Chapter 28

Zelda looked in every room in Groose's home. Despite all her efforts, she could not find any trace of her dear little sister.

It had only been a few days since arriving at Lower Castle Town. Since Zelda's run in with Vaati and Link & Auru encountering Chancellor Cole, Linebeck had not given anyone else in The Resistance group assignments that involved going into the city. That did not mean there was no work for them to do within the Lower Castle Town. Like how things were back at The Resistance Base Camp, Zelda was glad to lend a hand, especially to those housing her and her friends.

Zelda had finished helping with the daily chores when she returned to the homestead. She decided to search for Ilia, which led her to her current predicament. With no luck searching, she decided to ask anyone in the building.

Luckily, she had spotted Peatrice & Orielle sitting at a table. The two older girls were engrossed in a conversation. Zelda approached them.

"Oh, hey, Zel. Do you need something?" Orielle greeted with a smile.

"Yes, actually," Zelda answered. "Is Ilia here? I can't find her anywhere."

"She left a while ago with Sheik to do some training together or something," Peatrice revealed.

"Again…?"

"I take this isn't the first time they did this?"

"It's been happening a lot over the past several weeks."

"Really now?" Orielle raised a brow. "Like a whole lot?"

"Yeah. Almost every day. And sometimes, she never tells me."

Peatrice & Orielle eyed one another with the biggest grins on their faces. Both women started giggling excitedly. Zelda furrowed her brows.

"Mind telling me what's so funny?"

"Oh honey, you really don't know, do you?" Peatrice said with a teasing grin.

"Your baby sister has a crush," Orielle declared.

That was something Zelda did not expect to hear. "What makes you say that?"

"Come on," Orielle insisted. "Always going off to spend time with him so eagerly. Doing it almost every day. Tell me that doesn't sound like a girl who's got it bad for a guy."

"Not to mention, Sheik is a handsome young man. And a bit mysterious. I wouldn't blame her one bit. Some gals are into that," Peatrice added.

"Now, hold on a minute. That doesn't mean Ilia likes Sheik that way." Zelda crossed her arms sternly. "Look at me & Link. We hung out back in Ordon almost daily, and everything between us is strictly platonic."

"Platonic?" Peatrice didn't even hide an ounce of doubt in her voice.

"Yes. Platonic. Just like Ilia & Sheik."

"But say it isn't. Would you have any issues with them being an item?" Orielle asked.

"O-Of course not!"

"You don't sound so sure about that. Are you against the idea of Ilia dating?"

Zelda stumbled through her words until giving out a defeated breath. "It's not that I would be against it. I wish nothing but happiness for her. But... I've been looking after her for most of my life. I want to keep her safe. She's all the family I've got left. Is that…normal?"

"I think so. We probably feel the same way if Little Agitha starts dating when she gets older," Peatrice stated.

"You're always gonna be Ilia's sister, but she's her own person with feelings & a mind of her own of her own. It's all part of life," Orielle explained. "But hey, maybe we're wrong about this whole crush thing and just saying bullshit."

"I say that's still good advice worth hearing, Ori."

Zelda had retreated to her room not too long later. She lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Peatrice & Orielle's words.

The thought of Ilia growing up had crossed Zelda's mind many times before, yet something about her conversation with the two women got her thinking. There was a saying she once heard that no matter how old the youngest child grew, they were always seen as the baby of the family. Zelda wondered if that's how she saw Ilia.

On one hand, infantilizing her was wrong in many ways. Ilia was closer to adulthood than she was to childhood. Treating her like a child would be downright demeaning. On the other hand, Ilia was still her baby sister. Nothing is more important than making sure she's safe. That's what Zelda promised to herself.

Zelda was only two years old when her sister came into the world. While many did not remember many things at that young age, Ilia's birth was a day she had never forgotten. It was mostly chaotic, what with Bo doing his best not freaking out when Isabel went into labor. Back then Zelda was understandably frightened by what was going on. All that fear dissipated when she finally met Ilia.

"This is Ilia. She's your little sister," Zelda remembered Mom saying as she showed the tiny bundle wrapped in blankets sleeping away. The two-year-old could only look fascinated at the newborn while Isabel and Bo smiled happily.

"It'll be up to all of us to take care of her." Bo gently told Little Zelda soon after. "Being her older sister, its important that you look out for her. There may be times in the future when me & your mother won't always be around to take care of Ilia. Until we can, it'll be up to you to make sure Ilia is safe.

"If only you knew how right you were, dad…" Zelda thought to herself somberly

Just as she had promised herself when Ilia was born, Zelda pledged to keep Ilia safe when Ordon was attacked. Even if that may include knowing about her little sister's potential love life. Guess the old saying is true: Old Habits do Die Hard.

A knock on the door bounced through the room. Ilia's head peaked in when Zelda gave the all-clear.

"Hey, sis. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Zelda sat up.

"Peatrice & Orielle said that you were looking for me. Sorry if I scared you." Ilia placed a bag on the floor, using her other arm to wipe the sweat. "Me & Sheik lost track during training. We only snapped out of it when Auru called Sheik away for something."

"Right." Zelda paused. "Listen I… Want to talk to you about that."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, there isn't. I…I want to ask you an honest question, and all I want from you is an honest answer. Nothing more."

"What's the question?" Ilia eyed Zelda quizzically.

"Do you…Like Sheik?"

"What?" Ilia scoffed. "Of course I like him. He's cool!"

"No, I mean, do you like him the same way…Rusl likes Uli?"

"Oh…" Ilia's face turns many shades of crimson. "W-Why do you want to know that? Would you be mad if I did?"

"No. Who you like is something I cannot control. I just want to know if Sheik is a person of interest to you."

Ilia's face remains red as she rubs her neck nervously. "Maybe…maybe I do a little. Is that wrong?"

"Of course not. I think it is only natural. May I ask what about Sheik that caught your eye?"

"It goes back to the day we arrived at the camp. My neck was sore from the Bublin's rope, and Sheik helped heal it. He was very gentle with how he placed the cream. And I got a closeup of his beautiful crimson eyes on his perfectly sculpted face…"

"Dear Nayru, Peatrice & Orielle were right. You got it bad for him."

"Hey, it's not just Sheik's looks that hooked me! The more we talked, the more I wanted to know about him. Sheik may look like a super serious warrior, but he does have a sweet side. When I'm near him, I feel safe and happy. I always want to be around him." Ilia paused. "Okay, that didn't sound too weird, did it?"

"You're in love, little sister," Zelda assured. "Have you talked to Sheik about how you felt?"

"I don't know if I even can. I don't want to risk making things weird between us. And I'm not sure if Sheik's looking into that right now. We're in the middle of a civil war. Is that even an appropriate time to ask someone out? Ugh, of all the times to develop a crush! Why does this have to be so complex!"

"No one says you need all the answers. I'm certain things like this need time to think about. Time in which you surely have."

"Yeah, you're right." Ilia let out an exhale. "And here I thought you would be mad."

"It's your love life, not mine. If you want to date Sheik, you have my full blessing. My main concern would be whether he's a good man for you if that does happen."

"Thanks, sis." Ilia moved to one end of the room, facing the wall with her arms crossed. "If I did start dating Sheik, do you think Mom and Dad would like him?"

The older girl stood before her bed, making her way over. "I think they would approve. Though, Dad would probably give him a good scare."

"He probably would," Ilia let out a laugh. "But I think it's mom Sheik will have to be more worried about. She does not mess around when it comes to us."

"You know moms. When you mess with their babies-" Zelda pinches Ilia's arm. "They bite!"

The younger teen smacked back—not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get the message across. All Zelda could do was laugh, which didn't die down until a few minutes later.

"Do you think mom & dad will recognize us?" Ilia suddenly asked.

"Why would you ask that?" Zelda inquired.

"We're not the same people we were…" Ilia brushes her hand against the scar on her cheek. "We've been through a lot."

"I don't think any of us Ordonians are the same after that day. But we're still a family. We're here to support each other." Zelda pulled Ilia into a hug. "We will get Dad out and find Mom wherever she may be. All four of us will be back together before you know it."

"I hope so too." Ilia breathed out. "Hey…I-"

Right at that moment, Link suddenly burst into the room. He looked out of breath, almost as if he had run here.

"Link?! What's wrong?" Zelda asked with concern.

"Sorry. I've been looking all over," Link said in between breaths. "I came running when I heard both of you were here."

"What's going on? Everything alright?" Ilia questioned.

"Linebeck wants us at his place. Immediately."


The trio quickly rushed to Linebeck's home in the center of Lower Castle Town. Jolene had been standing near the front door as if she had been waiting for them. When they arrived, they were out of breath and needed a good minute to catch up at Jolene's insistence. Inside the home were also Auru, Sheik, Shad, and Ashei. All members of The Resistance group were here. Auru was talking to Linebeck. With them was a third man that no one in the trio had seen previously. Linebeck's expression lit up upon seeing the trio.

"Good! Now everyone's here! Now we can get started."

"I can only guess this is important," Link stated.

"Yes, it is. It regards our plan to break into the castle," Auru stated.

"So we're finally going through with it?" Ilia exclaimed.

"We're discussing a plan. Before we get to that, let's introduce someone who plays a key role."

The third man then stepped forward. "This is Shiro." Auru introduced.

"Shiro? The one from the royal guard?" Link clarified.

Shiro nods in response. "And you must be the famous green-masked warrior Ganondorf has been hung up about?"

"My name is Link." He extended his hand out, offering a handshake

"Nice to finally meet you, Link. Auru has told me a lot about you." Shiro accepted the gesture and glanced at the Ordon sisters.

Understanding his curiosity, Zelda stepped forward. "I'm Zelda. This is my sister, Ilia."

"As in…Zelda & Ilia Lund?"

"The one and only!" Ilia stated. "You know our dad, right? How's he doing?"

"Physically, he's okay." Shiro held one of his arms. "I can figure how eager you both want to get him out of there. I would've been down here sooner, but I had little free time with half of the guard gone. Today was the first day off I've had since Ganondorf left. Sorry to keep you all waiting."

"Don't sweat it. You need to keep your cover," Ashei assured.

"We've been told you have a plan," Shad said.

"You already have one?" Link questioned Shiro.

"Mostly. I was just discussing it with Auru & Linebeck. Something that should make infiltrating the castle easier."

"The castle is still well guarded, even with their numbers cut down. We need a way to draw at least a good chunk of them away." Auru explained.

"That's where I got this great idea." Linebeck declared joyfully, eyeing Ilia. "I recall a certain little lady mentioning that our old friend Ingo is receiving a large shipment of animals to his ranch. Isn't that right, Ilia?"

"So I heard."

"I got good news. Your intel is correct. And even better. Ingo's animals should be arriving tomorrow."

"Okay, but how does that help us?" Ilia wondered.

"Ingo's Ranch is in Mabe village, literally outside the city walls," Jolene explained. "Now say…if some sort of problem were to occur there, it would have to be big enough to get the guards' attention to head over there to assist with the problem."

"And maybe said the problem would have to be a crapton of farm animals that somehow got loose from their pens…" Linebeck added on.

"That can that happen?" Ilia questioned.

"If it's a high amount of animals as Linebeck says, then yes," Shiro confirmed.

"So the plan would be to send some people to release the animals that cause problems, and most guards would head to the village to take care of them. That would leave fewer guards at the castle for the infiltration team to handle," Linebeck explained.

"That's actually not a bad plan," Zelda stated.

"And there's the added bonus of hurting Ingo's pride! Figure that make you three happy," Linebeck proclaimed.

Link rubs over his jaw. "I can still feel his punch."

"He's a gross man. He deserved it," Ilia stated.

"Well…how about you be the one to help release the animals," Jolene suggested.

That was something Ilia did not expect to hear. "You want me…to do that?"

"You were the one who found the intel. Figure you deserve the right to take part," Linebeck responded.

"Do you hear that, Zel? I can go on a mission! Isn't that great!" Ilia exclaimed excitedly.

"That's good for you. But do you think you can handle it?"

"I do! Can't be that difficult."

"And she won't be alone," Linebeck brought up. "I plan to send Groose's group to the ranch to cause mayhem. How they do it is up to him."

"I should come along as well," Shad volunteered.

"What about the castle?" Ilia questioned.

"I'm smart enough to know when a mission is beyond my expertise."

"And if something were to happen to us, someone needs to go back to tell Impa," Auru added.

"Oh, right." Ilia lowered her head.

"So what happens to us when we go to the castle?" Link asked.

Jolene moved to the other end of the room, grabbing a rolled-up piece of large paper. She then placed it on a table. This showed the schematics of the castle itself.

"There are several secret passages connecting to here to the castle. One such secret passage goes to the library. The closest to the dungeons," Auru pointed to the passage. "The idea is that we travel down and wait at the entrance until Groose's Team creates the diversion. Once he does, Shiro will let us in and lead us to the lockup. We could also take other secret passages to find a different route in case we need a new exit. This includes one just outside the moat."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, yeah," Ashei commented. "I hear that moat is cold to swim in."

Shiro spoke. "I will guide you all inside, ensuring the path ahead is clear. We would have to be quick. There will still be guards patrolling through the castle. I can keep them off our track as best as possible, but you must all tread carefully. In the worst-case scenario, I can pretend to be a hostage to keep everyone else from jumping on you to buy you all some time. But I won't be able to help you get out."

"We understand. We should review the plan thoroughly just to make sure all paths are covered," Auru suggested.

"That's perfectly fine. We should-" Shiro said.

"Wait! I want to ask something before we get into that," Zelda stepped forward.

"What would that be?" Shiro question.

The brunette took a deep breath. "Do you know where our mom is? You never mentioned her in your letter."

The color on Shiro's face went pale for a second. His serious expression turned uneasy as if he did not know what to say. After a few seconds, he asked Linebeck if there was a room where they could have some privacy. There was, and Shiro directed the Ordon sisters to follow him. Link tried to do the same, but Shiro stopped him, insisting that this was only for the sisters. Link gave a wary look, but Zelda assured him that she & Ilia would be fine. Link relented, and the sisters & a castle spy made their way.

"Don't keep us waiting. Where's our mom? You never mentioned to her that she was with Dad," Ilia demanded.

Closing the door behind him, Shiro lowered his head like he was trying to hide. He took several seconds to compose himself.

"I did not tell you over the letter because…I did not want both of you to find out that way."

"Find out what? What's going on?" Zelda inquired.

"...She's not here," Shiro said with a heavyweight in his voice.

"Where is she then?"

"She's not anywhere."

This is when Zelda starts to get an unpleasant feeling. She looked over to Ilia, who shared it as well. Not wanting to deal with the charades, Ilia spoke up.

"What happened to mom?"

Shiro let out a heavy breath. "It happened a few days after Lake Hylia…"


Ganondorf sneered down at the man at the foot of his throne on his knees. The man's arms were bound. Bruises resided on every exposed skin area, with scars at least a few days old. Despite his battered state, former Mayor Bo did not dare to show any sign of defeat.

Many who had been through what Bo had at Ganondorf's hands were bargaining for the pain to stop at this point, Shiro recalled from his years on service. Very few did not, much like Bo. Shiro admired the man for his tenacity. Yet he felt fearful when he saw King Ganondorf's expression. The one that showed that the tyrant had an ace up his sleeve. Something that he knew would break Bo's fortitude.

And all Shiro could do is watch it all play out.

"It didn't have to reach this point, Bo." Ganondorf paced in front of the man, talking to him as if he were disciplining a child. "You could've made things so much easier for yourself if you had only given me the information I wanted. Yet you refuse every time. And every time you refused, we had to do what we do. You only have yourself to blame for your current position."

"And I don't regret not talking once. And I still won't," Bo spat back.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you. You've been trying my patience for too long now. But…I am a generous man. I want to give people who have done wrong a chance to fix their mistakes. And I'm giving you one last opportunity to tell me what I want to know."

Pulling out one of his arms, Ganondorf showed a wanted poster. On it was a picture of a young man dressed in a green tunic and holding a large sword. "Who is this man?"

"I don't know." Bo insisted.

Ganondorf frowned, shoving the poster closer. "My captain told me that she fought someone dressed in an outfit similar to this one during the raid in your little village. The man on this poster worse an outfit that matches the description. It could be a simple coincidence, but I have a feeling otherwise. He is from your village, and I know you know him. Now let me ask you again: Who. Is. He?"

Bo did not answer, only instead looking at the monarch defiantly. Ganondorf let out a low growl, showing another poster in his other hand. This one had a picture of a young woman dressed in blue wielding a large golden archer's bow.

"What about her, hmm? Is she from Ordon as well?" Bo hastily moved his eyes away from the poster of the woman. Ganondorf moved his gaze onto the picture of the woman, examining it with intrigue. "You have two daughters, right? If I recall, your eldest should be around the same age as this woman. Your daughter happens to have brown hair like our blue maiden here. And if my sources are correct, your eldest was the only woman in your human-dominated village with the ears of a Hylian. My troops never did find her or your other daughter. Quit coincidence for her and our friend to have these similar traits…"

Bo's expression did not falter in any way. Shiro could see the hints of the man trying to use every ounce of willpower to keep his straight face. He did not confirm nor deny the suspicions Ganondorf had expressed. Ganondorf let out a breath of disappointment.

"Well, whoever our blue maiden is, she has been working close to our green-clad friend." Ganondorf now stood towering over Bo. "LAST chance. Tell me who they are, and maybe I'll give you at least a tiny ounce of mercy."

The only answer that Bo gave was a spit towards Ganondorf's boots. This was the answer that did not please the tyrant. "I gave you a chance to do this peacefully. Now I have to resort to drastic measures."

A loud snap of fingers echoed off the throne room's walls. Ghirahim entered the chamber through the backway. Dragging with him is a blonde middle-aged woman struggling against the enforcer's grip. Bo's eyes widened with horror upon meeting the sight.

"Isabel!"

With the matching wedding rings and how they looked at each other, Shiro knew they were married.

This is not going to end well.

Ganondorf could only grovel at the sight. "Now, hopefully, you're more willing to cooperate. I'd hope it did not have to come to this, but you left me with no choice, Bo. You are going to tell me who those two people are. If you refuse…" Ganondorf pointed to Isabel. "She will pay the price with her life. What will your choice be? Stay quiet or save your beloved wife?"

"I-I…" Bo stuttered.

"Don't tell him!" Isabel yelled out as Ghirahim strengthened his grip on her.

"Be quiet or I'll-" Ghirahim warned, but the woman was not done.

"Do not give him what he wants! Don't say anything!" Isabel gazes at her husband with pleading eyes. "Please, Bo…Don't worry about me."

Shiro had seen the look in Bo's expression many times beforehand. And many times before, he could not interfere. If Shiro did, it would compromise his own life. He could only watch what would happen.

"What is your answer, Bo?" Ganondorf demanded, gesturing to Ghirahim, who held Isabel tightly.

Lifting his head up, Bo looked Ganondorf straight into his eyes. "You want to know what I love about my wife? She always puts others before herself. My dear Isabel will never sacrifice anyone to save herself. And she would never want me to do the same for her sake…"

Bo looked at his wife with an apologetic gaze. Isabel looked at him gently, but her eyes filled with pride. She was happy that her husband had made the decision. She closed her eyes, awaiting what came next.

"Quite a noble and loving statement. It's clear to me how well you love and know each other," Ganondorf said in a faux mournful tone. "You could have lived a long life together."

Knowing what was coming next, Bo attempted to run to Isabel, only to be held back by nearby guards. Ganondorf pulled out his giant sword. He glanced over to Ghirahim, who had an excited grin on his lips. A snap of the Gerudo's man's fingers was all it took for the enforcer to push the woman forward. Ganondorf moved his sword into the woman's torso.

The large room was so quiet. The only sounds heard were the grunts from Isabel. Bo could only look in pure horror at what was happening before him. Tiny drops of blood landed on the floor between Ganondorf and Isabel.

After an eternity, Ganondoft removes the sword from Isabel's chest. A blood stain rapidly grew on the surface of her clothes. Releasing his grip, Ganondorf let her fall onto the ground. The tyrant commanded the guards to release Bo, allowing the former mayor to move by her side.

"Isabel! I-..." Bo's words stuttered as tears poured out of his eyes

The woman gently shushes her husband, placing a hand on his cheek. "It's okay, Bo. It's not your fault. I knew what I was doing, and I don't regret it," Isabel says with a smile. Letting out a cough, she continues, "Know that I always love you and our girls." Blood trails down from the corner of her mouth. "If you see them again…please… let them...know…that."

Isabel's head limped to the side. The hand on Bo's cheeks slides down. Her chest no longer rose up & down.

Bo closes her eyelids and moves her hands over her chest. He then let out a mournful sob, silently praying for her safe passage to the Golden Goddesses' kingdom. And he muttered out several 'I love yous.'

Ganondorf couldn't care less about the tragedy he had inflicted on the man. "Take him back to the dungeon." He commanded the guards.

The guards grabbed Bo by the arms and dragged him out of the throne room. Bo made one final glance at the tyrant. The former mayor's anger was evident on his face through his tears. It was a look Shiro will never forget.

Ganondorf then turned to Shiro. "You there."

"Yes, sire?" Shiro straighten himself.

"Dispose of this." Ganondorf pointed to Isabel's body.

"How so?"

"Bury her. Burn her. Dump her into the moat. Feed her to a Hinox for all I care. I want her out. Discreetly."

Later that day, Shiro stood before a hastily put-together funeral pyre in a secluded castle section. It was just him and two other guards who were tasked with this. No one else knows what had occurred in the throne room, and Ganondorf gave strict instructions to keep it that way. He had to fight the urge to punch them when they made comments about her being a 'traitorous scum.' When the two guards looked away when the fire died, Shiro hastily gathered as many ashes as possible and stuffed them into a small bag.

With that done, he and the other two had to go about their day like nothing had happened.


The room was quiet enough one could hear a pin drop once Shiro finished telling the story. Both sisters could not believe what they had just heard about the fate of their mother.

"That's not true. Please tell us that isn't true!" Ilia asks desperately, hoping she misheard the whole story.

"It is true…" Shiro confirmed somberly. "I'm sorry, you two."

"She can't be…" Zelda moved to a corner of the room. She had an empty look in her eyes. "She can't be! Mom can't be dead…" The tears threaten to break through her eyes. So severely, Zelda did not want to believe that her mother, the person who found and brought her into her family, a person that she looked up to, was now gone forever. Repeatedly, Zelda whispered to herself, "She's not dead. She's not dead. She's not dead."

It took a gentle grip on her arm for Zelda to break out of her trance. Ilia stared back at her older sister with tears in her own eyes. Without warning, the teen pulled the older woman into a hug. That was the final hit to break the dam in Zelda.

Shiro had politely excused himself from the room, opting to leaving the sisters alone. Time passed as the pair held onto each other like a lifeline and grieved together. Zelda was so deep into her despair that she sunk onto her knees, with Ilia keeping hold of her the whole time. Zelda leaned into the warm touch.

"She's gone. Mom's really gone," Zelda whimpered in between her sobs at one point.

Ilia made an agreeing hum. "It's alright…I'm right here, big sis." Ilia tried to console her sister despite her own tears pouring out.

This whole predicament was strangely similar to the night Ordon Village was raided. Except this time, Ilia was the one comforting her older sister. It felt strangely surreal to do so.

After what felt like hours, they managed to calm down. Ilia pulled away from the hug.

"We should probably get back out there…"

"I…I don't think I'm ready for that yet." Zelda confessed. "I just need a few minutes…"

"Okay. That's fine." Ilia breathed out.

Ilia slowly made her way to the door, not before taking another glance at her older sister. Zelda remained on the floor with that blank expression. Ilia wanted to return to comfort her sister but opted against it because she wanted to respect Zelda's wishes to be alone. And frankly, maybe Ilia needed a few minutes to herself.

Ignoring the voices of the others, Ilia made her way outside of Linebeck's home. She found herself leaning against a wall on her side, slowly sliding her body onto the ground. Quiet sobs escaped from her mouth as more tears. Other people passing gave her glances but none chose to bother her, to her relief.

Minutes had passed by before Ilia could feel a new presence near her. Facing forward, she saw Sheik standing above. He looked at her very concerned.

"How are you doing?"

"Could be worse…" Ilia responded back.

Sheik lowered himself to her level. "Shiro…told us about your mother. I'm so sorry."

Ilia let out a sniffle. "Thanks."

Sheik looked at her sympathetically. "Listen, if you need someone to talk to. Someone other than Zelda, I would be more than happy to help."

"I appreciate that," Ilia wiped her eyes. "It's so…hard to think that mom is no longer around. I just can't believe it…"

"How did Zelda take it?"

"She…she's taking it hard. I've never seen her that upset in my life. Whenever Zelda got sad, it was never like that. She usually stands so strong. I sometimes joked that she was like a Lynel because it takes a lot to bring those things down. She looked so hurt. I'm still relatively calm. Is that normal?"

"Speaking as someone who had spent the past thirteen years watching others lose everything they love, myself included, grief affects others in different ways," Sheik spoke like he had a weight in it. "Some people take it harder than others. Though with Zelda, I can figure the months of stress piled up may have also contributed to the burden of her grief. I've seen how much she pushes herself and worries. One person can only take so much."

"What about you?" Ilia questioned.

"I was five years old when I lost my parents. At the time, I was so confused, sad, and angry. I know now, but at the time, I couldn't comprehend why those people decided to take my mom & dad away from me when they never did anything wrong." Sheik had to wipe a tear that slipped out from his eye.

"Does that kind of pain go away?"

"It doesn't." Ilia looks at Sheik, surprised by his bluntness answer. "That kind of pain nevers leave you."

"How do you live with it?"

Sheik shrugged. "I focus on the good things and the people I still have. None of those factors makes the pain disappear, but they make it easier to bear. Keeps you from being consumed by the darkness that comes for you in your grief. You & Zelda need to support each other through this time now more than ever, especially if your dad had also-"

"Please don't finish that sentence," Ilia cut in.

"Forgive my bluntness. I know you don't want to hear that, given what you just learned. I only wanted you to be prepared in case of the worst." Sheik paused. "I…I care about you. A lot. The thought of you falling victim to a dark fate makes me shiver. I only want to make sure you're well."

What Sheik did not expect to happen next was Ilia pulling him into a hug. The gesture caught him off guard, but he accepted. Light sobs echoed off from Ilia, her wet tears staining his shirt. Sheik did not protest in any way. All he did was hold her close in a protective embrace. She muttered out a soft 'thank you' to him.


Zelda did not know how much time had passed since Ilia had left her be. She could care less about the time for the moment. The pain of her grief had taken most of her attention.

The woman who called Zelda her daughter with pride & joy, who guided her and soothed her in her lowest moments, is dead. Thinking it alone felt so foreign to her. Like it was something not meant to be. Yet it was something that had happened. Isabel was dead and never coming back. It was the truth that hurt Zelda significantly. What hurt her more was the horrible way Isabel had died. Thinking about it made Zelda angry.

Isabel had not died by some tragic accident or an illness. She met her end at the hands of a mad king. Used as an example to punish Bo. All because they would not tell who the man in the green tunic and the woman in blue who led the assault on Lake Hylia were. And Ganondorf had punished her father by killing his wife right in front of him. A cruel, senseless killing. No doubt another way for Ganondorf to further torment Bo.

Eventually, Zelda heard the sound of a door opening and closing. Footsteps echoed through the room, getting louder the closer they got. When they stopped, Zelda finally got the strength to move her head to the side, staring with tear-stained eyes.

Link crouched to her level with a sympathetic expression. His eyes alone told Zelda that he knew what had happened. The blonde pulled her into a gentle hug.

The young woman clutched him tightly, prompting Link to hold her closer. He rubbed her back soothingly and used his other hand to gently stroke her hair. The last time they had each other like this was when Leal's horse returned seven years ago to the village without its rider. Link was in hysterics throughout the whole night. Zelda could only hold him closely as the boy sobbed into her chest until exhaustion overcame him. Now, this time, the roles were reversed.

"He killed her…Ganondorf killed mom." Zelda muttered.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry," Link spoke back.

"He killed her in front of Dad."

Silence lingered for several minutes.

"Zel, look at me." Zelda's blue meets Link's sapphire ones. "Bo will be free. I don't know how, but I swear that Farore, Nayru, and Din I will make sure of that."

"You mean WE'LL make sure of that."

"You don't have to come. I know Auru will understand. You're mourning-"

"I'll mourn when Dad is safe. Far away from the castle." Zelda straightens herself up. "Dad has been trapped & tortured there long enough. And I want to make sure that happens. Remember what Dad used to tell us? Ordonians-"

"-stick together," Link finished. "There's no talking you out of this. In that case, I promise to help you. I'll do what it takes to make sure Bo goes back with you & Ilia. Even if I have to give myself up."

"Don't talk like that. No Ordonian is getting left behind. Not again." Zelda vowed. "That I swear to the Goddesses."

That was a promise Zelda intended to keep, not only for her dad but also for her mom.


R.I.P Isabel. You deserved way better. Poor Zelda, Ilia, and Bo. :(

Now we're finally getting into the Castle Raid. Will our heroes save Bo, or will something go wrong?

Hope this chapter is good. I got sick with the flu while writing this.

Favs, Follows, and Reviews are appreciated!