"One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure. They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair... They burnt forests to ash, choked the land's sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation.
They did all this in their lust to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the Goddess. The power she guarded was without equal. Handed down by Gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality. Such was the might of the ultimate power that the Old Ones placed it in the care of the Goddess.
To prevent this great power from falling into the hands of the evil swarming the lands, the Goddess gathered the surviving humans on an outcropping of earth. She sent it skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds.
With the humans safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away."
Zelda stopped reading. Once again the books were clear: at the beginning of time, the Goddess had sealed the forces of evil. "Sealed" didn't mean defeated. And yet Zelda knew all the ancient legends well: it appeared that, later, it had been the legendary hero to defeat the forces of evil's incarnation. But then, why hadn't the Goddess been able to do it? A goddess surely holds a greater power than a human, even than a hero.
As much as she kept on reading the ancient legends, there was always something that didn't add up. Perhaps, if she had been able to understand better, she could have found a way to stop the Demon King reincarnations once for all.
A noise behind her drawed her attention from her thoughts. She turned towards the back of the glassy room: the door was ajar. Weird, she was certain she had closed it after entering.
"Ela, is that you?"
But the priestess didn't answer. Perplexed, Zelda got up and walked to the door, peeking on the other side. The corridor that lent to her room was empty.
"Oh well, must have been my imagination... Maybe Ela is right, I should stop reading this much."
She closed the door and was about to turn back, when she saw a shadow at the corner of her eyes. Under a black cape, something was shining: a knife.
Zelda screamed.
Link dashed to the Temple's entrance.
"Link wait! Don't get away on your own!" shouted Impa from a distance, but the child didn't stop. That scream had been too clear: Zelda was in danger. He prayed to the Goddesses it wasn't too late.
He broke into the same chamber where just a few days ago he had obtained the Master Sword. He was so nervous he didn't realize that the two guards who usually presided over the temple's door, day and night, were missing. He ran to the large glass window that separated the chamber from the princess' spaces. Beyond the glass, a hooded figure was lying on the ground, half buried by a bookcase that had fallen, throwing books all over the pavement. Zelda was standing shortly far, holding a huge tome in her hands, which looked like it had to be pretty heavy. A red stripe marked her forehead, staining her candid dress: she was wounded.
"Zelda!" he called, pressing his face on the glass.
The girl shuddered, scared, and turned. She stared at him, completely lost: she seemed to not be able to understand if he was another enemy or a friend. Link remembered the outfit he was wearing and lowered its hood.
"Zelda it's me! We are here to help!"
"...Link? Is that you?"
Zelda ran towards him, reaching for his hand on the other side of the glass.
"But what are you doing here...?"
The tears began to run down her face.
"...help me..."
Link nodded. But while he was thinking about a way to bring her friend to safety, something moved in the shadows behind him. Turned in that direction, Zelda could see it: another hooded figure who darted towards the child.
"NO!"
A blinding light sprang from the symbols on their hands, divided by the glass.
Right at that moment, Impa and Ganondorf reached the entrance.
"But those are...!" exclaimed Impa in disbelief. Before she could finish her sentence, the glass shattered. Glass shards flew in all directions. Impa grabbed Ganondorf and leaped behind a column just in time. The hooded figure was swept away by the shards.
Zelda kneeled over and Link caught her deftly. She looked sorely tired, almost as she had just sustained an intense effort.
Impa and Ganondorf reached them quickly.
"Dorfie, can you carry her?" asked Impa.
"Leave it to me!" exclaimed the kid, putting her over his shoulders.
"Link, cover them, I'll handle those" said Impa pointing with a nod towards the door.
A small group of three hooded people was getting ready to attack.
"Let's see how out of practice I am" she told herself with a smirk, unsheathing her sword.
"Bring it on, king's dogs!" shouted at the three.
Two of them seemed to hesitate.
"...Impa?" muttered one.
"Ooooh?" Someone remembers me? Then you should also remember you have no chances to defeat me!"
Then, suddenly, she dashed forward and, with a slash so fast it was almost imperceptible, she wounded the legs of one of the three, making him fall. Immediately the other two withdrew to a safer distance. Impa took advantage of the moment to grab the one she had wounded, pointing her blade to his throat.
"Now it's time to spill it: are you working under the king's orders as usual? What is he trying to achieve?"
The hostage burst into a sarcastic laugh.
"Don't you see the symbol on our capes? We serve the Demon King!"
Impa glanced at their dark uniforms: at heart's height was drawn in red the coat of arms of the Gerudo, the people destined to give birth to the Demon King according to the legends.
"Do not tease me, I know damn well you're Sheika. Now you have two options: you tell me what's your goal or I'll cut your throat. As simple as that."
The Sheika laughed again.
"I only answer to the Demon King"
"Oh come on, I've never seen you before, you idiot!" intervened Ganondorf, annoyed.
Impa glared at him.
She was about to start using force to make the hostage talk, when a small troop of soldiers broke into the room. Guiding them, no one else than the guard's chief.
Link's dad.
"Everybody holster your weapons, in the name of Hyrule's king!"
Link gripped the hilt of his rusty sword. His dad hadn't recognised him yet.
Rune approached Impa, who was still keeping the hooded man under the menace of her sword.
"You're a Sheika, right? What's happening? Is the princess okay?"
