Treacherous Intentions
By: dontwaitupxx
Chapter Fourteen
Link should have never offered to search for ancient Sheikah relics with her.
It had started first thing in the morning. Link had been waiting outside of the Princess's quarters just past dawn. They were ordered by the King to begin their pilgrimage just after dawn to the Spring of Power. However, right as the Great Bell chimed, the Princess strolled out of her quarters with a different mission for the two of them: to find the five ancient columns beneath Hyrule Castle.
Oh, if only it were that easy.
"In my meeting with Robbie yesterday," Zelda was babbling on, "he was mentioning how he and the other Sheikah Scientists have restored mobility to many of the Guardians we have excavated! There is going to be a demonstration happening this afternoon."
"That's wonderful," Link responded, feigning interest, "but didn't your father say that we were to make our way to the Spring of Power at dawn today?"
"Perhaps…" Zelda mused, pointedly not making eye contact with him.
"Well, Princess, looking for these ancient columns, and sticking around for that Guardian demonstration, they both are in direct conflict with the King's orders."
"Oh hush," Zelda admonished, "and again, enough with the honorifics. You said so yourself that they were overrated. The Spring of Power can wait. Right now, all of my attention needs to be focused on these ancient Sheikah relics, and we cannot be satisfied with only the few Guardians we have been able to gain full control of. We will need to find the rest of them if we are to have our best shot against Calamity Ganon."
"There are more of them?" Link asked, matching his pace with the Princess's. Zelda had mentioned that they had found nearly fifty Guardians, in their excavations, and had restored functionality to almost half of them so far. Just how many more Guardians could they find? How many had the ancient Sheikah assembled?
Perhaps the Spring of Power could wait.
"According to our research, yes," Zelda said, making a sharp turn down the corridor, towards the docks, "Records mention a greater number of them, enough to take on an entire army, and enough that they were successful in their assault against Calamity Ganon ten thousand years ago. It also mentions different types, which makes me wonder how they are different from one another. Do they come in different shapes and sizes? Do some of them have different functionalities? Are some of them even recognizable as the Guardians we have so far found? We won't know until we find the ancient columns beneath the castle that house them."
"How big are these columns that we're looking for?" Link asked.
"Our records don't specify their dimensions, but they should be quite large. I am hoping that we are able to find them today, and deliver our findings to Robbie and his team."
Zelda's voice trailed off as she muttered to herself, thinking out loud. Link, in turn, was silent, as his mind was calculating. The Princess was looking for five ancient Sheikah 'columns' – that which was already vague enough to begin with. But in addition, the Crown did not seem to have any insight into the precise whereabouts of these columns. That proved both beneficial and detrimental to the Yiga Clan's cause. On one hand, since the Royal Family did not know where these columns were located, they would be unable to manipulate the Guardians inside. On the other hand, without precise coordinates of these columns, the information proved to be of little use to the Yiga Clan as well.
It was becoming increasingly clear to Link that the ancient Sheikah technology was what proved to be the tipping point ten thousand years prior, and what would be the catalyst when Ganon made his return that spring. Most of this technology had been lost to the hands of time, and had only been recently remembered in the foretelling of the prophecy. With the Divine Beasts and the Guardians on the side of the Royal Family and the Sheikah Tribe, they could very well hold their own against the threat of the Calamity.
However, if the Princess was unsuccessful in unlocking her sacred powers, and the Yiga Clan gained control of the ancient Sheikah technology to aid Ganon in his comeback, then they would be in full power, and they would be able to absolutely devastate Hylia's followers.
Not to mention, their Hero did not have their best intentions at heart.
Link had to get this information to his clan, somehow.
But for now, he followed Zelda as she searched high and low, to and fro within the castle, searching for these fabled 'columns' that housed the Guardians. It was still unclear to Link what they were looking for, and Link had a sneaking suspicion that the Princess wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, either. Were these columns like a storage unit of sorts, needing a key of some sorts to open them? Were these columns more like a landmark, and the Guardians were all lying dormant near these columns beneath the castle? Were these columns a metaphor for something else entirely?
Or perhaps it was that they were missing the point all together.
Either way, it didn't matter much to Link until they found these columns. If no one had control of the Guardians that lay dormant, that was all fine with Link. However, if and when they were found, it was imperative that the Yiga Clan be made privy to the location of the columns.
It was a pity there was no longer another brother within the castle. It would be so much easier to pass the information along.
A few hours later, the Princess finally gave up, at least for the moment. They were well beneath Hyrule Castle at this point, just below where the mine carts from an age long past rusted in the forgotten shadows of the fortress. The mine carts still worked, to a degree, but they needed a substantial force to move them across the tracks. Zelda had sighed, noting that she would have to leave those caves for another day, and leave the mine tracks unexplored and undiscovered.
Which suited Link just fine.
"We'll continue this search another time," Zelda said, her voice low and breathy in clear disappointment, "For now, we'll need to head back upstairs and get ready for the Guardian demonstration out on the lawn."
"It might be in our best interests, then, to leave for the Spring of Power right after," Link suggested, trailing behind the Princess as the snaked their way back through the castle, "Before your father sees that you're still here. It wouldn't be wise for us to stick around much longer."
"What, you don't like being a little rebellious?" Zelda winked, before her face fell, "Yes, I suppose that would be best. Send someone to prepare our horses, and I'll have my maids prepare my bag while we are watching the demonstration."
Link nodded, parting ways with her as she entered into her chambers. He headed down towards his quarters, giving that specific task to a servant on the way to prepare his bag. He wouldn't need much: most of what he needed to survive for a few days he kept on his person at all times. Such was a habit long since kept from his time in the clan.
However, it was his struggles in keeping a certain Princess alive which prompted him to prepare a bag.
It didn't take long: mostly things like an extra blanket, extra rations from the kitchens – things he could see the Princess needing. Indeed, this bag wasn't for him. It was an additional bag for the Princess.
He exited his quarters, swiftly turning the key through the lock as he made his way up through the winding halls of Hyrule Castle back up to the Princess's chambers. He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door three times, and it was instantly opened. Zelda was darting around the room like a rabbit – the long, blue tail of her dress billowing out behind her as she paced - her maids struggling to keep up with her as they tried to place her crown at her hairline.
"We haven't much time until it starts," Zelda was saying, "and I want to be able to write in my research notes about our findings today."
Or lack of findings, thereof.
"It just won't do for us to go to the Spring of Power following this demonstration," Zelda said, her voice quickening as she paused in her pacing. One of her maids took this as the opportunity to slap the crown on her forehead, and Link could practically hear the collective sigh from the two maids as they finally got their eccentric Princess dressed.
"There's going to be so many discoveries from this demonstration I'm going to have to document," Zelda continued, "Yes, we simply cannot go to the Spring of Power today – there just isn't time! We are just on the cusp of this technology, I just know it!"
"Zelda, we have to leave today. Technically, we should have already left by now."
"It would be irresponsible of me to leave when we are on the verge of making a breakthrough!"
"It would be irresponsible of you to ignore your father's demands."
"But there's so much that I need to do here!"
"Your father commands it," Link said, taking a step towards Zelda as she busied herself in front of her mirror.
"My father commands a lot of things," Zelda said, waving him off, "We'll go – I'm not saying we won't – just not today. I have been to the Springs of Power and Courage many times since I was a little girl, and haven't heard anything from the Goddess. What's to say this time will be different?"
"It won't be different with that attitude," Link said, before he could stop himself.
It was silent in the room as both Zelda and her two maids snapped their heads towards him, all with varying degrees of shock on their faces. The two maids looked absolutely horrified, and Link could practically see from their expressions on their faces that they were anticipating the next public execution to be his. Zelda had a similar state of shock on her face, but Link could see that shock dwindle down as his words solidified.
"You're right," her words surprised everyone in the room, "I should continue to be diligent, shouldn't I? Perseverance will see my struggles through," she laughed silently to herself, her smile not quite meeting her eyes, "This is all a little much, isn't it? The Princess of Hyrule, adorned in her jewels and silks for what she would normally observe in pants and boots."
"Why aren't you?" Link asked, a wave of brashness taking over him. Link knew that he should stop, that he should keep his mouth shut and just revert back to polite nods and gestures, but Zelda had said she wanted him to be more open with him, right? And to speak his mind.
And thus, he was going to speak his mind.
Zelda waved her maids out of her quarters, her eyes never once breaking eye contact with him. Soon, it was just the two of them, the space between them deafening.
"I'm going to be honest with you, Link," Zelda whispered, "I don't think going to the springs is going to do much. I know it's not the right attitude or the right mindset, but it's the truth. I don't want to be seen as a failure to my people… or a failure to…" she trailed off, as she turned her back towards him.
"To who?" Link prompted, taking a step forward.
"Never mind," Zelda whispered, wiping a tear away from her eye. Skies above, she was crying again, "I just don't want to be seen as a failure, and so I want to help in the ways that I know best: and that's with the Guardians and the Sheikah technology. Though the research teams here at the Castle do not require the Princess's presence, it's important that they know they have my full support and leadership," she fisted a bunch of fabric at her hips, holding the material tightly, "I know it's a lot of pomp and circumstance," she whispered, "but then again, that's another thing I'm quite good at."
There was that part of him that wanted to feed into the failure – the part that wanted to reassure her of the fact that yes, she was a failure, and yes, going to the three springs would be a fruitless endeavor. However, he firmly leaned into his role as her appointed knight, and said, without much thought to it, "I'm sure that things will turn out the way that they are meant to be."
"You think so?"
"I'm certain of it."
Zelda sniffed, and she must have heard what she needed to hear in his words, for she looked up at him with a small smile on her face, "Thank you, Link. You're right: everything will turn out how it's meant to be."
With all of Hyrule at their Demon King's mercy.
He followed her up the spiral staircase leading to her tower. From the bridge, he could see that while Robbie's team was setting up for the demonstration, they were not yet ready to begin. This worked out fine, as Zelda made her way across the bridge to her study, waving back towards the Sheikah that caught sight of their beloved and powerless Princess.
Link stood outside her study as Zelda wrote in her research journal. It was a fine, sunny day, he noted, and would make the journey to the Spring of Power much easier. Should all go well, the demonstration wouldn't last very long, and he and the Princess could get a head start to the spring while there was still daylight.
From across the bridge, Link saw two knights climb up the spiral staircase and station themselves outside of the door. Link squinted, and recognized them as two of the guards from the King's personal Royal Guard detail. That was odd… they normally wouldn't make their way up here unless they were with the King.
Unless…
Zelda opened the door from her study then, running over towards the center, looking out into the courtyard below. Indeed, it looked as though the demonstration had begun, the Guardians swiveling and crawling at the Sheikah's command.
Zelda looked longingly out from the bridge, "Incredible…" she whispered, "We're at the point now where we can actually control them. At the current rate, we'll soon know all we need to know about the Guardians and the Divine Beasts! Once we find the location of the five ancient columns, we will be able to gain control of those Guardians as well!" Zelda turned towards him, a genuine smile on her face, "And should Ganon ever show itself again, we'll be well positioned to defend ourselves."
"What are you doing out here, Zelda?"
Link knew the King's voice anywhere.
Link looked up, confirming what he already knew to be true. Of course, that's why the knights were there. They were always to be one step ahead of their King. He should have seen that as a sign forthcoming, a sign of what was about to happen.
In this revelation, Link very nearly forgot himself. Collecting himself, he lowered himself to one knee, lowering his head in what would be proper protocol given the circumstances. He knew the King would be just as angry at him as he was at his daughter for still being at the castle in light of their excursion. How could he have been so stupid? He should have simply collected the Princess that morning at dawn and thrown her onto the back of Storm, instead of scouting the castle for relics that might not even be there.
"I…" Zelda paused, her voice wavering as she moved in front of him, "I was accessing the results of the experiment with the Guardians," her voice grew stronger, bleeding with passion as she continued, "These pieces of ancient technology could be quite useful against the-"
"I know that," the King said, his voice quiet, yet strong; silencing the Princess immediately, "That's why I'm here. They are essential to Hyrule's future, and our research demands that we keep a close eye on them. However, as the Princess, you currently have a crucial, unfulfilled responsibility to your kingdom. Did I not order you to make the pilgrimage to the three springs? Were you and your knight not scheduled to make that trip just after sunrise this morning? You are supposed to be safely arrived to the Akkala Citadel by now, but instead, you have blatantly disobeyed my orders. I had to find out about this from one of my advisors, who said that they saw you and your knight exploring the mines beneath the castle just this morning."
Zelda's eyes shifted downwards, her left hand fisted, her body trembling.
"Let me ask you once more…" the King continued, "When will you stop treating this as some sort of childish game? This is the future of Hyrule at stake; do you not realize this?"
"I am doing everything I can," Zelda whispered, "I'll have you know that I just recently returned from the Spring of Courage, where I offered every ounce of my prayers to the Goddess-"
"And now you are here wasting your time," the King said, his voice growing, loud enough to be heard by the Sheikah below. However, they would all know better than to give any indication that they could hear him, "You need to be dedicating every moment you have to your training, not to the Sheikah relics that you offer zero contribution to. You must be single-minded in unlocking the power that will seal Calamity Ganon away."
"I already am!" Zelda said, her voice picking up in pitch and speed, "Don't you see – there's nothing more I can do!"
"You could try doing what is expected of you," the King seethed.
Ah yes, something Link and the King could agree on.
"I am trying," Zelda said, holding back tears, "My hope is… my hope is that you – that you'll allow me to contribute here, in whatever way I can."
"No more excuses, Zelda," the King's great voice boomed, "Stop running away from your duty. Failure is not an option. You must learn to do better. As the King, I forbid you to have anything to do with these machines from this moment on, and command you to focus on your training."
"But father –"
"My word is law," the King said, his voice now a whisper, "It's time that you start obeying it," he turned towards the edge of the bridge, ignoring the Guardians completely as he looked out towards Castle Town, "Do you know how the gossip mongers refer to you?"
Zelda was silent, her breaths coming in shorter and faster.
"Answer me, Zelda!"
"No, I don't!"
"They are out there, at this moment, whispering amongst themselves… that you are the heir to a throne of nothing… nothing but failure."
From beneath them, a Guardian executed a move from the Sheikah demonstration. Light applause followed.
"It is woven into your destiny," the King continued, "that you prove them wrong. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Zelda whispered, "I understand."
"Very good," the King said, "You and your knight are to leave for the Spring of Power at once. You are to make it to the Akkala Citadel by nightfall. And as for you," Link felt the King's eyes bearing into him. Hesitantly, he looked up, into the cold, steely eyes of his King, "It would be in your best interests to heed my orders from now on. You set an example for not only all of the Royal Guard, but for all of Hyrule. Do not make me regret appointing you as Captain of my Royal Guard or as my daughter's appointed knight. Prove to me that my trust was not misplaced. Do you understand, boy?"
Link nodded once, but the King had already turned around and was walking the way he came, his guard detail following behind him.
Link waited a good five seconds after he was sure that the King had left before he looked up again. Zelda was still standing exactly where the King had left her, her head down towards the ground with her fists clenched at her sides. He saw the tears streaming down her face and onto the stone floor as she struggled to keep her composure.
Up until this moment, Link had the King of Hyrule on his side, and while the King was more likely still in favor of his daughter's appointed knight and the wielder of the Master Sword, he was now associated with defying the King's orders. In a minor sort of way, it was a form of treachery: a black stain on his persona. While he had been let go with a slap on the wrist, it could lead to a domino effect. Any more foolish mistakes could jeopardize his mission altogether, for it could lead to his position as the Princess's appointed knight being revoked.
It was a mistake he was certain he would not make again.
Then, abruptly, Zelda marched into her study, creating a haphazard pile on her desk before clutching it all to her chest, making her way back across the bridge, "Guess I won't be needing these," she whispered to herself, to him, to anyone who might be listening.
"Princess," Link followed behind her, unsure of what to do. The Princess's emotions seemed to go from grief to fury in one second, and the dichotomy of it made Link worried for the Princess's wellbeing.
…Oh sweet baby Ganon, he was growing delusional.
Zelda flew down the spiral staircase, taking the steps two at a time, her skirts getting in the way as she tripped and stumbled. Link was not far behind her as she threw the papers all onto her bed, turning her back towards them. She ran her fingers through her hair, ripping her crown from her forehead. She held it in her hands like she would a Silent Princess, delicate and fragile.
Then, like the turning of a switch, her demeanor changed, and she threw her arm back and hurled it against the wall with a cry. Link watched as the crown shattered, the small, ornate jewels flying off and scattering around the room.
Zelda stood there, breathing hard, her shoulders heaving. He couldn't imagine what the Princess was feeling – though he supposed, that thought was inconsequential, and yet, he felt that he really must do something.
Link took a step forward, approaching her like he would an injured bear, with his hand outstretched towards her.
"Zelda…" she didn't respond, her back still towards him as though she hadn't heard him.
Carefully he took another step forward, "Zelda."
Again: nothing. He fought with his emotions, and against his better judgment, he reached out further, "Zel…"
As his hand touched her shoulder, he felt a spark ignite between the two. Link watched as the Princess shattered beneath his touch, her composure fragmenting into a thousand pieces. Her fury dissolved into grief instantly, and before Link could even think to move out of the way, the Princess had collapsed into his arms, her cries ringing in his ears as she clutched onto his tunic.
Nothing in his training in either the Yiga Clan or the Royal Guard could have prepared him for this moment. He was never told what he should do in these situations. The closest thing he could think of would be to maybe stab a dagger into her back to get her to let go. However, he did not think that would help in this situation.
And thus, Link did the only thing he knew to do.
He let her cry.
Apprehensively, Link let his arms wrap around the small girl, placing his hands just above her shoulder blades. He felt his tunic grow damp from her tears, as she buried her face in his shoulder. Her sobs only seemed to grow in intensity, and so Link held onto her tighter, his thumbs rubbing small, soothing circles into her shoulder blades.
It was a miracle that no servants or maids entered the Princess's quarters during this time. To see the Princess crying into her knight's shoulder… held tightly in his embrace… why, it would be scandalous. It would be treacherous.
And it was that treachery of what was considered forbidden that made Link hold her all the more tightly.
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
Link stiffened, as he began to understand Commander Impa a little bit better.
Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity, the Princess's cries began to slow, until they were replaced with tremors throughout her body as she struggled to maintain a control on her emotions again.
"I'm sorry," Zelda whispered, her head still on his shoulder, "I know I shouldn't cry. It's foolish, I know."
"Nonsense," Link whispered. It was foolish, he knew, and yet still: he let her cry.
"It seems my father is keen on taking the one final thing that brings me joy from my life. I see now that my life is not for me, but for my country. How naïve of me to believe that I could have some autonomy."
"Once all of this is over, you'll have your entire life to study them," Link said, though he reckoned it might be difficult in the shadow and malice of the Demon King's wrath.
Or if she were dead.
Gingerly, Zelda lifted herself from Link's embrace, smoothing out her skirts, before making her way over towards the documents on her bed.
"I had been creating these blueprints of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts," Zelda said, unprompted, as she sifted through the different documents. Looking over her shoulder, Link's eyes widened as he saw what was, no doubt, step by step instructions on how to control the Sheikah relics, "I suppose now that I've been forbidden from having anything to do with them anymore, I won't be needing these," she organized them into a much neater pile, before turning them around and handing them to Link, "Could you get rid of these for me, please? Burn them, bury them, I don't care: I don't want for father to see that I still have them the next time he comes through."
Link took the documents in his hands: the blueprints, which held all of the secrets to understanding and controlling the Guardians and the Divine Beasts.
And Zelda wanted for him to get rid of them for her.
Oh, he could do that.
Link nodded as he snatched the documents – albeit a little too quickly, though the Princess didn't seem to notice.
"We'll leave in a half an hour," Zelda whispered, "Meet me by the courtyard? I'm certain father will think it a waste of his time for me to say my goodbyes."
Link nodded once, before turning on his heel and heading out of the Princess's quarters quickly. He made his way down the hall, passing by many rooms with at least twenty different fireplaces he could dispose of the documents in. No, he had a much better way to dispose of them; a way that would be beneficial for all parties involved.
He just had to make sure that he did not pass a certain Commander in the process.
"Captain!"
For the love of Ganon, what now?!
Link whirled on him, his icy blue eyes making the man recoil and stumble back. It was that same knight from his Royal Guard who was about as smart as a bag of bricks. The one whose name he could never get right. The name still evaded him… was it Deduce? Obtuse?
This knight simply needed to be transferred due to his horrific name.
"What is it?" Link spat, the knight taking a step backwards.
"I can come back later if…"
"Now!" Link growled, "Don't waste my time, you fool. You've already got my attention."
At this, the knight was turned to a quivering mess, his large, golden eyes wide in fear, "It's a message, sir, from the King."
"Well?" Link said, impatiently, "I haven't got all day; what is it?"
"The King demands that you check in with the Captain of the Akkala Citadel, immediately upon arriving, and then again on your way back once you leave. He says that this is nonnegotiable."
Link sighed, blinking his eyes. Of course the King demanded this of him. By doing this, it kept tabs on the Princess's whereabouts, and prevented her from venturing off from her pilgrimage. If they took too long, or didn't check in, the Captain would report it, and her father would know.
And Link would be the one to pay the price.
The King must be quite angry with him for sending one of his knights with the information instead of summoning him directly.
Link nodded, "Very good. Anything else?"
"No sir," the knight nodded fiercely, before running back the way he came, tripping over his own two feet all the while.
It was a wonder how that obtuse man had even gotten into the Royal Guard.
Link looked down the corridor, seeing as he was alone, and breathed out a sigh of relief. He made it the rest of the way to his quarters and swiftly locked the door behind him. He leaned up against the door, clutching the documents in his arms. He had to get this information to his clan.
He set the documents down on top of his dresser. Hastily, he lowered himself to the ground, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He had to make this quick.
He closed his eyes, clasping his hands together, with his first two fingers facing upwards. He cleared his mind, feeling his magic swell up from deep inside him. It had been far too long since he had used his powers. He had only used but a fraction of them in the Gerudo Desert when he tried to reach out to his brothers. This, however, would be a far greater demonstration of his abilities.
His magic exploded around him in magnificent arrays of oranges and greys. The insides of Link's eyelids grew red as his magic swirled around him. He could only hope that no one was looking at his tiny window from outside of Hyrule Castle. He hoped that it wasn't even noticeable.
Link reached out with his mind, across the Hyrule Fields – across the Gerudo Desert – to the unsuspecting valley of his clan. Link breathed in, attempting his connection to his clan. It would not do him any favors to teleport himself to the valley to hand deliver these documents. No – the likelihood that he would be missed would be far too great. It would take much too long. He needed someone to make their way to him: to his small, unsuspecting room within Hyrule Castle.
And he needed for someone to do so quickly.
Link breathed in, focusing his energies into his clan, searching for someone – anyone – to hear his message and teleport in using his coordinates. He wouldn't be surprised if they were all apprehensive to do so. They all knew what had happened to the last clansman who entered Hyrule Castle.
But who were they to defy him?
"You called for me, Lieutenant?"
Link knew his master's voice anywhere.
Link opened his eyes, and was face to face with Master Kohga himself. He sat cross-legged in front of Link, with an almost amused smirk on his face.
Link made a move to kneel in front of his master, but Master Kohga merely scoffed, "Let's skip the formalities," Master Kohga sneered, "Your brothers and sisters all hesitated when they heard your call. Hesitation is a sign of weakness, and they shall all be punished for it. However, I can't say that I blame them, after the way you ruthlessly slayed your brothers out in the Gerudo Desert, and in the lockup of Hyrule Castle."
"I did what I had to do to maintain my cover," Link whispered, his palms itching.
"And I commend you for it, don't get me wrong," Master Kohga laughed, "The one in the lockup was a traitor, no doubt, and the three I had sent out into the Gerudo Desert… well, had they lived, you wouldn't have been doing your job well as the Princess's – erhm – 'appointed knight'," Master Kohga paused, a knowing look in his eye, "As for your call to us just now, I, for one, was very interested in knowing what my Lieutenant needed from his clan, especially so far along in his mission."
Link stood, grabbing the documents in one swoop, "We haven't much time, I'm expected back soon," Link passed the documents to Master Kohga, "I was able to get a hold of these."
"What are these?" Master Kohga whispered, though his eyes betrayed him as he recognized the ancient Sheikah relics instantly.
"Blueprints," Link responded, "of the Divine Beasts and the Guardians. They give instructions on how to control and navigate them. The Royal Family and the Sheikah Tribe are planning on gaining control of all of them and using them against our Demon King, much like they did ten thousand years ago. They tipped the odds in their favor before, but if the Yiga Clan were to gain control of them now…"
"…then our Demon King would be unstoppable," Master Kohga whispered, the tops of his lips coiling upwards.
"Precisely," Link whispered, "Additionally, the Princess mentioned that her studies talk about five 'columns' beneath Hyrule Castle, that house even more of these Guardians. We weren't able to find them, but I wanted to let you know that the ancient Sheikah texts do speak of them, and that their existence is likely."
"Well done, Lieutenant," Master Kohga breathed, directing a rare smile towards Link, "is there anything else that I must know?"
Link grinned, a sinister look appearing on his face, "The Princess of Hyrule carries not a drop of the blood of the Goddess in her, and the foolish Hylian Monarchy chose me as their hero… there is no possible way that our cause can fail now."
"It is not an option," Master Kohga agreed, "As your mission comes to a close, remember this well: you have done our Demon King a great service, and it will not be forgotten. You'll serve our Demon King even long after the annulation of Hyrule, and as His new kingdom rises from the ashes."
Link locked eyes with his master, as he began to disappear in a cloud of orange and black smoke, "I will not fail."
