Disclaimer: I don’t want to get in whatever trouble people can get into when using other people’s characters so - .The Legend of Zelda, Link, Zelda, Ganon, Hyrule and other related characters and settings belong to to that wonderous console company, Nintendo. No infringement intended.

Juliet A. Singleton (Scullys@bigfoot.com) & Kirsty Singleton (Indigo_Spacen@mail.com)

Chapter 2

    Later that evening, many thousands of miles away, in a hidden valley in the country of Benlucca, another child was born. Balayna, Queen of the Gerudos, lay upon a soft fur rug, scattered with many brightly coloured cushions. A sweet incense permeated the air, but it couldn't comfort her. Her deeply tanned skin was covered in sweat, her long red hair limp, and her golden eyes glistened with tears of pain. Two of Balayna's hand-maidens, Jenimue and Dindraina were knelt beside her anxiously, trying to comfort her. The oldest woman in their tribe, Kalimesse was standing nearby, ready to help, once the labour began. The Gerudos were a strange race. All of them had the same, golden coloured eyes, silky red hair, and deep tans. They had originated in Hyrule, when parts of it had been a desert, but when it had been attacked by Sosaria, they had fled, driven out of their homes by war, to the south, in as many boats as they could. They'd found the hot, wet land of Benlucca, which was nothing more than a lush jungle, and found a hidden valley in which to make their homes. They were master warriors, and thieves, but the problem that faced the Gerudo, was that Gerudo men were a rarity. It was more than a 99.9% chance that whenever a Gerudo woman became pregnant, she would bear a female child. In fact, a male child was supposedly only born every one hundred years. The women would mingle with the normal Benluccan society, and it was easy for them to find boyfriends, because of their exotic, beautiful looks. Many of them married, and some would bring their husbands back to the valley. However, if they were not so lucky, they had to act as common prostitutes, degrading as it might be. But it was simply a matter of survival. It had been foretold that one day, a Great King from the past would return. He was an evil, greedy man, and his name had been Ganondorf Dragmire. Indeed, he had returned, and his aim had been to get 'The Power of Gold', or the Triforce, as it was better known. It had happened only a few months ago, and he had bent his women warriors under his iron will, forcing them to fight for him. And he had forced Balayna to become his wife, despite her protests. He'd only remained in the valley for a few weeks, before going to Hyrule, but it had been long enough to get her pregnant. Gerudo women carried their babies for a shorter term than most other races, and the labour had begun right on time. The Queen couldn't help feeling a sense of dread at the oncoming birth though; anything related to Ganondorf Dragmire could not be considered good. For hours now, she had been enduring the pain of her contractions, but she couldn't seem to go any further on in the labour.

    "You must push as hard as you can, Balayna, it is time," Kalimesse announced.

    "I can't, I just can't!" Balayna wept, the pain threatening to almost tear her slender body apart.

    "You must not give up. The baby must be born!" Kalimesse said. Balayna cried out in pain.

    "It mustn't," she said, sensing the child was evil.

    "Try, Balayna. If you don't, you will surely die," Dindraina said softly. Balayna nodded, swallowing fearfully. "You can do it, Bally," Jenimue urged. Trying to clear her mind of bad thoughts, Balayna changed her concentration onto the task ahead.

***

    "Kiss me," Zelda murmured, steering Link into the back passage, away from the group of people celebrating in the Great Hall. Link gladly obliged, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her deeply. A few seconds later, they drew back, and smiled at each other.

    "I've been wanting to do that all day," he confided, caressing her shoulders lightly.

    "Me too, but we hardly ever got the chance to be alone! But, well, you know what it's like when we have guests," Zelda answered, still smiling up at him. They linked hands happily.

    "I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I have you, and two wonderful children. Oh Zel, I love you so much," Link exclaimed, drawing her close for another kiss.

    "I love you too, more than you could ever imagine," Zelda replied, kissing him back.

    "Oh, if it isn't the perfect happy family!" a sarky voice exclaimed. They both frowned, when they saw Fayette standing there in the passage.

    "Do you mind? We were trying to have a moment alone, in private," Zelda said shortly, folding her arms, and regarding her step-sister icily.

    "Yes, what are you doing out here? You have no reason to come this way," Link added.

    "Well, actually, I have. I saw you both walk out, and your father wanted to speak with you, Zelda," Fayette replied. The princess sighed.

    "Fine," she said. She turned back to Link. "Come on. She won't leave us alone, if we don't go," she said. He nodded, and took hold of her hand, and they walked back into the Great Hall.

    "Thanks a lot Faye," Link muttered under his breath to her.

    "My pleasure," she answered, before sweeping off into the crowd. Zelda located her father, and walked over to him, Link in tow. He was stood next to Fenella, and his old friends, King Derrick of Dubatio, and a few other lords were also there. When he saw Zelda approaching, he excused himself, and went over to meet her.

    "Dad? What do you want?" Zelda questioned impatiently.

    "Really Zelda, you make it sound like coming to see your dear father is such a waste of time!" the King remarked.

    "Dad, I was..." Zelda began.

    "Look, I have something to ask of you. My good friend Derrick has asked Fen and I to go up to Dubatio and stay at his palace for a while, perhaps until the end of the summer. I was wondering if that would be okay with you," Harkinian said.

    "You'd be away for a month?" Zelda questioned.

    "Well, yes," the King replied. Zelda toyed with a strand of her hair nervously.

    "But dad, it's the... you'd miss the summer festival," she stated.

    "Dear, I'd like you to be in charge of it this year," the King said.

    "Oh..." Zelda said quietly.

    "Come on Zel, it'll be fun," Link said.

    "You need to start taking the responsibility of ruling sooner or later, and this will be the perfect test," Harkinian said in an assertive tone.

    "Dad, I couldn't possibly run the festival by myself!" Zelda protested.

    "Nonsense! You'll have Link to help you, never mind Drake, Impa and the rest of my council," the King replied.

    "I suppose," Zelda said, shifting from one foot to the other. The King sighed.

    "Dear, I know fine well that you're capable," he said.

    "I guess you do need a holiday, Dad," Zelda finally acknowledged.

    "Finally, you agree. Thank you. It means a lot to me to hear you say that," the King said. Zelda nodded.

    "It's okay," she said. He drew her into a hug, and kissed her on the forehead.

    "Ah, I am so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter," he remarked. Turning, he drew Link into his embrace also. "And such a wonderful son-in-law," he added. "And two wonderful grandchildren," he finally said.

    "Thanks, dad," Zelda said, stepping back.

    "Speaking of the children, I think we ought to go and check on them both," Link said, giving Zelda a meaningful look. She caught on, and nodded.

    "Yes, I think we'd better," she said.

    "Well, if I don't see you later on, goodnight. By the way, we're leaving after breakfast tomorrow morning, so don't go to bed too late," the King said. Zelda smiled.

    "On the contrary, dad, we were planning on an early night anyway," she said, before heading for the stairs, together with Link.

***

    Balayna slipped in and out of consciousness, during the final hour of her labour. At one point, she thought that she heard Jenimue speaking to Kalimesse in a worried tone. "I've never seen such a hard labour, she's losing so much blood!"

    "What if we lose them?" Dindraina whispered back. Kalimesse remained silent, wiping the blood away that she could. Balayna pushed as hard as she could, gripping onto the hands of her handmaidens. A few short seconds later, she felt no more pain, and the wails of a new born child echoed through the chamber. Balayna lay there, thoroughly exhausted, but glad the ordeal was finally over. Kalimesse picked the baby up, cut the cord, and gently washed the blood away from it. It screamed and screamed, but Balayna barely heard it. Her mind was drifting away somewhere else.

    "Bally, wake up!" Dindraina said urgently, shaking her.

    "It's all over..." Balayna murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

    "You have a baby boy," Kalimesse stated. Balayna's vision swam, but she could make up Kalimesse holding the baby out to her.

    "I don't want to hold him, please, take him away," she said coldly.

    "Bally! This is your baby! You must bond with him!" Jenimue said, sounding shocked at her Queen's words.

    "He is evil! He is the child of Ganondorf Dragmire!" Balayna continued.

    "Balayna, he is but a child! You mustn't talk like that!" Kalimesse said. Balayna shook her head.

    "I do not wish to hold him," she stated.

    "At least name him," Jenimue said. Somewhere, in the reaches of her mind, Balayna heard a deep, dark voice. You must name him Molasar! the voice ordered.

    "It is dark," Balayna said, looking out to the window. "His name will be Molasar, he of the night," she said, with what little strength she had left. All the Gerudos were named after things, words from their old native language.

    "Prince Molasar he is," Kalimesse said. That was the last thing Balayna heard, for then darkness seemed to envelope her soul, and her spirit was taken to a better place. Dindraina felt for her queen's pulse, but it was gone. She looked back up, at Jenimue and Kalimesse, her face sad.

    "She has been taken," she murmured. Molasar started to cry again, and a flash of lighting suddenly lit up the sky.

    "Faylita will be named next queen. I will raise the child myself, and once he is old enough, he shall take the throne," Kalimesse said.

    "We shall tell everyone the news at once," Jenimue said. Kalimesse nodded, and turned her attention to the child. He was the new hope of the Gerudo.

***

    Zelda stepped forward, hugging her father. "Goodbye," she murmured. Then she stepped back, smiling at her father. Her father placed one hand on Zelda's shoulder, smiling proudly.

    "I will miss you dear, and young Ewan, and your beautiful daughter," started the King, beginning to feel a little sentimental. Link interrupted.

    "Hey, come on. If you don't go now, you never will. You two go and enjoy a well deserved break. Me and Zel can hold the fort here," said Link grinning. The King nodded.

    "You're absolutely right," said the King. He stepped forward, giving Zelda a kiss on each cheek. He then lifted up Ewan, giving him a firm hug, before setting him down again. He then took Brianna from the arms of Impa, kissing the baby on the forehead, before returning her to her nursemaid. Finally, he gave Link a firm handshake before getting onto the coach were Fenella was waiting. Link glanced at Zelda, putting one arm around her shoulders, before waving the King and Fenella off.

    "Goodbye!" called Zelda from behind, whilst Ewan raced with the wagon up to the gate, waving madly. And then they were gone. Ewan raced back up to his father, hugging him on the leg.

    "Will grandfather be away for long?" asked Ewan, looking up at Link. His father smiled down at him.

    "Not for that long, a month," he replied. Zelda turned to Impa, lifting her daughter from the nursemaids arms.

    "This is the first time in a while that my father has been away from Hyrule," remarked Zelda, gazing adoringly at her daughter.

    "It's the first time you've been in charge of things around here as well," said Link.

    "What if I ruin the summer festival?" Zelda asked in doubt. Link smiled his lopsided smile, giving Zelda a small hug, careful to avoid squashing Brianna.

    "I'll be helping, so it won't be that bad," he reassured cheekily. He stepped back, Zelda giving him a small punch on the shoulder.

    "Thank you!" she said in an offended tone. Link rubbed his stomach.

    "Well I don't know about you, but I'm starved. Why don't we go in, see if breakfast is ready," said the hero. Zelda nodded, following him inside.

    Ewan swiftly brought his sword forward to defend himself, before getting in a few hits of his own. He ducked the next blow, rolling across the ground, landing back on his feet, his sword ready. Link tried again, this time a low blow, but Ewan leapt nimbly over the blade, pointing the sword at Link's lower torso. Link threw up his hands in defeat. "Either you're not my son, or I'm a pretty good teacher," said the hero grinning. Ewan smiled, fingering the blade of his wooden sword.

    "You threw that one," he said grinning. Link's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

    "I threw it? Me?" he asked, offended. Ewan nodded, slipping the sword into it's sheath on his back.

    "Yep, I reckon so," said the young boy. Link laughed, sheathing his own sword.

    "You know what Ewan, you're a poor winner," said Link, walking across to the archery range. Ewan followed him.

    "But it's true, you could've blocked it easily," insisted Ewan. Link turned to his son, looking at his earnest face.

    "Ewan, you are the best five year old I have ever seen with a sword. It's uncanny," said Link truthfully. Ewan shrugged, pulling an arrow from the ground and taking his bow from the wooden rail. He neatly equipped the bow, aiming at the target. Link did the same. "Okay, how about you shoot that arrow, and see if I can better it," said Link. Ewan nodded, turning his attention back to the target. He let go of the string, sending the arrow through the air, hitting the target just a hair above the bull's eye. Link nodded, aiming carefully, before hitting the target, right in the middle. Ewan shook his head.

    "I threw that," he said devilishly, grinning up at his father. Link raised his eyebrows again.

    "Oh you did, did you?" he questioned. He quickly dropped the bow and made a grab for Ewan, but the young boy was too quick for him, dashing off at an incredible speed, running across the archery range.

    Link followed gaining on his son. Ewan laughed loudly, running up and behind one of the targets. Link swerved the other way, meeting his son on the other side, grabbing and lifting Ewan into the air, swirling him around. Ewan laughed even louder, as his father tickled his belly.

    "Stop! Stop!" begged Ewan between laughs.

    "Hey Link!" called a voice from across the range. Link turned, distracted for a moment, Ewan wriggling out of his grasp and jumping to the ground.

    "Hey Aaron!" called back Link, shooting a grin at his son. Aaron's own son, Timothy raced over, talking to Ewan. Link strode across the range to see his long time friend and apprentice Aaron.

    "Didn't get much of a chance to speak to you yesterday, just wanted to congratulate you again on that beautiful daughter of yours," said Aaron. Link smiled.

    "Yeah, I can hardly believe it myself. She's going to be as beautiful as her mother," said Link.

    "Saw you and Ewan training before. The boy can't half move," added Aaron, watching as his own son played tag with Ewan. Link shook his head, his gaze also fixed on the two boys as they dashed around madly, yelling and laughing.

    "He's good Aaron. Better than most trained men. And so agile, he can jump, roll, leap, just about anything. I know he's a kid, and has a lot of energy, but that much? It must be true about the power within him. If anyone can join the Triforce, it's him," said Link. Aaron folded his arms, leaning against the rail.

    "I know this may seem premature, but I think that it's possible he could be the one to unite the whole of the Demiari," said Aaron. Link looked at Aaron.

    "You know what, you could be right," said Link, glancing back at his son.

    "But enough speculation, what's it like, to have another one?" asked Aaron suddenly.

    "Great. Unbelievable. Somehow, having those two, so perfect, it's like fate is making up for what I've lost," said Link. Aaron nodded, understanding. The young swordsman took a bow from the rail, pulling an arrow from the ground.

    "How much you betting I can split that one?" asked Aaron, pointing at Link's arrow. Link laughed.

    "You'll never do it," he said. Aaron grinned back.

    "Oh yeah?" he asked. Link turned his attention to the two kids.

    "Hey you two! Clear off from the range, unless you want an arrow in the ear!" he called. The two stopped, immediately obeying, before resuming their game on the outskirts of the range. Aaron took up his archers stance, aiming carefully, squinting at the target. He pulled back, let go, the arrow sailing cleanly through the air. It split the arrow on the target. Aaron let out a whoop of joy, slapping Link on the shoulder.

    "I said I could do it!" he exclaimed.

    "Like I ever doubted you!" said Link mockingly. Tim ran over to his father.

    "Wow! You split the arrow!" he exclaimed. Aaron leaned down, handing the bow to his son. "Why don't you try?" he asked. Tim shrugged.

    "Uh, I'm not sure," said Tim shyly.

    "Come on, I'll show you how," said Aaron. He bent down on his knees, holding the bow in front of Tim, showing him how to hold the weapon, and how to arm it. Eventually, Tim managed to fire an arrow, which made it across the range, hitting the target not so far under the bull's eye. But, there wasn't enough power in the shot, and the arrow bounced off the target, landing harmlessly in the grass. Timothy let out a disappointed sigh, gazing down at the ground.

    "Hey, that was good Tim. The first time I picked up a bow, I nearly poked out my own eye!" exclaimed Aaron. Tim looked up at his father.

    "Really?" he asked, unsure. Aaron nodded.

    "And when I finally managed to shoot off an arrow, it didn't even make it half way across the range!" continued Aaron. Tim smiled, and looked over at Ewan.

    "But Ewan is so much better than me," he said. Aaron looked across at Aaron, wondering what to say.

    "Ewan is older than you, he's had more time to train," said Link, rubbing Timothy affectionately on the head.

    "Yeah! You'll be better than me in no time!" said Ewan enthusiastically. Tim smiled.

    "Yeah!" he agreed, before racing over to Ewan, tapping him on the shoulder and declaring that Ewan was "It!" before the two began to resume their game.

    "I should get a smaller bow made for him," commented Aaron. Link nodded.

    "It'd help, but like you said, for a first try, it was pretty good," said Link. At that moment, the two men heard the dinner bell go off inside the castle. "Come on you two! Dinner's ready!" called Link to the two boys, before he and Aaron raced them inside.

    Zelda went up to her room later that afternoon to have a rest. She settled back onto the bed, and thought about the upcoming summer festival, which would take place in less than two weeks. In a way, she was glad that she'd had Brianna early, because she would be able to join in with the festivities, instead of worrying about when she would go into labour. However, she hadn't counted on having to run the whole festival herself. That sort of thing was usually left to her father; he was the King of Hyrule, after all. He enjoyed planning events, after all. Zelda hated organising things, she just felt that she wasn't any good at it. Well, perhaps she was just simply too lazy to be bothered, but now, here she was, having to plan an entire festival. She frowned to herself, wondering if she could just hand the whole thing over to the Royal Council instead. The festival needed so much work, after all. It wasn't just a big dance, after all, there was lots of things to organise. The festival took place in the large park in the centre of Mido Town, the capital of Hyrule. There would be all kinds of stalls, with people selling their wares, displays, a buffet, and of course, a huge dance in the evening. It was tradition that the current ruler of the country to organise everything, and with her father away, Zelda knew that left her in charge. Sometimes, she wished that she wasn't a princess. There were so many responsibilities, ones that she didn't want to bother with sometimes. Then again, she wondered if she could have coped without the luxurious lifestyle. Sighing, she lay down, and closed her eyes, but despite how tired she felt, something was troubling her. Zelda suddenly thought about Fayette. There was one advantage of being left in charge; Fayette would be so jealous. In fact, Zelda was hoping, that once she did take over properly from her father, she'd be able to turf her step sister out of North Castle. She knew that a lot of people felt sorry for Fayette, because she'd lost her husband, but in Zelda's opinion, it didn't give her any right to actually still be living there. In her castle. Fayette had a big mansion back in Brynnel, but she persisted in staying in Hyrule, saying she felt more at home there.

    "You shouldn't think such bad thoughts about people!" a small voice suddenly scolded. Zelda opened her eyes to see Navi fluttering nearby.

    "Excuse me?" she said incredulously.

    "You're planning on telling your sister to move out. That's not very nice," Navi said, folding her arms and looking displeased.

    "She's not my sister, actually," Zelda said, frowning. She absolutely hated it when people referred to her and Fayette as being sisters.

    "Well, sister, step-sister, whatever. I do really think it's mean of you. I'm sure Link wouldn't agree," Navi replied.

    "I'll do as I please. I am the next ruler of Hyrule, after all. And Link would agree with me on this," Zelda said, feeling annoyed. She didn't like Navi very much, she was worse than Sprite.

    "Why don't you like me?" Navi suddenly demanded. Zelda frowned. How could the faerie read her mind like this?

    "I..." she began, and then gave up. It was no use in lying.

    "Maybe Sprite was right. You know, I don't think that you're good enough for Link. He ought to have married Kylara after all," Navi remarked. Zelda felt angry at the mention of that woman.

    "Do you mind? I'm trying to get some rest, you know," she stated coolly.

    "Hmmm... alright. I guess I have got better things to do," Navi said in an obnoxious tone.

    "I'm starting to regret letting you be Brianna's faerie godmother. Perhaps I should have asked Fleur after all," Zelda said angrily.

    "Link wanted me to be her faerie godmother, though," Navi answered, sounding smug.

    "Oh, for Hyrule's sake, get lost, and leave me alone!" Zelda said. Navi flew off, over through the window.

    "Now you know what she's really like!" sang out another voice.

    "Oh great, not you," Zelda sighed, seeing Sprite.

    "I tried to tell you and Link, but you just wouldn't listen!" Sprite carried on, ignoring her. "I wish she'd go back to where she came from," she added.

    "What is it about Link and faeries?" Zelda sighed.

    "He saved my life, I owe it to him to be his guardian faerie!" Sprite exclaimed.

    "I guess so. But what about that Navi?" Zelda asked.

    "Oh, she just appeared out of nowhere, and claimed to be his guardian faerie. Like, that's even true!" Sprite said, her tone verging on that of disgust.

    "Well, I wish she'd just disappear," Zelda said, thinking back to Navi's comment about Kylara.

    "She has got to go. And she will. Mark my words," Sprite said darkly.

Back to Story Menu