Sorry I'm late posting this today! Life kinda took over today but better late than never, right? (Plus I even managed to tire out my puppy before I posted this so I could focus a bit more on editing!) Anyway, here is this week's chapter. I really enjoyed writing last week's chapter and it was nice to give our heroes a bit of time to just relax and have fun! For those of you who have played the game, you know what's awaiting them but for the rest of you... you'll have to wait and see! Or play the game. Anyway, one thing that was a major challenge in writing this story was the locations of the memories and other events that took place in diaries etc. and frankly... they don't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not sure why they did things in the order they did. I mean, they make sense from a story prospective but not so much from a logistics stand point. I've tried to stay true to it as much as possible but there are some places I had to take licence and try my best to make it make sense.
Also, travel time. I've shortened travel time throughout much of this story because it would probably be about 10 times longer if they had to spend every other day waiting out the rain etc. Btw, it was fun finding out that lightning could kill you in this game for the first time. -.-' Anyway, you'll see what I mean in this chapter. It made more sense to me for them to travel the route they did in this chapter as opposed to going around different landforms so please, bare with me.
On to reviews!
NinaDaisyBell: Thank you very much! Yes, I felt that their relationship throughtout the story was absolutely critical to get right. There was so much that was missing from their story in the game so I wanted to fill it in in a way that really makes sense. I think it would have been really difficult particularly for Zelda to forget what lies ahead for them but I still wanted them to be normal people who would take what moments of happiness they could. At the same time, they need something to look forward to afterwards so I wanted them to build something between them that they could at least hope for after everything was said and done. It's hard to face something like what they face with no hopes for afterwards.
Anyway, onto the next chapter! Don't forget to review or leave a like! I live for reviews! I hope you enjoy!
In the morning, they woke and had a light breakfast before gathering their belongings and heading on their way. Most of the others who had been at the party the night before had decided to sleep in but Zelda was eager to get going.
They travelled along the road for the first leg of the journey between the Duelling Peaks. Link walked beside the princess quietly. Her determined voice finally broke the silence, "The legend says that the ancient princess awakened her powers at the spring. There are three springs in Hyrule that I know of – the Spring of Courage, the Spring of Power and the Spring of Wisdom. One for each part of the Tri-force. I'm not sure why, but I feel that perhaps praying at the Spring of Courage, I will awaken my own powers."
Link watched her quietly. He hoped she was right but at the same time, he didn't want to put any more pressure on her. He had seen before the effect that failure had on her and had no intention of adding to it.
As they were walking out of the shadows of the Duelling Peaks, they walked by an old beggar woman on the side of the road. She cupped her hands toward them, "Please, spare some rupees for a poor, old woman…" she begged.
Zelda's expression softened from one of determination to one of sympathy and she reached into her pouch.
Something in Link's gut put him on edge and he immediately drew the Master Sword and stepped between the princess and the beggar woman. The woman suddenly shifted and transformed. Her grey cloak fell away to reveal a blood red jumpsuit. Her face disappeared behind a mask with an inverted Sheikah eye and a sickle appeared from under the rags. She launched at Link who barely had time to push Zelda back before blocking the attack with his sword.
The Yiga woman laughed as she jumped back to create space. It wasn't clear who the primary target was, but taking out either of them would guarantee victory for Ganon and there was no way Link was going to let that happen.
An arrow flew past Link's shoulder and sliced through the fabric of the Yiga's arm leaving a few drops of blood to spill free before landing harmlessly in the ground behind the enemy.
Link launched in with his sword, using the distraction to his advantage and managed to catch the Yiga off guard though she still managed to get the sickle up in time to block the attack. Metal clashed against metal and Link pulled his sword back before stabbing forward again. The woman swung her sickle and hooked the blade harmlessly past her. Link used the momentum created to spin and continue with a horizontal slice, aiming lower than the Yiga anticipated and managed to slice across both of her knees. Her legs gave out under her and she began to fall toward Link. He lifted his blade just in time for her to fall onto it as he shoved it up under her rib cage.
The sickle fell to the ground harmlessly and Link pushed the woman off his sword letting her fall in a heap on the ground.
Zelda made a wide berth around the fallen Yiga member and retrieved her arrow. Link wiped his blade clean then sheathed it again.
He looked around and saw no other potential attackers, "I'd like to get off the main road. The Popla Foothills aren't far and the spring is just on the other side. The Yiga Clan knows we mostly travel on the main road so if we stay off that, we are less likely to encounter them." It was worrying to find one so far from their hideout. Where else could they be hiding?
Zelda hadn't taken her eyes off the fallen woman but she nodded at what he'd said. Link gently took her arm and steered her on, not wanting to stay in this spot longer than they had to.
They stayed in the hills, climbing higher where it was easiest to do so. Periodically, Link would climb to a vantage point to get a better idea of their location before they would continue on.
There were a few spots where they needed to truly climb up a rock face. Link would climb up first then reach down to give Zelda a hand up. Eventually, the hills started levelling out again then they started climbing down the hills again. Ahead, they could see a huge forest that hid the Spring of Courage.
Link would climb down the steeper sections first. Though Zelda was reasonably adept at climbing, a mossy ledge proved slippery at one point and Link managed to catch her short fall and keep her upright and uninjured.
It was an arduous hike that didn't allow for much conversation as they had to focus on their footing for much of it.
At last, there was only one more cliff to climb down before they reached the ancient catlike statue an ancient civilization had built to house the spring.
Link looked up and saw the clouds starting to roll in. "We should climb down and head into the statue's mouth. The spring is inside and I think we will want to be under cover for the night."
Zelda looked up and upon seeing the black clouds, she nodded.
As Link climbed down and onto one of the huge paws, he had to take his time as the moss on the rock face made the climb treacherous. Once down, he nodded to Zelda who then started to climb down as well. The wind was starting to pick up so she had to climb a bit faster than Link would have liked. Just as she reached the bottom, the rain started.
The paw didn't fully connect with the mouth of the statue so they had to jump to make it inside. Link jumped first and landed with a splash on the wet rocks.
Zelda stepped back to get a running start when lightning cracked overhead. She yelped in fright and ducked.
"Hurry! We need to get inside!" Link yelled over the wind and rain.
Zelda took a deep breath to steady herself and started running. Her foot slipped just as she started to leap and wasn't able to launch herself as far as she needed to. Link managed to reach out and grab her arm as she reached out to keep her from falling. The rain nearly made her arm slip out of his grip but he managed to steady her swaying before pulling her up to safety. She collapsed into him when he pulled her over the ledge, breathing heavily from the adrenaline.
He held her against him as they both calmed their nerves, neither wanting to think about what could have happened. Another crack of lighting overhead made them move further into the statue.
Inside was a pool of water. There was a platform shaped like the Tri-force risen up from the water. The wind outside howled but inside, the water was calm.
Link laid out their belongings to dry. Fortunately, they hadn't been in the rain long enough for everything to get completely soaked. Their bedrolls were mostly dry. At the back of the spring was a statue of the goddess Hylia.
Zelda sat down on the smooth rock surface near Link and looked up at the goddess statue. Her expression was one of both determination but also apprehension. Link knew without asking why she was afraid.
"All you can do is try. If it doesn't work, we will just keep trying until it does." Link said soothingly.
Zelda looked at him and took a breath, "You're right." She took her bag and searched through it for her prayer gown. When she found it, she looked around for a place she could change in private. There wasn't anywhere that would provide her with some privacy and she couldn't exactly ask Link to go out into the storm while she changed.
Link saw her looking around and guessed at her dilemma. "I won't look. I promise." And turned his back.
Zelda smiled to herself and removed her wet travelling clothes. The gown was a little damp but otherwise fine. She glanced at the pool before the goddess statue and realized there wasn't really a way around getting wet anyway. Once changed, she hung her old clothes over some rocks to dry. Link was still dutifully faced away.
"You can look now." She said with amusement. He looked back over his shoulder at her and that same expression crossed over his face that he always had when he first looked at her in that gown. Zelda blushed and looked down at the ground.
Link continued to set out their belongings to dry while Zelda waded into the pool of water. The deepest part went to her waist but the water was a surprisingly comfortable temperature. Once she stood before the statue, she looked up at the smooth face of the goddess statue and wondered at the accuracy of it. Was that truly what the goddess looked like? It seemed a little rounder than she would have expected but then again, the people who had carved this catlike statue had also stylized it considerably.
She clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed her head over her hands.
Goddess Hylia… Hear my prayers and see me fit to carry the burden of my bloodline. Grant me the powers to seal away Calamity Ganon.
She prayed with every fibre of her being, praying to Hylia as well as the three golden goddesses, Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom and Farore, the goddess of courage.
After several hours, she still heard nothing. Nothing felt different other than the ache of her muscles from holding the same position for so long. Eventually, she sighed and relaxed her arms, stretching the stiffness out of them. She looked up at the face of the goddess and wondered with some resentment if the goddess was laughing at her.
She looked back over her shoulder and saw Link sitting on the raised platform watching her quietly. He knew better than to say anything but the look on her face told him everything he needed to know. She hadn't been successful.
She started wading back towards him. The dress clung to her legs and started to hinder her movements. Link stood and took her hand to help her onto the platform.
She nodded her thanks, not able to meet his gaze in her failure.
"It is late. We should try to get some sleep." He said softly. He turned his back to give her some privacy.
All of her clothes were wet now as even her spare travel clothes were hung to dry. While their bedrolls had stayed mostly dry, unfortunately, her clothing had gotten the worst of it. She sighed, defeated.
Link glanced over his shoulder at her and realized what she was looking at. He immediately removed his tunic and passed it to her. "Wear this. Can't have you catching a chill." He smirked.
Zelda looked at it and looked up at him, blushing and trying her best to keep her eyes on his face. She didn't really have much other choice and took the garment from him. "What will you wear?"
He looked down at himself then back up at her and shrugged, still smirking.
Her face went even more red in response and she turned away quickly to hide her embarrassment.
She could hear him chuckle as he turned his back to her. Jerk… He KNOWS he has this effect on me!
She quickly changed out of the prayer gown and into the tunic. It was large enough on her to hide the really important parts but her legs were scandalously bare. She hung up the gown to dry and turned around to see Link had turned back around to face her.
"DON'T LOOK!" She said, mortified as she stepped behind the nearest rock to hide her legs from him.
He raised an eyebrow at her, "How am I supposed to protect you if I can't look at you?"
She sputtered, "It's – I'm – well –" He laughed and turned around. She quickly darted out from behind the rock and got under the blanket of her bedroll. She hid her face, too, quite certain she would never be able to look at him without blushing ever again.
Link turned back around when he heard her stop moving and couldn't help but grin when he saw her hiding under the blanket. He knew he shouldn't have looked but couldn't help it and her reaction had been too good a reward to pass up. Besides, she had great legs!
After a few minutes, she still hadn't come out from under the blanket. He pulled some food out of the travel bag and looked over at her, "You hungry?"
She peeked just an eye out from under the blanket and Link couldn't help but laugh.
"Will you stop laughing at me?" She said, clearly vexed. Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect than she had hoped for and he just laughed harder.
"Are you finished?" She said when he was finally silent.
Link bit his tongue to keep from laughing again and nodded. He split the food to give her half and handed it over to her. She lowered the blanket down as she sat up and took the food from him. She still wouldn't meet his gaze as she ate.
They sat in silence for awhile before Zelda finally spoke, still not looking up. "You never did tell me about how you found the Master Sword."
Link swallowed the food in his mouth and glanced over at the sword lying beside him. It had been the source of so much anxiety for him. The weight of the world had been dropped on his shoulders the moment he pulled it from the pedestal and he still wasn't certain he was up to the task it had assigned to him but he had no way of escaping his destiny. If he tried to run from it, that would mean that everyone he cared about would die and he couldn't leave them to that fate. He and only he could face Ganon. But at least he wouldn't be alone.
He looked up at the princess, the amused gleam in his eye had faded, "It called to me." She watched him silently waiting for him to continue. "It summoned me to the Lost Woods. I didn't know what was calling me but I knew I had to go."
Zelda frowned, "The Lost Woods?" She had to admit, such a location would certainly keep the sword well hidden.
Link nodded, "I think it must have guided me through the forest somehow because I managed to get in and out safely. First, there were torches that I followed but then the torches ended so I lit one and followed which way the flames blew until I found a hollow log that led to a clearing. When I made it through, I saw what had summoned me. The sword's tip was embedded in a platform much like this one, waiting for the legendary hero to pull it free." He said the words 'legendary hero' scornfully. No matter how long he had the sword for, he didn't think he would ever be able to live up to that title.
"It was standing in the grotto being watched over by the Great Deku Tree. The one from the legends… yeah, it's real." He smirked a bit at that. Growing up, he'd always thought that was an embellishment added in for children but so much from the legends had turned out to be true. There wasn't much now that he wouldn't believe.
"I'd like to see that one day…" Zelda said wistfully.
Link was silent for a moment before meeting her eyes, "Once this is all over… once we defeat Ganon and you seal him away… I'll take you with me when I bring the sword back there."
Zelda smiled softly at the promise and nodded.
Link looked down again, not finished the story. "The tree told me that I wasn't the first to try to pull the sword free. I'm not sure who the others were and if they had been called to the sword like I had been but there was a steep price for failure. I knew I would die if I failed to pull the sword free but… Being the reckless idiot I am, I tried anyway and was lucky enough to succeed."
It was Zelda's turn to smirk. She knew exactly how he felt. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad it was you who managed to pull the sword free. I can't imagine sitting here and having this conversation with Groose or Mido or some stranger."
Link raised an eyebrow at her, "I didn't know you knew any of their names."
"I don't often have need to speak to them but particularly with the academy in Castle Town, it is often in my best interest to keep tabs on the students as they may be guarding my life one day." She shrugged but Link was actually somewhat impressed with the admission.
"So… does that mean you knew who I was before I graduated too?" He asked casually.
She burst out laughing at the question, "How could I not hear about you? You were a prodigy as a child, the son of a high ranking royal guard… the instructors and knights said you were likely the best swordsman in all of Hyrule. That sort of news reaches royal ears quickly. I even came to watch a few of your classes when I was growing up but I tried to stay out of sight because I didn't want to distract anyone."
He was taken aback by this news, "Really? I had no idea you came to watch! I hope I didn't do anything too stupid…"
She chuckled again, "Not that I saw. You were always so serious when it came to practice but you always seemed jovial with the other students. Laughing and joking with them. They all seemed to respect you quite a bit. When you became my appointed knight, you were always so serious and quiet, at first I wondered if you were even the same person I'd seen before."
Link scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, "Sorry about that… I knew that you didn't like me so I tried not to make things worse but I still had a job to do. It was tough to find a balance and I'm not sure how well I managed even now."
It was Zelda's turn to look uncomfortable, "I didn't help you with that. I'm sorry to have made things so hard on you."
The silence stretched between them until Zelda cleared her throat, "So… did you just pull the sword out? How would it kill people who failed?"
"Ah, no, not exactly." He said, thinking back, "I had to face a trial to first be deemed worthy. It was a series of battles each more difficult than the last and all I had to defend myself with was the sword. No shield and no armour."
Zelda thought about that and imagined the skill he would have had to show to be able to succeed in such a trial. She had indeed been wrong about him.
"The last battle was against a golden lynel. I could see the old corpses of those who had tried and failed before me around the battle field and I didn't want to end up one of them. When I defeated the lynel, I was transported back to the grotto and then I was able to pull the sword free. But even that came with a test. It drained my energy and just when I felt like I was going to drop, it pulled free."
He paused again, looking sad, "It wasn't until I got to Zora's Domain and saw everyone looking at the sword and saw the fear in their eyes that I realized what it meant to be the one who held the Master Sword."
Zelda watched him for a moment. The sadness changed into steely resolve and she knew that he would never back down from his duty. As much as it pained him, he would do everything he could to protect Hyrule and everyone in it. She looked down at her own hands. These hands were supposed to be able to seal away evil and cast light over her kingdom. She clenched her hands into a fist. Yet again, these hands had failed to grasp the powers that should be her birthright.
She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, resting her chin on her knees. "At least Hyrule has one ray of hope. If you can do your part to defeat Ganon, perhaps it won't matter if Hyrule's princess cannot seal him away…"
Link watched her sympathetically. He knew how hard she had tried. Her daily prayers and devotion should have been enough but for some reason, the goddesses still denied her the powers she needed. "Maybe your powers will unlock only when you need them." The argument seemed weak even to him but there wasn't much more he could say to comfort her.
She looked up at him sceptically. "My mother had powers and so did her mother before her." Link looked down and Zelda softened, "I'm sorry. I know you are just trying to help." She sighed, "We'll head back to the castle at first light."
With that, she lay down and pulled the covers over herself. It was dark but Link watched her for a moment longer wracking his brain for anything he could say or do that might help but nothing came to mind. Ultimately, no one knew what would finally awaken her powers. Her mother had taken that secret with her to the grave and it was up to Zelda alone to figure it out.
He got into his own bedroll and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Link was up at first light. He tried to move quietly so as not to wake the sleeping princess but she was an early riser as well. He had moved her now dry clothing closer to her and when he saw her stirring, he went to stand guard at the mouth of the statue.
When he heard her boots splashing behind him, he turned around and saw her all packed and ready to go. Fortunately, it had stopped raining and the way to the castle wasn't nearly as much of a climb.
Zelda was quiet for much of the journey and Link didn't push her to conversation. He knew what was upsetting her and there was nothing he could say that would help.
The way off the statue had a little wooden platform that helped them down so no jumping was necessary this time. He still took her hand to help steady her as she stepped down and led the way where it was necessary. The spring was in a jungle so the first leg of the journey was along the fringe of the trees and eventually over a small hill where they then followed along the edge of Lake Hylia.
The lake was beautiful and another time, Link would have loved to stop and spend some time at it. The ancient stone bridge across the center was showing its age but had still maintained it's sturdiness. The waters were calm and gentle and a few small islands were the only things breaking the surface. As they walked along the shore, a few flashes of silver spoke of the healthy fish population. It was a deep lake – the largest in all of Hyrule – and there were rumours of treasures to be found at the bottom that even the Zora couldn't reach.
The wind started to pick up mid afternoon and Link looked upwards to see dark clouds beginning to form. "Looks like another storm is coming. We should take shelter."
The river Hylia fed into the lake and at the top of a hill beside the river was a tree and an offering stone under a small stone shelter. Just as they reached the top of the hill, the sky opened up and rain poured down on them. They both sat under cover of the rock for a time. Fortunately, this was just heavy rain and no lightning this time.
After a time of sitting there, Link started to feel restless as neither of them could think of anything to talk about. Link stood up and drew his sword to practice. He started at center and slashed his sword diagonally downward one way, then the other. Horizontally one way then the other then diagonally upward one way then the other followed by a stab low and a stab high. He went through each of the different motions of a sword. Attack, parry, defend. Soon, he lost himself in the movements and everything else fell away. He no longer felt the rain as it poured down on him and plastered his hair to his face. The wind howling in his ears became a voice saying what movement came next. Even the threat of Calamity Ganon faded away to a distant worry as he went through every technique.
"I doubt this will let up any time soon…" Zelda's soft voice broke through his focus. He continued the techniques but suddenly he was aware of her presence again. "Your path seems to mirror your father's. You've dedicated yourself to becoming a knight, as well." He continued doing the last techniques in the sequence but kept one ear focussed on her as well. "Your commitment to the training necessary to fulfill your goal is really quite admirable."
He finished with a slow breath out, bringing the sword back to center then glanced over his shoulder at her.
"I see now why you would be the chosen one…" She finished. Link realized he was surprised to hear her say that. He still didn't feel like he should be the chosen one but it was surprisingly comforting to hear her say it. He held the Master Sword up in front of him and examined it.
She looked down, sadness returning to her eyes, "What if… one day… you realized that you just weren't meant to be a fighter." Link lowered the blade and turned to look at her, concerned. "Yet the only thing people ever said was that you were born into a family of the royal guard and so no matter what you thought, you had to become a knight."
Link had never really given his own path in life too much thought. His father had been a knight and it had always seemed to suit Link as well. What could have or would have been otherwise wasn't worth thinking about because it had never been what he'd wanted. He knew, though, that she wasn't really talking about his path.
She was still looking down, emotion heavy on her voice, "If that was the only thing that you were ever told… I wonder then… would you have chosen a different path?"
They were both silent for a time. Link was looking down trying to come up with something – anything – to say. Finally, he sheathed the blade and sat back down beside her.
"When this is all over…" He started, still not sure if what he was going to say would help or not, "Whatever you choose to do… I will support you. I will fight for you."
Zelda forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you, Link."