148Treacherous Intentions
By: dontwaitupxx
Epilogue
Zelda felt his body decline as he slowly died in her arms. She wept – her tears mixing with the rain, as she mourned the loss of the hero – the traitor – her friend. Could she still call him her friend? Even after everything?
Either way, it certainly felt like she had lost a friend that day, in one way or another.
Then, she heard the Master Sword reach out – felt its soul touch hers – and heard the voice of the Hero of Hyrule. It wasn't Link's voice – not quite – but it was the voices of many heroes: the voices of countless knights and soldiers and farmers and the like, who had all stepped up over the course of history to the challenge of wielding the Sword that Seals the Darkness.
He could still be saved, she learned, if he were taken immediately to the Shrine of Resurrection. Without the Hero, Hyrule would be doomed. But with him, perhaps Hyrule could be destined for greatness yet again.
Despite everything – despite the treason that still stung and ached and threatened to drown her – she would save him, if not for her country, then for her people. Despite his betrayal and conflicting allegiances, he was still the Goddess' Chosen Hero, and if saving him meant saving Hyrule, her decision was clear.
Then, from over the burning hills came a cry of, "Princess!" as two Sheikah soldiers ran in from the north, kneeling before her.
"Princess," one of them breathed, "Are you alright?"
They had seen the light clear from Kakariko – it had engulfed the land, soaring high above the clouds. It was undeniable – Commander Impa sent them at once to the south to investigate and protect the Princess.
Though it was evident that she could very well handle herself, thank you very much.
She recognized them as some of Impa's most trusted Sheikah. But could she will herself to leave him? The very thought made her throat tighten and her arms constrict around his bloody body. The Master Sword reached out towards her again, its soul coaxing her to let go. Trust them. They would save him. They would do well to keep their Hero safe.
Thus, she gave them the most important task.
"Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection," she had commanded, and at the tones of her words, the soldiers had straightened and nodded. Who were they to question their Princess? "If we don't get him there immediately, we are going to lose him forever. Is that clear?" Her eyes burned golden green in the pouring rain, and the soldiers nodded, "So make haste and go. His life is now in your hands."
She was entrusting these two Sheikah soldiers with the future of Hyrule. As much as she wished to go with them – to ensure with her own eyes that he was safely placed into the shrine – time was of the essence. Thus, they lifted the body of her fallen knight into their arms and made their west to the Great Plateau. Zelda, alone with her thoughts and the gentle voice of the Master Sword, made her way north into Kakariko.
It was still raining, though the severity had lessened quite so by the time she reached Kakariko. The village was bustling with survivors from the Calamity. Tents had been erected alongside the main walkway leading into Kakariko, fires were roaring under the protection of trees and wooden canopies. Babies were crying and mothers were soothing, as they gazed towards the west with haunted looks in their eyes. The few fathers and their sons that had travelled in the evacuation party were once again ready for battle with weapons drawn, but were being pushed back by the firm voices of the Sheikah.
There was no going back, they were saying. There was nothing to go back to. Their villages had been destroyed, and there was no way to defeat the Guardians. It was not a fight they could win.
But then, the first refugee turned, and their eyes settled upon their Princess.
It started with just the one – just a simple bow in the darkness of early morning. The sun would not be up for a few hours yet, but there was no sleep to be had in that small, quiet village. Then, one by one, more of the survivors turned to set their gaze upon the Princess, and they too lowered themselves before her.
She stopped mid-step; as she watched her people bow before her. How could they, when she was just a girl, in some tattered and muddied white dress? Yet still, they bowed: for they knew her power and they knew her greatness, and they had seen the night sky light up like the dawn breaking over the horizon.
No longer was she a failure of a Princess. It had been woven into her destiny that she would prove them wrong. And thus, she did.
Yet the battered blade resting in her palms did well to challenge that sentiment.
And then, at the end of the long path – at the end of all her people knelt down in the mud in firm and loving loyalty – was Impa: battered and bloody still from battle, but standing just as strong as ever.
Zelda ran down the hill towards the Sheikah, and embraced her as though the world might try and take her away as well. It was possible, still, that the world would continue to be so cruel.
"Princess," Impa breathed, clutching the back of Zelda's head, "We saw the sky light up. The Goddess has smiled upon you."
Zelda nodded, though she felt Impa stiffen.
"You come here alone, though," she whispered, "And with his blade. Where is your knight? What has happened?"
Zelda breathed in sharply, pulling herself back from Impa but refusing to meet her gaze. There was so much to say – yet the words escaped her. What could she say? How could mere words possibly explain what had happened? Impa's fiery red eyes blazed through the rain, as her eyes bounced from between her and the sword.
From around them, the displaced survivors began to close in, desperately eager to hear any news of what had happened outside the stronghold of Kakariko.
Indeed, Impa noticed this as well, as she scanned over the people, weighing their options, "Come," she decided, grasping Zelda by her shoulders and leading her away from the refugees, "The silence out here is deafening. We can speak in the Elder's home."
"I can't stay long," Zelda whispered, her eyes flickering towards the west, "My role has not yet finished."
"I know it hasn't," Impa nodded, as they made their way up the great stairs, "Your destiny awaits you."
They entered the Elder's home, and as the door slid shut behind them, the sounds of the village vanished from behind them. Zelda hadn't noticed just how loud those small, minute sounds had been: the sounds of rain, of whispers, of fate. The silence truly was deafening.
They spoke then, just on the floor of the Elder's home in Kakariko, and Zelda told Impa everything. She told her of Ganon's malice enveloping the sky as they watched from the Lanayru Promenade, and how they ran to the castle, only to flee. She told her of how they ran from the Guardians, of their confrontation with the Yiga Soldier, and how they ran, and ran, and ran, until Link's final stand at Fort Hateno. It was in that moment that she had she awakened her Goddess given powers. Zelda told her dear friend everything.
Everything except, of course, one small detail.
"So then my soldiers are taking him now to the Shrine of Resurrection."
"Yes. But I'm afraid that the shrine is flawed. His restoration will come at the cost of his memories."
"Hmm…" Impa mused, "Well, given the circumstances, perhaps then it is for the best that our hero loses his memory. Wouldn't you agree, Princess?"
…
…
…
Impa nodded slowly, her eyes flickering down towards the blade, but her face not betraying any emotion, "So then, it is as I suspected. Your reaction says it all. You know what I knew to be true: that boy, though chosen by the Master Sword, is Yiga through and through."
It was the first time the truth had been put to those words, and though Zelda had known it to be so, the words stung and burned in a way she had not anticipated.
Though more pressing, she realized, was that the woman before her had known it all along.
"Wait," Zelda whispered, "You knew?"
"Of course I knew," Impa scoffed, her eyes flickering away, "I had known from the moment I set eyes on him that there was something wrong about that boy, and my first spar with him only proved me right."
The revelation shattered through her mind, as she thought back to when it had been declared that Link had pulled the Master Sword. Impa had known. She had known of Link's intentions from the very beginning.
"Why… why didn't you tell my father?" Zelda whispered, the new wave of betrayal adding salt to her wounds, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I did tell your father," Impa said, "but the King merely laughed off that accusation with the rationale that because Link had pulled the sword, there was simply no way that he could be of the Yiga Clan."
"But you didn't tell me?"
"After I had accused him, your father had kept me behind and sent everyone out. He had told me that I was forbidden from breathing a word of this to you. That should you hear my accusation, you would be distracted from your task. I was silenced by a man whose fear of the unknown kept him from seeing the truth," her eyes then softened: the sharp, blazing scarlet dissolving to something more gentle, "But trust me when I tell you that I watched over you and protected you as best I could from that day on. I waited for Link to slip up: to give me undeniable proof of his intentions. I even made it seem like I was letting him off the hook in an attempt to get him to let his guard down. Yet that boy… he was nothing if not thorough in his role."
"Yet, even faced with the truth, there's still some things that don't make sense," Zelda shook her head, "Like when he protected me from those Yiga Clan soldiers out in the Gerudo Desert. It doesn't make any sense. Why would he protect me from his own clan? He didn't even hesitate when he killed them."
"The Yiga Clan is a powerful and ruthless organization," Impa said, "Their radical philosophies are not above sacrificing their own to further their cause."
"He… he had told me once we made it here to Kakariko that he would explain everything to me."
"Sometimes," Impa said, slowly, "There are things better left unexplained."
Zelda's chest tightened, as fresh tears began to spring up around her eyes, "And now I'll never know…"
"Oh Zelda…"
"Why did he do it?" Zelda cried, the wave of betrayal feeling fresh and tender, "He tricked all of us. He lied, and manipulated his way into the Royal Guard. His mission was to kill me in the light of the Blood Moon the night before Calamity Ganon's return. I had begun to think that he was my friend: was none of that real? Though he wasn't able to kill me – said he couldn't – the betrayal still stings. I feel angry and upset and hurt, but you know what's worse?" She took in a breath, steadying her shaking hands, "I feel empathy towards him. I feel almost an understanding towards him, and from the deepest part of my soul, I want to forgive him. Why is that? Why is it that, despite everything, I still believe he can do good?"
"This is something I grappled with constantly the past few months," Impa said, "The pulling of the sword solidifies his role in this era. His destiny is still tied with yours, despite his prior allegiances. Though I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, am I?"
"No," Zelda whispered, "I know this to be true. It's ironic, isn't it?"
"Well, it is like I said," Impa said, "The shrine will erase any memory he has of siding with the Yiga Clan. He cannot have conflicting allegiances if he doesn't remember them. Perhaps this could be taken to your advantage."
Zelda's eyes grew wide, as she pondered this, "I hadn't put that all together, but you're right. With the extent of his injuries… it will be a miracle if he can even remember his own name."
"Perhaps the Goddess has known exactly what she was doing all along."
"We must make sure he doesn't stray once he awakens from the shrine," Zelda said, her eyebrows furrowed, "We must make sure that he is single minded in his task. Once he wakens, he will be the only person to save Hyrule. We must make sure his intentions are just. We'll tell him of his destiny as the Hero – but we won't ever mention his allegiance to the Yiga Clan."
"Is there anything else he needs to know?"
"Yes. Deliver this message for me," she said, "If you can. He will certainly be weakened upon awakening, and so we will need the Divine Beasts more than ever. Tell him to 'Free the four Divine Beasts'. Only once all four are free will the battle be tipped in our favor. And only once they are all free will the Champion's souls be able to rest."
"It shall be done, Princess."
Zelda's palms itched as she exchanged final goodbyes with Impa and left the small little village. It felt deceitful – almost – the way that she was taking advantage of a flaw in the shrine's mechanisms.
Though, she supposed, this deceit would make them them even.
As she departed from Kakariko beneath the soft prayer cloths and wooden wind chimes, the sights and sounds of the world outside the little haven began to unfold. Smoke permeated through the air, threatening to block out the rays of the sun as it began to make its ascent into the sky. The air was devoid of any sounds of wildlife – of any birds or insects or the like. Instead, it was replaced by a dull ringing in the air – almost inaudible, if you weren't listening for it.
But Zelda was listening for it. She heard it, just around the canyon, and it came from her home: a being so evil, she could feel its malice radiating from where she stood. She felt her palms sweat as her powers begged for release: as they begged to drown the darkness with their light. She would soon, she knew. But there was one more thing she had to do.
With the rising of the sun, Zelda emerged into Central Hyrule and gazed upon her broken home. She gazed upon the clouds of swirling malice and the beast that roared and trembled around her broken castle. She could feel its power growing – it was almost strong enough to break free from the castle and wreak absolute havoc over her lands.
As though her lands hadn't already been through enough.
But she knew she had time. Not a lot – in the grand scheme of it all – but enough. She had to protect the Master Sword. She had to ensure it was safeguarded until its master breached the Shrine of Resurrection and could come for it. And so she marched – marched beyond the castle where she knew she was destined to go, marched past the Hylia River, and disappeared like a spirit into the mystical fog of the Lost Woods.
She let the sword guide her through the treacherous mist, and each twist and turn made her head spin. Though with dizzying sense of vertigo, it made her more and more certain that the sword would rest undisturbed for however long its master needed.
She arrived in the Korok Forest, and was met with warm greens and swirling yellows – a stark contrast from the grey, milky, monotonous fog of the Lost Woods. In the center of the forest rested a great tree – its branches hovering delicately across the entirety of the forest.
Time stood still within the Great Hyrule Forest. Perhaps it was a concept that merely did not exist here.
She approached the Great Deku Tree with the broken sword. She knelt down before it, on a pedestal depicted with the Tri-Force. This was where the Master Sword had stood for millennia before Link had pulled it from its resting place. It would be the same place where it would lay dormant, before Link could rise to right the wrongs of Hyrule.
"Your master will come for you," Zelda whispered, her fingers tracing the indentations of the sword, etching the breaks to memory, "Until then, you shall rest safely here."
She paused, feeling the spirits of the fabled Koroks brushing against her. They were a comfort to her – a companion too, when all else was ripped from her. She smiled, the bitter sentiment clawing at her chest.
"Although the Slumber of Restoration will most certainly deprive him of his memories, please trust me when I say I know he will arrive for you yet again."
"If I may be so bold… what is it you are planning to do next, Princess?"
The deep voice warmed her soul and calmed her frayed nerves, and she looked up, finding herself in an audience with the great spirit of the forest: the Great Deku Tree.
She paused, looking down at the battered sword, which so clearly mirrored the state of her knight, "The Master Sword… I heard it speak to me," she whispered, "It seems that my role is unfinished. There is still something I must do."
The Great Deku Tree breathed, and Zelda felt the wind around her gently caress her shoulders, "I sense there is great strength in your dedication."
"Great Deku Tree," she whispered, the spontaneity of the moment enveloping her, "I ask of you, when he returns, can you please relay this message… tell him I –"
"Now then," the Great Deku Tree whispered, and each blossom from its branches stirred, "Words intended for him would sound much better in the tones of your voice, don't you think?"
She would forgive him, she realized. It was an unexpected sentiment to forgive, yet each muscle and instinct burned with it. The events of the last day had made her realize with more and more resounding clarity that everything had happened just as it was intended. If it was the will of the Goddess, who was she to object? Her soul ached with the losses her country faced, of what she personally faced – but the Goddess was faced with evil incarnate, and given the way of the world, things had happened the way they were destined to. The Goddess wasn't the only deity with a hand at the world – the Demon King was dealt his share as well. At the words of the Great Deku Tree, she knew without a doubt her Hero would rise once again, and she knew without a doubt she would see him once again: no longer under the influence of Ganon's malicious ways.
She nodded once, her eyes crinkling around the edges in the bittersweet truth, "Yes."
The Great Deku Tree grew silent once more, and Zelda reached down to grasp the hilt of the Master Sword in her palms. The blade pulsated, its soul reaching out to her once again: it was time.
She lifted the sword, closing her eyes, as she prepared to send the sword into its long slumber: to match its master. She felt her power soar within her, cascading down her arms to rest in her palms. Her power had been so elusive her entire life, and now it came so naturally to her. It was a wonder she had never discovered her powers earlier. Wasn't that funny? It was as simple as breathing.
She plunged the blade down into the ancient stone, and felt it lock firmly into its deep slumber. Here, it would stay dormant, until its master reached for it once again.
Which meant there was only one thing left to do.
She felt the spirits of the Koroks lead her out of the Lost Woods and back into her shattered country. It was strange – how departing only took seconds, but her arrival to the Korok Forest had taken so long. There was a mystery to those woods that she desperately wished to study. Yet, that would have to wait for another time. Her country awaited their Princess.
She made her way south, watching as the broken remains of her castle grew larger and more devastating the closer she got. As she grew closer, so did the Guardians, but they threatened her not. She called upon her sacred powers once more, and watched as the malice evaporated from deep within them like it was mere water.
She approached the Great Gates to her dear Castle Town once again, noticing the stark differences from when she was there last with Link not even a day earlier. Where her town before had been saturated with townsfolk still evacuating – with the sounds of yelling and cries – now it was eerily silent, as she stepped one delicate foot through the broken gates.
The flames of yesterday had died down to a bitter roar, and Zelda stood amongst the spirits of her people. She felt them around her: felt them move towards her, and felt their hands reach out towards their Princess. They beckoned her forward and made her brave, lifting her up in opposition to the threat.
She wouldn't lie and say that she wasn't scared. Of course she was – absolutely scared. But she derived courage from deep within her and stepped forward, summoning her power up and out, and calling the beast forward.
The Demon King materialized from deep within the billowy wisps of malice coating the castle. The ground shook as he roared, answering the calls to her summons. Two beady, glowing eyes burst from the malice and locked on her once again. She felt that same instinct to run from before, but she stood her ground. She had the blood of the Goddess coursing through her veins. She had the power of the Goddess dripping from her fingertips. She was the Princess of Hyrule, and she would not allow this demon to wreck havoc on her lands any longer.
The great beast snorted, its massive snout widening in another ground shaking roar, before he dove down, down, down – to the Princess – to Hylia – to Zelda.
Zelda was consumed by the demon, as the demon was engulfed by her powers. And there, they were at a standstill – in a massive gridlock that was unprecedented in all of history. She pushed him back, into the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle – the one place in the castle most blessed by the Goddess. The beast roared, as it fought against the strength of her power. But her Goddess and the love and sacrifice of her people fueled her onwards. He would not break free.
And there she would hold him – for a year, for a decade, for a century, for millennia if that was how long it took. For however long her Hero needed before he awakened, she would wait.
Time passed, as it does, and the months turned into years, and the years turned into decades. During this time, the fields burned, as the followers of Ganon still grazed the country. The surviving citizens fled to the far corners of the land, daring not to step anywhere near the epicenter of the Calamity. Time seemed to stop, and the world ceased to spin.
Then, as it does, time moved on. The world continued to spin, and the people lived.
Years would pass, as Hylia's people grew older. Some years crawled and some years ran by. As people died, they also lived. And as people lived, they ushered in new life. Life was filled with the same happiness and sorrows wrought from a world before the Calamity. That world seemed naught but a distant memory, but a distant memory still for some. Then those people died off, as well, and those memories turned into legends.
The three surviving Sheikah from Hyrule Castle spread out, when it became clear that their Hero would not awaken for quite some time. They spread to far reaching areas of the country, each holding onto the Princess's final message for their Hero once he returned. With any luck, one of them would survive long enough to see his resurrection. Yet still, with each passing year, the Sheikah grew greyer and frailer. Even with their long lifespans, they too would inevitably meet their fate and rise into the warm embrace of their Goddess.
Master Kohga sent his followers far and wide across the country, searching for their Lieutenant – searching for the traitor of the Yiga Clan. His obsession was maddening, driving him into mania in his preoccupation. As the decades passed, Master Kohga effectively went bananas, as some would say. Indeed, in an attempt to make his clan more formidable, Master Kohga relied even more heavily on the power-boosting properties of Mighty Bananas. Should the cowardly Hero ever make an appearance again, they would be ready.
And Link…
He had been brought to the Shrine of Resurrection, and the Sheikah had not a moment more to lose. He was on the brink of death as he was placed in the swirling pool – any longer, and he would have certainly been lost forever. The Sheikah Slate had been placed into the pedestal, and the settings were set. Then, the world held their breath and waited, as the Sheikah stepped back out into Hyrule and the door to the shrine sealed itself behind them.
The Sheikah, in a last ditch effort to protect the Hero, detonated the Great Steps leading up into the Plateau. People would simply believe that the steps had been destroyed in the initial attack from the Calamity. It would be impossible then, for anyone to step foot onto the Plateau. Their Hero would then rest undisturbed.
Prior to scaling down the steep walls, the Sheikah buried the dead that had evacuated to the Great Plateau and had died valiantly against the few Guardians that had made it up there. The dead were varied – some Hylian, some Sheikah – and one whose long white beard and Royal robes had been stained dark red in his final moments.
The Sheikah buried the last King of Hyrule at the peak of Mount Hylia, laying him to rest as close to the Goddess as they could. His grave was marked only with a simple stone. It was a far cry from what a proper Royal burial called for, but it was far more than most victims of the Great Calamity were afforded.
Link's slumber was long: much longer than anyone had anticipated. Yet still, the Princess never gave up hope, as she held Ganon, confined in her holy prayer. She heard the voices of her ancestors, urging her onwards, and felt the souls of the past heroes, encouraging her. The Goddess spoke to her, whispering in her ear to wait just a little bit longer. And so she always did, waiting just a little bit more.
Then, one fateful day, something changed.
It was a normal day in Hyrule: the Guardians still roamed the fields, its normalcy now on par with the sighting of a wild horse. People lived their lives, going about their day, as though nothing momentous had just happened. No one would realize until much later that something had changed, and that it would alter the course of history forever.
From within an ancient shrine, long forgotten to the people of Hyrule, laid a man. Call him what you will: a traitor or a hero. Both titles would have been lost to time, save for one Sheikah, who sat in Kakariko: her old, wrinkled eyes opening wide as she felt the winds shift around her – and one Hylian, who was more spirit than girl: as she heard the sounds of a man stirring for the first time in a century.
Then, from within the shrine, the pool began to drain, and a voice called out to the awakening man.
At first, it was a mere whisper, almost inaudible from within the shrine. But it grew louder – more persistent – more hopeful – more determined – more desperate – until the words registered in his ears as he listened to the once familiar voice.
"Open your eyes."
The story continues: Bitter Revelations, the sequel to Treacherous Intentions. Click on my profile for the link to the sequel!
