Link sucked in his breath, crouched in the bushes, his heart hammering loudly in his ears. He was almost afraid that the sound of his beating heart was loud enough to alert the nearby guards to his presence, but the small patrol continued on its patrol around the castle grounds, evidently none the wiser to his presence.
Letting out a small sigh of relief, Link stood up carefully, virtually silent as he stepped out of the thicket and darted beneath the Royal Castle's imposing shadows. The looming fortress was once the crown jewel of Hyrule: now, it served as a grim reminder of Ganondorf's seemingly omnipotent power. And Link knew that, somewhere inside that imposing stone edifice, his father was waiting for him.
He had travelled light: dressed in a dark tunic and carrying only his sword and a gift from Sir Shiro before he had left Termina: the Hookshot. The remarkable spring-loaded device was yet another example of Terminian ingenuity: it incorporated a sharpened piton point, latched onto nearly fifty feet of metal chain housed inside the mechanism. Ganondorf's guards may have been prepared for a forward assault on the castle, but the Hookshot would be Link's ace in the hole.
Link looked around once more to ensure that he was hidden safely in the shadows before raising the Hookshot. From conversations he had overheard from the castle garrison, the dungeons were beneath the castle, near the western wall. After hours of painstakingly scouting out the structure, Link had determined that the only viable way to enter the dungeons from the outside was a small grate that hung above the dungeon, only feet above the rushing castle moat.
An easy enough target, but Link had completed his reconnaissance hours before in daylight. Now that night had fallen, it was hard to discern where exactly the grate was. Squinting his eyes at the impassive rock face of the castle wall, he kept the Hookshot level as he scanned each stone, each brick set into the wall…
As if the Goddesses themselves were on his side, the clouds in the murky night sky briefly separated for a split second, allowing a single ray of moonlight to pierce through the night and illuminate the western wall. Link grinned as he found the grate, its rusted metal bars gleaming in the sudden moonlight. He raised the Hookshot and depressed the trigger with practiced ease, firing off the piton and the trailing metal coils. A split second later, he felt a satisfying jerk at the end of the cord, meaning that the piton had embedded itself into the rock wall. He tugged the Hookshot to ensure that the grip was secure before depressing the trigger again, drawing himself over the moat and to his precarious foothold on Ganondorf's citadel.
His aim had been true: the piton was locked securely about a foot above the dungeon grate, and Link found himself balancing precariously on the rugged rock wall. Any sudden movement would send him tumbling down into the moat, which would leave him at the mercy of an observant castle guard.
Link tugged at the piton, breaking off some of the rock wall in the process. The chunks of granite fell into the rushing moat, splashing loudly. For a moment, Link thought that the rushing water would cover up the sound – until he heard two voices approaching, arguing loudly. He fastened himself to the wall, hardly daring to breathe as two guards approached the western wall curiously.
"… I told you, I heard something fall into the moat!"
The other guard seemed unfazed. "Probably the guards up in the battlements are getting bored and dropping some stones into the water again."
The first guard doubtfully approached the moat, staring intently into the dark water. His partner came forward, stifling a yawn.
"See? Nothing there. You're just imagin- "
His voice stopped suddenly, and Link felt sweat trickle down his brow. It suddenly occurred to him how exposed he was in this position. Even the shadows were of little help – an observant guard would easily catch him.
"What?" the first guard said, obviously catching his partner's slip. "What is it, Viscen?"
"N… nothing," the guard named Viscen stammered after a second of silence. "The moon is playing tricks on me."
"You saw something."
"No I didn't," Viscen rebuked, more firmly. He paused, before adding, "if you're done searching the moat, we should continue our patrol. You know how the captain is."
"I suppose," the other guard grumbled, turning away from the moat and sighing. Viscen paused, staring at the western wall with a bemused expression on his face, before he slowly turned to follow his partner.
As the sound of their retreating footsteps grew fainter, Link realized that his heart was thudding like a drum in his ears. Slowly, ever so slowly, he relaxed his stiff muscles, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.
Apparently, the Goddesses were with him this night.
Link craned his head around to watch for other guards, but the western wall was clear. Deftly, he kicked upon the rusting metal grate – it fell inwards with a tortured groan, clanging loudly on the floor. Link winced at the noise, and hastily squeezed through the small opening before any guards came to investigate the sound.
The floor that greeted his boots was soft and marshy, more like a swamp than an actual room. Link crouched low in the impenetrable darkness, catching his breath and keeping his sword held at the ready. The smell of filth and blood immediately confirmed his suspicions – this was the castle dungeons. He padded forward, his booted feet sloshing rather loudly in the water that flooded the dank dungeon.
There were no torches lit, but cells lined the narrow hallway like a corridor of gates. Most of the cells were open, devoid of inhabitants, but plenty were also locked tightly. It suddenly dawned on Link just how many cells there were – and he had no idea where in the dungeons his father was being held.
He stood outside one of the locked doors, listening closely for any sign of life from within. Nothing. He drew away, exhaling a breath he had been unaware of holding, and nearly jumped when the corridor suddenly flared with light. He turned, momentarily blinded as the darkness of the dungeon was chased away by the flickering light of a torch held in the hands of a guard.
"Who's there?" the guard called, his loud voice echoing around the dungeon. "Show your- "
Immediately, Link snatched the Hookshot from his belt and fired it at the guard. The piton buried itself into the man's thigh, and he fell into the filthy water of the dungeon with a coarse shout. The torch sputtered and died as he dropped it into the water; Link depressed the trigger, pulling the man towards him.
The man shrieked the entire way, his voice echoing like a banshee in the narrow confines, and as soon as the Hookshot had reeled him in, Link punched him in the jaw. The guard only screamed louder, flailing wildly; desperately, Link gripped the man in a firm lock, strangling the man so that his screams subsided into gurgles.
"Shut up," Link hissed harshly, as the man continued to flail wildly. "Cooperate, and I may let you live."
The man only mumbled through Link's stranglehold, still kicking. Link relaxed his grip somewhat, still keeping a firm hold on the man.
"Who are you?" Link asked, keeping his voice low and deadly. The man gulped, eyes bulging wide.
"The… the dungeon master," he said, fear evident in his voice.
"Tell me where Aleron Hylia is being held," Link ordered venomously.
The man shook his head confusedly. "A… Aleron Hylia?"
Link shook him roughly. "Where is he?"
Whimpering, the man lifted a mute finger and pointed at a cell some ten feet away. Link headed to the cell, dragging the pitiful dungeon keeper with him.
"Open it," Link commanded, and the other man dutifully obeyed, fumbling in his belt for a ring of keys. After several tense seconds of fumbling through the collection of iron and bronze keys, the man procured the correct one and inserted it into the cell lock, twisting. There was a metallic click as the cell door creaked open, groaning tortuously as if the hinges had nearly rusted away.
"Satisfied?" the dungeon keeper whispered, his voice cracking in fear.
"Very," Link said, knocking the man out with the pommel of his sword. With a loud splash, the dungeon keeper fell unconscious into the pool of dungeon water.
Link entered the cell cautiously, still trying to discern shapes from the imposing darkness. For a brief second, he feared that the dungeon keeper had led him to a blank cell – then he tripped over a huddled mass that lay nearly motionless on the filthy floor.
There was a surprised moan, and Link felt a frail, weak hand grip his arm, then slowly travel up his shoulder, neck, feeling his face and tugging at his hair. From the darkness, there came a faint gasp of realization. "L… Link? Is… is that you… my son…?"
"Father," Link said in disbelief, cradling his father's thin body in his arms. Link found it almost impossible to believe that the shivering lump of flesh he held in his arms was his father, Aleron. Through the thin rags that Aleron wore, Link could feel his father's bones, skin stretched tightly over his emaciated form.
"What in the name of the Goddesses have they done to you?" Link whispered, his body shaking with anger and horror. Aleron chuckled weakly, his wheezing laughs replaced almost immediately by a series of coughs.
"They've killed me, my son," Aleron whispered, his voice barely audible, even in the dead silence. "Broken my spirit as well as my body…"
"Father…"
"Hush – I don't have much time, my boy. I… there's something I have to tell you…"
"It can wait," Link murmured desperately, feeling tears stinging his eyes. "We need to leave… get you back to the manor…"
"The only way I'm leaving here is in a body bag," Aleron sighed, stroking Link's cheek softly with a bony finger. "No, Link, my son, listen – there is nothing you can do for me. I am a remnant of a past that no longer has any place in Hyrule. But… I regret…"
Aleron sighed, stretching his withered form, his bones creaking terribly. Link still held him in his arms, close to his chest, as he watched his father slowly die in his arms.
"I have been living a life of lies…"
"Don't say that…"
"I have betrayed the knightly code, the oath I swore to my liege, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule," Aleron continued relentlessly, his tired voice stabbing at Link like a knife. "I stood by and idly submitted to his murderer – the usurper king, Ganondorf."
"There was nothing you could have done," Link whispered, a tear falling from his eye and trickling down his cheek. "You cannot blame yourself for this, father."
"I should have died a long time ago, rather than live and dishonor the memory of my lord," Aleron said, shaking his head. "But I was scared, my son. I have not your courage."
Link shook his head vehemently, tears falling freely now. "If I had courage, I would not have stood by idly when they took you."
"Listen to me, Link," Aleron said urgently, his faint voice taking on a tone of pleading. "There is one thing… I have kept a secret from you… from Zelda… all this time…"
"Zelda?" Link breathed softly. Aleron nodded.
"I swore an oath to my king… that even if the entire Royal Family were to be extinguished… that I would protect his daughter with my life." Aleron closed his eyes painfully, his thin frame shaking violently.
"Zelda… is the princess?" Link murmured softly, eyes widening at the revelation.
"The last remaining member of the true Royal Family," Aleron confirmed. "Link… my oath… you must… please... protect her…"
Aleron's voice faded away as he took in a deep, shuddering breath that rattled in his throat. Link gasped, gripping his father even tighter.
"Don't… don't…" Link sobbed, burying his face in the filthy rags that were his father's only vestments.
"Don't shed tears for my passing," Aleron said softly, stroking his son's cheek lovingly. "I am heading to the Goddesses… I will see your mother once more…"
"Father..."
"Protect her," Aleron whispered, his voice shaking. "Don't let… Ganondorf…"
"I won't, I won't!"
"Swear to me, Link!" Aleron gripped him tightly, his bony fingers like a vice grip. "Promise me."
"I swear upon my life that I will protect Zelda," Link repeated, tears nearly blinding his vision. Aleron relaxed his grip, sinking back into Link's arms with a quiet sigh.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, voice weak. "Sorry that… I never opened myself up to her…"
"She loved you," Link assured Aleron, his own voice breaking. "You were like a father to her."
"Protect her. Keep her safe. Our princess..." With a final sigh, Aleron lay still in Link's arm as his eyes fluttered closed and his heart thumped for the last time. A great sob heaved up in Link's chest as he gently lay his dead father down onto the dungeon floor. The corpse of Aleron Hylia floated oddly, grotesquely, in the pool of water that sloshed in the tiny cell. Link stifled another sob, turning his head away from the body of his father. Dead. No more.
Protect her… keep her safe…
Link kissed his father's forehead once, feeling for the last time those wizened features that had always stared at him with love. Aleron's eyes were closed peacefully, and his lips were curved upwards ever so slightly. Link rose from the floor, a wave of dizziness overwhelming his senses
Dead… no more…
Link stumbled out of the cell, his father's tomb, a wave of blinding agony and fury overcoming his senses. He stumbled like a drunkard, barely able to keep himself upright, his entire body seizing up from the shock of his father's death. His father's unseeing, white eyes stared out from the darkness like a ghost, and Link cried out in pain at the hallucination.
As quickly as the image had come, it disappeared, replaced by a pair of firm hands wrapping themselves tightly around Link's neck. It took the young knight a second to realize that a wet warmth was spreading in his side – there was a stab of pain, and he realized that a dagger had been planted in between his ribs. He shook off his unknown attacker, violently flailing until his arm connected with something soft and there was an audible grunt of pain. Immediately, the hands choking him relinquished their grip; with a gasp of pain, Link pulled the dagger from his side and turned to face his opponent.
The dungeon keeper was lying on the floor, panting heavily, blood pouring from his nose. At first, Link was too overcome with shock over his father's death to realize that the man had attacked him – stabbed him – but quickly, his confusion bubbled into fiery rage. This man – this pathetic, sniveling animal – had kept his father confined in the filthy prison cell where he had died in Link's arms. Snarling like a wolf, Link drew the bloodied dagger, even as the dungeon keeper backed up, crab-like, against the dungeon wall, his eyes widening with fear.
"Mercy!" the dungeon keeper cried, as Link lifted him from the floor with brutal force. The young knight ignored the glaring stab wound in his side, only channeling his pain and sorrow into anger and hatred. The other man flailed helplessly in Link's grip, crying pathetically. "Please, mercy!"
"You showed none to my father," Link growled, shoving the man roughly against the rough dungeon wall. The man whimpered, his face soiled with blood and grime. "You would have killed me just now. Why should I grant you mercy? So that you may live to tell your foul master of my identity, and laugh as I am led to the gallows?"
The man gurgled, shook his head, unable to articulate a proper answer. Once more, all he could offer was a plea for mercy, his body shaking in terror. Link shook his head, the despair and anger from his father's death destroying any sense of compassion. This dungeon master was as much his father's murderer as Ganondorf.
"Beg your mercy from the Goddesses," Link whispered, shoving the knife into the man's chest, "For I shall show you none." The dungeon keeper's eyes grew wide, and he gasped in pain, scrabbling at the wound with his hands. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, his breathing became faint, his movements more sluggish; in another second, he was dead.
Link released the man's corpse, allowing it to slide sickly down the wall and onto the floor, where red blood mixed with the filthy dungeon water to form a perverse mix of crimson and brown sludge. Two lives. He had taken the lives of two men in that many days. He had never killed before – and now he had snuffed out two lives as easily as blowing out a candle.
Clenching his blood-stained hands, Link silently closed his father's cell door, hearing the lock ram back into place with terrible finality. That chapter of his life was gone forever, Link resolved. His sole duty, indeed his life, now revolved around the Crown Princess of Hyrule.
And he would fight, body and soul, to protect her from Ganondorf.
Zelda paused outside the library door briefly, listening for any sound on the other side. A faint rustling, of someone turning the page. She knocked on the door, and after a moment's pause, the room's occupant called her to come in.
She opened the stout Deku-wood doors, walking into the familiar surroundings of the library. Unsurprisingly, Link was sitting on one of the plush sofas, a dusty tome cradled in his arms as he perused the pages with vigor. Zelda quietly shut the door behind her, trying to balance the small metal tray she held in her hands.
"I brought you some dinner," she said, walking to where Link sat and depositing the food tray on the table next to the couch. "Impa thought that you might be hungry – you've been out all day."
"Thank you," Link muttered absent mindedly, not even glancing up as he turned another page, his steel-blue eyes scanning whatever words he was reading. Zelda looked at the title of the leather book: Ancient Legends of Hyrule.
"You've taken a particular interest in mythology?" she asked, puzzling over his behavior. Ever since she had been attacked nearly a week ago, Link had been acting strangely. He was rarely at the manor, presumably spending his days at Castle Town. And Zelda had a sneaking suspicion that he left the manor at night, although she had yet to catch him doing so.
"In a manner of speaking," Link said, finally looking up from his book and offering her a faint smile. "Are you all right?"
"Me? Of course I am. Why do you ask?"
He shrugged, peeking over the cover of the book at the small plate of vittles and morsels she had brought. "It would surprise me greatly if you've recovered from your attack so quickly."
Zelda looked away. "My cuts and bruises are healed."
"And your mind?" he inquired, putting his book into his lap to gaze at her better.
"Is perfectly at-ease," she said, looking back into his concerned eyes. "Worry not for me."
"You're strong," he said quietly, gently reaching out and touching her hand. "What happened was not a weakness on your part. There is nothing to be ashamed of."
"Nevertheless, I'm not comfortable discussing it just yet," she replied simply, squeezing his hand. Slowly, still keeping his eyes fixed on her, he released her hand and pulled away.
"Just remember that I will always be here for you," Link said calmly, a faint smile on his face. "You have my word."
"I know," she sighed, watching as he returned back to Ancient Legends of Hyrule. "Are you really not going to eat something?"
He waved his hand, engrossed in his reading. "Maybe later. You can leave it here, I'll pick up after myself."
"What are you reading that has entranced you so?" Zelda asked, exasperated and curious. "You've been acting so strange ever since… well, for the past week."
"Do you know of the Hero of Time?"
"Of course I do," Zelda said, slightly surprised. "Everyone does. That's one of the most popular legends in our land. Even young children can recite it by heart."
"And why is it so popular, you think?" Link asked. His voice was faint, as if his mind was occupied in reading the book, but Zelda knew that he was paying sharp attention to her words.
"Well," she said, after a moment of thought, "I suppose it is because the Hero of Time is the embodiment of what we all aspire to. Noble, pure, good – always destined to triumph over evil."
"He brings hope," Link offered. "No matter how dark the times become, light will eventually return to the world."
"Exactly," Zelda remarked, still puzzled over his question. "So, what about the Hero are you so interested in…?"
"You said Hyrule needs a hero. Its people need a hero. Someone who can fight Ganondorf, and prevail."
"Are these legends going to your head, Link?" Zelda asked, unable to keep a small note of amusement out of her voice. "They're just myths. The Hero of Time doesn't exist."
"No, I agree with you," Link said. "But it is not the man the people idolize. It's what he symbolizes. The will to fight, and win, against impossible odds."
"I'm not sure I understand what you're hinting at."
"If another person was to don the mantle of the Hero," Link said, "he could give hope to the people. Inspire them, lift them up from the mud that Ganondorf has forced them to grovel in."
"Where will you find such a man?" Zelda laughed, humorlessly. "All we have are martyrs, Link, not heroes. Nobody can stand alone against Ganondorf."
"You're sure of that, are you?"
He gazed at her with such an intense glance that she almost looked away. Instead, Zelda forced herself to look into his eyes. The steel-blue irises were alight with burning passion, something she recognized too easily in the young knight. She sighed, and took his hand softly.
"I'm sure of it, Link."
He gripped her hand with both of his, yet the flame still refused to leave his eyes. Zelda found it difficult to believe that this burning, passionate man in front of her was the son of the reserved and aloof Aleron.
"Maybe you are right," Link murmured quietly, still keeping his gaze level with her. "But I must still find out for myself."
"What do you mean?" Zelda asked, voice rising immediately in alarm. "Link, surely you're not intending to do something foolish!"
"Such as?"
"I don't know," she replied, flustered. "Publically denouncing Ganondorf?"
"Of course not," Link laughed. "I'm much more subtle than that."
"What are you talking about?" she demanded, eyes sparking fearfully. "If you get caught…"
"They won't catch me," Link said dismissively.
"Link," she pleaded, "I don't want you to get yourself killed! For Nayru's sake, what are you hoping to achieve?"
"Calm down," Link murmured softly, resting a soothing hand on her trembling shoulder. "Calm down, Zelda…"
"I don't want to wake up one morning," she said, dangerously close to tears, "and find your body hanging in front of the manor!"
"That won't happen…"
"You don't know Ganondorf!" she snapped. "If you're lucky, he'll torture you to death. The man's a monster, an evil, vile- "
"Hush," Link said, drawing her close to him and running a hand through her hair. "Everything will be fine."
"You're so damned stupid," she gasped, several tears trickling down her cheeks. "I can't believe… can't believe that you'd throw away your life so easily… and for what? What will you achieve?"
"I don't know," Link murmured, wiping away her tears with a gentle finger. "Maybe nothing, maybe everything. Don't cry, Zelda – I hate to see you so unhappy."
"And yet, you persist in causing my unhappiness," she said, managing to glare at him through a haze of tears.
"Then what would you have me do?"
"Promise me," she said, choking down a sob, "that you will never, ever, do anything… anything… that might… get yourself killed."
"It is my duty as a knight," he said stoically, "to serve for the greater good. It is the oath I swore, Zelda."
"The Hylian knights are dead," she reprimanded, a bit harshly. "You cannot do anything to save Hyrule – one man is not enough."
"One man was enough to destroy our nation," Link said quietly, taking her hands and gazing at her with a burning light in his eyes. "You want to free Hyrule, I know it, Zelda. I can see it in your eyes – you've got more passion than I. But you don't know your true strength, and that's why you are so afraid."
"I have no strength," Zelda said bitterly, looking away. "If I did, I would not have spent all my life cowering inside this bubble of wealth while Hyrule wasted away."
Link cupped her chin in a hand, forcing her to look at him. "You can do this. We can do this, together. Maybe one person is not enough, but perhaps two are."
For a brief second, Zelda looked into his eyes, those two burning, passionate orbs, filled with the idealism and hope of an impetuous youth. And for that brief second, she believed his words, thought that they might be able to overturn the suffering and misery heaped upon Hyrule by Ganondorf. And then, she shook her head, bringing her wishful fantasies back to cold reality.
"No," she whispered sadly, turning away from Link's gaze and standing up from the couch. "You're deluding yourself, Link. I won't let you sacrifice yourself for some… some misguided fantasy."
Link kept his face carefully arranged, although Zelda could tell that she had struck some chord of disappointment in him. The light in his eyes flickered as he inclined his head and picked up the tome from his lap.
"You care too much for the well-being of others," he said carefully, "and not enough for yourself."
"And you?" Zelda asked, already turning her back and walking to the library doors.
"As for myself?" Link repeated, looking up from his reading and smiling. "I care only for one person. Perhaps that's why I can devote my life and soul so utterly to that one cause."
