Thanks so much to Annika LaPlume, NerdAngel410, MexicAmerichick6, and Ninxeldwin for reviewing! I'd apologize for the cliffhanger, except...well, I'm not really sorry! XD

Anyway, on with the chapter!

~ Chapter 13 ~

When the first thunderbolt struck, Zelda forced herself not to panic too much. She trusted Riju, and if she was sending the signal now, surely Link had only just begun showing signs of Malice sickness. All the princess had to do was walk a few paces back down the hill to get back within range - in a matter of seconds, Link would be fine.

Then there came two more frantic bolts, and Zelda's heart began to pound.

"Something's wrong," she murmured, half to Paya, and half to herself. Her pace quickened as she turned around and started descending the hill once more. "I-I think there's trouble, we have to get back to - !"

Suddenly, Paya grabbed Zelda's arm, stopping her in place with a surprisingly strong grip. Zelda looked over her shoulder at the young Sheikah, staring in confusion and disbelief.

"Paya…? What is it…?" she asked warily, noting the uncharacteristic smirk on the other girl's face.

"...I'm afraid I can't let you do that, goddess-blood princess." She leaned in and growled in a voice that was quite unlike Paya's, "For Master Kohga."

Zelda's eyes widened.

Then, in a puff of smoke, the two of them vanished.

()()()()

As Sidon had been returning to Link's house, carrying a basin nearly full of fresh water, he had been idly wondering what was taking Riju so long. True, he had only been gone for a few minutes, but surely she should have given the signal immediately, as the princess had requested, right? Perhaps it was a false alarm, and whatever was happening to Link wasn't a result of the Malice inside him?

Or...was something even more wrong than they had realized?

When Sidon had nearly reached the door, the first bolt struck, and his mind was momentarily put at ease.

Then the second and third thunderbolts came, and the Zora prince immediately dropped the basin and dashed inside. Under normal circumstances, there should be no reason for Riju to signal more than once. Whatever was happening, it had to be urgent.

In other words, something had to be wrong.

Upon entering Link's house, Sidon immediately caught a glimpse of Riju's long, scarlet braid hanging off of the edge of the loft as she was forcibly held against the railing by - was that Link?

"Lady Riju!" Sidon cried out in shock, though he only received a strangled yelp in response from the young Gerudo. Without wasting a moment more, he charged up the stairs and towards the two of them, just barely remembering to dip his head at the last second to avoid being knocked out by the rafter.

Link didn't even lift his head at Sidon's approach. His hands were firmly clenched around Riju's neck while the girl strained with all her might against his grasp. How long had they been struggling like that?

Sidon reached out and grabbed both of Link's arms, hauling him away from Riju as quickly as he could manage. The unnaturally strong Hylian immediately began to struggle, but Sidon was no weakling either. He gathered Link's wrists in one clawed hand, effectively restraining them, and pushed the young man to the floor, pinning him with his other hand on his chest.

Link glared up at him with jet black eyes, irises flaming yellow. His teeth were bared in a feral snarl as Malice began to drip down his face, forming six tear-like streaks from his eyes. His skin hissed unpleasantly as the caustic substance oozed across it, but Link did not cry out, flinch, or even blink. His fiery stare was unwavering no matter what.

Sidon suddenly felt sick. So this was the terrible power of the Malice that had poisoned his friend's blood...and now, it seemed, it had spread to the rest of him as well.

Shaking his head as though to clear it, he quickly turned his attention to Riju, who was now gasping for breath, one hand gingerly clutching her own neck. "Are you alright!?" the Zora questioned her, though he was at least relieved to see that she was conscious and breathing.

The girl took a few moments to recover her breath, then nodded dazedly. "Y-Yes, I'm okay…" she answered between panting. "S-Sidon...h-his eyes…"

He nodded gravely. "I know...I see them…"

Riju looked up at the Zora prince, seeming to avoid glancing in Link's direction. "W-What...what should we do? I-I sent out three bolts, I thought the princess would be back in range by now…"

Though his mind reeled with thought after distressing thought, Sidon strove to stay calm. "In that case...we should probably get Link out of here. Bring him to Princess Zelda ourselves…"

"But...how are we going to transport him like this?"

"Yes, of course, that…" Sidon gritted his pointed teeth, wincing as he lifted a hand off of Link's chest. "My sincerest apologies, my friend." With that, he delivered a swift yet careful strike to Link's temple.

The Hylian crumpled almost instantaneously, his eyes falling shut and his head lolling to the side.

Riju paused, ceasing rubbing at her throat to momentarily devote her full attention to staring at the unconscious boy. "...okay. I suppose you can carry him without trouble now...but what about the Malice? If any of the townspeople catch a glimpse of it, they'll panic!"

"You make a good point…" Sidon mused, glancing around the room for anything that could be of use. Eventually, his golden gaze fell upon the rumpled blankets half hanging off Link's bed.

The prince reached out, plucked a blanket from the bed, and tossed it over top of Link's body, effectively obscuring him from view.

Riju blinked. "...well, if it works, it works," she admitted, clearing her throat awkwardly. She reached over and scooped the Thunder Helm off of the floor and, almost as an afterthought, retrieved the Sheikah Slate from the nightstand as well. "Now that that's settled...let's get out of here. We don't want to be caught without the princess if he wakes up again."

Sidon nodded and picked up the unconscious hero, bundling the blanket around him a bit more thoroughly. He was about to turn away and head back down the stairs when suddenly, Riju's head shot up in surprise, the tips of her pointed ears twitching.

"Hold on!" she exclaimed. "Do...do you hear that?"

"Hear...what?" He paused to listen for a few moments, and soon noticed the dull thumping that the girl had to have been referring to, as well as...were those muffled screams?

The Zora and the Gerudo locked eyes worriedly.

"...we should investigate," Sidon stated firmly.

Riju did not hesitate to agree. The two of them rushed outside, with Sidon carrying Link as carefully as he could in the process. However, when they exited the house, they were not met with the sight of any sort of violence or commotion - on the contrary, in fact, no one was present at all, and the thumping sound seemed a bit fainter.

Sidon frowned, glancing around at the peaceful, sunny day before them. "Where…?"

The girl beside him paused for a moment, thinking, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! The shed behind the house!" She immediately raced around the side of the building, leaving Sidon no choice but to follow.

Sure enough, the sounds of struggling grew louder as they neared the shed door. The door appeared to be padlocked, but the lock itself was not particularly strong - Sidon was able to break it apart without much effort. Then, Riju dropped what she was holding and quickly opened the door.

And out of the shed fell a young Sheikah woman, her hands tied and a cloth tied across her mouth.

Sidon's jaw dropped. "Paya!?" he exclaimed, nearly dropping Link in his shock. "What...what are you doing here!?"

Riju darted forward and removed the cloth from Paya's mouth, then set to work untying her hands. "Weren't you just with Princess Zelda!?" the girl exclaimed as she did so. "What happened!?"

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Paya stammered, her eyes wide with panic. "I-I should've been m-more alert! I-I sh-should've seen them c-coming!"

"Should've seen who coming?" the Zora prince questioned urgently, though he had a sinking feeling that he already knew the answer.

"I-I only saw them f-for a second!" Paya whimpered, bringing up her hands to cover her face the moment they were freed. "Th-They were behind me in a-an instant a-and knocked me out! B-But I know it was them...I-I know it w-was the Yiga!"

Behind her, Riju hissed a curse in the Gerudo language. "So then...that wasn't you we saw with Zelda earlier…"

"Th-They disguised themselves as me!?" the Sheikah gasped, horrified. "Th-Then the princess is in d-danger!"

"And not only the princess," Sidon added grimly, glancing down at the blanketed form in his arms. "Without her, Link is in grave danger as well. And, as a result, so are the rest of us, I fear."

Paya stared up at him, trembling slightly. "W-What do you mean!?"

"We'll explain on the way," Riju insisted, gathering up the Thunder Helm and the Sheikah Slate. "There's no time to lose! We have to get up that hill and find Zelda immediately!"

"B-But what if she's not there!? W-What if they've taken her away!?"

Riju exhaled heavily, her eyes downcast. "...I don't know. But if that's the case, we at least need to regroup with the others and discuss what to do next."

With that, the Gerudo chief marched towards the bridge leading away from Link's house, while the young Sheikah and the Zora prince - with the unconscious Champion still in hand - dutifully followed.