Impa returned from the fortune teller to find Zelda awake, just barely. She didn't seem too cognizant, and judging from the vomited mess that Anju was cleaning from the blankets, she wasn't holding anything down. After handing Anju a trove of medicines and liniments, Impa cupped Zelda's cheek and said her name, hoping she would look her way. All she got were a few coughs.

"This isn't right," Anju remarked as she laid a cool cloth over Zelda's forehead. "Pregnancy or not, I've never seen anyone get this ill. It has to be poison." She looked to Impa and asked, "You said you ate the same things she did?"

"Zoran mint tea, with ginger biscuits and cream cheese," Impa answered, and folded her arms before continuing. "Zoran mint has a slightly metallic aftertaste; it could hide a poison. But who would dare poison the Princess of Hyrule? Nothing could be gained from this…"

"Could it be the Gerudo? We are at war with them, no?"

"Believe me when I say that is impossible," Impa answered with a snort. "Besides, the Gerudo would never be so cowardly. Only someone with a grudge would do something so underhanded as poisoning a girl and endangering her child."

As soon as the words left her lips, Impa had a realization. Zelda was genuinely loved throughout Hyrule, with one exception- the royal advisors. Only they would be brazen enough to hurt Zelda in retaliation for her resistance. No, only one of them was that cowardly. And Impa knew exactly who.

"Anju, use those medicines to stabilize her condition. The green will help keep her from vomiting, the yellow will fight to prevent miscarriage." Impa then turned on her heel and ran from the room.


Zelda came around slowly, at first unaware of her surroundings but slowly regaining her bearings. She had no energy to move her body, but was able to turn her head and see Impa sitting beside the bed, with a sad expression on her face.

"…What happened?"

"Shahzadi, love, you've been very sick," Impa answered. "You collapsed about a week ago. You opened your eyes a few times since then, but you were not alert enough to interact with us. We've been feeding you diluted blue potion because you have thrown up everything else, and I've applied several of my people's remedies to help you regain your strength."

"Why am I sick? Is the baby okay?"

Impa grimaced, causing Zelda to start shaking. She used every ounce of strength she could muster to roll over, and stared Impa straight in the face. "The baby… What happened to my baby?!"

"Zelda, listen to me very carefully." Impa took a deep breath, and held Zelda's hand. "You were poisoned by one of the royal advisors. I investigated, and found that the seneschal was trying to force a miscarriage. I have already-"

Zelda interrupted Impa with a whimper, and her eyes began to water.

"I know what you're thinking, child," Impa said as she cupped Zelda's cheek. "As far as I can tell, for the moment you are still pregnant. However, I am very concerned that something might happen. The poison was specifically chosen to induce miscarriage without killing you. Anju and I have administered everything we could to accelerate the poison's decomposition, but we're fighting an uphill battle with unloaded weapons. Frankly, it's in the Goddesses hands now."

As soon as Impa finished speaking, Zelda lost her composure. She began crying and shaking, mumbling prayers in hopes of keeping the baby. Impa and Anju tried consoling her and getting her to lie still, but Zelda continued thrashing about. Anju was forced to administer a sedative to keep Zelda from further harming herself.

"Shazadi, honey, listen to me," Impa whispered as the sedative started to work. "It won't do the baby much good if her mother isn't well enough to carry her. You need to rest."

Zelda calmed a bit, though tears still ran down her face. As she nodded off, she moved her right hand over her stomach. "If the Goddesses could grant me one wish, my life for my baby's…"