The Great Sea, between South and East Hyrule

The fleet of ships bearing the colors of the Royal Family of Hyrule sailed the uncomfortably waters separating South and East Hyrule. At its lead was the Linebeck, at its helm Admiral Linebeck. Standing tall in his long blue jacket, the admiral straightened the red handkerchief around his neck, the blue vest under his jacket, and slicked back his messy brown hair. He tried a different pose, holding the wheel like the proud captain he is, steering his ship into glorious battle in the night.

That's what he wished. Ever since Clock Town, and his heroics in commanding the Hylian fleet that hide in the Phantom Isle for years in wait for their moment, Linebeck wished for glory. But the seas were quiet, and for being in Imperial-held territory, it was maddening. Worse, the fleet was only half the size that left Clock Town days ago, the other half traveling the long way to Darunia while his group takes the southern path around East Hyrule. The High General Auru and General Error went with the other fleet commanded by Admiral Tetra, leaving Linebeck with General Bagu and the Hero Link. Or General Link, as he was to be called now.

The old hero, as he was known, but his instincts were still fresh. "Admiral, you feel this...unease, right?"

The admiral faced the man to his right, his face solemn. "These sea legs don't get around not feeling what the water does and doesn't show. Here, I feel your trouble. The wind doesn't whisper, the wildlife is dead, and the water itself...it warns us. And that is what's scary; I don't see anything to fear. The path is clear, no enemy ships in sight, but that is probably what scares me most. We are in Imperial waters...and there are no Imperials."

Both men watches as Bagu stepped up to the quarterdeck, crossing his arms as he stood on Linebeck's left side. "Auru and Error reports a similar situation. Either we have a peace before the storm, the Imperials don't know we're in their seas-"

"Or it is a trap." Linebeck rubbed his head, the situation making him more tense. "Sirs, we are two days out from our destination, King's Tomb. Auru is a week from Darunia. None is this is right. I have the safety of hundreds of men and women on me mind now. I like battle, but I am no fool. I will consider the bigger picture than immediate glory."

Link raised an eyebrow. "What happened to Linebeck? This guy has morality."

Linebeck smiled weakly. "I have my second love, the seas. The Imperials cannot take that from me. But they took my first, and replaced it with morality."

"Jolene…"

The admiral nodded. "We all lost something in those days. We beat Ganon twice, but we were young still, still ourselves. We lose to an interloper, and we change ourselves. We changed because we lost a queen, a king, a hero, knights, friends, family...honor. None of us who survived and fight today are the same."


Death Valley, East Hyrule

"Why are they still chasing us?" Ravio cried as he pushed his horse to go even faster. Link was right behind him, running out of arrows to shoot at the ghostly Poes. Most times, they were in a incorporeal form, but once they used their lanterns to attack (as the boys were surprised to see) they had a momentary tangible form. As Link discovered, they could be defeated in the time lapse they were solid.

But even then, the Poes had numbers and unlimited ammunition. Ravio suggesting they run for Death Valley was probably his bravest decision, considering that the valley was renowned for...death. Only Shade himself came to the valley and left it alive, though it wasn't a clean achievement. Even the Hero of Hyrule barely made it on the path alive.

It was nearly half an hour since they escaped the town (literally running back to their horses then riding on the outside of the ghost town) before Ravio could see the path leading to Death Valley. At the peak of the mountainous region hailed the deadly Great Palace. Lorule's knight couldn't believe him actually wanted to go there now. Turning around, he could see Link straddling behind, focused on keeping the Poes at bay. "By the goddesses…" He knew Link needed to be the one to make it to Death Valley, but if he kept concentrating on the Poes, the Hero would be ill-equipped for the danger. He knew what he had to do, although he would regret it later. "Damn you, Mr. Hero. Damn you." He stopped his horse, turning to face the incoming monstrosities, tinkering in his pouch for the appropriate for the job. Meanwhile he watched Link and Spryte ride up to him.

"Ravio?"

Hilda wouldn't believe I am about to be altruistic. "Link, keep going! I'll hold them back. You gotta get to the palace. Just… Just get there!" Link nodded, pushing right passed Ravio. Ravio watched Link fade into the mountain pass, then faced forward to the Poe ensemble. Dozens of the apparitions hovered above him, preying upon the lone Lorulean for the kill. He gulped as he thought of words to say to the ghosts, whether or not they could understand. "P-P-Poes… I am Ravio Sheerow, s-s-sworn protector of the Princess of Hy-Lorule! Go back to Kasuto Town, or…..face….your….demise…...atmyhands!" Hilda is better with the threats...

What happened next shook Ravio at his very core. The Poes glanced at each out, then as one began to laugh at the Lorulean. They pointed their ghostly arms, held their clownish masks, and buckled over their non-existent stomachs. Ravio was being mocked by the restless dead...and it snapped something within him.

When he was a kid, Ravio was always ridiculed for his size, his love for birds, his carefreeness, but most of all, his cowardliness. It happened in his village, at school, at the knight's academy, even within the castle walls. His hometown laughed when he announced that he would join the knights. His fellow knights laughed when he said he apply for the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard laughed when King Yuga made him Hilda's knight.

Princess Hilda never laughed at Ravio. She always believed in him, from the appointment three years ago, during Lorule's fall a few months later, and at this moment. Right now, he has Link's belief to protect him until the Hero gets to the Great Palace...and Ravio will do his damn job.

Raising the bunny hood, Ravio shouted over the chorus of laughter, ""Poes! I am Ravio Sheerow, sworn protector of the Princess of Lorule! Go back to Kasuto Town, or face your demise at my hands!" They stopped laughing, turning again to each other in silent counsel. Then they all flew towards one another, Ravio watching in awe and confusion as the ghosts flew into one another, forming a giant transparent ball. That ball formed into limbs, then a masked head popped up from it. The right hand summoned a lantern, the flames within burning ferociously. The giant Poe roared as it hovered above Ravio, the knight himself frozen in place.

"Did not see that coming…" He looked back to the trail to Death Mountain, barely able to make out the lone green human on horseback. Weighing his options of retreat (he had no plans to fight the large Poe head on unless forced) he looked to the north, seeing an opening in the many mountains surrounding the plains Ravio was in. He didn't know where it would take him, but it would be away from Link.


Within Midoro Palace

The ride down the lift to the interior of Midoro Palace finally came to an end. Zelda stepped out as soon as the doors opened, followed closely by Midna. The interior of the palace was exactly the same as the exterior, with the added effect of emptiness. Not a single monster greeted them, neither Imperial, rogue, or anything like the beasts that haunted them just outside. But there was signs that the palace was recently deserted, and in fact, was under control of the Imperials in some shape or form. But not as a base, per se.

It was Zelda and her curiosity that pushed her deeper into the lair, her companion trailing uncomfortable behind. The blond girl took herself up the stairs at the end of the chamber, aware of the many other items of interest in the room she occupied, but it was Midna who took them to note. Various devices of torture laid across the room, chains and wooden boards broken or shattered, and two cells, one on each side of the staircase, filled with blood and bodies of the dead. Zelda paused midway on the staircase, looking into the cells. "They're all women. Dead, but not for very barely show decomposition. Given the state of this room, and possibly the others, I'll say this place was deserted maybe for a few weeks."

"This was a torture room. But you say only women are in the cells? No men or children?"

"There could be other cells. But if this is the only one, I'll say our former resident had...need of the prisoners."

"One that could have been satisfied by you." Midna froze in place, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to clear her mind. The palace was playing a trick on her, that's all. She was hearing the voice of her deceased brother. It was just the atmosphere.

"All poor Hylians. Who could have...Wait, a Gerudo?" Midna snapped to attention and floated to Zelda's side. In the left cell was a dark-skinned female, that of the Gerudo variety. She sat in a corner, a sword stuck in her abdomen, hand on the hilt. She had killed herself, either before the desertion or afterwards. But what caught Midna's eye was that the girl was dressed in all red, and she knew who this Gerudo was.

"Oh no...Aveil."

"Ah, my favorite. Such a fighter. That's what she always said, but in my mind, it was always the opposite."

"You know her?"

"Ganondorf did. She was...his betrothed. Imperials attacked his hometown of Nabooru five years ago, and he thought himself to be the only survivor. Seems that wasn't the case."

"If only she had a little more in her, she could've met her king again. But you had to steal his heart… As he stole your heart from me."

"Poor girl." Zelda turned around, looking into the area seen only from the top of the staircase. It was a sandy pit, with a huge beast dead in the center. It was a decaying King Dodongo, different than that of the one Zelda had faced in the Moon, with golden scales instead of brown and with red ruby-like spikes sticking out. It took the Princess of Hyrule no time to figure out what the beast was for. She turned around, heading down the stairs. "Midna… Let's get out of here."

Midna made a final prayer for the deceased, then followed behind Zelda. "Agreed."

"That makes three. Come to the bottommost part of my palace. I await you, my sister."


Outside Midoro Palace

"KAAARGH!" Two down. Two to go. Hilda removed her staff from the dead beast, twirling it as she turned to face the final two. The fight had progressed longer than the Lorulean royal would have liked, but nevertheless, she stood her ground. One corpse was impaled, the other laid with a smoking wound in its chest from a blast of fire magic. The other two were wounded, but still in the fight.

"So boys, are we going to stare at each other or are you two going to fight? Either way works for me." As long as Zelda does her part. The beasts took the taunt, coming after Hilda one after the other. She summoned a blast of wind, vaulting herself over her opponents, and threw her down at the second beast as she came down. It was impaled, and fell limp as Hilda landed beside it, removing her staff. Wasting no time, she charged for the final beast.

"AWOOOOOOOOOO!" The ear-piercing screech rendered Hilda motionless, dropping to her knees as she covered her ears. The sound continued to ring after it was over, allowing her to regain her balance, but her opportunity to end the fight was squandered. The cry wasn't just a tactical move to stop Hilda; it allowed the dark beast to resurrect his friends. And Hilda was surrounded on all sides. Cursing herself, she quickly attempted to formulate an attack.

What to do? What to do… What would Ravio do? She recounted Ravio's tale of his fight against the beasts in Lorule (when the Imperials attacked there). She remembered him experiencing a similar fight as her, the last beast crying out to bring back the others. But how he took care of them...was by attacking them all at once, or killing more than one beast in a single attack.

Given her position, Hilda made her move. "Da mihi virtutem luce adesse certamen!" A soft yellow glow emanated from the scepter, and Hilda challenged the monsters to come. They all charged, coming in at Hilda with incredible speed, but the former princess was faster. She launched herself in the air again, throwing her staff at her former position, now crowded by the beasts. Closing her eyes, Hilda shouted "Lux," igniting a bright glow in the area. The dark beasts were instantly eradicated, leaving nothing left besides their echoing cries. As Hilda landed and the light subsided, the princess opened her eyes, making sure all four beasts were gone. But now, as she could hear in the distant areas of the swamp, that was now the least of her troubles.

She had woken the denizens of the swamps, and they knew where to go. Hurry up, Zelda and Midna.


New Kasuto Town, East Hyrule

"Sir, you have a visitor." The guard stood in the doorway of a bare wooden room, save for the large circular brown rug that donned the white symbol of the Sheikah race and the person who sat upon it. The lone figure sat criss-crossed in his tight-fitting jumpsuit, his short, golden hair and his calm face free of the scarf and cap that usually covered his head. Opening his eyes, the man sighed, but didn't stand. "Who is it, Dorian? Is it the Imperial King again? The Queen? One of the Generals?"

Dorian shook his head. "No sir… It is she. That she."

Now you return...but for what? The man nodded his head, silently telling his guard to allow his visitor to enter. The guard stepped inside, and in walked Impa. She entered without caring for the newly tense atmosphere she had created, but paid her respect to the leader of the Sheikah by bowing before him as he stood up. He narrowed his eyes, facing Impa as if she was a deserter. In his mind, she was one. "What brings you to New Kasuto, Impa?"

"Surely you have caught up with recent events? If so, you know why I am here?"

"Yes, I know of the war between the Resistance and the Imperials. I also know you aren't here about that. So I ask again Impa, why are you here?"

Impa noted that the leader hadn't changed much in the years since they last saw each other. Still sharp and inquisitive. That's why you hold my place. "Fine. I seek the Sage's Medallions. I have need of them."

"You seek this?" The man reached under his shirt to reveal a purple medallion, encrusted with an upside-down triangle and a dot at each side of it. His eye glimmered at the sight of Impa's obvious battle to reach for the medallion, given that, at one time, it was hers to wear. It was her mother's, and her mother's mother's. It belonged to the leader of the Sheikah Clan… Her birthright as daughter of Impaz. A birthright she forsaken the day she chose to keep her promise to Queen Zelda, to protect her daughter, and make way for South Hyrule. But in keeping a promise she made to someone she deemed her sister, she broke many other promises.

"I do."

The man pulled the medallion back. "Why? What reasons could you have that would allow me to give away possibly the last medallion in non-Imperial hands?"

"The Sage of Water is with us. And I have appointed a new Sage of Shadow, so it is her right to carry the trinket. The next generation of Sages will need theirs. It is only right they have what's…" The man's full sentence caught up to Impa. She dropped her arms, clenching her fists. "The Imperials have the others?"

"Yes. As far as I now know, Water and Shadow are the only ones not taken by them. You are the last living Sage of our time." The man turned away, his head downcasted. "A lot of things happened 8 years ago, long after you left New Kasuto with the girl."

Impa stepped closer to the man, reaching for his shoulder. "Watashi no ai, tell me what happened?"

The man cut his eyes at Impa, using the little height he has over her. "You think, after all these years, you get to call me that?"

Impa nodded. "I do. Even though I made the decision to leave, it was a hard one to make. I had to choose between my best friends' daughter and the duty given to me as daughter to the elder and as your wife, Sheik. But Zelda is grown, and she can protect herself better than I can. When she can't, she has her own Link to fight for her. But I have still have a role to play in her trials. These medallions, she will need them once she goes there-"

Sheik interrupted. "To get the Triforce. Impa, that's other Sages and I… We tried that once."

"And?"

"We never made it through with that plan. The king, he found out before we acted. Imperials razed Rauru Town, and killed Rauru. Next was Darunia Town, which was spared but Darunia himself was executed "with flair." Saria…executed. Nabooru went out the same way like Rauru, and so did the yellow-eyed Gerudo. Ruto escaped to Lake Hylia in South Hyrule, but from what I hear, Octoroks devastated the Zora Domain there a month ago. Then there was Ordon and you, but you live. I have protected this medallion ever since you left, and it is a heavy burden. But... if there is a new Water Sage and Shadow Sage, that means the time is coming for what we failed to be done once again, with a Hero and Princess at their side. You have four more Sages to find…" Sheik sighed, pulling the Shadow Medallion from his neck and handing it to Impa. The former Sage of Shadow took it, and began to recess from the room. "Oh, Impa."

"Yes?"

"...Be careful. The Imperials aren't the only darkness in this world."

"Then I guess I have more reason to return then."