Link awoke the next day, the pleasant memories of the night before seemed somewhat faded, though by what he couldn't say. He felt as though his sleep had been restless and full of dark dreams but for the life of him he couldn't remember what they were. He stretched the stiffness of riding out of his joints and got dressed. He made the decision to skip breakfast, he wanted very badly to leave the palace, something about his thoughts were muddled and slow without the clear sky above him but he knew his duties were here and so he went for a walk in the gardens instead.

The palace gardens was not quite the same as being in the fields but he could feel the sunlight on his face and the soft earth beneath his boots so if he closed his eyes he could almost imagine himself back out in the grass with the breeze in his hair. He tried to remember his dream last night, it had been dark and full of ominous warnings but always shouted from far off and hard to make out, even harder to remember... he had autonomously found a stone bench which he sat in now one hand clenched on his knee and the other beneath his chin, uncomprehendingly watching a mantis devour a Monarch butterfly and listening to the complaints of a convocation of crows that had gathered over the garden shed. Zelda had given him a book once about insects which he had found extremely dull but she had insisted it was good practice as it contained a lot of words that he wouldn't know which had been true. He smiled a little remembering that he had asked the princess later if 'Monarch' had meant that this particular butterfly was the king of butterflies. She had gotten red in the cheeks and haughtily suggested that he read the rest of the book to find the answer, it had taken him a week to finish the book and discover that no, the monarchs weren't kings of anything much other than leaves and another two years before he realized that she had gotten angry with him because the insect book had been a book that she herself had been unable to read at the time and was trying to pawn it off on him to shirk her studies. So aside from teaching him quite a few words he hadn't known before and a bit about butterflies he had learned two important lessons, never pester the princess about something she doesn't know and reading books is always helpful even if the book is extremely dull.

He was shaken from his recollections by a familiar whinny. He rounded the corner to see a harried stable hand trying to walk Epona out by the garden shed. Epona snorted and pulled at her reigns and seemed to obstinately refuse going any further down the path. Putting his fingers to his lips he whistled and with one last tug she wrenched free from the poor lad and trotted up to him.

"Begging your pardon, sir, I was just taking her out for a wash." the boy panted jogging up after her and bowing quickly.

"It's not your fault lad, she's a good horse but stubborn, there's no power in Hyrule that can budge her where she doesn't want to go." He grinned, patting her neck, "It took me seven years just to get her to come inside the town." He handed the reigns over, "Take her back to the stable and I'll come by this evening and give her a washing, if anyone scolds you tell them it's on my orders."

The boy nodded and, looking relieved, trotted her back to the stables.

He headed back towards the palace still wrapped up in thought when he was stopped by Impa, "The princess has been looking for you, sir knight. She is in the throne room." Link thanked her and headed directly there.

Zelda was speaking with the doctor, now wearing one of the birdlike masks to filter out the miasma of the plague. Link waited by the door until she was done and then approached the marble steps standing next to the doctor. "The good doctor has a task that he needs completed to see to the king's health, I told him that you were most capable."

"Yes, he should do just fine." The doctor bowed then turned to him, "Tell me, boy; do you know what the Nightshade plant looks like?"

"Yes." He answered shortly, knowing that if any other knight had stood before him the question would have been prefaced by a 'Sir'.

"Good, we have run quite out of our stores, could I ask you to gather more? It grows down by the lake, do hurry though the king's illness will worsen if left untreated." Link bowed and took his leave. He was fuming slightly as he descended the steps.

He soon found himself out by the stables and swore to himself, he'd meant to go by the tool shed and pick up a pair of pruning shears as he'd forgotten his dagger at his house and he'd look like a child hacking at plants with a sword he shuddered to think of the lamentable abuse he'd receive should one of the knights see him at it, he could almost hear the snickers of "Sir Bushwhacker" echoing in the great halls. If it were up to him he would not have cared what the other knights and lords thought of him, but it was his reputation and not his prowess that allowed him to keep serving as Knight Protector to the Princess of the Realm and so he was always very careful. He saddled Epona and led her back the winding garden paths towards the shed, which; as he had observed every day since his arrival, bore an overabundance of crows. But not twenty feet from it she balked. Suddenly he remembered the stable hand from earlier that day, it hadn't surprised him that Epona had ignored the boy but it had been years since she had refused to go where he led.

"Don't desert me today, girl. Of all days, not today." but she would not budge another inch towards the shed and as soon as he loosened his grip on the reigns she bucked yanking the straps from him and bolted.

"Too much for you woodsman?" he recognized the imperious tone of Sir Egan, "If you cannot lead your horse perhaps you cannot protect her highness either."

Egan was always bold, and not one to temper his tongue for the sake of manners or propriety, and he was more proud than his station warranted. Link had never liked him but today, today he hated Sir Egan."

"Perhaps you think yourself most worthiest, Sir Egan." On one of his better days he would have left it at that, but today was not one of his better days, "But then again you always did think too much of yourself." he turned and glared at him through steely eyes. If Egan wanted to trade jibes he was more than willing to sink to his level today, and if he wanted to take it further, well, it was not one of his better days.

Egan gaped only briefly at the sting of the rebuke, "You go too far, boy."

"My title, Sir Egan, is Sir Link. And it is about time I gave you and the rest of our disrespectful brothers in the realm a reason to remember it."

Egan's eyes hardened, Link could tell that those eyes saw only victory, Egan was sure he could win and Link could see why. At the age of fifteen Egan had stood tall as any knight and at twenty he was a head and shoulders taller and twice as broad as himself. But Link had seen Egan fight, he was slow and sloppy, thinking that if he waved his big hammer fists around enough they would eventually destroy his enemies. Link knew he would win, and he would make it hurt, maybe not physically but he would tread Egan's long preened pride in the dirt.

"You may have forgotten, boy. But I am your senior, and you, will, respect me whether you like it or not."

"You are my senior by a season only, you proud cock." Link spat at his feet, "And in years of knighthood I am your senior by three. Come Egan, where is your pride now, or does it sour to cowardice when it actually comes to the thing?"

He knew that would get to him and it worked, with a bellow like a bull Egan charged. Link danced out of the way of his fist at the last second causing him to topple over clumsily as a hog-tied moblin.

Link waited patiently for him to rise which he did in a trice, screaming obscenities and hurling himself at the young knight. Link clapped his hands about his ears and grabbed him by the collar, wheeling him around he tossed the large knight bodily through the shed.

"If you require more proof of my knighthood, Sir Egan, then come on out and we will have more words!"

Egan did come out, on all fours he scrambled over the splintered boards retching and coughing and looking pale as a sheet. Link immediately dropped his fists, he could smell it too now, he knew it well from the war. This smell was death and it was well seasoned, at least a fortnight. Flies had begun to billow out of the ruined shed like smoke as he fought his way through the foetor, pulling his collar over his nose to block the majority of the stench.

He knew what he was going to see just before he laid eyes on it, the spell had fallen away. For the first time he remembered clearly the course of events since his arrival at the castle and he saw where they lead. Inside the shed, the blood now black and purple staining the black doctor's robes lay the faceless body of the kindly old physician Vrael.

"Egan, summon the guards and alert the knights, His Majesty is in grave danger."

There was no retort, or curse or even a sideways jibe, Egan lit off at a sprint to summon the knights and guardsmen of Hyrule. "It seems we have a mantis in the garden." He muttered to himself. Remembering the warning he had not seen earlier that day.

Link, berating himself mentally for not noticing sooner sprinted up the stairs to the King's chambers five at time. "Guards, open this door at once, His Majesty is in grave danger!" he shouted as he came to the top of the stairs.

They crossed their pikes in front of the door, "No one enters, on the physician's orders." they said resolutely.

"The physician is the one endangering him."

They exchanged looks of incredulity, "I'm sorry Sir Knight, none shall pass."

"In the name of the King, then!" he shouted and heave kicked the place where their ornate pikes met snapping them both in half and splintering the doorframe as the heavy wooden door caved inwards. Reflexively they jumped at him but he was already through the door.

"Link, what is the meaning of this!?" Zelda demanded. She was in the middle of the room, it looked as though she had left her father's bed to see what the shouting was about when he'd burst through the door.

Link ignored her, "Whatever name you call yourself, step away from His Majesty, at once."

"Are you mad, boy?" said the throaty voice, which; now that he heard it with ears untainted by dark magic sounded nothing like Vrael at all.

"The physician's body is in the garden shed, and if the physician is dead then the person who killed him must have a good reason for getting close to the king." He continued to talk as he edged towards a weapon rack bearing the King's hunting spears.

"Link what are you..." Zelda began but as she turned to look back at the physician for confirmation she gasped, the spell over her had been broken. Link knew he was out of time and so did the abomination for it lunged at the King and Link lunged for a spear hurling it through the ornate golden fence that separated them and into the false physician's shoulder.

"Run, your highness!" he shouted over his shoulder as a dark and hollow laugh came from behind the King's bed. The skeletal frame of the abomination drew itself up to it's full intimidating height. Link grabbed another spear from the wall as the thing drew the one he'd thrown out of its shoulder unflinchingly and splintered it in his hand, "What are you, devil?"

The thing chuckled and vanished to reappear moments later inches from his face, "A messenger." it croaked and kicked Link back through the door. The guards drew their swords and charged. The abomination sidestepped the first swipe batting the guard into the wall where he crumpled, he vanished before the next guard could hew him in twain and reappeared behind him grabbing the back of the man's head and driving it into the floor with enough force to send teeth and bits of broken marble flying.

Link gathered himself, there was nothing to be done for the guards at the moment he stared down his enemy, as he stepped back through the door. The vanishing trick he thought he'd seen done by the sheikah before, though it was safer to assume nothing about it until he knew otherwise. At any rate he would have to be fast, he flourished the spear a few times counting the openings in his defense. He charged and as he expected the creature vanished again, he dropped into a roll hearing the thing's arm swipe over him and came upright at the ready and lunged driving the spear point through the thing's other shoulder.

It howled and grabbed the front of his shirt tossing him into the wall. He blinked, trying to make the starbursts subside. He instinctively rolled to the side anticipating another attack and it paid off as he heard the clang of the spear embedding itself into the stone wall. The thing howled again and he grabbed the fallen guards sword and swung it around in a neat arc that brought it down through the creature's collarbone and halfway into its chest. Again it vanished and the sword clattered to the ground. Link snatched up the sword and checked the door just as Raiko appeared in the center of the room.

"Which way did the creature go?" he asked.

"It just now vanished. Protect the king, I'm giving chase." The sheikah bowed his assent.

Link charged down the stairs but didn't make it far before his enemy reappeared above him turning around at the last moment he grappled with the thing, the both of them tumbling together down the stairs.

Link took the brunt of the final fall and grunted as he felt the abomination tumble over him, he reached for his sword but the demon was closer, snatching it up from the marble and drawing back to strike down his fallen foe. Link was saved by Egan who burst through the door at that moment and charged the thing. He would've rammed it into the wall had it not vanished first.

"Egan, get down, you fool!" Link shouted.

He turned and beamed a still cocky but for the first time, genuine smile. The smile was still on his lips as the abomination reappeared behind him and thrust the point of it's sword through his chest. He gurgled something and blood splashed out over his chin. He grasped his sword and flung it from it's scabbard towards Link. He caught it in his right hand and charged the thing.

It kicked Egan off his blade and rounded on Link. Link had never been particularly good with a spear, he didn't like the heft, but no man in Hyrule living, dead or other could match him for swordplay, a fact which the creature quickly discovered as it was forced to block a rapid flurry of strikes. It swung for the barest opening thinking it had found purchase but Link quickly tossed the blade over to his left and brought it up slicing the thing's hand clean off. It bellowed and vanished again just as what would've been the finishing blow sliced through where its head had been only a second earlier.

Egan coughed behind him and Link ran to him, lifting him off the ground so he could speak, "You fought brilliantly." he wheezed.

"And you fought bravely as well, Sir Egan."

"Bravery was never hard for me...honor on the other hand..." he coughed more blood splashing his armor. "I don't know why I loathed you so... seems so foolish now..."

"Rest easy, brother, I'll send for the Hierophants." Link swore, knowing that it wouldn't help.

"Brother..." Egan chuckled, "I was always fighting against you and cursing you and you lie here calling me brother..." he chuckled again dark froth bubbling at the corners of his mouth.

"It is my understanding that brothers often fight."

"Wouldn't know...never had any brothers." He breathed in a sharp shuddering gasp and sighed out his final rattling breath.

"You had at least one." Link said, hoping somehow he'd heard. A clamor ensued as the guards finally entered the room. "Spread out and search every room," He commanded, laying Egan gently back down "the enemy is gone but don't think for a second he has fled, if you see him be quick and watch your back, he can vanish in a moment's notice. Go!"

Link set off in search of the princess, he knew she was probably with Impa, which made him feel a bit better but he needed to see her safe for himself before he did anything about the creature in the palace. He searched the gardens and her tower and found no sign of her, finally he gave up thinking and let his feet take over. Running wherever they led he found himself to the Great Hall and Zelda burst through the opposite doors with Impa and an entourage of knights, she held a light and deadly looking long sword firmly in her hand.

"Link!" she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck briefly, he could hear the knights murmuring but he didn't care, "What was that thing?"

"I don't know, princess, but we should get back to your father's room Raiko is on his own if the beast reappears there."

"Raiko, is one of our people's greatest warriors," Impa spoke, "I wouldn't worry overmuch..." she was interrupted by a clamor as Raiko and the creature both appeared in the center of the hall.

"Clever boy..." the thing growled, "you led me to your friends."

"Honestly, I thought the Hall would be empty, but all the sweeter now there is an audience for your demise." The sheikah's voice was low and dangerous and he held a lethal curved blade as long as he was tall.

The creature growled and hurled a chair at him, Link noticed despairingly that it had grown its hand back, Raiko sliced the chair neatly in two and lunged at him seeming almost to fly along the ground in his speed but his enemy grabbed one of the long wooden tables and swatted him into a column causing long cracks to run up its length.

Link charged, no one else was going to die while he could prevent it, the enemy roared and hurled the table end over end at him, it hit on one end and tumbled over as Link slid under it. The abomination leaped, hoping to pin him and finish it but Link rolled forward passing beneath it as it landed behind him, anticipating another strike he flipped backwards and was gratified to hear the snap of a vicious swipe split the air just beneath him. He landed and plunged his sword to the hilt through the thing's ribs beneath it's arm. That would've been enough to kill any human but Link knew better than to take half measures against this beast. He ducked its lethal backswing and ripped his blade out through its bowels but he wasn't done, as it howled in rage he spun around and thrust again through its breast.

"You think this will kill me?" it screamed he could see the vanishing act was coming again and he tackled it just as it disappeared.

He couldn't breathe or move, everything was black and he could only see everything as though it were made of smoke caught in a gale. His enemy threw him off without a fight chuckling darkly, "You fool, did you think you could follow me here?"

Link couldn't answer it felt as though the weight of all the seas of Hyrule were crushing in on him.

The creature slowly picked up his sword, "Die in despair." it croaked, drawing back the sword.

Before it could strike it was interrupted yet again, this time by Raiko driving his sword through its back, "Forget about me?" he asked pulling the sword out through it's side and severing one of its arms. He rolled around it as the thing slashed at him and grabbed Link by the back of his shirt.

It was like breaking the surface long after you thought you'd drown, Link coughed and blinked at the bright light. He scrambled to his feet and Raiko put a hand on his shoulder, "Easy, warrior." he cautioned, helping to steady him.

Link coughed, drawing air into his collapsed lungs, the shadowy world had left a lingering imprint on his vision and he felt as though he had been for days in a dark cave, the glare overpowering his eyes. "Is it over?" he asked.

"I think not..." the warrior said darkly and the sounds of a pitched battle at the other end of the hall reached him.

"Protect the Princess!" he ordered and promptly collapsed as Raiko vanished from his side. He pressed his fingers into his eyes trying to clear his vision, as blurry shapes came into view he made his way towards the sound of battle.

The abomination was throwing guards and knights alike vanishing to avoid the scouring golden light of Zelda's magic. It didn't take him long to notice a pattern in the chaos. "Clear the room!" He shouted, only a moment too late as a beam of light from Zelda's blade shattered a column and the roof buckled. He grabbed her about the waist and hurled her through the door as huge slabs of stone crashed around them amidst the thing's dark laughter.

"LINK!" the princess was crying. He inhaled and got a mouthful of stone dust, he brought his knees up to his chest and forced the stone slab up and off.

As he rose from the debris he saw Zelda in the grasp of the monster. Her arms were pinned behind her and it covered her mouth with the other keeping her from crying out further, "Follow if you dare, hero." its dark laughter echoed in the collapsed hall as it vanished once again.

Link's jaw clenched, he sensed rather than saw Raiko reappear, "Take me to his Majesty's chambers."

"Close your eyes." He advised, and then the crushing closeness and roaring silence.

He felt the air and opened his eyes, the brightness was still overwhelming but only for a moment. The king's bedchamber was spacious and had an ingenious wall of windows that would slide open, transforming the closed room into an open covered balcony. The abomination held the princess out over the edge, his hand around her face, so the tips of her boots could scarcely find purchase on the slick polished marble.

It didn't take the thing's explanation for him to see the situation it had created, "A choice hero...the fair princess," he dangled her out further over the edge causing one of her feet to slip off and dangle over the abyss, her eyes, shining with fear implored him, "Or the good King."

"You seem to have not counted on a second person..." Link observed.

"You seem to think that changes things..." it croaked, "I wonder...I suppose we shall soon see..."

"Raiko, you are the King's attendant, you are loyal to him?" Link asked not taking his eyes from the princess for a moment. The warrior nods. "Good." Link leapt at the creature, it vanished at once, and so did Raiko. Link reached the edge just as the Princess' balance gave out. He reached her just in time yanking her upright by the front of her dress. Their eyes met briefly and he, unable to stop his momentum toppled over the edge.

"RAIKO!" he heard her cry as the world tipped upside down. He closed his eyes, he had failed in many things but, as long as the Sheikah's sword was true, he had done his duty to the last.

He barely felt the brush of fingertips against his shoulder but he noticed the cessation of the wind roaring past. He opened his eyes and was blinded momentarily, he could hear sobs, and the soft soughing of the wind. He stood as his vision cleared he saw the Princess sitting disheveled by the bed, biting down on the back of her hand to suppress sobs. Raiko stood on the balcony looking out and seeing nothing.

"What did you do?" he breathed, then, the full impact of the situation dawning horribly over him, he roared, "WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

The sheikah turned, in his eyes was a mixture of such profound sorrow and hollowness that it stung him from berating him further, "I serve the royal family." he said, barely above a whisper, his voice husky and dry and he vanished as the blood red disk of the sun disappeared over the low hills to the west.