Zelda awoke with a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt a nagging pulse emanating from the Triforce of Wisdom on her hand. Knowing she would be unable to sleep without getting some fresh air, she quietly slipped out of bed, being careful not to wake Link.
The guards at her door both spun around, hands on the hilts of their swords when she emerged from the door. Upon seeing her face, they visibly relaxed. "Just out for a walk" she said to them. "I'm fine. Just keep guard over Link." The guards snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes, Your Majesty!" they said in unison.
Zelda walked down the corridor. She didn't have a specific destination in mind as she walked through the castle, but she soon found herself headed towards the catacombs below ground. There was a morgue located at the entrance to the catacombs, where the bodies of the recently deceased were prepared for funerals. She nearly broke down weeping when she saw the body that was lying on top of the stone table in the center of the room.
It was the dead body of Serana. She had been dressed in elegant white robes. Makeup had been applied to her face, but Zelda could see that her hands were already starting to turn blue. Tears ran down Zelda's face as she grabbed Serana's lifeless hand and squeezed it. Zelda gasped when she felt the oddest sensation. She regained her concentration, and then she could feel it again. It was very faint, but Serana still had a pulse.
Suddenly, Serana's eyes flew open and she turned her head to look at Zelda. A low moan escaped her lips. Zelda tried to scream but her breath was caught in her chest. "Queen Zeldaaaa" whispered Serana with a heavy rasp. "I'm... dying."
"I thought you were already dead" said Zelda. "I examined you myself to be sure. This has to be another trick."
"You're right" said Serana, her voice slightly clearer now. "I should be dead. Kill me. Please."
Suddenly, Serana's whole body started twitching. When she stopped twitching, her eyes had rolled up in her head. "I can't!" she gasped. "Something is keeping me from death. It's as if my soul is stuck on the border between this world and the Spirit Realm."
"You aren't dying tonight" said Zelda. "I will see to that." She shut her eyes tightly as she squeezed both of Serana's clammy hands. She could sense Serana's soul. It was very faint, like it was slipping out of reach. Whatever evil magic had afflicted Serana was unlike anything that Zelda had ever encountered before. Life and death were pressing up against each other, trapping Serana's soul in between. The Triforce of Wisdom was like a beacon that pierced the thick fog that Zelda's mind was wandering through. The light of the Triforce snatched Serana's dwindling soul from the darkness that enshrouded it and pulled it back into her body.
Zelda felt the warmth return to Serana's hands. Suddenly, the light that was in her mind was physically present in the room. It condensed into a ball on the far side of the room. Both Zelda and Serana gazed at it in amazement. Wonder turned into worry as the light began to darken. It took on a golden-brown hue as it formed into a large disc. Zelda found herself suddenly unable to move. Laughter filled the room. A slender figure leaped out of the disc of light. He had light green skin and white hair. He was wearing a white jumpsuit with a diamond pattern cut into it. A red cape was wrapped around his neck.
"Thank you for bringing me here" said the strange man. "My name is Ghirahim. Well, Lord Ghirahim actually, but I'm not particular. When you go burrowing through dimensions like that, you're bound to dig up some unexpected treasure, like me."
Zelda still couldn't move her body but she found that she could still talk. "You expect me to believe this was accidental?"
"Of course, it wasn't accidental" said Ghirahim. "The spell the late great Vaati used on your chambermaid is normally fatal, but I arranged to keep her soul in limbo until you could bring her back. You just didn't know that you would be bringing me along too. Surprise! Now I have you right where I want you."
Ghirahim tunred his unnerving stare towards Serana. "And I have a purpose in mind for you too. I'm going to let you go so that you can run along and tell everyone that your Queen has been kidnapped by a fabulous man in a white jumpsuit. Hurry along now before I decide to use your arteries to tie up your Queen."
"Queen Zelda?" said Serana questioningly.
"Go!" ordered Zelda. "Tell Link!"
Serana stumbled out of the room, apparently still having difficulty walking after being a near-corpse for so long. Zelda turned her attention back to Ghirahim, who returned her angry stare by smiling and licking his lips. Ropes of light appeared around Zelda's limbs and torso. Ghirahim snapped his fingers, and Zelda's body was lifted into the air. She suddenly lurched forward. She was hurled into the golden-brown disc.
When she was lowered to the floor, she was no longer in Hyrule Castle. She was in a place that was far more opulent. The sheer decadence of her shiny surroundings would have been awe-inspiring even to her, if her mind weren't distracted by other thoughts right then. Almost everything in the room contained gold or precious jewels. She had to strain her neck just to see the ceiling.
"What can I say?" came Ghirahim's sickening voice from behind her. "I have a sense of style."
Zelda spun around to face him. She was surprised to discover that she had full control over her body once again. She tried to back away, but Ghirahim was quickly behind her once again. She was astounded by how fast he was. All she could see was a blur when he moved.
Ghirahim spun around in a complete circle, bowing and sweeping his arm around the room in an exaggerated flourish. "Welcome to my palace" he said. An ear-to-ear grin nearly split his face in two. "I would say that you will like it here, but you really won't."
"What do you want with me?" demanded Zelda.
Ghirahim cackled menacingly. "Don't play dumb with me, Queen! In addition to the Triforce of Wisdom that you possess, I want your lover to come after you, bringing his Triforce of Courage to me in the process. I will then have the complete Triforce, and that will be a glorious day indeed!"