Hyrule Castle
"Open the gate!"
The barked order stirred the soldiers patrolling the western wall to action. In a frenzy they took their positions; it required the strength of two men to operate the drawbridge pulley. With the usual clink and rattle, the chain came free, dropping the heavy wooden door with alarming speed. It fell into place with a dull thunk, allowing the visitors to pass.
"To your stations!" the lieutenant shouted, keeping the sentry guards moving.
The western wall was Hyrule Castle's secondary entrance, a way to bypass the hustle and bustle of Castle Town and head straight for the castle. Of course, it also required passing by a heavily guarded passage and the soldiers' barracks. The procession crossed the bridge without fanfare. A small group on horseback, they followed their path steadily up to the castle's second gate: the final obstacle before reaching the inside.
The leader of the group tightened his grip on the reins. He'd waited a long time to breach this castle's walls. He'd never anticipated these circumstances.
As he and his companions were granted access to the inner courtyard, he made sure not to miss a detail when he scanned the guards' posts, and every dark corner of the yard. He dismounted, his cloak swishing around his feet. The lieutenant from the western wall was already there, ready to greet them.
"Welcome to Hyrule Castle," he said, his tone stiff and formal.
It had been a decade since Hyrule's Unification War. Clearly, some people weren't ready to forgive.
Without returning the politeness, he strode past the lieutenant, his companions staying behind with the horses. The Hylian lieutenant followed close behind, his eyes burning holes into his cloak. He suppressed a smile.
Walking deliberately quickly, he made several wrong turns, forcing the solider to correct his path and lead him straight to his destination: the throne room. As the doors were pushed open by the guards standing outside, the solider accompanying loudly announced their hastened arrival.
"Your Majesty, your guest has arrived. Lord Ganondorf, leader of the Gerudo."
~oOo~
"Hey! Wake up!"
He groaned, trying to hide under the covers and ignore the voice telling him to get out of bed.
"Honestly, lazybones," it continued. "You don't want to miss it, do you?"
Link's eyes snapped open. He'd forgotten it was today! The voice laughed as he hurried to be free of his bed and pull on his shoes.
"Really, Link. I would've thought that today of all days you'd awake on time."
He laughed, looking up to meet Saria's exasperated expression. Arms crossed, she shook her head in disapproval.
"We're going to be late at this rate."
Link responded, "Not if we hurry," grabbing his hat from the floor where he'd left it and racing out the door.
Startled, Saria hurried after him, sliding down the treehouse ladder next to him. "Wait up!" she called.
The pair ran up the hill opposite Link's house and continued onto the dirt path, outpacing several of the Kokiri children on their way to the grove, laughing all the while.
When they reached the Great Deku Tree's clearing, they were among the first ones there. Eagerly, the pair took a seat in the grass next to a gigantic aboveground root. Above their heads, the topmost branches bristled as the tree roused itself from sleep. The Kokiris' guardian creaked like an old timer stretching his old bones, settling into place. Two large knots shifted beneath heavy, darker ridges of bark, serving as the great tree's eyes. A gnarled bump between the knot-eyes was the nose. As the rest of the forest children filtered into the clearing and sat on the ground before him, the Deku Tree smiled; his mouth a slash in the bark beneath his nose.
A chorus of voices met him as his protégées greeted him and chattered excitedly amongst themselves. This particular celebration came only once a year and was highly anticipated by all the forest residents. Unlike the Hylians, this was the Kokiris' lone holiday.
The Great Deku Tree cleared his throat—no easy feat for a tree, even a magical one—and the clearing fell silent. Even the various animals passing through stopped their chittering.
Saria nudged Link, shooting him a smile. Saria loved the Deku Tree's stories perhaps even more than Link. Saria's fairy companion hovered next to her shoulder, resting there lightly to listen to the guardian tree's story. All around them, the other Kokiri children had offered their fairy friends a similar perch for the gathering. Link hugged his knees to his chest, his own shoulders conspicuously unoccupied.
"Welcome, children," the Deku Tree said, his voice booming even with its usual, gentle tone.
The Kokiri shifted excitedly, looking forward to the story. Every year, their guardian told them the story of the Kokiris' origins and their relationship to the fairies. Afterwards, he delighted them with tales of the outside world: how it came to be created by the goddesses and the like. Of course, these were accompanied with warnings about the dangers of that world.
As his guardian began the by now familiar tale—a story of fairies, the beginning of the forest, and the first Kokiri—Link found his mind started to drift away. Much as he loved the Deku Tree's stories, this one had lost its allure over the years.
Increasingly, he was drawn to the occasional account he told of the world outside the shelter of the forest. In recent months, his curiosity had grown until it bordered on obsession. He had mentioned it to Saria once or twice, but his questions about the world outside hadn't been met with enthusiasm. Saria was relatively ignorant; like all Kokiri, she had never had any desire to leave the forest.
He hadn't told her of his nightmares, or asked her what the white structure might be. Sneaking a peek at her profile, he wasn't surprised to see her already enraptured by the story. Meanwhile, his own mind had already wandered. He felt a bit of guilt about it, but he felt sure if he told her of his desire to see outside, she wouldn't be supportive.
~oOo~
Princess Zelda V was in a state of anxiousness. The crown princess of Hyrule was often upset lately. Much to the chagrin of her personal attendant, Impa, who hated seeing her protegee so unhappy.
It might be traitorous of her to think so, but the attendant knew exactly where to lay blame for the young princess's current distress. A job well done, Your Majesty, she thought cynically, watching as her king once again dismissed the concerns of his only daughter as childish fancy. Ten years old the princess might be, but Impa could attest that she was wise beyond her years. Her worries should be taken seriously.
Unwilling to watch her young charge's heart be broken again by her father, Impa looked aside under the pretense of scanning the room for intruders. Not that there were any. Hyrule Castle was virtually a fortress.
"Father, please!" Zelda was saying, trying in vain to regain her father's attention.
"Zelda," he scolded, focused on the attendant at his arm. He shifted on his throne, upset at seeing his daughter's tears as her fears were ignored. He pasted on a stern look; this was for her own good. "My dear, these…dreams of yours are nothing. They will pass. Now, you mustn't bother me, child. I have important business to attend to. Why don't you go play in the courtyard?" He flapped a hand dismissively.
Crushed, Zelda bit her lip, stopping any further tears. With a princess-like composure, she bowed formally, excusing herself with an abrupt spin of her heel. She held her head aloft as she had been taught, steeling herself against the sympathetic gazes of the soldiers stationed in the throne room.
"Impa," she said, reaching her attendant's side.
"Milady," she answered formally, shooting the nearest soldier a look of ice. He tried in vain to make his face disappear inside his helmet.
Their departure was interrupted when a herald whipped into the room, blocking the exit as he loudly announced that the king had another visitor. Looking irritated, but resigned, the king gestured impatiently. Satisfied, the herald flung the door wide, allowing a steely Impa and the young princess to pass.
The girl froze when the herald's next words revealed the identity of the guest.
"Lord Ganondorf, leader of the Gerudo!"
The princess gasped, drawing back into the protection of Impa's shadow. A giant of a man was framed in the doorway. Not even a mouse could slip past his boot without notice, his bulk took up so much space in the entrance. Zelda had never seen a Gerudo before, but she had heard stories. Particularly of this man. Several of the soldiers visibly tensed at the sight of him. Others could barely contain their shaking.
For a brief moment, the huge Gerudo man noticed her, and their gazes met. His lips curved in what Zelda supposed was meant to be a polite smile, but to her just seemed like a threat.
"Princess Zelda," he said, louder than necessary, bowing theatrically to the young girl. "A true honour to meet you."
His words were pleasant, but his voice was like the menacing growl of thunder. He raised his head as he straightened from the bow, his tawny eyes boring into her wide blue ones. Princess Zelda looked into Lord Ganondorf's eyes and saw nothing but darkness.
In that singular moment, the crown princess knew in her heart that this man before her was the subject of her nightmares. He was the storm that was swathing its way towards Hyrule.
When he straightened to his full, impressive height, he noticed Impa standing next to Zelda, a protective hand on the princess's shoulder. Ganondorf's eyes glittered.
"I see the Sheikah still serve their traitorous masters," he remarked in the Sheikah language.
Impa didn't gratify him with a response.
"As the last of your kind," he continued with a cruel smile, "I'm sure we Gerudo could offer you a place among us."
The look of unadulterated hatred on the Sheikah woman's face made his skin crawl and itch. He chuckled, somehow managing to make the sound seem sinister.
"I'm afraid I must decline," was Impa's clipped reply. "Excuse us, Lord Ganondorf."
She ushered the princess out the door, drawing it closed behind them before the herald could. As the heavy double doors of the throne room swung shut, Zelda watched as her father rose to greet the Gerudo thief. The man cast a shadow across her father's form, even as he kneeled down to pay his respects. She couldn't help the shiver that passed through her as the darkness crossed over the king's face.