Zelda didn't realize she stood in a dream until she recognized her own body.
The world was moving so slowly it seemed frozen at first. Link's eyes were wide with fury, Vaati's with astonishment, as her brother planted his foot securely on his enemy's chest and kicked him backwards. As Zelda watched him slide the Master Sword out of the wind mage's body and stomp him into the ground, hard, everything sped back up to normal, and she crept closer to the scene after a wary hesitation.
After ensuring that Vaati was not feigning unconsciousness—which he wasn't, to her simultaneous satisfaction and slight consternation—Link knelt next to his motionless sister, raising her wrist to feel for a pulse, and soon smiled in relief. "Thank Hylia," he breathed, touching his forehead to her hand, then frowned as he glanced between her body and Vaati's. Zelda could practically hear his troubled thoughts: now what?
It took a moment for Link to determine the most effective method of transport as he paced around the shrine, but eventually, his expression brightened along with the gradually clearing sky. He hauled his sister's limp body onto his back, leaning forward to balance her as he used one hand to drag Vaati behind them by the cape.
Zelda scowled as she watched Link trudge back down the trail with herself and the ashen Vaati in tow, but she was far more worried than angry. Had her brother seriously killed their only chance of finding the Mage's Cap?
"Well played, Princess," purred Vaati's voice behind Zelda, startling her, and she whirled around to find him leaning on the Picori Blade like some sort of cane. Zelda narrowed her eyes as she took in his appearance. Apparently, his skin was deathly pale to begin with, and even seemed to be tinged violet, though perhaps that was just the eerie light of the fading storm.
They looked one another up and down, Zelda's confusion growing with her every observation. Was this really the same Vaati who had taken over her kingdom all those centuries ago? Standing about as tall as Link, but certainly no taller, he was surprisingly effeminate in his features, and more slender than muscular. His hair was almost as long as Zelda's, but a good deal lighter in shade, covering his right eye (the left of which glimmered red). A strange black marking was emblazoned on his exposed cheekbone. The only distinctly monstrous feature she could identify was his slightly pointed canines, and that wasn't especially intimidating.
Most disturbing was actually the fact that Vaati didn't look like the ghosts she'd spoken with in dreams before. He was decidedly solid, and his aura of aliveness strong. So he had survived after all, and was apparently contacting her telepathically. Whether that was good or bad remained to be seen.
"There's no need to look at me like that," remarked Vaati, raising his visible eyebrow coolly as he crossed his arms, and Zelda realized suddenly that she was glaring at him. "I want to talk to you, and you haven't come to see me yet. I am not a patient man, and I do believe this is as good a place as any for a meeting."
"No, it's not," she countered, clenching her fists. This was her dream-space, and Vaati had absolutely no right to intrude; trying desperately not to think of her hypocrisy, having invaded his mind without his consent not too long ago, Zelda met his eyes as ferociously as she dared. "Go away!"
Vaati only raised his visible eyebrow. "If you insist," he said, casually unsheathing the Picori Blade from its latest home in the mud. "But you can't avoid me forever, and you know it. I advise you not to keep me waiting much longer." He gave a wicked grin, shifting the hilt in his hand, and Zelda cried out and jumped back as he lunged at her suddenly—
Zelda's eyes shot open, and she sat bolt upright. Looking around frantically, she noticed that Link was seated on the bed next to her, and took a deep, shuddering breath as she recognized that she was safe. "I'm fine," she said immediately, but her voice sounded breathless even to herself, and Link nudged her down again with a light touch.
"Don't push yourself," said Link with unusual intensity, concern weighing heavily in gentle red eyes. "As far as I can tell, Vaati used your strength to resurrect himself. You're lucky to be alive right now, let alone awake." He cupped her hands in his, palms hot and moist as though he'd been clenching his fists in worry.
"But… he wants to see me," protested Zelda weakly, pulling her hand away from his. Couldn't her brother understand how important this was? Mere mortals such as themselves were in no position to delay this meeting. Vaati may have been in a weakened state, but he was still very much alive. "Where is he?"
"In the dungeons," said Link, and she moved as quickly as she could, trying desperately to dodge past her brother and run for the door, but he caught both her wrists as soon as she started moving. "No no no no. You're not getting up to see him right now."
Zelda frowned, realizing for the first time how absolutely exhausted her brother looked. There were dark circles under his eyes, and even as she watched him, he barely stifled a yawn. "How long was I…?" she tried to ask, but his yawn was contagious, and she was cut off before she could finish the sentence.
"The rest of yesterday, and all last night," said Link, and though he said nothing about whether he had stayed with her the whole time, Zelda strongly suspected he had. "Mother and Father are worried sick, but furious too." They both sighed, sharing a small smile as they acknowledged their accidental simultaneity, but Link's brow furrowed again before too long. "Honestly, I… I think you'll be lucky if you're still a princess when they're through with you."
Zelda blinked, startled. "That bad, huh?" Oops. Even her backup plan had involved at least being conscious enough to explain herself, which she was sure would mitigate her inevitable punishment at least a little. The way things had turned out instead… well, things weren't looking too good.
"Yeah, that bad!" exclaimed Link, with surprising vehemence. Zelda flinched, and Link took a deep breath, calming himself before continuing. "You almost got yourself killed bringing back the most dangerous demon in history, without any explanation to them. I tried to talk to them, but they weren't exactly happy with me either." He leaned forward, hiding his face in his hands. "Oh, and by the way," he added bitterly, voice muffled slightly by his fingers, "Vaati's also some kind of Houghini. No ordinary chains can hold him."
"I thought you said he was in the dungeons!"
"He is," said Link, letting out a long breath, and dropped his hands back to his legs. "He's just staying there voluntarily. We've all tried talking to him, even Father, but he's said that he won't meet with anyone except you." Suspicion glimmered in his eyes, but he said nothing further.
"Then let me see him," said Zelda, scooting back gingerly to sit up again. Her every muscle ached in protest, and she grimaced, but did not stop. "Please."
"Mother and Father said I should bring them here as soon as you awakened," said Link, frowning, but there was a note of uncertainty in his voice. Clearly, if he hadn't already left to fetch their parents, he already had some doubts. (That, or he just knew she'd make a break for it in his absence.)
"Look, I may as well do all the things I'm going to get in trouble for before I see them," said Zelda, somewhere between exasperated and worried. "That way, they can get mad at me for everything at once. Besides," she added, raising her voice slightly as Link opened his mouth to make some sort of retort, "after I see Vaati… well, there may not be much of me left to yell at."
"For the love of Hylia, Zel, don't say that like it's nothing!" snapped Link, shoving Zelda's shoulder none too gently. She yelped in pain as her muscles spasmed, and her brother looked momentarily sorry, withdrawing his hand and staring at the floor. "You almost died. You almost died for the sake of a hat, and you're willing to do it again. Why?"
If trying to protect the Triforce wasn't a good enough reason, Zelda didn't know what to tell him. "Sorry," she muttered instead, and Link glanced up in wordless acceptance of her apology, but quickly returned his gaze to the floor. (It was difficult to tell which was stonier.) "I shouldn't have said that. What I mean is, Mother and Father will never let me see Vaati in the first place if I talk to them first."
"So give me three good reasons why I should."
"You can come with me," said Zelda, but the end of the sentence turned up like a question. Ordinarily, she was a much better liar than this; had she just blown her own cover? She held her breath as Link narrowed his eyes in suspicious contemplation.
"All right," said Link eventually. He still didn't sound completely convinced, but even reluctant acceptance was still valid. "Two more."
"Vaati told me not to keep him waiting in a threatening tone of voice," Zelda said, a little more confidently this time—possibly because this one was actually true. "It's probably not a good idea to ignore him."
"Right," muttered Link, as if he'd prefer not to think about it too much. "One more?" She could feel the dread in her brother's words now, as though he sensed his imminent defeat. It was the same gloomy realization that weighed down his actions at the end of most of their duels.
Zelda pursed her lips. She did have one last good point, but this one would only make Link worry more. "Vaati's… not as strong as once he was. The Mage's Cap is, well… apparently, it's gone missing."
The fury sparking in her brother's wide eyes seemed second only to his incredulity, and Zelda flinched automatically. She could count the times she'd seen him genuinely angry on one hand. "What?!" was the only word Link could utter, half-yelped, half-growled. Crossing his arms, tapping his fingers restlessly against his arm as if awaiting clarification.
"I said," began Zelda after a short pause, her traditional sarcastic response activating (as usual) in place of the explanation she could not offer.
Her glaring brother was most definitely not amused. "I know what you said!" he snapped, and Zelda had never heard so much venom in his tone before. Uncrossing his arms, he leaned forward, meeting her eyes earnestly, and she shifted restlessly against the wall as if pinned there by his searching red gaze. "But doesn't that mean releasing him was a waste of time?"
"Not at all," said Zelda. "Vaati is still the only one who might know where the Mage's Cap actually is, so can we just go to the dungeons and ask him now?"
There was a brief pause, during which they continued their staring contest. Zelda swallowed quickly, looking away. As often as she won their duels, she could never hold Link's gaze in silence for longer than a few short moments. It was as if all the thoughts he did not voice were written in his eyes.
"Fine," muttered Link after an unbearably long pause, and now it was Zelda's turn to stare at him. Getting to his feet slowly, as if in exhaustion, he retrieved the Master Sword from its position leaning against the wall. Strapping the scabbard to his back, he whispered a few phrases that might have been a prayer—as though preparing for another battle. Zelda shivered; there was something eerie about such reverent sounds in the silence of daybreak.
Facing the bed again, Link finally threw back the covers, leaning forward so Zelda could curve an arm around his neck for added support. "I—I can't believe I'm saying this," he continued hesitantly, his words edged with a somewhat resigned sigh, "but… let's go talk to Vaati."
And, to Zelda's very great surprise, he braved a tiny smile as he picked her up.
"All right, put me down," said Zelda as they arrived at the spiral staircase extending down to the dungeons: Link halted abruptly, but swayed uncertainly in place, narrowing his eyes. "I can walk from here." Link sighed and shook his head disbelievingly, but acquiesced.
The descent was far slower than Zelda anticipated. Her legs didn't want to hold her, begging for bed, but she grit her teeth and forced herself to continue on without her brother's assistance. Vaati had to understand that she was a force to be reckoned with, even on her own. The only problem, and it was a big one, was how to convince her brother to leave her alone with him.
As Link and Zelda rounded the corner, reaching the bottom of the stairs at last, the guards—clearly on edge, perhaps due to the nature of their latest prisoner—jumped, clutching their pikes a little more tightly. They relaxed only when they observed the identities of their visitors, though the exact moment was hidden from Zelda like the guards' eyes behind their helms.
"I want to speak with the prisoner," announced Zelda, as authoritatively as she could while still needing to lean against the wall for support.
The guards exchanged an inscrutable glance, though she could not imagine how either could see the other's eyes. "But, Your Highness—"
"Now," snapped Zelda, crossing her arms, and she didn't even need to threaten them. Both guards jumped at her tone of voice and hastily moved to open the heavy wooden door. Narrowing her eyes as the guards fumbled with the keys, Zelda smiled faintly to herself, a new idea taking shape in her mind…
The sound of quick footsteps on the stairs distracted her, and Link rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, but relaxed slightly as a timid female voice spoke from the shadows. "Y-Your Highness?" asked a maid, stepping into the dim firelight. Zelda grit her teeth, preparing for a lecture—but the girl had been addressing Link. Perfect, she realized, struggling to suppress a smile.
"Her Majesty is getting impatient," said the maid softly, worried eyes flicking briefly in Zelda's direction before returning to her feet. "She tells me I should remind you that you are to fetch her, and the King, as soon as the Princess has awakened. She insists that there should be no detours…"
"I know," said Link, hiding his face in his hand in clear frustration. "I know. But, listen…"
Zelda smiled lopsidedly as the guards finally fit the correct key in the lock and pushed the door slightly open. As Link tried to translate his thoughts into speech on short notice, she stepped forward, taking a deep breath—and then, she let herself stumble, ignoring the guards' remarks of concern. Clutching at the side of the door for support, Zelda subtly tugged out the ring of keys…
"Your Highness!" exclaimed the maidservant's frantic voice, and Link's gasp echoed in the hallway, but it was too late. As soon as Zelda passed through the crack, barely wide enough to accommodate her slender body, she shoved the door shut with all her might.
The very instant after it was closed and locked behind her, Link crashed into it from the other side, but even his considerable strength and that of the two guards, was no match for solid oak. "Zelda!" he yelled, his voice sounding both desperate and furious through the high barred window, and pounded both his fists on the door once in anguish.
Zelda smiled somewhat sadly, clutching the keys in her shaking fist. "Sorry, Link," she panted, leaning against the door with racing heart and trembling limbs, and there was another dull thud as though he had leaned his head against the door as well. "I've gotten you in enough trouble already." She paused, catching her breath, before another alarming thought struck her like lightning. "Did—did the maid run away?"
There was a tiny pause, perhaps while Link glanced backwards to check. "Yes," he groaned quietly, as if knowing what she would ask of him.
"Then go and catch her," said Zelda, hoping the magic word was evident in her voice. She couldn't afford to say more than necessary; in this situation, at least, it would be best to emulate her brother. The maid had undoubtedly gone to tell her parents, and it would be better for everyone if Zelda was allowed to talk to Vaati alone and uninterrupted.
"But—" began Link desperately.
"Do it!" bellowed Zelda, and he growled something under his breath. She almost thought he would ignore her, but then his footsteps retreated in a hurry. Whether her brother intended to obey her or betray her, Zelda wasn't about to wait around to find out. Until then, she thought determinedly… well, it was time for another little talk with Vaati.