To Find The Future, Find The Past
Chapter 8
The Scarlet Letter
DREAM
'The Redead had Link by the neck, Zelda was screaming for Link to fight it, and Link was yelling at Zelda to run.
"Princess! ... You... must go!" He shouted, "You... cannot... die because... of me! You... must... escape!"
"No!" She yelled, as sternly as she possibly could, "I will not rest if you die here, after all that you've done for Hyrule! I'll stay with you to the death, Hero!"
"GO!" He yelled, as he broke free and began running for the exit, hot on Zelda's heels. He skidded into the iron bars just before Zelda opened them. He almost fell to the ground, but caught himself just in time.
They raced out the exit just as the castle began to implode. As they reached a safe distance, they both turned around to catch a glimpse of the tower collapsing. They watched the entire thing go down. It seemed as if everything was in slow motion. As the dust settled, they looked at each other, identical looks of relief on their faces.
"It's over..." Zelda mumbled, partly to herself, partly to Link and Navi, "It's finally over..."
"Link!" Navi said in that annoying high-pitched voice of hers, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you in the battle before!"
"That's OK." Link told her, surprisingly calm after the battle he had just endured, "I completely underst--" He was cut off by a loud rumble coming from what was left of the castle.
"What is that sound!" Zelda gripped Link's arm in her delicate hand.
"Stay here," he motioned for her to wait for him, as he went to investigate, "I'll go check it out."
He neared the middle of the ruins, and his worse fears were confirmed. A ring of fire surrounded the ruins, and he turned around to make sure the Princess wasn't on fire.
"Link! Look out!" She screamed, and pointed behind him. Link swiveled around, and saw Ganondorf. He was still alive.
Right before their very eyes, he transformed into a hideous monster, called Ganon. He swung his sword at Link, who was barely able to get his shield up.
"There's no way he's going to hold me back this time!" Navi yelled in a sort of high-pitched battle cry, as she flew towards Ganon, "This time, we fight together!"
It was too dark for Link to actually see Ganon, so he aimed for Navi. He was used to actually aiming for his friend. He had done it before on many occasions.
He ducked, swerved, and attempted to attack Ganon with his sword. However Ganon, with one fling of his own sword, disarmed Link. Link watched as, in slow motion, his Master Sword flew from his hand, barely missed decapitating his beloved Princess, and embedded it's blade in the earth behind her.
He had to improvise. Instead of his sword, he equipped his bow. He just hoped that the Light Arrows were enough to kill Ganon.
He still had no idea where to attack Ganon. He had to adjust his eyes to the darkness. Once he had done that, he just circled and used a critical eye to find a spot that wasn't encased in armour. The only piece he could find that might even put a dent in the armour was his tail.
"It's worth a try..." He mumbled to himself as he drew an arrow, using the spell to infuse it with the power of justice and peace. He let the Light Arrow loose, screeching directly at Ganon's tail.
The monster was in severe pain. Its cry almost sent Link deaf.
Link grinned with satisfaction. He had found the weak spot. He got him with the arrow a few more times, taking special care not to get hit, but missed on his last arrow. Instead of hitting his tail, he hit Ganon's head, momentarily paralyzing him. Link took this opportunity to flatten Ganon's tail with the Megaton Hammer.
The armour, strong as it was, was no match for the hammer. It broke and fell off. Ganon was enraged.
Link couldn't get away. Ganon hit him in the stomach, sending him flying into a protruding piece of stone from the remains of the castle.
Link only vaguely heard Zelda's scream. He stood up and shook his head. He caught sight of something a few feet away from him.
Making sure Ganon could not reach him, he made his way over to the bundle, to find that it was a gift from the Goddesses. Arrows and lots of them. He took only enough to fill his quiver, and hoped that it would suffice.
Drawing another Light arrow, he once again aimed at Ganon's now-exposed tail. His ears were met with a horrible screeching sound as Ganon howled in pain.
The flames died down, and Zelda called out to him.
"Link! Over here!" She yelled in earnest, "The Master Sword! Destroy Ganon with the Sacred Sword!"
Link raced to her, praying that the flames didn't re-ignite. He reached his sword, and ripped it out of the ground. He made his way, leaping over various obstacles, directly towards Ganon.
As he got closer, the flames roared from behind him. Ganon reared up once again, fear evident in the way he backed off from Link.
Link didn't say a word. He simply drew a Light Arrow, and took aim at Ganon's ugly face. He let loose and paralyzed him once more. He quickly made his way to the rear of the hideous creature, and slashed his tail repeatedly.
Blood gushed everywhere. Link, in the end, decided that his best bet would be to bleed Ganon to death. He cut off a large portion of the tail, and Ganon fell to the ground in agony.
Link was so absorbed in his battle that he didn't notice that Zelda had entered the battleground.
Ganon was imprisoned in a binding light. Link, thinking that it might be another foe, frantically searched for the source. His eyes did not find another enemy, however. They found his beloved Princess.
"What in the name of Nayru do you think you're doing!" He shouted to her, "You could be killed!"
"I'm using my power to hold the Evil King," she yelled, just as fiercely, "You use your sword and deliver the final blow!"
Taking the window of opportunity that she had given him, he savagely attacked Ganon. He slashed his face, eyes, ears, and eventually stabbed him in the middle of his ugly forehead.
Link ripped his sword out as painfully as he could, intending to put the creature that had caused so much pain through as much pain as he had put everyone else through. Ganon shuddered, and laid still after a few moments.
"Six Sages..." Zelda cried at the top of her lungs, "Now! Ancient creators of Hyrule! Now imprison the Evil Incarnation of Darkness in the void of the Evil Realm!"
Ganon turned back into Ganondorf as she said these words.
"YOU... CURSE YOU... ZELDA!" Ganon's voice carried far into the distance, so that all of Hyrule could hear it, "CURSE YOU... SAGES! CURSE YOU... LINK! Someday, when this seal is broken…that is when I shall destroy your descendants! As long as I hold the Triforce of Power in my hand…"
There was a bright light, and Link and Zelda found themselves floating with the clouds…'
REALITY
Zelda woke at that moment, feeling unexplainably upset.
She yawned and looked at the clock. It was only a quarter past three in the morning.
Frustrated, Zelda threw her head back onto the pillows, hoping that sleep would come again. She had slept for about six and a half hours, rather than her usual nine.
Five minutes later, Zelda had come to realize that sleep wasn't going to visit her again. She swung her legs over the side of her bed, and padded over to the lamp that she kept on the dressing table. She turned it on, and began looking around for the backpack that she had taken to the castle. She had almost forgotten about it.
She found the bag, and began pulling out the contents. The two little figurines were still wrapped up in her jacket. Still wrapped, she placed them on the bed beside her. Next to come out was the box. That went next to her on the other side. She took out all the books, and placed them in a neat pile on the floor, and all of the jewelry went in her top drawer.
At the bottom of the bag was the diary. She didn't know how she could have possibly forgotten about it.
Sitting against the headboard of her bed, she opened the small book, and began flipping through the pages. She stopped about halfway through the book, and read the entry.
'Diary,
I think I may need comfort! My father is forcing me into a marriage to a man that I detest and despise with every fibre of my being!
His name is Rayton, and he is the Prince of Yodde. I only met him today, yet I sense that the man would be bad for me. Again, my father refuses to listen to me! He dismisses it as what he calls "puppy-love" for my best friend.
And, yet, I do love Link. But I don't think it is "puppy-love". I am deeply in love with him, and if it were possible, I would have married him years ago, right after we defeated Ganondorf together.
But, alas, I was blind then. I did not see the feelings of love burning deep within me, and I sent him back to his original time… Something I shall never forgive myself for, yet something I have come to terms with.
As it is, I still know him. Right after he returned from his journey in Termina, he came to the castle, and I begged my father to take him in, even if it was only as a soldier. Eventually, I got my way, and he has lived here ever since.
That's my daily gripe.'
Zelda flipped through the dairy, finding herself reading more and more about this Rayton, and found that she also detested him. She came to a page, written a few months later, that was not as carefully set out as the others. It was written with what appeared to be a shaking hand and what appeared to be water marks from tears.
'Dairy,
I can't believe this! How could he do this to me? I told him that I would always love him! How could he? How COULD he?
Since I told Link about the engagement, I thought he took it fairly well. I guess I was wrong. TERRIBLY wrong!
Once he found out about it, do you know what he did? He went and slept with Malon! MALON! The ranch girl!
And that wasn't the worst of it!
He got her PREGNANT!
I was going to run away with him… but I guess it's not possible now. Being the 'honourable' young man that he is, he is going to marry her. Making any chances of a life together that we might have had disappear.
He has apologized to me, and has begged for my forgiveness, but I don't think that I'll be able to look him in the eye again. He has hurt me so deeply.'
Zelda couldn't read the rest. It was too smudged from the tears. As she closed the book, she saw a little scarlet red envelope slide out of the pages. Curious, she picked it up, and opened it. A letter, written in scarlet ink, addressed to 'my descendant' was inside. Zelda read the letter.
'My descendant,
Only the true heir to the Throne of Hyrule can read this letter. If you are not sure, rest assured that you are. I have placed a spell on my doors and windows so that no one but my heir can open them.
I have also placed a spell on this letter. If you can read this, you would be the only one. This will look like a blank piece of paper to anyone else. Keep it with you. You will need it.
I have many confessions to make. Most of them will be covered in this letter.
My first, and most important, is this:
Although there are no records of one, I have a child. Five years ago, from the day I wrote this letter, I gave birth to a living daughter.
The Sages and I all knew that this child would be special. She had no father. This I can be sure of. I had never had any type of sexual relations with a man before my wedding day.
I could not bring myself to tell my father of my pregnancy, for fear that he would disown me. Instead, I went to my nursemaid, Impa. She and the rest of the Sages contacted the Hero of Time. They told him to take me away from the kingdom, to a far away land.
I was told to bear the child in secret, and give it away to a good home. Link was instructed to keep me safe. He took me to a land that I still do not know the name of. We hid in a cave, and spoke to no one.
Link, of course, had friends in the local area, who said that they would take the baby. I have never met these people, but I trusted Link's judgement. I still do.
I have never met my daughter, and I don't even know her name. I never even got to hold her. All I know is that Link keeps in contact with the people that took her, and that she is very happy where she is. I have no wish to destroy that.
My second confession, is that I am a murderer. This I have not even confessed to Link
On my wedding night, roughly three years ago, my husband forced himself onto me. He savagely beat and raped me, and I was determined to never, ever, let it happen to me again. As soon as we were on the road to Yodde, I took an arrow to his heart. It killed him instantly.
As it was done at night, No one saw me. I have never been suspected. They all assumed that it was an assassin sent from his neighbouring country. I was sent back to the castle, and regained my status as Princess, and never more a word was said on the issue.
I have never felt remorse for what I did. He deserved everything he got. Even death was too generous for him. I just thank the Goddesses that I did not become with-child.
There will be much that you will need to know. You must seek out the Sage, Rauru. He will tell you what you need to know. How you find him is up to you. All the advice I can give you is this:
He will give you a quest. To complete it, you must find the Hero of Time. He will be the only one that can help you.
The two of you will be re-incarnations of the two of us. We need this chance to let our souls rest.
If you do not know where to find the Hero, there is a clue in the lilttle figurines on my mantle. The female is me, and the male is him.
I beg of you, please help me to rest my soul, and all of the lost souls of Hyrule…
Sincerely,
Princess Zelda of Hyrule'
Zelda was crying by now. She believed that she had no choice. Had you asked her to do this a week ago, she would have laughed at you. Now, it was a different story.
Wiping her tears, she reached for the bundle at the foot of her bed. Unwrapping it, she took a look at the male figurine. She gasped.
It was Link…