Chapter 11: A revelation
Robbie clutched the tumbler of spiced rum and gulped the entire contents before taking another deep breath, closing his eyes and exhaling shakily. "No…I don't believe you" Purah said softly. Her eyes glistened with tears. "We haven't worked on guardians since the Calamity was destroyed. I have spent practically every waking moment with you!". Robbie said nothing, he simply rose weakly to his feet and approached Purah slowly, with his eyes fixated on the small gear pendant she held in her hand. Purah noticing, held her hand out and dropped it into Robbie's.
He walked silently over to the now defunct guidance stone. He stooped over lifting a small metal cap off of the base of the pedestal. Underneath it, a tiny slot where a gear could go. Purah circled slowly, her eyes filled with apprehension. Robbie placed the gear in the slot with a click, he rotated it several times with a ratcheting sound. The sound of an unseen mechanism could be heard. An entire half of the guidance stone pedestal clicked open and several ancient cores came tumbling out on the floor. "Every night…I have stayed here researching while you went home" he said softly.
Purah tensed. Saying nothing she slowly moved across the room to where Robbie had been sat previously. Turning to face him, she suddenly launched the tumbler he had been drinking from straight at his head. It missed by an inch, exploding against the wall behind him, showering splinters of glass everywhere. Nayra yelped in fear and Zelda instinctively pulled her away from the glass. "How could you?!" she seethed. "You…stupid…reckless…selfish…"- Impa cut her off. "Purah…enough!" she yelled. "Don't you dare, talk down to your elder sister like that! Where is your respect missy?!" Purah shot back. Impa looked on awkwardly at her pint-sized older sister, who became conscious of her height. "You have all never taken my thoughts or feelings seriously and I am sick of it. Darn the lot of you!" her voice quavered as she rushed towards the door.
She stormed past Zelda, who tried to grab her hand. However, she aggressively yanked her hand away. She turned to face Zelda. "You of all people know what it's like to have people treat you as less of a person! If you let them get away with this deceit 'Your Majesty' then you are no Queen of Hyrule to me!". She continued storming out. "Where are you going?!" Impa yelled after her. "I need air! I am sick of being in the same room as that filthy liar!" Purah growled. "It's pouring down out there!" Impa called after her. "I don't give a darn!" she shot back before slamming the door shut behind her. Impa sighed deeply. "Robbie, you really ticked off the wrong woman!".
Robbie's eyes looked sunken and bloodshot; his face was gaunt and weary. Zelda kept glancing down at his missing digit which was bandaged crudely in a blood encrusted cloth. She made her way over to him and took his damaged hand in hers. She peeled the 'bandage' away to reveal a stump oozing with crimson blood. Robbie let out a soft whimper. Scanning around the lab Zelda spotted a jar containing some crushed herbs. Her inner scholar spotted a jar of crushed flowers renowned for their healing properties, although they were likely to be very limited in this case. Grabbing the jar she sprinkled some on the wound as Robbie groaned in pain. It at least stemmed the bleeding. She then tore a small piece of her dress and bandaged Robbie's finger.
He winced at her touch. "Please, please don't Your Majesty. I should suffer...heck I should have rotted in that cell for what I did". "Robbie…working on the cores in secret was a mistake but I know you. I trust that it was with the best intention" Zelda replied softly. Robbie just shook his head. "My ancestors built them Your Majesty, on the backs of Hylia knows what race or tribe. I have known for ages and I kept my research from your knowledge, that amounts to treason. So, for that and my shameful legacy, please…lock me away for the rest of my sorry existence… or better yet, execute me…make an example of this disgraceful Sheikah fool".
Zelda gasped. "Robbie, do you honestly think I could ever do that to my best friend and mentor?". "No…" he replied with a sad smile. "Because you are more of a person than I could ever be!". "Robbie, you can fix this" Zelda said reassuringly. "Just, please let us know why your captors are doing this. They must have said something, anything!" she urged. "I…don't know" he lied yet again, unable to tell Zelda the grizzly truth. It would finish her and the whole Kingdom.
"I do" Impa interjected. Robbie shifted nervously looking up at Impa. Her face was etched with an expression of extreme concern, as she suddenly began to recall the vile entity, she was alone with just a short while ago. "Zelda, you are not going to believe what I am about to tell you...".
I received a letter, many years ago when I was younger in the more natural sense of the word. It was from my grandmother. She got taken gravely ill by a mysterious illness. It began to warp her mind and perception and yet…she was still very much lucid. She was a terrific storyteller, she used to have me captivated for hours at a time with tales of a land, that predates the Hyrule we know today by many thousands of years. In fact, so vast is the history of this land, her stories were often of fragments of a past that were tens…maybe even hundreds of thousands of years apart. The Sheikah were said to be the last carriers of these tales and had carefully curated them to ensure their survival and accuracy.
One such element that pops up time and time again in the tales, is a man of immense power and darkness that tries to claim an ancient relic known as the Triforce. You have came to know it only as the sacred sigil you bear on your hand.
Zelda raised her hand and observed the faint marking, captivated.
However, Zelda…the Triforce very much exists in physical form, though it is said that it has not physically manifested in a great many thousands of years. It is said to carry the immense power of the Goddesses who created this world. It could allow the wielder to potentially forge a new world of their own from nothing or reduce an existing one to nothing, as they see fit.
It was believed that only a very select righteous few could truly wield the power of the relic. Only those who possessed a rare balance of three sacred elements prized by the Goddesses, could call upon the true power of the Triforce. Those elements were said to be: Power, Wisdom and Courage. For the unworthy, should they lay their hand on the forbidden relic it would separate into three pieces. All they would be left with, is the piece that represents the sacred element they have the closest affinity to. Two other individuals are then destined to be the bearers of the remaining pieces and were usually pure of heart, sent to stop the Triforce from completely falling into the hands of the unworthy.
In the legends, the desert man touched the Triforce and sure enough, through his maniacal blood lust and greed it separated. Only the piece of the relic that represented power was left in his hand. The sacred power granted to him by his obtained piece, gave him immense power…but he was still not satisfied. The man was a Demi-God who wished to rise to the level of a God. He wanted immortality and truly unlimited power. He therefore set out in search of the two other bearers upon learning of another prophecy that if they fell, he could reassemble the Triforce and obtain it in its entirety.
He was however, defeated in a showdown by the two chosen holders of the remaining two Triforce pieces. One was said to be a Princess from a long sacred bloodline…she who possessed the Triforce of Wisdom.
Zelda gasped looking at her hand once again. "I…inherited it?".
Yes…from all those years ago. The other as well…was said to be a legendary hero who slayed monsters the land over, just to protect the sacred princess. He possessed the remaining Triforce of Courage, a testament to his quality of unwavering bravery. He also wielded a sword, the sight of which I am sure you are remarkably familiar with by now…
Zelda turned slowly to Link… "No…it can't…he can't…he doesn't…" she stammered looking at Link gobsmacked for a moment.
Legends go that the wielder of the master sword did indeed possess the Triforce of Courage…but you would be right in your observation that Link does not appear to be chosen. Which could mean that the Triforce of Courage is elsewhere entirely, either in another realm or dwelling within another chosen individual for whatever reason.
Zelda turned to Impa. "What about the Triforce of Power…?" she asked nervously. Impa tensed, as the concerned look on her face deepened.
In her letter, my Grandmother foretold of the return of the desert man that possessed that piece of the Triforce…and now…I have seen him with my very eyes...on the outside of this realm.
Zelda's eyes widened as her heart rate picked up. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.
"Yes" Impa confirmed, reading Zelda's mind like a book. "Ganondorf" she said with a tone of finality. Robbie squirmed in his seat upon hearing the name. I must tell them… He went to open his mouth, but no words came out, he could not muster the strength to tell them. He simply watched on, gripped by anxiety.
"I saw him when I was lingering in a vile space between worlds. He was tormenting me like my grandmother claimed he did to her all those years ago" Impa said softly. "What's more, he said he was going to regain control of the Divine Beasts and use them to wipe out Hyrule!". "What did he look like Impa, we need to find him and stop him before he succeeds!" Zelda said with determination. "He looked…dead…". Robbie wrung his hands frantically. Blood began to pool on the floor as he squeezed the bloody stump of his missing finger.
"Like…in my dream!" Zelda gasped suddenly remembering. Impa's eyes grew wide. "Zelda…I am so sorry, please forgive me!" she pleaded. Zelda shook her head. "You weren't to know!" she reassured. "However, I think it is safe to say this is an omen" she continued. "I agree!" Impa said. "However, if it really is Ganondorf, he is currently in limbo. I do not know who Robbie's captors are, but their presence is no coincidence, I am sure. They plan on either enacting his revenge or potentially even bringing him back to life!". "How do you think they would go about doing it?" Zelda asked hoping for an end goal. "Well, Ganondorf was said in the legends to be 'the desert man'. He was likely Gerudo based on the old scriptures. It is said males were only born one hundred years or so" Impa pondered.
"Men aren't allowed in Gerudo town so one would definitely stand out…you would think!" Zelda responded. The tone of her voice sounded quite strange to Link, who had been absorbed in the conversation up to that point. He tensed nervously, his cheeks flushing red as he hoped Zelda had not seen everything, he got up to while she was away. She did not however, seem to touch on it further. "Maybe they have kept him a secret?" Impa questioned. "That would mean…no, surely not!" Zelda's voice trembled. "You are right, Ganondorf's spirit isn't in this world so if a child is to be born the Gerudo likely do not know of it yet. Also, they would not be aware of the prophecy all these hundreds of thousands of years later either. Us Sheikah appear to be the only ones who know about it…well that and…" Impa stopped. "The people who attacked the castle and captured Robbie" Zelda concluded for her.
Impa turned to Robbie. "Robbie you must have seen your captors, what do they look like?" she questioned sternly. He trembled on the spot nervously. Impa looked down and noticed the blood. She crouched down beside him and softened her voice. "Darling, I know they have treated you awfully, but we need to know who they are if we are to stop them". "L-l-l-like they are dead" Robbie murmured. "Do they have any markings, anything you can identify them with?". Robbie just looked to the floor as Impa got up and let out a frustrated sigh. "He is too traumatised to tell us any more than that. Ugh we have nothing to go by…except…". She paused staring at a fragment of a broken urn resting on the table behind her.
"What are you?" she questioned, observing the strange swirls on the urn. "Th-that!" Robbie said suddenly with wide eyes, he pointed with a trembling hand. "Th-th-that w-was on their arms!" he exclaimed, recalling his captor having a strange swirl seemingly going up his arm. "This?" Impa said raising the urn fragment so Robbie could get a better look. "You are absolutely sure?". "Y-yes!" Robbie confirmed. Impa turned back to the table, noting a dusty old tome Purah had been in the process of flicking through. She spilled through the pages, coming to a halt on a heavily worn section of faded writing, along with a picture of ancient symbols. "…Zonai?!"
The door suddenly burst open making them all jump and a soaking wet Purah flew into the lab panting and trembling. "Guys come quick!" she panted. "What is it Purah?" Impa questioned nervously. "The beasts!" she screamed. "They are mounting an assault as we speak!" Zelda, Link and Impa gasped, while Robbie felt himself overcome with guilt. "Sidon, Yunobo, Teba and Riju apparently all marched out of their towns seemingly under the influence of some dark magic. They were hostile to those that tried to stop them! They have now all piloted the Divine Beasts!".
Zelda, Impa and Link raced out followed closely by Nayra. Purah slammed the door shut behind them rounding on Robbie. Impa tapped frantically on the Sheikah slate. "Link!" she yelled tossing it to him. "Vah Ruta is nearest and judging by the map, it is heading for Rutala dam! If that dam fails, Hyrule is done for! I will see what I can do my end to slow the others!". Link quickly took the Sheikah slate and went to summon the master cycle, but his hand was slapped away by Zelda. "Don't even think about it!" she scolded. "We don't know how they gained control; it is too risky!". Link huffed frustratedly but knew she was right. Grabbing some horses nearby Link jumped on and helped Zelda up who wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his neck. Impa circled around them with her own horse.
"Whatever you find in that region, may the goddesses watch over you!" she pleaded. "You too!" Zelda responded. "Link, Zelda…one more thing…I don't think we are dealing with blights corrupting the beasts this time around. If the legends are true…Ganondorf won't stop until this land is done for…" Zelda knew where Impa was heading. With a sad but resolute look on her face she responded softly. "Then it's settled…we destroy them". Link's heart sank like a stone upon realising the gravity of what that decision meant.
Impa nodded in reluctant agreement before racing off ahead. Link and Zelda followed slower behind her, with Nayra keeping pace beside them. Behind the lab, Purah watched them disappear before turning to look down the cliff. At the bottom, lay the silhouettes of two broken bodies. Unique looking goggles lay smashed to pieces, just a few feet away from cracked glasses. Purah smiled cruelly to herself before transforming into an unnaturally gaunt, tall looking hooded woman. "Two down…now…the real fun begins" she cackled evilly before vanishing.