I awaken in darkness, still in the twilight between sleep and awakening. My eyes adjust to the low light and I gasp. I am in the dungeon. My father sent me to the dungeon. No, not my father, I tell myself. A demon in the shape of my father. Someone will come. Someone will save me. I hear a sound - two guards near the only door. “I just can’t believe Princess Zelda was summoning the voids,” says one knight, shaking his head. “I hear they’re planning to execute her.” “Such a shame,” says the other. “She’s so young and wise and beautiful….a girl like that just doesn’t seem the dark-wizard type.” The first guard nods in agreement. Execution? Execution?! Me, executed?! What is going on in Hyrule Castle? In the darkness of my cage, I sit and cry. I only escaped captivity just to become a prisoner again. Tears run down my cheeks, tracing wet paths as I wait to be found and killed. Something glows in the corridor. A yellow and green sphere floats in the darkness. It glides between the cold steel bars of my cell and transforms into a fairy. It has a tail of three triangles that float behind it, it glows with the same yellow-green as the orb, and has two black, wide eyes. “Why are you crying?” it asks. “Wh-what are you?” is all I can say. “Y-you can see me?!” the fairy exclaims. “I’m Tri. Why are you here in the dungeon? Who are you?” “I’m Princess Zelda of Hyrule. Just call me Zelda,” I reply. I recount the tale of how I got here. Tri sits and listens the whole time. “Well, Zelda, we better get you out of here!” says Tri. “Here; take this!” She spins in the air. A sparkling staff appears in the spiral she makes. “This is the Tri Rod,” she explains. “It can make echoes, which are replicas of objects. Try using it to escape.” I direct the Tri Rod at an old table in the corner. To my surprise, it replicates perfectly. I point it at more objects, and create a staircase that lets me get into the empty cell next to me. “Okay, so, what now?” I mutter. I look around and decide to use more echoes to escape. I get out of the cell… Uh oh. A woman stands in my path, between me and the door. She is elderly, with a tight silver braid… “Zelda?” “Impa!” I cry, running towards her. “It’s you, it’s you, it’s really you!” “I came to visit you,” she explains. “I know you’re not creating those rifts.” “I’m not!” I agree. “This is Tri; she helped me escape.” “Who?” Impa asks. “There’s no one here! Anyway, here…I brought you these clothes. They’ll disguise you!” I go behind a statue in the corner and change into the new clothes. They’re made of soft purple and white cloth, the kind peasants wear. For the final touch, I pull Link’s black hood over my head, concealing my golden crown and long blond hair. “Lady Impa! What are you doing down here?” I turn to see a squad of three guards approaching us. “If you’re with the princess, give her up. Now,” insists the lead guard. “Never!” snarls Impa. She dashes forward with her staff, and powerfully weaves between the three guards. They collapse to the floor. “Impa! Did you just-” I stammer. “Oh, they’re only knocked out,” Impa says, rolling her eyes. “Hurry! Escape now!” She comes toward me and gives me a map. She marks a point on it. “The man living there will help you. Now, go!” I cast one last glance at the old, kind woman as I hurry into the corridor ahead. I peek around the stone entryway. Why does it have to be me? Why, Hylia? Just why? The way out is swarming with guards, armed to the teeth, their only purpose to prevent my escape. “Quickly!” Tri whispers. “Use echoes to get past them!” I grasp the Tri Rod and stealth past the guards as fast as I can. I trek over shaky storage shelves and crawl on potted plants. I summon echoes to distract guards and guide me to an exit. There it is - a stone doorframe, glowing with blue light, the blue light of freedom. I sprint as fast as I can, and collapse on the ground. I am alive. And I am free.
Fanart from Google Read in the Instructions OvO
