Darn it! I thought for sure I'd get my 100th review by last chapter. Oh well, I'm done waiting to write this chapter up. The little contest still applies though :p
Yay for fast updates! I figured I might as well make it up to you guys since I was so slow with last chapter.
Let's get some plot in, shall we?
Chapter 12
"So let me get this straight. You're telling me that our ultra creepy history professor kidnapped Zelda? What if he like, you know… did stuff to her?" Midna asked, slurping the straw in her pink lemonade. The four of them were currently lounging at a distant table in the café. They had made it just in time for them to still be serving breakfast.
Zelda choked on the pancake she was chewing. "Midna, goddesses, I do not even want to think about that possibility."
Sheik muttered in agreement and Link turned a light shade of green.
"So what then? Our substitute principal is evil and we're all doomed to be his sex slaves?" Midna wondered out loud, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"I don't think we'll be sex slaves, but I do get the feeling that Ganondorf is indeed evil. No matter what he's planning, big or small, he has no good intentions. I'm sure of it," Sheik said with finality. He hadn't touched his eggs and bacon, and Midna was sneaking envious looks at the untouched food.
"I just want to know what he did with Impa. The police still have no leads as to who took her or where she is. You don't think he…killed her, do you?" Link asked, lowering his voice.
"I don't know," Zelda whispered softly, suddenly losing her appetite.
They sat in silence, all four of them fearing what could very well be true. The kind and authoritive woman they had all known could be lying somewhere far away in a gutter, cold and lifeless. Zelda shivered.
"So Link, you said that we didn't find any helpful information about our triforces, but we did discover that Ghirahim and the other teachers are basically trying to rewrite history. And with Nayru under their influence…they could really do it." Zelda remembered briefly when Professor Onox had asked Din to stay after class and realized she hadn't seen the redhead since.
"Have you guys seen Farore or Din? You don't think they're cooperating with them too, do you?" Zelda asked.
"I haven't seen them around. I wouldn't put it past them to follow Nayru's lead, though. They're pretty mindless." Midna snorted. "Hey Sheiky, you gonna eat that?"
Sheik gave her a small smile and pushed his plate towards her. "I love a woman with an appetite."
Midna wiggled her brows at him. "You know babe, bacon isn't the only meat that I-"
"MIDNA!" Zelda shrieked, clasping her hands over her cheeks, "Not at the table!"
Midna rolled her eyes playfully and leaned towards her boyfriend. "We'll finish this later," she whispered.
Zelda gagged slightly and Link placed a comforting hand on her back. "Back to the subject, guys. Din and Farore could easily be in league with Ganondorf. Nayru is undoubtedly the most powerful out of all three of them, which is bad since we know for sure she's gone to, well, the dark side," Link said, gesturing slightly with his hand, "Din can control the seasons. But the weather can also change according to her mood. Right now it's kind of unusually cold, so she's probably sad or angry."
"ERMAHGERD! Like, remember when she lost Spring Fling Queen to Malon? There was a freaking blizzard for a week straight and all the classes were cancelled. I think Impa rigged the votes every year since then so the students didn't have an excuse to miss class." Midna said as she poked at the sunny side up eggs.
"I don't see how snowing everyone in their dorm would help them, though. That almost sounds like a nice thing to do." Zelda said.
Link shrugged. "And Farore is the oracle of secrets. That's why she runs the school newspaper. She knows basically everything. For being named after the Goddess of Courage though, she's pretty timid. I'd imagine Ganondorf would want her to keep an eye on the students."
"So Nayru and Farore are of use to them, and I bet Din is just an added bonus," Sheik said, crossing his arms.
Zelda opened her mouth to reply, but just then, a red headed woman she knew was Anju ran into the café shouting.
"Help! Somebody, help! Vaati and Zant are getting into it by the fountain and Kafei is trying to stop them! Someone is going to get hurt!"
The café went dead silent for a moment, and sure enough, Zelda could hear shouting coming from the distance. "Link! We have to go help him!" she yelled, rising from the table. She joined Anju at the door and most people in the café rose to head outside and watch the scene.
"Zelda! Get Link, or Sheik! I don't think Kafei…he couldn't protect himself against them…" Anju was practically sobbing now. Zelda grabbed her by the shoulders and spoke sternly.
"They're coming! Pull yourself together and let's go!"
Anju nodded shakily and the two of them darted out the door, the others following close behind. In the distance, Zelda could see the three men arguing close to the fountain, which no longer spilled water into it's basin. Vaati was red faced and attempting to shove Kafei out of the way, while Zant stood with his hands behind his back, looking smug. As the two girls approached, Zelda caught onto their conversation.
"Don't!" Kafei pleaded, holding his own against Vaati, "Don't do it, Vaati. Don't do anything you'll regret. This man is a stranger; he could kill you!"
Zant's smile widened, but he said nothing.
"Dude, screw you! He don't got the right to be harassin' my crew. He's the vice prez, for goddess sake, not a dictator!"
"Actually, Little Vaati, while you are enrolled in my school, it is wise to consider me as your dictator."
"It ain't your school. It's Madame Impa's," Vaati spat, sending a vicious glare to the man.
"Is it?" Zant cooed, tilting his head to the side. "If that is so, then why is Master Dragmire sitting in her chair as we speak? Where is your Madame, your leader, your sage?"
"Fuck you!" Vaati shouted. Zelda watched in horror as the purple haired man swept Kafei aside and reared back to send an earth-shattering punch towards the Twili. Just before his fist made contact with his face, though, Zant caught his wrist and grinned wickedly.
"Zelda!" Link shouted, running towards her, "Don't look!"
But Zelda could not tear her eyes away from the grotesque scene unfolding in front of her. With wide eyes, she watched as their vice president squeezed Vaati's wrist with inhuman strength and bent it backwards slowly. The crunching of bones mixed with Vaati's screams of horror made her stomach churn and she placed one hand over her mouth as if to hold in the vomit that threatened to come up. Vaati fell to his knees as his knuckles brushed against his arm in an unnatural way, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Zant let go of his wrist as he passed out from the pain, his now forever useless hand laying in a heap at the end of his right arm.
"You…you fucking monster…" Kafei breathed after recovering himself, raising his shocked gaze slowly from the unconscious boy to the still-smiling Zant. "You'll go to jail. I swear to Goddess Hylia, you'll be taken away."
"What'll you do about it, boy, if you don't have vocal chords to speak with? I could easily tear them out. Shall we make an example of it?"
Everything began moving in slow motion for Zelda. She heard Anju let out a blood-curdling scream as Zant lunged for her defenseless boyfriend. However, instead of feeling fear and dread for Kafei like she did for Vaati, she felt a strange calmness wash over her. She raised her hand towards the slow moving men in front of her and poured all of her fear, authority, power, and most importantly, her love into one word.
"No!"
She felt a miraculous force move from her spiritual body and surge towards Kafei, encasing him in a blue diamond-like prism. Zant reared back as if he had been shocked and stared wide-eyed at the boy, who was being protected by an all too familiar force.
"Nayru's love…" he whispered, turning his gaze to Zelda. "So it's true…"
"I don't know who you think you are, or what you think you're capable of doing, but believe me, you will not get away with your antics if I have anything to do about it." Zelda spoke in a different voice, one sounding much older and wiser than what she really was. It was almost as if a spirit had taken over her body and was controlling her.
Zant gave her a steely glare before turning on his heels. "See to it that Vaati is taken to the Great Fairy. A broken hand is nothing she can't handle."
Zelda glanced down at Vaati, whose hand was purple from the blood swelling beneath his skin. She somehow doubted he would ever be able to use it again.
The prism around Kafei dissipated and Zelda felt something inside of her lift. The absence of the powerful force inside of her left her weak and sent her to her knees. At this movement, the petrified students who had been watching the scene all began to move at once. Zelda's friends surrounded her, Link supporting her by wrapping his arms around her and heaving her to her feet. She noticed more people picking Vaati up and surrounding Kafei and Anju, but no matter what they were doing, everyone was shooting her a bewildered look.
Kafei pushed his way around the crowd and stood in front of Zelda, shaking slightly. "Zelda…I knew Hylians sometimes had special powers, but I never knew… Anyways, thank you so much. I think you…you saved my life."
She smiled weakly at the man and shook her head. "I can hardly take the credit."
Before he could ask what she meant, Midna was tugging the three of them towards the girls' dorms. "I'm sorry, but Zelda needs to rest. We have to go."
Link gingerly lifted his girlfriend into his arms and allowed her to nuzzle into his neck. "You okay?" he whispered.
She mumbled a 'fine' and let her friends make the long walk to the dorms and up to her room. She knew if she had been alone then she would have never made it back to her bed, which was practically calling her name.
Once she was tucked into her bed, her friends stood around her almost awkwardly, as if there was a lot they wanted to ask but couldn't bring themselves to find the words.
"Guess I'm not used to using my cool magical powers," Zelda laughed softly, trying to break the ice.
Midna sat on her bed, giving her a concerned look. "Zelda, you put a force field around someone. I know you Hylians are pretty gifted with magic, but this is not something that usually happens. I honestly think something big is going on, and it's happening to you and Link."
"It's so hard to believe…" she rasped, closing her eyes. "I need to sleep. You guys can go back to your dorms or something. I think I'm just going to lay in bed today."
"You're sure you don't want us to stay?" Sheik asked, brushing the hair off of her forehead.
She nodded slightly, not wanting to speak.
"Let's go guys. She wants to be alone," Link said, smiling sadly. "If you need anything, text me and I'll come running. Okay?"
She nodded again, this time not really listening. Someone kissed her forehead before they left, but she wasn't sure who. She allowed her body to relax and soon she was drifting to sleep. The events of the morning barely crossed her mind before she completely fell unconscious, only vaguely hoping Nayru wouldn't be paying her a visit that night so she could get some rest.
Zelda opened her eyes slowly. Her room was completely dark with a blue tint, meaning she had slept the entire day away. She rose in her bed and groggily checked the time on her iphone. 2:40 AM.
She sighed and swung her feet off of her bed, checking to see if Nayru had come in while she was sleeping. Her roommate's empty bed told her everything she needed to know. She sluggishly dragged herself into the bathroom and flicked the light on. The harsh fluorescents stung her eyes and she blinked rapidly as she approached the sink and turned the faucet on cold. She splashed her face with water a few times, pausing when she thought she heard a sound. After a moment, she convinced herself is was nothing and dried her face off. She clicked the light off once again, relieving her eyes, and exited her bathroom.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but as they did she realized with horror that a slim black figure was standing by the window, their features blurred by the gleam of the moon as a backlight. She gasped, pressing back harshly against the bathroom door. "Nayru?"
"No, Zelda. It is me."
Zelda stared in disbelief as the figure stepped back, allowing the moonlight to wash over her features. It was Impa.
"Madame Impa? Is that you?" she asked, approaching the woman. She subtly pinched her arm to see if she was dreaming. She wasn't.
"Yes, Zelda. I know you must have been worried and very confused as to what is going on. That is why I have risked my life to come here tonight and explain to you your destiny."
"My destiny?" Zelda asked, automatically touching the triforce on her hand.
"The powers of the Princess of Destiny are already awakening inside of you. It's your choice to accept them or not."
"You mean you know why the triforce is on mine and Link's hand?" she shook her head, unbelievingly.
"Zelda, you may want to sit down. I have much to tell you and very little time to do so. You must understand." Impa crossed her arms and sighed. "What I'm about to tell you is the whole truth. Never believe anything anyone has to say against it. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes ma'am." Zelda stumbled, trying to keep up.
"It was Ganondorf that kidnapped me. I am sure you knew this already."
"Yes, I was hoping he just really wanted to take your job."
Impa chuckled slightly. "I'm afraid it is not so simple. You see, you, Ganon, and that young boy Link are all connected. You have been chosen by the Goddess. In fact, Zelda, some would even say you are the Goddess's human incarnation."
"Me?!" Zelda shrieked as quietly as she could, "But I'm just a random 17 year old girl. Why me?"
"It is just the fate you were born with. You are the royal Princess of Destiny, just as Link is the Hero of Time and Ganon is Demise's hatred personified. You and your ancestors and your descendents will forever be connected in a cycle that never ends."
"And what is that cycle?"
"You know your history lessons, Zelda. The Hero and Princess must stop Ganon from consuming our world in darkness."
"But how?! We're just teenagers Impa, we don't know what to do! And how will Ganondorf take over the world by becoming a principal?"
Impa sighed and shook her head. "Be gracious, Princess. In time, you will know exactly what to do. But I must give you one more piece of information."
Zelda was quiet for a moment before speaking. "Ganondorf took the professors too, didn't he? Cremia, is she okay?"
Impa nodded, seemingly pleased with her conclusiveness. "There is a reason why this academy is considered the best in Hyrule. The professors that were taken, excluding Cremia, are all descendents of the Seven Great Sages that guided the Princess and Hero when the time was right. This school was built to ensure that the two new descendents, whoever they were, would be easily reached by the sages."
"And Ganondorf got rid of all of them so they couldn't help me and Link." Zelda stated.
"Yes," Impa said simply.
"So where are they? Where did Ganondorf take you?"
"He has used the Triforce of Power to seal us away. This apparition you see of me now is merely my spirit, but I am physically trapped in the Sacred Realm. The only other people who could release us would be those with the Triforce of Wisdom or Courage."
"Which is Link and I."
"You are very intelligent, Zelda. Your ancestors would be proud."
Zelda smiled at the compliment and felt a tug at her heart. "So you really think I'm the Princess of Destiny?"
"Child, did you not see how you used Nayru's Love to defend that boy from evil today? There is no mistaking it. You are the chosen one."
Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I understand. I'll do whatever I can. Where is the Sacred Realm and how can I release the professors?"
Impa opened her mouth to reply but froze, her eyes darting towards the door. "Someone is coming."
Zelda's eyes widened, but her reflexes kicked in as she threw herself into bed. "Go, Impa! I'll find out by myself. You don't have to worry. Now go!"
Impa nodded tersely and leapt onto the windowsill. "Take great care, Princess."
Zelda closed her eyes and listened as Impa opened the window and supposedly leapt out. Just as she felt the presence of her principal fade, the door clicked and swung open. Zelda kept her eyes closed and pretended to sleep, unable to bring herself to peek at the intruder. She felt eyes on her for a moment, then heard the slide and click of the stranger closing the window. The person must have hesitated, then walked to the foot of Zelda's bed.
"Little Princess, so young and naïve…this time around, you won't be so difficult to handle with your precious guardian out of the way."
The slithering voice belonged to none other than Ghirahim. Zelda struggled to suppress her shudder as the man paced around her bed. She could feel his gaze on her and prayed to Hylia that he couldn't hear the adrenaline flying through her veins. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally turned and exited the room with a click of the door behind him.
Zelda let out a choked sob and sat up in her bed, clutching her heart. She ran her fingers through her hair quickly and clasped her hands together to pray. "Oh Goddess, please…guide me…"
Mehh, not the best stopping point but who gives a care. The next chapter might take awhile to update because this week is about to be super uber duper busy for me. Here's a cookie for the impending wait. O
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