Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Reign of Ganon ❯ Chapter One: The Beginning of the End ( Chapter 1 )

This is my first fic, so please go easy on me!

 

Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

 

A young girl of about ten years old sat brushing her hair on the balcony outside her room. She sighed. Today had been boring, mostly. Her father had brought in some diplomats from other lands, he said, and had done several other important things, but this meant little to her. Her long blond hair fell down around her waist as she got up and went inside, leaving the huge window that served as a door open.

 

The sunlight and the calm breeze made her want to take a nap, and she put down the brush and headed for the bed when she something made her stop. A cold wind blew from down at the front gate below her window. It crept up her arms and chilled her heart. She swayed slightly, feeling sick, and shuddered despite the warm sun. Whatever was down there wasn't a good thing.

 

Slowly, she turned around, and was about to go back out on the balcony to investigate the voices she heard below at the front gate, but she was stopped when she heard her name from outside her door. Someone knocked. She turned away from the open window and airy curtains to face the door.

 

“Zelda! Zelda, you in there? Your father wants you to meet his new advisor, and I have to give you the lecture before you can go down and terrorize him, okay?” It was Impa, Zelda's nursemaid and trusted friend.

 

Impa was a tall Shekiah woman. She had white hair and red eyes, which made her look menacing, but in truth, she was very protective of Zelda, and was very kind when she wanted to be.

 

Impa loved telling Zelda things about her race, to pass the information down, and Zelda loved hearing about it. She felt special to know that Impa shared those types of things with her and no one else. The Shekiah were mysterious people, but had recently been reduced in numbers. During a war that had ended on Zelda's birthday, ten years ago, the Shekiah, always great friends to the Hylians, had fought the King's enemies with him, but as a result, had been reduced to almost nothing. The Shekiah held no grudge against the Hylians, but were very wary of Gerudo, and out of the few that were left, some of the Shekiah would go so far as to attack a Gerudo on sight.

 

Impa had been friends with Zelda's family for a long time. She served as a nursemaid to Zelda's mother, and had been friends with Zelda's grandmother. Zelda's father had married into the Royal Family when he was young. Queen Dareene had met him because he was one of the top Knights in the force. They had fallen in love and gotten married, despite the common belief that royalty belonged with royalty and nothing else.

 

Dareene had died giving birth to Zelda during the Wars ten years ago. The battle and the fighting had been too much for her while she was in labor, and she lived just long enough to name Zelda and give the King a final kiss on the cheek. After that, Zelda's father had been constantly on the move, contacting other countries and making peace treaties and forming good relations. He had never wanted another war to come to Hyrule again. Since he was so busy, he had asked Impa to look after Zelda.

 

Impa was like a mother to Zelda, and it was through her that Zelda learned everything about her mother that her father wouldn't ever talk about, and it was also through Impa that Zelda discovered she could do magic, as it was in her blood. Being Shekiah, Impa knew a little magic herself, and she taught Zelda a few simple things, like how to move small objects without touching them, and how to unlock doors and windows that had latches on them, instead of real locks. Impa had told Zelda that she would to wait until she was older to learn the rest of it.

 

Forgetting about the voices, Zelda grinned and opened the door. “Oh, come on, I've heard it before, can't I just say it to save you the trouble? Or better yet, let's skip it.”

 

Zelda herself was a practical joker. She loved to play pranks on people, and took great pleasure in pushing people in the smaller moat that surrounded the castle when their back were turned, or making trouble when people were trying to do something, usually in the kitchen. It annoyed the cooks to no end when she stole a snack just before dinner. She usually knew her limit, but occasionally, she went a little too far. Most of the castle staff had learned to be wary of her, and a few had even labeled her as a troublemaker or a tomboy. However, they spoke of the princess with fondness, as she made their usually dull work seem less so. The only reason most of them fussed was that they knew the King wouldn't like it if Zelda got away with her jokes. The King was a little too strict with his daughter, trying to prove that he could be a good parent and a good king, even though he was of common blood.

 

Zelda didn't get why they had no sense of humor. It seemed like the only people in Hyrule who understood her were Impa and the Composer Brothers.

 

Besides Impa, the Composer Brothers were Zelda's only friends. They lived in the Market, but kept to themselves, combining music and magic to produce amazing results. Her father trusted them, and didn't mind them stopping by whenever they felt like it. He had given guards orders to let them by whenever they came.

 

The brothers had taken a liking to Zelda when she had first pushed Sharp in the moat, and stolen Flat's pen while he was helping his brother out of the water. They were old, but she had given them new spirit, and they took her on trips to Lon Lon Ranch to look at the horses at least once every other month, and always said hello when they dropped by the castle.

 

“Afraid not,” said Impa. “I have my orders, Princess.” Impa called Zelda princess as a name of affection, but also as a way to tease her. She knew all too well how Zelda hated formalities and proper titles. Once, she had hid in a cabinet in the kitchen for three hours to avoid a big party. Impa had found her, but not until the party was already over.

 

Zelda winced at being called by a royal title. “Impa, can't we just skip it? Or, I'll say it. It'll take less time that way, y'know. Like, a few minutes, as opposed to a few hours.”

 

Impa couldn't help but laughing. “All right, then, let's hear it.” Zelda truly knew this speech by heart, and it was highly amusing to see her act it out, because she was so well practiced at it.

 

Zelda scrunched up her face into the most serious look she could muster.

 

“Zelda,” she mimicked, lowering her voice so it sounded almost like her father's, “I want you to go downstairs to meet some weird important person that somehow means a lot to this kingdom of Hyrule, and I want you to be good and act like the wonderful little princess I just know you can be. This means a lot to me, so I want you to be on your best behavior, and after they leave I'll bribe you with something, I promise. Okay?” Zelda raised her eyebrow at Impa, then said in an undertone, “I know he's going to bribe me, so I'll just get that part over with.”

 

Zelda dropped her look and widened her eyes innocently, then replied to herself, “Okay, I'll be good, I promise.”

 

Impa just had to laugh. This girl was just like her mother, and it showed.

 

She picked up Zelda's crown. Zelda scowled, because as much as she hated that thing, she had yet to gain any ground on the argument she shouldn't have to wear it. With a sigh, she put it on, checked her reflection to make sure it was straight, and headed down the stairs.

 

“So,” she said to Impa, “Who is this guy, anyway?”

 

“Your father's new advisor. Actually, he's the Gerudo King,” she added with a scowl. “I'm probably a little prejudiced when it comes to the Gerudo, since I'm Shekiah, but I got a little chilly when we were introduced. He just got here maybe half an hour ago. To me, he doesn't act right. I don't think he's really after peace. Your father just wants the Gerudo to become more honest, and stop robbing us, and wants us to be a little more friendly with them, but he's asking for a small miracle. A lot of people still have grudges against Gerudo. I'll let you judge for yourself, but I figure you'll just look at him before you start thinking up things to put in his bed when he's asleep. Snakes, rats, spiders.”

 

“What do you mean, bed? He's got a room here? He's going to live here?”

 

“I'm afraid so,” Impa said apologetically.

 

“Just great,” Zelda muttered before stepping into the light of the meeting hall. Impa gave her a look that said, quite clearly, behave.

 

Zelda knew the look well, so she put on a fake smile and waved to her father. “Hi, Daddy!” she called brightly.

 

Her father was standing near the middle of the room, talking to someone, but it looked like he had told them to wait a minute when Zelda came in the hall. He waved back to his daughter, and called her over. Impa, having done her job, left. She hated these meetings just as much as Zelda did. She preferred to wait in the courtyard, until she was supposed to come back and get Zelda.

 

“So where is he?” Zelda asked, trying to keep her voice polite and innocent sounding.

 

“In the other room over there, talking to someone. He'll be right out,” the King said, looking at his daughter closely. He knew that tone of voice all too well.

 

“Okay.” Zelda saw him staring and her eyes got wider. “What?”

 

Her father shook his head and sighed. “Now, Zelda, I want you to be—”

 

“Behave, I know, I know,” she said, cutting him off.

 

As the door on the other end of the room started to open, Zelda felt the same sensation she had in her room only half an hour before. Wasn't that when Impa said the new advisor got here?

 

Zelda shuddered and faked a pretty good sneeze. She wanted out. The wind was getting too close to her, and she felt sick. What scared her most was that she seemed to be the only one who could feel it.

 

Her father, so sharp at spotting her plans ahead of time, but not so good at spotting a fake sneeze, fell for the act immediately. “Is something wrong, honey? Do you feel okay?” he asked, looking a bit concerned. Zelda rarely got sick or pretended to be sick, because she hated staying in bed.

 

Zelda was facing away from him, so she didn't see the person coming out of the room, and she was grateful. Was this the chilly feeling Impa had had?

 

“I feel a little sick, Daddy. Maybe I'm coming down with something,” she said. She wasn't lying by much, she truly felt nauseous and cold. She heard a rumble of voices behind her, and knew the person had stopped for a moment to talk to someone.

 

The King studied Zelda closely, trying to spot any tricks she might have been playing. “You look a little pale,” he said, seeing that she was truly sick. “Why don't you take a nap, and meet him when you feel better?”

 

Zelda managed a small smile. “Okay. Thanks.” She hugged him and went straight out the door, before whoever this person was finished talking and got closer. She had to get away from that cold.

 

She found Impa in the courtyard, like she usually was when Zelda decided to play sick. Impa shook her head and smiled. “You got out of it that fast?”

 

Then she saw that Zelda really did look pale. “Hey, are you really sick?” Zelda shook her head, then nodded. The truth was she didn't know if she was sick or not. Maybe she was losing her mind.

 

She said nothing, she just shook her head again. She didn't even feel like telling Impa about this. What if Impa thought she was crazy?

 

Impa saw past the act, knew something was wrong, but didn't pursue the subject. If she didn't push Zelda, then Zelda would tell her when she felt ready.

 

The next day, Zelda was walking up the stairs to her bedroom, when she passed the man in walking down the stairs. When she looked at him, she didn't see the background of her home, but of wreckage, ruin, and blood...and someone on the floor behind him, being slaughtered...it wasn't, no it couldn't be....

 

Her eyes widened and she let out a scream, splintering her hand on the banister. He turned to look at her, the castle returning, his red eyes full of cold, horrible hate. She backed away and ran up the stairs.

 

Over the next few weeks, this started happening more and more often, so that Zelda could no longer look at him for all the awkward situations it created when she screamed. This was torture, and still no one knew, because she was afraid everyone would think it was a joke, or think she was crazy. Impa even asked her about it, but Zelda just shook her head and refused to talk about it.

 

But she was forced to, one day after another party when she faked sick. She and Impa were in the courtyard, and Impa kept asking questions about why she was sick, and what was making her act so upset all the time lately. Zelda was sure Impa wouldn't believe her. But the questions persisted.

 

“Do you promise to listen and not think I'm crazy?” Zelda said quietly.

 

“Of course,” Impa said.

 

“You won't tell anyone, will you?”

 

“Zelda, you know I wouldn't. Please tell me what's bothering you.”

 

So Zelda broke down, and told Impa everything, because she had no one else to tell. About her weird feelings when the man was at the front gate, she now knew it must have been him, and how sick she had felt upon nearly encountering him. About the cold wind that chilled her heart and made her sick with fear every time he came too close. About her horrible flashes of what was to be...the only thing she left out was the person she saw being killed. She was wrong about that. She had only imagined it. It wasn't going to happen.

 

Zelda had always had dreams and visions, had always seen what most people couldn't. Dreams about lost items, or what the weather would be like, being able to tell if a person was lying to her or not, all kind of little things. Impa told her it was because of the magic in her blood, but Zelda had always seen it as something normal she could rely on.

 

But she had never felt anything as sure and strong as this. And never anything this horrible, this cold and unfeeling. Never anything this dark....

 

Never anything this evil.

 

Impa listened intently as Zelda talked herself into silence, and when Zelda finished, she sat back against the hard wooden bench and told her, “I knew he was bad news.”

 

Zelda just stared. “You don't think I'm crazy?” she asked.

 

“No.”

 

“You don't think this is another prank, or some weird story?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

“And you don't find it weird at all?”

 

“The only thing I find strange is that you're very young, and you could tell he was...well, evil, for lack of a less dramatic word. Your mother could sense those things, too, but not until she was almost seventeen or so.”

 

Zelda bit her lip and hugged herself. “I'm going to have to meet him eventually, aren't I? Face to face, actually talk to him? I don't know if I can do that.”

 

Impa put an arm around Zelda, and Zelda looked up at her. “Please, don't tell Daddy. You know he won't believe me,” Zelda said, sounding close to tears.

 

“I know, and I know I promised, but I've got to do something if this man wants to hurt the Royal Family. It's not just my life's work, it's what my gut is telling me to do. And you know what that means.”

 

“Right,” said Zelda bracingly. “Always go with your gut.”

 

So Impa took Zelda to see her father the next day, and they talked to him about what was happening. He only got angry. All he wanted was peace, he told them, and did they really want to jeopardize that because of Zelda's overactive imagination? They argued for a long time, until Zelda shouted at him, something she rarely did, that he won; she was going to bed. She could only be grateful that her tears fell after she landed facedown on her bed.

 

Zelda was still crying when Impa opened the door quietly and sat on the bed next to her. She put a hand on Zelda's back. “It's okay,” she said quietly. “You cry all you want to.”

 

“Why won't he believe me?” Zelda choked out. “Does he really think I would make something like this up?”

 

Impa just shook her head, and sat with Zelda until she had cried herself out. Then she helped her put on her nightgown, and put her to bed.

 

Zelda was barely awake as Impa helped her into bed. She was so exhausted. Her eyelids were so heavy. And she had no problem giving into sleep....

 

She was standing in Hyrule Field. In the middle of her home. It was so beautiful. She was admiring the beauty, looking at the sapphire sky, when she noticed dark clouds, coming from the desert to the west. They grew bigger and bolder, moving into Hyrule quickly, so quickly she hardly knew what was happening. They tore apart her beautiful home, destroyed everything in their path. Zelda heard horrible laughter ringing in her ears, and knew that it was the laughter belonging to the evil man. She saw his red eyes glaring down at her from the clouds, as if she was a tiny bug he was all too eager to squash. She started crying. Sobs racked her body at the horrible things she saw. She endured this for several more minutes, until something happened.

 

The clouds parted for an instant over the forests, and a light shot through the opening, piercing the darkness. She looked around. It was chasing the clouds away, making them evaporate into nothing. The sky glowed brightly from the light. It was so bright the sky seemed to be gold, instead of blue. She squinted at the forests, trying to see. She could just barely make out the figure of a boy, smiling at her. He looked about her age. Blond hair, that had a shade of red in it, was hanging limply from the green cap on his head, and all the rest of his clothes were green. He was followed, guarded, by an orb of light, barely visible because of all the light.

 

The light grew brighter and brighter. Surely, all this light, it was the heavens on earth?

 

The figure of the boy walked toward her, slowly, purposefully, and she saw that he was carrying a beautiful emerald, a green, shining stone that glittered in all the gold light all around them. He reached her, looked her dead in the eyes, and she awoke with a start.

 

Impa had heard Zelda crying, and came into her room to check on her. She found her tossing and turning in bed, and it had taken Impa a long time to shake her awake.

 

“What happened?” Impa asked.

 

“I had a nightmare,” Zelda said shakily. “Or a dream. I don't know. I was standing in the field. There were these clouds that came from the desert, and they started tearing everything up. They killed everything. All of it was g-gone....” At this point Zelda started crying again. She couldn't continue. She had seen everything she loved die before her eyes.

 

Impa hugged her, whispering to her softly, and waited for her to calm down. When Zelda mastered herself, she continued.

 

“They were chased away,” she said, wiping away her tears. “The clouds. I saw...I saw a light from the forest. It chased them away. And the light got so bright. Even the sky turned gold. And...it was so weird, Impa....” Zelda's face had a serene look on it now, as if her mind was a million miles away, in a place Impa couldn't even begin to imagine.

 

“What, Zelda? What was weird?”

 

“There was this boy. He looked my age. And he was wearing green. He had blond hair, with some red in it, and there was a ball of white light following him. And he came out from between the trees and smiled at me, and it was like...he was smiling like he knew something I didn't, but it wasn't in a mean way. It calmed me down, sort of.”

 

Impa knew this had to be true. Zelda sounded and acted calmer just by telling about it. “Go on,” Impa said softly. “What did he do?”

 

“I don't remember him talking, but he sort of...said...he could help me, and that it was going to be fine. And he walked right up to me, really slow, still smiling....” A look of unease passed over Zelda's face. “He looked me dead in the eyes, and he had the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen in my life. It was almost scary. I think he was about to say something, out loud, I mean, but I woke up. Impa, what did that mean?”

 

Impa was a bit surprised. Shekiah passed down many legends and folk tales, and one of them seemed to fit this situation. She hoped she was wrong about this, however; if she was right, Zelda had very hard times ahead of her.

 

“I think it meant that the boy from the forest can help us,” Impa said quietly. “Shekiah say that the Goddesses give each of us a task to accomplish in our lives, a destiny to fulfill. Some people do, some don't. Each of us has to make choices, and if they're the right ones, we will be blessed. I know your task is to protect Hyrule. I know my task is to protect you. Maybe this boy's destiny is to help us. Maybe his task is to help you protect Hyrule, and defeat the evil.”

 

Zelda shuddered, remembering the first part of her dream again. “I hope so,” she said. She loved listening to Impa tell her Shekiah stories, in her voice that was strong and gentle at the same time.

 

Impa talked until Zelda fell asleep again. Then she kissed the girl on the forehead, and went back to her own room, across the hall.

 

She was getting more concerned over the situation. It seemed no matter what they tried to tell the King, he wouldn't listen. In the following months, Zelda had more and more nightmares, and wouldn't go near the man, but made a habit of watching him through the courtyard window. Impa confided in the Composer Brothers, on one of their visits, but soon afterwards, they disappeared, and no one had any details, but she heard from somewhere that they were dead. She didn't tell Zelda.

 

Zelda began to snap at people, because of the stress it was putting on her. She always regretted it afterwards, but she couldn't make herself stop. She was no longer the person she used to be. She acted differently around her father, but he took no notice. The guards now had to use Lord when addressing the man, and he slowly gained more and more power.

 

His name was Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo, and eventually some of the other Gerudo started visiting the castle. Most of them stole things, or tried to, and weren't very friendly, but a few seemed genuinely happy at the prospect of peace, and were nice to Zelda.

 

She felt bad for them, because they didn't realize their king wanted anything but peace.

 

Zelda, only being ten, did not know how much longer she could keep this up. She had recurring dreams about the boy, and dreams about her world being utterly destroyed.

 

The only time she and Ganondorf were in the same room together was at dinner, and Zelda always sat at the other end of the table, merely picking at her food, until Impa suggested Zelda go upstairs for some reason or the other. Zelda would obey, and later, Impa would smuggle food upstairs to her, to keep her from starving to death.

 

That night, Zelda was upstairs brushing her hair when Impa came up with food.

 

“Thanks,” Zelda said. She began to eat the food slowly, still feeling a little sick. Just his presence was enough to make her throw up. She could not decide, and neither could Impa, if it meant he was that evil, if Zelda was that sensitive, or both. Either way, Zelda hated it. She had never been close to her father, but now they were as distant as strangers on the street.

 

When Zelda got through eating, she hid the plate under the bed, so she could take it to the kitchen the next morning. Then she sat on the bed, thinking.

 

“Impa, I don't think I can do my task,” she said quietly. “I don't think I can handle this much longer.”

 

Impa smiled at her. “You're doing wonderful, for someone your age. You can do your task, no matter what it is. Remember, if you stay strong, and don't give up, there's nothing you can't do, Princess. I know, I have faith in you. I can tell you'll make it, it's in my gut.” Impa sat down beside her on the bed. “And I always have to listen to my gut.”

 

Zelda actually smiled, for the first time in nearly two or three months. Then she got up, and Impa turned down the blankets for her. She got into bed, and turned so she could see the window. Impa started to leave, but Zelda asked her, “Impa, what do the Shekiah say about stars?”

 

Impa smiled and sat down on the bed. “Ahh, the stars. Well, they say lots of things. They say the spirit journeys into the sky, and becomes a star, when you die. If you see a falling star, that means someone up there is watching over you, making sure you're safe. It's their way of showing love. They say the stars that burn brightest, the ones we can see from here, are the people who did great things. Some of the stars connect, make pictures in the sky....”

 

Impa stopped when she saw Zelda had fallen asleep. She looked out the window, and a star fell down toward the earth.

 

Impa blinked.

 

But she made a wish, as all Shekiah did when they saw a star. She wished that Zelda would find a happy ending, somehow. She wished that some day, things would be okay with her.

 

While Impa was thinking, Zelda was asleep. And she was dreaming. She had once again found herself in Hyrule Field, but this time, the despair and waste was beyond sobs or words. She was standing by the real moat, the one surrounding the Market. She saw herself and Impa riding on a white horse, as fast as they could go, right out of town. She was clutching the Ocarina of Time in her hand, the only thing she had that was her mother's. She was also wearing her locket, the one with a picture of her mother and her father in it. Then Zelda saw herself throw the blue ocarina in the moat as she rode by. Why? That was one of the most treasured possession of the Royal Family. Why did she just throw it in the moat?

 

But she and Impa were gone, riding far away...out of sight. She realized they had passed a boy on the way out.

 

The boy. The same one from the forest. The same one with the bright blue eyes and the white ball of light.

 

Another horse appeared on the drawbridge then, more deadly and menacing than the storm around it.

 

Deadly black, and wearing armor, the horse reared up, and when it came back down, she could see the rider was Ganondorf. He asked the boy in a deadly whisper, barely audible above the raging storm....

 

“Where is she, boy? Which way did they go?”

 

The boy remained silent, but withdrew his sword, which was more like a big dagger, and held up his tiny wooden shield.

 

Ganondorf laughed, an evil, horrible laugh. His nostrils flared. “So, you think you can defeat me, with those puny toys?”

 

The boy held his ground. She could see it, he was beginning to feel fear.

 

“You know you can't protect her. No one can. It's too late now. Everything she cared about is gone, and soon you will be, too.”

 

Still, he didn't move or speak. She could see pure terror in his eyes now, but he seemed to resist showing any signs of fear in front of the man. Why was he doing this to protect her? He was risking it all so that herself and Impa could get away...she wanted to cry out and warn him, but how? It was a dream, she could do nothing but watch. He shouldn't do this, and she knew the truth before it happened, he was about to die....

 

“Fine! You've got guts, you know, but you don't stand a chance against me.”

 

Ganondorf held out a gloved hand, which began to glow with an evil, purple light.

 

The boy turned and tried to dodge the deadly attack, but the spell caught him in the midriff, and he landed flat on his back on the muddy ground, rain falling on his face, pale with pain. Ganondorf laughed again, and rode off without another word in the direction she had seen herself and Impa go. The white ball of light hovered around the boy's head, trying to help him, but he didn't move. He seemed to be....

 

But that couldn't be. He couldn't be dead, he was the light, from the forest, the light that chased all the darkness away. If he died, then there was no hope...Zelda started crying again, all the destruction around her was horrendous.

 

Impa was still looking out the window when Zelda stirred in her sleep. Then she started shaking and crying. She tossed and turned several minutes before Impa could wake her, and when she woke up, she just cried weakly into Impa's shoulder. When she finally stopped crying, she told Impa about the dream. She didn't want the boy to die. He was their only hope. Impa tried to comfort Zelda as best as she could, but there wasn't much she could do. She just let Zelda cry.

 

Little did Zelda know it then, but far across the land, in a small, uncharted forest to the east, a blond haired, blue eyed boy dressed in green clothes had just had the same nightmare as she.