Author's note: In the old Dark Horse Zelda comics, Link was not from Hyrule but the neighbour kingdom of Calatia. The Captain here is also based on/totally Captain Krin from the comics.
Chapter 4, The Triforce
"The roads are in such a bad shape that it's impossible to transport the stone that far until winter. Then we can take it by sleighs, but right now it can't be done."
"But if you pave the roads starting from Ruto, can you really provide enough stone by winter? We need all we can get to repair Rauru."
"You'll have to use wood in the meantime anyway, no?"
"Nobody wants to rebuild with wood, our homes have burned down enough times already. But you wouldn't know that, would y—"
"Gentlemen," the Queen said.
She did not even raise her voice, but the representatives from Ruto and Rauru shut their mouths immediately.
Zelda hid a smile behind her hand, pretending to scratch her cheek. It was difficult not to show how amusing the looks on the two men's faces were, glaring at each other but too respectful of the Queen to keep arguing – at least while she was present. In their eyes there was a silent, angry agreement to continue later.
Glancing around the table, Zelda noted that she wasn't the only one hiding her mirth. Impa and the other two advisors (a blond, surprisingly young Captain of the army, and a middle-aged woman who served as the royal commerce advisor) invited to the meeting were subtle, of course, but Link could not keep his lips from twitching. Neither did he make an attempt to hide it. His focus, though, was on the Queen, with a soft gaze that spoke volumes of what he thought of her ability to command the room with a single word.
Clearing her throat, the commerce advisor raised her hand to speak. When the Queen nodded to her, the older woman pointed to the map that covered most of the table.
"I understand what you mean," she said, looking at the Rauru representative, "but if the roads are paved it will make travelling much simpler and you will be able to get more materials quicker, even if you have to wait for it now."
"But we need to fortify the mountain border," the representative protested. Despite the disagreement he sounded much calmer now that he was not addressing his counterpart. He turned his head. "All due respect to you, Sir Link, for clearing up the rockslide that blocked the passage southwards, but it also re-opened the way for monsters."
It was the first time Zelda heard about that feat. She was not the least bit surprised, however.
Link nodded agreement, giving a slanted, slightly pained smile as an apology for the double-edged help.
"It hasn't been too bad, true," Impa commented after gaining permission to speak, "but that could be a ruse. If Ganon's dregs organized to the south without him, they would have to go past Rauru to get to the Castle Town. Rauru is essential for the defense of the heartland."
"I agree with Lady Impa," the Captain said. "We cannot let our guard down. Our troops are still recovering and spread thin."
The Rauru representative leaned back in his chair, relieved to be supported by both Sheikah and military paranoia.
"We still cannot transport the stone before winter," the Ruto representative said. "That's just the way it is with how the roads are now. So we may as well use this time to make the roads better."
"But right now it's a waste of materials that can be better used as soon as they can reach Rauru," the Captain insisted.
"Your troops will have an easier time travelling when the roads are better," the commerce advisor said. "And you'll be able to get stone all year round. We can also start sending supplies and trade caravans across the land much more efficiently."
"In due time, yes," the Captain said. "I too want to see better roads all the way from Ruto to Mido and Saria, but I don't believe it should be our first priority."
Zelda listened in silence, marveling once again at how different things were now. In her childhood she had – not too enthusiastically, because it was boring to a child – listened to petitioners coming to see her father. He had heard them and sent them away, then briefly consulted an advisor if he felt the need. Then he had simply decided, and that was it. A discussion like this would have been unthinkable.
She understood that the Queen had invited her to this meeting because her opinion was wanted, and she appreciated the trust. Listening to both sides she pondered what to add, as she found both the arguments for the defense and roads sound.
"What do you think?" the Queen asked, turning to Link.
He half-stood, reaching towards the map to draw an invisible line from Castle Town to Rauru.
"I think that whatever you decide on, we should consider making a straight road here," he said. "This long way around is a pain." He traced the path going northeast from Castle Town and then down south to Rauru. "Also we would get plenty of logs to roll stone sleighs on."
Any annoyance at his changing the subject evaporated around the table as he added the last part.
"Do what now?" the Ruto representative said.
"You don't do that here?" Link looked baffled. "That's how it's done in Calatia. You lay out a bunch of big logs side by side and drag whatever heavy thing you want to move up on them. Then you roll it along the logs, and move the ones at the end to the front when you need to."
There was a moment of silence as everyone else tried to picture how that would work.
"That sounds unreliable," the Rauru representative said.
Link shook his head.
"As long as you know what you're doing it works better than wheels for something that heavy," he said. "I saw entire ships moved from inland to the sea that way."
He paused and then pointed to the rocky path just southeast of Ruto, leading down from the mountainous region towards the northern road.
"It can't be done in this area though, because it's too steep." He looked up at the Ruto representative. "But that's a winter problem as well, right? You carry the stone down the mountain in the autumn and store it until the snow comes?"
"Ah… yes, indeed, Sir Link." The man blinked, then a grin spread across his face. "But if we pave the main mountain road, carrying the stone will be easier. Then if we can get help from Calatia to… do that thing you described, we can begin bringing this year's stone to Rauro right away."
Link leaned back in his chair and raised his hands as if to say "Well?" at the room at large. Zelda found that motion unnecessarily smug, but there was an easy air about him that said that he did not mean any harm with the teasing.
"That… won't use up too much of the stone, yes," the Captain said. He schooled his tone to not let his annoyance slip, but a hint of it flashed in his eyes when he glanced at Link. Zelda wasn't sure if anybody else noticed it. Sheik bristled within her, but as she studied the man she really could not detect any real animosity.
"And then you can continue paving the roads from there, while we get what we need as well," the Rauro representative concluded. He smiled, with no trace of irritation. "Very well, Sir Link, that is a good plan. If you can get us people from Calatia to help."
"With some string pulling by my lovely fiancée, sure." Link chuckled and inclined his head towards the Queen, who grinned.
Again their manners astounded, his more than the Queen. Zelda was only now seeing this side of him, of course. She suspected she would get used to it, and for now just try not to show how it bewildered her – doubly so with how nobody else seemed to mind.
Link pointed to the map again with a sigh.
"It would be nice to get a road through the northwest woods too, but it's such a mess in there." He scratched at the large forest drawn between Castle Town and the mountains where Ruto was marked.
"People wouldn't want to go through there anyway," the commerce advisor said. "It's a haven of hiding places for monsters, only a madman would— and, ah, Sir Link, of course."
Her quick correction drew bouts of laughter from all around the table. Even Zelda could not keep from smiling.
"That is—" The Queen's sentence ended abruptly. She stood up, so quickly that her chair fell over, hitting the floor with a hard crack.
"Your Majesty?" several voices cried out in alarm.
Zelda was on her feet before she knew it, reaching for daggers that were no longer at her belt as she scanned the room. It was instinctual; searching for threats – whatever made the Queen gasp like that, and caused her eyes to go blank.
Link's chair slammed into the floor but he froze mid-motion, his face a paralyzed mirror of the Queen's.
A soft golden glow enveloped both of them. It fluttered, then surged inwards, intensifying as it gathered up and ran like streams of concentrated sunlight down both of their left arms. It poured into the backs of their hands, taking shape.
"No…!"
Zelda barely recognized her own voice.
Both Link and the Queen stood like statues, staring at their respective hand. Anybody close enough could see it clearly, and everyone else could make a correct guess. A terrified hush fell over the room.
The symbol of Wisdom glowed on the Queen's hand, and Courage on Link's.
Then what about Power?
The Queen recovered first, staggering sideways and grabbing the table for support.
"Link… your room—!" she rasped.
He recoiled, almost stumbled on his fallen chair but found his footing.
"Yes… goddesses!" he grit out and took off before anyone could think twice.
The door slammed behind him, and the sound rang straight through everyone in the room, ripping them from their shock.
"His room— is somebody there?!" Zelda hissed.
The Queen got to the door first and ripped it open. Zelda would have followed, but in her haste tripped on her chair and hit the table. Dazed, she heard somebody – probably one of the representatives – shouting about the Triforce returning to their bearers. Impa's sharp command to hold his tongue was too late.
Squinting, Zelda saw a pair of servants down the corridor. The Queen ran past them, and they stood shocked for only a second before they too took off. Zelda could hear them shouting the terrible news from the distance, spreading their panic like a wildfire.
The corridors were a blur, she was vaguely aware of the Captain running alongside her. At some point he shouted at a couple of guards to come along and both obeyed.
She heard the wailing before they even reached the courtyard, and an icy hand gripped her heart. Bursting through the door and into the sunlight, she saw people streaming into the open area, gathering around the entrance leading to the tower. In the confused, fearful murmurs and shouts she could only make out that nobody knew what had happened, except that something was wrong with the Triforce.
It calmed her a little – at least they did not know any more than she did.
Then she realized that the shouting was becoming more of a frantic chant, as the fear of the people formed into a single desperate wish.
"Don't let him go! Don't let him go! Stop him!"
"Move aside!" the Captain shouted.
He and the guards managed to make way to the door, and Zelda followed close behind them. On the other side of the door was just a spiral stone staircase leading upwards.
Something came clattering down and both she and the guards recoiled, uncertain. A circle of gold bounced down the stair, then rolled in a jaunty half-moon on the floor before falling over. The Queen's crown, dented and with several gemstones knocked out from its rough trip down the tower.
Had all of them not heard the Queen furiously shouting upstairs, the sight would have been terrifying.
Zelda could not even recall how she made it up there. Rounding the final twist of the stair she saw the Queen beating her hands against the great wooden door of Link's room.
"Open up! Link!" the Queen yelled.
"Is… is he in there?" Zelda gasped, lungs and legs burning from the dash upstairs.
"Yes, I'm fine!" came Link's voice from inside. "Hang on, I'll— but the Triforce is gone, I have to…"
He fell silent when the crowd's wail rose up again, calling for "him" to be stopped.
The Captain opened the pouch at his belt and reached in. A ring of light formed around his hand and as he drew it out of the magical container, a pair of shackles on a short chain followed. The icy clatter of metal sounded unnaturally loud.
Both the Queen and Zelda froze.
"Captain!" the Queen snapped.
The blond man gave her a pleading, desperate look.
"Please, Your Majesty!" he said.
There was only fear. No malice. He glanced downstairs, past the pale guards and towards the fearful shouting of the mob.
Zelda swallowed hard. For a moment, the world fell away and she saw only fire. Fire, and a huge, monstrous shadow. The ground trembled with that roaring, merciless laugh.
Then it was gone, and unyielding logic had won her heart. The Triforce of Power could have been stolen by anybody clever enough, but there were greater risks involved with an obvious piece of bait to draw out a hot-headed Hero. Risks that she was not willing to take, and from the sound of it, she had the entire Castle Town on her side.
"If he gets captured… if it's true, we have to stop him. Just stop him until he calms down!" she said, her throat dry.
"I…"
The Queen hesitated.
From the other side of the door, there was a muffled sound of running steps. The trio close enough to hear them stared at the blockade, all of them realizing that Link had been listening on the other side.
"No!"
The Queen slammed her palms against the door.
"Link! Link, I would never! Please!"
There was no response.
"Move aside!"
Zelda pushed the Queen out of the way, without even thinking about it casting a little bit of her disguise spell. Just enough to make one of Sheik's lock picks appear in her hand.
Leaning her ear to the door she shoved the pick into the keyhole. It was a surprisingly easy lock – a few kinks and she both heard and felt it give away. Normally that was a satisfying sound, but she felt sick as she pushed the door open. The Captain raised the shackles, every muscle in his body ready to spring as the guards moved up beside him – all three of them pale as death, and deaf to the Queen's angry voice.
The room was empty.