Chapter 14

One month later

The morning sun had yet to rise over the horizon, the sky still dark gray as far as I could see. I sat in on edge balcony, my legs dangling down between the pickets of the railing. There were a flock of Guay circling above the palace, squawking as they flew around.

"Annoying," I muttered. They were breaking the silence I had grown accustomed to with my resumed nighttime wanderings.

I actually was rarely awake during the day anymore. Vaati and I had found a nocturnal schedule worked better for us. Monsters were more active at night, so he would gather a few and send them to their deaths fighting against me. Training had been arduous and Vaati made sure to challenge me to the extremes. A few times he even sparred against me, although it was quite easy for him to beat me. His magic was unbelievably strong. While he typically stuck to wind magic while fighting me, he had demonstrated his ability to cast illusions, turn the living to stone, and create barriers.

One fight had taken place outside and he accidently knocked me off of the palace grounds with a small hurricane, sending me plummeting to the grounds below. The look on his face as I fell had been oddly… comforting. His eyes were wide with presumably terror and he was slightly shaking when he retrieved me. In some twisted manner he seemed not set on killing me, even though he threatened to often. He was still cruel though. He once attacked me using an illusion to make himself look like Link. I had been unable to fight him, or even defend against him. Vaati had not been pleased with that and must have yelled about how hopeless I was for a solid hour or two. Sometimes I absolutely hated Vaati while other times I… felt oddly attracted to him. He could be quite charming when he wanted to be. His flattery was delivered so convincingly I might have believed him if I had not been so suspicious of his motives. Admittedly, his compliments were sometimes welcome. I sighed, not wanting to try and sort out the mess our relationship was.

A few of the Guay began screeching as they fought.

"Quiet you stupid birds!" I shouted as I stood, having had enough with their racket.

They were silent for a moment, perhaps not expecting someone to be shouting at them. Then the black birds began making their din once more. Fed up with them, I cast a jinx spell, lighting the entire sky with blue flames. The flames did not burn them; I had learned that effect was particular to undead. Instead the birds were shrouded in cold flames, severely scaring them if nothing else. Physical beings would be unable to use weapons, but because birds brandished no such things, the spell was more of a threat than anything. The Guay flock flew off quickly, deciding the area too hostile for their liking.

"That was quite an overreaction," Hue commented, reminding me he was even there. "Were you even listening to me?"

"I was not." I leaned against the banister and watched as the birds flew off into the distance. "Continue your report."

"Fine," Hue grumbled. "Jahalla still seems to lack conviction. He has made no attempt to infiltrate the palace or even send scouts. I had been able to speak with Meg and she confirmed Jahalla does not seem overly excited to kill you anymore. He has us more focused on serving the Gerudo because that is more of a direct threat than even you."

I nodded absently. Jahalla still did not actively seek me out because he was too busy helping overrun Hyrule with monsters by the will of Ganondorf. "And how is Castle Town fairing?"

"The humans' defenses are weakening. More and more monsters are gathering closer to the town. That knight you are friends with is fine, no need to pester me about him. The king is near death from whatever curse he suffers from, but the princess has been handling it well enough. The Gerudo had left the town on the basis of 'business' elsewhere and has yet to return."

"Any idea what business he had to attend to?"

"Punishing the Lizalfos," Vaati suddenly chimed in. He leaned on the railing, his shoulder brushing against mine with how close he chose to stand. "You are dismissed," his words directed at Hue.

Hue hovered for a second, looking to me for permission. I nodded my head slightly. If Vaati wanted to speak with me in person and alone, the matter must be of some importance. Hue did not need to be involved if Vaati sent the ghost away. Hue faded from sight and slowly made his way back into the palace.

"Yes?" I tilted my head to the side, waiting for an explanation. I honestly had no idea why he was here. Often I would not see him for days at a time and would speak with him through his sentries. A face to face meeting always included some twist.

He looked at the horizon, the sun considering to rise, turning the sky gray instead of dark blue. For a moment he refused to look at me, while I looked at him with raised eyebrows. "It is time for us to take action."

My eyes widened. "A…action?" I stuttered. I had dreaded this moment since coming to the palace, mainly because I did not know what he planned to do.

"Yes. I thought you would be more excited," he said rolling his eyes, also adding a chuckle. "Instead you stand here speechless with a look of fear. Do you not trust me, Eivie?"

"Of course not." I did not need to even consider the answer to that question. "Would you even trust yourself?"

He shrugged, not surprised. "Would you like to hear my plans?"

"Vaati," I grumbled with a glare. "Must I beg for an answer when you obviously want to tell me?" His smirk was enough to say that he did indeed want me to beg. I growled quietly to show my discontent. "Please?"

"Is that all? Please? I know you can do better than that," he teased, about to wrap his arm around my waist.

"Just tell me." I took a step to the side, giving some distance between us to show I was seriously annoyed with him.

"Fine," he sighed. All playfulness was replaced with strictly business. "I have been waiting for Ganondorf to leave Castle Town. The Lizalfos had been carrying out my orders to create a distraction by killing area monsters. I of course made sure the casualties had been comparable enough to demand direct attention. While he is gone, we have to act." He stopped taking suddenly.

"Why do we need to act? Why is it important he not be in Castle Town?"

Vaati let out an amused laugh before giving me a dead serious look. "We are going to kidnap the princess."

"What!?"

"Have you heard of something called the Triforce?"

"No, but what do you mean…"

Vaati shushed me by placing his finger on my lips. "Behave."

I nodded slightly to show I would be quiet, seeing as how he, for once, would oblige my questions with a solution.

"The Triforce is an ancient relic of great power, supposedly able to grant those who possess it wishes. From the research I have done, I believe that Ganondorf is trying to gain possession of the complete Triforce."

"How does that involve Zelda?"

"The Triforce is split into three pieces, each held by a person. Zelda has a part, which Ganondorf is sure to go after. Many records mention the females of the royal family carry a special power, presumably the Triforce." He randomly sighed before grumbling bitterly to himself, "I wish I had known that the first time. It would have simplified things greatly."

"And the other pieces? Do you know who holds the others?"

"Ganondorf has one." He scowled before saying, "I have a guess who has the other, but that is of little importance this moment."

"You want to kidnap Zelda in order to keep her piece of the Triforce away from Ganondorf," I stated. "Then what? Do you plan on taking all of the Triforce for yourself? I will not assist if I am forced to hurt Zelda."

"Calm yourself. I do, in fact, intend on gaining possession of the Triforce, but first Ganondorf must be dealt with. He is our main concern, do you understand that, Eivie?"

"Yes. He must be defeated, that much is clear."

"As for Zelda, I do not plan on harming her." He did not break eye contact, looking sincere for once. "I have a way to obtain her piece without injury, so do not worry over that."

I bit my lip and nodded, hoping I could trust him. Looking at the ground, I took a moment to think about what he had told me. "What will you do with the Triforce?" My voice was low and quiet, already fearing his response.

"I will become an unstoppable god." He repeatedly spoke about this; becoming a god, or, rather, a monster of incomprehensible strength. He was obsessed with power. "Eivie." His voice was softer, perhaps betraying emotion or noting a clever ploy to manipulate me; I could never tell which it was. He strode closer so he stood in front of me. Gently, he tilted my head so I was looking at him rather than the floor. "You are welcome to be at my side."

"Yes, I know," I mumbled, avoiding looking at his eyes. "What… is it you want me to do?"

Vaati chuckled a few times, excited about whatever his plan was. He strutted back the balcony's rail, his cape twirling dramatically behind him. "After I tell you the plan, we will go directly to Castle Town while dawn has yet to break. If you do exactly as you are told, no one shall be harmed."

The sun had just begun to rise, the sky turning pale oranges and yellow. All I heard was the rush of wind and the flapping of Vaati's wings. In monster form, he carried me down from the palace and to Castle Town. I shifted uncomfortably; being held in a giant claw would never be comfortable, even if he was not trying to crush me.

Suddenly he descended, making my stomach lurch with the rapid changes in elevation. I hated flying. Despite feeling absolutely miserable, I forced myself to look down. We were above Castle Town and about to land somewhere just outside of the walls. Vaati changed to his Hylian form, causing me to feel like we were free falling uncontrollably and scream. He reacted by covering my mouth and yelling in my ear to shut up.

Once our feet touched the ground, I stumbled a few steps away, not sure if I could stand with how nauseous I was. He allowed me a moment to collect myself. After adjusting to being on the ground for the first time in a month, I stood straight and faced him. He rolled his eyes and began rearranging my hair and clothing, which had been disturbed by the flight. I scowled, seeing that every piece of his long hair was still in order and his flowing clothes showed no sign of having been in a windstorm. Having enough of his preening, I swatted his hand away.

"Take this." He handed me a small sheathed dagger. "If she resists too much, a nick with that dagger will cause her to fall asleep."

I nodded as I fixed the dagger at my hip.

"Try to be convincing, Eivie. Do not allow for them to sway you with words."

"I will do as you instructed."

Suddenly three sentries appeared, all of them hovering over to my side. "I will wait for the sound of screaming." Vaati smirked before teleporting. He would be on the castle roof, waiting for me to grab Zelda and disable the guards.

I swallowed nervously as I turned to face the wall surrounding town. Without much thought, I shifted into a ghost. I walked through the stone wall and into the streets. Not many people had left their homes yet, it would seem. At a quick pace, I made way for the castle, passing through whatever happened to be in the way. With a lot of practice, I had been able to incorporeal for nearly an hour, the only side effects being my skin gradually graying, nails darkening, and my eyes beginning to glow. While I was uneasy about using the Death Sword's power, it was necessary to enter the castle with the least suspicion.

When I reached the castle gates I froze. I was actually doing this. I was about to help Vaati kidnap Zelda. They would hate me, if they did not already. But if I did not help Vaati, then Ganondorf would take the Triforce, which seemed fairly important judging Vaati's description. Then Zelda would be killed and Link would surely be caught up in it all. Vaati would be the next to go; Ganondorf would not keep a possible threat around. Without Vaati's protection, I would be dead as well, be it by Ganondorf, Jahalla, or possibly the Death Sword. It would be for the best... taking Zelda captive. Right?

One of the sentries squeaked, questioning why I had stopped. I shook my head and continued, hoping Vaati would dismiss my apprehension. He did not like when I hesitated to take action. That is likely the reason he sprung this plan on me so suddenly. He did not me to have time to think things over.

The guards positioned on either side of the grand door way did not notice me as I slipped by, completely invisible to them. Once inside, I glanced around, considering where to go first. Not many people were milling around the entry and the castle seemed fairly quiet. I decided to go to the throne room first. Perhaps a few people would be in there talking and their conversation would lead me to Zelda. I walked through yet another wall.

There were people everywhere. Guards and knights to be exact. All I could see was shining plate armor and weaponry. In front of the room Zelda stood next to the Knight Captain, Link's father. The king was absent. Link's father was speaking to the gathering about monsters residing in the fields and how they were closing in on the town. The group was planning an assault on the monsters in attempt to force them to leave.

I crossed the room, trying to avoid passing through people when possible. The unlucky few would shiver and glance around suspiciously. I had had Hue do this to me once just to understand what people felt as a Poe passed through their body. The only physical effect was feeling chilled to the bone, the psychological effect was paranoia. Every person I passed through would be on edge, which was certainly something I did not want. I was kidnapping a princess from a room full of armed men after all.

As I stepped to the front of the room, Zelda snapped her head in my direction, causing me to stiffen. She squinted for a moment. She must have been able to sense me but not see me. Link's father looked at her questioningly. Zelda waved her hand to dismiss her sudden action, asking for him to continue with the meeting. I dared not make a noise as I continued forward, hoping that she would brush off whatever she had sensed.

It was when I stood right beside her did I start shaking nervously. My hand went to my side, slowly grabbing the dagger, trying not to drop it. I stood dumbly behind her, not having the conviction to carry out the plan. Even though I was invisible I felt as though every eye was focused on me. That feeling was far worse when I looked over the crowd, noticing someone familiar. My heart dropped as I stared at Link, who was dressed in his green tunic and near the front of the crowd. He was focused on his father's words, but that would not be for long.

One of the sentries flew into my face, glaring at me with its singular red eye. I nodded weakly. With one step I was well within reach of Zelda. That was when I became visible. I quickly grabbed her and tried to position the dagger near her neck. I needed to be convincing. She struggled, yelling for me to unhand her. The room was filled with gasps and shouts, as well as a few weapons being drawn.

"Quit struggling or you will get hurt," I whispered, more in warning than threat.

She froze at the sound of my voice, slowly trying to get a sideways glance at me. "Eivie?" Her tone caused me to look away. Betrayed would be the only way to describe her voice in that instance.

Before the knights had any more time to process the situation, I created a firestorm. The blue flames of a jinx spell spread throughout the room, everyone now unable to use their weapons. As soon as the flames vanished, a new crash drew everyone's attention. The ceiling crumbled down, a gaping hole letting sunlight flood the dust filled room. In the center of the room and above the crowd, the demon eye hovered.

"Do not move," I whispered to Zelda again.

"Who are you, monster?" she shouted as she tried to shake me off.

Low rumbling laughter filled the room, echoing like thunder in the space. "I am the Wind Sorcerer Vaati."

"Vaati?" Zelda's eyebrows drew together as she looked at the bat winged creature. She must have recognized the name but not the appearance. "Why are you here?"

"To take control of Hyrule, of course." A powerful gust of wind cleared a path through the knights. He slowly flew closer. "As well as to take you captive." With that, he began flying slowly over to us.

This was when Zelda really began to squirm. She elbowed me in the ribs, almost knocking me away from her. Link's father had moved towards me, ready to pull me off of her, only to have a searing laser shot at him by one of the sentries. Link also ran to the front of the room, but he was too late to do anything. Vaati had already grabbed Zelda in one of his massive claws.

The jinx spell wore off and many of the men in the room had drawn their weapons. As they ran forward to attack, a shield surrounded us. I stood still, fixated on Link. His expression was painful for me to see. Anger burned in his eyes, while he also looked absolutely shocked. Betrayal was the perfect way to describe how he looked at me. I bit my lip, knowing how much he must despise me now. He had been my first friend. He had offered me a kindness I had never been shown previously. And I betrayed him in every way. I was a truly a monster for this.

As Vaati grabbed me and lifted me from the ground, I mouthed a silent apology. He did not acknowledge it, instead drawing his sword. Link took one last swing at us, jumping and trying to stab through the barrier Vaati had created. His attack was reflected, causing him to fall to the ground.

He screamed as we flew outside. He shouted again and again, his voice still audible as we cleared the roof. All I could hear over the sound of beating wings and Zelda's complaints was Link as he desperately yelled "Zelda" over and over.

By the time we came into view of the palace, Zelda had given up shouting and trying to free herself from Vaati's grip. Understandably, she still looked incredibly angry, as well as scared. Vaati seemed to concentrate on flying, momentarily ignoring Zelda and me. If he had been paying attention he would have been disgusted with the tears occasionally overflowing from my eyes. I did not want him to chastise me for acting weak. Monsters were not allowed to show weakness.

He flew into an opening in the roof of the palace that lead into a spacious room with vaulted ceilings that perhaps was once used for grand balls and extravagant dinners. Now the only decorations to behold were stone statues of monsters and occasionally humans that had angered him. Vaati essentially dropped Zelda and I as soon as we were close enough to the floor. I managed to stay on my feet, expecting such treatment, but Zelda fell to her knees. Vaati then reverted to his Hylian form, allowing for me to see his giddy smile. He had been enjoying himself it seemed.

"How dare you," she said as she quickly stood on her feet and brushed her dress off. "What do you think you are doing? I demand you take me back this instant!"

"You are my prisoner now, there is no returning to Castle Town so long as I live. You might as well cease your complaining and enjoy your stay, or else I might grow annoyed."

"Why did you bring me here?" She clenched her fists tightly as she took a step closer. "You have no reason to hold me captive when you could have simply killed me and usurped the throne." Despite how upset she was, her voice was steady and did not rise to a yell.

Vaati shrugged. "I have my reasons. You should be grateful to me actually. If you were not here, than Ganondorf would surely have you captive instead. I am at least not intent on killing you."

"The Gerudo King," she muttered spitefully, not very surprised interestingly. "I knew he had been planning something. Wendal, I demand you tell me what you know."

His smile faded at the mention his human given name. "My name is Lord Vaati to you, princess." He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Zelda to acknowledge his orders.

She stared stubbornly at him. "Eivie, what do you know?"

I stuttered, not expecting her to ask me anything. She must have seen that Vaati had no intention of answering her. I looked to Vaati, wondering if I should dare speak. His glare told me no, do not utter a word. I ended up closing my mouth and looking down at the ground.

There was a long silence, presumably the two stared each other down. Vaati was probably smirking because he had shown how he influenced me so easily and that Zelda would not get any information from me.

Vaati spoke first. "Eivie, escort the princess to her chambers." He walked over to me and leaned closer to softly say, "We will meet later to discuss our next move."

"Understood," I replied quickly, not hiding my curiosity but also not trying to question him now. After the first few days of staying in the palace I had learned that he would not answer unless he wanted to; questions only irritated him.

He left me with Zelda and a few sentries. One of the bats took the lead, expecting us to follow it to wherever Zelda's room was. The palace remained a maze of corridors that even Hue had complained about it, and he could pass through walls.

"Follow," I said quietly, pointing to the sentry. "It will show us the way."

Zelda did not seem keen on moving and slowly trudged along after the bat. I stayed a few paces behind her, avoiding looking at her entirely. Honestly I wished Vaati would have had something else take her, like Hue or even Darknuts.

"We had been worried about you," Zelda commented, her voice showing some bitterness. "We thought you had died, but instead you have been here, helping a demon."

"Vaati offered to protect me," I mumbled. "I did not have much choice in the matter."

"Why had you run away? Link and I could have helped you."

I scoffed quietly. "I am not human and I had no business staying in Castle Town. There is nothing you could have done to stop this." I held my hands in front of me, seeing my purple, claw-like nails. "I doubt even Vaati can help me," I whispered.

She stopped walking and turned to look at me. "What happened to you? Whatever I sense now had not been there before, or it was at least hidden very well. Are you possessed by something? A Poe or…?"

My eyebrows came together, slightly surprised that she could sense such a thing. "A monster called the Death Sword. It had attacked Ordon Village years ago and apparently has been within me ever since. When Gomess attempted to kill me, it woke to protect itself, and me by default."

"Why do you stay here? If he cannot help as you say, then why?"

"I…" The truth was I did not know. In the end, if I did kill Jahalla, what did that accomplish? Eventually the Death Sword would find a way to escape and kill me. Vaati had admitted he had no idea how to separate us at the moment. If he could not help me, why did I stay and tolerate him? "I believe in him, no matter how much I know I should not. He has promised that you and Link would not be hurt and that he would find a way to remove the Death Sword if I helped him."

"Eivie, Link and I do not need protecting. I am also sure that we could help you if you did not keep trying to push away." She paused and sighed. "Despite your recent actions, you are a good person. I know you are, which is why you should leave Vaati."

I laughed humorlessly. After all I had done she still thinks I am good? She did not understand that I was a monster. I was inherently bad. I could not simply leave Vaati and go about being human like I had been. That was how I got into this situation originally. By acting human I ruined my chances of combining with the Death Sword and sealed my fate to die when it breaks free. Vaati and his magic would be my best option in the end. He seemed to have an idea how possession worked at least.

"Eivie," Zelda sighed, shaking her head, "what has he done to you?"

"He showed me how delusional I had been, how diluted I was to think I could resist instinct forever."

Every lie I had told myself about being human, he had shown me the truth. There is no escaping myself. In the end, I would be a monster. I had no options and I had been a fool to think I did.

Zelda seemed to catch the cue that I would not be speaking anymore. She shook her head again, maybe pitying me. The sentry led us down a few more halls and stairs before stopping outside of a room guarded by two Darknuts. Zelda opened the door and stepped into the room. She looked it over but shared no comments about it. No matter how nice a room it was, it was still a prison. A sentry perched itself on the corner of a table, its attention fully focused on Zelda.

"Tell Vaati that Link will come. Tell him that Link will defeat him, no matter how powerful he thinks he is," Zelda stated as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Link will never abandon his friends."

I looked at her, wondering if she meant anything by that comment.

"We tried finding you, Eivie. Link went all the way to Ordon in search of you. He spent a week searching the surrounding area for you." She paused. "And, because he now knows you are with me, he will come here. He will come to save us both, even if you do not think you need help."

A/N- And the conflict over the Triforce begins. Since all three holders were present, I decided to include it. Link will be back next chapter and more involved than he was in this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the last one as well. I feel like I may have rushed this chapter a bit, though. Thank you SkyKly for following and favoriting! Thank you to everyone reading as well!