Queen of the Banished

2142 words

Rabia had been in Castle Town for a couple weeks, and as it tended to in Hyrule, summer crept up on them. The sunshine usually drew crowds of people from their homes, and even in the tallest towers of Hyrule Castle you could hear the laughter of playing children and the excited chatter of people. Though the morning sun was bright in the sky and heralded a warm day to come, the town was quiet. Rabia watched from her window as people wandered together in tight knit groups, heads bent together as they whispered and eyed the Gerudo guards. There were no children playing and laughing in the streets. She frowned to herself, and exited the bedroom.

As she walked through the halls, she greeted the guards she passed politely. Rabia couldn’t help but notice that as the days had passed, fewer and fewer of the original Hylian guard remained. She hadn’t seen a single Hylian in the castle for a week, now, which seemed odd with Zelda on vacation. The Gerudo guards had even taken over the street patrols, along with some… horrible things that made Rabia shudder to even think about. She didn’t know what they were or where they came from… or why Ganondorf allowed them to wander the streets.

“-en in the lost woods?” Ganondorf’s voice floated out of the throne room as Rabia passed. She paused for a moment, frowning. It was a tone she had never heard from him, sharp and cold. A guard rounded the corner and she tucked herself into the shadows. She had a feeling if they spotted her, she’d be escorted away.

Once the guard had turned the corner, she leaned in closer to the door to see between the cracked doors. Rabia had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. There was a Hylian girl kneeling at the feet of the dais, her hands in chains. A dark figure, like a twisted shadow, stood behind the throne, talking into her husband's ear. Its voice was too low for her to catch what it was saying, but it sounded horrifically familiar.

“SPEAK.” Ganondorf demanded. Rabia flinched violently. The dark figure’s red, red eyes turned towards the door and her breath caught in her throat as she stumbled back. The face was very clearly Link’s. She hurried down the hallway and rounded the corner just as the throne room door was opened.

Rabia made her way down to the dungeons hastily. She hadn’t thought anyone but a handful of criminals were locked down there. She opened the door to the stairwell and was greeted by a melancholy, off-key tune echoing across the stone walls, which grew louder as she descended. She got to the first landing and ducked below the railing. She could just see the two guards through the stairwell entryway, one of whom had looked up when Rabia stepped down. After a moment, she looked back to her companion again.

“He’s been missing for months,” the first guard whispered. “No one knows where he’s gone or what he’s doing.”

“If Link was smart, he’d be far away from here,” the second woman responded. Rabia’s eyes widened. “I heard the King is interrogating a girl about Link’s whereabouts right now. No surprises, this time.” The first guard scoffed.

“That silly girl doesn’t know anything. He’ll just frighten her half to death and send her on her way.” The two laughed at that.

“Does the queen still not know about her friends?” The second one asked. “Poor girl. If she knew…” her voice trailed off. “Quiet down in there!” she yelled to the prisoner. The prisoner ignored her and continued to whistle. Rabia held her breath and slowly sat down on the stairs to duck under the railway, and started to inch down. The whistling was loud enough to mute her movements as she descended, and she finally rounded the corner to the next flight of stairs. She wasn’t so lucky this time.

“Oof!” she gasped. She bumped into a guard as she stepped into the next stairway.

“Your majesty!” the woman said with surprise. “What are you doing down here?” she asked. “I… I’ll have to escort you back upstairs,” she said. “I have direct orders from the King.” Rabia shook the woman’s hand off her shoulder.

“You will let me pass,” Rabia said. “And you won’t tell the King about this.”

“B-But… I have orders,” the woman said.

“And now you have direct orders from me.” The woman’s shoulders slumped.

“Fine…” she grumbled. “I won’t say a word.” She slid passed Rabia and continued up the stairs. Rabia let out a heavy breath, and continued making her way down, and down, and down.

Finally, she made it to the bottom level of the dungeons and stepped through the archway. There were no guards, but someone had set a gold, glittering something along the walls of the cells. A ward. She frowned. Rabia reached for the door handle, pausing before she put her hand through the ward. A deep breath, and she reached through, grabbed the handle, and pushed the door open. Whoever had warded the space hadn’t bothered to lock it. She walked straight through, the ward a gentle tickle against her skin.

The silence in this dungeon was deafening, pressing against her ears as strongly as the dark pressed against her eyes. A soft pink glow shone from the end of the hall, and Rabia followed it cautiously. As she approached the cell door, a strong sense of foreboding washed over her. She took another deep breath to steady herself, then stood on her toes to see through the window high on the heavy wooden door.

At first, she was confused. It was a room with what looked to be a large, pink crystal inside. What an odd thing to keep in the dungeon… she craned her neck to get a better look and her eyes widened. It wasn’t a crystal. It was a cage. Her best friend was trapped inside, fast asleep in the cold darkness. She was still in the dress she had worn for the announcement weeks ago. There was dirt smudged across her skin and her hair was matted. It also seemed she had lost some weight.

Rabia backed away from the cell quietly. There was no way for her to free her friend, not when she was trapped like that. The least she could do was let her sleep. Her footsteps seemed loud on the stone as she made her way back towards the light of the doorway. She almost screamed when suddenly, out of the darkness, an arm grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to the bars of one of the cells.

“Rabia…” she knew that voice. She struggled against his grip frantically. “What? Aren’t you happy to see me?” he asked. Her eyes focussed in the darkness onto Finn’s face, gaunt and much paler than she remembered. His green eyes retained their sharpness and his grin remained feral.

“N-Not particularly, no,” she pried his fingers off her wrist and rubbed it. Finn chuckled. His eyes roved over her.

“You look good,” he said. His eyes lingered on her breasts for a moment, then flickered back up to her face. “Your friends though… it’s horrifying, isn’t it?” he nodded in the direction of Zelda’s cell. “I knew you had a type, but I didn’t know it ran this deep. Bad boys can be so enticing, can’t they?” he asked with a grin.

“I saw him bring her in, you know. Both times. The first time she was brought down by his little… failed experiment. His pet. That Link-creature. She was so horrified she didn’t speak for days,” he said, amused.

“The second time was right after that little debacle in the main plaza. He got her all pretty for you, Rabia. She was so broken that she walked herself into that cell.” He grinned again as her face drained of color. “Your own best friend, Rabia? How cold can you be? Though I suppose…” he grabbed her wrist again and reeled her back in. He reached out with his other hand and forced her head up to look him in the eye. He cupped her cheek. “You did always have a thing for monsters.” Rabia shoved him back harshly, his long nails scratching along her cheek. His laughter followed her as she ran from the dungeons, stomach turning.



Why did you let that stupid girl LIVE? Ganon raged. Ganondorf hurried to his office and locked the door behind him, ignoring the strange look from his guards

“We haven’t searched the Lost Woods yet. She may be able to further provide valuable inform-”

She told us everything - she’s WORTHLESS now

“Hylian spies will be invaluable,” Ganondorf sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “They can get information from those otherwise unwilling to share. It could help us find Link faster.” Silence, then. Ganondorf waited a moment to be certain, then exited his office with a clear mind.



Rabia woke from her light doze when the bedroom door opened, late that night. She kept her eyes closed and her breathing slow as Ganondorf knelt beside her. His gentle hand grazed over the still-stinging cuts on her cheek, as though that could wipe them away. After a moment he leaned in close and kissed her forehead, then climbed into bed beside her. Rabia stayed like that for hours while Ganondorf read to himself, then dozed off.

Once she was certain he was deep asleep, she slowly and quietly left the room. She made her way to the library to grab her stashed cloak and bag, then snuck out of the castle.



Black clouds spilled over Hyrule, enveloping the kingdom in a grey haze. Two figures approached the castle - a tall man with a billowing blood red cape and a woman armed with swords and long red hair. Zelda pushed open the throne room door. The lit torches couldn’t penetrate the consuming black. She felt her way along the wall deeper into the room. There were several sudden, loud, sharp cracks. The stone beneath Zelda’s hand splintered into fragments.

Suddenly, the fractured wall exploded into the throne room. She shielded her face as the shrapnel scattered around her. When she looked up, the two dark figures loomed in the doorway lit up by the unearthly glow of the Triforce of Power. Zelda had no doubt who these figures were as their golden eyes gleamed through the darkness and the castle crumbled around her.

Zelda woke in a cold sweat, trembling. Her heart was racing in her chest and her Triforce piece was ringing wildly. The door creaked open and she startled, but relaxed when she saw it was Link, bedhead and all, quietly walking into the room.

“Are you okay?” Link sat on the edge of the bed and took her hands in his. “You were calling to me again.” The ringing of their resonating Triforce pieces faded into the background, leaving the room in silence.

“I’m sorry, Link,” she said. “I just… had a bad dream.” He searched her gaze.

“Ganondorf?” he asked, after a moment. Zelda squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.

“Yes,” she said. “With… with Rabia.” Link pulled Zelda into a tight hug.

“Don’t worry… I won’t let them hurt you,” Link promised.

“I know,” Zelda whispered. They stayed like that for awhile, until Zelda’s shivering subsided.
The next morning before breakfast, Zelda settled into her desk and wrote a letter.

Dear Rabia,

This may seem silly, but last night I had a nightmare. I know you think they’re only dreams, but sometimes they’re real. Last night, I dreamt that Ganondorf took over the castle, with you by his side. He held the triforce of power, and I fear what that may bring to him. I must insist that you convince him against this path, and that you must resist joining him. Remind him that his people rely on him, and attacking Hyrule in such a manner will only further the rift between our nations.

Rabia, as my friend, I must beg you to reconsider aiding him in this endeavor. Please, if you know anything about this plot, share it with me. If this dream comes to pass, I will be forced to take action against you, Ganondorf, and the Gerudo people. I would not relish in this - I want peace between our nations as much as you.

Your friend,
Princess Zelda

Zelda set her pen aside and glanced at the clock. Breakfast would be served shortly. She dressed and swept from the room, knocking the page from the desk. It floated to the floor under her dresser, where it was promptly forgotten.