Favorable side

by Gladys Garcia

  of wind to clear his view of the south, noticing that whoever was riding towards the town on horseback was doing so at a frightening speed. Link watched as they got

  closer, hoping that it was who he hoped it to be. And, sure enough, as they sped into the area of Hyrule Field that led to the southern gate, he was able to finally see the

  elegant tiara and immaculate clothing the feminine figure was wearing. An icy aura surrounded the hero as he watched the queen herself hurry back to her burning town,

  hatred swelling within him at the mere sight of her. Fortunately, she wouldn't be able to see him up on this high perch, which meant that he still had the element of surprise

  on his side. And it was something that Link was more than eager to take advantage of as he returned to the ground and went off to tell Verona that their plans were all

  coming together perfectly.

  Zelda pushed her horse as fast as its hooves could possibly go, keeping her body pressed against it as her heart pounded wildly at the sight of her burning destination. As

  soon as the breathless shock of seeing the capital city of her kingdom glowing with endless flames had worn off, the queen had immediately set out towards Castle Town,

  knowing that saving it was her sole priority at the moment. Tears stung in her eyes as she got continually closer, her heart breaking as she imagined how many of her

  people were most likely suffering and dying in the destructive blaze. At the moment, she didn't even care about how this happened or who was responsible; all she cared

  about was getting to the burning town and helping as many people escape from it as she could.

  All the while, Midna kept to Zelda's shadow tightly, anxiety filling her as well, though for different reasons. The words of the light spirit were still ringing in the ears of both

  women, and though the Twilight Princess didn't want to believe any of it, a small part of her feared that somewhere within that burning city was Link, and, even though

  Midna hoped he never would, perhaps he was even aiding the one behind this grave disaster herself: Verona.

  At the same time, the Twilight Princess was also quite concerned for the queen. After all, it certainly seemed like Zelda had every intention of running into the inferno

  before them without thinking, when, knowing the Queen of Shadows, there could certainly be more to this disaster than just a mere fire. Who could really tell what

  horrors really awaited them inside those smoldering walls?

  "Hey, Zelda!" Midna called up to the queen, who kept her worried gaze locked on the burning town as it grew ever closer. "Do you actually have a plan for what we're

  going to do when we go in there? Because running blindly running into a burning city sounds like something Link would do and I would usually try to convince him against."

  "I have as much of a plan that I can come up with on a short notice like this," Zelda replied, even though there was an edge of uncertainty in her tone. "I am going to save

  as many innocent civilians as possible using my powers, and if we happen to encounter Verona, who I am almost certain is responsible for this, then we shall attempt to

  deal with her accordingly."

  "And… what about Link?" the Twilight Princess asked, biting her lip anxiously.

  The queen was silent for a moment, taking in a deep breath as she frowned with dread. "Midna… I… I know that you do not want to hear this…" she began tentatively.

  "But… considering everything we have heard, there is a chance that… that Link could possibly be part of-"

  "No!" Midna shouted fiercely, refusing to believe her fears were true. "Link has nothing to do with this! Just because he has fire powers doesn't mean he would start a

  blaze like this, especially not when he knows there are innocent people in there!"

  Zelda let out a sigh at this, knowing that the Twilight Princess would firmly defend the hero no matter what. A large part of the queen herself wanted to believe that he had

  no role in this, but there was no way to be certain. She could only pray now that he was innocent in all of this, and even beyond that, that he was safe from both this fire

  and his own ominous destiny.

  "Well, regardless, we still need to locate him," Zelda said as she approached the southern gate of town, quickly dismounting her horse right before it. "He may very well be

  in danger himself within that inferno. We would be wise to keep a careful eye out for him."

  Midna frowned and nodded, hoping that Link was nowhere near this disaster, but if he was, then she would do whatever it took to get him out of it. "Let's split up once we

  get in there then," she suggested, knowing that there would be a lot of ground to cover and not much time. "I'll go high and search for Link, while you stay grounded and

  help anyone who needs it. We'll meet up out here later, got it?"

  Zelda nodded in agreement with this plan, making sure that the Bow of Light was close on hand in case she needed it. For a brief moment, she stood still before the gates

  of the town, already feeling the overwhelming heat emanating from it as it cut through the otherwise cold air. She was a bundle of nerves and fears, but she knew that

  she had to enter into this inferno for the sake of her people. They depended on her to stand up for them, and that was what she had every intention of doing, even if it

  cost her life.

  "Alright," the queen said with a deep breath of determination and finality. "Then let us go. But… please, Midna. Be careful."

  "You too, Zelda," Midna said with a sly, confident grin, before nodding her final farewell. Without any further deliberation, the Twilight Princess glided above the gate and

  flew over it, quickly disappearing into the thick plumes of smoke rising from the fire. Likewise, Zelda also didn't waste any time as she gripped her bow tightly, bracing

  herself for what was to come as she bravely stepped inside the walls of the burning city.

  The sight that the queen was met with upon entering the town was appalling and heartbreaking all at the same time. Zelda didn't even notice that she was unintentionally

  using her powers to freeze time all around her as she slowly moved forward, observing the scene with wide eyes. Fire was everywhere, drowning the marketplace with

  flames and smoke, both of which were inescapable. Many of the stalls that had once vended foods and goods had been incinerated into nothing more than mere ash by

  now, but no one seemed to notice any of this, or even the queen herself as they all tried to rush out of the blazing town, many of them getting trampled or burnt in the

  process. Zelda's heart ached as she remembered what this very area had looked like when she had explored it with Link just a few weeks ago: so full of vibrant life and

  activity, the streets bustling with happy people of all ages. Now, the only thing that remained out of this once glorious sight were burning buildings, smoldering stalls, and

  petrified people.

  Zelda was quick to shake herself out of her shock and despair as she resumed the flow of time around her once again, allowing herself to feel the intense heat of the fires

  and breathe in the thick smoke, as much as she wanted to avoid them both. Even despite her elegant apparel, no one paid her too much mind as they continued to rush

  towards the gates in a blind panic, something that the queen couldn't really blame them for, especially those who had wives and children to worry about. The queen took

  in a deep breath, not really sure where to start looking for those who needed aid. After all, there were no immediate signs of anyone in danger nearby, but she knew that

  in a great blaze such as this, there would certainly be people who were having trouble escaping from burning buildings and the like. However, it wasn't long before the first

  cry for help reached her ears.

  Zelda's eyes widened as she followed the continued panicked cry, racing thr
ough both the crowds and the smoke into one of the residential alleyways where several small

  houses for the relatively lower class stood. Or, at least where they had once stood as they were all quickly starting to crumble to the ground thanks to the destructive

  flames. It took some doing, but the queen was eventually able to locate the source of the frightened screams: a poor, disheveled-looking middle aged woman tightly

  cradling a baby in one arm as she stood in tears before a ramshackle building that was all too quickly falling apart as flames filled it with each passing second. Zelda didn't

  hesitate to rush towards the sobbing woman, who was struggling against the hold of two men who were clearly trying to keep her from running into the burning building.

  "What's wrong!?" the queen exclaimed as she came to stand in front of the distraught woman, taking her hand in an attempt to calm her down.

  The woman continued to cry incoherently for a moment or two men keeping her safe gasped in surprise at the sight of the younger woman before them. "You… your

  majesty!?" one of them exclaimed, telling her identity from the royal tiara upon her head. "What are you doing out here? It's not safe!"

  "It does not matter," Zelda said firmly, giving the man an authoritative glare. "In a great tragedy such as this, everyone must do their fair share to help. Now," she said to

  the woman, who was now giving the queen a look of tearful amazement. "You were calling for help?"

  "Y-yes," the woman stammered brokenly. "My… my son! He's s-still inside!"

  Zelda glanced behind her as the woman pointed to the burning house, a burst of fear filling her as she watched a portion of its roof cave in. However, the queen wasn't

  about to let a plea for help such as this one go unanswered, even despite the apparent danger. "Do not worry," she said, giving the woman a consoling smile. "I will find

  him and bring him out to you. I promise."

  Through her still-falling tears, a sob of joy escaped the woman as she gave the queen a thankful smile. However, the two men were not so confident in this idea as they

  finally loosened their protective grip on the woman. "Your highness, are you sure that's such a good idea?" one of them asked with uncertainty.

  Zelda shook her head assertively, knowing that her position would allow her to do as she pleased without anyone attempting to hold her back. "Regardless of whether it is

  a good idea, I cannot waste time debating over it," she said, her tone and expression hard. "You needn't worry over me. I shall be alright and successful. Just watch and

  see."

  The queen didn't bother to listen to their response as she abruptly turned around and headed stoutly towards the burning building, conjuring up a light arrow to shoot

  away the smoldering wood blocking the entrance. And, before she even entered into the house, she was quick to stop time around herself, feeling a sense of relief from

  having done so as she entered inside and was untouched by the flames all around her. Zelda looked all around for any signs of a young boy, knowing that time was of the

  essence before he either burned or suffocated to death, but she found no signs of life on the first floor of the house. Even though the wooden stairs hardly looked usable

  anymore, the queen began up them slowly and carefully, not wanting to destroy her only means of getting up to the loft. As she was climbing, however, she soon began

  to hear the sounds of weak coughing, giving her a pretty good idea as to where the boy was. And, sure enough, as soon as she dissipated the time field around herself

  and arrived upon the loft, she saw him: a small, frail child, only about eight years old or so, huddled in corner as he was trapped by flames nearly on all sides. Zelda's heart

  was moved with compassion for him as she rushed over to him, not caring that her new clothes were being singed as she came to kneel down in front of the boy, who

  was surprised that someone had come to his rescue.

  "W-who… who are you?" the boy asked, his voice horse and strained from all the smoke he was inhaling.

  "My name is Zelda," the queen said, giving him a kind smile. "And I have come to help you. After all, it would be rude to keep your mother waiting."

  "M-mama!" the boy exclaimed as loudly as his voice would allow as he began to shakily stand up. "Is… is she ok?"

  "She is just fine," Zelda said, her tone warm and gentle as she picked the boy up, seeing that he wasn't able to stand for too long in his weakened state. "Now, come with

  me. We must hurry."

  The boy simply nodded in agreement as he huddled in close to the queen. When he wasn't looking, Zelda quickly froze time once again in order to keep them both safe as

  she began to hurry down the stairs. However, as she did so, a sudden rumbling caught her attention. The queen glanced up and gasped in fear as she saw that the ceiling

  of the house was beginning to crumble apart completely from the flames ravaging it, pieces of it falling down all around her and the boy, but thankfully never hitting them.

  Yet Zelda knew that wouldn't remain the case for too much longer and that even her magic wouldn't be able to protect them from it. As she rushed down the stairs, a

  large piece of flaming rubble collapsed onto the staircase, causing it to break right in front of where the queen and the boy were. Zelda let out a surprised cry as she

  stumbled backwards, still able to feel the heat from the flames even despite her magic as the boy clung onto her even tighter.

  "Do not fret," the queen whispered to the boy with resolve as she looked to how far down they would have to jump, measuring it to be about five feet or so. "We shall be

  alright… Just hold on and…" Zelda trailed off as she closed her eyes and jumped without thinking, making a narrow landing and just barely avoiding falling right on top of a

  flame. It took a moment for her to gather her bearings once more as smoke began to cloud both her breathing and her vision, but as soon as she did, she didn't hesitate

  to run for the doorway just as the ceiling came crashing down on them both.

  Outside of the collapsing house, the women and the two men let out gasps of fear for the fate of both the boy and the queen, who certainly would perish in a matter of

  mere seconds. However, these fears were set to ease when a burst of bright golden light shined forth amidst the flames, the force of which blew the burning debris away

  to reveal the queen herself, standing tall yet breathless as she still held onto the shaken, yet now safe boy. Zelda said nothing but simply smiled softly as she delivered the

  boy into the arms of his mother, who was just as overjoyed to see him safe and sound as he was to see her. The woman poured endless rounds of gratitude upon the

  queen, but Zelda merely shook her head, knowing that she would do the same for any of her people who needed aid.

  "I was merely preforming my duty as your queen," Zelda said resolutely. "Now, I want all of you to leave here immediately. The quickest way out is through the west gate.

  I wish you all safety!"

  Though the men hesitated with worry for their queen for a moment, they soon followed her orders and departed along with the woman and her son, all of them hopefully

  heading for refuge from the flames. However, as Zelda watched them leave, a sudden idea came to her, one that would hopefully help her get as many people out as

  possible.

  Thinking quickly, the queen hurried to the main street of the residential district, seeing that the area was congested with both flames and people trying to get out, even

  though they were plowing into each other because of the narrow street. Quite a few of them were getting pushed close to the fire and burned in the chaos, and it largely

  seemed like no one was making much progress in making it to the gate at all. That is, until they saw a bright flash of light and heard the authoritative shout of their queen

  rise
above the noise.

  "Attention, everyone!" Zelda called as loudly as her voice could manage about the screams and crashes of the fire. "If you wish to escape the city, gather close to me! I

  shall lead you to safety!"

  Even though there were plenty who had less than savory opinions of their young queen, no one dared question her leadership in this instance as they all pressed as close

  to her as they could get. Though Zelda wasn't really much for physical contact with others, she ignored her claustrophobia as she held her hands out and concentrated,

  knowing that this could very well be a challenge for her. And yet, as soon as a large circle of people had surrounded her, the queen cast her time freezing magic once

  again, making the orb as large as she possibly could so that she could include everyone. The people all watched in awe and amazement, none of them knowing how it

  was possible, but not questioning it as Zelda gave them another command.

  "Stay together and move towards the gate slowly!" she shouted, hoping that she could keep this time field up long enough. "Remain calm and we shall be out of the city

  shortly!"

  Everyone did as she said as the tightly-knit crowd began to inch forward, Zelda at the heart of it as she concentrated the best she could, even despite the frightened

  clamor of the people all around her. Her heart was racing as she knew she was exuding a great amount of energy, as could be clearly seen from the dark blue glow

  surrounding her hands. And yet, her magic did its job perfectly, protecting both her and the people from the fires that were still moving around them, despite the fact that

  everything inside of the orb had completely stopped save for those who were closest to the queen. And, sure enough, Zelda was able to focus just long enough to get

  everyone through the gates, before she had to dissipate her magic out of exhaustion.

  The citizens all cheered as they flooded into the much safer Hyrule Field, breathing in its fresh air instead of air that was polluted by ash and smoke. The queen smiled

  slightly at the sight of their celebration, but she had not time to accept their praise. After all, the town was still full of innocents who were suffering in the flames of this