Fyras14: Its been so long! Sorry for the mayor delay, people! Life and school were a little complicated this semester, but I got over it, with good grades to boot! So, I'm as happy as can be...at least until August (laughs). Anyway, if you have been checking my profile lately, I had a small problem with the USB that had all my stories stored into, as well as my work, I dont exactly know what my teacher did to it that all the folders just stopped opening. Luckily, I was able to fix this mess by transferring the folders using a Mac (which I unfortunately do not have) to another USB. Unfortunately, it was after I made that small post on my profile that I finally learned how to avert that problem, unfortunately I had completely forgotten that I had made copies of this stories just in case here in my laptop so you can just imagen how I felt those few days.
Anyway, after final exam week, I was finally able to update at least one, plus this one. I plan to update this story at least once every two weeks on Sunday, if I dont forget, that is.
Summary: After the attack on her castle, Zelda manages to escape, half dead. Found by Link in the wild, she is taken care of, but when fate plays its harsh hand once more, the princess must do everything in her power to aid the hero, recover her kingdom, and maybe fall in love. AU Twilight Princess.
Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.
Also remember, that this story is not a walkthrough, and that Zelda and its characters do not belong to me.
If a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.
-Edgar Watson Howe
-Chapter 13-
-Friends-
It was almost impossible to believe…Ilia had lost her memory? What had happened to her? Zelda didn't know what to think as she saw the bewildered look on Link's face was enough to break her heart, a piece of at a time.
This was all her fault. Every single death, every single injured…and now, her friends. Ilia, an innocent girl leaving in a world which had not known war, had lost the only thing that made all those laughs, all those people, all those memories were gone and only because Zelda had been too weak to stop the attack on her castle. If only she had stopped the attack on the castle, she could have stopped the raid on Ordon…probably would never meet Link and his friends, who would still be at their homes, playing, being ignorant of the horrors of the world. Some part of her, she was disgusted to admit, was glad this had happened because her failures she had met Link. Her mind and heart were fighting each other; she was a monster for thinking that way (falling for a peasant was not proper); you are a failure (you did what you could).
She shook her head, and looked back as the redhead woman, Telma, told Link everything that had happened as of now: Ilia and the Zora, Ralis, had been running away from a group of monsters, they had been saved by a knight named Shiro, and then, they ended here. When the barkeeper had questioned the girl, Ilia didn't know what to say. She could hardly remember anything, only that she had to run away and also care for the young Zora child who was dying.
After finishing with her explanation, Telma shot Link one last sympathetic look, before walking over towards Ilia, offering her a cup of tea. The girl only shook her head, desperately burying her face with her hands. Behind them both stood a group of knights huddled together, wondering what would happen now. One lone knight, who Zelda recognize as the Shiro, had moved away from the group, sighing. He barely acknowledged Link and the hawk princess, before removing his helmet and leaning his head fall into a nearby table. He seemed tired.
"Well, this isn't good," Telma muttered, as she put the cup down in a nearby table, as a small, white cat walked slowly towards both hero and hawk, interested. "…a human doctor won't do for this boy, huh…but, that reminds me," she began, getting looks from everyone around, except from Link, who was watching his friend despair over the Zora boy's condition, with Zelda looking at the hero once or twice. "I'ver heard of some shaman in Kakariko Village, in the lands of Eldin…I hear that he has tended both Gorons and Zoras, alike…" At the mention of that, Ilia quickly looked back at the older woman, hope in her eyes. The knight, too, looked at the barkeeper as well.
"Is that true?" the girl asked, smiling. "Perhaps…perhaps if we take him there, he might be saved!" Behind them, Link smiled, only to sigh soon after; Zelda noticed, and only managed to turn to look in the ground, the feelings of hate and jealously filling her very core before she shook them off. The white cat only glanced at her as the hawk princess did that, but it was ignored.
"Inadvisable!" cried one of the knights, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Everyone shot them a curious look, with Zelda cocking her head at their direction. "TOO DANGEROUS!"
"Yes! Too dangerous!" another agreed, shaking his spear in the air. Shiro, on the other hand, looked at the knights and placed a hand on his forehead as he shook his head. Zelda and the cat, she noticed, glanced at the knight, before looking back at the others. From Shiro's body language it was easy to decipher that this was normal behavior for the knights, all bark and no bite.
"But, we can't just turn a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, either," a third knight said, making Link look at him, folding both arms across his chest, his shadow mimicking him, as if asking what were those knights going to do. "Yes! We'd better escort you! Am I right boys?"
"YES!" came the loud cheer from the group of soldiers, making Zelda feel glad. Seeing brave knights like this sacrifice for the good of the people was always a good thing, even if they would do it for selfish reasons. "YES! LET'S HELP THE YOUNG LADY!"
"Well, isn't that nice?" Telma asked, sending a grin to Ilia. "To reach Kakariko we've got to cross two plains that are infested by dangerous beasts! But with all this crowd of big guns we are sure to be-"Turning to look at the knights, Telma stopped what she was saying finally noticing that the group that had shown courage seconds prior were gone. Link and the knight Shiro remained the latter who was shouting at them to come back. Zelda couldn't help but shake her head in disappointment. "OH! For the love of Nayru! Those cowards! If I ever see you in my bar again, I will personally kick you back to the cucco coral from which you came from!" Telma yelled furiously at the door, not expecting to be heard or to get a reply. Shiro only shook his head.
"I'm so sorry about all this Telma…they got you guys excited for nothing." Telma only shook her head, and sighed.
"Say nothing about it, Shiro, besides," she sent a wink at Link, who only winked back, surprised. Zelda grinned mentally; knowing exactly was passing through the barkeeper's mind. "We have a young swordsman here!" Both Ilia and Shiro turned to look at Link, as if now noticing he was there. "What do you say, honey? Wanna help us out?"
"Sure," Link replied, smiling.
"Ah! Wonderful!" the older woman said, grinning from ear to ear, as she looked back at Shiro, who was putting his helmet over his head and picking his lance.
"Count on me too, Telma!" he cried. "Let me repay the dishonor my comrades have so shamelessly showed you!"
"Oh, you don't have to do all their work, Shiro! They don't deserve it…now, better get this little one ready, and you are coming too, young lady…now, honey, Shiro, let's get going!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Shiro gulped as he looked at the open road before him, his white horse below just as nervous as his rider. The swordsman, Link, and his chestnut mare were on the other side of Telma's carriage, that carried that young girl and the Zora child. Telma herself was riding the carriage, that was carried by one black mare. Up in the air, Shannon, the swordsman's hawk, was watching from the sky for any sign of enemies, before they set off. When she found none, she quickly landed on the top of the carriage, shaking her head at Link. "Okay, thanks Shannon," the swordsman told her, turning to Telma, he said, "Shannon found no one nearby…our path should be clear…for now…" The redhead nodded.
"I hear ya, honey…it doesn't even help that the old bridge of Eldin is ripped in pieces…we could save ourselves some trouble if it had not been destroyed…" Telma sighed, shaking her head. Shiro nodded a bit of that, recalling how that Link fellow had told them about the Bridge of Eldin's destruction at the hands of beasts…and now, they all had to take the long path to Kakariko, the one that was considered the most dangerous of them all. Traders usually avoided the long path for fear of running into monsters, and even though the open space was large enough, it sometimes wasn't enough to escape with their heads intact.
Every second that passed, Shiro wished that he was back in Castle Town, under the safe cover of its walls, yet the knight knew better. His heart would never let him abandon this people, even if he didn't help that much, Shiro couldn't just abandon them to their fate. Since he became a knight, Shiro had wanted to help people, facing any kind of danger that dared present itself. From saving an old lady from a thief, to getting chased by a foul dog to allow a group of kids to escape to safety, Shiro would do it, no matter how embarrassing the job seemed. As the horses began to walk, the knight shot a look back at the town, sighing a bit. Not only was there trouble out in the wilderness of Hyrule, but in their castle as well.
Shiro didn't know exactly all the details, but something bad had happened to the castle. According to some sources, it had been taken over by someone while they weren't looking, and the army had been lowered to cowardly idiots and lazy drunks. No one did anything, and no one was allowed inside the castle walls, either. Shiro's mind wondered to the fate of Princess Zelda, if something had happened to her; nobody knowing if she was dead or alive. No one knew anything, and no one said anything, only if they felt a good rumor was well to spread. Not even the captains or noblemen knew what was going on, and that just made it even worse.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The road to the Great Bridge of Hylia was still far, and at the slow pace they were going, they wouldn't arrive to Kakariko in at least a whole day, but, at least, the girl will be keeping the Zora boy safe from harm from within the carriage's safe walls.
As they moved on, Shiro couldn't help but notice that the hawk was looking at him, glancing a bit back to the road to Castle Town, before she stared back at Shiro. It was strange, really. Here was some wild animal looking at him all weird and stuff, nodding her head as if she were grateful for the help this young knight of Hyrule was providing to her master and Telma. Shiro had to admit that those sapphire colored eyes that the hawk carried looked so familiar—
"Heads up, Shiro!" Link cried from his side, drawing his bow. "Trouble!" Shiro looked ahead of him, and gasped. They were already in front of the Great Bridge of Hylia…just how long had he been in the clouds, anyway? However, as soon as he stopped examining the bridge, his eyes were set on a large monster that guarded the end of the road, on top of some monstrous boar, wearing shields on either side of him. Shannon cried in surprise as she hovered in the air.
"What in the world?" Telma cried, looking as shocked as Shiro was at seeing the beast. "That thing! It's blocking the path…" Link turned to face Telma, and gave her a nod, before he galloped full force towards the creature, much to Telma and Shiro's amazement. "Honey! Be careful!"
The knight and barkeeper watched with opened mouths, as Link quickly got his bow ready, and began to fire arrows at the beast before him. Shiro could hear the cries of pain of the creature, as more and more arrows struck it on its uncovered body. Shiro almost gasped, when the creature almost made it out with the swordsman's head, but Link managed to duck just in time, and turn Epona around to hit the beast with another barrage of arrows. The beast groaned in response, shaking a beat on top of his boar. Shannon was flying nearby, and managed to strike the beast on the head, causing even more confusion during the battle. Link took this as a chance, and sent another arrow, this one, striking the big boar that carried the large green beast. The boar was left in a state of bewilderment, making the beast on top of him unable to control it. Shiro continued to watch, mouth open, as the boar crashed against the wall of the bridge, before sending its rider to the oblivion below.
Telma clapped her hands, as Link put his bow away, and Shannon landed on his sword's hilt, as they made their way back to the carriage. "That was some amazing work there, honey!"
"Indeed it was!" Shiro cried out. "Impressive…" The Hylian knight suddenly felt a wave of courage wash over him. If this Link person could protect them all, why couldn't he? He was a man, flesh and blood, and yet, despite the size of the beast, and the many foes, he came out on top. If one simple man such as Link could do it, with a brave soul and a stronger will, then Shiro could as well. If it was to protect the people then Shiro would do it, after all, he was a knight.
As they made their way towards the open fields that faced all kinds of monsters, Shiro got his lance ready, knowing full well that the journey ahead will be far more than safe, and he would be ready to help this hero man and aid the Zora child.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Zelda cried out in rage as the band of Bulblins ran up towards them. Some were wielding bows and arrows, while others, hard steel and cold wood in their hands, using dirty tricks to hurt Link and the Hylian soldier, Shiro. While Zelda had easily tackled some archers to the ground, Shiro and Link had taken to tackling the creatures with their spear and sword, respectively. Even as she pecked a beast, she could see Link swinging his sword from left to right, striking pain in the heart, arms, head, and even legs of the Bulblins, who each fell to the mighty blow of his blade. Shiro, too, was doing a great job keeping the Bulblins away from the carriage, striking them once or twice to make them drop to the ground defeated or dead. On one occasion, poor Shiro had been knocked off of his horse, but both the hero and hawk had gone to his aid with Link shooting arrows at the heads of coming foes, meanwhile Zelda, using a bit of that human strength she carried, knocked their enemies to the ground.
From the skies, she warned Link from any Bulblin archers, which he swiftly defeated with a single or pair of arrows shot straight at the head, chest, or arms. Shiro didn't need to be warned, however, as he kept his eyes well opened, and his spear close towards one of the Bulblin's belly or head, depending how quick he was to execute his attack. Zelda couldn't help but mentally smile at her brave soldier's bravery. Maybe, his act of courage right now, was all because of Link, he had passed on some courage from his heart to his, courage that had served him well during the trip. The hawk princess, too, felt that some of that courage had passed to her as well, seeing as she took out enemies without mercy, and watching out for any others that dared to pass by them. Soon, the gates of Kakariko were upon them, and with no enemy in sight, they could relax.
Telma was the only one out of the whole group that wasn't extremely exhausted by the time they reached the gates of Kakariko Village. Link, Shiro, and Zelda on the other hand, had injuries, yet, could still go on. Nothing a good red potion couldn't fix, Zelda thought, as they made their way inside the village, closing the gates behind them, and leaving their trek of blood and fighting behind.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"…He has passed through the worst of it. As long as he rests, he should recover in due time." Renado told Link, smiling a bit at the hero before him. The group had safely arrived into the village, and Renado had quickly taken Ralis to the nearest inn, to give him a bed and some well deserved rest. Ilia and Luda accompanied the Zora inside a room of the inn, while Link, Colin, Renado, and Zelda waited outside. "While he is safe for now…he…he has been crying out for his mother…mumbling deliriously about her almost constantly…" At that, Link's face fell, as did Zelda's, noticing this, Renado gave him a nod. "…I can see the knowledge grieves you…it must be an awful memory…" the shaman whispered, turning to face the Zora and the two young girls.
"…this are dark times," Link whispered, not taking his eyes off the ground. Colin seemed to understand what the hero was talking about, and quickly cried out,
"I'll stay with him until he's better! No matter how long it takes!" All three, men and hawk, turned to face the young boy, and then, the two men, smiled. Link ruffled his golden hair with a gloved hand, while Renado nodded in agreement.
"Is that so? Thank you, Colin…"
"Yeah, Colin…you don't know the big favor you'll be doing to the kid," the hero told him, shooting a glance at Ilia. He sighed, and removed his hand from on top the boy's hair. Zelda sighed as well, Link's sadness consuming her and breaking her heart as it did so. Colin, seeing the sadden face of the hero, spoke up.
"Hey, Link, about Ilia…is it true, what they say about her?" Before Link could answer, the shaman beat him to it.
"Yes, she has lost her memory, Colin, and regaining it will be no simple task." At that, both Link and Colin grimaced, Zelda only shook her head, as if shaking away from a bad nightmare. "But it will be all right, child," Renado assured him, smiling a bit despite the situation. "If we just give her some time, I am certain that Ilia will find her heart again. So, Colin, I'd like to ask you to stay in this village until then. It is our turn to show the courage that you have already displayed." The young boy smiled at the shaman. Giving him a quick nod, the boy rushed to see to Luda and Ilia, that were tending to Ralis. Courage flows everywhere, this days, Zelda thought, watching the scene before her of the her three group of friends, helping a stranger out, not caring the species. …courage…I had none when they took over my castle…did I? the hawk princess sighed, catching Link's attention. He only smiled at her, while Renado excused himself.
"Nice to see there's still hope here…" came a voice from nearby. Link turned around, and faced Telma, who smiled warmly back at him. "And it's always good to see happy results repay your efforts, eh?" Link gave her a nod.
"Yep. Everything may seem bad at first, but there always is a brighterday…" Telma laughed at this, leaning at a nearby wooden railing.
"Yeah, you said it, honey…nothing like helping those in need…and those skills of yours…any chance you're of the mind to put them to use for Hyrule?" she asked him. The hero looked at the redhead curiously, and she explained, "What hope there is in our kingdom if it is frail and dying…our princess missing," Zelda lowered her head again. What shame she felt at the moment. "but, there's still a light in the road, honey…a group trying to do what it can to save our land." Zelda and Link looked back at Telma, rather surprised by what she just told them.
"A group?"
"Yeah, and I happen to be a member in that group…any chance you go to the bar back to Hyrule, meet them…they are a nice bunch of people…" She folded both arms across her chest, and smiled at the group of kids helping Ralis heal. "I may just stay here a bit longer. I'm still worried about Ilia, and well, never mind about the rest…they seemed alright to me, huh?" She winked at Link, before she disappeared as soon as she had arrived, leaving Link and Zelda all alone. The two watched the scene before them for a while longer, before a familiar voice called out to them.
"Hero…hero…outside…"Hearing Rutela's ghostly call, Link had not wasted no time to go outside of the inn.
Once the hero had stepped outside of the inn, with no one around, Rutela's spirit had greeted the hero once again. She said nothing, but beckoned him and Zelda to follow him. Both could hear an exasperated sigh coming from Midna, who had stayed silent during the whole trip, apparently bored with this whole adventure. "She just can't make things easier, can she?"
"You don't want me to answer that," Link told her, as he followed the spirit of the Zora queen towards a familiar pathway. They were heading to the graveyard, although things didn't get easier from them.
Rutela's ghost guided them to the back of the graveyard, where she had taken care of opening a way for Link and Zelda to enter. It was a rather a small hole, but the two managed to fit, with Midna laughing in the background. "You don't have an idea how silly you look from there! Hahaha!"
"Very funny, Midna…" Link breathed, trying hard to pass through. Zelda only shot him a sympathetic look, before she giggled mentally at his troubles. The hero was glad when he reached the end of the pathway, which led to a small pond like area, hidden deep within the graveyard of Kakariko. Small waterfalls of water decorated the place, along with a few sapphires that glowed in the darkness.
Floating next to a strange stone with symbol of the Zoras were, Rutela guided the young warrior closer. After swimming a bit, Link reached the other side, while Zelda landed on his sword's hilt. Rutela smiled at them both, and put a ghostly hand on top of the stone. "Thank you, young warrior for keeping your word and aiding my son in his time of need. You were right to bring him here…Kakariko Village, you see, has always been a sacred place for us Zora people…here is where we take our eternal rest…"
"Glad I could help, your highness," Link told her, smiling. Midna scoffed from underneath his shadow.
"Pfft…goody-two shoes…" Zelda shook her head at Midna's senseless mocking, while Link sighed, seeing as a glare wouldn't do any good with her.
"Now…I shall keep my word…here…where the grave of my husband lies, is a garment that houses the abilities of the Zora…" Extending a pale hand over the grave, Rutela moved the stone on top of it, to reveal neatly folded clothes nearby. She nodded at Link, who took them, and examined them. They were exactly a bit like his green tunic, except blue in color…even the hat was the same, except that it had a strange mask to cover it, and even more details than the worn out tunic he wore."This…this was once made for the ancient hero…by my king's ancestor…who, foresaw that one day, the hero of Hyrule might need it…take it, and wear it proudly…young warrior…"
"I will…thank you, Queen Rutela…"
"No…thank you, young warrior…for helping my son…now, I can join my husband in his slumber...and yet…my son…He still knows nothing of my death…if you happen to see him again, young one…please…tell him to not grieve for his mother's passing…tell him she wanted to be brave and live as the king of our people…" A few tears began to fall from Rutela's pale face, as she smiled a bit. Link could hardly keep his stance straight, and Zelda, couldn't help but turn away in shame…it was her fault the woman was leaving her son behind."And…tell him his mother…loves…him…without end…Tell him…"And with those final words, the Zora Queen disappeared to her resting place in the Sacred Realm.
Link let out a sad sigh. He was being the bearer of bad news, and he hated it. Zelda knew as much. Before long, Midna appeared once more, rising from Link's shadow. "I guess that's that!" she replied, grinning a bit, as she snapped her fingers and disappeared the armor on the hero's arms. "Well, it's a good thing that you found all of your friends and picked up that nifty armor, huh? But, remember what you need to do?"
"Get that Fused Shadow," Link told her, sighing. "…why do I get the feeling this will hurt…"
"Why are you complaining for! Remember that we need those things to defeat Zant!" Midna spat venomously, making Zelda cocked her head at her, yet she said nothing. "We just finish this, and we are done, so don't worry too much!" The imp suddenly grinned again, before she winked at Zelda. "Sorry to say, bird brain, but you are staying behind…"
"Huh? Why?" the hero asked her, visibly confused by what the Twili imp said. Zelda only nodded, before she left her place on the hilt, and landed on the ground nearby.
"Well, in case you have forgotten, Mr. Hero…little bird brain here doesn't have a nifty armor to breath underwater, now, does she?" Link suddenly blinked, and said a big 'Ah!' making Midna sigh, and Zelda laugh.
"My bad…"
"Yeah, so bad! Idiot…" Link only sighed, and patted Zelda's head.
"Sorry Shannon, but Midna's got a point…for once…"
"Yeah, sure…"
"…so you have to stay behind, sorry." Zelda nodded in understanding, but she couldn't say good bye, as Link disappeared along with Midna into a million particles, and left her alone in the grave of the Zora King. The hawk princess sighed. Such a duty the hero had to follow. She was about to make her way out of the grave, when a familiar voice caught her ears…a voice, she never expected to hear again.
"Wait…Princess Zelda…" Turning around to face the grave of the Zora King, Zelda was greeted with the sight of the deceased Zora Queen.
"Queen Rutela…how did you…?" the hawk princess asked, unable to believe that the Queen of the Zoras had delayed her trip to the Sacred Realm just to speak with her.
"Even upon the possession of beasts, the eyes of your mother have no equal…" Rutela told her, smiling."It has been so long, has it not?"
"Yes…of course…I would have expected our meeting to be less…remorseful…" Zelda told her, lowering her head. Rutela noticed this action, and calmly floated towards her.
"Princess…do not let the guilt overwhelm you…"
"But…but…it was my fault…if only I had stopped this mess…none of this would have happened.."
"Do not blame yourself, child…what has happened was beyond your control…" Zelda only shook her head.
"It would have been on my control if only-" Suddenly, she felt someone lift her beak, so she was facing the pale face of the deceased Queen.
"There are times when our fate makes a wrong turn, princess," Rutela told her."We cannot control the outcome of that simple mistake, but can make a difference in the future…and I believe, you are making that turn…you and that hero are saving the land from evil…"
"Rutela…" The Queen of the Zoras smiled, before she began to float into the air once more.
"Always remember, princess…where there is light…there is hope…" And with those words, Rutela disappeared, leaving Zelda alone. Soon after the spirit left her presence, the hawk princess fell to the ground, and began to weep…something she had no chance of doing in a while. She wept for Link, for Midna, for Ilia, and Colin, and even for Ralis. She wept for her land, and begged the Goddesses to take care of her dearly beloved on his harsh journey underneath the sea.