The Aftermath

Without hesitation, Link ran through the abandoned and run down Market, sword in hand, glancing around him in search of any enemies that might dare to get in his way. While Redeads had once plagued the market at all hours of the day, they had more recently become nocturnal, fearing those who made the Temple of Time their home and cut them down during the daylight hours.

The market was nearly destroyed. The stores that had once thrived in the memory of Link’s childhood were falling apart, doors hanging off hinges and roofs half caved in. The back alleys where the shop owners had once made their homes were destroyed beyond recognition. The fountains and bazaar stands in the center of town were covered with foliage, overgrown and hazardous looking. What lay beyond the back alleys became unrecognizable and Link had never taken the time to travel that far within the town so he had no idea what it had once been.

Storm clouds often rolled in overhead in that area, but as of that moment the skies were clear and it seemed the Redeads were nowhere in sight. Link considered running to the Temple of Time to go and find Zelda, since he knew it had been her crying out in distress. Had the Redeads perhaps formed some intelligence and gone after her in a group? Maybe she’d been outnumbered and weak from her attempts at healing the land that they had overwhelmed her when she’d least suspected.

Then it occurred to Link, Zelda wouldn’t be at the Temple of Time during the daylight hours if she was being as vigilant in her duties as Impa had claimed, and Link had no doubt that she was. While he’d only recently gotten to know the woman, he was aware that she was driven and lived for her kingdom. He couldn’t picture her slacking off or taking a day of rest, even if she hadn’t been feeling well. It was in her blood to be a leader and now that she’d taken on the role of Queen it showed.

As Impa rushed past him to the gates that had been built around the Temple of Time to secure it from the zombie-like Redeads, Link knew she was heading in the wrong direction. Rushing over to her, Link grabbed her wrist and nodded toward the entrance to the old castle.

“She’s got to be over here! She wouldn’t be at the Temple of Time, would she?” Link yelled, feeling urgent despite the fact that a second scream hadn’t followed up the first. Had she just dropped something on her foot? Maybe Zelda would be just fine and nothing had gone amiss. The scream had sounded rather dire, it wasn’t the type of sound someone would make unprovoked or because of something as trivial as a spider. Link’s fear, and he could tell it was Impa’s as well, was that whoever had attacked the Queen, if that had indeed been the case, had done so well enough to keep Zelda from yelling for help a second time.

Impa nodded to agree, realizing Link was right and heading to the Temple of Time would just waste the precious few moments they had. Leading the way, Link hurried up the broken and loose stone steps, through the destroyed front gates of what had once been the castle grounds and down the pathway that had once been beautifully decorated with flowers and shrubbery that led to where the old castle had once laid.

Now there was nothing but burnt rock and the ashes of a terrible king and the rubble of his terrific castle. Impa and Link had gotten rid of a lot of the debris, burning it in the fires of the crater at the top of Death Mountain, but still more had been cleared out and placed near the entrance. Link dodged the debris, ran with his sword in his left hand until he managed to make his way to the decimated remains of the actual tower that had been built in honor of Ganondorf. There were few walls of the building left, since they’d spent so much time clearing out the space in hopes of healing the land and rebuilding Hyrule Castle, but enough to obstruct his view of where the Queen may have been.

“Where is she Link? We’ve already wasted precious time! She could be…” Impa drifted off, unable to utter what was in her mind.

“Don’t think that way! I’m sure she’s fine.” Link grimaced. Zelda was capable of protecting herself to an extent. She had spent years in hiding from the evil king while Link had slept inside the hidden chamber of the Temple of Time. But when it had come down to confrontation, Zelda was still a Queen and she had far more experience in being a proper lady and a ruler than she did in combat.

Hurrying through the rubble of the old castle, Link noticed that on the ground, in patches, grass had begun to grow. The healing that Zelda had been doing to the land seemed to be working but from what Link could tell she had a long way to go. Perhaps the addition of the power from the other sages would speed along the process and allow them to rebuild the castle.

Suddenly he caught sight of a shadow, a silhouette of someone near the edge of the castle ruins. Link turned back to Impa who was right on his tail and pointed in the direction of the figure that had apparently ducked out of sight. Impa ran past Link, her daggers in her hands, ready to protect the honor of her Queen.

“You! Step away from the princess!” Impa shouted as she nimbly dodged the rubble that remained on the old castle grounds. Link sighed in frustration. Why had Impa given away their position? No wonder they had decided to ask Link to train the army they were developing for the kingdom. Impa clearly wasn’t sure how to respond in dire situations and confrontations. Link hurried along, pushing off of the nearest half destroyed wall to gain momentum.

The figure that had been crouched over Zelda, who lay on the ground looking unconscious and exhausted sat bolt upright at the sound of Impa’s voice. Getting closer, Link could see that the attacker was indeed a woman with long blond hair, hidden half by a gray cloak. Abandoning the body of Zelda on the ground, the woman turned on her heels and bolted toward the hills behind the castle grounds, lined with trees. If she got through the trees into the thick forest she’d be lost to them.

The northern border of Hyrule was treacherous with jagged rocks, steep cliffs and thick forests that were tough to navigate in normal circumstances, nonetheless when tracking a villain. Link hurried over to the fallen body of the Queen, dressed in a dark purple colored dress, the jewels she wore around her neck fallen on the ground, her long blond hair pulled from its messy bun. Link handed Impa his sword and turned the body of the woman over so she laid on her back, pushing her hair from her face so he could get a better look at her.

Blood dripped down her forehead and while she was unconscious, she seemed to be alive. Something had knocked her in the head, most likely the woman who had fled the scene. Link checked Zelda’s pulse once more then got to his feet. Turning to Impa he grabbed his sword and pointed toward the tree line where he could still see the woman fleeing.

“You try and wake her up and clean up that gash on her forehead, I’m going after her attacker!” Link hadn’t expected an actual assailant to go after the Queen, he’d expected Redeads to be there overwhelming her and now that he’d seen it was an actual Hylian he was enraged. It was one thing to come and try to overthrow the throne, or to attack him being the champion of the kingdom, but it was another to attack a woman who was merely trying to heal a scarred land!

“Go Link! Don’t worry about us!” Impa knelt down and cradled Zelda’s head in her lap, pushing her hair away from the wound and pulling a cloth out from her pocket to dab at the gash that seemed less and less severe as the blood was wiped away.

Link hurried over the rubble, artfully dodging the debris left behind the castle and hurried up the hill toward the tree line where he saw the woman disappear. Why had someone attacked Zelda? Were they after her kingdom? It would make sense to go after the Queen, but why did anyone want this place? Who would want to rule a destroyed kingdom? There was nothing left in Hyrule of value other than the fabled golden power, but how would hurting the Queen get anyone any closer to such a goal? Surely, they would need Zelda alive in order to find the golden land, since the tales were passed down generation to generation through the royal bloodline.

“Stop! In the name of the kingdom of Hyrule, I order you to stop!” Link shouted, running up the hill and through the trees. He’d never explored this area of the kingdom at length before. When he’d been around Ganon’s Tower he’d always been left unsettled and had felt the need to get away from it as quickly as he could.

He’d managed to gain on the woman he pursued but was surprised when she took the time to turn around and make an obscene gesture toward him in response to his orders to stop. Startled momentarily, Link stumbled in the grass over the gnarled root of a tree. Gathering himself before he fell, he hurried after the woman. Knowing he’d never catch up to her at his current rate, seeing as it looked like she knew her way fairly well, he contemplated how gain an advantage.

It wasn’t in his nature to cause unnecessary pain to a person and seeing that Zelda seemed like she would be just fine and had barely been injured, Link didn’t want to shoot the woman with an arrow to stop her.

Winding through the trees, left and right, Link didn’t see any other way. The woman knew where she was going and every time he thought he’d caught her, she’d slipped out of his hand. Running out of breath, he knew one of them would have to give up sooner or later and he guessed it wouldn’t be her. Now that he’d pushed himself physically, Link could feel the effects of the fight he’d been in the night before protecting Hyrule. His legs were sore, his arm was throbbing from where it had bled, and he was winded far more than he would have been on any other day.

The woman seemed out of breath as well and when she finally turned on her heels to face him, Link was shocked. He hadn’t expected her to stop and actually address him. In fact, it hadn’t crossed his mind for a single second that she might want to talk to him about what had happened.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you chasing me?” The woman seemed as winded as he was, but world’s more frustrated than he felt. Why was she so annoyed with him when she’d been the one to attack the Queen?

Link, having been prepared to tackle her to the ground when he got close enough and bring her back to the castle grounds by force to face the Queen for judgment, couldn’t stop himself. He’d spent the last ten minutes chasing her through the hills and the unkempt trees. Having sheathed his sword when the fight had turned into a chase, he couldn’t stop from leaping at the woman, not with the momentum he’d built up. She hadn’t expected this move and merely held her hands in front of her to try and protect herself from any physical assault.

“Hey!”

Link’s bulk knocked the thinner woman to the ground, tackling her in the grass. Apparently he’d knocked the wind out of her as he watched her cough and gag for a moment in surprise. Not swayed by the fact that he’d caused the woman minor injury, Link leaned up on his knees and grabbed the woman’s shoulder, planning on flipping her onto her stomach so he could grab her wrists and detain her.

Much to his surprise, the woman slipped her legs out from beneath him and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking Link onto his back. He made a noise of discomfort and stared up at the trees above for a moment in surprise. He’d never been assaulted like that by a woman before.

The woman had gotten to her feet, he could hear her coughing and trying to regain the breath he had knocked out of her when he’d tackled her to the ground. Link moved out of the way, surprised when she came at him a second time, attempting to give him a kick to the side and actually injure him.

“What is wrong with you?” The woman, out of breath, coughed, frustrated that her blow hadn’t hit his side so she stomped on the grass instead.

“What’s wrong with me?” Link leaned on his elbows and in an instant pushed himself to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at the woman who seemed beyond anger at this point and out for his blood. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I stopped to talk to you about what happened and you chose to tackle me? I think I was in every right to kick you like that! You knocked the wind out of me! I only wanted to return the favor!” Leaning hunched over, the woman rested her hands on her bare knees. Her cape was a mess, and her skirt and shirt were covered in leaves and dirt from having been tackled so violently onto the ground.

“I was tackling you because you were fleeing the scene of a crime!” Link couldn’t believe he was actually having to justify his actions to the woman who had attacked the Queen in cold blood then fled the scene like a coward when she’d been caught. In fact, he could barely wrap his mind around the entire scenario.

“Fleeing? Fleeing! I was just getting the hell out of there!” The woman shouted then thought about it for a moment before calming down. “So maybe I was fleeing but it’s not for the reasons you’re thinking.”

“Oh yeah? You attacked the Queen of Hyrule! Do you know what kind of penalty that comes with?” Link shouted, his own anger and frustration boiling over. It wasn’t like him to lose his temper, but something about this woman set him off.

“Penalty?” The woman scoffed as if the idea of it was a joke. “Look around! There is no kingdom here and no punishment for you to dish out!” The woman attempted to straighten out her cape but made a noise of frustration when Link grabbed her by the wrist and started to pull her down the hill before she could manage to right it.

“You are under arrest! You’re coming with me!”

“Oh come on, I didn’t hurt her!” The woman was frustrated, but Link could see her bottom lip pouting in annoyance and was partially amused at the entire situation once his anger had ebbed. If she hadn’t hurt the Queen, she’d be rather funny. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she had made a few very valid points. Hyrule had no prison, no dungeons, and no proper punishment system for villainy in the kingdom anymore. Anyone who had attempted to cause the land and its people harm had been kicked out of its borders or killed, considering most were of a wicked and inhuman nature to begin with.

“Didn’t hurt her? So the huge gash on her head that knocked her unconscious isn’t considered hurting her to you is it?” Link scoffed, tugging the woman down the hill while she attempted to twist her wrist free of his grip without losing her balance on the uneven land. Stopped in his tracks, he turned to see that the woman had grabbed onto one of the trees and braced her feet in the dirt to make him stop dragging her.

“Stop pulling me and listen to me you thick headed idiot!” The woman was exasperated and annoyed. Link, still not believing a thing the woman had to say, let go of her wrist and crossed his arms over his chest. Of course, she had given him no reason to believe her either. Even if she hadn’t hurt the Queen, she could be the only witness to the crime and it was reason enough not to let her go.

“Fine, I’m listening. Happy now?”

“Far from it but thank you.” The woman dusted off her cape as she had attempted to do before Link had started to drag her. Link noticed the sword on her hip and the all purpose bag she had on the opposite side. She looked like a warrior of sorts, much like he was.

“So…” Link waved his hand in front of him impatiently. If nothing else, he found the situation interesting. He’d never had an evil doer try to talk him out of punishing them before when they’d been caught.

“I was up here in the forest, coming into Hyrule as I often do these days to do some dealings with the Gerudos in the south. I heard a scream down the hill so I ran to see what had happened. When I saw the woman on the ground, unconscious already, I didn’t realize she was the Queen but I saw she had some really great jewelry. So, I seized the moment and tried to take her necklace to sell for a profit. Then the great one man Hyrule police force showed up. Last thing I wanted to do was get mixed up with the Hero of Time. Trouble follow you everywhere and I have enough of it without your help.”

“You expect me to believe that you just happened upon the scene only moments before I did?” Link cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. The story was too farfetched, but something in the back of his mind wondered if there was some truth to her story. Sometimes the more ludicrous a tale, the more likely it was to be true. It was hard to come up with such an intricate lie in such a short amount of time under such pressure without being a master of such things.

“Yeah, well when you say it like that it sounds ridiculous. But it’s true. I don’t go around hurting random people you know. It’s not really my thing.”

“Yeah you just steal from them, right?” Link grabbed her wrist again and began to drag her down the hill once more. The woman didn’t fight him this time, realizing that she wasn’t going to get out of her predicament so easily.

“I do steal from them, what do you care hmm? Like you’ve done nothing reprehensible before in your life? Like you haven’t stolen from the temples you’ve conquered and on the quests that you’ve been on. I’m sure that bow was just handed to you, that sword? We’re all thieves, hero, but some of us don’t hide behind a title.” The woman narrowed her eyes at him and pulled her wrist free of his. “I can walk just fine on my own.”

“Wow, do I detect a hint of resentment?” Link didn’t bother trying to grab her again, seeing that she didn’t look like she’d flee once she’d realized the severity of her situation.

“I’d hope so, I wasn’t trying very hard to hide it. So now what, hero?”

“I’ll take you to the Queen and if she says you attacked her we’ll decide what punishment is fitting for you.”

“Right, so when your Queen tells you that she has no idea who the hell I am, can I knock the wind out of you? It only seems fair.” The woman coughed again, still recovering from being tackled by the bulkier man.

“If you really feel it necessary to be that petty.” Link chuckled under his breath, leading the attacker through the rubble of the old castle, over to where he could see Impa sitting on the ground with Zelda who was awake but looked pained and tired.

“Link!” Zelda and Impa cried out in surprise, apparently glad to see him. Impa was looking relieved but still concerned. The wound on Zelda’s forehead had been cleaned and wrapped with a piece of gauze by her handmaiden. Zelda looked at Link then over at the woman who had been accused of attacking her then back to her friend.

“Who’s your friend, Link?” Zelda smiled weakly, in an attempt to be polite despite her discomfort. The woman who had been accused of attacking Zelda smiled triumphantly while Link visibly deflated.

“She’s… the one who attacked you.” Impa responded with hesitation, looking rather confused by the Queen’s question.

“Oh, not at all! This young woman must have arrived after it had happened. You see… it was a man who had attacked me. I barely saw him before he was upon me, but he was definitely a man. I would have recalled seeing this young maiden.” Zelda smiled kindly, but was mentally torn. Who had attacked her? Even his presence had felt heavy, but why had he disappeared? He’d obviously succeeded in his attempts to cause her harm, why had he stopped there. The Queen could only think of one reason.

“So, now that you realize how incredibly wrong you are, I’ll be on my way.” The unnamed woman shrugged her shoulders, readjusted her cape again and then started to walk back toward the tree line she’d been practically dragged out of by Link.

“Wait just a moment!” Zelda got to her feet on her own, despite Link having offered her a hand. The woman slumped her shoulders and turned back around to face the trio, a hand on her hip.

“Yes?”

“Would you mind if I asked you a few questions, madam?” Zelda smiled, hoping to ease whatever angry tension had been built. She couldn’t blame the newcomer. Obviously, the traveler wasn’t from around here and the moment she’d stepped into the Kingdom she’d been captured and accused of assault. Obviously considering whether or not she should bend to the whim of the Kingdom of Hyrule, the woman stayed silent for a moment before relaxing her shoulders.

“Yeah, go for it.”

“Why would my friends think that you had attacked me?” Link and Impa stayed behind, watching the exchange between the Queen and the taller warrior.

“Probably because when they found you, I was hunched over you. I can see how they made the mistake but when I cleared it up back in the woods, your hero should’ve listened instead of being oh-so-condescending.”

“I wasn’t condescending.” Link pouted slightly but quieted when Impa elbowed him in the side.

“Would you mind telling me how that came to be?” Zelda continued. Her tone wasn’t threatening, merely inquisitive. Perhaps if this new woman saw her attacker she could be of some use.

“Well, I was coming into the Kingdom to do some trading with the Gerudos. I provide them with seeds from outside of Hyrule and they temper my weapons. It’s a pretty even trade considering what success the crops have had in the desert. But, I was traveling through the tree line when I heard a scream. Naturally curious, I came down to the ruins here and saw you on the ground. There was a man hunched over you, encompassed in a black cloak so before you get any smart ideas I can tell you now that I wouldn’t recognize him again if he walked past me right now. But, he must have seen me coming down the hill because he fled.” Zelda seemed to perk up a bit with the information she’d been provided.

“So you chased away my attacker! Ah, I owe you much gratitude. Please, would you join me and my handmaiden for dinner? I know I’m royalty but I happen to be an excellent cook!” Zelda was partially excited to see a person from outside the Kingdom having come to Hyrule without the intent of stealing the throne or chasing the rumors of the golden power. Maybe she could pick the woman’s brain and get some insight into how to drive in more visitors to help boost the population and the economy.

“Calm yourself, lady.”

“She is no lady, she is the Queen and you should respect her as such.” Impa held her head up proud and sighed.

“Fine, calm yourself Queen.” The woman repeated, looking in Impa’s direction as she spoke before turning to face Zelda again. “I didn’t come over to save you. I made sure you were alive then had every intention of stealing from you. That’s when your hero and your lackey showed up so you should cook them dinner and let me go about my business.” Zelda looked completely thrown off that this woman had confessed her intentions of thievery. “Since I didn’t actually steal anything from you I’ve committed no crime so I’ll be on my way.” The warrior woman turned on her heels and started back toward the tree line, where she’d been dragged away from.

“Should I… stop her?” Link asked curiously, watching the woman go in confusion. Zelda and Impa seemed as equally confused as Link did.

“No, let her be. If she doesn’t want to join us I won’t force her. I’m still grateful that she chased away my attacker but I don’t think she appreciated being accused of doing the deed herself. I wouldn’t want to join us for a meal either after such a thing.” Zelda watched the silhouette of the woman fade into the trees before turning her attention back to Impa and Link. “Thank you both for your dedication, but I promise that I’m fine and well. I merely have a headache and I’m sure with the wonderful job Impa did wrapping my wound I’ll be fine in no time at all.”

“Why don’t we go back to the Temple of Time and let you rest, my Queen?” Impa bowed her head respectfully but Zelda shook her head in a negative response nearly immediately.

“I’m fine, honestly. The Redeads seem to be staying away from this area now so I think my work has started to do some good. There is still nearly half the day left so I insist I get some more work done. Before that though, why don’t you tell me of your travels Impa?” The Queen looked around the castle ruins, attempting to gather her bearings.

“Yes, your majesty.” Impa watched her Queen curiously. Link was staring out into the tree line still, looking suspicious as though the Queen’s attacker would pop out of his hiding place at any moment. He couldn’t explain it, but Link couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched by something. Since Impa and Zelda didn’t seem to feel the same way, Link didn’t bring it up and chose instead to listen intently to Impa’s tales of her travels and keep his eye out for anything suspicious around them.

“I know it is rumored that the Sheikah are extinct with the exception of me and the man whose visage you used as your disguise, your highness.” Impa began on her story. “That is only a rumor. The Sheikah were no longer needed in their duties to protect the royal family when the great time of peace came upon us. Over generations, the knights became more powerful and necessary than the Sheikah so the King dismissed us from our duties. My great grandmother chose to stay on to aid the women of the royal family and the task was passed down to me over the generations.”

“Which I am eternally grateful for.” Zelda bowed her head respectfully. Impa always seemed flustered at compliments from her Queen.

“As am I. You see, Sheikah didn’t fade from existence, they merely left the kingdom and went on with their lives, waiting to be called back to serve the royal family of Hyrule when the time came.” Impa smiled thoughtfully, proud of her lineage. “The first born of each Sheikah family would receive the honor of their parents powers and gifts being bestowed upon them. Of course, the parents didn’t lose their powers, it was merely granted to one child. Otherwise, the world would be rampant with Sheikah. These children would pass the powers and knowledge onto their eldest children but were also sworn to secrecy.”

“I recall you mentioning this before once when I was a child. Your sister has no powers, right? She often resents you for that.” Zelda grimaced, wondering if this was a common occurrence in the family of Sheikah.

“Yes, my sister loves me but she is jealous of my skills. Unfortunately, it is beyond my years to have children so the gifts I possess will be lost unless I choose a successor. Only one of royal blood can help me pass on my powers, so one day, if I so choose my Queen, I would be honored if you would help me pass on my gift.” Impa smiled.

“Of course I would.” Zelda nodded her head. “But of your travels, please. I do not wish to get off topic.”

“Yes, of course. I wandered out of the southern borders of our wonderful land, the least treacherous of borders by the by. I searched for others that I had heard rumors of in different lands and towns, different kingdoms as well. None would admit to me their powers and I unfortunately met with no Sheikah who were willing to return to a ruined kingdom to serve, forgive me, an inexperienced Queen.”

“No offense taken, I completely understand why they would feel that way. I often feel at a loss with my duties, but how else am I to learn other than to do?” Zelda smiled knowingly at Link who had felt the same way about being a warrior.

“Regardless, I traveled as far as I knew and gathered maps of the surrounding areas I visited. I left notes in the ancient language of the royal family and hoped that whatever Sheikah had moved to the area would find the notes and heed the call I sent for them. It is the bound duty of a Sheikah to heed the call. To ignore it would be going against the order and no Sheikah would truly do such a thing. It would risk their right to the powers given to them!” Impa smiled softly. Link had been surprised that Impa was in such high spirits after such a failure of a trip. He admired the hope she felt in times of hopelessness.

“So, it’s a waiting game then?” Link shrugged his shoulders, finally turning his eyes away from the perimeter. Whatever had been watching them was long gone. The day’s events weighed heavily on his mind. There was far more to what had happened at the castle grounds than met the eye.

“Yes, a waiting game. Once this situation here in Hyrule has been sorted out, I will head back out through the woods behind us to the land beyond. I know it is inhabitable for the most part but there are a few who wish to remain in seclusion. I will continue to seek out the Sheikah until they return to the land and help us rebuild Hyrule to its former glory.”

“Wonderful, Impa. Just wonderful!” Zelda smiled. What had seemed like bad news now appeared to be decent news after all. “Link, has Impa yet discussed with you the fate of our land’s armies?”

“Yes she has and while I’m honored to be offered the position I’m afraid that I’m going to have to think about it thoroughly before I give you a concrete answer on the matter.” Link was nervous to give such an answer, but he had to think it through. He wasn’t sure if he could devote his life to the armies of Hyrule. There was this ache to find himself and regain the time he’d lost while he’d slumbered for seven years.

“Of course. Please, take your time Link. I would never want to burden you further than I already have. You trusted me all those years ago in my youth when I sent you on my quest and you have already given more of your life than I could ever ask for in the name of a land that has given you so little in return.” Zelda’s smile had faded but she understood exactly why Link hadn’t jumped at the opportunity to take the job he’d been offered.

It was Zelda’s duty to rule the kingdom of Hyrule. Link had never had a choice when he should’ve had one and she respected that. It would have broken her heart to see her friend unhappy merely to please her. They’d become like brother and sister over the last year and she would never guilt him into leading the army even if she saw no other way to build Hyrule’s defenses.

“Thank you for understanding.” Link turned his gaze back to his friends and smiled. He wasn’t sure why he had expected them to be less understanding than they’d been. Perhaps he just felt bad for telling them he was unsure. Or perhaps he just felt bad for feeling unsure of the decision at all. It was the indecisiveness that was really eating away at him.

“Of course.”

“Oh my Queen, Link had come up with a great idea while we were discussing the armies of Hyrule in the pub down south!” Impa snapped her fingers in recollection.

“Yes?” Zelda turned to Impa.

“You are healing the land to try and rid the market of Redeads so we can rebuild and allow people to open their shops here once again but… you are doing it all alone! Link suggested that you ask the other sages, including myself, to come and aid you in your attempts to heal the scarred land here!”

“Oh I couldn’t ask such a thing. It’s tiring work and we are all inexperienced in such drastic healing.” Zelda smiled weakly and looked around, then snapped her fingers in realization. “Wait just a moment, I recall something! When you had first awoken me my memory of the attack had been quite blurry but now I see things clearly. He hadn’t come upon me out of nowhere, not at all! I had come upon him here on the scarred land. I still did not see his face, I saw him cloaked and heard him muttering in a language I did not recognize. I don’t know why I thought this, but I could have sworn that he had intended to raise the dead here in the castle ruins! I called for him to stop and told him he was trespassing upon the royal kingdom’s land. He turned and struck me so quickly I couldn’t defend myself!”

“Do you think he could be the source of the Redeads in the marketplace?” Impa looked confused. The only person to summon Redeads prior to this moment had been Ganondorf himself and he had died by Link’s hand.

“I’m unsure if that’s the true reason. Honestly, I’m still convinced that it’s the evil that scarred this land.” Zelda knelt down and touched the scorched earth beneath her. “I can feel it you know. The world is crying, throbbing in regret from the things that happened here. It needs healing and relief. These ruins need to know that this is not the end. I can rebuild and we can redeem this land from the hell that Ganondorf condemned it to over the years.” Zelda closed her eyes, the palm of her hand glowing with an unearthly white light. She’d learned over the last few weeks how to concentrate her energy into a healing power that would purify the soil and allow plants to grow.

Below her palm the black scorched dirt slowly faded into a brownish hue, looking far more normal than it had only moments prior. Zelda pulled her hand away and sighed heavily. Clearly the effort of healing the land around her was exhausting.

“I think that regardless of your beliefs about this land, raising the dead in the land that had once been ruled by the evil king, Ganondorf, is highly unorthodox and should probably be outlawed. That woman by the way… she brought up a pretty good point while I was dragging her back here. We need to set laws and punishments for the crimes committed here.” Link had almost been embarrassed that he’d had no proper response when the woman had asked what the consequences would be for her actions if she had indeed been the Queen’s aggressor.

“I agree. It’s on the very long list of things I need to have done here in the kingdom. But, I think you’re right. Link would you please do me the favor of looking into what that man could have been trying to do here? Try and find what his evil intentions were and bring him to me for judgment! I won’t have a dark man traveling through shadows on my kingdom to bring up more of these Redeads to torture my people.” Zelda got to her feet with the aid of Impa who could tell how exhausted she was.

“I will do so right away, Zelda.” Link nodded his head. While he wasn’t prepared to throw his life into the task of training an army, he was intrigued by what had occurred at the castle ruins that day and knew that the only way to figure out what had happened truly would be to hunt the man down and ask him.

“Thank you very much.” Turning to look at Impa, Zelda smiled. “Perhaps you’re right. I will send a message to the sages to ask if they could assist me in healing this land. I don’t know why I haven’t asked them for assistance before this point. It seems like such a simple and elegant solution to a very large problem.”

“They would be more than happy to assist you I am sure of it.” Impa nodded to agree. “You should rest now though, my Queen. We can head back to the Temple of Time and we can send out messages to the sages. Tomorrow is a new day and we can start it as such after you have had some proper rest!” Impa started to lead Zelda toward the gates to Hyrule Market so they could return to the Temple of Time. This time the Queen did not object. Link could see how weary she felt and followed after taking in his surroundings once more.

“I’ll return once I’ve found out more about this man that attacked you Zelda.” Link hurried past the slow moving women and held open the large gate, prepared to attack any Redeads that were brave enough to go after them in the daylight. They could likely smell the blood that Zelda had lost and moving her through the market now would be a risk. Hopefully they were still too frightened of the daylight to make any such attempts.

“Where do you intend to start looking? I didn’t give you much information, I’m afraid.” Zelda looked around the market, seemingly thinking along the same lines as Link in regards to the Redeads that plagued the marketplace.

“Where would you hide in this kingdom if you were hoping to lay low for awhile?” Link smiled after a moment.

“Ah yes. Do be careful Link. I know you’ve navigated the Lost Woods a thousand times before, but the last thing we need is for you to get lost in there as well.” Zelda smiled knowingly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be just fine. You get some rest.” Link pulled his sword from his sheath, guarding the women while they made their way to the Temple of Time. When they reached their destination unscathed, Link sheathed his sword and hurried through the marketplace and out over the bridge over the moat, making sure to close the heavy gates to the market behind him so Redeads would adventure into the fields.

“Epona!” Link cupped his hand next to his mouth and shouted. Champion grunted and trotted in place for a moment then shook his head to the side. He looked annoyed, or jealous, Link couldn’t quite tell. Smiling, he saw Epona leaping at the boughs of one of the trees that had begun to bloom outside of the moat, attempting to get some of the fruit that had barely started to grow.

Link thought about what Impa had said about Champion and partially wondered how funny it would be if he really was fond of his horse, considering how he seemed to hold such disdain for her ridiculous antics. Hurrying past Champion after giving him a pat on his side, he walked over to where Epona was frolicking around the tree.

Grabbing onto the branch, Link pulled himself up high enough to grab one of the blossoming fruits that Epona had been attempting to snap at. Pulling it free of the branch it’d been hanging from, he wiped away a leaf then held it out for Epona who munched upon it happily. Petting her nose, he spoke quietly.

“We’ve got another adventure on our hands, Epona.” Link smiled. The horse looked up at him curiously but didn’t stop eating her fruit simply because the game was afoot. “Once you finish that, we’re off to the Lost Woods.”