Chapter Text
President Leia Organa-Solo had too much on her agenda to deal with the stress of the Imperial invasion of Hyrule. The attack on the system was anticipated, but the fact that the Imperial forces managed to capture Castleton in less than two hours amid communication breakdowns by the Hyrulean and Republic forces made it worse.
Senator Pipit of Hyrule, one of the Crown Princes, sat across from her at her desk with his head in his hands and his voice shuddering. Force knows just how much he was suffering right now. King Harkinian and Prince Daphnes were on hologram, both looking very despondent about the situation.
Aside from Pipit's sobs and the sound of the airspeeders outside of her office on Coruscant, it was almost dead quiet in President Organa-Solo's office. Leia opened her mouth to speak, but could not. The faces of the Hylians sitting in front of her made it too difficult to think of something to say. Sure, being President is already hard work, but imagine trying to console three men whose planet has been invaded and their daughter/sister is unaccounted for.
There's a place to start.
"We still don't know where Princess Zelda is," Leia said finally.
"That's a relief," King Harkinian's hologram said. Never did Leia expect to hear someone express relief for hearing their child was unaccounted for. "Just the fact that we got her message is enough of a relief in of itself."
"Hyrulean Defense Forces shouldn't have been caught off guard like that," said Leia, "What could have happened?"
"Zelda said all communications were down," said Daphnes's hologram, "Someone must have shut them down before the attack."
"A mole," said Leia. "Who could it have been?"
"We're not sure," said Harkinian, "Many people in the government have the kind of access to shut down all military communications. I realize now that's a big mistake."
"And Zelda doesn't have that kind of authority?" asked Leia.
"No, she doesn't," said Daphnes.
"Well, that leaves her out," said Leia. "The good news is, we got some intelligence saying there were only four Imperial Star Destroyers in that fleet, and if we cut off their supply line, we could bleed them dry. The bad news is, we might not be able to get a sufficient force to mount a counterattack for some time."
"Are you serious!?" King Harkinian shouted.
"I didn't know you were President," Leia said sarcastically.
"… My apologies, Madam President," said Harkinian.
"The other good news, is Luke was smart enough to send one of his students to Hyrule to watch over things," said Leia, "And from what I hear, he's pretty good."
"Are you sure you can't counterattack sooner?" asked Pipit.
"The only unit can think of that we can send as reinforcements is light-years away," said Daphnes, "But they are Hylian mercenaries. I doubt they will want to come back."
"Listen, I'd go to Hyrule and lead those troops myself if I could, but I'm busy," said Leia, "Until then, your men will have to hold out until our reinforcements arrive. By the way, Harkinian, is my husband still there?"
"Captain Solo?" asked Harikinian, "Yes, he is."
"Then tell him to get his tail to Hyrule," said Leia, "President's orders."
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Link's aching back aroused him from the black, dreamless sleep. Slowly, he sat up in the speeder's cramped confines. The sun, low in the morning sky, shone in his eyes, forcing him to look away. It was then he noticed that was alone in the speeder. At first, his heart jumped with fear that his charges had left him behind, but logic prevailed. They would not leave him alone. Reaching out with the Force, he looked for them. He found them, and checked with his eyes to see they were mere yards away. Impa had set up a small campfire, a kettle atop it, and Zelda sat to the side.
He did not approach them, sitting down instead in front of the speeder. He watched them prepare breakfast, whilst also staring at the ancient stone façade of the Goddess Temple. The sunlight shone on the Hylia statue, and despite its poor state, still radiated like it must have in its glory days. Here, the Matron Goddess of Hyrule was reverently worshipped. In a matter of time, they would enter another temple, he just knew it.
He was so singularly focused on the temple that he did not see Zelda stand up. At first. Her approach was soon hard to ignore, and she sat next to him to watch Impa working on breakfast.
"When I was a child, my father told me stories about the Jedi," Zelda said, finally breaking the silence. "Bedtime stories. Often, they were about the great Hylian heroes and Jedi of the past. But he also told of the height of the Jedi; Avar Kriss. Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan Kenobi. And your master, Luke Skywalker." Link scoffed through his nose.
"The Hylian heroes were my favorite," she continued. "He said that we must remember what it was like. Before the Dark Times. Before the Empire. Even though those days are gone and never returning." She paused. "How did Master Skywalker convince you to join?"
Link crossed his arms, sighing. "He just came to my orphanage and told the—"
"Orphanage?" She interrupted, although not out of rudeness. "How—I mean… do you remember your parents?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Oh, Link," she sighed. "But… anyway… you obviously accepted Master Skywalker's offer." Link nodded. Zelda's lips opened again, but she gently closed them. "Apologies. I wanted to ask you a question that you have been asked before." What's it like being a Jedi? She could see it back at the palace, the way he stared at the paintings of the past heroes.
"I wanted to ask… are some of the stories about Master Skywalker true?"
"What stories?"
"Well, um… is it true that he single-handedly defeated Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine?"
If Link was drinking something he would have spat it out.
"I apologize. I just wanted to talk."
"It's alright," he replied.
"I know, I know. They're just legends."
"The truth is an ingredient in legends," said Impa, walking towards the pair. "It is a base ingredient overshadowed by the others, but it keeps the recipe together. And speaking of recipes, breakfast is ready."
:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Whose bright idea was it to go on a quest while the Empire ran rampant over the planet? Link wondered if there was method to Impa's madness or if she was simply mad.
Because going out into the forest to find some hidden temple was about as mad as taking on the entire Imperial Fleet in a landspeeder armed with a cup. Impa and Zelda walked behind him while he used his lightsaber to cut the foliage impeding them. It's not egotistical to believe that your lightsaber is best served for defensive use than cutting down trees when all they needed to bring was an AXE!
"I know what you're thinking, Greenwood!" Impa interrupted. Stupid Force mind-reading.
"Impa, I think you should go easier on him," said Zelda, "It's not good if a Jedi hates you, after all."
"I don't care," said Impa.
"So where are we going again?" asked Link.
"The Temple of Farore!" Impa replied.
"Will I have to do something to get in?" asked Link.
"Perhaps," Impa replied.
"And is Her Highness comfortable in her commoner clothes?" Link asked.
"Judging by your tone, I can tell you are unhappy," said Zelda, "But I am sincerely comfortable, thank you for asking."
"Well in that case, you're welcome," he replied, also sincerely. His utility belt brushed up against the tree.
The reason Zelda came with them because she is on the run from the Imperial forces and cannot afford to stay in one place. Link was not unhappy to have her with them, in fact quite the opposite. He was just unhappy that he had to lead her and Impa like a mere servant.
Now, even in Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order, arrogance is looked down upon. The arrogance of the Old Jedi Order is, after all, part of what led to its downfall. But Link's not feeling arrogant, so much as the understandable feeling of having your dignity trampled over like it was a line of insects. Now, these feelings could still potentially lead to the Dark Side, so Link had to be careful about what he was feeling.
Thankfully, that would end soon. There was a clearing up ahead, and once he stepped in, he gazed up to see what it was. It was a sandstone structure, standing at least 2 stories above ground, and maybe more below. Nine columns held up the entryway roof. A product of its ancient days, yet lasting as long as its builders had planned or longer, it sat and rose out of the forest it once stood watch over. Part of the façade had eroded, but they could still make out carvings of ancient Hylian text no longer used. Vegetation climbed up its walls, wrapped the columns standing in front, and grew out of cracks in what must have been a rock pathway. A fountain stood in the middle of the main plaza, whom they immediately recognized as an effigy of Farore, the Goddess of Courage. Retracting his lightsaber blade, he walked toward the centuries-old structure and gazed in awe.
"The Temple to the Goddess of Courage," said Impa, "This is where the first of your trials will take place."
"Impa, how did you hear about this?" asked Zelda.
"Your father," said Impa. "Well, I was listening in, but he was having a discussion with Daphnes about these temples."
"He will be most displeased when he hears about this," said Zelda.
"Let him be," said Impa. "Come, we need to get inside. I sense the presence of the Dark Side here."
The entrance to the temple was blocked. Link and Impa removed the blockage and stepped to the side. A musky stench wafted out of the temple entrance, making the trio cover their mouths and noses. "This is either madness or sheer brilliance," said Zelda.
"There is always a method to madness," said Impa.
"Let's hope that's the case," said Link.
The staircase down into the temple itself was dark, wet, long and smelly. Hoping to use it as light, Link ignited his lightsaber again, but Impa put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. So, Link retracted the blade. He was to trust in the Force, not his eyes.
So, he closed them. He took a pair of deep breaths, touched the wall—no, he could already feel it and he immediately retracted it from feeling something slimey—reached out and used the Force to visualize the temple. It was faint, but he could see the rooms and puzzles laid out in enough detail to make a basic map of the temple in his mind. But his face grimaced when he investigated one of the larger rooms. "There's something in there," he said, "I sense the Dark Side."
"Then let us begin," said Impa. She nudged Link gently down the steps with her and Zelda following.
They made it down to the first level when Link felt a dark presence. He grabbed his lightsaber and ignited it. The hum and green blade were the only sound and light source around. Until Zelda pulled out a torch and shone the light in the room. What seemed like hundreds of reflecting eyes opened and looked right at them.
The sound of flapping wings was heard next, coming right for them. On instinct, Link pushed back using the Force. The enemies exploded, at least that's what it sounded like. "Oh no, I killed something," said Link.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can feel the Dark Side energy dissipating," said Impa.
"They must be creatures made by the Dark Side itself," Zelda hypothesized.
"Stay on your guard," said Impa.
"I am now," said Link.
They continued onward, letting Link lead the way through the Force. "I have a very bad feeling about this," said Zelda.
"Please, don't jinx us, Princess!" said Link.
"Why is a Jedi worrying about that?" asked Impa, "Focus on something else!"
"Of course," Link said, focusing back on the temple. He found a passage that led to a larger room. There were torch holders on either side of the doors. Zelda lit both and the entire room somehow came into light.
Vegetation had taken over most of the interior. The once-proud structure had indeed been reclaimed by nature. Triforce symbols were still visible and legible, and so were symbols of the Goddess Farore. For it was Farore who, in Hylian legend, was the creator of the planet's flora and fauna. It was Her courage that gave the land its green beauty. The plants that had been planted here by ancient priests had finished her work.
Link was not thinking—while a Jedi is advised to feel, not think, sometimes that is a good idea—and stepped forward. Three laser bursts were fired at him. He ignited his lightsaber and deflected them all. "Your reflexes are excellent," Impa said honestly.
"Thank you," he replied while deactivating the green blade.
"Ancient traps, just like in the holodramas," Zelda sighed. "The ancestors must have had a sense of humor."
"A sick one," said Impa. "Link, what do you feel?"
"There is a room deep within the temple," he said, "I can sense some strong Force energy coming from there and… something else."
"Keep your mind off of it," said Impa, "Just be careful and let's keep moving."
So, they did. But they kept their steps measured and cautious. It was the smart thing to do, after all.
The temple was quiet from the years of disuse. This was not indicative of anything, of course. There could still be traps or other enemies lurking in the shadows, waiting to ambush the trio.
Link suddenly activated his lightsaber, swinging the glowing blade at something to his right. They could only hear the sound of something metallic breaking into many pieces as whatever it was hit the tiled floor. The echoes died down and only the hum of the blade could be heard now. "Link, what happened?" Zelda asked, grabbing his shoulder.
"Looks like a probe droid of some kind," he said, examining it closer. "We're not alone."
"Good conclusion," said Impa. "Come on, we need to get to the main room and fast!"
"How did we not see it, though?" Zelda asked.
Impa stopped. "The Dark Side," she said, "Has a way of concealing itself. I sense something may be wrong."
The urgency of their mission was clearer now. "What is it?" Zelda asked.
"Until we know for certain, we must keep moving," said Impa. "Now quit talking and MOVE!"
Impa's words put that much-needed urgency into them. There were the occasional traps they had to manage and pass.
They came across a wide gap somewhere near the end of the temple. Why this would be in here was a mystery. But Impa looked around at the gap, looking for a bridge. The groan that escaped her throat was enough to tell Link and Zelda that she had not. "So, what do we do now?" Link asked.
"We may have to go back," said Impa. "I can jump across, but—Link, what's wrong?"
"There's something here," he said, obviously in tune with the Force. He was looking around, fingering his lightsaber.
"Link, calm down," said Impa.
That piece of advice was cut short when blaster shots rang out. Several hideous-looking creatures emerged from the nooks and crannies of the temples to rain blaster fire down on them. Link instinctively ignited his lightsaber and deflected the enemy's blaster shots back at them. The deflected laser blasts exploded on contact with the walls, sending debris flying.
Impa grabbed Zelda and held her close. But Zelda was looking around and saw something jutting out from the walls. Just from looking at it once, she got an idea. "I know what we can do!" she said.
"What?"
"Link!" she called out.
"Yes?"
"Do you see that ledge?" she pointed to said ledge for him to look. Another shot whizzed past. Link swung the lightsaber, and it hit the assailant dead-on. Another blast had to be deflected, hitting the walls of the temple.
"Bokoblins!" Impa said.
Meanwhile, Link ran behind a column. Not out of cowardice, but because he figured out what the Princess wanted him to do. He brought it in his utility belt.
A grappling hook.
Impa pulled out her blaster and so did Zelda. Both kept the Bokoblins at bay while Link grabbed his hook.
"Zelda told me her idea," said Impa. "I'm going to jump across, you, well, you know what to do."
"Wait, WHAT!?" Link shouted as Impa back up and a blaster shot whizzed past, prompting him to swing his lightsaber to deflect another shot.
"Protect the Princess!" Impa shouted before she ran up to the edge of the crevasse and jumped across, using her Sheikah Force training.
"Oh, no," Link groaned. "Princess!"
Zelda ran up to him and latched her arms around his neck. He threw the rope and hooked up to the ledge, and it easily hooked on, just like he'd hoped. He deactivated his lightsaber, placed it back on his belt, grabbed the Princess and swung on to the other side of the crevasse, where Impa was waiting for them at the large door.
"Great work, Link!" Impa shouted while she worked on the lock in the door. Link kept his lightsaber activated and deflected more of the bokoblins' blaster fire.
"Bokoblins!?" Zelda shouted.
"Well, the Dark Side does draw creatures like them," said Impa. "LINK! You will need to finish this puzzle!"
"WHAT!? WHY ME!?"
"You just said that!" Impa cried. "This door requires a lightsaber to open!"
Link turned around and gave her a confused, annoyed look. But she was adamant and pointed at the lock, where it became clear that it was too solid for anyone to break it off. So, Link went over to the door and sliced the lock off.
The massive door began to swing open and Impa led the way inside. As Link and Zelda followed, she closed the door and sealed it shut from the inside.
But she clutched her chest and could barely breathe. "There is darkness down this passage," she said.
"Impa," Zelda said, helping her bodyguard up, "We must keep going."
"I'll try," said Impa.
"No," said Link. "Do, or do not, as Master Luke told me. There is no try." Link marched down the dark tunnel towards the light awaiting them.
Impa smiled slightly and with Zelda's help, stood up.
This tunnel was not very long, and it was mere moments before they reached a circular room at the end of the tunnel.
The circular room went up into a dome and was covered with carvings of ancient scenery. Old gods and spirits did battle and heroes wooed princesses. The colors green, blue and red were prominently displayed, with the green showing the courageous heroes, blue for the princess and red for the gods. The images went all the way up to the ceiling.
There was door at the end of the room, and the three-triangle symbol of the Triforce was carved into the wall above it. But looking down, they saw him.
He wore a red cloak, but underneath, they saw his skin was a pale gray and his clothing pure white. His red-bladed lightsaber hummed and crackled as he swung it at the door, but to no avail. The figure's frustration was evident until he stopped. The lightsaber blade retracted. "I knew you were coming," he said in his sinister, sensuous voice. "My probe droid alerted me before you so rudely destroyed it."
"Who are you?" Impa demanded.
"You are in no position to be giving orders," the figure replied as he turned around. "However, seeing how you made it this far, I suppose I should not take you lightly."
"Answer the question, filth," said Zelda.
"Well, well, well," the figure said again. "If it isn't Princess Zelda. Those Imperial buffoons have been searching all over for you. Glad I found you first."
The sound of Link's bootfalls echoed through the room. He glared at the enemy, only for Impa to place her hand on his shoulder. "Do not let anger get the best of you," she said.
"Do you wish to challenge me?" the figure asked. "Very well, then." He removed his hood, revealing his white hair, gray complexion and purple eye shadow. "My name is Ghirahim," he said. "Or, if you must know, Darth al-Ghul."
"Impossible," Impa said, her voice quaking with shock and terror.
"A Sith!" Link breathed.
"Did you believe they died with Darths Sidious and Vader?" al-Ghul asked. "You cannot destroy the Sith. But you can destroy the Jedi." He removed his red cloak, revealing his white, diamond-patterned unitard. He raised his weapon at them and ignited it. "Are you afraid?"
"No," said Link. "All I care is defeating you."
Al-Ghul laughed. "Was that supposed to be a joke?"
Link removed his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. "I'll hold him off, you pass through the door."
"Got it," said Zelda.
Ghirahim called out and lunged at Link. Link blocked the Sith Lord's attack, their blades crackling as they ground together. Their blades separated and al-Ghul went on the offensive, driving Link backwards towards the wall. Zelda and Impa ran towards the door, past al-Ghul, who noticed them. But Link pushed al-Ghul away.
Now Link was on the offensive. He thrust and swung his lightsaber at al-Ghul, hoping to catch him off guard. But the Sith was good, and he blocked every single one of Link's attacks.
While the two Force-users did battle, Impa and Zelda made it to the exit door. "Will we have to solve puzzles to open EVERY door?" Zelda asked.
"The ancestors were definitely comedians," said Impa.
"Will you be able to—" Zelda ducked when a bolt of Force Lightning came from nowhere to destroy the puzzle Impa was working on.
"NO!" Impa groaned. Link thrust the tip of his lightsaber at al-Ghul to keep the Sith away from them.
While the Jedi Knight and Sith Lord did battle, Impa and Zelda looked for another way to open the door. Zelda's frantic fumbling did not help the matter in the slightest. Impa did her best to calm the Princess down, but she slammed her palm against the stone door.
The door opened.
"LINK, COME ON!" she called.
Link kept fighting. Zelda rolled her eyes and called his name again. Impa could see him so focused on al-Ghul that no matter what Zelda said, he wasn't going to listen. She stood up and ran over to the two combatants. When Ghirahim was in sight, she Force-pushed him out of the way. "LINK, COME ON!" she called while grabbing his arm. He stubbornly stayed put, but she didn't have the time or the patience before she pulled him away and through the door before it slammed shut.
Al-Ghul ran up to the door and slashed at it. He growled when nothing happened. "Forget it," he said. "I'll get them later."
"COME ON!" Link shouted furiously on the other side of the door. "I HAD HIM!"
She was not angry, but Impa was most certainly cross with Link. She gripped his arm and twisted it behind him without so much as letting any anger get to her. "Calm down, young Jedi," she said. "It seems you still have much to learn if you let your anger get to you like that."
"Impa, I believe he is angry because he feels you unfairly pulled him away from a battle," said Zelda.
Impa did not respond, she simply glanced over at the Princess. Said Princess kept her cool and stared Impa down. "We have more important things to worry about," the bodyguard finally replied. She let Link go and walked away. "Come," she said, waving her hand. "I know where we need to go."
Link and Zelda followed the Shiekah Force-user through the dark tunnels of the Forest Temple. The walls were lined with carvings and hieroglyphs depicting moments from Hyrule's ancient past. A Goddess and a hero figure were at the center of these carvings, each of which were turned to face towards them. Link stopped to examine the Goddess and the hero. The goddess lifted something above her head; three triangles making another triangle. Link didn't need to ask that this was the Triforce. He carefully stepped forward, placing his hand on the carving.
He felt nothing. He closed his eyes and sighed. Just a carving.
"Let's get back to the speeder," said Impa. "Perhaps we need to hide somewhere else. And Link, you need more training."