Yuga's eyes moved back and forth between the matriarchs standing side by side in the entranceway to the temple and his mother, giving the latter a sideways look. He looked down his nose at the twins, unable to fully articulate the thoughts running through his mind. Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised. The matriarchs were as hideous as the swamp they represented. In truth, even Ravio's drab face could be considered a beautiful disaster compared to these two. Not only could he barely bring himself to look at them, he couldn't see how they could help him. They did not give off the impression of power. He was about to demand an explanation from Fayre when one of the shriveled hags spoke.

"Greetings, Your Grace. I, Koume and my sister, Kotake have waited many centuries for your return." The introduction was respectful enough, which only made Yuga balk more.

"These..." Yuga hesitated and then conceded, "...women... are the matriarchs?"

"Koume and Kotake are the two oldest members of our society." Fayre explained as if trying to introduce a small child to her familiars. "They've known about you all along, even before I knew you... They visited me the night you were born. Told me your name..."

"Your Grace, we came to your mother that night in hopes she would give you to us so we could get to work right away in fulfilling your divine right to obtain the Triforce, but the dim wench turned us away. What have you to say to her?"

Yuga had to stop his jaw from dropping. What is this? Before he could speak, Fayre caught his eye. They exchanged glances. Her's spoke volumes.

"I have nothing to say to her," Yuga replied. "I came to see what you could do for me. Besides, who are you to speak thus of the woman perfect enough to bring me into this world?"

"You aren't angry at her? It's her fault you've ended up in this sad state of affairs."

"What do you mean by that?" Yuga snapped. "I came to ask for help in locating a certain woman, an oracle to be exact. She was clearly a sorceress."

"That woman? We know of her, of course. She betrayed our people and you by setting out to aid the hero and the princess, but she is of little concern."

"How can you tell me she is of little concern when she has ruined everything!"

"No. She has set things right and unwittingly reworked this whole mess in your favor."

"I can't see how..." Yuga said, with a small derisive laugh.

There was a disquieting silence as Yuga trailed off, and then Koume broke the silence, speaking in a voice that was paper thin, just above a whisper. "Your Grace... You neglected your ultimate goal for the Triforce and a world of your own design to pursue the princess."

Yuga froze. He never imagined anyone would ever criticise him this way. If circumstances had been different and he wasn't already hurting, he might have laughed in her face. "What did you say to me? I will do as I see fit. Are you two disgusting old hags really claiming to serve me while simultaneously insulting my choices and tastes?

Behind him, Fayre flinched. She looked as if she were about to dive off the steps and into the mire.

Koume was trying not to scowl, screwing up her expression. Kotake was the one to respond. "Forgive us, Your Grace. We were only trying to say that your adoration for the princess is in vain. Any true union between you and the princess is impossible. You are only meant to manipulate her. She is but a mere stepping stone for you."

"Thank you, Sister. You certainly have a way with words that I do not," Koume huffed.

Are they trying to manipulate me? Me of all people?

It was exactly the sort of thing he imagined the oracle had said to Hilda. But what connection did these women have to the oracle besides being from Misery Mire? Perhaps these women served the same purpose – to force him back into his role in the cycle.

No... Not today... Not any day...

He took everything in about that moment standing at the summit of those ancient stone steps. The hollow feeling within himself. The sweat on his brow beginning to dry. He was certain his makeup was smeared by now. He could picture the purple triangles he'd painted just under his eyes long smeared and now running down the hollows of his cheeks. He bit back the urge to tell them they were wrong in so many words – that he'd never create any perfect world without Hilda. But there was something all too coincidental and unsettling about the way Koume spoke. And he saw the impatient look of the matriarchs and the violent glances they stole at Fayre and recalled the desperation in her eyes, and it all became clearer.

Yuga laughed. Weakly at first, but then it built into an insane, dark chuckle. Forced, but still convincing enough. "I wanted that sweet, naive princess with me when I recreated the world in my image, but it appears this turn of events leaves me no choice. But I must ask... Do either of you actually believe I'd let you show your hideous faces in my perfect world?" Yuga smirked in an impish manner. He'd let them think they'd won, but not without getting in an insult or two.

Koume cackled in a tone much lower than usual, barely concealing a scornful smirk. "You truly are His Grace...We would give our very lives to see you victorious over the princess and her hero."

oOo

In the deepest recesses of the temple, they passed lifelike statues of men in royal regalia, unlike anything a normal Lorulean man would wear. The outfits were somewhat tribal in nature, but very garish and leaving little to the imagination.

How distasteful, Yuga thought, but upon a closer look, he realized they were not statues at all – they were preserved cadavers. The fact that he'd confused them with statues only reinforced how well kept the bodies were, their light grey skin showing little sign of decay. He morbidly regarded them, unsure if they were preserved by powerful magic or perhaps some technology used by the sorceresses unknown to the rest of Lorule. Although it made little difference, really. He was more unsettled by the reality of being the only living male in the whole village. What did that mean for him? His mind was wandering. Every thought segued back to Hilda in some way or another.

Being surrounded by women in Misery Mire had barely passed his notice as a child. Even after being sold to the royal family, his later childhood was shaped by the queen, Embla, and eventually, only Hilda who stayed a constant with him through his teens and adulthood. Sure there was Ravio, that slob of a captain, and the knights, but Yuga never wanted their company. His entire life was spent around and shaped by women - both by choice and by fate. He looked to his mother, the one who'd brought him into this world and then to the matriarchs, who were hideous enough to pass for harbingers of death. Yuga would have given much to wake up from this nightmare to awaken in Lorule castle, Hilda in his embrace, her breath ghosting his cheek and her hands caressing his hair as she did when she was in that half awake, half asleep state. But this was no dream.

Koume noticed Yuga looking at the preserved men as they passed. "Misery Mire's kings are laid to rest in this temple." She explained. "All very handsome, but they can't hold a candle to you, Your Grace. None of them carried the soul of the demon king, you see. Fulfill your purpose and you won't meet the same fate as the kings of Misery Mire before you."

No Queens. Just one dead king after another, Yuga noted. If there were queens of Misery Mire, then they went unacknowledged. A stark difference from the Lorulean custom of laying their kings and queens to rest next to each other either in the ground or in a tomb. Even the last king and queen, Hilda's parents, were buried side by side in a plot just outside the sanctuary, not far from the castle. The association made Yuga recall the purple and white lilies Hilda brought to their graves every season.

It was then that Yuga noticed Koume eying his person with some distaste. "Oh dear, Kotake... I see Fayre didn't bother to properly attire His Grace before bringing him to the temple."

"Not properly dressed at all, Sister." Kotake crowed. "Such a repugnant sight to our eyes, what with that emblem of the royal family. It is altogether unfitting for a king of Misery Mire.

"I apologize! I'll have something ready very soon!" Fayre answered quickly, drowning out Yuga before he could protest.

"Then come back with the appropriate garments and not a second before! He's unlikely to come into his own with you hanging about like a vulture." Koume instructed.

What little light Fayre had left her eyes as she turned to leave.

Yuga was silently seething, but he was also growing wary as the matriarchs squabbled over his manner of dress. It crossed his mind that Fayre had lied to him. The matriarchs weren't going to help him defeat the oracle as Fayre had led him to believe. She was clearly terrified of these women. So what powers were they hiding behind their frail appearance? As Yuga watched Fayre depart he began to grow restless. How was he going to hold company with the twins for an unspecified amount of time – without losing his composure as he tried to dance around his suspicions?

A/N: ALBW is almost 5 years old and I've been writing this for nearly 4, and that makes me kind of sad. Reviews don't always come easy these days. Ideally, I would have completed this fanfic a long time ago while there was still a lot of attention given to ALBW, but it's been a lot more difficult than my other multi-chapter fanfic to flesh out. Thank you for your patience and thank you for your continued reviews. They mean so much to me. With that said, this story is nearing its end. I estimate it at just over 30 chapters when complete, including an epilogue.

Prometheus17: Yeah, kind of interesting how the hero of this story (Ravio) and the villains (Twinrova) both wanted Yuga and Hilda's relationship to end. Yuga and Hilda know they have problems when both sides of the matter are against them. I love writing scenarios like this. Ravio will have a lot to think about going forward.

HacchanADL: Ravio filling up his journal with the most creative insults towards Yuga? Practically canon! LOL As for Fayre and Yuga... They're not uber close, but he does have basic respect for her, which I think is very fitting. :)