The rabbit tasted great, for being so scrawny. It missed all the things about it that I hated about food in the castle; that hint of oldness, the stingy taste of pepper meant to disguise the oldness, and the ways it was prepared; almost always fried, roasted all day with potatoes and too much garlic, or softened in stew. When it was clean, Link flung the uneaten bones in the fire and he watched it burn down with those eyes. "What are you thinking?" I asked softly, realizing that it sounded a bit stupid a moment too late. He shrugged. "I'm trying to plan our steps. Kakariko isn't too far from here; if it doesn't bother you, I'd like to stop there and see if anyone's around to talk to." I nodded.
"And if there's no one to talk to?"
"Well, then we'll just keep heading towards my old home."
It sounded fair enough, but I was still bothered with my own dark thoughts. I wanted to question every step, make sure he had a plan for everything that was possible to happen, but at the same time I didn't want to irritate him. I leaned back and looked up at the sky through the haze, or tried to. Failing that, I studied the dying fire instead. "How long do you think it's been?" He looked at me. "Not sure. Maybe four, five years." I nodded.
When the flames cooled, we scooped earth onto the embers. Link stood up and helped me up with his hands, his grip strong. He went over to his horse, who was making a vague attempt at grazing the dead grass, and helped me back up, climbing on after me. We were off again, cantering towards Kakariko and the smoldering volcano. Link's arms were tight on my sides, holding me in place. What was wrong with me? Improper thoughts kept moving into my head, and I bit them back furiously. Soon, we were there at the village. The sign over the main entrance hung from one chain, the other snapped in half. It creaked as we passed under it.
Kakariko village was torn apart. Buildings, if not crumbled to nothing, had gaping holes in their sides. The earth was purged more thoroughly here. Everything was still. Nothing moved. Link dismounted and crept through the village. After a few minutes I followed. He walked up to buildings and touched their doors lightly with his fingertips, sticking his head in. "Hello?" Never a reply. I followed him around, keeping an eye out. The temperature was moving downward as we got closer to the back end of town where the graveyard was located. I shivered and wrapped my cloak tighter around my body. Link went ahead of me, straight for the graveyard. He abruptly stopped and backed up, shaking his head vigorously. "No. We're not going in there." I stared at him in surprise. "Why not?" He shook his head still; he wasn't telling me. "We're just not." He was pale. I quit questioning him and nodded.
He led me up the path to the trail on Death Mountain, looking around. Nothing jumped out at us, nothing attacked us. It was somehow worse. The trail, what little of it we climbed up, was bare of life. Not even bits of mountain lichen or the coarse grass that usually dotted its landscape. From far, far above, we heard a high-pitched roar, and then the thunder of an avalanche. Link put his arm out protectively in front of me. Wherever the avalanche was, it wasn't tumbling down the trail to crush us in its wake. That was better than nothing. "It's too quiet here," he muttered darkly, suspicious of every minute sound, even the pounding of my own heart. With a sigh, he started walking out, and I followed. We passed by a house, and I stopped dead when I heard a soft 'hello?', cautiously called through the door. "Link! Stop! I heard a voice!" He wheeled instantly and jogged back. We approached the building together. It had a grungy blue roof and once-pale white walls. The door creaked open a little further, and an old man stepped out, studying us with relief. He had thin white hair, and wore dirty blue robes. "You're the first Hylians I've seen here in… ages. Since the queen ran off with her regent and…" He looked up and really saw us not long after. "Oh Goddesses- your majesty." He bowed low, his eyes on the ground. "It was a lie, wasn't it?" he whispered to the ground. "Yes," I replied softly. I held out my left hand, and he gasped in shock as he stared at the symbol of the triforce before kissing it, his hands shaking. "I'm so sorry, your majesty."
"You were lied to, but I cannot blame you for being upset. After all, I did vanish most suddenly." I sighed. "Is anyone else around?" He nodded. "There is a group of them. They holed themselves into a secret city up in the mountain, to hide from his reign of terror. I imagine they would be relieved to see you, your majesty." I nodded. "I'll go see them immediately." I thanked the old man kindly for the information, and we both headed back to the mountain. Link kept in front of me, his hand constantly on the pommel of the Master Sword as we headed up the trail at a slow pace.
The air on the mountain was dry and crackly, and the dust we kicked up made me cough. The sun was bearing down on us, fighting with the smoggy clouds to choke us with oppressive heat. More than once I had to insist that we stop and rest. Link was edgy, but waited as I took my breath. We removed our cloaks almost immediately, carrying their bulk in our arms, as it would be cold once we got off the mountain. I could feel my skin getting pink from the heat, my tight dress and the thick material making breathing a chore. About a half of the way up the trail, Link stopped and looked around with a frown. I sat down yet again on a large rock, my skin feeling tight and my face sweaty. Part of me wanted to joke that we should have gone to the lake instead. A swoon prickled at the edge of my vision, and I wished dearly to give into it. So I did.
Link immediately shouted and put his hands on my shoulders to prop me up, and I groaned in response, my eyelids fluttering. "Your majesty! Are you alright?"
"Nnnnyes.. m'fine, m'fine… sorry, just…" He helped me sit up properly. "It's too hot up here; I'll… I'll head back down to find you some water, alright?" I shook my head. "Stay with me, please." He nodded and sat down next to me on the rock. I lifted my head and looked further up the trail, at a crumbled pile of rocks stacked precariously against the mountainside of the trail.
They looked as if they would fall any minute, tumbling down the path and crushing us. I could almost see them breaking loose and bouncing away, smashing into each other and merrily flying off the cliff behind us. Beyond them, the spot they protected, was a wide hole, leading into the heart of the mountain. What would we find back there? I stood in my trancelike state, ignoring Link as he stood up to make me sit back down. My hand was hot, almost burning, as I pointed with it towards the boulders. They were still flying past us, slowly. Link stood up and approached the cluster of rocks, putting his hand on them and frowning.
"There's air behind them!" he called to me, before gripping them and pulling the rocks away with his strong hands. They started tumbling down the mountain in earnest, but not nearly as fast or chaotically as they had in my vision. I followed him over and stood back, watching as he pulled with gritted teeth on the stones, exposing a small tunnel. "Zelda… how did you know this was here?" I let him drop the formality, shaking my head. I had no idea.
Link crept in first, and I followed him. The tunnel was high enough that we didn't have to duck down, but it was quite narrow. The little hall curved gently to the right and downward, and I tripped occasionally over a small stone now and again. The air quickly grew hot, and sweat prickled down my back, catching in my clothes. How I wished for new ones! Link never wavered, even when the air was stifling. I could hear his ragged breathing, but he kept going at the same pace, not slowing down for lack of water. Eventually, the hollow turned slightly upward and the air cooled; we could see a spot of light, and rushed toward it. Upon exiting the tunnel, we realized we had made it to the secret town the old man spoke of. The buildings were rather banged up; made of rusty sheet metal, hunks of brick, and wormhole-riddled wood. A few older men called out, running at us, two with broken, rusty spears and the third with a sword in poor condition.
Link pushed me behind him and drew the Master Sword, watching the men carefully. They slowed down when they got a few feet away, studying us. Their faces were gaunt, their eyes ringed with dark circles, and their clothes were in similar condition. Finally, one spoke up. "Your… Majesty?" It took me a few minutes to recognize him; when I did, I gasped in shock. It was one of my elite guards! He'd been quite muscular when I was in the castle, a huge man that was all chest and shoulders. But he looked strange now; barely a ghost of his former size and stature. He dropped his weapons immediately and got down on one knee in salute. I'd covered my face with my hands when I recognized him, and I shook my head vigorously. "Get up, please!" He did so slowly, wincing. I saw now that he had dirty cloth tied around his thigh, the bandage stained brown with dried blood. The two other men I did not recognize. For all I knew, they were farmers. The guard and I stared helplessly at each other for several minutes, before I looked around the ramshackle town. "What has gone on here? What has happened to my country?" My guard shook his head. "If you'll come with us, your majesty, we can sit down and tell you." Link and I followed the three men further into the town. We kicked up dust with our shoes, and it settled on everything; the hem of my clothes, as a mist in Link's hair. The buildings were erected haphazardly, some against each other to share a wall, others off on their own. My old guard took us to a small little building that stood on its own and opened the door. Inside was a table with one broken leg, so that it leaned to one side, and overturned boxes for chairs. There were only three, and the men insisted that I take one. Link stood behind me as I sat reluctantly. My guard sat across from me, and one of the farming men sat down. The little house was empty of other people, but dirty with glass bottles with sour milk lingering in the bottom, the reek of stale beers, cloying dust and unwashed bodies.
"What has been going on?" I demanded immediately. My guard only frowned at me in return. "I will tell you if you swear to tell us where you've been for the past five years." I glared at him and his condescending tone. "How dare you speak to me that way?! Where I've been-"
"Is important for them to know, your majesty," Link murmured from behind me. "We'll tell you what you want to know if you tell us first." The guard shifted uncomfortably, looking at Link and then myself, nodding. I agreed as well, and leaned back to listen.
"You were gone for three days before Ganondorf made his move and declared himself acting as King Regent in your absence. No one knew where you'd gone. A few maids had been whispering about the two of you… running off together."
I narrowed my eyes, but said nothing, nodding for him to go on.
"When Ganondorf declared himself Regent, there was an uproar. Even though he had every right by the books and the charters to do such a thing, no one in that bloody palace trusted him. We issued challenges, which he did not take to kindly. Those that issued them with intent to take his place either became violently ill, or suffered family emergencies. So he remained Regent. Everything was normal for a month or two, except that we couldn't find either of you anywhere. Not even a body or nothing. Bordering territories had not seen you pass through; your horses were found ambling about near the stables, tacked up, but they had no clues. At the end of that month, Ganondorf demand the search be called off, and that a funeral be held for the two of you. They were closed casket sort of affairs, the whole damned thing was all pomp and showy and ludicrous. You… the caskets were buried and covered with dirt, and Ganondorf poured the wine to bless the ground and all that at the end of the ceremony.
"A week after the caskets were buried, he started implementing new taxes, new laws. Importing and exporting from a majority of the other countries became several times more expensive, unless it was to or from Gerudo. Funding for the royal defense depleted, as did funding for farming families, the less fortunate, building roads, education; all of these things were being funneled away from us… and we suspect to a private organization.
"Ganondorf finished the temples he'd been building, and then sealed them, saying that they were for those privileged enough to speak with the goddesses only, and that any wishes or prayers could be written and delivered to the Royal Mail, where they'd be delivered to the temples by Ganondorf personally. Or so he said. There were a few nights where… where I was standing guard in the Great Hall, and I'd watch him rip open hundreds of letters, taking out any donations, and throwing the rest in the fire. With all of this money that was being wrongly donated, he only made pay tighter. Scullery maids were practically slaves, stable boys were being beaten…" He paused and shuddered. "This went on for two years. Finally, one night in our bunks, a soldier informed me that his parents were planning to flee the country, and he wanted to go with them. I gave him permission to go."
The guard had to pause for a few minutes, and to my surprise, the old farmer sitting near him spoke up. "Ganondorf found out. He had th' soldier followed, an' when he met up with his parents, he gave the command to kill them. The soldier an' his mother were slain… but 'is father survived by hoppin' on his son's horse an' runnin'." There were huge tears in the farmer's eyes, and I realized in shock that this was the soldier's father, ashamed of his cowardice. "Go on, please," I insisted softly. The farmer did so, reluctantly. "I've never been much of a writer, your majesty. I traveled to Termina, an' had a letter dictated there, sendin' it to the captain o' the elite guard."
"I'd already made up my mind to leave anyway, and I managed to get his letter on my last day of employment. I was… just going to leave in the night and not come back. Many had already done so, and Ganondorf didn't seem to care after that first initial slaughter." He took a deep breath. "He proposed to us that we find some way of banding together the remaining good people of Hyrule, to hide from Ganondorf's rule until either he was overthrown or you, your majesty, returned."
"How did you… find this town?" I folded my hands together, leaning forward.
"We enlisted the help of the Gorons. We told them that we wanted nothing to do with Ganondorf, but as good people who respected the queen and her friendships and alliances, we humbly requested their aid in finding somewhere to live without Ganondorf watching our every step. They happily obliged. That was three years ago, as you can tell. We've been living here in secret ever since, the entrance to our home sealed with massive stones. The Gorons could climb up with their muscular arms over the mountain to reach us without disturbing the rocks, and would bring us food and news of the outside world. An old man decided to stay in the abandoned village below, in case of wandering travelers, or to distract Ganondorf, should he suspect that we were in hiding somewhere." I nodded. "We met him. He told us about this place." My old guard nodded. "Your majesty… we never abandoned you." I could tell he wanted to apologize, and I shook my head. "There is no harm done. You were simply trying to survive." The guard took up my left hand and kissed the triforce symbol, as did the old farmer. I felt tears prickling in my vision- tears for the hardships they had suffered during my absence.