Curled up in a little ball clutching her sheets like a doll, she could have been any ordinary child in any ordinary life. Impa sighed and reached down to pull the thick sheets up over Zelda's shoulders. She felt a little guilty for drugging the princess, but it was necessary. When she'd realised Impa had no plan beyond getting out of the kingdom she'd tried to throw herself off the horse. Well, they had to rest and so did the poor exhausted stolen animal, and she whispered a prayer of thanks that this safe house was still hidden from all but the eyes of the Sheikah.

There had once been hundreds of these dens scattered across the world. They had been built for travelling warriors as much as fleeing ones, and were secret and well-hidden and protected by many traps and tricks. Once every piece of land in Hyrule had been under the eyes of one or other branch of the Sheikah tribe, but things were different now. Their numbers had thinned, and the maintaining of the safe houses was no longer something they could spare men for. Some had been found, disarmed and turned into cattle sheds or little cottages, some had rotted away under the assault of the elements and some had simply been lost, so well hidden that once there was nobody left who knew exactly how to find them they would never be seen again.

But this was a little man-made cavern dug beneath a great tree, damp and rot kept away by the brick-lined walls, and so secure that even the blankets were almost dry. Here, on the edge of the Kokori forest, they were safe for at least one night. And tomorrow they could… what? She sighed. Escape, she thought. And then what? Go to Termina, go to Ascali, beg for aid. Perhaps. Or stay in hiding, or stay and-

Zelda mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over. Impa sighed and lay down beside her princess, lending out her body warmth. She knew exactly what she was going to do when the sun came up: whatever the child before her commanded. There was no point in dwelling on that now. She closed her eyes.

Zelda screamed, a cry of pure agony. Impa jerked upright and caught her thrashing arms, but as soon as her senses caught up to her body her nose told her of the burning smell in the room. She looked about but there was nobody there, and no sign of fire but the single lamp hanging by the door. She let go of one of Zelda's arms to try to soothe her, and saw what was on the back of her hand.

Three triangles stood out in sharp red against the white of the princess's skin in the shape of the Triforce, the emblem of the royal family and of the sacred realm. The smell was singed skin. Impa snatched up the flask of water beside the desk and tipped the whole thing over the princess's hand, and finally Zelda's eyes flew open. Breathing raggedly she stared first at her hand and then at Impa, and then went limp. Impa carefully lay her back down and gathered the damp sheets around her hand. "Princess?" She asked softly. Zelda nodded sharply, gritting her teeth. "What does it mean?" For all the trust the Sheikah held with the royal family, some knowledge belonged only in heads destined to bear crowns.

"It means…" Zelda pushed herself up on one elbow and looked down at her hand. "It means Ganon has entered the sacred realm and tried to take the real Triforce. And he's failed. It's broken into pieces and the pieces have attached themselves to new masters…" She winced. One of the three triangles was far more vivid than the other two. "Firmly attached," she mumbled, and pressed the cold wet sheet back against the burn.

"That is what the Triforce does?"

Zelda nodded. "When touched by someone unworthy, or impure of heart, it shatters."

"And Ganon?"

"One piece will have latched on to him, since he would have been the closest. The others have sought protection. One piece has come to me, probably because of my royal… royalty." She was going to say blood, Impa realised. She'd dodged the word well. "And the third… whoever it could find that seemed most worthy."

"Who might that be?"

"I don't know. The Triforce isn't just a thing, Impa. It's all the will and power left to us by the gods. It thinks for itself and makes its own decisions. Though there may be a chance it can be… corrupted…" she shivered. Impa briefly left her side for a fresh blanket, silently thanking whoever had last been here to maintain the place. Zelda looked pale and exhausted. She'd needed the sleep, Impa told herself firmly to stamp down the regret at drugging her. There was no food, but on the edge of the forest that was not likely to be a problem, and she had heard running water nearby. The Sheikah had put a good deal of sense into where and how they built their safehouses.

"Can Ganon still take the full Triforce?" She asked, partially just to keep Zelda talking. That haunted look in her eyes was worrying.

Zelda shook her head. "It won't accept him. He could piece it back together if both the parts he was missing were willingly given, or if he somehow took control of the seven sages, but it'd just shatter again as soon as he touched it. Still, one piece is all he needs. Through the sacred realm he can access every realm. There are things sealed in the dark realms that would answer to a man who bore even one piece of the Triforce. He can unleash some terrible creatures."

"What will we do?"

Zelda looked down at her hand again. Eleven years old, Impa thought bitterly. Where had she been when she was eleven? Well, already in training. She had been born and raised to the Kakariko branch of the Sheikah tribe, but most children of that age were helping their mothers with the cookery and running errands, still clutching their dolls. "We go to Termina," she said eventually. "We call up all of our allies to help us. They owe us that. We have always answered when they needed us." She leaned back into the pillow. "There's going to be war, isn't there?"

Impa nodded sadly. "It's the only way to avenge your father and regain the crown. It's yours now, yours by right. He won't give it up. We'll find another horse tomorrow, head directly for Termina. You'll need some new clothes, though. You'll have to travel in disguise. We both will. He'll be looking for you, and there are a lot of people near the borders who would attack anyone who looked wealthy. Don't worry, I can look after you as long as we-"

"My father is dead," Zelda said in a tiny voice. Impa stopped. The princess had rarely cried even as a baby, but the tears fell freely now despite the stillness of her face. Impa brushed back the princess's fine golden hair and left her hand resting on the back of that frail little neck.

It was easy enough to find the pressure point that made Princess Zelda slump back again. This time Impa's conscience did not complain at all.