"Come," Impa commanded when neither boy had moved. "There is no time or safe place for dawdling. Follow, or I will sling you over my shoulders and deliver you to the King."

She and Link locked eyes, red versus blue, eye against eye. She wouldn't do it. "We can walk, thank you." Me against you? No thanks.

"Then do so, please," she gestured through the open door, and yet, Link swallowed, willed his body into movement, and horrified, froze. They did not make any motion. "If you would like to retain your pride, then I insist, for the last time, follow."

Mulish, Link pushed a foot forward.

Gerrard crossed his arms, and huffed, "Like you could carry us two, anyway."

The Sheikah wore a mask of stone. In less than an instant, she had both of them on each shoulder like a slain pig and was moving through the doorway before they could even cry out or wiggle in resistance.

"The price of dignity, then," she sneered and spit into the dark. "If you won't yet listen to prudence, I'll have to talk slowly and right into your ears so that you can hear my words."

"Hey! You can't-" Gerrard yelped. "Ow! How did you even slap the back of my head?" he complained in a whisper.

"I assure you, I can and will carry you until I am satisfied you have learned from this exercise in listening skills. Don't disappoint me, or you'll find me to be very unpleasant when I'm annoyed."

This isn't annoyed? Link fumed to his fairy. I was complying!

Aloud, she answered, "Ooh-hoo, I like this woman. Just breaks straight through those walls you put up. I'm taking notes, Impa."

The Sheikah's sneer softened at the corner of her mouth. "You might find it difficult to reproduce this method, Navi." She led them past a simple stone room adjacent to the garden entrance. Impa spelled open a passageway behind a purple curtain, another hall for unseen servants. Warm lamps on sconces illuminated the dark, each light disappearing as soon as they moved past its sphere of visibility.

"Are these magic lights? Why-" Gerrard began, obviously somehow more at ease than Link was feeling, and at the moment, he was feeling Impa's shoulder digging into his intestines like a block of wood. Was this woman made of muscle and black-dyed leather?

"A simple trick," Impa waved off the thief. "There's lamps throughout, but only during the Tribute Ball do we make daylight in every corner." They ascended the short spiral staircase. "You'll see for yourselves, however. There are only two days until the celebration of Hyrule's Golden Peace."

"Of course there are," Link muttered darkly. Navi swatted him with a negligent brush.

"You knew this was a thing," she reminded him. "That's the whole reason the Lons are here."

"You do know how well the last celebration went for me, don't you?" he reminded her.

"What, the Long Night or the funeral?"

He scowled. "He's rubbing off on you already."

"And who's the Kokiri sassing his fairy? I think," she said, flapping a few times in silence. "This has been a very long day, and you need some food and rest, you cranky teenager."

Unwilling to respond, Link set his own frown deeper, and watched the flagstones beneath Impa's feet.

"That will be arranged," Impa said assuredly. "I will take you to the King, and make any necessary explanations. Afterwards, I shall escort you to your room. There, you will be able to nourish and rest yourselves. Despite the upcoming festivities, you will not have time to idle. We have too much to attend before you go into Hyrule unaided." Down onto a split level landing, Impa glanced at the four opposing halls in conjunction, all deserted. She finally let them down from her shoulders, and quite unceremoniously. "I have quite a bit of training for you two." She wasn't breathing heavily, nor sweating, and there wasn't a hair out of place on her snowy coif. Link shivered.

"All in two days?" Navi questioned while Link was standing and massaging his bruised elbow and Gerrard brushed the dust off himself. They went up three broad steps and into the north corridor.

"The Court will also need an address from you and Link. There is not enough reliable information, and I suspect the stories you've generated already will do little to ease that imbalance. At least the King will have actual proof the People of the East exist, and therefore, are under his jurisdiction."

Link froze.

"The soldiers would never be able to navigate past the open woodland, let alone find the Clearing or any of the Children!" He was unable to stop his words. "They don't need anyone ruling over them! The Wisest is the one who has the final say in conflicts, but the Lead Hunter is the one who sees to the protection of his siblings. There can't be any men-"

"I do not believe the King will attempt to colonize Kokiri," Impa stopped their progress to hold Link's shoulder. "It's merely another bit of paperwork and a title to tack on to his documents. Besides," she flashed her teeth in a wicked grin. "Didn't you know that outsiders turn into monsters when they enter the forest?"

He was vaguely insulted, but he didn't really think that she was calling him a monster. Stubborn, like any child, but certainly not a monster. Zelda's speech came to mind, and her certainty of all that she foresaw. She wasn't a monster, either, to his knowledge. She would have been a Lead Hunter, the Wisest, a Storyteller, and the Knowing Brothers would have adopted her, Hylian or no, if she were raised in Kokiri. He was...envious of her knowledge and the ability to see what was coming. What he wouldn't give now...He shook his head, doing away with musings. The now was just as important as what is to come.

The hallways were getting more sumptuous with draperies and carpets, bright primary colors at first, and then the royal shades of navy, cerulean, indigo and majesty's purple became the overwhelming theme. The stones transitioned from the gray granite flagstones and blocks of the mountain to ivory marble panelling, and in the lamplight, shimmering gold wraiths appeared to dance in the desirable flaws. Huge sheets and inset alcoves were highly polished and reflected the shadow images of the passersby, when there was no silk hanging from gold settings. What a ways from the astounded wonder at linen tents on a plain...Link held the grin from his lips. And if there was a room like this waiting, then all these hardships would have been worth it. His body longed for a soft surface to collapse on, and banish consciousness for a few hours, at least...Food, Impa says there'll be food too. Just a little while longer, then. He was seeing flickers at the edge of his vision, like a lion stalking, and Link thought turning to look at them would accomplish nothing. Still, it irked him.

"Hey, where's all the guards? Shouldn't there be checkpoints to the Royal Wing?" Gerrard asked with all the innocence the guilty can muster.

Impa told him shortly, "About four years ago, there was an assassination attempt on Zelda by one of the guards. That is why I'm here. If the two of you were here alone, the walls themselves will close upon you, the ceiling will come down and you'll be magically bound until someone comes to see what our traps have caught at the end of the month."

"Is that why everything in this wing looks so...glowy? Like the lamps flickering?"

"Glowy? You can see the enchantments?" Impa was unabashedly curious. She turned, and studied Link.

"He's magically deaf, but he can see the light it produces more often than not," Navi offered, much to his indignation. His steps were slapping the stone.

"You can see, but not hear," Impa purred. "I thought we knew every root of our family tree. That," she said with a cocky smirk. "Is a trait unique to the Abyss Clan Who Study Deepest Shadow Sheikah. When your life revolves around listening to whispers, hearing magic is a distraction...Hmm. I'll look into your parentage, and see if there's anything to be seen."

Link's heart swelled, stopped, and restarted. "How? They're…There's nothing left of the settlement, Saria said."

"Yes, but timeframes are important, and once you've given me everything you know, it will make it that much easier to find out who you were. It hardly mattered before-"

"So why does it matter now?" he ground between his teeth. "Because I could be related?"

"Yes."

I'm about to sit down right here in the middle of the damn hallway, and make her carry me again! His nails bit into his fists.

"You could complain about anything, couldn't you?" Navi retorted in his head.

Fine. I'll make YOU carry me...

At the end of the hall, a massive set of southern hardwood double doors embossed with a familiar loftwing and the Triforce in delicate gold leaf, an intricate clanking of an unseen lock mechanism clicked and chimed. The Sheikah woman placed a gauntlet on an illuminated panel in the center of the lock. They swung open noiselessly.

"Enter," commanded a bass voice.

Impa was first, followed by Navi, then Link, and Gerrard at the rear. Inside was a rather private reception room, largely carpeted in crimson. Controlling his racing heart, and breathing in a normal cadence, Link was unable to stop a shiver. Mountain air was chilled at night, and a fire was banked in a large hearth adorned with more of the gold and white marble. Little vases and prizes of conquest adorned the mantle. A normal sized door at the back of the room presumably led to the King's quarters. To the right was a hulking table filled with rows of scrolls, a dozen awaiting paperweights, legions of quills in upright stands, and a delicate bluebell patterned teapot. Four high backed and winged armchairs surrounded the table, pulled out invitingly for the two guests.

At the far edge of the round table sat a severe, white haired man in a plain navy doublet and a heavy gold crown weighing on his brow. He wasn't rugged-featured, but his cheeks were handsomely wide, and the white beard that covered his jawline was well groomed and shaped. When Link looked into his cerulean eyes, he was met with a sadness that made him flush and his heart sank.

He knows.

He gestured for the boys to seat themselves. They complied immediately.

"Well," he began in that rumbling brogue. "You're the Forest Child playing hide-and-seek in my castle."

Carefully, not correcting the King, he replied, "I am Link, Champion of the Kokiri Forest and Honorary Lon Clansman. I greet the King of Hyrule in the name of my Sisters and Brothers, The Eastern Tribe of the Great Deku Tree, Protected by the Mother of Life. This is my fairy guide, Navi."

"And your other companion? The one who doesn't fly?"

Impa, directly opposite the King's chair, cleared her throat, and offered, "He is a rogue from the recently extinguished Shadow Family in the defunct cistern. For whatever reason, the assassins spared him, and when Link arrived in pursuit of his now-dead attackers, Gerrard agreed to join him and Navi on their quest across Hyrule."

Brows furrowed. "This quest again?" The King inclined his chin and put a hand on the table, just a fraction too fast to be casual.

"We are searching for the Great Fairies. The Deku Tree tasked me with renewing our ties with the Pools," Navi told him guardedly.

"Ah. And this will take you into neighboring provinces in tense times. Do you plan on sneaking into a volcano or swimming the world's largest cataract?"

"Not without your permission, Highness," Impa deflected. "As it's told, he walked straight up to the Lon's camp under cover of twilight, and hardly caused a panic at all."

"Hmm. Tell me of your siblings, Link," he flicked a finger, and a servant poured tea into a matching cup. "Are they so bold as to sneak into the leader's home?"

Link could match that. "Probably moreso, your Highness." That earned him the King's amusement, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes tensed. "We're world renowned pranksters."

"Was it with a light heart that you invaded our privacy and lured my daughter from her room?"

Agog, Link couldn't find words.

"Your Majesty, we, er well, I led Link into the servants quarters at the instruction-"

The King raised his hand to silence Gerrard. His mouth shut with an audible pop.

"I wish to hear more of the Kokiri," he said after a few moments, sipping his fragrant cup. When Link did not speak, Navi came forward.

"The Kokiri live and die by the seasons. The year begins on the Long Day and Short Night, opening Summer to home repairs, improvements, group projects and countless forays for the fresh offerings of the earth." Link gulped her speech like water after thirst, he closed his eyes to savor his memories. "Summer is also a time of mischief, and they play Hide and Seek. There are still a pair of children whose bones have never even been discovered." Gerrard couldn't contain a snerk.

"Fall brings a flurry of hunting and harvesting, laying down stores of food and fat to ward them from Winter. They dress with the brightest colored leaves they can find, and celebrate the turning of the seasons with bitter acorn cakes and maple sugar. There's always so much fruit, and more berries and pinecones and nuts than can be consumed, and the species endure another generation.

"And yet, the forest feeds all of its children willing to persevere. During Winter, they rely on a few hunts for fresh meat, keeping each other sane with stories during the Long Night. There is always a period when the only foods available are stores of jerky, marrow and pinetip tea. If they are lucky, and smart enough, the Kokiri survive to the next season. Then, Spring is the rebirth of nature after the 'little death' of winter, though there are some animals and plants that flourish in the cold, too." And Link was one of them, she said with an unspoken oath.

"Each Kokiri specializes in craft, whether it is story-telling, hunting, making medicine or dealing with the problems of the people. While they are child-sized, the depth of understanding over time is not less, and it may be that friendship forms bonds deeper than family. They are proud and courageous, and guided by the wisdom of fairies, and the power to see natural patterns."

The fairy paused, and Link saw the King totally attuned, interestedly amused and hearing the seriousness of the words. He swallowed dryly. Thank you, Navi.

"The fairies knew something was coming. Patterns in the forest told us every day how fast this testing raced towards us. More and more mad scrubs attacked the Children, the Deku babas have never been so numerous, and one of the Gohma Queens grew to monstrous size. This was a forecast, an imminent upset of the natural order. Link's Hylian blood surviving in deepest Kokiri is only one of those signs. The Goddesses do not move silently."

The King shook his head, eyes narrowing and his fingers curled on the table top. "So it is that accursed quest again," he said in a low tone. "I knew you had instructions. I have been told of your progress as 'an agent' for weeks, and yet again, when the honor of revelation should have been mine…" He stopped, displaying some of the storm within on his face. "You used an unfamiliar magic on my castle ground. Was it used on my daughter?"

"No, your Highness," Link protested with all of his will.

"Link was concealing us from the guards," Gerrard added, finger raised to make a point.

"And what, exactly, were your orders, that you used the servant's entrance to sneak into my home?"

"The last living Shadow Thief, Master Radish told me to bring Zelda the Kokiri Emerald," Gerrard's face was stiff without emotion.

The ruler's anger did not evaporate, but Link watched a man turn off ire like a spigot on a keg. The room grew colder.

"Why would a Master Thief want this to happen?"

"I wondered that, too," Gerrard rubbed his chin. "I didn't question my assignment, since you just don't do that, and besides, it was going to be my elevation to the next rank. I'd have been working the nobles streets, hawking and pawning, rather than picking the market. I was so excited, pinpointing this absolute rube by all accounts-"

"Rube?"

"Seriously, man, you gawk at everything. You look serious about it, but if you hunt like you shop…" He shrugged. "It's no wonder you wear a bearskin."

That...was a compliment?

"Anyway, I get the stone from Link, easy enough, and I hightail it back to my pals. I didn't know...I had no idea the stone was so special." He sat straight up in the chair, and told the King, "Master Radish's throat was slit, just hours ago. He coughed at us in his dying breath to take the Emerald to the Princess. I thought it was pretty important to follow that kind of instruction."

"Our intention was never to bypass you, your Majesty," Link supplicated. "Everything was happening so fast, and I was still recovering from being stabbed. I owed the honor to Master Radish as his last request. I felt...compelled. It was no slight to you." He said his piece as evenly and as truthfully as he could.

"Again, why would Radish want the stone taken to my daughter?"

"That was part of my discovery, earlier," Impa intervened. "I came to you with the report on the Guild's Quarter disaster, and at the same time, one of the main components of the underground market trade was wiped out. I think there were Hylian, Gerudo and Sheikah defectors and collaborators that made these events happen in tandem. And just two hours ago, right before the intrusion, I received another report from the SC. Fourteen apparent suicides were discovered in the Seers of the Web Sheikah Clan, with no bodies. The letters left to the living detailed threats to their families if they did not act against-"

"Pact murder? You have begun taking precautions, then," the King derided his subject. Impa, had she been a swan, would have raised her wings, hissed and beaten the tar out of him for suggesting such a thing. As it was, she did not respond. He went on, before she did. "I am trying to perceive this fairly. Tell me, why did you spell my daughter from her quarters?"

"I didn't," Link said. He sought Impa, begging permission.

"He did not," She agreed. "It was of her own volition that she wished to pick flowers in the night."

"Even though I had ordered all family members to stay in their chambers while the threat to our castle was subdued?"

"She thought the flowers would remind him of the forest."

The King turned thoughtfully to Link. "She picked them for you, but you did not accept them?"

"I...I have nowhere to dry them for tea or craft, and without staying on the plant, they won't produce seeds. I didn't have a practical reason-"

"Does she have the Emerald?"

"What? No, I do-" A trap, sprung before he realized.

"Then tell me why you had to get to her before me," he challenged. "I would have every right to arrest you for the disrespect to my daughter, the unlicensed use of enchantments on my guards, one of your party's assault on a civilian, and the murder of an entire clan of my citizens."

"It's not my fault!" Link growled, throat tightening.

"The guards that cleared the scene told me that you two were the only survivors. Now why was that?"

"Your highness, I was there, but not by our choice," Navi said sadly. "I had been captured by the young thieves to distract Link, and then, another troupe dressed in black crashed in and started taking everyone down. Neither boy could have done it! They weren't there!"

"And sprites of mischief are truth tellers? This is a new development."

Link's eye twitched. He did NOT just accuse Navi of lying like that…

"The fact that the Emissary's familiar was present for the murder is even more incriminating. I sense your connection, so I must assume you were there to be a witness, though to what end, I am curious to learn." He was still as the mountain. "Boys, if you're truly clever, and not as deep in these schemes as it appears, then you will not trust this woman's words."

What.

He leaned back in the winged armchair, stroking the navy upholstery. "My daughter was found coming from the gardens where you were apprehended. You used a strange magic in my castle and chose to avoid the legitimate avenues to visiting the Royal Family. One of the priests of your retinue assaulted a respected merchant at Caravan Flats. Another has gone insane."

"What? Who?" Link couldn't help but ask. The King's lined face was harder.

"The son of the Farmington Elder. He was admitted to the Brothers of Time to be healed. I'm told his malady has been kept very quiet, but neither his father nor his grandmother did anything to wipe away delusions of grandeur."

"Grandmother?" Link probed boldly, at a loss.

"Madame Viscena, the High Elder of the Clothmen. When her own son showed a lust for her position, she had him posted in Farmington. It wasn't my concern until it snowballed into this madness. Goriyo junior was obsessed by the Triforce quest, and he thought he had some part to play. And when a purported 'Agent' arrived on his doorstep, it pushed him too far. His mind could not reconcile fiction with reality." The statement dropped like a bar of lead in a tin pot.

"But it isn't…"Link trailed off when lightning flashed in the King's eyes.

"Sir," Impa began. "We have brought you our concerns-"

He held a hand in the air to stop her. He locked eyes with Link. "How long have her people been filling your ears with stories?"

"No one has, sir. The Lons, and Sergeant Jesselia-"

"Ah, the Lightning Willow? Not all Sheikah are born with red eyes, you know."

"...Sire?"

"The officer at Farmington is a bastard of Those Who Hide Under the Sun Sheikah clan. We have women in the armed forces, but ones with colorful histories...I'm certain you were told of her struggles to marry and find acceptance. Her case was brought before me, even. Had she not been one of the Heroes of the War, I wouldn't have bothered. And Major Amsterron used all of his social credit to shield her."

"Hold on," Gerrard piped up, turning to Link. "You're telling me you traveled with the Lightning Willow? She was one of the soldiers that stormed the desert and survived capture! Oh man, you've got to introduce me! Er," He stopped, suddenly remembering just whose audience they were. "I mean, if we get out of here?"

Every head swiveled to the King.

He smiled. "All I want is a straight answer from you. Why is the Princess the one you needed to see? What could have possibly passed to legitimize any of your claims?"

Link told him, "This is some kind of misunderstanding." And I'm so tired… "You keep twisting our words-"

"Ha…." The King closed his eyes and bowed his head. When he raised it, the hardness was replaced with agate sadness. "Let me tell you of twisted words, then," said the King.

"I am Dakor Nohansen, son of Marekanoran Elric and Porenn Danae, King of Hyrule, Sworn Brother of Darrunyah of Cor Darun, Master of the Sages, and Defender of Nayru. When the Sheikah tutors began my education on destiny, it was with flowery poetry. Obscure stuff, they tried to convince me of my destiny. They said that I would be the one to pave a road to an even greater golden peace. Young men hear these words, and their heads swell. One person, so important in all of history, like none seen before! The feeling is singular, and addictive. When you come to accept that the world is dependant on your action, it is the most detrimental, soul-chaining honor.

"I was told that I would be a king of kings, with golden power at my fingertips, and I allowed myself to be led down the path my red-eyed servants advised. I thought they were my true servants, with my interests and the land's wellbeing in mind. The greatest treachery...came when my daughter did. Suddenly, the new heir was the focus of prophecy, the epicenter of augury, and the ruler Hyrule has been waiting for."

"Oh no…" Navi whispered. His crown clanked onto the table.

"Indeed. My daughter stole the life from my love, the Clothmen revealed her to be the True Heir of Nayru, a new quest for the Triforce was upon us, and I would play no further part in the game." He wrapped his hands around his temples, a long-time, automatic gesture of worry and comfort. "I was shattered to learn that someone so small, so young, could be the focus of something so grand. The only path I'd sought since my own youth, the carpet was yanked out from beneath me. I doubted that I could go on, but then state matters reared their heads again, and I couldn't ignore my country or subjects for a personal slight. After all, they have nothing to do with the decision of the gods. It is not their fault.

"I have people to feed, politicians to assuage and an economy to spur. What do I care for fairytales?

"And we have come back around to our original point: Why shouldn't I arrest you three for treason?" He looked at Link, Navi and Gerrard in turn.

Link had faced a terrible Gohma queen. He left his home and friends, his second family and tried to go toe-to-toe with a stabby teenager. And yet, this was the most dangerous moment he had ever lived to see. His life, and his friends lives, maybe even Impa's life, were dependant on the whims of a melancholy king. Where Zelda's offer felt like a noose trap, Dakor's threat was like being sentenced to the Lost Woods during a blizzard. There was no turning back, and moving forward was a risk all its own. One wrong step through rotten snow into icy water, one muted exclamation to call the hungry wolfos, and you were dead.

"Your Majesty," Link steeled himself. "I am no stranger to twisted youth. I was raised by Children, and had no fairy to call my own. Adults can be mean, but kids are merciless." He clamped his throat against bile. "And then, just when they accepted my strangeness, Navi came to me, and upended my life. All I have done up to this moment is a reaction to that night. The sacrifices and lessons I suffered, and the advice I followed have placed me here, in this manner. I will take the responsibility, but like you, the circumstances are not my fault."

Another stern, timeless second held them. Then the King sighed again. "Yes, the claws of the beasts cling deeply, don't they?

"And why do you keep accusing him of using magic on Zelda?" Gerrard asked.

"The Princess," the King corrected him. "Was on her way back to her rooms, with a handful of flowers meant for you. She said she saw you two and the fairy, but then everything went dark, and had no memory of gathering the flowers. While harmless enough, it is not like my daughter to go flower picking at night when she could be studying the Zoran language or Goron economy."

He hates her. How could you hate your own…

"She stole everything. He blames her. No wonder he won't believe us." Navi floated close and touched his ear. "I think we may be in trouble."

"I have to assume, based on my connection to Hyrule's magic, that you spelled her out of her room for some dark purpose. I cannot prevent her involvement with Impa or the Sheikah, but I will not allow foreign powers to abuse her Will. You've shown me and my family even less respect than the lowest of Ganondorf's servants. Hopefully, to teach you boys about trusting the orders of strangers, I command Impa to take you to the cells in the dungeons. Maybe someday soon you'll appreciate the Will of a King over the seductive words of destiny." He curled two fingers in the air, and guards came trundling in, holding metal spears.

"My liege, I have a room appropriated for the Emissary and his guests-"

"So sleep in it."

"...Yes, sir." She stepped back, and was about to move further when the King asked her to wait.

"I have one more matter to address," He stood and came around the table to Link. There was no stiffness evident in his motions, and Dakor did not falter as he put his hands on Link. He took the pouch at his waist and the obsidian knife with his dried blood on the blade.

"You've saved me a great deal of effort. Men turn to stalfos as soon as they enter the forest. Now, none of us will have to go again. I'll send word, and a messenger to the Gorons and Zoras immediately…" With little interest, Dakor left the room, and three prisoners, behind him.


The clanking escort to the dungeon was humiliating. Link wasn't put into irons, nor was Gerrard, but the pikes and spears were a little much. No, maybe it wasn't the pole weapons. It was the sorcerer following their party, holding a soap bubble of protective energy around their trio that was irritating him. Or the fact that every guard, every servant and by extension, their nobles would soon know that Kokiri had indeed produced a Skull kid disguised as a decent Hylian. He was going to be hated. Mentally, he reached out to Navi. She didn't respond. The pit of his stomach dropped for the eighth time that night. Alarmed, he said aloud, "Navi?"

"Quiet!" cracked the sorcerer, fluttering blue robes in annoyance. "Don't think I didn't feel you try to communicate with someone! This is also a dampening spell. There's nothing you could hope to accomplish within it."

Rage, angst and pure mathematical instinct urged him to devise a way to break that caster's attention, and calculate just how feasible it would be to incapacitate eleven pikemen. The odds weren't good, but if Link did get lucky…

Sure. Lucky. Set up a glowing future, just to snatch it away the next moment. They had relieved him of the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, and he assumed the rest of his possessions, like his pack and the Kokiri sword had been confiscated as well. He was barefoot, beltless, knifeless, and yet, he felt he was not defenseless. The wolf in him wanted to tear and slaver, but Link restrained himself, and only glared at the soldiers every few steps.

Down countless flights of stairs and landings, Impa was taking them to the expansive cells beneath the castle, holding the criminals and evil-doers of Hyrule. During the past twenty years, the prison population had dwindled to several tens, instead of hundreds. The incurably corrupt and remorseless remained in stuporous lethargy until their date of execution or appeal. But the interesting prisoners and the cavalcade of guards had stirred them, and the living skeletons pressed against their bars to ogle the newcomers. None jeered, fearing a rap from the butt of a spear, or a pointed argument from a pike, and the silence somehow smothered Link with the sense of condemnation.

No, not condemning him...He watched confusion and surprisingly, compassion on the face of an inmate.

The cracked face whispered to him, "If the King's throwing kids in here now...What hope is there for any of us?"

"SILENCE!" A guard rammed his weapon against the side of the prisoner's head. He lay sprawled in his cell, unmoving.

The others retreated into the darkness. Their party went down another staircase, and approached a singular iron door in the wall. With squealing hinges, it swung open and the boys and fairy were pushed into the dark hole. The sorcerer expanded the bubble, and used vague gestures to do something. Link watched the walls of their cell come alive with pale blue light. Satisfied this would hold the trio, the guards left them with Impa in the open doorway.

Navi flew to the edge of the blue perimeter, and screeched, "You said-"

"That I had lodging available to you. We knew the King would be unhappy with the turn of events-"

"So you let us get dragged to a dungeon?" Navi was sobbing, Link saw little shoulders shaking, and wings quivering. "After everything you've done to help us- everything Link and Gerrard have promised- HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO US?!"

Impa put her hands on her hips. She told them in a pragmatic tone, "Now you are confined to the one place the King nor his nobles wouldn't be tempted to see the Forest Devil on display. This is exactly where I want you. Here is the only place in all of Hyrule that is under the protection of the King and the Sheikah, far enough removed from major activity that I can visit to tutor you in private. And I am of the Shadow People. Stone walls and weak Hylian magic are no match for our ancient skills. Someday, maybe soon, you will learn to see the sense in subterfuge. Zelda told you what would happen, in any case."

"Yeah when she threatened me…" Gerrard began the statement with injustice, and with the final syllables, he had been defeated. "Oh. Oh man. She really did. Even about Link using magic."

"And this was the first time she was the mastermind?" Navi sliced.

Impa's stoic expression melted into regret. "No, it was still the Sheikah. We did not know exactly how the meeting or the Revelation would occur, and only an hour before your meeting, Zelda was overcome with that ancient presence. I learned from her a great deal about the coming events, confirming generation's-old suspicions."

"And how did you know she wasn't lying?"

"For starters, I know the young princess has never had access to ancient Hylian text. I was just as stunned as you were to hear it spoken in true form. Spoken, mind you, when no commoner or royal has spoken it in thousands of years."

"Wait, then how did I know-"

Impa was hard. "Gerrard. You were brought here under the same purpose as Link and Zelda and I. I'm sure there's a few more layers in that brain of yours waiting to be awakened.

At least Link could feel a little superiority over Gerrard, here. He was more used to this pushy business of destiny, and he could almost fathom what Impa meant about subterfuge and all that. More than anything, he needed to rest. He felt himself swaying. "Beds?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "Anything?"

"Try the floor," Impa told them. Link was tired enough to plop down where he stood, and gratefully stretched on the warm stone that was molding itself to his shape and supporting his lower back like nothing had ever done before…

Within seconds, Navi felt the snap of the sleep spell leave Link and Gerrard prone on the floor, and she whipped towards Impa. "Why?"

"Because it is necessary." Her red eyes sought no apology for harsh words. "We Sheikah are nothing, if not obedient to necessity. For eons, our tasks have pulled at us, and we must sacrifice normal reality for one that hardly exists. And very suddenly, we are reminded with these little occasions that necessity does indeed rule our lives. Every plan and iota of information we gather is for a greater end. One that I…" She trailed off, before casting her own sphere of silence, overlapping with the one encasing the boys and fairy.

"I am taking full precautions," she told Navi. "No one else must hear. No one can know, Concession of Nayru."

Navi nodded, sniffling. She was equal to the vow.

"Hyrule is not the only world."

Her breath left her.

"That world is suffering even more greatly than Hyrule will. It has no balance. Chaos rules it. By the end of ten years, cataclysm will befall both worlds. We don't know yet how they connect, how they're dependant on each other, but without a Triforce to equalize the urges of magic, the Otherworld is failing.

"Seeing but not hearing magic is a signature of Abyssal Sheikah. Our settlement is at the edge of the dimension. Whispers of the Otherworld have been coming to us for thousands of generations. When Ganondorf, Link and Zelda were born in their times, the Abyss thundered with purpose. These souls are the ones who will help restore the Otherworld and resume balance with Hyrule."

"But Hyrule needs balance first," Navi said.

"Yes. That is the task of Link and Gerrard. They'll reset the magical wellsprings of our world with the Spiritual Stones. This is the first step. Once they have all three, and the Ocarina, we may proceed to the Sacred Realm and gain the Triforce. Then, Zelda will instate six new sages. By this time, Ganondorf should be neutralized."

Something here tugged at Navi. "So why do we only have two more days, if we aren't going to be disturbed down here?"

"In two days, the Gerudo will attack the convened court and kill the King. When the fighting begins, you will be taken north to find the Gorons. Battle chaos is a wonderful cover for escape plans."

Navi was stunned. There was nothing she could amend on, and her thoughts were, she should never underestimate Impa, or trust her. "So why tell me now?"

"It will be your task to help the boys understand their efforts were not in vain. They will not get to live in the peace they create for long. When the ending of this quest comes, it will be the beginning of a new one. Find a way to ease their hearts, as no one has been able to do for me."

And that would be a taxing request. "Wow. This really is just the beginning. Is there anything we know for sure about the Otherworld?"

"Aside from the timeframe, not yet," Impa told her.

"Fair enough. Well then. Oh, hey, when do we get Link's possessions back? And the Spiritual Stone?"

"Once you're freed. We will have a route ready."

"Thank you. This has been one heck of Revelation."

"We are all a part of this story, Navi," Impa reminded her. "There are no bystanders. Be prepared for the worst of days, and how you must be the sun to part the dark clouds."

"Lighting the way forward," Navi murmured to herself. "I bet the Deku Tree knew."

"He would have to. He is the spirit of Faron. Might I ask what he told you?"

"You can ask," Navi returned.

"Fair enough." Impa waved a gauntlet and broke her seal. "Until tomorrow."

Without another word, she left.

"...Bitch," Navi harrumphed, and snuggled next to Link.


Black clouds hung low. Thunder rubbed its palms together before clapping and roaring, searing the dry land with fingers of white hot fire. The drawbridge was sealed. And then in torturously slow clanks, like a crown on a table, the chains holding the bridge opened the maw of the castle perimeter. Link desperately wished it would stay shut. What was beyond it, was worse than any violent threat...Like a wooden door would stop it. All the more, he willed the iron rings of the chain to stop, to halt their chiming! He wished that it would just seize around the gear, that the drawbridge didn't open, but it lowered, inch by inch, harbingering the message-

Shivering, shocked awake by a myoclonic jerk, Link was soaked with sweat on stone that was far too forgiving to be natural. Every ounce of his body and soul felt wrung out, and with a heaving sigh, he fell back into darkness.


A/N: Well, there it is. Our second revelation. What a productive couple of months!

And as for the King taking the SSotF, I know that never happens. But there are consequences to sneaking into the castle!