Fan Fiction ❯ The Mirror Tells All ❯ Second ( Chapter 2 )

You Wish! Productions presents...

The Mirror Tells All

A Legend of Zelda Fan Fiction

By: Blue Taboo

Proud member of Darkscribes.org

The town was quiet, and not even the heard of dogs dared seem to roam its streets like they once did. There were lights in all the houses and a few of the shops, but no one was outside, even though the weather was more than agreeable. Link took note of this, thinking it strange, but simply flying past it in his run towards the castle. He wondered if he could still sneak in, or if it was even more heavily guarded, since now even the drawbridge was apparently in need of soldiers. He figured that he was find out soon enough and ran onward.

When Link did come to the path outside the gate, he could only see and a hear a single guard, who stood, looking bored, directly in front of the gate. If there were anymore guards in the entire front garden, then they had to be among the most silent of all soldiers, for Link could always remember being able to hear the clanking of their chain mail against the packed earth and stone of the walkway. Before he could see if his hearing served him right, he had to get past the only guard he could really confirm. That was simple enough, for the vines he used to climb on to sneak into the castle were still there, and now stronger and thicker than ever, even bearing a few white flowers here and there.

He jumped onto them and climbed his way up to the top of the little gorge with ease, and saw that he was in fact right, however, another problem stood in his way. There was another set of three guards, this time, at the front entrance to the castle, which was aglow with warm light, despite the encroaching purple of the early evening. Link knew of many ways to get inside the high iron fence of the castle, though, and not many of them involved the front entrance anyway. He gladly remained on the high end of the winding garden, and proceeded to the point where the ground just outside of the fence was higher than the fence itself.

He could jump into the moat from here, then reach the garden from there. The guards would have to walk in order to see what made the splash, and by the time they got over to where he had dove in, he would have been long gone. It worked that way seven years ago with the one guard, and on that night, it worked the same with the three. They just assumed that a rock must've fallen in, or maybe something larger. Link's splash was too big to be that of a rock's anymore.

By way of the moat, he came to a familiar outlet into the inner gardens, which were quiet as well, and surprisingly unguarded. The great armies of this Emperor the guards spoke of must have had their duties somewhere else that night. Regardless, all Link had to do now was find Zelda. Out of habit, or maybe something greater, he headed to the spot where they had their usual audience way back when. There was no place else he could think to find her, since she had always been there before.

And when he came upon the circular courtyard, with its own little moat, and flowers galore, that was even lit by a few lingering fireflies on that night, he felt disappointed to see only a figure in a blue cloak, tending to the potted flowers on the same place where he had met the Princess when he was only a little boy. It couldn't have been her...

Yet he took one more step, just to make sure it was some gardener or servant out for a breath of fresh air. In doing so, his boot met the gravely end of the stone path, and crunched, echoing off the stone walls and high windows of the courtyard, and ruining his former stealth. Rather than run off blindly and risk running right into a hidden guard, Link decided to take his chances with the gardener, and stood his ground as they turned to see what had made the sound.

A hood-shadowed face looked over one shoulder, probably suspecting nothing more than a squirrel, and seemed not to notice him.

Then, however, the person did a double take and Link heard a little gasp.

It was a sound he'd heard before...

The owner of the hood the threw it back and rubbed her eyes, and even in the fury of the motion, Link knew that he had been right in coming to the courtyard all along, even if the long golden hair was not enough to give it away.

Princess Zelda stood unmasked, her face just as beautiful as he remembered it being after these seven years, but marred with confusion and possibly even...terror?

"Please," she uttered softly, "Tell me that you aren't a ghost?"

A ghost?

"Why would I be...unless you're not Princess Zelda," Link replied simply.

"Is it really you? Are you Link?" she demanded, her once soft voice now full of the desire to know.

"Yes," he assured her. "I've come back."

That was all she needed to run to him, but rather than embrace him like an old friend and fellow savior of Hyrule, she stopped just short and looked at him closely, still regarding him with limited suspicion. Needless to say, it was not the welcome Link had expected.

"What am I kidding," she said after a seemingly endless silence between them, "I knew you'd look this way, and you probably remember me like this too."

Link then allowed himself to feel relieved. She did remember. It did happen. It wasn't for nothing. She had to be Zelda.

"I do. I remember everything."

Zelda herself then looked as if a burden had been take from her as well. It was a burden, being the only one around to carry the knowledge of what could have been. "And for that," she told Link, "I am very glad...but how did you get into the castle?"

"The same way I always did, but the men outside of town let me in after they told me what had happened. Princess...you have to tell me what's going on because--"

Link was cut off as a man's voice echoed through the stone walls of the inner gardens. "Dear Princess! I know you're here somewhere!"

"Oh of all the times in the world!" a sudden rage emanated from Zelda's words as she now whispered, "Terinae is calling for me now!"

"Terinae?" Link inquired.

Zelda shushed him as quietly as she could. "Don't let your voice echo," she advised softly. "The men told you about the Emperor, right?"

Link nodded in response.

"Well, that's him. Emperor Terinae, and I don't think he'll like the idea of strange people being able to sneak into the castle. He forgets that we aren't technically part of his Empire..." she explained.

"I can leave, if you want me to..." Link whispered resignedly.

"No, no...there's too much I have to tell you, and you me, I'm sure. You just need a reason to be here..." She pondered for a moment in silence. Still as quick-witted as Link remembered, Zelda then blurted out, "We'll say you're the son of one of my late father's knights and that you and I played together as children. The rest we can make up from there."

And as soon as the last word left her, she was off towards the hedge mazes that made up a majority of the rest of the gardens and following the resounding echo of the Emperor. Link found himself at a loss for words on the situation, but he simply followed, though with a great deal less haste, and much more apprehension. Somehow, it didn't seem wise for him to be meeting this Emperor, face to face, and under such lies, but he knew that Zelda was not named a Sage for nothing, and that she did, after all, carry the Triforce of Wisdom for a reason.

"Oh there you are! Roaming around here at all hours of the night, as usual," came the voice again, as Zelda obviously found the fabled Emperor. His voice was light and unexpectedly so. Perhaps, he was a kind man of his word, and not as deceptive as the men at the bridge had made him out to be. At least, this was what Link hoped. Through all the wrongs he had set to right, and all the foes he'd faced, Link felt a strange dread at the idea of battling this particular beast, one who may have the body of an ordinary man, but legions at his disposal enough to make a fight pointlessly unfair.

"Actually, I had a purpose in being here tonight," Zelda echoed across the dim gardens.

"Oh, and what is that?"

"A dear old friend of mine has just come home to Hyrule after a long journey, and we were talking of old times."

"Really now? Where is this old friend of yours?"

It was then that Link found his way to the voices that spoke of him, and he found Zelda standing next to a tall man, who could have been none other than Emperor Terinae. He was just reaching middle age, his nearly black short-cropped hair showing signs of grey here and there, but he had the appearance rather of an experienced soldier than a regal monarch. His face was inquisitive and weather-worn, and he wore what seemed to be a strange uniform that included a great deal of gilded metal, with the only other distinguishing factor to it being a short blue cape that had on it strange designs embroidered in gold.

As Link sized him up, Terinae did the same to the younger swordsman. The Emperor was a soldier indeed, and no facade of armor was necessary to tell Link that as he observed how the man looked at him. It was as if a mutual understanding passed between the two, and they both knew, as all fighters do, that their match, should it ever come to pass, would be an interesting one.

"Well, young man, you must have just arrived, seeing as how you still have all of your equipment about you."

Link had learned in his travels to accept the weight of a sword and shield, if nothing else, as part of himself, and therefore barely even noticed that he had them on. He could not respond before Zelda began to weave her tale about him.

"Your Highness," she addressed the Emperor, "I would like you to meet my best friend from when I was little girl. This is Link, the son of one of Hyrule's finest knights."

"It's a pleasure," the Emperor said, his demeanor suddenly changing in the slightest way, taking a turn from fighter to leader.

Link nodded, allowing Zelda to continue.

"And Link, this is his Imperial Highness, Emperor Terinae."

"Even though I've only been back for a short while, I have heard much about you...Your Highness." The last bit was hard for Link to get past his lips. It came out sounding strained, but it was the best he could do. Somehow, it pained him to think that this stranger was now technically in charge of his land, and Zelda was not.

"It is unfortunate that we could've not met before, but I guess that I'm to assume that you have been away from your land for a great deal of time, at least for one so young as yourself, Master Link."

Link opened his mouth to speak, if simply to affirm the Emperor's suspicions, but Zelda beat him to it, lying even further.

"He's been gone ever since his father passed away, which was very long ago. He was sent to live with relatives in another kingdom, and to train to be a Knight there."

The Emperor nodded and then asked, "So you've returned to Hyrule to gain Knighthood, I assume."

Link was now more confused than ever. In his limited experience with lying and deceit, he had learned that it was best to keep it simple, just so one wouldn't have to end up tripping over one's own lie in the end, but Zelda seemed bent on fabricating a great story to give further purpose to his being there, and one quick look at her demanding violet eyes told Link what his answer should be.

"Yes."

"Well," the Emperor began, "I would think that all these changes must have upset you somewhat, and that your journey has indeed been a tiring one. There are plenty of places in the castle for you to rest, and I think that you are owed at least that, in your case, until all has been set to right here in Hyrule and you can be properly knighted."

"That's just what we were discussing when you called," Zelda butted in.

"Ah, that's all very well then! I'll head in first and call someone to prepare a room for you so that you may continue your conversation with the Princess. It is always a pleasure for me to meet any friend of hers."

Link nodded in response, unsure of what to say and at a loss for much else, with all the whirlwind of change that was going around him.

The Emperor left with a smile, looking genuine and genial, completely unlike the man Link had first set eyes on just moments before.

Zelda waited until she heard a great oak door close not far off from the place where they stood before she dared speak again. "Good, good," she complimented mostly herself, "He's thoroughly convinced. Link, now I have plenty of time to tell you everything, since it appears that you'll be staying here. I know everything must seem so strange to you, but please, just try to go along with it? I've found that's the best thing to do."

Link listened intently, although he couldn't help but ask, "Why did you have to lie about all those things? Couldn't you just say I was a messenger, like you did before?"

Zelda then laughed, much to his surprise. "Hearing you say that almost makes me think I should have, but no, Link, because then I couldn't talk to you. It's all well for a little girl to go gallivanting around with servant children and forgetting she's a princess, but we're too old for games like that now, and the situation at hand is too complicated. No, this is the best way. Will you trust me on that?"

She was smiling, so it couldn't be all that bad or wrong. Link knew that he was embarking on a different kind of journey, on that would take him into unfamiliar territory, but not any kind that you could chart on a map. He was going inside the castle walls, and not just to visit the gardens. The idea was strange to him, and something deep inside him languished it, but he trusted Zelda. He never thought that anything she said would lead him astray.

"I will."

It seemed to make her happy, which was all Link could care about. "I'll tell you everything you need to know," she affirmed, "Just listen to me and don't let Terinae catch you off your guard. We'll make a Knight out of you yet, hero boy."

The last comment brought a smile to Link's worried face. Those, he decided were times that he had nothing to do with but cherish. The Hyrule of his childhood was gone, but not forgotten.

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/_\ /_\ Blue Taboo /_\ /_\