A Link Without Zelda [COMPLETE]

16. Mother

Adel keeps her stance facing Ellemy, if she can even call her that. Adel knows Ellemy and she knows that what lies before her is not her. Still, she stands guarded and like a reflex she reaches for her back for her weapon, usually a bow and arrows.

"Shit," she whispers when she realizes that she is unequipped.

"I know," says Ellemy is a low menacing voice. "You didn't expect to see me so you came unprepared."

"What do you want with Ellemy? With me?"

"Like I told the boy back there. I don't want anything with Ellemy. Rather, Ellemy is a host that I just so happened to be able to use to get to you."

"You have ten seconds to explain yourself before I kill you!"

"Adel!" cries Link, his presence faint but still there. "If you kill her, Ellemy might die too." Adel ignores him.

"Now, is that any way to talk to your own flesh and blood?"

Adel grits her teeth and takes a step back. "What the hell do you mean, flesh and blood? I am not related to Ellemy."

"Perhaps flesh and blood wasn't the best choice of words. I forget that I am no more than a spirit. But it's not the girl that I'm referring to."

"Then what are you referring to?" says Adel, her words slow and serious.

"I guess you don't remember. That's disappointing. But I remember you quite well... mother."

Adel takes a step back. "What did you call me?"

"It's no doubt that you gave birth to me... in a past life. I came into this world from lies and deceit and my early demise also due to lies and deceit."

It pause as it lets Adel soak up what it said. "Maybe this will help," it says again.

Adel blinks and suddenly she is outdoors, consumed with snow. There are guards around but they are frozen. Adel is the only one that can move. She turns around the corner. She doesn't know why, but she knows there is going to be something there. Something she doesn't want to see. Or remember. She lets out a breath of air when she's Gannondorf, his back to her, also frozen. He is on his knees looking down at something. Adel can't see, so she walks around. His face looks like something she never would have expected from him. It's full of grief, like his whole world had been taken from him. When Adel sees what lies before Gannondorf, she understands exactly why he looks that way because she too feels what he feels like. The little girl with the red hair that lies in a pool of her own blood was the Hylian-Geurdo daughter that she and Gannondorf brought into the world. And tragically died because of their own selfishness.

Adel drops to her knees and takes the little girls hand. "Elule," she says crying, wishing she didn't have to relive this memory. "I'm so sorry."

"Adel!" she faintly hears Link's voice. "Be careful."

Adel opens her eyes and when she looks down, the dead child is looking back at her, her eyes black. She lifts her hand that now has claws as long as tree branches. It makes a lunge for Adel and successfully penetrates her skin but Adel is mostly able to dodge unscathed.

"Why now?" says Adel. "Why kill me now. I know what happened was horrible and if I could change anything I would. But killing me won't change anything."

"You now know who I am but you have forgotten who I become. After my demise, I created the Goddess of Chaos and from my power, created Elrule. A place of refuge should Hyrule be compromised. Back then, my intentions were pure but many lifetimes have brought me loneliness and despair. I hold more power than what you think, Zelda," it snarls. "I want you to die for my own selfish gain. The same way that I died by the selfishness of my parents. But then with the power that I possess, I will take back Elrule, combine it with Hyrule, and rule the lands in this host body."