The legend of Zelda: Urban Legend
Chapter four: The paths before them
The last chapter was originally part of this one, but it was taking so long I decided to split them up into two. Sorry this took long, I was having some computer trouble so I couldn't write as often as I wanted. So anyway, here you go.
Zelda sat upon her throne in the most expensive dress and regel air. It was the kind of thing that everyone would expect of the Princess of Hyrule. Noble, dignified, elegant; Zelda exemplified all these things. Her face was a mask of impassiveness, showing only a cool temperament and a sense of calm. It was a mask she felt was necessary for the men surrounding her: Soldiers, weapons ready to defend their princess. The attack of the Gerudo was completely unexpected and Hyrule's army was not fully prepared for it. The attack seemed to be unprovoked and frankly confused Zelda. The Gerudo tribe were thieves and have been for generations. They had a strong dislike for Hylians and robbed them any chance they found. Zelda's father, the king of Hyrule, often thought of doing something about the Gerudo, but reconsidered because they didn't technically belong to the Hyrulian kingdom. The Gerudo desert lies right at the boarder of Hyrule so there was little he could do to punish them. But at least they rarely attack within the borders of the kingdom, and never had they staged an attack of this scale. Zelda's father stated it was the work of the Ruler of the Gerudo, the only man to be born to the all-female tribe that this happened. Zelda is reminded of this as the King of Thieves himself entered the throne room.
He dismissed the two Gerudo thieves that accompanied him and Zelda did the same with her guards. She maintained eye contact with the Thief King during this time, keeping her expressions hard to read. Her father being felled in battle only days ago, Zelda was the ruler of Hyrule now, she was the face of her people and she was determined to prove to this invader that the Hylian people will not kowtow to intimidation. She will be strong, she will show no fear. The only problem with that was that she was terrified. When she looked into the Thief King's eyes, Zelda saw only hatred and malice. There was a dark malevolence that was more fitting of a demon than a man. She found it hard to stay strong with him around. The Thief King smiled a sinister smile at Zelda and she had the overwhelming feeling that he knew of her fear despite her desperate attempts to conceal it.
Just as she was about to give into her fear, a new figure entered the large room. A young man with dirty blond hair and green tunic, sword and shield in hand, stands in the archway of the throne room. Zelda's fear quickly subsides as the young warrior appears. His eyes are at the same time similar and contrasting to that of the Thief King; feral and savage, and at the same time filled with compassion and kindness. Zelda feels hopeful for herself and the kingdom she has sworn to protect. The Thief King and the young warrior lock eyes and the hatred radiating off the Thief King grows stronger. He draws his sword, an eerie looking glowing blade, and the two swordsmen clash; the bright flash waking Zelda from her dream.
She jets up from underneath her covers breathing heavily, as if she had just lived through everything she had seen. She then hears Malon in the other bed, "Zel, are you okay? " She was in a tank top and panties reading a magazine.
Zelda simply nodded. "Yeah; weird dream." She wiped the sweat off her forehead also brushing back a few strands of hair hanging in her face. She looked over and noticed that Malon was still staring at her "What? Is something wrong?"
"Your tattoo was glowing." Zelda was still somewhat groggy from just waking up and it took her a minute to figure out what Malon had meant. When she finally remembered the Triforce, she instinctively covered her right hand and to think of something to say to Malon that would explain what she just saw meant, but couldn't think of anything believable. Not that the truth was exactly easy to accept as believable either. "Don't worry about it." Zelda looked back at Malon, still holding her own hand. "It's obviously something you're not comfortable talking about it yet, so I won't force you. But when you are ready, I'll be here." Malon gave Zelda a big bright smile to reassure her dorm mate.
Zelda smiled back, "Thanks." She looks to her right and saw the clock reading 9:23am. Her dream had woken her up over a half hour before she was supposed to be, allowing her more time to get ready for her first class. She got out of bed and went to take a shower. Ordinarily Zelda would have gotten up earlier for her shift at Sky Temple books, especially after she left for her date with Link before her shift was over yesterday. But her boss, Shad, called her last night after she came home from the hospital and told her he was taking the day off so she didn't need to come into work. She thought it was odd but didn't say anything about it.
When she came back to her dorm, she noticed Malon still on her bed, except lying on her stomach and reading a different magazine. "Malon, shouldn't you be getting ready for class to?"
Malon just scoffed, "Relax Zel. My first class doesn't start until noon, remember? I've got plenty of time." She turns the page of her magazine, "Oh, guess who's pregnant!" She asked Zelda in a singsong voice. Zelda just smiled and shook her head as she went over to her closet to find something to wear. "Hey Zel," Zelda looked over to Malon after she had slipped on a bra and panties and took off her wet towel, "What was up with that dream you had. It looked like it really freaked you out. You're okay, right?" She asked concerned.
"Oh, yeah I'm fine," Zelda answered pulling out a blouse and putting it on. "It was actually kinda silly."
"Well tell me about it. Maybe it means something. I am taking Psychology remember?"
"Which you only took to meet a guy." Zelda replied chuckling as she slips on an ankle length skirt. 'Still, I guess it couldn't hurt to tell her.' She thought. "Alright I'll tell you." She sits down on her bed facing Malon and takes a deep breath, "Well I was a princess, and I was in trouble."
"Wow, I haven't had a princess dream since I was little. So let me guess, a handsome prince came to rescue you."
Zelda smiled, "Yeah something like that." She remembered that the hero from her dream looked exactly like Link. She looked down at the Triforce that bound them together. She was happy that Link was a part of her life now, but then she wondered, 'If I'm Wisdom, and Link is Courage, then where's Power?' She shook the thought out of her head and put on her white gloves as she got off the bed, "I'd better get going. I've got a new teacher and I didn't want to be late."
Malon shrugged and went back to her magazine. But then she realizes something, "Wait, your first class is Folklore, right?"
Zelda stopped right before getting to the door, "Yeah it is. I'm actually a little surprised you remembered."
Malon gets off her bed and walks over to Zelda, "Of course I remember. Everyone on campus is talking about it!"
"About my Folklore class?" Zelda asked confused. Then it dawned on her why, "Oh yeah! Because the new teacher is a male Gerudo."
"Exactly!" Malon said, excited.
"I almost forgot. The only man born into the Gerudo tribe in one hundred years, and he's teaching at our school."
"And I hear he is totally ripped."
Zelda couldn't help but burst out laughing when Malon said that. "Really, Malon? The only male Gerudo in a hundred years is teaching here and what you focus on is how attractive he's supposed to be?"
Malon puts her hands on her hips defensively, "Hey guys ogle the Gerudo all the time, what's so bad about us checking out the one Gerudo guy in the world."
Zelda chuckles slightly, "Alright, fine. I have to get going anyway." She moves to open the door.
Just when she is about to leave Malon stops her, "Hey Zel do you think that you that you can take a picture of the new teacher for me?"
"How about I don't and say I did." And closed the door.
On her way to class Zelda thought about both the new teacher and her dream. According to the book she took from Sky Temple after her shift yesterday so she could continue reading after her date, the original owner of the Triforce of Power was a male Gerudo. She tried not to assume that this man who is about to teach her class is the owner of the Triforce of Power, or if he is that he is inherently evil. Still, she couldn't stop the thought from crossing her mind. She actually hoped that wasn't the case, Zelda had always wanted to talk to a Gerudo man and ask him what it was like to be the only male in a society populated entirely by women. Obviously she never thought she'd really get the opportunity, but she figured she could at least try after class. She just hoped his answer wasn't…gross.
When Zelda entered her Folklore classroom all of the students were talking about the new teacher, no one really knew what his name was but a few people claimed it began with a G. Gordon, Galek, and Gorman were only a few of the names that the other students had guessed; but somehow Zelda knew they were wrong. She took a seat near the back of the room. Usually she'd try and get a seat up front but most of the front seats were taken by other girls who, like Malon, heard how attractive the new teacher was supposed to be. It didn't take long for the professor to arrive. Many of the girls swooned at his impressive build and the guys pretty much all agreed, with only a small amount of jealousy, that the new professor looked ripped. All of the students seemed to approve of the teacher upon first appearances. The main exception was Zelda. As soon as the professor entered the room, Zelda's blood ran cold and her face froze in an expression of pure fear.
The professor walked over to the blackboard and wrote his name on it. He turned to his class to introduce himself, "Good morning class," He said with a smile and gruff voice, "I am Prof. Ganondorf Dragmire; and I will be your Hyrulian Folklore teacher this semester."
Despite the smile on his face, Prof. Dragmire's voice only caused Zelda to shake uncontrollably. Even though he had a pleasant demeanor, Zelda could literally feel the evil and malicious aura coming off of him. She had never been this scared in her life. Well, that wasn't true; she did remember feeling fear like this only once before; in her dream, when the man standing before her class, dressed in black armor, came into her throne room. Zelda stared at him, unable or unwilling to do or say anything out of fear that the professor would kill her just for saying something. A boy next to her noticed Zelda's odd behavior and asked if there was anything wrong. Zelda finally choked out in a whisper, "It's him…the King of Thieves." Prof. Dragmire, either somehow hearing her voice or simply sensing her fear, turns to Zelda and his friendly veil disappears for only a second, just long enough to give her a sinister smile. He had her in his sights, and Zelda felt the dark aura surrounding him intensify, nearly causing her to faint. Beneath her white gloves, Zelda's Triforce mark began to glow. She hid her hand under her desk knowing what it meant; she had found the Triforce of Power.
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Link was riding his skate board to Telma's, albeit at a much slower pace than usual. He was still pretty banged up from his fight with Zant the night before. His Triforce of Courage caused most of his less serious wounds to heal during the night, but the cut on his side was too deep to be healed yet.
He rolled into the dinner, all ready to apologize and catch whatever hell Telma was going to give him for being late. But Telma was nowhere to be seen. Fado waved to him from behind the counter, "What's up, bud? Man, are you lucky Telma ain't here today." He went back to taking orders.
Link picked up his board and walked behind the counter, "Telma really isn't here? Where is she?"
"Don't know man. She called 'n said that she wasn't going to show up until late. I think she said something about a meeting or something?"
Link gave Fado an unsure look, "And she left you in charge?"
"Yeah, so? I can be in charge for a while."
Just then a customer came up to the counter and put a plate with four eggs in front of Fado, "Hey jackass! You screwed up my order! I asked for four egg whites, these are four raw eggs!"
Link just chuckled as he went to the kitchen to let Fado get chewed out by the customer. Link placed his board down in the corner like he did every day and greeted Midna. "You are soooo lucky Telma isn't here today." She said off-handedly, continuing to cook.
"Yeah so I heard from Fado." Midna smirked as Link took off his hoodie, wincing because of the cut on his side. Midna didn't notice. He looked at the shirt for a second before hanging it up. Looking at the symbol on the right shoulder he quietly thanked Farore herself that he wasn't wearing this when he fought Zant. Then he cursed her for putting him in that situation in the first place. Zelda had told him the basic information about the Triforce; that each piece held the essence of one of the three Goddesses. As the wielder of Courage, Link held the essence of Farore. He supposed that made sense. Farore had been his family's patron goddess for generations, pretty much anything that happened Link had looked to the goddess of courage for guidance. But now, he had to wonder: Why would the goddesses chose him of all people to hold the Triforce. It's not like he was anything special. What right did they have to put his and Zelda's lives in danger? "Cause they're the Goddesses, that's why."
"What was that Link?"
"Ah, nothing, never mind." Link hung up his shirt, grabbed an apron, and pick up an order slip Fado had left, "Short stack, side of hash browns, and coffee."
"On it." Midna replied as she finished the meal she was currently preparing, "Link table four," she said pointing to the plate she just finished while gathering the ingredients for the next order.
Link delivered the plate of food to Fado then returned to his internal musing as he helped Midna with the next plate. 'Alright so it's not so bad. I mean except for the huge cut on my side the Triforce did heal me up pretty good. And without it I don't know if I'd have Zelda in my life. We're bonded by the Triforce; I'm supposed to protect her. Huh, I'm supposed to protect someone. That is really weird to say.'
"Thinking about Zelda?" Midna's voice brings Link back to reality.
"Huh. Wha-I don't…Uh, why would you say that."
"Whenever you think about a girl you have a thing for you get this really stupid grin on your face." She said with a smirk. He got an embarrassed smile on his face and scratches the back of his neck. Midna just chuckled, "Speaking of the fair Miss Zelda, heard your date last night went well."
Link looked at her confused, "You heard? From who, Kafei?" Kafei and Midna may not have been very close but when it came to information that could embarrass Link they always managed to tell each other first.
Except this time apparently, "No it wasn't Kafei. It was the news." Link's confusion only grew, "That show you put on during the Carnival of Light isn't something I would have expected of you Link. But, hey if it got Zelda to not wanna dump your ass after the first date, I say more power to ya."
"Thanks, that really means a lot," Link said in a flat tone of voice. He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult, but he was pretty sure it wasn't a compliment. "And for the record that wasn't a show."
"What do you mean it wasn't a show?" Midna asked turning around to look at Link.
"I mean, real fight, real swords," Link lifted up his shirt to show her the bandages keeping his stitches intact, "Real damage."
Midna just stared at the injury Link had sustained during the previous night. "Some head case tried to kidnap Zelda. I fought him off and got this." He pulled his shirt down as he continued, "But it's no big deal," He patted his side to smooth out his shirt and shock of pain jolted up his body. Grabbing his side he doubled over for a second before standing up straight again. "Although I am still pretty beat up." He took the finished plate and left it for Fado to deliver to its intended costumer.
Midna continued staring at Link as the pain from his wound subsided. 'So Link got hurt protecting that girl? He must really care about her even though they only meet two days ago.' Midna turned back towards the grill to hide the smile on her face. "Well I'm just glad you're in one piece. Now maybe the big fat hero can get the next order?"
"I'm not fat." Link said with huge grin on his face as he received the order and read it off.
They both gather the ingredients and began preparing the food. "So out of curiosity, do you know who the guy you fought was?"
"Yeah, I think Rusl said his name was Zant or something."
Midna dropped the spatula she was cooking with the second Link said his opponent's name, "Did...you say Zant?"
Link looked at Midna, "Uh, yeah. Why?"
After about a minute, Midna picked up her cooking utensil as if nothing happened, "No reason. Forget I said anything."
Link didn't say anything more and the two just continued working. But then he started thinking about both Zant and Midna. Now that he thought about it, they looked a lot alike. They had the same teal colored skin, same fiery eyes, they even had similar tattoos except Midna's were on her arms, and Zant's were on his neck. The only thing the two didn't seem to have in common was Midna's orange hair. And that was only because Link couldn't see Zant's hair underneath his skull cap.
With all this running through his head, Link had to ask the question that popped into his head, "Midna, do you know Zant?"
She didn't answer; she only kept cooking until the meal was done. She fixed the plate, put it in the window, and took another order slip down, "Four cheese omelet, side of bacon and orange juice. Got that Link?" Link just nodded and they got back to work.
XXXXXXXX
Zant paced back and forth in his little cell. Zant had a fairly extensive criminal record, most of which had been misdiminers, but attacking Zelda and Link was his third felony. After his second arrest a psychologist had diagnosed him with extreme psychopathic rage and with this recent incident he was considered a danger to the general public, so he was scheduled to be transferred to Lurensa Asylum today. But before that happened, "Hey sword nut," One of the guards yelled, "You got a visitor!"
Zant walked to the front of the holding cell as a beautiful girl around Zant's age with blue skin, red hair, and a lot of purple came into view. "Veran! Hey, so you here bust me out, right? I mean, I am one of Ganon's Main guys."
Veran gets an amused smirk on her face, "Make that WAS one of his main guys." She materializes a gun in her hand, "Little tip: Ganondorf doesn't much like failure." She raises the gun, pointing it right in Zant's face.
"W-wait Veran, no, NOOO!" and she shoots him right between the eyes.
The police hear the gun shot and rush into the holding cell area. They don't find Veran, only Zant's dead body.
XXXXXXXX
Zelda tried to act as normal as possible given the circumstances, which was next to impossible really. Pretty much everything about Prof. Dragmire scared Zelda senseless. His eyes, his voice, his baring. Although no one else seemed to see it.
She could barely pay any attention during class. During his entire lecture her thoughts kept alternating between the dream she had before class when she first saw Prof. Dragmire, and the overwhelming feeling that he would have killed her in cold blood if there weren't so many other people around.
After two of the longest hours of her life, Prof. Dragmire ended class. While the other students gathered their things and walked out of the class room, Zelda stayed in her seat for a few minutes longer. After dismissing his class, Prof. Dragmire sat at his desk just staring at Zelda with a sadistic grin on his face. Zelda eventually found the strength to get up and leave as well. As she passed his desk, Prof. Dragmire stopped her before she walked out the door, "Miss Nohanson, if I may speak with you?"
Zelda froze where she stood with the doorknob still in her hand, too terrified to move. Prof. Dragmire stood up from his seat, "Please Miss Nohanson; if you will." He had the same kind polite tone of voice that he used throughout his entire lecture, but Zelda could still tell that it was just an act.
Zelda finally let go of the doorknob and turned to face the Professor. "W-what did you want to talk to me about, Professor?"
Prof. Dragmire gave her a kind smile before beginning, "It's quite simple. I just wanted to tell you how glad I am that you're taking my class." The Gerudo professor bowed to Zelda slightly to show his respect for her, however false it most likely was. She didn't know how to react to it, so she just remained silent. "I have spoken extensively with Prof. Auru about you. He said that you are a very gifted student, brilliant even. Such a thirst for knowledge is rare for someone so young. I was rather…excited to know I'd have the honor of teaching you." His expression changed to one that is filled with nothing but malice. "You are truly deserving of the crest of Wisdom."
Zelda's eyes widened in surprise and terror. She dropped her books and took a few steps backwards. 'He-he knows…he knows who I am.' She just stared at him, and he seemed to actually, physically grow in size as he walked closer to her; towering over her even more than before. Then something sparked into her mind. "You-you're the one who sent Zant after me, aren't you?"
Ganondorf just smirked, "I sent Zant to observe you only. His trying to capture you was not part of my motives. Do not worry, my Princess…" He stroked Zelda's sandy brown hair, sending a shiver down her spine. As he pulled his hand away he clenched his fist, showing her the Triforce of Power on the back of his hand. "…We will have our time. Soon." Zelda's Triforce mark began to resonate with Ganondorf's.
Their eyes lock and begin a strange kind of staring contest, one that Zelda was clearly losing. Just as Ganondorf was about to touch her again, a knock came for the door. Prof. Auru poked his head in to see if anyone was still in class, "Prof. Dragmire?" He quickly notice both Ganondorf and Zelda, "Ah, there you are and with Miss Nohanson. Getting to know my favorite student I see."
"Of course. After everything you've told me about her, how could I not want to meet with the famous Zelda Nohanson." The grim and evil aura that surrounded Ganondorf disappeared, although not completely, enough so that not too many others could see it.
Certainly Prof. Auru didn't. "Right, right. Well, Professor, I do hate to ask you to leave your own classroom, but I have something rather important to talk to Miss Nohanson about."
Zelda suddenly became very worried. Prof. Dragmire pretty much said the same thing and it didn't end well. The sinister teacher walked past Zelda and Auru to the door, "I understand Prof. Auru. There are things that I must take care of any way." As he was about to leave the room, he turned back to Zelda, "I'll see you again soon, Miss Nohanson."
Zelda backed away from Ganondorf until she hit the desk, wanting as much space between her and the Dark lord reborn as possible. "Ah, that Ganondorf is such an interesting man."
"Y-yeah, interesting." Or psychotic and terrifying as Zelda might put it. "Um, Professor, what did you want to talk to me about," 'Please don't let it be that you're evil.' She thought.
Auru got a very serious look on his face, "What I wanted to talk about is the Triforce."
Zelda's eyes bugged out of her head and she took a step back, bumping into the desk again. "Abo-huh? What?"
Auru's expression changes from stern to a lighter one "Do not fear. Yes, I know who you are and what you hold. But I can assure you that I am her to help…" He then kneels and bows his head to her. "…My Princess."
Zelda just looked at Prof. Auru as he rose to his feet. She had never been bowed to before, not like that at least. It felt odd to be honest. Once Auru was full length, he smiled at Zelda, "I know this all must be quite surprising for you. But I have one more surprise for you."
Auru stepped aside as another man entered the classroom, with blond hair and a policeman's uniform.
"Officer Rusl!"
Rusl bows to Zelda as well, although not as far down as Auru. "It's good to see you again Princess."
Zelda was in complete shock, not only was one of her teachers the wilder of the Triforce of Power, but another also somehow knew who she was, and now so did Link's childhood mentor. 'I don't know how much more I can take today.' She shook herself out of her stupor to ask the most obvious question present. "How, how do you two know about…well, me?"
"It's not just you Miss Nohanson, we also know about Mr. Masters." Auru said to her.
Rusl stepped forward, "I'm afraid that it's my fault. In the hospital I wanted to make sure Link was okay before I left. So I stayed behind a little longer and saw the marks on your hands glowing. It was the most brilliant light I never thought I'd see. All the same, I do feel the need to apologize for eavesdropping."
"Uh, that's alright. You were just looking out for Link. So, what did you guys …uh, I mean…um….Why are you here?"
"Like we said, we're here to help you." Rusl said in a calming voice to the clearly distressed girl. "Do you remember the sword that you found for Link last night?" Zelda nodded, of course she remembered. She was unable to think about much else last night except how she really obtained the sword for Link. "How did you really get it? I knew that there was no real chance of you just happening across a sword in the fair grounds. I didn't question it at the time because of what you and Link had been through, but now…"
Zelda still wasn't sure if explaining everything would be the best idea. But Prof. Auru was her favorite teacher, and Officer Rusl seemed nice enough and clearly he's trying to help Link by helping her. "Well, when Link and Zant were fighting I went off to find a weapon. And when I touched a hammer for one of the games, it turned into a sword."
"Like I thought."
"So Zelda does have the powers of magic." Auru mused, "Then perhaps your suggestion is for the best." Rusl nodded silently.
Zelda raised her hand to get the two men's attention. "Um…If I may ask..?" They both look at her and she lowers her hand, 'I feel like I'm in grade school again.' "What suggestion, exactly?"
Rusl gets an amused smile on his face before answering, "There is a friend of our in Kakariko Village, Renado. He is a shaman well versed in the ways of magic. I thought that he could teach you how to gain more control over your abilities."
Zelda thought about it for a minute. If she did have magical powers, then learning how to use them only made sense. She looked at the men before her, and silently nodded.
Rusl smiles at her, "Good, we'll take you to Kakariko as soon as…" Rusl stops when his cell phone goes off. "Let me take this, excuse me." And left the room.
"Um…Professor?" Prof. Auru turned back to Zelda smiling, "I'm wondering, how do you know officer Rusl?"
"Rusl and I are part of a group that has existed since the last time the Dark Lord rose. Our ancestors aided the Great Hero in his battle, and they decided to keep a vigilant watch if and when the Triforce wielders returned. That was, huh, 300 hundred years ago I believe."
"So your families have been waiting the last 300 years for Link and I?" Auru nodded, "wow, that's dedication."
The elderly professor just laughed, "Yes, well, I suppose it is. But I'm glad for it. To think I have the honor of meeting with the legendary Princess of Destiny." Zelda smiles at the professor, already her mind becoming more at ease with situation. "Now down to business. It is good that you agreed to Renado's tutelage Zelda. We may not know where the Dark Lord reborn is, but Rusl believes the ruffian who tried to abduct you last night may have been working for him. And if that is true, you will need to be able to defend yourself while the Hero receives his training."
"And speaking of Zant," Rusl announced as he walked back into the room, "He's dead."
Zelda's eyes widened in surprise, "What do you mean dead?"
Rusl sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair, "Apparently a young woman came to visit Zant. After a few minutes the other officers in the precinct heard a gunshot. When they went to investigate the woman was gone and Zant was lying on the floor with a bullet in his head."
Prof. Auru got a grim look on his face, "It would appear the Dark Lord doesn't appreciate failure."
"So you think he sent this woman to kill Zant for failing him?" Rusl asked.
Based on the last few minutes Zelda spent with the evil professor, she wouldn't doubt it. She figured now would be the best time to revel to them the identity of the Dark Lord, but they just went on with their conversation like she wasn't even there. "I don't think it is a coincidence that this Zant person would be killed the day after failing to kidnap the Princess of Destiny." Auru mused, "Do you have any idea who the young woman is?"
"Um… excuse me..?"
"No, she wrote the name Viola Let in the visitor's registry. But as far as we can tell it's a fake name."
"I have something to-"
"Well there must be something we can go by; this young lady may lead us to the Dark Lord himself."
"But I know where the-"
"Some of the other officers may be able to give a description of the girl. But if she wasn't originally from Hyrule it might make things more difficult."
Zelda, feed up with being ignored, whistled loudly to get their attention. Both older men look at the young Princess after recovering from the sonic blast she unleashed. "I know who the Dark Lord is. It's Prof. Dragmire. " She stated plainly.
Auru and Rusl exchange looks of surprise before turning their full attention back to Zelda. "Are you sure?" Auru said with a furrowed brow.
"Yes," She replied, "He showed me the Triforce mark on the back of his hand."
Auru looked down as he put a hand on his chin contemplatively, "To think he was so close and I didn't know."
"If he is already this close to Zelda then we have to get her to Kakariko as soon as possible." Rusl said to Auru. He then turns to Zelda, "Are you ready to go?" Zelda simply nodded and followed the two men out of the classroom.
As they walked to Rusl's squad car, Auru said to Zelda, "I have already told the dean that you will be going on a short leave of absents. You will spend the next week at Renado's sanctuary for your lessons. Is that acceptably?"
"Yes of course." Zelda replied in her usual polite tone.
As Auru opened the door to the squad car allowing Zelda to enter, she had a sudden sense of Daja Vu. All of a sudden, she saw herself as a child, being place on top of a white horse by an older woman with white hair pulled back into a short ponytail. The woman seemed to be dressed as a ninja and was very well built. She got on the horse after Zelda was settled and rode off into a city under attack. The ninja woman tried to shield Zelda's eyes from the carnage they passed. But she was still able to see the bodies of slain soldiers and civilians alike littering the ground of Castle Town. The fires that engulfed her beloved kingdom would be forever seared into her mind as she and her ninja protector made their way through the war torn city.
Amidst the destruction Zelda and the ninja woman spotted another rider on a black demonic steed. The rider glares at the two of them with a wicked smile. Without a second thought Zelda's bodyguard turned the white mare towards Castle Town's gates and rode towards them as fast as its legs could take them.
As they crossed the draw bridge out of Castle Town, Zelda spotted someone, a boy no older than herself in a green tunic standing in the way of the speeding steed. He ran out of the way before he was run over staring in awe as the young royal and her bodyguard rode past. Zelda took this opportunity to throw an important object to the boy. As she rode away from the flaming city Zelda said quietly more to herself than to the boy, "Link, be safe."
"Zelda! Zelda, come back to us! Zelda!"
Zelda was brought back to reality by Prof. Auru shaking her. She blinks a few times to focus on what's happening and looks at Auru slightly dazed. "Huh, what..?"
"Zelda, are you alright?" Rusl asked looking at her from the driver's seat.
"Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
The two men looked at each other with worried expressions before Auru answered her, "You seemed to be in some kind of trance my dear. Your eyes were far away and you were breathing heavily. As if you were having some sort of panic attack."
"And then you said something about Link." Rusl added clearly worried that his former protégée may be in some kind of danger.
"Oh, I, uh…I'm sorry to worry you. But I'm fine. Really." Zelda hoped that they believed her. They exchanged a look she couldn't tell the meaning of before they dropped the subject. Rusl started the car and the three of them drove off.
Zelda couldn't help but think about whatever it was that just happened to her. The strange vision was almost exactly like the dream she had this morning. It seemed so real and so vivid, like she was actually there. It didn't seem like a dream, more like a memory. No. Not a memory either. Something else; something she couldn't explain really. She just hoped that this training stuff would help her better understand what is going on with her.
XXXXXXXX
Link and Midna worked in silence for the rest of the breakfast and lunch crowds. The only time they talked to each other was to raddle off whatever a customer had just ordered.
Link occasionally tried to think of something to say to Midna, but couldn't bring himself to break the deafening silence that Midna had blanketed the room with and eventually just gave up. Link had never thought the small kitchen could ever be as quiet as it was that day. Usually the two cooks would be talking almost constantly while they worked. They very rarely talked about anything one would consider important, but it was never boring. It still wasn't boring now; he just wished it wasn't so damn uncomfortable.
Like most days Link would help Fado deliver the food to the customers during the lunch rush after preparing it; all the while still thinking about the possible relationship between Zant and his best friend. Link hadn't known Midna for very long, only for about a year or so. Still they had gotten very close very fast after consoling each other during equally dark times in their lives. For Link it was the death of his High school sweetheart Marin. She died in a horrible car crash that nearly cost Link his and Aryell's lives as well. Link spilled everything to Midna and it helped him with his survivor's guilt to no end. But Midna never reciprocated the gesture. She simply said that having someone genuinely care about her was all she really needed at the time. So whatever was worrying Midna remained with her. As secretive as Midna could be at times, that first meeting opened the flood gates for a strong, and at times abusive, friendship. Ever since they became friends Link would sometimes try and figure out why Midna was so broken up back then, but every time he did Midna would either change the subject or do something insane to distract him. But considering her reaction to Zant's name, Link figured he might've had something to do with that time.
Link returned to the kitchen after delivering another meal to see Midna still working silently. He went over to the window connecting to kitchen and the front and took another order slip, but before he started reading it he noticed Telma walking through the front door, "Hey, Telma's back!" Link looked back at Midna excited that his boss had returned. "You know Midna; you could tell Telma I was late. Y'know, get me in trouble? I know seeing me get yelled at always make you laugh." Link got a big stupid grin on his face trying, and failing, to get the orange haired Goth to respond. But she just walked up to him, handed him the order she was working on and took the next one out of his hand. As she walked to the store room to get what was needed to make the next meal, Link just sighed and placed the plate for Fado to retrieve and deliver.
Link looked at Midna for a second. She was either too distracted by her own thoughts to hear anything Link had to say, or she was purposely ignoring him knowing that interaction could lead to another uncomfortable question about Zant. But he had enough, Midna would talk to him even if he had to tie her down and pour a truth serum down her throat. But before any tying could be done, Telma walked into the kitchen. "Well how's my two favorite employees?"
"What was that!" Fado asked from the counter.
"Oh, nothing hon." Telma gave wry smile as she entered the kitchen completely. It didn't last long however as she could feel the bad vibes in the room. She walked up to Link, "So…how ARE you two doing?"
"Uh…well…" Link was kinda at a loss for words, not sure how to address Midna's melancholy since he wasn't sure of the cause himself.
Midna, however, didn't give him a chance to figure it out. "Link, help me out here."
Link sighed and went to help, though not with what he wanted to. Telma looked at both young people and wondered what was going between them. She cared about the both of them, and on any other day she would spend the rest of the day trying to help them; as long as she didn't have to do too much. But today she had something much more important to take care of. She just hoped that they would be able to figure things out later. "Sorry Midna, Link and I got something to talk about."
Link stops before getting to the grill and gives her an off look. "Uh…okay, about what?"
Telma gave Midna a side look not wanting her other employee to get any more involved than she has to be, which, if she has any say in it, will be as close to zero as possible. "It has to do with what happened at the carnival last night." She gets close to him and whispers in his ear, "And that thing on the back of your hand? I'll be wantin' to talk to you about that, too." And with that she gave him one of her signature winks.
Link was taken dumbstruck by Telma mentioning his hand, only assuming that she was talking about the Triforce. He stammered try to just process that his boss knows about the Triforce, "Uh…what? I don't-I don't know what you…uh…"
Telma just laughs at Link's speechlessness. "Don't worry hon, I'll explain everything outside. Come on."
Just as Link, still fairly confused, started to follow Telma, Midna dropped what she was holding at the time getting both Link and Telma's attention. "Wait!" They hadn't noticed but Midna had actually stopped moving for some time. She just quietly listened to what was happening between Telma and Link. Once Telma was about to move their conversation outside, she decided to take action. She turned on her heel and walked up to Telma. "I wanna hear what you have to say too."
Telma was surprised and Link just got more confused. "Okay…" Telma gave Midna an off look, "…Can I ask why?"
"You said what you have to say to Link has something to do with last night, right?" Telma nodded, "Then I want to know what so important for Link to know."
Telma gave her a stern look, "Midna, What I'm about to tell Link doesn't concern you."
"If it concerns Zant it concerns me."
That last thing didn't escape Link's notice, but pointing that out now with two very strong-willed, slightly terrifying women fighting would not be the best idea. Telma puts her hands on her hips and looks Midna square in the eyes, intending to end the Goth girl's resistance for good, "Alright missy, look! If you don't get right back to that grill and start cook you're fired!"
"Fine, fire me! Now there's nothing stopping me from listening to whatever you have to say." Midna countered with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.
Telma was pretty much stuck. She didn't think Midna would just throw her job away like that. Link was pretty shocked too. He didn't know what to do or what to say in the present situation, so, naturally, he just didn't say anything. After a minute, with Midna still staring the dinner owner down, Telma just smiled. 'Now I remember why I like this girl so much, she's got spunk.' "Alright honey, come on. I got a lot to say."
Midna blinked twice, surprised that Telma actually back down. But then she just smirked having won the argument and followed Telma out the kitchen. Link Followed after her, but was still somewhat unsure about what just happened. As the three of them left the kitchen, Fado almost immediately freaked out, "H-hey wait, why's everyone leavin' the kitchen?"
"Sorry Fado baby, the three of us got some things to work out." Telma threw out like it was no big deal.
"Well whose gonna do the cookin?"
"You can handle that can't cha?"
"And I think I left something burning on the grill so you might want take care of that. Hee hee." Midna said with her usual mischievous tone.
The three of them walked out of the front door as Fado ran in the back to tend to the black smoke that started to come from the kitchen. Midna found this endlessly amusing. When they got out front Link and Midna spotted a young girl leaning against Telma's car. "Who's she?" Midna asked as soon as she saw her.
Ashei ignored her completely and looked Link over. "You're kidding right? That's the Hero? He's a friggin Twigboy; I could kick his ass without even trying." Link glared at her angrily while Midna just looked confused.
Telma put a hand on Link's shoulder and gave him a warm smile, "Y'know, you are pretty skinny," Link couldn't help but smile at the insult for the simple reason that it was Telma. "Now, maybe you can show us your hand?"
Link knew exactly what her question was about, and after a moment he figured, "What the hell…" He removed the glove on his left hand and showed the three women around him the mark of the Triforce.
"Well, I'll be." Telma said softly.
"He's still a Twigboy." Ashei scoffed
"Link you got a tattoo without me!" Midna yelled, visually livid. She slaps him upside the head before continuing, "I told you I wanted to be with you when you got a tattoo so I could pick out something badass." She looks down at the symbol embedded into Link's skin, "I mean I guess it's not bad, but still…"
Link pulls his hand away and tells Midna, "Uh, yeah, actually this isn't a tattoo." He then turns his attention to Telma, "But how did you know about it?"
"Rusl told me."
"Rusl, wait, how does he know about this?'
Telma was about to explain things to Link when Ashei said, "Hey, who's bored here? I am. Can we move on please?" Telma just chuckled to herself and walked over to her car. She went into the back seat and pulled out a sword. She threw it to Link saying, "So Link 'member this?"
Link caught the sword and pulled it from its sheath. After examining it he realized, "Hey is the sword I use to fight Zant."
"That's right hon; Rusl thought you'd be needin' it."
"Needing it for what?" Link asked more than a little nervous.
"What do you thin, dumbass?" Ashei said clearly becoming more impatient as the convocation dragged on. "You wanna keep the Princess safe you're gonna have to learn how to use that thing."
Midna decide she had been quite for long enough and finally put her two rupees in, "Okay, hold it. Swords, Princesses, weird tattoos, Link what the hell is going on?"
Link sheathed the sword before turning to Midna "Uh, well, you see this?" He lifts his left hand to show her the mark. She nods and Link continues, "The thing is, this isn't a tattoo. It's called the Triforce. It basically means that I 'm the reincarnation of an ancient hero and I'll probably have to save the world eventually." He ended his explanation with a sheepish grin and waited for Midna's reaction.
Midna blinked at Link a few times before erupting in laughter. "Hahahaha, Link saving the world that's just…hahaha!" She was laughing so hard she fell over with tears in her eyes.
"Well, this doesn't affect my self-esteem at all." Link says to himself.
Finally starting to calm down, Midna got back on her feet and wiped her eyes, "Okay, okay seriously what's going on?"
"I'm afraid it's all true Midna," Telma said placing a hand on Link's shoulder, "Lil Linky here got his self a big job to do."
Midna just started at her then turned to Link, "And I'm guessing the Princess is…"
"Zelda, yeah. She has a piece of the Triforce too."
"Rusl thinks that Zant fella who tried to kidnap Zelda last night is working for whoever owns the third piece of the Triforce." Said Telma, "And now he might be after Link too. So he's got to be ready to protect himself."
"Uh, yeah about that," Link brought everyone's attention to him, "I'd be more than willing to learn how to swordfight better, but I kinda have a huge gash on my side. So maybe we can hold off until I don't run the risk of bleeding out by lifting my hands over my head."
"Don't worry Twigboy, I got something for you." Ashei walked up to Link and pulled out a small vial with red liquid in it. She hands the vial to Link, "Here, drink this."
Link takes the vial from her and looks at it suspiciously. He then shrugs his shoulders in an "Eh, why not" kind of way, pops the cork on it and downs the drink in one gulp. Link coughs after taking the drink, "Ah man that stuff's nasty." Then his eyes widened, he patted down his side and didn't feel any pain. "Hey, my side doesn't hurt anymore."
"That red stuff I gave you is called Heart Potion. It can heal almost any injury instantaneously."
"Cool. You got any more?"
"Only five more vials. The herbs required for the potion is nearly extinct."
Telma smiles at Link and asks him, "So, are you ready, Link?" He just nods with a determined look on his face. "Alright then. Ashei here is going to be your teacher for the next week or so. Once that's over we'll figure out our next move."
"I'm going with you." Midna said bluntly.
Everyone present looked at he surprised. "What? No, no way." Link stood in protest.
"Link, I'm going with you." Midna restated becoming more firm in her resolve.
"No you're not. Midna do you have any idea how dangerous all this is? I nearly got my guts sliced open last night, I don't want you to get hurt. It's bad enough Zelda's involved in this, I don't want you to have anything to do with this."
Midna crosses her arms and looks Link down, "That's very chivalrous of you Link. But you are not leaving me behind. Where ever you go, I follow and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me." She pushes past Link and the other two women and got into the back seat of Telma's car.
They all just looked at Midna as she entered the car. Telma, as much as she hated to admit it, said to Link, "Well, there you go. Guess you're stuck with her." And followed Midna to her car.
"Finally, let's get this over with." Ashei let out getting into the car herself.
"Wha-wait, I just-I-I…"Link stuttered trying to get his say into what's going on. When it was obvious that wasn't going to happen, he let out a defeated sigh and got into the car with the others.
Just before Telma is about to drive off, Midna tells her to wait and gets out of the car. She runs back in the dinner, past Fado burning more food, and grabs Link's green hoodie of the hook. When she got back to the car, she handed Link the shirt. He takes it and says to her, "Uh, thanks Mid, but why'd you get this?"
"I don't know you don't really look like you without it." Midna turned away from Link to look out the window. Link smiles at her then puts his hoodie back on.
Telma spies Midna and Link in the rearview mirror as she puts her car into first gear. "Guess there getting on a lot better now. Looks like whatever the problem was before wasn't that bad after all." She pulls out of her parking space and down the streets.