Chapter twenty-six, The Great Beyond

Link thought he would have already been dead as he helplessly tucked himself into the fetal position. However, it seemed that he was trapped inside some stomach-like holding chamber which was quite squishy and smelled like death itself, although there was no acidic liquid that would digest him. Occasionally he would catch a particularly strong whiff of rotten flesh that seemed to originate from a closed sphincter at the posterior of the chamber. It was vile enough to make him vomit, however now―after several hours of this―he only dry heaved miserably. The only relief he ever got from the unbearable smell, claustrophobic humid air, and pitch-black darkness was a small ventricle-like opening that would stretch open at the roof of the chamber, allowing a rush of fresh air and sunlight to pour in.

It was hot inside the chamber. Hot enough to make Link sweat profusely, although he could not tell, as he was soaked to the bone in clingy, gut-wrenching saliva. He tried his best to keep it away from his mouth and eyes, but there was nothing to dry his hands on, and so he had to live with the nauseating feeling of smiley goop all over his face and eyelids. He tried unbuckling the scabbard on his back, and used it to jab and prod the inside of the fleshy chamber, hoping that the Leviathan would spit him out, but it did even seem to affect the beast. And so, he merely curled up in a tight ball, and wailed dejectedly, all while being tossed and rolled around as the beast slithered across the bounding dunes of Gerudo Desert.

Where is the fucking monster taking me? he cursed. Why not just kill me right now and get it over with!? Put me out of my misery. He did not even want to think of an answer. Every painstaking moment was agony for Link, and the burning pain in his thigh only made it worse. He thought about trying to pull the shard from his leg, but what was the point? He could not have even gotten a firm enough grip on it even if he did try. At any rate, it seemed to serve as a plug, preventing him from bleeding out, which he almost desperately whished would happen.

No, the voice in his head sternly corrected. If there's any chance you can escape this, you need to take it. You still have an oath to fill.

There's no way you're going to make out alive, the other voice began. You should just accept your death now. Stop fooling yourself.

I… I just don't know what to do. Maybe ̶

His thought was cut short when there was a sudden jolt in the Leviathan's movement. The hole at the roof of the cavity that served as his prison opened briefly, allowing in another rush of cool air. However, in addition to air, Link noticed a splash of water sprinkle in, and through the nauseating smell of the beast he caught the scent of salty ocean air.

Hylia alive… It's going into the sea. Link thought that he had enough heart stopping moments to last a lifetime, but now he found himself once again paralyzed by hopeless fear at a surprisingly simple, but daunting reality. He was going to be dragged into the depths of the ocean, where his body would be digested, then released into the waves. He swallowed the lump in his throat before trying to stand, in hopes of clinging his way out of the opening, but it snapped closed before he even pulled himself onto his knees. He was then carelessly flung head over heels as the Leviathan plunged down into the water at an ungodly speed. Link could feel the strong pumps of the monster's tail propel them in the water, resulting in a deep rumbling sound that resonated along the length of its spine. Goddess how Link wished he could just die in a normal fashion.

It only felt like a few minutes until Link felt a dramatic change in atmosphere around him. He was surprised, and quite frankly glad to find that it grew much cooler inside the chamber as the Leviathan delved deeper, however it was still just as damp and malodourous. Still, it was once less discomfort to deal with. Link wondered if the beast would resurface occasionally to allow air into the cavity, but as time went on, his hopes were dashed with inactivity. And so, he curled back into the fetal position and waited for whatever terrible nightmare was to come.

To stop himself from crying he began to hum the soft lullaby that reminded him of Zelda, allowing himself just one moment to think longingly of her. Might as well cherish her memory while I can, he remarked with no small amount of teary-eyed hopelessness. With nothing more than the putrid smell, and the gentle bobbing movement of the Leviathan to distract him, Link found it easy to transport himself into his vivid imagination where he was sitting in the castle library reading poems with his beloved princess, soaking in every detail of her soothing voice and smile that made his heart flutter. How desperately he wished he could just be with her in that moment. What would he say? What would he do? Now that he was facing his inevitable demise, he was not afraid to admit to himself that all he would want to do was to wrap his arms around her, bury his face in the crook of her neck, and never let go. He could practically feel the curve of her back in his arms, her soft hair against his cheek, the weight of her shapely body against his… If only he had the chance. Someone would have to shove a dagger through his heart in order to pull him from her.

Link began to sob quietly, and his tears mixed with the thick saliva that coated his cheeks, but he did not care anymore. Who would have the right to judge him for his tears now that he was trapped inside the belly of some terrible beast? He felt as if he was warranted at least a small moment of remorseful tears. Unfortunately, remorse soon turned into shame as he recalled all the promises that he made to his parents, to Zelda, to his King, and to himself that he would now fail to uphold. As he had predicted, he would die an utter failure, a complete disappointment, and worthy of all the hatred and contempt that his countrymen and women held towards him. He would forever be remembered as the Hero Who Failed.

A fitting name, don't you think? the dark voice sneered to him, but he did not grace it with an answer.

Link was jolted from his deep state of mind when a strange light began to shine through the semitranslucent scaly skin of the Leviathan. It seemed as if a ring of purple light moved from the front to the back of the chamber, illuminating the inside with and ethereal and otherworldly glow. Before Link could even try to hypothesize what the light was, he was tossed around wildly to the back of the cavity as the Leviathan began to rapidly surface.

"Oh shit!" he screamed as the chamber began to be flooded with salt water from some hidden orifice. It came as quite a shock for him when he was suddenly launched forward to the direction of the beast's mouth, which immediately opened as he drew close, expelling him in an unceremonious and sudden heaving expulsion. His body slammed hard onto what felt like solid stone, and for a moment he dared to think that he was free. He wiped away the water and saliva from his eyes, finding that he was indeed lying face down on a smooth white stone floor, but the world around him was dark and empty.

"Ah! You've finally arrived," a man said in an uncharacteristically cheery voice. Link tried to push himself up, but his leg cried in protest, and so he merely looked up at the man who stood before him. Link imagined that it would be some grotesque monster-like humanoid, given his recent luck, but to his surprise he found that the person that stood before him was actually quite fair―handsome even. He wore a simple flowing black robe made of some sort og burlap-like material, which had a large and long hood, but it was pulled back, revealing the stern face of a middle-aged Hylian man. His skin was a dark copper color, as if he had spent his whole life outside in the sun, and from his head fell long raven hair which was pulled back behind his ears in a loose tie. The only aspect of his features that Link would have called inherently ugly was his unusually long and haggard nose, but the rest of his face was pleasant enough to look at. He had deep amber eyes, thick bushy eyebrows that matched his jet-black hair, and his jaw was square, strong, and clean shaven up to his chin, which sported a scraggly goatee. He stood a bit taller than Link did―or at least he did by his estimate―and had wideset shoulders that were held high and proud.

"I trust you… enjoyed your ride over?" A wicked smile stretched across the man's lips, but Link's glare turned sharp enough to cut through stone. "I thought that I would give you a little treat. Sure, I could have had my servants bring you through easy enough, but where's the dramatic flair in that!? No. You are my honored guest, and I only treat my guests with the finest I can offer."

"…You," is all Link could sneer before he began to claw his way forward, intent of strangling the man before him. His advance was met with a blinding fist on his right cheekbone.

"I'm glad to see you haven't lost your impeccable spirit. But that will change soon enough, I promise!"

"You… You're ̶ "

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm the scary evil man I'm sure you've heard about," he said sarcastically. "Let's get the introductions over with, shall we? I'm eager to get started." The man stooped down and grabbed Link's face with his long wiry fingers and pulled his head straight. "In my home reality they called me Ganondorf, although I feel like it was a name that was rather abruptly forced onto me. I prefer to go by a more―how should I put it―a more eccentric name. I'm afraid I must insist that you simply call me Master."

Even though Link knew exactly who he was before he even uttered the words, it still brought a wave of crippling dread to his heart to hear him say it. His throat felt dry, his heart pounded in his chest, and he began to tremble from weakness. He barely had the strength to hold himself up on his arms, much less attack his enemy.

"How does that sound, hmm?" he continued with a wry grin. "I'll call you Master Link, and you can call me Master. I'd like to think were equals. At least for now." Link tried to speak but the words were stuck in his throat. "Come now. You are allowed to speak. In fact, I encourage it."

"Why am I here? Why haven't you killed me yet?"

"Why indeed?" Ganondorf chuckled. "Let's say that that I've stumbled upon a very important discovery that requires you to stay alive. Besides. I've been in desperate need of some company that can actually carry an intelligent conversation with."

"Where am I!?"

Ganondorf smiled malevolently before clapping Link on the shoulder. "I could try to explain it. But perhaps it would be better to just show you." With a snap of his finger, two ghostly apparitions arose from the ground in featureless black clouds. They wavered and waned for a moment until they took their full physical forms. Link nearly yelped when the two specters wrapped their long metal fingers around his arm and lifted him to his feet. He grimaced in pain as his limp thigh scrapped the ground, sending shooting pains all the way up to his hip, but there was nothing he could do. The wound in his leg―and undoubtedly the poison that was pumping through his veins―drained him of all strength to the point where he could barely keep his own head up.

"Come along. I think you'll enjoy this."

Link slumped helplessly as he was dragged behind Ganondorf by the two faceless specters who often seemed more like clouds than physical beings. With what strength he could muster, Link looked all around him, finding that the world that surrounded them was completely submerged in an abyssal darkness, and yet it was as if an invisible light hovered over them, providing them with enough light to see a few yards around them. Occasionally they would pass what seemed like the ruins of a stone tower, building, or wall, and beneath their feet was a paved walkway that was decrepit and falling apart. It was as if some magnificent white-stoned city had been ruined and covered in an eternal darkness.

"It wasn't always like this," Ganondorf began quietly. "In fact, before I got here, the sun never stopped obstinately shining down on this accursed place. I know you wouldn't believe it, but I think I would have rather preferred it before it was consumed in darkness. But, it was a necessary change. Besides, it was just too easy to do. It never crossed their minds that I could ever get in here."

"And where is here?" Link sneered.

"There are many names for this place. The World Outside, the Great Beyond, although I believe that your reality calls it the Afterlife. Or at least, this place serves as a gate way to the Afterlife."

"And what do you call it?" he asked with a trembling voice.

Ganondorf smiled crookedly. "I call it the Phantom Realm. But it doesn't really matter what we call it. All that matters now is that you are here with me."

"And what do you intend to do with me?" Link murmured, feeling utterly helpless.

"All in due time, young master. I'd like to show you something first. Call it a little eye-candy before we start, if you will."

The specters' grip around his arms seized tighter, causing Link to wince, but he did not make a sound. With a brisk pace, Ganondorf led the way to a dilapidated tower in the center of a long stone wall which had a spiraling staircase in the center of it. Link's feet hit every step of the staircase, sending wave after wave blinding pain through every muscle in his left thigh. By the time they reached the top he was out of breath from holding in his grunts and whimpers, and his pale face was beading with fevered sweat. His leg only grew worse as time went on.

"Turns out creating a tear in reality itself can cause quite upset in the nature of things," Ganondorf said as he pointed to the horizon well past the tower balcony. "Most of the work was already done for me by the time I made it landside. It merely need a little push to get the ball rolling." Link squinted his eyes as he gazed out upon a panoramic star field. The land past the wall was none existent, and below them was nothing but an open void sprinkled with the faint flickering lights of distant stars. It was then that Link realized that they were on a floating island, trapped in the open heavens, completely surrounded by… nothing. While there was no source of light to explain it, the world outside of the stone wall was cast in an unchanging pale-yellow light, which bounced off the white stone, and rocky foundation below. The horizon that Ganondorf pointed to was no real horizon at all, but rather an immense black mass that was devoid of all stars. Link could not estimate the distance between them and the black hole that swallowed the light around it, but judging by the immense size of it, it was undoubtedly thousands, if not millions of miles away. The tidal tails that stretched out from each side of the circular mass cut the sky in half, resulting in what one could imagine to be a surrogate horizon line. The stars that dotted the heavens behind and near the mass seemed to be stretched and elongated in unnatural ways, as if the celestial bodies themselves were being warped by the gravitational pull of the abyssal puncture.

Link was speechless. Being swallowed by a Leviathan was one thing, but witnessing whatever―this―was sent his head spinning to the point that he felt like he was not even inside his own body.

"I have to admit," Ganondorf finally cut in. "Not even my own powers could never even come close to matching that behemoth's. Whatever it is, its energy is limitless."

"You don't know what it is?" Link wheezed.

"I know how it was formed. But not what it truly is. I've merely tapped into its power, which how I was able to cover this land in darkness... and do many other things. Turns out it is quite capable of swallowing suns."

"That thing ate the sun!?"

"Indeed. Well. In a way. In fact at one point, it was the sun, but after some… things happened, it began to consume itself. Of course, it needed a little convincing, but I found that it was already on the verge of catastrophic meltdown after my abrupt entry, so it only took a little shove." The more Ganondorf explained things, the more Link felt helplessly confused.

"What do you mean 'abrupt entry?' How did you get into this place?"

"It's quite simple actually. With a little magic. That puncture in the horizon was my entry point into this gateway realm outside of all other realities. I tore my way through the fabric of reality, so to speak, and it caused a catastrophic failure in the system. However, I used this anomaly to my advantage, which made taking over the Phantom Realm that much easier. Not even They could withstand me. Of course, they should have thought about that before they went to sleep."

"Who are They?" Link whispered.

"Well, two of them are helping you stand at this moment, and the third is off taking care of some important business for me." Link looked up to his left and right, and tried to peer into the shrouded hoods of the specters that held in in iron grips, but he only found darkness. They did not move, and they did not speak. They were as silent, and as still as the grave.

"But… What are they?"

Ganondorf chuckled mischievously without answering, and gestured for the specters to follow him down the stairs. "You will find out soon enough," he finally replied in a deep and ominous tone. Link clinched his jaw shut as they descended the stairs, which felt even more painful than climbing them. By the time they reached the bottom he felt as if he were going to pass out, but by some miracle he held on long enough to feel some relief at the landing. The base of the tower was damp, practically dripping with moisture, and it was filled with a musty and rank smell―although it was nothing compared to being inside the Leviathan. Ganondorf motioned with his finger, and then the two specters brought him to a small door on the eastern wall of the tower, which opened up into a small square room with little more than a wooden table and a single candle which burned with a ghostly light. It barely provided enough light to see the four walls of the room.

Link's heat beat with numbing terror. On the far wall was two chains, and on the end of each one was a rusty iron shackle, open and ready for their victim. He felt his stomach churn when he realized that they were going to hold him prisoner for goddess knows how long, and do who knows what to him. He tried to put up a fight as they cuffed his wrists, but his struggling only ended in a swift and painful jab to the side that knocked the air out of his lungs. With their cold and calculated fingers, the two specters ripped his cloak and tunic off in fast motions, leaving him bare chested and cold. His once proud and colorful tunic now laid on the ground soiled and torn.

"I'm afraid I must be completely honest with you, Master Link. You aren't going to like what comes next." He leaned in a whispered in his ear, sending shiver down Link' side. "The more you cooperate with me, the faster we can get this over with, understood?" Link swallowed the lump in his throat, too afraid of what he could only imagine would come next to speak. "There is one very important thing we must attend to before we can really dig into the meat of the meal, so to speak. There is one more person I would like to introduce you to… Or should I say, formally introduce you to, as I believe you have grown to know him quite intimately." With a shady smile, Ganondorf began to roll up the sleeves of his cloak, and wrung his hands together to warm them.

"This is going to hurt… A lot. But it will be worth it, I promise." He cleared his throat and closed his eyes as if he were focusing on some very abstract thought. After a brief pause he then began to chant in a slow ritualistic manner. It took a moment for his 'spell' to take effect, but the moment it did every inch of Link's body convulsed in excruciating pain. No amount of will power could stop him from screaming at the top of his lungs. It felt as if his insides were on fire.

"Dara-var elnkine. Dara-un elnkine. Dara-mivarin-ti."

If he had any food left in his stomach he would have already heaved it up, but he didn't, and so in between waves of electrifying pain his stomach and throat contorted uncontrollably, cutting his screaming into choppy coughs. It felt like something was moving inside of him. Something sinister. Something primeval.

"Ek gratar-indo, berteldin litario dras-vite."

Goddess, something was inside of him. It was clawing away at his innards, trying to tear its way to the outside. Whatever it was, all he wanted was to be rid of it. Ganondorf's chanting became more intense and soon he produced a long ebony dagger from the folds of his cloak, and brandished it against his palm.

"Chorvin-sey. Hylia droma."

He pulled the blade across his palm, drawing blood, then surged forward and latched onto Link's shoulder like a bird of prey and pulled in a violent and jarring movement. Whatever it was, it burst forward from his chest in a billowing cloud of black smoke, and fell face first onto the stone floor. Although Link's body was visibly uninjured, and he felt instant relief from the searing pain, every muscle in his body throbbed sorely from the physically draining act. It felt like he could finally breathe again, as air passed in and out of his lungs urgently. The thing that fell from his body was in likeness to the ghostly specters that haunted him, although instead of being cloaked in a black robe, it was bare skinned, colored darker than the night skin. From what Link could see from his perspective, the form was shaped like a man, and from his head fell long hair that was just as black as his skin. It crawled on the floor on all fours, gasping for air just as Link was doing. Ganondorf stooped down and placed his contriving hand on the creature's shoulder, and whispered to it before helping it stand. The smoke around the being billowed and spiraled, until it eventually dissipated, revealing its full uncovered body. It did not seem ashamed of its nakedness, but Ganondorf produced a long robe, seemingly out of thin air, and gave it to the creature. The being's movements were smooth and calculated as if drew the robe around himself before turning around. Link's stomach hit the floor when he saw its face. It was a complete mirror of his own, only pitched-black, and instead of blue eyes, it bore bright red ones.

"May I present to you the little voice in your head. He is, or was, as much of a part of you, as you are a part of him. He is your equal in every way, except that he answers only to me."

The what? Link was too shaken by the experience to even form coherent thoughts. Ganondorf took notice in his utter confusion, and so he began to explain with a menacing smile.

"He has been with you since the day you were born," he started before beginning to pull at the loose collar of his cloak, showing Link a myriad of etching-like scars that were in the shape of runic symbols on and around his lower neck and upper chest. "It was a painful ordeal to create a blood-magic spell strong enough to achieve such a thing, but I persevered, and I think it's safe to say that it worked out splendidly."

"Since… since the day I was born…?" Link could barely breathe, much less talk properly.

"Indeed. It was easy enough to track down where you were when the goddesses sent an urgent message to warn the Spirit of the Hero to seek you out, and leave its former vessel. I simply followed the trail it left behind, and sent your equal after it."

"I… I don't understand."

"Perhaps it would be easier if he showed you." Before Link could even protest, his dark reflection surged forward with a malicious smile and dug his slender fingers into the sides of his skull, sending a shock wave of electrical impulses through his brain. The world went black around him, and he felt his consciousness ripped from his mind. He was now the captive audience of a visceral vision.

A single golden beam of light shoots across a starry sky, but it is falling more than flying. It falls through some undescriptive window, then arcs upwards and stops midair in a large and ornate bedroom. There is a large bed on the far wall, and in it are two sleeping people. One man, and one woman. Link instantly recognizes them. It's the King and Queen of Hyrule, although they seem noticeably younger. Not much younger than he remembered them to be, but still considerably younger.

The small beam of light gathers itself and forms into a small orb before floating above the King. A wispy tendril reaches out and touches the King's bare chest. He shifts slightly in bed, but does not awake. Without warning, the orb of light then disappears, and from the King's chest leaps out the silhouette of a translucent man, but he is bathed in blinding golden light. The silhouette quickly losses its form and flies out the window, turning south towards Castle Town.

The town is unchanged for the most part, although it is much less developed than the last time Link saw it. There are fewer buildings, but not too few to seem odd. The golden figure drifts slowly down into the town, passing by closed doorways, unseen by the sleeping villagers. It seems as if it is searching for something, or someone.

The figure then stops at the threshold of a small home with a large lean-to workshop on the right side. Link realizes that it is his father's home. The golden figure passes through the door without even opening it, and once it is inside it makes its way to his father's bedroom.

The room is just like Link remembers it. In the bed he can clearly see the slender face and body of his father. Goddess, he almost forgot what he looked like. Although, like the King and Queen, he is noticeably younger. His face is not as wrinkled as he remembered it, and his hair did not have a speck of grey in it. There's someone in the bed beside him. It's a fair blonde-haired woman… Mother? She looks so peaceful. So beautiful. She has his nose, or rather, he has hers. Even though Link is outside of his own body, he can feel tears running down his cheeks. Her belly is large.

The golden figure gently floats beside her before reaching out to her stomach with a soft hand. Like flowing water, the figure is drawn into her belly, and out shines golden light through her semitransparent skin, revealing the shadowy outline of a small baby within her. The baby shifts slightly as the light enters, but seems relatively undisturbed. The light finally dissipates, and the mother turns in the bed, peacefully yawning, but still soundly asleep.

A dark presence then enters the room. Like the golden figure, it is translucent, although instead of being covered blinding golden light, it is permeated with a dark cloud. Ominous red eyes appear in the fog, and then out stretches a ghostly arm. Like an arrow, it flies forth and penetrates the mother's womb, jolting her from her peaceful rest, but it disappears into her belly before she even sees it.

"Gerald," she yelps. "It's happening." Link's father bolts from his bed, still groggy eyed, but worriedly excited. The bed is wet around his mother. Her water must have broken.

"This early? It's barely been eight months," he says in a fearful voice.

"My water broke. I can feel ̶ " Her breath is cut short as she cripples over from a painful contraction.

"Stay in bed sweetheart. I will be back with the midwife!" His father barely gets his boots and shirt on by the time he sprints out into the street.

Time flies by quickly, and before long a small, but healthy boy is born… Link is born. There's so much blood. Goddess there is so much. His mother is deathly pale, barely strong enough to breathe, but all she keeps saying is: "Please. Let me hold him."

When his father finally agrees, and helps her hold him in her arms, her blue eyes light up. It is the teary-eyed light that only a mother can have. He is crying loudly in her arms, but she gently rocks him back and forth, saying: "Hush my little lamb. I have you. Stay strong, and have courage. Your father will take good care of you." Tears begin to roll down her cheeks and she sobs lightly. "Gerald," she croaks.

"Yes, my sweetheart?" he manages to choke out through shivering tears.

"I want you to have my necklace. And then when you think the time is right, I want you to give it to him… Give it to my little lamb." His father leans in and kisses her on the forehead, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, cradling her and the baby in his arms.

"I will, sweetheart. I promise."

Goddess, her face is white as snow. She buries her head in the crook of her husband's neck, and then moves no more. Her arms fall limply to her side, and Link's father surges forward to catch the baby in her arms before bursting in to heart wrenching sobs. The light in his life is gone…

Link felt his consciousness fall back into his body, and then his eyes snapped back open. "You! YOU KILLED HER!" Angry tears poured down his cheeks as he tried to lunge forward to attack, but he was held back by the shackles around his wrists. His dark reflection pompously stepped back and laughed maliciously. It sounded exactly like him, although, never in his life had he laughed with such cruelty and twisted amusement.

"No. We killed her," his reflection responded with a curled and tempered sneer.

"No!" Link screamed. "She was perfectly fine until you came along and attacked her!" Link felt stronger than before, as adrenaline and hatred fueled his muscles, but it was not enough to break free from his restraints. "You should be glad these chains are holding me back. I would wring your neck until your eyes popped out from your skull!"

"Now now," Ganondorf interjected. "Is that anyway to talk to yourself?"

"Goddesses preserve me, I will do the same to you!" Link barked, still pulling against his chains.

Ganondorf laughed amusedly. "Says the man who does not have the weaponry to achieve such a feat, much less have free arms to do so."

"Give me any sword and free me, and then we will see who is laughing!" Link's throat began to hurt as his every word rattled his vocal cords vioently, and spit flew from his raging mouth.

"You of all people should know that the Master Sword is the only weapon strong enough to truly hurt me," Ganondorf retorted in a more serious voice. "But that is a matter we will attend to at another time."

"I don't care! I will ̶ " Link's hateful remark was cut short when his reflection struck him in the jaw with a hard fist. When he recovered and tried to continue his dark equal hit him again. And again. And again. And again, until the side of his face was black and blue.

"Now that you two are properly introduced, it's about time we start working on coercing out the third member of this jolly party. However, I can guarantee that it will be much, much harder." Ganondorf walked to the far side of the room and leaned against the wooden table in the corner. "Link," he said, addressing the red-eyed monster. "Why don't you give our guest a little complementary special? He looks like he could use a proper… breaking in." They both nodded and smiled wickedly.

"Do you have any tools?" the reflection asked.

"Anything your heart desires."

"Bring me everything."

Rumors began to spread when the supposed 'next Chosen Hero' did not return from his sudden and unannounced quest. The knights that still remained in Hyrule Castle and Town were already convinced that he had decided to sneak off and abandon his responsibilities now that he could keep the Master Sword for himself. Perhaps he wanted to sell it to the highest bidder, or maybe he was just hungry for power and fame. No allegations were truly off the table.

"That's what he wanted all along," they would say. "My brother was at the Citadel when the wildmen came, and says saw him stab the King in the back and stole the Master Sword," one particularly upset knight claimed, although he mostly said it because he enjoyed the attention from the enthralled inn-goers who gobbled up the falsehoods like pie.

The inns were the local hotspot for rumor spreading, due to the fact that when the castle guards would stop by for their nightly drinks, they would whisper and share rumors with one another, spreading tales about the rumored 'Knight of Scorn,' calling him an imposter, usurper, and a scoundrel. While the gentle and benign townsfolk were hesitant to believe the rumors at first, the constant circulation of horrible stories and rumors about the next Chosen Hero began to gain traction, and soon even the innocent people of Castle Town began to whisper to one another, passing along the wild accusations, and ill-rooted speculations.

What merely started out as a handful of sour Citadel Cavalrymen spreading stories about the ill-reputed Knight of Scorn who impersonated the King on his hour of death, soon turned into a warped game of 'he said, she said.' One knight would whisper slanders in the ear of a bartender, who would then pass it along to a traveler, who would then decide to make the story even more 'exciting,' and sprinkle in exaggerations and downright lies to sensationalize what he or she had heard. With every passing iteration of the story, the self-insinuating rumors began to become more vile and preposterous, and soon the majority of Hyrule Castle hated the fabled Knight of Scorn as much as their cousins to the east in the Akkala Citadel did.

It had been five days since Link was supposed to return from his trip, nine days total including the four days he was originally allotted to take, and yet despite several search parties being sent out, he was nowhere to be found. It was due to the stress of his unexplained absence that Zelda had to clear her mind alone in the Family Study, where she was tucked away on a particularly wide sill of a window on the east wall, restlessly journaling her thoughts while sipping on a small mug of hot tea. It was a ritual she always partook in on long winter days since she was a child, as she would watch the gentle snow drift down outside the window and cover the beautiful countryside of her kingdom. She was only half way through her entry titled: Day Five, still no signs, when two maids entered the room to tend to the fire and tidy up the room. Since Zelda was well hidden behind the heavy curtains of the Study's window, they were very much unaware of her presence, but she did not make a sound, as she usually did not want to be rude and disturb the maids from their chores. It was also her only opportunity to gather her source of Castle gossip, as the two maids that tended to the East Wing of the castle were particularly talkative when no one else was around. Or at least one of them was.

The younger of the two was named Elise, who seemed like a sweet girl, although she certainly had a fiery personality to match the wild red color of her curly hair. Whenever Zelda would listen, she noted that Elise did the majority of the talking, as her dark-haired, and considerably older co-worked, Clarice, was a much more reserved individual, who usually responded in polite 'mhm's' and 'uh-huh's.' Usually, they would talk about menial and uninteresting things such as a particularly rough stain they removed from a cushion, or how their fingers hurt from spending the morning maliciously polishing silverware, but on some occasions, they would have something 'juicy' to talk about.

Zelda recalled a time when Elise went on and on about the handsome Appointed Knight that back frequented the castle halls, and how she claimed that he winked at her when they passed each other. It made Zelda's cheeks burn red with angry jealousy, but her rising emotions were quickly subdued when Clarice stoutly protested her silly claim, to which Elise only giggled and said: 'Okay, so maybe he didn't wink at me. Maybe it was actually the other way around.' It certainly put her at ease, but from that day forth she was a little weary of the young red-headed maid. Perhaps Zelda was a little more jealous that she should have been.

However, the topic of their discussion on that particular winter morning took on a much darker and mean-spirited form. Elise was prodding the fire and adding more logs onto it when she began to talk over her shoulder in a quiet voice.

"Now that were alone, did you hear about the Princess' Appointed Knight?" she asked.

"I did. Such a sad thing. He seemed like a sweet boy, I'd hate to hear that he froze in that blizzard," Clarice responded with a sigh.

"Maybe it isn't so sad," Elise protested with a bitter tongue.

"What!?" Clarice exclaimed. Zelda echoed her response in her head with a dumbfounded expression. She bit her tongue and kept her silence however, so that she could hear Elise's explanation.

"Haven't you heard about what he did at the Citadel?"

"No…"

"They say that when no one was looking, he stabbed the King in the back and stole his sword. And then he disguised himself and paraded around like he was the King!" Elise's voice was vitriolic and snappy, clearly indicating that she believed the absurd notion.

"Are you sure? You yourself were quite take up with him just a week back. How can you say that?"

"Yes I'm sure! I've heard numerous castle guards say it, as well as some of the other servants. They all say the same thing. They all say he is a traitor. I can't believe I fancied him! It makes me sick!" Elise threw another heavy log onto the fire before standing to continue her accusations. "I don't think he got lost in the storm. I think he just ran off to go sell the Master Sword, or to hide it to keep for himself."

Clarice stammered on her words as it seemed to have come as quite a shock for her. "Could it just be rumors? If it were true, wouldn't the Queen have had him arrested and charged with treason?"

"They say he is a soothsayer, and has manipulated the Queen into believing that he is the next Chosen Hero."

How dare she, Zelda silently mouthed, feeling her ears grow hot from anger.

"I… I just don't know, Elise. I never talked to him, but every time I saw him he was very nice… Are you certain?"

"That's exactly what he wants you to think! He has no honor!" Elise retorted with a snarl.

Zelda had enough of it. She would not stand idly by as the petty maid insult Link's honor like that. Her ears and cheeks were on fire with righteous anger as she placed her mug down on the window still and stepped out from behind the curtain with her hands clasped into tight fists.

"How dare you!" she shouted, practically startling the maids into a faint.

"Your ̶ eh, I mean, m-my lady! I didn't know you were in h-here."

"You dare to insult my father by saying that he did not die honorably fighting in battle, but instead was stabbed in the back? You dare to say that Master Link assassinated him? You dare to call him a traitor!?" Elise backed against the wall and began to cower, looking like a terrified child.

"No my lady, I onl ̶ "

"Silence!" Zelda interrupted, pointing an indignant finger at the young red-haired maid. "I was there when it happened! I was there when Ganon's monsters came and murdered my father! I was there when Master Link valiantly took up my father's sword and selflessly fought back those accursed deathly specters! I was there when our men fought and died to push back the hordes of thirty-thousand Wildmen!"

"I'm sorry my lady," Elise begged on her knees. "I didn't know. I only heard the rumors!"

"Then you will go back to whoever told you these disgusting lies, and you will tell them the truth. You will tell them that my father died at Ganon's hand defending our kingdom, and that Master Link is his spiritual successor and rightful Chosen Hero selected by the Master Sword when he proved himself worthy. You will tell them that Link never asked to be disguised as the King, but that he only faithfully followed his Commanders orders! Do. You. understand!?" Zelda's entire face felt hot with rage, and her nose wrinkled and flared. It was anger that she did not even know she possessed, but it was apparently a terrifying sight, as the little maid that cowered at her feet was on the verge of tears.

"Y-yes m-my lady," Elise whimpered.

"Now leave! Out of my sight!" After a rushed bow, Elise left through the door, wiping away her tears. A lone Royal Guard stuck his head in the door, worried about the ruckus. "You! Get in here," she demanded with a stern gesture.

"Yes, my lady," he replied with practiced calmness. After he entered, he bowed deeply when he presented himself in front of her, then stiffened into a disciplined attention.

"Have you heard of these rumors about Master Link? Did you hear everything I just told the maid?" she asked with a strained, but still terribly angry voice.

"Yes, my lady," he replied with and unflinching expression.

"Do I need to ask you if you believe these lies about his loyalty!?"

"Not anymore, my lady." The guard's lips thinned and his back stiffened further. She understood by specifically worded response that he was once a believer.

"And need I remind you the punishment for slander?" she asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"No, my lady."

"Good! Then you are dismissed. And if you meet anyone that continues to spread lies and rumors about Master Link, see to it that they are given the truth. Master Link fought valiantly to save my father, but he was murdered before he could even get the chance. Make sure they understand that he did not impersonate the King under his own volition. Am I perfectly clear?"

"Yes, my lady. It will be done." Zelda waved the guard away with her hand, ignoring his dutiful bow.

"m-my lady," Clarice began nervously. "Is there anything you would like me to do, or anything you would like to say to me?"

"No. Thank you," Zelda replied curtly. Before she dismissed Clarice however, Zelda took in a deep breath and calmed herself. "I'm sorry. Thank you for not believing these ridiculous lies."

"Of course, my lady," she replied with a polite and relieved bow. "As I said, Master Link always seemed like a sweet boy. Even old grouchy Larin grew to like him, and he does not part his favor lightly."

Zelda's moment of anger had finally passed, and she smiled kindly as she inhaled, and exhaled. "Yes. He is." She stood in silence for a brief moment, then her kind smile turned down as reality of the situation seeped back into her mind. "I've just been so worried about him. I don't even think he could have made it through that blizzard."

"I'm sure he is fine, my lady. He has the Master Sword to guide and protect him, wherever he is." Zelda tried to force another smile, but it fell rather pathetically, and so she just nodded and thanked Clarice for her kind sentiment.

"Thank you, Clarice. I won't be much longer, you can come back and finish your chores in a few minutes."

"Thank you, my lady," she said with a polite bow before leaving.

After retrieving her journal and tea from the window sill, she unceremoniously plopped down on the small sofa by the fire, and began to proofread her half complete entry.

Day five, still no signs.

Link's best friend, Jonathan, arrived late last night after a tough trip through the snow to give us an in-person report of everything that happened on their journey to visit MiarindÍl. It seems that she has been put under some deep hibernation-like sleep that she won't wake from, but that is not our main concern at the moment. According to Jonathan, the last place he saw Link before they separated was on Horwell Bridge, which is not far from Hyrule Castle…

She quickly wetted her quill in fresh ink before scribbling in the rest of her entry.

We've sent out several search parties, which consists of Jonathan and some of Link's knight-friends who are as equally worried as I am. However, the snow is waist deep in some places, and chest deep in others, making it a slow and arduous process, not to mention how unbearable the cold is. I've never seen snow so deep in this part of Hyrule, which makes me think it is safe to assume Ganon's foul magic is at work. Still, we are determined to keep looking for him, and I will ask mother if I can help them on their expedition tomorrow. I feel like I'm going to burst at the seams if I don't get out and try to help find him. I'm so dreadfully worried.

P.S. We need to do something about the horrendous rumors spreading about Link. We can't let Ganon divide our people. They need to support him as much as they support mother and I. For his sake, and theirs.

After letting her entry dry a little, she closed her journal and slouched back into sofa and rubbed her tired eyes. She barely slept at night between crying for her father, and crying for Link's disappearance. Apparently red-hot rage was the only way she could vent her frustrations now. She just could not stop worrying about it. She felt as if she were going to scream if she did not do something about it at that exact moment.

That's it!

With an iron will, she bolted up from her seat and strode out of the Study, practically jogging down the hallway to her room. Once she was inside, she ravaged her closet in search of her warmest travel gear, which was a Rito snow quill tunic and trousers, fur-lined boots, and a wool cloak. Normally she would ask for her handmaid to help her dress, but she did not want, or need her help. She quickly slipped out her dress, and threw on her travel gear, ensuring that every buckle was secured tightly so that it would not be tugged loose in the wind. From her closet she also found a small short sword that her father gave to her when she had turned thirteen. While she certainly was not proficient as a professionally trained knight, her father spent considerable time teaching her the basics of swordplay, which she recalled was a fact that Link seemed bashfully surprised by when they were younger. True, she was no soldier, but her knowledge was enough to get by in a pinch, and she promised to herself to begin practicing every morning again.

If Link is not here to protect me, then I will make up for it with on my own, she remarked with a determined, if not prideful grunt. Besides, I have my powers, which will be more useful to me than any old sword.

After she tied her cloak around her neck and strapped her short sword around her waist, she made a few last-minute adjustments before striking out in a wide gait. If history repeated itself, Jonathan and Link's knight-friends, along with the other search parties would return around lunch time to warm up and eat, then they would turn back to keep searching around one o' clock. She intended to meet them as soon as they returned for their lunch break, and ask―or demand―to come with them. She was certain they would protest and claim that it was too dangerous for her to go out in the wild with them, but the fire in her soul burned too hot to be dissuaded by a couple of worried knights. No, she would go out and search for Link with, or without help.

"And where do you think you are going?" a familiar voice snapped as Zelda turned the corner. Her mother always had an unreadable temperament. She never really could guess if she was about to explode or surprise her with a gentle demeanor.

"I'm going to search for Link," Zelda said determinedly, ready to fight. However, the fight never came. Her mother's eyes softened, and she titled her head in an expression of understanding.

"You know they won't let you. It would give them a heart attack if you demanded to go with them."

"Then I will go without them," Zelda replied. "I have my sword, and my powers. I can protect myself."

"Yes, but do you know how to start a fire when there's five feet of snow all around you? Do you know how to build a shelter if you were to get trapped out there? Do you know how to hunt and scavenge for food out in the wild if need be?" Her mother's voice was calm and steady, and did not bear the air of chastisement, but rather of wise concern.

"No… Well… I've read some books."

"Sweetheart, there's a big difference between reading a book about something than actually doing it." She cleared her throat before continuing. "I do not want to keep you locked up in here, but I will only give you my consent if you first convince a contingency of Royal Guards to accompany you. And I don't mean that you just order and boss them around until they do. I mean convince them to want to help you. I want you to prove to them that you are not some damsel in distress, but a brave princess, ready to do whatever is necessary for her kingdom. I want you to be wise, not reckless."

Damnit. She always did have a way with words. "I will, mother. I promise I won't be reckless. We will stay within the borders of Hyule Field, and I will make sure I have a detachment of guards with me at all times. Should anything happen we won't be far from home, and will still have my powers. If everything goes smoothly, then we will see about expanding our search further at a better time."

Her mother smiled proudly. "I think that's a much wiser approach to the situation, don't you think?"

Zelda nodded, trying to suppress her reluctant grin. "I do. Thank you."

"Of course, my dear."

"Is there any news from the Citadel or any of the fronts?" Zelda asked before turning down the hallway.

"None. Lord Aron says that they have not spotted the enemy anywhere on the ocean, and warns us to strengthen our watch on the southern fronts in case they try to invade from the Necluda or Faron seas. Goddess knows when they will return."

"I pray that we can find Link before then," she replied despondently. Her mother placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Have faith sweetheart. We have the goddesses on our side. I'm doing everything I can to prepare our kingdom for the coming war."

"I know… Thank you," she sighed.