Hey all! I promised to tell youwhat happened way back in Ancient Hyrule, and I kept that promise! It will, however, span out over two chapters or so. Also note that it switches between times, so you have to pay attention to the bold writing!

To Find The Future, Find The Past

Chapter Thirteen

An Ancient Betrayal

120AD (the day before Hyrule fell)

"What so you mean, she's gone?" the King barked, glaring down at his daughter's nursemaid.

"She's gone to the ranch," Impa trembled, "she said she wanted to make sure the Hero's widow and son made it out of Hyrule alive. She left last night."

"And you let her do this?" he boomed again, clearly angry.

"Well… I—" Impa spluttered. The King was usually unkind, but if his only child could be in danger, he would turn into some sort of monster.

"I didn't give her a choice. I left in the dead of night." Princess Zelda walked into the Throne Room.

"Zelda!" the King was elated, but also trying to cover up how cruel he had been to the Castle residents since he had found out that she was missing.

"Save it, Father," she said curtly, "I know of how you treated the people in my absence, but that is not why I've returned—"

"You weren't going to return?" the King gasped, horrified.

"No, Father, I wasn't." she was being incredibly rude today, "But my sources tell me that the Christian armies are only a twenty three hour march away from Hyrule. They're much closer than we thought. We have to evacuate the villages and the market! Nothing will stand in their way!"

"Preposterous!" The King laughed, "My lookouts are the best in the world! They could see an army the size of a pea coming, even when they're forty eight hours away!"

"They come over Death Mountain," Zelda persisted, "They will conquer Kakariko Village! It must be evacuated!"

"No." was the Kings answer, "There is no need. I will not waste precious time evacuating Kakariko, when my sources say that the armies clearly march from the south—"

"You're sources are wrong!" Zelda stomped her foot in an undignified manner.

"Well, send word to the Gorons," the King said, to humour his daughter, "Ask that if the armies do come through the Mountain, that they defend their Hylian betters!"

"I will not tolerate such racist comments." Zelda warned, "The only race you have left on your side is the Sheikah, and I wouldn't want you to blow that, either. You've offended Big Brother Darunia, Queen Ruto, and Lady Nabouru too many times. They have sworn that, so long as you are King, they will not defend Hylians. Even if it means their lives."

"So be it! The armies are not marching from the east, Princess, they are coming from the south, and that is final!" the King was getting angry by now. How dare Zelda, his own daughter, speak to him as such?

"Fine. I tried to warn you," Zelda hung her head in sorrow, "It will be on your head. I am afraid that I will have to take matters into my own hands."

"You will do no such thing." It wasn't a statement, it was an order.

"Watch me." It was a threat. Zelda huffed out of the Throne Room. She heard her father dismissing Impa in the distance. She stopped, and waited.

"That was reckless of you, Zelda," the woman scolded her, "but what do you think we should do?"

"Call a council of the Sages," Zelda sighed, sitting on a nearby bench, "in the Lost Woods. They may refuse if I ask them on my father's behalf, but there's no reason they would refuse a fellow Sage, and their friends."

"Very well," Impa nodded seriously, turning to leave, "it will be done. I will come and collect you when the time is right."

"Impa?" Zelda reached out to grab her arm, fear pronounced in her melodic voice, "Make it quick. I'm not sure what I can do, but I do know that we only have less than twenty four hours before they are upon Death Mountain!"

PRESENT

"…The fear in her voice was something I shall never forget." Impa went on, "It was the one and only time that she wasn't sure."

Zelda sat in silence, absorbing it all. Impa was staring off into the distance, absent-mindedly brushing Zelda's hair.

"Go on…" Zelda prompted.

Impa came back to herself with a start.

"Well… We held the council three hours later, at sunset…"

120AD (the night before Hyrule fell)

"No." Darunia, Ruto and Nabouru stated flatly.

"But, please—" Zelda begged, but was cut off by Darunia.

"The Gorons will have no part in this war!" he exclaimed, "We may look fierce, but we are pacifists, unless we are in dire need to protect ourselves."

"I agree with Darunia," Ruto cut in, "Although my people have been known to be violent in the past, there will be no such behaviour under my rule."

"I'm just still pissed at your father, Zelda." Nabouru admitted, "I have no good reason to refuse your request, other than the simple fact that I have sworn that I will kill your father myself. I cannot aid you, and feel right about it, when I plan to betray you."

"So what?" Zelda demanded hysterically, "I'll hold him down for you! You think he hasn't started hurting me too, lately? He has become greedy, and rude! He refuses to listen to good council! If I could, I would take the knife to his heart!"

The rest of the Sages, except for Impa, were surprised. Zelda had always tried to defend her father. Now she was offering to hold him down while a Gerudo stabbed him? It didn't make sense.

"I agree with Zelda…" Impa put in, "The King needs to be rid of… but I don't think I can take part in this. I have sworn to protect and serve him."

"Correction, Impa," Zelda said, excitedly, "You swore to serve and protect me. Not my father. You are above his orders, if I order you as such."

Impa just nodded, asking herself just what Zelda was getting at.

"Very well," Nabouru gave in, "The Gerudo will assist the Hylians, in the name of our Princess."

"Thank you, Nabouru." Zelda smiled.

"There is a condition, however." she prompted. Zelda knew this was coming.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, knowing full well what it was.

"The King dies tonight."

"It's as good as done," Zelda agreed, her heart aching, "but you will have to be the one who delivers the blow. I don't have the heart to kill my father."

PRESENT

"She didn't!" Zelda gasped, horrified. How could someone choose to kill their own father? Zelda hated hers, but she would never even dream of killing him.

"She did." Impa stated grimly, "I don't believe she took it lightly. She had been saying a lot about the King, and that he needed to be rid of. She wouldn't have done it if she had felt that it wasn't right. She loved him. Almost as much as she loved—"

"Link?" Zelda guessed. Impa nodded

"They didn't go through with it, did they?" Zelda breathed, afraid to know.

"They did."

120AD (fifteen hours before Hyrule fell)

Zelda stared across the room. What had she done? Her father was dead. She had known about the planned assassination, and she had not alerted security. She was a traitor. Guilt haunted her mind, but she did it for the good of her people, her mind told her so. She trusted her own judgement.

She turned, and faced the small crowd gathered in the hall. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"My father is indeed dead." She said strongly, and a collective gasp rang through the hall, "It is most—" she sobbed, then gained control, "it is most unfortunate that this should happen right before he was needed to lead our armies into war. Captain?" she turned to the man kneeled at her feet.

"Yes, my Queen?" he had addressed her as 'Queen'. This startled Zelda to the rude fact. She didn't want to be Queen, but she had to be. In other countries, the new King or Queen had to swear an Oath, in a ceremony called a coronation. In Hyrule, there were no coronations. Once the reigning monarch was dead, their heir immediately took the throne.

"Can I trust you to lead the armies in my father's stead?" she placed her hand on the top of his head.

"Yes, my Queen. I shall lead the armies into battle. In the name of our fallen King. May he rest in peace."

"May he rest in peace." Was echoed throughout the hall by everyone in the crowd.

"May he rest in peace." Zelda echoed, last of all. She dismissed the crowd, and asked for the Royal Doctor to investigate the murder, as all of the men would be needed for the war.

"You held up well," Impa praised her, "you will make a good Queen, Highness."

"You know I hate formalities to come between us, Impa." Zelda turned to her, tears in her eyes.

"Yes, I know, Highness," she bowed, "But you are now my Queen, not my ward. You no longer have need of me."

"You cannot go, Impa!" Zelda realised what she was getting at, "My father has just been killed! You cannot leave me to deal with this alone! I order you to stay!"

"If that is Your Majesty's wish." Impa still kneeled.

"Impa, stand up and look at me." Zelda sobbed, "I can't take this. You are not to call me anything other than my name. Nothing but Zelda! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Zelda," Impa bowed her head.

"Lets go." Zelda said, regaining her composure, "We have much to do."

"Princess! Princess!" a boy came running over to them.

"She is your Queen, little one." Impa corrected him.

"What?" he was taken by surprise, "What happened to the King?"

"He was murdered in cold blood." Zelda muttered, just loudly enough for the young lad to hear.

"Bow before your, Queen, boy!" the Captain rounded the corner at that very moment, "And beg for forgiveness!"

"Captain!" Zelda rounded on him, furious, "He's just a boy! He didn't know! What is it, honey?" she turned back to the little boy.

"The Christian armies are visible on Death Mountain." He said from the floor, "They will reach Kakariko Village in another five hours."

Silence reigned in the corridor, until Zelda spoke up.

"Captain," she said in a shaky voice, "Mobilise the army." She turned to the boy kneeled at her feet, "Young man, I need you to sound the alarms. Today, Hyrule goes to war."

The Captain and the boy both kneeled and said "Yes, my Queen", before they went to carry out Zelda's orders.

"I just hope I'm doing the right thing…" Zelda muttered.

OK... The next chapter is aboutthe war, and it alsoexplains what happened to Zelda and how everything was turned to stone. It's already written, but I'm going to leave it for a while...

P I'm cruel, huh?

Please R&R? PLEASE!