Link was brushing Epona when he was summoned by the Queen. A slightly out-of-breath errand boy, whom looked no older than 10 or 11, jogged up to him holding a letter sealed with the Queen's stamp.
"Letter from the Queen, Sir. She requests that you report to her offices immediately." the boy panted, then turned on his heels and ran in the direction he came. Link looked after the boy for a second, curious as to how busy the castle probably kept the child daily, then remembered the letter in his hands. He looked down at the envelope and quickly unsealed the wax stamp, unfolding the paper and started reading the words slowly.
Link had never been taught to read very well growing up in the Kokiri forest, namely because Kokiri were always taught to read by their fairy companions. Ever since Navi had been gifted to Link, she started to help him learn to read. She had initially been shocked that he hadn't known how to read many words, but she told him it made sense if he had indeed been fairy-less for all of his 10 years of life. From the very first day that the two had met, she had become his reading teacher and best friend. Now Link was able to read most things, though not large or complicated words, and only at a slow pace. At the moment, his little blue friend was sleeping in for the day, having stayed up late the night before playing in the trees of the courtyard.
As Link read the short letter, worry started to form in his gut.
"Link, please report to my offices as soon as you get this. There have been strange occurrences happening as of late and you may have a new mission on the horizon.
Your Queen,
Zelda"
He starred at the letter for a few extra seconds, making sure he had read it right, then stuffed it in the pocket of his dirty white work shirt. Link put Epona away in the horse's grazing field near the stables and made sure she was taken care of, quickly taking off in the direction of Zelda's offices.
After he had defeated Ganon and freed Hyrule from its seven years of turmoil, the Princess-turned-Queen quickly began making repairs to the ruins of the Castle and Castle Town. All of the citizens working on rebuilding the town and castle were so overjoyed that Ganon had been defeated that their enthusiasm helped all of the repairs become finished in less than six months. Now, it had nearly been two years since Link had defeated Ganondorf and life had gone back to normal for most of the survivors of Ganon's reign.
As Link reached the large wooden doors of the Offices, he stopped and waited as the two guards on either side of the doors recognized his face and made haste to let him through. He wasn't completely sure why most people whom had never interacted with him before were nervous in close proximity to him. Perhaps it was that he had saved all of Hyrule only two years ago? Or was it some sort of aura about himself that made them eager to please him? Link shrugged to himself as the doors were opened wide.
He walked in and found Zelda sitting straight ahead at her large wooden desk, whispering to Sheik who stood on the side of the desk closest to Link and listening quietly. Link brightened instantly at the sight of the Sheikah, having become good friends since the war ended, but then realized that if Sheik were here then this must be a very serious manner and frowned slightly.
As he approached the desk, Zelda and Sheik turned to look at Link in surprise, probably so caught up in whatever they were saying as to not even notice the blonde figure walk in. Zelda gave him a tired smile and beckoned him to come stand across from her. Sheik gave a curt nod in acknowledgement to Link, their eyes meeting in a silent conversation that told him that this was indeed a dire situation.
"I'm sorry to have bothered you with no warning in advance, Link, but there appears to be trouble stirring in Hyrule again." the Queen mumbled cryptically, resting her elbow on the desk and her chin in her hand. She looked exhausted, dark bags under her eyes, skin slightly more pale than usual, and hair looking as though she had been tugging at it repeatedly in thought, a habit she had picked up during the Reconstruction.
"Zelda, what's happened? Are you alright?" Link asked quietly, eyes burning into hers. After first meeting the Princess, he would have never even imagined to address her so casually, but after spending so much time with her these past two years they'd become close, almost like siblings.
The Queen scrunched up her nose and looked at Link, shaking her head. "If only. Have you heard of the mysterious deaths happening lately? The ones where people are found dead with tar clogging their throats and mouths?" she spoke, and Link nodded slowly.
"People have described the deaths of the people as 'looking as though they choked on the tar; as if it comes from their stomach like slow-rising bile that they suffocate on.' That seems odd, does it not?" Link and Sheik both nodded at the same time, watching Zelda raptly.
She stood abruptly, starting to pace. "What of it, Lady Queen?" Sheik asked after a slight pause and an exchanged look between himself and Link, his normally even tone giving way to slight concern for Zelda's wellbeing. When problems arose in Hyrule it often affected the Queens health personally, Link remembered. She glanced at Sheik and gave him a worried look as she stopped pacing behind her chair.
"If it had only been one or two cases of this strange event, I wouldn't have gotten so worked up over it. However, currently there have been over twelve reported cases of this in the past two months. After some investigation, it seems that these attacks have been directed at the parents or guardians of young children or teenagers whom went missing at approximately the same time as the strange deaths." Zelda huffed, looking even more worn than before, and sat back down at her desk, resting her elbow on the hard surface. She put her chin in her hand, looking up at the two male figures standing before her with their undivided attention.
"I've been having strange dreams the past fortnight or two. In them, a tar-like substance drips from the mouths of every adult in Castle Town and Kakariko Village, and all of the children are gone. The substance erupts from Death Mountain and even flows through the Zora's River in my dream, completely turning the water black and thick. There's not much else I remember from my visions, but I don't think I need any more signs for me to know that something's wrong. I just don't know what exactly that is yet."
I have my top scientists examining samples of this substance from the past two victims fervidly, and another team examining the bodies from which the tar came. However," she paused, casting her gaze at her desk in thought, then looking back up at the two men. "I don't think this is purely coincidental that this strange event is happening so often, or that the children of these people have gone missing. I was hoping to ask you two, my best and most reliable resources, to investigate this matter where it all started: Kakariko Village." She gave them a hopeful stare, even going so far as to push her lower lip into a pout to lighten the dark mood cast upon the room.
Sheik chuckled slightly despite the dire news, the Queen's sense of humor welcome in return for this troubling information. Link smiled warmly at her expression, as she looked almost like a child begging for a puppy. Sheik glanced at his comrade, whom gave a confident nod, then looked back at the Queen.
"Lady Queen, it would be an honor for us to assist you in any way possible in this grim situation." Sheik spoke formally yet firmly, and to anyone but Zelda and Link it would seem like he didn't hold any background history with the Queen, but having lived with her in hiding for seven years while Link slept in the Sacred Realm made the statement anything but true.
Zelda smiled, highly pleased that her two closest companions and friends were willing to investigate the matter. Although Link could tell that she was withholding information by the way her smile seemed too tight at the corners, he decided to leave it be for now and wait for her to reveal the secrets in due time.
After she told the two that they would be leaving at dawn the next morning and gave them directions to the household that they would start their investigation at, she dismissed them from her offices saying that she would see them later that night at supper.
Link and Sheik both left the Queen to her business and cleared the room, hearing the rustling of papers and scrolls behind them as Zelda continued to work. As they walked down the hall in silence, both lost in thought about the new mission, Sheik turned his head to Link.
"Link, would you care to join me at the stables? I need to make sure that Delia is properly rested and prepared before tomorrow's ride." Sheik spoke in a subdued voice, but it was obvious that he wanted to speak about more than their horses. Link nodded and the two made their way to the stables in silence.