The Legend of Zelda: Forgotten Goddess

by N Felts

Hylian troops farewell as they prepare to set sail for their homeland. They shall arrive within the week.” The news electrifies the room with joyous smiles and cheers, everyone gathering closer to listen to the news. “Gamelon extends its arms to offer any manner of aid your highness requires to rejuvenate the state of your realm,” he offers, awaiting a response.

  “A welcome message, and it is well received,” Zelda smiles, considering his proposal. “Any food and building material your kingdom can spare will be much appreciated as we have suffered an attack of our own.”

  “Certainly,” the man agrees with a slight nod. “I’ll dispatch a messenger bird and the ships will be stocked with food and lumber immediately. Is there anything else, your highness?”

  “Just bring our men home. That is all,” she concludes with a stoic grin. The packed room erupts with cheers, several of the struggling citizens breaking into tears at the thought of their sons and husbands returning. Descending back into the room, Zelda is happily received, one elderly woman even stepping forward to give her a weak hug. The jubilee continues all the way outside, the cool afternoon seeming uplifting and refreshing, even though the smell repulsed the queen only a short time ago. Many of the refugees taking shelter in the castle make their way back into town, eager to prepare their homes for the return of the soldiers. The scene is almost too surreal. She had not expected the war to end so soon, and the messenger’s timing could not have been more perfect. Sensing a presence drift through the castle grounds, Zelda quickly circles around the moat away from the crowd, murmuring a spell before teleporting atop the tall walls of the castle gardens. Waiting with grim expressions, her Sheikah scouts have arrived with news from around the kingdom. After a deep, foreboding breath, she descends down to greet them in a blink of magic and light. “Where’s Linu?” The queen asks, his more reputable skills including punctuality.

  “We had hoped you could tell us,” Ashei responds with a heartfelt sigh.

  “It must have been him,” Sanzu nods, glancing at Ashei before stepping forward to report her findings.

  “Don’t tell me,” Zelda gasps, praying her decision to send him to the forest wasn’t a mistake.

  “I tracked the blonde who led the Bulbin assault back into the desert. She is of the Gerudo, though they do not treat her as such,” Sanzu reveals, dreading the next fact she uncovered. “Ganondorf was riding hard to the west with a pair of guards as I returned. One of them had an individual concealed beneath a burlap bag. They’ve surely captured him,” she reports, her voice struggling to remain void of emotion.

  “I will retrieve him at once,” the queen declares as a spiral of light engulfs her form. The brief whirlwind subsides, and a determined Sheik prepares to depart in her ninja garb.

  “You mustn’t,” Ashei declares, stepping forward. “What if something were to happen to you? Think of your kingdom.”

  “I will not leave him at Ganondorf’s mercy,” the ninja fumes, clearly letting her emotions get the better of her.

  “I’ll go,” Sanzu breathes, leveling her stare at Sheik. “I know the fortress inside and out. If he is there, I will find him.” Considering her proposal for a moment, Zelda responds.

  “Do not challenge Ganondorf. Under any circumstance,” she demands, eyeing her disciple carefully to be certain she understands. A solemn nod later, she gives the scout leave to conduct her rescue operation.

  “It’s for the best,” Ashei attempts to comfort, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  “No,” the queen promptly refutes, batting it away. “I sent him. It should be me going.”

  “What good are we to you if you can’t trust us to go in your stead?” She argues, crossing her arms and patiently waiting for her overburdened leader to reach the same conclusion.

  “Boam,” Zelda calls, staring at the ground and attempting to control herself. “You’re quieter than usual. I hope you have better news.”

  “The Goron have themselves a new leader. His name is Link,” he reports with a sarcastic smirk. “Darunia’s son was expelled when Gor Coron took control of the tribe and started the mining operations. He came back with a vengeance,” he smirks, his brow sharpening for the next bit of news. “Unfortunately for him, Ganondorf arrived just after he became patriarch. The sage of fire is dead,” he reveals, hanging his head with a somber sorrow.

  “The Bulbin were a distraction,” the blonde Sheikah reflects, cursing herself for not realizing sooner. “Of course they were. The assault was hopeless from the start.”

  “There’s more. I’ve been banished from Death Mountain, as have all races but the Goron. This Link character doesn’t seem to care he was named after the Hylian who saved his people. He’s turned his back on the throne, and if we don’t do anything, he may be considering a sovereign state,” Boam admits, his tone deadly serious.

  “The Goron haven’t the resources for such a thing,” Zelda sighs, considering how to handle the situation diplomatically. Her father’s dream was always a unified kingdom. Should the Goron dismiss their allegiance in lieu of their own banner, the other races would surely follow suit.

  “One more thing,” the scout interrupts, obviously unsure if he should reveal the final piece of information. “The patriarch was acting strangely when I arrived. Like he was hiding something. I waited on the trail, but never expected to see anything,” he pauses, finding his leader’s eyes. “The boy in the hood traveled down the mountain and entered Kakariko. I lost him in the graveyard.”

  “Keep an eye on the Goron, Boam,” Sheik instructs after gathering her thoughts for a moment. “Keep your distance, though. I don’t want to provoke an incident. Ashei,” she starts, looking to her suspicious student.

  “What are you planning?” Ashei interrupts, scowling at Zelda wryly as she attempts to decipher her motives.

  “Partner with Malune and instruct whatever guardsmen we can spare to transition people back into their homes. Not a single soul enters this town without your knowledge. Understood?” She continues to inform, ignoring the question. Ashei nods slowly but doesn’t break her glare, certain the queen intends to do something drastic. Remaining in her ninja ensemble, Zelda nimbly runs several steps up the tall wall bordering the gardens. Springing atop the structure, she turns back to add, “I think it’s time we found out who this boy in the hood really is.”

  Hylian Hero:

  A Way through Darker Places

  A cool wind whips through the damp forest, the heavy rain finally dying down to a subtle mist. Link doesn’t notice the bitter taste of grass brushing against his lips, or the haunting sound of creaking trees overhead. Again and again he stabs his fingers into the wet earth, dragging himself forward at a negligible pace. The pain in his chest is overwhelming, and with every extension and retraction of his arm, the green and brown setting tilts and spins a little harder. Expelling a breath of suppressed pain, he finally reaches his childhood friend. Involuntarily wobbling ever so slightly, Saria couldn’t possibly appear more fragile, the destructive blast of darkness having overwhelmed her feeble defenses. Staring up into the trees, her eyes slowly drift over to Link, struggling to prop himself up next to her. Her eyes tell him the whole story. She is fading fast, though she seems content to die in his arms. Vainly attempting to lift an arm, Link immediately grabs her hand, squeezing it tightly as the girl simply closes her eyes and smiles.

  “I always prayed you were one of us, Link,” she reveals, her breaths becoming shorter and weaker as she gazes into the hero’s eyes. “The day you got a fairy was,” she starts, tears streaming over her cheeks as she struggles to put her racing thoughts into meaningful words. “I was so happy. I thought,” she pauses, her breathing becoming more and more sporadic. “I thought we could be together.” Though the confession is far from earth shattering, the potential to lose her sends the Hylian into a sort of mental shock. The damage being done to his soul is too traumatic to be felt right away, and like a boulde
r falling upon him and smashing a limb, his adrenaline is the only thing keeping him going. He continues to stare at her ageless face, the essence of purity and kindness, reduced to such a state by an entity of boundless aggression. “Link,” she coos, the word breathed more than spoken as her eyes drift back to the treetops. He doesn’t feel his body grow cold and numb, or notice the entire forest begin to spin into a blinding blur, but as the wet grass presses against his face, he feels consciousness leave him.

  A blissful kind of warmth overtakes his senses as Link begins to wake from his deep sleep. The wonderful feeling of soft flesh against his almost pushes him back into a dream state, but a rapid influx of probabilities jolt him awake in a serene setting. Shoving the nude woman off of himself, Link rolls to his feet as hundreds of fairies blast up into the air, blinding him with natural light. Waiting on the ground in a seductive position, the Great Fairy’s voluptuous form is concealed only by her dazzling golden hair draping down about her shoulders in a wild weave of braids and vines. The hero’s body feels stronger than ever, the harm caused by Ganondorf seemingly reversed entirely by the fairy’s magic. Still, Link knows he cannot linger, the great fairies throughout Hyrule having developed a frightening