A/N Welcome to another chapter.
I'd like to thank Niky for your review and to thank those who are following or favorited. I really appreciate it.
I would like mention that I'm including young Impa in this story and although she didn't feature in BOTW for reference I'm actually basing her appearance from Age of Calamity.
Warning: Mention of graphic violence.
Chapter One.
Weary and shivering from the bitter cold, Link had taken up the offer of a hearty meal and a soft bed by Pieffe the manager upon his return to the Gerudo Canyon stable.
Before setting off for his journey to the Yiga hideout he had made the difficult decision to board his faithful steed, Epona at said stable. It had been deemed far too dangerous for her to accompany him across the desert due to the extreme heat and unpredictable terrain.
At daybreak though, Link had saddled up his horse and promptly departed. Even with Epona's strength and speed the journey into Central Hyrule was almost a two days ride at best. After taking regular breaks and setting up camp for the night they crossed into Hyrule field late that following afternoon. Once he could see the outline of the castle looming in the distance he promptly spurred the mare on towards that direction.
This particular area of Hyrule he noted was tranquil, calm and peaceful, the only sounds were from nature herself and a flock of birds which flew overhead. Just a little further along the trail they reached a raised stone circular platform surrounded by pillars and a shallow body of water. He slowed Epona down to a trot in order to take a closer look, paying particularly close attention to the emblem etched into the stone at the center of the circle. He had seen it somewhere before — the three triangles, but where exactly he couldn't recall. He concluded it was important though. Perhaps this was some kind of royal ceremonial ground. Unfortunately he had little time to speculate because his duty was calling.
He dismounted Epona just outside the tall arch leading into Hyrule Castle town. There were no stables nearby so he had opted to leave her outside happily grazing away. The mare was loyal and obedient, therefore she would await her master's return. If she did happen to stray too far he would just whistle and she would return to him immediately.
Castle town was the largest town in Hyrule. It was a bustling community with a variety of different shops and businesses' He slowly began weaving his way through the narrow streets until he entered Central Square, the busiest area of the town. It was here that he observed the large fountain bearing the Hylian crest. Gazing at the fountain brought back a sense of familiarity, yet just as with the emblem he couldn't quite place it. He ignored it for now and continued racing through the streets, mingling with the citizens who remained blissfully unaware of his plans for a royal assassination.
By late afternoon he had left the town behind and was now stood gazing up at the magnificent structure ahead of him.
Hyrule castle — perfect and glorious.
Well it certainly was the perfect setting for a murder plot. And it was going to be oh so glorious spilling the princess's blood.
Link hadn't quite decided how he was going to end the princess's life yet. His first thought was to sneak into her bedchambers in the dead of night and slit her throat. However he wasn't sure he could handle all that gurgling, choking and blood spraying everywhere. It was a noisy and rather messy affair and he was almost certain that the servants were not going to appreciate having to scrub that much blood off of the walls and floors.
He wished now he had trained to become an alchemist and procure lethal poisons. He knew there were an array of potions that with the correct dosage would grant a peaceful death. Of course he could just go with the next easiest method — a knife through the heart. With his precision and skill, death would be instant and painless. Yes it was rather boring, but being discreet was sometimes necessary.
To his own amusement, infiltrating the castle turned out to be child's play. Seeing as the castle was surrounded on all sides by a large moat he had been concerned that breaching the walls would have posed more of a challenge, then again there had not been a single place he'd been unable to penetrate.
Once safely inside, navigating the castle grounds was as easy as taking a leisurely stroll around Lake Kolomo. There were only a handful of guards positioned atop the battlements and they were either blind or stupid because he was able to evade detection from every single one of them.
Link couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The princess was in mortal danger and yet security was severely lax. Obviously the king had no idea that his daughter was at the top of an assassins hit list, yet he would have thought that as the ruler of an entire kingdom, he would insure the highest protection for himself and his daughter who also happened to be the sole heir to the throne.
He wondered actually what the king was doing right now, or the princess for that matter. Perhaps she was busy studying as princess's tended to do. Or could they be having a father - daughter chat or even eating dinner? His mouth watered, even just thinking about food was making him hungry. This was not the time to be thinking about his stomach.
As he strode nearer to the top of the pathway, he spotted two guards patrolling the area, forcing him to duck down behind a nearby wall. He quietly sidestepped, skillfully evading their line of sight before continuing along a path leading him to a higher area of the castle. He then came to a halt outside the entrance to a larger structure.
He remained vigilant, however there didn't seem to be any guards in sight. He cautiously inched forward realizing this was in fact the entrance to the throne room and to his delight he caught sight of three figures already gathered inside.
As much as he would have loved to just charge in there all swords swinging, he decided it wise to avoid that much bloodshed, at least for now. Instead he began scoping out the exterior of the building. Climbing the walls seemed as though it would be easy due to the various footholds and ledges and as long as it didn't rain he could easily make quick work of the ascent. Thankfully the weather was in his favor and moments later he was already clambering through one of the open windows and stealthily landing on the upper floor. From his vantage point he could see and hear everything that was going on down below.
Just above the throne room on a higher ledge stood a tall, stockier build man, who was much older in age. He was dressed in dark blue royal robes, his head adorned with a golden crown. He had mid length white hair and beard. Link quickly affirmed that he must be the king.
The second figure was a young woman, shorter in stature with long platinum blonde hair which was partially rolled up into a bun. She was also wearing distinctive Sheikah clothing. Link was puzzled. So there were still Sheikah who aligned themselves with the royal family? How interesting!
The third was presumably the princess, although he was only able to see a glimpse of her. He decided to shuffle to a different position, inclining his head, straining to get a better view.
Yes, it was definitely the princess, there was no mistaking it. It was strange though as in his head he had always envisioned her looking like some holy or ethereal deity with golden hair and glowing skin. She was, he had to admit undeniably pretty and he was right about her golden hair, but she looked disturbingly pale and downright miserable.
She had emerald green eyes and was wearing a dark blue royal gown with gold detailing, alongside a small tiara. This blue was clearly the kingdom's signature color as it matched the king's perfectly. It was exquisite, regal and befitting of a princess.
He watched as the princess nervously gazed up at her father, whilst the Sheikah woman had dropped to one knee out of respect.
Link scoffed at this ridiculous royal tradition. Bowing, curtsying, it all seemed so asinine.
"Zelda! Where have you been today?!" The king demanded, his voice echoing in the silence of the throne room. "I was informed that you missed morning prayers."
"Impa and I were out on a survey today. We were investigating one of the ancient shrines located at the Ancient Columns," Zelda reported, her tone exuding confidence.
"And were you able to learn anything useful?" The king then asked gruffly.
"Well...I'm afraid I have been unable to access it yet," she replied, looking rather flustered and disheartened. "However, if you allow me a little more time then I know I can get inside. I'm sure whatever secrets it holds will prove useful."
The king's face reddened before he shook his head in disapproval. "There is no more time, Zelda! Instead of gallivanting around Hyrule you need to dedicate all of your time to your training. That is of the upmost importance, are we clear?" he said sternly.
Seemingly deflated, the princess countered, "I can assure you, father that I have been doing everything I can."
"Clearly not if you haven't managed to unlock your power yet!"
Zelda let out an exasperated sigh. "But father I —"
"Enough! I forbid you from doing any more of this frivolous research," he barked, maintaining an authoritative tone. "Instead you will spend every waking hour carrying out your duty as only the daughter of the royal family can do."
Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes but still Zelda did not cry. Instead she nodded curtly. "I will honor my duty."
The king then directed his attention towards the Sheikah. "Impa, you, Purah and Robbie will continue to focus all of your efforts on the technology of your people and continue with your investigations into how it can be effective in our fight against the Calamity."
Impa nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Zelda, I know you must think I am being harsh right now, but the threat is very real. First and foremost I am a king and protecting the kingdom outweighs any personal feelings I have as a father. One day, daughter I hope you will understand."
She flashed a gentle smile. "Of course I do."
"Then tomorrow you will travel to the Spring of Courage and offer all of your prayers to the goddess. Let us hope they will be answered."
"I hope so too," she replied in a mere whisper.
The king then promptly dismissed them before returning to his throne. Zelda inhaled softly then slowly exited the throne room, Impa trailing close behind.
Link sat there confused. Just what was going on? Who was this Calamity Ganon? Could he be the reason that Master Kogha gave him this assignment? The Yiga leader had been cryptic, although he had vaguely alluded to something about the princess's bloodline and needing her dead before the eve of the blood moon.
Once the king had also decided to take his leave, Link opted to check out the throne room in more detail. The first floor he acknowledged did look rather luxurious, the floor especially with its mix of gray stone, red carpet and another of those large triangular pattern in the center. This time though each smaller, individual triangle had a symbol showing various circular patterns. There were red and blue banners depicting those same three golden triangles, several statues with the Hylian crest and two large staircases spanning both sides of the room, each leading up to the kings throne. High above said throne was some large metalwork, again sporting those same three triangles. And what was that just above, some sort of notes for a melody? This all seemed like something he should recognize, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't. When he finally exited the room the only thing he was able to take away was that the royal family really loved everything to be circular—perhaps like a cycle of sorts, and of course they were very fond of triangles.
It was now past sundown and as he began retracing his steps back down the winding path several thoughts continued to parade his mind. So the kingdom was under some kind of threat and the princess was attempting to unlock some power to stop something or someone by the name of Calamity Ganon. Hmm? He was so deep in these thoughts that he almost didn't notice her. It was the princess again and she was now standing on a balcony just above where he was currently standing. There was also a set of staircases' leading up to that very area that he couldn't believe he had completely missed before. He guessed that must be the Princess's bedchambers.
Link gazed upwards. The princess was stood there as if frozen, staring pensively across the kingdom. He realized that she was wearing nothing but a thin, white nightgown that clung to her slender body leaving little to the imagination. His deep blue eyes lingered on her longer then he would have liked. She actually looked so forlorn and he could almost feel her despair. He pitied her...well almost. Perhaps he could kill her now and just put an end to her misery.
No, he would wait. The king had mentioned that she would be traveling to the Spring of Courage tomorrow. He had heard it was one of three sacred springs watched over by the Goddess Hylia. Since the princess was a descendant of the Goddess it would be the perfect place for her to meet her demise.
Right now though he would return to town, indulge in a hot meal and secure himself suitable lodgings for the night.
A smirked formed on Link's face as he gave the princess one final glance. Don't worry, Your Highness. After tomorrow you won't ever have to worry about anything ever again...
A/N More to come...