There was a crash and Zelda was startled into waking. Heart hammering, pulling the sheets up around her chin, she stared at the door to her bedroom and sank into the bed, making herself small. She could hear voices on the other side, frantic and hushed, followed by hurried footsteps down the corridor. An atmosphere of fear permeated the room, and she could sense that something very serious was going on. Her first thought was that there was a fire, or that someone had injured themselves in the night, but she couldn't smell smoke, and the sounds from the corridor were too urgent to be the result of a simple accident. She remained frozen in her bed, waiting, straining to hear any sound that might tell her what was happening.

"Where is he?"

"We think he came in through one of the tower windows – how he scaled the battlements –"

"It doesn't matter how he got in – send guards to his Majesty's chamber. He won't have gotten far."

An intruder! Zelda hid under the sheets, shivering and holding herself, glad that she was safe in her room behind a locked door. It must be a thief, she thought, broken into the castle to steal from her mother and father. Despite her alarm, she couldn't help but find this all very exciting, and was already composing the story she would tell her friends later. But who would be foolish enough to try and steal from the Royal Family? They would be caught in a matter of minutes. The King's chamber was only a few rooms away from her own. Maybe the thief would run right past her door.

Biting her lip, she slipped out of bed and padded to the door in her bare feet, ignoring the cold. The fire had burned itself out and there was a chilling draft, but her curiosity overcame her discomfort. Pressing her ear to the wood, she shut her eyes and tried to picture the corridor outside.

"Julien! Report!"

"Six dead, sir. I… I'm sorry. We tried… He's just too strong… He's coming this way."

Six… Dead…? They didn't mean…? Six guardsmen… killed? The thrill of adventure died. Holding her hand to her mouth, she struggled not to make a sound. She backed away from the door, shaking her head as if she could deny what she had heard. She could no longer feel the cold, but it was as if it had seeped into her bones without her noticing, and she shook uncontrollably. Her parents! The intruder had been in her parent's chambers! Where were they? She needed to –

"Lady Impa!"

"Step aside. He's after the princess. I have to get her to safety."

"Of course, but why –?"

"She's the only one left."

There was a terrible silence. Zelda sank into a kneeling position on the floor. On some unconscious level, she had understood what Impa had meant. But that would mean that everything was over, that the castle would fall, that the intruder had, in one awful blow, sent her home and family up in smoke. Without making a conscious decision to do so, she rearranged what she had heard. She was the only one left in the castle. Her parents had managed to escape, and were hiding somewhere, probably in the town. And she needed to stand up and be strong, for her mother and father. It wouldn't do if, when she joined them, they found out she had panicked and done something silly. Princesses were brave, after all, and she had to set a good example. Taking a deep breath, she started to get dressed. Her hands were steady now.

Impa swept into the room, as Zelda was pulling on her shoes, still in her night dress. She had managed to grab gloves and a shawl from her wardrobe, but she understood that time was crucial. There would be no allowance for her to take anything else with her. Taking Impa's hand, she followed her guard out of the room and down the corridor. The torches were unlit, and the floor was divided by swathes of moonlight coming in through the windows. Men in armour dashed past her, going the other way, swords drawn and faces grim. Zelda struggled to keep up with Impa, stumbling and panting, but she didn't complain.

The passed by the door to the chapel, and Zelda remembered something with a jolt. Slipping free of Impa's grip, she turned on her heel and raced inside. She could hear her maid's cursing, but she didn't care. Even if she had to leave everything else behind, she couldn't allow this one thing to fall into the hands of the intruder. Sprinting up the centre of the chapel to the alter, she sidestepped the massive stone statue of Hylia, whose normally serene expression looked anxious in the half light, and dove for the ambry. She unfastened the lid with shaking hands and took the object that had been hidden within.

Impa had caught up with her by now and had taken her hand once more, hissing, "we don't have time, Princess. We need to get you out of the castle." She didn't ask why Zelda has insisted on taking this detour, possibly because of the urgency of their flight, but their pace definitely increased and the air of calm authority that Impa possessed was replaced with something too close to fear. Seeing Impa afraid was somehow worse that hearing about the dead guardsmen.

They stopped, so suddenly that Zelda almost collided with Impa. The sounds of armour and men's voices could be heard behind them, far away. They were at the bottom of a spiral staircase, and Impa was blocking the landing with her body, holding out an arm so that Zelda couldn't pass, breathing a curse.

"Impa, what - ?"

"Hush, child." She turned and knelt in front of the trembling child. "Listen to me. When I tell you to, I want you to hold on to me as if it's the most important thing in the world. You do not let go, no matter what, you understand?"

Zelda nodded, eyes wide and trusting.

Then she could hear advancing footsteps and the sound of rasping metal – a sword being drawn.

"Step aside, Sheikah. I only wish to take the girl. No one else need die tonight."

Zelda could see him now, under Impa's arm, taking up the entire height and width of the corridor, and she experienced a shudder of recognition. It had been the man she had seen in her father's court only a few days before, kneeling before the King with a suspicious glint in his yellow eyes. She had known then that he was a liar and a manipulator, but to see him standing there, his diplomats robes traded in for savage black iron armour and a sword that looked as if it could cleave a horse in two, made her quail with rage and terror. If only she had warned more people. If only her father had listened to her dreams.

"Don't insult me, Ganondorf. You're not going to get away with this!"

"Enough then – stand and die, like the rest of them!"

Fire unfurled from his outstretched hand, the light causing his shadow to dwarf him and illuminating his terrible sneer. Zelda screamed as he hurled the ball of fire at them and Impa near-simultaneously grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her to the side, diving out of the way herself just in time for an explosion to obliterate the staircase behind them. With her free hand, Impa cast a smoke bomb in front of them and gathered Zelda up in her arms, shouting, "hold on!" Zelda shut her eyes tight, wrapping her arms around Impa's neck and holding on with everything she had. There was a deafening crash of breaking glass and several sharp stings on her arms and legs and cheek and Impa plunged through the nearest window and scraped to a stop on the castle battlements like a cat.

They were running and Zelda buried her face in Impa's shoulders, feeling the latter's body straining to push forward, faster, breath coming in short gasps. For dizzying seconds, they were airborne, and Zelda almost lost her grip as they became weightless and then hit the ground with a bone jarring landing. She could smell smoke now, and opened her eyes long enough to see that a fire had been set inside the castle, and the moon was hidden by billowing clouds of black smoke, like the storm clouds of her dreams.

They made it to the stables, and Impa was shoving Zelda's limp and exhausted body onto a horse before hauling herself up behind her. With a terrified shriek, the horse burst from its pen and they were racing out of the castle courtyard and across the moat. Over the sound of the coursing wind, they could hear the hoofbeats of a monster behind them and a shout like a peal of thunder.

"Come back here! You think you can outrun me!?"

He was on their heels, but his horse was not built for speed. They flew over the drawbridge, and out onto the grass of Hyrule Field and with what was left of her senses, Zelda fumbled with the only thing she had saved from the castle. Crying out, she struggled against Impa and turned to see a lone figure on the banks of the water – a child, her new friend who had believed her when she had shared her dream with him.

"Link!" She yelled, and threw the ocarina as hard as she could behind her. She watched long enough to see it tumble into the moat, but the horse was already carrying them over the hill and away from the castle at such a speed that the boy and the man in black armour were shrinking into the distance.

xxx

Link had not retired until much later, wishing to spend time with his old comrades. The two of them had retreated to the castle to continue the festivities, but Zelda was begun to wilt as the night wore on and bade her goodnights to their guests soon after the sun set. Much talk, drink and hours later, Link made sure that his guests had adequate accommodation before climbing the stairs to his own chambers, very close to those of his charge.

A courier was waiting by his door. He took the letter he was offered and nodded his thanks, a little curious as to who might be sending him a message. It was sealed with a insignia that he did not recognise. Inside was a single slip of parchment, with a note in plain black ink written on it.

I have found Tilaq in good health and spirits. For that, at least, I thank you.

It took him a few seconds to understand what the note was referring to, then he remembered the strange words that Ganondorf had used during the joust. Some apology! In disgust, he dropped the letter in the fire that had been set up by servants. The night had been too pleasant, and he was too content to allow the reminder of what had happened earlier that day bother him overmuch, but he would be glad to see the back of the Gerudo in the morning.

He prepared for bed.

He slept lightly, his dreams dogged by black clouds over the castle, a chase in the dark, and when a knock came at his chamber door, he awoke without difficulty. Shrugging on a robe and tunnelling his hands through his hair so that it was out of his eyes, he went to the door and opened it. A servant was standing there, looking nervous and apologetic for disturbing him. She kept her eyes on her feet as she spoke.

"Captain, the princess desires your presence in her chambers. Forgive me for disturbing your rest, only she is in distress and she asked for you specifically."

He held up his hand to indicate that she wait, and returned to his bedside table, tying up his hair with string and pulling on his boots. When he had made sure that he was dressed enough, he followed the girl the short distance to the Royal Chamber, feeling a little anxious. It was not usual for him to be invited into her bedroom in the middle of the night, but he resolved not to show his discomfort. It wouldn't be embarrassing if he didn't act embarrassed. It's not like he would be alone with her.

He knocked, and heard her on the other side, inviting him in. He went, followed by the servant. Zelda was sitting on her bed, a shawl wrapped tightly around her and trembling. The air was ice cold, and he could see her breath fog up in front of her. Already servants were attempting to stoke the fire. He stood at the foot of her bed and waited.

"I left the window open," she explained, her voice soft and troubled, "before I went to bed. I forgot to close it. That's why it's so cold."

He didn't respond. Something didn't feel right.

"Link. Sit with me."

He raised his eyes to meet hers. She looked pale, and her eyes were red and puffy. Her hair, normally silky and so well kept, was tousled and hanging in curtains about her face. Yet, the light from the candles warmed her skin, and colour was returning to her cheeks. He sat, keeping a respectful distance between the two of them, and waited.

"I had a nightmare," she said, so quietly that he could only just hear her. "I was a child. And the castle was attacked by… oh, it's such a silly thing to be frightened of, but it was so real and terrible, and I knew that if I told you about it, you'd understand."

He stared at her. Making small, timid movements, he said, an attack on the castle? Black storm clouds? A chase? A sacred ocarina? He felt strangely ashamed, as if he were admitting to have been frightened of shadows in the closet, but there was an intimate quality to the night. The fire was finally crackling in the grate, lighting the edges of objects with a homely yellow glow and he was reminded of the times they had spent together as a child, sneaking out of their chambers at night to go on adventures. There had been no rules to follow back then, no threat to face, and they would make tents in the great hall and share ghost stories by candlelight. He didn't remember all of it, but there were glimpses of this and that throughout the tunnels of his mind, of times when he was happy, when he was close to her.

Now, the adult Zelda looked at him with wide, glimmering eyes, just like she had behind the stables earlier that day. In a petrified whisper, she said, "how did you know?"

I dreamt the same.

There was a pause, in which Zelda appeared to be deliberating on what she could say aloud. "When I was a child, Impa used to tell me stories. She said that my mother could sometimes see the future in her dreams, and that Hylians used to weave magic into their music. I never took the stories very seriously. I was either too young and saw them as mere bedtime stories, or too old and concerned with more pressing issues. They were nice to listen to, but hardly an accurate history. Now… The ocarina. It was more than just a symbol."

Do you think that Ganondorf can use magic? In my dream, he attacked me with shadow.

"In my dream," she said, "it was fire." Another pause. "The Gerudo have their own religion and ritual, and it is possible that there may have been tales of great witches and sorcerers in their history. But that kind of magic doesn't exist anymore. If anyone can tap into it, Hylian, Gerudo, anyone else, it is in small ways. Some Zora can make it rain, and Rito can create gusts of wind from nothing in order to achieve flight. I have never heard of anything beyond that, certainly not the war-magic that he used in the dream."

Din is the Goddess of Fire. He could draw on Her power to achieve sorcery.

"And the Goddess of volcanoes, sand and power. Nayru is the Goddess of love and women, also revered among the Gerudo, while Din is just as important to the Gorons. I know what you're trying to suggest, Link, but… well… the powers of evil spirits and those who could wield magic died with Calamity Ganon."

You draw power from Hylia.

"I know…"

Then why can't he –

"Why can't you? Why can't we all? I prayed every day for all my life to all three Goddesses and, even then, only achieved my power when it was too late. In the last year, I have occasionally held experiments, trying to access that power again, with mixed returns, and nothing close to when we did battle with Ganon. But that makes sense. Why would Hylia lend me Her power during peace time? Hyrule doesn't need a sorcerer, it needs a queen." Link looked like he was about to interject, but she cut across him. "If Ganondorf ever does evil in the name of Din, he is a liar and a heretic. The Goddesses never wish wrath upon us."

Link fell still. He forgot how much time Zelda spent in prayer and study. If anyone would be an authority on the powers of the divine, it would be the young woman who argued with the keepers of the temples and took pilgrimages to the four corners of Hyrule to pray for wisdom, courage and power.

"Regardless," she continued. "This dream is troubling. I would be a fool to ignore it. Kala?" She turned and addressed the servant girl that had woken Link and led him here. "Please fetch a Rito courier. I wish to send a message to Kakariko village."

The girl bowed and departed.

Turning back to Link, she said, "I must hold a meeting. Impa will know what to do. She will understand the meaning of the dreams we've had. I would trust no other advice. We will meet in Kakariko with the leaders of the other clans, all except Riju. We cannot risk news of this meeting finding its way to Ganondorf, as that could trigger him to make real any sinister plans he has. Furthermore, I think it would be useful to announce my plans for coronation at this meeting." She seemed to have made up her mind, and the presence of a plan of action brought about a physical change in her. She no longer looked pale and drawn, and even in her night dress, she was the picture of authority.

Link, on the other hand, was troubled. In all the books he had read, in all the training he had received in the methods of peace and war, secret meetings in response to prophetic dreams were never a precursor for lasting peace.