Chapter 1: "The Powers That Be" ~

Aliya hurried through the crowded corridors, squeezing past the small groups of guards exchanging gossip that seemed to grow in size and importance every minute. an envoy sent by Lord Gannondorf had arrived early that morning, demanding that Nabooru and the Temple Guards relinquish control of the sacred ground to him and his cronies. The Spirit Sage had refused and many feared that this would lead to war between the two factions. There had been tension between the followers of Ganon and the followers of Nabooru for as long as Aliya could remember, but it had never resulted in open warfare. As she approached her Mother's inner chamber, the young Gerudo prayed that it wouldn't go that far.....Picking sides was never easy. Especially when it was your parents at the head of the opposing sides.

* * *

The seventh day of the week was traditionally a day for open audience in Hyrule Castle. The people could come to petition the Princess directly about their concerns. Zelda had reigned for a little over a year and had never seen a day of petition so empty. Normally there would be a line of people stretching to the gates, but today she had not seen a single soul. The strange storm brewing in the distance might have something to do with it. Sighing, the Princess stood from her throne and started to pace, still managing to maintain the grace for which she was so well known. There were always feuds to be settled, boundaries to be established, or at least travelers wishing to glimpse the Princess made famous by legend and myth. The name Zelda would forever be tied to the great wars fought in this kingdom and the struggle for control of the triforce. It was quite a legacy to live up to.

"E....ex....excuse me, Your Highness?"

Zelda looked up from her pacing, her face serene and placid from years of practice. One of the Palace guards stood in the doorway of the audience chamber, shaking as if there were an earthquake centered beneath his feet. "Yes?"

"The...there is someone h...here to see you, Highness....."

"Then please let him or her in. This is the day for open audience, after all." replied the Princess, giving the guard a cool smile.

"B....But you don't understand, its a....." The guard was cut off as a dark figure materialized behind him. Standing well over six foot, the creature easily knocked the shaking guard aside and walked into the chamber with long, east strides.

Zelda watched this with a growing feeling of uneasiness. Taking a slow step backward, she watched in horror as the light fell on the creature's face....

* * *

Kyrana glanced at the storm clouds gathering behind her with a mixture of annoyance and antipathy. "Of all the places to be caught in a storm...." she muttered, pulling her cloak closer around her and carefully guiding her mare, Willoe, down the tricky slope of Death Mountain Trail. Kyrana had always been something of a wanderer, staying in one place only until they found her again, but the Goron Village had always been the closest thing to a home she knew. Darunia treated her as he would any of his children and for this she would always be grateful. He had even allowed her to leave suddenly without giving a good reason so many years ago. Of course, he hadn't been so willing to let her go this time. The young women sighed softly, thinking again about the harsh words she had been forced to use. She regretted them already, but it had been the only way. He would never understand the truth. Nor would she ever be able to bring herself to tell him. As the first drops began to fall, Kyrana urged Willoe to move faster, hoping to outrun both the storm and the vague laughter she could hear in the distance following her......always following her.....

* * *

"Your Highness, I do think we should be taking this threat more seriously......"

"Nonsense, Cedrin...." said Ruto briskly. "Ganon is unable to follow through with these threats. I mean, can anyone honestly believe that they can attack Zora's Domain? It would be down right suicidal unless they could outswim us....."

The blithe comments of Ruto, Sage of Water and Ruler of the Zora, brought forth appreciative chuckles from all of her gathered advisors except Cedrin. With a stiff bow to the young ruler, he dived into the water in search of an abandoned alcove where he could study the parchment better. Finding one that was dry enough to allow him to take the paper out of its bottle, he settled back to regard it. A warrior in every respect and one of the most respected men in Zora society, Cedrin saw in Ganon's words no promises that couldn't be kept and no sigh of bragging. In short, he realized that they were dealing with a general who was more then capable of attacking Zora's Domain. The letter demanded that the Zoras sign a treaty giving this Ganon of the Gerudos access to their waterways, permission to tax them, and their promise that they would fight with him if he should call on them to do so. It was unthinkable to give in to their requests. They should, therefore, be preparing to defend themselves. It was unbearably frustrating to think that they could be caught unaware because of the inexperience and naiveté of their Queen!

Placing the letter back in the bottle, Cedrin drew out another sheet of parchment, this one blank. He would not see his home devastated because of another's foolishness. Leaning against the wall of the alcove, the Zora started to write out his plans for defending the city.

* * *

Kneeling in her attic bedroom, the young girl gazed intently at the small mirror she had borrowed from her parent's room. Strange how something so obviously wrong as her eye color would not have bothered her until someone pointed it out to her. Of course, the group of students in town from Hyrule Castle had done more then point it out. Their taunts still rang in her ears and brought tears to the eyes that had instigated the teasing. Red eyes gazed back at her from the mirror's smooth surface. Not eyes of a normal color that were irritated or anything normal like that, but true, honest, crimson red eyes.

"Serephina! Dear, would you come down here please?"

Sera puts the mirror down upon hearing her mother's voice. "Coming Mom...." she yelled down the stairs as she stood and brushed a strand of dark hair our of her face. Red eyes...why hadn't she ever noticed it before?

Running down the stairs, Sera found her mother and father both seated at the kitchen table, looking at her sadly. Standing a moment on at the bottom of the stairs, Sera eyed her parents closely. Her mother with light golden hair and gray eyes and her father with curly red hair and bright green eyes. Strange how she had never noticed how little she looking like them.

No, I noticed, she though to herself, I just didn't want to think about it.

"Sera, Hon? Would you come and sit here for a few minutes? Your mother and I have to talk to you." He father sounded so scared. Sera was quite sure she had never seen him like that before. A former soldier turned farmer, her father was a quite man who had always seemed ready to take on everything. From teaching her how to use a sword to traveling into town for supplies to taking care of the wolves that had been raiding their flock. She had never seen him so frightened!

He's afraid of losing me, she thought suddenly. He knows that I know.

She had always known that there was something different about her than the others she met. But it had been so much easier to keep it hidden and not to think about it. Of course, that was no longer an option. She was about to find out the truth weather she wanted to or not. With a sense of forbidding that was as foreign to her as fear was to her father, Seraphina took a seat at the table with her parents.

* * *

The boy stood on the bridge for a long time, eyeing the passage that would lead him out of the forest, maybe forever. As excited as he was to finally be allowed to see the rest of Hyrule, part of him regretted leaving the forest. Memories of his Mother were vague at best while the Great Deku Tree and the other Kokiri stood out vividly in his mind. They may claim that he was part Gerudo and part Hylian, but he knew that on some less concrete level he was also part Kokiri. He would miss the forest that served as the only home he knew. But he also knew that he had to leave. The Deku tree had said that he was needed in the desert of the Gerudo and that dark times were approaching. The boy smiled slightly, recalling how the Hero of Time had started out his journey this way in the legend. Maybe he was destined for great things, too.

Taking one last fond glance at the enchanted forest, the boy crossed the bridge from the familiar into the unknown.

* * *

Reikan watched the files of the army spread out among the dunes of the desert as he tied a bandanna around his forehead to help keep the sun out of his eyes. Gerudo thieves made a circle around their leader in the center of the group. They reminded him of puppies, rolling around to get a loved master's attention. How pathetic. He was almost ashamed to count himself as one of them. Of course, he was only half Gerudo and, being a male born to the race before the 100 years had passed, he was viewed with everything ranging from curiosity to superstition. As much as he didn't want to consider himself of the same race as those fawning brigands, they didn't want to acknowledge him.

A figure suddenly appeared on horseback, making its way through the crowd. Surprisingly, the army of demons, undead, Gerudo, and mercenaries parted for this newcomer as if she were Din herself. The newcomer was female, he noted, and dressed in a gown that was more appropriate for a ball then a battlefield. Curiosity drove him to work his way closer to where the figure dismounted to speak with Ganon.

The women was Hylian, he noted, with greenish-blue eyes and blond hair. Her dress was marked with the symbol of the Royal Family and the crest of the triforce. An unusual person to come seeking Lord Ganondorf. More so considering that he seemed to be expecting her.

"Ahhhh, M'Lady Zeldura. I am glad you decided to join us." Ganon intoned, smiling and bowing to the lady.

Zeldura? Vague memories stirred in Reikan at the mention of that name. Zeldura was the Sheikian name for the Princess of the Legends. A Zelda ruled Hyrule currently, but Reik was sure that she did not go by the Sheikian version of her name.

"I trust all is well here, Lord Ganon?" Zeldura asked, smiling and inclining her head to the Dark General.

"Of course. All is going according to plan. Messages have been sent to the Gerudo serving Nabooru, the Princess Zelda, Ruto of the Zora, Darunia of the Gorons, and Impa in the Shadow Temple. Soon all the races will be united behind me and we can pursue our cause."

Reik listened, having worked his way into the circle around Ganon and Zeldura. He knew of the plan Ganon spoke of. There had been a growth of chaos in the Land of Hyrule and strange portals had opened up bringing creatures from other planes into the Kingdom. Hyrule's balance was tipping into darkness so fast that anyone with even a hint of connection with the land felt it. That was why Reikian had joined Ganon's forces. The King's plan to unite the races of Hyrule and combine the power of the triforces and the sages to heal the land was a good one. Though Reik had to admit that he sometimes had second thoughts about the King's true aim. Ganon sometimes seemed more interested in gaining power for himself then in healing the land.

Reikian's attention was drawn back to the conversation as he heard his thoughts echoed in the words of the young women. "I do not recall an army being part of the plan, Ganon. It seems that you are preparing more for a hostile take-over then for peaceful negotiations of alliance."

"Time grows short, Princess. You of all people should realize that the races must be united as quickly and efficiently as possible. I do not intend to shed blood, but if it comes to that....." The King shrugged, his voice diplomatically polite even as his eyes glinted in some kind of unspoken threat.

Zeldura regarded Ganon with much the same expression. Polite serenity counter-acted by something left un-said that reflected in her eyes. "If it comes to that, it comes to that," she whispered quietly, seemingly backing down from the silent battle. "I am trusting you in this Ganon."

"And I you, Princess. After all without your...assistance...I can not achieve my aims." Ganon's eyes then locked on Reik, standing a few feet away from them. "Ahhh, Reikan....I wanted to speak with you about the Spirit Temple. Have you been there before?"

Reikan stepped closer to Ganon, saluting. "I know of its layout, Sir, but I have only been there once. A long time ago." Out of the corner of his eye, Reikian saw Zeldura start as her eyes locked on him. A mysterious women. He wondered who she was and what role she was playing in all of this. However, his attention was soon absorbed in discussing battle tactics with Ganon. Ganon had taken an immediate liking to Reik when they first met a few months ago. He trusted his judgment and often asked him for advice. By the time he and Ganon were done, the young women was gone and the sun had started to sink into the horizon.