A/N: Hi everyone! Hope life's been treating you well.

I now declare my hiatus over. It lasted a little longer than originally anticipated because I moved to a place with terrible internet connectivity, which made it near impossible to deliver updates but on the plus side gave me time to get all my ducks in a row as far as planning out this story goes. I've moved again, and my new place has awesome internet. So without further ado ... back to business.

TWENTY-FOUR

There were two bedrooms in Telma's flat: the one where she slept, and one that was empty save for a bed frame and a shelf along the wall packed with all sorts of books. The lack of a mattress, blankets, or pillows in the bedroom suggested that it had not been used in years. When Ketura saw that was the case, she shrugged and figured that sleeping on the couch in the living room would be fine. On the bookshelf, she found many books about Gerudo history and culture, Gerudo mythology, some Hylian novels, and tomes about both the Hylian and Gerudo magic traditions. She assembled herself a stack, carried it into the living room, and set it on the floor next to the couch. Link sat on the couch, reading a letter that Telma gave him.

"Kakariko Village, eh?" he murmured.

"What about it?" inquired Ketura as she sat down next to her father.

"They want me to appear at a rally for the rebellion," answered Link.

"Well, that's great! You should go," said Ketura encouragingly.

"I mean, yeah, I'll go." Link peered over to Ketura and her stack of books, paying extra attention to the one on top. "Wow. What all do you have there … books on magic?"

"Yeah. Um, you know, I was thinking about reading ahead a little, getting some background knowledge, so that when we do find a Hylian sorcerer to teach me I'll be more prepared."

Link smiled proudly. "It's amazing, I never thought my child would have such a natural talent for magic …. I'm going to go get something to eat. You want anything?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

She smiled at him, but when he stood up and went into the kitchen, her smile faded, and she felt a heavy weight in her stomach. Her father didn't know the truth – he couldn't. He was going through so much stress and effort to keep her safe, and he even brought her chocolate … and she repaid him with lies. If he did manage to find a Hylian sorcerer like he wanted, would she have to play dumb and perform below her skill level, or see if she could pass herself off as a prodigy, or would she finally need to come clean?

But so what if she was lying and disobeying him, she asked herself. She had good reasons. Someone needed to keep an eye on Ganondorf and try to figure out what he was up to, and if he was going to offer to teach her magic then why refuse? Especially since Zant was after her and her dad, and she wanted to be able to protect herself and him just in case. She asked herself: would he ever find out what all she had been up to? Or could she keep it a secret until everything was over?

Suddenly, the door to the flat swung open, and a panic-stricken Telma rushed inside. "Where's your father?" she asked Ketura.

Before Ketura could respond, she heard the clinks and clangs of a plate and silverware being swiftly slammed onto the kitchen counter. Link bounded back into the living room, noticed Telma, and asked "What's going on?"

"The old apartment building next door – it's caught on fire – we need to evacuate. Come on!"

Ketura leaped to her feet and quickly followed Telma downstairs, Link bringing up the rear. At this point, the bar was already empty, the patrons standing outside and looking on at old apartment building. Bright hot flames erupted from the building's windows, engulfing everything they touched, roaring lowly and releasing smoke into the night sky. She stayed close to Link and Telma, a respectable distance away from the fire but able to feel the intense heat it gave off.

Link as he charged right at the building, but then he turned a corner and disappeared.

"DAD!" Ketura called out. She watched the burning building anxiously, hoping he'd come out in one piece, wondering if there were spells that let her shoot water from her hands like she could with fire. Behind her, she heard someone announce that another building a few blocks away had also spontaneously caught on fire. She glanced up at the night sky to see another pillar of black smoke rising up into the night sky … and another one … and another one … and another one. Soon, there were too many for her to count from where she stood.

"The whole city's going to burn down!" someone shouted frantically.

Looking back at the apartment building, Ketura notice something in the sky directly above it: a black portal, like the one that Zant's shadow beasts had used. A massive torrent of water fell from the portal, crashing into the burning building, quenching the flames until only a few glowing embers remained. A moment later, Link and Midna reemerged from around the corner of the bar and joined Ketura's side.

"Dad … where did you go?" she asked.

"The waterfall in Zora's Domain," he explained hurriedly. "Midna transported me and the water, and-"

"Great," said Telma, "but it looks like the whole city's going up in flames. Mind doing that again?"

Link's eyes widened in surprise, but without another word he ran back towards the remains of the apartment building, making his way through the crowd of stunned bar patrons and passerby who were still trying to make sense of seeing water fall out of the sky like it just had. Ketura's eyes followed Link until he disappeared, then she turned back to Telma. In the distance, she heard the commotion of people shouting, screaming, stampeding, and the roars of more fires.

"How does this happen? Random fires, all over the city?" Telma asked, horror in her eyes.

"I don't know," answered Ketura. She broke from Telma's side and half-ran through the crowd of people outside the bar and through the small alley until she found South Road. She ran out into the street and then instantly jumped back so that a group of five wouldn't trample her as they ran down the street towards the city gates. All around her were more people, scared and confused, running around or still as a statue. The screams and shouts of panic filled the cold night air, and Ketura almost felt like screaming herself. From where she stood, she saw over a hundred pillars of smoke in the sky, growing taller and thicker as more and more buildings were consumed in fire. Another portal opened up in the sky above East Road, and another small deluge fell from it. Ketura watched the water fall, hoping that it had indeed put some fires out.

A woman ran past her, desperately calling out names. A man carried two small children in his arms, and they were all covered in ash and dirt and some minor burns. A couple stood in front of their house, holding onto each other as they watched their home burn. In the distance, someone shrieked in intense agony, until they suddenly fell silent. The sky was glowing with a sinister orange, and the silhouettes of Hyrule Castle and the Tower stood in dark contrast to the fires raging around them. It may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that she saw the puffs and tendrils in one pillar of smoke take the shape of Zant's helmet.

"I can't believe they're blaming us for what happened last night!"

Impa came from Lake Hylia upon receiving news of the fires. She arrived at the bar late at night, after closing time, to talk with Telma and Link. She brought with her some posters and news releases, which read LIBERATORS ARE TERRORISTS and 78 Dead, 153 Injured in Castle Town Conflagration; Quenched by Unexplainable Rainfall; Captain of the Guard Suspects the 'Hyrule Peoples' Liberation Movement' is Behind the Attack.

While the three adults sat at a table in the back, Ketura sat at the bar. She listened in on their conversation while scribbling out a list of pros and cons for everything she thought she could do: stay put and do nothing, go back to traveling with Ganondorf full-time, or turn herself over to Zant. The longer she stared at her list, where each option had exactly one pro and one con, the harder she found it to determine a tie breaker, and the more she thought about how Ganondorf deserved his own pros-and-cons list.

"It's ridiculous. We had people out ALL DAY cleaning up and offering aid!" Impa continued, her voice raised.

"Did you notice any connections between the places that were set on fire?" asked Link.

"No, not that I noticed up front. Abandoned buildings, cottages, stores, schools, mansions, a temple, even the Malo Mart on West Road! Places across all areas of the city, affecting every social class … I can't think of an explanation."

"This doesn't seem like something Zelda would do," commented Link.

"I know," agreed Impa, "she prefers sneaky ways of making her subjects suffer … or … Link – perhaps it could have been, erm, our rogue asset?"

"Yes, yes it could! That makes the most sense," said Link. Ketura peeked over to the table out of the corner of her eye.

"How would he have gotten into the city, though," pondered Link. "Unless – do you think he knows about our tunnels?"

"Possibly," said Impa, "and when I leave I'm going to get to work on securing them. There will be a password, and rotating traps so nobody can learn how to avoid them –"

"Hold on – a rogue asset? Who are you talking about?" Telma interjected, looking confused.

Impa and Link exchanged uncertain glances. "Forgive me, Telma, I had wanted to keep it a secret. Especially since the arrangement we had with this asset did not work out, but … erm … Link, you tell her."

"No, you tell her. Bringing him on board was your idea, after all." Link scoffed.

"Tell me what?" Telma sounded testy.

Impa sighed, and then whispered something. Ketura couldn't make out what Impa had said, but Telma's reaction said it all.

"You're joking, right?" asked Telma. Impa shook her head, and Telma's expression turned from confusion and denial into red-faced anger.

"You can't be serious! Impa – what were you thinking?! The Gerudo have been so oppressed over the centuries, and he is the reason why, and- and- What in the name of ALL THE GODS made you think that was a good idea?!"

"The goal was to keep a watchful eye on him," said Impa, visibly shaken by Telma's outburst.

"And you!" Telma pointed forcefully at Link. "You, with the Master Sword! Have you been sleeping this whole time? How did he come back, and why didn't you return him to his grave?"

"Believe me, I would love to," answered Link timidly.

"THEN WHY HAVEN'T YOU?!"

No response. Both Link and Impa bowed their heads in shame.

"I am not surprised he went rogue after a while! Seriously, Link. Think about Ketura. What if he had gotten to her?"

Ketura noticed Link, Telma, and Impa all look over to her; she saw regret on her father's face. When the three of them turned back to each other, she folded up her list of pros and cons and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Telma … I created this problem. I accept responsibility, and I give you my word that I will fix it." Impa said calmly. Telma, eyes still burning with anger, pursed her lips and exhaled loudly through her nose.

"Me too," said Link.

"You better," murmured Telma.

An uneasy silence settled on the bar. Link kept his head down, and Ketura imagined that Telma was probably the only person in the world who truly scared him. Telma folded her arms across her chest, which dramatically rose up and down until it gradually calmed to a rhythm of regular breathing.

"At the very least, I think we should start by helping those affected by what happened last night," said Impa, who sounded desperate for a subject change.

"I'll collect contributions from customers," said Telma.

"I'll keep my eyes and nose peeled for suspicious activity," added Link.

"Has Lady Arianne committed yet?" Impa asked Telma.

"Who's Lady Arianne?" inquired Link.

Telma smirked. "A supporter of our cause, who is very wealthy. I imagine she'll donate to us and our relief efforts – also, she is Princess Zelda's younger sister."

At this point, Ketura figured it would be safe to approach the table, as she grew tired of sitting alone at the bar. She walked over, stood by her father's side, and said "I didn't know Zelda had a sister."

"Arianne doesn't advertise it," said Impa.

"I wouldn't," Telma added, "because what benefit is there to being the second-born Princess? Your name isn't Zelda and your chances of claiming the throne are slim. Instead, she lives on a posh manor outside of town and does whatever the hell she wants with her time, money, and freedom."

"Then why would she want to support us?" Link asked.

"She hasn't fully committed yet, but she has requested a meeting," Telma said to Impa.

"Let's arrange it then. Work out a time and place with her."

The third day in what Ketura started thinking of as the "Orb cycle" came the next day, and after sunset that evening she watched as Link disappeared into the bar's kitchen to take the tunnels out of Castle Town. She had accepted that he would be doing this for however long it took, but the little voice in her head reminded her that there was always a chance he might not come back next time. She went back up to the flat and watched the front door door, wondering where he went and what he was up to, and hoping there was a chance he would return sooner rather than later.

Eventually she sat on the couch and opened up one of the novels she picked out, read a couple of pages, but then stopped, staring blankly at the page, too preoccupied to absorb the prose. Nothing too terrible had happened in Castle Town (that she knew of) since the night of the fires, and she was starting to wonder if that was indeed Zant who did that, or some other force at work. Surely, if he wanted to get to her that way, he would do something different every day until she surrendered … and although she couldn't say it at the meeting with Impa, she knew for a fact it couldn't be Ganondorf-

Her eyes instantly shot up to the clock on the wall, and she saw it was fast approaching midnight. He had told her three days last time, right? She couldn't remember. Maybe it had been the previous night she was supposed to go, or maybe it was supposed to be the next night. Regardless, she closed the book, set it down, and grabbed her scarf and gloves off the floor before getting her jacket and lantern and heading downstairs.

She found Telma standing behind the bar, wiping a flagon dry while a big jar full of Rupees sat nearby. The jar was labeled "Help the fire victims!"

"Going somewhere?" Telma asked.

"Yeah. I'm going out," answered Ketura.

"Impa's set up security in the tunnels. The password today is 'Reekfish.'" Telma told her. "Stay out of trouble and be back by sunrise."

"Will do. See you later." Ketura made her way into the kitchen, to the pantry and down the ladder in the very back corner of the pantry, down to the dark cold tunnel. She used a small spark of Din's Fire to light her lantern, and before her she saw a giant stone slab that blocked the entrance to the rest of the tunnel, with the exception of some small gaps that were fortified with spikes and barbed wire. Writing was engraved along the top of the slab: SPEAK THE PHRASE.

"Reekfish," Ketura said loudly and clearly, careful to enunciate each syllable. The slab sunk into the ground, the spikes and barbed wire retracted into the walls of the tunnel, and up ahead she saw other spiked instruments, blades, nets, and ropes that had been placed in the tunnel sink into either the ceiling or the walls of the tunnel. She looked out for a moment, wondering if it would indeed be safe to proceed … and then she started walking.

Ketura approached the area where she last met Ganondorf, and saw the glow of a campfire just over the ridge. As expected, she found him sitting at the campfire. Laying on the ground near him were two drawstring bags of different sizes and two swords, one of which was significantly longer and heavier-looking than the other.

Hearing her approach, Ganondorf looked up. "Good evening," he said.

"HI," returned Ketura. "So … Darknuts?"

"Two hundred, maybe more," said Ganondorf. "And on my way back, I stumbled upon a cave and found a few thousand Rupees. I spent most of that money at a market in a nearby village." He reached for the smaller of the bags and tossed it to Ketura. "That one is yours."

"What is it?" she asked, eyeing the bag warily.

"An assortment of supplies – and gifts," Ganondorf spoke as Ketura began to open the bag, and at the mention of gifts she shot him a skeptical look.

The first thing she pulled out of the bag was a small notebook, filled with detailed recipes on how to brew Red, Green, and other potions. Next, she grabbed another pair of boots made of sleek black leather. Then a thick wool tunic, then a pair of gauntlets, then some pairs of socks, then three books that were all part of a series, and then she stopped temporarily at a foot-long bar of chocolate, wrapped up in white paper.

"You really didn't have to do all this," she told him before reading the label on the chocolate's wrapper: high cocoa content, infused with spices.

"There's more," said Ganondorf, pointing to the bag.

Ketura set the chocolate bar down and dug back into the bag. The next thing she pulled out was a rolled-up bundle of papers secured by some twine. She undid the twine, looked at the front page of the papers, and saw the title NORTH ELDIN JOURNAL in big bold letters across the top. Underneath were articles and stories about various happenings in northern Eldin Province.

"Why did you bring me a newspaper?" she asked, wondering if any of the stories would be of any relevance.

"A what?" asked Ganondorf.

"A newspaper," Ketura repeated herself. Seeing that he raised his eyebrows slightly and didn't respond, she realized that he might not have known what it was. "Or did they not have these back in your day?"

"They did not. It looked like something to read and I thought it would interest you," said Ganondorf.

"It might. I'll read through it later and learn about current events in Eldin Province," Ketura said as she set the paper in the pile with everything else she had discovered so far, and then went back to looking through the bag.

She found a small glass bottle of medicinal ointment, a paper pouch of dried berries, small jars of herbs and spices, a wide-tooth comb, a hairbrush, another chocolate bar, a set of pencils, a small pocket knife, and perfume in a crystalline spray bottle.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Ketura asked as she spritzed a small amount of the perfume on the inside of her wrist. At first it smelled like alcohol, but a moment later the scent was a weird powdery lavender. She didn't have a clue how this perfume was supposed to help her do anything … or did she smell really bad after going five days without a bath?

"Whatever you want," said Ganondorf simply. "I thought it smelled nice."

She tossed everything back into the bag. "I mean, I appreciate the new boots and socks and hairbrush. The chocolate's nice too."

"Surely you have figured out by now that your written histories all present a very one-sided image of me. I am quite generous to my friends and allies." Ganondorf leaned over, grabbed the smaller of the two swords on the ground next to him, and slid it over to Ketura.

"Time to get to work. Take the sword."

"The lessons that your father tried to impart evidently did not make an impression on you," Ganondorf said a few hours later after a tiring, frustrating training session. It was true: beyond the basic horizontal and vertical slices, Ketura could tell that swordplay was not her strong suit. Or, at the very least, it seemed that way if the way Ganondorf got on her case was any indication. Her stance would not be right, or her footwork all wrong, or she didn't hold the sword correctly (he insisted on her holding it with only one hand instead of two) or she didn't swing hard enough. She started to question why she even needed to know how to use a sword at all if she could use magic, but then she remembered that running out of energy in the middle of a battle was possible.

"Well, maybe it's destined that you are the one who will successfully teach me how to do a Spin Attack," quipped Ketura, recalling how Link had tried in vain to teach her the maneuver.

"No. The Spin Attack is ridiculous and ineffective. I will not teach it to you."

With a shrug, Ketura replied "Okay. I was just joking."

Ganondorf held out his hand towards her, and she gave her sword to him. He then sheathed it along with the sword he had used.

"It's clear that we need to put in more time and effort here," he said. "Once you have mastered the basic movements, we can move on to combining them into more complex ones, and then I can show you how to incorporate them into an actual one-on-one duel. We cannot neglect your sorcery training either, of course."

"Could I also practice on my own?" Ketura suggested, impatiently hoping that he would tell her she could go. Almost every part of her ached, and she really wanted to get out of the cold and get some sleep.

"I was actually about to recommend that," said Ganondorf, sounding pleased.

Ketura nodded. She looked past him and saw a sliver of sunlight on the horizon, warm and golden-orange against the night's dark canopy.

"Ah crap," she said. "I've got to go. I promised I'd be back by sunrise –"

"Are you sure? You don't want to stay and watch it?"

His question took her by surprise. "Uh- I mean I'd like to but I can't."

"Ketura. You are breaking rules and laws and disobeying wishes simply by being here with me right now. What is one more in the grand scheme of things?"

She glanced back towards Castle Town. "Just for a little while, I guess," she said. He was right, after all, about her rulebreaking.

Wearing a self-satisfied smirk, Ganondorf sat on the stairs, facing the overlook of the Great Bridge of Hylia. Ketura sat down next to him, pulled her scarf tighter around her lower face and neck, and curled up into a small ball to hopefully chase away some more chills. Being sore and cold was not a combination she liked.

"Why do you want me to see this sunrise?" she asked him.

"No particular reason," he remarked, "I just enjoy watching them at any opportunity I can find, and I thought you would enjoy it as well."

The orange and gold on the horizon slowly grew larger and brighter, gradually brightening the night's darkness into lighter shades of blue, swallowing the stars, and casting oranges and pinks onto the sparse clouds hanging in the sky.

"There was a painting I once saw, long ago, of a sunrise. It was painted by a Hylian artist whose name I cannot remember … but it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen." Ganondorf's tone was nostalgic, pensive, a little remorseful. "The artist was a remarkable man, a member of the royal court, full of vision and ideas. He was on the verge of revolutionizing art for that period.

"I was younger, first making my way into the world outside of the Gerudo territory, learning about Hyrule and its people in preparation to be their King. This artist's work had such a profound impact – I wanted to see the world as he did, feel the way he did as he looked out on a sunrise and saw nothing but boundless beauty and potential … sadly, after I became King he committed treason, and I had to execute him."

Ketura raised her eyebrows, not having expected the turn his story took.

"It was a shame. He threw away such a promising future," added Ganondorf. He turned his eyes from the horizon and fixed their gaze onto Ketura. "You have great potential as well, I know it. Maybe not as an artist or a great warrior, but …."

"I, uh, as a kid I wanted to grow up to write books. And live in a library," said Ketura contemplatively.

"That is all?" asked Ganondorf.

"Yeah- well, I'd settle for being someplace safe, happy, and loved, with enough food to eat and warm blankets in winter."

"If I were you, I would aspire to more. Gain power, accumulate riches, take things for yourself."

"What would I do with power and riches?" she asked.

"Anything you wanted to do." Ganondorf paused briefly. "At our last meeting, you expressed distress over the plight of Castle Town's most impoverished citizens, and how nobody was helping them."

Ketura looked back to the horizon, still bathed in bright warm light that expanded across the entire sky. The sun's round top was now visible, slowly growing bigger and bigger. She imagined herself as a Princess, using her authority and resources to help people in need and fix all of the damage caused by Zant. Maybe if she did have lots of money and authority, she could rebuild every building that had been burned down and help everyone that had been hurt.

"Power. Wealth. A safe, happy home. The real ability to help others. I will help you achieve all of that."

She saw it in his expression, and heard it in his voice. Sincerity, genuine sincerity, as if he wanted her to have those things more than she did. It was welcome, but also puzzling. She almost believed that he could make all her wildest dreams come true, yet at the same time she thought that she knew better.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"So, that's the deal, then … you'll help me if I help you?"

"I would not think of it as a 'deal,' as much as a promise. If I succeed in getting what I want, then so shall you."

Ketura nodded. "Remind me again what it is you want?"

No response. Ganondorf looked back out at the horizon. Ketura rose to her feet and dusted snow off her backside.

"You're going to have to tell me sooner or later," she said pointedly as she picked up her bag of gifts.

"I know, and I will once things fall into place," he responded.

"How close are things to falling into place for you?" asked Ketura.

"Not close enough."

After a beat of silence, Ketura said "I mean, it would be a lot easier for me to help you out if you'd tell me what all you're up to, but … I guess I'll see you at midnight again."

He let her go without another word from his mouth. Walking back to the bar, across the snowy field and into the dark cold tunnels leading into Castle Town, Ketura's mind raced as it replayed the events and conversations with Ganondorf. She wished he would just be honest with her, and not keep her in the dark about his intentions. It annoyed her, gave her no extra reason to trust him, and it just didn't sit well with her overall. She had not forgotten who he was or what he could do. Whatever he wanted and had planned couldn't be good, she reasoned, otherwise he would have nothing to hide.