Lady Luck
The raspy voice of the ferryman spoke in a low whisper as he turned towards the heroine and prince. The ferryman's face was veiled in darkness, only his blue lips were visible under the shadow of his hood, "I suggest you tread carefully...your kind doesn't belong here..." Zelda suspected that the ferryman knew more than he let on. She gazed at his retreating figure as it rowed away. The trio stood on the grimy docks of the underworld with trepidation watching Charon sail away into the impending darkness of the cavern.
"I can tell you his kind doesn't belong in my castle, either," Prince Link huffed under his breath at the ominous comment of the ferryman. Zelda could tell that Prince Link was becoming aware of the grime and dirt that surrounded him. The prince looked uneasy as he glanced nervously at the filth all around them.
"Shhhhhhh!" Misko shushed the prince with his pointer finger over his lips. He glanced around at the people pushing by the trio. The bandit touched Prince Link's shoulder lightly, leaning in to whisper advice. Prince Link slapped the bandit's hand away impatiently. Misko sighed and whispered a bit louder so both Zelda and Prince Link could hear. "No one can know who you are. It would create problems and possibly alert Ganondorf to your presence early which would not be good. Also cover your Master Sword's distinctive sheath and..." Prince Link's eyes followed Misko's gaze towards the golden necklace around her neck.
"How do you have that?" Prince Link hissed, dumbfounded. "That's my mother's. Give me that!" The prince reached towards his mother's necklace though Zelda grabbed his hand.
"Link...trust me." Zelda looked up into the prince's eyes. A flush rose to her cheeks as she let go of his hand and reached protectively for the necklace. "I came across it..." Zelda didn't exactly want to tell him where it came from since it could create conflicts with Misko which they really did not need at a vital time as this. She began to speak again after a short pause, "Okay, all that matters is that we will return it to the Queen when we return to the castle. I would give it to you...but I think..."
Zelda didn't want to tell him that he would be incapable of fending off a thief if someone were to make a grab for the necklace, so she made up a white lie. "It is very heavy, and I wouldn't want you to grow tired of wearing it. So, I will carry the burden instead." Zelda did her best to muster a comforting smile to show that she would protect the necklace from thievery. Also, the necklace in fact was heavy and would surely annoy Link if he wore it.
"Okay." Link nodded at her though he still looked warily at the necklace. Zelda's eyes shifted to Misko beside him who was tapping his foot impatiently waiting for the two of them to get a move on.
"Alright. Alright." Zelda rolled her eyes at the bandit. Her irritated mood evaporated as her mind returned to the goal of this mission: Find Ganondorf and...hopefully defeat him. Zelda inquired, "Do you have any idea where..." Zelda glanced around at the crowd and dropped her voice to a whisper, "Ganondorf could be?"
Misko's eyes scanned over the shops lining the dock before answering to Zelda's question. "I don't know but I am sure we could find out." Zelda's face darkened. Her hope that this insightful bandit had at least a clue of the villain's location plummeted. "Ah," the bandit's dark eyes lit up "I have an idea. We split up and search for any places that could be housing him. Then, we can meet back here in an hour."
Zelda frowned. If they split up to search it meant that she had to leave Prince Link's side. If Prince Link were to find himself in trouble he would be doomed. After all wasn't she, his appointed knight too?
"I can agree if Prince Link accompanies me on my search." Zelda crossed her arms and gazed at the bandit intently. She could see the plan working if all of them were capable of handling themselves in this criminal underbelly. But unfortunately, not all the members of the party were specialized in such situations. Link glanced at her as she spoke those words then turned to Misko to await the bandit's respond. Even if Misko disagreed, Zelda wasn't about to leave her prince in danger.
Misko made a disgruntled sound at her addition to the plan. "See, that would make sense if Arnen were here, and we could split up into doubles but I'm afraid that it won't work." As Zelda opened her mouth to object but Misko waved her down to explain his reasoning. "Its just, I think that Prince Link should come with me since it makes sense advantage wise. You, Zelda are an expert in combat, you're a soldier, the Hero of Hyrule. You are more than capable of handling yourself while me and Prince Link are...not as talented when it comes to taking on a hoard of angry crooks. I believe that Prince Link and I should go together. While you go alone." Misko closed his eyes as he tried to emphasize his words. "I know it sounds like a bad idea but trust me. I know these parts and things are no doubt going to get a little wild. If you go together with Prince Link than I would be defenseless if I should run into any problems. If I had Prince Link with me on my search it would increase our chances of survival and the unlikelihood of being attacked." Misko finished his explanation glancing between the prince and heroine. There was that phrase again, "trust me." And she did not.
Before Zelda could speak, Prince Link spoke with a slight hesitation in his voice. "I agree, Misko." Zelda turned her head so quickly to Prince Link that her neck screamed in pain. What on earth was Prince Link thinking? This was a terrible idea! "I don't like it, but it sounds like a solid plan." Prince Link turned to Zelda knowing that she would be upset, "Zelda, just promise me you will meet me back here in an hour."
"Yes, of course!" Zelda replied and a huff as she bit back angry words to add to her statement. She had her opinion and her duty, but the prince still could out rule a mere guard. Before she could gather her wits to make another plea against this agreement, Misko spoke.
"Well, that's settled. Let's get moving!" Misko took Link by the shoulder swiftly steering him into the crowd of crooks. The two of them, disappeared from Zelda's view within seconds. Zelda tried to fight through the throng of travelers who pushed past her to keep an eye on the prince whether he liked it or not. One gruff sailor warned her to stop shoving him out of the way. With a muttered apology she pushed forward, craning her neck to no avail. The bandit and her prince had gone.
Zelda found herself being pushed and shoved at both sides. A frown grew on her face as she realized that she had no choice but to search for Ganondorf without her prince by her side. It took a few minutes to make herself stop crossing her arms and start her search but eventually she began to push through the throng once more.
The young heroine tried to enter many ships but to her dismay all the entrances were flooded with more people pushing to get inside. She went to ship after ship with failure each time as the crowd pushed her back away from the entrances and denied her entry. Then, the crowd began to thin, and Zelda found herself on a relatively deserted part of the dock.
There were a few people milling about on this area of the dock, mumbling to themselves, some wandering back towards the throng that waited at the far end of the dock. Zelda found herself feeling somewhat isolated as she continued to walk down the dock without pushing through a crowd. It was a pleasant break from being buffeted by the crowds and seemed a reasonable enough place to search so she began to trot down the dock. The wooden planks under her feet groaned at her footfalls.
Floating on the dark waters at the end of the sparsely populated dock was a lonely boat. Unlike the other boats and shops, no light came from its windows or from the banner advertising its wares. On the side of the boat, she could just make out its carved name, "Lady Luck". Judging by the boat's name Zelda suspected that this boat was a casino...though weren't casinos meant to be full of rowdy people?
As she approached the boat, she saw marks of age, small holes in the sides, an occasional scuff in the wood. She decided to enter "Lady Luck" nonetheless despite the unpromising signs. As she strode up to the stairs a low glow began to emit from the narrow vertical banners flanking the doorway and soft light emitted from the entrance. Zelda paused, uncertain at the source of the light since she didn't see lanterns or torches then she pressed onwards and up the entrance steps.
Zelda had expected a dusty old casino, so she was surprised that the first thing she set her eyes on was books lining the shelves. It surprised her so much to find something so odd in a place of gambling that usually was the opposite of book logic. When, her eyes took a second gander she realized there was thick layer of dust on the piled-up books. These books mustn't have been touched in a long time.
Within the gambling room were a few lonely travelers sitting alone at tables, hoods pulled over their heads and their eyes avoiding her gaze. At the far side of the gambling room the floor was raised slightly. On top of the raised floor were three treasure chests. Hanging down from the ceiling all around the room were faded orange tapestries with gold lancing which hid most of the books from an inattentive eye. A straw mat covered the battered planks underneath.
The only person in the room that acknowledged her presence was a sharp-eyed old man, with a rather large bald head. He wore a pair of sand boats and a purple robe draped over his plain clothes. This man was seated on the floor, behind a low table with a dim lantern feebly fending off the dark. She assumed he was the owner of the casino despite his slumped posture. Though his youth was long gone his eyes were bright with avarice and he likely had a few tricks up his sleeve.
The owner greeted her with a crooked smile, "Well, hello there, young lady. I haven't seen such a sharp one like you in my casino in a long time." Zelda couldn't tell if he was being truthful or trying to entice her to gamble. Either way, she still approached the owner with a suspicious gaze. "How do you like the idea of getting rich without working for it?" The owner raised an eyebrow at her, gesturing towards the three chests on the platform.
"I am not here to gamble but to find information-" Zelda began eager to cut straight to the chase to try to locate Ganondorf.
"Don't tell me you're one of those folks!" the owner interjected, clenching his wrinkled fists with a glare. "If you're not gambling, you can leave. I don't want to hear this whole garbage speech how casinos and gambling is wrong and blah blah blah. I don't have time for that because Lady Luck awaits. So, kindly take your leave, girl." The owner rolled his eyes and regarded Zelda disdainfully as though she was a pest.
"No. Sorry, you've got it wrong. I am not here to do any of that. I'm looking for information." Zelda furrowed her brows at him, annoyed that this foolish gambler would jump to such conclusions. Zelda saw the owners' ears perk up at the mention of information. Zelda leaned in closer so that the other customers wouldn't overhear. "I am looking for information about Ganondorf, the ancient immortal evil. See...I am trying to locate him, and I think you could help me."
"Say..." the owner adjusted his position to lean on his elbow, gazing up at her and then his eyes went back to the table, "I could maybe help you, but my memory is not like it used to be. I'm sure a little donation to the senile could help me recall."
Zelda knew what he meant. In order for him to talk she needed to give him payment. Rupees were exactly what she didn't have at that moment. She had struggled to pay the ferryman to take her here in the first place. She doubted greatly that she would find money in her bag now. She rummaged through her bag in a fruitless attempt to fulfill the owner's demands. Zelda knew what the results would be and turned back to him with a frown drawn on her face, "I'm sorry. I already used my money on having the ferryman transport me here. Maybe I could come back-"
The owner looked up at her with very little concern in his face. "Then, I can't help you. No money, no talk." The owner waved her away with rejection. Zelda was cursing her past self for forgetting to pack some change and now her forgetfulness was truly paying the price.
Zelda really hated the idea of begging, but she had no other choice now. "Please! This is for the Queen of Hyrule! This information is vital to Hyrule itself! I'm begging you, do a favor to your country."
At this the owner laughed. It was a nasal nasty sound. It was a laugh grated on her ears and struck her soul deeply. "Oh, please! Don't give me that kind of nonsense! I personally don't care what happens to Hyrule as long as I get my money." The owner continued laughing, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes, while Zelda's cheeks flushed red and her stomach twisted into a knot. It was beyond humiliating that she, the Hero of Hyrule, was being mocked for doing her duty. She couldn't believe that this kind of unloyalty was brewing in Hyrule.
With an angry huff she swept away from the man heading for the door when a customer barreled through the entrance. The customer's long dark cloak flowed behind them, with their hood draped over their face concealing their identity. The new visitor bumped into Zelda as she exited. Zelda expected the visitor to at least have the decency to murmur an apology but they didn't. The visitor went directly to the owner's table, looming over the tiny man before the owner could even greet the visitor.
Zelda turned and stared at the back of the cloaked figure. She didn't know what made her pause. Perhaps it was annoyance at the visitor not acknowledging their mistake or that she was still in shock of the lack of loyalty the man held for Hyrule, but she remained staring at the person. The owner spoke up, but his voice quivered with nervousness, "May I help you?"
"I need information about Ganondorf's whereabouts." The new arrival spoke in a commanding booming voice. The lonely travelers slumped at their travelers turned their heads towards the owner as their ears perked up at the mention of Ganondorf's name. Zelda crossed her arms. This visitor couldn't be Link or Misko since both were wearing a different attire compared to this visitor and the timber of the voice was nothing like Misko or Link's.
The owner chortled at the visitor's demand. The owner had regained his composure of feigned nonchalance. The visitor straightened their spine as they continued to look down at the elderly man. The voice spoke up again with a hint of agitation, "What exactly do you find amusing, scum?"
The owner dabbed at his eyes with a filthy handkerchief. He still had laughing tears from mocking Zelda only moments before. He slowly folded his handkerchief and tucked it in a pocket of his grubby tunic. With deliberate slowness he looked up at the visitor with an unconcerned look, "Oh, just a minute ago I had some desperate girl telling me the exact same thing. I guess you're full of nonsense as well. She even claimed that it was for the Queen-"
"Oh, really?" the visitor's voice dripped with grim purpose. "Well, I am the Queen." The visitor pulled back their hood, revealing a stern face, the Queen's honey blonde braid left the confines of the hood, and the Queen's piercing brown eyes narrowed at the now, pale faced owner. Everyone on board the "Lady Luck" ship eyes had widen in size. Time on this ship seemed to stop as everyone gazed at the Queen of Hyrule.
"I need information on Ganondorf's whereabouts this instant!" the Queen commanded, shouting high to the ship's plank ceiling. Zelda's mouth hung agape. What in Hyrule was the Queen of Hyrule doing in the dirty underworld? Zelda nearly took a step forward to confront the Queen then hesitated. She wanted to learn the Queen's reason for tracking down Ganondorf herself. So, Zelda slid into a chair at a table in a dark corner of the room intently listening.
The owner straightened his purple robe before gazing up at the irritated Queen and leaned his elbows on the table. "I do have to say it is quite an honor to have you in my lowly casino, your majesty. Though, to answer your question I am afraid I cannot help you. I am an old man, and my memory is not as sharp as it once was. Although, I am sure an esteemed woman like you could spare a few of your riches to the elderly?" The owner's smooth voice echoed in the casino since not a single sound was made by the attentive spectators.
The Queen must have expected this response since she reached into her cloak and threw a bag down on the owner's table. The bag clinked as it struck the table. The owner untied the bag and emptied its contents on the table. Zelda could see the rupees sparkle in the elder's eyes as he counted out the rupees with a greedy hand.
When, he finished counting, he swept the rupees off the table into the bag and then the bag into a tunic pocket in one smooth, practiced movement. "Thank you for your sympathy, your majesty." The Queen rolled her eyes and put her fists on her hips.
The owner leaned on the table and spoke in a low voice though Zelda still caught his words, "Lucky for you, I happen to know where Ganondorf is. Don't ask me how I know but I can tell you." The rest of the casino was craning their ears to hear any word of the conversation. The owner, seeing the attention of the spectators, dropped his voice even lower than before. Zelda had to strain her ears to catch his quick words, "Lord-. Sorry...Ganondorf is meeting with the Yiga Clan leader at the "The Blood Bucket" in an hour. I heard that Ganondorf is departing in a few hours, so you want to be quick, your majesty."
The Queen gave a short nod, seemingly satisfied with this answer. She stood, pulled her hood back onto her head, spun on her heel, and stalked out of the "Lady Luck" without bothering to thank the owner. Zelda jumped out of her chair to follow the Queen. As she left, she saw the owner grabbing all of his supplies and stuffing it into a duffel bag. The travelers were vacating the scene as well at a rapid pace mumbling to themselves that they should leave the underworld.
Zelda ran after the retreating cloaked figure of the Queen as she glided briskly towards the busy part of the dock, slipping with ease between the throng. Zelda had to know what the Queen was doing confronting Ganondorf on her own help. This greatly confused Zelda most of all, why didn't the queen take guards with her to face Ganondorf? Or at least Impa her advisor who was worth a dozen guards?
Zelda knew she should be taming the Divine Beasts with Link and that it would be risky revealing to the Queen the extent to which they had deviated from their appointed task. Taming the beasts was important but the whole end game was Ganondorf which is why they had veered off task. Zelda felt impelled to investigate. What other choice did she have?
When Zelda caught up to the brisk pace of the Queen, she yelled. "What are you doing here?!" It was blunt, it was reckless, and no doubt disrespectful but at this point Zelda was extremely confused with why the Queen was here and the stress of the past few days made Zelda speak impetuously. The Queen spun around and from the palm of the Queen's hand exploded a ball of light which almost hit Zelda square in the chest if Zelda's years of training hadn't made her instinctively dodge. Zelda's eyes widen at the conjuring of light from the Queen's hand. What was that?
The Queen gasped as she saw Zelda's familiar emerald eyes peer out of the darkness of Zelda's own hood. The Queen's face flushed an angry red and her face was drawn into an enraged scowl, "What in Hyrule are you doing here, hero?"
"I have the same question for you, your majesty." Zelda had the audacity to spit at the Queen. Why did the Queen decide to face Ganondorf alone? Why didn't she want the help of her son and heroine? Zelda pointed at the glowing triangle on the back of the Queen's hand. "What is that?"
"I asked you hero, what in Hyrule are you doing here! You should be taming the Divine Beast." The Queen's gaze was on fire, and she motioned beside Zelda. "Where is Prince Link? I entrusted the safety of my son to you, and you abandoned him. You have deserted your post, hero."
"Let me ask you this, your majesty. Why are you here in the dirty underworld looking for Ganondorf on your own? Isn't the wielder of the triforce of courage and the wielder of the triforce of wisdom also known as the hero and the royal meant to seal Ganondorf together? You need me and Prince Link to do that. And apparently you did not notify either of us!" Zelda pointed out, crossing her arms, and daring to glare at the Queen.
"How dare a mere soldier speak to me that way. You are wasting my time, hero. I shall deal with both Prince Link and your delinquency later." The Queen turned on her heel and strode across the docks without faltering. Zelda still chased after her trying to make the Queen slow down but the Queen ignored the desperate heroine.
"Why are you doing this, your majesty? I cannot allow you to face off Ganondorf yourself. You will surely die by yourself." Zelda turned to the Queen but kept jogging trying to keep up with the Queen's brisk pace. The Queen kept a blank emotional face as she walked on.
Only once did the Queen decide to acknowledge Zelda's pleas. "You do not understand. I must do it myself to ensure that Hyrule will have a stable and clean future. I can and I will face Ganondorf alone, I am versed in the ways of the triforce of wisdom. I am confident in my abilities to take down Ganondorf myself."
"Wait..." Zelda furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the Queen with a sudden realization, "Why do you still have the triforce of wisdom? Isn't it meant to pass onto the next line of royal blood? Isn't Prince Link supposed to, have it?" The Queen didn't answer.
Zelda was about to repeat her question when "The Blood Bucket" came into view and the sight interrupted her thoughts. "The Blood Bucket" was different from the other ships with its sleek black paint covering its wood from top to bottom. Its name was carved into the side of the boat in jagged letters and a crude picture showing a bucket with red blood spilling out was carved beside the name. Another image of a blood bucket was painted on the black sails of the ship, which towered high in the sky making it hard for any eye to miss.
The Queen turned to Zelda with a fierce gaze in her eyes and commanded, "Leave. It is your Queen's order." Without glancing back at the befuddled heroine, the Queen pushed through the swinging doors of the "The Blood Bucket". Zelda knew she couldn't disobey a direct order from the Queen herself, but also felt she needed to do something. She closed her eyes, rubbing her aching temple.
Then her eyes shot open as she remembered that she was supposed to meet Prince Link and Misko back at the place where the ferry had dropped them off. Zelda realized that she was already 20 minutes late. With one last look at "The Blood Bucket" she fought through the throng harder than she had ever before hastening back to the meeting place.
Many people grumbled at her as she collided with them. Some even drew their daggers, waving them at her but she didn't care. Though it only took her 10 minutes to fight through the crowd of travelers it felt like years. When she reach the meeting place, she wasn't surprised to find Prince Link looked worried sick. "I thought you had died! How hard is it to come back in an hour?" Prince Link shouted. His voice reminded her eerily of the Queen's though his tone showed concern and compassion unlike the Queen's. She could tell he was still angry at her despite his concern.
Misko stood with his arms crossed glaring at her without voicing his complaints though his body language made them quite clear. Zelda knew that nobody wanted to be kept waiting especially this bandit. Misko finally spoke up with disdain in his voice, "We found nothing. No sign of Ganondorf...nothing. Just some old creepy rumors about that stupid island Eventide. Everyone is yammering on about voices heard from the island and so on so on. Anyways did you find anything Zelda?"
"Yes, I did." Misko's eyebrows rose in surprise while Prince Link held his breath, "I know where Ganondorf is but...we may have a problem." Zelda sighed and shook her head.
"I knew there was going to be a problem. I just knew it! So, what is the situation, Zelda?" Misko gazed at her intently awaiting her answer, Zelda hesitated and glanced at Prince Link.
"It isn't as much a problem as a concern," Zelda continued. She knew that her vague answers were getting nowhere so she cut to the chase, "The Queen is also here and is about to confront Ganondorf herself."
"What!?" Prince Link exclaimed.
Zelda knew the prince would be shocked and possibly scared of the danger his mother was in. Zelda was worried too but her worry was eclipsed by confusion. She was puzzled by fact that the queen took it upon herself to face Ganondorf without their help. What had she discovered about Ganondorf that could impel her to come alone? It must have been very important her reason for taking on Ganondorf. "What is she doing here? Why is she here?" Prince Link wondered aloud.
"I do not know, Prince Link. What I do know is that the Queen is walking straight into suicide. We must prevent that from happening. I don't know why the Queen would risk her life. She can't take on Ganondorf alone. It's impossible! We have to go now! She is at "The Blood Bucket -"
"The Blood Bucket!" Misko's jaw dropped even further than when he heard the Queen was here. Misko's hand began to fidget at the mention of the place, "No. no. no. Entering that casino itself is suicide. We can't go. I won't go back there. I can't go back there," Misko protested. The name of the place itself would give anyone the chills. But judging by Misko's response it was more than the name that struck fear in his heart.
"Then, you don't have to go." Zelda told Misko coolly. "Prince Link and I will go ourselves. Make your choice now because time of the essence. Any delay could result in the Queen's death." Zelda waited for Misko's response. Misko seemed conflicted as though trying to determine his values.
"I'm staying. Go ahead." Misko's cheeks flushed at embarrassing himself and he averted his gaze. Zelda supposed that his reason must be valid and in any case she didn't have time to persuade him. She was beginning to feel nervous herself as she thought of standing before that casino again let alone entering it.
Despite her ominous feelings about this place, she took Prince Link's hand and began to guide the prince through the crowd. The pair of them moved gracefully in tandem sliding through the crowd unlike Zelda's clumsy muscling through the crowd moments earlier. It was beginning to feel natural to Zelda, the act of holding hands with Prince Link. She felt something tug on her heartstring at the warmth of his palm touch her own.
That warm feeling was shattered at the sight of the sails of "The Blood Bucket." Zelda and Link stood with hands entwined and took a deep breath as they stepped towards the entrance. They stopped short as a blood-curdling scream came from within the ship followed by a loud splash followed by more screams which ended abruptly. And then there was silence.