"Link," started the King of Red Lions. The boy jumped. He was concerned about Tetra, so he had not been expecting the King to join in. "Your sister is safe. They were able to cram all the prisoners onto their ship and they are in the process of returning them all home."

Link breathed a sigh of relief but one thing was buzzing around him like a fly. "One thing, sir?"

The King tilted his head. He was listening. "Yes, my boy?"

"Is Ganondorf… dead?"

"Unfortunately not." replied the King immediately. Link didn't even wince. He had seen it coming.

"Ganon can only be destroyed with the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Master S- wait, what did you call him?" stuttered the boat, cutting himself off.

"When I was up in there, he said his name wasn't Ganon and that it was actually Ganondorf."

The King's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

"What?"

"Ganon was the name of the monster that Ganondorf would sometimes transform into. As Ganon, he is more powerful but mindless. As Ganondorf, he is VERY cunning. We need to seek safety immediately. We must return to the land beneath the waves."

Link's ears pricked up. "What do we need to go back there for?" he asked the boat. He simply turned his head towards the area in the dead centre of the tower walls and the beam of light that took them down before reappeared.

"It is time for you to learn what happened… all these years ago."

"Yes! Finally!" thought the boy. He had been waiting for this moment. Typically, a seed of doubt grew in his head.

"Are you sure he won't find us down here?" asked the boy. The boat turned his head around.

"Ganondorf had no vessel and we'll easily see him swimming down. Even if he did come and find the castle, we have that chamber." assured the King. "You have to trust me, my boy."

Link looked at the ring of light glimmering at the water and then at the King's hopeful face.

"OK, sir… I trust you. Let's go." he said.

The boat sighed in relief before he cruised forwards, into the ring. Once again, the two sank beneath the white horses.

Tetra didn't stir until the boat landed with a gentle plop in the pond outside the mysterious castle. Immediately, she rubbed her head after having been laying on the jagged neck of the figurehead.

"Oooowww… my head! What just happened?" Tetra began to open her eyes.

"We're safe here." replied Link as he stepped out of the boat and into the pond. It was just about shallow enough to not flood his boots. He looked back at Tetra, whose eyes were now wide with wonder. Her jaw had dropped open like a totem pole figure.

"What? What island is this? Why does the sky look so weird?" she rasped. She still couldn't speak properly due to being constricted by Ganondorf.

"This isn't an island. The King here will tell you, right, sir?" suggested Link to the King of Red Lions.

The King's head was straight. His yellow eyes were blank. No pupils inhabited them.

"Oh, he's nodded off. Great(!)" groaned Link as Tetra got off the boat.

"Who's done what?" asked Tetra. She still couldn't quite understand his dialect.

Suddenly, something started vibrating and glowing red at Link's neck.

The Pirate's Charm.

"W-what's going on?" mused Tetra, looking at the bright red rock.

"Link..." came a voice from the stone. Link furrowed his brow and looked at his boat. Still snoozing, his mouth was stationary. It can't have been him yet the voice sounded so much like the King.

"Wait a second, who do you think you are?" shouted Tetra, stomping through the water to the Pirate's Charm. "Link and I are the only ones who can speak through this stone! How dare you use what's not yours!"

The voice continued as if it couldn't hear her. "You must come back to the room where you retrieved the Master Sword. There, you shall learn everything you need to learn."

The stone powered off, leaving the two children staring in silence at it.

"How was he using my stone?" whispered Tetra. Link gazed over at the floating boat, still fast asleep.

"I don't know. I do know a little about this place. It's a kingdom under the sea and… wait." faltered Link. Tetra folded her arms and glared at him.

"Do I look like I was born yesterday? Tell me the truth! Where are we?" Tetra said, sounding back to normal in seconds.

"I am telling you the truth. I swear it. It may seem weird, but..."

Tetra looked up at the swirling water domed off from her. "I guess you're right. Sorry." she sighed.

"That's fine. It does sound ridiculous." Link looked at the massive castle that stood in front of him.

"How did you escape from Ganon? How did I escape from Ganon?" gasped the pirate, feeling around her neck and wincing from the pain. Link began thinking for a simple way to put it.

"Let's just say that the last time I was airlifted out of that place by a bird didn't go well. This time it saved our lives."

Tetra almost fell backwards into the water. "WHAT? THAT BIRD?"

"Nope. That bird is long gone. It was that Rito postman from Greatfish and their prince."

Tetra felt around her neck. She felt like this was all a dream. Nope. Her windpipe was still throbbing.

"Come on, let's go. The castle." said Link, wading through the water. Tetra seemed surprised by this abrupt change of subjects but she followed him through the grand entrance of the castle.

"Wow..." mouthed Tetra as the two emerged in the grand hall of the castle. No monsters were to be seen. Several pillars had collapsed since Link had been there but that was about it.

As Link and his friend walked over to the secret church, Tetra told him about what he had missed when they took the girls back home.

"You were right! When we got to the flat bit just before the dock, a giant, black phantom guy showed up and started threatening the kids! Gonzo had us all go back to the boat and he fought it off! He couldn't have done it without your tennis trick!"

"Oh… thank you. I'm glad I fought him before you so I could find the strategy to beating him!"

"I actually wanted to get Nudge to help bust open the cells, but he was, say it with me," started Tetra.

"in the shower." they both said simultaneously.

"Ah, here we are! This is the secret entrance to the Master Sword!" trilled Link, pointing to the staircase that led underground. The statue sat behind it. He thought he would have to move it again.

"Not very secret, is it?" snorted Tetra with a laugh.

"Well, that statue is usually over the top of the hole! If the trigger was disabled from the inside, it would stay safe from a whole invasion of Darknuts!"

"What?"

"Oh, canine knights in armour. I don't know what they have to do with nuts, but whatever. Let's go in."

The children advanced down the steps into the church. It seemed almost the same as last time. The giant statues were connecting their swords, Stained glass windows of various people and creatures shone down upon the dais in the middle of the room. Dark blue water surrounded the pedestal, rippling quietly.

One thing was different, though.

A large man stood at the dais, facing the windows. He wore red robes and a giant, white collar covered most of his head. He wore white trousers and brown boots.

"Are you him?" shouted Tetra at the man. He remained motionless. "Are you the one that used my stone without permission?"

The man's robe blew upwards slightly as if there was wind indoors.

"You are Tetra, correct?"

Tetra jumped upon hearing the man say her name. "How did you know that? And how were you using my stone?"

"I did not use yours… I used this." said the man. He had a deep, gentle voice. Link could clearly recognise it from somewhere but he couldn't put his finger on it. The man removed something from around his neck. It was a necklace. Not like the one Link was wearing, but it was… a little wooden boat figurine on the end of a string. The figurine was red and its figurehead had a beard and a yellow nose, just like-

"Wait, are you-" stuttered Link loudly. He almost fell over. The man began to turn around.

He was an old man with snow-white hair, counting his facial hair. His face was slightly squared and he wore a golden crown. He was also slightly rotund. He looked like if Santa became a monarch.

"Ah, so you have figured it out. I see." said the man.

"Link… I am the true identity of the King of Red Lions."

Even though Link saw it coming, this information still made him trip a little.

The man turned to Tetra.

"Tetra… do you know about the ancient Gossip Stones?"

"Yes, I do. According to my mother, they were these big rocks with faces on. If you wore a certain mask, you could talk with them." answered the pirate. The man nodded with a smile.

"That stone you have is a fragment of the Gossip Stones. The Gossip Stones were made by the king of an old, forgotten land. The King of Hyrule." The man took a deep breath. "I am King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule."

There was stunned silence from the children for a while.

"Can I call you Tim?" joked Link with a smile. The King did a sniffing laugh at his joke.

"That's very funny! People from Outset seem great at jokes!" laughed the King. Regaining his seriousness, he pointed all around the room. "The kingdom that you stand in now is called Hyrule… A kingdom which no longer exists."

Link and Tetra felt an unnatural cold chill pass them.

"'No longer exists'? We're standing in it right now! How does it not exist?" Tetra said, absolutely confused. King Daphnes shook his head.

"It exists to me, to you two, to Ganondorf, but to everyone else… they remain unaware of it. I apologise for my actions. I felt that as long as the Master Sword retained its power, I thought it best to keep my full identity hidden away. Forgive me."

Link tried to pursue his next objective. "What am I meant to do now?"

"I will get to that in good time. First, I have some explaining to do..."

The children gathered around the man as he materialised a thick book out of thin air. He flipped it open and began talking.

"This has not been the first time the Kingdom of Hyrule has fallen into a terrible fate." he started. He began reading. "Decades before me, a man called Ganondorf tricked a young boy into opening a gate to a realm… This realm is called the Sacred Realm. The reason he wanted to get into the Sacred Realm was because it housed the Triforce. He was able to seize the Triforce of Power while the boy slept in stasis until age 16. Seven years. After those seven years passed, he awoke to much destruction in the town outside."

Link and Tetra exchanged glances.

"Several residents lost their lives. Those residing in the castle as well. Now a teenager, the lad in green collected medallions from several sages to confront Ganondorf."

The two leaned in closer. This was getting interesting! It was so interesting that I just went and made popcorn.

"He won… but he didn't succeed." read the King gravely. The kids flinched in confusion. How can one win, but not succeed?

"He dealt the finishing blow to Ganon, his monstrous form, and only managed to seal him in the sacred realm for a time. At any time, this seal could give away." he finished reading. "And it has."

With that, the King slammed the book shut, causing it to vanish into smoke.

"Throughout his quest, the warrior was secretly accompanied by the princess. Princess Zelda."

"Princess Zelda? That's who the nutcase at the top of the Forsaken Fortress thought I was! Who is she?" interrupted Tetra. The King looked straight at her.

"Well, he wasn't wrong. Child, come here. I'm going to need to borrow that necklace of yours." rumbled the King. Tetra looked at her necklace and then at him.

"Wait, time out! How do I know that you're not Ganondorf in disguise?" she shouted. Link stared at her in shock. The King looked very understanding.

"You are right to be cautious," started the King, "but you can trust me. Look, I'll prove it."

Suddenly, the King disappeared in a splash of water. A second later, the King of Red Lions crashed to the floor. The figurehead looked at Tetra and laughed loudly.

"See! I am the King of Hyrule! Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule!" he shouted before disappearing back into the air and returning as the King of Hyrule.

"Is that good proof for you?" asked the King gently.

"OK. I believe you." as if hypnotised, Tetra walked further towards the King and removed her necklace, placing it into the King's extended hand.

"You see this triangle on the end of the string?" asked the King rhetorically. Tetra nodded her head.

"Did your mother tell you to never let it leave your person and protect it with your life?" Tetra nodded again.

"Well, that is because this is a shard of the Triforce. The Triforce of Wisdom, to be exact.

Tetra's jaw dropped. "Wait, Ganondorf did sense my 'Triforce' with his own! Does that mean-"

"I shall show you."

The King began gathering triangular energy in his left hand. When it finished shining, a golden triangle floated in the air. It had a small, triangular spot missing at the bottom. Just the right size to fit…

Tetra's Necklace! The King was right!

"These shall now join together! It is time for me to teach you the fate into which you were born, the very reason you live."

The two triangles danced towards each other in a spin. Tetra and Link watched in amazement as the two perfectly slotted into place. The Triforce started to glow again, releasing ray after ray of light into the air. They danced like party streamers, one of them hitting Link right in the eyes.

"Ow!"

He closed his eyes to recover and when he opened them again, sparks danced in his eyes and Tetra was nowhere to be seen.

In her place stood… a different girl in a pink, silky dress. She wore white gloves and had golden locks. Her skin tone was a lot lighter than Tetra's.

"My… VOICE?!" squeaked the girl. Her voice was a LOT higher than Tetra's. It was clear that she was about to say something else but changed it when she noticed the sudden increase in pitch.

"As I said, your hidden identity is Princess Zelda." said the King.

"But… I am a pirate. How can I be a Princess?" said… Zelda... faintly.

"Do not fear, for confusion is perfectly normal. It is not every day you become an entirely different person."

Link looked at his (new?) friend in sympathy. Of course. She had just been wrenched away from her old self. This was normal.

"My boy." said the King, turning to him. Link jumped a little and locked eyes with him.

"I apologise. This is not planned, but we have to resort to desperate measures. We need to restore the Master Sword to its former self."

Link felt a tiny bit of relief. There must have been some way to fix the Master Sword.

Short detour, do you know that old Japanese story about how a God tries to help a man escape from the bad place by dangling a spiders web down towards him to climb up but everyone else tries to follow him and their combined weight breaks the web and they all end up back at square one? Well, Link felt like his hope was that of a spider's thread. No matter how small that line was, it would be soaked crimson with his blood if he didn't grasp it.

"All right. I can help you. What do we do?" asked the boy, desperation creeping into his vocal chords.

"Firstly, Zelda… I must ask you to stay here in hiding for a while. We can't let Ganondorf find you. Now that he knows who you are."

Tet-

um…

Zelda, yes, Zelda began to speak, but she immediately stopped. Link flinched a little. Tetra would never do that.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine," reassured the King, "There's a supply of food down here, as well as a bathroom. The quarters are just over there."

"I have an idea!" said Link with a loud voice. "The princess could come with us!"

The King frowned and shook his head. "I saw her in the fortress. She is a very skilled fighter. That was when she was Tetra, however. As Zelda, she is more of… a thinker. A planner."

"He's right. I don't feel agile right now." added Zelda.

"But Ganondorf still knows about this place. Didn't he escape from here?" asked Link. The King looked over at the entrance.

"He may be aware of Hyrule, but this chamber is a secret from him. Your friend is perfectly safe."

Zelda began to think. She began to think and think and think. Eventually, she composed herself.

"All right. I believe you." she said. The King put a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling encouragingly.

"Thank you."

He stepped back and cleared his throat.

"I'll leave you two to say your goodbyes. Link, I'll see you back at the boat."

Link was about to say something to the King but when he prepared himself, he blinked and the King was nowhere to be seen. He had gone with the wind.

"Where did he go?" asked Link in confusion. Zelda stared up at the staircase. Link followed her gaze. The King stood at the end of the first set of stairs and then dematerialised into wind which blew up into the main room of the castle.

Link rubbed his eyes again. What even was the King? An actual person, a manifestation of wind or a ghost of some kind?

Suddenly, he felt a gentle, silky touch on his arm. He turned around and there was the Princess, white as a sheet. Mascara was running down her face due to tears.

"Zelda? What's wrong?"

Zelda forced out a response. "I… Are you going to be all right? I think that… your task is going to be dangerous!"

Link hugged her to comfort her.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine."

"I just… don't feel like Tetra any more. I feel like a completely different person. I'm just… kind of shaken."

A crackle of alarm shot through Link.

"Wait!" he said suddenly, startling the girl a bit. "I just realised, if your crew hadn't nailed that bird in the face with a rock, Ganondorf would have got hold of you before I could have prepared myself to face him!"

He was right. Zelda seemed very surprised.

"You're right! I never- Link! Watch out!"

The sound of clicking claws and hissing clattered across the room towards them. Link knew immediately what it was.

A Bokoblin.

With no words, he put his hand on the hilt of the Master Sword and closed his eyes. When he sensed the monster getting close, he quickly turned and slashed with all his might. The monster flew through the air and disappeared upon contact with the wall, leaving its butterfly pendant behind.

"Must have missed one earlier..." mused Link. He picked up the pendant of the monster and handed it to Zelda. "Here. Keep this. A quick memento."

Zelda smiled, but she still looked terrified for him. Link felt terrible.

"I'm sorry..." he said gently. "I have to go now. See you… later, OK?"

Zelda stayed silent for a moment. "See you in a bit. Good luck with the Master Sword."

"Next time you see it, it will glow with the power to repel evil!" declared Link. Trying not to look back, he headed upstairs and out of the room.

As he exited the room, the statue of the man in green rumbled back over the entrance.

Zelda wasn't getting out any time soon.

"I'll get you back to your normal life," thought Link. "I know it."