things are awkward between us, but I need you at my elbow tonight. I fear my own anger will get the best of me. I need your strength to be mine. Will you do this for me?"
Link nodded. "Yes, your highness," he said. As she turned around, however, he frowned. How could he show Impa he stood in solidarity with her if he could not leave the queen's immediate side? The knight shook his head and stepped up to Zelda's side as she descended the steps.
They stopped at the height where Zelda could be even with Impa and Ruto atop their horses. Suddenly, Zelda looped her hand through Link's elbow and stood a step closer to him, unusually close. There was an awkward silence in which Zelda looked at Impa, Ruto looked between the two, and Impa seemed to look from Zelda to Link and back. A fake smile spread across Zelda's face, and her voice was unusually high as she started speaking. "I am so grateful that you have come," she said. "We have much to discuss…" she trailed off for a moment, and Link followed her wavering gaze to Impa. His brow furrowed. What was she doing? She was supposed to inviting them to dine with her that night, but instead she seemed stunned. "…but not tonight I am afraid." Zelda said, her voice faltering a little. "Tonight I must prepare the details of the feast tomorrow. Preparations must start immediately if we are to feed our entire army. However, it would be my honor if you joined me for breakfast tomorrow before our meeting with the generals. Is this agreeable to you?"
Ruto squared her shoulders and drew herself up, as if she was going to answer, but Impa shot her a look. The Zora Princess quieted, and Impa answered Zelda. "I understand, your highness. Pre-War supper for the ranks comes first. We will dine by ourselves tonight."
Zelda nodded. "It is settled then. My gratitude for your understanding. If you will excuse me." Impa nodded, and Zelda did not wait another moment before turning on her heals and practically running back up the steps into the castle. Link stood behind for just a moment. "I have to follow," he said, looking from Impa to Ruto and back. "But I'm going to try to see if she will allow me to dine with you. I…" he paused, and a big, genuine grin spread over his face. "I've missed you both very much."
Impa and Ruto both smiled. "We have missed you too, Link," Impa said, returning his smile. "Now, go follow her. I know your duties." Link nodded and ran to find his queen.
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Impa and Ruto were seated at a private dinner, at their own request. They knew that it would be good for the soldiers to settle in and mingle with the rest of their allies as much as possible before the battle. Bonds of familiarity, even friendship, with their allies insured greater teamwork on the battlefield. That would be important to their success and was the main reason why the two women dined alone, but it was not the sole reason. They also wanted to discuss privately what they had seen at castle entrance, and to gauge their continued steps based on that interaction.
"She seemed stiff, don't you think?" Ruto asked as a servant brought in some wine and their first course, a strawberry walnut salad with goat cheese crumbles.
"You're right. She was featureless as she spoke. Her words were moving, well-planned, but there was no life in her eyes." Impa shook out her cloth napkin and draped it over her lap.
Ruto nodded, her mouth full of the first bite of salad. Once she swallowed, she spoke. "That's true, but I have heard things. Zora regularly deliver to the castle, you see, by use of the waterways connecting the Domain and the Castle. It's also an emergency route in case we need to get a message to the crown quickly. Well, the reports coming back to the domain from our suppliers have been interesting. They filled me in on our ride over here. Queen Zelda has had two modes, until recently: furious or stoic. She has been like an animal, wounded and unpredictable. That is, until her closest generals and advisors confronted her in a meeting shortly before she sent the pardons. Suddenly, she seems to have developed a layer of logic and benevolence. Some suspect that it is only skin-deep, but others say that perhaps she is beginning to rethink what happened."
Impa frowned. "I don't know about that," she said. "There was a hardness in her eyes, right behind her smile, when she spoke to us at the end. I do not think she has forgiven us, only pardoned us for Hyrule's sake. Say what they will about her emotional state, but the queen is utterly devoted to her country and her people. For their sake, she will pardon those she hates."
"But, Imp, her hands were shaking like leaves when she wasn't hiding them behind her back, and she could not take her eyes off you. There is something going on within that heart that is entirely out of her control. I saw something there…seeing you was painful for her."
Impa bit her lower lip, her brow furrowing as she glared down into her plate. "I have heard things of my own, Ruto," she said, her voice soft. "Did you see how she touched Link's arm and drew close to him? I have heard that there has been something happening between them. No one knows what, but my Sheikah have heard through the gossip stones that she dotes on him."
Ruto raised a single eyebrow. "Zelda? Doting? Do you have a gossip stone in the kitchens or something? Impa, I have known Zelda for years. She has never been the doting type…at least, not before she met you."
"But you must have seen them on the steps," Impa protested.
Ruto sighed. "Yes, and what I saw was an act. There was no warmth in her touch—and Link looked just as confused as you. You need to relax, Impa. You may be jealous of Link's position, but I do not think there is anything going on between them. Don't start being as paranoid as she is."
Before Impa could respond, there was a knock on the door. A servant stepped in and cleared his throat. "Sir Link is here to dine with you," he announced. "Shall I let him in?"
A grin spread on Ruto's face and her fins fluttered in excitement. "Oh, please do!" she said. The servant nodded and bowed out of the room. It was only a moment before heavy boot steps and jingling of chainmail heralded Link's arrival.
The first thing Impa noticed when he stepped into view was that he was not wearing the green tunic and blue scarf of the hero. She didn't want to read too much into it, perhaps it was just that one night, but it was suspicious. Link was not a man who normally wore, or even owned, a wide variety of colors in his wardrobe, and if he was the hero then wasn't he required to wear the hero's tunic and scarf at all times as his official uniform? There was no time to examine his appearance further, however, as Ruto leapt out of her seat and ran over to the Hylian man.
"Link!" she exclaimed, ambushing him in a hug. "I have missed you so. Couldn't you have at least written me in the Sheikah city?"
Link laughed. "I'm sorry, Ruto, but there wasn't exactly much time for personal things. Also, communication with either of you was forbidden until the pardon." His eyes drifted past Ruto to where his Sheikah friend still sat at the table. He smiled, but he didn't approach. "Impa, I—"
"Why are you not wearing the hero's uniform?" Impa cut him off. "And why did she let you come here tonight when you are supposed to be at her side, especially during these dangerous war times?"
Link whistled under his breath. "Wow, you get right down to it don't you?" he asked, not expecting a response. He raised his hands in front of him. "Peace, Impa, please. I made sure she was guarded by soldiers we both know and trust before I left her side. Trust me, this doesn't happen often. It's just…" he paused, considering if he was even allowed to say what he wanted to say next. He shook his head and sighed. "Let's just say that having you here is hard for her. She is not the same person she was before."
Impa nodded. She didn't know what that meant, not anymore, but she trusted Link's judgement on her safety. "I'm sorry," she offered. "Old habits die hard I guess, even though I really didn't serve her very long."
Link nodded. "No, I understand. It's easy to develop deep affection for her, so it's also easy to worry about her." They both paused for a moment, obviously dwelling on their own memories of the blond girl. It was Ruto who snapped them out of it.
"Okay, you both are deeply devoted to the queen, that's great. Can we continue with the making up please? I'd like to eat the second course before it gets cold."
Link laughed. "Right, sorry. The hero's tunic. I won't wear it. Haven't since shortly after you left. I didn't earn it. You were the hero of that battle, everyone knows it, and I won't accept an honor I haven't earned yet. So…any other questions, General Impa?"
It was Impa's turn to laugh. "Oh goddesses, I had almost forgotten about that. It is so weird to hear the title 'general' in front of my name. Every time one of the soldiers or captains calls me that, I have to pause a moment to figure out who they're addressing." The Sheikah stood up and crossed the room to her Hylian friend. The smile she turned on him was genuine and fond. "I'm sorry for my distrust and jealousy, Link. You are a good, courageous man. I should not have doubted you."
Link just shook his head. "Forget about it," he said, and he reached out and pulled Impa into a hug, which she readily returned. "I'm really glad to see you, Impa. I've missed you."
Impa smiled. "I have missed you too," she said, and then let him go. "Come on, join us. I think the second course was just delivered."
The three companions returned to the table. All conflict gone from their hearts, they ate and laughed and told stories together, catching up on everything they could of their time apart. There was one topic they did avoid, however, and that was anything that had to do with Zelda. It was too much of a sore point for them all, and they wanted this night of reunion to be a happy one.
They were eating their main course slowly and talking about who in their old training group was approaching advancement, when Impa felt a chill run down her arms. Clenching a fist in her lap under the table, she scanned the room with her eyes while still trying to listen to Link's story. Her red gaze brushed across the main entryway a couple times before she caught the edge of a fur-lined dress hem and the smallest glitter of silver. She looked to Link and Ruto, but neither of them seemed to have noticed it.
"Excuse me," Impa said, starting to rise. "I'm sorry to miss out on the rest of this, but I have to go find a lavatory."
"Good luck," Link said. "I still get lost trying to find them. You would think that they would be more conveniently located, or at least have signs around to help you find them."
"I'll be back soon," Impa assured them, and then walked toward the door.
When she exited the main hall, Impa stepped out of view of the diners and looked around. Was it her imagination, or had Zelda really been there? Even if she was there, Impa thought, why did she think that it was a good idea to follow her? Shaking her head, the Sheikah tribal leader was about to go back in the dining hall when she thought she felt something touch her back. She turned around, but no one was there. "Zelda?" she asked, her voice soft. When no sound answered her, Impa felt like a fool.
Rather than go back, something compelled Impa to keep walking. As she walked, the Sheikah became increasingly aware that she could feel a presence. It seemed to be both within her and outside of her, both familiar and unfamiliar, both light and shadow. There was only one person that presence could belong to, and the tribal leader followed it like a hound on the hunt.
Her hunch led her to the secret room Zelda had shown them so long ago, on the night before battle. Impa sighed. Zelda was in there. She could feel the other woman on the other side of the panel, but was it even wise to enter? After a moment of debate, Impa finally gave in to the curiosity burning inside her. The queen must have led her there, and the Sheikah would find out why. What more harm could the queen do to her on the eve of battle? Impa slid open the hidden panel, stepped in, and slid it closed.
Queen Zelda stood still as a statue in her gray fur-lined gown, her eyes cast toward the ground. Impa could see that her hands were curled into fists and her face was flushed, but why was a mystery. Was it anger? Embarrassment? Excitement? Sorrow? Impa had no clue, and Zelda did not move. Moments passed, and still Zelda didn't speak or raise her head. The Sheikah began to wonder if she had fallen asleep at dinner and this was all another dream. It couldn't be a dream, though. There was no Sheikah-clad vixen there with inviting eyes, no warm princess with sweet words and sweeter lips. No, this was no dream and no dream Zelda. This was the Queen of Hyrule.
Impa fell to one knee. It felt silly to do so in a secret enclosure, but she could think of no other course of action. Zelda was not acknowledging her, and Impa dared not speak unless spoken to. Finally, as the silence persisted, she could take it no longer. "Your majesty, I—"
"Why can you not leave me be?" Zelda interrupted, her eyes snapping up.
Impa could see that her face was flushed from crying. Not sure what to do, the Sheikah lowered her eyes to the ground. "I do not understand, your Highness."
The Queen scoffed. "Of course you do. It was you who led me in that ritual to bind our souls, and every night since it has been you who torments me relentlessly."
Impa said nothing. She knew what Zelda meant by the binding of souls. Unintentionally though that moment had been, she herself had been trying to forget it unsuccessful. The Sheikah didn't understand, however, what else the blond was implying.
Zelda filled Impa's silence with words. They tumbled out of her, quite out of her control. "Do not kneel there so silently when you have been filling my mind with sorcery! Relentless, you have been within me plaguing me with images. Every time I am alone, they are there. Every time I drop my guard, they are there. By day I keep my composure and endure this constant torment, but by night I have been at your mercy."
Zelda began to pace as she spoke, going to and fro in front of Impa. "By night, you hound me with memories of our time together. You touch me and it is almost as if I could feel your skin. I can smell your scent in the air. I can taste…" her voice hitched. Her body was shaking now, her nails digging into the palms of her fisted hands in fury. She growled out the next words through clenched teeth. "I can taste your lips on mine. Every night. I have tried to combat your onslaught by forcing closeness with another, but to no avail. He is but a friend, even a brother, but no lover. His kiss did nothing but remind me of yours. I have no control."
"Zelda, I have never—"
"Silence!" Zelda's moist, smoldering gaze landed on Impa's kneeling frame. Those cornflower eyes were wide and wild and hungry. Clad in fur and shrouded in shadow, her pointed silver crown glittering like spears in the moonlight, she looked like a beast. "Did I say you could speak?" she said, her voice low, sweet, and dangerous.
Impa shook her head. She suddenly regretted not bringing a weapon with her, but then what would she do? Kill the queen? She would rather be killed herself.
"I have endured these torments in silence and I have risen above your games by offering you pardon. Still, you have not ceased. Though we lavish you with gifts and titles, still you fill my every waking moment with yourself. You are always here, always with me. Have you been watching? What information have you stolen from me, and what have you done with it? Why Impa? Speak now. I demand answers for this persecution, and I demand the return of my liberty."
Impa swallowed. She was cornered. There was no good answer here, and no way to escape to safety, so why even try? "You asked me to stay," she murmured.
"Excuse me?" Zelda said, affronted. "I asked you to torment me? Is that what you are saying?"
Impa shook her head, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. "No. When I guided you to your magical core the day of the battle…I was going to withdraw before you made the connection. I was going to leave. But you asked me to stay with you. Don't you remember?"
Zelda's breathing quickened. "Y-yes…I remember, but…but you were…" The queen trailed off. She clenched her eyes shut and wiped her face with her hands, as if trying to wipe away the memories. She didn't want to remember this, didn't want to see these images, but Impa was right in front of her and she couldn't wipe her away too.
"I was a part of you," Impa finished for her, crimson eyes filling with tears that dripped onto the stone floor she was looking at. "I was a part of you, and you were a part of me. Countless lifetimes came together for one beautiful moment in complete harmony. I stayed because you asked me to protect you. Throughout all our lifetimes, I have always stayed for you." Impa raised her eyes to look at Zelda. The queen met her gaze. "In that moment you knew me completely. You bound our souls together. I, too, have suffered dreams of you."
Zelda backed against the wall, looking around as if looking for an escape. "I…you are lying…this cannot be true."
Impa sighed. When she spoke, she sounded defeated. "There is no part of my being that is hidden from your eyes," she said. "The Triforce of Wisdom gives you greater control over the connection than I. Search me, if you will, and know me. If you find evil within my soul, then I pray you will tell me. I will do you the favor of killing myself so you do not have to sentence me to death without cause."
Zelda frowned at the woman kneeling before her, her hand drifting to cover her gaping mouth. "No," she murmured into her palm, even as her other hand drifted to the top of Impa's head. "What you say cannot be true…." Her hand paused mere inches from Impa's silver white hair, and her fingers curled for a moment. Finally, she uncurled her fingers and rested her palm on top of Impa's head. Her eyes closed, and it was only a moment before the Triforce began to glow on Zelda's hand. A gentle wind picked up in the room, and the queen's eyes moved within her eyelids as if she were lucidly dreaming.
What opened before her was a landscape of Impa. There were colors and sounds, faces and memories from across a lifetime. Zelda sifted through them like searching through a chest of clothes for a particular blouse. It was at the heart of Impa that she found what she was looking for: her core beliefs and motivations. They were like a ball of brightly colored, luminescent gases floating about a sparkling golden core that pumped like a heart, sending out electrical impulses through the rest of the Sheikah's body.
On the floor, Impa was sweating, her face screwed up in pain. She had not expected it to be so painful to have Zelda search around inside her, but she spoke not a word. The queen would get what she wanted. Despite this, Impa couldn't help but cry out as the queen's magic stepped into the most vulnerable, intimate part of herself.
All the things that mattered most to Impa swirled around Zelda like a mist. Her intimate relationship with her mother, and her sorrow over her loss. Her Sheikah training, and her sense of pride at being the warrior she was today. Zelda could feel the journey Impa had taken to become the warrior she was, and the pain of much of that training too. Sensation after sensation, Zelda searched through them all. Love, loyalty, friendship, duty, integrity…all these things the queen found within the tribal leader. She even found some negative things—self-doubt, self-importance, ambition, and self-centeredness. But no evil. She searched and searched, but she could not find that true darkness she had expected to find, wanted to find—just the flaws and virtues of a regular person.
Exasperated, Zelda turned her gaze to the pumping core of Impa's being. Perhaps the darkness was so much a part of her that it was a part of her very core. Determined and desperate, Zelda moved through the cloud and approached the golden core.
The moment Zelda touched the core of Impa's soul, the Sheikah cried out and collapsed. Zelda, however, was unaware of the effect her probing was having. She was entrenched in the magic of it, and dead set on finding what she was looking for. She did not see that she was hurting the Sheikah woman.
What she did see, however, shocked her still. She saw herself. She saw every moment they had spent together, every touch, every word. She found the night she fell asleep in Impa's arms, and their kiss. But it wasn't just images and memories from their current life—within Impa's heart, Zelda found all their lives. Just as she had felt when their souls merged, just as she had suspected when she first spoke to Impa of the idea in the library, countless lifetimes together spread out before her probing touch. Goddess and servant, nursemaid and young ward, princess and teacher, each life showed them at different ages and different relationships. But despite how different they all were, what shocked Zelda to the core was how much sacrifice and devotion each incarnation of Impa had shown to their Zelda.
Each incarnation of Impa risked her life. Some suffered horrible imprisonments until rescued by the hero. Some were barely known by their Zelda's at all, and yet they still served her with unwavering loyalty and love. Some were military leaders, some were caretakers, some were friends, and a few were something even more. What Zelda needed, the Impas gave. Whatever they couldn't give, they found in someone else. Impa was a part of the cycle of eternity, Zelda's companion and helper in the great work that was her eternal guardianship of the Triforce.
Zelda opened her eyes, and her presence withdrew from the Sheikah all at once. Once she reoriented herself, the queen looked at where Impa had been kneeling, only to find her curled on the floor. She gasped and dropped to her knees. "Dear goddesses, Impa!" she reached out and touched the tribal leader's arm. She shook the arm a little, repeating Impa's name, but there was no response.
The queen swallowed her rising panic and checked Impa's breathing and heartbeat. Both were present and steady, meaning that the tribal leader had just passed out. Breathing a sigh of relief, Zelda stood up. She fidgeted for a moment, unsure of what to do, until she finally slid the secret panel open and slipped out.
Luckily, the person she was looking for could be heard walking the hallway. His boot steps were loud, and his cries of "Impa? Impa where are you?" left little to wonder about his exact location. Zelda found him quickly.
"Your highness!" he gasped, jumping back in surprise as Zelda rounded the corner. He placed his hand over his heart and sighed. "I apologize for jumping," he said. "You surprised me. Where are the guards I asked to watch you?"
Zelda waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind that," she said, already turning around. "Follow me." Not waiting to see if he would follow, she turned back around and strode back to the secret room. Sliding the panel open, she slipped inside, waited for Link to enter, and closed the door behind them.
"Goddesses, Impa!" Link exclaimed, dropping to her side. He did the same initial checks that Zelda did, then turned an accusing gaze up on his monarch. "This has gone too far, Zelda. What have you done to her?"
The queen shook her head, her hands raised to cover her mouth with steepled fingers. "I do not know," she said. "It was not intentional, I swear."
Link nodded. "Whatever you say," he said, obvious dubious of her motivations. "Where do you want me to take her?"
Zelda thought for a moment. She couldn't go to the infirmary because they would wonder what had happened and rumors would fly. That was not an option. She couldn't take her to her assigned room or anywhere that maids might see her, because they would think the same thing that Link obviously did: that Zelda had attacked the Sheikah woman. Zelda couldn't really say that she hadn't wanted to hurt Impa when she initially called the meeting, but she certainly hadn't meant to do anything besides talk.
"Take her to my room," she said, finally. "And then go ask the doctor for smelling salts, a tub of hot water, a tub of cold water, and some compresses. Do not tell them what they are for, and do not let them see who is in the room. I will be there shortly to join you."
"Okay," Link nodded. He crouched next to Impa and carefully scooped her into his arms. Straightening to a standing position, he shifted the Sheikah woman and nodded to the queen one last time. "Come quickly. I'll take the tunnels so we can't be seen on our way to your chambers."
Zelda touched Link's arm just before he left. "Thank you, Link. Truly." He nodded and slipped out.
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Author's Notes: Revised chapter uploaded May 2022. Please find original author's note below.
!
Things are finally changing! And in a positive way, or so we all hope.
Until next chapter,
