Chapter 3: I May Look Like Me, But I'm Really My Evil Twin

Author Note: Sorry to leave you hanging. I've written this chapter twice, so I forgot that you didn't know what happens. My wordprocessor has a password protect option, and I had this chapter done, but I saved it to a password and forgot the password. Go figure. So this isn't as good as the original, so it must be pretty bad. Just a friendly warning, from yours truly.

Also, do you ever think about the lights at WalMart? If it's open 24/7, then...wait, the readers just handed me a message...:

STOP STALLING AND GET BACK TO THE STORY!

Geez. Calm down.

For a long moment, nobody said anything. Malon stared at the girl and me. I stared at my twin. She stared at me. The other guest-people walked around us.

Evil hair-pulling woman broke the silence. "Quick, in here" she ordered us, shoving our party into a small sitting room off to the side. I looked at her. She was a very muscular, white haired woman, wearing black shorts, leather straps, a breast plate, and not much else. She was stroking an odd eye symbol that hung at her neck. Her eyes were a deep, startling blood red. "They can be trusted, by the way." She remarked to my long-lost clone.

"Wait, just one minute! You can't know that! And is anyone going to have the courtesy to tell me what's going on?" I burst out, all shyness forgotten for moment. Malon kicked me. Hard. I was going to regret this day in the morning."Ow. What was that for?"

"Shakuntala, this is Princess Zelda. Heir to the throne. And all powerful. And it would be a good idea to be polite." She hissed at me through clenched teeth.

"Malon, this girl has every right to be a little angry. I think we owe her an explanation." Her Royal Wonderful Highness stated in a very royal, regal way.

"Zelda, do you think that maybe we just solved a problem?" The abs of steel woman inquired, apparently having taken out all her bad mood on me.

"Impa, you read my mind." Zelda turned to me. "Shakuntala? I'm in a very bad situation. You see, as the next in line to inherit the throne, my every move is watched, often by people who want to kill me. So I have to have a certain amount of secrecy in my movements. I sometimes need to go places, to be in two places at once. I'm in terrible danger. I need an alibi, and I was wondering if you would be able to provide one for me. It would be dangerous. You would be putting your life in danger. And anyone who you had contact with. But, would you?" Not very articulate for royalty. I could have put it better.

"You want me to be a body double. Like, take your place. Why do you need me, though? Don't you have guards and stuff?"

"Yes, I have guards. But I think that some of them are spies, and even if they aren't, it's not very hard to slip by them. And there is someone in particular that I suspect is plotting to kill me, and I can't let him know that I know that he is. So, if you would take my place once in a while, I could go do things to stop him without him knowing. I'm sorry. I'm not doing a very good job explaining..." She did look sorry. Almost in tears.

"It's Okay. I understand. I'll help any way I can." I said. Why not? I had no problem with the royal family, and I certainly didn't want my "twin" killed. How could that be good?

"Wait. What if this bad guy person kills Shakuntala by mistake? Can you protect her, too? And what would you do if someone saw the two of you together?" Malon was listing questions I hadn't even thought to think of. "What happens when the threat is over? She'll be living in the castle, right? What if she wants to leave? What if someone realizes that she's an imposter? And...What about me? Will I ever see her again?"

"Malon is right. You would be putting yourself in danger. You would have to disguise yourself all the time. Nobody could know of your similarities to the princess. You would have to take on her identity while she is away. You would have to learn everything she knows, her opinions on everything, her facial expressions, everything. And, of course, you would be just as much a target for assassination as she is. Your family may not be able to see you for a while." Well. Impa was just making me feel great. Maybe a new ruler wouldn't be the end of the world. But she was still talking.

"Normally, we would never ask this of anyone, much less a child. But the fate of Hyrule is at stake. If this man were to take the throne, then... evil would destroy Hyrule. The world would be plunged into an age of darkness." Groan. Why me?

"Oh, come on! Now you're just trying to get her to agree to your stupid scheme! Well, we're not buying it. Come on, Shakuntala. Let's go get that permit." Malon started for the door, all politeness forgotten. Thank Din.

"You don't believe us, do you?" Zelda asked sadly. "Please, Malon, just go to the end of the hall and peak around the corner. You'll believe us then."

Malon did just that, and ran back to our little room, panting. "Tala (that's my nickname!), maybe you should do it. For the good of Hyrule and all that. I think we may be dealing with some serious evil here."

"Okay. When should I come back? Tomorrow?" I already knew what the answer was. Eleven and still being booted from one home to another.

"No. Someone might see you." Impa didn't miss a beat. "Stay here. I'll tell them you're...my niece. We can make your hair look brown, and the eye doctor on the Lake has some little disks, contacts(?), that can make your eyes red. That should be enough. Of course, as a new resident, you would have to take a screening test, but that would just be a formality."

Impa left the room and returned quickly with a miniature of her own outfit and a bag of something. She must keep spare children's clothes around. Weird.

"You don't really expect me to wear those, do you? Where's the cloth?"

Nobody said anything. They didn't need to. I obviously couldn't go around dressed like I woke up in a tree. I sighed and grabbed the pile of metal and leather. The things I do for my country.

"Wait, close your eyes and tilt your head back real quick." Impa had grabbed the bag and was heading towards me.

"What are you going to do?" This was the woman who had tried to rip my head off a few minutes ago.

But she didn't hurt me, she just poured some dusty brown stuff and some water on my hair. "This will wash out easy. Just don't get wet once it dries, or your hair will turn blonde again. We'll send for some contacts soon. Until then, just keep your head down and don't let anyone see your eyes. Try to slip back to the stables, and I'll say you've just arrived."

Despite the fact that I was wearing a metal corset and not much else, no one looked at me as Malon and I made our way to the stables. As soon as she saw we were alone, Malon hugged me.

"I'm going to miss you so much! And I won't be able to see you or anything! I wish you didn't have to do this! What if something happens to you?"

"Malon, I don't have to do this. We can leave, right now! By the time they know I'm gone, it will be too late!" I was a little afraid. What if something did happen to me?

"No, you have to stay here. You should have seen the guy they think is out to get her. He just radiates evil. You have to help out. What good would it do if you ran away now, only to be killed a little later?" Ok, now she was just quoting from those fairytales she reads. And the evil dictator who wanted Zelda and all who help her dead wasn't making me feel any braver. "Here. I was going to give this to you later, but here. For your collection. Happy Birthday." She handed me a throwing knife like my other two. This one had a leather handle with a horse embellished on it. I remembered my other two daggers, still in the clutches of castle security. This would look great with them.

"And dad wanted me to give you Anope." Anope was a white baby pony with a red mane. She would be to young to ride for a long time, so I had wondered why Malon had insisted on taking her with us.

"Wait...did you expect me to be leaving for good or something?"

"Kinda, yes. We thought that once you were with the Gorons you would want to stay with them."

I had forgotten why I had come to the castle in the first place. I wouldn't be seeing Malon, or the Gorons for a long time. It would put them in too much danger.

"Tala? When it's over, you are going to come back to see me, right?"

I nodded. "Of course. As soon as I can. I promise."

Malon took off towards home. She was crying. I felt awful about leaving her, but I didn't have much time to think, because Impa came bursting in.

"Here, hold still. I forgot to put make-up on you! They'll be here in a second. I've told them your my niece. Your mother's name was Lakeeya, and you've come to live with me because she just died. You've lived in Termina. Don't worry about details. Keep your head down, and don't wipe your eyes. Your make-up might come off. Sheikah don't display emotion in public, so no more crying. Oh, and I got your daggers back from security."

She was painting some weird symbols on my cheeks in white. I wasn't aware that I had been crying. That was okay. It would make little orphan me look more believable.

She had just finished when a guard walked through the door.

"Is this the girl, Impa?"

"Yes, sir. This is my niece. I was hoping she could come and live with me."

The guard turned to me. "Shakuntala, is it?" I nodded. Good, no new names. "And I understand that your mother just died. Where have you been living?"

"Termina." I wasn't scared. I was not scared. The worst that could happen was that I would get caught and sent back to Lonlon, where I could wear something more decent, right?. I kept my eyes down.

"Yes. And your mother's name?"

Uh-oh. What did Impa say? Did it start with L? I couldn't remember. I wanted to burst out crying to stall for time, but Impa had told me not to do that. So I bit my lip, like I was fighting back tears. Farore, what was I going to say? Laky? Laka? Lakeeya? It didn't matter. I was out of time.

"My mother's name was Lakeeya." I said, trying not to make it a question. I felt Impa squeeze my shoulder. Was that right?

"Okay, and I understand that you've been raised a Sheikah?" I nodded. "Then could you tell me the Sheikah word for Cow?"

What? The Sheikah word for cow? What was with this guard? I fought back an urge to look up at him. Its a good thing Malon liked Sheikah fairytales so much. And a good thing that I listened. I remembered the story that my name was from... Shakuntala was this girl whose best friend fell in love with this guy, and so she...

"Tala! The man asked you a question." Impa growled at me.

"Sorry, aunt." Skip the plot, just get to the cow...the enchanted cow from the story, its name was... "Cheva." I murmured. Uh-oh, the guard still looked suspicious. Maybe I took a tad too long.

"Hmm. I see. Well, I have no reason to suspect either Impa or you of plotting against the throne, so welcome to the castle." The guard said in a slightly annoyed voice.

"See, Tala? I told you it wasn't anything to worry about. Just routine." If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that she was comforting a frightened child. Oh, wait. She was.

The guard stalked out, and Impa sighed. Maybe she had been just as nervous as I was.

"Thank goddesses you made it though! When he asked you that cow question... That was Percival. We're fairly certain he's one of the spies. But you did good. We will have to brief you on Sheikah culture, as part of your disguise and because Zelda knows all about it. I hope you like to learn. You'll have to know who's who, and how to be diplomatic, and how to act just like the princess..." I was only half listening to her. I had collapsed and was clinging desperately to Anope. My brain hurt just thinking about learning all that stuff. "How did you know the word for cow, anyway?"

What? Cow? What's a cow? Oh, yeah. "My name comes from a fairytale with a cow in it, so I guessed. Fairytale creatures never have very original names."

"Do you know what your name means?" I shook my head. All I knew was sleep. "Shakuntala, your name means 'the shadow that is light'. It is a good name." I liked it. The shadow that is light. Neat. Can I faint now? I think I need to.

I spent the next month or so learning how to be Zelda. I learned everything a ten year old heir to a kingdom would be expected to know, plus, all of Zelda's opinions on everything. Plus all of her facial expressions. Plus a million little details about her life. Shakuntala, Impa's niece, got a reputation for being a little crazy, because I would wander around making faces and making small talk to imaginary people. And my eyes hurt. 'Contacts' are hard to put in.

There was only one thing that I couldn't do, and that almost ruined the whole charade. I was completely, hopelessly tone deaf. I couldn't sing or play an instrument to save my life. Saria and Malon had tried countless times to teach me. Singing is part of a lot of royal ceremonies, too. After all, music is one of the most powerful magical forces in Hyrule.

In the end, Impa advised me to say I had a sore throat if anyone asked me to sing.

So, I started going to minor events, to try to fool semi-important nobles. Then, bigger things, like courts, or state diners. Soon, I was replacing Zelda for days at a time.

When I wasn't doubling for her, I was usually with her. You don't study someone like that and not become friends. At least I don't.

I knew that something big was going down. I started having these weird nightmares involving blue octagons and rainbows. And I wasn't the only one. Zelda kept waking up in the middle of the night, screaming. We averaged about two hours of sleep each night. Which may have been a good thing, because we started finding threatening notes in various places. I was eating breakfast one morning when a dagger imbedded itself in my omelette. I threw it straight back. I was getting to be a good shot.

Impa kept telling us that we should go, and the sooner, the better. But Zelda said that she had to wait for someone, who was helping to gather something. I had no clue what they were talking about, so I just nodded and smiled. I had adapted to the diplomat role well.

Zelda wanted to go and ask for the support of the Gorons when things heated up. The more people on our side, the better. I would have liked to go, of course, but I had to stay behind.

So I was sitting in this garden, practicing with my knives. I had a new one, with a gold handle and lots of jewels. Because I refused to go unarmed, and princesses don't carry cheap blades. Anyway, I was just throwing them around, and one landed right at the foot of some kid in a mask. Why am I always the one who gets the assassins?

"The next one goes through your brain." I threatened. Hey, he didn't know the first one had been an accident.

"Zel, relax. Its just me." The boy picked up my knife and took off the mask. And I recognized him.

"Link? What are you doing here?" Oops. Out of character.

"Well, I'm selling these cool masks, and I was wondering if you would like to buy one."

"Oh. No thanks. But, uh, good luck with that." Memo to self: fire guards.

"And I was wondering where the third spiritual stone was." The whatsit?

"Its with the er...a..." Come on, Tala, say something. Anything.

"The Zora?" Nod and smile... "Okay, Thanks, Zel." Zel? Who calls her Zel? "I'll have it by Friday." He disappeared, leaving me thinking "huh?"

Unfortunately, come Friday, there was some serious trouble at the castle. Zelda found a note that said "I warned you" in the morning, and the day went downhill from there. One of the food testers had food poisoning, and security caught three people trying to break in, all of them with battle axes. Plus there were several arrows stuck in the bedroom door. I went off to a corner to have a mental collapse.

A few hours later, Impa woke me up. "Tala, we have to leave. Get in costume. You have to give the princess time to escape. If they follow us... I would have liked to prepare you more for this, but we've waited long enough. You're going to have to rule the kingdom for a while. I know it sounds crazy, but it's our last chance. The princess and I have to leave, so you're the only one left."

Huh? My thoughts were still getting back on track. What was it she wanted? Me to rule the kingdom? Okay. I nodded. WAIT! RULE THE KINGDOM? ME? I can't even grow a plant, much less rule a kingdom! This was not in the job description!

"Don't worry, I'll be coming back soon. Watch your back while I'm gone."

Din, Nayru, and Farore! What had I gotten myself into?

A/n: Sorry, another cliffhanger. I don't mean to. I'm just naturally evil. ;-)