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Title: Treasure of the Yiga

Chapter 11: The Sanctum

Author: Sailor Song

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I was led with several other Yiga prisoners from the lockup out into the light of day. Whatever the ruse was that led the soldiers to believe we were all under some Sheikah spell was apparently still in play, but none of the Yiga attacked once they were pulled from the bowels of the castle. They were waiting; pawns being moved into the perfect striking position, and I could do nothing to warn the Hylians they were holding open the door and inviting their doom to enter.

After they had finished loading us into several wagons, we were hauled up a hill towards the spires of the castle. Not so long ago, I remembered thinking these towers were strange mountains from a distance. I looked around slowly so as not to draw attention to myself, but suddenly it was the most important thing to me to find where Link hid me when we first escaped the Gerudo Desert. If I could see the castle from there, then I should be able to see that mountain from here, right?

I looked desperately around the landscape for as long as I could, even when the rain began to fall, for I needed something to connect me to Link. Everything seemed so uncertain since I had been ripped from his arms and returned to my cell. No alarm had been sounded to announce the murder of the crowned prince. Either they did not know, or maybe, and this is purely based on my limited interaction with him, they did not care. Not one person had spoken kindly about him when he was out of earshot, so it was less than surprising that they barely missed his absence.

A strange feeling rippled in my heart. Given how unlikely my survival was, regardless of Gee's empty promises, would anyone notice if I was suddenly gone? I had to push the thought from my mind and set my sights on a new mission. Link had to survive whatever was about to come. He was Hyrule's protector, its champion, and he was about to be needed now more than ever. I couldn't let him use his sword and shield to protect only me, as much as I wanted him to. I was raised by the Yiga to be a Yiga, and I was stronger than that cowardly prince who died without a fight.

Of one thing I would make absolutely certain if it was in my power: Gee had to die, and I would be the one holding the dagger that would pierce his heart.

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Chained together, we were led into a massive room full of Hylians who gasped at our arrival. I ignored their sneers and took in what I could from between two larger Yiga Blademasters, who were likely tasked with keeping me from derailing their plans. Although their massive hulk blocked much of my view, what I could see was still incredible. The room was huge, rivaling that of the Yiga Hideout, and decorated with far more treasure than anything we had ever amassed in all of my years as a Yiga. I could hardly take it all in when we were corralled into a group and forced upon our knees, encircled by knights who all had spears pointed in our direction. From this position, I could see nothing but the dais above.

The commotion all around us became silent as guards entered from the second floor and took positions around the balcony. Not long after heralds came in blowing trumpets to announce the entrance of the king. It was hard to get a good look at him, but I could see that he was a large man in stature, who seemed to tower over everyone even if he hadn't been so high up.

Behind him arrived a group of mismatched characters. The first and smallest I recognized was Mipha, and the large woman with red hair was obviously a Gerudo. The other two must have been Rito and Goron; races I had only ever heard described but, without any context, had trouble trying to imagine. Why were they all together in this way?

Of course! They were the ones here for the summit. It was the whole reason Link had wanted to come to the castle in the first place. Like Mipha, these others must possess extraordinary skills, and Link felt it was our chance to discover the secret to accessing these special abilities, if I did indeed have such a power.

"People of Hyrule," the king began, "last night we faced a terrible attack at the hands of a great enemy, but thanks to the heroic actions of my son and his guards, these foul murderers have been captured and their plans have been thwarted." He suddenly looked around, but not seeing what he was looking for, called out, "Daphnes, where are you, my son?"

Dead far below us, I answered him in my head, but that left me wondering: where was Link? He wasn't chained with us, so was he still down in the dungeons, forced to stare at the body of the prince?

Rattling of chains could be heard echoing through the great room, and much to my dismay, Link was being dragged in by none other than the slain Daphnes, who appeared to be very much alive and well.

"Father, I am here, and I have the most terrible news." He jerked the chain he held, which caused Link to fall forward to the floor. Hands and legs bound, he could only roll to his side in an effort to prevent landing on his face. "This 'Hero' is a villain, a Yiga lover who has been working with the enemy all this time in order to resurrect our Dark Lord."

The king didn't catch it, but now I understood how the prince could be standing here, apparently alive and well. It was Gee, disguised as the prince, but he couldn't hide his devotion to the king of evil.

As proof of his accusations, Gee produced a Yiga mask, which I recognized as my own mask that Link had kept stored in his bag since the night on Satori Mountain. He handed it over to the king, which even from this distance, I could see made the man go red with rage. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded as he shoved the mask in Link's face, nearly knocking him over again after he had managed to pull himself into a kneeling position. Rather than look at the man addressing him, Link turned and looked down until his gaze found me. "ANSWER YOUR KING, BOY." the king roared, throwing the mask at Link, which caused him to turn away from me.

His reply was too soft for anyone to hear.

"Speak up, Hero," the false prince chided, giving the prisoner a kick in the side. "Let Hyrule know who you really are."

"It's the truth," Link said louder this time, his teeth gritted. "I am what he says."

A gasp could be heard throughout the Sanctum from the people who had gathered. Near me, I could hear a low chuckle of the Blademaster I had been bound to. "Too easy," another whispered.

The fake Daphnes filled in the lies Link would never say. He could threaten him with my life, but Link was far too honest for deceit, and truthfully, it might foil their plans if he did poorly pretend to lie. "After helping his friends enter the castle that night, he was caught near the cathedral's gate, attempting to escape your judgment. Luckily, my guards were more than capable of subduing the threat, both from the Yiga and this traitor."

Maybe it was because of the white hair and beard, but the king's face appeared to now be nearly as red as a Yiga uniform at this point. "This is your last chance. Despite my feelings about your father, I have always tried to give you the benefit of the doubt since you are the bearer of that sacred sword. Is it true that you betrayed your kingdom and consorted with the enemy?"

Before Link could answer, Mipha stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I do apologize for interrupting, but I spent a considerable amount of time with Link recently in my homeland, and I wish to speak on behalf of his character." The king nodded. "I find these claims shocking, considering the behavior I witnessed from him. His demeanor was one of kindness and bravery, and he was chivalrous to all while he was a guest in my peoples' lands. Furthermore," she continued to prevent the prince from interrupting her, "as for these accusations about that night, I was with Link in the hours leading up to the attack. We, all of us champions, were. There was no opportunity for him to coordinate and command the offenses of which he is now being accused."

I could see Gee's displeasure, even through the guise he wore. He could control Link, but he had not planned for a way to stop the truth from coming out of a very trusted source.

"Two differing accounts, and yet, the very person in question has already confessed his own guilt. Daphnes, as the future ruler of this land, tell me, how would you discern the truth in this matter?"

"A test, Your Majesty," he replied, almost too quickly as though this was exactly what he was expecting. "Have the Hero prove his loyalty to you by having him execute one of the prisoners. If they are not his co-conspirators, it should be a simple task."

I suddenly felt my body tense up, and I did everything I could to disappear into the group. I was right: I was brought here for a reason.

Link must have also predicted where this line of reasoning was going. "My king, I will perform any trial to prove the depth of my loyalty to Hyrule, but taking a life is not something I have ever done."

"Moments ago you were charged with and confessed to treason. The Zora princess defended your honor, and now you refuse to shed the blood of a murderer to prove your innocence."

"Only to defend my… my kingdom, Your Majesty. I am a shield, not an executioner."

The king did not care for Link's reply. "This is unacceptable. You are a sword, MY SWORD, or you are nothing." He looked over the balcony and ordered the guards to bring a prisoner to the center of the room. "You will do it, or you will die."

It should come as no surprise which one of the prisoners they chose to execute, regardless of my feeble attempt to shrink among the rest of the captured Yiga. I was unchained from the others and dragged to the center of the room for all to see. Forced to kneel on the stone floor, I stared at the group of triangles chiseled into the ground and waited. Not long after, a wooden block was placed in front of me, and my back was pushed down so that my neck and head were forced upon it.

I never heard his footsteps approach; it was the glint of gold in his sword's scabbard that caught the light as it flickered on the ground beside me. Now freed from his bindings, he was here. Here with me.

With a slow draw, he pulled his sword from its holder, and it sang sweetly as it rang through the great room. "Your Majesty. My king, may I first say a prayer?" Link asked in his calm voice. "Whatever their loyalty, the Yiga are children of the goddesses and deserve-"

"They gave my wife no such respect before torturing her and taking her life," the king interrupted. "They do not deserve any such kindness."

Link continued being patient with the man on high. "I understand that, Your Majesty, but our kindness is what makes us different from them, is it not?"

The king did not verbally respond, and I did not attempt to move, afraid that one look at Link would cause one of us to lose nerve. The truth was, we both knew he couldn't harm me in any way. He had tried once when we first met, and that was when he actually wanted to, but the sword wouldn't let him. So whatever it was he was planning, I didn't want to give it away.

"Goddess, please deliver this child into your care," Link began in a voice that was warm and sweet. "May she lift her head with her arms outstretched and find sweet relief of the bindings of hatred that have kept her from your mercy."

As Link continued on, a rumbling from around the great room could be heard. "She?" "A woman?" "How exactly could he have known?" "They all appear the same…"

Link swore under his breath, then slightly louder said, "Zelda, do it, now!"

I sat up and stretched out my arms, separating them across the block as far as possible. I had been listening. His prayer had been code, letting me know his intention, and though it had been interrupted, I at least knew the first part of his plan. His sword hit its target true and split apart the shackles that bound my wrists together. Seconds later he was helping me to my feet.

"Stop them!" someone shouted from above.

"Leave this to me."

"We have to run," Link began, but in a flash of blue feathers, he was whisked away and up to one of the higher platforms. My eyes tracked him up to a balcony, and I broke into a run as I searched for a way to get up there.

"Not so fast," the giant being that looked like a bearded boulder said as it stepped in my way and knocked me to the ground.

Behind me, flashes of red from both Mipha and the Gerudo. I was completely surrounded.

"Do not harm her," I could hear Link scream down as he tried to get free of the bird-like being who was keeping him pinned with its talons.

"We do not answer to you," the Gerudo woman said, her voice dripping with anger as she stared at me. "I have waited a long time to get revenge for my dear friend. You won't bring her back, but it will be a start." She raised her hand and brought her fingers together.

"Urbosa, no," Link yelled again. "Impa! Impa, pull off the Yiga's mask. You know her, you know my mission. Please trust me."

In a second, I had been grabbed and brought to my feet by someone I had not seen. From behind me, I heard the frustrated Sheikah mutter, "That idiot. He'd better know what he's doing."

The second the mask was off my head, everything seemed to stop. As my golden hair spilled around me, there were a couple of gasps from the crowd. No face was more shocked than that of the Gerudo woman, who lowered her hand.

"Helena?"

There was still a commotion from the balcony where Link was being detained. I was ready to run up there when one of those around me called out, "Revali, release him."

The second Link was free, I pulled the gag from my mouth and stood in a desperate attempt to run to him, but the Gerudo caught my arm. "Tell me right now, who are you, girl?"

"Let me go."

I fought, but her grasp on me only tightened. "Who are you?" she repeated.

"Zelda," I replied as I tried to pull away. Upon hearing the name, she released me and continued to stare. I ran towards Link, who met me halfway up the stairs. He was covered in slick red as the wounds he had suffered in the dungeon had reopened in the fray with the Rito. He looked terrible, his face now drained of color.

"You're safe now," he said. His footing wavered, and he began to collapse against the railing. I tried to catch him, but he slipped through my grasp and slid down a couple of stairs. By the time I reached him, he was panicking as he struggled to breathe.

My eyes blurred as I searched below for any sight of red scales. "Mipha," I cried out as I placed his head on my lap. No sooner had I called, the Zora was by my side. "Please heal him. I'll give you anything, do anything, just please-"

Softly, she placed a hand on my head. "You owe me nothing. It is the least I can do."

Mipha's hands began to glow as she hovered them over Link's most serious wounds. I didn't care that everyone was watching. Link was the only thing that mattered, not these high and mighty Hylians in all of their finery, gawking and whispering at the scene before them.

"Link, you have to be okay. I cannot be in this world without you beside me." He had not calmed down, so I tried once more. "You promised to protect me; you said your life was mine. You aren't cursed. You have a purpose. So I'm telling you that you are not allowed to die." His breathing calmed, and shortly after, his blue eyes opened and looked up at me. "Hi," I said through a choked voice. ""You look like you were beaten up by a lynel."

"That was you," he said, pulling himself into a sitting position. With a tired sigh, he turned and looked over to the Zora who was finishing up her healing. "Thank you, Mipha."

"It's not over, Link," she said softly. "You both need to be ready."

From high above, a voice boomed down, "I demand to know what is happening here in my Sanctum." I turned and looked up to see the beady eyes of the king looking down - his eyes fixed upon me. "Helena? My queen, you live?" His voice was a whimper.

I looked behind me, but there was no one else he was staring at but me.

"Bring her to me!" he commanded, and a rush of soldiers approached. My hand reached out for Link's sword, but the Gerudo woman caught my hand.

"No," I said, as I struggled against her grasp once again. "I won't leave him."

"It's okay," Link assured me. "You're where you are supposed to be. You are home."

"Come with me, little bird," the Gerudo said gently. She guided me up the stairs. I was joined by Impa at my other side as we walked. I wanted to turn around and return to Link, but the woman pulling me up was far too strong.

"Impa…"

"My people will protect you," she replied as grabbed my wrist. Having grabbed a key from a guard, she freed my wrists from the manacles and discarded them. "You have nothing to fear."

"There are Yiga everywhere," I warned. "They're planning something, I assure you."

Her face ashened as she looked down at the collected prisoners. She nodded and fell back as we ascended the final steps.

When we reached the top, the king was seated upon his throne. "Come closer." My arm was freed, and a hand gently guided me forward. "Who are you?"

"I'm Zee…" I whispered.

"Speak up." He didn't yell the same way he had with Link. If anything, He stared in disbelief, as if I was a ghost.

"Zee… Zee is my name." Why I defaulted to my Yiga name, I couldn't say.

The woman beside me interjected, "She called herself Zelda. The boy with the sword called her that as well."

"Is this a joke, child?" the king asked, a twinge of anger in his questioning. "Some kind of Yiga trick?"

"N-no."

"I asked for your name."

"I was called Zee my whole life until Link saved me from the Yiga. I chose to call myself Zelda once I was free and learned I was a Hylian."

"Who told you that name?"

"No one."

"WHO?" he roared, causing me to jump.

"A woman in a dream. I don't know anything else, please. Just let me go."

The Gerudo woman looked kindly at me. "Zelda was the name chosen by my dear friend for her unborn child. She was expecting a baby… a girl. She came to see me before her disappearance and told me that the fluttering she felt reminded her of a little bird."

"The likeness is uncanny," the king said. "Urbosa, Helena had no siblings, no distant relatives?"

"No, sire. Although she was like a sister to me, she was an only child."

"Then was her knight telling the truth? Had she birthed a daughter after all?" He stood and looked down. "Hero!"

It took some time for Link to ascend the stairs. Though Mipha had healed him, he likely still had lingering internal injuries, judging by the way he clutched his side and tried to conceal his pain. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I want to hear your account of this. You know this girl?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"How is it you came to make her acquaintance?"

Link detailed our first meeting in a quiet voice that only the few of us gathered around could hear. It was strange to hear his account, most especially because the person he described seemed so distant compared to the girl I was now. He told of taking me to his father and the former soldier's reaction upon seeing me, of our time with the Sheikah when I glowed with a mysterious light, and of our time with the Zoras and my bravery in facing down a golden lynel to save the young Zoran prince. He went on to explain more than even I knew, such as the mysterious connection he felt towards me, explaining how even among the uniformity of the Yiga outfit, he could pick me out every time. "It's like a pull, but whether it comes from the sword or something…" not having the words he touched his chest lightly, continuing with, "I cannot explain it."

When he had finished, the king looked back at me. "Link, you have my apologies and gratitude." He reached out and placed a large hand gently on the side of my face. "If she is truly my child, the daughter of my queen, your bond is deeper than anything we mortal beings can understand."

The Gerudo cleared her throat. Her arms were crossed, and she was looking intently across the balcony. "Rhoam, I'm curious about something. Helena spoke of only one child, and she was certain she was carrying a girl."

I could see a realization cross the face of the king as he followed her gaze. "Then how does my son fit in this story, if my queen did not carry twins?"

"Who he was no longer matters. Prince Daphnes is dead," Link said bluntly. "He was murdered hours ago in the dungeons by a Yiga who is now disguised as him."

Heads turned towards Gee.

"At last," he cackled wickedly. "Time for the fun to begin."