A/N: So, as I mentioned in a new author's note in the first chapter, this story has recently undergone a MASSIVE overhaul. Every chapter has been edited. While the main plot is still the same, all dialogue between Zanna and Link has been rewritten, and the Fanadi scene has been changed significantly. It's not necessary that you go back and reread everything, but I would recommend skimming through the new dialogue, if you are enjoying this story! A lot has been added, and the chemistry between Zanna and Link is a lot more apparent now.

So I hope you enjoy that! As for this chapter, it may not read as smoothly as the edited sections... but editing kills my muse, so I'll leave it alone for now. xD

Triforce of the Gods

Chapter Nine: The Shrine

"Here we are..."

Zanna sighed as they reached her bedroom. At the moment, it was the most welcome sight in the world.

"Are you okay?" Link asked, tentatively removing his support to see if Zanna could stand.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

Link was skeptical, but he respected her pride by not saying as much. The second she stepped away from him her knees gave out and she went tumbling to the floor again. Link caught her by the arms and hoisted her back up, this time just sweeping an arm beneath her knees and carrying her outright.

"I don't like being carried," she complained sleepily, although she didn't have the strength to fight him. Her body needed to shut down for a few hours, and that's exactly what it was going to do– whether she was in bed or not.

"You don't like a lot of things that are good for you," Link observed, bending down and carefully setting Zanna on the bed. There was an ornately-woven antique Gerudo blanket on one of the chairs, and he shook it out before using it to cover Zanna.

Zanna's hair pooled around her like ink on the white pillows, having slipped out of its braid during the mobs. Despite the dust, she could still vaguely smell the soap she'd used that morning, and it was oddly soothing. But Zanna didn't want to sleep just yet. She called on all of her will to push back the darkness for a little while longer. "Thank you for helping me," she said sincerely, looking up at Link as he sat on the edge of the bed.

He smiled with something rather like amusement as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "You don't have to thank me," he said. His hand lingered at the side of her face and he gently ran his fingertips over her right brow bone, where her tattoo started.

"I know," she smirked drowsily.

Link laughed.

"In case you don't wake up before midmorning tomorrow, I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving," he said softly, his expression becoming regretful. "Promise me you won't get yourself killed while I'm gone." He was smiling, but there was genuine concern behind his words, Zanna could feel it.

Sleep was calling to her, but the news startled Zanna enough that she was able to push it back again. "Where are you going?" she asked. She was too tired to be embarrassed by how worried she suddenly sounded.

Link's eyes became very serious, and he sat forward so that she could only see his profile. "Home, to Ordona. I sent Colin to warn my village about the plague a few days after we learned what happened in the mountains. I haven't had any word from him since then."

Zanna's eyes widened and her stomach did an odd sort of flip-flop. It was hard for her foggy brain to process the information. "The villagers today– they were closer to Ordona than the mountains. If the plague is moving in that direction..."

"I know," Link said solemnly. They locked eyes for a long time, until Zanna had to look away.

"Please be careful," she said quietly.

"I will be," he said, but his eyes were fixed upon the dancing fire of one of the torches on the wall. There was a distance in his expression that made Zanna uneasy.

"Promise me," she insisted, watching his face intently. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Link took her hand and intertwined their fingers, smiling a bit sadly as he met her eyes. "I will be careful."

Zanna stared up at him, wanting to believe it but incapable of ignoring the horrible sinking feeling in her chest. Bad things were going to happen– she could tell. Images from the plague nightmares flashed through her mind in rapid succession.

"You don't look like you believe me," Link said, raising an eyebrow.

She didn't, but she didn't want to say so. "I believe that you mean it right now," Zanna said reluctantly.

Link made a face. "You're not enjoying the feeling of worrying about someone else's reckless behavior for a change, are you?" he asked. "Maybe you'll remember that the next time you're thinking about diving into a mass of plague victims."

Zanna laughed in spite of herself, in spite of the tears that were threatening the corners of her eyes. "Maybe," she said.

After a thoughtful pause, she added, "...But I doubt it."

Link sighed and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead, unknowingly sending a flood of heat down Zanna's body. "You need to sleep," he said, but his tone of voice was warm. Zanna watched him walk toward the door, listening to the soft sound of his boots hitting the carpet. An unexplainable panic swelled in her chest and she wished she could make him stay.

"Link," she called, starting to lose the battle against her increasingly heavy eyelids. He turned around, hand on the doorknob, waiting for her to speak. "Keep your promise," she said faintly.

Link smiled. "I will. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

Zanna trusted Link– she believed him when he said he would not intentionally do anything risky. So why was there a cold dread building up in the pit of her stomach?

Luckily, she did not have to worry about the feeling for long. The door had barely closed when darkness swooped down upon Zanna, whisking her into sleep's embrace.

oXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Time passed slowly while Link was gone, but it did pass. The fact that Zanna barely slept only served to make the days seem longer. When she wasn't hounded by the plague victim's nightmares, she was having nightmares of her own: Rowan and Resha being torn to bits by the hallucinating mob, Cedra and Helyn in a corner begging Zanna to save them, Link being chased on horseback by Zanna's red-haired apparition.

Dreamland was not a very pleasant place at the moment. In fact, it was the last place in the world Zanna wanted to be.

It was for this reason she had taken to going without sleep as long as physically possible, collapsing for a few hours, and then repeating the process all over again. Of course, this was making her grouchy and slow on her feet... and it was also making her see and hear things that shouldn't have been there. Occasionally an emotion would slip past her shield and streak a line behind her eyes, leaving a jarring impression of something Zanna didn't want to see. Other times, when she was alone, she could swear the voice was back. Not saying anything, but there none the less, as if she could hear it breathing.

Partly because of their own boredom and partly because of Zanna's perpetual crabbiness, Rowan and Resha had started going into Castle Town during the afternoons. They were always bringing back little trinkets or interesting snacks, but it annoyed Zanna more than it cheered her up. What she wouldn't give to be outside the castle gates, just for an hour! It was almost cruel to taunt her with scraps from the real world.

There was an opportunity to leave looming on the horizon, but it happened to be the one trip Zanna wished she didn't have to take. Spring was approaching, and the days were getting progressively warmer. When the water started rising in the nearby streams, it would mean that the mountains had begun to thaw out... and that meant the village had to be tended to immediately. None of them had wanted to leave the bodies unattended for so long, but they knew that the ice would at least preserve them. Now time was running out. When the water finally started to rise, Zanna would be allowed to go back to the village and cremate the dead with Rowan and Resha, under the condition that she be accompanied by several guards and an attendant. Who that would be, she didn't know yet. She hoped to the Gods it wasn't Lyonel.

The more cheerful side of the immediate future was that there was also some sort of annual ball coming up, which Princess Zelda believed should be held despite the threat looming over Hyrule. It would be a sign, she claimed, that the country was still strong, and that it would not buckle under any shadow.

This was all good and well, but Zanna didn't see why she had to be fitted for a ball gown.

"Princess, I'm a prisoner in your castle. No offense, but I don't understand why you'd want to buy me a dress. I'm not sure why you'd let me attend your ball at all," she had said when Princess Zelda herself had introduced Zanna to Lanz the Master Tailor.

The Princess just smiled, as if she had expected Zanna to respond that way. "You have never been to a ball, am I correct?" she asked.

Zanna shrugged. "We don't have balls in the mountains, Princess," she said with a trace of a smile.

Princess Zelda just took Zanna's hand and led her over to the floor length mirror. "You'll love it, I know you will. You have to attend at least one ball while you're still young– it's practically a law," she said, beaming as she fluffed up Zanna's hair and peered thoughtfully at her reflection. They caught each other's gaze in the mirror, and– perhaps relieved to have the tension between them temporarily dissolved– they both laughed.

That's when Zanna finally realized how young Zelda really was. The princess couldn't have been older than Zanna... if anything, she was a year or two her junior. Seeing the princess now, with her pale face flushing and her eyes dancing with the excitement of new clothing and annual balls... Zanna actually felt sorry for her. She wondered how many friends a princess could afford to have. Her bet was that it wasn't many.

Then again, it had recently been proposed that Zanna's mere existence had caused one of the most dangerous plagues in history. Perhaps she wasn't in a position to be feeling sorry for anyone.

Despite her best efforts to resist the pull, Zelda's enthusiasm was infectious and supervising the construction of the new dress soon became the highlight of Zanna's day. It was fascinating, she had to admit... particularly considering she'd never worn anything but the traditional Sheikah garb.

"You say this will go around my waist?" Zanna asked dubiously one afternoon, warily eyeing the odd sort of girdle in Lanz's hand. "I don't think it will fit."

He laughed. "Oh, it'll fit, all right. See these holes?"

Zanna looked where he was pointing– the ribbed band indeed had holes on either end. "So what?" she asked, shrugging.

"That's where the laces go," Lanz said, his face flushing as he watched her for some big reaction, as if waiting to laugh.

"I don't get it," Zanna said, and Lanz threw up his hands in exasperation.

"You make it fit, Zanna," Zelda giggled, picking up a similar garment and demonstrating on one of the limbless dummies. "You pull the laces tight so that your waist looks smaller, and your bust looks bigger."

Zanna made a face. "How do you breathe?" she asked skeptically.

"You don't," Lanz said. "Now sit still while I see if this is long enough."

Apparently there were many decisions to be made when commissioning a ball gown. Colors, fabrics, patterns, stitches, trim, jewels, lace– the list went on and on. Zanna suspected the princess was actually stretching the process out on purpose, but she didn't mind. She had to admit that she actually enjoyed Zelda's company when the young woman wasn't so focused on being the Princess of Hyrule.

One day when they were walking back to the main castle from Lanz's private workshop, Zelda sighed and looked up at the sky, unknowingly sending out a wave of sorrow. It was deep and resonant, but lacked any trace of bitterness. In fact, there was a sweetness to it that Zanna found to be irresistibly heartbreaking.

She glanced at Zelda, whose golden hair was gleaming like a halo in the mid-afternoon light. "What's the matter?" she asked curiously.

Zelda looked startled, guilt and embarrassment momentarily marring her delicate features. "I forgot you're an empath," she blushed. A slightly accusatory frown pulled on the corners of her mouth.

"It takes a pretty strong emotion to break through my shields, Princess," Zanna said, studying the other girl's face pensively. "Anything you want to get off your chest?" she smiled helpfully. "I'm here, and Gods know I don't have anything better to do."

Zelda shook her head with a sad smile. "I know you don't, and I'm sorry about that. I wish I could just release you, but... I can't run the country on my personal feelings. That was my father's undoing."

"It's all right," Zanna sighed. Her emotions were so conflicted that it was difficult to even know which one to cover up with a lie. Ultimately she just decided to say something that was true. "You care about your kingdom above all else, and that's a good thing."

Zelda sighed and watched a bird sail overhead, its lithe little body leaving a tiny racing shadow on the earth below. "What will you do when you're free?" the princess asked wistfully.

Zanna shrugged. "I really don't know," she said as honestly as she could manage. Frankly, she was far from certain that she would escape this mess alive.

Zelda's brow furrowed and she shook her head slowly. "That must be nice. I don't think I'll ever be in that position."

Perhaps she had no right, but Zanna genuinely pitied her. She started to say, "I can't imagine what that's like..." but she realized suddenly that it wasn't exactly true anymore. Zanna was starting to suspect that she had some inherent responsibilities of her own. The difference was that Zelda anticipated a long life, and Zanna wasn't sure if she'd see the end of the year. She was still healing the victims that the border soldiers could round up, but it wasn't getting any easier. It was possible– likely, in fact– that one of these days Zanna would slip and end up receiving a killing blow.

"What would you do if you weren't Princess?" Zanna asked, grinning playfully at the other girl.

Zelda laughed. "Marry a person of my own choosing– for love and not politics," she said, without missing a beat.

Zanna tried not to look surprised, but it was to no avail. "Really?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes," Zelda breathed, turning her face upward into the sun. "Even though my father's not alive to arrange a marriage for me, I'm still obligated to find a match that will be advantageous for the kingdom. It would be dishonorable to marry for personal reasons. I understand why it's important, but all the same... a lifetime is a long time to spend with someone you don't even like."

Zanna gave a low whistle, shaking her head. "That sounds... totally backwards," she observed. There was something about the look in Zelda's eyes that made Zanna suspect this was not merely a hypothetical issue. "Would you have someone in mind, if you could choose?" she asked, mischief dancing behind her serious expression.

Zelda blushed deeply. "It doesn't matter," she said.

Zanna opened her mouth to prod Zelda some more, but when she saw the pained expression on Zelda's face she decided not to press the issue. So the princess had a secret crush! Now this, Zanna had to see. She had a hunch that, whoever the lucky guy was, she'd be able to see him at the annual ball. And if Zelda's emotions were as strong as they were now, it would be a breeze picking the man out of the crowd.

Maybe this dance would be fun, after all...

oXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Zanna couldn't remember the last time she'd seen so much rain... truly, it was as if the heavens themselves were weeping. It was a chilly downpour, but she knew it meant spring was approaching.

Zanna sighed, watching the water come down in sheets and crash upon the courtyard outside her widow, filling up the fountain so that it was nearly overflowing. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and she wondered idly how big the storm was. Was it raining in Ordona, where Link was? Assuming he was still alive... An icy knot formed in the pit of Zanna's stomach and she wished she could stop being so pessimistic. She leaned her forehead against the window with a sigh, watching the little clouds her breath made upon the glass.

He will be fine. He's the Hero of Hyrule– he is not yours to protect.

No matter how many times she thought it, her anxiety did not subside. She wasn't sure when she had come to care about Link, but she was worrying as much as she would have if it were Rowan or Resha out there... maybe even more. The difference was that she had never healed Link, and without that connection it was difficult to seek him out with her empathy over such a great distance. She had absolutely no way of knowing whether or not he was okay, and it was making her crazy.

"Zanna?"

She turned quickly, startled by the voice. There was a flash of lightning from outside, followed by a loud crack of thunder, and Princess Zelda had to wait until it had passed to speak again.

"The Goddesses are angry," she smiled, coming to stand beside Zanna at the window. The Sheikah frowned slightly, not liking the casual nature of the joke... but she knew the princess was only trying to be playful.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen so much rain," Zanna said, watching one of the trees in the courtyard whipping back and forth as if it were possessed by evil spirits. "It would be a bad day to be out on the roads."

Zelda nodded, looking thoughtful and surprised. Oh right, Zanna remembered with a grin. She's probably never been on the roads without a huge carriage and half a dozen horses. I doubt she's ever had to think about it.

"We are indeed very fortunate to be indoors," the princess said, momentarily lapsing into her royal persona as she considered the fact that many of her people were out in the storm. After a brief pause, she shook her head and smiled tentatively at Zanna.

"What?" Zanna asked, warily easing away from Zelda's eager expression.

The princess bit her lip and cast another look out into the rain before clasping her hands together as if she were about to make a proposition. "I want you to go out there with me," she said, raising her eyebrows hopefully.

Zanna laughed. "Yeah, right." Her smile died away when she realized that Zelda had not even flinched. Zanna's eyes widened. "You're serious, aren't you?" she asked dubiously.

Zelda smiled sweetly. "It's a chance to get out of the castle, isn't it? I have something I need you to see, and it's better to go now, when no one else will be out."

Zanna shook her head. "The castle guards will never let you out at a time like this– they'll insist you take an entourage for protection."

"Not if they don't know," the princess said mischievously, holding up a pair of cloaks she'd been hiding behind her back. "I've been sneaking out of the castle for years– they'll never miss us, I swear it. We'll be back in an hour."

Zanna sighed heavily, folding her arms over her chest. She wanted to protest, but when she looked into Zelda's hopeful eyes, her willpower folded. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" she muttered.

Zelda jumped up and down happily, thrusting one of the cloaks into Zanna's hands. "Follow me!"

oXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

"Din's fire..." Zanna breathed, gaping in awe at the giant chamber they had entered. Now she understood why Zelda had wanted to come when there was no one around– it was not a place you would want to be followed into.

They had escaped through the back wall of the castle and dashed into Castle Town, the rain bombarding them continuously. The hem of Zelda's dress was soon covered in mud, so that the princess had to hike it up while they ran through the cobbled streets. Eventually they ducked into the city's enormous temple, their cloaks heavy with water and plastered to their bodies. Zelda held up a finger to indicate silence before leading Zanna to a secret door behind a shrine to Din, the Goddess of Power. Behind it was a spiral staircase that disappeared ominously into the darkness below, but Zelda grabbed a torch and fearlessly led the way.

Magic was heavy on the air, and the closer they got to the bottom the more Zanna started to feel as though she were in a sea of energy, struggling to keep her head above the water. When they finally reached the end of the staircase, it was all she could do to keep her eyes from popping out of her head.

"What is this place?" she asked, staring in amazement at the enormous cavern. The room had been carved into the rock of the earth itself, the walls swooping up into a graceful gothic arch. As soon as their feet had crossed the threshold, hundreds of torches fastened all over the walls had magically sparked to life, bathing the hall in red, orange, and yellow light. At the center of the room was an enormous, intricately painted golden shrine, upon which swirls of jewel-encrusted fire danced realistically in the flickering light. The shrine had strange indentations in it, which Zanna could not make out from her current location. Something about the beautiful centerpiece called to her, however... she found her feet automatically carrying her toward it, as if she were sleepwalking.

"This is what I wanted you to see," Zelda said. Her voice was hushed reverently, and her eyes were solemn. She clasped her hands and slowly moved deeper into the room. "Something about it reminds me of you... and it's taken on a strange energy lately. I thought it might have something to do with the plague."

"Yeah, but what is it?" Zanna asked again, her voice dropping to a whisper as she got closer to the shrine. "I'd almost swear this was Sheikah craftsmanship, but I've never seen such a magnificent cavern." The room had an odd vibration, almost identical to the one Zanna felt when she was in the tunnels below Peak Province. It was magically created– she had no doubt about that. The strange thing was, however, that there were emotions coming off the walls. They were vague and faint, but they were there... jealousy, pride, hatred, fear, ecstacy. It was if the room itself were alive. Zanna was beginning to feel almost intoxicated by the rush of energy.

"Very impressive, Zanna. I see you were telling the truth when you claimed to be a historian."

"I didn't say that– Lyonel did," Zanna replied absent-mindedly. Her heart began to race as she got closer to the shrine.

Zelda laughed. "Good point. All the same, though– you're right. This is indeed a Sheikah cavern. It was created over a thousand years ago to protect the Triforce."

Zanna stopped dead, turning slowly to look back at Zelda. "The Triforce?" she asked, frowning. "But I thought the Triforce was purely symbolic."

The princess smiled, shaking her head slowly. "No, it's real artifact, Zanna... although it hasn't been complete for several hundred years– it was moved to the Sacred Realm for security's sake, and broke into three pieces when Ganondorf I broke the seal and laid his hands upon the Goddesses' legacy."

A dubious smile pulled at the corner of Zanna's mouth, and she made a face. "You're teasing me," she said. "That's just an old legend– a way for the common people to explain the unusual strength of those who are favored by the gods."

Zelda merely looked at Zanna serenely, her hands still benignly clasped in front of her. She released them now and gently tugged off one of her elbow-length gloves, her complexion glowing in the firelight. When the glove was off, she turned the back of her hand toward Zanna with a flourish, revealing a beaming golden triangle that seemed to be molded to the princess' very flesh.

Zanna gave a sharp intake of breath, her eyes widening. Wave after rolling wave of ancient magic crashed over her, radiating from the strange mark on Zelda's hand. It tickled her rib cage and made it difficult to keep her breathing even. "You've got to be kidding me..." Zanna whispered.

Her head whipped back toward the shrine now, and before she could stop herself she was dashing up the raised platform it sat upon. Sure enough, the shrine was imprinted with three empty triangles, abandoned by the metal that had once occupied them but radiating warmth and energy left as a residue. Whatever this shrine had held had been extremely powerful, that much was certain.

"I don't believe this," Zanna muttered, gently running her fingertips over the indentations in the enormous shrine.

"You can touch it," Zelda said in surprise, causing Zanna to cast a curious look over her shoulder.

"So what?"

The princess was flabbergasted, staring up at Zanna as if she'd just sprouted wings. "I've never been able to get that close," she explained as her brow furrowed and she slowly circled around the platform. "Let alone touch it."

Zanna raised an eyebrow. "Very interesting." She gazed upon the shrine again, her heart constricting as she did so. The elegantly curving metal with its lifelike energy called to her like her own flesh and blood, as if it were family. An idea struck her.

"Maybe it's because I'm Sheikah," she said suddenly, looking questioningly at the princess. "Maybe part of the protection was that no non-Sheikah could touch it under ordinary circumstances. At the time you say this shrine was constructed, the Sheikah would have been the most trusted guardians in the country."

Zelda nodded, her lips pursing in concentration. "That's a very good idea. It would make sense." Her eyes widened suddenly and she pointed to the base of the shrine. "Can you read that, there at on the bottom? It looks like Sheikahn, but I've never been able to make it out."

Zanna followed Zelda's gesture and examined the runes at the foot of the shrine. "Ah," she breathed pensively. "No, you wouldn't be able to read this. It's Old Sheikahn. It looks like..." Zanna frowned slightly, biting her bottom lip. "It's a spell. It says that one can call upon the sorcery in the walls of the cavern, and demand that the Triforce return to its resting place."

"A spell to reassemble the Triforce?" Zelda gasped, creeping as close to the platform as she dared. "Can you read it? Could you make the spell work?"

Zanna looked uneasily at the princess' eager expression, shaking her head. "I don't know. Not at the moment, I couldn't. I'd have to spend some time getting to know the energy of this place. It wouldn't be safe to summon something I didn't understand."

A sudden desperation filled Zelda's eyes, and she wrung her hands anxiously, her golden mark glowing faintly against her peachy skin. "Will you try?" she asked entreatingly. "Will you learn how to cast the spell?" Her eyes sparked with hope and she continued excitedly: "If the Triforce were whole again, then I could use it to wish for the plague to be stopped. My intentions are pure– I know that the Triforce wouldn't reject me!"

Zanna took a deep breath, looking guiltily at Zelda's childlike face. The princess was so hopeful that she almost seemed naive, although Zanna doubted very much that was the case. Gods... this was precisely what she'd sworn she wouldn't do! She'd been ready to face execution, but of course things had not gone so simply...

"What is yours?" she asked Zelda quietly, nodding toward her hand.

For a moment the princess was confused, but then she realized what Zanna was asking and smiled playfully. "Wisdom, of course? Couldn't you tell?"

A wry smile pulled on Zanna's lips, and she bowed her head thoughtfully. Wisdom. She supposed it made sense... Power or courage wouldn't have fit, and wisdom explained Zelda's penchant for prophecy.

It was easy to say that Zanna would wage war on the Goddesses– that she would destroy their representatives on earth and turn a deaf ear to their Great Destiny. But could she really turn her back on the innocent people of Hyrule? Her mind flashed to the villagers from Saruko, and then to her own village in the mountains... Could she live with herself if she let this disease kill thousands of people, solely on the grounds of some lofty principle?

"Gods in hell..." she sighed. No, she couldn't– even though part of her hated that she would bend so easily. "All right. I'll give it a try. But I'll need permission to come here every day for at least a few weeks. You can send guards with me to the temple, but no one can follow me into the chamber."

"Done," Zelda said instantly, beaming. "You will have whatever you need. What you are doing is a tremendous service to Hyrule– on behalf of the Goddesses, I thank you."

Zanna's stomach gave a bitter twist. "Don't say it like that," she muttered petulantly.

Zelda just smiled. "Well then, I thank you on my own behalf. This is the biggest favor anyone has ever done for me, and I appreciate it."

Zanna reluctantly returned Zelda's smile with one of her own. "You're welcome, Princess."

oXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

As Zelda promised, they were back in an hour... although it was painfully obvious from their muddy clothing that they'd snuck out. The guards said nothing as they passed through the halls, however, clearly trained to overlook Zelda's unsanctioned outings.

They parted ways at the beginning of the guest wing (at which point Zelda threw her arms around Zanna's neck in a somewhat awkward hug,) and Zanna's entire focus shifted to finding one of the castle's maids. She needed a warm bath and a change of clothes, and had been strictly forbidden to fetch her own bath water. At the time she'd originally been told of this rule, she'd thought it was impressive and pampering... now she just thought it was annoying.

She was peering tentatively into an unoccupied room when someone grabbed her arm, causing Zanna to jump and give a little shriek in surprise.

"I'm sorry," the owner of the hands said quickly as his face turned completely red. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Colin?" Zanna exclaimed. Her eyes widened as a smile spread across her lips. "You're back! Where's Link?"

Colin shook his head, his face contorted into an expression of the utmost distress. Zanna suddenly felt his anxiety, and her stomach dropped.

"What is it?" she asked, putting her hands on his shoulders and trying not to panic. "What's happened?"

"He's caught it," Colin whispered desperately. "We ran into the plague on the way back and one of them scratched him. He was okay until we got here, but as soon as he made it into his room he lost it! Please, you have to help him before he hurts himself!"

Zanna couldn't breathe– it was as if a giant hand had reached through her and crushed her heart and her lungs in a single squeeze. "Gods," she gasped. "Where's his room?"