A/n: This story is darker and a little more mature. Just fair warning!


To Blacken the Lake

Chapter One: Secret Notes and Ugly Thieves

It had been years since Zelda was up for a trip down to the lake. I begged with her and pleaded with her, but she didn't so much as move an inch on the matter. She was much too busy being Queen-in-training for childish nonsense as she put it. This was always leaving my heart as low as my belly, but there wasn't anything I could do about it.

I admired her for it — for being so focused and responsible; traits I have and will probably always lack.

There was definitely a downside to my sister. Everyone has their flaws, and if it wasn't obvious, hers was being much too grown-up for her own good. At only twenty-four, she believed that the whole world was now on her shoulders and she couldn't for a single second think so much as a care-free thought. No, that would be blasphemous to the first degree.

And to be fair, my flaws were the exact opposite of hers: I was too childish most days and even vile with my language as well. Only around our friends, mind you. I was raised a princess of Hyrule, so I'm very aware when to turn the maturity up and the childishness down on those diplomatic occasions. I'm not that big of a fool.

However, I am quite the fool since we've circled back to that topic.

Nevermind my silly dare of having to touch the rock, I was foolish enough to venture too far for my own good.

It started earlier this day — my birthday. I rose up early in the morning to watch the knights practice their sword play in the courtyard. To watch them fight one another and curse one another never got so old. Link was Zelda and I's dearest friend in the knight's guard. He was a fierce fighter and a loyal knight. There was no one better suited to guard a princess. He was assigned to Zelda for good reason; every one of my guards had either left or begged for a different post.

I take full blame, I assure you. I'm either much too bothersome with my pranks to guard for long or one of them has angered me to the point where I kick them out or worse…pull a prank so dark, it leaves them bursting into tears and running away.

A few of them have done that. To this day, my mother says I'm still punished ten-fold. I'm not to be outside the castle for another two months. Eight months have already passed since the punishment began.

Link was off today. His swings were too loose and his posture worse than it normally was. He was losing the spars left and right while the instructor ridiculed his every move. Only part of me held pity for him; the rest of me just stood there laughing.

When the practice ended, I glided my way down the steps, sweeping my blond hair behind my shoulders.

"You were dreadful today, Link. What's going on?" I asked him with mock concern. I knew precisely what was going on.

Link rolled his eyes at me. "The princess has told me to meet her in the garden today…do you think it's to let me go as her guard? Did I do something wrong, Tori?"

"Of course not, she adores you. Who knows, maybe she's proposing marriage and you two will have kids and live happily ever after."

His eyes went wide. It was a wonder that all the mocking between him and my sister that he still found my playfulness such a surprise.

"That's crazy… S-she's a princess." His stuttering and the averting of his eyes was comical.

"I'm the one who loves surrounding myself with powerful men. She's not so shallow. Trust me, she probably has somewhere special in her heart for you." I gave him a sly wink, making him feel all the more uncomfortable. The rise in the color of his cheeks was plenty of satisfaction for me.

"So, she tells me you will see her in the gardens in one hour, yes? I hope all goes well. I, on the other hand, have a dress to pick out for my birthday party. Don't let your rendezvous get in the way of my party, alright? There may be impending, imminent doom descending upon us all because of Ganon, but that doesn't mean we can't hold a ball!" It was the most difficult thing to walk away and not burst out laughing at Link's astonished expression, but I managed it.

Zelda didn't set up such an inappropriate meeting. Of course, she didn't.

I did.

Xxx

The hour counting down to the meeting was absolutely excruciating. Wanting nothing more than to see my sister in such an awkward situation.

However, I admit that more of it had to do with me wanting them to finally get over the passive flirtation and gawking at one another. Despite, I couldn't expect too much from this setup than anger and confusion towards me when both knew their fateful positions and imbalanced rankings. They were truly star-crossed lovers if I've ever seen any.

I still made my way to the forests behind the gardens and waited my time there until I watched the two meet one another in hesitant reservation.

Our mother's story of how she met father would never grow old — even for Zelda. Romance and love was no childish dream even for a headstrong, determined and focused princess. Mother would always describe how her father was strong, handsome, and a greater man than any she'd ever met — a true hero.

I never imagined my husband as much as my sister imagined herself with Link. That much I can assure you. There were plenty of days where I caught Zelda distracted, staring out the window only to see that Link was just on the other side standing guard. She was as much in love as our mother was when she met our father.

For me, I could only hope that one day I would be like Zelda and Mother: happily in love and sure of it.

Though Mother didn't think so, I still saw myself as having plenty more time to figure that out later.

For now, I would be the obnoxious little sister who tried getting her older sibling to be with the one she admired most.

Link arrived first, thankfully. His face was very pale and his eyes wide like a doe's. The poor thing was almost as scared of Princess Zelda as he was facing real monsters.

He sat down on one of the stone benches, clenching the note in his hand. He bounced his leg up and down. The beads in his hair waved around and clanked together as he looked back and forth from the entrances at opposite ends of the garden. I couldn't imagine being so nervous as he was. It made me feel terrible for putting it into his head so clearly that this was more likely a meeting of sweet confessions rather than of business. Sometimes I wonder if that would have made much difference in the outcome.

Zelda took her sweet time to come out from the east entrance, walking gracefully over to where Link stood immediately upon her arrival. He bowed quickly and chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

I smirked; the scratching of his neck was definitely something her sister couldn't help but swoon over.

The two awkward creatures stood at the same height. Luckily for Link, her sister wasn't so shallow as to be concerned over how short he was for a man. Her hair was much darker and her skin much more perfect than his. He was rough around the edges — a common trait among the guards. His hair was bright blond while hers was a light shade of brown and much longer, reaching all the way to her waist. She was a stunning sight. Any man would be lucky and then some to be with her.

And a guard of all people…

I wasn't sure what it was about Link that made my sister weak in the knees. The only time I tried prying into her infatuation, all she said was, "I don't understand a bit of it, and I don't wish to speak more of it."

I think part of her was sad that she liked Link.

Not because he was who he was, but because of who he was, they would never truly be together. That's what probably hit her hard.

Link was so at loss for words that he could only stare with a mouth wide open.

Of course, it was the princess who spoke first. "I must say, Link, this is highly inappropriate."

Still, nothing came from his mouth.

"Well, speak, Link. Have you nothing to really say?" she asked. Her tone sounded hurt.

"I-I… Well, I thought there might be something you wanted to tell me."

I rubbed my forehead, hoping someone would say something other than something that might foil the plan. As much as I loved toying with the two of them and their emotions, results in moving forward was a greater prize than simply their discomfort.

It was a strange feeling for me in that moment. It was like watching a play unfold before my eyes where I didn't know the end but begged silently that the two lovers would live happily anyway.

I leaned forward in the brush, struggling to keep myself concealed all the while trying to will myself closer to the two in the garden.

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked, looking taken aback. Her cheeks flushed, but immediately she regained her composure: the determination of a princess was clearly seeping through her expression. "You know, there is, Link. And I think it's time that I say this for the sake of moving on."

No, I thought. Not for the sake of moving on, but for a happier life.

Link, too, seemed to lean in closer as the words became stuck in her mouth. Both myself and Link were figuratively on the edge of our seats, waiting for her to say what she needed to say.

"For quite some time, I couldn't shake this feeling that — "

Those were the last words I heard my sister say right before a hand clamped hard over my mouth and someone tied my hands behind my back. My first instinct was to scream, but the slender, bony hand rendered my mouth utterly useless. No squirming, no kicking, and no amount of lashing helped my cause in escaping. The thieves threw me into a wagon and hopped in right next to me with vile smirks on their faces.

And now, I've arrived at this point. I'm still sitting in this goddess-forsaken wagon with a bunch of ugly Gerudos on my way to who-knows-where.

It's this moment where I see Hyrule Castle — my home and comfort — disappear on the horizon that I realize my nightmare has come true.

I'm now all alone with no family and no one to comfort me.