The Downfall Timeline
Book 1
Chapter 25: The Blood of the Goddess
Evening, January 31, 610 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Day 199
The Princess' Throne Room, Temple of Water
Princess Zelda reached up and gently lifted the tiara from her head. It had been a very long day and she was exhausted. The weight of the gold made her feel even more drained. She set the princess' crown onto a small table beside her throne and began to loosen the braids of her hair.
The sun had set and the evening sky shifted from a pale orange, to purple. Above Ganon's cloud, the stars were coming out of the inky darkness, one by one.
Captain Corin had returned just before sunset and reported that he and Alfon had located Link's trail, and that the marshal had entered the Forbidden Forest to find him.
As Zelda shook her hair free and leaned back against her throne, her mind focused intently on the lord and his squire.
"Goddess help me..." she thought to herself, "If anything happens to them... it will be my fault."
Her thoughts poured over the destruction of Link's home, the anger and pain in his eyes when she ordered the army to not rescue the Kokiri, and the anguish that he must now be feeling inside the forest.
Impa sat at her side - on her councilor's seat. It stood taller than the other ministers' seats, recognizing her status as Regent, but it did not compare to the Hylian Throne. The sheikah watched her ward intently as she removed her crown and relaxed her hair.
"You're staring again Impa." she grumbled, turning her eye to frown at her attendant.
"Apologies, your grace." Her guardian replied, but still did not avert her gaze.
The princess did her best to ignore her and tried to focus on the two soldiers in the forest, but after a few minutes' time, her minister's watchful eye began to bother her again.
With a deep sigh, the girl sat forward and faced her attendant, "What is it Impa? You only watch me like this when you have something serious on your mind."
The regent smiled, "I didn't realize that you had become aware of that, your grace." she replied. "When was the last time your hair was brushed?"
The princess was not expecting such a silly question. "I brushed it not long ago." she answered.
"No, your grace, when was the last time someone brushed your hair?" Impa pressed.
The young royal was annoyed, this was obviously not what she was really after - this was just a distraction.
"What does it matter?!" she asked angrily.
"It matters, your grace. When?" The elder continued, undeterred.
Again, Zelda let out a frustrated sigh as she thought back. For a moment, she honestly could not recall the last time anyone had completely brushed her hair out. She, or one of her handmaidens, would make small adjustments and corrections to her hair from day to day, but to completely let down her hair and brush out its tangles was something only her majesty had done.
And then it struck her - Her mother had been the last to fully brush out Zelda's hair.
On the night of Gannondorf's attack, just before the princess went to her room, the Queen had brushed out her hair and hummed a beautiful lullaby to her.
"It was... mama." she mumbled quietly.
Her mouth was slowly turning dry and a lump was forming in her throat at the painful memory.
"May I, your grace?" asked Impa.
For a moment, Zelda did not acknowledge her. Her mind was flooded with memories of her parents and the pain of their loss. With a start, she looked back at her guardian to find her holding an elegant, silver hair brush.
She felt strange about the request. Yes. she was a princess and used to having servants and hand maidens wait on her, but her mother had been the last to touch her hair this way. It was a very tender, very intimate thing that she shared with her mama. Somehow, if she let Impa do it now, that would take something away from the Queen's memory.
But the princess had been struggling for months to move on and remain strong. She loved her parents dearly, but she could not allow herself to flounder in anguish over their loss.
Wiping a few tears from her eyes, she nodded to her attendant and turned her back to her. The sheikah silently rose and stepped behind the girl, gracefully lifting a lock of her hair, and gently pulled the brush through it.
For a few minutes, they remained quiet as Impa gently smoothed out the princess' hair and delicately untangled any knots she found.
"Your mother was a very busy woman." she began, eventually, "The kingdom demanded all of her strength for most of her life."
Zelda knew this, but it felt strange to be hearing it from her warden now.
"Despite the demands on her life though, her majesty always took the greatest joy in you, your grace. She often told me how much she looked forward to seeing you before bed. It was the one time each day that she did not have to be queen and she could just be... your mother." Impa continued.
The lump in Zelda's throat grew larger as more tears welled in her eyes.
Her mother had been so kind - so perfect. She was love & warmth incarnate. All who met her, adored her at once, and she always made time for children; whether they were the offspring of nobility or the common children who played in the town square, the Queen loved them all.
"Why... Why did he have to k-kill her?" she whimpered as she covered her face with her hands.
Impa steadily continued brushing the princess' hair as she answered, "Never forget, your grace, that there is great evil in this world. And great evil seeks to do harm to any who cross its path. You cannot plead with it, you cannot reason with it, you cannot even bribe it - for long. Evil will always mean to cause you and your loved ones harm."
The girl began to shiver, both with fear and hateful anger at Gannondorf, "Then what can you do?" she asked.
"Fight." answered the sheikah quietly, "Fight and be prepared to fight. If you don't, then evil will eventually triumph and consume us all."
"Like Link and Alfon?" offered Zelda.
For a brief moment, Impa paused her stroke, then continued, "Yes, like our brave knights: Always ready to fight."
For nearly two hours, they spoke about the King and Queen. Mostly happy memories Zelda had of them and a few anecdotes from Impa on how they oversaw the kingdom. But after a time, the sheikah matron returned to the subject of preparing for evil.
"Did your mother, ever tell you how the kingdom came into being?" she asked.
"Centuries ago, the people of Hylia founded the kingdom." recited Zelda, "They chose a great family to act as their rulers and so the kingdom began."
The minister closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was the answer that she feared.
"I had hoped," she began, continuing to brush Zelda's hair, "that her majesty had spoken with you about... your beginning."
"My beginning?" repeated the princess, puzzled.
As the night drifted by outside, Impa recited the Hylian legend of creation: How the three Great Goddesses formed creation and gave life to the world. How Hylia, daughter of the three, had been charged with keeping watch over the new life upon the earth. That a great evil had appeared and attacked Hylia and the first humans -seeking to take the Triforce. The Goddess gathered her faithful together and placed them in a protected home, away from the earth, while she fought the great demon.
She told Zelda of the Hero of the Goddess - a great Hylian man, whom Hylia had loved dearly. How he stayed behind and fought beside her and cared for her when she fell in battle.
"Their love was the most powerful in all of the universe." The sheikah said dreamily as she stroked the princess' hair.
"What happened to them?" Zelda asked, rather curious - she had never been told these stories with this level of detail before.
"The Goddess passed on from her holy form and the hero mourned her, to the end of his days." she answered.
"How sad." The princess said after a moment, "All of the good stories have the loving couple live together forever."
"Oh child..." breathed Impa, "There are so many secrets you do not know."
She set down the brush and quietly checked the outside corridor for any listeners. Finding the temple empty and silent, she bolted the door and returned to the princess.
The minister resumed her brush-work, but this time, leaned much closer to Zelda before continuing the tale.
"But the Goddess did not perish, nor did her beloved knight." she whispered, "In time, the Goddess would be reincarnated as a mortal woman and her knight would always be reborn near her, to keep her safe. These first two had continued the war with the Demon King and banished him from our world after a terrible battle. Then, when the world was made safe, the Hylian-faithful returned to the earth and founded the Kingdom of Hyrule, in the Goddess' honor."
"They became the first Queen and King of Hyrule." explained Impa, "and forever after, they would name their firstborn daughter after the Goddess' mortal form."
"I don't understand..." muttered Zelda, beginning to fear what her attendant was telling her.
"The eldest daughter of the queen, carries the blood of the goddess within her. So long as she remains pure and true, she is the Goddess in mortal form." answered the sheikah quietly.
The princess' heart began to race and her skin turned ice cold.
"And... what name did the Goddess Reborn take?" she timidly asked.
"It was 'Zelda', your grace." The minister replied softly.
The teenaged royal leapt from her throne and whirled around on her guardian, "What are you saying?!" she demanded – her face turning scarlet and her heart pounding against her chest.
The sheikah calmly set the brush down and stepped toward the princess.
Resting her hands lightly on the girl's shoulders, she answered, very quietly, "It is you, your grace. You are the Goddess Hylia reborn."
Zelda's mouth fell open in disbelief. She did not know whether to laugh or to shout at her attendant for such a blasphemous story.
"The princess is never told when she is young, for fear of a child's innocence giving away the secret." Impa explained, "But when her powers begin to manifest, the Queen takes her on a pilgrimage to the temples of the old gods and instructs her on Hylia's purpose."
Impa looked into Zelda's eyes with a mournful expression, "I am so sorry, your grace, that her majesty was not able to teach you before she left us. But now that your powers are blossoming-"
But the princess cut her off, "No! No! It is absurd! I cannot be some hidden Goddess! It is… j-just a story!"
The regent quickly, yet gently, covered Zelda's mouth and motioned for quiet.
"Even in the most trusted places, there are unwelcome ears, your grace, please." begged her protector.
The girl took a moment to breathe deep and tried to calm herself. When she was ready, she nodded to her attendant, who lifted her hand.
"Your power," Impa began again, "The premonitions, the visions, the healing of mortally wounded men, these are some of the Goddess' most powerful abilities. Many princesses before you never had such strength, yet your power has awakened so early and so fiercely. There can be no doubt, you have the strength and the blessing of Hylia herself within you and you must follow the path that she lays out for you!"
Zelda shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She was terrified. Everything she knew about herself, her family, had just changed in a moment and... she was alone.
"What do I do?" she whimpered as she looked up at Impa.
"Shh, it's alright princess." she soothed, "I am here and... if you'll allow me, I will guide you on the right path."
The sheikah bowed her head and waited. For a moment, Zelda hesitated. She did not want it. She did not want to be a Goddess reborn on the earth. She did not want to be the Princess of a shattered kingdom. She just wanted to be a simple girl with a simple life. Her eyes welled as she thought again of her parents and the lost connection that they might have had together - if Gannondorf had not murdered them.
The terrified child suddenly stepped forward and threw her arms around her attendant.
Impa was surprised, but quickly hugged her back. "There, there child, I'm here."
Tenderly, she led the princess to bed and assured her once again that all would be well.
"Sleep now, and do not concern yourself about these things, your grace. Soon, we will speak more and I will begin your training." she finished with a warm smile as she brushed the girl's tears away.
Zelda turned onto her side and pulled the blankets closely around her. Everything she knew was changing and she was powerless to stop it. Like a leaf in the storm – she was being mercilessly driven and cast about by forces beyond her control.
Her attendant silently closed the door behind her and turned to walk down the corridor.
Standing several paces away was Captain Corin, who smiled brightly and seemed to be waiting for her.
Immediately, Impa became suspicious and grasped the handle of her sword - hidden down the spine of her dress.
"What did you hear?!" she demanded in a hushed voice.
His eyebrows rose quickly in surprise, "Nothing, my lady." he answered.
The sheikah warrior did not believe him and dashed forward, drawing her blade, and setting it firmly against his throat.
"Liar! Why are you following us?! What did you hear?!" she hissed.
The old veteran's smile had vanished and been replaced by a genuine look of shock. Very slowly, he raised his hands - palms toward her - to show that he was unarmed.
"By the light of the three, my lady, I have heard no words since entering the temple. I am only here to deliver the midnight report." He faintly answered, letting himself look directly into her eyes.
She studied him carefully, bending all of her skills against him – struggling to find any malice or ill intent. But his eyes showed genuine confusion and his spirit felt pure. She had also forgotten the evening report… and it was Corin who usually brought it to her.
Lowering her blade, she stepped away from him and bowed to the captain.
"Forgive me sir... I am unsettled. Much has happened and I... feel an unwelcome presence in the temple but… I cannot explain it." she said bashfully.
The elder rubbed his neck where her sword had been, "Think nothing of it, my lady." he answered, rather gruffly, "I only wish I could more completely earn your trust."
The minister rose and caught the pain upon his face. He was genuinely hurt that she had suspected him of evil intent.
"I..." she started awkwardly, "I fear for the princess' safety. Something is not right and... there are other matters, royal matters that will need much of my attention soon."
Corin looked at her curiously, but knew he should not press for details.
"If there is anything I can do to be of assistance, my lady..." he began.
"Yes, actually," She suddenly started again - a new idea coming to her, "I require a secluded location so that I may... meditate."
"Meditate?" echoed the captain, confused.
"Yes, it is critical for a sheikah to meditate regularly and I believe it will do the princess some good to join me." She explained, "But it must be secluded. Absolutely undisturbed. Do you know of anywhere safe?"
The soldier thought carefully for a moment, then snapped his fingers and replied, "Yes, near one of the streams that feeds into the lake. A short distance upriver, there was an old fisherman's house next to a pool in the stream. He is gone now, but his land and home would make a very quiet, very secluded place for meditation. But, my lady, I am very uncomfortable at the thought of yourself and the Princess being so far from the guard at the lake. If anything were to happen-"
"If she is with me, she will be safe!" Impa answered him suddenly. "Thank you, Captain! You have been of great help to us both!"
The regent quickly stepped around him and rushed to her own bedchamber, leaving the poor captain standing in the passageway alone – confused and still bearing the un-read report.