One step closer to Hyrule Castle and one second closer to the Calamity…
And Zelda was no closer to awakening her power than when she had begun all those years ago.
Zelda cast a side-glance at Astor, who walked beside her. He was being very quiet, almost mirroring her dour mood. What was he thinking? He looked completely absorbed in his own headspace. She wondered what sort of inner demons he must have been fighting. He must have been under a great deal of pressure just as she was. What was it like to serve an ancient evil and be expected to oppose all of Hyrule to bring about its revival? Not to mention trying to turn away from such a destiny.
He's changing... I was somehow able to persuade him, and now maybe he could be the key in turning back Calamity Ganon since it seems I won't be able to… But what if I'm being too optimistic? Believing he could change... Or that I had anything to do with it… He'll always see me as the pathetic royal girl that can't wield her power. He'll never see me as anything more. He'll never love me… Or anyone for that matter... Possibly why he turned to Ganon in the first place... Not that any of us are going to live long enough to worry about that, and it will be my fault...
Astor looked down to Zelda, who seemed as though she were about to break into tears again at any moment.
"I must envision a life after the Calamity, I must..." Zelda said aloud and to herself.
Hylia's prophecy echoed in Astor's mind. He wondered if those words could set Zelda's mind at ease. If so, it seemed almost cruel not to tell her. But he couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud. What if Zelda shut down the same way he had when Hylia had told him? For all he knew Hylia had noticed his weakness and had come up with a lie to tempt him, Ganon's chosen, exploiting his weakness to gain the advantage in the war against her greatest enemy. There was no way the Goddess herself had ordained THAT for the young woman that bore her namesake and her blood.
Yet, Zelda had been unreasonably kind to him. She had ordered her knight to spare him, even after he tried to kill her. She had gone above and beyond in reasoning and pleading with him. There was the way she looked at him, spoke to him. She made him feel desired. But how could that be? Astor briefly wondered if this was Hylia's doing as well, as far-fetched an idea as it was, but Astor was running out of explanations for Zelda's behavior towards him. Weren't the royal daughters supposed to be able to hear the voice of the Goddess?
"Zelda…" Astor paused, trying to get used to using her given name. "Does the Goddess ever speak to you?"
"No… Not really… I've had these dreams though... but I can never quite hear her words."
This answer satisfied him. Zelda seemed to be unaware of anything Hylia had planned. Her actions and words towards him were genuine.
"There's something I can't quite wrap my mind around... Why aren't you afraid of me? Why don't you hate me or find me repugnant? For all that I am, and all that I've done… Anyone else would."
"There's something about you… I can't describe it."
"I'm not worthy of whatever it is you feel for me…"
"That's not how it works… It just is…"
"But I swore myself to Calamity Ganon for so long… I am damned."
"I refuse to believe that."
"What about that knight? You must have feelings for him?"
"You mean Link? Why do you say that?"
Astor braced himself for what he would say next, but he knew it couldn't go unsaid if he wanted to show any kind of true compassion towards Zelda.
"You're fated to unlock your power because of him. It was a vision given to me by my harbinger."
Zelda stopped in her tracks. It was a lot to take in. "So I haven't failed after all? It's really going to happen? Why would you tell me that?"
"I guess to redeem myself as much as I can, though what I've done up until now is unforgivable... I want to help you because you spared my life and helped me to see the truth about Calamity Ganon, and you seemed like you needed to hear it."
"That's surprisingly kind of you… But I don't know if I believe it… I've already had my hopes raised and dashed so many times." Zelda paused for a long moment. "But if an individual could be the thing to bring out my power, I... I want it to be you."
"I can't be that person for you…Fate has already decreed it…" He said in a soft, sullen way.
They walked in silence for several minutes.
Astor thought of the Harbinger. Its absence didn't bode well. It was likely aware of what its seer was up to and it certainly wouldn't let such grievous disloyalty go unpunished.
Astor's eyes darted around his surroundings, Hylia's warning about black consuming malice ever-present in the back of his mind.
After some time, they reached a high cliff overlooking Kakariko Village. Zelda had passed through the village on her way to Mount Lanayru in the early morning hours before anyone had been awake to see her, but now the village was bustling.
Astor hadn't set foot in a village in ages, and as soon as they started to cross paths with other people, Astor remembered why. The Sheikah Villagers were giving them odd looks, and of course, they would. The village was pretty closed off from the rest of Hyrule. It was rare for them to see non-Sheikah.
A couple of small children darted past them, laughing, barely acknowledging their presence or personal space as children often did.
A Sheikah woman standing outside of a garment shop smiled at them, trying to wave them down. "Pretty clothes for your girlfriend?" The woman said sweetly.
Astor gave an exasperated, flustered moan, drawing his hood further down his brow.
"No, not today, but thank you," Zelda responded kindly to the Sheikah shopkeep, beaming and radiating a sense of joy.
And for a moment they weren't the Prophet of Doom and the princess of Hyrule. They were only an odd Hylian couple just passing through.
Zelda's smile was like the sun, and any doubts Astor had dried up and disappeared. She loved him, and nothing seemed to be able to sway her. Hylia's prophecy was one step closer to being realized.
I could tell her the prophecy, and she might just die of happiness…. Astor thought darkly. Loving her. Loathing her. He still couldn't shake his aversion to Zelda awakening her power. It was too deeply ingrained. Although now he suspected that it was out of jealousy for the knight. And then there was Hylia's prophecy which filled him with a feeling that had been foreign to him until lately. It was a feeling that both disgusted and thrilled him. But he couldn't summon the words to tell her. Saying them would breathe them into existence even more so.
They passed houses and other shops, including an inn. Other Sheikah villagers were taking notice of them.
"Isn't that Princess Zelda?" one of the Sheikah villagers whispered loudly to another.
Astor walked faster, eager to clear the village. Zelda walked a little faster, too, despite her legs feeling heavy from covering so many miles.
They made their way through a wide-open valley known as Sahasra Slope, which boasted a magnificent view of Hyrule Castle.
"Father is going to be so cross with me…"
Astor looked at Zelda strangely. She kept bringing up her father. It was almost like she was afraid of him. More afraid of her own father than she was of him… which really said something. Astor knew just enough about the royal family to make some assumptions.
"Does he believe the same as the people in your court?"
Zelda flinched. "Oh… You know about that? It feels that way sometimes."
"I don't understand. You're the one with the blood of the Goddess. I had assumed he'd be falling at your feet to worship the ground you walk on."
"Well… He doesn't see it that way. Tough love, I suppose…"
"Why would he be angry with you for breaking Lanayru's decree? He should be praising you for doing whatever it takes to awaken your power."
"You would think that with the way he's been pressing the issue all these years, but my father is a very stern man with strong beliefs about tradition. He says there is only one path to awakening the power and that is through intense prayer and training."
"Your father sounds like a fool. Trust me on this."
"Hmm…" Zelda hummed. "What about your parents? What were they like?"
"I never knew them… I grew up in an orphanage in Deya Village."
"Oh… I'm sorry… Now I feel silly for complaining."
"It's fine. It stopped bothering me years ago and it's beyond irrelevant now."
They crossed the Rebonae bridge, on the last leg of their journey, and passed through a vast apple orchard, slightly off from Zelda's original course.
The sky grew a vibrant orange as they entered Hyrule Castle Town. Zelda gave an audible exhale. "… Almost home…" She knew she had to prepare herself for anything now.
Astor jolted when Zelda took hold of his hand. She was barely aware of how tightly she held onto him. But he felt her—or rather a time in the future where she would squeeze his hand with such intensity, to the point of pain. Her ragged breath was in his ear as she braced herself against him. A wave of intense emotion washed over him and he...
...ripped his hand away, Zelda looking at him puzzled and a little hurt.
"Whenever you touch me… I see and feel things."
"Oh… Do these things displease you?" That wounded expression lingered on her face.
"I… I suppose it doesn't…" He said, offering his hand to her. The vision didn't continue, but it still left him stunned and strangely longing for more.
The streets were almost as devoid of life as they had been the night before. No one gave them more than a cursory glance as they passed by.
They walked up the winding brick pathway that led up to the castle, and when they reached the Sanctum, all four champions, Impa, and Link turned to them as they appeared in the doorway.
All was eerily quiet as they came forward. Zelda's eyes were red from crying and everyone looked with suspicion at Astor. Link placed his hand on the hilt of the Master Sword.
Urbosa and Impa ran to Zelda.
"Wonders never cease..." Revali said dryly. "We all thought the princess was in danger when in reality she was just off on some tryst. The Calamity is about to occur at any moment, and we're all miles away from our Divine Beasts with our fingers in our tailfeathers..."
"Oh, Revali. Go suck an egg. This is NOT the time." Urbosa chastised the rito, and then she turned to Zelda. "Are you alright, little bird? Where were you? And why is HE here?" Urbosa looked at Astor with great dismay and distrust.
"Urbosa, remember when you said you would always support me and to just say the word? This is it... I need your support now more than ever."
Urbosa considered this, her azure blue lips parting slightly, although at a loss.
"Alright, now that Zelda is safe and sound, can we get back to our Divine Beasts and forget this whole asinine situation." Revali interrupted again.
Astor spoke up. "That's exactly where Calamity Ganon wants you when he returns. Ganon's blights are set to take over the Divine beasts and kill their pilots.
Everyone turned to Astor, their expressions dark and vacant. It was as though all the relief from Zelda's safe return had been sucked out of the Sanctum. Mipha reached for Link's hand for support, but stopped short, growing self-conscious.
"And why should we believe you, vile follower of the Calamity? How do we know you're not trying to set us up? You may have convinced the princess, but it's going to take a lot more to gain our trust." Urbosa responded curtly.
"Urbosa!" Zelda protested.
"Forgive me, little bird. You may have shown this man mercy, but I won't…"
"I believe him," said Daruk.
Urbosa turned to Daruk. "You're kidding right?"
"I mean, he sounds sincere enough to me."
Mipha quickly assessed the energy between Princess Zelda and Astor and intervened. "I believe him as well… Or rather I believe Princess Zelda. Let's give him a chance before we jump to condemn this man altogether."
Urbosa turned her ire back to Astor. "What are you trying to pull?"
"I'm not trying to pull anything. You can take my warning or leave it, for all I care. I just wanted to spare Zelda the heartache of losing her champions."
Urbosa folded her arms. "I swear if you hurt her I'm going to cut you up piece by piece and feed you to the Molduga. She is precious to me and I must do right by my dear friend, Zelda's late mother… We Gerudo have our ways of dealing with voe who take advantage of one of our vai, especially when said voe is a member of the Yiga… or an affiliate. Do I make myself clear, Voe?"
"Crystal…" Astor replied, humorless
King Rhoam appeared on the balcony, alerted by the commotion of the Champions.
"What is the meaning of this…. Zelda? You've returned? What were you thinking, running…quite literally running from your duty when the Calamity is nearly at hand?" There was much derision in his voice.
"I did no such thing. I would never!" Zelda's voice wavered. She wasn't surprised her father would make this accusation, but it still hurt terribly.
"Then. where. were. you?" Rhoam said evenly, and in a way that shook Zelda to the core.
"I went to the Spring of Wisdom… In a bid to unlock my power. I've failed. I'm sorry. I didn't feel anything. Just like all my other attempts."
King Rhoam shut his eyes. "That was not your decision to make. You know it is forbidden for you to set foot on Mount Lanayru until the day you are of age. Your disobedience may have cost all of Hyrule!"
Zelda began to break down. "But…"
"I don't want to hear it! You are to spend the rest of the night in prayer, asking the Goddess for forgiveness and discernment, and so help me, you WILL unlock your power."
Zelda clenched her fist. "No, I won't! I'm not a child anymore. Please stop ordering me around like one. We must prepare to oppose the Calamity in whatever way we can, and I won't waste another second praying for this cursed power to awaken!"
"Zelda, you are out of line, and I will not tolerate another word from you!" Rhoam raised his voice, almost shouting. "There is no excuse for this behavior. As long as I am king, you will obey me. Your mother would be very disappointed in you, Zelda. What a waste…"
"You should watch your tongue, old man… How could you speak thus of the one who carries the blood of the Goddess? Perhaps it is you who should beg for forgiveness."
Everyone went deathly silent as they directed their attention to Astor.
Rhoam glared at the younger man, indignantly, taken aback by his words. He felt a deep sense of suspicion just from the look of him. There was a darkness about the young man that gave Rhoam a great sense of disquiet. "You… You must be the prophet I've heard about. What role do you play in all this? And who are you to tell me how to speak to my daughter? You know nothing of the responsibilities I have to my kingdom or of the pressures of raising a daughter of the royal family."
Astor was about to protest when something violently rocked the very foundation of the castle. Everyone braced themselves, gasping.
Zelda's eyes widened, horror in her expression. "It cannot be…" She turned and ran back outside, already knowing what she would see. Everyone followed her out.
She looked up and saw that her greatest fear had come to pass. Everything in her ceased and she collapsed to her knees.
No…
Circling and raging around the highest spire was a familiar swirling miasma. It was just like the image on the Sheikah Slate, except now Zelda could make out that it resembled a great swine. There was a clap of thunder, and embers of malice floated down all around them.
"Ganon…" Zelda stared up at the being in terrible fear as countless wretched screams of despair rang out across Hyrule.
Prometheus17: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. This is actually the first story I've written where Link is non-verbal. It's something I've got to consider if I rewrite my Skyward Sword fanfic. (It's almost 10 years old and is in much need of a revision.)
James Birdsong: Thanks again!