She has been running and
running for just over seven years. Her job of hiding from the Evil King
Ganondorf’s grasp only becomes more difficult with each passing day
– indeed, with each passing hour. Since the day the Hero of Time was
sealed within the Chamber of Sages, she has hidden within a disguise
of a Sheikah man. Her disguise’s name is Sheik. When Ganondorf initially
took hold of the Triforce inside the Sacred Realm, it was clear to her
that she was no longer safe – he would be after her piece of the Triforce
as well.
She decided that the closer
she was to danger, the further away she was from harm. She took on the
mask of Sheik and installed herself in Ganondorf’s councils, bringing
herself very close to danger indeed. She knows the risks she takes.
She listens to the information discussed in Ganondorf’s councils and
passes it on to those who can utilize that knowledge better than she.
But her disguise is wearing
thin, becoming suspicious and showing flaws. She cannot help but hear
the whispers behind her back as she sits in Ganondorf’s councils
– after seven years of standing close to Ganondorf, familiarity is
not only breeding contempt, it is breeding silent questions she would
be afraid to answer, were they asked. Oh, she is perfectly aware of
the piling risks and the rate at which they are building. But she cannot
move from her position in Ganondorf’s court. To do so risks exposure
that might not come as quickly if she stays. What else can she do?
She is tired. She is tried
of constantly watching her back. Tired of the fear and adrenaline shrieking
through her veins each time she enters Ganondorf’s presence. The nights
without sleep, the days without food and little water, the weeks
and months without rest, the hours of waiting are filing down on her
resolve. She waits for something, anything, to happen. She waits for
the other shoe to drop, for the trigger to spring, for the storm to
break loose. The anticipation threatens to mentally sabotage her.
She hopes against hope that
she is not discovered before she and the Hero of Time, Link, meet together
before defeating Ganondorf. She knows what will happen if Ganondorf
prematurely discovers her. He will take her Triforce and kill her,
without further ado. But she keeps faith in Link. She has no doubt that
he can single-handedly bring Ganondorf down, with or without her help.
But she carries feelings
within her heart for the man she calls
“Hero.” If she felt safe in doing so, she might say that these feelings
are little more than fond tenderness for him. She watched over him while
his growing form slept in the Chamber of Sages. She watches over him
while he walks down the path to awaken each Sage, created to seal Ganondorf
away from Hyrule, her kingdom. She admires his determination not to
grow bitter over his seemingly unwarranted status as
“Hero of Time.” She loves to watch him in battle, to watch the grace
with which he wields the Master Sword. But she pushes down these feelings
in the name of Sheik. I’ve come this far, she thinks. I
cannot let anything happen now. If only she knows how those feelings
will betray her. If only she knows to which person these feelings will
flow.
She is still deeply unsure
as to the future path the Goddesses have chosen for her. She cannot
decide at which direction her heart’s compass is pointing. Keeping
her slowly crumbling disguise consumes her.
She loves, she fights, she
watches, she scrambles and she tries to keep away the tears for her
scattered people, her shattered life and her scorched country.
She is a woman in her heart.
She is a thinly disguised man in body. She is a crown princess by birth.
First and foremost though, she is Zelda.
~~~
Zelda, disguised as Sheik,
sat close to Ganondorf’s council chamber chair.
“And have you been successful
in discovering the whereabouts of the Princess Zelda?” Ganondorf asked.
His bass voice thrummed through the tense atmosphere ominously.
“No, my lord,” the farmer
called Ingo replied from his position on the floor, cowering underneath
the gaze of the fearsome Evil King. “The Hero of Time briefly mentioned
her as he passed through, but he did not say anything as to her whereabouts.”
Ingo’s hands visibly shook from their position on the floor.
Ganondorf sighed. “How long…how
long?” He quietly said to no one in particular. “How much longer
must I wait?”
Sheik heard Ganondorf’s whispers
from his position close to Ganondorf. “My liege,” he said with a
low tone, “let me take on the assignment of finding the Princess and
bringing her to you.” Ganondorf turned his head to regard Sheik.
“My people were trained solely
for the purpose of blending in with the shadows,” Sheik said. “Who
knows – perhaps the Princess you seek is hiding in one of those shadows.
And may I remind you, with all due respect, that we are bred as assassins.”
“I do not want the Princess
killed at this point of time,” Ganondorf said. “But I accept your
offer of finding the Princess yourself. I trust that you will not designate
the assignment to anyone else but yourself, of course.”
“I would not think of it,”
Sheik said, bowing. “If you want the job done correctly…”
“…do it yourself,” Ganondorf
finished for him and smiled. “Perhaps I ought to follow your advice.”
The council members in the
chamber muttered amongst themselves and shifted noisily in their chairs.
Many in Ganondorf’s court jealously desired and guarded any favor
from the Evil King. To see one of such dubious and mysterious character
asked much of their loyalty to Ganondorf.
Sheik ignored the low chatter
and bowed. “Only as my liege desires,” he replied. Ganondorf dismissed
Sheik as well as the motley crew of council members. As soon as the
last creature left the chamber and the door closed securely behind them,
Ganondorf motioned to two witches hanging back in a dark corner of the
council chamber. Floating on their brooms, they flew down to his side
and leaned forward as Ganondorf whispered his instructions.
“Watch him,” he said. The
witches smiled their acquiescence and silently glided out of the room.
~~~
Zelda prepared herself for
the situation she knew would be grisly to face.
“It’s a job, it’s a job,
it’s just a job,” she repeated to herself as she walked into what
was once the Domain of the Zoras – El Dominio
de las Zoras to most Hylians who could remember the inception of
a formal home for the Zoras. The prophecy she had studied told of a
Zora princess that would be the Sage of Waters, but it had been years
since she had seen this princess in person – she had no idea what
she would look like.
“I just hope that my senses
lead me in the right direction,” Zelda said, watching her breath crystallize
into thick clouds. Ganondorf had done something horrible to the home
of the Zoras, judging by the unusually cold air emanating from the entrance
to the Zora’s domain. She could only guess at what she might see.
She took a deep breath and leaped without a sound into the small entrance,
catching snow on her mask as she ran.
Zelda only thought she was
mentally prepared. She wasn’t.
Zelda had expected floating
blocks of ice and dying Zora all about. All free-flowing bodies of water
were utterly frozen – solid ice every place the eye could reach.
In a flash of desperation,
she visually searched the area for any Zora while searching with her
subconscious senses for any sign of life. She felt nothing and jumped
down carefully onto the former lake, half-hoping that the ice would
break and water would seep out. It’s just as thick as it looks,
Zelda thought. No manmade tool could ever break this. This is ice
created by a powerful evil.
Zelda’s heart lurched and
she cried out as she looked below the surface of the ice and saw a Zora,
frozen in motion. He (or she – it was difficult to distinguish a gender)
appeared as though he were desperately trying to reach the surface,
to escape his death. Zelda wondered how Ganondorf had frozen everything
so immediately and her heart bled for this young Zora, dead before its
time.
“Bloody hell,” Zelda swore.
She fought the urge to remove the mask upon her face and thus revealing
her real face. All around her, surrounding her position on the ice,
were hundreds more Zoras, all permanently frozen in place, all eternally
struggling to be freed of their icy captivity. Zelda seldom cried –
she could not afford that kind of time – but she was as close to crying
as she had been in months. To see these Zoras held captive, even in
death – Zelda wanted to be sick.
She stepped out of the frozen
lake and followed a natural path to what imagined was the throne room.
The sight of the dead Zoras completely unnerved her and she began losing
hope of finding anyone alive. At this point, Zelda thought,
I’ll be lucky to find any clues as to how to undo all this miserable
ice. When she reached the throne room, she saw the Zora king, frozen
solidly onto his throne. In the name of the Gods and Goddesses!
Zelda thought. What lengths will Ganondorf attempt to secure his
authority? Link, we have to hurry. This is only getting worse…
In the throne room there were
also many Zoras frozen underneath the impenetrable ice. As if her heart
hadn’t broken before, it broke again to see some of the Zoras appearing
to scramble to protect their leader just before the ice hit. No matter
where she looked, all she could see were motionless Zoras, sealed inside
their icy graves.
It’s impossible to find
the Sage of Water here, Zelda thought. The Sage to be awakened
is likely already dead. I came too late.
Zelda turned and began to leave
the throne room, but a slight motion to her right caught her attention
and to her horror, she saw a hand and part of an arm above the surface
of the thick ice. “Oh, Goddesses!” cried Zelda as she skidded across
the ice in an effort to reach the hand as quickly as she could. She
almost slipped past it but grabbed onto the arm before she could slide
away.
This Zora may still be alive!
Zelda thought. She looked at the Zora who was attached to the arm and
hand and saw what appeared to be a female Zora. Her breasts were tall
and quite bare – in fact, her entire body was bare. Frozen in time,
the Zora’s long, cerulean blue fins on her hips and heels looked as
though they could flutter loose any moment. Zelda couldn’t tell immediately
if the Zora were still alive, but if the earlier, weak motion of the
hand were any indication, maybe, just maybe…
Zelda drew out her long, thin
katana and began chipping away at the ice while casting multiple fire
spells, being careful not to singe the Zora’s exposed skin. She did
not know what would happen if a Zora’s skin dried out, let alone if
bared to too much heat.
It felt like hours after she
began cracking the ice away and Zelda was ready to scream her frustration.
She had made excellent progress – in fact, most of the female Zora’s
torso was out, lying limply on the surface of the ice, breathing shallowly.
But her hips, legs and feet were still sealed underneath the ice, and
the melted water kept running into Zelda’s work area so that it became
difficult to cast the fire spells. She dared not sop up the water with
any of her clothing – constant activity might keep her warm, but as
soon as she became still, she ran the possibility of freezing to death.
The Zora was clearly very weak
and held lightly onto Zelda’s waist as Zelda continued to work, while
Zelda tried to keep the Zora warm by keeping the Zora in her lap.
Zelda managed to sweep enough
of the water away to attack another layer of ice, and the Zora’s hips
were free. Soon after that, enough of her legs were free that Zelda
could take out the feet and, more gently, the fins attached to the heels.
She wasn’t sure how sensitive a Zora’s body was to pain, but Zelda
imagined that she’d be sore in the morning. And so would Zelda –
she had done a terrific amount of heavy labor in a very short time.
Zelda wrapped the Zora as best
as she could with her cloak. She hissed through her teeth as she exposed
her skin to the freezing air. Hoisting the Zora across her shoulders,
Zelda made her way out of the throne room and out of the Domain as best
as she could, stumbling occasionally with the dead weight of the Zora
woman.
She looks to be nothing
more than an overgrown fish, Zelda thought to herself as she crawled
out the entryway hidden underneath the waterfall. And yet, there’s
something about her face that moves me. Indeed, the female Zora’s
face seemed reposed in her tentative hold on life.
Finally, Zelda and the Zora
were free of the Domain. Zelda tumbled into the waiting pool underneath
and behind the waterfall hiding the entrance to the Domain. She began
to warm the Zora’s skin, but it proved to be a more difficult task
than she had anticipated. She chafed her hands and feet, trying to be
gentle around the delicate fins. When the Zora did not respond for several
long moments, Zelda almost gave up hope.
Just as she was about to lay
the Zora aside, her eyes opened halfway and closed again. She did not
stir, but this tiny sign of life was enough to encourage Zelda’s work.
She began again, more vigorously than before, working to reawaken
her cold, clammy skin. Then again, Zelda thought, shouldn’t
a Zora’s skin be somewhat cold and clammy to begin with?
When she stirred again, Zelda
leaned the back of her head against her chest and began rubbing the
Zora’s body vigorously, not taking care to avoid her prominent breasts
and hips. Zelda cursed the absence of daylight, but Sheik’s form could
not operate as efficiently without the darkness of night. Still, it
would have been nice to have sunlight to help with the warming process.
Perhaps she’s dead after
all, Zelda thought. Just as she was thinking, the Zora opened her
eyes completely and pushed her head back against Zelda’s chest to
peer into Zelda’s face.
“And who might you be?”
the Zora whispered hoarsely.
“I am Sheik of the Sheikah
tribe,” Zelda replied. She glanced at the Zora woman’s face briefly
before setting back to work on chafing the Zora’s body, arms and hands.
Ruto did not make any indication
that she heard the statement. Zelda felt her shiver with the chilly
water while she kept her eyes closed.
“To whom do I have the pleasure
of speaking?” Zelda asked, reflexively checking to be sure that the
mask to conceal her face was still in place.
The Zora twisted her head around
onto Zelda’s arm to peer at Zelda. “How can you not know who I am?”
she asked incredulously.
“You Zoras all look alike
to the rest of us,” Zelda said, the words falling out before she could
filter them out.
The Zora threw a punch at Zelda’s
face. Zelda easily blocked it as the Zora was still not in prime fighting
condition. The Zora kicked at Zelda, but only got halfway to Zelda’s
head before Zelda pushed it down. Just to be safe, Zelda crossed the
Zora’s hands over her lower body and pinned the Zora’s legs with
her own.
“You think you’re original,
don’t you?” the Zora spat after Zelda secured her. “You don’t
think I’ve heard that repeatedly outside of my home? You are speaking
to the princess of the house of the Royal Zoras – I am Ruto.”
So she is to be the Sage
of Waters! Zelda thought. Lucky for all of us she’s still alive.
“I hope that you will not
to hear those words again, Princess Ruto,” Zelda replied, half-apologetically.
She indicated the mouth of Zora’s Domain. “I’d say the majority
of your race is frozen dead up in that ice cave you once called home.”
“It still is
my home!” Ruto cried as she covered her eyes. Now Zelda felt embarrassed
at upsetting the Zora. She couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but just
being around the Zora princess brought out her worst behaviors. .
“Princess Ruto, I’m sorry
I made light of a grave situation,” Zelda apologized. “It wasn’t
fair of me.”
In just the short amount of
time that Zelda knew Ruto, she had already leaned to expect a sharp
retort, but this she did not receive. Ruto only covered her eyes and
breathed long deep breaths. Zelda was mildly pleased that Ruto did not
struggle to free herself of Zelda’s arms. However, Zelda did not know
where this feeling of pleasure came from.
All haughtiness aside, she’s
got a long and potentially terrible road ahead of her, Zelda thought.
She’s just lost most of her race and now she must go on to fulfill
her duty as Sage.
“Princess Ruto, do you know
why I pulled you out of El Dominio?” Zelda asked.
Ruto looked up at Zelda and
cracked a smile. “How did you come to learn the old name for my home?
Only the elderly Hylians would know that,” Ruto asked softly, her
voice breaking.
Ruto didn’t know it, but
Zelda immediately understood her revelation as being a crack in Sheik’s
supposed character. “I am a Sheikah, part of the shadows – the wind
carries secrets, I discover them,” she replied. She hoped it was an
adequate answer to keep Ruto’s questions down.
Ruto only held her smile and
observed Zelda through half-closed eyes. Zelda shifted Ruto in her lap
and pulled her closer to Zelda’s shoulders. She began chafing Ruto
again when she asked, “And why did my savior Sheik bring me out of…El
Dominio?” She asked with a sly angle to her smile.
Zelda ignored the reference.
“You are the prophesied Sage of Water,” she replied. “I came to
bring you to Lake Hylia so that you and the Hero Link can purify the
Temple of Water of Ganondorf’s influence.”
“Link?!” Ruto cried, sitting
up straight and twisting about to face Zelda. Zelda couldn’t help
but feel Ruto’s fins on her hips fluttering about on the inside of
her legs. It suddenly put her on the path of arousal.
“Link, the little boy I met
when he came for my Sapphire?” Ruto said. “I can’t believe it
– my Goddesses, but he wouldn’t be a little boy now, would he? It’s
been seven years – he’s a man by now! Where is he? You must tell
me!”
“I don’t know exactly where
he is,” Zelda said. “But I can tell you that he is on his way to
the Water temple, even now. I need to get you to there before he arrives.
You need to assess the situation and create a plan of action.”
She slowed her rubbing of the
Zora’s limbs – Ruto was gradually becoming more active and alert.
Additionally, Zelda didn’t want to encourage the bit of arousal Ruto
had already incited in her mind – Ruto’s prolonged stay in Zelda’s
lap would only increase the odds of further arousal.
Only Ruto seemed quite comfortable
in Zelda’s lap.
Zelda initially tried gently
moving Ruto to the side and into the water, citing her desire to see
Ruto’s skin re-moisturized. But Ruto straightened herself back into
Zelda’s lap. After that, Zelda did not have the heart to try again.
She allowed Ruto to stay and tried to ignore the uncomfortable thoughts
that tumbled about in her mind. Mentally, she slapped herself for thinking
in such a way. She was in a war, Gods damn it! This wasn’t the time!
To Zelda’s horror, she realized
that her trail of thoughts had required her silence long enough that
Ruto was staring strangely at her.
“Very good then…” Ruto
said with a silent question in her eyes. “Then start for the Temple?”
“Absolutely,” Zelda replied,
quickly standing up and ejecting Ruto from her lap. Ruto recovered quickly
and submerged her body in the water. Zelda watched, mesmerized at the
reclining position Ruto briefly took in the water, zipping fluidly about.
Zelda rejoiced that Ruto seemed to be recovered but she was deeply bothered
that Ruto’s fluid, twisting movements only brought
further arousal to her. Her motions made her recall the old wives’
tales repeated by countless mouths, meant to terrify teenaged girls
just beginning to feel the effects of sexual awareness; stories of young
girls and old women raped by evil tentacles sprouting from the sea,
made from the debauchery and collective sins of the people they tormented.
I don’t believe that those stories have helped matters regarding Hylian
prejudices against the Zoras, Zelda thought.
Though Zelda would have readily
admitted to buying into many of those same prejudices, she was more
acutely aware of them than most Hylians, to her credit.
Ruto surfaced and held out
her arms for Zelda. Zelda only stood in shock.
“Unless you’re as good
as or a better swimmer than I, I will offer you the chance to hold onto
my back as we swim to Lake Hylia,” Ruto said. “In any case, I
know I’m a stronger swimmer than you are.”
Zelda immediately recognized
Ruto’s kindness – a princess of the autonomous Royal Zora house
was offering herself as little more than a buggy ride.
“Princess Ruto,” Zelda
said. “You are deeply gracious—“ before Ruto interjected.
“Oh, Goddesses, do not mention
it! I’m only passing on a kindness that was once given to me,” she
interrupted with an audacious wink. Zelda felt a blush curling up in
her cheeks and spreading to her scalp and ears.
“Well then…by your leave,” Zelda said and met Ruto’s arms with her own. Ruto pulled Zelda’s arms securely around her shoulders, gave Zelda a moment to gather and hold her breath, and then darted under the surface, streaking through the water more quickly than Zelda could have imagined.
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