The Legend of Zelda: Wisdom and Courage

Chapter 7: What Must Be Done

After a brief feeling of silent weightlessness, the light that blinded Zelda's vision faded, and she found herself exactly where she expected to be: in the hollowed, empty halls of the Temple of Time. The peacefulness of the sacred stone walls around her was in stark contrast to the dangerous shadows looming in the woods, but as the princess arrived she took no solace in that fact. It was only as she found herself safe and alone with the temple that the full realization of what just happened hit her, as well as its implications. Link was gone, captured by the wicked sorceress who had her sights set on both of them, and it had only been because of the hero's selfless sacrifice that the princess was safe at the moment, while his own fate was now uncertain. And as Zelda thought about this, she was unable to stop the tears of grief from coming. Feeling weak and worn, she sank to her knees on the stone floor and let out a tight sob, knowing that her best friend's life was in such great danger. Simply thinking about all of the many ways Veran could possibly end Link's life reduced Zelda to broken cries of misery as guilt weighed her down. For she knew that if he had not risked his life to save her like he did, then he would most likely not be in the sorceress's hands now.

Despite her anxiety, the princess knew the hero's choice to oppose Veran, even though he knew he would certainly fall, had been a wise one. As he had told her, if she had been captured by the sorceress, then Hyrule would certainly fall into disarray without its young ruler. Yet despite this, the land had indeed lost the hero who had saved it once before. What if, while trapped in Veran's tight grip, Link would not be able to deliver it again from the new threat it now faced?

Zelda closed her eyes for a long moment, realizing that despite the fact that this whole tragedy was her fault, there was a way for her to atone for the weakness and cowardice that she had showed in the woods, when Link had needed her the most. With a deep breath, she rose and stood with resolve, knowing that she had to find him and rescue him before it was too late. For the sake of not just the hero and her kingdom, but for her own guilt-ridden heart.

Knowing that such a situation as this required strategy and tactfulness, Zelda decided that it would be best if she had some help in this mission, help from someone she trusted completely. And fortunately, such aid was not so far away.

With quickened steps, the princess hurried out of the Temple of Time and into the lush, empty courtyard in front of it. However, she stopped in her tracks the moment she heard angry shouting from the nearby town, accompanied by the scent of smoke. Her heart began to pound nervously as she slowly approached the main town square, wondering what all of the commotion was about. She quickly found out however when she saw the mob of about twenty or so townsfolk congregated near the fountain of the royal crest in the center of the square, shouting undiscernible cries of fury as they raised their torches and other household items that had been fashioned into weapons up in the air. Zelda's eyes widened as she looked upon what appeared to be the beginning of a riot, but she hadn't the faintest idea of why the normally peaceful people of Castle Town were gathering in such a violent manner.

In tentative curiosity, the princess began to approach the crowd, hoping to either get some answers or use her position of authority to quell their unexplained anger. However, as she neared them, one of the protestors happened to turn and noticed her presence among the common folk, a strange, yet ironic sight in light of their cause.

"Look!" the man shouted to the rest of his comrades, pointing an accusing finger at Zelda. "There she is!"

Upon seeing the shocked princess, the crowd erupted into heated shouts of wild fury as they all began to rush towards her, their weapons all aimed for her as they yelled curses against their ruler. Too stunned to even think about why the people were suddenly rebelling against her, Zelda turned and started booking it towards the castle, hoping that she would find refuge there. Fortunately for her, the royal guards and soldiers had not been caught up in the mob mentality and still strived to protect the princess, as they formed a tight line between the town and the castle grounds as soon as she had raced past them, pushing the riotous group back and shouting encouragement to her as she hurried onto the castle and dared not look back. Her eyes wide with fear and her heart racing, Zelda rushed up to the castle's front door and pounded loudly, hoping that she'd be admitted into her own home with ease.