The day was dying, the heavens forming a cloudless pool of blood above Castle Town. A deafening silence whispered through every blade of grass in the surrounding Hyrule Field. No stars were in sight, for the crimson waves polluted their innocent light. A lone raven watched from its perch on the twisted branches of an autumn tree upon a hill. His large onyx eyes fixed themselves on the small figures of citizens, his gaze never lacking a lust for knowledge.
There was discord in the usually happy town. Chaos ran through every street, a crooked smile sewn on her curious face. People ran in alarm. To where? They themselves did not know where to go, for every corner they turned greeted them with a warm flare of fire. Children caught whiffs of the burning flesh of their parents. A wailing infant suffocated against his mother's sweaty bosom. The mother's neck was sore from searching left and right for her beloved husband, a loyal Hylian soldier.
The soldiers couldn't breathe under their metal helmets. It was too hot. The mother of the inferno was staring them in the face. Its home was on the brink of collapsing. The soldiers raised their recently sharpened spears, pointing them accusingly at what used to be a door.
"She has to come out sometime. We'll just wait for her," said a soldier. He had just been awarded a medal for bravery and valor, and he was recently promoted to Captain.
"But sir," a slender soldier shook as he spoke, "if she doesn't come out, she'll die. This heat. It's too much for a child to bear."
"Stand your ground, soldier! Can you not see what that - that monster created? I will not have anything terrorizing this good town and its princess." All eyes were on the meek soldier and their Captain.
"Sir, with all due respect, this is not what Captain Verl would have wanted. I respected him, and by extension, I respect his home. And that includes his daughter!"
"Need I remind you that Verl is no longer the Captain? I am the Captain now. Verl's got an empty grave, but a tombstone nonetheless!" The Captain turned his attention to the soldier, glaring at him with more strength than his own muscles. The soldier bowed his head slightly in shame, uttering a simple apology. However, they failed to catch a head of silky, ivory hair sprinting past them.
"HEY!" the Captain exclaimed, leading a chase to catch the little witch.
The girl ran as fast as her legs could carry her, the wind pushing at her back. She evaded the scurrying townspeople with her fierce dark eyes determined to see the vast world beyond the gates. Her scorched chapped skin stung and hot tears welled up in her eyes. She raced past the wide, gushing fountain and huffed her way past the closing gate and into the field. A loud CLANG sounded from behind her. The Captain kicked the gate and demanded for the keeper to open the gate. But the keeper denied his request, seeing as how the fires had died down and the people were in need of medical aid.
She collapsed in the woods, far enough from town. A single tear let itself roam freely down her cheek, and soon after, a river flowed from her eyes. Her lungs felt like they were about to explode, her throat barely able to swallow. Dirt, sweat, grime, and burns caked her skin. She closed her eyes and wept for everything - her father, her home, and the cruel fate the goddesses decided to bestow upon her. Her life wasn't fair; she had been trapped for her seven years of life in a house, hiding in the basement, never having the desire to go out, for she was too different from the other children. But now, she had no choice but to be in the open with nowhere to hide from the world.
"It's not my fault," she whispered to herself. "It's not my fault I'm cursed!" In between violent sobs, she wailed for her father. The hot tears fell from her quivering chin, sizzling when they made contact with her broken skin. Over the course of a mere few minutes, her wounds were completely healed, yet her heart froze itself.
"Those people," she thought as her teeth clenched, "those ugly humans! It's their fault! They provoked me, and I couldn't control it; I didn't mean for any of this to happen. But humans - they're all the same! Selfish, greedy, proud beasts!" She collected herself and rose to her feet. She gazed into the forest with cold eyes, hoping to become another lost soul so no man would ever find her. These solemn woods would become her sanctuary, along with the squirrels, butterflies, and other wildlife.
The raven's shiny eyes glimmered with hope at the sight of the young beauty beneath his autumn tree. He looked to the calming sky and flew west towards the setting sun, the stars trailing faintly behind him. And so her journey begins - a journey of survival, pain, and love.
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