Okay I've been gone awhile… I wish I could say I was exaggerating when I say that I had three projects, four exams, and a paper due this week. I haven't had a lot of free time to write, but here's a new chapter. Hope you enjoy!

-=]I[=-

Twilight anxiously paced back and forth as the two humans teased each other. Yes, their relationship was sweet, but they failed to see the danger at hand. Did they not understand the significance of the blood moon? The reason that the monsters were increasing in number? The fact that the Yiga Clan was on the rise again?

And there was something strangely familiar about Lana. She reminded him of someone… and Twilight was almost positive that she was lying about her identity. A strange aura seemed to radiate around her, one of immense power. The closest thing to that he'd felt was when he was in the Sacred Realm with Zelda.

Zelda… he missed her terribly, and Midna too. How long had it been? Weeks? Months? And yet only a few days would pass for them, and he would return after a short absence, despite having lived an extra lifetime.

The castle was dark, dreary, and cold. The musky smell of the lake reached his nose, reminding him of his time in the dungeon. The manacle still dragged across the floor, reminding him of his journey through his own time.

"You alright there?" A familiar voice shook Twilight out of his thoughts. But this voice didn't belong to Lana or Link, it was…

"Yeah, it's me." Midna's shadow grinned at him. Twilight jumped in surprise, and quickly ran down another hallway. Link gave him a look of confusion, but left him alone. It was for the best. Seriously, who wants to find out that their traveling companion is your ancestor, a time traveler, and can speak to beings from another realm?

"I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here?" Midna's yellow eyes peered at him in amusement. "Well, truth be told, I won't be for long. You see what time it is?"

Twilight glanced outside. Of course. Dusk had fallen, the few short moments between the setting sun and the rising moon. The hour when the sky gleamed blue, and a dark shadow fell upon everything.

"Yeah, I need to be quick. Listen… something big is about to happen. And the Hero you're traveling with isn't ready. He isn't prepared for this. I know it seems like a lot to ask, but it's up to you to guide his path, and make sure he's strong enough when the time comes." Midna paused for a moment. "For the record, I definitely did not say that. I'm just a messenger, because I'm the only one who can connect with you when you're a creature of the Twilight, blah blah blah. If I were delivering the message, I would have told you that you're totally ridiculous as a pet, and why didn't you ever act that nice to me?"

Twilight rolled his eyes. Midna was just as sarcastic as ever, and her attitude just made him miss his home even more. But about that message...of course he had read the signs, and he knew that it wouldn't be long until the resurrection of Calamity Ganon. But the Hero had always triumphed… right?

"It's getting late. The twilight is fading. But remember, this Hyrule needs you. And if you die, I'll kill you myself." She winked, then vanished and melted back into a normal shadow.

Twilight teleported himself back to Link. One of the nice things about this realm was how rich it was in magic. He could use the warp ability at any time, and not just with Midna's assistance. He still missed his home though, especially the forest and the rolling plains in front of Hyrule Castle.

"Hey, bud. What took you so long?"

Twilight looked sadly at Link. He had no idea, did he? That the end of the world was closing in, that he was the only one who could stop it, and that he wasn't strong enough yet? Link was still so young, just as Twilight had been. None of his incarnations would ever have a moment's rest, would they? At least once, couldn't he live a peaceful life? Although that was the doom of the chosen hero. While he would be praised as the savior of the kingdom, even the savior of the world in certain occasions, he would never know comfort, never know rest. And everyone expected the best of them, expected them to be stronger than the rest, even when at their weakest. In some ways, it wasn't fair. Yet it was their destiny, and destiny isn't something to be avoided.

"We should keep going." Zelda's voice echoed slightly around the curved walls of the chamber. In the firelight, her green eyes shone brighter, her blonde hair became almost golden. She looked so familiar… Twilight had certainly seen her before. Stunningly similar to her ancestor. He was still surprised that Link couldn't recognize her

The group travelled in silence down the passage, towards the docks. Twilight glanced inside. There were only two guards, who were immersed in a game of poker. Link crouched down next to Twilight, motioning for Zelda to do the same.

"There's a passage that way. Let's go." Zelda gestured towards a corridor on the second floor. Sneaking by the guards was easy enough, ad Twilight could tell by the stench that they were both drunk. The guards back at home were a lot different. More rigid, and more numerous. They wouldn't have made it two steps inside the castle without being apprehended, which probably wasn't a bad thing. It meant that they didn't have to worry about any monsters making their way inside the castle. Well, except for Zant. And he's from the Twilight realm, so that doesn't count, thought Twilight as he silently padded down the corridor.

The group snuck their way through the hallway, finally coming to the end. Link groaned in anger, seeing a large metal wall blocking their path. It appeared to be the end of the hallway.

"Oh, come on! We need to get inside the castle, not run into a dead end."

Zelda laughed slightly, and she took the Slate off of her waist and held it up.

"You should touch up on your history. These tunnels aren't dead ends, they're passages." Twilight saw her swiping through runes, finally selecting magnesis. He had seen the Hero of the Wild do this once, getting into the castle library via the passages. Of course, it wasn't that simple back then. A horde of lizalfos had made it into the library, and Wild had fought dozens before finally being able to explore.

The castle was so different without Ganon's presence. Bright torches cast a merry glow over the tunnels, people roamed the halls rather than bloodthirsty monsters, and the majority of the palace was actually accessible now. Without malice covering the floors, or entire hallways caved in, Twilight realized how large the castle really was. There was so much to explore when the time was right. But for now, he had to accomplish his mission.

Zelda opened the passage, sending the false bookshelf tumbling into the room. It made a loud noise, and all of them flinched slightly.

The library of Hyrule had been restored to its former glory, much to Twilight's delight. It really was beautiful without all of the broken structures and books strewn about the floors. Zelda would have loved this plethora of knowledge. He imagined her sitting at the table, immersed in one of her books. With a pang, he realized how much he really missed her… how much he really missed home.

"You like it here, bud?" Link had noticed Twilight staring around in wonder and knelt down to scratch his ears.

I do. It's beautiful.

"You mind staying on guard duty?"

Twilight nodded, and made his way over to one of the doorways, sitting there attentively. He glanced out the window at the darkening sky. A storm was brewing in the distance. How long until it hit the castle?

And how long… how long until the real storm arrived? How long until the return of Ganon?

-]I[-

Zelda anxiously wandered around the library, grabbing any books with the mention of the name "Ganon," the Master Sword, even books on the Goddess Hylia. Link was at the other section of the library, picking up books of his own.

There wasn't any evidence of the Sword's location. Only notes on the Lost Woods, even a mention of the Temple of Time. As for Hylia, there were a lot of history books, but nothing about her powers. Nothing about her descendents.

Nothing about Zelda.

Link didn't look like he was having any better luck. A pile of books lay next to him, steadily growing as he flipped through more pages and angrily discarded them.

Zelda glanced over the pages, and remembered what Hylia had told her. Awaken the Golden Goddesses. Nayru, Din, and Farore were also written into Hyrule's history, and she'd seen several mentions of them in the books.

The Golden Goddesses… didn't they draw their power from magic springs or something? Zelda remembered hearing about them, the Springs of Courage, Wisdom, and Power. Perhaps… if she were to journey there, just as her ancestor did before her, another piece of the puzzle would fall into place. It was worth a shot.

Well, that was one lead. It still didn't solve the problem of the Master Sword being missing. And Link still hadn't found anything. Zelda noticed him subtly flipping through cookbooks. Evidently he'd given up on trying to find information.

"Hey, are you looking for something?" A small girl with blonde hair walked up to the two of them. "Anything at all?"

What a peculiar appearance. Her blonde hair was curled up above her head, all but defying gravity. Her clothes looked like they belonged on a pirate, not on… whoever she was. Her presence was oddly familiar, although Zelda couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Zelda stared at the girl, trying to recall where she had seen her before.

"I'm Tetra. Now, what are you looking for? I may be more help than you think."

Link groaned in frustration. "Might as well ask you. Know anything about the Master Sword?"

Tetra smirked. "Do I? Last person to have it was King Link. Hid it away somewhere, nobody knows where."

Zelda looked at her smug expression. "Can you help us or not?"

Tetra rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'm not going to hold your hand through everything. Look, Link was the king of Hyrule at some point. So he hid the Sword, but he must have left some information behind, right?"

Zelda gasped. "I am stupid. Of course that's where it would be!"

Link looked at her in confusion. "Where what would be? I'll be honest, I'm not sure where this is going…"

Zelda stood up, running over towards the bookshelves. "Link… not you, the other one… was once the King. He married Zelda, bringing him into the bloodline. So he'd inherit anything in the castle that once belonged to the King…"

"I don't follow."

"That includes the King's study. I remember hearing that it's somewhere in the library, hidden behind the bookshelves. If Link had put any information on the whereabouts of the Sword, it would be in his study."

Link jumped up as well, scanning the bookshelves. "So how do we get in?"

"Well, think. How did you get into the library?" Tetra called sarcastically.

Zelda grabbed the Slate again, selecting magnesis and glancing around the library. She finally pulled a bookshelf out of the wall, revealing a small, dusty room behind it. Link walked up behind her, pausing when he reached her side. The two of them stared into the tunnel together. Were they really this close? Maybe the Sword was in there, and all they had to do was make it in.

Zelda turned back to thank Tetra, but the young girl had vanished without a trace. Odd.

"Well, there isn't a moment to lose." Zelda stepped into the room. Beautiful red tapestries adorned the walls, a worn carpet was spread across the floor, and a table and chairs were located on the other side.

There was no sign of the Sword, but there was something else. Walking over to the table, Zelda picked up an old journal with yellowing pages. It was a personal account, of King Link of Hyrule.

Zelda picked up the book, careful not to rip any pages. She glanced at the other materials on the table. A plate and cup… how long had those been there? A traveler's sword, a few simple arrows. A picture with a dirty frame. Zelda rubbed her hands along the dust, revealing a stunningly lifelike portrait of Queen Zelda and King Link. The two of them stood in front of the castle, in a field of blooming flowers. Both of them wore smiles on their faces, gazing into each other's eyes.

As she stared at the picture, Zelda realized that she wanted this. She wanted this happiness. Wanted to live out the rest of her life with someone who she loved more than life itself. Was that really too much to want?

Link was staring at the photograph too. He had a strange expression on his face, a sort of melancholy happiness. Zelda realized that he, too, must want this… or at least something similar to this.

A loud barking shattered the serenity of the quiet study. Twilight. Something was clearly wrong. Zelda and Link rushed out of the room into the library. Twilight was nowhere to be seen, but his barks and growls could be heard from a corridor on the second floor. The two of them rushed up the stairs, following the sound of the barking. Was Twilight in danger? Surely he could fend for himself… right? Zelda noticed something silver in Link's hand; he had grabbed the sword off the table.

They stumbled upon Twilight, who was fighting off a guard. It was clear that Twilight wasn't fighting to kill, he was merely aiming to incapacitate the soldier. Link ran to Twilight's side, in a protective stance. Together, they charged the poor guard, finally knocking him out with a swift blow to the head.

Zelda grabbed Link's hand in her own and led the way through the castle, taking him through several twists and turns. Their best hope was the Observatory. After all, hardly anyone except for her visited it anymore. Not to mention it was a good escape point. Maybe, just maybe, they could climb out, jump into the moat, and escape before the guard woke up. It was a stretch, but it was better than going to the areas more populated with soldiers and knights.

They finally arrived, panting, in the Observatory. Zelda slammed the door shut behind them, locking it. She turned back to Link, who had turned ghost pale. Zelda followed his gaze, up to the second level of the Observatory.

She was staring into the eyes of her father.

Oh. My. Gosh. I am really sorry, this took way longer to write than I intended. I've had wayyy too much schoolwork, and a really bad case of writer's block. I admit that I've been gone far too long, much to my disappointment.

Anyway, I should respond to my reviews. Ai Star… welp, looks like they got caught. More trouble to come, so keep reading. Bladeofthebookworms, your having a bad feeling about this was correct. Looks like it was a bad idea. What will happen? I'm not telling, that's for sure. Oracle, so do I, just post-game.

Have a lovely day, and I'll update again soon! Hopefully sooner than last time…