Seraphina had never been happier to see the gates of the capital. Out of all of her siblings, she spent time away from home the least. Usually, her trips were fun visits to her friends amongst the children of other nobles throughout Hyrule. That was what she'd thought her trip to Gerudo would be, and for a while, it had been. She hadn't seen Sabah in so long, and it had been exciting to finally meet the prince she hadn't been allowed to see before. However, all of that had changed the night Jeanne had rushed her out of Taafei. It hadn't been until they arrived safely in Yarna that she was told what had happened to her friend. She'd spent much of that night crying.
The rest of the journey back home had been somewhat somber, but as always, Jeanne had been able to cheer her up. The whole ride back, the knight had regaled the princess with stories of her youth in Necluda, tales of old knights and heroes, and legends of gods and spirits. Being held in her protector's arms was warm and comforting. Even when they were chased by monsters, Jeanne had made her feel safe.
As they approached the gate with the riders who had escorted them from Mabe, the princess tilted her head back, looking up at the red-haired woman's face. Jeanne noticed and smiled warmly down at her. "We're home, little angel," she said softly.
"Yes." Seraphina nodded. "I can't wait to see Father again. Do you think Sophie and my brothers are back, too?"
"I hope so, Princess." Reaching down to the carrying bags hanging from the side of the horse, the red-haired knight retrieved a horn. She lifted it to her lips and blew.
"Open the gates!" the guard at the front of their party called up to the tower once the sound of the horn died down. "The princess returns!"
Seraphina saw many people lined up in front of the gate. They must have been trying to get inside because of the Blood Moon. The sun had already gone down, so it would not be long. As she and her party got closer, the gate guards began herding people out of their way, clearing a path to let the princess in first.
"They will all be inside before the Blood Moon begins, right, Jeanne?" Seraphina asked, concerned that they were still outside the walls this late in the evening.
"Of course, little angel," Jeanne assured her. "Let's just get ourselves inside and let the guards take care of everyone else."
"Okay," the princess agreed, relieved.
Once inside, they stopped and let the riders from Mabe circle around them. "You have our thanks for escorting us here," Jeanne told them. "I can take the princess back to the castle on my own from here. You may return home, and may the Goddess guide you."
"It was an honor, Dame," the head guard replied. "Farewell." He and his comrades turned their horses and headed back for the gate.
"Farewell, friends!" Seraphina called after them. "Do we have to go back to the castle right away?" she asked Jeanne. "I want to wait for the others."
Jeanne looked a little worried for a second, glancing up at the full moon in the rapidly darkening sky. "It's getting late, little angel," the knight replied. "Perhaps we should get you to bed?"
"Please? Just for a little!" the princess begged. "The Blood Moon won't start for hours, and we're already safe inside the walls, right? I just wanna make sure the others are okay. Please?"
Jeanne was hesitant, but Seraphina's puppy dog eyes must have won her over. The red-haired knight sighed. "Very well. But only for a short while."
"Yay! Thank you, Jeanne!"
Her bodyguard glanced around to locate the nearest guard. "Excuse me, young man," she called to an idle gate watchman holding a spear. He looked alert when he realized a knight was addressing him.
"Yes, Dame?"
"Please deliver a message to the castle. Let them know Princess Seraphina has returned to the city and will be arriving at the castle shortly."
"Yes, Dame!" the guard agreed, hurrying off.
"Now, let's go. Up there!" Seraphina urged, pointing up to the wall.
Jeanne directed the horse over to one of the towers that led up to the top of the wall. The knight dismounted first, then helped the princess down. Seraphina immediately ran inside and began climbing the steps.
"Princess, wait! You mustn't leave my sight!" Jeanne called after her.
Seraphina giggled and stopped on the staircase. "Sorry, Jeanne." She waited for her attendant to catch up, then let Jeanne take her by the hand. The knight led the rest of the way, tapping her halberd against the ground as they walked.
On top of the wall, there were several guards on patrol. When the princess and her companion appeared, many of them stood at attention, although Seraphina didn't know if it was because they recognized her or just because Jeanne's armor revealed her status as a knight. "At ease," Jeanne told them with a wave of her hand. "Do not mind us. Please go about your duties."
"Yes, Dame."
Seraphina walked along the wall until she was practically right on top of the southern gate where they had entered the city. She pressed her hands against the parapet and leaned forward, gazing off into Hyrule Field. It was dark, but she hoped she would see Sage Aurun and the others coming soon.
"Be careful, little angel," Jeanne warned, stepping behind her. "Lean too much and you might fall over."
"I'm not a baby, Jeanne," Seraphina complained.
Jeanne put her hands on the princess's shoulders. "I know, Princess. I am merely carrying out my duty to ensure your well-being."
Seraphina leaned back against her caretaker, letting the taller woman wrap her arms around her. "I know," she said, comforted by the warmth that came with Jeanne's presence. "Do you see them?" The princess went back to gazing into the field, on the lookout for Aurun's party.
"I see nothing, Princess."
Seraphina rested her arms against the parapet again. "Laemora," she said quietly. "Please light their way."
From where she was standing, the princess was reminded of the Gerudo fortress of Taafei. She had spent some time looking down at the city below from atop the high walls, talking about whatever came to mind with Sabah. "I wonder if she's with Mother now," she said, thinking aloud.
Jeanne's hand tightened momentarily on Seraphina's shoulder. "Who, Princess?" the bodyguard asked cautiously.
"Sabah," she said. There was some melancholy in her voice still, but she did not feel the need to cry anymore.
"I… I'm sure they're both someplace wonderful now, little angel," Jeanne said.
Seraphina turned around to face her. "You knew her pretty well, right, Jeanne?" she asked. The third princess had only ever known of her mother from stories people told of her, and from her portraits in the castle.
Jeanne hesitated, but she nodded. "Yes, child," she said. "My family has long been in service to hers. Queen Elincia was very kind."
Seraphina smiled. She may not have had a mother, but she'd always had Jeanne. Unlike her siblings who had been attended by other royal guards in their youth before eventually settling on their current bodyguards, Jeanne was the only attendant knight Seraphina had ever had, and she couldn't imagine having anyone else watch over her.
Before she could say anything else, something caught Seraphina's eye, so she turned around. The clouds had parted somewhat, allowing the light of the full moon to stream through, illuminating the road leading through the field up to the southern gate. Out in the distance, the princess could see many horse riders approaching.
"Is that them?" Seraphina asked excitedly.
"Perhaps," Jeanne replied. "Shall we wait until they are closer, then go down and greet them?"
"Okay."
Seraphina watched with eager anticipation as the riders slowly came into view. Many of them were dressed the same as the guards from Mabe village that had escorted them to the city. However, mixed in with them were other outfits she recognized. Guards, clerics, and attendants they had been traveling with when they left Victorique at the Coliseum. Sage Aurun was there as well, wearing his distinctive owl feather cloak.
"It's them! It's them!" the princess shouted excitedly.
Jeanne took her by the hand, smiling with relief. "See, little angel? I knew they would be alright. Let us go and meet them downstairs."
Once back down on the ground level, they waited by the gate for the others to enter. Soon after, the clambering of hoofsteps signaled their arrival. Sage Aurun rode in along with the others, surrounded on all sides by the guards from Mabe.
"Sage!" Seraphina called out. "Greetings, everyone! Welcome home!"
The riders took notice of the princess and called back their own greetings. The princess and her knight watched as some of them dismounted. Their escorts were dismissed and rode back out through the gate. Sage Aurun and a few of his attendants approached them while the rest left to head back to the castle or the cathedral.
"Princess. Dame Jeanne. I am quite relieved to see you have made it back in time," Sage Aurun said, bowing his head respectfully.
"And you as well," Jeanne replied. "Were the soldiers from Mabe able to reach you in time?"
"The fight was over by the time they arrived," Aurun said. "We met them on the road, as well as a pair of travelers who said they aided you, but we saw no more monsters between there and the capital."
"That is a relief." Jeanne put her hand on Seraphina's shoulder. "Princess, it is getting late. Perhaps we should say goodnight to Sage Aurun?"
"Aww…" Seraphina moaned, but she was starting to feel a little drowsy. "Good night, Sage. I'm glad you were with us on this trip."
"It was an honor to join you and your sister, Princess." The sage nodded and signaled to his attendants. "We must return to the cathedral now. May the Goddess keep you safe tonight."
"You, too," Seraphina replied.
"Are you ready to return to the castle now?" Jeanne asked after watching the sage remount his horse and leave.
"Okay," the princess nodded. "Let's go."
"Dame Jeanne."
The knight and her charge stopped, turning around to see the one who'd greeted her. They had been walking through the castle grounds on their way to Seraphina's tower, having just gotten back a few moments ago. Jeanne had seemed intent on getting the princess to bed as early as possible, which Seraphina did not mind. This had been her routine on every previous Blood Moon. The whole event sounded scary, so sleeping through it in the safety of one of the most well-guarded places in Hyrule was not so bad.
"Yes?" Jeanne asked.
A well-dressed servant stood before them, hands behind his back with impeccable posture. "The king requires an audience with you. He wishes to discuss the matter of Gerudo," the servant replied.
Jeanne glanced down at Seraphina, concern in her eyes. "Very well. Please allow me to escort the princess to her quarters first."
"No," Seraphina said, smiling excitedly. "I want to see Father, too." It had been a long time since she had last seen him, and with all her siblings still visiting the other provinces, he was the only member of her family still in the castle. "Please, Jeanne?"
Her bodyguard looked to the servant, but he did not remark on whether the king would permit or forbid his daughter's presence at the requested meeting. Regardless, she returned the princess's smile wearily. "Okay, little angel. Let's go see your father."
"Very good. Dame, Princess, if you would," the servant said, turning around and leading the way.
Even though she was tired, Seraphina enjoyed walking through the castle again. It was nice to see other parts of Hyrule, but ever since she was a child, she'd been the type to get homesick easily. It felt good to be in familiar surroundings again, without having to worry about monsters and fighting.
We are safe here.
Although it was late, there were still many people awake throughout the castle. Seraphina didn't even recognize them all, but she greeted as many of them as she could. Many responded with a respectful "Good evening, Princess," while others gave her a warm "Welcome back, Princess!" Jeanne had to take her hand in order to force her to keep up because she kept stopping to try to talk with people.
When they reached her father's study in the upper reaches of the castle, two members of the Royal Guard stood outside the door, eyes obscured by their distinctive helmets. They seemed to have been expecting them, as they allowed the servant to step past them and open the door. "Go on inside, Dame, Princess."
"Thank you," Jeanne said.
"Thanks!" Seraphina followed her inside, and the doors shut behind them. In the room, her father was behind his desk, scrawling something onto a piece of paper with a feathered pen. "Father!" the princess shouted, lighting up at the sight of him. She quickly rushed over and went around the side of his desk, throwing herself into a hug to his side. "I'm back! It's so good to see you!" Her father did not stop what he was doing, but he did offhandedly pat her head while he continued to write. "Yes," he said absentmindedly. "Dame Jeanne, have a seat."
"Thank you, Your Grace." The knight sat down in one of the fine chairs on the other side of the king's desk. "Princess, I think that's enough for now, hm? Why don't you come sit with me?"
"Okay." Going back around to the other side of the desk, she shoved one of the other chairs a bit closer to her caretaker before hopping up onto it.
"I received some updates on Gerudo several days ago," King Tychon said, putting his pen down. "I imagine the information is outdated. I need a report on the current situation."
"Yes, my king." Dame Jeanne cleared her throat. "Urballa has revolted, and the Gerudo seem to heavily favor her decision following the… passing of her daughter."
Seraphina felt a pang of sadness at that, and she could see that Jeanne was not pleased to have to say it in front of her. The princess reached over and placed a hand on Jeanne's.
The knight glanced her way, giving her a brief, reassuring smile. "We have already lost Taafei. The Gerudo have marched on Yarna as well, although Princess Zelda had moved most of our forces out of the province beforehand."
"She moved them?" the king asked. "To where?"
"To the Coliseum, Your Grace," Jeanne replied. "Your daughter reasoned its position was more easily defendable due to the bridge the enemy would have to cross in order to invade, and it is more easily supplied and reinforced by Gatepost and Windvane. It is also outside of Gerudo territory. Since Urballa's goal is to retake her land, she may have no intention of extending any further than Yarna."
"She is not retaking her land, she is stealing ours," King Tychon corrected.
"Yes, of course," Jeanne agreed hurriedly yet gracefully.
"Nonetheless, I concur with my daughter's reasoning," the king continued. "Whether the Gerudo invade or not, we will keep the Coliseum occupied so as to keep pressure on them until we can send reinforcements." As he spoke, he picked up his pen and began writing again. "The situation in Akkala has died down for the most part, so I will have Percival take his armies southwest."
Seraphina perked up at the mention of her brother, but Jeanne raised an eyebrow. "Prince Percival?" the knight asked.
"I would send Lancel or Lord Remoth as they are closer, but they are occupied with the Rito rebellion," King Tychon explained.
"What of General Alchon?" Jeanne asked.
"My brother is dead," the king replied. "Percival is acting lord of Akkala Citadel for now."
"What?" Seraphina nearly fell out of her chair. "Uncle Alchon? What happened?"
"It would appear one of the Earthquake Sage's followers snuck into the citadel and killed him in retaliation after the sage was killed in battle," her father replied.
"By Nayru…" Seraphina felt like she was going to cry again. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She'd known her uncle for her entire life. How could he just disappear like that so suddenly? She felt Jeanne gripping her hand comfortingly, but her eyes still welled up with tears.
As she felt the sadness creeping through her, the lighting in the room changed. In addition to the candles atop the king's desk, moonlight had been streaming in through the large window leading out to the balcony. However, in a matter of seconds, the moonlight had shifted from a pale silver to a coppery red. Through the window, Seraphina could see the entire sky was filled with the odd coloring, and she felt a chill up her spine.
The Blood Moon had begun.
"Hm. Earlier than expected," King Tychon commented.
Something is not right, child.
Seraphina flinched. "Laemora?" she asked, looking into the sky.
Both her father and Jeanne turned their attention to her. "Do you hear the goddess's voice, child?" King Tychon asked.
"Yes, I heard her," Seraphina replied, standing up and moving towards the window.
"Princess, wait!" Jeanne left her chair and grabbed Seraphina by the wrist to prevent her from going any further. "What does the goddess tell you, little angel?" She was speaking kindly, but there was clear worry in her voice, so the princess knew it was serious.
The seals in the walls. They have been deactivated.
"She's talking about the seals in the walls," Seraphina told them. "She says they're… deactivated?"
Her father stood up abruptly, slamming his hands on his desk. "What?"
The princess leaped in surprise, startled by the sudden loud noise.
"No…" Jeanne said incredulously, pulling Seraphina in closer and wrapping her arms around her. "That's not possible. How can this be?"
"I do not know, but we must assume it is true and prepare for the worst," the king replied. "Sound the alarm and spread the word. We need to-"
His words were interrupted by a puff of smoke suddenly appearing beside him. A man stepped out of the smoke wielding a knife, but with reflexes beyond what an old man such as the king should be capable of, Tychon grabbed the man by the wrist and the neck, lifting him up and slamming him down onto his desk.
Seraphina shrieked. Jeanne stepped back, pulling the princess along with her. Another burst of smoke went off next to them, and Jeanne was quick to conjure a barrier around them. The man who appeared next thrust his weapon harmlessly against the prism of light, at which point Jeanne dimmed it long enough to swing her halberd at him. Seraphina shrieked as the man's blood splattered over them.
"Get my daughter out of here!" the king ordered. "Guards!" The door burst open and the two royal guards who'd been standing outside came in, spears at the ready. "We're under attack!" Tychon shouted.
Two more clouds of smoke exploded in the room, but Jeanne did not wait for more assassins to appear. "Come, Princess," she said, pulling her out of the room. "Quickly, now. Quickly!"
"What is happening?" Seraphina screamed, confused and scared, her tears finally flowing.
"I don't know, but we need to get somewhere safe," Jeanne insisted.
"What about Father?" the princess asked.
He's in danger, too. Will he be alright?
"Princess, please! You have to trust me." Jeanne's voice was desperate, and although she didn't sound even half as scared as Seraphina felt, the princess was pretty sure her knight was as confused and uncertain about the situation as she was.
Together, they ran through the halls of the castle and down several flights of stairs. Oddly enough, the castle seemed much more empty than it had been when they were on their way up.
Where did everybody go?
They had gone down several floors by the time they found anyone else. Five guards wielding spears were coming down the hall just as they were passing by the south side windows. The guards were running as if in response to the commotion.
"Guards! On me!" Jeanne called to them. "The king is under attack, and-" She did not have a chance to finish her sentence before two of the guards thrust their spears at her. She reacted quickly, shoving Seraphina behind her and swiping with her weapon to block theirs. "What in Din's name are you doing?" she screamed. "I am Dame Jeanne, sworn protector of Princess Seraphina!"
"It's me!" Seraphina pleaded, unsure how these guards could possibly have mistaken them for someone else.
Why are our friends attacking us?
The guards did not respond. One of them made some hand signals to the others, and they circled around the princess and her knight, spears pointed outward. Jeanne summoned a bright red barrier around them, holding out her halberd as she turned in a circle to look over their opponents. They all wore helmets that covered their faces, so it was difficult to identify them. "What you are doing is treason," she informed them. "Throw down your weapons and let us pass at once!"
Seraphina shrieked as the guards began stabbing at Jeanne's barrier. At first, the blows did not appear to do anything, but as Jeanne continued to plead with the guards, cracks began to appear in the barrier and it flickered with instability. "Jeanne…" Seraphina hugged her protector tight, terrified beyond belief.
"Stay close to me, Princess," Jeanne reassured her. She stood at the ready, hands gripping her weapon tightly and a look of determination in her eyes. Just as the barrier seemed like it was about to break, she let it disappear.
She struck quickly before her opponent realized he was vulnerable, stabbing him through the chest before quickly pulling out and chopping at his neck. She then spun around, swinging her halberd in an arc around her to force the other guards to step back. She stabbed the next closest guard, then pulled back and swung for the one next to him. This time, her attack was blocked.
"Jeanne!" Seraphina shouted, seeing the guard behind her move to stab his spear into her back. Jeanne was able to spin around just in time to deflect the blow. The other guard she had stabbed a moment ago had fallen to his knees, but before he could get up, Jeanne took the opportunity to swing her halberd downwards, cleaving his skull in with the axe blade. Seraphina's eyes opened wide in shock as yet more blood splattered over her.
Jeanne's next attack was dodged, and the one after that was blocked. The enemies seemed to be growing familiar with her attack patterns, and she must have been beginning to tire. Many of the enemy attacks managed to make contact, and while Jeanne's armor was sturdy enough to take most of it without issue, it wasn't long before one of her opponents finally got a real hit in, jamming his spear through an opening in the side of her right leg. "Aghh!" she shouted, collapsing down on one knee in agony.
"Jeanne!" Seraphina shrieked.
The guard pulled his spear out of her leg, but she did not let him get away. Forcing herself to stand back up, she quickly swung her halberd, managing to slash him across the chest up to his neck. He stumbled over to the wall and fell, writhing on the floor as blood spilled out of him.
"Let me heal you!" Seraphina raised her hands, speeding through her prayers as she called upon her healing spell while Jeanne continued to fight. Her efforts did not last long, as Jeanne suffered another blow to the shoulder soon after. "Stop!" Seraphina shouted to their attackers. "Please, stop! Stop!"
Still wounded, Jeanne grabbed the princess and pulled her along as she hobbled backwards away from their remaining opponents. "Don't worry, Princess," Jeanne tried to reassure her through heavy breaths. "There's only two left. I can deal with them."
However, just as she said this, a swarm of at least ten more guards rounded the corner at the other end of the hallway. For a moment, Seraphina was relieved, thinking they had come to rescue her and Jeanne, but she soon realized they could just be more traitors.
Please… Please, help us…
"There!" one of the guards in the distance shouted, pointing in their direction. "Take her. Leave the princess to the others."
"Yes, sir!"
Seraphina's heart dropped as the guards began to advance on their position. "Princess," Jeanne said, clasping her hands down on Seraphina's shoulders. "You must get somewhere safe."
"What? Where?" Seraphina replied in a panic.
"I love you, little angel," Jeanne said, giving her a tender kiss on the forehead. When she stepped back, another barrier appeared, but this one only surrounded Seraphina.
The princess's eyes opened wide. "Jeanne, no!"
But the knight did not stop. Jeanne shoved her hands against the barrier and pushed it backwards. The window behind Seraphina broke and she fell through it, screaming as she tumbled through the air, falling several stories to the castle grounds below.
The barrier shattered when it hit the ground, absorbing most of the impact, but it still hurt when she landed. The entire outside world was still bathed in the coppery red tinge of the Blood Moon, and she could hear screaming and general commotion in the distance all around her.
"Somewhere safe… somewhere safe…" Seraphina repeated to herself as she climbed to her feet. "Please… Laemora, where should I go?"
Come to my temple, child. My sage will protect you.
The princess had never been more relieved to hear the goddess's voice. Getting her bearings, she set off down the fastest path to the city. She moved as fast as she could and tried to avoid being seen. After being attacked by the castle guards, she was afraid she couldn't trust anyone now.
After making her way down to the lower levels, the gate to the bridge that led over the moat was in sight. The gate was open, and long lines of guards were funneling out into the city. The princess stayed hidden behind a wall, peeking out from behind it to watch, unwilling to let the guards see her. She felt her heart racing, and the fear she'd felt before was still yet to fade.
Why is the gate open? What are they doing? What is happening in the city?
As she watched, she heard an odd noise from behind her. Turning around, she saw nothing at first, but when she tilted her head up, she saw something strange. It was like a portal had opened up a couple meters above the ground, appearing as a circular disk of blackness, like a window into a starless night sky. "What…?" Seraphina uttered in bewilderment. She'd witnessed so many unexplainable things so far that night, but this latest one left her completely at a loss.
Suddenly, something fell out of the portal, landing in a heap on the ground. The princess shrieked and stepped back in surprise. It looked like a naked person, but their body was emaciated and their limbs strangely elongated. They did not move, and they certainly looked dead. "...Hello?" Seraphina asked nervously, her voice quivering. "Are you… alright?" she asked, stepping closer to the body.
"Aughhh…" Without warning, the body moved, letting out a ghastly moan that caused Sophitia to leap backwards again. The mass of elongated limbs untangled itself and tried to stand up, lifting its head. Finally, Sophitia saw its face. Its lower jaw hung open, and its sunken eyes stared forward with no life behind them. The princess had never seen a ReDead before, but she had seen drawings of them, and she knew right away what it was.
"Ahhh!" she screamed, turning to run away. She wasn't worried about whether or not the guards were on her side anymore; she just wanted to get away from that monster.
The guards standing by the gate noticed her when they heard her screams. "What? Princess Seraphina?" One of the guards, this one wearing a plumed captain's helm, stepped forward as she ran towards them.
"A monster! A monster!" she shouted, clinging to his waist and hiding behind him. "Over there!" she said, pointing.
"What?" In the distance, the ReDead that had appeared limped out from behind the wall. It slowly turned its head. Upon spotting them, it began creeping towards them.
The guards began to panic, clutching their weapons in fear.
"By the gods!"
"They're inside the castle grounds now!"
"Where the hell are these things coming from?"
"Men!" the guard captain shouted. "Pull yourselves together. You and you, take it out. The rest of you, with me."
"Yes, sir!" The two soldiers the captain had indicated left to go deal with the ReDead.
"Now, Princess. What are you doing out here?" the captain asked, wrenching her off of him and getting down on one knee to speak with her.
"We were attacked," Seraphina replied, her eyes filled with tears. "Father, Jeanne, I don't…" She wasn't sure what to tell him. These guards did not appear to be her enemy, but she didn't know what was going on or how to explain it. But then, she remembered what Laemora had told her. "The temple!" she shouted. "I need to get to the Light Temple. Now!"
The guard captain looked confused, but he stroked his chin in consideration. "I suppose if the castle is not safe, the cathedral may be the next best place. The undead undoubtedly cannot enter there, at least." The man nodded, having made his decision. "Alright, Princess. My name is Glendo. Stay close to me, and we will keep you safe. Okay?"
"Okay," Seraphina said. She was still terrified, but she felt a small sense of relief. These guards were not like the ones who'd attacked her for some reason; they were like Jeanne.
I can make it to the Light Temple. The Sage of Light will rescue me.
Captain Glendo stood back up and signaled to the half a dozen soldiers standing around him. "Alright, listen up! New objective. We're taking the princess to the cathedral. Move quickly and keep her surrounded at all times. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Together with her newfound guard detail, the princess crossed the bridge over the castle moat. The entire world was still red and hazy from the light of the Blood Moon, and as they moved closer towards Central Square, the sounds of screaming and chaos got louder and louder. Seraphina kept telling herself she was almost to safety. Whatever she faced next, she could get through it.
As expected, Central Square was an utter disaster. People were running through the streets, screaming in terror. The City Guard was doing battle with undead monsters out in the open. In addition to the portals that spawned ReDeads appearing in the air and on the ground, Stalfos were clawing their way out of the earth to attack whoever came close. The streets were littered with the bodies of guards, townsfolk, and monsters, some of which were being consumed by the grotesque ReDeads.
"Stay close, Princess," Captain Glendo reminded her. As soon as they could, the guards tried to lead her out of the city square and away from all the commotion. They took a left down a street heading east. Hyrule Cathedral was in the very northeast corner of the city. Getting there would take some time, but the route would be simple.
The street they went down was not as active as the square, but it was not long before they ran into more monsters blocking their path. A couple of townsfolk had come running out from a nearby alleyway, screaming in terror. They were soon followed by three Stalfos. One of the skeletal monsters wore armor and carried a sword and shield. The others were unarmored, but held spears. One of them was also missing an arm, but pursued its prey as relentlessly as the others. The townsfolk were caught and killed right in front of them, causing Seraphina to scream.
The guards in front of her raised their shields as the Stalfos took notice of them. "Stay back, Princess. We'll handle this," Captain Glendo insisted.
The unarmored Stalfos were felled rather easily. One got its head bashed off by a soldier's shield the moment the fight started, and the one-armed Stalfos toppled over after one of its legs was cut off. The Stalfos with armor posed more of a challenge. It did not manage to kill anyone, but it slashed two soldiers across the chest before it was finally subdued, collapsing into a pile of bones on the pavement.
"Hurry, now. Before they reform," one of the guards at the front of the line shouted.
"Come on, Princess. We must move."
"Okay." Seraphina had to step over the monster bones to get through. They were twitching and vibrating, as if trying to reassemble. She did not want to be around when they did.
Once they were a safe distance away, having made it to the next street, Seraphina wanted to help the wounded guards who had protected her. "Stop!" she shouted.
"What is it, Princess?"
"You're hurt," she said, stepping up to the two that were bleeding.
"I'll be fine," the first one insisted.
"Okay, heal me first then," the other one said.
Seraphina placed a hand on each of them. Bright lights appeared, piercing through the surrounding veil of red as she healed them. Slowly, the wounds on their chests closed up. "Thank you for helping me," she said to them.
"It is our duty, Princess," one of them said. "Now, let's keep…" Before he could finish, he got distracted, tilting his head back to look upwards. Seraphina and the others followed his gaze. Up in the sky, a little to the south, a veil of dark clouds was forming, swirling together unnaturally. It cast a rather large shadow, blocking some of the red-tinged moonlight.
"What in Din's name is that?"
"Some sort of storm? As if tonight wasn't going badly enough…"
The veil of clouds did not remain for long. In a few moments, it transformed, taking on an appearance similar to the portal Seraphina had seen the ReDeads fall out of, only much, much larger. Before she had a chance to react, something descended from it, and it wasn't a ReDead.
The monster was gigantic, and it appeared to have a humanoid shape. However, since it was still hanging upside-down from the portal, the lower half of its body could not be seen. Its skin was a sickly pale violet, and while it had muscle, its body was criss-crossed with visible veins, and even its spinal cord was pronounced as if its skin was too tight. In place of a head and neck, there was an odd protrusion atop its shoulders. The protrusion folded open like a flower at the end, revealing a single gigantic, glowing red eye. Perhaps the strangest thing about the giant creature was its hands. They looked like they'd been chopped off at the wrist, but they floated in front of the monster's arm stubs as though they were still attached by some invisible force.
Despite having no visible mouth, the floating giant let out a deep, moaning roar. Using its severed hands, the creature began hitting the ground rhythmically, as if beating a drum. The earth shook with the rhythm, and as it went on, portals opened up all around the monster, dropping more ReDeads into the city.
"Sweet mother of all that is holy…"
"I've never seen a creature like that."
"Demon! A demon has entered the city! Hylia, save us!"
"Men! Keep moving! Make for the cathedral! Princess, come on!" Captain Glendo shouted.
Still shaking, Seraphina ran along with them. The guards chopped down several ReDeads that came too close as they went, but they stopped for nothing. Despite her terror, Seraphina could not stop glancing back at the demon in the sky. At first, it stayed floating where it was, and they were getting farther away from it. But then, the monster turned its 'head,' seemingly setting its great red eye upon her in particular. It emitted another low-pitched roar, and suddenly, it was moving. The portal it hung from glided through the air, and the demon's disjointed hands continued to beat against every street and rooftop it passed over.
"It's coming towards us!" one of the guards shouted.
"Faster! Flee for your lives!"
Seraphina could see the Light Temple in the distance, and could do nothing but pray.
Please, Hylia. Send Laemora to us. Save us! You must save us from this demon…
The rhythmic thumping of the demon's drumbeat got closer and closer. Soon, the guards running behind the princess screamed, but were quickly stamped out. Captain Glendo grabbed Seraphina, lifted her up, and kept running. "Don't worry, Princess. We're almost there."
Seraphina allowed herself to be carried, closed her eyes, and kept praying as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Please… Please… Laemora… Save us…
The demon's hands came down upon them, but at the last second, they slipped into a narrow alleyway between two rows of buildings. The demon roared behind them and continued beating its hands against the rooftops, but they'd been spared for the moment. It was not enough to hold the demon for more than a few seconds, however, so the guards did not stop running.
Please… Hylia… Laemora… I'll do anything… Please, protect us!
They were closer to the Light Temple now, but Seraphina didn't know if they'd be able to survive the final stretch. "Father…" she said under her breath, wondering if she and him would both join Mother in the next world.
But then, a burst of brilliant white light ignited the path in front of them. The very temple itself was glowing, offsetting the blood-red tinge from the moonlight. Seraphina opened her eyes wide in reverence, knowing her prayers were being answered. The light seemed to stream off of the temple, gathering in a swirling ball in front of the building. The mass of light grew rapidly and began to take shape, until a glorious, giant, glowing golden bird emerged, letting out a majestic, eagle-like screech.
"Laemora!" Seraphina cried. Behind her, the demon roared, backing away from the newly emerged bird goddess.
"Enter my temple, Children of Hylia. I will deal with this fel creature." Laemora's voice echoed with power, exuding an air of both wisdom and righteous fury.
"Thank you!" the princess replied. As Captain Glendo carried her up the temple's steps, Seraphina watched as Laemora flew at the demon, flapping her great golden wings and letting out a battle screech.
The doors to the temple opened by themselves. As soon as the princess and her guards entered, they slammed shut once again.
"We made it!"
"Praise Hylia!"
As the guards expressed their relief, collapsing to the floor in exhaustion, Glendo placed Seraphina down on the ground. "See, Princess?" the man said, panting. "I told you we'd make it."
"Thank you, Sir," Seraphina said, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Will you come with me to see the sage, please? I want to make sure he is alright."
"Of course, Princess." The guard captain turned to his remaining men. "The rest of you, stay here and guard the door."
The main area of the cathedral looked like a disaster relief shelter. Hundreds of people were in the aisles, in the pews, and by the walls. Many of them were wounded, and clerics were tending to them. Other priests moved up and down the aisles, trying to keep everyone calm.
"Sage Aurun!" Seraphina called out as she walked down the central aisle. "Sage Aurun!"
"Princess?" Her shouting had gotten the attention of quite a few people nearby, but a cleric carrying a jug of water was the first to recognize her. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the castle?"
"I need to find Sage Aurun," she said, not wanting to have to say the castle wasn't safe either. "Please, it's important."
"He's over there," the cleric pointed. At the front of the room by the statue on the right side, the elderly sage was tending to a guard who was covered in blood while two more soldiers and another cleric stood by and watched.
"Thank you." Seraphina ran the rest of the way down the aisle, all the while hearing the sounds of the goddess and the demon doing battle outside. The ground shook every time there was a loud crash, and Seraphina winced whenever she heard Laemora screech in pain.
"Sage Aurun!" The princess stopped when she reached him.
The sage looked up at her. "Princess?" He turned to the cleric behind him. "He is stable now. Take over for me."
"Yes, Sage."
Aurun stepped away from the wounded man. "Princess, what are you doing here?"
"Laemora is here." she said quickly. "She appeared outside. The city is under attack by a demon, and Laemora herself is fighting it as we speak."
The sage nodded. "Yes. I felt her presence a few moments ago. There are monsters in the city somehow, but I doubt there is any demon. Whatever Laemora is fighting, I am sure she shall smite it with little effort."
Seraphina smiled, finally feeling a genuine sense of relief that she'd desperately needed. "Yes, Sage," she said, exhaling deeply. "Hylia has truly blessed us with a remarkable Patron."
"Indeed, my princess," Aurun agreed. "Now, there are still many wounded to tend to. Would you kindly lend us your healing magics as well?"
"Of course, Sage." Healing had always been the one school of magic Seraphina excelled in. Laemora had brought her to this temple filled with wounded men, women, and children. It must have been for a reason. "Sir," she said, turning to Captain Glendo. "Thank you again for everything. I am safe with the sage. You can rejoin your friends now. They might need help if the monsters make it to the door."
"By my honor, your highness." Glendo bowed, then headed back down the aisle towards the entrance.
For the next several minutes, Seraphina made her rounds alongside the sage and the other healers. Some people had been bitten by ReDeads, others had been stabbed by Stalfos, others still had scrapes and bruises sustained while fleeing in the confusion. Seraphina had been told in the past that the Blood Moon never lasted for more than two hours or so. She had no idea how long it had been since it started, but she felt like it must be over soon.
Laemora will protect us. The Blood Moon will vanish. All this madness will end. I just need to believe…
However, despite busying herself with healing the wounded, she was never able to completely ignore the infrequent rumbling of the earth or the sounds of the two giants fighting in the city outside. The sage had told her Laemora would defeat the enemy easily, but if that were the case, why wasn't the fight over yet?
Please be okay… Please be okay…
The princess had just finished closing up a particularly nasty chest wound when she heard another loud crash. Shuddering with concern, she felt the need to check on what was going on outside. After excusing herself from the sage's presence, she quickly made her way around the pews and back to the atrium. There, she found the guards huddled by the windows.
"What in Hylia's name is happening?" the young princess asked.
"This is horrible…" one of the guards said, not having noticed Seraphina.
"Fear not," one of the other guards chimed in. "I don't know what that thing is, but there's no way it can kill a god."
"Yes, especially one who does Hylia's will."
Seraphina went up to one of the large cathedral windows and pushed her way past the guards.
"Oh! Princess, what are you doing back here?"
"Princess, perhaps you should return to the main area. This is not something a child should see."
"I want to see her!" Seraphina insisted. "Laemora is my friend. I need to know if she's alright."
"Well, as you wish, your highness…"
Looking outside, Seraphina could see the battle was still raging on. A good portion of the surrounding buildings had been flattened. Giant, golden, discarded feathers littered the ruined cityscape. The demon was covered in scratches from Laemora's talons, dripping blood so dark it was practically black.
Laemora attempted to fly into the demon from the side, but it swiped at her with one of its disembodied hands. The goddess dodged it and flew upwards. Letting out an eagle cry, she spread her wings, emitting a bright, radiant light. The demon seemed to recoil in discomfort, and Laemora took the opportunity to swoop in, plunging her talons into the demon's giant red eye.
The soldiers cheered and sang Laemora's praises. She seemed to be winning now. Seraphina felt a tinge of hope, but the terrifying and violent display in front of her turned her stomach.
Please be okay…
The demon moaned in pain as the bird goddess gouged its eye. Rather than counterattack, the floating horror flailed about for a moment, and then it seemed to dissolve. Seraphina watched as the demon's body became less solid, melting into a smoky black vapor. The soldiers cheered once again, thinking the monster was defeated.
However, the mass of darkness enveloped Laemora. She responded by spreading her wings and emitting a bright light once more, but the shadow continued to close in around her. The light faded like a candle burning out, and in moments, the demon had solidified again, its disembodied hands gripping Laemora. The goddess wailed in pain.
"No!" Seraphina shrieked, but it was too late. The demon squeezed tightly, then twisted its hands. A horrifying snapping sound echoed through the city, followed by an explosion of light that caused Seraphina and the guards to leap away from the window, covering their eyes.
"Ahhhh!" The princess fell to her knees. Aside from being blinded, she felt a sudden, piercing pain in her head.
She's… She's…
"Laemora!" Seraphina shouted. Already crying, she stood back up and looked out the window again. The goddess was gone, leaving behind only a pile of golden feathers and ash. The demon drummed its hands against the ground, as if celebrating its victory. After a moment, it finally ascended back into the portal from whence it came, disappearing.
The princess remained against the windowsill, burying her face into her arm. She sobbed deeply over the loss of another friend, unable to comprehend what she'd just witnessed.
A god… How can a god…
"Princess, get away from the window!" Captain Glendo grabbed her from behind and pulled her back. "Go rejoin the sage. Quickly now."
"What?" Seraphina asked, wiping the tears from her face. A pounding on the door told her danger had arrived outside, and she feared what might happen to the Patron's temple without Laemora to protect it. "O-Okay," she said weakly, rushing back out of the atrium as the guards readied their weapons in a line around the door.
Seraphina had to push her way through a crowd of people to get to the front of the room. So many townsfolk were huddled together now, confused and scared. When she found the sage, he was kneeling in front of the altar with his hands on his head. "Sage, I…"
Aurun looked up at her. His face showed him to be in considerable pain. "Princess - augh… I… I can't feel the goddess's presence… Did… Did she truly…?"
Unable to bring herself to answer, Seraphina scrunched up her face as tears began to flow again, nodding in confirmation. The Goddess of Light, Protector of Hyrule, had perished.
The sound of glass shattering came from both sides of the temple, and the sound of a door breaking down and an ensuing battle could be heard coming from the atrium. The temple's occupants screamed in terror, some knocking each other over in panic.
"Princess!" the sage cried through strained breaths. "You must hide!"
Seraphina was even more scared than she'd been throughout the entire night, but she nodded and heeded his advice. Not sure where else to turn, she spotted a statue of Hylia in the corner. There was very little space between the statue and the wall, but for a child of Seraphina's size, it was enough. She ran to the corner and squeezed behind the statue, positioning herself in such a way that allowed her to peek out from behind it slightly.
The princess had been expecting ReDeads or Stalfos to be the cause of the shattered windows, but they were not. As the terrified crowd continued to scream, many of them pointed upwards. Way up in the air, beneath the high ceiling of the cathedral, there were several humanoid, bat-like monsters with large ears and spindly limbs.
Achemen? Here? In the Light Temple?
The monsters flew around for a short period, then began dive bombing the crowd. Some bit their prey, others lifted them into the air and dropped them. Unable to watch the senseless slaughter, Seraphina slid her head back behind the statue, shut her eyes tightly and clamping her hands over her ears.
Hylia, please, save us! You must save us! Make it stop, make it stop!
After a while, the noise died down. There was no more screaming. Other than the growls of the bat monsters, the only remaining sounds came from the Sage of Light, who had been left alive for some reason.
"You will all be punished for this," he spat out in a hoarse voice. "The gods have no mercy left for murderers like you."
"Feeble old man."
Seraphina shivered at the sound of the monster's voice. It was deep and somewhat echoey. One of the Achemen was talking to Sage Aurun.
"You wish us no mercy? I judge that as quite fair. We do not plan to be merciful either."
No, no, no! Aurun, please! Use your sorcery! Get us out of here!
Sage Aurun had always been the most powerful practitioner of light magic Seraphina had ever known, but it seemed as if the loss of his Patron had left him crippled, at least for the time being.
Maybe I can heal him. If I just run back to him, maybe…
Suddenly, the princess heard a great number of footsteps; the kind made by soldiers with their armored boots. She felt another tinge of hope. Perhaps reinforcements had arrived, enough to drive out the monsters.
"Lord Remoth!" Aurun called out. "Thank Hylia. Please, dispose of these wicked monsters!"
Lord Remoth?
Seraphina remembered the scary man who sometimes visited the castle. He'd been at the summit, and he left with Sophitia and Lancel. Cautiously, she peeked out from behind the statue again. Sure enough, the tall, lordly-dressed man was walking down the nave, followed by a dozen or so soldiers.
The Achemen flew towards him, and for a moment, Sophitia feared to watch the battle that would ensue. However, none did. The Achemen simply stood at the end of the aisles, letting Lord Remoth and his soldiers pass.
What? What are they doing?
"Lord Remoth…?" Sage Aurun seemed to suspect something as well. He had managed to climb to his feet, but he was leaning against the altar unsteadily.
Lord Remoth did not respond. As he approached, he began to change shape. Seraphina had seen the Sheikah alter their appearance before, but this was different. There was no illusion being cast and no illusion being undone; his body was actually changing. Like and Acheman, his face became bat-like, his fingers grew long spindly, and a pair of leathery wings appeared from behind his cape. Seraphina covered her mouth and sank back, trying not to make any noise.
"You…" Aurun sounded as surprised as the princess was. "You cannot enter this sacred place," he declared, righteous fury welling up in his voice. "None of you can!"
"Is that a fact?" Lord Remoth's voice was as calm and as deep as it always was, but it now carried with it a different quality, speaking the same way the other Acheman had earlier. He stopped at the end of the nave, standing across from the sage. The monster looked around the room, then held out his hands, as if he was expecting something to happen. "How odd. It appears there is no one here who would prevent my admittance."
"You monster," the sage spat out in disgust. "This is all your doing, isn't it? The undead, the monster in the sky, Laemora - how could you do this? You traitor!"
Lord Remoth took a few steps closer to the sage, glancing about the room once again. "Where is the princess?" he asked. "I know she is here."
Seraphina slid fully behind the statue again, curling up into a ball in the hope that she could just disappear.
"She's gone," Aurun lied.
There was a pause. "Is this true?" Lord Remoth asked.
"No, Master," one of the other Achemen replied. "Some of the civilians fled through the windows, but none were children."
"I see." Another pause. Some of the Achemen growled, and Seraphina heard the flapping of their wings. She shut her eyes tightly, worried they were searching for her now. Instead, she heard a thump and the sound of the sage groaning in pain. Worried about him, she risked a peek out from behind the statue. Two of the Achemen had shoved Aurun to his knees and were now holding him there.
"Tell me where she is," Lord Remoth ordered him calmly. "Where is she hiding?"
"Why?" the sage asked. "Why are you doing this? She's a child!"
Lord Remoth stared at him for a moment. "Do you know what the difference is between your kind and mine?" he asked.
"A soul," Aurun said immediately.
"Education," Lord Remoth corrected.
The sage looked confused. He clearly hadn't expected that answer. "What?"
"Humans, Gorons, Zora, Rito - what do you call yourselves? The Children of Nayru. Why is that?"
"Nayru gave us the light of civilization," Aurun answered. "She taught us law, morality, society. She gave it to all of us freely. We accepted it, while you monsters rejected it, choosing instead to live your lives murdering and pillaging."
Despite the sage's insults, Lord Remoth remained patient, waiting for Aurun to finish before speaking. "Did we reject the teachings of Nayru? Or, perhaps, were we never offered them?"
Aurun scoffed. "What are you saying?"
"The gods play favorites, Sage. You know this better than most. Hylia chose your people, and Laemora chose you. Why would Nayru have been any different?"
"Do not waste your breath, beast. I will not hear this blasphemy in my temple," Aurun said defiantly. "Whatever grievances you may have with the gods, I fail to see how that justifies killing children."
"Ah, yes. The princess," Lord Remoth said, holding out his arms. "Youngest child of House Hyrule. Our great rulers. The kings and queens of all the land. Tell me, O Wise Sage. In the centuries since Zelda the First founded this kingdom, have her descendants - those with all the power in the world - have they ever tried to bring 'the light of civilization' to monsterkind?"
"Of course not," Aurun replied, taken aback. "Such an act would be futile. A monster cannot be taught civility any more than a horse can be taught to read."
Lord Remoth took a step closer to Aurun and knelt down, talking face to face. "There. That," he said, pointing to the sage, "is exactly what I aim to eliminate."
Aurun looked confused. "What do you want, beast?"
"What I want is a world where my daughter won't be burnt at the stake when people realize what she is!"
That was the first time Seraphina had ever heard Lord Remoth raise his voice. Even the other monsters in the room cowered in fear until he took a moment to compose himself again.
"Yes. We monsters murder, loot, pillage, devour, and destroy," he said, gesturing to the carnage all around them. "But not for long. I will show them all a better way. Your way. They will be like you. They will live alongside you, as my kind have. But that cannot happen while those who cannot hide their true forms are barred from your cities, driven into the wild, and forced into the Outer Continent. No, if there is ever to be true peace in Hyrule, the old ways of the Royal Family must be eliminated."
Sage Aurun shook his head. "You are mad."
Lord Remoth sighed. "A pity, but unexpected. I can only hope the princess will be more open-minded than you." He held out his hand to the side. One of his soldiers stepped out of line and approached him, handing him a rather large, dark iron spear.
"You will never live to see this new world of yours," Aurun declared defiantly.
"Perhaps not," Lord Remoth agreed. "It's a shame you will not live to find out." The lord raised his spear above Aurun's head. Not wanting to watch, Seraphina covered her eyes behind the statue. She flinched when she heard the sound of the sage being impaled. Tears spilled from her eyes once again as she cried in silence.
This is not happening… Please, Hylia, help me!
The princess opened her eyes to find the redness in the air fading. The Blood Moon had ended.
"It appears it is over," Lord Remoth remarked. "I must go. You, search the entire temple," he ordered. "Find her."
"Yes, Master," several monstrous voices agreed at once, followed by the sound of many footsteps. Lord Remoth must have left with some of his troops, but now the rest of them and the Achemen would be searching for her.
I need to get out of here.
Peeking out from behind the statue, Seraphina looked for a way out. She could see six Achemen and six Hylian soldiers walking up and down the pews, looking under every seat, knocking over every statue, and turning over every corpse. The way they were spread out, it would be hard to make it to any of the exits without being seen.
The closest Acheman lifted the body of a dead cleric and took a bite out of his neck. Seraphina could not stop herself from gasping in horror at the sight. The monster turned its head in her direction, and she ducked behind the statue, covering her mouth with her hand. She heard a sound like the monster was sniffing the air, and then she heard footsteps approaching her.
What do I do? What do I do? Please! Jeanne, Victorique, someone! Please, help me!
She considered just giving herself up. It had been hard to tell, but it sounded as though Lord Remoth had wanted to take her alive. Perhaps he thought she could help him with his plan to make people and monsters get along, or whatever he was talking about. She didn't understand it at all, but maybe he wasn't completely soulless.
As the footsteps got closer and closer, she braced herself, ready to stand up and say 'Wait! Don't hurt me! I give up!' But before she could, she heard a familiar sound. Around the side of the statue, she could see a burst of smoke, just like the ones the assassins had appeared from in her father's study. A moment later, she heard the approaching Acheman wail in pain. Seraphina gasped in horror as dark red blood splattered onto the wall next to the statue.
"What the hell was that?"
"Gods, what happened?"
"Over there!"
The Hylians in the temple began shouting, and the other Achemen roared in rage. Seraphina curled up in a ball, knowing that their attention had been drawn to her spot. They'd all be coming for her now, and what would happen if they blamed her for what had just happened to their friend?
Help me, help me, please, someone help me…
She heard another sound like a smoke bomb going off, followed by the screams of someone else being killed. The others in the room were hit with another wave of confusion.
"Huh?"
"Who's there?"
"Are there more of them?"
"Watch out!"
The mysterious attacker was appearing and disappearing in the smoke, killing the Hylians and the monsters searching for her one after another. Seraphina had no idea what to make of it.
Are they one of the people who attacked Father? Are they rescuing me? Or do they plan to kill me after killing everyone else?
Trembling with fear, Seraphina decided to peek out from behind the statue one last time. The scenario was much as she'd imagined. The Achemen, having apparently been targeted first, all lay dead in pools of their own blood. The Hylian searchers clutched their weapons, frantically glancing about in an effort to find their opponent.
"Where are you?"
"Come out where I can see you!"
"We gotta get out of here!" One of them turned and ran for the exit, but his path was soon blocked. Another puff of smoke erupted, and an arm reached out, slicing the man's throat with a knife. Seraphina, now frozen in fear, was unable to look away as the rest of Lord Remoth's remaining men soon met the same fate.
When it was over, the smoke cleared. Everyone in the room but her was dead, and the mysterious attacker was nowhere to be found.
Is it over? Am I safe?
Slowly, she crept out from her hiding place, taking a few tentative steps toward Sage Aurun's body. She knew he must be dead, but hoping against hope, she wanted to try to heal him. But, before she reached him, an obscuring cloud of smoke appeared to block her view.
Seraphina shrieked in terror as a man stepped out of the smoke, reaching for her. "No! Please!" she shouted. He grabbed her by the neck, preventing her from screaming further, then pulled her into the smoke.
For a brief moment, the princess could see nothing. She felt a strange sensation, like she was moving without moving. Then, the grip around her neck loosened. When the smoke died down, she found herself outside the city, some distance from the outer wall. The mouth of the river that fed into Hyrule Castle's moat was to the north. The Light Temple must have been just on the other side of the wall. Now that the Blood Moon had ceased, the night sky was dark once again, illuminated only by the light of the full moon.
Next to her, the man who had grabbed her was on his knees, coughing. She could see he was a Sheikah, given his white hair, although it was streaked with an ashen gray. He was dressed like a ninja, wearing an outfit similar to those worn by the agents who worked for the Grand Watcher. The princess stared at him for a moment. He'd killed her pursuers, gotten her out of the place where she'd been in danger, and hadn't harmed her.
Perhaps he truly was there to save me.
She still didn't know what to think, but she silently gave a prayer of thanks to the gods who had sent this man to her. "Are you alright?" she asked him.
The ashen-haired Sheikah finished coughing and stood up, pulling the cloth covering back over his mouth. He shook his head, then grabbed her again, by the arm this time. Another cloud of smoke surrounded them, and Seraphina felt that strange sensation again. When the smoke disappeared, they were on the road this time, having moved further east, closer to the Hylia River. The Sheikah man collapsed once more, coughing into his hand. The princess saw blood this time, and she gasped.
"Sir!" she shouted in concern. "You must stop!"
"We can't," he replied in between coughs, shaking his head. "Not safe. Need to get further from the city." He stood up and grabbed her arm again.
"No, wait!" The princess voiced her complaint, knowing what could happen if the man continued to overuse his magic in his condition, but he ignored her. They were soon enveloped in smoke once more.
They appeared by the bank of the river this time.
"Sir! Stop, please!"
The Sheikah fell to the ground, blood dripping from his mouth and hand. He wasn't moving. Seraphina was about to say something, but she heard noises coming from the darkness. Looking up, she realized in horror that the field was swarming with Stalfos, wandering aimlessly through the darkness. She could see dozens of them from where she was standing. The Blood Moon may have ended, but the monsters it revived hadn't been put back in the ground yet. She and the man who had rescued her were in danger.
None of the Stalfos seemed to have noticed them yet, so she knelt down beside the ashen-haired Sheikah and rolled him onto his back. She gasped when she realized he was suffering from more than magic overuse. He had claw marks across his torso and arm, and what must have been a spear wound in his side. "Hylia…" she said under her breath. She began to heal him, keeping her back to the monsters in hopes of blocking the light she produced with her spell.
Live. Live. You must live.
The Sheikah man's wounds slowly faded, although Seraphina was sure she'd be unable to remove the scarring from some of them. After what felt like an eternity, the ninja stirred, groaning in discomfort and lifting his head. "Shh!" Seraphina shushed him. "We need to go," she whispered. "Please. This way."
"Shut up, you-" Sitting up, the Sheikah noticed what she was talking about. He'd managed to fight against impressive odds before, but this many monsters would clearly be too much for him, especially in his current condition.
"Come on." The princess grabbed him by the arm. He managed to stand, and together, they hobbled their way to the river. Getting to the edge, they slid down an incline to the sandy riverbank, out of sight of the monsters. The Sheikah ninja stumbled and dropped to the ground, lying against the incline.
"They won't find us down here," Seraphina said, trying to be optimistic. "I can finish healing you." Kneeling beside him again, her hands lit up as she called upon her magic.
"Stop!" The Sheikah man slapped Seraphina's hands away.
The princess was taken aback by his outburst. "I can help you," she insisted.
"Shut up." The ashen-haired Sheikah stood up and brushed himself off, looking around as if to get a sense of his surroundings. "This way," he said, continuing down the riverbank to the southeast.
"What?" Seraphina was confused. "But the castle is that way," she said, pointing the other way along the shore. The north route would take them to the moat. There might have been a way to get back to the castle safely from there, now that the Blood Moon was over.
The Sheikah man groaned in anger. "Are princesses supposed to be this stupid?" He stepped back and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her along with him.
"Hey! Wait!" she complained, but her words fell on deaf ears.
They trudged along the riverbank through the dark of night for several minutes. Seraphina was scared, tired, and absolutely bewildered by the attitude of the man who she thought had saved her. He wasn't friendly, and he didn't seem particularly happy to have helped her. As with everything else that had happened over the course of the night, she was at a complete loss.
"Who are you?" she finally managed to ask as they approached the underside of Orsedd Bridge.
"Sheik," the man answered. He was no longer holding her wrist, so he was walking a few paces in front of her while she tried her best to keep up.
Sheik had been the name every one of the Sheikah watchers had given her whenever Seraphina had tried to ask their names when she was younger. At first, she'd been confused about why they all shared the same name, thinking perhaps they were siblings, just like she and her sisters were all called Zelda. She'd later learned that it was the name all Sheikah gave others when they wished to remain anonymous.
"Did the Grand Watcher send you to save me?" the princess asked, assuming Sheik must be another watcher.
"I didn't save you," Sheik replied.
"What?" Another answer that made no sense. "Yes, you did."
Sheik stopped and turned around. "No, I didn't." Reaching to his side, he pulled a knife from his belt and stepped towards her.
Seraphina was horrified. "Wait! Don't!" she shouted. As she backed away, she tripped, falling to the ground.
Why? Why would he hurt me now, after he saved me?
"Hold still," Sheik growled, kneeling down and grabbing hold of her head.
The princess closed her eyes as he brought the knife towards her, expecting to feel its sting any moment. Instead, she felt it slicing through her hair. Her heart was beating so loud she could hear it, but she opened her eyes. Sheik's red eyes and cloth-covered face were staring back at her, but he was not attacking her; he was simply cutting her hair.
"W-What?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Princess Seraphina is dead," Sheik declared. After shortening her hair to shoulder-length, he roughly ran his hands through her hair, then pressed his hand over her face for a moment. "I'm Sheik," he reiterated. Grabbing her by the back of the neck, he bent her over the river and forced her to look into the water. "And so are you."
With the light of the full moon hitting the river, the princess was able to see her reflection in the water. However, she did not see herself. A complete stranger was looking back at her. Her hair was not only shorter, it was white. Her eyes had turned red, and even her face appeared slightly different in subtle ways.
"Ahh!" Seraphina shrieked, pushing back against Sheik and falling away from the river. "What did you do? What did you do?"
"It's an illusion, kusogaki!" Sheik shouted. He tore off his face covering and tossed it into the river, then ran his hands over his face and through his own hair. While he remained a Sheikah, his face changed slightly, and the distinctive gray streaks in his hair disappeared. "You're not a princess anymore. You wanna live? You're nobody. Get as far away from Hyrule Castle as possible, and stay away."
"What? No! I can't!" Seraphina pleaded, tears already streaming down her face. "I have to get back to my family!"
"Your father's dead, kid," Sheik told her. "So's your uncle. Your siblings will be dead soon, too, if they're not already. The entire Royal Family needs to die. If it's not the wars or the monsters, it'll just be one of us."
"Us?" Seraphina asked.
He glared at her menacingly, but he did not answer.
"But, but, my friends! Back at home, I-"
"Remoth isn't the only traitor," Sheik interrupted. "Don't you get it? You're not safe here. Your 'friends' are the ones trying to kill you!"
"But what about Jeanne?"
"Who the fuck is John?"
"Jeanne!" Seraphina repeated. "My caretaker. She was with me in the castle."
Sheik narrowed his eyes. "She wasn't a target," he said. "But she's probably dead, too."
Seraphina didn't know how to react to that. She stared at him, unmoving. Even though she was outside, she felt claustrophobic, like the world was closing in around her. "No," she said, shaking her head as she sobbed. "Jeanne isn't dead. She can't be. I don't believe it. I won't."
"Believe whatever you want." Sheik turned away from her and began climbing up the slope, heading towards the bridge.
"Hey! Wait!" Seraphina stood up, stumbling over the sand as she followed him. She was finding it difficult to do anything. Her tears were making it hard to see, and her limbs felt heavy. Climbing the slope took longer for her than it did for Sheik. By the time she set foot on grass, he had already made it to the wooden bridge. "Wait!" she shouted again, running to catch up.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sheik asked, not breaking pace.
"I'm coming with you," Seraphina asserted.
"Why?"
The princess sniffled, wiping away her tears as she tried to speak clearly. "You helped me, didn't you? I don't want to be alone right now."
Sheik stopped. The look he gave her was menacing. He clearly did not want her to follow him. She didn't understand why, but she didn't care.
"Please," Seraphina begged.
There was a long silence between them for a moment. The steady flow of the river beneath them and a brief howl of wind was all that could be heard, until the rattling of bones in the field behind the princess reminded them of the Stalfos wandering about. Sheik grunted, then kept walking. "Come on, Sheik," he said to her, reminding Seraphina of her new name.
Despite everything else, the princess felt a tinge of relief, and moved to follow him.
Author's note:
This chapter can be thought of as the end of "Book One" of this story. It's not the exact halfway point because I plan for it to be 80 chapters in total, but I wrote everything up to this point before I finished my detailed plans for the rest of the story. Things will be a little bit different moving forward. More characters will get to be POV characters now and then, and the rotation through the three main POVs will be less regular from this point on. Now that the storylines are beginning to cross over more, it's become more important to show things in chronological order as much as I can. I know I don't have many regular readers, but I hope those of you who have made it this far are looking forward to reading the rest of the story!
