Chapter Text
The sky was bleeding, rain pouring as smoke and fire raged across the nearest settlements, though the screams of pain had slowly waned as more and more people died. There was few who was lucky enough to flee with their lives, and the princess knew the countless dead would forever haunt her soul. Tears streamed down her mud stained cheeks, her body trembling with pain and exhaustion. She found herself unable to make a sound, except for the pained whimpers that escaped her lips.
...
So great was her pain, so terrible was Ganon's fury, and so absent was Hylia's benevolence. She had fought so hard to awaken her sealing powers, and though it did happen, she knew it had been far too late.
Zelda.
The Guardians at Fort Hateno had since been destroyed when her powers awoke, though it seemed like one had gotten her after all, just as her powers had burst forth. She could see and feel the darkness creeping in, her sight distorting the face above her. Somehow, she knew it this was the last person she would see. That this would be how it was going to end, and the Princess would die after all.
Zelda.
The pain hadn't left her body quite yet, although she could no longer feel it. The world felt so dark, so dreary, how could it possibly be the beautiful one she had once lived in. Her body was broken and torn to pieces, the coldness of her golden jewelry feeling like brands on her skin. It was the only thing she could feel now. The cold seeped into her feet, and slowly creeping up to her heart.
Zelda.
Her limbs were trembling as the last of her strength was beginning to leave her, and she felt her being placed on something soft before leaving the fields and at rapid speeds reaching another destination. She wanted to cry out for the person who had just been holding her, but she felt as if it would be the last time she ever saw them.
There was something akin to relief, then, as the cold waters of the abyss surrounded her, and then the darkness took over. The light would fade when the Princess of Hyrule closed her eyes for what she believed was the last time, and could only beg for forgiveness.
Your Grace, wake up!
The girl woke up, shivering. She had felt empty and cold for so long, and the watery substance seeping out of her long hair and into the floor certainly wasn't helping either. She clenched her eyes shut, softly breathing through her nose. It was so, so incredibly cold, both the smooth and hard floor beneath her, and in the empty air around her.
The room she was in, and although she couldn't see much, was as silent as a tomb, Almost just as unsettling, though those two could be hand in hand at times. The girl blinked, and slowly her sight cleared. The room was dark, almost entirely black, except for the bright blue and soft orange lights around her.
Zelda, you must wake up!
The girl inhaled sharply, trying to regain her breath. Which was strange, as she had not been running. She was laying on the floor. But she could feel the remnants of fear leave her body, as she breathed in and out. The feeling of air in her lungs were addicting, replacing the cold liquid that she was starting to cough up as she curled into a fetal position, trying to regain some semblance of control.
The voice had called her by a honorific she didn't recall. And apparently her name was Zelda?
There was no one around her, as far as Zelda could tell, and though she did not remember if it was her name, then since she was the only person there then it obviously had to be her, right? She wriggled her toes and fingers, trying to regain mobility. Once she started to feel her feet and hands, Zelda slowly pushed herself up.
Zelda's previous assesment was correct, there was no one else there. The only thing she could hear was her own breathing and soft wirring of machinery and light sources. Her eyes wandered over to a small pedestal, which was glowing and emitting a sound it hadn't previously. She looked around, feeling lonely, but yet again there was no one there. Zelda felt like there should be someone there, but there was not, and so she was on her own.
She tried to stand up, and her legs were trembling as they tried to hold up her weight. Zelda had thought she was strong enough to walk towards the glowing pedestal, but she collapsed almost immediately. The girl cried out as she fell, her knees and the palm of her hands scraping up on the floor. She noticed it was made out of a smooth stone, yet it had a porous texture.
"How curious, maybe-" Zelda murmured, trying to get a closer look, but then she squeaked at the sound of her voice.
Her own voice, which she didn't even recall the sound of prior to that very moment. Zelda felt like she should be elegant, which it was, but her voice sounded more fearful and sad, and though she felt plenty sorrow, she didn't know why. She could feel the panic rising inside of her, and she couldn't help but wonder why.
Why can't I remember? Where am I? What is happening?
Zelda stood up again, and luckily she managed to walk this time, though it was a slow process. It felt like an eternity, trying to reach the glowing pedestal. She refused to fall again, though the scrapes on her hands and knees ached.
As she stopped in front of the glowing pedestal, Zelda hears a rumbling noise as the panels twisted and turned, and then a small, strange slab lifted up towards her by the handle.
It was like it was hers for the taking. And the object presented to her felt strangely familiar. Zelda knew she had seen it somewhere before, probably even used it to some extent, but she couldn't recognize it either. And when she tried to remember, there was nothing there. It almost made her panic, but she managed to keep herself calm.
As calm as one could be, in this situation.
"Keep yourself together, Zelda. It's not-" She told herself, and simply looked at the unusual slab for a what felt like an eternity. The eye suddenly reminded her of something, and the word jumped out.
"Sheikah slate! It's the Sheikah slate!" She shouted, then blushed furiously and covered her mouth with her hands. And then she felt even more embarassed. There was no one there. Thank goodness, Zelda thought, I'm barely clothed and it would be so terribly improper.
And how did I even know it was called that? Why would I care so mouch about the opinion of others?
Zelda, realizing she didn't have much of a choice, reached out for the handle and picked the 'Sheikah slate' up. She jumped slightly as the previously black screen lit up with the same eye, this time in blue. She looked over to the doorway, which had opened just as she picked up the Slate.
Zeldae walked through, holding the Slate tightly to her chest. She felt like she needed a belt or something of the sort, she couldn't constantly carry it around like this with her. The next room she entered clearly must have heard her prayers. Zelda was surrounded by crates and barrels, but there was also two stone chests.
Down the smooth stairway and a little futher beyond was yet another pedestal, for what she presumed would be the Sheikah slate. Zelda walked to the chests and opened them, immediately relieved to find an old, worn beige dress that just about reached her knees.
It was accompanied with straps of leather that turned into a belt with pouches, where she could keep the slate. In the second chest was a pair of old, torn pants that didn't quite fit her, along with a pair of worn shoes and a few hairbands so she could braid her hair.
Feeling slightly embarassed at the fact that she had walked around with barely any clothes on, Zelda decided to change behind a crate to give her some semblance of dignity even though she was alone. After putting on the clothes, and braiding her hair as best as she could (she wasn't very good at it, she noticed), Zelda poked around with the Slate for a bit, and found out it had a inventory section.
She decided to put that aside for now, and attatched the Slate to her belt. Then she walked over to the pedestal, and froze up yet again when she heard the voice that spoke to her in her dream.
Princess... You are the light —our last, final light— that must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now, you must go...
Zelda looked around, trying to see if she could find the person who had spoken to her, but there was still no one there. And Princess? The title felt familiar to her, but it didn't feel quite right somehow. She grabbed the slate and placed it into the pedestal, similarly to how she originally found it within 'her chambers', so to speak.
On the screen of the Sheikah Slate appeared some text.
Authenticating... Sheikah Slate confirmed.
The door opened slowly, and sunlight began streaming in. Zelda covered her sensitive eyes with her forearm, far more used to the dimly lit darkness inside the rooms rather than the bright outdoors light, but she decided to walk towards the exit. She paused as she attached the Slate to her belt again, expecting to hear the voice again, but it did not come.
Her audience was over, it seemed.
Zelda walked up the stairs, briefly stopping as the small ponds wetted her shoes slightly, and slowly climbed the upcoming stone wall. She felt completely unused to climbing, getting small cuts and dirt on her hands. But she didn't want to give up either, climbing up the stone until she felt what should be actual dirt and grass beneath her fingers.
Brushing the dirt off her dress, Zelda took a deep breath before she ran out of the building that she had not known had been her resting place.