The Promise

Impa's hands were trembling as she lifted her spoon in order to feed herself the porridge that was made for her by her grandmother. Her nerves had gotten to her; it was the morning of her first day at her first job that she had been training for months for.

"Come now, eat. You will need all the energy you can get on your first day." Her grandmother said, sitting across from her at the kitchen table reading the daily Hyrule Post.

"I-I know. It's just…" Impa sighed, reminding herself that she needed to breathe. "Do you really think I'm ready? What if I'm a disappointment? What if I mess up and they hate me?"

"They will not hate you." The older woman said sternly, "The Sheikah Tribe has been serving the Royal Family for hundreds of years. I promise you will not be a disappointment."

"Grandma, I'm fifteen. I don't feel… ready."

"Your mother was eighteen when she attended the queen of her time. Now you must take the responsibility of our people as she did."

Impa sighed, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that she, still a young teenager, was being assigned the task of being an attendant and personal body guard of the princess Zelda. "I don't think I'm as qualified as she was."

"I think it's a bit insulting to say that you're not qualified when I am the one who has been training you," Her grandmother stated flatly, "You are ready. I would know if you weren't."

Impa didn't bother to argue, but still had doubts about her abilities. Sure, she had been trained in the art of traditional Sheikah combat for years, but she had yet to apply her skills in the real world when there was real danger.

She had the skills, yes, but wasn't fully confident in that alone. She also worried about her ability to get along with the Royal Family; she wasn't a very conversational type of person and often got anxious in social situations.

Because she had to work personally for the princess, she was nervous about the possibility of not being able to get along with her. She had no idea what type of person the princess was as she had never been introduced beforehand.

The princess did not make many public appearances either, as she was only fourteen and her father did not want her to be subjected to a life of fame and publicity from an early age.

Impa's grandmother got up from her seat and walked over behind her grandchild and began to pull her silvery-white hair back into a tight bun.

"I'm sorry…" Impa said, "I just feel so uncertain about my abilities."

"Don't be," Her grandmother told her, "You must have faith in yourself."

Impa slowly breathed inward, attempting to relieve herself of her anxieties. Remember to breathe, she told herself, remember who you are. You are the chosen protector of Hylia's descendants.

Her grandmother gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "You can do this," She said, "now, go get ready. We leave for the castle in an hour."

"Yes ma'am."

Impa quickly finished the bowl of porridge and began to gather her things to put in a travel sack; she was going to be staying at the castle from now on. Being the princess' personal guard and caretaker also meant that she would have to be around her day and night. She couldn't imagine having a constant companion, which was mostly why she was so nervous about being able to get along with the princess. They were around the same age, with only a year in between them, so Impa hoped that would be enough of a similarity to be able to live with each other.

She tried to stay positive whenever the thought of the princess came to her mind. She had already been told of her beauty by those who had had the chance to meet her in person and hoped that the rumors were true, even though she wouldn't have minded if the princess had not been conventionally beautiful either.

Looks didn't matter to Impa when meeting new people, but, then again, Impa did come to find that she very much appreciated pretty girls. She inwardly laughed at the thought of the princess Zelda seeing girls the same way she did. The thought of it was ridiculous. After all, royals had to continue their bloodline.

She very much tried as best as she could to see the good in every person she met, just like her grandmother told her to do. But she couldn't help but to think about the worst possible outcomes of each social situation she was put in, which was a real issue for her.

Her mother was taken by a deadly epidemic when she was young, leaving her to live in the care of her grandmother for most of her life. Such a great loss at a young age had deeply affected her ability to communicate and relate with other people who weren't extremely close to her, because she closed herself off from society for so long after her mother's death from being overtaken by grief.

However, at the age of fifteen, she felt she had gotten over that part of her life for the most part. She still had many hurdles to jump, but she had been working with her grandmother to be able to interact with people normally. Her grandmother personally felt that being the around the princess so often would help her overcome many of the social anxieties she had, and Impa desperately hoped she would be right.

After an hour of making sure she had everything she needed, she and her grandmother set out for the castle on foot. They didn't live very far away, as they resided in the outskirts of Castle Town on the western side. It was about an hour's walk to the front gates of the castle, where their bags were checked for any dangerous or suspicious items they had with them-not that there was any suspicion of the two Sheikah in the first place. The protocol was merely for extra precaution.

Impa did have a few weapons with her, such as throwing knives, a bow, and a sheathed katana, which she prized dearly. She kept her weapons in their own separate sack, their only purpose being to defend the princess with.

The guards offered to carry her bags while they led her to her new room, which was high in the towers of the castle, close to Zelda's, she assumed. The stairways twisted in the cobblestone tower, reaching incredible heights that Impa had only seen from the cliffs of Death Mountain. The castle was grand and had many confusing and continuing corridors that never seemed to end. She was excited to be able to explore every single room, if she had the time or access to them, that was.

When they reached the top of the tower, Impa was surprised to find that her room was connected to the Zelda's, with only one door separating them. She was amazed at the fact that the Royal Family was able to trust her with their eldest child so easily. She presumed it was probably due to the fact that she was a Sheikah and had come from a long bloodline of people who had served the Royal Family before.

When she had gotten all of her things in order in her room, she had to make her way to the throne room to have an audience with the king and his family, which was, she guessed, an interview of sorts.

She could feel a knot in her stomach growing tighter as she stood on the bright red and gold rug, in a room that resembled a large temple of worship. The walls were decorated with brightly colored stained-glass windows that depicted grand tales of past heroes and royalty who sought to protect the ancient power of the goddesses from the hands of the evil king. She knew these tales well. Everyone in the kingdom who had an inkling of an education knew them. In front of her was the throne-the throne that had seated every king and queen of the past in Hyrule, even the evil king himself.

When the noble King Devrim entered the room, his wife and young son at his side, Impa lowered herself and knelt in respect. The king was tall and thin and had pale skin and silky golden hair that fell to his shoulders and intense green eyes that sparkled like emeralds. A golden grown lay atop his head, and fine red silk robes draped over him, nearly reaching the floor. His wife, Queen Ambi, was quite the opposite in appearance. She was a petite woman who had skin so dark it was almost ebony, her head decorated with long black braids that fell as far down as her waist. Her eyes were an extremely dark brown color and her lips were full and elegant.

The small boy at Ambi's side was their five-year-old son, Ralis. He looked more like his mother than anything. His skin was slightly lighter, yet still as dark as the earth below, as were his eyes as well. His black hair was extremely curly and spouted out of his head in all directions. Because he was a young child, his hair was very difficult to keep from being unruly.

Impa noticed that the young princess Zelda was missing from their flock and was tempted to ask where she was because she had been anticipating meeting her for quite a while. However, Impa held her tongue unless spoken to first. She expected that she would probably have all of her questions answered at some point.

"At ease, young Lady Impa." The king said with a commanding, yet gentle voice, looking her over with a smile, "Dark skin, unmistakable crimson eyes, and silvery-white hair… You are very much your mother's daughter."

She could hear the little boy whisper to his mother, "Is her name Impa? Is she going to live with us?"

Ambi replied, "Yes, she is going to live with your sister and take care of her."

Prince Ralis looked sincerely disappointed, "Why can't she take care of me?"

"Because," Ambi said with a small chuckle, "You already have many nannies who take care of you, dearie."

This small exchange made Impa smile. She could tell she was already appreciated here, even by the smallest of the castle's residents.

"As you can tell, my daughter Zelda is not with us at the moment. Please excuse her; she has been out riding in Hyrule Field with a few of our guards for the afternoon. She often does not stay out this long, so she should be returning shortly. She does love to be on horseback more often than she does staying in the castle nowadays."

"It's no trouble at all, your majesty." Impa said, correcting her posture.

The king motioned for her to follow him, "Let us speak in the garden. The atmosphere is much more calming down there, I think."

Impa was surprised at how kind this man was, especially since she had heard that he wasn't the most sociable and talkative of rulers. She was expecting him to be much less… welcoming of her, in a way.

The garden was spectacular, to say the least. It was a warm spring day and the air smelled sweet with the blooming of many native Hyrulean flowers. Impa was amazed at the neatly trimmed hedges and brightly colored bushes and vines that made the atmosphere feel like a vibrant painting. She took notice of every single butterfly that pollinated the flowers in exchange for sweet nectar; all of them were unique and beautiful in their own ways.

"You know what the old legends say about this garden, don't you?" He began, carefully holding a white rose that had blossomed magnificently.

Impa nodded, "Yes. It is said that the Hero of Time snuck through here as a young boy to expose the Evil King's plans to the princess."

"And do you know what happened to him after that?" He asked.

"Well I…" Impa thought for a few moments, "I think he left Hyrule in search of a friend… but he returned much later and not much else is written about his life in the history books. All we are told is that he was the savior of Hyrule."

"He faded out of history. Why do you think that?"

"The responsibility of being the goddesses' chosen hero must have worn him down… I know it would have worn me down."

"And the Hero of Twilight? What do you think happened to him after defeating Ganon, finishing what his ancestor started?"

"He…he fell into obscurity as well."

The petals of the rose began to fall to the ground, one by one.

"No one has seen a true hero since. It seems that the spirit of the Hero has finally been broken once and for all, and it's easy to see why."

"Because Ganon is dead?"

"No," The king replied, "because the spirit of the Hero has finally been put to rest after countless cycles of reincarnation. His soul was irreparably torn to pieces after carrying the fate of the world numerous times."

Each and every petal had fallen off of the rose except for one, which the king himself pulled out at last.

"Perhaps we took his heroism for granted. Perhaps we should have done things differently to keep his soul intact and keep him from suffering as much as he did in all of his lifetimes." He blew the petal away and watched it dance in the wind, "After all, he was only a human, just like us."

Impa was curious as to why he would bring up the Legendary Heroes at this time, but only questioned it inwardly.

The king finally decided to change the subject to more lighthearted things and asked Impa about herself. She wasn't quite good at introductions, as she didn't find herself as interesting as most people, yet he listened to her every word with interest as she talked. He then proceeded to describe what her life would be like in the castle and her daily duties as the princess' caretaker and personal guardian.

"I am quite confident you two will become very close." He said, "Sweet girl, that one, but terribly blunt and hard headed. You don't want to anger her." He chuckled, "My daughter and I, we tend to butt heads quite a lot. I do hope she someday learns to understand that everything I do is in her best interest."

"I do not doubt it, your Majesty."

"I'm glad." He replied, "I just want her to understand that it's very difficult to be both a good ruler and a good father."

Impa nodded in understanding and appreciated his sincerity, even though it was obvious that his relationship with his daughter wasn't the smoothest. She hoped that she could be a possible bridge between the two because she wanted more than anyone for people to appreciate their parents while they still had them, especially because her mother had left her life much too early.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" A young Hylian soldier ran up to them and stopped to catch his breath, sweat pouring down his face as he tried his hardest to gain control over his words. He seemed especially distraught over the news he was about to give to his king.

"The… the princess… she…" He tried, still out of breath and seemingly going into a sort of panic mode. The king grew increasingly worried over what could have happened to his daughter.

"Now, young man, what seems to be the matter with Zelda?" He asked, attempting to stay calm. "Has she returned? I hope she hasn't gotten herself hurt on that large horse of hers."

The soldier pointed to the direction of Castle Town, motioning that the king was needed at the front gates immediately. Impa followed the king toward the source of the panic without delay, causing them both to agonize over the possible fate of their dear princess.

The sight that was waiting for them at the gate was more horrific than anything Impa had ever laid her young eyes on.

The color was drained from the king's face as he stood there, staring at the horrendous spectacle, with no words able to escape his mouth except, "Boreas," He could only manage to whisper almost inaudibly, "That's her gelding, Boreas."

The large, black friesian gelding stood before the castle gates in front of the king, his wife, Impa, and the entire castle staff, all collectively horrified.

The horse had returned to the castle with no rider, but severed, bloody heads of all five soldiers who had been sent to accompany the princess during her ride around the usually peaceful Hyrule Field, tied around his neck as some humiliating display. Upon further inspection, none of Zelda's body parts were anywhere to be found.

"She could still be alive." One soldier said, attempting to keep the flame of hope burning for their princess. "Look," He found a note hidden under the beaten up saddle, "They could have kidnapped her."

"Why would anyone want my daughter?" Queen Ambi whispered, on the verge of breaking down in tears, "If it's gold or riches they want, give it to them! Do not let them have my daughter!"

The soldier handed the note to the king, who was still in wordless shock. He could not bear to look at the faces of the soldiers who had died bravely defending their princess. He unfolded it, only to find the words, written in dried blood:

'I seek the power of the gods

and my birthright to rule Hyrule.'

King Devrim was speechless. Whoever had taken his daughter wanted the sacred relic passed down from the goddesses as well as wanting the crown for ransom-two things he could not give up. He was faced with an ultimatum: give Hyrule to a tyrant, who would sever the heads of the noble, or leave his daughter in the hands of those with the audacity to take her against her will and do goddesses know what to her.

He shook with anger as he ordered his soldiers and everyone who was faithful to him, "Find her. Find my daughter."

The queen put a loving hand on her husband's shoulder, attempting to keep her tears at bay, "My love, we do not know where to begin. We must investigate this further-"

"I know." He said, "But we need to send out a search party willing to negotiate as soon as possible. I want no harm to come to her."

Ambi nodded, attempting to keep herself as calm as possible in order to set an example for those around her. She was often the calm one in stressful situations. This time, however, keeping calm was the most difficult thing in the world.

The soldiers that were present made no delay in setting out to find the princess, but Impa was just as willing to help as well, mostly since she was originally assigned to guard the princess at all times.

After all, it was her sworn duty to protect her in times of danger; this was one of those times, and Impa was determined to bring her back safely, no matter the cost.

All of the hectic events had distracted the king and queen from noticing Impa's exit from the scene. They were too wrapped up in ordering the entire military to find the princess to even notice the Sheikah girl gathering her weapons and travel necessities and quietly leaving the castle.

She regretted not being able to inform anyone of her departure, but she had a job to do. This was her duty.

She left a note on her bed, informing whoever would come across it that she had set out on her own to find the one she had promised to protect at all costs.

As Impa entered the vast green plains of Hyrule Field, she noticed that dark, monstrous stormclouds had settled in the sky above her, ready to release its downpour. Thunder could be heard in the distance as it began to lightly drizzle, causing the warm spring temperature to drop. She shivered as she interpreted this as an omen of the things to come.

She pondered what the king had said about the spirit of the Hero and wondered whether or not it was true. Perhaps he truly was destined to never return, and Hyrule would have to fend for itself from now on.

Impa took a deep breath, gathering up her self-confidence in order to prepare herself for the long trek ahead. She didn't intend to stop until she knew the princess was safe.

Author's Notes

Honestly, I'll probably rewrite this chapter in the future. I'm a little burnt out right now. But hey! Things are picking up in the story!