Warnings: SLIGHTLY Disturbing Material, SLIGHT violence, Spoilers for Skyward Sword
Takoume burst into Zelda's room, making Zelda jump with surprise as she lay on her makeshift bed. "How did you contact Link?" the witch demanded, "It's much too early still—how did you contact him?"
Zelda's eyes widened, not expecting such an accusation, "I haven't."
"Don't lie, you foolish girl," Takoume hissed, seizing Zelda by the throat, "Any tricks will cost you dearly, so I advise you answer honestly."
Zelda gasped for air through the sorceress' tight hold on her neck, "I…truly…have contacted no one."
Takoume growled angrily, flinging Zelda back against the wall behind her. Zelda yelped with surprise, rubbing at her neck in an attempt to soothe the pain. Glancing up, Zelda noticed two Gerudo standing behind Takoume. Takoume nodded to them, "Leave us."
As the guards left, Takoume stepped closer to Zelda once more. "I could attempt another Exchange, but you seem to gain more and more information with each try," Takoume hissed, "Which is why I'm going to ask you a final time to give me an answer before I'm forced to resort to other methods."
Zelda kept her voice brave as she questioned, "Is Link here, then? Did you truly assume he would never find us? I warned you that he was a skilled huntsman; even the Gerudo cannot elude his tracking."
"Don't be so impetuous, your hero has not even set foot upon our grounds—" Takoume scoffed.
"You mean the Sealed Grounds? The Sealed Temple? That's where we are, isn't it?" Zelda pressed, interrupting.
In a burst of temper, Takoume's hand smacked across Zelda's face, the princess tasting blood in her mouth from the impact. Zelda flinched, feeling her eyes water. She smeared away her tears hastily—Takoume had seen her cry enough, there was no need to deepen her humiliation by sniveling over a mere slap to the face. "You've served your purpose. I could slaughter you like a pig if I wanted to," Takoume snarled.
"Then why haven't you?" Zelda challenged, "I would dare to say that your confidence is nothing but an act—that you've no answers at all and you mask your failures with what little power you possess!"
Takoume's eyes did not break contact with Zelda's as she ordered, "Enter."
The two guards from before returned. Takoume yanked Zelda from the stone table, hurling her into the arms of the guards. "Take her to the lowest level," Takoume muttered, "And see that you give her a fitting welcome."
As Zelda was being dragged away, Takoume called out, "Don't think your husband's arrival is a surprise to me. Indeed, I quite expected it. And I wouldn't be so quick to identify his audacity as a failure of my foresight. He will have his own part to play in time, I assure you."
"Link—Master Link! Sir!" Thorolf panted as he rushed uphill to meet his commander, shoving his way through the undergrowth.
"Yes?" Link sighed impatiently, not pausing as he made his way up the steep incline of a hill in Faron Woods. The place was overgrown with plant life and insects, making travel difficult, but Link was certain that Zelda was up ahead. The feeling he'd had earlier—it had urged him to come to this area of the forest.
"The men—they grow restless," Thorolf managed, finally catching up with Link, "They complain constantly of our lack of rest and the unguarded horses left behind."
"This terrain would be impossible for them," Link muttered, not meeting Thorolf's eyes as he climbed higher, nearly on his hands and knees due to the heavy brush about him.
"They need rest!" Thorolf insisted, "By nightfall they'll be too exhausted to continue; I recommend we set up camp now while we still have the light."
Link finally stopped, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He longed to push on, knowing how close by Zelda was, but he knew Thorolf was right. "Very well," he reluctantly consented, "Find a clearing and make camp."
The sounds of Zelda's breathing frightened her: long, raspy inhalations with short, sharp exhales. She was parched, her mouth hanging agape, the sensation of breathing scratching against her dry throat. She shut her eyes, sealing her lips and swallowing, trying to moisten her mouth in any way that she could. She slumped to one side without thinking, nearly screaming as she remembered why she couldn't. She jerked away, fresh tears rolling down her face at the pain that reverberated throughout her body whenever she moved. Moving the hand that was not chained above her head, she felt her stomach, cringing at the sticky presence of blood still dampening her dress.
She was so worried for the baby—she hadn't felt it kick since her torture. Her sides had been sliced by the Gerudo knives, but thankfully her stomach had not been punctured. Yet she still had not felt any movement from the child. She let her hand slide to the musty floor, the other one numb above her in its padlock.
Sweat and trickles of blood ran down her face as she continued to pant for breath. She knew she was dehydrated, she didn't want to consider other possibilities like infection or disease. She had been whipped, burnt with hot coals, and cut with knives. Takoume was undoubtedly furious—Link must be close by. But…Takoume had almost made it sound as if she wanted Link to come. If he had a part to play, why did she seem angry that Zelda had revealed to him her location?—which she hadn't.
Zelda's thoughts were interrupted as her cell door was thrown open and a rusted tray thrown to her feet. The Gerudo guard spit on her and shut the door once more. With her hand still shaking from the trauma, she investigated her meal for the day. No water. Simply a bowl of unidentifiable mush. Zelda raised the bowl to her lips and was about to swallow some of the disgusting food when she stopped. She sensed something…something was off.
Dipping her finger into the hardening meal, Zelda gasped upon recognizing that the mush was coated in a liquid. She lifted her finger again, watching the transparent fluid drip from it. It seemed to be odorless. Could Takoume be trying to poison her? No, if the liquid was lethal, Zelda was certain she would have sensed it. Unless…it wasn't lethal to her…could it be? Zelda couldn't risk it—the thought of losing her child was unbearable. Despite the ache of hunger persisting in her body, she stubbornly shoved the tray away again.
Zelda had no way of keeping track of the time; her body was too deprived of nutrients and water for her mind to keep a proper record as she could usually do with ease. Yet based upon the arrival of her uneaten meals, Zelda knew it had been a few days. She also knew she couldn't go much longer without eating—for her sake and her baby's. The baby had given a soft kick not so very long ago, which had been a source of joy for the princess in her solitude. But even that seemed as if it happened ages ago, and Zelda was growing increasingly weary as time wore on.
She barely reacted as Takoume entered her cell one day, seizing her thinning cheeks and forcing the girl to make eye contact with her. "He's too early," Takoume growled, "It's not ready yet. So if you won't tell me how you've been sending him information, then I'll find out myself."
Zelda's hoarse voice broke on her outcry as she felt another Exchange overtake her. The pain with the addition of her other wounds was worse than before. "Stop! Please stop!" Zelda croaked, her surrender almost immediate.
Yet Takoume seemed to have already gained what she needed, drawing back with a satisfied smile, "Ah, telepathy. I was unaware you had mastered the art, princess."
"I…haven't," Zelda sobbed, her body still shuddering from The Exchange.
Takoume clucked her tongue, "And you lie still. Really quite foolish for one who was rumored to be so wise."
Zelda glanced up at Takoume weakly, her mind clearing more quickly due to the briefness of The Exchange. "You're pregnant too," she whispered, gazing at Takoume with slight awe at never noticing such a thing before.
"I wondered how many Exchanges it would take you to discover that," Takoume grinned, her hand resting upon her stomach, "With twins, too. I'm sure they will be formidable allies in the world of witchcraft when they are older. And I see you've not taken the medicine I've left you for your own child, naughty girl. I look forward to forcing it down your throat in the near future as I watch your womb shrivel away."
Ignoring the horrific threat, Zelda gasped, realizing she had learned one more thing about her captor as well. "Demise—the Master Sword—that's what you want, isn't it?" Zelda inquired heatedly, her voice still faint from her suffering.
Takoume chuckled, "Seeing as how you will be dead before I can enact my plans, I suppose there's no harm in telling you. Demise's power was the greatest in the history of our world—enough to weaken even the goddess of Hylia to the point of accepting mortality. I, however, needed more information on the subject, and I knew the story was passed down through members of the royal family."
"Which is why you kidnapped me," Zelda breathed, pieces of the puzzle beginning to fall together.
"Precisely—I suppose you're not entirely foolish after all. Demise cannot be fully resurrected once more, but I suspect his power can be removed from the Master Sword, something I fully intend to accomplish. And with it, I'm afraid, dear princess, I'll be practically unstoppable. Don't worry your little head though—I'll take care to destroy everything your family has striven so hard to create."
"And how do you expect to retract Demise's powers from the Master Sword?" Zelda hissed, "It's impossible!"
"I beg to differ, your highness," Takoume shot back, sarcasm heavy in her tone, "I believe that with the blood of his conqueror, Demise's powers can quite easily be freed."
"The blood of his conqueror? Hylia's husband has been dead for over a century!" Zelda would've laughed, had she the strength to do so.
"That may be," Takoume smiled cruelly, "But I believe the blood of one of his descendents might suffice just as well."
Zelda's eyes widened. The heirs of the royal family had always been the daughters of the family, but Hylia, the Zelda of old, and her husband, Link, had bore a son as well. One whose bloodline was continued through his own sons: men of unusual courage and strength—resembling that of their male ancestor. And Zelda knew who the only current male bearing such qualities descended of the bloodline was; Impa had informed her of it long ago. Link.
"May the goddesses lighten the feet of your husband, Zelda," Takoume grinned as she left the cell once more, "Once my preparations are complete, I look forward to meeting him personally."
Zelda's heart had been pounding frantically ever since her visit from Takoume. She still could not judge how long it had been, but her anxiety had not let her sleep since the encounter. Link—all Takoume truly wanted was Link! And being the noble man he was in attempting to rescue Zelda, he was falling right into her trap! "Oh, Link, please be careful!" Zelda implored quietly.
Link gave the signal for silence. He and his men stood atop a large hill overlooking the dilapidated building that was once known as the Sealed Temple. "It's right spooky around here," one soldier mumbled nervously.
Thorolf cleared his throat as Link scanned the area, "Link, exactly what are we up against? And are you completely sure Zelda's even down there?"
Link motioned Thorolf aside. Once they were out of earshot of the rest of the soldiers, Link confessed apprehensively, "I-I'm not as sure anymore, Thorolf. When I heard that voice—I just knew in my heart that this was where Zelda was. But it's been days-nearly a week since then! And I've not felt anything more. I'm beginning to doubt myself."
Thorolf laid a hand upon Link's shoulder, "Don't doubt your instincts, Link. You're an experienced huntsman—more so than the rest of us. Your tracking is undoubtedly the best in the land and—"
Link suddenly staggered backwards, clutching a tree for balance as his eyes widened. "Link!" Thorolf surged forward, catching his friend.
"It's Zelda," Link panted, blinking multiple times as he regained his balance, "It was her voice again—I felt it again!"
"What did she say?" Thorolf asked anxiously.
"She warned me to be careful," Link replied seriously, yet his elation at hearing another hint from Zelda was still apparent on his face. He looked down upon the Sealed Temple with new confidence, "She's in there. I know it."
Zelda struggled uselessly against her chains. Now both of her hands had been raised above her head and pinned to the wall behind her. Once again, her baby had lain motionless within her, and panic was beginning to overtake her. Takoume had promised her death, her baby wasn't moving, her husband was walking into a trap—
Zelda's body jerked, and she gave a weak shriek of surprise as her door opened once more. "Zelda."
Zelda could barely register what she was seeing as Link stooped before her, swiftly unlocking the chains binding her hands with stolen keys. "Link?" she whispered with disbelief.
Link smiled softly, nodding as he helped the weak princess to her feet. Before Zelda could realize what he was doing, she found herself being swept into a kiss, Link's hand resting on her cheek and holding her in place. Zelda's eyes widened with surprise, but she was too feeble to shove the hero away. Thorolf cleared his throat nervously, and Zelda blushed upon noting the group of soldiers watching them. "Master Link, they'll be coming for us—we ought to be going," the general suggested, uneasily shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
Link nodded, wrapping an arm around Zelda's waist and gently leading her out of her cell, "I agree. Let's get you out of here, princess."
I'm thinking you're probably pleased with the outcome of this chapter—hopefully I'm right! And yet Link and Zelda's adventures are far from over. If I'm lucky, you'll stick around to find out what their future holds. But even if you don't: happy reading and I'll see you again next week!