Sibilant whispers rose from the dark, burrowing deep into her mind as she tossed and turned in her bed. They rang dreadfully true, ringing bells of apocalypse behind her closed lids as her mouth opened in a silent scream. The cold grasp of death seemed to be closing in around her, choking the air out of her lungs as it pulled her away from her room and deeper into the bowels of the castle. A shadow, a glimpse of green and the flickering flame of a lantern greeted her as she opened her eyes. The stench of stagnant water filled her nose as the squeaking of rats reached her ears. The silvery blade of a sword flashed, and the critters skittered away. She didn't have to see more to know what her Triforce piece was trying to tell her as it resonated stronger than ever. Her savior was near, and soon she would be freed… or dead.
Zelda's eyes shuddered open and, despite the comforting warmth of her bed, tears stung her eyes. He was coming to destroy Ganondorf and free Hyrule, probably unconscious that to achieve this goal, she would have to die as well.
Her eyes shifted from the ceiling to the cradle next to her bed. The child continued to sleep, undisturbed by her mother's distress. Swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, the princess stood, crossing into the boudoir adjacent to her bedroom. As she sunk into her favorite, velvet-clad chair, her thoughts drifted from her daughter to her husband. She should warn him, but he probably already knew. He had to. Her Triforce piece was tugging at her soul harder than ever, becoming more and more painful with each day that passed. Rising from her seat, the princess crossed back into her bedroom, coming to kneel next to her daughter's cradle. It had been two months since she had given birth, and the child was still nameless. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to name the little thing she had conceived, for naming her would make her too real – would make all of this a terrible reality. With a sigh the princess rose, staring at the cloudy night sky outside and, when the door opened, she did not turn. The heavy steps were unmistakably his.
"He is coming," she murmured, mindful of the child sleeping near her.
"I know," Ganondorf answered, his voice as low as hers.
Somehow, the low tone of his voice added a touch of deviousness and spite to his words. Without looking at him, Zelda made her way back to the boudoir. She knew he would follow.
"Have you at least tried to stop him?" She asked as she sat back in the chair she had just left, looking at him for the first time since he had entered the room.
The Dark King had lost usual, smug smile. It had been replaced by a perpetual scowl, his eyes dark with contained fury and his lips twisted into a constant sneer. He folded his arm across his massive chest, shooting her a dark look.
"Do not ask questions you already know the answer to," the man spat, taking to pace the length of the room. "He destroyed every obstacle I sent his way. He will be in the castle by the end of the night."
Zelda felt her breath hitch in her throat. It was too soon. They still had to devise a plan, a strategy, something, anything. Ganondorf stopped dead in his tracks before her and, extending a hand, he caressed her cheek, his familiar, devious grin creeping onto his lips.
"Don't worry, my dear," he whispered, tipping her chin upward toward him, "you will not have much to do. I have taken care of everything."
As his enigmatic words rang in her ears, she felt her eyelids drooping, as if she was falling asleep. She opened her mouth to speak, but darkness engulfed her before she could choke out a single word. She slumped forward into Ganondorf's arms, the Dark King lifting her in his arms as soon as he was sure she was unconscious. His grin disappeared as he marched out of the small room, once again finding himself in the princess' bedroom.
"You know what to do," he called out to the darkness.
As he left the room, the shadows behind him twisted and churned, coming to twirl around the cradle in which the child slept, forming a thin veil of pure darkness around the infant. Two shadowy tendrils suddenly sprang out from the writhing mass of shade, wrapping the child in a surprisingly delicate embrace. She slept on undisturbed as she was lifted from the cradle, the shadows slowly returning to their original place, taking the slumbering child with them and fading and faded into night.
'Rats. Why does it always have to be rats?'
The thought crossed Link's mind as he lowered his sword for the hundredth time, slicing the overly aggressive critter in two. He didn't know how much time he had spent underground, but all of his supplies were running perilously short. He had eaten the last of his food several hours ago, nothing but a few drops of water remained in his bottles, and the flame of his lamp was flickering dangerously as it consumed the last of its oil. He knew he had to be close. His Triforce piece had been pulsing hard and strong for a long time now, becoming painful as he made his way further into the sewers. Now, the pulling sensation was unbearable, as if his very essence was seeking release from his body. The boy frowned, so focused on the pain that, at first, he did not hear the faint whisper of voices coming from above, until a particularly loud outburst drew his attention. A tired smile settled onto his lips. He had finally made it! But, as he listened more intently, a terrible doubt crossed his mind. The voices he was hearing were not human and the language could barely be qualified as such. All he heard were squeals and cries, cried in rough, high-pitched tones. Surely this couldn't be Hyrule Castle? Link was about to continue on his way when a new voice mixed with the others, this one low, seductive. Although the person was speaking the savage language he had heard, there was something undeniably human in the way the animalistic growls flowed. After a few minutes, the patter of feet was heard above, and soon nothing but Link's own ragged breathing rang out in the silent air.
Once more brandishing his lantern before him, the boy went on exploring the tunnel, soon coming upon an old stairway. A thick layer of cobwebs prevented him from going further but, with a wave of his hand and a disgusted gasp, the way became clear. Carefully climbing the stairs, Link found himself before an aged door. As he laid his hand against the old wood, it swung open, hinges groaning loudly at being moved so suddenly when they had not been used in years. Flattening himself against the wall, the boy waited for a second before carefully making his way into the small room he had discovered. Numerous people had undeniably and recently been here. Dices and cups were littered all over a small wooden table, spilled wine still dripping away between the cracked stones of the floor. Broken weapons and armors were piled up against the walls, waiting for repairs, while patches of dried blood bore witness to recent fights. Two staircases extended from the room, one making its way higher, while the other sank deep into the earth's bowels.
Quickly crossing the room, Link began climbing the stairs seemingly leading to the surface, impatient to breathe a bit of fresh air. But as he neared the top of the seemingly endless steps, the same high-pitched voices as before greeted him. There seemed to be many of them, at least a dozen, if his sense did not fail him – and they never did. The voices seemed to be getting closer and closer, and the boy braced himself for a fight. Even though he did not know whether the creatures would be hostile or not, everything he had gone through had taught him to always be prepared. There was a flash of silver as he took out his sword, the familiar weight in his hand reassuring him as the first creature entered his line of sight. It was small, green and smelled of rot and stagnant water. As soon as the boy in green lunged from his hiding place, the monster's blood-curdling howl echoed in the narrow stairway, followed by the patter of numerous booted feet tumbling down toward him. Slashing at the creature before him so that its cry of alarm finished into a wet gurgling sound, Link stood tall before a sea of identical, green monsters. He had not expected to be able to waltz into the castle without meeting any kind of resistance, and this only proved he had been right.
With a cry, they all charged at him, their swords drawn and their eyes shining in murderous rage.
"Don't fight it, Zelda. It'll be better for everyone."
The words echoed deep within her, muffled and distorted by the fog of unnatural sleep clouding her mind. She tried to ignore them, yet they nagged and insisted, as if trying to tell her something. Finally, with great efforts, her eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry and unfocused as she blinked repeatedly. At first she thought she was still asleep, for what she was seeing could not be right. She was floating above the throne room, in the middle of the Triforce symbol hanging above her throne. When she tried to bring her hand to her face, the limb refused to obey her, staying limp and useless at her side. She tried to move her head and see what was around her, but the results were the same. Fear streaked through her mind, immediately replaced by anger when she heard a voice speak far below her.
"Finally awake, I see?"
Even though she couldn't see him, the princess knew Ganondorf had a smug smirk on his lips. She could hear spite seeping between his words like insidious poison. She could almost see him lounging in her – her – throne as he always did, taking great pleasure in seeing the pain and destruction he caused.
"Your wound me, dear," she heard him say. "You are lucky I feel so generous today, for I forgive you. After all, today is the day I will finally kill the Hero – and with your aid, no less."
Zelda squeezed her eyelids shut. He truly did take a perverse pleasure in reopening her old wounds. But for her, she knew she would do anything.
"For now, your child is safe," the Dark Lord said. "Nothing will happen to her as long as you obey me. And if you decide to rebel… Enia won't even know what she will have done. Do not worry. It will be quick and without pain."
At first Zelda did not understand his words. After all, Enia would never –
'You are a cold-blooded monster,' she thought, unable to find words strong enough to express her disgust and fury.
"Guilty as charged," he answered, and she could hear the sadistic grin in his voice.
A few minutes trickled by in silence until she heard him shift below her.
"Why," he whispered, as if for himself. "It seems our guest of honor has arrived."
She heard him stand and he suddenly appeared in her line of sight, floating merely inches from her.
"Sleep, my dear," he murmured as her eyelids once more became heavy with sleep. "When you next awaken, everything will be over."
Her lids were once more forced shut, but before unconsciousness overtook her she saw a small silhouette standing in the throne room's doorway, standing proud with a long blade in his hand. The bloody light of the setting sun gave the stranger a demonic look as he stepped closer into the room. Without a sound, Zelda let Ganondorf's magic seep into her mind, blocking all of her thoughts and her will. Turning away from the sleeping princess, Ganondorf smirked as newest guest stepped further into the room, his sword and shield raising at the sight of him. Still in midair, the Dark King folded himself in two in a mock-bow before speaking.
"Welcome to my humble abode, Link."