The Captain pores over the crusted detritus of the beast curled up on the floor of the Banquet Hall; eyes gleaming with admiration like a collector in an antiques shop.

"A beautiful specimen…" Cassida appraises the fossilised remains. "Freshly shed skin in pristine condition…many would pay a pretty penny for such a prize as this…"

"But we want to know what it is, Captain." His Majesty reminds her as he stands among the circle of anxious onlookers.

Cassida places her bejewelled forefinger onto her painted lips as she actuates the animal before her. "A rare breed occasionally spotted in the wastelands to the west; natives refer to it as the 'silent assassin' due to its unrivalled stealth, but it is more commonly known as the Gerudo Anaconda. Nobody has ever laid eyes on one up close and lived to tell the tale…the only evidence of its existence is the sable-coloured skin it sheds in the sand…"

"Fascinating!" the Princess applauds. "So how do we kill it?"

The Captain chuckles mirthlessly. "Your Highness, this is the most lethal predator to ever blight our fair kingdom: it hunts alone, it's ten-feet long, and its jaws can chomp through wood. We're not going to kill it before it kills us."

"Thank you for your positive input as ever, Cassida…" Count Caedis sighs. "Perhaps we ought to surrender ourselves pre-emptively?"

"Surrender is for cowards!" Sir Victor exclaims. "We die with honour!"

"Honour is a fool's most valued trait." Lady Libra quietly declares. "Yet there's one characteristic about this creature that the Captain has failed to mention…"

"And what might that be, Libra?" Daltus inquires.

Lady Libra leans into the circle with a smile. "It doesn't have arms."

The congregation exchange puzzled glances.

"Why, yes, your Ladyship…" Caedis chortles. "This is a common characteristic among serpents that one might have wrongly supposed went without a necessary mention…"

"Allow me to further develop my observations." Libra addresses the circle as her class. "This Castle has rooms in abundance; each one constructed with doors that open and close with the turn of a doorknob. This creature hasn't the means to perform such a basic action that mankind takes for granted. Instead, it must resort to breaking and entering. But have any of you witnessed a single broken window in this whole Castle? Or a single splintered door?"

The gathering glance between every window above them: not one bears the slightest crack.

"What are you implying, your Ladyship?" Cassida glares.

"She's saying that somebody let the snake into the Castle." Imogen appears centre-stage.

"Preposterous!" Sir Victor grunts. "That would imply that someone orchestrated this whole charade!"

"This is no charade, Commander." Imogen corrects him. "This was a carefully co-ordinated operation to kill the King: an assassination plot."

The Royal Court are stunned into silence. The Princess clings to her fiancé's shoulder.

"We have a traitor in our midst." Imogen proclaims. "One amongst us is responsible for the slaughter of the servants and the conjuring of the enchantment which has confined all of us to this Castle, inhibiting anyone from escaping their untimely fate."

She casts her eyes over each member of the congregation, passing judgement on their character. "The pompous Sir Victor…the narcissistic Captain Cassida…the surreptitious Lady Libra…the boisterous Count Caedis…" Her final verdict rests on Impa; standing bold as brass before her arbiter. "The unseemly servant…"

"You're one to talk!" Impa retorts. "You stumbled in here playing the role of a sweet servant girl and before long you're stomping around hurling accusations at everyone!"

"Who is the Goddess's name are you anyway?" Sir Victor spits.

"I've never seen you around before!" Captain Cassida sneers.

"Yet you seem to know an awful lot about the Castle…" Count Caedis concurs with a scowl.

"And a frightening amount about the beast that lurks in the shadows…" Lady Libra mutters.

"Perhaps it was you who plotted this siege and is now attempting to pass the blame onto an unsuspecting stranger!" Princess Tilda hisses.

"Turning us all against each other to dishevel our friendship and defile our faith…" the King shakes his head dismally. "Time to confess your true identity."

Seven pairs of eyes bear down upon the mysterious maid who materialised from nowhere and invoked chaos among old friends. Imogen retreats against the wall as her evasion of the truth finally traps her in the tight corner of the Banquet Hall.

"Ok, I confess!" Imogen raises her hands in surrender. "I'm a spy: sent here on behalf of the Sheikah tribe."