Rise of the Goddess

Chapter One - Zariah

Zariah nodded again, "It's a tradition in my family, I've been postponing it for long enough,"

The innkeeper smiled again, "Good luck,"

"Thank you,"

Zariah hefted her bag back over her back and climbed the stairs to go to her bed. It seemed like she had the whole room to herself that night. She sighed, let her bag fall to the ground, and laid back. She'd been riding for several days straight now, and to think she was almost there.

She got up again and started to get prepared for bed, only to catch a glimpse of a mirror across the room from her. At the sight of her clear blue eyes, she froze and then made her way over.

It wasn't often that Zariah saw her reflection. She felt like she was always on the road, going somewhere, doing something, and there weren't many mirrors in her travels. Whenever she did see her own reflection, it surprised her.

Her dark blonde hair had been tied back, though strands of it framed her face and her bangs fell low over her eyes. It seemed like there were always dark bags beneath her clear blue eyes. Freckles seemed to cover her entire face, not just her cheeks, but her forehead and chin as well. She wore a blue Hylian Tunic, with long sleeves and leather gloves that covered her fingertips and the cloth hung low over her hips. Her dark khaki pants were loose and tucked into her boots. Around her neck was a Hylian cloak. Strapped over her back was a Hylian Shield laced with gold trimming, along with the scabbard for a particularly vicious looking sword, one she kept having resized so that the gold razor-sharp blade was no longer a short sword but a fully sized one. They were both remnants from a day long past.

She stretched, then let her hair fall down, took off the cloak and her boots, her sword and shield, and then returned to the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

She stood at the battleground on Hyrule Field, standing before the Castle she called her home. Before her feet lay a familiar figure, a woman with stark white hair, covered in blood and grime, laying with a hole through her abdomen. She lay at the feet of her enemy, a malicious yet heavenly looking man surrounded by a holy light blue gleam. Her father came in for an attack, only to get swept aside. She sprang at him, raking her blade through his thighs. He shouted and she went flying back again.

She watched as this monster laughed and mocked her friends, torturing them, bringing them more and more pain, and there was nothing that she could do about it.

As she turned her head, she saw the face of a friend and looked repulsed. It was a Rito, a short black crow, her wrists were both bound together behind her back. It served her right, she was a traitor, if she had it her way she would leave everyone last one for dead... only, the desperation in her voice, the emotion, the regret thick on her tone, it all said otherwise.

The dream began to shift. The skies started to turn black, and in his hand, her enemy held a dark and jagged blade. He let the sword fall and, one by one, killed all of her friends, and then ran the sword through the bodies of her parents. She screamed as their bodies fell limply to the ground and watched as their blood seeped into the dirt, a scream eternalized on their faces.

Zariah woke up screaming. It wasn't the first time she'd had that dream, and every single time she would wake up screeching her head off as she saw her parents dead. She curled up into a ball and rubbed her fingers into her shoulders and closed her eyes, trying to rid it from her thoughts, comforting herself again. She focused on her breathing and as it slowed to a stop she calmed down.