Link awoke to see several members of the Palace staff gathered around his bed. Flashes of the Jubilee returned to him as he recalled the events of the previous day. The parade, the feast, the cultists, The cultists. The Ordonian scowled to himself. I underestimated them, and it may have cost us everything.

"Where is the princess?" he asked the closest Twili, an assistant for the royal physician.

"Gone, your Lordship." She said quickly, "The people that attacked the Jubilee took her captive and left you for dead."

"Yes, but where did they go?" he all but growled.

"No need to get all hostile, your Lordship." came a voice from the doorway. Zra Ilin walked in, wearing runed armour and a black sword hanging from her hip.

"Lady Zra. How did you get here so quickly? What of Shadule Village?" came the Hylian's reply.

"Well, when the same cultists that attacked my village show up at the Jubilee of the Twilight Princess, there's a good chance of pleas for help and Palace sorcerers appearing on your doorstep." she sat down in a chair opposite the bed. "The cult has been routed from Shadule, but we believe that they have a base of operations nearby. That would explain how they had so many members ready to fight and occupy my town without alerting any of the other parts of the realm."

"That would make sense," said Link's new spectral travel companion, the Hero of Time. "I've been unable to sense my artefact anywhere near the capital. An outlying town would be the perfect place to hide it."

"Zra. Have you seen any cultists with Lightworld artefacts?" the Hero asked.

"No, but that would explain how they gained so much traction so quickly. Captured light magic would give their cause credit."

"Well," Link replied, rising and groaning from the pain in his torso. "Shadule seems like a good enough place to start as any. I promised that I'd help you secure your village, taking down their base personally would fit that bill."

"Sir!" yelled a flustered nurse. "You shouldn't even be awake right now, let alone walking! They could easily have shattered your spine at the Jubilee had you not been in your lupine form!"

"We have a saying in Ordon." He said, climbing out of the bed and moving to his clothes. "When a goat knocks you over, don't stay on the ground to get trampled."

Link continued dressing as the Nurse continued ranting and raving. Zra remained in her seat, quiet, seeming to appraise the hero as he dressed, taking note of the numerous scars that adorned his body. Each one a bookmark in the story of his adventure with Midna. He donned his hat before turning to the Nurse, cutting her off mid-rant. "And this cult is one goat I am determined to break."

"Well said. Now let's go while the day is young." This from Zra, who stood and walked out the door, pushing the nurse away.

The throne room was the same as always, save for one thing. The usually welcoming atmosphere that filled the room had been replaced by a sombre one that pervaded the entirety of the castle. Councilwoman Vantra stood in the centre, looking up at the tapestries that adorned the walls. "Well, it seems you're up and awake, Lord-Regent." she said without turning to face them.

"Lord-Regent?" Link asked, befuddled. "What do you mean, I thought power was given to the High-Councillor when the sovereign was unable to rule."

"It is, but your Midna had a lot of faith in you, Link." Vantra turned with a soft smile. "She decreed that if she was ever unable to rule, be it sickness or death, you would rule in her place."

"By the goddesses. I had no idea."

"She intended for you to never find out until you had no choice in the matter. She knew how much you worry." Link could see wetness forming in her eyes.

"Don't talk about her in the past tense." The hero said, resolute. "She's still alive, and I will bring her back, even if I have to fight the goddesses themselves. I'm going to storm the cultist stronghold and bring our Princess back, until then Vantra, you're in charge"

"Thank you, Lord-Regent." She wiped at her eyes. "I should have listened to you earlier. I didn't believe in you because of your origins, but you're the best Twili I've ever met." She left without another word, looking considerably more at ease than when the two had walked in.

"She's right you know," Zra said. "Midna's damned lucky to have a man like you at her side."

"Is that why you were checking me out earlier?" Link said with a playful smile.

Zra gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Hey I can't help but be jealous of our Princess, she lucked out when she found you. Meanwhile I'm an ex-city guard married to a politician."

The Ordonian rose an eyebrow. "Really? You were a guard?"

She nodded. "Was for almost half a decade when I met my husband. He was very persistent with his attempts to woo me. It was years before I took him up on it. He became Governor of Shadule a year after that, and I retired to play the part of Governor's Wife."

"Was it worth hanging up your sword?"

"It was worth everything I gave up, including my pension. I love him, and it destroyed me when those bastard cultists took him." her hand clenched over the hilt of her sword. "I have you to thank for returning my edge."

"And he still hasn't been found?"

She shook her head. "No, but I won't give up on him. He's not a warrior like us, but he's stubborn as one of those Goat-things."

"Don't worry, we'll make sure everyone gets out of this alive." Link looked up at the tapestry that now dominated the wall, the one made for the Jubilee. "That's a promise, something an Ordonian never breaks."


Bo rammed his sword into 'Rusl's' face, before lashing out with his off-hand arm and sending the swordsman flying backwards. Cor Goron Sumo wrestled his counterpart to the ground, snapping its neck. Renado and his double were dueling with the elements themselves, rocks lifting themselves from the ground and smashing into each other. Rusl fought 'Link', who had been given a sword by 'Ilia'. Blade clashed against blade, the two young swordsmen bouncing off of each other. They seemed well matched until 'Link' overreached and Rusl severed its sword arm and stabbed it through the chest. The wind blew at 'Renado', blowing small rocks into its eyes, blinding it so the Shaman could crush it with a massive stone.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Bo cried, watching as the creatures put themselves back together.

"We won't have to." Rusl said, holding onto his shoulder, a deep laceration across it. "There is one memory locked away in your head, the strongest one you've ever experienced. All she needs is for you to remember!"

"Who!? Who am I supposed to remember!?" Bo yelled, parrying a blow from the fake Rusl.

"The person you cared about the most, and the one who hurt you the most. So much that you locked her away all these years. We need Sa-" Rusl's yell became a strangled and bloody cough. The swordsman looked down as a sword blossomed from his chest, spearing him through his lungs and heart. The blade withdrew as Rusl's memory fell, his blood seeping into the spring grass of the meadow. 'Link' stood there, bloodied sword in hand, expression hidden by the demonic mask on its face. Bo roared in anger and went on the offensive. His blade rang out against the creature's multiple times, driving the monster to the ground, snapping the blade with a single downward stroke, and following the movement into its own chest. 'Link' fell still for what seemed like the hundredth time, and Bo let out a monstrous roar of righteous fury. He ran for his comrades, who fought their counterparts in tandem. Renado's power over the stones of the earth, and Cor Goron's great strength combined with the years of training and skill both men had gained throughout the years had put them at a slight advantage for almost the entirety of the competition, but the creatures were slowly learning how to control the power of their forms, and exhaustion began to slow the defenders. Such was their exhaustion that they didn't hear 'Rusl' sneak up behind them until it was almost too late. The Mayor yelled a warning and dove for the creature, taking its legs off at the knees. 'Rusl's' momentum managed to carry him far enough to land on Cor Goron's back, driving his blade into the thick plates. Renado tried to dislodge the creature, but was crushed as the false Cor rolled into him at high speed, crushing his spine beneath his great weight. Bo scrambled up to assist his remaining colleague, but was too late. 'Rusl's' blade had penetrated the Goron's thick plating and struck something vital. He screamed in pain and went crashing to the ground, crushing his hanger-on beneath his weight. As the two remaining doppelgangers advanced on the exhausted sumo, he backed up slowly. There's no way out here. I'm going to die here. Alone. His mind flashed back to a happier time, when he met the woman that would give birth to his beautiful daughter.

Bo remembered the time they sat in Kakariko Village, watching the sunset from the top of the ridge atop the sacred spring. He remembered everything about her for the first time in years. Her hair smelled of strawberries, a scent rarely found in Ordon, he remembered how great of a show she was, he remembered how close they had grown during his adventure. He remembered asking her to come back to Ordon with him, and he remembered when he had asked her to marry him. "I'll protect you forever," He had said, "Through thick and thin, I'll be there for you. I promise. And an Ordonian never breaks a Promise." She had accepted his proposal, and they were married the next week in the centre of town. And her name was... Sara.

He smiled at the memory, at all of the happiness she had brought him. I can do this He thought. I can do this for her. He settled back into a fighting stance and was ready to fight and die for his mind, when an arrow came whizzing overhead and struck 'Cor Goron' in the eye, through the mask. 'Renado' looked surprised before another arrow blossomed in his heart. A hooded figure in a green robe rode up on Ordilia, Bo's Bow drawn and already with another arrow nocked. She pushed back her hood to reveal Sara's fiery red hair, which she then pushed out of her eyes, just like he remembered.

"What took you so long, love?" She said, the same old warm smile on her mouth. It wasn't long before 'Ilia' reappeared.

"Another one?!" it exclaimed, "Stop resisting me! The skull kid never gave me this much trouble! Stupid mortals, give up!" It began making arcane gestures to resurrect the other creatures again when an arrow struck it in the shoulder.

"Nice shot." Bo said. "You have no idea how much I wanted to do that."

"I've been in your head for the last twenty-one years. I think I do." She said, nocking another arrow.

She fired, but 'Ilia' managed to dodge this time. "Hey! Stop it! You're not supposed to attack me! But if you want to change up the rules, I can show you the true power of Majora!"

"Ah, so I finally have a name from you, you little demon!" Bo yelled. "Now come down and face me like a man!"

With his wife at his side for the first time since Ilia's birth, Bo stood ready as Majora shifted and convulsed into his true form. Ready for anything.

Meanwhile, in Ordon Village, Cor Goron had just arrived with Renado, the Goron rolling along aside the Shaman's horse. Rusl awaited them and shook both their hands. "Thanks for coming on short notice." The swordsman said. "Bo's getting worse. Whatever's got him in it's clutches has got one hell of a fight on its hands, but he can't hold out forever."

"We're here for him Rusl, the three of us, like the old days." Renado replied. "I'm sure with my shamanic powers and Cor's knowledge of the mineral cures of our world, we can cure him."

Cor was panting a little. "Yeah, we can do this. Is it just me or did Ordon get farther away from Death Mountain when I wasn't looking?" He added. Obviously tired from the long journey.

Rusl's smile grew larger. "Come on old man, Bo's in his house, I'm sure he still has some Goron-sized chairs."


Midna awoke in a stark black room, very reminiscent of Zant's taste in architecture. She was bound, not with shackles, but with dark magic that chilled her to her very soul. She could barely move her limbs, the electrical impulses from her brain traveled agonizingly slow down her nerves as she attempted to rise to her feet. After several failed attempts, the Princess instead opted for a sitting position. Looking around, she noted that she was in an inner sanctum of some sort, artefacts standing on pedestals scattered around the chamber. Dominating the centre of the room was a raised dais with a massive throne atop it. Upon the throne sat the leader of the cult, turning over a small blue musical instrument in his hands. She glared daggers at him.

"Amazing, isn't it?" He finally spoke, holding up the instrument. "The magic of the light creatures is so... Fragile. But yet it is powerful, their spells focused into pure emotion, songs and tunes."

"What... Do you want with... Me?" Midna gasped, the words taking several seconds to make the journey from her brain to her mouth. "What... Does this... have to do..."

With the slow speed of her speech, the cultist found it easy to cut her off. "Ah, business as always. You see Princess, our god, the true god of Darkness, is simply waiting for us to bring him back. If we resurrect him, Zant, the true king, will be reborn and take the throne. All we need, is you. Our ritual requires the Assassin of our king, and the death of the blasphemer, your precious Link. With you captured and him dead, we simply need one more thing."

"Care... To tell me?" Was Midna's strained reply.

"Come now Princess, I may be a Zealot, but I'm not stupid." He gave an unsettling smile. "You'll find out soon enough."

"How did you... Get back. Zant sent... his best... with Ganon. You Should... Have burned." the Princess gasped.

"And that brings me to this item." he replied, holding up the instrument once more. "The Hylians call this an 'Ocarina'. This one specifically seems to have been blessed by the Goddesses. Under the tutelage of our new prophet, we stole this from the grave of an ancient hero and used it to return home. After much study, and use of our God's magic, we no longer need it to hop between realms." He placed it on the pedestal nearest the throne. "You are finished, Princess. Your Hylian cannot save you."

"He made... A Promise... He never breaks... Promises."

"You'll find the dead have trouble paying their debts." He said, giving her a dismissive wave. Midna's entire body started to go numb and she fell backwards. She fought the lack of sensation ferociously as it made it's way up through her nervous system, until it reached her brain, and she was unconscious once more.