The send off that afternoon was fast and to the point. Hyrule's ranks were assembled in the town square, ready to march out on the long dirt road to the west. It would be a difficult journey lasting over a week. Zelda's father met her in the middle of the square, where a ceremony was performed, transferring power to her. She was handed the scepter, the crown placed on her head. There it would remain until his return. Zelda gave her father a peck on the cheek and whispered, "Please, be careful. Return to us unscathed. I shall pray to the Goddess Din for your safe return." To this the King replied, "Rule justly, wisely, be faithful, and all shall be well. Look ever to Nayru for wisdom and guidance." He then turned and walked to his horse, flanked by his highest ranking generals. Together, they mounted, turned about, and began the march out of the castle walls. Countless suits of armor clinked, feet shuffled, and women cried as they marched off to make war. Zelda watched them go, emptyness filling her, a void of numbness which drove any words from her mind. The great drawbridge closed, slowly, and the King and his army were gone. The crowd of villagers dispersed, and everyone went haltingly about their business, murmering of what may come. The Princess stepped down from the platform and made her way out of the townsquare.
As she walked through the halls of the castle, Impa joined her. "My lady, that young man is waiting for you. Did you not request that he dine with you?" Zelda bit her lower lip and replied, "Tell him I must regretfully cancel. I will see him tomorrow, for dinner." Impa nodded and went to deliver the message. All vestige of Zelda's appetite had evaporated. The King had been gone not a half an hour and she could feel the difference. She felt as though her support was gone, and she was left to hobble unaided. A sigh escaped though her lips. She had not expected to feel this upset. Slowly, she climbed the stairs to her room. Rest was what she needed. A nap, perhaps. Zelda threw herself upon the bed immediately, and fell into a deep, restless sleep. She is gliding down the castle stairs, out of her room. The floor is liquid beneath her feet and things pass in a blur. Suddenly, she is in the dining hall. A young man with blonde hair is standing before the fireplace, framed by a blazing, golden glow. His figure is dark against the light. He turns slightly, and she calls out to him. A look of glee crosses his face as he turns about all the way. She runs to him. He calls out to her, "Catherine!" Another voice comes from behind her, and another woman runs past. The young man goes to her, and kisses her. She is frozen, unable to move, unable to blink. Slowly, she begins to fade as the room grows dark.
Zelda awoke from her dream with a start. The storm from the previous day had returned. Sheets of rain pounded down on the stone castle roof. The din was almost unbearable. Zelda sat on the edge of the massive, royal bed, clutching her chest. Her heart was racing as if it were trying to run away. Why had she dreamed of Link and Catherine together? The thought made her feel jealous, and she hated to feel that way, especially about her closest friend. Zelda had known Catherine since they were children, back when they were of the age where it didn't matter whether a person were servant or master. They were too young to see the lines drawn by class. Oftentimes, they had shirked their responsibilities to play with Zelda's vast doll collection in her private playroom. They had spent many good times together. I hope she is doing better. I don't know what I would do without her around, she thought. Zelda rose from her bed and walked to the window, watching the storm outside as she had the other night. The war was ever in the back of her mind. Fear had nestled itself inside of her, a sleeping sort of dread that she didn't want to be awakened. As she gazed out over the landscape beyond her tower, she could almost see an imaginary army marching across the plain, ready to invade her home. Zelda's thoughts were interrupted by someone pounding on her door. Impa burst inside, clearly in a panic. "My lady, you must come immediately!" she cried. "What is it?" asked Zelda. "It's Catherine, something is terribly wrong! We must go, now!" Impa turned and began to run down the stairs. Zelda hurried after the agile nursemaid, skirts hiked up to her knees as they sprinted down the halls. They whipped past servants, knocked over a gaurd without flinching, and finally skidded to a stop in front of the infirmary. Screams and cries could be heard through the doors. Zelda threw them open and ran to Catherine's bedside, paying no heed to the protests of the women in white. Catherine convulsed in pain, her eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming down her cheeks. "NO! NO!" she screamed. Four women held her arms and legs, attempting to keep Catherine from injuring herself. "Get the priest of Nayru!" Zelda hollered. One of the women in white hurried out of the room to find him. Catherine's shrieks of horror continued. "PLEASE! DON'T HURT ME! NO! GET AWAY! NO!" Zelda leaned over the girl and yelled to her, "Catherine! You're having a dream, please, wake up! Catherine!" It was to no avail. Zelda could not stand to see her suffer and went over to the doorway, tears in her eyes. She felt helpless. There was nothing that she could do. Oh please, Nayru, make it stop! Cease her suffering! she prayed. As the Goddesses had answered her prayer, there was sudden silence.
The princess turned about and hurried over to the bed. Catherine lie still as death, her eyes closed, body limp. Zelda held her breath and leaned in, hoping to hear or see some sign of life. Slowly, she drew closer and closer, until their noses almost touched. Catherine's eyes flew open, and she gasped for air, reaching up, grabbing Zelda by the collar. Her eyes were filled with utter and absolute terror. "He-- he's coming!" she gasped, and fell against the mattress -- dead. The Princess fell to her knees and shuddered, as a strangled wail escaped from her throat. A stir erupted from the people in the room, and thunder broke outside. Impa noticed the storm worsen, and took this for an omen. She helped the Princess to her feet, and rushed her out of the room. They were just outside of the double doors when Link came running down the hall with a woman in white and the priest of Nayru. He saw the look on Zelda's face. "What happened?!" he demanded. Zelda stared at him and burst into tears. "What happened?!" he shouted. Zelda collected her breath between sobs and cried, "She's dead! Gone!" Link said nothing in return. It were as if he had turned to stone at her words. The Princess didn't care. Her best friend was gone and there was nothing that she could do about it. There was nothing he could do about it either, no matter what Catherine had meant to him. She shoved past Link, almost knocking him over, and ran out into the castle's middle courtyard. The rain poured down on her in torrents, soaking her to the bone, almost in an instant. She looked up to the sky and cried, wanting to curse at something or someone, but had nothing to curse. "Oh why?" she whispered, and went to her knees. The mud soaked up around her expensive dress, ruining the fabric, but she didn't care. It didn't matter. Catherine would not be coming back, and what was she to do about that? She had just seen her die, and it was too much for her to handle. "Oh Farore..." she cried. "Oh please, give me courage." Sobs racked over her body, as she shivered in the mud. Alone, she was completely alone.
Impa stood in the doorway to the courtyard and watched the Princess crying in the mud, and wasn't sure what to do. It seemed best to leave her be, but she would catch cold if she stayed too long. Impa turned and looked in the direction of Link, who was still standing in the hallway. Something was wrong, very wrong. Catherine had not died by accident. She could sense something within the princess and the forest man. Something ominous. A dark power was at work here. Yet, she was powerless to determine exactly who or what it was. With a sigh, she put her deeper worries aside, and set her mind on attending to the Princess. Impa walked over to Zelda, took her gently by the arm, and led her back into the castle. The girl leaned on her heavily, still sobbing. "It's all right," Impa said. "I'm sure a dry change of clothes and a bath will help. Come, my lady." As they made their way down the hall, Impa noticed that Link watched them go, pain and even... longing in his eyes.
