Chapter 109: Glace, Living Mirror

Arc 3 of 3

…

Link hustled the last few steps up the gangplank and onto his ship. His boots pounding on the wooden deck alerted Leynne, who seemed to be in the middle of speaking to King Lauris before he turned around. "Link!" he said, surprise prevalent in his voice. "Ah you all right? We couldn't find you eahlieh."

"Sorry, I'm fine," Link said. He paused to catch his breath. "I-I was back at Sail Tavern. Don't worry, I'm-I'm ready. Is the rest of the crew here?"

"Ironically enough, you weh the only one missing," Leynne said, giving the collar of his black tunic an uncomfortable tug. "Gold is standing by on the helm."

Link nodded. "Give him the word: due west at half speed and bring us to a stop over the docks. The Moon's Shadow will give us formation instructions there."

"Got it," Leynne said before jogging toward the bow.

Link turned to the king and said, "I'm sorry I was late, Your Majesty. But I got to talk to Princess Zelda this morning."

"Has she any news?" the king asked, appearing eager despite his level voice.

"Well, she's still doing all right," Link said. "I told her we'll be on our way as soon as we can take care of the fake princess on Castle Island."

The king took in a deep breath. "I hope that it will not be long. I find myself longing to see my daughter safe once more. I cannot believe that it has come to such a situation."

Link nodded and told him, "Faith manages, Your Majesty."

The king looked taken aback by Link's words. "You truly have spoken to my daughter. I have known her to say those words at difficult times. Perhaps now is the most appropriate time of all."

Link nodded again. Then he stepped over to Dubbl and Dholit, who were watching him with interest. "Have the deck crew clear our moorings and stand by to open the sails," he told them.

"Ay'a, Kyabtin," Dubbl said with a quick salute.

"Yes, sir, My Captain," Dholit replied, a wide grin on her face as she held a salute.

Link then turned back to the king and indicated the bow with a hand. "Your Majesty, would you like to view from the forecastle?"

"I would indeed," the king said with a nod. Link waited for him to proceed before falling into step behind him.

They found both Leynne and Gold standing on the forecastle, Leynne standing by the instrument panel and Gold behind the helm. One of Gold's hands was wrapped around the engine controls. Just as Link and King Lauris stepped past them, Leynne said, "Moorings cleah. Half-speed due west, Misteh Gold."

"Aye, boss," Gold said as he started pushing up on a very resistant propeller lever. "'Alf-speed… due… c'mon, yeh shore-weathered git!" The lever suddenly stopped resisting, nearly causing Gold to smash his face into the panel. He backed off and gave a sigh. "'Alf-speed due west." He then pushed the throttle half-way up and turned back to the wheel.

Link leaned his hip against the bulwark further up the deck and looked over the side. The ship rose up from where it had been moored almost directly against the island and slowly turned to port. He had always enjoyed sailing over an island, usually because people liked to stop and look up. It normally was not done by large airships due to fears that the crew may throw something overboard, but Link trusted his crew not to be so idiotic, particularly in light of the task at hand. Besides, he thought to himself with a grin, if anyone did, he would leave them to Dholit for punishment. From up here, he could see people stepping out into streets lit by just beams of sunlight filtering between the buildings. He was a little surprised to see Lady Leeta and Gale standing on a rooftop; he did not recall telling them where they were moored. Still, he smiled and waved a hand. They waved back. Then it looked as if Leeta had turned and started sobbing into Gale's shoulder.

After a few minutes, the Island Symphony was holding position above the Skyriders' office. The Moon's Shadow and the Summer Breeze had already risen from the docks, but the Grand Sails seemed to be off to a slow start. Link had to take a moment more than usual to read the signal flags draping from its hoist, being out of practice for some time now. When he felt he had the arrangement understood, he left King Lauris's side and moved back to the helm.

"The Grand Sails has been held up a bit," he told Leynne and Gold.

"Any indication why?" Leynne asked.

Link shrugged one shoulder. "Takes a little longer to get a fully-rigged galleon moving. Our arrangement is a triangle formation with the Island Symphony in the middle. Gold, when the Moon's Shadow begins heading for the Sky Line, I want you to bring us behind. The Summer Breeze and the Grand Sails will flank us."

"Aye aye, Cap'n," Gold said with a nod.

"Leynne, would you hoist the signal flags?"

"Of couhse," Leynne said. "Flat yellow… followed by half-black, half-white, cohrect?"

Link nodded. "Yep."

"Undehstood," Leynne replied with a quick salute. Then he turned and hustled down to the main deck.

"Captain Link?"

Link turned at the sound of King Lauris's voice. "Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Have you attempted a ruse like this before?"

Link gave him a nervous smile. "Actually… this is a new one for us, Your Majesty. But I'm confident."

The king nodded. "I am grateful for your role in this. Is there some place where I might find food? I am afraid that I could not eat breakfast this morning due to a lack of appetite."

"Yes, Your Majesty. The galley is two decks below the main deck. I'm afraid all we got is rations."

"Actually, Cap'n," Gold said as he leaned forward on the wheel, "yeh 'aven't been 'round much. Leynne picked up some groceries, 'n Lilly's been cookin' meals since."

"Ah," the king said. "What luck then."

Link and Gold watched the king step down to the main deck and disappear into the port hatch. Then Gold said, "Cap'n, I don't wanna admit it, but I got me doubts 'bout all this."

"What?" Link asked.

"This 'ole plan. I don't know, I just don't think the phony princess's gonna buy it. It feels… kinda obvious."

"We'll get through it," Link said. "I know she isn't stupid, but who would suspect three Skyrider ships being our allies? Least of all the Moon's Shadow?"

"I guess…" Gold replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry," Link told him. "Faith manages."

"Faith… manages…" Gold repeated with an air of skepticism. "I tend tae think I'm a realist, but I guess blind luck's a good second."

"If you don't mind, Captain," Zelda suddenly spoke up, causing Link's smile to disappear quickly, "I would prefer that my words remain my own for the time being."

Link caught the annoyance in her voice and quickly spun away from Gold before replying, "S-sorry."

…

~~Day 94 (Command, Day 57)

~~Well. Here we go.

…

Link's new equipment made him feel heavier than before. But he had to admit that it felt good to have some extra protection, especially after the recent fights he had been involved in. He spent a few minutes in his cabin swinging the Lokomo Sword around as he tried to get a feel for both it and the shield. He intended to hold onto this shield much better just because it looked like it would actually protect him from harm. He hoped that it would work fine against the fake princess, a creature they had yet to actually figure out.

"Link?" Irleen spoke up a little later as Link stared out the windows at the back of his cabin. "I just… thought I'd let you know that I'm sorry."

"For what?" Link asked.

"For… for telling you that you weren't really talking to the princess," she said. "I meant to apologize for it earlier, but I-I just didn't have the chance."

Link shook his head. "You don't have to apologize, Irleen. You were just telling me what you know, like you always do. With all we've been through, well… I really don't blame you for thinking that I'd gone crazy."

"Well, you tried so hard to tell me," Irleen argued. "And I feel bad that everyone was brushing it off just because I said it wasn't possible. It wasn't really fair."

"I don't particularly mind now. How could you know that she was changing your magic around?"

"I suppose. But I still feel bad about it."

Link turned to his bed, where Irleen hovered near her own bed. "No hard feelings," he said. "I mean, whether it was real or not, I think you all helped me realize that was beginning to act crazy. I'd've probably done something really stupid if you let me keep thinking I was talking to her." The ship gave a jerk beneath Link's feet, and he glanced out the frosted windows. Even without being able to see clearly, he knew that the ship had just dropped out of the Sky Line. "Ready to go?"

"You're taking me along?"

"I've always taken you along. Especially if we're going up against Cunimincus' crew."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, I've been here in your cabin for the past few days. Ugh. I think I'm getting too used to it."

Link lifted the front of his hat. "Let's go."

Irleen flew into Link's hat, and he stepped out onto the deck a moment later. Ahead of the ship was the Moon's Shadow while the Grand Sails and the Summer Breeze flanked to starboard and port, respectively. The Grand Sails had its gunports open and its cannons run out as if ready to shoot the Island Symphony. This was not part of the plan (although it helped with the show), and Link hoped that the cannons were unloaded. It would certainly turn into a bad day if one of the cannoneers forgot that they were helping Link.

He crossed the main deck and stepped onto the forecastle, where King Lauris, Leynne, Gold, and Flower stood with Line manning the helm. The breeze off the bow was a little strong, so Link placed a hand on his head to help hold onto his hat. "How are we looking?" he asked.

"So far so good, Captain," Flower responded.

"I'm a little suhprised," Leynne said. "Theh doesn't seem to be as many vessels as befoh." At first glance, Link could see Leynne was right. As the Moon's Shadow descended closer to the island, he could see only a couple of Skyrider cutters and a brig hanging in the air above the castle.

"Must be their day off," Link joked.

"Or maybe they're off doing other shit," Flower said as he crossed his arms. Then he started when he remembered who he was standing next to. "Uh… if you'll excuse the language, Your Majesty."

"I share your concern, Airman," the king replied. "However, I will be certain to release all Skyrider ships as soon as possible. Hopefully, we shall be able to put this situation behind us." He glanced aside at Link. "That tunic and shield appear to suit you well, Captain Link. If not for your height, I would likely mistake you for one of my knights."

"Youh Majesty, pehhaps you would like to wait on the quahtehdeck," Leynne suggested. "Afteh all, we would prefeh it if youh direct subjects saw Youh Majesty fihst to avoid any immediate complications."

"Of course, Mister Leynne," the king replied. He nodded at Link. "Captain."

The crew around Link waited until the king was some distance away from the forecastle. Then Flower, Line, Gold, and Irleen all snorted at the same time. "Always seems to come back to your height problem, eh, Link?" Line asked.

"Shut up, Line!" Link snapped. "Find us a place to dock!" Line stuck his tongue out in response, but Link's attention had already shifted to Flower and Leynne. "Flower, I want you on the moorings. We don't want them to suspect something wrong if all we have handling the deck work are the Gelto."

"Aye, Captain," Flower replied. He started walking away to carry out the order.

"Leynne, I want you to plot an escape course in case things go bad," Link continued. "If things go wrong here, break away from the dock and find a safe haven somewhere."

"What shall be ouh panic signal?" Leynne asked.

"If any of the castle staff board with the intention of arresting all of you," Link replied. "Or red smoke, if I can get it off. But don't wait up. If things go wrong, get everyone else to safety."

"What!?" Line asked, sounding surprised.

"Link, I don't like the idea of leaving anyone behind," Leynne said.

"Friend to the crew," Link reminded him.

Leynne aimed a glare to one side. "I've half a mind to write my own book," he told Link. "It's stupid to treat the captain as expendable."

"If we survive this, we'll see about rewriting the manual for you. You have the ship."

"Undehstood," Leynne replied in a contemptuous tone as Link turned and stepped down the stairs behind him. Link made a mental note to actually see about finding a real book for a second-in-command, if anything so Leynne could burn it to his satisfaction.

He crossed the deck to the starboard side near the starboard main-mast where Dholit, Layna, and Biluf were conversing. Layna noticed him first and stepped aside so that he could talk to Dholit. "Dholit, I need to talk to Layna right now," he told her.

"Oh?" Dholit asked, her face betraying confusion.

Layna stepped up beside him, and he glanced at her to acknowledge her presence. "Tell her that she won't be protecting me this time."

"She… won't be?" Dholit asked, sounding even more confused.

"While we're in the castle, I need her to protect King Lauris," Link explained. "Without him, this whole plan fails."

Dholit nodded and spoke to Layna, "Layna, My Captain sanagidhak wabnik 'anw sanwukint. Zhi dhibixak."

Layna and Biluf appeared shocked. Both of their eyes shifted between Dholit and Link for a moment. "'Itab… Giltiyn Dholit…" Layna started before trailing off.

"May Kyabtin nadlwaythukwmak!" Biluf cried out.

"Giltiyn Dholit, 'inu nadlwaymlayximak," Layna said. Link was a little surprised; she sounded worried.

"Kwal?" Dholit asked.

Layna looked down at the deck. "Foltab… 'inu mibiloynak… 'inu milwacis May Kyabtin."

Both Dholit and Biluf stared in bewilderment at Layna, causing Link to wonder what was happening. Then Dholit gave Layna her usual smirk. "Ah, Layna, maddix 'ataymci 'alwaycmi…" she said.

Link saw anger flash on Layna's face as stared at Dholit. "Nadsaycokwan 'inoy, Dholit."

"What's going on?" Link asked.

Dholit, undaunted by Layna's show of emotion (which Link was sure would have resulted in spontaneous execution at a different point in her life), placed her hands on her hips as if to challenge Layna. "Ouh pretty little killah has resehvations about not coming to My Captain's defense," she said. "Something about admiring My Captain, it seems."

Link sighed and looked at Layna. She returned the look, worry once again the dominant emotion on her face. "Sorry, Layna," he told her. "Not this time. Dholit, tell her it's an order."

Dholit blinked, struck dumb by Link's words. Then she told Layna, "'Nwaki 'atoyn,' to My Captain nagthya'ak."

Layna appeared shocked. Then she looked like she was about to cry. She snapped to attention and saluted. "Ay'a, May Kyabtin."

"What was—?" Link began to ask, turning his head to Dholit.

Shuh!

"Whoa!" Link called out, grabbing his hat to hold it to his head in defense of the sudden gust next to him. He immediately turned to look at Layna again to find that she had disappeared. It was far less subtle than what he was used to, so he asked Dholit (who was looking up at the nearby mast), "What just happened?"

Dholit, still smiling, told him, "You gave heh an ohdah. She was happy, My Captain."

"I didn't think she could ever be happy," Irleen commented from under Link's hat.

"Hmm?" Dholit asked.

"She was happy?" Link asked.

"In heh own, quihky way," Dholit replied, giving up the search of the mast.

"Oh," Link replied. "Listen, Dholit. Leynne has orders to leave if things look like they're getting dangerous. I want you to know that this is my order. The crew is more important than us alone."

"I know you think that, My Captain," she said. "But remembah that we Gilto shall have ouh own response should anything happen to you."

"The crew comes first," Link told her firmly.

"Of couhse," she replied with a salute.

Link dismissed her salute and crossed the main deck again to the stairs. He climbed up to the quarterdeck just as the ship was coming level with one of the mooring towers. King Lauris waited near the bulwark as Flower and Lwamm (whom Link had not realized was on-deck) prepared to throw mooring lines. The dockers waiting on the top of the towers signaled, and both of Link's airmen threw. And Lwamm's line struck the docker catching Flower's line in the head. This confused Link until he saw that Lwamm was not even looking at the dockers. She seemed to be busy staring at Flower. Fortunately, the dockers were able to take up the slack and lashed the lines to the mooring posts. Then they brought a boarding plank, and Flower stepped back to allow the king through. He noticed that Lwamm was still staring at him, and he glanced over to Link. Link gave a helpless shrug before he used a hand to tell him to do something about her. He crossed before the king and, after leaning over to unlatch and open the door in the bulwark, used a hand to guide her out of the way. The gangplank was placed in the opening, and the king strode forward.

Link then spotted the dockers placing hands on pistols they were wearing at their hips and quickly grasped his sword. He was concerned that they would draw on King Lauris (which he hoped Layna could react to faster than anyone else), but then they appeared to realize who was approaching them and stepped back for a moment. One of them took a knee and bowed, causing the other to give him a confused look. Link could hear the king exchange words with them (eventually causing the other docker to give him a salute), but he could not tell what they were saying. Whatever it was seemed to do the trick because both of them stepped aside. The king turned and waved to Link.

"Keep an eye on the crew," Link told Flower as he stepped past him onto the gangplank. Although the plank was thick and wide, Link still found himself grabbing the ropes that served as guardrails due to how shaky it felt. He set foot on the tower and found it to be swaying a bit like an airship sailing at a beam reach to the regular gusts of an island. Fortunately, just as with the plank, someone had had the presence of mind to place railing around the top of the tower, and the staircase on the opposite side of the top platform was encased by a wooden frame. Link jogged to catch up to the king as he descended to the next level. Below was an empty floor. They pondered at it for a moment until they noticed a large pulley peering through the frame. Then they saw the separation in the floor and stepped onto a platform. Overhead was a thick bell, and the king reached up and flicked it with a finger. The bell gave a thick ring, and the platform carefully descended.

"Your Majesty," Link said about halfway through the journey. "Sir Gilliam was the knight who helped me escape from the castle when I first returned. We might want to find him; he knows about the princess."

"I see," the king replied. "As soon as we set foot onto the ground, I shall send for him."

As they descended, the tower became wider. At the bottom, they discovered that the elevator they had just ridden was being driven by a large crank. Operating that crank was a pair of men, advanced in age but not appearing frail in the slightest. "Grim!" the king spoke up, his voice betraying surprise. "Wilth! What are you doing?"

Both men started and stepped away from their position so they had room to kneel. "Your Majesty," one said. "We are acting on orders from Her Highness the princess. We have been removed from our original positions and placed here."

King Lauris shook his head. "This will not do." Then he raised his voice. "One of my chefs and an attendant reduced to manual labor! What shall I find next!? A knight digging a hole to plant a rosebush!? A dishwasher standing guard for the night!? Perhaps my governor now cooks meals for the staff! Captain Link, this impostress has disrupted the lives of my people with her lack of intelligence! I am not one to see physical discipline upon my subjects, but I intend to see her lashed for the trouble she has caused my staff!" Link gulped, taking a step back.

"Is 'impostress' a word in your language?" Irleen whispered from under Link's hat. Link just shrugged and offered a small sound of uncertainty, worried that talking aloud might interrupt the king.

"Grim, return to your original duty immediately," the king then said in a calmer but still authoritative voice. "I can only wonder if the rest of the castle is starving."

"Yes Your Majesty," one man said, giving his head a slight bow before standing and quickly walking away.

"Wilth," the king continued. "Find Sir Gilliam and tell him to report to me in the throne room. Then I want you to start directing the staff away from the throne room. We shall have this matter settled before noon."

"Yes Your Majesty," the other man replied before leaving the tower in the same manner as the first man.

"Come, Captain," the king told Link. "I shall see this madness no longer."

"Uh, y-yes, sir—uh, Your Majesty," Link replied as he fell in step behind the king.

They walked out of the tower and crossed the large grass area before the castle. As they approached the brick walkway directly between the main gate and the front doors, Captains North and Luke advanced toward them from the other side. "Captains, I have had my patience put to the test," the king said, stopping in front of them. "We end this now."

"Yes, Your Majesty," North and Luke said, each snapping him a salute.

"Your Majesty!" Link and King Lauris turned to find Chief Mallard jogging toward them. He stopped and said, "Lieutenant Blair would like to know if there are further orders for us."

The king thought for a moment. Then he said, "Yes. Have the Grand Sails move to the port and assist the Royal Winds with whatever they may need."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Mallard said with a quick salute. As he started to jog back, Link just barely caught him groan, "Should've docked closer…"

"Captains, at my side," the king ordered as he started for the castle. Link and Luke quickly fell in stride behind him while Captain North trailed behind. There was no one to open the large front doors of the castle for the king, but, upon watching him rip the doors open and bash them against the wall with as loud a bang as possible, Link decided that the king did not really care anymore. The staff working in the foyer immediately stopped what they were doing upon realizing that the king had just stepped in, and none of them moved or spoke up as he walked across the burgundy carpet and up the dais. He paused in front of the doors leading into the throne room, his path blocked by an armor-clad knight who appeared to be too frightened to move. King Lauris raised a hand and calmly indicated that the knight should move to the side. The knight moved. The king then brought up his foot and kicked the doors open, demolishing the latch with a crunch.

On the other side, Link was surprised to see a number of women servants surrounding the middle of three thrones. At the sound of the doors striking the walls, they stood up straight. The only one who did not respond immediately was the person sitting across the throne. King Lauris started across the room, and Link was about to follow when Luke placed a hand on his shoulder. Luke then stepped in front of Link and signaled for Link to stay behind him. North seemed to be in agreement, because he quickly moved to block Link from view as well, one hand resting on the hilt of his saber. Link decided to go with their caution and remained out of sight. When they were close enough, Link peered past Luke.

He saw the fake Zelda give a signal to dismiss the female staff around her. As they filtered out, she then turned in her seat so that she was no longer draped over the arms of the throne. She stood, revealing that she had recently changed into a blood-red dress with a black cape and apron. Additionally, she had silver pauldrons adorning her shoulders. She did not wear the circlet that Link had once seen on the original princess, instead wearing a silver hoop crown with a velvet cap. Link immediately ducked back behind Luke.

"Captain North," she said as the four stopped near the base of the steps. "You may find this difficult to believe, but this fat, old man is not Captain Link." The remark caused Irleen to snort.

"Shut up," King Lauris snapped. "And remove that crown from your filthy head."

The fake princess was taken aback for a moment. "Excuse me?" she finally answered, her voice heated. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"King Lauris. The rightful ruler of Hyrule and the father of the real Princess Zelda."

The fake princess paused. Then she asked in a loud voice, "I assume this show to be of your doing, Captain Link? Will you not show yourself and take responsibility for this?" Link stepped out from behind Luke and looked up at a pompous show of cool-headedness, the fake princess with her nose raised as if in fear of smelling him. "Well. I must say that I am disappointed that two of my captains have betrayed me."

"Give it a rest," Luke said, crossing his arms. "Every Skyrider captain already knows you're a phony. Link just gave us the opportunity we needed to confront you."

"Your actions against the people of Hyrule have been atrocious and idiotic," King Lauris said. "I shall see you chained in a dungeon for the chaos you have wrought upon my kingdom."

"I accept orders from a higher being," the fake Zelda said as she removed the crown. She took it by one hoop and placed it on the seat of the throne behind her. "I have no interest in the words of a fleshling."

"'Fleshling'?" Irleen asked in a quiet voice. Link had not really noticed the word before Irleen had said something. He wondered what it was supposed to mean.

"And I have no interest in the words of a liar and a coward," King Lauris responded to the fake Zelda. "The kingdom is mine again. You will tell me how I am to take my daughter back."

"I think you overestimate your chances, Your Majesty," the fake Zelda said as she moved to one side of the throne. "After all, what are a boy, an unarmed man, a fat man, and a gnarled cripple to do against something they do not understand?"

BAM! Heads turned to the back of the throne room at the sound of the doors slamming shut. Further to their surprise, two of the suits of armor that lined the throne room had stepped out of ranks to do it.

"Link?" Luke asked. "Did… did that armor just move?"

"Uh oh," Link uttered. In as low a voice as possible, he said, "Irleen, two of the suits of armor just moved."

"Be careful, Link," Irleen whispered back. "They might not be the only ones."

"Faith manages," the king said, attracting the captains' attention back to him.

"Really?" the fake Zelda asked, sounding unimpressed.

"The people of Hyrule will never accept you."

The fake Zelda laughed, her hysterical glee shrill. It made Link's spine shiver. "Your Majesty, I would have never expected you to be such a funny man!" she hollered between fits. "You truly do not understand your position here!"

"Your crewmates are dead." The fake princess stopped laughing at the sound of Link's words. He had said them with the intention of discouraging her, if anything to get her to stop that laughing. He continued, "The Stalarmors, the Lizalfos, and the Geozards. Your plan to get rid of the Sky Lines failed."

Fake Zelda smirked at him. "So?" Link was surprised by her callous response, so much that he did not have a response of his own. So she continued, "No one expected them to succeed in the first place. They were only supposed to make the Hylians' lives difficult. The fact that you spent your time hunting them down only goes to show how incompetent you are. You could have come after me all this time, so are you unaware of how stupid it is that it took you so long?"

"Considering that Captain Link disposed of your crew," Captain North spoke up, "I fail to see his incompetence when he has been the victor against your freaks."

"The Lizalfos and the Geozards are fleshlings," she replied. "Stupid and weak, vulnerable to even the smallest wound. Blood is for those not meant to live at all. And as for the Stalarmors, their ferocity and loyalty hardly make up for their dull personalities and the fact that they had to die to become what they are. What world would call them anything greater than 'drone'?"

"You are a disgrace of an airman," Captain North told her with venom in his voice. "Scoff companionship all you want. It will only lead to your death. Look at you, you vile bitch. You have no friends here to defend you. Even the staff of this castle would move against you at the drop of—"

"Shut up," the fake princess told him with an air of mild irritation. She picked up a hand mirror from the arm of the throne and used it to examine her blond bangs. "What kind of captain thinks he can make friends out of his crew anyway? You, North, are nothing by a cold slave-driver."

"I respect my men," North argued.

"Then I doubt if they respect you."

Shnk. Shnk shnk. Attention went to the suits of armor around them as they each pulled a sword and held it at their side as if awaiting the order to attack.

"You all are fools," the fake Zelda told them. "You know that, right? What have you accomplished here? What made you think that I would rely on the loyalty of people who have come to hate me? Those of my own creation are all that I need. And guess what. You've just stepped into a room full of them."

"I know these suits," the king said. "They are made of nothing but glass with silver paint."

"Ha!" she laughed. She held her arms open. "Then, by all means, Your Majesty! Fight them! You will only guarantee my permanence on the throne. If you thought your people suffered before, then I will see to it that they beg for death once you're put out of my way. Goodbye, Your Majesty."

North pulled his saber and held it in a fighting position, directing his attention to the suit nearest to him as it took a step forward. Luke pushed Link back behind the king as he drew a pistol, although he could not decide which of the three closest to him he should shoot his only bullet at.

Link lifted the front of his cap. "Irleen, I need a distraction!" he whispered urgently.

"Get her, Link!" Irleen whispered back as she shot out of Link's hat. Link lost track of her, but he was focused on the best way to attack her.

He decided on the boomerang.

"Hey, Fake Zelda!" Irleen shouted from among the suits of armor. She popped up and spun in large circles to make herself more visible. "Look over here, you stupid bitch!"

Link immediately jumped sideways between King Lauris and Luke so that he was out in the open. He threw his boomerang as hard as possible, and he could feel an additional burst of strength which he took to be the bracelet still on his wrist. The boomerang did not have very far to travel, and the fake princess had fallen for Irleen's taunting, leaving her completely open and unaware.

Krrrrsh! The sound was unlike any other sound that should come from a human head when struck by a flying object. With a cry of surprise, the false princess twisted and fell to the floor with a perfectly normal (and particularly satisfying) thump. Silvery shards littered the air where the fake princess had been standing for just a second. The moving suits of armor around them simply fell to pieces where they stood, littering the floor with swords and different parts of armor.

"What happened?" Luke asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"You struck her down," the king observed. "Well done, Captain Link."

"Irleen?" Link called. "Is she still up?"

"Yeah, she's moving around," Irleen called back.

The fake princess gathered herself up and grabbed the arm of the throne to pull herself to her feet. "You!" she screeched in a broken voice. Link stared in surprise at her face. North and King Lauris looked horrified, and Luke dropped his guard to gawk in astonishment at the fake princess.

Link's boomerang had struck above the princess's left eyebrow. Where any other human would likely have a disgusting welt, a large chunk of flesh was actually missing from her forehead. The wound looked jagged around the edges. Cracks had formed, the more prominent of these bisecting her left eye down to her cheek and traveling up through her hair to provide a sliver of visibility of what was behind her. Her eyes wandered their faces. The wrath on her broken face slowly became horrified. She brought her left hand up and, as she continued to stare at them, felt around her wound. She pressed her fingertips into the crack down her face, not reacting at all when they slid through her divided eye.

She dropped her gaze to find her mirror on the floor. She carefully picked it up and flipped it around to look at herself. "Aswuk… aswuk ngalgh…" she said to herself in a high-pitched voice that sounded as if she talked while fragments of glass were being crushed in her mouth. For what felt like the longest time, she just stared at her fractured face while Link, Luke, North, and King Lauris watched in shock.

"Hhhhhhhh raaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" she screamed at the ceiling. Glass sounded as if it was shattering all around them, and the four Hylians started when they realized that the glass suits had broken into a number of large fragments. Windows exploded overhead, and they ducked in expectation of glass raining down on them. Instead, glass rose all around them, encircling them in a tempest of sharp edges. Luke felt one shard slice into his right sleeve and backed away into the safe zone in the middle of the room, clutching his right forearm as it began to bleed.

"Nwadexh fix!" the fake princess shrieked, stepping forward so that she was just at the edge of the platform. "Aswuk ngalght mbeg abaxght! Aswuk NGALGHT mbeg abaxght FAHXGH!" She held her right arm straight out to the side. The mirror she held then broke its gold frame apart at the top. The reflective glass stretched further and further away from her until she held a sword blade three times the length of her arm. "Saghmwe mbaxgh zogh asu zhaxhaih TAHVI!" She swung the blade, knocking the throne next to her backwards. As she continued to scream, she then swung the blade about as if trying to cut up enemies all around her. "Saagh mbawuxh ihjaxgh ZOGH KAHXGHASHQAT bwevxh asu zhaxghlesh TAHVI! Mbagh ZOGH zhashoxghen TAHVI! Saghmwe TAHVI! Shoxghegh TAHVI SMEXHT! Zhashoxghegh TAHVI mbaxgh asu!" When she finally stopped waving the sword about, her eyes settled on King Lauris. She raised the sword over her head. "PWAXGH! SHOXGHAINE TAHVI!"

KANG! The sword stopped just short of cleaving through the king's forehead when Link, shield raised over his head, stepped into the swing to intercept it. Link was glad he used his left arm to help brace the shield against the strike; there was enough force behind it that using just his right arm would have bashed his shield into his own head. He pushed up and swung his right arm to throw the sword off. "RUN!" he screamed at the king. "Get outta here!"

"Go go go!" Irleen shouted as she flew back and forth between Link and the king.

"Your Majesty!" North shouted as he used a hand to push the king backwards. "The door! Hurry!"

"Agreed," King Lauris replied as he backpedaled toward the door.

Link stepped backwards as well. Then he jumped backwards to avoid having the fake princess's sword tear a gash in his chest.

Chi-PAH! Luke fired his flintlock pistol at the fake Zelda. When he saw that he had missed, he threw the weapon aside. "Never good with guns anyway…" he muttered to himself as he pulled his own saber. "Shit…"

"Go, get the king outta here!" Link shouted as he backed out of another wild swing aimed for his face.

"Pwaxgh!" Fake Zelda shouted as all four Hylians retreated. She thrust her free hand in their direction.

And Link saw a number of large shards of glass part from the tempest behind her. "Look out!" he shouted as he ducked behind his shield, realizing that she was aiming their sharp edges at them.

Kr-tink! Kr-tink kr-tink kr-tink! Link glanced to aside just in time to see one of Layna's blades, hurtled from somewhere behind and above them – kr-tink – shatter a large piece of glass by flying straight through it.

"Qaxghsh!" Fake Zelda screeched. Link peered around his shield to see that her attention was on the ceiling behind them.

His eyes went wide as she swung her free hand upward, and he spun around. "Layna, watch out!" both he and Irleen cried at the same time.

Layna swung out of her hiding place in the rafters and jumped to a different beam just as the glass shards the false Zelda had redirected embedded themselves in the wood nearby. Somehow, as she jumped to the next beam to avoid more, she had managed to hurl another throwing blade. Link spun back to the fake Zelda to see her quickly swipe at the blade with her sword, causing Layna's blade to skip off her glass blade and into the wall behind her.

"Shi—Link!" Luke shouted. "She's got the door blocked!"

"Is there another way out!?" Irleen shouted as Link finally decided to pull out the Lokomo Sword.

"She has every door blocked!" the king shouted.

"Gyah!" Link hollered when, as he was distracted with watching the king and the two captains, a shard of glass sliced into his trousers. He dropped to one knee due more to his surprise than any pain. And he saw that, in the process of attacking him, she had sliced open his pocket and caused Irleen's bomb gem to drop to the floor. He placed the sword on the floor and grabbed the gem. "Cover your ears!" Link shouted at them. Then he threw the gem. "Irleen, your gem! Now!"

"And the world goes boom!" Irleen hurriedly cried out.

BOOOOOOOM! Link felt part of the burst from the bomb gem and fell onto his back. For a moment, he could hear nothing but a faint ringing in his ears. He rolled onto his stomach and looked up to find the king, Luke, and North with their hands over their ears. Although his vision was unsteady, it looked as if all the glass the fake princess was hurtling about the throne room had fallen dormant to the floor. Slowly pushing himself back to his feet, he shouted (although it sounded little louder than a whisper) to them, "Go! Hurry!"

"Did that get her?" Irleen shouted.

Link, feeling a migraine coming on, was holding his head as he turned back to the thrones. The blast had knocked the fake Zelda to the floor, but she was slowly recovering as well, using what remained of a throne to pull herself up. "Nope," Link replied, searching the floor. He located the Lokomo Sword and picked it up. "What is she?"

"A living mirror," Irleen replied as she found a place to hover near Link's head. "It's like a curse. Whoever she started as, she's magically altered her appearance so much that she's just glass that can take on any form she wants. Even if it's someone else."

"How do we fight that?!" Link complained as he turned to see the captains pull open the doors.

"It's the same as with the Stalarmors and the Technomos," Irleen told him. "Anything not made of flesh has to have some kind of central point where its existence rests, otherwise it would be mindless. You just need to figure out what makes her tick. It's gonna be something on her body."

Link fell silent as he watched the fake princess finally find her way to her feet. She turned to him and stepped up to the edge of the stage. "Aswuk ngalght mbeg xaapt abaxght me…"

Then a figure stalked past Link, so silent that Link flinched once he saw that someone was standing in front of him. He barely had time to tell who it was before a single shot rang out.

Chi-PAH!

The fake princess jerked when Gilliam's bullet struck her stomach. She took a step back. Then she corrected her posture and gave Gilliam, who was dressed in his tunic once more, an annoyed look. "Really?" she asked. "You decide to chance treason to remove me, and the best you could come up with was shooting a bloodless being with a gun?"

A surprised Gilliam took a step backwards. He spoke in a low voice that Link and Irleen were close enough to hear, "That played out quite different in my head."

"If it helps," Irleen spoke up, "that was a pretty badass march across the room. That whole 'shoot-first-question-later' attitude was pretty cool, too."

"Sir Gilliam, you gotta get the king to safety!" Link shouted as he saw the fake princess pick up her glass sword.

She placed her free hand on the blade and, with a crisp snap, broke the upper half free. Link barely had time to move before the upper half of her sword sailed through the air. "Agh!" Gilliam shouted just after the tip punched through his tunic and into his chest.

"Gil!" Link cried out while Irleen screamed in horror. Gilliam fell backwards, landing flat on the floor. Blood started soaking into his tunic, and his body convulsed.

Link turned a wrathful glare to the princess while she re-grew the blade from what remained of the sword. In a flash, he was standing at the bottom of the steps with his sword poised for a jab. The fake princess, distracted with her sword, barely had time to twist her hand and deflect Link's jab. Link spun with the parry, turning it into a horizontal slash that, at their differing heights, struck her hip. Link felt as if he had hit metal, but the fake princess still fell with the blow. She rolled down the stairs and recovered to one knee with a wild slash aimed for Link's leg. Link jumped up to avoid the attack, and he rose so high that he staggered when he landed. The princess, now back on her feet, stabbed at him with a blade sporting a point but not its original length. It gave Link enough room to hold up his shield and intercept the attack. Link then raised his sword and brought it down in a vertical slash. The princess had backed away after her attack had failed, so all Link found was air. She was still trying to back away, so Link advanced as much as he could in two steps. Since she had stepped off to his right, a strike with his sword was not immediately possible. So he pulled his right arm back and swung his shield as if throwing a right hook.

Bam! The edge of his shield caught her in the face just as she was exposing herself in preparation for a diagonal downswing. Link then pressed the upper corner of his shield against his shoulder and rammed it into her head. When he caught sight of her stumbling backwards, he saw that both blows had caused more of her face to crack and chip off.

"Smexh…" she swore under her breath as she regained her footing. She took her sword into both hands and attempted a horizontal swing while Link was still out of range. The wild swing caused her to expose her back to him, and Link quickly advanced on her and delivered a horizontal blow of his own to her shoulder blades. "AGH!" She stumbled forward to one side. Once she had recovered, she aimed a hand at a shard of glass on the floor and directed it at him. The glass flew in an arc, and Link took in a sharp breath as it sliced through his bodysuit and into his right shoulder. He attempted to retaliate by whipping his sword into a short, upward swing meant to at least clip her head again. Instead, she leaned backwards and directed the shard back down. Link's left forearm burned when the glass penetrated flesh again.

This fight was turning bad for him. He was beginning to lose blood as she gained the upper hand.

The opportunity to turn the fight around came when she reached her hand straight out toward him.

She had been directing the glass shard to stab at him. He turned his shoulders to dodge it. Then, while he still had the blade of his sword pointing up, he aimed a quick downward swing at her outstretched hand. "AAAAAGH!" she wailed as Link's blade removed her thumb and caused a spider's web of fractures all over her palm. She aimed an upswing at his exposed face, but Link followed through with his attack by dropping to a knee. He barely escaped the strike. He then held his sword at level with his left shoulder and swung a horizontal strike that caused a significant crack to form on her left thigh. "GAAAGH!" She staggered to her left, dropping her guard in the process. Her right arm was held outward so she could try to keep her balance, and Link rose at the same time he launched an upswing. He caught her arm right at the elbow, and her forearm simply snapped off where he had struck. Both her forearm and her sword fell to the floor while she released another inhuman scream of pain. Once again, she was sent staggering, and this gave Link enough time to wind up for a strong attack. As soon as she had found her footing once more, Link put all of his strength into a horizontal strike that landed hard on her right temple.

If it was not for all of the adrenaline pumping through him, Link would have probably been disgusted by the sight of the fake princess's head snapping off at the neck. Between the damage done by Link's initial attack and every other time he had struck her in a similar location, her head hit the stone floor hard and smashed to pieces. Her body fell lifelessly to the floor, breaking into large glass pieces of human anatomy.

"Link!" Irleen cried out. "The head! Look!"

Link looked back to where her head had landed and saw a glowing gemstone sitting on the floor in the middle of the remains. Still charged with excitement, he hustled over to it.

He froze in place when the fake princess, now sounding nothing like herself, released a shrill laugh. "YOU THINK YOU'VE WON, BOY!?" she taunted him with a voice no longer produced by a mouth. "YOU WILL NEVER WIN SO LONG AS MY CAPTAIN LIVES! YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR PRINCESS AGAIN! AND I WILL BE HERE TO ENJOY IT! YOU CANNOT KILL ME LIKE THIS! THIS STONE IS INVINCIBLE AGAINST ALL KINDS OF… Wait, what are you doing?"

Link had dropped both his sword and his shield with a loud clatter. Then he removed his hammer from his belt. "Seeing how 'invincible' you are," Link replied.

He took a knee next to her. He raised the hammer over his head. "N-NOOOOOO!"

Chrch!

Her voice cut off right as the pin pierced the gem. It simply shattered under the hammer, its glow disappearing with the excitement of a light bulb that had just died.

Then Link collapsed next to the pile of shattered glass as the effects of blood loss began to cloud his mind.