Queen of the Banished

683 Words



It was a beautiful summer day in Hyrule. The sun was bright in the sky and birds were singing their cheerful songs as they welcomed the morning. This type of day usually brought crowded streets but today was eerily quiet. People walked together in tight-knit groups, heads bent together as they whispered amongst themselves, and there wasn’t a playing child in sight. A young, blonde Hylian woman walked down the sidewalk and waved when she spotted her friend.

“Sora!” she called. A few people looked up at the sudden noise. She glanced down either side of the road and flinched as she locked eyes with a patrolling Gerudo. She crossed the street once she was sure it was clear and hurried over to her friend.

“Has there been any news of…” she started to ask, but Sora shushed her as another Gerudo walked past. They waited until the guard was out of sight, then Sora turned her attention back to her friend. “Has there been any news of the Princess?” she asked with a lowered voice, looking at Sora hopefully. Sora shook her head.

“None that I’ve heard,” she whispered back. “My brother’s ship came back from Altea only yesterday. Ari… he hadn’t heard anything of their presence in Altea at all.” She glanced up as they neared the center of town. A large wooden platform had been erected in the center of town, where Princess Zelda had made an announcement the last time she had been seen in Castle Town. Sora linked arms with her friend and veered them towards the edge of the street, giving the platform a wide berth. It was guarded by two horrible creatures, that some had dubbed ‘moblins’. Ari stared at the platform with open curiosity.

“What do you think they’re guarding that for?” she asked. “She made the announcement a month ago… why is it still up?” Sora shrugged.

“Maybe they’re going to use it to behead their prisoners. Apparently the dungeon is getting rather full. Maybe they decided to keep it for future announcements and they don’t want anyone tampering with it. Wouldn’t want it to collapse under the Gerudo King’s feet,” she spat bitterly. A passing guard gave her a sharp look and Sora immediately returned her gaze to the ground. The guard paused near them for a moment, then carried on. Sora glanced after her, then looked back at her friend.

“But I’ve heard…” she lowered her voice. “I’ve heard rumors,” she started. “Ari… there’s rumors that Link was last seen by the Lost Woods,” she said the last part so softly that Ari strained to hear it.

“There’s also rumor of a shadow… a shadow that resembles Link here in Castle Town. Black, with glowing red eyes. Some people…” Sora paused as another guard walked by and lowered her voice again. “Some people think that… that Link’s dead, Ari. That he’s dead and the shadow is his ghost, haunting Castle Town and the castle grounds.” Ari went pale.

“Dead…?” Ari asked. “If he’s dead… then surely the Princess…” she shuddered. Sora smiled grimly.

“The man sitting on Hyrule’s throne… the Gerudo King? He’s married to the Princess’ best friend,” Sora said. “Rumor has it that Queen Rabia…” she glanced around to make sure none of the Gerudo guards were around. “They say she married the Gerudo King for political power… and that her ties here in Hyrule helped get her husband on the throne.”

“You certainly know a lot about this,” Ari said. Sora shrugged.

“You hear a lot of talk when you own a bar. Most of it is just drunken babble, but you get really good at picking out actual information after awhile.” She paused when Ari stopped walking. “What is it?” Ari gave her a soft smile.

“I’m sure that King Ganondorf will be grateful for your cooperation,” she said. Suddenly the two of them were surrounded by a group of Gerudo guards. “Just tell him what you told me, and there will be nothing to worry about.” Sora glared at Ari as the guards escorted her away.