Fan Fiction Friday: The Era Without A Hero – Part 40

||  Part Thirty-Nine ||  Part Forty-One  ||

Part Forty

Moments later, the small Sheikah cottage was empty again. Zelda and Laruto slipped out the front door, cloaks over them to conceal their faces and they followed the flow of people leading towards a small square.

In the shadow of the gate house, on the paved path to the sealed door, a large crowd had gathered and were listening to a tall Zora. He stood on a box, though he likely didn’t need it, and wore armor on one shoulder that hung down with decorations over his chest. His red skin was accented by his white fins and thunderous voice which he barked his sermon with.

“Brothers and sisters! This is the price that must be paid for our suffering!” he boasted, holding his fist high above his head. “They have made us suffer long enough on the outside of these walls. They pass by as if they are better, as if they are entitled, as if they are superior! But now is when we rise up and take the city for ourselves!”

Zelda and Laruto, keeping to the back of the crowd caught a glimpse of a person laying on the ground. Their face was turned away but from the cloak, Zelda quickly realized it was Lindsey.

“That’s quite enough from you!” Rassa’s voice called out from the crowd. The Sheikah elder stepped into the clearing and knelt next to her protégé.

“And look! One of the Hylian pets comes to save their own! Tell me, woman, do they call you wise because of your age? Or the size of your purse?”

Rassa huffed, “They call me wise because I can control more magic with my little finger than you can with your entire dorsal fin.”

A murmur went through the crowd.

“A mage? Oh-ho-hoo! An even finer example of the Hylian hypocrisy! They teach all their magic to only the closest to the royal family! Only one member of every other race is ever blessed with magic, and when there’s two, one of them gets branded a traitor!”

Zelda clenched her fist and was about to step forward when Laruto grabbed hold of her.

“Don’t you see? The great Queen Rutela was powerful and wise, so the Royal Family created a lie to remove her from the Sage Counsel and push the Zora people down. And of course, they used the Sheikah to do it!”

“You’re young and dumb; I envy you,” Rassa chided, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder, and muttering a brief prayer under her breath.

“Don’t patronize me!” The Zora jumped down from his podium. “Your kind is honoring some millennia-old pact, living in the shadows until it’s convenient to show up. You’re no better than the slaves we’re bound to become.”

“You’re only slaves in your mind. This is war, boy, and unfortunately, you’ve been caught up in the foul side of it.”

“I don’t think so.”

With a swift motion, the Zora swung his leg up into Rassa. His foot slapped loudly across her face and sent the woman flying backward. As she tumbled to the ground near the crowd, the Zora stood with one foot atop Lindsey.

Laruto couldn’t restrain Zelda anymore.

A burst of golden light erupted from Zelda’s hand as she rushed forward and brought her fist into the Zora’s chest. He flew backward and slammed against the Castletown wall behind them.

As the dust settled around her, Zelda became acutely aware that the crowd only watched for a moment as the Zora had left his feet, before shifting their attention back to the cause of it. In her attack, Zelda’s hood had fallen away, and her face was now fully exposed.

“It’s the Princess!” Some called from the crowd.

“Why is she here?”

“Was he telling the truth?”

“Why would the Princess attack him like that?”

“The Royal Family really has turned against us!”

“The Sheikah and the Royals will only defend themselves!”

Zelda turned and rushed to Rassa’s side. A trickle of blood was flowing from her mouth and her eye had already begun to swell shut.

“You need to go,” Laruto said, joining Zelda beside the Sheikah woman.

“Rassa…” Zelda stuttered.

A small smile appeared on Rassa’s face then, followed by a subtle wink.

“Zelda, go!” Laruto urged again.

Zelda, realizing then the danger of the crowd around them, stood up and began to look for a way out. Yoon then appeared above the crowd on a nearby rooftop, a bomb arrow ready in her bow. Zelda nodded to her and motioned to the wall. Yoon took her meaning and aimed up at the stone wall that stood a short distance away.

When an arrow struck the wall and exploded, many in the crowd shifted their attention again, to see what chaos would erupt next. In the confusion, Zelda launched a handful of Deku Nuts into the air, then grabbed Laruto and Rassa, before moving toward Lindsey’s still body.

Just before the blinding flashes of the Deku Nuts, Zelda threw her cloak around herself and the other three then closed her eyes.

Tapping into her powers as Kalia and Sagesse had been instructing her to do, Zelda teleported them out of danger all at once.

When the flash came, the women were all back in the hut and out of danger. Yoon arrived just a second later and sealed the door with a quick enchantment, before rushing to the sides of her wounded mentor and partner.

“I don’t know how that Zora identified us,” Yoon said. “We were concealed. No person should have been able to identify us.”

Rassa groaned and began to sit up.

“Rassa, lay back. You’re hurt,” Zelda urged.

“It’ll take a lot more than that to keep me bedridden,” she winced, roughly wiping the blood from her mouth. “Lindsey on the other hand does need some assistance.”

Laruto had already made her way to the young Sheikah girl and had her hand resting on Lindsey’s head. A faint blue glow was shining from Laruto’s palm.

“The Goddess’ clever plans always working out,” Rassa smiled. “A healer arrives just before a grave injury. Surely they are watching out for us.”

Yoon bowed her head and took Lindsey’s hand in her own.

The light faded and Laruto smiled, “She will be alright.”

“She is like my sister. Thank you, Lady Laruto.”

Rassa, moving faster than Zelda cared for, shuffled over next to Yoon.

“You were disguised?”

“No madame, we were concealed by magic. Lindsey and I had been scouting the area from above. We had just descended into the alleyway and enchanted ourselves when our way was blocked. That Zora, along with two or three others, then appeared and surrounded us. Lindsey made a path for me to retreat to you. When you arrived at the square, they had already beaten her to the state she’s in now.”

Rassa hummed.

“We Zora do not normally possess such power. To see through magical concealment? Short of a few legends, I don’t know of any way such a power could be achieved,” Laruto said.

“Troubling…”

“Was it possible they saw you beforehand? Or maybe when we arrived here?” Zelda asked.

Yoon shook her head.

Zelda stood up and looked out the window. As she bit at her fingers, she noticed a bit of blood trickling down her face. Her nose had begun to bleed just moments after arriving back at the hut.

“You should rest as well,” Laruto’s hand was suddenly on Zelda’s shoulder. “You pushed yourself too hard I fear.”

“I’m fine,” Zelda said, “and I’m worried we can’t stay here much longer.”

“None of you are in a position to travel anywhere.”

“She’s right though,” Rassa said. “If they could see through Sheikah concealment spells, they’ll be able to see this place for what it really is in no time. What worries me is how they did it.”

“You don’t have any ideas, madame?” Yoon asked.

“I have many ideas… All of which chill me to the bone.”

“What do you propose we do?” Zelda asked.

Rassa let out a long breath before answering. “First, we cannot stay here any longer. Lindsey is still asleep and will be until morning in all likelihood. You, dear princess, cannot go out at the risk of being seen again, in addition to being exhausted. I may be alright, but I fear I may not be able to keep up if we were to run into trouble.”

“What about Lord Sagesse?” Laruto suggested. “He comes to town every few days. He should be due to visit again soon, I could speak with him and see about getting you all into the city with his aid.”

“When was his last visit?” Rassa asked.

“Four days ago. He should be passing through either tomorrow or the day after.”

Rassa nodded, “It’s possible that we may be able to remain here until then. Is it safe to meet with him?”

“I will ride out ahead and meet with him at the Bridge of Eldin. That’s far enough away that I should be able to inform him about what has happened.”

“Where should we meet you if the need to flee would arise sooner?” Zelda asked.

“If we must abandon this place, we will make for the gate and demand entry and asylum. You are the Princess still, no matter the situation,” Rassa said. “Entry into the city was supposed to be quiet, however, that may no longer be an option. Those who did see you will likely spread the story of what happened. Hopefully, many will dismiss it as rumor or claim it was mistaken. Because of that, we have a chance yet to make our way in without further issues.”

Laruto rose and pulled her cloak up. She walked to the door and peered outside through the small port in it. With a glance back she nodded.

“I will return as quickly as I can. May the Goddesses give me speed, and give you protection.”

She rushed through the door and vanished into the night.

 

David Wayne Nystrom is a Staff Writer for Zelda Dungeon. This story is an imagining of the final days in Hyrule prior to the Great Flood talked about in the opening cinematic of The Wind Waker. The story is getting an audio version in podcast form in late 2021 and there’s a complete soundtrack for the first volume here. Head over to erawithoutahero.wordpress.com or follow the story account on Twitter @ZeldaTEWAH where you can keep up on information regarding the future of the podcast, soundtrack, and other TEWAH news that will be coming soon! David’s top three Zelda games are Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Skyward Sword. He’s also an avid Smash Bros. fan. Every Era Has Heroes…