"What happened?"

Zelda was surprised by her own voice.

Her initial response had been stunned silence. She had merely stared up at Impa, wide-eyed. She had felt light-headed, and Impa was quick to escort the princess to a private room. Zelda sobbed, hugging herself as she attempted to work through her fear and confusion. She had been barely able to catch her breath, and eventually, her tears slowed as her breathing became labored, leaving her with nothing more than a raw throat and wet cheeks.

Impa now sat across from her. Zelda noticed the cup of tea on the table and wrapped her hands around the ceramic. She did not have the stomach to drink it.,

Impa explained the situation to her. When Link and Zelda left, a set of guards went in search of them, but the pair were not found. It wasn't long before they received a letter from Lon Lon Ranch, announcing their safe arrival. When escorts arrived to retrieve the princess and her knight, they were ambushed, setting off a series of small battles for the next several days. It was assumed that Link and Zelda had been killed, or worse. Although the king had been unable to move due to the paralysis, he was still conscious and had been informed of the events in the hopes that he could provide some kind of guidance. Unfortunately, the shocking news combined with his poor health proved to be too much for the king. He died in his chambers, surrounded by generals as his heart finally gave out.

Zelda sucked in her cheeks. Her own heart was shockingly slow.

"It's my fault," Zelda said. "I killed my father."

Impa shook her head, placing her hand over Zelda's on the tea cup. "No, Zelda. There is a very high chance that these events would have occurred even without your disappearance."

"A chance. But I made it definite."

Zelda pulled her hands away and stood.

"What do you want to do?" Impa asked.

"I need to leave." Zelda's fists pressed into her sides. "I'm a traitor. I . . . I . . ."

Zelda's voice faded as she choked once again on her own tears. She fell on her knees, and Impa joined her, wrapping her strong, maternal arms around the princess.

"You are not a traitor," Impa reassured her. "You are Hyrule's last hope."

Zelda shook her head. Impa placed a finger under the princess' chin and lifted her face. Zelda met her nursemaid's eyes, taken aback by their ferocity.

"You must," Impa said. "You must rule, as the Queen of Hyrule."

Link awoke to the sunned of bombs. He rose to attention, only to collapse into the mountain of pillows at the top of the bed. His entire body ached, especially his core, where Ganondorf had attacked him the most.

It was night. He stretched out his fingers tentatively, testing their strength. How Lon had he been out? He was certain that they were in Hyrule Castle, based on his room's amenities. But why were the bombs going off near the palace?

"Did you enjoy your nap?"

Link followed the voice to the far corner of the room. Standing beside the door was a young man, his face barely visible in the candlelight. Link didn't need to see to recognize him, though,. The sneer in his voice gave it away. He was Mido, one of his least favorite soldiers to work with.

"I know you won't ask, so I will volunteer the information," Mido continued. "The king is dead. The princess arrived on horseback. You were unconscious, and I have been assigned with guard duty."

An explosion sounded nearby. Link started at the noise.

"Oh, and the princess has declared war, so we are under attack. Meanwhile, you just sleep away. How pathetic."

Mido crossed the distance between them, unsheathing his blade. "You are responsible for this. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't execute you right now."

"Because he is my knight."

Mido whirled around to meet the princess, who leaned against the open door.

"Princess Zelda." Mido bowed almost too quickly. "I apologize for my outburst."

She ignored him, walking past his kneeling form to greet Link with a pat on the head.

"Link is not to blame." She kept her eyes on her knight. "He merely followed my orders. As your Queen, I advise that you do the same." She turned on the low-ranking soldier. "I believe you were told to protect Link, not threaten him. Or are you a spy for Ganondorf?:

"N-no, Your Highness."

Mido seemed to shrink.

"I prefer that you refer to me as 'my Queen.'"

"Yes, my Queen."

"Leave us."

Zelda sat on the edge of the bed, taking Link's hands into her own.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, her voice a gentle whisper.

Link nodded, and even that small gesture caused him pain. He wouldn't let Zelda know, though.

"What that soldier said is true. About my father, I mean."

Link stared at her. Zelda sighed.

"My first order as queen was to protect the castle and the nearby territories. Since we escaped. Ganondorf's attacks have been intense. Thankfully, the only creatures that have been able to get near our strongholds are monsters that spawn at night. The sun kills them, so the chaos will end by morning."

Another bomb sounded, and the room filled with a soft glow as flames rose outside the window. Link tilted his head.

"The bombs are ours. They are contained, and very effective weapons against our enemy, as I am sure you know."

He did, but it was still surreal to be in the castle with explosions echoing through the stone hallways.

"Link, I'm sorry." She cupped his cheek. "This is my fault, but I am going to do what I can to make things right. I will need your help, once you are able."

He nodded.

A hint of a smile touched Zelda's lips. "Thank you."

She placed a kiss on his forehead, and then, she was gone.