The Waters of Nayru
Chapter 30: The Chosen Three
By, Frank Hunter

For the next two days, Rigo was permitted to stay in the castle, though he was still kept confined. He was given a gorgeous, lavishly decorated room, with the softest bed he'd ever rested on. He was brought three meals each day, all of them veritable feasts with savory, satisfying foods that he wished he could identify, so that he might find them again when all of this was over. He was allowed paper books with printed words in them. Though he was initially dismayed to find that the books were written in Hylian, a language he couldn't read, he was immediately reassured when he found that Nabooru was fluent.

"You gonna be reading me bedtime stories, then?" he teased the spirit.

I figured I'd just translate the language in your head, she answered. Unless you're feeling particularly lonely.

"How's that work?"

Just watch.

At first, Rigo didn't know what he was looking for, but as he kept his eyes on the book, he saw. The letters seemed to shift around on the page as he looked at them. They didn't transform per say, but over the course of a few seconds the strange Hylian characters bunched into words and Rigo found he was able to attribute meaning to most of them. They took on a degree of familiarity despite the fact that they were grossly unfamiliar. It was confusing, and Rigo discovered that if he thought too much about it, it ceased to work and he started developing a headache, so he chose to just accept it.

Thanks to Nabooru, he now had a new favorite pastime. Books were something he'd never seen many of. The Gerudo didn't keep much by way of written works, and most of those were practical. The Hylians, on the other hand, loved their tales and legends. The books were full of stories, historical and fictional, though sometimes it was very hard to tell the difference between the two. A lot of strange and unfortunate things had seemingly fallen on the Hylians over the course of their long history. That history, though it spanned back millennia, eons, to the point of inception by the fabled three goddesses, seemed to culminate in the modern age as the Hylians descended from the clouds back into the land of Hyrule, which was watched over by the minor goddess Hylia. The land was plagued by two demons: the King of Evil, Demise, and his servant, Ghirahim. With the help of (Rigo couldn't believe this) the Legendary Hero, they were able to cast these demons aside and develop their kingdom here, where it still stood today.

The interesting thing, something Rigo hadn't realized, is that the so-called "Hero of Time" had not been only the enemy of his predecessor. According to the Hylians, the Hero had always appeared in some context to defend Hyrule against any sort of large-scale evil that threatened it. In all the pages of these books, there were always hints of a green-clad individual with a magical sword that would come in and save the world, a sort of Prince Charming for an entire nation. But the Hylians also believed that Ganondorf had somehow inherited the powers of Demise, which, to them, explained his abilities in sorcery and his tendency to ally with dark monsters and creatures.

If that was the case though, why should the connection stop at only the two? Most of Hylian history was marked by similar conflicts. It all could have been the same thing every time: battles between these same two powerful entities that were reincarnated again and again for no conceivable reason. And to top it off, all of these battles were typically swayed by a third individual, most often a Princess Zelda, who was responsible for bolstering the Hero in his time of need. This also explained their tradition of naming their princesses such. They did it because they always expected those princesses to fulfill a new version of this same destiny.

Rigo came across an illustration of exactly this as it had happened during the Ganondorf War. It was a picture of what appeared to be a ruined Hyrule Castle, where Ganondorf stood atop the ruins depicted as a giant tusked pig monster. The Hero ran charging at him with his shining sword in hand, and the Princess held an offering of glowing arrows of light toward the Hero as he ran into battle. Rigo traced a finger over the three figures on the page. They formed a triangle, and as he touched each of them, he spoke a name. "Din," he said as he set his finger on Ganondorf. It slid down and to the left, resting on the Hero. "Farore," he said there. Finally, he turned it right and touched on the Princess Zelda with her arms outstretched in succor to Link. "Nayru," he said finally. "Each of them embodies the core traits of one of the Hylians' three goddesses."

Power, courage, and wisdom, Nabooru added. That's right.

"But…" Rigo pondered. "According to the legends, the goddesses cooperated with one another to create the world and all the life on it."

I thought someone once told me that the Sand Goddess created the world from the Desert of Time, Nabooru said snarkily.

"We're in hypothetics here," Rigo snapped. "Can you just bear with me? What I'm trying to say is that the legends here all show the goddesses in cooperation with one another. But here's the problem. If they really did cooperate, then why is it that their representatives are always fighting each other?"

I don't know, Nabooru conceded. It's a good question. The three traits don't seem to balance perfectly with each other. Well, courage and wisdom do alright. Power stands on its own.

"Do you think something could have been written out of the legends?" Rigo asked.

Assuming the Hylian myth of creation is actually true?

"Yeah. I just…I have this idea."

I'm listening, Nabooru said.

"What if the circumstances were different than what was recorded here? What if the three goddesses were never at peace? What if Din had been at odds with Farore and Nayru? Then you'd have these three immortal deities that just downright fight with one another. Once the physical world gets created, they have a brand new arena to carry their fight over into. The one with power pours herself into powerful forms. Like that of a ravaging demon. And then later…" He touched his finger down on Ganondorf again, whose pig-image was drawn on the page with an aura of fire around him. "The other two choose mortal champions from the beginning, and since they've never lost, they keep doing it the same way over and over again. Why fix what isn't broken, right?"

The trend does stay pretty consistent.

"That would explain why these three people keep coming back. Why apparent mortals could reappear throughout history utter ages apart. Why no matter how many times they die…"

Only one of them ever really seems to die. Nabooru pointed out.

"…they keep coming back and doing it over again. This is why Ganondorf's wars are about more than just the Gerudo versus the Hylians. Because Ganondorf is Gerudo, but that's just circumstantial. He could have been anyone. Any thing. That's just the form that Din has been trying to make work for the last few centuries. But it hasn't worked. And maybe she's done with him." Rigo stared down into the page, deep in thought. Connections were clicking together in his head. He didn't know if he was right about any of this, but it felt right. It made sense. "When Demise didn't work, Din switched to something new and tried Ganondorf. Since Ganondorf has failed, several times now…how long before she tries something different?"

Are we still in hypothetics? Nabooru asked.

"What do you think?"

I think you're blaspheming in a brand new religion, Nabooru said. But that doesn't mean it's not worth considering. What if you are right, though? So what? Only one of the representatives is here now. Ganondorf is dead, and the Hero is gone to wherever he goes. Only Nayru would be left behind now, in the form of a very, very old woman. I don't think any of this is relevant to you, the Chalice, or anything really.

"No," Rigo conceded. "I guess not." But it was a nagging idea that wouldn't go away. And he couldn't help but think about it. If he were Din in this scenario, what would be his next move?

Zelda came to visit him one more time, on the second day.

When she arrived in Rigo's chamber, he had been sitting up in his bed, his back against a wall, reading one of the other books he'd been left. This one, an obvious fairy tale for children constructed around the battles between Link and Ganondorf, was called The Windwaker. In it, the world was flooded over, the two protagonists were children themselves, and the King of Hyrule was a boat that they rode around in, all while trying to reconstruct the power that Link would need to save the world again. It was amusing stuff. Rigo actually liked the story very much, though he was pretty sure about how it would end. When Zelda entered his room, he closed the book over and set it aside. He hoped he would have time to finish it before leaving.

"I didn't know you could read Hylian," Zelda said, hobbling over to his bed and sitting down at the foot of it. This whole situation reminded him strongly of his time in the hospital, with Ilsa.

"Neither did I," Rigo confessed. The answer made the Queen smile.

She told him what had been going on around him. The militia had been pulled together (most were on call already, ever since the first rumors of aggression from the desert), and they would be leaving at sun-up. Rigo would be summoned then to go with them.

"You're not coming?" he asked.

Zelda shook her head. "My time to travel the world is long past. My time in general will be past before long, I suspect. It's difficult getting old."

"So who's responsible for keeping an eye on me during the trip?"

"Colonel Tydus," Zelda said. As she did, she watched Rigo for a reaction, though he did his best to mask it. He had been afraid something like this would fall to Tydus. "You've met him," Zelda went on. "In the Stockade, you remember?"

"Yeah," Rigo said. "I remember. He doesn't really seem to be my biggest fan."

"Nevertheless, he has his orders to escort you to a parley with the Gerudo leader. He will do this. The man is nothing if not thorough, I promise you that," Zelda said.

"It's not his thoroughness I've got a problem with," said Rigo. His mind turned to the dead Warden.

Zelda waited to see if he would go any further with this, and he was tempted, again, to tell her the truth about Tydus and what had happened when he was thrown into the Stockade, but it would do no possible good. It would only cause problems. This way, with Tydus along for the ride, he'd just have to watch his back. That was all. He'd be going home tomorrow.

"Will we get the chance to talk again?" he asked instead, changing the subject.

"I think that depends on far too many things to tell right now," Zelda answered. "I am afraid, though, that I've set you on with the wrong impression of me. I would like to correct that. You must understand, Rigo, that so many burdens are rested on your shoulders when you rule a kingdom. These are burdens I hope you get the opportunity to share in the coming days. I don't hold any ill will toward you or your people. I hope you realize that."

Rigo thought of the legends, the revelations he'd had himself about Ganondorf during his time here. He thought he got it.

"My hand in this ordeal is forced by more factors than I'd care to admit. I'd like nothing more than to set you free, to let you go back to your people without hindrance. What I do, I do out of necessity, and necessity alone."

Rigo nodded, but still said nothing. There was really nothing to add. He understood. That didn't make his situation any better.

"Please, Rigo," Zelda said, resting a hand on his ankle. "Just get the Chalice back. That's the simplest end to all of this."

"I know," Rigo answered. "I will."

Zelda sighed and began to stand up, but Rigo reached out and took her shoulder, holding her back. "I have a question, actually," he said. "Just one, if I can?"

The Queen looked at him and sat back down. "Of course," she said. "What is it?"

He asked her. "You…were one of the three this last time, during the Twilight Incident. You fought Ganondorf alongside the Hero, didn't you?"

Zelda smiled. "A lifetime ago. Yes, I did."

"When the three of you were together in those last moments, can you tell me…what did it feel like?"

"Feel like?" Zelda asked, puzzled. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

Rigo struggled. "I mean, like, was there some sort of connection? Did you feel like the three of you were all part of something, like something bigger than all of you?"

"Yes, of course," Zelda answered. "That's what the Triforce is, Rigo. It's a power that's meant to be whole, but instead is split apart, manifested in three different individuals. We all shared in pieces of the same power, and so, in a way, we were one."

"So you could empathize with each other?" Rigo asked. He was aware that he was beyond the realm of his one question, but needed to drive on anyway. When would he get another chance to slake his curiosity?

Zelda seemed to think on the question deeply. "Yes," she said finally. "I suppose you could say that. We were laid bare. We all understood one another, our motives and intentions. At least, that was my experience."

"So…when you fought him, it felt like…what? Were you angry? Afraid?"

She thought again. Her eyes said she was taken away, to another time and place. Rigo guessed she could see all of it playing out again before her. It was a cruel thing to ask her to relive something like this, but ever since reading the books, since coming up with his theory about the ongoing struggle, he'd needed to ask. Zelda was the only one who could answer him.

After a time, she seemed to settle on an answer. "No," she said. "He was formidable and terrifying, but in the end, no, I was not afraid of him. I was…saddened. It's the best way to describe it. I could see how misled he was, how desperate, how wretched, and I felt, above all else, saddened that he was this way and could not be any other." When she looked back to Rigo there was a tear in her eye. It choked him up.

"I don't know if that makes sense," she said. "Why do you ask about this?"

"I'm just…" Rigo faltered. He gestured over at the small stack of books he'd been thumbing through as he was laying here. "Books," he said simply.

Zelda smiled again and wiped the teardrop from her cheek. She rose to her feet, unimpeded this time, and groaned as she did. "You should get some rest," she said back to him. "I doubt you'll have great opportunity for it in the coming days, and you won't be bothered while you are here."

"Yeah,"Rigo said, and settled down, slumping in his bed. "Thank you," he added.

"Don't," Zelda replied. "Best of luck, Rigo. May we meet again. And may the goddesses watch over you on your journey."

"And you," he answered, without really thinking about it. But, as he picked his copy of The Windwaker back up and set it in his lap, he thought again. It may very well be a better trip if they just stayed out of it entirely.