and leaning in close, he finds his misplaced determination when he hears her faint breathing. For the briefest of moments, he considered giving in to despair, but a hero has no time for such irrelevant thoughts. Scooping her off the ground as if she weighs nothing at all, the hero quickly rushes back to Epona. The wise old horse promptly kneels down to allow Link easier access, situating Zelda on the saddle before climbing on himself. Moments later, they are dashing through Kakariko, en route to the castle.
The obliterated entrance reveals just how much Link has missed during his absence. Without missing a beat, Epona leaps the moat gracefully, charging through the empty streets with purpose. The sound of hooves beating upon the stone roadways seems thunderous, the otherwise silent town void of any activity. Dashing through the square, the hero spots the origin of the explosion, the absurd radius of destruction reaching well into the town. Taking a brief detour, Link soon finds the church must have been ground zero, not even a pebble of the foundation remaining where it once stood. Short puffs of wind breathe down upon the crater, anyone standing in the path of whatever caused such devastation certainly gone from this world. The massive wall protecting the town now suffers a gaping weakness, the centuries-old erection blasted away as if it were hit by torrential cannon fire. Finding no answers within the desolation, the hero steers his steed back to the main street, charging up the hill to the castle in seconds. Ignoring the degree of alarm he injects into the guards, Link pushes Epona right up to the double-doors of the castle foyer, kicking them open with a grandiose sense of urgency. Before the sentries can scramble to respond, the hero has already reached the stairs, dismounting and gingerly pulling the queen down into his arms.
“Help! Someone help!” A woman seated upon the stairs shouts, most of the crowd of refugees shying to the edges of the large room as the intruder’s intentions are thus far a mystery.
“The queen is hurt!” Another calls, braving a couple steps closer. Finally recognizing the ragged woman dangling from Link’s arms, the drowsy group begins to rush forward, each and every member of the rabble desperate to see the extent of their queen’s injuries. Gasps and shouts quickly rouse the rest of the castle, and within moments a rush of servants and guards alike back the crowd away and guide Link up the stairs to Zelda’s chambers.
“What happened?” An eccentric, young servant asks, attempting to keep pace with the human gurney whisking the queen to the comfort of her bed. Briefly eyeing Link’s concerned face, she smiles bashfully before returning to assessing Zelda’s condition. If she had realized sooner it was her highness’s silent suitor carrying her, she would not have bothered asking. “You’ve really done it this time,” she sighs, scolding the unconscious woman while keeping a tone of genuine compassion. Finally reaching the queen’s room, her hero delicately places her upon the bed, backing away for the moment to allow the servants access. Piping hot towels, fresh clothes, and expensive medicine come swarming into the room as Link feels unwanted eyes upon him. Moving back through the door, he emerges into the hallway, his only company seeming to be a pair of maids carrying a large bowl of water as quickly as they’re able. Pausing in the center of the hall, the women dash into the room before Malune breaks the silence.
“What the hell did you do?” The guard captain growls in his immature voice. Turning toward him in no particular hurry, Link doesn’t so much as blink as the young man steps into his face. “You think this is some kind of game? She’s not your plaything to throw into harm’s way!” He asserts, shoving the hero aggressively. An involuntary muscle twitch occurs in the blink of an eye. A knee-jerk reaction Link could not control snaps his left hand around his sword handle. A demoralizing gaze, not of hatred, but of cold necessity locks onto the younger swordsman as he too reaches for his temporary blade. The years of danger and battle have numbed the hero’s skills of diplomacy, and he plays the battle out in his subconscious mind. Three moves. The man is skilled, but Link would cut him down in three moves. Malune draws his blade slowly, prompting the hero to do the same. A sort of game played to see who will be the first to back down from the rapidly escalating situation. The seconds of uncertainty have drawn out far too long and Navi decides to intervene.
“Hey! That’s enough!” She demands, hoping to make each of the men feel guilty. “There’s no time for this chauvinistic crap! Now back off, both of you!” Heading her words first, Link lowers the blade to his side slowly, rising from his battle stance as he realizes she is right. Standing upright himself, Malune fails to lighten his demeanor in the least as a pair of guards quickly march down the hall to join him.
“You need to remember your place. A commoner steals the queen away in the night and returns with her half dead. Anyone else would be on their way to execution already,” the captain points out, even more confident in the presence of his men. His head rocking slightly to the side, Link obviously couldn’t feel any less intimidated by the empty threat, twirling the borrowed sword in his hand and tossing it handle-first at Malune’s chest. Catching the blade awkwardly, the captain smirks at the disrespectful act of gratitude, sheathing the sword he loaned at the queen’s request without a word of respect to offer.
“Is that how you’d have it?” Navi asks with a resentful tone. “Fancy yourself a king?”
“Keep your distance,” he adds, ignoring the question. “I don’t want to have this conversation again. I will protect the throne from all enemies, understand? Even those believed to be friends.” As Links expression begins to turn from impudence to distain, a welcome cry comes from within the bedroom.
“She’s awake!” One of the servants declares with a joyous declaration.
“She wants to see Link,” another reports, searching the room for the ragged hero. Before Malune can turn back to face him, Link walks right through the overzealous guard, bucking him aside with a shoulder as he casually passes by. Eager to counter, the captain is thrown off balance as Navi aggressively darts into his face, eluding his flailing swipes while Link consoles his companion.
“They said you carried me here,” she starts, her tone abysmally tired. “How romantic,” she adds with a dazed smile. Crouched next to the bed, the hero takes her hand in both of his, smiling a tired smile himself. “It was the boy. The boy in the hood. Don’t underestimate him,” she warns, struggling to focus her thoughts. “He is being controlled. I see the goddess’s designs, but I cannot understand,” she pauses, carefully arranging her words. “Rift has a part to play in all of this.” The irritating child has a name, though the piece of information is trivial at best. Controlled or not, the boy will pay for what he has done. Thoughts of violence have rarely dominated Link’s thought process, but then again, his love has never been so gravely injured. “Ganon sought revenge for his execution, and he’s found it in abundance. The sages are dead,” she reveals, pulling the hero back into the conversation. “With their medallions, he will open the portal to the twilight realm, and darkness will consume our land once again. I can’t see what lies beyond, but I know you’ll find a way to stop him.” The half-circle of women all listen intently as Zelda informs Link of the grand schemes coming into play. Giving her hand a brief squeeze, the hero prepares to depart. “Wait,” she breathes, hanging on to his hand tightly as a new vision reveals itself. “You must make a choice. Unfathomable strength will be offered, but the power will change you. If you choose not to accept, you may not survive what lies ahead,” she reveals, seeming to look inward as she studies the incalculable revelations streaming into her mind. “Your path has never been of thoughtless strength, but of courage. Please, make the right choice.”
“He already has,” Navi chimes in, hovering overhead. It seems to be enough to put the queen’s mind at ease as she releases Link’s hand and relaxes. The mask salesman was far from pleased, but the hero walked away empty handed, leaving the sinister clerk on his knees, begging for Link to reconsider. In the end it was his father’s warning he he
eded, despite the grand temptation. Live with honor, fight with valor, and die without regret. He intends to do exactly that.
“Well go on,” the lively maid who followed Link to the room urges happily. “Kiss her.” With a subtle chuckle, the hero leans over the exhausted queen, kissing her deeply as she weakly wraps a hand behind his neck. Seconds later, the hand goes limp and Zelda has fallen into a deep slumber. Unaffected by the awkward applause from the servants, Link marches out of the room rapidly, ignoring Malune’s attempts to stop him and storming down the large staircase leading back to the foyer. The guard’s pathetic attempts to shoo Epona back outside fail as she turns to greet Link, knocking one of them over. Seeming to glide up and onto the saddle, Link spurs his heels and rockets back into the night, the harsh clamor of hooves upon the stone streets pumping up his adrenaline. If Ganondorf’s ambition is the twilight realm, there is only one place he could be now.
Dawn’s light has breached the horizon as Link rides across the long, rope bridge linking Hyrule Field to the Gerudo Village. Formerly the