Chapter Text
All the Sleepless Nights
Chapter 1 – Candle in the Storm
In her most desperate hour, all Princess Zelda could do was bow her head and clasp her hands together.
The world as she knew it had unraveled so suddenly. So terribly. So irreversibly. A trusted wizard had turned traitor. Countless maidens were kidnapped and imprisoned. And now, Hyrule’s fairest princess was doomed to join them in their fate.
Zelda only had pieces of the plot that was unfolding. Agahnim was no stranger to gloating once his victory had been assured, and fortunately, he had spilled much of his schemes. He intended to undo the seal on the Sacred Realm by sacrificing the wise men’s descendants in some sort of ritual. The wizard had been efficient in his machinations, marching each maiden off one by one with the hourly strike of the clock.
Now, Zelda sat alone in her dark dungeon cell. The stone was mercilessly chilling. The heavy footsteps of the soldier outside her prison were a siege upon her senses. She knew it was only a matter of time before she met the fate of the other girls. Why, the last of the maidens had just been pulled from her cell not even a few minutes before.
Time was slipping away. She was a princess without power—frail and isolated, in a dungeon where sleep would never take her.
So Zelda did as she had always been instructed when life was at its most bleak. She bowed her head and pleaded in prayer.
Should there be anyone who would come to my rescue—were there even one knight who has not fallen to Agahnim’s spells—I pray I should speak to him. I ask for a hero in my darkest hour.
There was a stretch of silence in response. In a way, it was almost comforting: the peace that came from quiet.
But everything suddenly shifted, and Zelda was out. Outside of stone and earth, now streaking across a stormy sky. It was surreal. She still felt present in her prison, but her spirit was unbound. By the grace of the Goddesses, Zelda realized she was being offered a fighting chance.
She could sense a home—one that stood just south of the castle—where two souls resided. The first was a wizened man, sitting at a table and sharpening a sword. The other a mere boy, no different from Zelda in age, who was supposedly fast asleep in bed.
Upon realizing her opportunity, Zelda’s voice came quickly, her words guided by wisdom.
“Help me… Please help me… I am a prisoner in the dungeon of the castle. My name is Zelda.”
To the princess’s surprise, both souls reacted to her plea. The man stopped his sharpening, and the boy stirred in his sleep. For reasons unknown, Zelda almost felt drawn to the boy in particular. She could sense, even over this wide distance, that he was a light amidst this sea of darkness. A candle in the storm.
With a spark of courage, Zelda pressed onward with her plea.
“The wizard, Agahnim, has done… something to the other missing girls. Now only I remain. Agahnim has seized control of the castle and is trying to open the seven wise men’s seal. I am in the castle’s dungeon. Please help me…”
Zelda felt both her power and her voice begin to fade, though her spirit continued to linger in the home. She witnessed the boy awaken, exchange some words with his guardian, and watch the man walk out the door with sword and shield in hand. Zelda felt the faintest touch of relief grace her heavy heart as she realized that her rescue was now a possibility. The man who carried himself like a proper knight had heard her plea and did not hesitate to make his charge.
The boy was now left on his lonesome, but he too did not seem to hold any sense of hesitation. He quickly assaulted his wardrobe, shedding his night clothes and slipping a green tunic over his shoulders. Zelda was surprised to see how young and boyish his face appeared when it met the lantern light. She felt her heart go still upon catching the fierce glint in his bright blue eyes. An ember of courage, burning with resolve.
And though Zelda believed her voice was spent, she soon spoke words to life regardless.
“Are you going too?”
The boy halted, his head turning back and forth before realizing the voice he caught resided solely in his ears.
“Princess Zelda?” he asked hesitantly. “Are you really there?”
Back in her prison cell, Zelda felt her mouth swallow. “Yes, it is I, speaking telepathically by the grace of the gods. I hope you can pardon my timing, and the weight of what I’ve requested.”
The boy seemed befuddled by her words, his brow furrowing a touch. “No, don’t say such things. You’re in danger, right? Stay right there; I’m coming to help you!”
Zelda practically felt her heart plummet into her stomach. She never intended to have someone so young get tangled up in her trouble. No matter how boundless his courage might be. “Please, stay in your home. Your concern is appreciated, but you have no need to run to my rescue. That other man—your guardian, I presume—did he not agree to answer my plea?”
“Yeah, that was my uncle. But I’m going to follow him because I have a bad feeling about this.” The boy then proceeded to grab the room’s solely lit lantern. He carried no sword nor shield nor any other piece of equipment. Just the lantern, whose humble flame seemed to complement his courageous spark so perfectly.
“Sir, if I may ask, what is your name?”
“Link. Nice to meet you, by the way!”
Zelda almost felt taken aback by his conduct. So simple, so friendly, and so confident. For a moment, the princess dared to believe he might be more than a mere boy. He could very well be the hero she had been begging for.
“Anyway, please don’t worry, Princess,” he continued as he secured a cloak around his shoulders. “I’m going to chase after my uncle, and once we’re together, we’ll get you away from that wizard. I promise!”
And with that, the boy chose to brave the thunderstorm with little more than a lantern to guide him.
Zelda’s spirit continued to linger like a half-conscious dream, experiencing both stormy skies and her dark dungeon in the same breath. The man who first ran to her rescue had since been lost to her. But it seemed she still maintained a strong connection to this bright-eyed boy, Link. So long as Zelda kept her head down and her hands clasped together, she could sense his movements with perfect precision.
The princess wondered why that was.
She knew the legends well, of course. The tales of ages past, which depicted young heroes coming to Hyrule’s aid during times of immense crisis. Zelda couldn’t help but consider if she was standing at the cusp of one such legend. Staring at the opening sentence of what might one day become a well-preserved story.
She believed, at the very least, that there was surely some purpose for why she was now bonded to this Link, and only Link.
Zelda snapped out of her thoughts as she realized that Link was speaking with some of the guards manning the castle’s gate. They sent him away, murmuring something about the late hour. The poor boy shivered beneath his soaked cape, appearing lost and unsure of how to proceed.
“Link, can you hear me?”
“Princess? Yes, I can! Are you still okay?”
“I’m fine,” she answered hesitantly. “But I’m afraid that time is short. Could I offer some advice?”
His eyes widened. “Of course!”
Somehow, despite the circumstances and her impending doom, Zelda found herself smiling. The boy’s behavior was contagious. “There should be a hidden passage that leads to the courtyard from outside of the castle. I believe it’s on the eastern side.”
“Seriously? That’s great news! Thank you, Princess.”
The smallest smirk continued to linger on her lips. “It’s my pleasure. Please, be safe.”
He nodded enthusiastically and assured her that he would tread carefully. He then barreled along the foot of the eastern wall, searching his way through the shrubs as the rain continued to pelt him. Eventually, he pushed aside the correct bush and found the old, cracked stone staircase leading below the earth. Still wielding nothing but the faint light of his lantern, Link braved the depths.
It was here that Zelda finally felt their connection sever. She slowly opened her eyes to once again find that shadows were her only company, and the heavy breathing of her prison guard was her only conversation.
Once again, she was left to bide her time, carrying a faint hope in her heart as the hour of her doom approached. And yet, Zelda felt notably warmer than she had before. She wondered, perhaps, if that small spark of courage she had witnessed in Link’s eyes had somehow spread. If it crossed a raging thunderstorm and descended into the cold earth, only to settle softly in her chest and brighten her spirit.
Zelda took comfort in the thought as she placed a hand over her breast, and imagined that each soft heartbeat kindled the flame.
It didn’t take long before thunder returned to Zelda’s ears. Though it was not the sound of the rainstorm outside, but rather the brave steps of someone charging down the stairs. Somehow, Zelda anticipated who it was even before she saw the approaching lantern light and the familiar silhouette within.
The figure stopped at the front of the cellar. Zelda drew closer to the iron bars that bound her away from the rest of the world and watched the newcomer with bated breath. The lantern was strapped to his waist, freeing his hands to wield a sharp sword and a sturdy shield. He braced himself as a knight took notice of him and quickly brandished his own blade. The mindless man in armor then stepped forward, intending to destroy all who trespassed in Agahnim’s web of wretchedness.
In an instant, Zelda watched the intruder leap forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc. His foe fell without a fight. The figure then drew closer, finally allowing Zelda to catch a glimpse of his face.
It was Link, just as she assumed. But he appeared… different. He was still that same boy she had spoken to not even twenty minutes before, with that boyish charm and the inspiring spark of courage that never left his eyes. But his demeanor had shifted entirely. He was more aloof. More solemn. Upon taking a closer look, Zelda even found that two tracks of dried tears glistened on his cheeks.
He had been crying. And Zelda recalled that he had not carried a sword and shield when he first departed from the safety of his home…
A horrible feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. But she had little time to dwell on it before the brute before her bars was stomping his way towards the challenger. He was a giant of a man, clad in the heaviest plate armor and wielding an immense ball and chain. He stared Link down in the same way one would stare down an enemy ant.
But the boy never wavered. Rather he raised his sword and took up an unorthodox position. It seemed so far removed from the posture practiced by the knights who trained at the castle. But it was honestly fitting. So natural, the way in which Link settled into battle. The way his brow furrowed, and his breathing steadied.
“Do you want to go, ugly?” he asked in a brash voice. “I don’t care who’s in my way. I’m taking them down.”
The towering knight made no sound nor expression. He merely lifted his chain and began to swing.
Alas, the ensuing fight was resolved in a matter of seconds. Link leapt out of the way of the spiked ball and charged the brute, piercing him in the shoulder where the thick armor allowed the smallest gap. When the foe refused to fall, Link then withdrew, jumping backwards to escape the range of the revolving spikes. Once he was at a safe distance, he threw his shield aside and pulled a boomerang from his belt. He took careful aim and released it with a flick of his wrist. It hurtled towards the ball-and-chain knight and struck him directly in the jaw. The foe froze on the spot, his iron ball crashing to the dungeon floor.
Link then seized his chance to run forward and end his enemy for good. His sword pierced straight through the giant’s neck, and he collapsed upon the floor, his armor roaring like the striking of cymbals.
And then… all was silent.
Link drew in a few heavy breaths, appearing distraught yet relieved. He sheathed his sword as he knelt by his foe’s corpse and grabbed the key hanging by his waist. He then fetched his lantern with his free hand and finally faced the prison cells. Zelda had to squint as the light brushed against her sunken eyes.
Still, she watched as Link’s expression softened. The fire in his eyes smoldered back down to warm, comforting embers.
“Princess Zelda?” he called.
She honestly could have cried. The tension of the moment finally broke, and at long last, Zelda allowed relief to wash over her senses.
She would not die here. Not tonight.
“Yes, it’s me.”
Link expressed a similar sense of relief, his shoulders slumping as he hastened to fit the key in the padlock. “Thank goodness. They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No, I’m fine. I just had to suffer a little chill.” Along with a terrifying sense of dread, but Zelda didn’t feel the need to share that with him at the moment.
Instead, she continued to bask in her relief as Link finally pulled the door open with a triumphant creak. She quickly stepped forward, eager to be free of the cell forevermore, only to find her hero standing in close proximity. Zelda honestly wished to pull him into a tight hug and thank him endlessly for his courage and swiftness. But she recalled her decorum and ultimately restrained herself. A princess was not meant to be intimate with common strangers, no matter the circumstance.
Still, her heart demanded that she signal her appreciation in some regard. So she allowed her lips to blossom into a smile as she placed gentle fingers on the boy’s arm.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue, Link,” she said with complete sincerity. “I had a feeling you were drawing near, even before you rushed down the stairs.”
“Really?” Link asked. His eyes fell on where her fingers were grazing his bicep, and Zelda took this as her cue to pull away, lest she make him uncomfortable. “You have some pretty neat magic, huh?”
“Only when the hour is desperate, it seems,” Zelda answered, hardly able to make any sense of it herself. “Speaking of which, we really ought to get moving. The soldiers won’t take kindly to either of us once they realize I’ve escaped.”
Link’s expression fell at this. “I think we’ve crossed that line already. Everyone is acting so strange. Do you know what’s going on?”
He sounded like he had his suspicions, but he was waiting for the princess to deliver judgement. Zelda merely sighed. “Link, listen carefully. Agahnim cast a terrible spell and has gained control over all the soldiers in the castle. They’re mostly mindless men at this point, doomed to do his bidding.”
The boy clenched his teeth. His fists begin to shake. “Th-That’s awful, Princess.”
“That’s not even the worst of his sins,” Zelda muttered, her arms shivering as the darkness seemed to close in around their limited lantern light. “I… I fear the worst for my father. Agahnim confronted him in the throne room alone, and the wizard’s magic is so strong and inhuman that…” Zelda tightened her jaw and swallowed. She couldn’t even bear to say it aloud.
“Hey,” Link whispered, his voice a close comfort. “Don’t think about that right now, okay? I’m going to get you out of here. And then we can worry about stopping that evil creep.”
Zelda didn’t know what to say. Her throat was still tight with grief.
“Here, take this,” Link said as he offered his lantern to her. She took it slowly, but instantly felt comforted by its tiny blaze. The hero walked towards the wall, snatching up the shield he had discarded earlier. He once again looked every part of the hero that Zelda had been praying for. The sight of him alone inspired her courage to swell into words of confidence.
“I know a secret path we can escape by,” she told him. “It’s on the first floor. We’ll have to be quick if we want to evade the wizard’s notice, but this is our best course.”
Link nodded, accepting her words as absolute truth. “Then let’s go.”
The boy turned forward, his courage burning ever bright, but he soon paused and appeared to think twice. He glanced back with eyes that were surprisingly bashful and kind.
“Please, stay close to me.”
And with those words, he slowly extended his hand to her. The gesture alone had Zelda’s heart beating relentlessly. But she collected her wits, smothered her blush, and accepted his palm with perfect reverence.
“Thank you,” she breathed as she drew close to his side.
Another nod was the only answer he returned. The two of them faced the stairs in unison, preparing to brave a corrupted castle and spend a sleepless night fighting to see the sunrise.