The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule's Hope

Chapter 28: The Spring of Courage, Part 3

After escaping Lurelin Village, Rhiannon led the group into the jungle. She instructed them to lay low until sunrise, camping in the middle of the Zonai Ruins. The entire night, Rhiannon couldn't stick an eye. She spent it looking at the stars, wondering if her parents were fine. "I bet they're scared," she thought, "they've been trapped there for 25 years. I'm more worried about my mother–she was trapped there for a hundred years, and now she has to spend another 25 years... If only I could tell her how sorry I am..."

She tried to contain her tears but it was hard for her to do so. She sat up, pulling her knees to her chest, sighing to avoid waking her friends up with her sobbing. "It's blatantly obvious I'm never going to be the person I used to be 25 years ago," she thought as she stroked her hair, "I have to detach from my past self and become someone new."

She looked down at her long blonde hair, then looked up at the Master Sword resting against a rock. After briefly hesitating, she got up silently and took the sword in her hands. She walked further into the ruins as the sun began to rise in the sky. Once she was far away enough, she took off her tunic and placed it on the floor, kneeling next to it. She rapidly braided her hair and held the end tightly. With her free hand, she held the sword and placed the blade under the braid. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "One... two... three..." Rhiannon drove the sword across the braid, cutting off a large chunk of hair and leaving the rest just above her shoulders. The princess stared at her reflection in the blade–with a brand new haircut, she felt reborn. In her hand was still the braid that she had cut off, so she let it fall to the floor into a small pile of blonde hair. "It's a brand new day," she whispered, "and it's a brand new me. I finally detached from the past. I am a brand new person now."

Using her fingers, she moved her bangs to the sides of her head. She took the braid and her tunic, walking back to the camp. The campfire that had been set up the night before was still ablaze, so Rhiannon tossed the braid into the flames and watched as it burned into ashes. Zya then opened her eyes, noticing the burning smell in the air. She looked up to see a figure she did not recognize. Rhiannon looked over her shoulder when she felt Zya's stare in the back of her neck. However, before she could explain anything, Zya pounced over her. "Ow!" Rhiannon exclaimed, "Hey!"

The tussle then woke up the others. "Who are you?!" Zya asked, "What have you done with Princess Rhiannon?!"

"I am Princess Rhiannon, Zya!" Rhiannon answered, "I just cut my hair!"

"You what?!" Dori gasped. "If you truly are Rhiannon, prove it!" Koli said, "What's Rhiannon's favorite color?"

"Turquoise," Rhiannon said. "Yep, that's Rhia," Dori said, "so, you just decided to cut your hair out of nowhere?"

"I feel like I had to detach from my old self," Rhiannon explained, "so I gave myself a little trim."

"Little?!" Dori inquired, "What did you do with the rest of your hair?!"

Rhiannon then pointed at the campfire. The others gasped as they saw a pile of ashes as the flames slowly died. "You burned your hair?!" Aya asked. "That explains the smell..." Zya said. "No!" Dori cried, taking the ashes in her hands, "Not your hair! It was the money-maker!"

"I'm a brand new person now," Rhiannon said, "I feel like I was reborn, like a butterfly leaving its cocoon. Also, I should probably say–while I do not mind being addressed as a woman, sometimes I just don't feel like a woman at all, so please address me as they or them."

"I thought you had forgotten about that whole androgynous thing," Dori said, "glad to see you back at it!"

"It's a new day, and I'm a brand new person," Rhiannon sighed, "well, we're not that far from the Spring of Courage, we should just follow that river."