Among the Ashes Chapter 6

Among the Ashes

So far away
It's growing colder without your love
Why can't you feel me calling your name?
Can't break the silence
It's breaking me

All my fears turn to rage

And I'm alone now, me
And all I stood for
We're wandering now
All in parts and pieces, swim lonely,
Find your own way out

Nothing worth fighting for
We're wandering now
All in parts and pieces, swim lonely
Find your own way out
~Evanescence “Your Star”


Chapter 6
Fire and Ash

For a moment that lasted an eternity the world seemed to go silent. All Zelda could do was stare at her father lying there, the pool of crimson slowly growing around him. Through the silence she could suddenly hear herself screaming from afar: a voice that was not her own. She screamed like a wild beast, the fury within her spilling over in an instant. Her cry rang out so loudly the walls around them began to quake, the very beams that held the ceiling up swaying precariously. She could feel something awaken within her, running through her blood. Vale had no power over her any longer. She picked her foot up from the ground and stepped forward. Vale turned quickly, trying to stop her but he found he could not overpower her. Despite him she flew at him, her eyes aflame. Barehanded, she attacked him furiously, landing blow after blow, and no matter how he tried to block her or counter her he could not touch her.

She hit him with a particularly heavy blow in the stomach and Vale toppled over himself, landing on the ground in a heap. All at once his spell seemed to break and Link was able to move. He rushed to the King’s body, falling down on her knees beside him. His eyes were dull and half shut, but as they sat beside him his eyelids fluttered slightly.

“Where is she-“ he wheezed, nearly inaudible.

Link turned urgently. Zelda was shooting balls of fire at Vale now. Looking at her sent a shiver down Link’s spine. There was something chilling about her: her strength, the cold fury in her eyes, everything about her looked like someone else. He was looking at a stranger.

She waved her arms, sending a beam of light at him, blasting him into the wall. He groaned and crumpled to the floor, Zelda striding towards him menacingly.

“Zelda!” Link called desperately, coming up behind her and holding her shoulders. She spun around fiercely, and for a moment Link feared the face looking back at him. “Zelda,” he said once more, touching her face. His voice hit her and she looked into his eyes and in an instant her entire demeanor changed. She fell into his arms, crying helplessly.

“He wants to see you,” Link said quietly, leading her to her father.

Zelda fell down at his side, looking down at him, her tears streaming down.

“Zelda,” he whispered reaching a hand up to her, lightly touching her cheek. He looked at her, his eyes dimming. There were so many things she wished he would say; so many things he had never said. He wished now that he had, but he had not. He still could not. Now, he would never again have the chance.

All he could do was look at her, regret filling every bit of his soul until the pain of it was greater than the physical pain he was suffering. He had never once done right by her and he knew it. He opened his mouth, struggling to speak, but he could not get the words out. There was nothing to say to her, nothing that would do justice to the past twenty two years. So he turned his head to Link, struggled for breath and used every bit of strength left in him to mutter the words, “You take care of her.”

Link felt a pang in his heart; for the first time deep compassion set in for this poor, pitiful man who lay dieing before him. Link nodded, unable to reply.

Zelda’s father stroked her cheek one last time, and then his hand fell from her face to the floor, and he lay still.

The only sound now was the crackling of the flames around them: closing them in.

“Father,” Zelda breathed in disbelief. “Father!?” She looked down on his body, knowing it was over. Link put his arms around her and she sunk into his embrace, letting him hold her up: putting her strength in his hands.

It was too late now to fix it. This was the end: the way it was.

Across the hall a beam broke from the ceiling, raining flaming embers and wreckage down onto the floor below and collapsing several pillars with a shaking crash.

“Come on,” Link said, not waiting for her he pulled her physically to her feet. “We have to get out.”

“No,” she said, looking back at her father as Link pulled her towards the exit. “We can’t leave him.”

“Zelda, he’s gone,” Link replied, regretting that he had to be so blunt, but knowing he had no other recourse.

Zelda nodded, tears streaming down her cheek, still in minor disbelief. It didn’t seem like it could be real.

She followed Link across the hall, dodging flames and raining debris as they went. When they reached the doorway Link motioned for her to go through first, and as she approached the opening she caught sight of Vale up ahead, running desperately down the hall, running oddly as though slightly disoriented.

“No,” Zelda growled, the monster entering her eyes once more, and she took off after him.

“Zelda, wait!” Link called after her and he too ran after her.

Zelda swung her sword at the burning wreckage that lay blocking the doorway, sending bits of debris flying in all directions. She leapt through the passage and down the burning hall. The castle was aglow with a blazing orange light, flames growing higher and fiercer with every moment.

They tore down the long hallway, heading for the single exit from the throne room. They stopped short, though. Every tapestry in the hall was aflame, as was the long carpet that led from the hallway to the grand staircase and all the way to the front gate. The lone outlet from the narrow hallway was filling with flames, but Zelda did not hesitate.

“Follow me!” she shouted over the blaze, and then she took off, leaving Link no choice but to obey. She leapt strait at the blazing doorway, spinning in the air, creating a twirling shield of blue light around her body which momentarily drove the flames back. Link kept close to her and tumbled out of the doorway unscathed. Not loosing a step Zelda ran out onto the top of the grand staircase which overlooked the main hall of the castle, an expansive open room with towering ceilings upheld by hundreds of flying buttresses. She stood at the top looking down as the two dragons were circling about in the air, still in a vicious fight. Both had sustained wounds, but their ferocity only seemed to be growing. Keagan was spewing flames from his mouth in massive, billowing streams.

“Vale!” Zelda shouted down the staircase, spotting her foe still in full retreat.

“Keagan!” Vale shouted, ignoring Zelda. “We’re leaving!”

Keagan hit Arda with one last blow, sending her flying into a wall so harshly that once again she broke through. The wall burst into a cloud of dust and rubble and the dragon cried as she came to rest in the blazing pile. She tried to get to her feet but fell back down, panting and groaning mournfully.

Keagan snorted contemptuously at her, steam and a burst of flames shooting from his nostrils, then he landed lightly on the ground beside Vale. Vale climbed onto his back and Keagan took flight once more. He shot for the flaming front gate, smashing it to pieces with the wave of his tail and then slipping out into the night.

“Come on,” Link shouted over the din. He grabbed Zelda’s arm and pulled her to the doorway, dodging a flaming plank of wood that came hurtling down from above them.

“I can’t,” Zelda cried. “I have to get something!” she started to run in the opposite direction.

“Are you insane?” Link refused to let go. “What could you possibly need to get? We need to get out of here right now!”

“You have to trust me,” Zelda cried. “I can’t leave without it!” she vanished from before him, leaving nothing but smoke behind.

“Zelda!” she heard Link scream frantically, but she didn’t turn back.

The flames were coming fast now. She could feel the heat intensifying, the air growing warped and hazy around her. Once more she was forced to jump through a blocked doorway, this time she could feel the flames licking her skin. She was in the right hallway now, and there was only one direction to go: up. She jumped three steps at a time, feeling the flames creeping up behind her, the sizzling and crackling growing more violent.

The staircase seemed to rise up for an eternity, much longer than she remembered. At last she reached the landing, bursting through the door and entering her old bedroom. It looked exactly as it had two years ago when she last set eyes on it.

A withered and dried flower lay upon her bed, untouched since she had placed it there. A layer of dust and cobwebs in the corners suggested that her door had not been opened since she had last shut it.

She did not dwell on her reminiscence. Instead she flung open the trunk at the end of her bed, diving in head first, flinging contents out frantically. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she groped about for it. At last her hand clasped around it on the bottom of the trunk: a small silver chain and pendant.

Breathing a long sigh of relief she shoved it in her pocket and rushed to the door, but before she could get out a great explosion went off in the hall, sending an inferno up and into her room. Zelda screamed and was flung backwards, crashing into the end of her bed. She quickly got to her feet, coughing and wheezing in the smoky gloom. The doorway was utterly blocked and the flames were slowly engulfing the walls of the room. She could hear the roof creaking above her, the planks beginning to buckle and splinter.

She back away from the scorching walls, her skin beginning to boil. The heat continued to rise and her breath was growing hot and choking. Smoke filed her lungs and burned her throat. The ash burned her eyes. She could barely see; she could barely breathe.

She was trapped.

Running to the window she could see the entire castle going up in flames. There was nowhere to go and no way out. The flames continued to close in on her. She didn’t even call for help. There was no one to hear her. Fear began to clutch her heart, making breathing ever more difficult. She wanted to cry, but her fear and sorrow seemed beyond tears now.

A part of her hoped Link was far beyond the castle by now, but despite herself she began to silently scream his name. No matter where he was she knew he would hear her.

“Where are you?” Instantly, she could hear his as though he were standing next to her.

“The tower,” she thought over and over.

Her bureau had started to blaze now. Soon the flames spread to her curtains and down onto her bed. The blanket began to smolder. The little flower started to glow, its brittle stem catching fire and burning like a candle wick, slowly engulfing the leave and moving towards the petals. One by one they burned until all that was left was a small pile of ash upon the bed.

She didn’t know why, but at the sight of the flower burning into nothing the tears began to flow.

She was going to die here… it was all so familiar. For years she had tried to escape it. She thought she had gotten away, but it always ended here. Always.

Her gaze fell on the window once more. She had never attempted teleportation from such a great height. There was no telling what would happen if she tried it now. More likely than not she would end up plummeting hundreds of feet to the unforgiving ground below. Still, maybe she could make it….

“Don’t try it!” She heard Link warn adamantly. “I’m coming!”

Zelda tried to steady herself, “Hurry,” she silently begged.

Link tore through the burning halls, dodging debris and pushing past flaming obstacles, the air growing suffocatingly thick and dark with smoke. He had little knowledge of the interior of the castle, but he could hear her and that was all he needed. Her thoughts of dread and silent calls for help echoed in his mind. The closer he got the louder and clearer she grew. He pushed his way past a fallen statue to a small doorway that he now recognized. It led to the tower, and it was nearly choked with flames.

She was crying now. Her pain resounded in him. Without a second thought he barreled up the stairway, pushing through the blazing inferno, but as he did so a wooden beam crumbled above him, clambering to the ground before Link could dodge it. The plank hit him heavily, knocking him to the ground and pinning his shoulder down. The flames seared against his skin and he could feel his flesh melting. He gave an anguished cry and flung the board off of him, burning his hands as well. He beat the flames off of his shoulder, gritting his teeth in pain.

In the tower Zelda screamed as suddenly her shoulder felt a scorching pain burst over it. She groaned, the pain so intense she clutched her shoulder and shut her eyes, tears of agony squeezing through her eyelids. Then suddenly her hands were ablaze with pain as well, as though she had shoved them into the fire, though she was untouched in the middle of the room.

She knew now Link was badly hurt.

Link could not dwell on his pain. He could see her door up ahead: blown off of its hinges and lying smoldering in a pile of rubble that blocked the passageway. He was nearly there.

Zelda sunk to her knees, hiding her face and fighting to keep her breath. Above her the roof groaned, caving in dangerously. She didn’t want it to end this way… and then she heard the wood splinter and break, followed by a loud crash. She waited for the roof to crush her.

Nothing happened.

“Zelda!” Link’s voice pierced her and she jumped to her feet as though electrified. He stood in the doorway, blacked bits of wood at his feet. He was singed and his face covered in soot. She ran into his arms, her heart thumping frantically.

Without wasting a second he ran to the window, smashed through the glass and screamed, “Hold on!”

They leapt from the window as behind them the roof finally collapsed under its own weight, covering the room in burning wreckage. Zelda felt weightlessness take her: a sickening sensation filled her. She buried her face against Link’s body, holding onto him for her very life, completely placing her fate in his hands.

Link held her with one arm, clutching his hookshot in the other. He forced himself to keep his eyes open even as the wind rushed over his face with growing intensity. They continued to fall, the ground growing ever closer: rising up to swallow them.

He had to be patient, had to wait for the right moment.

Zelda couldn’t open her eyes. They seemed to fall forever: forced to endure a never ending wait for destruction to hit her. Her body braced, awaiting the impact. She wanted to scream out but the force of the fall had stolen her breath.

Link took aim and fired, the claw shooting out on its chain with the force of a small explosion. It sunk deeply into the top of the tallest tree available. For a moment longer they continued to fall, and then the chain pulled taut and they were jerked violently as they began to swing upwards once more, thrown completely off balance. Link released the hookshot, once more letting the air take them. They were careening out of control now but Link shot once more, trying to bring them down gradually. His second shot had been hasty, though, and he couldn’t correct their balance. They were falling once more, and the trees were now very close together.

Link shot once more, trying to bring them to a stop but they over-swung once more and lurched sideways. Link’s back slammed into a tree trunk, knocking the air out of his lungs. Though he took the brunt of the force it still jarred Zelda, catching her arm between the tree and Link’s body, smashing it as though someone had brought a hammer down on her. She screamed in pain and she began to slide. Link could not breathe now and his head was spinning. He tried to hold onto her but ultimately he could no longer even keep a hold of his hookshot. His fingers slipped free from the handle and Zelda lost her grip on Link and the two toppled from the treetop, crashing through the leaves of several branches before hitting the ground.

Zelda tried to land on her feet. Disoriented, however, she landed unevenly, feeling her ankle twist beneath her. Immediately it gave way and she cried out, tears of pain and fear and relief in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and pounding the ground, trying to catch her breath as her ankle throbbed and shot pain up her leg. Then she sunk to the ground, her heart pounding thunderously against her chest as she tried to calm herself.

Link crashed to the ground beside her, landing on his back and knocking the air out of himself again. He lay in agony as his lungs seared within him. After what felt like an eternity he took a short gasping breath that sent even more pain coursing through him. He rolled slowly onto his stomach, clutching his ribs and sputtering for breath.

Zelda crawled towards him, “Link, are you all right?” she asked breathlessly, still feeling slightly dazed. It was slowly sinking in that she was not going die.

Link tried to sit up, Zelda helping him. He nodded, but didn’t speak. His breath was still uneven and shaky. Still, after only a moment more he struggled to get to his feet. Zelda followed, wincing as she put pressure on her right foot.

“We’ve got to move,” Link wheezed, he took a step and cringed, clutching at his side in pain. Zelda put her arm around him, holding him up and taking some of the weight off of her ankle. They slowly, painfully, made their way through the trees, the glow of the fiery castle illuminating the night sky around them.

Once they neared the knoll Zelda turned back momentarily. The red glare of the flames reflected in her eyes as she watched her childhood home- the heart of her kingdom, a place she had both cherished and vilely despised- as death engulfed it.

She could see Vale atop of his red dragon, circling the castle, adding to the flames and crashing through crumbling walls as though enjoying the destruction. After a moment the dragon landed and Zelda could feel Vale’s presence even from afar.

Feeling a chill she brought her gaze downward and then she saw them. “Link, look!” she shouted. A slew of soldiers were standing in formation in front of the castle, watching the two of them as they escaped. The soldiers didn’t move, didn’t make any sign of coming after them. They stood as silent sentinels between Zelda and the castle: their stony faces threatening and cold, casting her out with their gaze.

She couldn’t escape the knowledge that this would be his tomb. The King of Hyrule would have no burial. Flames would be his shroud and his sepulcher the ruins of the Castle he had loved, his legacy reduced to ash.

With chilling finality Zelda’s watched as her old life burned to the ground before her eyes: all she had once known reduced to nothing more than dust and rubble. She could never go back.

“Zelda,” Link said with gentle desperation from beside her. “Let’s go.”

Zelda turned to him sadly, nodding reluctantly. They picked up speed as much as they could bear, crossing the grass and out into the streets of the city, moving as quietly as possible over the paved stone. Spotting them as they snuck past, some of the soldiers guarding the streets shouted after them and pursued them to the gate which had since been shut. Assuming they were cornered the soldiers closed in on them slowly, but Zelda turned on them, thrust her arms out and shot a ball of flame from her hands that sent the soldier’s horses into a panic. They reared in terror and bolted in the opposite direction.

Taking her chance Zelda turned back and sent out a second blast of light that hit the gate and blew it to pieces in an instant. They clamored through as quickly as possible, forced to dive into the moat and swim across, emerging soaked on the opposite side to make their way out into the field. The soldiers finally managed to get control of their horses but by then it was too little too late: the two fugitives had rushed into the brush and were hidden from sight.

“They can’t get far,” General Kiernan said. “We will-“

“Let them go,” Vale’s voiced echoed down from above. The General and his men looked up to see Vale straddling his dragon perched above the gate, staring after the Princess and her escorts as they shrunk into the distance.

“Master, why?” the General asked. “Kau wants the girl.”

“I know what Kau wants,” Vale hissed.

“What then is our course of action?” Kiernan said, not at all phased.

“Patience. There have been some unforeseen obstacles and opportunities which have presented themselves. We will get what we need from them, but for now we will let them go and they will lead us to what we want. That is our course of action.”

The General looked unsure but bowed in deference nonetheless.

“They’re letting us go,” Link said apprehensively, peering through the brush back towards the flaming castle he could see the silhouette of a dragon and a rider atop the gate. “Why are they just letting us go?”

“I do not know,” Zelda replied in an empty voice. “We are not safe here.”

“We are not going to be safe anywhere,” Link commented, getting to his feet he winced and clutched at his stomach.

“Link,” she said. For the first time she since they had taken off she really looked at him and it was readily apparent that her husband was seriously injured.

“I’m fine,” Link insisted.

“No, you’re not.”

“I’m fine.”

“I know what ‘I’m fine’ means- it means you’ll keep going until you collapse, no matter how much pain you’re in,” Zelda replied. “You have to let me help you.”

“We need to find somewhere to hide,” Link replied. “I’ll be all right.”

It was well past midnight when they both collapsed on the ground in a small but densely packed grove. Their only goal was to put as much distance between themselves and Vale and his army as possible, but both knew that in their current condition they would not get far.

Zelda’s ankle had swollen to twice its normal size and her left arm appeared to be once large contusion. She was holding it gingerly, tucked in against her stomach, though she didn’t seem to be aware of the pain. At this point she was far too worried about Link’s well being to even take notice of her own. She knew he was far worse off, though he would never let on. So, she crawled over to him, forcing him to lean back against a tree so she could see the damage.

Link was covered in burns, his face still blackened and now scattered with cuts and scrapes from their sojourn through the treetops, not to mention a large bleeding welt on his right temple where his head had slammed into the tree trunk. He was hunched over in suffering, though he was trying to hide it. Every breath he took shot an ever growing pain through his torso.

Zelda began rummaging through her bag, grabbing a few essentials and then turning back to Link who was wincing as he tried to take his shirt off. He had been so badly burned that the cloth from his tunic was melted and fused to his skin in places. It made Zelda cringe just to look at it, but only because she knew the pain it was causing him. As he tried to pull the cloth from his body his raw, open flesh followed.

“Here,” Zelda moved in, “let me help you.” She gently, painstakingly, set out to get the shirt off with minimal damage. Every so often, though, he would stifle a groan, gritting his teeth and breathing hard as he braced himself against the searing pain. “I’m sorry,” Zelda apologized once more, tossing the burned and ruined tunic aside.

“Let me look at you,” she said. The length of his right arm was red and swollen and he had a few smaller burns on his chest and face and the skin on his hands had patches of shining red burns. Nothing compared to the open sore on his left shoulder. The skin seemed to have been melted completely away, blackened in spots and grotesque to look at. She gave an involuntary audible gasp as she looked at it.

“What?” Link asked.

“Nothing,” Zelda shook her head, gathering her bearings. She picked up a bottle of crystal clear fair spring water and took off the top.

“This won’t fully heal it, but it will at least dull the pain,” Zelda said as she poured the ice cold water over his shoulder, letting it wash over the entire wound. It stung as it first hit the soft, tender skin, but gradually it began to sooth away the throbbing pain, leaving a warm, tingling sensation. Diving into her bag once more she pulled out a small phial, pouring some of the clear liquid onto the worst of the burns and then gently rubbing it in with her fingers.

“That smells like home,” Link said through a flinch.

“I got it from Saria,” Zelda replied.

Taking a roll of cloth from her bag she began wrapping his shoulder. “Remind me never to make another joke about carrying all that stuff around with you ever again.”

“With you around I need to carry an entire healing hall around with me,” she tried to force her voice to sound light but didn’t pull it off very well. “What would you do without me?”

“What I always did without you before,” Link replied. “Sit around like an idiot and suffer and wish you were with me.”

Zelda smiled softly and moved onto the cut on his temple, washing away the dried blood and applying the clear ointment to it as well. Once it was cleaned she moved onto his side which had been injured when he had slammed into the tree trunk and then fallen to the ground. He was swollen and bruised from the back of his left shoulder to his waist. Zelda lightly ran her fingers over his ribs and Link jumped suddenly.

“Your hands are cold,” he said.

“Your ribs are broken,” Zelda said in reply, her voice tight with concern, “or at the very least the bones are cracked.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Link said casually, but Zelda touched his back again and he yelped and jerked back.

“I’m sorry,” Zelda apologized quickly, holding him gently.

“It’s all right,” Link brushed it off, though for the first time Zelda could feel that he didn’t fully mean it.

“No, I’m sorry,” Zelda insisted. “I didn’t know what else to do…”

“You did what you thought you had to, you had no idea this would happen,” Link replied.

“I should have known,” Zelda said as she began wrapping Link’s torso. “I should have seen this… but I couldn’t. I was blinded by my fear. I just wanted to be there for him,” she said quietly, “and what did I do? Nothing. He’s gone… and it’s because of me.”

“Hey,” Link said firmly, pulling her gaze into his. “It was not your fault. You had no control over this. If you hadn’t come back we don’t know what would have happened-“

Zelda sat in silence, fighting the lump in her throat and the stinging in her eyes. She wished Link wouldn’t be so kind sometimes. She could tell that somewhere inside he was angry- frustrated with her. He had a right to be. She felt she deserved some punishment, someone to blame her and tell her she had been foolish and wrong.

“He wanted me,” Zelda said in a hollow voice. “I could have prevented it. I should have just given him what he wanted.”

“What did he want?” Link asked.

“Anri’s Emblem,” Zelda replied.

“What is that?” Link asked, then his eyes flew open. “Is that what you went back to get?”

Zelda nodded.

“Did you get it?” Link asked.

Zelda nodded again, then she reached into her pocket and drew out the small pendant and chain, handing it to Link.

“What is it?” Link asked, examining it closely. “It just looks like a necklace. Why would he want this?”

“I don’t know what it is,” Zelda shrugged, “or why he would want it.”

“Where did you get it?” Link asked. “If we knew where it came from maybe we can understand why it’s so important.”

Zelda hesitated. If she lied Link would know. She couldn’t keep it from him. Somehow hiding it would make it seem wrong: deceitful, as though she had something to cover up. She knew she’d done nothing wrong but she also knew Link would not understand.

“Aritia,” Zelda replied simply, hoping it was enough. The instant she said it, though, Link’s eyes widened and his gaze shot in her direction.

“What?” he asked.

“It came from Aritia,” Zelda tried to make it sound inconsequential.

“How did you get it?” Link asked, staring at her.

Zelda’s wavering only made it worse. She knew she had to tell him the truth. He would find out anyway.

“Marth,” she said quietly, not looking at him.

“What?” Link burst, shooting to his feet so suddenly that he jerked his sore ribs, causing him to gasp in pain. Sullenly he sat back down, clutching his side.

“He gave it to me a long time ago,” Zelda explained hurriedly. “I tried to give it back, but he wouldn’t take it.”

“So you kept it all these years?” Link looked as though he’d been kicked.

“It’s not what you think,” Zelda shook her head. “I didn’t want to keep it. I don’t want anything to do with it!”

Zelda dropped it down into the dirt in disgust.

“I threw it in a drawer years ago and I haven’t thought of it since. It’s just a necklace, it doesn’t mean anything,” she assured him.

Link furrowed his brow and stared at the ground without response. “This is what you risked your life to get back? We both nearly died so that you could save something Marth gave you?”

“Do you think I am insane?” Zelda gaped. “I went back for it because Vale was willing to kill you and me to get to it. My father died because Vale wanted that necklace. This has nothing to do with Marth!”

They fell into a tense silence, both scowling and refusing to look at each other.

“How do you know this is what Vale was after?” Link asked almost accusingly, staring down at the necklace in the dirt as though it were something vile.

“Well, I don’t for certain,” Zelda replied. “All I know it that Vale wanted something called Anri’s Emblem and Marth once told me that this was passed down through his family from the days of his forefather, Anri. What else could he be referring to? I have nothing else of Anri’s.”

Link remained still and quiet, his expression muddled.

“Link, I swear to you, this means nothing to me. I didn’t even remember I had it until Vale said that. I left it behind, no intention of ever seeing it again. You have to believe me,” she said desperately. She couldn’t bear the thought of Link letting this come between them. She needed him now, more than words could express. “I love you,” she whispered.

Link looked up at her now, his expression softened. “What are we supposed to do with it now?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Zelda lamented. “We don’t know what it is or why they want it… we don’t even know who we’re fighting.”

“Then we need to get some answers,” Link said.

“Where can we go?” Zelda asked. “Who can we trust?”

“Impa is the only-“ Link suddenly cut off and the wood went utterly silent. Then Zelda heard it as well: the sound of uneven footsteps padding towards them.

Link and Zelda struggled to their feet, backing away but it was too late. Link stepped in front of Zelda, pulling out his sword and trying to stand as tall and strong as he could as a dark figure emerged through the trees and stepped into the moonlight.

Link’s sword quickly dropped. It was a young girl, vaguely familiar to him, swaying on her feet, covered in wounds and bleeding badly. Her eyes were filled with fear and pain as she struggled forward, dragging her badly mangled leg as she walked.

“Princess,” she choked on her tears. “I’m sorry,” she whispered as her eyes went blank and her body lurched forward, collapsing at their feet.