Who We Are; Zelink, Modern (The Legend Of Zelda)

An Explanation (27)

"Over a millennium ago, a great war broke out across these lands. A great evil from the south rose up against the good of the land. Hyrule was hit the hardest... a mark of the purity that used to reside in that kingdom. The races banded together and went to their aid." Aamina stopped and looked up at Zelda. "The war was long... so long... but eventually it became apparent that the forces of good were losing. All hope lost, the royal family sealed Hyrule with grand walls and retreated deep within them; like a wounded animal that would lash out at anything and everything. Hyrule left us to our fate..."

"Then a hero appeared among the Sheikah. She was not the chosen hero, far from it... but she did manage to seal the darkness inside the desert. However, our forces were not capable of destroying the army of monsters that were under its command. The land was in havoc, everything was in ruin; from the Gerudo desert to the fields of Hyrule... The goddesses looked down upon us and lent us their aid... but it did not come without a price..."

"Eight hundred long years later... and Hyrule still does not accept its mistakes. Instead, it forgot them; leaving the races to fend for themselves. We were nothing to them but tools to be discarded. They were wrong in what they did...but they would rather forget than admit to it. So your legends were rewritten; to a degree. They stayed mostly true, or so it seems... yet many things were discarded. Few still believe in the Creation. Fewer still believe in magic, or the Triforce."

Zelda frowned. "Link was one of those people. He believed in magic but... Not until recently did he accept the goddesses as real." And two months ago he was the bad guy... She shook herself. "So the royal family betrayed those who helped them by what...? Just protecting themselves instead of going down with what they thought was a sinking ship?"

"It was a sinking ship... but the Sheikah did not give up. We were victorious...if only temporarily."

"Eight hundred years is a long time to be called temporary."

"Yes... but now that temporary reprieve is coming to an end."

Zelda's eyes widened. "What?"

"The Sheikah were not capable of defeating the demon... so in the southernmost tip of the desert, where the sand meets the sea, the evil was sealed away... but that seal could not last forever. The demon is growing in strength as his seal grows weaker. His darkness is already spreading. The monsters of the land gather in the desert; preparing to start a new war. The Gerudo aid them; they are tired of Hyrule treating them like dirt to be wiped off of shoes and forgotten outside. Those who once aided the Hylians now seek revenge against them."

"The Gerudo as well? What other races remain?"

The old woman looked down at the floor. "Left to mention are the Sheikah who have rejected their duty to serve the goddess. They refused to wait for the appointed time. We knew that the goddess's line traveled through the line of the royal family... and they could not forgive what Hyrule had done to them. They were not inclined to fulfill their duties, when those duties involved protecting and aiding a member of Hyrule's royal family."

"Are we really thought of as badly as you say? We have been lied to; it's not our fault."

"No... it is not your fault... and yet some cannot forget old wrongs. Some refuse to accept any excuses. We have long lives princess, and we have very long memories."

Zelda bit her lip. "Are you saying that... Some are still alive from...from eight hundred years ago?"

"Yes."

"But that's... For someone to live almost a millennium..."

"It isn't so unusual in the Sheikah tribe. Though not all live to be so old; we are warriors after all."

Zelda lowered her gaze to the floor. Someone living for eight hundred years? How was that even possible? It seemed a sad life; to go through so much and to just...live on for centuries past what any natural being could. "So these...rogues, are they siding with the darkness so they can get revenge like the Gerudo?"

"At this point it is uncertain. We work in the shadows. That is what we have become. That is why the Sheikah who have rejected their duty are now called the Shadow Folk. I am not sure what has become of them... but it is likely they do still seek revenge. Whether they will work with monsters is something we cannot say."

Everything that Aamina had said made her want to help. It made her want to fix the wrongdoings of her ancestors, even though she herself was not responsible. It also made her somewhat excited to think that she could be part of Hyrule's destiny. No, she was part of Hyrule's destiny, and she had to do her best to make this story had a happy ending. "You said that this evil is returning. If Link and I are the wielders of the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage... Aren't we here to help? To end the war?"

Aamina's eyes lit up, as though a darkness had been lifted. "You mean to assist us, your grace?"

"Of course! Maldus drove me out of the only home I have ever known, and Link has his reasons to want to fight him as well. We will stop him, and his master," Zelda said confidently.

"You cannot do it alone. Defeating the darkness is one thing... keeping the land safe from an army of monsters is quite another." Aamina folded her hands together. "There is little hope given to us in this time."

"What about the races? Won't they defend their lands?"

"Those monsters aren't looking to conquer mountains or lakes... they want Hyrule."

"But once they have Hyrule, won't they want all the rest?"

Aamina's eyebrows pulled together. "You are probably right in that... but there is no telling if that will happen or not. The races who were abandoned by your ancestors won't mind watching as your land is destroyed."

"Would they fight if-" Zelda cut herself off as she heard Link groan. She stood up from her seat and and walked over to him quickly.

His eyes flickered open slowly.

"Link! You're awake, thank the goddesses!"

"Zelda what... what happened...?"

"Long story," she replied as she grasped his hand. "But we're safe here." She glanced over at the Sheikah. "I think." 

Link sat up wearily and then looked around. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Aamina," she replied. "I am the matriarch of the Sheikah tribe."

"Matriarch?" Zelda asked, her voice shocked.

"Yes, matriarch," she replied as she dipped her head. "You had best explain to the hero what you have learned. I will return with some food."

Link turned to Zelda. "What...what happened? I remember..." His eyes widened as he looked over at her, and his face reddened.

"Yeah, well, after... that, those Sheikah appeared and used magic to knock us out, then brought us here."

"Are they our enemies?"

"No... I think they just didn't want to waste any time explaining what was going on... A little abrupt but... I guess it worked."

"So... what did that... Aamina say to you?"

"A lot."