The morning air was crisp and cool, frost glistening on every surface. Though the sky was still dark and the forest almost black, Link – now called Courage – knew the sun was up and simply hidden by the mountains to the east. It would be at least another hour before the sky lit up, and another hour beyond that for the light to penetrate the towering trees. Still, their party needed to set out.

The night before had been an interesting one, to say the least. Setting aside the strange revelation that he now traveled with eight other variations of himself, the discussion on why they were brought together, how they ended up here, and what exactly was happening was plenty for his mind to chew on. Despite all their theories, they had only been able to determine one thing: someone must be in danger, and a lot of it. The rest, Time had said, they couldn't figure out without more information. It was agreed they would head to Castle Town – hopefully to speak with the Royal Family – and that they would break camp as early as possible the next morning.

Courage took another breath, enjoying the near-silence of the sleeping woods for a moment longer. I'll have to wake them. We can't afford to wait for true daylight. He stood and looked to the fire where Light sat. They had kept it going for the sake of their islander, who couldn't manage to keep warm without it. Wind was curled up in three borrowed blankets not a foot from the firepit and still shivering. Courage had done plenty of travel and was very used to acclimatizing quickly, but to live your whole life on a warm, tropical ocean and then be dropped in the middle of a pine forest at the start of winter? That would test even his abilities.

"It's time, then?" Light asked softly.

"From the looks of it," Courage replied, then gestured to the quivering bundle, "Wake him last, though. I doubt he's had enough rest in this cold."

Light nodded and stood, making his way to the next-closest bedroll. Courage knelt next to Wild and put a hand to his sword before nudging the man gently.

Just as he expected, Wild jolted awake and drew his sword halfway before realizing who was there. Courage smiled. I suppose we all have that in common. He motioned for Wild to sheath his sword and to try to stay quiet, nodding his head in the direction of Wind. Wild nodded in return, calming his pant and setting to preparing breakfast.

The others awoke in a similar way. Most started to draw swords and rose with a burst of adrenaline. Light almost had an ear taken off when he nudged Twilight, for which Twilight apologized profusely. Courage approached Legend with that reaction in mind, but to his surprise Legend didn't stir after a first, second, or third nudge. It wasn't until Wild sprinkled some pine needles over his face that the man showed signs of life, and those signs were… quite unenthusiastic.

Once Legend was awake and no longer on the verge of violence, they set to breaking camp. Light and Courage were already fully equipped, having been on watch, and most of the others only had to strap on their weapons. Time and Warriors, however, had opted not to sleep in their armor. The time it took Warriors to don his pauldron and Time his plated cuirass allowed for Wild to roast some of the frozen boar, which, when Wind awoke, he found he desperately needed.

"I c-can't believe how w-well this is warming me up," he chattered from inside his blanket cocoon.

"Pink safflina does that," Wild stated through a mouthful, "as do sunshrooms, if you cook them. Handy in a pinch."

"These will help, too." Light held out a pair of boots. Wind dropped his breakfast and shoved them onto his feet.

"Ohhhh man that's so much better," he sighed, flopping back on the forest floor.

"I'll need them back eventually," Light intoned. "You can probably get your own when we get to Lehara."

At that Wind heaved himself back into a sitting position, shoved the rest of the boar steak into his mouth, and leapt to his feet. "Weshl ngu bem!" In one motion he had his gear off the ground and on his back, and without another word was headed down the road. The other Links exchanged surprised looks and hastened to get going themselves. Courage quickly rolled up the abandoned blanket nest and stowed it in his enchanted pouch, jogging to catch up with his lobster-shirted friend.

Courage had expected the journey to be less quiet than it had been with only five of them, but he was soon proven wrong. While Legend's occasional cursing was joined by Wind humming here and there, no one said a word. Rather than tense, though, it seemed peaceful. I suppose, Courage thought, we all have likely spent a fair amount of time alone.

Courage's mind drifted to his time in the labyrinths. He'd been so young then. How old had he been? Could he even remember? Maybe somewhere around thirteen, fourteen? That time was so foggy. Even if he had known how old he was when he encountered Impa, the ancient underground of Hyrule didn't show the passage of time. Devoid of light, warmth, and populated only by monsters, the months he spent there – or perhaps years; he did not know – had left him without a lot to say. When your candle went out and all you could do was feel your way along the walls, silence was survival.

More than that, silence was security. In the dankness of a decrepit dungeon, it gave him comfort to hear all that was going on in a room. To know with a surety that nothing could sneak up on him. To always have the upper hand. Silence gave him that. In silence there were no surprises, and when surprises included blades to the gut, it was better that you didn't encounter any. Whether or not the other Links shared his reasoning for keeping silent, he had no doubt that they had their own.

The walk went rather quickly, for being so quiet. Midday came and warmed their skin as they paused to pass out some of the deer jerky, then passed quickly into dusk as they came up on the town. The forest gave way into outlying farms leading up to a mess of buildings set on a large river. Lehara was less of a town and more of a small city, having a small watchtower where the country road turned into cobble. Courage hadn't seen many settlements of this size, and looking at the complicated streets as they entered made something in the back of his stomach twist uncomfortably. It made him uneasy, being only able to see where the town began and not where it ended. Too much potential for surprises.

"Courage?"

Courage gave a start and turned to Time. "Hm? What?"

"He asked if you were alright," Legend sighed, tilting his head. "'Courage' is seeming less and less like a fitting name. You look like you could be sick."

Courage gave him a short glare and turned to answer Time. "I'm fine. Just have a bad feeling is all."

Time nodded. "Let's find an inn quickly. A heavily armed group of our size is sure to draw attention."

"I need my own boots, still," Wind piped up. He kicked the toe of one foot into the ground and looked sheepishly at Light. "They're, uh, a bit small."

"All the more reason to find an inn," Warriors put in, stretching his arms over his head. "The innkeeper – if he's worth his salt – can tell us where the best cobbler is."

The group set off into the town at a quick pace. The streets were nearly empty, with only a few stragglers rushing about their last-minute errands. Courage noticed suspicious glances being cast out from under the awnings of roadside stalls and windows that quickly slid shut. The feeling of mistrust wasn't new to him – in his time the people were necessarily suspicious of everyone – but feeling it on this scale was something else. I guess I am traveling with some pretty conspicuous partners. He generally didn't wear much chainmail and blended in well with any crowd of travelers; Time's full suit of armor, however, did not.

"Mommy," a little boy squealed, clutching his mother's apron, "Is that man a soldier?"

The boy's mother patted his head and glanced warily at the group. "I'm not sure, sweetie, but it's rude to point like that. Come along."

Time chuckled as the woman scurried away, herding her son along in front of her. "I forget how extravagant this armor is."

Warriors raised an eyebrow. "Is that not your usual garb?"

"I wouldn't say that it is," Time replied, examining the back of his gauntlet. "I've certainly used this equipment before, but not often, and not for a very long time." He laughed. "I suppose, though, that even if I were dressed more plainly, your fine tunic and pauldron would still draw the same attention."

Warriors chuckled. "You're right, but in my case that's what they're meant to do."

"Over there!" Twilight rushed to the front of the group, pointing down the street. Courage quickly found what he was looking at – a carved hanging sign of a gluttonous cyclops with the name "The Drunken Hinox" embellished in tarnished silver underneath. On the street below was a barrel with a plank leaning against it that read "Lodgings Available" in a messy scrawl. The Links exchanged nods and pushed open the door.

The bottom floor – as expected – was a tavern of sorts. Considerably larger than the one at Beaverville, the spacious room held a dozen tables and had a small stage on the opposite wall from the bar. Courage breathed a sigh of relief at seeing most of the tables full and hearing raucous singing fill the air. Their party would likely go unnoticed, even with their heavy gear. Assuming they didn't stir up any trouble, of course.

"G'devening, young masters." A short, round man with a shiny bald head and scraggly red mustache called to them from behind the bar. "Here for a drink? Finest ale in all of Hyrule is served right here!"

"Actually," Legend said, stepping up to the counter, "we're here for the 'inn' part of your fine establishment. How much is one night?"

The man looked at the party and stroked his chin. "Nine of you, eh? Well, each of my rooms only has two beds, but I suppose if you paid for four I could give you three and haul an extra mattress into each of them. That'd run you… 800 rupees?" The man ignored Legend's dumbfounded face and picked up a stein and a washcloth. "No, 850 with a ninth breakfast thrown in. I can discount you on the rooms, but my wife'll have my head if I discount her work in the kitchens."

Courage could barely believe his ears. 850 rupees? He'd never so much as seen that much money, let alone spent that much on a room. Based on the expressions the other Links bore, he wasn't alone in that. What kind of economic boom is Hyrule in right now that an inn warrants that kind of price?

Light choked out a cough before cutting in. "Sir, I'm sure this town has many other inns where we can find a better price. Surely you can cut that down a little further?"

The man smiled. "Now, son, I know what you're thinking. 'He's taking us for fools and raising the price for us 'cause we're from out of town', right?" The man knocked on the sign above the bar with the back of his fist. "I don't operate that way, young master. My prices are set right here. Lehara gets enough travelers for me to make a living without that kind of dirty work."

Courage squinted at the board, and sure enough, his prices were listed there, however faintly. 200 still seems ridiculous, especially where one night and a meal was only 70 in the next town over.

Wild laughed suddenly, startling the other Links out of their stupor. He sauntered up to the bar and leaned over it, turning his back to the rest of the tavern and blocking any strangers' view of the three, shimmering gold rupees he placed on the counter. Courage could barely believe his eyes.

"900 rupees for nine travelers in three rooms seems a fair price," Wild hummed, "wouldn't you say? "

The shock that overtook the Links was nothing compared to that which hit the barkeep. Courage nearly jumped out of his skin when the stein the man was cleaning hit the ground with a loud clatter. It wasn't loud enough to draw the attention of the whole room, but a few drunkards down the bar glanced their way. Exactly what we need.

The barkeep stammered his reply. "Y-you don't seem to have much sense for bargaining, son, I wasn't asking for that much."

Wild slid the shiny gold gems discreetly across the counter. "Oh I know, but decent people deserve decent rewards. I can't imagine it's easy to compete in a hub town like this with a policy of honesty." The longer-haired man took on a sly grin. "It's not like I'm short on cash anyhow."

The innkeeper's eyes were nearly as round as his figure now, but he took the jewels and nodded. "R-right this way, young masters…"

Wild sauntered after the man much more confidently than his awestruck fellows. Is he really that naive? Courage kept his hand on the hilt of his blade as they followed the pudgy little man out of the room. This is the second time he's flaunted something valuable within earshot of others. Doesn't he know that makes him a prime target?

"Here you are, sirs," the man said, gesturing to the three doors at the end of the first-floor corridor, "I'll have my staff bring you those cots right away." He pulled two large key rings out of his apron pocket and fingered through the heftier. With a changle he unhooked three marked keys and handed them to Wild, gave a casual salute, and waddled back to the tavern.

Wind clapped Wild on the back with a whistle. "Wow, Wild, didn't figure you carried that kind of cash on you."

Wild smiled and examined the keys with fascination. "These are high-quality keys. I sure hope he didn't give us his best rooms."

"Oh shut up," Legend growled, snatching them from his hands. "I hope to the gods he did. We'll need them with the giant, flashing 'rob me' sign you just hung on our backs!"

Wild looked taken aback. "'Rob me' sign? What?"

"He's right," Light sighed. "You really shouldn't flaunt your wealth like that."

"Flaunt?" Wild scratched his head and looked at Wind, who was equally confused. "I wasn't- I just- the man's a nice guy!"

"Unfortunately," Time added solemnly, "I don't think the innkeeper was the only one privy to our conversation."

"And even if no one else heard exactly what was going on," Twilight added, "I'm pretty certain the people down the bar picked up on the fact that something interesting happened."

Wild opened his mouth to respond, but Courage couldn't stand to let tensions rise any higher – he may agree with the others, but berating Wild now wouldn't change what happened.

"Making a scene like this isn't going to help," he cut in, passing a level stare around the circle. "We have more pressing matters than a few thieves in a random tavern. Let's just settle in for the night."

"You're right," Warriors said firmly. "We need to focus on the big picture right now."

The men shared uncomfortable looks but all hummed in agreement. Courage felt a twinge in his gut. The big picture was largely a mystery, and he still couldn't remember what had happened after he began his toast at the feast. Is she safe? Is she even alive? Dear gods please let her be alive.

Sky broke the tense silence with a change of subject. "Let's decide on rooms. That's a good place to start."

"I call Twilight!" Wind shouted excitedly. Twilight blinked in surprise.

Courage felt himself relax. She's fine. I'll take care of this mess soon enough and then I'll be back. He put a hand to the lump in his pouch and smiled. I'll be back soon, Zelda.

Wild rolled over uncomfortably on the feather cot. It was well past dark now – likely past midnight – but he still couldn't sleep. Not that taking one of the nice, plush beds would have helped; he took the cot on purpose since he knew it wouldn't matter. He hadn't slept comfortably since… since before he could remember. Sure, there had been the occasional specialty bed at an inn or spa somewhere that made it so he could at least dream something, but even that hadn't been deep or particularly restful.

He chuckled to himself. He had tried a Zora waterbed once, but if one even so much as wiggled a toe the watertight mattress would tremble and make all sorts of noise. When he had finally drifted off, he shifted his arm, startling himself awake and launching him instinctively into a leap off the bed with a screech, sword in hand. He grinned at the memory. That poor innkeeper nearly had a heart attack.

Luckily he didn't usually need much sleep, either. He hardly slept the night before in their camp and didn't feel particularly tired now either. Did he even remember what a good night's rest felt like? He couldn't recall. He'd never really wanted one anyhow. At least, not more than to see what the difference was. Was there a difference? Would he function better with more sleep?

A knot formed in his stomach and his smile faded. He ran his hand over the web of scars on his arm. Did I function better? Something tugged at the back of his mind – a gnawing feeling he couldn't place, but couldn't ignore. Impressions trickled into his consciousness. Complete blackness. Water. He was underwater. Weight on his chest. Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.

He shook his head and pulled his hand away, rolling onto his stomach and shoving both fists under his pillow to stop himself from tracing the wounds. I don't need to think about that.

That was one disadvantage of not sleeping much – it left one far too much time to think. In his opinion, though, there were far more advantages than disadvantages. You didn't absolutely need it, for instance. If you were in a rush, you didn't really have to stop for camp. You were also less likely to get caught off guard. You could be your own watch when you camped on your own, and an extra set of ears when you had companions. In general he considered it a blessing.

Sky shifted in his bed, shaking Wild from his thoughts. He listened as the man's breathing fell back into the slow rhythm of sleep. Courage lay in the other bed, his breath almost imperceptible. Wild was glad these two were the ones rooming with him. The others had all gotten so upset with him earlier. Had it really been such a big deal that they had to go and lecture him on it? He had been discreet, hadn't he? At least he wasn't actively showing it off.

He frowned. So I'm being obvious, but Time and Warriors with their expensive armor aren't? Time's pauldrons have gold inlays! And Legend's got like, thirty shiny jeweled rings on each hand. Why are they so worried about me making us a target? Honestly if any of them are half as good at swordplay as I am we really shouldn't have to worry about bandits at all.

Almost as if summoned by his thoughts, he suddenly felt a hand grab his hair and yank his head off the down pillow. He gasped as a sliver of cold metal met his throat.

"Where'zzz yer wallet?" a raspy voice slurred quietly into his ear. Wild felt a boot press down on his back as the man pulled harder, and he swallowed the cry that attempted to escape.

"C-cabinet…" Wild breathed. The man didn't seem to hear and yanked harder. Wild hissed.

"Where'z yer wallet?!" the man said louder. His breath smelled of booze and the way the knife wobbled against Wild's skin said he was very drunk, never mind the fact that he was no longer maintaining any semblance of stealth. "Tellme whereitiz! I'llzzslit yer throat!"

Wild heard feet hit the floor as the man started to scream. Courage's voice started to call out to him but the man drowned it out.

"Donnntry it, boy!" the madman shouted. "Whozzzzswordoyou think'm using, huh?" Wild felt the steel sliver into his skin just a hair as the man cackled maniacally. "Damn, kiddo, if I didn'know yer friend'ad sucha hefffty wallet I mightajustaken thizzz beaut!" He leaned into Wild's back and gave a tug. Wild couldn't stop the yelp.

Footfalls sounded in the next room and Warriors' muffled but commanding voice penetrated the wall. The bandit tensed and pressed the sword closer.

"ShhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHH!" he demanded, "Dammmmmitnow there'zzzno clean getaway. I tol- told you to be quiet!" The man removed his boot and yanked Wild to his feet, keeping the blade against his neck. If Wild weren't so preoccupied with his life hanging in the balance he might have stopped to admire Courage's jewel-encrusted blade – or the miraculous fact that the inebriated bandit hadn't slit his throat by accident already. Instead, now that he could somewhat see the dark room, he searched desperately for a solution.

His own sword was tucked under the cot on the opposite side from where Courage now stood. Courage had the sense not to go for either of their bows, which were locked safely in the cabinets with their other possessions. Even if he had a weapon, though, the drunkard had Wild safely caught as a hostage – even if the others burst into the room right this second that wouldn't free him from his grasp. He doubted he could overpower the man without getting cut in the process – any movement would drive the pristine blade edge right through skin and into his trachea. And most amazingly, how was Sky still asleep?

"Put down the sword," Courage urged calmly, "We'll give you our wallets, just let go of my friend."

"Hellllyou will!" the man jabbed back. "Gimme the cashhhfirst!"

"Easy, easy," Courage continued, inching toward the cabinets. "Give me a moment to get it."

The man quavered and wobbled slightly as Courage turned to unlock the pine cupboards, barely visible in the dark. The click of the key in the lock made the man flinch and Wild inhaled sharply as the blade jolted slightly. Courage exhaled and wrapped his hand around the brass doorknob.

Just as he moved to swing the doors open, the other Links crashed into the room holding lamps and swords. Courage jerked around and started to shout a warning and the bandit screamed at the sudden interruption. Wild felt the steel shift and he sent one final plea to the Goddess.

Everything went quiet. Time came to a halt. No pain. No hurt. Just silence.

And then, a gurgle of blood.

Wild opened his eyes slowly and registered a few drops of crimson trickling down his bare chest. The thick liquid was sticky and warm, staining his skin and scars. But, still, the pain didn't come.

Wild turned to look at the bandit and suddenly realized why. He was an ugly man, with a ratty brown beard and wild eyes. Eyes now open in horror as he choked on his own blood, coughing and bubbling more up over his lips. His sword arm lay severed on the mattress below, and through his torso was run a very familiar blade.

Sky pushed the man off the sword with a grimace, hefting it in his hand and frowning down at the dying drunkard. Even covered in blood, the sword glowed like a star. The holy light of the blade shimmered off the gem set in the deep blue hilt, which was carved in the shape of the Goddess's sacred bird. At the base of the blade was inscribed the most ancient symbol in Hyrule – three triangles stacked point to point. Only one weapon in the world had such craftsmanship.

The Master Sword.