Fan Fiction Friday: The Era Without A Hero – Part 39

||  Part Thirty-Eight  ||  Part Forty  ||

Part Thirty-Nine

The road seemed different in the wagon as opposed to on the back of the horse. The ride gave Zelda the impression they were traveling at a much slower pace, although Rassa assured Zelda they would be to Castletown in only a day and a half.

As they rode past the small camp, Zelda spotted Lou hauling lumber to the storehouse and gave a polite wave.

“Good ole’ Lou,” Rassa smiled, her eyes closed.

Zelda thought the old Sheikah woman had been asleep.

“That man would have given anything to see Impa stay at home and in the shadows like most of us.”

“Why do the Sheikah stay hidden?”

Rassa opened one eye and gave a wry grin, “Well, that’s a long story. While it’s our duty to watch over and defend the bloodline of the Goddess, many turned away from the task because of what went on in the age just prior to that of the Era of the Hero of Time.

“The civil war that took place was… well, let’s just say the fact that all the races of Hyrule get along so well now is a miracle. The Royal Family at that time gave some awful commands to the loyal Sheikah and it left a deep scar on the relations. It wasn’t until the Goddess reborn in that era stepped up and overthrew her wicked father that hope was in sight. She stepped forth, gathered the members of what would go on to be the Unified Party and the modern version of Hyrule’s governance, and found a path to peace. That said, many of the Sheikah distrusted the peace and went into a sort of self-ordered exile.”

Zelda recalled parts of this from her history lessons. The princess and eventual queen of that age would go on to be the mother of the Princess of Destiny, from the Era of the Hero of Time. Some texts referred to her as the Mother of Destiny, which Zelda always found to be somewhat depressing. The actions of her daughter overshadowed her mother’s accomplishments. Nonetheless, Zelda found some inspiration in the fact that she shared the bloodline with such distinguished queens of old.

“Was she such great warrior? Or was it more she was a good negotiator?” Zelda asked.

“From what it sounds like, a bit of both. There’s a tale among the Sheikah that says she trained with an infamous Sheikah soldier, much like the mantle her daughter would one day claim. That’s supposedly how she gained the trust of the Goron and the Zora people too. If you ask me, the Princess of Destiny really stole the thunder in the history books of her mother.”

As the sun began to sink behind the mountains, the wagon came to a stop alongside the road. Yoon and Lindsey took turns standing guard outside the wagon. Zelda offered to take some of the burdens, but Rassa assured her that the two young girls were more than prepared to assume the duty.

Yoon was the younger of the two. She was roughly 17 with long black hair which she kept in a tight braid down to the middle of her back. While her eyes were indeed red like all Sheikah, she wasn’t of Hylian birth. Her eyes were narrower and her skin a shade paler than most. She was taller than Zelda and extremely fit.

Lindsey was also taller than Zelda, but less so than her partner. Perhaps the same age as the princess, Lindsey had auburn hair that she kept in two buns on the back of her head. She was more muscular than her counterpart and seemed to augment that with her choice of weapon.

Both girls carried a small, short dagger on their back, but both also had a secondary weapon at their disposal. Yoon carried a kunai tethered to a rope at her side, which seemed fitting for quick and fluid attacks, while Lindsey carried two additional blades at her side.

When they stopped to camp that first night, both girls spent roughly an hour practicing combat against invisible foes before sitting down to eat. Rassa gave them no instructions, and the duo ate silently then took up posts on either side of the wagon. When they set out the next morning, they rested in the back of the wagon.

They came to the fork in the road that led toward the North Castle in one direction and Castletown in the other. It was mid-afternoon as they rode past it and true to Rassa’s word, the walls of the capital came into view as soon as they rounded the corner of the Eldin Mountains.

“We’ll stop just outside the city,” Rassa explained. “There’s a Sheikah safe-house near the Eastern Gate that we’ll take up while here.”

As they came closer to the walls though, they noticed the hundreds of makeshift tents and temporary structures that had been assembled outside the walls. These had been set up by the Zora refugees that had taken up residence around the river that ran through Castletown. There was a foul smell that came from the camp and upon looking closer, it was evident that many of the Zora had wounds or sores on them.

The wagon rolled over a bridge and entered the tent city that had been built up. They came to a stop though, when a few Hylian men in makeshift armor stepped in their way.

“Hold up there,” one man said, raising his hand. His other hand rested on a sword sheathed in a scabbard on his hip.

“If you wouldn’t mind, we’re on our way to the East Gate,” Rassa said politely.

“Well see, there’s a tax in place. If you’re carrying goods into the city, they must be inspected first.”

Several more men, dressed in similar armor stepped out and surrounded the wagon. Zelda took note of a few Zora ducking into the tents, shielding others, or simply looking away.

“Young man, there has never been a tax on the entering of Castletown in all my life,” Rassa protested.

“Been in place for about four months, by order of the King. You see, there’s been a shortage of goods to go around because of these here Zora. So, to ensure we can eat inside the walls, a portion of all goods coming into the city are gathered up and rationed out.” He nodded to a few of the men and they approached the back of the wagon.

Zelda nearly sprang up and ordered the men to stand down when she felt Rassa’s hand on her leg.

“I see. Well, all I have to give would be a few apples. I’m traveling to Castletown to pay my annual respects at the Temple of Time. Nothing I have would be considered of value to you and your men.”

“We’ll be the judge of that ma’am.”

There was a commotion at the back of the wagon as the men threw it open. They stumbled backward as Lindsey and Yoon climbed out with their weapons at the ready.

“Boss!”

The leader stepped around and snorted as he observed the two girls. He looked back at Rassa, then at Zelda.

“Well, you still gotta pay the tax, I’m afraid.”

Rassa gently set the reins down and smiled. With a wink at Zelda, she climbed down and walked around the horses to the man. He looked down at her, barely coming up to the bottom of his chest, and laughed.

“And how would you like us to pay you, young man?”

He licked his lips with a vile grin on his face, “Rupees, apples, weapons, armor… anything in the cart.”

Rassa chuckled. Then in a flash, swung her staff at the man’s ankles and swept him to the ground. Once he was on his back, she thrust the base of her staff at his throat, stopping just short. She pressed it against his chin and leaned in.

“How dare you, you old hag!” he spat.

“Pig,” Rassa responded, cracking the base of her staff on the top of his head. “The lot of ya begone. We are pilgrims fulfilling our annual duty. If you all want to pose as servants of the King, go enlist in the military and find some honor.”

The leader rolled away and crawled to his hands and knees, “You’ll pay for that, you witch. Get them!”

Rassa stiffened up and nodded to Yoon and Lindsey. “Just hurt ‘em,” she said quickly.

The two girls nodded. As the men rushed in, they sprang into action.

One man was quickly thrown back as Lindsey brought her heel into his chest, while another bounced off the ground after Yoon took him out at the ankles. Rassa sent one man stumbling headfirst into the mud with a quick swing of her staff between his legs. The band of ten were rolling on the ground nursing bruises or bloodied noses in less than a minute while the trio of Sheikah had barely let a breath pass their lips.

The leader of the group crawled to his hands and knees, “How dare you! The King will hear about this insolence!”

Rassa lifted his chin with the base of her staff, “Yes. I’ll be sure to tell him.”

As the rabble of injured men stumbled to their feet, the wagon began rolling again.

Zelda stifled a small giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Rassa asked.

“I suppose I should have known you would be a skilled warrior, but the ease at which you three overcame that was quite impressive.”

“Brains over brawn was all that was. However, it wouldn’t have taken much in the way of brains to conquer those fools. It worries me what the inside of the city might be like.”

Zelda looked around as they continued through the dank and filthy conditions and her moment of levity quickly turned to guilt. She saw Zora children covered in mud or sores. Some were wearing clothes that looked as though they’d been dug out of the trash or patched together from scraps. Some of the adult Zora were laying on makeshift bets of hay, while others were simply laying on the ground. All were swatting away flies that had gathered.

“These aren’t living conditions for anyone,” she muttered.

Rassa silently steered the cart toward some of the permanent structures on the outside of the city.

A few moments later, they reached a small house that was tucked in between a church and a stable. It had a thatched roof and gray stones making up the wall. There was nothing to indicate it being affiliated with the Sheikah, the Royal Family, or of any significance really. If it wasn’t for the church and stable, Zelda assumed this area was as insignificant as any other residence in the community beyond the city walls.

“Girls, you know what to do. Follow me, dear,” Rassa said.

Zelda followed the woman to the door, who proceeded to pull a set of keys out of her pocket and unlock the door. Inside, the one-room dwelling was as unremarkable as its exterior. A single firepit was dug out of the middle, with a chimney that rose up to the ceiling. There were four beds that sat against the outer wall, each with a chair and a small table at its foot.

“Is there a secret passage like at the Sleeping Princess?” Zelda asked, hopefully.

“No, there is no secret passage or magic stairway. No enchanted firepits or false walls. This house is exactly as it was centuries ago. It is nothing more than a safe house for those who wish to be as invisible as the structure itself. Hundreds of Hyrulean citizens walk past it when they venture beyond the walls, and none stop in to investigate because it’s as ordinary as the trees or grass.”

Zelda quietly walked over to the nearest bed and took a seat. The plainness of the home was both unsettling and comforting. She had camped out in the wilderness, but it was a different experience. This was a home. A residence. It was so unlike anything she’d ever experienced or witnessed. It was humbling.

“And it’s still a hundred times better than what most of those Zora outside are dealing with.”

Zelda’s eyes snapped to Rassa.

“We will head into the city tomorrow evening. I think we’d better rest and see what good we can do outside the walls first.”

Zelda nodded.

Yoon and Lindsey soon entered the house as well, then took meditative positions before the fire that Rassa had started. As the three of them sat quietly meditating and praying, Zelda watched and meditated on her own thoughts.

How did this happen? How are these Zora so… forgotten? Rejected? Ignored?

It was about an hour later when Zelda rose and exited the house. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she felt the irresistible urge to do something. Anything.

Ten minutes after walking out of the house, she found a young Zora boy laying beside a tent, covering himself with an empty sack that looked like it had once held potatoes. Zelda helped the boy sit up and offered him a drink of water from her canteen. He eagerly accepted it and she smiled behind her cloaked face.

“Thank you,” the boy muttered.

“It will all be okay. I promise,” Zelda said.

“I hope you are right, ma’am.”

Zelda continued on. She found an elderly Zora who was struggling to walk and she helped her reach a small tent where her family was. The Zora had become confused and gotten lost. The family had just returned home after looking for her since that afternoon. They insisted on paying Zelda for helping to find their elder, but instead, Zelda offered the family a few apples she had from her cloak.

As she moved through the slum, she found more and more individuals who were sick or injured. Every tent was the same basically. Sick parents, sick children, hunger or thirst, desperation.

The moon was high in the sky when Zelda was nearing the small Sheikah house. Her head was hung low and her feet were exhausted. She realized she must have been gone for several hours. Every bit of food or drink she had brought with her in her pack, she had given out. Every rupee she had in her purse, had been spent on buying from the merchants just to give more to the suffering Zora people.

She turned to approach the door of the house when a voice called out.

“Stranger.”

Zelda stopped.

“You have been visiting my people today. I’ve been following you since mid-evening and your acts have been… beyond selfless.”

“It… It was nothing. Anybody who could walk through here and not do something should be ashamed.”

“Be careful with words like that. The King who was once benevolent and wise and has fallen far from his morals. If you call those who do nothing shameful, you may put yourself in line for treason.”

Zelda stiffened and dug her teeth into her lips.

“These are my people and I will defend them no matter the cost to myself, and for that I know I have made enemies in high places. But I must fulfill my destiny.”

Zelda’s eyes widened. She knew this voice. She knew this person who was speaking to her.

“Laruto!”

Zelda spun around, tears flooding her eyes, and ran to the familiar Zora who was suddenly taken aback. Zelda held Laruto close and released the tears that had welled up. The commotion raised the attention of some in the area, as well as Rassa inside the house.

“I-I-excuse me!” Laruto pried herself free from Zelda’s grasp.

Zelda pulled the covering away from her face and Laruto gasped. Rassa motioned for the two of them to get inside the house. As soon as they were inside, Laruto let out a sigh of relief and returned the embrace.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s a complicated story,” Zelda began.

She briefly recalled the events since her mother’s funeral. How her father had lost himself, Osmond had gone to the front lines, and then about her mother appearing in the form of a ghost.

Laruto placed her hand on Zelda’s when the story was over.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to endure that with your father… He… I don’t feel he’s entirely lost. I somehow know that he’s going to come around again. Things will be alright.”

Zelda smiled, “I just pray it’s not too late when he wakes up.”

“A prayer we all share,” Rassa commented, pouring some tea for the three of them.

“What do you think is in the city?” Laruto asked.

“That’s just it, we’re not sure. Even Rassa isn’t sure.”

“There are plenty of Sheikah tales about the dark places in Hyrule, but none that talk of any royal treasures being hidden away in such a place as the catacombs.”

“Fascinating,” Laruto said as she sipped her tea.

“How have things been for you? What with formally being recognized as the rightful heir to the Zora throne?” Zelda asked.

“You’ve been kept out of the major news then, I take it,” Laruto’s tone turned somber and cold. “It’s unfortunately been very isolating… Within the Zora community alone, there’s division. Many still see Rutela as queen and call me a usurper. Some recognize my title but think I’m not prepared enough. Others simply think I’m doing a poor job of looking out for my people.”

Her face grew darker.

“Then there’s the Hylians… With their faith in the Sages rattled, I’m even outcast amongst them.”

This time it was Zelda’s turn to offer comfort.

“Laruto…”

“It’s alright,” she reassured her royal peer. “Even before I was crowned Queen, I was on the outside looking in. I was a young sage who shared a seat with her queen. I was a river Zora in a house of lake people. I’ve never quite fit in and yet, I’ve always found a home. And that’s exactly what I’m doing here. I will love and care for my people until I too cross over the Sleepless Waterfall as my ancestors before me. I’m bound to this earth and these people.”

“I knew it!” Rassa exclaimed as if she’d solved some puzzle.

“Knew what?” Zelda and Laruto asked in unison.

“From earth by river, a flock shall grow. Make heed the song of royals’ flow. Where the storm shall roll, forever rests the spirits knoll.”

“I’ve heard that…” Laruto said, mulling over the words.

“If I’m correct, your adopted mother would have told you that line. It was in a story or a nursery rhyme, perhaps?” Rassa smiled.

“A song she used to sing, actually. I don’t quite remember the tune, just that it made me feel at peace. Like everything would turn out okay.”

“That’s a good memory,” Rassa said, poking a log in the fire with a stick. “Mothers and daughters share a bond like no others. Cherish those memories of happiness and joy. Those moments when you knew peace, joy, and love. They are what will always make you better than your enemies.”

The women fell silent for a long while. Only the crackling of the fire to provide a soundtrack. Zelda thought of her mother. There had been many times she wished or said awful things about her mother. As she’d grown older though, a different level of understanding had come up between them. Then, in those few moments in the loft of the Silent Princess Inn, they had come full circle.

The silence was broken suddenly.

“Madame Rassa!” Yoon stumbled in, one arm clutching the other as blood ran down her and fell to the ground.

“Yoon!?” Rassa stood quickly.

“In the square!” She pointed outside.

Zelda and Laruto rose quickly, but Rassa extended her staff in front of them.

“No, you two must stay here. It’s too dangerous for you to be exposed.”

“Rassa, I have to-“ Zelda started.

“No.”

With that, Rassa and Yoon rushed out the door, leaving the princess and sage alone.