"I knew it!" Zelda's blue eyes glittered. "It's a prophecy dream, isn't it?"
Impa sighed. This was definitely going to the girl's head. Impa nodded in resignation at Zelda's triumphant look.
"What does it mean?" Zelda asked her nanny.
"Don't you remember your fairy tales of the green fairy children?" Impa smiled. She knew very well what the figure might mean, but she would have her princess guess.
"The Kokiri?" Zelda pressed excitedly. "Of course I do! That would explain the fairy… but why the clouds and the stone? And what do Kokiri have to do with whatever's coming?"
"Princess. I have absolutely no idea, and you know better than to ask about things that you know I don't know!" the Sheikah said in frustration. This shut the younger girl up, and she started working the gears in her head. Impa left the room, leaving the princess to her thinking.
Zelda paced around her bedroom, thinking of anything that might give her a hint as to what either stone or clouds could mean. The princess stepped over to her bookshelf, and chose "Legends and Myths of the More Ancient Races of Hyrule". Despite the long title, the book was quite easy to read, complete with pictures.
She flipped through the delicate pages, finding the story of the Great Deku Tree, and the Kokiri children who never grew up. Zelda had come to the conclusion that the Kokiri children were like plants, and though had a lovely life, withered at the end of their days and became one with the earth. Of course, it wasn't known what happened at the end of a Kokiri's life, but Zelda enjoyed making things up and calling them fact.
Frustrated with the lack of any clues, she flipped through the pages, accidentally tearing one corner into her hand neatly. Irritated, she glanced at the page and saw a miserable looking Sheikah boy. His eyes were a strange red and had a tattoo of the Sheikah Eye on his forehead. His tunic was a drab gray, belted by a long rope. His feet were bare, but bandages wrapped each toe individually, same as his fingers.
"Camor the Seer," she said out loud. She read the passage to herself, and grinned. He had written a book that could say what dreams meant, along with different magic spells and several songs that could take people places. A powerful man, the book also pointed out, but not a fighter. The Sheikah had not been trained, but he had a talent for the harp and the voice of an angel.
"Impa!" Zelda hollered. It took a moment for the nanny to burst into the room, dagger in hand.
"What's wrong, princess?" Impa frowned. Zelda hid a smile, feeling loved that her nanny looked ready to fight for her and looked disappointed at no chance to display her fighting skills.
"Do we have a book written by Camor the Seer?" the blonde princess demanded. Impa looked surprised.
"What sparks the sudden interest?"
"He wrote a book that included many magical things. Dreams included," Zelda said. She paused, then added in a mumble, "And songs."
"Yes. Camor was a powerful Sheikah. Couldn't fight at all, though, poor man. Got himself killed as he studied the Gerudos," Impa bowed her head in a respectful silence. "We might possibly have the book, though. Want to go to town and see if you can make it up to your friends at all while I look around the library?"
Zelda smiled nervously, still not at ease with her friends having left her like that. "I'd like that. Alone?"
"How else could I peruse the library?" Impa smiled. Zelda grinned widely, and looked through her wardrobe to find her peasant dress.
"Camor the Seer," Zelda said thoughtfully as she changed after Impa left. Could he have written the book that could tell her the secrets of the clouds, and the green, shining stone…
"Impa!" Zelda hollered again. Impa walked back in, looking less ready for fight. "Would a Spiritual Stone be green?"
"Well, actually, I wouldn't be surprised. I know the Goron's Ruby is red…" Impa, seeing what Zelda was getting to, stopped. "Princess, our suspicions might be confirmed. The Great Deku Tree takes too much care of that stone to give it to a Kokiri kid, even in a dream."
"Only the clouds to go!" Zelda smiled grimly as they left the room.
Impa got Zelda through the main gates with some Sheikah hiding magic, and agreed to meet her back when the sun would begin to set.
Zelda picked up her dress and dashed to the market, praying to Nayru that someone was here. However, that didn't look promising, with the usuals from Kakariko nowhere nearby.
"Lose somethin'?" a voice asked. Whirling around, Zelda came face-to-face with Talla. Something was different about the Gerudo girl. Her usual white tunic was replaced with a more exotic, vibrant green pants and a skimpy, matching top. Her orange hair was lifted into a high ponytail, showing off her perfect, tan face.
"Whatcha mean?" Zelda frowned. Talla's eyes were glittering.
"Ya lost your rupees," Talla smirked. Surprised, Zelda checked her wallet, but the wallet was gone.
"Didja take it?" Zelda was even more surprised. This was so unlike Talla- unless…
"I be a real Gerudo now, Sheikora!" Talla said proudly, tossing Zelda's wallet between her hands. Zelda watched it as it leapt back and forth. "I be a real thief now, and getting' better all the time!"
"Give it back," Zelda said calmly.
"A thief don't need t'give back what she takes," Talla replied just as calmly. She stopped her tossing. "An' what be you, really?"
Zelda's blood ran cold. "What d'you mean?"
"Oh, ya know. Betta and Selena told us that you be a Sheikah," Talla said simply. "Ya an' your… crazy eyes, an' crazy name… you be talkin' to that Sheikah lady yesterday!"
It was as if time had stopped. Zelda was now labeled as a crazy Sheikah girl by her friends, it she couldn't tell them the truth, because that could possibly be worse. Zelda slowly backed away. And what did this thief mean by "crazy eyes"? The princess fled, the opposite direction of the castle, ignoring the fact that Talla still had her wallet.
Zelda ran across the drawbridge, leaving the castle unsupervised for the first time. She didn't notice, she didn't care. She just did not want to be within the high walls of the castle any longer, labeled by her friends.
There was nothing wrong with being a Sheikah, she knew. Sheikahs were respected, but, then again, so was the Royal Family. Fear and wonder blinded the average person so they couldn't see beyond it. That was what Zelda had been trying to escape, the princess realized. Not her title, not her name, but the awe that accompanied a powerful human.
Zelda looked to the horizon, seeing the tall walls of Lon Lon Ranch in the distance. She stumbled along the side of the gray walls of the market, feeling slightly dizzy. She bent over to look at her pale reflection in the moat water.
She let out a gasp of amazement, and peered closer. Her eyes were a bold red. Zelda put a hand to her eyes, wondering what magic was working in her. She pursed her lips, and looked down, watching a blonde strand of hair blowing across those fierce eyes.
What was this the face of? A princess? A Sheikah? A freak? Zelda stood up, her brown dress flowed through the air behind her. She kicked off her leather shoes, and stared at her angry reflection. She closed the eyes, not wanting to look at those sick eyes, and fell in, letting the cold water envelope her.
Zelda wandered back through the market, soaked to the bone. She was not happy, yet no longer angry. Her eyes were the gentle blue she was familiar and comfortable with, and she felt oddly peaceful.
Talla was gone, with her wallet, butZelda no longer cared. Talla was different,joining withthose who intimidated all inhabitants of Hyrule, a true woman from the land where Ganondorf was born. She no longer wanted to trust the desert-girl, but it hurt to think of not being her friend. She would meet her again, when Talla had forgotten all about Sheikora, Zelda vowed.
"Goddesses, Zelda, what happened?" Impa rushed to her princess's side, stripping off her cloak and wrapping the princess in it.
"I took a swim," Zelda said simply. Impa rolled her eyes.
"I found your book," Impa said. "I think I should start teaching you those songs and magics… the clouds mean unrest and possibly war. The Kokiri kid could help stop this madness. You need to be prepared to answer his questions."
Zelda was in control now. She could feel it. She gave her nanny an odd smile, and the feeling of anger, frustration, and confusion welled up in her. Yes, this she could control. Her eyes turned red.
"Oh, I'll answer his questions," she replied in a low voice. "I'll turn this war around before it's begun."