Empire of Dreams

Written by Doggiegal

Chapter 5: The Middle

…Alright. This is some crazy dream that will end when I wake up. I will wake up. I mean, there's no other logical explanation for magically transforming into a girl during the night. Right? Right. Somebody pinch me so I can get out of this hellish nightmare.

Ow! That sure didn't work. All that did was create a bruise on my arm. Maybe I should convince Link to punch me, though I doubt that'd work. Besides, I really don't feel like being black-and-blue all over if I can't wake up.

The best thing to do, I reason, is to confront Mom and see if she knows why I had an impromptu gender switch. I want to be prepared for the worst. If it turns out that I'm stuck this way for however long, I'll need to know the nitty-gritty details.

I storm into my mother's room, not bothering to hide my frustration by quieting down. At this point, I'm ticked off; I don't give a damn if I wake my mom up. Of course, with the racket I'm making, she is awake by the time I reach her bedside. She seems relatively unsurprised by this new development, which tells me I was right in assuming she knows what happened to me.

"What's going on? I know you know, so don't even bother telling me otherwise."

Mom sighs. "Well, it's a long story…"

"I've got all day."

"All right, you asked for it. Seventeen years ago to this day, Her RoyalHighness Princess Zelda IX of Hyrule was born. You see, Hyrule is an ancient kingdom. One day many years ago, the first Zelda was born to the Harkinian royal family. The young princess, blessed with powers from the goddesses, foresaw the fall of her beloved kingdom. In an effort to prevent such an event, Zelda enlisted the help of Link of the Kokiri. I assume you've heard the story of the legendary Triforce? Nayru's wisdom, Farore's courage, and Din's power?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Zelda was the Princess of Destiny, the carrier of the Triforce of Wisdom; Link was the Hero of Time, the carrier of the Triforce of Courage; and Gannondorf was the evil Gerudo king, with the Triforce of Power. After rescuing six sages with the power to seal Gannondorf, Link and Gannondorf, courage and power, fought while the future of all of Hyrule hung in the balance. After Link successfully knocked Gannondorf unconscious, Zelda and the other six sages sealed him away. Every one hundred years, both Zelda and Link are reborn. At the same time, the seal on Gannondorf's prison wears off, and he is set free once again. You, my dear, just happen to be the ninth Zelda."

"But…why hide me as a boy? Why can't I remember being a princess? And what happened to Hyrule?"

"Around seven years ago, Gannondorf launched an attack on Hyrule. You, I, and the other sages are the only ones who survived. Hyrule was in ruins. Because Hyrule was so well hidden, not even descendants of Hylians—such as Link and Aryll—know about its existence. In order to throw Gannondorf off our track, I used my magic to transform you into a Shiekah boy and called you my own son. As a result of the transformation, all your memories were locked away. Theyshould return in time."

"So, you're not my birthmother?"

"No; she died in childbirth. I was your nursemaid before all of this occurred."

"Oh…so Link and Aryll are also Hylians?"

"Yes; they were orphaned when Aryll was a baby. Their deceased parents left Hyrule during a war, which took place when the both of you were only a few months old. Aryll was born when Link was five, and they were attacked the next day. Luckily, the guards sent to look over them were able to save Link and Aryll, but…"

"Sound like you kept tabs on 'em."

"Well, it's not like I could have risked the life of the Hero of Time."

"So, lemme get this straight…I'm a princess with magical powers, Link's a famous hero, you're one of six sages, and there's an evil guy trying to kill Link and I. Sound about right?"

"Two things. One: You're a sage as well. The Seventh Sage, leader of all sages, in fact. Two: It's 'Link and me,' not 'Link and I.'"

"Great, just great. Are you sure this isn't a Candid Camera thing?"

"Look at the back of your right hand if you want proof."

I take off my gloves, not expecting to see three tiny triangles shining back up at me. It doesn't take me long to realize that everything Impa said was true. Everything I had ever been told up to this point was a big fat lie.

Author's Note: Yay! It's written! I want to dedicate this to a friend of mine for letting me use her computer to type the majority of this up. The song is "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World. Oh, and just in case it wasn't clear, Link and Aryll are biological siblings—blood related.

-Doggiegal