"Should we do this Link?" Zelda asked nervously as she paced around her private quarters. "If I have a private dinner with Argoth and don't invite Gracian, it may be seen as an insult to the Tamrielic Empire. And what if Argoth is just trying to trick me?"

"I think we can trust him, Zelda. He seemed very sincere. Listen to your Triforce. It will tell you he's on our side."

Zelda closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to feel the energy of the Triforce of Wisdom. The warmth that she felt calmed her down. When she opened her eyes again, she looked confident.

"You're right Link. And he did say that Pelagius would drag the case into a kangaroo court. He accused the emperor and didn't sound too happy. We'll have dinner in these quarters. I'll ask for the food to be delivered, I won't even let the servants in. It'll be just you, me. and Argoth, but the 'Argoth' part needs to be secret. I wonder what else he has to say…"

"All right. I'll go tell him, Zelda."

Zelda sat down and tried to gather her thoughts together. What else did the Nerevarine have to tell her?

Link casually walked through the castle's hallways toward the guest wing. He tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible, Pelagius could have spies anywhere. He at last found Argoth's assigned room and knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Link slowly opened the door to find the Nerevarine pouring over some notes he must have taken in the library after he had left the throne room.

"How long were you in the library?" Link asked.

Argoth turned his head back. "A few hours. I'm just scratching the surface at the moment. Any news?"

"Yes. Zelda has agreed to meet with you."

"Where?"

"In her private quarters. She's having the food delivered up there so there won't even be any servants."

"Smart girl." Argoth remarked.

"That she is." Link smiled.

"So, where's her private quarters? Give me an exact route. I need to get up there without being seen."

"Without being seen?" Link asked skeptically.

"Don't worry, that's the easy part. I just need to know the fastest possible route."

"To the right of your quarters and then up the stairs. Then go to the center of that hall and up a spiral stairway. Her door is at the left end of the hallway of that floor."

"Got it. I'll see you there."

"Does that ring really kill anyone that wears it besides you?" Link asked, pointing at the Moon-and-Star.

Argoth laughed. "When I first heard stories about the ring I thought it was bullshit. But when I was on my journey ten years ago and came into the Cavern of the Incarnate, I saw the ghosts of those who tried to wear it before me. That's when it kind of sunk in."

"So you are Nerevar reborn." Link stated more than asked.

Argoth laughed again. "Honsetly, to this day I still have no idea."

Link smiled. "We should be eating in around an hour or so."

"I'll be there."

Link nodded and left the room. Argoth went back to his notes.


At the appointed time, Argoth got up and opened his door, closing it behind him. He looked around and waited for the guards to pass. He then cast his 30-second invisibility spell, followed by a levitation spell so that his feet wouldn't make noise on the ground. At this rate, he would just make it to Princess Zelda's quarters if everything went perfectly. He raced up to the next floor and then up the spiral stairs, not even caring to climb them. Why climb when you can fly? He raced down the hallway and saw an ornate door with a large Triforce crest. That had to be it. Argoth knocked on the door, which cast off the invisibility spell. Link immediately opened it and ushered him inside.

"You made it." Link said, relieved.

"Thanks to my invisibility and levitation spells." Argoth grinned.

"You must have quite an extensive arsenal."

Argoth turned his head to see Zelda smiling at him.

"Thanks." He said, taking a seat, Link following him. "I'm a Battlemage, that's what we do."

"So, what was it you had to tell me?"

"This needs to be kept secret, since it is Imperial policy, but as Hyrule's sovereign, I believe you have the right to know."

"Well, what is it?"

"Emperor Pelagius may be closer to war than you think. He's imposed new taxes in Morrowind. Since we're the closest Imperial province to you, it definitely seems to be a war tax, though he's citing it as a new internal revenue collection to recover from the Oblivion Crisis."

"But you think it's for war…"

"Not just me, everyone in Morrowind does."

"I see…" She trailed.

"Princess, we're fighting it, you don't need to worry about that." Argoth gave her an encouraging smile.

That surprised both Zelda and Link. "You're…fighting it?"

"Of course. Virtually all of Morrowind agrees on opposing these new taxes, which is not something that happens often. Since we just abolished slavery, we're in economic transition; the peace between the Great Houses of Morrowind is still a very fragile one. We have a lot of things to do. And, as commander of the Imperial Legion in Morrowind, as well as the Dunmer auxiliary forces, I have no desire to commit my troops to a war with your country."

Zelda smiled. "Is that all?"

"That's all the crucial things. Now Princess, I'd like to inquire to you about the nature of the Triforce and the Sacred Realm." He changed the subject.

Zelda and Link gave each other questioning glances.

"The accounts I've read speak of the Golden Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore, and after their labors, they left the Triforce in the Sacred Realm at the point in which they left the world. All the accounts say this exact, same thing, yet I cannot find anything further. Surely, there must be more?"

After getting over her initial amazement of the Nerevarine's extremely fast learning curve, she spoke.

"The Triforce and the Sacred Realm have been Royal Family secrets for ages, Argoth."

"I think you should tell him, Zelda. He is friendly, and besides, after what Ganondorf did, it really doesn't matter anymore. Besides, we owe him for bringing us this information."

"Very well." She lightly smiled. "Nerevarine. The Triforce has the power to grant the wish of the one who holds it. If a person with a pure heart touches it, the world will be a paradise, if an evil heart touches it, the world will be hell. So the ancient sages built the Temple of Time to protect the Sacred Realm from evil ones. To open the Door of Time and enter the realm, one would need three enchanted gems called Spiritual Stones as well as the Ocarina of Time passed down by the Royal Family."

"I see." He said, intrigued.

"Then Ganondorf came." Link interjected.

"Ah, the usurper. We heard about him in Morrowind. We were all very suspicious of his intentions. I was wondering whether or not I should have taken a crack at him. I thought it would be a good fight, no?"

Link was chuckling while Zelda looked on puzzled. "Ganondorf tricked us. We tried to get the Triforce to protect it from him. But, after he staged his coup, he followed me into the Temple of Time. After I opened the door, I lifted the Master Sword out of its pedestal, but it sealed me away, for I was too young to bear it. Ganondorf got the Triforce…"

"So…that's how he became so powerful. I found it rather strange that an upstart wizard like him could become so much more powerful in such a short amount of time."

"Upstart?!" Link and Zelda both yelled in disbelief.

"I'm from a house of wizards remember? I and a few of the other people I know would have wiped the floor with his carcass!" Argoth declared with a laugh, causing Link and Zelda to smile. "But if he has the Triforce now…how were you able to defeat him?" He asked, bewildered.

"There's more." Zelda put forth. "When Ganondorf touched the Triforce, his heart was not in balance. The Sacred Triangle acts as a scale to balance the forces of the three Golden Goddesses, Power, Wisdom, Courage. Ganondorf's heart did not weigh all three equally, and so he was left with only the Triforce representing that force he most believed in, power."

"And what happened to the other two parts?" Argoth asked eagerly.

"They were scattered and hidden within those chosen by destiny." Zelda declared.

"And let me guess. Link was bestowed with the Triforce of Courage and you were bestowed with Wisdom."

Zelda laughed. "Very good Argoth. You are quite a wise man yourself. Now, let me ask you this: why are you so caring about Hyrule and its relation to the Empire?"

"Because, Princess. Morrowind has been very kind to me. Before I went there I was a cutthroat thug that only lived to survive. I had no morals or honor. My life was worthless. But when I went there and actually became the Nerevarine against my own will at first, I saw something: people believing in me. That was a completely new thing for me. How was this one time bandit and pirate who only lived to extort becoming the savior of Morrowind? The quest gave me honor; it made me rich, but most importantly, it gave me something to live for. The people of Morrowind believe in me. I will not allow an unjust war with your country to happen and destroy what we have all achieved, and quite frankly, I would hate to destroy what you all have achieved as well."

Zelda was moved to tears. "An inspiring story, Argoth. You must tell me more later. I need my rest now."

Link looked on. Zelda did need her rest. She had bags under her eyes from the stress and lack of sleep that were requiring more and more makeup to cover up.

"Princess, I have one last request for the evening." Argoth said as Zelda was about to enter her bathroom.

"What is it?"

"I would like to study the Ocarina of Time and its magical properties. Would you be so kind as to lend it to me for a day?"

Zelda was very hesitant to answer.

"If you like, I will give you something as collateral."

Zelda's eyes widened as he produced a gleaming silver gem from his pocket.

"This is Azura's Star." Argoth said as he approached the princess. "It is a Soul Gem for enchanting equipment of vast power. It was a gift to me from the Daedric Princess Azura for a quest I did for her."

"Yes, the Queen of the Night Sky. Legend states that the Ancient Gerudos built the Spirit Temple in her honor for watching over them during the long and dark desert evenings. These may be, just stories, however."

Argoth laughed. He really was enjoying learning about this land. He'd have to ask Azura about that the next time he spoke with her…

"It's a beautiful gem." Zelda referred to Argoth's outstretched hand holding it in front of her.

Zelda walked to a shelf and produced the blue ocarina, giving it to Argoth and taking Azura's Star.

"Please be careful with it, it's a Royal Family treasure."

"And that's my most prized possession. You do not need to worry."

Zelda smiled and wished Link and Argoth good night.

"So Link." Argoth said after they exited the room, making sure no guards were there. "Do you have any good liquor around here?"

Link laughed. "If you want to go to the bar, you better put that away." He referred to the Ocarina of Time. "Me and that thing have a lot of memories together."

"Oh, well then you must tell me. In return, I'll tell you of my own travels."


"So then I went back to the Shadow Temple, with the Lens of Truth, allowing me to see things concealed by magic."

"That Lens of Truth sounds like a nifty little device." Argoth said as he sampled a Hylian beer. "Good thing the guards didn't have one of those when I was invisible."

Link looked at small, but very jagged scar at the bottom of Argoth's right arm.

"That had to hurt." He pointed.

"Ah. A present from Almalexia." He grunted. "This one's from Dagoth Ur." He pointed to a much larger scar on his calf after rolling up his left pant leg.

"Ganondorf did this after he transformed into a beastly thing." Link rolled up his shirt and pointed to a long scar on the left side of his back.

Argoth's face grimaced. "That'll teach you how to get hit."

Link laughed. "Knocked me ten feet back and on my ass."

The two got up and paid for the drinks with fifty rupees. They continued to exchange conversation as they walked through the castle halls. Argoth stopped to peer out a window overlooking some kind of courtyard. Upon seeing it, Link suddenly became nostalgic.

"This is where I first met Zelda."

"Was it?"

"Yeah, I got thrown out a few times trying to sneak in here, but I managed to evade them eventually."

"Looks like you could have used an invisibility spell, kid."

"I probably could have." Link agreed.

"So, what do you think of this whole mess?"

"What?"

"With Emperor Pelagius. You were rather quiet over the issue at our little dinner."

"Oh, well. It makes me angry. I'm charged with protecting this country. The Master Sword chose me for it."

"But that isn't the only reason, is it." Argoth stated.

"What?" Link asked curiously.

The Nerevarine turned to face the Hero of Time with a grin on his face. "You're in love with the princess."

Link was now blushing wildly. "How did you…?"

Argoth laughed. "Don't worry kid, your secret's safe with me. Though I don't know why you're keeping it a secret."

Link didn't know what to say.

"Look, I'll see you tomorrow, I gotta wake up early and study that ocarina."

Link recovered and waved him off. Was he that transparent?

The next day dawned, with a formal court session. The usual bantering was exchanged. Argoth was much more interested in going back to the castle library and learn more lore and magic. Once the royal court adjourned, Argoth thanked Zelda for giving him the Ocarina of Time and allowing him to study it, giving it back to her. She smiled and gave back Azura's Star. Argoth bowed and proceeded to the library, eager to investigate the legend of the Spirit Temple that Zelda had told him about, and to learn more about the desert Gerudo race.

Argoth poured through the accounts, reading about the Haunted Wasteland and the Desert Oasis that housed the temple. After hours of reading into ancient and at times suspect accounts, he came across the strangest one yet. It was titled, 'The Prince of War.' Its content seemed to be very dark in nature, to say the least.

In the aftermath of cracked reality,

An empty throne is occupied,

A suspect prince with a flowing red mane,

Governs a palace of impure gold.

"What in the hell…?" Argoth trailed as he read on.

Evil escapes during the sundering,

It becomes the Prince,

Woe to the Sovereign,

He launches war on this land.

Stand firm,

Stand tall,

For evil has been remade.

He seeks the divine power.

All is darkness.

That was certainly the strangest thing that Argoth had ever read. Was it supposed to be some sort of prophecy? Certainly that is what it sounded like, despite its awful poetry. Who was this Prince of War? Every element seemed weird. The only thing that he could guess with some accuracy was the 'this land' part. The Gerudos lived in the desert, which was part of…Hyrule. Then war upon Hyrule would come from this 'prince.'

Argoth decided to show this to Link and Zelda in private and see what they thought. Perhaps they could help connect the dots.