I'M BACK! I'm sure you guys will understand the wait when you read this lengthy chapter!

Shout outs to SoulPieces, merkkari, and RoxyCatMeow for their reviews! And without further ado, I hope you enjoy...

Chapter 24 – The Stillness before the Storm

I felt as if I were floating in a sea of stars, the bright satellites revolving around me as I traversed the lonely, dark sky. At the time, I thought I was making the journey to the Sacred Realm to join my mother and father in their eternal rest. Though, since I am writing this now, it will be fairly obvious to whoever reads this that I am currently not dead. In fact, it was when I noticed that the 'stars' shone in blues, pinks, greens, and yellows that I knew I was not dead. This notion was made even more apparent when I could see wings on all the little balls of light.

Fairies…

As I stared upwards and watch the fairies flitter and dance in interweaving circles, I couldn't help but slowly fall into a state of quiet contentment. I had no notion of how long I lay there, but I gradually returned to a state of awareness. Soon I could feel warm water flowing around me and easing all of my weary muscles until I felt like a part of the water myself, the only fact telling me I was very much solid being the smooth stone of the edge of the pool supporting my back and tilting my head so it was above the water.

Am I dreaming? Or did I really die after my battle with Ganondorf?

A single fairy drifted away from the group until it was directly over my head. The magic radiating from the fairy was a pale green, the glow hindering me from discerning what form it held. At first it seemed male, with wind-blown nut brown hair and swirling tattoos across his well-defined torso, and then the fairy seemed female with the same color hair but wearing a flowing knee-length green dress instead of tattoos. I quickly gave up on determining its gender and instead focused on the fairy's actions.

Magic flowed from its hands swirling and forming into a small orb made up of what appeared to be wind. Finally, when the fairy deemed the spell ready, the orb flew from its grasp and spiraled around me, starting at my feet and then ending at my head, dissipating into a glowing warmth that permeated through my skin and healed my broken body.

The fairy gave me a smile then quickly turned its gaze upwards. My eyes followed and soon rested upon the form of a girl, almost looking Hylian if not for the large wings on her back, kneeling down beside me with long green hair reaching down to below her breasts and leaving little to nothing to the imagination. Even the small skirt she wore barely made her appearance passable by Hylian standards, though I doubt the men would complain.

Somehow I managed to find my voice, even if it was dry and rough, and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm the Great Fairy!"

Great Fairy? Was that red potion stale?

I pushed myself up until I was leaning on the edge of the pool, supported by my forearms. "I see… And your name is?"

I reached out with a hand for two reasons. One reason, so I could get out of the water and the other so I could find out if this wasn't all some dream brought on by delirium or a stale potion.

She gave me a curious look before she pulled me up onto my feet. "You can just call me… Great Fairy! And who are you?"

I began squeezing out water from my soaked clothes as I replied, "Diane Tutela. I was told by Sage Impa to see you and get my magical power increased."

"I see. That explains why you have so much magical energy… You're a Sheikah! You're one of the few tribes who continue to develop your magical abilities."

"Uh… Yeah…" I averted my gaze from the Great Fairy. "Before we do that…Could you please put some clothes on? It's uncomfortable to even look at you, let alone speak with you."

The Great Fairy tilted her head in confusion. "Why does this form distress you, Diane Tutela? All the other visitors I've ever had didn't seem too adverse to it."

"How many visitors have you had?"

She brightened instantly at this question. "In the last thousand years, I have had exactly 47 visitors."

"And, out of curiosity, how many of them were male?"

"41."

"That explains a lot…"

Her grin still on her face, the Great Fairy asked, "Perhaps, if you do not enjoy this form, I could change into a masculine-"

I waved my hands frantically, yelling, "No! That's not necessary!"

Her 'fun' ruined, the Great Fairy pouted and sighed, "Very well, but I still do not understand why you are so adverse to this form."

"It's not the form itself, but shouldn't you… you know… cover up a bit?"

She paused, still confused at the request. "You mortals… You always are so concerned about the appearance and this thing called 'gender'."

"Don't fairies have gender?"

"No. We are beings made of pure magical energy. We fairies only exist within a limited space, mine just happens to be larger than my smaller brethren, and within that space we can take on any appearance that we wish. Whether it be plant, rock, bird, animal or these humanoid forms, we fairies can transform in order to put others at ease or to hide. I use this female appearance since most of the Hylians I've spoken to preferred it."

So, fairies don't have gender… I bet Shad would be interested in that tidbit. There's so much that is unknown about the fairy race, but I don't have time to learn all about it.

The Great Fairy made an apathetic expression and changed her form so that she wore a close-fitted sleeveless, knee-length dress of a brilliant teal hue, augmenting her bright green eyes. She motioned for a few of the fairies to continue healing me before she turned back and locked eyes with me. "Now, you came down here for what again?"

I sighed; apparently the Great Fairy was a bit forgetful. "I came here because Sage Impa said you could strengthen my magic power. Though how you are able to do that is unclear."

"Oh, that's the easy part! The hard part is what comes afterwards."

"What comes afterwards?"

Her face broke into a smile as she happily replied, "Let's just say there's some… risks involved."

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms, half-tempted to start tapping my foot in annoyance. "What kind of risks?"

She blatantly ignored the question. "The process is fairly simple for you. I will put you under a healing sleep and then draw out your power. You may feel flashes of pain, but that is only because your body will initially be resisting to the change. Once the process is complete, you will feel a little stiff, although resting a little longer in my spring will soon cure you of that."

"What risks, Great Fairy?"

"Well," She forced another smile onto her face. "If your body doesn't accept the changes then you may become paralyzed or even die. Only a few have died from this and that was because they didn't have enough magical power to begin with. Though, you shouldn't have to worry about that."

I was not convinced. Knowledge of the fairies and their customs was rare and usually only found in legends or old yarns. How was I to know that she was trustworthy?

I decided to ask another question just to see what my chances were, if I chose to take the risk. "If you compare the amount of magical power I had to those who died from this procedure, is my magic power greater or smaller than them?"

The smile remained as she brightly replied, "A little above theirs."

I nodded, having expected that answer, and was suddenly thoughtful. Was putting my life on the line worth it?

I snorted in spite of myself. This was not the time for second thoughts. I had come this far and past the point of no return long ago. I was going to see this quest through to the end, wherever and whenever that may be. Besides, I had already been through a dozen near-death experiences, why not add another to the tally?

I closed my eyes in acceptance of my fate and requested, "Please begin."

The Great Fairy rose into the air gracefully and raised one pale hand. A sweet breeze passed over me and I breathed deep, falling into the smells of warm summer grass and air filled with the perfumes of a thousand wildflowers. I blinked once, watching the Great Fairy smiling down at me with hundreds of fairies twisting and turning in their flight around her, before I knew no more.

(The following is based upon an event recorded by Shad - shown to me at a much later date - which occurred as I lay recovering in the Fairy Fountain)

The road to war can be very long or abruptly short. The members of the Resistance were all preparing for a long siege when a message runner from the Sheikah, a lad by the name of Adin, came rushing in, his cheeks flushed and his limbs jittery. He would not tell us what he was so nervous about, he only requested that the leaders of the Resistance come with all haste to an emergency meeting with the 'Shadowed Ones', as the Sheikah insist we call them when in the company of the general populace.

Not seeing as we had any other choice, all four of us – Ashei, Auru, Rusl, and I – told our subordinates to continue the preparations in our absence and followed Adin.

The journey to the Sheikah Hideout wasn't very significant. The route was familiar to most of us and we soon reached the lower levels of the church. However, when we entered the large central chamber, expecting to be assaulted by the noise of the tribe preparing for battle, we immediately noticed something was different. It wasn't that the Sheikah were loud, in fact, they actually were by nature a very quiet people. However, there is little even a Sheikah can do to minimize the amount of noise a large crowd of people produced just by moving around. We soon found out the reason behind why it was so quiet.

We met with the chronicler, Vizen, and the healer, Idra, who both looked tired and slightly worried. Their news was… disheartening, to say the least.

"So you're telling us that the usurper king somehow caught wind of your plans and trapped most of your tribe in the space between warp points, yeah?" asked Ashei, who was looking more and more like she wanted to punch someone.

"Extraordinary!" I exclaimed, readying a notebook and pen. "So how exactly did Ganondorf trap all of the Sheikah using the warp points? Is that how you all get around so quickly? Through the warp points? And how do these warp points work exactly?"

Vizen merely shook her head. "Your enthusiasm is understandable, Shad. But focus, please. There are more important matters to discuss."

"Like the fact we can assume that little to no aid will be coming from your tribe when we storm the castle," Auru mused aloud.

Idra and Vizen glanced between themselves before Idra replied, "I will come with you and help your healers and the trainees can take some of our supplies to your camp, but that is all we can do, at this time."

"What about Diane? Or Jara?" Ashei inquired, not willing to accept that the usurper king had crippled our strongest allies against him. "Can't they help?"

"Diane is on a mission in the desert and it is unknown exactly when she will return," Vizen stated, her voice sounding discouraged. "Jara was among those trapped within the warp space."

"Link will be attacking the Castle tomorrow, Vizen," Rusl growled. "Without the Sheikah to aid us we will be running in blind!"

"You will not be blind, Rusl. We have shown you and taught you the layout of the castle. You will be no blinder than if you'd lived in the Castle your whole life. Now go, you have preparations to attend to, just as we do."

(Returning to my time in the goddess-forsaken desert…)

I will not describe the torture that was increasing my magical power, since, between the pain and bouts of unconsciousness, I don't remember much of what happened, at all. However, I do remember the conversation I had with the Great Fairy as I was recovering.

"Ouch… Why can't you just heal away the pain and soreness? You healed me when I had that large cut on my back, why not now?"

The Great Fairy shook her head slowly. "If we tried to heal you, it would undo all the work we just did. Healing returns your body to the state it was previously, before you were injured. I'm afraid you will just have to bear this pain."

"Great…" I tried to move my right arm, but promptly received a sharp stab of pain for my effort. I opted on remaining still, lying against the edge of the pool for a time.

Perhaps I can ask questions about the fairies while I'm here…

It was a better plan than focusing on the pain and brooding. "How are you able to both heal and increase someone's magical power?"

"You remember that we 'fairies', as the Hylians call us, are beings of pure magical energy, yes? We feed on magic, no matter the source or if it is 'evil' or 'good' magic, because once a fairy collects the energy it becomes 'neutral'. You see, when an abundance of life permeates in one area - whether the magic is from plants, animals, insects, or people – the magic in that area increases. Thus, the goddesses created the fairies to regulate the magic by absorbing the excess magic and distributing it to other parts of the land that are in need of magical energy. We can also use this magic to heal mortals or 'shove' it into them to increase their magical power."

"I see… If your task is 'restoration', then why haven't you done anything about the desert? It doesn't look very 'lively' to me."

She looked at me with a smile. "What is wrong with the desert? All the creatures that live above and below it are perfectly content and healthy. Haven't you seen how happy the little leevers are? They jump for joy when someone approaches."

Was that sarcasm just now?

I raised an eyebrow, but remained silent as she continued. "There are no magical imbalances within the desert, except perhaps from the Arbiter's Ground, which requires a certain inequity to remain safe. So why do you think the desert is not restored? The land has been this way for thousands of years."

"You make a good point. However, with the amount of land in Hyrule, I would expect that there are fairies everywhere, but I've never seen a fairy before now."

"We are everywhere!" the Great Fairy exclaimed with a giggle. "You just may not know that it is a fairy you are looking at. Remember, I told you that we can change forms and appearances as long as we remain within our appropriate size limits."

"Yes, I remember that. Still, I can see magic with my Sheikah eyes, which begs the question of why I haven't seen any fairies, which are made up of pure magical energy."

"You have seen us, but we were absorbing magic at the time. You see, when a fairy is absorbing magic they remain hidden from even a Sheikah's eyes. Even if you did spot one of us, you would only see our disguised form. You would only be able to see us if we are projecting the magic outwards. Usually, we wait until we are out of sight to do this, unless a traveler needs our aid."

"Speaking of which, I have often heard in the legends that you used to heal people all the time. Not to sound ungrateful, but why haven't you continued to do this? Or, better yet, why did you do it in the first place?"

"As I explained before, we fairies are charged with the distribution of magic to places where it is needed. Our ability to heal is a byproduct of this. We still heal plants, animals, and the land regularly. The reason the Hylians rarely ever receive this benefit is because of their decline in magic potential. We have no reason to interact with them."

"So if you do not interact with the Hylian society anymore, why was Ganondorf after you?"

She answered my question in a strangely cheerful tone. "I am not certain. You would have to ask him that yourself. The only reasonable explanation I have is that he may have wanted to use us for some foul spell. That is why we are extremely grateful that you defeated his phantom! We were afraid he would find our hiding place."

"I see… Wait… HIS PHANTOM?! What is a phantom?!"

"Oh, did you think you fought the real Ganondorf? That was just his phantom, a magical projection using about one ninety-eighth of his true power. It's an effective means of being in two places at the same time, don't you think?"

Thinking aloud, I groaned, "That was just his phantom…? If that's true, then there's no hope that I could face him if he's a hundred times stronger than that!"

"98."

I turned to the Great Fairy with a blank look. "Practically the same thing."

In order to distract my whirling mind, I pulled myself upright, ignoring the pain and moving very slowly, and then proceeded until I was finally, albeit shakily, on my feet again.

I paused for a moment, a new idea manifesting itself in my mind. Turning back to the Great Fairy, I asked, "Would you like to help us in our battle against Ganondorf?"

The Great Fairy perked up. "I wouldn't object to helping you, though I don't see how much help we would be. We cannot use any defensive or offensive magic and our rate of magic absorption is too small to significantly change the amount of magical power he possesses."

"Yes, but, if you came with us, you could heal all of our injuries during the fight."

"Me?" she questioned, placing a hand on her chest. "No, I'm afraid I cannot leave my fountain, but you could take many of my smaller friends to aid you. You could carry us around in bottles, just like the Hylians of old used to do. We would travel around with them and sample the many different flavors of magic from the different regions they traveled through. Then, when needed, they would free us and we would be happy to heal them, in gratitude for giving us these rare treats."

Flavors of magic? I didn't know magic had flavors… Does mine taste weird?

"I suppose that could work, but it would be easier if I could ask any nearby fairies for help."

"Hmm… You're right!"

Fairies descended around the Great Fairy and she held a brief conference with them. The Great Fairy paused, listening to the small bell-like voices of the fairies soaring around her, and her face started to shift into a smile, that I was beginning to think was getting creepy. "Yes, that's a wonderful idea!"

"Huh?"

Thoughts of more painful 'changes', getting changed into a fairy, or forced to wear scandalous clothing flashed into my head and I quickly focused on getting out of the pool, until two red fairies blew what looked like powder at my eyes.

I did what any sane person would do, close my eyes. I would have also thrown up my hands to cover my eyes, but I couldn't move them fast enough. The 'powder' attached itself to my eyelids and then sunk through until it reached my eyes. I blinked, hoping the 'dust' would get out, which only resulted in irritating my eyes further.

Indignant, I swiped at the two fairies (who were both still in front of me for some reason) and missed completely, triggering bell chimes of laughter all around me. I wiped away the moisture collected on the sides of my eyes and then whirled on the Great Fairy.

"What was that for?!"

The Fairy Queen placed a hand over her mouth to halt her own laughter before she revealed a pleasant smile. "I'm sorry, Diane. The small ones have always loved to play, but they mean well. In order to enlist our aid, you would require the ability to see us. What my two friends did was to 'upgrade' your Sheikah eyes so you would be able to see us, even when we are absorbing magic."

Still rubbing my eyes, I forced a smile onto my face. "Thanks you."

"Since you seem to be feeling better, I believe there is nothing left for us to discuss, Diane. I'm sure that the Shadow Sage is expecting you. May Hylia bless and watch over you on your journey."

"Thank you for your aid, Great Fairy."

I gathered my gear, which was placed on the far edge of the room, outside of the pool, and noticed something odd about the structure of the room. There was no door. I looked around until I finally saw a doorway on a platform near the ceiling. Who in their right mind would put a door up there?!

Reluctantly turning back to the Great Fairy, I inquired, "How far underground are we?"

"Oh, we're 50 floors down."

My shoulders sagged. "Is there any easier way of getting out of this room?"

"Certainly! I would be happy to expedite your departure! Anywhere in Hyrule you wish to go?"

"Uh… The Mirror Chamber in the Arbiter's Grounds would be most helpful." I took a step back. "But what are you planning to do to me?"

"I have the ability to teleport you anywhere in Hyrule where there is a fairy present. I am going to send you to one of the fairies in the Mirror Chamber right now."

She reached out with her hands until she held onto my shoulders. "Well, that's great. Wait, is this going to hur-"

The last words I heard from the Great Fairy as I was caught up in a dazzlingly bright light were, "Goodbye, Diane! Call us when you require aid and we will help if we are able!"

In stark contrast to my conversation with the Great Fairy, my talk with Sage Impa was… solemn. It started out like this:

#$%^&*())(*&^%$# #$%^&*&^%$# #$%^&

"Greetings, Shea. I trust your time with the Great Fairy proved fruitful?"

I stood, a little dazed from my abrupt trip to the Mirror Chamber, and watched a small fairy gracefully float away.

"It was interesting…"

Note to self: NEVER go back there again…

I sought to end my conversation with Sage Impa quickly, not wanting to stay in the hot, midday sun on the open, stony roof of the Arbiter's Grounds any longer than necessary, but I had one important matter that required the Sage's attention.

"Before I met with the Great Fairy, I encountered one of Ganondorf's phantoms, which, as the Great Fairy described, only possessed a hundredth of Ganondorf's true power. Even with my newly increased magical strength, I wonder how much help I will be in aiding the Hero when fighting the real Ganondorf."

"I am aware that you battled 'his' phantom. When the time comes, I'm confident you will be able to help the Hero in some way. Any help he receives is better than none, yes? Now are you ready to become the Impa?"

I hesitated before resolving to say, "Yes."

"Good. Then I grant you the title Impa, with the provision that you swiftly alleviate your deficiency in the martial arts as soon as you are able."

"I will certainly do that, Sage Impa."

"Then kneel."

I did as I was bid and was nearly blinded (barely managing to close my eyes in time) by the sheer amount of magical power that shone through the air around the coliseum. Questions for Sage Impa were just about to leave my lips when I heard the Sage of Shadows say, "Raise your head, Shea of the Sheikah."

Again, I did as I was told and stared into the sky blue eyes of the golden haired woman I saw after my battle with Phantom Ganon. My eyes quickly averted from her gaze, more from the sheer brilliance of her presence than her appearance.

"Who-"

"Still your tongue, Shea," Sage Impa commanded. "You are addressing Her Grace, Lady Hylia, patron goddess of the Sheikah and the Royal Family. It will be to her that you swear the binding oath of an Impa of the Sheikah."

As if to answer an unspoken question, Hylia gracefully dipped her head in a nod, affirming the Shadow Sage's word. I was instantly put at ease and couldn't help but smile back. Thus, it came to pass that I swore the oath that all Impa take in front of the seven Sages and the great Hylia, herself.

I, Shea of the Tribe Sheikah, solemn swear

Through every trial and suffering,

Though I may stand at the threshold of death,

I shall guard and protect the goddess, Hylia,

Her descendants, and the land they dwell in

Until the moment I journey to the Sacred Realm.

Should I fail to uphold this oath,

May my spirit forever wander in the House of Shadows

And one more worthy than I take my place.

Thus, now and forever more shall I bear the title,

Impa of the Sheikah

Sage Impa placed a hand softly on the top of my head and a peaceful warmth flowed into me. I was given the knowledge necessary to wield the Shadowlance spell, which was only known to the Impa. The traditional white tattoo she placed directly underneath my eyes now signified my new status. My new strength and position further displayed itself when I rose and could feel two very large magical disturbances.

One was located within the strange mirror behind me in the arena. I knew now it was the Mirror of Twilight which led to a realm separate from this one where a group of magic users called the Usurpers were sent as punishment. Ancient rumors said that it was a faction of the Sheikah who caused the Great Hylian Civil War, but in truth it was a group of magic users with one rogue Sheikah. In order to remember those events, the Sheikah added a tear to their symbol, the Eye of Truth.

The other disturbance was in the west across the vast expanse of desert, fields, and Lake Hylia. It was a malevolent type of darkness that seemed to consume anything bearing light around it. Rage flowed through the aura like blood, identifying the source of the disturbance rather quickly. Ganondorf. Not the phantom, but the true dark magician and King of the Gerudo.

I turned to Hylia. "With your permission, Your Grace, I shall take my leave and help the Hero banish Ganondorf from the realm of the living."

Hylia stayed silent. Instead, Sage Impa replied in her place. "You have Hylia's blessing, Impa Shea. However, do not forget. You are not the one who shall defeat Ganondorf. It is your duty to protect her descendant, Princess Zelda, and the land of Hyrule. You may encounter Ganondorf, but he is not the only threat to the land.'"

"What are the other threats?"

"You shall see in due time."

That was all I was going to get from Hylia, who disappeared in a dazzling light after 'speaking' to me.

I turned to Sage Impa, who had crossed her arms over her chest and was glaring at me with her red eyes. "Now, about your battle against the phantom, Impa Shea…"

I stiffened, not knowing what to expect from Sage Impa.

"Where did you learn the 'Shadowlance' spell?"

I rubbed the back of my head, a bit uneasy while giving my response. "My mother told me the stanzas to the spell, but she never taught me its formation."

"I see," she stated, her gaze implying anything but understanding.

Thinking I had done something wrong, I quickly tried to explain myself. "I really don't know how I even managed to defeat Phantom Ganon in the first place. One minute I was preparing for death and then the next second I was leaning against a wall, Ganon's pike in my hand and him dead. Do you know what happened to me, Sage Impa?"

"I do not know for certain, but my best guess is that you went into a pain trance."

"A pain trance?"

"It's a state that the Sheikah are trained to go into when they are wounded and must continue fighting to complete the mission or to protect their own lives. Very few remember what they did in the trance afterward."

"That sounds right…" I began as my mind went shuffling through my recently recovered memories. I recalled my mother teaching me that the 'pain trance' was actually the activation of small magic seals that stored enough adrenaline to keep someone fighting for another minute or so. The seals activated automatically when the Sheikah was about to lose consciousness during a fight and/or was heavily wounded.

"Then there is not much more to discuss," Sage Impa said as she raised a hand and a gate made of shadows appeared. "I have created a special portal for you to take you back to the front of the Arbiter's Grounds."

"Good fortune and Hylia's protection upon you, Impa Shea," she said with the faintest of smiles on her stern face. "Also, I have a message from one who wished to be here but could not."

I stopped my advance on the portal and glanced at her curiously. "What is the message?"

Sage Impa tenderly expressed, "Well done, my little shadow."

Only one person had ever called me 'little shadow', the translation of 'Shea' into Hylian.

"Mother…"

I would have given completely into my grief right then and there, but it would have been embarrassing to weep hysterically in front of the Seven Sages and perhaps even Hylia. Instead, I forced the tears back and nodded in gratitude to Sage Impa. "Please… Tell my mother… That I miss her and father deeply, but I will fulfill my duty as Impa to my upmost until the day I join them."

The Shadow Sage closed her eyes. "It is already done."

"Thank you."

*&%$#%^&(*&%$#%^&*(*&^%$#! #$%^$$#$#$&*((

(As Impa of the Sheikah, I have decided that the events recorded in this portion of my diary are classified. The events that transpired during the Impa coronation ceremony are not for anyone to know, except those who have held the title of Impa. Therefore, I apologize to any of my brethren who might be reading this now, but the two lines of 'gibberish' at the beginning and end of this section are memory erasing spells. You will not have any memory of what I recorded between them no matter how many times you read it. Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience.)

(From the recordings of Vizen, 54th chronicler and librarian of the Sheikah, told to me when I returned from the desert)

Idra had already left when Zehra told me of her plan to try and free our brethren from the Evil King's trap. I believed it was foolish to try. There were too many potential traps within the trap for us to risk our most powerful magic user. Nevertheless, Zehra insisted that she could pull at least one person out from the portals.

"What if I can free Jara, Vizen?" she began. "Then we may have a chance at planning a countermeasure to 'his' moves. Or what if I can reach out and grab Diane? You know she didn't respond to my Telepathy, even when it was enhanced by the portal magic."

"While having Jara, Diane, or any one of the Sheikah leaders to take command of the Sheikah forces would be beneficial, Zehra, you cannot guarantee that you can reach them. We are working with Triforce magic, Zehra. It's too great a risk! What if you are pulled in instead?"

Zehra could not respond to that, but she still refused to listen to my advice. Against my better judgment, I watched as Zehra sat in front of the Castle Town Hideout warp point and wove her magic into the portal system. Without warning, she plunged her hand through the portal and pulled out one of our brethren before bright orange claws clamped down on her wrist and shoulders. She had time enough to open her mouth in shock before she was pulled into the portal and gone.

I wearily walked up to the one Sheikah Zehra had managed to free. It was not who either Zehra or I had been hoping for, but he was all we had now to help Diane and the Hero. "Do you know what has happened to you, young one?"

"Yes, Elder."

"Then go," I ordered. "Run to the desert and warn Diane of the portals."

Bright red eyes greeted mine as the boy responded, "At once, Elder Vizen."

Though I had Hylia's blessing, it didn't seem like it when I emerged from the warp portal in front of the Arbiter's Grounds. Four Shadow Beasts roamed through the courtyard and had conveniently destroyed the pillar that bore the only warp point to the edge of the desert.

"You four just signed your death warrant…"

One fell to an arrow with a Pyro spell in its black neck. Another was flash-frozen with an Icebolt spell originating from its back leg. The last two finally took notice of me and charged. They were in midair when I slashed the air with my hand and unleashed the two Flame Spout spells right below them, incinerating them completely.

The hot sun had already begun to melt the frozen Shadow Beast, though it could not raise its fellows with a roar, since that would have required the ability to vocalize. The ice began to crack and, just before it shattered completely, I placed a hand on the back of its head.

"Din's Fire."

I left the ashes of the four Shadow Beasts and proceeded through the courtyard and into the desert. At the entrance to the desert from the Arbiter's Grounds I found both Icefang and Midnight waiting for me.

What are you two doing here? I asked telepathically to Icefang.

"One of the Shadow Warriors came to us and said that you needed our aid. This warrior, her name was Impa, brought myself and your beast here since the shadow gate was destroyed. As we journeyed through the field of shifting, unmelting snow, we had to avoid the beast and desert people patrols. This Impa said that while the main path to your home land was blocked off, the beast and desert people have made a new path. I was brought to guide you to this new path while you ride this beast."

There were a few things that Icefang told me, after I took a moment to translate, that had me concerned. "There are Gerudo and Bulblins between us and Hyrule?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"As many as four of my packs."

"And how many are in your pack?"

"Ten."

Yes, forty patrols of Gerudo and Bulblins. Thankfully, that was the total amount throughout the whole desert and not just near the desert exit; only around ten of the patrols were set near the exit. However, there was another problem.

The base for the entire army was directly between me and Hyrule and there was no way to avoid it unless I wanted to dodge fifteen more patrols.

Getting through the base was… interesting. Icefang and Midnight circled around the base, avoiding the patrols, while I crept straight through the base using the Shroud of Shadows to hide me. I kept to the shadows as much as possible and made it halfway through with little difficulty.

I was passing what appeared to be the command tent in the center of camp when I heard voices. It took little guessing to figure out who was talking. The Bulblin and the Gerudo Commanders. I hid myself between two crates and focused on their conversation.

"King Ganondorf requires our presence as soon as possible," the Gerudo stated, leaving no room for debate. "How long until your forces are ready?"

"We are still attempting to round up the escaped Bullbos and our supplies of arrows have disappeared," rasped the Bulblin. "Our King has taken five regiments of our best warriors ahead to the castle. Your 'King' should be well-guarded."

"You imbeciles do not understand… Five regiments will not be enough to hold back the enemy forces if the entire populace of Castle Town revolt! We must go now!"

"You lot can go whenever you please, my King commanded me to gather the Horde and only bring them when we were ready. Until we capture the Bullbos, we won't be moving anytime soon."

There was a long sigh before the Gerudo Commander barked out, "Lieutenant!"

A younger girl, the Lieutenant, was apparently already in the room, because there was a quick response. "Yes, Commander?"

"Gather two squads of twenty and help the Bulblins round up the stray Bullbos and have the quartermaster sent two barrels of arrows over to our allied forces."

"Yes, Commander!"

"Will that suffice, Horde Commander?"

"Yes, it will do nicely. We should be ready to march three hours after the Bullbos are captured."

"Good. Now about our plan to get around that lake…"

I left the safety of the crates and swiftly made my way through the rest of the camp. With the sea of tents and hastily made dwellings in the area, it was safe to assume there were a substantial amount of Bullbos mounts within the 'Horde'. A quick check of the animal pens verified my guess and I theorized that it would take at least two hours, if not more, to round up the boars. Adding in the three hours of preparation and the estimate of how long it would take to travel around Lake Hylia, I assessed that the Bulblin-Gerudo forces would be at Castle Town in around 18-24 hours, more if they were delayed by the lake.

I needed to get back to Castle Town as quickly as I could. With Icefang's help to distract the patrols, I was able to finally make it back into Hyrule and find a warp point. After dismounting Midnight and giving him a grateful pat, I turned to Icefang.

Thank you for your aid, Icefang. I shall summon you if I require your help.

Icefang nodded. I held out my hand to the warp point and traced where it would lead me. After a few seconds, I learned this one led to Castle Town's East Gate via one portal near the Great Bridge of Hylia. I activated the portal, the shadowy doorway like an abyssal mouth waiting to devour me.

Without a second thought, I stretched out my right hand to the portal.

Oh, yes... I'm evil... and I LOVE cliffhangers!

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! If you did, or even if you didn't, let me know through the lovely little messages called reviews!

Until the next chapter, my faithful readers,

Aurora Shadowglen