Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.
Her mind swirled with images of war. Creatures like boulders collided with graceful, dolphin-like beings. Red-haired warriors clashed with red-eyed soldiers. A land was in turmoil, and she watched helplessly as years of war degraded the proud land to poverty and ruin. Times were bleak, and the weight of breaking countless centuries of cyclic warfare rested on her shoulders. The impossible task of ending the traumatic repetition seemed too much for Zelda. Zelda, no one calls me by that name. I am dreaming again.
Sarah awoke with a start and jerked into a sitting position, setting off fresh stabs of pain down her leg. A pair of eyes shone through the dim light, staring eagerly at Sarah.
"Dreaming?" Anna asked, with her head cocked to one side. Sarah nodded her reply. "The Hylians are gathering on the opposite side of the river," Anna whispered. "I have nae let anyone else know. Breakfast will be the last meal you will share with our family."
"Has the storm finally let up?" Sarah asked. A clap of thunder replied.
"The rain has almost let up, but the storm is far from over," she added, scrutinizing the Hylian.
"How can you tell?"
"I can see far, even in a storm." Anna shrugged, looking forlornly at Sarah. "Think kindly of us when you return to Hylia."
"Of course," Sarah replied in confusion. "Why would I think otherwise?"
"O'Dragmire tends to overreact," Anna sighed. "You will see what I mean. I'm going back up to the tower." Sarah nodded and watched her ascend the stairs, thinking how odd she acted at times. She kept herself awake in the darkness to keep herself from dreaming again. Eventually the darkness was replaced by a slightly less consuming version that signified twilight was blooming.
As the Gerudo wandered down to the dining room, Sarah could tell no one had slept well. O'Dragmire's face showed evidence of sleepless nights and agitation. He barely grunted a greeting as he helped Sarah into her seat.
"It's just like old times," Sarah commented to the brooding O'Dragmire.
"What did you say?" he asked offhandedly as he fiddled with a matchbox. The batteries had worn out quickly and they had resorted to an odd assortment of candelabra to luminate the meal.
"The lighting," Sarah clarified, motioning to the makeshift candelabras placed on the long table. "It reminds me of bygone eras."
"I hope if we were in your 'bygone era' I wouldnae be trying to take care of my home with the Hylians after my neck," O'Dragmire sighed bitterly, letting Sarah know he was still not in a friendly mood.
Breakfast passed largely in glum silence. O'Dragmire stewed in his dark mood and Natalie was absorbed in her own dramatics. Conversations down the table were quite subdued from their usual boisterousness. It was as if all could sense the tension was mounting but were still unable to describe what they were feeling. The entire room hushed the moment Anna entered the room and stared expectantly.
"The Hylians have crossed the river," she stated clearly. The tension in the room seemed to explode tenfold. "They will be here soon." The entire table held their breath and looked to their boss.
"I guess this really is happening, then." O'Dragmire replied in a strangely calm voice. "Well, ladies, lets get ready. The uncertain tension morphed into grim determination. A past they had tried to run from had caught up with them, and they weren't going to give into anyone without a fight. Several took last bites of food or sips of coffee and tea before filing out of the room.
"What do you mean get ready?" Natalie asked, feeling like she was missing an integral part of the events. Her dour face quickly became alive with curiosity.
"Nothing, for you," her father replied. "I do nae want you having part of this."
"Part of what?" Sarah demanded, trying to piece together the actions of the staff.
"The Hylians are invading," O'Dragmire replied sternly. "We will defend ourselves." Sarah gasped in realization while Natalie still looked confused.
"No," Sarah countered. "Just leave me out in the lobby where they will find me first and I can explain what happened."
"No," O'Dragmire growled. "I will nae take this insult in my own home. If they want a fight, a fight they shall get."
"You don't have to do this," Sarah argued. "It would be wiser to let me take care of things."
"I do nae think you understand me," he snarled in reply. "This started because you came here trying to convince me Hylia had my best interest in mind. Now I am getting an invasion. I do nae take too well to my home being attacked because I attempt to help an adversary out. I have every right to defend my home. I cannae just have you sitting out in the open though. Natalie, come with me."
"Where are we going, Da?" she asked, still unable to comprehend what was going on. Although she knew some of her aunts' past, she had lived in a world where violence was absent and the threat of such was largely empty. O'Dragmire roughly picked Sarah up and led the crowd up to the top floor. He shouldered the door to his suite open and deposited Sarah on a couch before crossing to the TV armoire. "What is going on?" Natalie demanded again, hanging by her father's elbow. O'Dragmire ignored her and shoved the furniture aside and pulled a panel off the wall. The hidden cabinet revealed an armory of assault rifles and pistols.
"Natalie, I want you to stay up here with Sarah," O'Dragmire finally directed to his daughter as he began systematically handing out weapons.
"Da! What is this?" Natalie shrieked. She had spent her life in this suite but was completely unaware of the existence of the small arsenal hidden in her living room.
"The Hylian police force is invading and we are going to defend ourselves," he shrugged as he doled out the rifles and claimed one for his own use.
"I know the aunts were involved in the IRA back in Ireland, but I didnae know they brought their guns over. When did you get involved with all this?" Natalie cried. She was on the edge of hysteria as her naiveté was quickly shattered. O'Dragmire sighed and set his rifle down. The sound of guns being checked and loaded banished the silence.
"How do you think they got involved in the first place?" he explained gently. "I went to university in Belfast and brought the ideals home on holiday. It wasnae until after I graduated and moved home to marry your mother I knew they had gotten themselves involved, too. At the time I didnae discourage it. It wasn't until your mother had a close run-in that I realized how dangerous the life we had made for ourselves there truly was. I hoped by us leaving the aunts would lose interest, but they are persistent. Your aunts might have gotten caught plotting, but in sooth your da was more active and violent then they ever were." Natalie shook her head, as if it would erase the revelation.
"No, Da," she sobbed, clearly crushed by the new information. O'Dragmire gazed uncomfortably at his daughter. He had tried so hard to maintain a clean record in her eyes. He knew he had committed a heinous sin in her eyes and did not know how to handle his fall from grace.
"I am sorry," O'Dragmire consoled. "I should have been more honest with you. There is nae a thing I can do about it now. Stay here. I will protect you." He placed a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder before returning to his preparations.
"This is insane, Ganondorf O'Dragmire," Sarah interjected with regal authority She tried to rise but winced as her leg refused to allow weight. "Don't do this." He gave her a curious look.
"You will be safe here," he said simply as he left the room and locked the door. "No one gets to this room," he commanded to the now armed staff. With trained precision they stationed themselves around the empty hotel. Furniture stored in the hallways while rooms were being renovated became barricades and obsticals. The darkness and heavy anticipation made the hotel seem unearthly and sinister.
O'Dragmire took a position so as to be the first line of defense against an assault. He disregarded the standard rules of engagement police used when dealing with a hostage situation and prepared for an all-out war. Mona sidled up beside him as he prepared to defend his position.
"Anna said this is nae going to end well for us," she said clearly, hand placed on her hips. She slung her rifle carelessly over her shoulder.
"Go to your post," O'Dragmire grumbled in return.
"You know I will. I just wanted you to know I do nae blame you for the outcome."
"Has Anna told you the outcome?"
"Aye, well, partially."
"What is it?"
"She told me specifically nae to tell you."
"That sounds like Anna."
"Listen, O'Dragmire, we have all made bad choices. Not one of us here could cast the first stone. We made the choices we did in Ireland, of our own free will. We made the choice to flee and not accept responsibility. Now we are choosing to follow you, of our own violation."
"I appreciate it, but you are making it sound as if we are all going to die."
"No, we are nae going to die. We are willing to take our own consequences now; I wanted you to know that."
O'Dragmire nodded in acknowledgement, though he still didn't quite grasp the point she was trying to make. "Be prepared to shoot the moment they enter by force."
"Aye, Dark Lord," she replied, using the teasing nickname she hadn't said in years. He gave her a parting smile before setting his features and training his sights on the wide front doors.
Natalie sat curled up on the floor of the suite, rocking herself as she tried to cope with her epiphany. She knew her father had a temper, but never guessed that he had a violent past. "Do you think Da has ever killed anyone?" She whispered to Sarah.
"I can't say for sure," Sarah softly replied, feeling empathy for the teen. "Though from his words, I would probably say yes." Natalie nodded and hot tears began to flow silently.
"That is what I thought," she gulped, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her tears.
"Does it really matter?" Sarah asked pointedly.
"What do you mean?"
"Does his past directly affect you?"
"It does in the sense that I'm now locked in a room with a hotel full of armed women," Natalie responded stubbornly. She avoided Sarah's piecing gaze as she let herself become consumed by her misery. "No," she finally admitted after a questioning look from Sarah.
"He is your father," Sarah continued, "and you love him. I know you find this shocking, but he did try to get away from his past. He would try to protect you even if he hadn't been involved."
"I feel betrayed."
"I don't believe he kept the information from you just to spite you. In his own way, he was still trying to protect you."
"Everyone knew. Everyone. I was the only one who didnae know!" Natalie cried and burst into tears again. Sarah held the sobbing girl in her arms to provide comfort, but was herself full of dread. They sat in strained silence, listening to the sound of rain pounding the roof. It felt as if a dark wave washed over the hotel seconds before the first gunshot was heard. The two clung to each other tighter, wishing desperately they weren't so helpless to stop the insanity taking place below. Each gunshot made each of them flinch. Natalie prayed fervently that each bullet fired wasn't toward an aunt. It seemed like an eternity, but in reality was less than an hour, before the doorknob rattled. Gunfire was still audible and the two women held their breath as the door opened.
"Link," Sarah sighed in relief as she recognized the man who crept in the room.
"Are you two okay?" he whispered as he carefully entered the room, as if expecting a trap. Sarah nodded numbly. Natalie flung herself sobbing into his arms. Link gave Sarah a panicked look as he held the crying teen and patted her back timidly.
"How did you get in here with the fighting going on?" Sarah asked quietly. The relief she felt at seeing him also released her exhaustion. Link held up a set of keys.
"I snuck in through the side," he explained, trying maneuver out of Natalie's grasp. "There was a key box so I took a few, just in case. I went back to Hylia and reported you were okay, but no one believed me. I couldn't get the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong out of my head, so I came back. I tried to get here before them but my city vehicle got stuck in Kokiri Park. I'm sorry."
"It isn't your fault," Sarah reminded him. "I did what I could from this end, but the Hylians and Gerudo seem determined to go at it. What are you planning on doing now?"
"Get you out of here. It isn't safe," Link replied firmly. He finally managed to pull Natalie off his waist and looked her in the eyes. "I'm not sure how Sarah got up here, but I need you to help me get her down. Can you manage that?" Natalie nodded, trying to force an awkward smile.
"How are we going to get down with all the gunfire?" Sarah demanded. "I can't imagine how you made your way up without getting shot."
"Just leave that part to me," he assured her. "We need to go down the employee stairs, out the side garden and get you to the captain so he can call off the raid. I can take care of anyone we come across. I just need you to trust me."
"You aren't even wearing your glasses," Sarah pointed out.
"I just have astigmatism. I don't really need them to see," Link shrugged.
"How are you going to take care of people?" Natalie demanded. "You don't have a gun do you?" Link shook his head and withdrew a stun gun.
"I'd prefer not to permanently harm anyone, but I took this from an obliging police cruiser."
"Link, what is that thing?" Sarah asked, pointing at something strapped to his hip.
"Family heirloom," Link said with a twinkle. "It is the best I could do on short notice." He held out the blade for the ladies inspection. It was ancient, with evidence of being broken and reforged. It had obviously been altered from its original grandeur, but it still bore a bird-like symbol that was part of the original seal. It was hard to guess what it had originally looked like. Now it was larger than a dagger, but smaller than a sword. Link obviously had great pride in the artifact.
"Let's go, then," Sarah sighed.
"Natalie, can you get on one side of Sarah while I take the other?" Link commanded gently. "Get on her bad side, in case I have to move away quickly."
"Da just carried her by himself," Natalie said, but moved to comply.
"I'm not as strong as your father," Link replied bluntly.
"I need to get something first," Natalie insisted and ran into her bedroom before anyone could object. Sarah rolled her eyes and lowered herself back onto the couch.
"Sarah?" Link asked with a mischievous smile.
"Yes?"
"I know this is a bad time, but this is first time I've had enough courage to ask you. Would you like to go out to dinner sometime?"
Sarah laughed at the irony of the situation. "You are right, this is a bad time." She smiled at him, seeing him fully for the first time. "Dinner would be great." Natalie reappeared, fastening a glittering crucifix around her neck.
"It was my mother's," she explained fondly. "Da gave it to her." Sarah smiled at the girl.
"Are you ready?" Sarah asked kindly. Natalie nodded without a trace of fear or apprehension. Link and Natalie managed to pull Sarah off the couch and help her hobble to the door.
It was a long and awkward journey to the end of the hall and down the first flight of stairs. Link dispatched himself at the bottom, returning only after he was sure the way was clear. It felt as if the hotel was going to come crashing down upon them at any moment. Sarah's awkward path considerably slowed the escape, having to stop and slowly maneuver around every obstacle. They had to detour due to fighting below. Natalie and Sarah stayed hidden behind a wardrobe as Link confronted someone.
"That is my aunt," Natalie hissed as they maneuvered around the fallen body.
"She won't be happy when she wakes up, but she is alright," Link assured her in a hushed whisper. Natalie rolled her eyes and lost the edge of her esteem for Link. They lost track of time as they made the slow but hurried journey down the hall. Sarah gimped awkwardly between the two. Link was self assured, but Natalie often became fearful and antsy. The adrenaline was pounding in Link's ears as he tried to make sure the path was safe for the two women he felt responsible for. They were nearly to the end of the hall when loud footfalls barged through the end of the hallway they had left earlier. The newcomer stopped short and swore when he saw the fallen red-head by his feet. It took him but a few seconds to notice the odd group at the other end of the hall.
"What are you doing here?" the menacing voice growled behind them. Link drew his blade instinctively and gently tried to shift Sarah to Natalie. Natalie looked behind her as she shifted to take Sarah's weight. "Natalie! What are you doing out of your room, and with Sarah? It is nae safe!" he father shouted. Natalie stumbled and Link was forced to grab Sarah tighter so she wouldn't fall. O'Dragmire noticed, but did not recognize, the young Hylian man who still had his back to him. He quickly assumed he was coercing the women to leave. "Leave them alone," he boomed, dropping his rifle in his agitation. The hair bristled on the back of his neck and a chill ran down the back of his spine. It was like he was remembering a nightmare from the past.
O'Dragmire let out a challenging scream and charged down the hall. Link replied with his own cry and attempted to shift his weight, causing Sarah to lose her precarious balance.
Link spun to keep his naked blade away from Sarah.
O'Dragmire swerved to catch Sarah.
Sarah hit the ground, twisting to avoid her already injured leg but managed to bump into Link, causing him to shuffle to maintain his own balance.
Everyone suddenly went still. Link stared at his hand, still grasping the hilt, his fingertips barely grazing the other man. O'Dragmire had a hand on Sarah's shoulder where he had attempted to catch her as she fell. Sarah's gaze was directed at O'Dragmire, but she had reached out to grab Link's arm, having foreseen this awful turn of events once she saw O'Dragmire charge down the hallway. O'Dragmire stood up, and the three looked at each other in deafening silence.
Time stopped. It was the past. It was the present. The future laid before them in glaring brilliance, looking much the same. The shock and horror the three felt spanned all eternity. They could not tell if this was but a moment, or if millennia passed in this terror. It was Natalie's horrified scream that brought them back to the present.
O'Dragmire gave a cough and grasped the handle of Link's weapon. He pulled it smoothly out of his side, where it had embedded itself in the confusion. He looked at the blade, trying to ascertain why it seemed significant. O'Dragmire dropped it, pressing his hand over his side where warm blood was flowing freely. He looked around in confusion, and collapsed.
Natalie screamed and flew to her father, rolling him so she could see his face. Link stood dumbly, staring at the injured man. Sarah pulled herself up on a door handle and opened the linen cupboard, tearing out clean sheets.
"Natalie!" she called, flinging the sheets at the girl once she had her attention. Natalie quickly began pressing the sheets to her father's side. He made no sound or movement of protest as his life essence seeped out. The sheets were already soaked with blood by the time Sarah dragged herself over with another armful of linens. The two women frantically went to work trying to stop the bleeding of the large man, ignoring the cacophony in the hotel around them.
"I need to go see what is happening," Link apologized, motioning to the nearing sounds. Sarah nodded and continued her attempts to save the man who had been her begrudging host. Natalie glared up at the Hylian, her eyes full of despair and rage.
Thus ended the first crush of Natalie O'Dragmire.
Natalie tried to help but her eyes became clouded with tears. Her arms were covered in vermillion liquid that soaked the linens in an impossible amount. She laid her head on her father's shoulder and began to sob again. She allowed the grief and disbelief consume her. Natalie could not fathom the extent of her father's injury. He was merely sleeping. He was tired. Tomorrow he would wake up and everything would be back to normal. This nightmare couldn't have happened. Her father was too strong of a man to die. Sleep. It had to be sleep. She did not move as Link returned and protectively crouched over them. She didn't flinch as Hylian officers burst into the hallway and surrounded the group. She finally snapped back to reality when a blood stained hand touched her shoulder and gently whispered, "It is okay, Natalie. It is over." Natalie picked her head up and looked around. The crowd had lowered their weapons and she could hear a radio conversation in the background.
"We have the princess. Repeat, we have the princess."
"Affirmative. Building secure. Cease fire. Repeat, cease all fire."
"Miss Hyrule, if you will move aside so we can arrest the hostile…," One of the officers spoke, raising the mask of his tactical garb and making a motion towards Natalie.
"No," Sarah spat back more forcefully than she intended, scooting herself towards the girl. "Natalie has been with me the entire time. She has helped me. No one here has harmed me in anyway. You had no right to come here and start a fight."
"We had orders straight from your father to mobilize a unit to rescue you from your kidnappers," The officer replied defensively.
"I wasn't kidnapped," Sarah shouted bitterly.
"They found your car," the officer replied. "We received a report."
"If O'Dragmire hadn't pulled me out of the car I would be in it at the bottom of Lake Hylia," Sarah cried. "Didn't Link tell you I was okay?"
"We did receive a report from him," the officer affirmed, "though it was impossible for him to have come out here with the bridge being destroyed, so we disregarded the testimony."
"He was telling the truth," Sarah caustically spat. "Now because everyone has overreacted lives have been lost. Even if I had been kidnapped, was this cost worth it?" Natalie began to cry over her father again, clinging to him as if she could induce a response.
"We had orders to shoot only if there was resistance, which we met as soon as we entered the building. Casualties were minimal. We have the insurgents in custody."
"Let them go! They did nothing wrong."
"Gun fighting has occurred and casualties on both sides. We must take them in for questioning. Your affidavit will be taken into consideration."
"We can both vouch for her," Link commented sternly, stepping in front of Natalie as several officers crept towards her. "She has been through a lot. Besides, she is a minor." The officer frowned but nodded his head curtly. "Sarah," Link softly said, pulling her hands away from where they were still resting on a bloody bed sheet. "There isn't anything you can do right now. Let's just go home." Sarah looked down at her blood soaked arms and the girl crying over her fallen father. She sighed and fought back the tears that threatened to spill. She took a deep breath, willing herself to remain composed. Natalie had no strength at the moment, and it appeared that Sarah was the only one able to lend her any. Link gently helped her to her feet.
"Natalie," Sarah whispered gently to the sobbing teen. Natalie shook her head and refused to budge.
"How many casualties were there?" Natalie spoke in a cracked voice, barely audible to those closest to her.
"We lost three," the officer huffed, clearly impatient and insensitive. "You only lost the one," he added waving to O'Dragmires supine form.
"Natalie, I am sorry. There isn't anything we can do here anymore," Sarah beckoned to the girl.
"Da is nae dead," Natalie squeaked. Her eyes were clear yet unfocused so it was impossible to tell what state of shock she was in. No one would have blamed her for succumbing to delirium after witnessing the attack on her home and the death of her father.
"Natalie, lets go, please," Link replied gently.
"No," Natalie insisted. "Listen, he is still breathing." She finally sat herself upright, ignoring the blood covering her arms, face and hair. They stared expectantly, but no movement could be seen on his chest.
"We don't have time for this," the officer gruffed and strode over to the red-haired girl. He grabbed her roughly on the shoulder, intending to haul her rudely to her feet. Just as he touched the teen, a large hand above a tattooed wrist shot out and grabbed his arm. The officer recoiled in shock and surprise. Link and Sarah moved back in unfathomable horror. Natalie's lips spread in an eerie smile that matched the bleak surroundings.
"He is nae dead."