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To Find The Future, Find The Past

Chapter 23

Zelda, Zel, Link ans Linn

Dream (the blonde Zelda)

A plump old man in an orange robe with red trimmings appeared before Zelda in a ring of light. Then, Saria appeared to the right of him. Darunia to the right of her, then Ruto, Nabouru, and then Impa. Zelda warily kept her eye on Impa.

The Six Sages were standing in a circle around her, and they raised their hands. Zelda saw a bright flash, and she was spirited away from the room. Once she could see again, she could tell that this was something that she had to know.

She was standing in a dungeon. Guards came, and dumped seven women into the cells. Once the guards moved away, Zelda had a clear view of the women. They all looked to be about eighteen, the same age as her, maybe a litte bit younger. One woman was dressed in a yellow gown, another in a green gown, another in a red gown, a fourth one in a blue gown, a fifth in a orange gown, and a sixth n a purple gown. The one that really shocked Zelda, though, was the one in the pink gown with the tiara on her head.

It was like she was looking at a mirror image of herself, except the woman in the cell had brown hair and eyes. She barely had time to register that fact, before there were a series of five flashes, and each time one girl was removed from the cell. The first one was the woman in yellow, the second in green, the third flash saw the woman in red disappear, then the one in blue, then the one in orange. They all disappeared, until it was just the women in purple and pink left in the cell. On the sixth flash, Zelda saw what she assumed happened to the other five women.

Two guards came over to the cell, opened it, and draged the woman in purple away. Behind the gurads, came a... something. It looked at the last woman in the cell, and burst into a high-pitched, evil laughter.

"You will never escape, Princess Zelda! Never!" It laughed. The woman in the cell held her brave demeanour.

"Oh, I beg to differ, Angahim." She spat. Zelda gasped. The woman in the cell was Princess Zelda? But... that would mean that she wasn't. That was good... right?

"Oh?" Angahim's shrill laughter stopped abruptly, "And what exactly do you mean by that, Princess?" He used the word 'princess' as if it were a taunt.

"I mean," Princess Zelda said, never moving her eyes, "That I will escape, and you will be stopped by a great Hero who weilds the Master Sword." More laughter on Angahim's part.

"The Master Sword! Ha!" He seemed to be building his ego with every word, "The Master Sword is but pure myth! And, even if this 'Hero' did appear, he would not be able to touch me with the fabled 'blade of evil's bane'! I am immune to it!" And with that, he disappeared in a flash.

The Zelda in the cell hung her head, and began to murmer. The blonde Zelda got as close as she could so that she could hear the words.

"Help me..." She was murmering, "I am a prisoner in the castle... My name is Zelda..." Before she could finish what she was saying, there was another flash. Zelda thought it was time for the last woman to be taken, but it was not a guard that stood there when the light died down. It was a man with dark hair and eyes that looked just like Link. There were fallen guards all around. It seemed as if the man was wounded slightly, as well.

He opened the cell, and walked inside and bowed to his princess. She placed a hand on his head, and healed his wounds. The blonde Zelda started to feel a bit envious. She couldn't do healing spells yet!

"Thank you..." The Zelda in the cell muttered. Another flash, and the mysterious brunettes were in some sort of church. Another flash, and there was Angahim again, but he had Zelda this time, lying on an altar. Link was standing rooted to the spot.

Angahim raised his arms, and zapped the woman on the altar. Ther was a series of explosions, and the woman disappeared. Link and the... thing... exchanged a few threats, and then it came to blows. there was another flash, and then...

REALITY (the blonde Zelda)

Zelda bolted up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. She was panting heavily, and could feel her heart going at a million miles an hour. She did not understand the meaning of her dream, but she knew that it was something important.

She got up and bathed. Upon getting out she had to call for Micha and Sharkas to come in and help her dress. She had gotten used to it by now, although it didn't make getting your underwear tightened by someone any more pleasant. Dismissing the girls, she brushed her hair, and then prepared herself. She was just about to open the doors, when there was a knock.

Opening the door, Zelda found a letter pushed into her hand, and watching an angry back walking away from her. The Goddesses only knew why Link was behaving this way. Zelda read the note, and called out for Link to stop.

"Link!" she cried, and the figure in front of her halted, never turning around, "Come with me! Please?"

"If that is what you wish, Princess." Link said blandly, and followed her to the dungeons. The letter was another summons by the guards in the prisons. Apparently they were not pleased with her response last night, and they wanted her there, now.

Zelda tried to remember the way to the minmum security prison, only having gone there once before. She sucessfully navigated her way there, only having to be directed by Link once. She emerged into a long, dark hall, and saw all the soldiers in the prison bow to her.

There were numerous thieves locked up, some as young as five years old. Zelda felt compassion for the small children, but was in no real position to say anything, not fully knowing Hyrule's laws as well as the guards. Eventually, one of the guards led her to a secluded cell, containing one woman.

Zelda stood rooted to the spot. So did the woman in the cell.

IN THE DUNGEONS (the brunette Zelda)

She sat there, listening to the men yell something about Princess Zelda coming. She frowned. Didn't they know that she was Princess Zelda? She was just about to say so, when the doors to her confined cell were thrown open, and she found herself frozen in shock, looking at a mirror image of herself, although fairer. The blue-eyed blonde version, slightly more graceful than her, was the first to snap out of it, and smiled warmly.

"Guards," Although her expression was warm, her tone was not, "let this woman out of the cell. Now."

The next thing that Zelda knew, she was being apologised to her by her fairer twin. She explained how her people had been on alert and that her sudden apperance and likeness to her had alarmed them.

"Where is Link?" the blonde Princess asked her, stunning her.

"I am right here, Princess." A blue-eyed blonde boy who could have been Link's twin brother, stepped out of the shadows.

"Not you." Princess Zelda said distractedly. The man that had spoken hung his head in hurt.

"He-he was dragged off and thrown into a pit." Ugh! Her voice seemed like a bear compared to the blonde Princess's melodious one.

"Ah..." she turned to the soldiers that flanked her. "Release the man, and have him brought to my chambers after he has been cleaned up. Link," she turned to the man with golden hair standing behind her, "can you watch over him for me?"

"Yes, Princess." The man bowed deeply, and took several guards with him. Zelda blinked, and a small delicate hand was in front of her. Taking it, she felt herself being pulled up by a surprisingly strong arm. The delicate woman in front of her had not stopped smiling. Zelda was feeling a bit unnerved.

Turning around, the woman motioned for Zelda to follow her. Zelda followed the slight, graceful figure through the many corridoors of the castle, looking around in awe.

It was when they reached the outside courtyard that Zelda began to notice things about her strange guide.

She had thought that they were exactly the same, except that the other woman had blonde hair and blue eyes. There were, however, slight differences other than that. The fairer woman was slightly shorter, and her skin was a lot lighter than Zelda's tan. Her guide's ears were also slightly more pointed than hers. Her guide also wore graceful clothing, fitting her form to her hips, than flaring out. Nothing like she had ever worn, nor was likely to wear.

She continued to follow the woman, and eventually came to a grand chamber. The woman threw open the doors, and Zelda was dragged away by several servants, leaving the strange woman to follow with a giggle.

After about an hour, Zelda sat across from the strange woman in what she assumed to be the tea parlour. She began to feel sightly nervous under her scrutinizing gaze. She squirmed, and the other woman giggled softly.

"Forgive me um..." The blonde woman faltered, "But would you object to being known as 'Zel'? It is quite difficult to have two 'Zelda's in the same world, especially since we are both Princesses." Zelda, or 'Zel', blinked.

"No, I don't have any objections, Your Highness." The Princess laughed.

"Call me Zelda." She said simply. Both women laughed. The opening of a door drew their attention.

In walked both of the Links. They were in a heated discussion about the Master Sword, one claiming that it was far too sacred to let anyone evil weild it (blonde Link), and the other saying that anyone that had proven themselves worthy, even if they were evil, could weild it (brunette Link). Both women rolled their eyes, both obviously not interested in the topic at that very moment.

"Link," Zel muttered to Zelda, "is obsessed with that sword. I admit that it's powerful, but there's so much that we don't know about it."

"Hey!" Both men said, making the women laugh.

"Link, this is Zelda, or Zel, as we have agreed as a way to lessen confusion." She indicated Zel, and then the blonde man, "Zel, this is Link."

"Pleased to meet you," Zel giggled as the blonde man kissed the back of her hand, mumbelling that it was a pleasure. Zel noticed that Zelda tensed up a bit and got a bit of a cold look in her eyes. Zel guessed that there was something going on between Zelda and Link. Or there was, at least, once.

"This is Link," Zel indicated the man with brown hair, "Who also goes by the name of Linn. I think it would be better for us to call him by that, don't you, Linn?" Link, or Linn, nodded, seeming defeated.

Link and Linn sat at the tabe, and there was tea and biscuits brought in on a tray by a servant. Zelda was the first to ask a question.

"I hope you don't think me rude, but how did you two get here?" Zelda studied Linn, and Zel noticed that Link had suddenly become cold and distant, like he was jealous. That just confirmed her earlier suspicions.

"Well," Zel spoke up, being the only one to have any idea, "I'm not positive, but we were battling an evil wizard--" Zelda chose now to butt in.

"Angahim." It was a statement. Zel was about to ask how she knew, but Zelda waved her hand, indicating that she sould continue.

"Yes, well, Link -- I'm sorry, Linn -- was just about to deliver the final blow, when I cast a spell to hold him in place. It sorta... I don't know... Backfired, I suppose. The next thing I knew, we were here."

"Right..." Zelda sighed, "Well, I must ask you to remain in the castle until it is safe to leave. We are currently having wizard problems of our own."

Hey, people! I just thought I'd have to give them different names so we could tell them apart. The blondeones are Zelda and Link, and the brunettes are Zel and Linn. If you want me to rewrite the chapter with those names, so you aren't too confused, send me your email, and I'll send it to you.