The Shadow opened his eyes atop Koholit Rock just as the sun was tipping over the eastern rim of the horizon, unfiltered as he hadn't seen it in days. The clear blue sky was a welcome sight, especially bright after the nothingness where Farore's voice had given him the Key.
He looked down at the back of his right hand, fascinated at both the more obvious nature of the Mark since the last time he'd consciously given it attention and the continuing change in his coloring; his clothing and skin seemed to be picking up faint, indistinct hues. He put the index finger of his left hand to the spot where the blue triangle had been absorbed and felt the barest change in the skin there, a slight firmness outlining the distinct shape. His lips pulled up on one side, satisfaction surging through him.
He was standing exactly where he'd been when he'd jumped into the swirling vortex… it must've been yesterday. The ground before him was covered in soft green grass, wildflowers bending lazily in the breeze, and a hugely-beaming Sidon leaning on a silver trident.
Someone cleared their throat behind him. "Excuse us?" The voice was a papery rasp, as though it hadn't been used in a very long time. The sword on his back jumped once, weakly.
He turned to find a group of people with pale blue and black skin, all sporting the same type of symbols he'd been seeing on the imp in his dreams and since coming to Eventide. Their eyes, like Zant's, lacked pupils, and they all had one blue arm and one black; the resemblance to both the imp and Zant was undeniable. They were walking, one-by-one, right into the spinning Twilight Mirror and disappearing, but two of them had turned to look at him.
"Thank you, Hero! Your sun burns us after too long, so we must not linger," the taller of them said, "but we needed to use its power to reform our bodies. We were servants in the royal household, but when Princess Midna disappeared and Zant took over, he took our will and forced us to work for him." The dark sword jumped again, stronger than last time, but nowhere near its earlier power.
"They were the glowing orbs in the cavern!" Sidon chimed in joyfully.
"It is true," the second Twili put in with a nod, voice barely a whisper. "Had you not defeated Zant, we would have remained bodiless spirits until we burnt out."
"Oh, no! How terrible!" Sidon said cheerily, wide smile firmly in place. He'd been excessively jovial since he'd introduced himself and the Shadow wondered if it was the circumstances or if the Zora prince was just a really happy guy.
"We were forced to interfere with the monsters on this island; Zant would've had us possess anyone we'd come across," the first affirmed.
"He's power-hungry," the second said.
"And jealous," the first continued, and the Shadow wondered if they were twins with the way they switched seamlessly between themselves when speaking.
"You freed us!"
"And we are forever grateful to you!"
"But we are needed back home. Zant has wrought much evil and chaos; he has sealed away the Sols that light our world and stolen the Fused Shadow!"
"And our beloved Princess Midna is missing!" The sword jerked again, wearily.
"The Hero of Twilight will need to be summoned!"
"'Hero of Twilight?'" the Shadow asked, surprised.
"As you are the Hero of Hyrule, so, too, is there a Hero of Twilight!" the first one answered, bowing to him and turning to move toward the Twilight Mirror.
"Hey, I think your princess is here somewhere, in Hyrule," the Shadow told them. "I even have a hunch where, but I don't know for certain yet, or how to free her."
"This is heartening news. We trust in your immense skill," the second one said with an odd note of urgency in their voice. They bowed, as well, before turning toward the portal.
The first had reached the Mirror and turned to bow to him once more. Was that smoke coming off their back? "Farewell, Hero of Hyrule! Dawn thanks you!"
The second one was also beginning to smoke, vapor rising steadily from their arms and the back of their head. "Good luck, Hero of Hyrule! Dusk thanks you!"
As soon as both Twili— named Dawn and Dusk, apparently— stepped into the Twilight Mirror, it collapsed in on itself and then was gone without a trace.
Sidon's booming laugh sounded behind the Shadow and a huge hand landed heavily on his shoulder. He turned his head as Sidon came up alongside him. "Where is everyone else?"
Sidon laughed again. "They began the journey home hours ago, with my sister leading the way," he said proudly.
"What, really?" The Shadow looked out toward the northeast, unable to see any evidence of Zora swimming— of course, they were probably underwater, anyway.
"They're likely halfway home by now. We'll probably overtake them just before we get there!" Sidon laughed again. Did he ever speak without laughing?
And then the words caught up to the Shadow. "Wait, what?"
"Come! You shall ride me!"
That damnable glint was going to blind the Shadow, he was sure of it. Also— "What?"
Sidon threw back his head and laughed. "No, no— my back. Ride on my back." He grinned and led the way down to the beach. The Shadow spied the raft on the beach and realized that it was probably there for him to use to return to the mainland.
Sidon, of course, laughed off his suggestion from where he was already half-submerged and treading water. "Nonsense! Climb on! I promise you, it'll be great!"
Had anyone ever asked the Shadow how he was going to get away from Eventide Island, he sure as fuck wouldn't have said it'd be by sitting astride the ridiculously-narrow waist of the enormous Zora prince as said enormous Zora prince swam at breakneck speed through the water.
Perhaps he just grinned at the water and it parted happily for him, the Shadow thought with a wry upturn of his own lips.
He could see the corner of that smile even now, which sort of answered the Shadow's question from earlier. Strangely, he felt quite stable on Sidon's back despite the incredible velocity.
They stopped to eat lunch when they crossed the isthmus between the Lanayru Bay and Rutela River, and the Shadow felt less ridiculous walking alongside Sidon than riding astride him, at least.
Sooner than he'd have thought— the sun told him it was only late afternoon— he caught sight of the first Zora fin ahead of them in the water. Moments later, Sidon and the Shadow had passed all but the fastest— Mipha.
She turned her head and rolled her eyes at her brother. "Show-off."
Sidon laughed and somehow picked up even more speed, not showing the slightest bit of weariness after either his ordeal in the cavern or his long, speedy swim. He literally swam circles around the group of Zora, making sure none fell behind.
As the sun threw its last rays across the sky, they passed the first lookout post to loud and gleeful shouts. Princess Mipha and Prince Sidon! Let them in! Alert His Majesty! Word spread like a tidal wave through the city, and by the time they arrived in the main courtyard, it looked like they were interrupting a raucous festival— though, of course, it had only begun moments before.
Dorephan himself was front and center; he put his hand up and the group halted before him. "First and foremost: is anyone missing?" When he received several head shakes and verbal negatives, a beaming smile split his face from one side to the other and he called out, "Open the gates to the city! My children have all returned, thanks to Shadow Link, the Hero of Hyrule!"
Next to the king, the dour Muzu wore a frown that was so fierce it had to hurt the old Zora's face, but the roar of the crowd pushed the cantankerous councilman out of the Shadow's mind. Before he could even take it all in, he felt himself being lifted up onto one of Sidon's towering shoulders. From that height, the only one on his level was the king, who caught his eye and laughed, and for a moment, the Shadow thought the pride in Dorephan's gaze was meant for Sidon, but then the king proclaimed, "What did I say? Exactly what we needed. Yes, indeed," with no small amount of satisfaction and looking directly at the Shadow.
The king then turned his attention to the Zora in the returning party, nodding at each in turn and greeting them by name. After he'd warmly welcomed them, he declared, "Each and every one of you have proven yourselves fine and worthy warriors. On behalf of the entire kingdom, I thank you for your courage and fortitude." He had to pause until the sudden roar of the crowd died back down. "The city is officially open once more, and tonight we shall have a celebration in honor of our brave Zora warriors and the fearless Hero!"
The crowd dispersed with a wild cheer and Sidon lowered the Shadow back to the ground as the king turned to their group, lowering his voice. "Tonight we will feast and be merry together as a community. However, I understand that you have all been through an ordeal and you are more than welcome to give the festivities a miss. As to that, all of you are given paid leave until such time as you feel fit to return to service, if at all. Take care of yourselves, my children, for it is you, not I, at the heart of this kingdom."
And then the Shadow was left alone with the king, Sidon, Mipha, and Bazz as the rest of the returning Zora sought their own devices. Dorephan said in a voice obviously not meant to carry beyond the four of them, "I am not asking for a full report tonight, we'll meet tomorrow for that," he waited for all of them to nod, "but can you assure me that any danger has passed?"
Again, the four of them nodded, and Mipha added, "The darkness has gone from the island and everything is back to normal. Bazz and I inspected it before we left."
"Excellent," the king declared. "Well, then, go ahead and enjoy yourselves tonight, and we will meet tomorrow afternoon, when everyone's mostly recovered." He received another round of agreement before turning to join in the festivities.
Sidon smacked the Shadow on the shoulder— nearly knocking him down— and threw a last, sparkling smile at him before walking away, too. Neither Sidon's nor Dorephan's oversized forms blended in with the crowd at all.
Bazz turned to the Shadow and bowed. "We have not officially met; I am Bazz, the Captain of His Majesty's Guard. Thank you, sir."
"Shadow Link," the Shadow greeted, nodding his head. As they finished, a familiar Zora separated himself from the party to come stand behind Bazz, touching him on the shoulder. Bazz turned and then threw his arms out to hug Tottika close.
Mipha drew his attention as the two moved off together. "I know that you must be tired, but would you spare a few minutes to speak with me?"
The Shadow nodded, following as Mipha led him away from the party.
They ended up in the sunken room with the Guidance Stone and the statue of Link. Mipha came to a stop a few feet from the likeness of her late husband, looking up at his stone face. The Shadow stood next to her, about an arm's length away, watching her.
She didn't seem sad, perhaps wistful. "I am sure you are aware by now that I married the Link of the cycle I was born to," she began, turning to accept the Shadow's nod. "We'd become quite close over the long campaign against Ganondorf. The Link that you…" she trailed off, meeting his eyes with a small, awkward smile. "Well, while obviously not as close as my own dear Link, he was someone I would consider a friend, although he was closer with Princess Zelda." She frowned.
"I'm sure she already knows; I've been to Kakariko and met the Impas. Young Impa left at around the same time I did, headed for Hyrule Castle."
"That is good. Impa is whom I would've chosen to break such news to her," Mipha nodded, looking back to the statue. "Will you tell me the story now?"
He'd sort of figured this was coming and nodded, taking a breath. "There's really not a whole lot to tell," he started. She listened quietly, face drawn as he described the battle with Link. She drew in her breath and widened her eyes in amazement when he mentioned being visited by the Golden Goddesses and a tiny jingle sounded behind the Shadow's ear.
"Navi?" Mipha gasped, looking his way. There was another quiet noise from the Fairy and Mipha's smile broke wide open. "That is more reassuring than your Mark to me; I believe a Mark could be faked by one with powerful enough magic, but no one could fake Navi." He could almost hear the Sprite's smirk forming.
"I don't have any magic."
"Perhaps not of your own, but you have been entrusted with powerful objects, which is no less impressive." She turned to face him fully, folding her hands in front of her. "I am glad to know your Mark is genuine. But if you have Navi with you, that can only mean good things for you, and for Hyrule."
"Well, that's going to go straight to her head," he grumbled, earning a laugh from the Zora princess.
"Oh, no. We can't have that," she smiled. "So you were given a Companion Fairy. And then?"
He told her about all his adventures so far— she clucked her tongue at his mismanagement of the Fairy in a jar— and all the people he'd met and gear he'd gained along the way. When he'd finished, he frowned; his mouth had gone dry. "Guess it was a longer story than I'd thought."
Mipha laughed softly, saying, "I should allow you to get back to the celebration; you have certainly earned it." He nodded, and she gave him a small, wry smile. "I cannot say I am glad that you fulfilled your original purpose, because Link was my friend. But I am extremely glad to have met you when I did, and that you have already proven yourself worthy of the title you carry." She paused. "Thank you for telling me your story and allowing me to get to know you a little bit. Perhaps when Hyrule is safe once more I can return the favor; I would like to count you as my friend, too. For now, though, I shall retire; it has been a long day." She bowed her head to him. "Enjoy yourself tonight, Shadow Link, and I shall see you tomorrow."
"Princess," the Shadow acknowledged, bowing his head to her before she turned to leave, one hand raised in an elegant farewell.
When the Shadow emerged from the sunken chamber, he walked into a crowd of well-meaning well-wishers who seemed to take great pleasure in shoving beverages in his hands for as much of the evening as the Shadow could remember later. Some ale for the Hero! A toast to Shadow Link! You look thirsty! Most of the people were Zora, but he also noticed that all of the outsiders the Shadow had spotted on his last visit also made a point to stop by and greet him.
"Sarqso, Voe," the stately Gerudo woman said with what might've been a mild smirk on a less stern face. She introduced herself to him as Rhondson and told him that she was a tailor who had left home to seek true love out in the larger world of Hyrule. "I met my Hudson last year and knew immediately he was the one for me. I had to leave him at home to work on building up our little Tarrey Town while I came here to restock some of my supplies and was caught in the lockdown. And now, thanks to you, I can return to him!" She leaned down and grabbed both his shoulders, coming in swiftly to kiss both his cheeks and retreat once more.
The Shadow nodded and turned away, face feeling hot.
He learned from the Gorons, Reagah and Lyndae, that they could withstand great heat but were too heavy to swim, they generally only ate rocks, and their young grew on the backs of adult Gorons, falling off when they had matured enough. He was introduced to the (relatively) small Slergo, who came over when called with the Zora children the Shadow had met previously and several others in tow, and they all asked what seemed like every question in existence rapid-fire without waiting for a single answer before they all zoomed off again.
"Ah, kids," Reagah chuckled. "It wasn't so long ago that our Prince Yunobo was that age, and now look at him— as strong as a mountain."
"Yeah. Shame he's not a little braver, though, like this one here," Lyndae put in, motioning to the Shadow with their joined hands. "'S not right, a Goron who's afraid of monsters. Especially our future leader."
They both shook their heads, moving away, but the Shadow frowned thoughtfully after them, a thought teasing at his brain which had, admittedly become a little fuzzy after his third or fourth drink. Which reminded him that he both needed to switch to water and find somewhere to relieve himself, pushing all other thoughts out of his mind.
A little later, he met the Rito, Harth, a bow craftsman who had come to ask the princess to heal him after he'd been injured— he was using a crutch and most of his left side was bandaged. Apparently, Harth was the lifelong friend of Teba, the current Warrior who protected the Rito Village, and who was 'much more suited to lead the Rito forces than that blowhard Revali', whomever either of them were.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the group of Hylian women heading toward him— moving through the crowd as one cohesive, offensive unit— and he took that as his cue to retire for the night. Bidding farewell to Harth, he ducked out of the room to find a tall glass of water and down it before falling into his soft bed at the inn.
He opened his eyes in the King's Chamber, seated on one of the benches lining the room. He was confused for a whole second before—
"The waterfalls are peaceful," Fi said. She was seated to his right, as relaxed as he'd ever seen her— which was not at all; he wasn't sure she was physically capable. "I forgot how loudly you think."
He snickered. "Sorry."
She spent a few moments just staring at him and he got the distinct impression that she might at least be contemplating rolling her eyes at him. "You have been quite busy since we last spoke."
"That's one way to put it," he snorted. "So, can you see everything… wherever you are when you're not, you know, here?" he asked, gesturing to his head and the illusion around them.
"Yes, although I do not watch constantly. You are boring when you sleep."
He huffed a laugh; sleep had rarely been an inactive time for him. "Okay. Thanks, I guess. What about my dreams? Can you see those?"
"No. I can only see what is in your head while I am also here."
"Huh. Well, I'm not sure if you're aware, but you're not my only visitor." As he said it, an image of the imp from his dreams appeared, lounging on the king's empty throne and looking both tiny and right, somehow.
"Interesting. That is part of the Fused Shadow on its head," Fi said, monotone somehow still conveying surprise; perhaps it was the tilt of her head as she looked at the imp.
"What's a Fused Shadow?"
"It is a magical object that was created by the immense power of the Interlopers who attempted to use it to conquer the Sacred Realm. They were defeated and banished to the Twilight Realm." As she spoke, the helmet shifted, adding pieces until it covered the imp's entire head. It had one eerie eye built into it, but no spot for a second to see through, as if the helmet saw for the person wearing it. "When assembled in full, it will amplify magical power. Each part," the helmet broke apart once more, three of the pieces disappearing to leave the final one on the imp, "holds significant power on its own and can be used to curse and lock away magical ability. Anything that comes into contact with even a portion of it is transformed."
She looked back at the Shadow. "It takes a great deal of power to visit another's dreams; significantly more if one is wearing a piece of Fused Shadow. How many times has it happened?"
"Twice. And they told me that they're as strong as you when they're in their 'normal form', whatever that is." His brain unhelpfully elongated just the legs on the fake imp to more than twice their usual size.
The imp crossed its arms and sulked.
Fi stared at it. "That image is comical," she remarked, turning her head back in his direction. "Very few beings are equal to or more powerful than I, Shadow Link." She said it without a hint of arrogance; just stating a fact. "You have recently met one of them in battle." An image of the mouthy, pompous ass, Ghirahim, materialized standing in front of the imp, whose legs had returned to their normal shortness.
"Shit. Navi was right again," he groused.
"That is generally the case. You are fortunate to have her with you; she saved your life." The image of Ghirahim was suddenly in the middle of a familiar-but-silent conversation with a replica of the Shadow, which was odd to see. The reenactment played all the way through the fight, ending with the Shadow's form collapsing while Navi twinkled around him as the whole scene fizzled out.
He thought the reminder was rather harsh and entirely unnecessary and frowned.
"It is but the truth," she defended tonelessly.
"Wait— if he's a Sword Spirit, too, how was he able to fight me in broad daylight and you can only visit my dreams?"
"I was created to seal away the darkness; even now, a portion of my power is devoted to that task."
"Oh, yeah. That makes sense."
"You will fare better next time you face him." It sounded rather like a command.
"Yeah. Next time." He knew she felt the spark of determination within him to emerge victorious, should they meet again. He wondered again if, like them, his own sword was alive.
"I confess that I lack information regarding the source of the magic on your sword, nor do I know the true strength of it. It has never exhibited any magical properties previously, to my knowledge, and is not like Ghirahim and myself; it is just a sword with magic upon it, not a magical sword. Though dark in substance, the power does not appear to be malevolent in nature toward you."
He snorted. "Yeah, not toward me. I have some thoughts about that."
The eyes of the image of the imp suddenly widened and then its body dissolved rapidly from the feet up into a red vapor that was absorbed into the jewel on the image of his sword, which had just appeared.
Fi tilted her head at it and the moment replayed, then again and again, on a loop.
Then the image of the imp instead drifted closer to stand before them, no taller than the Shadow's hip before it grew into the form of a striking woman nearly half again as tall as himself, eyes of bright crimson irises and crowned with a cascade of flame-colored hair that was both pulled back at the temples and fastened with a fancy clip in front of her throat. All of the visible skin— and there was a lot of it with one whole, long leg exposed— was a pale blue that exactly matched the imp. The other leg and both arms were covered in flowing black and teal. "Is that Midna?"
"Yes," Fi answered as the stranger shrank back down into the helmeted imp. "As the rightful ruler of the Twilight Realm and a direct descendant of the Interlopers, she is also incredibly powerful— on a level that could possibly allow her to visit your dreams even while shackled." The imp transformed back into Midna and a new loop began, modifying itself to include the imp dissolving into his sword and reforming, morphing briefly into Midna before shrinking back into the imp and starting the cycle over. "Calculating probabilities."
"Holy shit. That seems pretty probable to me, given everything Zant said."
It made even more sense when he recalled the beam of what had felt like absolute rage his sword had produced during the battle against the self-styled King of Twilight— being locked away, in a different form, inside someone's sword would probably make him irate, too, especially if he were suddenly facing the person responsible for his being there. He wondered how close the beam had been to the Skyward Strike Navi had told him the Master Sword can perform.
Fi, of course, heard the thought. "It appeared very similar. The sword you carry was made as a replica of the Master Sword for Ganondorf on the occasion of his coronation by a Sheikah craftsman whom he immediately murdered with it."
"I'm shocked."
"I have completed my calculations. Probability: ninety-four percent in favor. Further, I estimate with a probability of eighty-two percent likelihood that the containment spell is also designed to siphon an unknown portion of Midna's power to Ganondorf."
"That could explain why he looks younger than Old Impa. Is he truly the reincarnation of Demise?"
"Yes, although the being we refer to as 'Demise' in fact has no name. When the Demon King first emerged from the Evil Realm and waged his war against Hyrule, the death and destruction he wrought led the people to refer to him as Demise and it stuck.
"Fearing their extinction, Hylia gathered the surviving humans loyal to her— and along with them, secretly, the Triforce— onto a plot of land and cut it from the earth, sending it to the sky where she hid it in a thick layer of clouds. The people called it Skyloft. That is why the bird is a common motif in many Hylian items, from heraldry to jewelry; even the Hylian Royal Crest— Skyloftians eventually tamed and used huge birds called Loftwings as transportation and animal companions. The Hylian Shield features the addition of a Crimson Loftwing, the rarest of all, because the Skyloftian Hero had an immediate and life-long connection to one such beast.
"With her people safe, Hylia returned to the surface and joined the remaining clans in the fight against the evil forces. She eventually sealed Demise away and restored peace to the surface, but she had been injured in the battle and could not put her full energy into the seal. So the Hylians remained in Skyloft.
"In addition to the seal not being as strong as it could have been, Demise's powerful minion, Ghirahim, had survived and was working to free his master. In that event, there would be no stopping Demise from again seeking to destroy the world and take it for his own.
"Hylia devised a threefold plan: first, one of the Hylians who had stayed behind of his own volition to fight, a courageous young warrior by the name of Link, was Chosen as her personal warrior. He was gravely injured on the battlefield and left to die, so she took pity on him and blessed him as her eternal Hero, to be reborn time and again in order to protect Hyrule and bring light to the darkest of times."
"'Blessed', my ass."
"Indeed. Second, she created me specifically to assist her Chosen Hero on his journey to defend her and thwart the darkness, a direct counterpoint equal to Ghirahim. I was placed in a sacred temple until such time as I was needed.
"Third, the Triforce had been designed so that it could not be wielded by a god or goddess. Knowing this, Hylia gave up her divinity, entering an age-long sleep inside the Temple of Hylia on Skyloft in order to keep the seal strong for as long as possible. The instant she felt it begin to weaken, she was reborn as Princess Zelda and eventually found and worked together with the Chosen Hero, Link.
"The convoluted battle crossed the boundaries of time and space, threatening the sky-dwellers. The Demon King, impressed by Link's bravery, offered him the chance to battle for the fate of the world and Hylia's soul, which had been used to reincarnate him. Eventually, Demise was stunned long enough to rend his spirit from his body and confine it to the Banished Realm."
"And what happened to his body?"
"When the Hero used the Triforce to end the battle, the Isle of the Goddess on Skyloft broke away from the rest of the island and returned to its original place, crushing The Imprisoned into oblivion under the ancient Sealed Grounds, now the site of Hyrule Castle."
"Fucking what? That's a horrible idea."
"Hylians returned to the surface once Demise was defeated. It was at that time that I went from being known as the Goddess Sword to the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane.
"But it takes a phenomenal amount of power to successfully kill a being such as Demise, and as you know, we were only successful in sealing him away, not destroying him entirely. He vowed to return.
"Unable to re-enter Hyrule himself, The Imprisoned took the form of a man. But being raised by witches fanned the flame of magic within Ganondorf, and soon it was too much for him to control without training, as you already know. Now that he is powerful once more, the cycle has restarted."
The Shadow thought for a few moments. "If you're here, where is the actual sword?"
"Safe."
He recognized the finality in her tonelessness and let it go for now. "Fair enough. You told me that while the sword rests, you can go between the Sacred Realm and my dreams, but Navi said that you've spent many years confined to the Sacred Realm while the sword slept here. What's the difference between 'sleeping' and 'resting'? Aren't they basically the same thing?" They both sounded pretty relaxing to him.
"A sleeping body must be awakened. One that is merely resting is ready to go but awaits a call to action."
Which made sense, in a way. He nodded slightly, showing he'd understood.
"I will investigate what I can from the Sacred Realm. If Midna has been kidnapped and imprisoned, there must be chaos in the Twilight Realm; she recognizes the evil of her ancestors and has worked tirelessly to better the lives of the Twili since ascending to the throne.
"Should the imp visit you again, corroboration and verification of the posited theories is paramount."
"Easy for you to say."
He opened his eyes to the beautiful view afforded him by the outward-facing beds in the Seabed Inn, the late-morning sun glinting off the pillars that connected some of the walkways. He hadn't noticed before, but they resembled huge, luminous swords buried blade-down in the earth and the thought made him smile.
He yawned and stretched, huffing out a soft laugh as he thought over Fi's parting words. Could've just said 'Ask the imp if they're Midna and if they've been imprisoned in my sword by Ganondorf,' but no. Damn goddesses. And Goddess Swords.
The city was sluggish after the celebration it had thrown the previous evening; merchants were bleary-eyed but grinning, happy to regain normalcy within the kingdom. The Shadow was treated to a crab omelet with rice that was rather delightful, then spent some time wandering the pathways thinking over his dream while he waited for the meeting with the king.
Fi had, as ever, been both infinitely helpful and frustrating— providing several answers but raising more questions in turn. At least he felt he finally had the full history of Hyrule now, not just the minimal information Ganondorf had left him with.
He stopped, taking out his sword to look at the jewel in the hilt. It seemed to be less active than previously, the swirls hardly moving. He tapped on it, once—
And drew back his hand quickly, shaking out the tiny electric shock he'd just been given and frowning at the jewel. "Ow."
The sword stayed smugly quiet and he put it back in its scabbard. He resumed his walk, thoughts still churning. One other bright spot: he had, as Navi had put it, held his own against Ghirahim, one of the strongest beings to ever live.
Well, okay. He'd died. But it hadn't stuck, thanks to his helpful Sprite.
He thought over his conversation with Mipha the previous evening, and how she and three other Champions had assisted in the last attempt to defeat Ganondorf but had only managed to seal him away, since Hylia had never awakened inside that Zelda. He wondered what it would take to make that happen this cycle, and if there was a way they could finally end it for good. Preferably with a victory. And without dying.
Again.
When the summons came, he was escorted into the King's Chamber for the second time to find the benches full of various Zora. Some, like Muzu, wore severe expressions and sat stiffly, but most seemed open and welcoming, some even smiled at the Shadow as he entered and stood where he was directed to by a guard, in a line with Bazz, Sidon, and Mipha. The Council was made up of all ages, as diverse a group of Zora as the Shadow could imagine— the youngest didn't look much older than some of the children he'd seen. Dorephan seemed to value the opinions of many, which the Shadow thought an excellent strategy and immediately respected.
"We've gathered today to hear the first-hand accounts of the Incident at Eventide Island and to record them for posterity." The Shadow noticed a small desk had been set up in an unobtrusive place next to the throne, an older, bespectacled Zora with tentacle-hair pinned back from their face was seated and ready. "We shall begin with the Captain of the Guard," the king declared.
The Shadow listened as Bazz spoke of being distracted enough by the possessed monsters to be ambushed by the three Shadow Beasts with their energy cage. His voice carried no undue inflection, but the subtle set of his shoulders spoke of disappointment.
Sidon went next, beaming smile in place and in direct opposition to the words coming out of his mouth, which told of his whole unit storming right into some sort of magical trap, no doubt cast by Zant, which took the form of a large group of monsters. "And then we awoke in the cavern. No idea how we got there!" the Zora prince practically chuckled.
Mipha spun a much more cautious tale of approach— she had sent small groups to different parts of the island, rather than a full onslaught in one spot. Mipha and her squad had immediately been surrounded by the Shadow Beasts. They'd managed to destroy two, but the third had screeched and revived the others and the Zora had been overwhelmed. The same fate had befallen each of the smaller groups in turn.
When it was the Shadow's turn to speak, he told his story as quickly and concisely as he could, glossing over some of the particulars of his battle with Zant. He didn't have definitive answers about his sword and he'd rather not invite speculation if he could help it.
When he'd finished, Mipha spoke up once more, reiterating for the council that the island had been inspected and had, indeed, returned to normal, supported by Bazz's nod.
"Very good," the king said with a nod. "The events have been recorded as described here today, and shall be preserved and passed down faithfully for generations to come.
"Now, then," he continued in a lighter tone, clapping his hands together. "There is the matter of a suitable reward for the heroic actions of Shadow Link."
There was a smattering of applause; the Shadow noticed several enthusiastic nods, but they were tempered with an equal number of frowns— notably from Councilman Muzu and the few older Zora sitting nearest him. The Shadow kept his face as neutral as he could and gave the king his full attention.
"It is impossible to quantify an amount worthy of the number of lives you have saved," Dorephan proclaimed. "However, a reward has, indeed, been earned and must be provided. So, after much consideration, we have decided to award you ten thousand rupees and five Luminous Stones."
Holy shit. The Shadow worked to keep his mouth from falling open. He managed to contain it to several rapid blinks and a slight nod.
"In addition," the king's tone dipped, gaining a somber edge, "we here in Zora's Domain are not immune to the troubles of the outside world. Darkness creeps across Hyrule once more, and the journey before you may prove harrowing." He met and held the Shadow's gaze tightly. "Should you find yourself in need, simply send a message and the might of the Zora army will be at your side."
"What's the best way to do that?" the Shadow asked.
"All sea life is connected in Hyrule. Simply whisper your message to any creature of the water and it will reach me within a day."
And this time, the Shadow couldn't hide his surprise. "No shit?"
Most of the council chuckled, and a few outright laughed. Muzu and his cronies, of course, frowned harder.
The king laughed. "Yes, no shit, indeed. Finally, you are welcome to stay in our fair city any time you wish, for as long as you wish— free of charge, of course. Now," he said, addressing the room at large once again, "are there any other issues, or may we consider this matter closed?" He waited for a few moments, but no one spoke up, so he continued, "Very well, then; our business has concluded. This council meeting is adjourned. Live well, my children."
There was an increase in the noise for a few minutes as the audience filed out. The Shadow moved to follow but was halted by Mipha's voice. "Shadow Link? Would you mind staying for a moment?"
The Shadow turned back to find Mipha smiling softly and Sidon, of course, grinning widely. The king and Bazz both looked curious, but the Shadow didn't have time to really think about it; the room had emptied behind him, leaving the five of them alone.
Mipha came to stand in front of the Shadow. "After we sealed Ganondorf away, I put a portion of my power into a jewel which hung around my husband's neck for the rest of his life." Pulling her hands from where they'd rested behind her the whole meeting, she held out a thin but strong silver chain with a small, finely-worked pendant in the triple-crescent shape that was the symbol of the Zora. Now that he looked more closely at it, he realized that it was not exactly Nayru's symbol, though it was very close. "It will keep you alive and even bring you back from death, but can only do so only once per day. It may also be used to heal wounds as often as needed, but only for yourself," she clarified. "Its power will not extend to others."
"Holy shit," he said again. This answered the question of how Mipha's Link had lived to one hundred and eleven. "Thank you."
"No, Shadow Link. Thank you. You have a long and difficult road ahead of you; I am honored to be able to offer you this gift. May it be of assistance to you on your quest."
Sidon gave him a thumbs-up and a winning smile that literally gleamed.
"Farewell, and may the Goddesses smile upon you, Shadow Link," the king said. "With any luck, you can finally end this blasted cycle."
When the Shadow finally left the King's Chamber, his wallet was noticeably fatter and the silver chain around his neck eased the worry over his survival almost entirely. And then he recalled the Fairy he had in a jar in his pack and he huffed out a laugh, allowing the grin to linger on his face as he made his way down the steps.
He didn't really have any reason to linger in Zora's Domain any longer, but the sun was still high in the sky so he wouldn't be able to summon Epona for hours yet.
Intending to spend some time watching the master smith, Dento, work, the Shadow made his way toward the shops. Near the bottom of the steps, he happened to look out over the crowd— there were a decent amount of people milling about the marketplace, both visitor and Zora— and spotted a familiar dark head bent over a small, pocket notebook.
The Shadow's smile dropped instantly; he had no wish to be interviewed.
He quickly decided to go ahead and use the Guidance Stone and head to the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab for the recommended upgrade to the runes now.
He heard someone say, "Hey, there he is!" followed by a different voice calling his name, but he pretended he heard neither, loading his destination into the Sheikah Slate and pressing the button to engage just as Traysi, the gossip columnist, reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Well, shit," he heard her lament, pulling his lips up into another smile as his body dissolved.
Hyrule Rumor Mill by Traysi
Traysi here! No matter where I go, my love for rumors inevitably follows. And recently, the topic everyone's been talking about has been…
Hyrule's new Hero!
That's right! Yours truly has it on excellent authority that none other than Shadow Link defeated Link… and then, in a shocking twist, was Chosen by the Goddess Farore herself to defend Hyrule.
And what a job he's done so far, too! Hinoxes, Taluses, and Guardians— oh, my! And most recently, he rescued several dozen Zora who had been captured and held by dark forces!
Evil, beware!
Reader, take note: if you see a dark rider on an honest-to-Goddess Stalhorse— do not fear! It's just our new Hero upon his trusty steed!
Traysi's Recommendation: [5 stars]
