Chapter Text
In the cool shadow of a large, worn tree and hidden from sight by thick undergrowth, Zelda rubbed her wrists and ankles in a vain attempt to make the sharp pain subside; staining her skin green from the various crushed flower petals in her hand. The Kikwi that sat beside her chirped sadly at her sour expression, anxiously wringing its small hands in the hopes its remedy wouldn’t take much longer to work as it so claimed.
She cursed herself for not accepting more of the old woman’s help after she had found Zelda on the outskirts of that ruined temple; somehow miraculously unharmed from her almighty fall from the Sky above. She had healed Zelda’s aching body with the gentle touch of her wrinkled, calloused hands and warm sparkle of light that danced between the old woman’s fingertips. Zelda hadn’t known what to say at first, unnerved and frightened by the sheer depth of the forest around her; the strange sounds of creatures hiding in the brush that echoed back with a loud, booming roar. Even the very act of breathing felt uncanny, as if the air below the clouds was… clearer? …Easier to take in? She didn’t know what to think or how to word it, everything simply felt wrong and far too surreal to actually exist.
She wished beyond all reason that when she closed her eyes and opened them once more, she would be back in bed and her father would be telling her to prepare for the most important event of the year: The Wing Ceremony. She’d recite her lines into the mirror one final time, nearly forget to grab her sailcloth in her excitement, and rush out the door with a wide, excited grin on her face. If only this were all a dream! A twisted fantasy created by what she hoped was simply her fear of Link being unable to win the race. She had always hoped to see the Surface for herself one day but now she’d already begun to regret such a bold, ill-fated wish.
Yet, despite her panic and growing distress that felt as if it had the power to tear her in two, the old woman had soothed her and helped Zelda ground herself in her new, sudden reality. This world was strange, yes, but she would learn to grow used to her surroundings in time. Yet Zelda had also noticed that the old woman appeared surprised at the girl’s sudden appearance, but not for the reasons Zelda had expected. As she gathered a bundle of white, beautiful clothes and jewelry in her arms from a dusty yet elaborate chest, Zelda had still heard the woman muttering to herself with a curious expression; keeping her voice low so that the young girl could (hopefully) not hear.
“No, surely, I counted correctly… It should have been five more days not now…”
Yet she did not let her private thoughts be known and upon handing over Zelda’s new gifts, the old woman had tried to speak but Zelda barely took a moment to listen, instead erupting into a stream of questions that took over her entire being when they could no longer hold themselves back.
Was Link alright?
Did her bird survive the tornado?
Why was she here?
When would she return home?
Could she return home?
Would she ever have the chance to see her father again?
Once more the old woman had calmed her with gentle words and a warm, affirming touch.
“The boy will join you soon.” She had promised with a soft smile, “And you will see your blue sky once more. But first, we must tend to why you have been brought down here in the first place.”
Unfurling the white fabric to reveal an elegant, beautiful and pristine dress to Zelda, she spoke once again.
“You are to travel to the springs of this land. The first is deep within this very forest, the second in the depths of an ancient volcano, and the last in the desert’s ever shifting sands. Once you have visited all three, then you will understand why you are here in the first place.”
Zelda had tried to make sense of what the woman meant, asking her to explain her words but she simply shook her head.
“It is not for me to tell. But you will not be denied the answers to your many questions, I promise you that.” Then, she grew serious. “But you must move swiftly now. Your arrival has caused events to be set in motion and all manner of insidious creatures will do what they can to find you. Use this sudden arrival to your advantage and you shall always be one step ahead. Make your way to the springs and soon, your guide will follow.”
“Kwee…?”
The Kikwi’s soft voice pulled Zelda back to the present day and she looked to it with a smile.
“Sorry, just…“ She struggled to find what to say, only to give up with a heavy sigh, “Just thinking about everything that’s happened today, is all. My body feels better now, thank you.”
It perked up slightly at her words and then looked around, out towards the empty clearing of the forest as if trying to spy any possible dangers.
“You said you need to go to the temple, right?” it squeaked.
She nodded.
“As long as that’s where the first spring is, then yes.”
“Ohhh…” The Kikwi shuddered, suddenly fearful. “T-then… You should make sure to stay away from the main path, kwee. You’ll be safe from monsters if you do.”
“Is it far?”
“If you walk quickly, you should get there before night time. No one can get you when you’re in the temple, kwee. The doors are really heavy.”
If that were so, would she even be able to open them on her own? Maybe then, her guide will have found her and be able to help. Maybe they were waiting outside the temple itself, expecting her to appear from the forest’s depths any moment now.
Slowly, she got back on her feet and bid farewell to the small creature with a wave and smile.
“Stay safe, OK?”
“Y-you too.”
Steeling herself for what awaited her on this long and uncertain journey, Zelda stepped through the dark tunnel that led to her destination. The light on the other side was blinding and made her flinch, her grip on her harp tightening as she was met with even more wild and unkept foliage than before.
She still couldn’t quite process just how vast the forest truly was and seeing how far out in every direction it stretched made her feel uncomfortably small and weak. It was almost suffocating with how close everything was. This deep into the woods, she couldn’t walk a mere step without being touched by leaves and sharp branches. She began to wonder if she should turn back, wait until her bravery returned, until she spied something beyond the treeline far off in the distance: a white, swirling spire intertwined with large, black, otherworldly roots.
As carefully as she could and keeping an ear out for any approaching beasts, Zelda slowly made her way to the temple; feeling a wave of delight as the building came into view. Its alabaster walls stood out like a shining light against the green and she studied its shape as she drew closer. How someone had been able to create something so grand and marvellous in what she presumed was a quite primitive world was beyond her. As alien as its architecture was to her, there was an odd comfort in seeing a building that, in its own way from its unique shape, reminded her of the bazaar back home in Skyloft. And, as she continued with her approach, she could see it was in remarkably good condition; aside from the obvious moss and weeds that had taken hold.
Her fears and doubts quickly faded and, full of renewed vigor, was excited to see what kind of secrets the old temple held. Yet, as she did so, she failed to notice the suspicious looking flower in her path; its leaves glistening in the streaks of sunlight.
With gnashing teeth and flailing tongue, the Deku Baba struck out towards her, its unnaturally sharp teeth glistening with fresh saliva as it spied its next meal. Caught off guard by the monstrous plant’s attack, Zelda fell to the ground with a yelp and in a blind panic, threw the harp out onto the grass and well out of her reach. She was frozen in fear, with only enough willpower to screw her eyes shut as she waited for the carnivorous plant to take another swipe at her; sinking its teeth into her leg and tearing it to shreds, leaving nothing behind but a bloodied and unidentifiable carcass.
Yet, the terrified shriek of pain she heard was not her own, abruptly cut off by the familiar, pleasant, wonderful sound of a sword slashing through the air; swiftly followed by a heavy thump of something large crashing to the ground. Her breath caught in her throat and a small, yet hopeful, thought crossed her mind.
…Link?
She opened her eyes, unable to stop herself from smiling at being able to see his face again, to tell him how happy she was to see him!
Only to be met with the corpse of the Deku Baba instead.
Its mouth was agape, jaws twisted at an awkward angle with how it had fallen, as a growing pool of clear-green liquid began to appear beneath it; mixing in with the grass and dirt. Terrified, she sprung to her feet but thankfully, the head remained completely motionless and she could see the plant’s vibrant blue already beginning to fade.
Trying to calm her breathing and steady her heartbeat, she finally looked up at her rescuer.
Whoever this person was, it certainly wasn’t Link. The stranger was taller and much older, with clothes so bright and colourful, he stood out far more than even the temple itself. In fact, he didn’t even look like he would fit in this world at all, as if he were as foreign to this land as she was. There was a strong air of royalty about him that struck Zelda most of all but instead of it being comforting, it immediately put her on edge.
Smiling sweetly, the man retrieved her harp and gently wiped it clean with the end of his red cloak. Then, he returned to Zelda’s side, undeterred by the rotting, bleeding head that was steadily sinking into the soil.
“I believe this is yours?” His voice was slightly deeper than she expected, speaking softly in a tone ever so calm. He held the harp out towards her, granting Zelda the chance to take back what was hers. Yet, she hesitated. The smile quickly faded and Zelda felt a new wave of panic start to set in, fearful she had angered the man for not accepting his offering, only for her to realise his eyes had come to rest on her right arm.
“I don’t suppose you are well versed at all in healing magic?” He nodded towards her and she looked down. To Zelda’s horror, her sleeve was almost soaked through from shoulder to hem with a thin but still flowing stream of blood. Her white clothing did not help the matter either, making the red as vivid as the man’s own clothing.
“Oh my-!!” She cut herself off as her hand covered her mouth in shock. She hadn’t even realised the Deku Baba had gotten close enough to strike her at all.
“Please, allow me.” The man stepped towards her suddenly, making Zelda recoil and instinctively move away from him.
“W-Wait!”
He stopped, clearly surprised yet willing to obey her order.
“I- Who are you? What do you want with me?!”
“Me? Why, surely, you’ve already been told by the old woman who resides on the other side of the forest? I am the servant the Goddess sent to take care of you on your quest, dearest Zelda.” She didn’t like how patronising he sounded, but she stayed quiet.
He held his free hand out towards her.
“You may call me Hiram, if you feel so inclined.”
Despite the second offer, Zelda refused to shake his hand and eyed him suspiciously, doing all she could to hold herself together.
“How do you know my name?” She said softly, words just above a whisper.
“I was told by the Goddess herself, of course. Saves on lengthy introductions, don’t you think?”
She tried to remain strong and glare back at him, seeing if he might crack somehow, but he only responded with a friendly grin.
“…If you are indeed the Goddess’ servant, why are you dressed like… that?”
He tilted his head.
“Whatever do you mean? I’ve always dressed like this.”
“It still feels a bit… much. For just a servant, don’t you think?”
The corner of his mouth twitched, threatening to twist into a grimace, but he quickly recovered by straightening his posture, looking off into the distance thoughtfully and puffing out his chest.
“I’ll have you know, Your Grace, that someone such as I can’t say no to a little colour and vibrant sense of fashion. Surely a loyal subject must look the part, should they not?”
Zelda’s brow furrowed.
“Your… Grace? Why so formal?”
“Ah!” The dignified aura shattered momentarily as he realised his blunder. “I do apologise. It is simply customary for someone such as I to refer to you as such. You did acknowledge I am a servant after all, so I should refer to you, my ward, with some semblance of respect.”
At that, she laughed; more out of nerves than relief or happiness.
“You don’t have to be so polite then. You can just call me ‘Zelda’. ‘Your Grace’ is a little over-the-top.”
“If you say so, Zelda.” Then, he offered his hand for a second time, nodding to Zelda’s red sleeve. “May I?”
With shaking hands, she took back the harp.
“Just make it quick, please.”
She stood still to allow Hiram to move in close to her and examine the wound. She felt herself shrink inwards with how he leaned over her, placing a firm hand over the cut. Despite the warmth that seemed to radiate off him, he was surprisingly cool to the touch; even through his thick gloves.
“Don’t worry, it will be over before you know it.”
Just like when Zelda had been tended to before, there was a gentle tingling sensation and she watched in silent awe once again as a soft light appeared beneath his fingers, until finally the tingling faded altogether and Hiram released his hand with a flourish; grinning happily.
“There we are! Good as new.”
Zelda looked down and, true to his word, he had healed her perfectly. She raised her other hand to touch the skin beneath the tear in her clothing and to her shock, aside from the blood there was no evidence the cut had been there in the first place; no scarring, not even a slight bump. How fascinating it was that magic could prove itself to be that powerful!
“How… did you do that!?” She exclaimed, incredulous. Was it perhaps a more potent spell than the one previously cast? Or was Hiram simply incredibly well trained on the matter?
“That spell is hardly noteworthy.” He put one hand behind his back and placed the other on his chest. “But if you truly thought that was impressive, you should see what else I have in my arsenal.”
“Like what?”
“Well…” His voice hitched up, rolling his eyes in a particular way. “The less we require from said arsenal, the better.”
She didn’t like how quickly he’d changed the subject, but she still understood what he meant.
“And to avoid doing that,” He relaxed and met her gaze, “You want me to stay as close to you as possible?”
“Exactly. That won’t be too hard, I hope.” He pointedly looked to her ruined sleeve and Zelda felt her cheeks burn, but once again she admitted to herself that he had a point.
“However,” He turned to look out towards the temple that was still a short distance away. “In order to prevent the enemy from catching up with us, I will have to destroy parts of this forest to hinder their progress. Can’t have you being whisked away all of a sudden, can we?” he placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps a deep chasm is what we need?”
Zelda, trying not to think about any unsuspecting creature that would be swallowed up by the earth simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, quietly nodded at Hiram’s proposal.
“I guess if you think it’s necessary but… what about Link? If monsters can’t get across, neither will he.”
“Ah, you worry too much! His arrival has been prepared for as meticulously as your own.”
“Can’t we at least wait for him? Two people with swords is better than one.”
Hiram placed a hand on his chest, visibly horrified.
“And risk the gap between us and those that hunt you to shrink to a frightfully small size? I think not.” Then he curled his fingers. “Do you doubt my skills to protect you?”
“Well… at most you’ve killed a plant.”
“That wanted to eat you, mind. Need I reiterate, dearest Zelda,” his obnoxiously patronising tone returned, “But I did say I would prefer to not feel the need to dip into my bag of tricks to ensure your safety. Yet, I can tell you with utmost certainty that on my own, I am not one to be trifled with.”
Zelda breathed a deep sigh. He certainly acted like someone who, once his mind was made up, there would be no hope of changing it. Perhaps for once she was getting her just desserts for how she had acted only days before.
“Once we’re in the temple,” she turned to face it then back to Hiram. “How far will we have to go until we reach the end?”
“Oh, nothing too exhausting. It will be only a few minutes from the entrance.”
Despite his soft expression, she still felt unsure of Hiram, even if he had been more than willing to help her. If he was working with the enemy in some shape or form, she reasoned, why on earth would he have bothered to heal her? Surely, he could just sweep her off her feet right now and take her to his leader, regardless of how injured she was. Arguably, they would have preferred that. A wounded hostage couldn’t run as far as a healthy one.
“Do you… know who the enemy is?”
“Of course! Why do you ask?”
“Because,” she tried to form her words carefully, “All I know is that I have to visit three springs on the Surface and pray there to… ‘awaken’ something in me? I’m assuming that’s why they want me in the first place. I’m special, right?”
“Far more than you could currently comprehend, yes.”
She must have looked at him with a worried expression because he stood beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“But this isn’t something you should fret about just yet. Once you reach the first spring, I promise everything will start to make sense to you. Why not think of it as an overly drawn-out puzzle? That should make this expedition less daunting.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positively!” He moved in front of her once more, “Now, do you wish to stand there, all confused and lost? Or are you ready to begin the journey of having your questions answered?”
Squaring her shoulders and readjusting her grip on the harp, Zelda pushed towards her goal, stepping in line with Hiram as he led her forward. He walked quickly but she did her best to keep up, allowing his own determination to renew her as the pair continued their walk towards the temple.
