Corrupted Dreams

Prologue

Queen Griselda sat alone in her room at her desk. It was a late night of work for her, and she didn't intend to take a break from it just yet. She had been on a roll all day, and was eager to try out some new ideas.

She began to hastily sketch a few outlines. The Sheikah had made exceptional progress on the production and development of Guardians, but she felt they were far from ready to do battle. These weapons would be their line of defense against Calamity Ganon and his army of monsters, and they had to be absolutely perfect. Griselda would not tolerate any flaws.

With her ideas, they were sure to triumph. Not only would these Guardians fend off Ganon, it would keep Hyrule safe for all eternity.

But she had to test them out somehow...what to do?

She sat there, deep in thought, when the door opened behind her.

There in the doorway stood her daughter, Princess Zelda.

Griselda turned her chair around. "Hello, darling," she said, smiling. "What do you need?"

Griselda took a closer look at Zelda, and noticed something. She was pale and shaking, as though she'd awoken from a terrible nightmare. Griselda would even go so far as to say that Zelda looked like she was about to be sick.

"M-mother..." she said shakily.

"What's wrong?" Griselda asked. She took Zelda's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was cold to the touch, as though it had been dug out of the snows of Hebra. "You don't look well."

She's clearly frightened, Griselda thought. She's trembling too, the poor thing. What happened?

The princess seemed hesitant to move for a second. She simply stared down at her mother's shoes, frozen in place. Her breathing was panicked, and Griselda could see her sweating.

Something is truly wrong, Griselda thought. She's not acting like her usual self either...

"Zelda, what is it?" she asked gently.

Zelda seemed to tense up even more. She was breathing heavier too. Whatever reason she'd come here for began to waver.

"It's...nothing," Zelda said, against her better judgement. "I just..." Her resolve faltered.

Griselda pat Zelda's head. "I'm sure it's something, but it's okay if you don't want to talk about it right now," she said. "How about you go back to bed, and we can talk in the morning?"

Zelda fell silent, still shaking, still pale.

Griselda turned her back and went back to sketching. "I must say, it's really nice you have an interest in the Guardians, too," she said. "It makes me so proud to see you take an interest in these machines, especially since they could very well decide Hyrule's future. You're a smart girl, you know that?"

Zelda wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Maybe you could help me build these?" Griselda turned around, holding the outlines of the Guardians she'd been sketching.

"I don't...know...."

Griselda shrugged. "Well, maybe one day. I'd love to have an activity we could both do together. I miss our little mother and daughter bonding sessions. I really apologize for being unable to find some time for you. I've just been so busy lately."

"It's okay, Mother..." Zelda paused. "Mother...?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Do I, um...how do I look today?"

Griselda tilted her head in confusion. "What sort of question is that? You look absolutely perfect as you are now. It's understandable to be doubtful sometimes, but I assure you: as you look now, you're beautiful. And I'm sure everyone else your age would agree with me."

"I...I see..."

"Why do you ask?"

"Nothing," Zelda said. "Just...nothing..."

Griselda turned around again. From behind, Zelda took a step closer to her mother.

"I personally believe we're going to usher in a new era for Hyrule," Griselda said. "If my ideas work, I don't believe we'll have anything to fear-"

Then Griselda felt it.

A sharp pain in her back.

A scream of pain caught in her throat.

A sharp, desperate gasp for air.

The queen sat there, frozen for a moment, completely overwhelmed by shock. She could feel it all around her, her body screaming out in agony.

She turned her head around with wide eyes.

Zelda stood there, gripping a knife with both hands—the same knife that had been plunged into Griselda's back. She was no longer shaking, and her eyes had become hardened. They had changed color even, from a cool blue to red. She glared at her mother with a murderous intent.

"Zelda...?" Griselda croaked. "What...are you..."

Zelda twisted the knife, driving it further into the queen's back. The pain finally loosened the scream forming in her throat, and she yelled out as loudly as she could.

Three guards came bursting into the room mere seconds later. For a moment, they were unsure what was wrong. Then they stared in horror as they watched the princess's hands become stained with her mother's blood.

They acted immediately. One guard raced for the princess. He grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her away, then pulled her arms behind her back to subdue her, which caused her to drop the knife. The second guard ran to the queen's side, while the third one ran to get medical help.

The queen staggered into the second guard's arms. He thanked the goddess that she was alive, but she was bleeding quite badly. If the apothecaries didn't arrive soon, she could very well bleed out.

The other guard kept restraining the princess, who was struggling against his grip. She tried to violently yank herself away from him, but to no avail.

"Princess, what's gotten into you!?" the guard said.

Griselda glanced weakly at her daughter. Then she turned to the doorway.

She saw him standing there.

A tall, dark, muscular figure that loomed over the guards like a tower. His bright red eyes—the same shade of red as Zelda's—burned like fire under his long, deathly white hair. He held a thin, black blade in his right hand, which he didn't hesitate to place at the neck of the soldier who had Zelda restrained. He glared intensely at the queen.

"Zelda's with me, Griselda," he said in a low, hateful growl. "She's mine, now."