"Kill her..."
Zelda's heart plummeted as the full weight of his words hit her, her world falling and crashing into a million pieces.
No! Wait...! She moved her mouth to protest, but no words came forth.
Zelda tried to take a step back only to find her legs were like lead. She tripped backward, falling into the shallow water.
The Hollows crowded her with swift precision, following their master's order without hesitation. The dark Urbosa raised her scimitar, and Zelda braced herself, squeezing her eyes shut. There was no one to save her. But even worse, she felt too numb to care.
And just as she resigned herself to this cruel fate, a blinding flash engulfed the forest, and the expected killing blow never came.
Zelda shielded her eyes, peeking out from between her fingers to see the malevolent manifestations writhing as they faded away.
Was that...the spirit that lives within the sword...?
She shakily breathed out and looked around. The hooded man was looking at her with a shocked expression.
He turned to look at the sword, startled, "What?!"
Zelda was only vaguely aware as Link and the little Guardian came to her side, her knight having tracked her down with the little one's help.
"Link?"
The knight offered her a hand.
"I'm…alright." Zelda got to her feet on her own. The back of her pants was soaked from falling into the water. She grimaced in discomfort.
As Zelda stood, Link drew his sword and rushed at the hooded man, giving a shout.
"Link! Wait!"
"I won't allow you to take that sword, boy." The sorcerer threatened.
Link cast a glance at the sword on the pedestal, still glowing as if beckoning for him to claim it. He tried to make his way to it, but it was clear the hooded man was intent on stopping him.
Zelda stood back, stunned. Link is...the hero?
The hooded sorcerer levitated the orb between his hands, summoning malice to rain down on the knight. Link ran to dodge it. The mysterious man countered, levitating himself as if being raised by some invisible force. He brought his knees to his chest, becoming one with the orb. The ball of energy rushed at the knight, and Link flew through the air, landing hard on the dais. As the boy stirred he turned his head to see his standard-issue knight's sword had been broken in two. Wasting no time, he got to his feet and pulled the sacred blade from its pedestal.
The hooded man sneered at the knight, backpedaling a few steps in hesitation before jumping back into the orb and flying at Link once again, in a rage. This time Link swung the sacred blade at the right moment, shattering the illusion. The sorcerer fell to the ground while his orb returned to its original size and shape and landed some feet away. He reached for it, but Link quickly kicked it further away and held him at sword point.
A spiteful smirk crossed the man's lips. "You can't kill me. I am fated to revive Calamity Ganon. My purpose isn't complete." Though he tried to exude confidence and certainty, there was a slight waver in his voice that stirred something in Zelda.
She rushed to the hero's side as he stood over the strange man.
"Who are you?" The princess demanded.
"Well, if you must know, Your Highness," the man said scornfully, "I am Astor, Prophet of the Calamity. Lord Ganon selected me to bring this world to its ruin."
Astor… His name is Astor… Zelda's eyes met with his. His sharp yellow eyes were looking into hers with disdain, but there was something else she saw. There was true terror in the man's gaze, despite the coldness his voice projected.
Link held the edge of the sacred blade to Astor's throat, threatening to apply dangerous pressure.
"Link, wait! No more... Please…" Zelda searched for an excuse, not wanting to see a beheading right before her eyes. "H-he could be a valuable source of information on the Calamity if we take him alive."
Link looked at her as if studying her expression. Her knight was unreadable to her, and he said nothing in return. Zelda wondered what he thought of her justification, trying to rid herself of the knot that had formed in her stomach. As the princess, she did have a sort of authority over him, and he was obligated to follow her orders, after all.
As the knight was distracted, the prophet bolted upright and shoved past him, grabbing his fallen orb. Link moved to guard Zelda. The dome went up again; this time a hollow version of the hero emerged.
Astor glanced at Zelda, who was looking back at him over the knight's shoulder. The two shared an intense gaze that Zelda would never forget. A conflicted expression crossed his pallid features. He hesitated and then pointed to the small Guardian, which was some distance from Link and Zelda. "Destroy the Guardian!"
Zelda gave a small gasp, but before she could act, the manifestation of Link made fast work of the little Guardian, leaving it in pieces. Link moved to take down his copy, skillfully dispatching the Hollow with little effort, mercifully bringing an end to his doppelganger's empty existence. The Hollow disappeared in a small explosion of purple smoke.
When Zelda looked back, Astor was gone. The princess collected herself and breathed out in frustration as she approached the broken down Guardian, surveying the damage. Though it was a piece of artificial intelligence, she'd begun to see it almost like a friend. It truly was her guardian.
There was a long moment of silence between the princess and the knight. She couldn't read his expression. It left her exasperated, questioning what he was thinking - of the situation, of her. She felt incredibly foolish and lost, standing there, peering down at the remains of the Guardian. Did he see her the same way? Her father would have. And that thought gave way to dread - dread that Link might speak of this to her father—that is if he spoke at all and broke his silence. Zelda couldn't imagine her father would appoint her a personal knight and not expect them to report all incidents to him. All the more reason she would keep Link at arm's length as much as possible.
She held everything back, trying to project the same unreadable expression when their gazes met briefly. It was the lowest she'd ever felt.
I'm just failing everyone… Even myself...
The silence was broken when the others found them.
"Zelda?" Urbosa rushed to her side. "Why would you wander away from the group? Are you hurt?"
"No, Urbosa. I'm…alright…" Said Zelda, still numb.
Urbosa looked down at the Guardian. "Oh my..." She said, sighing. "What should we do about this?"
Zelda thought for a moment. "... Perhaps Robbie can repair it."
"Okay, everyone. You heard your princess. Everyone, help carry as many pieces as you can." Urbosa said as a way to lighten the somber mood.
The others complied, and no one complained. Not even Revali.
Zelda collected a few small screws and gears, putting them in the pouch connected to her belt.
oOo
They were on their way back to Hyrule Castle. Zelda sighed as she shielded her eyes from the sun that was slowly beginning its descent. A few paces ahead of her was Link, Master Sword at his back.
Already Link has gone from an ordinary knight to the one destined to wield the sword that seals the darkness. Yet, I'm still in the same rut I've been in all my life. And now…it's like I've got a target on my back because of this cursed power I can't even use.
In her mind's eye, the moment replays again and again. "Kill her." Astor's voice had been so dark, so cold, and so full of hate.
I'm such a fool… His image must have appeared on the Sheikah Slate as a warning, and I...
She felt tears threatening to break forth once again. The tormenting ache in her heart was crippling and the feeling of failure weighed on Zelda so intensely she felt she was going to boil over if she didn't get a hold of herself. She raised her hand to her face, and then she felt everyone's gaze on her.
She stopped in her tracks, and her voice wavered as she spoke. "How can I… If I am unable to awaken my inner power…"
Urbosa appeared at Zelda's side, and the Gerudo Chief did not appear the least bit weary in her endeavor to offer support once again. "Let us take a short rest before continuing."
As the others broke off and began to congregate in small groups, Urbosa pulled Zelda aside and the princess cautiously began to unload her thoughts.
"Link… He's become so much stronger." Envy was just the beginning of her troubles, but Urbosa didn't need to know anything beyond the obvious.
Urbosa smiled knowingly, "And yet, I have not. I presume that's what you were thinking, hm?"
Zelda nodded. "More and more monsters have been appearing lately. It is a sign that the Calamity draws near. So there isn't much time. And still, no sign of my power awakening…"
"Yes, I understand your frustration, but perhaps it is self-defeating to compare your progress to Link's." Urbosa turned her attention to the young knight, who was some distance from them being showered with praise by Daruk and some Hylian soldiers that had accompanied them to and from the Lost Woods. "He…is the same boy he was before acquiring that sword."
One of the soldiers held a plate of rocks out to the hero. Link took a rock in each hand and wolfed them down without a second thought.
Urbosa gave an unsurprised cluck of her tongue. "He will rise to...any challenge with no hesitation. That's all there is to it."
Daruk laughed. "Well done, little guy. Eat up!"
Zelda grimaced, feeling queasy.
Urbosa smiled at Zelda. "But I know that you too are capable of rising to any challenge. Look how hard you've worked to get this far."
"But I've been trying all these years, and nothing has changed…"
Urbosa went quiet for a moment, her expression growing solemn. "I know, little bird. I haven't forgotten all your struggles. But I have faith that you are where you need to be and everything will unfold as it is meant to. You must accept that too."
"But it isn't… It isn't in the slightest..." Zelda was reeling.
Everything felt out of sorts and very wrong. A princess with the blood of the goddess, who could not wield her inner power. Why wasn't she enough? Why did fate assign her this burden? And why couldn't she stop herself from thinking of that man—Astor, whose contemptuous but desperate gaze bore into the forefront of her mind even then.
She'd spared the life of that would-be assassin and had zero regrets. They had both walked away with their lives intact, and that's all she could ask for. Yet the sentiment did little to calm her frayed nerves.
"Excuse me, Urbosa…."
Before Urbosa could protest, Zelda turned quickly, her whole frame quaking. It was all too much to bear. Her head was spinning. She was about to lose control of all her anxieties and distress she'd been holding back. She moved away from the rest of the group, walking fast, and as soon as she got behind the cover of a rock outcropping she fell to her knees and vomited.
oOo
"Is that the sacred blade I see?" King Rhoam stood up from his throne on the second floor of the Sanctum. "Link, I'm very pleased it was you. Now I have divine confirmation that I made the right decision in choosing you as Zelda's appointed knight." The king looked so pleasantly surprised he mercifully didn't seem to notice his daughter's bloodless complexion.
But Impa did.
"Your Highness…" Impa rushed to the princess who hung close to Urbosa still. The Gerudo Chief held a comforting hand to the girl's shoulder and the Sheikah aide approached them.
"I'm fine, Impa. I just got a bit ill on the way back."
Rhoam addressed the Divine Beast Pilots once again. "Well done. You have accomplished your duty admirably, and as a result, Hyrule's hero has been discovered. There is only one last thing required to oppose the Calamity." Rhoam looked to his daughter. "Oh… Where is that little Guardian? It's usually always at your side," Rhoam asked, which threw Zelda. He was in an exceptionally good mood.
"Broken… Regretfully..."
"Ah… That's unfortunate..." King Rhoam offered. His voice was not unkind. He even sounded a little disappointed and she wondered why.
"I'll take it to Robbie and Purah first thing tomorrow for repair," Zelda said, numbly. Impa gave her a much-needed, gentle push towards her chambers.
"I'd like all of you to join us for a celebratory dinner." King Rhoam's voice became distant as Zelda headed to her bed-chamber to take care of her disheveled state.
Undoing her braid, Zelda shook out her hair and raked her fingers through her blonde locks. She laid the Sheikah Slate on her nightstand and tarried for a long moment. Exhaling, she closed her eyes and wondered how she was going to regain her appetite. If she had any say in the matter, she would have crawled into bed and descended into a sleep from which she would never awaken.
A short time later, dressed in her royal gown, she took her seat in the dining hall at a long table opposite her father. Link was to her left and seemed to acclimate to the formal setting quite well despite eating rocks with reckless abandon just a short time before. Impa was seated to her right. The Divine Beast pilots were seated further down the table, exchanging pleasantries with the king. Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa dominated much of the conversation. Mipha was more reserved.
Zelda was barely aware of what was going on, lost in her thoughts, only catching bits and pieces of the exchanges happening around her.
"You know, Mipha was just tellin' me the other day that she believed Link would be the one who would wield the sword that seals the darkness," Daruk mused out loud to the whole table.
Mipha looked flustered, but then the Zora princess composed herself and said sweetly, "Daruk, I told you that in confidence."
Daruk laughed. "Oh… Sorry. And yet, you were right. You should own it!"
"Is it my understanding that you and Link have been friends since childhood?" Rhoam asked, trying to make polite conversation.
Mipha stiffened at the King's question. "Yes, that's correct." She smiled serenely at Link. The young knight looked up from his meal, acknowledging the Zora princess.
"It has been such a pleasure to have you join us for another meal after all these years, Chief Urbosa. It is deeply unfortunate that the queen is no longer with us to witness this occasion."
"Indeed… I think of her every day," Urbosa replied to Rhoam. "Zelda looks so much like her... Now more than ever... The queen was about the same age Zelda is now when we first became friends." Urbosa glanced across the table at Zelda, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Your Highness, that's your favorite cake and you've barely touched it," whispered Impa, the royal aide showing concern in her voice.
It was true; She'd been picking over it with her fork. "I'm quite full already…"
"It's just unlike you to turn down fruit cake." Impa kept her voice low.
"I can't take another bite. I might get sick again…"
"Okay. Okay. Say no more."
The dinner was winding down, and King Rhoam spoke in an official tone. "I will arrange a ceremony to confer upon all of you the title Champions in three days. Zelda, it will be your duty to handcraft the sacred blue garments for each of the Champions, including a tunic for Link.
Zelda closed her eyes, fighting the urge to crumble. After a beat, she replied dutifully, "Yes, Father. I'll get started on them right away."
Prometheus17: Here is the conclusion to that meeting. As you might be able to tell, things really start to diverge from canon here. I've had this alternate scene in mind for a while and it's nice to finally publish it.
Faylian: Yeah, I feel bad considering Zelda has been suffering so badly here! And yes, I'm still very salty about what happened to Astor, but it is to be expected. This is how Nintendo/KT we're talking about… This is what happens to their villains, especially their male villains. I mean if they make some good Astor DLC I'll forgive everything… But I've still got to write this fanfic to cope with the fact he died so horribly. ^^;