The Legend of Zelda: The Silent Princess

Those We've Lost

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer at the castle. Instead, I was standing on a floor covered in water. Everything was opened up to the blue sky that reflected down in the water. It was like it never ended. My first thought was I had died. Surely if I were alive, I would be fighting Calamity Ganon. I couldn't accept that though.

I began to search, ripples appearing wherever I stepped. There was nothing by the water and the sky for miles in every direction. I at least concluded that if this was the afterlife, it wasn't what Mother made it out to be.

"My little bird," a sweet voice said behind me.

I spun around, but no one was there. When I looked forward again, a light appeared and it formed into the shape of a woman. The light surrounding her died down a bit, revealing Mother in a white dress.

I ran straight into her arms, hugging her tightly. I heard her familiar laugh in my ear as she brushed the back of my head.

"My darling, you've come so far. I'm so proud of you," she said, as she took a long look at my face.

"Mother, what is this place?" I asked, holding one of her hands out of fear that she might disappear.

"It is the sacred realm. Hylia brought you here," she explained.

"Hylia?" I questioned, almost thinking it was funny somehow.

"Yes, Hylia. She heard all your prayers, as did I."

I grew a little angry at hearing this, "Then why did my power only come at the last second? Was there something wrong with me? What did I--"

"My precious bird," she said, bringing me into another hug, "There is nothing wrong with you. I love you."

I felt her kiss the top of my head, but then her entire warmth disappeared. Her spirit had become a flock of doves. I watched as they flew off into the sky.

"Mother," I whispered.

"Her soul has been set free," another voice said to me.

When I spun around for the second time, I found who spoke as her bare feet touched down on the water gracefully. The woman had wings on her back, at least until she stood on her two feet, then the wings vanished.

Like Mother, she wore a white dress, but it had gold lining the top of it with a blue jewel in the center. On her head, she had red thin jewels hanging down on her golden bangs. I recognized her to be the woman I had seen in my dream.

"Are you--"

"Hylia," she finished for me, "Yes."

I never expected this to happen, so no other words came from my mouth. For a long time, I always thought Hylia had some kind of blank face like her statues. My mind remembered when I had shouted at her. I suddenly felt guilty to be standing before her.

"It's alright, Zelda," she said with a smile, her blue eyes crinkling, "The process of discovering the power isn't always easy. But in order to keep the Yiga Clan from pursuing you more than they already were, you couldn't gain the power. If you had then they would have sucked it from you to resurrect Calamity Ganon much sooner."

I found my voice, "Then how did they do it?"

Her eyes closed, "They searched underground, first in the tombs, and broke a seal created by the royal family. I'm sure you've heard rumors of a secret hidden beneath the castle?"

I nodded, but there were many secrets that had been buried. I assumed she meant the one even the royal family didn't fully understand. Then, I also remembered the chip in Mother's coffin. I should have known that it was the Yiga Clan. It broke my heart to hear that they would disturb the dead.