Link stood with his arms crossed, impatiently tapping his fingers on his arms. He knew Zelda invited him to her coronation, but he also knew that he couldn't stand long, boring ceremonies. The fact that he was up next to the royal throne didn't make it any better. It always amused him that he could fight giant monsters the size of Hyrule Castle, but almost always lost his nerve in front of a crowd of perfectly ordinary people. So much for the great Triforce of Courage.
As Zelda knelt in front of the highest ranking priest in all of Hyrule, awaiting the official crowning, she couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous. She was well aware that she could lead her kingdom, but was afraid of one thing: what if she failed as abyssmally as she had when Zant invaded? If Hyrule were to to be attacked again, would she be able to protect her home?
She pushed those douubts out of her mind. Even if her kingdom was to be invaded this very day, the people of Hyrule had Link on their side now. The Hero of Legend was a truly devoted warrior, always ready to protect his home at any cost.
She heard the priest finish his prayer asking the gods to bless Hyrule's new queen. She felt the royal crown touch her head, pressing against her brunette locks. She stood and turned to the crowd, who unleashed a cheer of approval and hope. She gave a rare smile and waved to her people... then promptly fainted.
-o-
Flames. Mile-high infernos engulfed her land. The sky was darkened by the smoke and ash that polluted its once pure blue color. A single figure stood amongst those flames. From it, she could hear whispers that spoke of a coming darkness that would inevitably destroy her kingdom and enslave her people.
"The darkness can never be destroyed," the figure whispered to her. "You said it yourself one day: neither can exist without the other. As long as there is light, there must also be darkness."
Then she felt the flames licking at her feet. They swallowed her whole.
-o-
She felt as though someone was shaking her. She could people calling her name and calling her queen. Why did they call her queen? Oh, right. The coronation. She sat up and held her head in her hands. She was feeling dizzy, as though someone had been spinning her in circles.
"Zelda?" she heard Link's voice. She turned to see him with a concerned look. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I'm fine," she said as formally as she could. She sat and realized that she was in her bed. "How long was I out?"
"A few minutes. The guards got everybody out of the castle without causing a panic. Most of the civilians just think you passed out from either a cold or sheer excitement at being crowned queen. What happened?"
Zelda checked to see if there was anyone else in the room. When she was assured that there was no one else there, she gave Link a serious look. "I think Hyrule may be in danger."
-o-
Amaterasu watched as Susano and Benkei duked it out. She was amazed that Susano lasted as long as he did. He must have been training seriously for once just to beat his new rival.
"Wow!" Issun shouted excitedly. "This getting good! Look at pops go!"
Ammy nodded in agreement. She honestly had no idea Susano could be so vicious in a fight. She had seen him decapitate seven of Orochi's heads and split the last one clean in half, but that had only after she had weakened the monster and then helped Susano gain divine power from the moon. Still, she had to admit that he was a fairly decent fighter.
Finally, Susano managed to knock Benkei onto his back, and pointed his wooden sword Tohenboku at the other warrior's neck. The warrior monk looked at Susano with a hint of admiration for finally having defeated him. Susano pulled his sword away and sheated it, then offered Benkei a hand. The two warriors then stood before each other, shaking hands, as the crowd that had gathered cheered.
"A good fight, my friend!" Benkei said with a friendly smile. "You finally beat me! I hope you know that this means that I'm going to be challenging you from now on until I beat you again!"
"You're welcome to try, monk," Susano said with a cocky smirk. "But now that I've beaten you, you'll need all the luck in the world and then some to beat the greatest warrior who ever lived!" They both shared a hearty laugh at that.
Amaterasu was glad that Susano had found someone other than her to spar with. His constant challenges had been getting on her nerves. She was about to bark and wag her tail happily, she was suddenly feeling dizzy. The world around her blurred, and she could feel her eyelids getting heavier.
"Ammy?" she could hear Issun calling her. "Hey, Ammy! What's wrong?"
Before she could any kind of response, she closed her eyes. The world went black.
-o-
Nippon was in flames. Kamiki Village was burning to the ground. Sei-an City was in complete anarchy. Demons of all shapes and sizes, demons she had never seen before, were running rampant and slaughtering countless innocent people. She could a man sitting in the throne where Queen Himiko once sat before Ninetails killed her. The man wore an evil grin as the world was burning.
"Good and evil are really all based on perspective," he said as he stood and walked closer ot her. "All that exists in this world is order and chaos. You are a messenger of order. We are soldiers of chaos. And the chaos will soon drive you all to madness."
His shadow extended toward her. When it reached her feet, the man laughed and said, "Accept my little... gift."
Darkness enveloped her.
-o-
When Amaterasu awoke, she felt groggy, as though she had woken up after a night of heavy drinking. She felt an unknown hand on her head. That was something she was fairly used to. People would often pet her, finding her rather adorable for wolf. She stood up and looked around. She could swear the people around her had somehow gotten shorter. And why did they look so shocked?
"A-Ammy?" she heard Issun say. She saw him standing on Susano's shoulder. "What happened to you?"
"What do you mean, Issun?" she asked. When she realized that she had spoken, she cupped her hands over her mouth. Wait, hands?
She down at her body. She was no longer a wolf. She was human.