Meanwhile, at the castle, Linkette eavesdropped on the guards discussing with the Sheikah and the Knights about the increasing number of monsters in the area as she munched on the treats brought to her by the kitchen so that 'the heirs' didn't go hungry with her being so skinny, never minding that her body was perfectly healthy. Not that she minded as she ate her strawberries and sweet cream. She started planning as they paid her no mind, figuring she was too focused on her food/being a foolish pregnant woman. She smirked mentally as she heard them make the decision to pull some of her prison keepers/guards to help protect the Castle as a whole, leaving only the best Sheikah warriors. She figured she could manage an escape, already feeling much better due to the extra food, rest and health potions she'd been receiving since her stay began. Linkette would be happy when she managed her escape, slowly feeling more like the royal baby carrier than herself. Now the only issue was getting the Master Sword and hoping nobody got it before her.
Meanwhile, back at camp, the group had finished up their meal and were awaiting Arew opening the portal.
"Ready guys?" Arew questioned.
The loud cheer of confirmation made it obvious. Arew opened the portal for the group, and once everyone was through, closed it to open a portal to Lorule to get his army ready to aide Hyrule.
"The letter wasn't kidding," Damia drew her weapon instantly on seeing all the monsters surrounding the town, new temple, and trying to attack the castle.
"Get Beau to the temple!" Sheik instructed the party as he followed after Damia, mostly to get to the castle.
"I'll work on it," Damia grabbed Beau and used her sword to slice open a portal, using multiple ones to get closer to the temple with him.
"Look, the Lorulian army has made it," Aiden pointed out as they rushed after Sheik, the soldiers entering quickly through portals to help.
"Ya wanna try findin' my Pa in all'a this? I'n worried an' I don't want him left in a vulnerable position," Dale loves his cousin but couldn't help but worry about his old man too.
"Let's. I'm sure he's leading the charge, given his position," Aiden started being on the lookout. She was using her flames to decimate monsters.
Damia opened the door to the temple and her and Beau rushed in, though Damia had to pause as the large amount of light magic hit her, "Beau. You need to go on your own. No evil lurks here."
"But what about you?" Beau noticed how fatigued she was and tried to heal her from it.
"Don't waste your energy on me, go! I will be fine once I leave the Temple,"
"Just be safe, okay?" Beau kissed her cheek.
"I will be," She promised, going to wait just outside the entrance, guarding against monsters entering, though she doubted they'd survive.
Everyone in the castle was preparing for trouble as the monsters attacked the gate, though Ganon had yet to make his appearance. Linkette found herself being moved to a more secure location. She kept her gown closed tight as the Sheikah led her to a hidden location. After making sure she was comfortable and the room was secure, the best hiders were positioned to guard the room while the better fighters were sent off to help defend the castle. The battle outside raged on, increasing in intensity as the Light Temple granted Beau its Medallion. He stumbled out a little shaken up but otherwise prepared for what was to come. His outfit changed from the tunic and overalls of a farm boy to that of a warrior monk, a crossbow slung across his back and a quiver of bolts on his side. It was weird seeing him in orange but the red, white and gold accents made the look more palpable.
"Damia?" He called out as he carefully descended the steps of his temple.
"Over here," It was clear the Shadow based princess had weakened being so near to the temple.
"Oh no," Beau kept repeating that under his breath as he ran over and gathered her up in his arms, "Oh goddesses, I'm so sorry Damia. I-I didn't...y-you're a Sage, why…"
"I am from the Darker Realm of Lorule, of course so much light would affect me. My bloodline is seeped in darkness. Now don't worry, I'll regain my strength fast enough. We must catch up to the others and be one group to defeat the Great Evil." She tried to stand on her own. "Just give me a minute, now that it won't be wasted," She pulled out a potion to take and boost her energy.
"So...where do we go from here?" Beau questioned, then saw a massive burst of fire in the sky, "Uuhh...w-we should probably check on my cousin. J-Just in case. Hopefully Uncle Peter is with him…"
"Yeah. It'll be a good start in getting us all back together as a group," Damia agreed, mentally praying, Nayru help me please. Guide me to unite us so we can help the Prince and the Hero.
Aiden launched another flaming arrow into the crowd of monsters, turning them to ash. She kept at it with attacking, but her magic was quickly failing with how much of it she had to use. Din, please grant me your power. I must be strong for my new family.
Dale stabbed a monster that was about to jump on his wife and did a quick once over to make sure she wasn't damaged from the attempt on her life. "Ya holdin' up hun?"
"Yes," Aiden wouldn't show her weakness and fail.
Meanwhile the castle was being infiltrated by Yiga clan members. It was easy since someone had swiped the castle layout some generations back and had kept it in pretty good condition. All they really needed to do was disguise themselves and they slipped in unnoticed. The Yiga snuck around, seeking out the Hero, knowing she was in a weakened state. Linkette got a forbidding feeling and started searching for any kind of weapon in the room she was hiding in. Luckily for her some decided they needed to whisper to make sure everyone was on the same page as they stealthed around, which helped mark an approximation of how much time she had to get herself ready. Linkette winced as she heard her guards start fighting, fearing for their lives. Farore, don't let my courage fail. She kept herself calm as the Yiga forced their way in, even though she was defenseless.
It seemed that they were getting closer until they started making panicked noises of their own and then...silence. Linkette tried to open the door to see what happened. Needless to say she had to cover her mouth to avoid screaming at the sight of the dead bodies, only having dealt with monsters that disappear.
"Forgive us milady, but you needed to be protected," one Sheikah explained after wiping down their blade from the attack.
You mean the children I carry. Linkette nodded, taking a breath to calm herself. She then noticed a couple more coming and tried to warn the Sheikah. They quickly noticed her distress and hindered their effort with some well-thrown needles that left them screaming, clutching their limbs and bleeding out.
"You...will want to close the door and cover your ears."
Linkette just nodded, face paling in shock. She went to step back in and shut the door, hands shaking a bit as she tried again to normalize what happened. Her mind gave out first as she started to faint from shock. Someone managed to grab her, but friend or foe was unclear as the world blacked around her. Linkette started waking up a bit later, finding herself being carried, but shock had her out again. Or so it seemed, Linkette faking remaining passed out.