A/N: Apologies for the long wait for this one as well!
Fields afire. The sky an angry red, weeping for the destruction of Hyrule.
Her knight is stumbling, weakened and near broken beneath the weight of it - the tragedy that none of them could have anticipated, could have even considered. And the Sword is broken too, shattered and splintered, dying just like he is.
A beady eye scans the field, singular and purposeful, until it finds them. Snaking legs carry the automaton closer to them, purple corruption clinging to its mechanical body, robbing it of its original purpose. And for one suspended moment, Zelda finds herself in awe of it - a Guardian.
It angles forward, laser whirring, ready to fire, ready to take the only thing she has left. The defiance is simple.
No!
She throws herself in front of him, raising a hand to the sky with desperation. Divine light erupts around them, with Zelda determined to salvage the one thing the Calamity had not taken from her. And the corruption is cowed, the Guardian collapsing dead before them. But her knight falls anyway, and in that moment the Sword speaks.
The choice is made in the absence of all others; Zelda is going to do what she was born to do. She is going to get them out of there. She is going to end this chaos. And one way or another, she is going to save him.
Most nights, Zelda dreamed that she was alone - swallowed once more by the beast, and gripping, grasping, onto a hope and a faith that this day of her wait within the Sanctum would be the last. Hands across her chest, a trepidatious light cradled between, clumsy and crude. A Princess with destiny stamped onto her right hand, but no clue how to wield it. Every night was the same; every dream repeated with the clarity and purpose of a pantomime. But, since her re-making, every morning seemed different.
Zelda woke alone, her eyes heavy and her face still puffy from what she guessed was her own crying. Against her palm she felt something cool, and in the low light of the morning found the Master Sword within its scabbard resting next to her. She must have taken it into her lean-to, so that it was out of the rain - so that neither of them would be alone that night.
He'll come back in the morning, she remembered telling the Sword. If we chase him, he'll never stop running.
The Sword never spoke in reply. Perhaps it knew that she was right. After all, all storms eventually passed; all clouds moved on from the sun. Zelda peered out of her lean-to, and with some dismay was met with a gray overcast sky, oppressive and angry. She sat up and grabbed the Master Sword from its place by her bedroll, wincing at the suddenness of its weight, and stepped out into the morning light.
Link was not there waiting for her. Aside from his wind-blown lean-to and the blackened ashes of the fire he had made for her the night before, there was no sign of him. Disappointment twisted in her chest. For half that miserable night she had sat in deliberation, the Sword across her lap, her heart suspended between determination and devastation. Every minute that Link was gone, their chance of rescuing Larella before her imprisonment in Hyrule Castle diminished, but Zelda could not fathom attempting the mission alone. Nor could she just abandon the Master Sword without its master, or take it with her - as if it could ever be hers.
His absence brought an empty silence that she did not like. Link had always been there. Every waking moment that she could remember. Sometimes he was just a friend: someone to share the road with, someone to cook honeyed apples with, someone to sit by an oasis with and talk the afternoon away.
Sometimes he had been a partner. Zelda's thoughts deviated again to the...whatever it was...that had happened in the copse by the Hylia River. The moment thrummed discordantly in her chest; a moment of reprieve now flecked with troubled sorrow. But more than that. Between the embarrassment and disbelief, she felt a little giddy. It had been...nice.
But sometimes he had been an adversary, bickering and arguing with her like a child, or teasing and coy, as though he knew a secret that she didn't. Sometimes he was a protector too. Eyes on the horizon, with a steady stance, body and mind at the ready - the knight as always, with the Sword in hand, both a weapon and a piece of his soul. But...Zelda held the Master Sword now, and that stupid, ridiculous boy was gone.
Grasping the scabbard more firmly, Zelda examined its gold and navy detailing, before passing her eyes over the diamond-patterned hilt and proudly winged crossguard. Again its weight gave her pause; the Sword was surprisingly light. Heavy enough to feel formidable, but not enough to feel truly like a burden. Even I could carry this.
Zelda looked to the looming Hyrule Castle, and the five menacing pillars of ancient stone and light that guarded it. If Ayu had ridden hard enough, she could have made it to the castle gates with Larella by now. There was no hope of catching the Gerudo and her hostage; saving the Ambassador would mean breaking into Hyrule Castle itself. Zelda scanned the surrounding grassy knolls for a mote or even the tiniest hint of a tunic rendered in white and blue, but found no sign of her companion against the sea of autumnal grasses and mud around the camp. Link will come back, she told herself again. He always has.
But...had he? Seeing the Sword without its master fed the niggling worry that had lingered at the back of her mind for some time now. The vague notion that the boy she travelled with now wasn't really Link - at least, not the way he had been. The slumber had taken his memories, true, but maybe it had taken a little more.
Zelda tested the weight of the Sword again, tempted to draw it from its scabbard. If she wanted to, she could indeed carry it. Strap it to her back and wear it just as her absent knight had. And if he never came back, perhaps she should just take it to Hyrule Castle, and rescue Ambassador Larella alone. I can defend myself, thought Zelda defiantly. Maybe I could wield a sword too.
But not this sword, Zelda reflected. This sword was not hers; it was bound to the soul of another - one who was simply not here, she added with some chagrin. Maybe that was why the Sword felt so light; carrying it was not her burden. Zelda laid the Master Sword to rest inside Link's windswept lean-to, and busied herself with packing their things. She recited vitriolic, imaginary arguments in her head, tears beginning to rise unbidden as she called him all sorts of names for abandoning her like this. Fool and craven. You're not a hero, she found herself wanting to say, you're just a boy. She would grip him by the shoulders and make him come back to her, make him who he was. But the thoughts were cruel, vicious even, and ultimately pointless. Born of an exhaustion that Zelda would just have to work through; born of the shock of her sudden loneliness without him.
Their camp was all packed up and their horses both ready by the time Link returned. Like a weary elk he ambled over the hill by the camp, his tunic a little muddy and his hair still damp from a night spent out in the rain. If he had been exhausted before, he seemed now completely spent; his eyes were glassy and near vacant, marked by deep bags. Zelda buried the surge of affection she felt when she saw him, determined not to let the previous evening change things, or complicate their purpose. And she almost gave in, half-ready to take him into her arms, brush the hair from his eyes and apologise once again. I'm sorry, I had no choice, it was either lay you down in that Shrine or lose you forever...
They stood apart from each other, separated by the ashes of the now-extinguished campfire. Link had his arms folded across his chest, and finally lifted his eyes from the ground, giving her an apprehensive, guilty look.
"I'm sorry for last night," he muttered.
Seeing him again melted any residual anger she harboured. "Are you feeling any better?" Zelda asked softly.
Link shook his head. His eyes flitted to the Sword, which Zelda had propped up against one of the larger stones used to hold down their makeshift lean-to the night before, and she saw him tense.
"I just wish I could understand," she sighed. "You stormed that castle alone a few months ago. This should be easier."
"That isn't it-"
"Then why, Link?" Zelda pushed. "I...I don't..." I don't know who you are anymore. She couldn't say the words. Couldn't let herself voice what she knew was the truth; Link was different, in ways that both infatuated and infuriated her.
"I would tell you if I knew," Link replied earnestly.
Zelda crossed her arms petulantly. The circles they were walking in had begun to make her dizzy. It felt like they had been talking about this for weeks; the same petty words and the same pointless arguments. "I can understand if you needed space." The hurt in her voice scratched against the back of her throat. "But...but you shouldn't have left."
Link's voice immediately became defensive. "I wasn't far."
"We weren't far when Larella was taken!"
"We weren't exactly paying attention!"
"And whose fault is that-," Zelda's breath hitched, bringing with it a new tide of tears. She indignantly swiped at her eyes. "No, I shouldn't cry - I'm so tired of crying."
But it was no use. A weak sob escaped her lips, and then Link's arms were around her, pulling her into a pacifying hug. Zelda tried to push him away, but Link was strong, and the sudden rushing despair within her stronger. Nothing was going well: the Domain was in shambles; her home taken by bandits; her first friend in years kidnapped, or worse, a traitor; and her silent knight both a shadow and a stranger. There was nothing to do but to concede; Zelda wept softly into Link's shoulder, and from the way he was breathing she guessed he was working through his own tears. But unlike in the copse, there was no shock at being so close to him. His warmth and solidarity was a welcome reprieve. It didn't matter what they were to each other now. They were both exhausted and alone and in need of someone. It would have to be enough.
"Why can't we just walk away?" Link said eventually, once his hiccups had passed. "I bought a house in Hateno, you know. I know I said we didn't have a home but, we could just go there. Be normal people."
Normal people. Not a Princess and a Knight; just two kids alone in the world save each other. Isn't that what she'd always wanted? The dream was agonisingly tempting. But a dream was all it was; a one-hundred year echo of love she felt for a different boy in a different time. And then Impa's words were in her mind. United the people can recover from any tragedy...but torn apart…Zelda could never be anything but the Princess, she realised. Not until this mess with Cinelgen was done. Not until her duty to Hyrule had been fulfilled.
Zelda wrenched herself free of him, and pointed a finger in the direction of Hyrule Castle. "That is our home," she whispered mournfully. "Half destroyed and still corrupted. But it's ours."
"And you want it back?" Link challenged.
"Why shouldn't I? I've lost enough." Zelda explained morosely. My mother...my father...my friends...even you, she thought. And I'll never get any of you back. "I don't care if I'm being stubborn. Stubbornness is all I have."
Link face was downcast; he clearly did not share her determination. It was almost noon, and the one thing they definitely didn't have was time. She fetched the sword from its resting place, and held it out to Link.
"Take it," she commanded.
Panic flashed across his face, and he backpedaled frantically. "I can't…."
"Take it. Whether or not you come with me to Hyrule Castle, the Sword isn't my responsibility."
The tension in him withered. "You...you'd go without me?"
"It's not a choice I would make willingly," Zelda admitted, remembering how not long ago she'd wanted nothing more than a little independance. "But…if I have a chance at salvaging just one thing...Forget Hyrule for now. Forget the war. I just want to save my friend."
Her words seemed to steady him; her call to action to save Larella reaching through his confusion to a place where instinct dwelled. Link looked again at the castle, his brows furrowed as he measured its make.
"Feels like a cruel joke. It was easy the first time. And that was Ganon up there," he muttered, a rueful smile on his face. Zelda didn't know what to say. There was an honesty - a frankness - to his words that Zelda felt he had perhaps never shared with her. Link didn't seem to notice her slightly stunned look, and he continued talking.
"But Cinelgen is just a man, right?"
And men can be killed. "A Gerudo like any other," Zelda affirmed. Link clenched his jaw, and Zelda saw his sword hand flex.
"And is this just a rescue mission?" There was a hint of tenacity in his voice; a desire to find someone to blame.
Zelda held the Sword out for him once again. "It doesn't have to be."
Link gave her a knowing smile, and took his sword and scabbard in hand, the Knight once more. Zelda wasn't sure if the smile intrigued or unnerved her.
"You got a plan?" Link asked, fastening the sword belt tight across his body. He rolled his shoulders experimentally to test the weight.
Zelda reflected on the Castle layout, her mind's eye tracing the many paths and winding staircases both within and without. "If Larella is there, she's probably in the lockup," she concluded. "There's an entrance near the docks. We'll just need to find a raft."
Link nodded, absorbing the information. He peered back at the Castle, a hand to his chin.
"I'm going to need the Slate," Link informed her after they mounted their horses. "Unless you want to learn how to use the rest of those runes?"
Zelda grinned, remembering the way he had shown her how to use the Cryonis rune inside Ha Dahamar Shrine. "You already know the answer to that."
"Good." Link smiled back. He rolled his shoulders again, bringing a hand to his wrist to adjust his bracer. "You sure about this?"
Not entirely. Zelda nodded in spite of herself. "I'm ready to go home, Link."
There was nothing more to be said. They spurred their horses onwards, and rode northwest for Hyrule Castle.
Heave. And heave. Link swung the Korok Leaf left, and then right, stepping through an unsung rhythm. And heave. In response, their simple raft glided through the silvery waters of the Hylia River, and gradually, like a storm crawling across the horizon, Hyrule Castle began to loom before them. Illuminated only by the full moon that peeked out through the cirrus clouds above, the Castle was a conglomeration of harsh shadows and jagged lines. Zelda stood behind him, out of the way; Link had expected her to be buried in the Slate, checking and cross-checking their plans for the assault, but she watched with a steeled face as the Castle's individual features came into focus. They sailed along the eastern approach, taking a longer route leading around Hyrule Forest Park, passing underneath the Helmhead Bridge to enter the castle moat. They met no resistance, and Link allowed himself to consider that this mission could be easier than his first time assailing the castle.
The weight of the Sword still felt uneasy at his back. It was...lighter, than before. As though it was no longer his burden; or perhaps, that he was no longer worthy to wield it. Well, tell me then, he beseeched it. Are you and I still friends?
He could ask the Hylian Princess the same thing. She'd been stiff and standoffish since he'd returned to her, and since she had returned to him the Sword. Understandable. He'd been an idiot, and a fool, whining about things as pointless as what he does and then kissing her as if that would help. Don't think about that, he told himself, but the thoughts invaded his mind regardless. He'd mentally replayed his actions the entire night he'd been on his own, lying in the wet grass wondering where the courage for that had come from when the rest of his fortitude now seemed to elude him. He swiped the Korok leaf with maybe a bit more force than necessary, embarrassment surging throug him, needing an outlet. And heave. He maneuvered their raft ever closer to the ruined castle, pushing his thoughts to focus on the rhythmic swiping of the Leaf and the sound of the rushing wind and the raft as it cut through the water. But the closer they sailed to the remains of the Castle docks, the tighter the knot in his stomach grew. What if Larella isn't here? What if this is a trap? And what if Zelda gets hurt, or worse…?
"Slow down," came the commanding voice behind him. Link pivoted on his heel to face her, nearly dropping the Korok Leaf in surprise. Zelda's face was partially obscured by her hood, but he could see the determined severity of her features. No longer his friend, no longer the Princess...but a fighter, ready to take back her home. "We need to approach slowly," Zelda warned. "We have no idea what waits for us at the Docks."
Link simply nodded, and waited for the raft to slow before giving the Korok Leaf another swish across the sails. He was at least glad to be labouring through the cold night. He didn't know the exact date, but he could sense better than any other person the changing of the seasons. He'd spent a year out in the air of Hyrule after all; Link intimately knew the way the land shifted and changed with time - knew it better than he knew himself. Winter's welcome, thought the knight wryly as he shivered through a gust of wind that rippled the moat waters.
He was grateful too that he and Zelda both had some decently weather-proof garb. They had swapped out their normal travelling gear for a pair of disguises; Zelda wore Link's grey Hylian tunic and hood, while Link wore his Hylian trousers and a moss-green winter doublet over a plain roughspun tunic. And to lend credence to their subterfuge, they both wore the signature blue and white neckerchiefs that they had acquired in their travels. The first taken from the Yiga woman they had fought at the fork, and the second from Ayu, the Gerudo hostage. It was a gamble; they had no idea if the neckerchiefs meant something, or if perhaps the bandits would, for some reason, only wear them on the road. But a disguise was a disguise. If it didn't work, they would revert to their second plan, and fight their way through the Castle. Link hadn't been able to part with the Master Sword for that very reason. Perhaps it would give them away - he didn't care. How many modern Hylians even knew of the Master Sword, let alone could recognise it on sight? And if it did give them away - well, it was a sword, not a soup ladle.
They were almost at the entrance of the docks now, their journey thus far surprisingly smooth. Perhaps concerningly so. Link noticed with some relief however that the air around Hyrule Castle was no longer flecked with motes of airborne Malice and decay; a small sign that the world had begun to move on. Link gave the leaf one last heave, and the raft floated slowly towards the narrow wooden pier on the north face of the castle, built just shy of the entrance to the actual docks themselves. Once the raft had thumped to a stop against the jetty, Link set about securing it and the Korok leaf to one of the rotting wooden bollards lining the wooden walkway. He gave the immediate area a quick scan - no signs of movement - and nodded to Zelda that it was safe to disembark.
"According to the map," she said quietly, the Sheikah Slate in hand and the small screen illuminating her face, "the Lockup should not be far from here. There is an excavation tunnel, now closed, where there is a back entrance into the gaol itself. If we're lucky, and avoid detection, we could be in and out of here in less than an hour."
She reattached the Sheikah Slate to her belt, adjusting her tunic so that the slate was hidden from sight. They knew that Cinelgen wanted the Slate - the spearwoman named Milagre had said as much when they'd encountered her at the Sacred Grounds - and so that at least would need to remain hidden.
Cautiously, Link and Zelda began to advance up the path to the abandoned mine entrance. Link took point, his movements stiff and body taut as he scanned for any signs of life. Again they found no one, not even a single guard by the entrance to the mine. Though the reason for that, they discovered, was simple. The tunnel had been completely caved in; heavy rocks and rubble covered the entrance, and the wooden bracing was splintered and twisted. Link felt his guts churn; acid hot in his belly, making his knees weak and his fingers twitch, long-held instinct making him want to reach for the Sword. We're going to have to go through the Castle.
"Rats," he heard Zelda mutter under her breath.
She turned to retrace their steps, but Link held an arm out barring her progress. He tensed, honing his focus, closing his eyes and dulling all his senses but the ones he needed. Time seemed to slow, and around him, Link could hear everything from the soft lapping of water against the pier to the howling of the wind through the torn towers of Hyrule Castle.
"Something isn't right," he murmured as he reopened his eyes.
Zelda's expression was blank, the faintest hint of lines in her brow. "Go on."
"There's no one around," he explained. "No one outside the castle at all."
Zelda didn't need him to explain further. "You think it's a trap."
"It might not be."
"But it may as well be," Zelda conceded. She gazed up along the bluffs that surrounded the castle, her jaw clenched as she pondered their options. Link followed her line of sight, before stopping to absorb their surroundings once more. Ahead of them one of the ancient pillars jutted out of the ground, cutting across the sky like a string of stars, its glimmering etchings pulsating to an unknown rhythm. There was another route to the lock up, Link knew; he and Zelda had poured over the Castle plans to find alternate routes in case this very situation occurred. But none of those routes were short, and the pair simply had no idea how many people Cinelgen had within the Castle walls.
Zelda had wrapped her arms around herself, heavy doubt on her face. "Well...I suppose we know what we have to do," she muttered. She still thinks I won't come with her, Link realised with regret.
"Zelda," Link called softly, redrawing his focus. She seemed to startle at hearing her name, but it gave him strength to say it. It gave him the courage he needed, knowing she was real.
Zelda gave him a puzzled look. "Y-yes?"
"I'm ready when you are," he assured her. "Larella's waiting for us."
Zelda breathed deeply, but eventually she dropped her hands to her side, and gave him a steadfast nod.
The aging Docks were housed in an enormous cavern of smoothly hewn stone, and consisted of little more than two wooden piers and a receiving bay built from surprisingly sturdy-looking brick and stone. The uneven roof of the cavern sloped laboriously towards the mouth however, and it appeared as though the entire place was continuously and eternally caving in on itself. As their raft glided into the cavern, Link spied a single Hylian guard sleeping on the far pier and felt his sword hand flex involuntarily.
"What do we do?" he whispered to Zelda, who stood beside him.
"Just don't say anything. Act like we should be here."
He frowned, hesitating. "What about you?"
"I'll do the same thing."
"Right," Link whispered again after a pause. He heaved the Korok leaf against the sail, adding. "That wasn't clear."
"How was that not clear-!?" Zelda hissed. The guard stirred, but did not wake. "Nevermind. Just don't talk."
"I can manage that."
"It's your specialty." Zelda clipped.
Link found himself rolling his eyes, although he could not hide the smirk on his face. A part of him had come to enjoy their verbal sparring, he supposed.
As quietly as they could, Link and Zelda disembarked from the raft, breathing silent sighs of relief that the Hylian did not stir. Mixed in with the slapping of water against the docks were the Hylian's rattling snores; his large head lolled heavy against his shoulder as he continued to slumber. Zelda waited on the pier as Link secured their raft, and while he worked Link allowed himself one, selfish sideways glance at her. She was assessing the castle map with her Slate, and in the faint light Link noticed her nose was a little red from the cold. He wondered what it'd be like to kiss, if it'd be as cold as it looked, and then he mentally rebuked himself for such a wayward thought. But still he wondered, unable to shake the events of the night prior from his mind. Talk to her about it, fool, he told himself. What are you so afraid of?
Lots of things, Link figured with some shame. Perhaps everything, these days.
Task finished, he checked his equipment once more to reassure himself that it was all there: his sword at this back and his crossbow at his hip, and range of movement uninhibited by his winter garb. He rejoined Zelda, and they stalked across the damp stones of the docks, the Hylian guard none the wiser as they ascended the aging brick steps of the receiving bay and headed deeper into the cavern, past the faintly glowing Shrine tucked against the back wall. Zelda paused to place a hand against the terminal as they passed the ancient structure, but Link ushered her on. No time.
Their path diverged into two narrow tunnels at the back of the cavern, one twisting to the right and the other around to the left. Link tapped Zelda on the shoulder, and gestured to their two options, silently mouthing the question: which tunnel? She referred to her Slate and answered with a slow, deliberate gesture to the right.
Link raised his brows. You sure?
The glare she shot him in response was long and unimpressed. Yes.
They followed the right tunnel, a long curving walkway hewn into the bedrock that took them deeper into the belly of Hyrule Castle. Link lit a small torch to guide their way, and held an arm out for Zelda, which she took with a small amount of hesitation. The stairs underfoot were uneven and crumbling, and every now and then the tunnel seemed to shift and shudder as the foundations of the Castle creaked overhead, sending dust raining down along the tunnel walls.
Eventually they reached a small hollow at the end of the tunnel, marked by nothing more than an unlit wall torch and a large metal slate blocking the tunnel exit. Link passed the torch to Zelda and raised his hands to the cool metal. He recognised the surface immediately - it was one of the hefty bookcases of the Hyrule Castle Library.
He turned to Zelda. "Alright. Magnesis lesson."
Excitedly, she pulled the Sheikah Slate from its hiding place under her tunic, and tapped through to the Magnesis rune. She held the Slate out before her and gently clicked the small switch on the side of the Slate. Her eyes lit up, and she gasped in delight; Link himself could not see it, but knew that the Slate had illuminated the metal bookcase for her in a vivid fuchsia hue.
"You can use that switch to turn the scan on and off," Link explained. "And then just bring the Slate in front of yourself to activate the rune. But maybe-"
His words were cut off by the burst of energy that erupted from the Slate, a bright beam latching onto the heavy metal bookcase, which then rattled against the edge of the tunnel like a shutter against a window.
"-let me show you first."
"Sorry," Zelda muttered sheepishly, though her childish grin never faltered. No point taking this from her, Link decided, even if caution told him that there were likely to be anywhere between a handful to dozens of Cinelgen's men behind that bookcase. He hadn't heard anything as they'd approached the tunnel exit, but then again the entire Castle had been suspiciously silent so far.
Zelda held the bookshelf steady, hands encased around the luminescent and ethereal horseshoe magnet that had formed around the Slate. Link mimed out the rest of the lesson for her. "Rotate the Slate this way to move things forward," he explained, spinning his hands to the right. He swapped his hands, adding: "And the other way to move things backwards."
"How do I remember which is which?" Zelda whispered, gently turning the Slate to the right. She must have underestimated its power, for the bookshelf abruptly lurched forward in response, the gray-and-white tiled marble and wall-high bookshelves of the Library coming suddenly into view.
Zelda yelped - half in delight and half in shock - and soon a cacophony of shouts and startled cries were echoing from within the Library.
"You just learn." Link sighed, feeling his stance widen as he prepared to face whoever, or whatever, they would find beyond the threshold. Zelda hurriedly stowed the Slate back on her belt, hiding it once more under her tunic. Her hands went to the blue and white fabric fastened around her neck, adjusting the loose knot that held it in place.
"Shouldn't have let me do that," she reprimanded quietly, her posture straightening and her features hardening as she too readied to meet the interlopers.
"As if I could have stopped you," Link shot back. Zelda ignored him, and stepped cautiously into the Library, with Link close behind, his heartbeat thrumming in his ears. The Library was unchanged since the last time Link had seen it: old books and papers strewn every which way; bookshelves lining the walls and rising almost to the ceiling; the roof partially caved in, with three pairs of twin pillars holding up what remained; and the balconies overhead almost entirely collapsed, accessible only by a double flight of stone stairs at the back end of the room. Above them the night sky jutted into the Library through the ruined roof, and Link was half-sure the entire place was about to collapse.
At the centre of the large hall, huddled around one of the wide, dark-wood desks that were scattered throughout, was a group of bandits. There were four of them, all armed and armoured, blue and white neckerchiefs around their necks; two Hylians attired in travelers' garb, a wide-set Zora male with freckled spiny fins, and a vaguely-familiar white and brown feathered Rito, with a hint of age about his plumage. The glimmer of recognition sent a jolt of unease through Link, but he managed to keep his face still. The bandits were eyeing the bookcase suspiciously, the cards strewn about their desk evident of a now-abandoned game. Zelda strode past the bookcase confidently and into the ruined Library, her long blonde braid swinging about her shoulders.
"Hello there." she said curtly as she approached the table. The group of bandits gaped at them silently, until the Rito finally spoke.
"Who are you?" he barked at them.
"Name's Rhea." Zelda announced. "This is my travel partner, Nell."
Link followed her words with a short, two-finger wave. Casual and calm, though underneath his mask his blood was afire with a muted panic.
If Zelda was feeling even a little the same, she did not show it. "Apologies to barge in. We got lost on the way from the Docks."
The Rito narrowed his eyes, beak clicking with distrust. "Where're you from? You don't sound Hylian."
"Eh-yeah, accent's funny," chuckled one of the Hylians, a rosy-cheeked woman with corn-coloured hair that was braided longer than Zelda's. The second Hylian, a wiry boy no older than ten, laughed nervously along with her.
Zelda fought to maintain her composure. They hadn't had the time to create overly detailed backstories. "I - uh - I'm from-," she stammered.
"Necluda." Link said firmly. "Near Lantern Lake."
Zelda turned to look at him, her eyes flickering with recognition: Kakariko Village.
"Yes," she affirmed. "If you must know, Nell and I are Sheikah defectors. Those...traitors, have a unique accent."
"Do they now?" the Rito asked ponderously. Link wanted to bury his face in his hands. "You don't look Sheikah."
"You ever met a Sheikah, Yinli?" the Hylian woman goaded. Yinli bristled, clearly not fond of being challenged.
"No," he admitted reluctantly, pacing slowly towards Link and Zelda. Link spied a bulky Falcon bow at his back; this one appeared to be modified to fire multiple arrows simultaneously. Link felt his sword hand flex, and for the first time in days, or maybe weeks, a faint warmth from the Sword at his back, and fainter still, the hum of a long forgotten song. Yinli's eyes locked onto Link. "But I have met this boy."
Link realised a little too late where he had seen this Rito: by the side of Chief Kaneli, elder of the Rito of Lake Totori. Link had stood before them after he had freed Divine Beast Vah Medoh, wearing the same sword that he wore now.
Link inhaled slowly, his back stiffening. "...shit."
Of course they'd be recognised; he encountered many people during his travels to appease the Divine Beasts, and their run-ins with Milagre had undoubtedly spread through the bandits' ranks.
Yinli turned his attention to Zelda; she must have sensed Link's alarm, for she had slowly begun backing away from the bandits.
"And you must be the mageling," Yinli went on. "Cinna will be most glad that his trap worked."
The other three began to advance on Link and Zelda, weapons brandished; though Link noticed that the youngest, the Hylian boy, hovered at the back of the group.
Link glanced over to Zelda, and mouthed a single, urging word: run.
Whip-like, the tension in the room broke. Link drew his sword, lurching forward toward the Rito, but Yinli dodged, wings propelling him effortlessly into the air. In his periphery, Link saw Zelda dive behind one of the enormous stone pillars, her light-shield raised as she dodged arrow fire from the Rito. She's gotten quick, Link noticed. He refocused just in time to catch the butt of the Zora's spear with his free hand. Pivoting through the thrust, Link used the momentum of the warrior's jab to wrench the silverite weapon from its wielder. The Zora cried out, and stumbled off-balance under the sudden jolt. Not a movement out of place, Link spun the spear around and slammed the butt hard across his opponent's face. He heard the metal crunch savagely against bone, and the Zora was thrown limp against the Library floor.
There was a familiar scream in the direction of the staircase, and Link felt his blood run cold, the silverite spear suddenly dropped and forgotten. His legs were carrying him in the direction of the stairwell, and the panic was noose-like around his neck when he saw Zelda scrambling up the stairs with a flying Yinli in hot pursuit. She spun around, managing to fire a lance of energy at the still airborne Rito. It caught his foot and he recoiled, his flight disrupted.
Not a moment to waste. Link drew his crossbow and aimed a bolt at Yinli; he breathed in slowly, feeling his pupils dilate and the hair on his arms rise. The song was in his ears then, loud and clear. He fired.
The bolt tore through Yinli's neck, piercing the white and blue neckerchief. The Rito crashed heavily to the Library floor, and when Link let himself exhale, he saw that Zelda was crouching atop the first flight of stairs, fingers rigidly gripping the crumbling railing, her face written with shock.
He wasn't able to look her way for long; a great weight suddenly bowled him over, and Link found himself sprawled against the ground, sword out of reach, with the Hylian woman's weight crushing his torso, her hands throttling him. He choked and kicked, nails raking ineffectively against her gloved hands. Cinelgen wants me alive, fool! Link wanted to scream at the woman, but the words were wisps caught in his strangled throat. He tried to throw her off, lurching his weight sideways, but the woman was heavy and held her weight against his chest. Through the mayhem, Link noticed that her breath stunk of stale bitterness and that her cheeks were not naturally rosy, but flushed bright red - the telltale signs of a drunk. He wondered if Zelda's cheeks looked any different.
Focus, boy! It was Otra's voice he heard then, and as his consciousness faded Link remembered that he knew how to get himself out of this.
He hooked a hand around the woman's arm, and dug the fingers of his free hand into her neck. She lurched backwards, and Link used the opening to hook his legs up under her chest and around her neck, spinning the woman over backwards and off of his chest. Winded and hacking but free, Link gasped desperately for air, feeling as though his lungs were about to burst. He scrambled to his feet, a hand already on the hilt of his sword. The woman had recovered and was in pursuit, her Demon Carver held aloft in preparation for an overhead blow. Spinning around to face her, Link drew the Sword, parrying an aggressive strike with his blade. The steel sung, but the woman was not deterred. She pressed forward, swinging wildly, and suddenly Link saw sky and stars as he toppled over backwards, tripping on a pile of books.
And then, almost as fiercely as she had tackled him, the woman was slammed sideways against one of the bookshelves by some great metallic monolith. A bookcase! Link saw that on the stairs above him, Zelda was holding the Sheikah Slate. A glimmering horseshoe magnet was encased in her hands, an equally brilliant smile on her face. Through the pain and the shock, Link was struck by a vast and enamoured sense of pride. The sound of boots against stone brought him back to the present; behind him, the young Hylian boy was making a mad dash for the Library entrance, no doubt to warn the rest of the Castle of Link and Zelda's presence.
No time to think. "Zelda!" Link called out, his voice hoarse and strained. "Remote bomb, now!"
The Princess frantically tapped the Sheikah Slate, eventually managing to clumsily pull from it a round Remote Bomb. With all her strength, she tossed the bomb to Link. He caught it by its small circular handle, before pivoting and lobbing it at the entrance in a single, fluid motion. The luminescent sphere arced through the air above the fleeing Hylian, and Link held a hand out behind him as he waited for the right moment. "Detonate on my word!" he called over his shoulder.
Just as the bomb passed across the stone balcony above the entrance, Link closed his hand. "Now!" he shouted. Behind him, Zelda thrust the Sheikah Slate forward, and the bomb exploded into a sphere of light, sending stone and debris crashing down in front of the Library entrance. The young Hylian was thrown back by the explosion, and rolled along the tattered red carpets.
Link was on him within moments, pinning the young man to the ground by the shoulders.
"Get off, get off me!" the boy cried, but Link held firm.
"You didn't see us," Link managed to rasp, his voice little more than a reedy whine.
"Get. Off!" the boy growled, squirming under Link's weight to no avail. Link saw that there were budding tears in the boy's eyes.
"Say you didn't see us!" Link demanded, more power in his voice. The boy managed to wriggle an arm free, movements sporadic as he flailed and lashed out, sharp nails catching Link across the face. The knight responded by gripping the boy's wrists firmly, slamming him against the ground and pinning him. The boy was shrieking, squealing like a babe, and suddenly Link no longer had any patience. These fucking bandits, so many of them, causing so much destruction, after all he had done.…
He raised a fist, ready to unload all of his frustration and fury onto the poor boy...
Zelda was at his side then, wrenching Link back. "Let him go, Link!"
He ignored her, but withdrew his fist. Bracing an arm across the boy's chest and shifting his weight, Link held out a hand to Zelda. "Rope," he commanded, wincing at the pain of speaking even such as short word.
Zelda found him one among their inventory in the Slate, and Link bound the young Hylian hand and foot, dragging him over and securing him to one of the shattered pillars. He gagged the young boy with the blue neckerchief that had been tied around his neck.
"Needs must," Zelda apologised to the Hylian, who was glowering at them with a bristling rage. She pulled Link aside, a hand firm around his arm, eyes scolding. "What is wrong with you?" she reprimanded under her breath. "He's just a child."
Link shrugged and pushed off from her, not wanting to be near Zelda while the anger still pulsed through him.
As Zelda rechecked the Slate again for their next move through the Castle, Link gingerly brought his hands to his neck. The flesh was tender, and judging by the pain, would bruise badly. Deliberate and slow, Link inhaled, testing his breath and finding it laboured and harsh. Stupid woman, he thought as he looked over to the body of the pie-eyed and flushed Hylian who had almost strangled him. But he still lived, thanks to Zelda's quick thinking with the Slate, and the healing didn't take long. Link found that Mipha's healing flowed easily now, almost second nature, as though it were his own power and not a gift. It healed more than just the pain; bit by bit, he felt the anger receding too. When Link opened his eyes, Zelda was standing before him, patiently waiting with her hood drawn and the Slate in hand.
"Hey," he said gently.
"Ready to go?" Zelda asked, not noticing his fond smile, her face somehow even more marbled than it had been. Link caught himself, and nodded wordlessly, following Zelda out of the Library.
Link blinked heavily as they emerged once more to the exterior of the Castle; the sun had broken past the east horizon, rays of low light bathing the ruined Castle cliffs in swaths of deep amber. They didn't have much more time; the higher the Sun climbed, the smaller their hope of sailing away from the Castle undetected. As it was, they had no hope of finding this Cinelgen now. Link couldn't shake the disappointment, or the newfound hunger that dwelled within him, amid the frenzy and the panic, for something a little like vengeance. He wasn't sure if anger suited him, but it beat cowardice, at least.
"Not far," Zelda assured him as they jogged through a tunnel that ran along the back of the Castle. Wide window-like breaches were carved into the stone, casting long shadows along their path. The tunnel opened to a faintly familiar courtyard, and overhead Link spied the tower of Zelda's study rising spear-like into the morning sky. For a moment he saw that she was gazing up at it as well, eyes heavy and yearning. We'll go back there, he wanted to tell her. One day soon.
Passing under the tower's shadow, they hugged the courtyard walls to avoid being detected by two patrolling guards, and descended via a hidden walkway down into the remains of a storage cellar.
"Oh, no, what happened?!" Zelda cried beside him once they entered the room."Where are the stairs?!"
Link peered over the balcony at the centre of the room; it towered above a near hundred-foot drop down to the empty cellar below. There were large planks of splintered and rotting wood snaking their way down on the stone walls, the dilapidated remains of the destroyed staircase.
"We need to get down there?" Link ventured.
Zelda nodded, her brows furrowed in frustration. "The entrance to the lockup is next to the storage cellar."
"Only one way then," Link concluded. Zelda squinted at him, and in explanation he made an arcing motion with his arm, accompanied by a low whistle. We jump.
Zelda shook her head emphatically. "No. Absolutely not."
"We have a paraglider."
"Are you insane?"
Link quirked a brow, folding his arms at his chest. "You've asked me that before,"
She just seethed at him, but then her features grudgingly relaxed. She looked back to the cellar entrance, at at the rapidly brightening morning light. "We don't have time to climb down. So...I suppose you're right."
Link could barely hide his eager grin as he unhooked the paraglider from his belt. He knelt down by the balcony's edge. "Make sure you hold on tight," he cautioned. Gingerly, Zelda wrapped her arms under his and around his shoulders, and then her legs around his waist.
"Make sure you don't kill us," she said as she settled herself against him. Link paused, steadying himself at the balcony edge, taking a second selfish moment to savour her warmth.
And then he leapt forward. He heard Zelda gasp, a quick surprised intake of air, as the wind rushed past his ears and his stomach flew towards his chest. The stone floor below was rocketing up to meet them, and Link grabbed his paraglider and let it unfurl above them. The whiplash of the sudden stop caused Zelda's legs to give way, and she shrieked, her arms wrapped tightly around his chest, constricting him. Link let out an emphatic groan, coughing and spluttering against the sudden pressure.
"Link!" she cried, fingers scrabbling at him, seeking purchase against his woolen doublet.
"Just hold on," he managed. "Don't let go."
Thankfully despite their foolhardy jump, they floated swiftly down to the cellar floor, and touching down, Link gasped for air as Zelda finally let go. Zelda was in front of him instantaneously, one hand on his shoulder and the other gingerly touching his neck.
"Oh, Hylia, I'm sorry," she was apologising. "Did I hurt you?"
"No, no," Link said, letting out a laugh. "It's fine really. Just a shock."
Her fingers were gently probing his neck, scrutinizing for any damage, eyes on him like he was a specimen. Link watched her contently, happy to be doted on, and realised a moment too late that he'd absentmindedly placed a hand at her waist.
In unison, the pair noticed their closeness, all but springing apart. "Let's keep moving," Zelda muttered, hand flying up to fiddle with her hair and readjust her braid. She made for the cellar exit.
"Wait, Zelda," Link called to her. "When are we gonna talk about what happened?"
Zelda stopped in her tracks, though she did not turn to look. "Depends," she said cooly. "A lot happened."
Link huffed, his patience thin. "With us."
"Nothing to talk about." She began walking once more for the exit. "We haven't the time for this now."
"Hey, c'mon. Don't do this." Link jogged slightly, catching up to her. He reached out to her, intertwining their hands, but Zelda wrenched herself free, scowling at him in disgust.
"Link, honestly!" she snapped.
Link opened his mouth to argue back, but found his words caught in his throat. Why is she being like this? "You know, I thought you liked me." he frowned.
Zelda exhaled, equally impatient. "What are you even talking about?"
He couldn't explain it to her in full; how he had met a bard named Kass, and how the Rito had sung Link the song of his final moments. The Princess' love for her fallen knight awakens her power…and within the castle the Calamity is forced to cower.
"I heard that, before..." The words were unfathomable, but he needed to know. "That you loved me."
She was incredulous. "I loved-who told you that?"
"A bard, alright - look, it doesn't matter." Link struggled to find the words, to wrangle his disparate thoughts into the question that had plagued him since he'd met her - suddenly unsure if he even wanted to know the answer at all. "I just wondered if it still meant something."
"Meant something? Now?" Her voice was low, accusatory. As if he had any say in the charge. "Link, do you have any idea how different you are?"
"How am I different?"
"You just - look, we don't have time for this!"
"Just answer me, please! Just this one thing!" he was desperate, somehow knowing that if he didn't make her speak now, she never would.
"Fine! You are different!" Zelda blurted out. "I didn't expect you to be this angry. Or...indecisive. I thought after a while you'd be...mostly the same." Link could see the quiet disappointment on her face, and every word she spoke was a barb in his chest.
Indecisive. Another word for craven. His spirits sank and then, seized by a terrible understanding, he backed away from her. "Wait...you...you liked me better before, didn't you? When I was..."
"What if I did?" Zelda countered remorselessly. "That Link wouldn't have left me. That Link wouldn't have almost beaten a child!"
"That Link barely spoke! He never argued with you. He wasn't much more than a servant!
"How can you say that? You...you have no idea who he was."
"Of course I don't!" Link shouted. "I never met him! And you know what!? That idiot also had a family, and friends, and a home. Right now I only have you, Zelda, so we have to talk about what happened."
She placed a pacifying hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," was all she said, eyes appraising him with regret. Link realised she wasn't seeing him; but rather an echo, a shadow, the lingering ghost of a dead man. She dropped her gaze. "What happened. It never should have."
Zelda gave his shoulder an apologetic squeeze, and turned towards the exit, leaving him there; alone and heartbroken and without any choice but to follow.
There were three guards at the Lockup, all Hylian, and all hypervigilant for any intruders. They accosted Link and Zelda the moment they saw them, demanding they state their names and purpose, but received no answer. Link disarmed them all, and aided by Zelda's light shield, herded them into a cell.
"The Chief will know of this!" one of the guards spat.
"I hope he does," Link told them dryly.
Zelda was already on the other side of the dark and damp Lockup, kneeling by one of the cells with her hands through the bars. Link sighed with relief when he approached the cell and saw the cerulean-scaled Ambassador huddled on the cell floor, her webbed hands in Zelda's.
"We're going to get you out of here," Zelda reassured their friend, and Larella nodded silently. Her face was tinged pink and swollen from what Link guessed - and hoped - were tears. He noticed with some detachment however that all of her jewels were gone. She'd had a new set made when she'd become Ambassador, he remembered Zelda telling him. A Zora's jewels were an extension of their purpose, their soul. And now Cinelgen has taken them from her, and has made her no one.
Larella motioned to the Sword at Link's back. "Are you here to kill Cinelgen as well?"
Both Hylians were taken aback by the Zoran woman's frank words, however her calm features told that she meant no jape. What did they do to you? Link wondered, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck tingle, and the Sword at his back hum with heat.
"Our priority is you, Larella," Zelda told her, and Link saw Larella's face fall. He stood to open her cell, heaving his full weight onto the large mechanical lever that held the cell bars closed. Zelda busily consulted her Slate for a route out of the Lockup. He heard her sigh; bad news.
He returned to Larella's cell, and offered her a hand. "Can you walk?"
"Of course, Champion." Larella managed a weak simper. "I'm am unhurt."
The Ambassador rose to her feet, and Link saw the bruises around her wrists and along her arms. He decided to ignore her lie. Most likely it is nicer than the truth.
"You weren't exposed to any Malice were you?" Link asked, remembering the illness that had gripped Sidon, and Zelda's theory that the Zora were susceptible to it.
Stepping from the cell, the Ambassador shook her head. "Thankfully, no."
Zelda returned to them with Slate in hand, a concerned look on her face. "Our only way out is either through the collapsed tunnel, or the West Passage, and we would need to swim across Hyrule Moat if we go that way."
"How do you propose to get through the collapsed tunnel?" Larella asked.
The trio walked to the entrance of the tunnel, ignoring the aggravated shouts of the Hylian guards behind them. As it had appeared from the outside, the tunnel was completely caved in. Upon further inspection, it seemed as though it had been deliberately destroyed. Link ran a hand along the rubble and rocks that blocked their way.
"Only one way then," Zelda said. She lifted her tunic to reveal the Sheikah Slate, and pulled a gleaming square Remote Bomb from the screen. Behind them Larella gasped, startling back. "Careful!"
Link shook his head at the idea. "No. It'll be too loud and take too long."
Ruefully, Zelda returned the bomb to the slate. "What do you propose then, Hero? We dig our way out?"
Link winced at the nickname, no longer a jest but an insult. "The West Passage is safer. If we try to leave this way the entire Castle will hear us."
"And what if the West Passage is teeming with Cinelgen's men? How will we get out that way?"
Link breathed a long sigh. He pointed to his sword hilt. "You know how."
"No, I'm not putting Larella at risk. I'm not putting you at risk-"
There was a choked gasp behind them, and Link and Zelda spun on their heels to see three Hylians standing behind them. Link recognised two of them immediately: the spear wielder Milagre, the Hylian named Inglis, whom he had felled with an arrow at the Sacred Grounds. Milagre had a steel dagger held to Larella's neck, and was grinning hungrily. Hiding in her shadow was the young boy Link had bound in the Library. Milagre ran a free hand through the boy's hair.
"Well done, little one, they were just where you said they'd be," she said warmly, and then she pushed the dagger closer against Larella's throat, her fierce gaze returning to Link and Zelda. "One move and she's dead."
The three guards that Link had imprisoned had been released, and approached slowly, their swords drawn and their expressions hungry.
Just as the Hylians closed in, Link realised that Zelda had intertwined her hand in his. Her eyes were full of fear, her fingers clasped tight against his, and it wasn't until the guards pried them apart that she let go.
While the rest of the Castle remained mostly in disrepair, Zelda noticed that special care had been given to the Throne Room. Most notably, the shattered floor had been repaired - if somewhat poorly - by two dozen rows of long wooden planks that were crudely nailed together.
The rest of the large circular room had been cleaned of debris left by the Calamity, though frankly little else had been done. These bandits inhabiting her Castle evidently cared little for the structure itself.
Link and Zelda had been ushered into the Throne Room by Milagre and her assistant Inglis respectively, with the three accompanying guards at their back, all carrying longswords. While they wore no masks, their tightly-fitting crimson garb gave them away as Yiga. Even Milagre herself now wore the telltale Yiga clothes, though hers were black rather than red, and the long white scarf she wore about her neck was embroidered in deep blue thread - an inversion on the endemic neckerchiefs that Link and Zelda had seen. She must hold a special place among their ranks, Zelda mused as they walked her through the halls of her home.
Inglis threw her against the wooden planks when they reached the Throne Room, and Milagre followed suit with Link. They had not been bound, but Milagre had confiscated Link's Sword and the Sheikah Slate while Inglis had taken the crossbow. Cautiously, Link and Zelda rose to their feet. The three guards brandished their weapons behind the pair, while Milagre pointed her own spear at Link's face. Strangely, Inglis carried no weapons - however Zelda remembered that he had been injured by Link at the Sacred Grounds not a few weeks prior. Perhaps he was still recovering.
"Cinna is eager to meet you again," Milagre said menacingly. "He'll be most impressed at the speed with which you reached Larella, and most pleased that you did not take her. Poor girl."
Ambassador Larella had been unceremoniously returned to her cell, a small cut at her neck where Milagre's dagger had pressed against her scales. Zelda did not like to think what it was about the Zoran woman in particular that pleased Cinelgen. Zelda glowered at the spear wielder, and the Sheikah Slate that the other woman now wore at her hip. Link was silent beside her; they exchanged a single, regretful glance. You should never have told him how you felt, Zelda chided herself. Now you have really lost him.
She gazed up at the raised balcony that held her father's throne, and at the Royal Crest looming behind it; a trio of triangles encircled by a repeated pattern of musical notes. A lullaby, Zelda thought sadly. My mother used to sing it to me.…
As they waited for Cinelgen to join them, Zelda was struck by the faint sense of unfamiliarity. This place was her home; it had been for seventeen years. And then for one hundred years after that, she had been trapped within this very room. But now, after only a few short months away, the inner sanctum of Hyrule Castle felt entirely foreign. Perhaps it wasn't only her knight that was now changed.
Cinelgen's voice boomed across the room, larger and more full-bodied than the man himself.
"Hello, hello, hello…" he welcomed as he strode in through a side entrance, and up the circular stairwell to the throne. He carried an elaborately painted bow at his back, but otherwise his garb was plain, hardly suited to such a grand palace. "So good to see you here."
"This is our home," Zelda argued.
"Is it now?" Cinelgen laughed. He sat down in her father's throne, laying the bow across his lap. Not my father's throne, Zelda corrected herself, my throne. "By what rights do you claim Hyrule, girl?"
"I am its Princess. Link is its Hero." she pointed an accusing finger at the Gerudo male. "By what rights do you claim it?"
Cinelgen was non-plussed by her revelation. He crossed a long leg over his knee, and leant back against the red velvet of the throne. "Because I can. Because no one else did. Where were you then, Princess, when the Successors marched into the Castle?"
Zelda could not answer, only frown. Weeping myself away in Kakariko, that's where I was. Wasting Link's time. Wasting everyone's time.
"Is this how you plan to rule then?" Link demanded. "Murdering the Zoras, starting wars between the races, kidnapping the Ambassador?!"
"It is the only way to rule, Champion." Cinelgen boomed down from the balcony. He looked back to Zelda. "If you really are the Princess, then I lay the blame at your feet, girl. One hundred years ago Hyrule was at peace. Now it's people are leaves in the wind, vulnerable and weak. So many of them have no place in this world."
"Well turning them against each other doesn't help!" Link asserted. There it was again, Zelda noted, the tenacity, the strength in him. It was enough to bolster her as well.
"Link is right," she said. "How can you justify what you've done?"
She shot Link an affirming glance, and saw an affected, hopeful look cross his features.
"So that I can be their savior," Cinelgen explained, voice full of contempt. He stood from the throne, and walked to the edge of the balcony, his painted bow in hand. "The people will fight, and fight, and tear themselves apart before they admit the truth - that they are the cause of their own misery."
"You were the one to attack them!" Zelda shouted up at him.
Cinelgen shook his head, and clicked his teeth. "Perhaps I did, girl," he admitted. "But I did not send that envoy. I did not bar the Zora from Gerudo Town. And I did not declare war on the Gerudo - all the Zora needed was a little push, and we are where we are. Soon the Successors will rise as a stabilising force, and the people will have no choice but to crown me their King."
Zelda scowled, absorbing his words. "That will never work. They will never accept you."
"Why? Because I'm Gerudo?" Cinelgen bristled, angered by her words. "Because your Calamity once looked just like I do? I don't care. Right now, all I want is the boy, and the Slate."
"No." Zelda shook her head. She fingered the clasp of her right glove.
Cinelgen gripped the railing of the balcony. "Excuse me?"
"You can't have him. Or the Slate. Or any of it." Zelda said defiantly. She tore off her right glove, and turned the back of her hand towards him, revealing the glowing Royal Crest. "This is my Kingdom."
Cinelgen saw the symbol on her hand, just like the one behind the throne, and drew back. "Ah...so it is you." he gibed, clearly amused. "Thank you for letting me know."
The Gerudo motioned down to his guards. "Kill the Princess. And bring me the Champion."
Zelda sensed the crossbow bolt aimed in her direction, and deflected it with a light barrier. Inglis, her captor, stumbled back in shock, frantically reaching for another bolt to load into the crossbow. He fumbled, and Zelda used the opening to rip the weapon and the bolt from his hand and quickly loaded the bolt as she had seen Link do so many times. You can't have that either. Inglis swiped at her, but she leapt out of his reach, spinning around to fire a bolt into the guard behind them. It cut through his chest, and he crumpled to the floor.
There was a yelp from Link's direction, and Zelda glanced across to see him deftly disarm Milagre, bringing the butt of her spear hard across the woman's face. Then Inglis was on her again, tackling her to the ground, the crossbow flying from her grip. Zelda placed both hands against Inglis' chest and, as hard as she could, she blasted him with a surge of energy. Inglis was thrown from her, landing within a few feet of the crossbow. He still has the bolts. You cannot let him get it. She scrambled along the rough wooden planks, mindful of her balance, and saw in her peripheral vision that Link had retrieved the Master Sword and the Slate from Milagre, who was out cold, lying against the wooden platform. He held the Slate and scabbard in one hand, and the Sword in the other, ready to face down the remaining guards.
Both Inglis and Zelda scrambled for the crossbow, but Zelda was closer, and managed to snatch it up first. She had no bolts, but she had her powers. Gripping the crossbow in her right hand, Zelda focused her energy into the very wood itself. She stood, loaded the string, and aiming it at Inglis, she fired.
A bolt of energy - a real bolt, as if it were made for the crossbow - struck Inglis in the arm, and he wheeled away from her. There was a scream and a low groan to her right, and Zelda saw that Link had finished off the remaining two guards. Inglis was not defeated however, and he advanced once more, muscling against her and attempting to pry the crossbow from her grasp.
"Inglis! Get out of the way!" Cinelgen shouted. Zelda raised her eyes to see him nocking two arrows to his painted bow. Inglis pushed off of her, throwing Zelda to the ground.
"No! Zelda!" It was Link. He was running to her, the Slate and Sword in hand. Above, Cinelgen's bowstring was drawn back. Link and Zelda met in the centre of the room, just in time for Link to catch the two arrows meant for her. They pierced his chest just above his heart, ripping through his doublet, and Link barrelled into her, sending them both tumbling precariously across the planks. Out of shock or instinct or both, Zelda raised a hand towards their attacker.
Larger than any other before it, almost as wide as the room itself, a gleaming barrier of light unfurled from her hand.
Princess and Knight had landed in a heap against the stone floor; Link was half collapsed against her, winded by the two arrowheads that protruded from his chest. Somehow, among the chaos, the Sword and Slate were still gripped in his hands.
"Link, Link, oh, Hylia, no..." Zelda muttered frantically, bundling him up and holding him as tightly as she could. "I'm here, I've got you."
She was weeping then, though she did not know it. Her hand trembled, but she held it high, and the shimmering light never faltered. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault..."
She closed her eyes, trying to find focus. We need to do something. We need to go! But how!? The Slate? Can we risk it? What is left of us to risk?
Slicing through the panic, Zelda felt something soft against her cheek. Gingerly, as though transgressing ten-thousand years of tradition, Link had raised a hand to her face, and was gently thumbing away her tears. Blood was flowering around the twin arrows in his chest, and his eyes were glassy, his skin pallored.
"I'll figure something out. Just stay with me," Zelda begged. "Please."
Link smiled up at her. "And here I thought you didn't like me," he murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper. Zelda let out a laugh - a weak, exhausted simper - and her tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she held him close. For a moment, they were the only ones in the whole Castle, the barrier of light searing around them, protecting them from harm. Just two kids, alone in the world save each other…
Link exhaled, his eyes glazing over, his low breathing seeming to fade...
"No, no, no, no," She was desperate now, in a horrible and hollow way. Not again. Not again! I can't lose you again!
There was a thumping against her barrier, and Zelda saw Cinelgen standing before her, repeatedly slamming his bow against the sheet of light. She gazed up at him, trying to comprehend, trying to find a way out, a way through….
Her eyes flitted to the Royal Crest on her hand, glowing as brilliantly as the sun, somehow both a part of her and separate. Separate. Zelda closed her eyes. Link was squirming, shifting in her grip, and she had little time. Casting her mind back, Zelda thought on all the instances that she had used her powers. The Cleansing Rituals, crafting the crossbow bolts for Link, surging her power into the Malice - and the way she had always felt separate in those moments. As though she went to...some other place.
That's it. That's how. It had happened once before, she recalled, when they had cleansed Akkala Tower. One moment she'd been standing with Link and the Master Sword, and then for half a heartbeat, she had been in the other place, panicked and gasping for air. It had only been for a moment, and she had gone there alone. But I'm stronger now. If they could go there, together, then maybe they could escape...Zelda opened her eyes to look up at Cinelgen again, this time resolute, unbreaking. She scowled at him, and mouthed a silent threat. We'll be back.
"Hold still," Zelda whispered to Link. She closed her eyes again. Just a moment more, sweetheart. I'm going to get us out of here. This time I'll save us both.
Link shifted again, pushing off and rolling away from her. Zelda's eyes snapped open to see him lying on the floor, propped up on his elbows. She looked down and saw that he'd laid the Master Sword and Sheikah Slate across her lap.
Then faintly, the realisation too slow or perhaps too quick, she noticed that he'd opened the teleport function on the Slate.
"Have courage, Zel," he rasped, a small smile on his face. "I'll see you soon."
"No, wait-!"
But he was too fast. Before Zelda could move, Link swiped a finger across the Slate, activating the teleport. Zelda's barrier dropped.
"Link!" She screamed, but the shining light was already surrounding her, pulling her through. Taking her away and leaving Link with the usurpers. "No! Li-"
His name died on her lips as the world became a shimmering canvas of blue and white.
Inglis watched with gaping mouth as the girl named Zelda disappeared in long slithers of sapphire light, leaving the Champion prostrate on the floor. Link hacked and coughed, but somehow, he stood, eyes unsmiling as he looked up at Cinelgen. The arrows were still embedded in his chest, a widening bloodstain covering the left side of his dark doublet.
"What just happened!?" Cinelgen shouted down at him.
"You got me," The Champion said, his voice haggard. He winced as he reached up to snap the arrow shafts that protruded from his back. "But I couldn't let you have her."
"Where is the Slate?" Cinna demanded. The Champion shrugged, his lips curled into a smirk.
"She's gonna be so mad…," he said, more to himself than anyone else. And then he doubled over, falling to his knees as his strength left him.
"Where is it!?" Cinelgen bellowed.
"The Princess has it," the Champion spat. "And now you'll never find her."
Cinelgen stormed up, wrapping his hands around the scruff of the Champion's doublet, pulling him back upright, snarling in his face. "I will have that Slate. Finding and killing one girl will be easy."
The Champion just laughed. "Nah," he countered defiantly. "Not this girl."
Inglis found himself wincing as Cinelgen brought his fist hard across the Champion's face; once, twice, three times, again and again until his anger was spent.
The Champion coughed blood, and collapsed against the floor.
"Take him to a healer!" Cinelgen barked, turning to storm from the Throne Room. "And then throw him in the cells."
Zelda opened her eyes to another wall of white, winded by the suddenness of the freezing air around her. She took a breath and gasped as it stung her lungs. White underneath, white all around, falling from the sky and landing in her hair. Snow! A blizzard!
Against the cold she felt another thrum of pain. Link! Oh, Hylia, Link…where did you send me?
There was a pulsating blue light around her, and Zelda realised she had landed at the entrance of a shrine. Splayed out in front of her and gathering snow, she found the Sheikah Slate and the Master Sword. Zelda gripped the Slate, trying to tap the screen and orient herself, but her bare fingers were too shaky to even turn it on. Cold pragmatism filled her. I need to find shelter. Squinting through the storm, Zelda spied a small wavering flame in the distance, perhaps a few hundred feet away. She clambered to her feet, the Slate and the Sword clutched close, and stumbled out into the thick snow. As she walked, she caught an iridescent and ethereal light out the corner of her eye.
The beast soared through the air, verdant body gliding effortlessly, its ancient eyes paying the world below no mind - a great green dragon, the guardian spirit Farosh.
Thank you as always for your lovely comments/support :)