Impa woke to the sound of someone beating on her door, hard. Not once or twice, but constantly. Whoever it was he was beating on her door hard enough to shake it on its hinges and kept going until he got her attention.
It was urgent.
Impa jumped out of bed, grabbed her short-blade from beside her bed, and bolted to the door. She threw it open, her blade already drawn. In the darkness of the night, her eyes struggled to adjust quickly to the blinding torch-light that met her, but immediately she smelled blood and saw the red stains covering the man's clothes and arms. He was panting and could barely get a word out.
The palace guard outside her door stood alert and ready, waiting for whatever decision she would make based on this newcomer.
Impa covered her eyes with a hand, dimming the light of the torch from her pupils. A moment later, she knew him. "Shi Ketsu! Are you hurt?!"
"Not I-" He gasped out. He dropped his hands down to his knees, struggling to stand. Sweat poured from his face and the torch fell from his hands to the ground. One of the guards reached down swiftly and picked it up. "Another! I need the royal doctors!"
"Where?" Impa asked.
"My home in the inner city."
A million questions raced through her mind. Clearly it was urgent from his composure and the beating he made on her door, but the blood explained some of it. She didn't know who. She didn't know why. All she knew was Zelda trusted him, he needed Impa's aid, and it was a matter of life or death.
Despite her Sheikah nature, the questions could come later.
Impa nodded, "Let us go." She took a moment to grab a robe to cover herself, strapped on some shoes, and ran out with Ketsu in tow. The group of royal guard set to protect her chased after them as well.
They made it to the doctors quickly. While there were doctors among the civilian populace, the best and most prestigious were given positions in the palace. Perhaps a bit of a greedy desire on the part of the royal family, one that rendered the doctors with little to do from day to day, but on this occassion allowed easy access when Impa needed them.
The doctor had a harder time waking then she had, but on seeing the blood covering Shi Ketsu and with Impa's permission, he set himself to gathering what he needed.
"What happened?" The doctor asked. "What am I dealing with?"
"An arrow and deep piercing from a blade."
"Where on the body? Man or Woman? How old?"
"Arrow is in the back near the center-point, the blade pierced near the stomach, its a young girl, almost at adulthood." Shi Ketsu explained urgently. "Anything more?"
"Yes, how long?" The doctor shut tight his carrying box after hastily grabbing a number of tools and wraps and alchohol and accupunture needles and other equipment. "I can see from you that its been some hours that you have tried to tend to her alone."
Shi gulped. "I... She arrived on my doorstep two nights ago. I've struggled with my limited knowledge to help her. I paid some kids to find doctors, as I could not leave her alone even for a second, but the only doctor willing to come upon hearing my name declared it too late. So I rushed here myself."
"This girl is alone, then?" Impa asked. Shi nodded quickly, growing gastly pale with worry.
Impa pointed at a guard, "Go and get my carriage!" The guard nodded and rushed out to fulfill the order.
"Let us hurry, then. Its a wonder she hasn't died yet. We may be too late as it is." The doctor grabbed the last of what he needed and hastened out the door.
The group hastened out into the courtyard. Impa's carriage was still unprepared with a horse being tied to it and a driver being woken and a lantern lit to light the way. It was barely two minutes, but it felt like forever.
Impa breathed. She needed to keep her mind clear. She said to the doctor, "Take my carriage to Ketsu's home and attend to the matter. Take one of my guards with you." To the guard she said, "When the matter is settled, bring him back and tell the captain it is with my permission you have been absent." And then to another guard she said, "Go and inform the princess' guards to inform her when she wakes that her doctor is absent with my permisssion based on Ketsu's need."
They all set themselves to it. The horse was tied, the driver set himself on his seat, the doctor and Ketsu and a guard entered the carriage, and another guard set off. This left Impa alone, short of two remaining guards, in the clearing.
She sighed and rubbed her temples. She turned to the remaining guards with her, "I won't be able to sleep now. How about I get us some wine to warm ourselves with and we play some cards?" The men shared a glance and chuckled lightly.
"I'd like that ma'am, the night is a cold one." One said.
While the first spoke, the second turned his attention towards the palace. Curious, Impa followed his gaze and saw two figures leave the palace door escorted by a small assortment of guards. It was dark, but under the illumination of torches she saw the figures were of a beautiful woman and a dark-robed man. "Zelda?" Impa whispered. They entered a carriage and departed, while the guards returned to the palace.
"Who was that?" Both of the men wondered. "We weren't informed of any guests."
Impa, meanwhile, felt a chill cling to her spine. There were many beautiful women in the palace. The nobles and ministers had beautiful wives and mistresses. Yet this woman was breathtaking, and there was only one beautiful woman who could look like Zelda.
"Oh, no." Impa breathed out. Numbly, she took a step forward, then another, and before she knew it she was in a full sprint towards the other guards who has escorted the guests out. "What was she doing here?!"
The second set of guards answered, "The Queen Mother was just visiting the heir appara-"
Impa was already gone. She burst in through the outer door, sped through the dark throne room, skidded around the corner, and upon seeing the wide-eyed, knowing fear in the silent guards to stand by, threw herself in. Something had happened and the guards knew it and were powerless to stop it. Impa dreaded knowing, but her every instinct screamed and panicked to face the answer she feared most.
Impa's face paled as she felt blood leave her body, her eyes widened in stark terror, and the icy fingers to claw at her spine grasped her throat in a vice. What she witnessed was worse than everything she had imagined.
There was blood on the bed and clothes were thrown to the side.
"Zelda!" Impa yelled. No one answered. The bed was absent, so she checked in the small personal library and work office, then she checked outside on the balcony. With one place left to look, Impa approached the door to her bath and wardrobe. Impa heard water trickling. She stopped, fearfully, tenderly, put a hand on the cracked door, and nudged it open. It swung open slowly to reveal a filled bath that had the tiniest hint of diluted redness and a naked princess curled up protectively in the far corner. The bath steamed from a furnace servants tended to on a lower floor. The air was lit by a few Fae to look on them with expressions filled with worry and fret.
'What happened' is what Impa wanted to ask, but the icy fingers clasped her throat shut. The fingers punctured her veins and send icy water down all the way into her heart.
She knew what happened. She could see the evidence and the aura as if it was slapping her in the face.
Impa stepped into the room. She took careful, quiet steps to not disturb the princess she loved. She walked through the water to cascade across the floor. The bath continued to be filled until it overflowed across the floor and down a secondary drain in the corner. Finally she reached Zelda, and slowly lowering herself down, put a hand on Zelda's shoulder.
Zelda flinched like she was zapped and smacked Impa's hand away. A pain and animalistic terror so intense she failed to recognize the woman filled her eyes. Impa felt her heart break. She wanted to die just from knowing that such an expression could exist on the princess. This was even worse than when she had first met the princess. When they first met, Zelda had a feral look, but it was still a look of a survivor's determination. Now it was gone. Like a gentle pet that saw the face of death and could do naught but sit and shiver in the corner.
Zelda had given up.
"Zelda, it's me." Impa whispered.
There was no response. Zelda stared down into the water, wide-eyed and unblinking.
Impa gulped, struggling to breath even as tears filled her eyes. "I'm here."
There was no response.