~Chapter 6~
There was a clatter as another boy ran into the throne room; the boy Shinda recognized as the real human who had visited her cell. As he limped through the large doors, he fell, allowing his blood to run through the cracks between the white tiles of the floor.
"Link!" the shadow cried out, running forward to the fallen boy. Princess Zelda ran forward as well, kneeling next to Link, placing a hand on his cheek.
"He is wounded gravely, we have no time to spare." She looked up at Shinda and the shadow. "How could this happen? My own people…" she stopped as the thundering footsteps of soldiers echoed through the hallway. She sprang up, sprinting to the large double doors. She leaned up against one, putting her entire weight against it as she started to push it shut.
The shadow followed, running to the other door. Together, both princess and monster closed off the royal room, preventing the insane men from entering for the kill. Taking a sword from the wall that acted as decoration, Zelda placed it between the door handles, locking them in.
"This wouldn't do much for long," she said, backing up and to the bleeding Link. Link had blacked out; too much blood had escaped his body.
"What is going on?" Shinda cried, her body shaking in terror. "Why are your own men attacking you?" The princess shook her head, her breathing shallow.
"My father….I pray to the gods that he is safe," she said, placing a hand on Link's side. A golden glow light up the room that illuminated from Zelda's hand, blinding Shinda momentarily. When the glow stopped and the princess removed her hand, the bleeding had stopped.
"I only healed the top layer, whatever damage lays below that is left to the gods," Zelda told Shinda and the shadow. The shadow stepped forward, picking up his sword.
"Your Majesty, it's dangerous here for you. Please, we must escape!" it said, placing the sword into its sheath. Princess Zelda shook her head as she tore a curtain from the wall to cover Link's wounded body.
"I cannot leave my people…" she paused, looking at the monster. She cannot tell he is not human, Shinda realized, her fingers twitching as she longer for a weapon.
"Faren, your Highness," it said, looking behind it as there was a sudden bang on the door. "But they are going to kill you!" it cried. "Please, we must get out of here!"
"What kind of ruler would I be if I ran like a coward from my foes? No, I will not run, even if I must face death." The princess took another sword from the wall, and inspected it. "If I must fight, I will."
Shinda jumped as another bang echoed through the room, and the cries of enraged soldiers could be heard through the wooded doors. She looked at Faren, then as the princess. Despite Faren being something of darkness, it spoke the truth. Shinda knew that the three of them probably did not stand a chance against the soldiers, and Ganondorf's words echoed through her head. He wanted the princess dead, and if she died then he would have won. No, she must live, Shinda thought. She did not know much about the dead man, but she could tell his intentions were evil.
"Princess Zelda, you said that if I protected you, your father will release me, so I could live in the well forever, am I right?" Shinda asked, her voice almost drowned out by the soldiers from outside.
"Yes, of course," the princess said.
"If I protected you now, from this assault, could this sentence of a year be reduced to this event? If I protected you now, could I be free?"
The princess nodded. "I could bring it up with Father. If you protected me, then your job will have been done. You would be free to go."
Shinda decided at that moment. "Zelda… Princess Zelda… put the blame on me. Let's run from here, and you can tell the world that I forced you. But please, if you died then Ganondorf…."
"Ganondorf?" Princess Zelda proclaimed, her eyes widening. "The king of evil from the legend? What do you know of him?" she asked, and Shinda rocked on her feet.
"Please, time if running out. Please, let's go! We must escape," Shinda pleaded. Zelda looked at both Faren and Shinda, and saw that they both wanted her to run, to save her life. Sighing, she dropped her sword, and agreed.
"Very well. There is a secret escape route, a place for the royal family to use in cause of an emergency." She ran over to her royal chair. "I have a feeling, Shinda, that there is something that you know, and if it has something to do with Ganondorf…" she grunted as she pushed against her chair, "then death is not an option."
The chair slid to the side, revealing a gaping hole beneath it, big enough for a person to slid through. Shinda, along with Faren carrying Link, came behind her. The princess looked shocked.
"I thought…." She began to say as suddenly the sound of splintered wood pierced her ears. Everyone turned to see the soldiers breaking through, trying to make a hole big enough to let them in.
"There is no way out!" Faren cried, placing Link into Shinda's hands as he drew forth his sword. They cannot see it! Shinda thought, looking into the hole. She must do something, and fast.
Looking at Zelda, she sighed. "Sorry, princess," and with those words pushed Zelda into the darkness. Zelda pitched forward with a cry, and disappeared into the floor. Faren turned with surprise horror.
"What have you done?" he screamed, but Shinda kicked him, knocking his sword towards the ground. Turning on her heel, she once again kicked him in the stomach, sending him to the floor, the wind knocked out of him.
"I know you are not human," she told it, burning anger in her voice, "and I do not trust you. I will protect Zelda, so you better be careful, or I will kill you."
Faren only looked up, frozen where he fell. The soldiers broke through, and with a battle cry began to charge. Without looking back, Shinda took one step back, allowing herself to step into the nothing.
And she fell after the princess.
The fall was not far before Shinda felt ground, but it was only for a moment before her feet gave way. Shinda could not see, but she guessed that he must have been in some sort of slide. The wind rushed past her ears as she slid; she hung on tight to Link's body. Zelda was not screaming, giving Shinda no indication how far the girl was ahead of her. Sucking in her breath, she waited for her body to stop moving.
It was a good few minutes before Shinda hit water. She went under the surface, her limbs refused her as she was caught be surprise. She went down for a moment before kicking up toward the air. There was a strong current in the water, as it moved Shinda and Link to wherever it was headed. Shinda did not fight the pull.
"Shinda!" a voice cried in the darkness, "There is a dead end!" A second later, and Shinda ran into a warm body. The princess.
"This can't be," Shinda said, trying to keep both her head and Link's above the water. Looking around, she spotted a light coming through the wall under the water.
"A crack! Here, take him!" Shinda told the princess, handing off Link. As she did, she dove under the water, letting her hands feel the wall. It was a crack, but it was a small one, and it refused to open up. Shinda tried to rip it open, but her soft hands could not budge solid stone.
She resurfaced. "We can't go through this way, it's blocked…ow!" she cried as another body hit hers. The light from the wall was not enough to see his face, but Shinda did not need the light to know who it was.
"What's wrong?" Faren called out, his head bobbing in the water.
"The wall… we are blocked off," Zelda told him, her breathing becoming hard and deep as she struggled to stay afloat. Faren nodded, and reached into his pocket.
"Here," he said, producing a bomb, "I always carry on of these. It's a water bomb, it should do the trick," he said, handing it over to Shinda. Shinda looked at him as she took it, her red eyes shone in the darkness before looking down.
"Thanks," she mumbled as she dove under again. Faren grabbed the princess, pulling her back from the wall. Several seconds later, a muffled boom was heard, and the wall gave way.
The water rushed, pulling everyone with it. The group hit solid ground, indicating that their journey has come to a halt. Pulling herself from the pounding water, Shinda dragged her body across the bricked floors, taking a look around. She gasped as she did, and tears filled her eyes.
Zelda and Faren stood up, and also looked around. The smell of mold met their noses, and both stared as a giant Green Bubble flew by as it made its rounds. They both looked at Shinda, who was crying in the floor. "Where are we?" Faren asked, who's eyes did not leave the sight of the monster.
Shinda sniffed, and wiped a tear before answering. "My home. My well."
Shinda made a fire, and found all her old blankets, which she offered to her guests. Wrapped in the snug cloth, Zelda settle next to the flame, allowing its heat to warm her. They placed Link next to the fire was well, where they laid him on top of the nicest blanket Shinda had. Shinda tended to his wounds as Faren cooked up a meal.
"He tried to stop the soldiers," Faren said, looking at Link. "I couldn't do a thing as they tried to kill him. I… I had fallen, and he came back." He looked at the sleeping boy. "The idiot. The idiot. Why did he come back?" Tears filled his eyes, and he turned to hide them. Shinda coughed into her hand. She felt bad for attacking the shadow. Perhaps he was not the monster she thought her was. Looking back at the crying creature, she tried to form words to apologize, but Zelda beat her to the punch.
"He is a hero, Faren, I am sure," Zelda said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But now Shinda has some explaining to do." The princess looked at Shinda. "You saw the escape route, didn't you? Don't look surprised, how else could have you known that it was there." Zelda waved a hand.
"But that is another story. No, what is this about Ganondorf? Tell me, what do you know?"
Shinda looked down at the floor. "I… don't know. I… saw him. His ghost. He wanders your castle, and threatens you, wishing you dead. He planned this attack, princess. That's all I know."
The princess frowned. "I can tell you speak the truth, but a strange truth it is. The evil Ganondorf was killed over a hundred years ago, nobody has even heard about him for years. It is said that only the Hero of Time knows of his weakness." The princess thought, pulling her blanket around her body. "If he is back… this seems so unreal. Nobody knows how to stop the dead, much less stop the evil Ganondorf. Nobody alive."
Shinda stopped what she was doing. "Only the Hero of Time, did you say?" Shinda put a hand to her chin, nodding to herself. "Of course!"
"What?" both Zelda and Faren asked, leaning in closer to hear. Shinda turned to face them.
"My mother told me of a legend, a terrible god that sleeps deep in the depths of the earth. According to the legend, there is a doorway to his home, called the Shadow Temple, a place of our people, mother called it. This god, known as the Devil by some or the God of the Dead, as the power to grant wishes, as long as you paid the price." Shinda stood up, overcome with determination.
"If only the Hero of Time can defeat Ganondorf, then the Hero of Time it shall be."
Faren laughed out loud. "What a joke! He's dead! What makes you think you can get him to save us?"
Shinda smiled. "Because the Devil controls the souls of the dead. And if we can get to him, then I shall wish for the Devil to resurrect the Hero of Time."
What a horrible chapter! My story must really suck…. Oh bother.
Anyway, hi all readers! Sorry for the late update! Lot's of things go on in my life! Just to clear some things up, this story takes place YEARS after Ocarina of Time AND Twilight Princess. Also, Shinda is 15, Princess Zelda is 17, and both Faren and Link are 16. Ok, just letting you know.
So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I did my best to keep things going, but to make it long. Please, review! It makes me happy to hear from my readers, it really does. Have a great week, and Happy holidays!
~Maannga