A Greater Evil Part 1

Zelda struggled and squirmed as the man's hand tightened around her neck. "You filthy sea rat!" the man sneered reaching over with his other hand, but pulling back in alarm. "The triforce is resonating." he said in shock as pinpricks of light danced in Zelda's vision making everything start to go blurry. "At last I found you, Princess Zelda!" he laughed in hideous triumph. Her mouth opened but no words came out as the world around her went black. Zelda felt like a thousand small blades had struck her at once and her eyes snapped open. A look of horror met her gaze as a boy she had never seen before unsheathed his sword and took a fighting position. "Both of you faithless fools who would dare take up arms against the king of light and shadow…" she growled,  the voice coming from her mouth being that of the man who had sought to kill her moments before."…So you choose. And so you shall feel my wrath!" She raised her sword in the air and a ball of magic appeared. Please no. She silently pleaded as the boy cried out in pain as the magic struck him square in the chest. Let him go. She dove at him with her sword and she felt her blade meet flesh as he fell back into her blade. She ripped it free and with a swift motion of her blade freed the boys head from its body and it rolled across the floor.

Zelda let out an ear piercing scream as her body jerked up from her bed. Impa was the first to her bedside followed closely by the king who had heard the outburst from his room at the other end of the hall. Both Impa and the king moved as one to comfort the young princess who was crying in a ball. This was the third night in a row and whatever the child was dreaming seemed to grow darker with each passing night.

"You want to talk about it dear?" Impa asked the princess the next morning as she joined the princess who was cross legged on the floor surrounded by lovely dolls.

"No." Zelda said softly combing her fingers through the hair of the doll that was sitting on her lap.

"That bad, huh? Well…" Impa said standing back up pausing to get the princess's attention. "Okay then, I guess you wouldn't want to go to Karakito-"

"Oh but I do!" Zelda exclaimed. "T...To see the gorons?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes. I was going to talk to Darunia, but since you are feeling soo bad...I guess I will have to go alone." Impa said starting to walk out.

"Nooo!" Zelda wined grabbing for Impa.

"Very well then." Impa said hiding the grin that came with her amusement at the successful feat to rouse the princess into higher spirits. "Get your things together, I will meet you outside.


Zelda frowned at her father's empty throne as she passed. What business was he on this time? Couldn't he have been bothered to at least see her off if not because she was his only daughter than because of how horrid last night had been?  Zelda made her way to the courtyard where Impa was outfitting the final touches to the white horse that would be carrying them. The horse snuffled and grunted as Impa picked up Zelda and set her on its back then pulled herself into place. With a quick word the horse was off.

The most exciting and also the shortest part of their journey was through Hyrule Field. The huge vast field seemed to stretch for leagues on all sides. Zelda squinted against the sun and she could make out the outline to Lon Lon Ranch where they purchased their milk. To the east was Zora's Domain, where King Zora personally protected the waters of Hyrule. The short and exciting journey came to a quick end when they entered Karakito.  Zelda chafed at the delay of getting to the Goron Village, but there always seemed to be some old friend that wanted to catch up on lost times when ever Impa passed though.

"Would you prefer I let you down and you scale the mountain so you can get there faster?" Impa chuckled at Zelda who moped and moaned at every chance.

"I would probably beat you there." Zelda sighed with boredom as Impa speared at tektite that tried to jump at them.

A loud rumbling sound signaled the rapid approach of two gorons rolling over all the tektites and making way for them."Ah there you two are!" the elder goron greeted the two heartily giving Impa a clout on the shoulder that nearly knocked her off the horse. "Koron here kept going on and on about 'Hylinian horse is coming! Hylinian horse is coming!" imitating the boy in such a way that Impa burst out laughing.

"Zelda! Hey Zelda!" Koron beamed brightly. "I got a new ball from uncle Darunia! You got to see it!" He giggled picking up the princess and putting her on his back. "See ya dad, bye Lady Impa!" Koron waved running up the mountain while carrying off the princess.

"Rascal." The old goron flicked his fingers in the boy's direction.

"Must be some ball." Impa stared off in the direction of the two.

"Ah yes, we have recently isolated a new crystal strand and it is giving us some great results-its durable too so Darunia gave him a ball made entirely of the stuff. Oh and be looking for it in the princess's gift basket too, we both know her birthday is coming up very soon." He said with a tingle of excitement in his voice.

"I'd very much like to see a sample before I leave." Impa said nudging her horse forward.
"As you wish. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen." The goron was saying as they entered the city. "You'll be wanting to see Darunia now I take it? Well he's in his rooms where he usually is."

"Whoa!" Zelda gasped as Koron proudly held out a glowing red orb. "It's lovely"

"Careful its heavy" Koron warned. "Sorry my little sis had to come along but dad made me take her."  He said with annoyance. "I tried to tell him I could spend time with her any other day." He growled shaking the little goron off who was trying to climb up his arm.

"Hello Terra." Zelda smiled warmly at the little goron. "Would you like to help me? My silly servant missed a spot when she was brushing my hair." Zelda lied. "Would you like to brush my hair?" Zelda asked and the little goron shrieked with excitement and clapped her hands. "You can help me but only if you're a good goron. Can you be a good goron?" Zelda only surrendered her hair when Terra gave her word and made sure that her hands weren't sticky again, after which she settled down cross legged on the floor across from Koron.

"Impa!" Darunia boomed and trapped her in a smothering embrace. "Ha ha ha! What brings the friend of my sworn brother the king to our humble city?"

"Just a little friendly business." Impa said in a tone that wiped away all the amusement from the room. "Have you been feeling the changes in the wind?"

"Aye." He said rubbing his chin. "And I don't like it neither! You don't think it has to do with the king's pact? It's a fools business trying to get chummy with those thieving Gerudos."

"No," Impa frowned. "I don't trust their king either but he doesn't control the winds, and if he did," she said matter of factly. "I'd order him to use it to blow away all that noble filth out of Hyrule Castle! It has a rat infestation to shake the ages of kings past and I want them out!"

"Heard you had some bad seeds among those council members, hah you sound like a queen rather than the leader of the king's guard. So tell me you got a favorite? A rat that strikes your fancy?" He asked making the word 'fancy' completely sarcastic.

"That good for nothing Ne' er'-do-well Duke Mtok!" she spat making the name a curse. "I don't know who in the name of the tri-goddesses he thinks he is-" Impa paused gathering herself before going on. "Okay, I don't know about you, but I've never even heard of this place he says he's from, and second, isn't he a little young to be on council let alone a duke? He isn't even half a decade Zelda's senior what gives him the right to go strutting around like he owns the place?!"

"Tales say he's a real son of a whore."

"What the tales say isn't even close to the truth."


"So this guy you keep dreaming about, do you think he's real?" Koron asked rolling the ball to Zelda.


"I'm too tired to think at all to be honest." Zelda yawned and rubbed her dark rimmed eyes. "I just want to sleep, but every time I close my eyes…it just keeps smothering me it's so hard to think!" she slumped over the ball in only partial exasperation.


"Well don't you worry one bit Zelda! I will take care of him. If he thinks he's going to put a hand on you he's got another thing coming!" Koron slammed his fist against his chest and grunted. The two had continued their talking and playing until Impa stopped them to bring Zelda back to the castle to attend her classes.


Zelda yawned as she opened her book in preparation for this hour's lesson. "Prophesy," the hunched man that was her teacher's greeting to her was only to name the subject for the day. "What do you know of it?"


"Prophesy is the revelation of future events to come as bestowed by the goddesses."  Zelda repeated the textbook definition word perfect which to the surprise of the princess seemed to only make the man tense up.


"We all see now Princess of Hyrule that you understand the text book definition of the word." He seethed seeming to tense up into a tight ball before he appeared at her desk faster than her eyes could follow and slammed his text book down with such a force that the princess yelped in surprise. "What does it mean?!" He yelled slamming his fists down.

"Sir I…I don't-"

"What does it mean?!"

"I told you what it means!"

"What does it mean Princess of Hyrule?! How a king carries out his plight determines the fate of his land, what does it mean?"

"I don't know! Stop it!"

` "Will our land crumble at the hands of such a fool?! Tell us what it means!" The man grabbed Zelda by the chin and forced her eyes to meet his. Gone were the blue, grey eyes of her teacher only to be replaced by fiery reds and oranges a red aura seemed to flow out of him and as if channeled through his hand forced its way into her mind. "Prophesy is but a window of what would be." the voice sounded in her mind with compulsion. "As protector of Hyrule, you alone hold the power to determine whether or not our visions come to pass. We see all and already know this land's fate, guard your soul well princess of Hyrule." The voice drifted away and the old man slumped forward caught by Impa who had been drawn in by all the yelling. Zelda ran out and ducked under one of the castle's secret passage ways, she knew Impa had sensed something, only a fool would not have, but this message was for her and her alone and Impa would not be able to question her about it if Zelda had anything to say about it. The passage way led outside the castle where Zelda decided she would hide among the town's crowds until sundown when Impa probably would have either given up the search or forgotten altogether.


"Soldiers, commoners, all men alike! Step right up and sample the finest arms in all of Hyrule!" A large hairy man boomed gesturing to an area by a large tree which was littered with all matters of strange and fascinating blades, bows, and other odd contraptions. A caravan had set up in town and this made for excitement and chaotic merriment.


"You there! Young woman!" An old lady caught Zelda by the arm and pulled her back into her shadowy stall. "Surely a fine young lady such as yourself would be foolish to let such lovely hair be exposed to the elements." the lady rummaged through her wares and pulled out a bolt of emerald green sashing that matched Zelda's green dress perfectly. "Protect yourself from the fiercest storms with this fine piece." She held it out to Zelda and brushed her gnarled fingers over the soft fabric. "Made from the finest silk worm silk in the farthest reaches of the Desert Colossus." She said with great show making the simple piece that much more enticing. "Wrap it around like this…" she said wrapping it around Zelda's head so only her eyes showed. "…Surely it will arouse the curiosity of all who behold it." the lady smiled showing her molten toothy grin. "Two silver pieces is a fine price for such lovely wares no?" She asked holding out her hand. Zelda rummaged through every pocket and pouch on her dress until she was able to produce the old woman with a gold piece which much to Zelda's disappointment she did not get the change to, instead she forced another sashing from the old lady to get her money's worth.


The crowd press in this particular area was smothering to the point where she vowed that expanding the roads would be the first thing she did when she became queen. Someone shoved her into a potter's stall and she fell back into a long pot catching the lip of the pot and the side of a tanner's stall just in time to save both her and the potter's wears. Zelda was so embarrassed she ran back into the crowd and was shoved into another vender who was calling out for buyers. Zelda purchased lunch and a drink wishing she had more money to spend but it would still be in town tomorrow, maybe she could get her father to allow her to purchase one of those golden furred ferrets or maybe one of those kittens that seemed to be piled on top of each other in cages which made her want to buy them all if only to give them space to roam. Zelda leaned back against the stump of the only vacant tree and took another bite of her meat roll and a sip of what she guessed to be ale wishing they had had a mind not to only sell ale with their food. Zelda had not seen another drink stall and was certain without a doubt that the thick meat roll would leave her throat dry and make choking a problem for her meal.


"I found the most lovely head piece in that stall over there." A dark skinned woman dressed in all purple directed another woman to a far stall.


"You know these pieces are ceremonial and not for show!" the other woman chided her.

"The lord looks well doesn't he?"

"Prime and pompous as ever! I can't wait till we are finished with this place! It's bad for moral." the two women might have said more but they were blocked out by the crowds.

The rest of the day had gone on without event and the sun had fully set save for a few shadowy stragglers. Zelda sensed more than saw shady figures slowly approaching her from all sides. She clenched her skirts and took off. One jumped out from behind a stall and took her down she clawed and kicked until he let her go and she took off again slamming into a man full force and running on without a second glance. She struggled to breathe as her breaths became gasps and her sides painfully cramped, and her chest flared. she stumbled into an alley way to find it a dead end.

"Hey what's the big idea?!" a man had said and Zelda peaked out to see the man she bumped into blocking the way with his blade. "We don't want any trouble here just give us the girl and we will be one our way no harm done."


"To me." The man replied pointing his blade at the leader.


"Kill him!" The leader cried and a gang of brigands charged forward armed with pikes, rusty swords, broken bottles, and staves. Her defender hurled the pike man into the sword man and both went down pierced by each other's weapons. He dodged the blows of his attackers with a dancer's grace cutting down one man severing the head of another with a silent killer's grace. "I'll gut you like a pig and cut you up so small rats won't want to feast on your sorry hide!" The leader roared and charged at him. Her defender caught the man in the throat with his blade and severed his head in a quick motion.


The man looked around to find not a soul for miles. "The girl must have gotten away." He chuckled removing his helm and running his fingers through his shoulder length red hair. Oh well. I will be seeing her soon and can collect my prize then. He smiled.

TO BE CONTINUED…..