My Silent Knight

Prisoner

Link's POV

When my eyes opened I was met with an unfamiliar area. The walls and floor were stone, the floor felt ice cold below me. The light was dull, with only one torch trying to shine through the darkness. In front of me were metal bars, letting me see out into the dark hallway. Though my head was pounding, I tried to remember everything, why was I here? Where even was here? Then all at once I was punched with the memory.

Yiga Clan.

I felt a wave of panic come over me and I tried to move, as soon as I shifted my arms I was met with an intense pressure on my wrists behind me. I looked back, large handcuffs. They were tightened to the point where even the smallest movements would leave marks, then my eyes moved from my wrists to my ankles, they were in chains too. I was trapped. My mouth became dry as I began to breath heavier through the thick and dusty air.

Though I have battled with the Yiga Clan before, I have never let them beat me, and now I sat being their prisoner. As my thoughts began to run wild trying to remember the moment I was taken, I remembered her, Zelda. Panic overcame me again.

She had to be terrified. I remembered her emerald eyes being filled with tears, the Yiga member holding her back, her struggling to get free, then everything going black. I have no clue what they did to her. Was she safe? Was she somewhere within these stone walls too? Though I couldn't move much, I tried shifting around the icy floor to get a better view into the hallway. There were a few other cells lining the hallway to a wooden door, covered in locks. I saw no one else inside the cells, and heard nothing else but the sound of my own unstable breathing. I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the dim lighting when I noticed a figure sitting in a wooden chair leaning up against the wall that was near the door. The figured appeared to be asleep and as I tried to look closer, I realized the figure was indeed a Yiga Clan member. Though I couldn't hide while being chained to the wall behind me, I still felt the urgency to lean back into the cold wall, trying to make myself as invisible as possible. The pressure form the chains grew tighter, making my hands slowly feel numb. As I attempted to steady my breathing and clear my thoughts through my pounding headache, the latches on the hallway door began to open, my heart rate spiked. 

The door swung open letting in various Yiga Clan members, followed by a member who was dressed differently than the rest, one who I only assumed was the leader. They walked over to my cell and with a simple nod from the leader, a member opened the metal door, letting him into the walls that contained me.

"So here he is, the Hero of Hyrule. Master Link." The leader sneered out. "Now, I know you have numerous questions. Where am I? Why am I here?-" 

"Where is the princess? What did you do to her?" I cut the leader off.

"Oh, eager are we? Alright I'll cut to the good part then. Your princess is fine we haven't harmed her, yet. After all, you're the one we were after." They paused and knelt down to meet my gaze. "You see, Link. After you destroyed the calamity and sealed away Ganon, us Yiga were the only ones left to finish his mission, and bring forth the true destiny of Hyrule. And you were our last missing piece. With you, the Yiga clan can become the strongest power in all of Hyrule."

"I will never join you." I sneered back at the leader. They let out a slight laugh.

"Oh, I know Link. You may want to rethink that statement though, you see after various studies and growing our understanding of Calamity Ganon, us Yiga have learned so much of his power, even how to contain and control it. Do you understand what I mean?" After asking, the leader slowly reached up to their face, removing the Yiga mask to reveal a woman with black hair underneath. "With us being able to control some of his power, we can control what, or more specifically, who it possesses. And with you being the most skilled knight within all of Hyrule, we decided that it had to be you." Her hair fell over her shoulders as she moved in closer to me. I tried to push back and attempted to fight against the chains but in an instant the clasped became stronger and a searing pain was sent through my wrists.

"Do not fear, hero, with you and the power of Ganon, we will be able to bring Hyrule and the princess to ruin, as it is meant to be." She stood back up and I felt fury fuel through my body. I had to escape.

She put her mask back on and walked out of the cell, the Yiga member closing it behind her. She turned back to face me. "Oh I almost forgot, how rude of me, you don't even know who I am! My name is Master Rubi, I look forward to working with you, Master Link." She walks off with the rest of the members, leaving two behind to stand guard.

My emotions became a cluster of anger, fear, sadness. Knowing the Yiga's dark plan, knowing how it involved me, knowing that I could be used as a weapon against my own princess.

I closed my eyes and prayed to the Goddess. I was afraid, not for me, but for Hyrule, for Zelda. It was in this moment, I needed her more than ever. I propped up my knee and rested my forehead against it. Tears began to stream down my face.

I need my princess.