Chapter 8

Link was nowhere to be seen when Zelda finally reached the lab. She bent over in front of the door, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. The mountain trail hadn't seemed nearly so steep when they'd walked it the day before.

Perhaps Link was inside? 'Go to the lab' could be interpreted as inside the lab. Or maybe Purah had seen him standing at her door and invited him in? Either possibility was equally likely.

Once her breathing had settled, she straightened up and stepped forward to knock. A wild scream from within arrested the movement, her fist halfway raised to the door. The sound of furniture being over-turned coupled with a muffled cry spurred her into action, grasping the handle and throwing the door open wide.

The scene that greeted her was not one she had expected. A table and several chairs had been over-turned, papers and ancient parts scattered all over the floor. Link was using a shallow tray as a shield, blocking the short knife in Symin's hand. The Sheikah's eyes widened as they landed on Zelda.

"Princess! You shouldn't-"

His distraction cost him dearly, Link breaking the stalemate and throwing him back into the bookshelf. The knight quickly closed the distance between them, scooping up an ancient shaft and raising it above his head like a club. Symin managed to shift enough to the side that it missed his head, the middle of the shaft connecting solidly with his shoulder while the cogs on the wider part at its tip embedded themselves into the shelf behind him. The researcher fell to his knees with cry of pain, clutching at his injured shoulder.

"Link stop!" Zelda screamed, rushing forward and grabbing the swordsman's arm before he could free the makeshift cudgel to try and crush Symin's skull.

Link easily broke out of her grasp, driving his elbow into Zelda's cheek as he spun to face the new threat. Abandoning the stuck shaft, he seized her by the throat instead.

The blow to her cheek was sudden and unexpected, leaving Zelda stunned. She blinked a few times, trying to process what had happened as calloused fingers wrapped themselves around her neck. The increasing pressure on her windpipe forced conscious thought from her mind as her survival instincts took over.

The sounds and smells of the tech lab fell away as her vision went white, replaced by the belly of the beast that had served as her prison for the last 100 years. Ganon's power once again sought to overwhelm her, phantom fingers clutching at her throat so he could be unleashed upon the land.

These attempts on her life happened frequently, the sacred power gathering in her hands with barely a thought. She grasped the illusory limb, feeding her power into it as she put Ganon back in his place once more. Their power was more or less evenly matched and would hopefully remain so until Link came and tipped the scales.

The bestial roar of anger she'd been expecting was replaced by a Hylian scream of agony, the familiar voice snapping her out of her trance and back to the present. The Hateno tech lab came back into focus around her just in time for her to witness an airborne Link slam into the far wall. He fell boneless onto a large crate, his legs bent awkwardly beneath him as his head and one arm dangled over the side.

Symin rushed past Zelda, dumping a large stack of papers and books from a chair to the floor before sliding Link's limp body off the crate on onto its seat. He dropped to his knees in front of the swordsman, arms moving quickly though his body hid what he was doing from view.

The princess just stared, eyes widening in horror as she realized what she had done. The sacred power of her bloodline had been passed down from the Goddess herself to stop Calamity Ganon from destroying the land. Instead, Zelda had just used it against the Goddess' own chosen hero. She wouldn't have been surprised if Hylia struck her down where she stood. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Is he..." Her throat seemed to close on the words, refusing to give them utterance.

"Don't worry, princess," Symin said, standing with Link's belt in one hand. He stepped behind the chair, swiftly looping the leather around the knight's chest and securing him in place. "He can't hurt you now."

Zelda's hands flew to her mouth as she saw Link's arm, the limb a deep angry red that started at his fingertips and disappeared beneath his sleeve. She released the breath she'd been holding as he began to stir from his daze, relief coursing through her. The sacred power was a formidable force, strong enough to contain evil incarnate. It was entirely possible she might have killed Link had she not stopped when she did.

She blinked when Symin's words registered, her incredulous gaze drawn to the Sheikah researcher. Her cheek throbbed at the reminder of the attack and she could still feel the ghostly imprint of Link's fingers on her neck, but she had to swallow a scoff at the absurdity of the notion. He couldn't hurt her? Her bruises would fade in a week or two, but she might have just cost Link the use of his dominant arm.

The knight began to struggle in his seat, drawing Zelda's attention to the red cords that bound his wrists to the armrests. He pulled against the restraints in vain, madness shining in his eyes as he snarled at them and gnashed his teeth.

Unable to bear the sight of Link in such a state, Zelda turned to face Symin who had returned to her side. "What happened?" she asked, her voice remarkably steady considering the veritable storm of emotions clashing inside her.

Symin shook his head, still watching Link warily. "I'm not sure," he admitted, cradling his arm to his chest. "Link showed up here, but it was like he had no will of his own. I thought it might be some sort of poison, but when I asked him to remove his tunic, well..." He trailed off, gesturing at the overturned furniture and broken shelf.

Zelda's gaze wandered over the mess, trying to make sense of the situation. Why would the prospect of removing his tunic send him into a berserker rage? It was true he'd been uncomfortable doing so yesterday, but discomfort was different than outright anger. There had to be something else, but what?

Her eyes narrowed when she spotted the familiar scabbard beneath a jumble of papers and journals. She stepped toward it, grasping the sheath and lifting it from the pile. Metal scraped as the hilt caught on something, partially unsheathing the blade, and Zelda couldn't help the gasp of surprise that escaped her. The Master Sword was shining with a soft blue light.

A cross between a growl and a hiss drew her attention back to her knight. He was glaring at the sword with pure hatred and no small amount of fear. Zelda's brows drew together in a frown. What reason could Link have to fear his own sword? Unless it wasn't Link but something else possessing his body... Something the Master Sword's proximity might have kept contained until the blade was removed from him...

Deciding to test her theory, Zelda took hold of the hilt and rose to her feet. Watching him carefully, she took a deliberate step in his direction.

The reaction was immediate, the swordsman bucking and thrashing even more desperately than before although his blue gaze never left the holy blade.

Zelda bit her lip as he flailed wildly, hating to see him like this. Hopefully returning the sword to him would again restrain whatever evil entity had possessed him. Trying not to think about what exactly that entity might be, Zelda steeled herself and continued forward, ignoring Symin's words of warning.

Link's struggles increased as she drew near, tipping the chair onto its side as he howled in fury. He kicked out at her with his unbound legs, only managing to push his chair more fully against the bookcase behind him.

One of his arms managed to break free as Zelda closed in, gripping her ankle with crushing force as she pressed the flat of the blade against his shoulder. Link's breath caught in his throat, almost sounding like he was choking as his entire body went rigid. Zelda also held her breath, feeling her heart hammering inside her chest as she waited. After several panicked beats, Link relaxed. His hand fell form Zelda's ankle as his head lolled to the floor, gaze growing distant. His ragged breaths almost seemed to echo in the sudden silence of the lab.

Zelda released her own breath in a relieved sigh, mindful of the naked blade pressed against him as she knelt before her knight. She carefully maneuvered the sword back into its sheath, keeping part of the holy weapon in contact with Link the entire time. His breathing eased as he calmed but otherwise did not react, his listless gaze staring off to her left.

"Do you know what just happened princess?" Symin asked, watching Zelda rummage through the debris around her before bending down in front of the swordsman. "I've...never before seen Link in such a state."

Zelda shook her head. "That's why we came to Hateno," she explained, using a small piece of broken glass to cut the cord restraining Link's burned arm. His blood smeared across her fingers, the skin of the wrist raw and town from his desperate struggles. "I've witnessed this...puppet-like state he's in once before, though the mindless violence is new." The last threads of the cord gave way under the sharp edge, falling to the floor. She shifted behind the chair to loosen the belt around his chest, focusing on her actions to keep her emotions in check. She could break down later; right now Link needed help. "I have a theory-"

"Forgive me, princess," Symin interrupted, finally seeing what Zelda was doing, "but I believe it would be better if you left him restrained for the moment," he suggested.

Zelda looked up at the Sheikah, her face slack in shock. Leave Link bound like a rabid animal? How could he even suggest such a thing?

Symin raised a hand to forestall her arguments, the other remaining tucked close to his body. "We don't know what caused this, or what may trigger another..." He hesitated, his gaze sliding to Link's prone form. "...attack."

Zelda shook her head. "That won't happen as long as he has the Master Sword," she argued confidently. "You said this started when you told him to remove his tunic, correct? After he took off the sword?"

"Yes," Symin admitted, shrugging before aborting the movement halfway through with a grimace of pain. "However it is possible the sword may have had nothing to do with it and the timing was merely coincidental- exceptional, yes, but still coincidental. We have too little information to be making any assumptions just yet," he cautioned. "We can test your theories but it would be safer for Link to remain bound for the duration."

Zelda looked away, letting her hair fall forward to cover her face. Symin's reasoning was sound and logical. Keep the subject contained so tests could be conducted safely until they figured out what was wrong. It was exactly the response she should have expected of the researcher.

However Link was not some random bladed beetle or hot-footed frog to be studied for the advancement of scientific research. He was the Hero of Hyrule, the Chosen of the Goddess, one who had already sacrificed so much to restore peace to this land. He deserved better than to wake up shackled and confused, especially at the hand of one who dared to call him 'friend.'

"It's for your own protection," Symin continued gently, moving closer and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Yours and his."

Zelda raised her head, her face as hard as stone. Symin cowered beneath her steely gaze, his hand dropping from her shoulder. The belt was unfastened in two quick motions, Zelda uttering soft directions to her knight as she helped him stand and replaced his baldric. Only after the Master Sword was secured in place did she face the researcher once more.

"Princess, please-" Symin began imploringly.

"I thank you for your assistance, Symin," she interrupted, adopting the cold but authoritative tone she'd heard from her father so often. "And I apologize for any inconvenience our visit may have caused. We shall not trouble you any further."

The Sheikah Clan had been in service to the bloodline of the Goddess since time immemorial. Loyalty and obedience to the royal family was instilled in every member of the clan from birth. Although unsure how he'd managed to anger her so, Symin could clearly see he'd over-stepped his bounds. "It was no trouble at all, Princess," he replied, dropping to one knee and placing his fist on the floor at his side as he bowed his head. "I live to serve."

Zelda felt her throat close up at the familiar salute from an age past, the maelstrom of emotions within testing the limits of her control. She quickly ushered Link outside, feeling the moisture gathering in her eyes as she firmly shut the door behind them. She took a deep and shuddering breath, holding it for several long seconds before releasing it slowly in an effort to calm down.

Once she felt a bit more in control of herself, she straightened and turned to her companion. The swordsman hadn't moved, still staring blankly ahead. Zelda reached for his uninjured hand, threading her fingers between his lax digits. "Come on, Link," she said, offering him a wan smile. "Let's go home."

The sun was approaching the horizon when they arrived back at Link's house. Zelda instructed the swordsman to sit at the table while she found a clean cloth and filled a small bowl with water. She took a seat opposite Link, grimacing at the state of his arm as she gently lifted it to assess the damage. The dark red skin looked like it had been pulled taut and was hot to the touch, blisters starting to form all along the limb.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Zelda realized she was woefully unprepared for the task before her. Wound care had never been part of her studies and what little she'd picked up from Link in the past primarily dealt with cuts and bites. Aside from the torn skin at his wrist, there was no open wound to clean. How exactly did one treat a burn?

Zelda racked her memory for anything that might help as she wet the cloth and started tending to his wrist. The only burns she had any experience with were along the lines of touching hot wax from a candle, which didn't require any sort of treatment. Aside from looking very painful, Link's arm still appeared to be getting worse, so waiting it out didn't seem like the best option. Perhaps she should treat it like a fever and try to cool it down?

After she was done cleaning his wrist, Zelda rinsed out her cloth and gently rubbed it over the hot skin. It struck her suddenly that Link had spent the last year traveling all over the country. He must have run into fire-breathing lizalfos, fire keese and other monsters that used flame-based attacks during his journey. That meant he likely had something on hand for treating burns.

Zelda wrung out the cloth and spread it lightly over Link's arm before moving around the table and pulling the Sheikah slate from his hip. She waited as the familiar error message flashed across the screen ('user' obviously referred to whoever was trying to access the slate, but she had yet to discover how one became 'authorized') before the inventory came up. Her finger flicked through the picture-filled pages, skipping through the lists of weapons and armor Link had acquired (though she couldn't help but wonder about a certain Gerudo outfit) until she reached what looked like a list of ingredients.

Zelda smiled as she pictured Link collecting the variety of fruits and mushrooms dominating the page. The next screen was a little more confusing, consisting mainly of flowers and weeds that had no nutritional value whatsoever. The one after showed an assortment of vividly colored insects and frogs. What in the world had Link been doing for the past year?

A picture of a softly glowing pink ball of light with gossamer wings quickly caught Zelda's attention, green eyes lighting in recognition. She'd forgotten Link told her he always kept at least one on hand. Surely the fairy could do something for his burns.

The princess tapped on the icon to select it and then again to bring it out. The fairy materialized out of glowing blue strands of energy and started heading for the window. The slate clattered to the table as Zelda dropped it, quickly cupping her hands around the glowing orb to keep it from escaping. The fairy seemed indifferent to the treatment, its wings softly brushing against Zelda's fingers as it calmly hovered within her hands.

The princess stared at the softly pulsing light through her fingers, wondering how one went about using a fairy. Would it sense injuries and head toward them? Not likely, considering it hadn't been drawn to Link initially. Maybe it wasn't close enough to him? Or perhaps it had some level of intelligence and would help her knight if she asked politely?

Her eyes dropped back to the slate, widening slightly when she saw the inventory had re-arranged itself to fill the hole the fairy had left behind. Whatever she decided to try, she was only going to get the one chance.

Uttering a quick prayer to the Goddess, she lowered her hands next to the Link's arm. "Please help him," she begged, spreading her fingers wide.

The fairy's wings beat steadily as it moved through the air, bobbing up and down as it all but danced over the blisters and burned skin. The princess bit her lip, almost crying out when the ball of light darted back to the Sheikah slate.

The fairy swooped down across the screen before rising back into the air. It repeated the motion a few times before flying into Zelda's face and chiming while pulsing brightly as if to scold her for not paying attention.

"I'm...sorry?" Zelda apologized, raising her hands as if to surrender. "You...need something from me?"

The fairy bobbed up and down before swooping low across the screen once more.

Zelda uncertainly mimicked the motion with her hand. "You want me to- oh! You want me to sort through the inventory for you?" she guessed, swiping her finger across the screen. The pictures of insects were replaced by lizards and...various parts of monsters? Wings, horns, fangs, tentacles... What possible reason could Link have had for collecting things like that?

That seemed to be what the fairy had wanted, the ball of light now bouncing up and down excitedly over one the pictures.

"Alright, you need one of these blue lizards," Zelda said, pulling it out of the inventory as the fairy move to another picture and repeated the motion. "And...what is that!?"

It was purple and looked like an organ of some variety...and it wasn't the only one. Trying not to imagine Link dissecting monsters before he killed them, Zelda tapped on the picture. It materialized on the table, not the slightest bit decayed or even dried out. It looked as though it might have been removed from its unfortunate owner mere minutes ago. Zelda hesitantly picked it up, grimacing at the feel of wet flesh beneath her fingers. She let out a surprised squeak as it convulsed briefly in her hand, dropping it back to the table with a wet-sounding smack. Was it still alive?

Another chime drew her attention to the fairy now across the room, all but jumping up and down on a mortar and pestle next to the cooking pot. She stood as a cold ball formed in the pit of her stomach, fairly certain she knew what was coming next.

Under the fairy's guidance, Zelda ground up the lizard and mystery organ before adding some water and bringing the whole thing to a steady boil. She turned her head away as she stirred the concoction, not sure she'd be able to stomach anything cooked with these dishes again.

The sun was just about to disappear behind the horizon when the fairy decided it was done, flitting back and forth between the pot and a smaller bowl. Zelda obediently poured the contents into the bowl, cringing away as some of the larger lumps splashed down into the dark red liquid. Although lunch was several hours past, she was quite certain she wouldn't be eating dinner tonight.

After the potion had been transferred, the fairy started circling the bowl; flying faster and shining more brightly until Zelda was forced to shield her eyes. When she looked back, both the fairy and the bowl had been replaced with a glass bottle, the bottom completely round with a handle shaped like the fairy's wings. The neck of the bottle was long and thin with the mouth tapered for pouring opposite the wings. A pleasant smell wafted from the pale pink liquid glimmering within, seeming to shimmer faintly with its own light.

Zelda blinked at the tonic she had created. Was that what it was supposed to look like? The fairy had disappeared- merged with the potion, perhaps? -so she assumed this was the end result it had been leading her to. Now all that was left was for Link to drink it.

Just the thought was enough to turn Zelda's stomach, one hand flying up to cover her mouth as nausea reared its ugly end. She was reminded of an outing from long ago where she had caught a hot-footed frog and jokingly tried to make Link eat it in the name of science. Though he'd mostly maintained his composure, a bit of panic had been visible in the cracks. While the current situation was quite different from back then, the thought of ordering him to drink the potion felt like she was taking that old joke too far.

Taking the bottle in hand, she moved back to the swordsman still sitting at the table. The cloth she'd laid over his arm was mostly dry, though it had turned a faint yellow in several places. She carefully lifted it to examine the limb, wincing when it stuck to and pulled on the skin beneath it.

His arm was far worse than before, swollen in places to the point of looking misshapen and becoming discolored beneath the numerous blisters that had expanded to cover most of the limb. Several of them had clearly popped, the top layer much looser and folded over the dark red skin beneath it. The cloth had caught most of the fluid that had leaked out but not all of it, as evidenced by a few streaks down the sides of his arm.

Link's burns were still worsening and it was now clear there was internal damage as well. He needed help and it was pure selfishness on her part to allow her own squeamishness to keep that from him. Decision made, she pressed the bottle into his un-injured hand. "Drink all of that Link," she commanded, closing her eyes and turning her face away.

Link didn't make a lot of noise when drinking, but even those soft sounds seemed amplified in the quiet of the house. Zelda covered her mouth again as her stomach churned, nausea coming back in full force. She tried fruitlessly to turn her mind away from the thoughts of what was sliding down her knight's throat, but the feel of the innards squishing beneath the pestle or the sickening plop as she scraped them into the pot of water thwarted her efforts. Why did distractions only seem to appear when she did not want them?

Once the noises ceased, and Zelda had managed to quell her nausea once more, she opened her eyes. The blisters were completely gone and the angry crimson covering his arm had faded to what looked like a bad sunburn. Even the swelling seemed to be lessening as she watched and she couldn't help but marvel at potency of the potion. The limb was visibly on the mend and she wondered if he would even be left with a scar to show for it. Emerald eyes dropped to the bowl loosely clutched in Link's opposite hand, both awed by the power of the fairy's tonic as well as abstractedly wondering why the container had changed shape.

Zelda banished the thought for later as she took Link's rapidly healing hand in her own, her marveling expression turning to a grimace as his arm stuck slightly to the table. Belatedly remembering the fluid not caught by the cloth, and feeling the tacky residue left on his fingers, she quickly retrieved another wet rag.

It didn't take Zelda long to finish cleaning up both the table and the swordsman, the day's events turning themselves over in her mind. Though his initial hypothesis of a malfunction with the Shrine no longer seemed likely, the cause of Link's ailment was still unknown. The only thing they had learned was that the Master Sword reacted to his illness and seemed to keep the worst of the symptoms in check. Even now, though the blade was fully sheathed, a faint glow was visible around the mouth of the scabbard.

Zelda's heart beat loudly in her chest as seeds of doubt took root in her mind. Had she failed to fully seal Ganon away on Hyrule Field? Had some part of his evil escaped and taken refuge within her knight? In his current state, Link wouldn't offer any resistance to the possession, but surely he would have attacked her sooner if that were the case. He hadn't even been holding the Master Sword at the time. No, while the blade's reaction did indicate Ganon's evil influence played some part in this sickness, the Calamity itself was safely sealed away.

However, that still begged the question of how Link had been infected almost a year ago when he'd only stepped foot in Hyrule Castle a few days prior. Zelda herself had been keeping Ganon contained within the castle and the only time either of them had left in the past century was for the final battle. He had corrupted the Guardians and Divine Beasts with ease, but taking over a machine was different than a person and she doubted he could have used them to infect Link.

She sank down onto a wooden chair opposite the swordsman, elbows on the table as she dug her fingertips into her temples. It didn't make sense no matter how many times she turned the problem over in her mind. There was simply no way Link could have come into contact with the Calamity so soon after waking. However the glowing blade of the Master Sword, and especially its effect on Link in his current state, made it impossible to discount Ganon's influence altogether. What was she missing?

She sighed, dragging her hands down her face only to jerk back with a hiss of pain. Her cheek was swollen and tender to the touch from the altercation in the lab earlier. She lightly ran her fingers over it, imagining the colors now blossoming across her fair skin. She probably looked like she had been involved in a tavern brawl. She laughed softly at what would Link say if he could see her now.

Zelda's breath caught in her throat, face paling as her gaze was drawn once again to her knight. What would Link say? He'd probably be horrified she'd been hurt on his watch, despite how minor the injury was. He'd demand to know what had happened and who had done this to her. And when he found out he was the culprit...he'd leave. Unable to trust himself with her safety, he'd run as far from her as he could. And in this new and unfamiliar land, she'd never be able to find him.

Zelda could not let that happen. She jerked up from the table, the chair clattering onto its side behind her as she frantically searched for something to cover her face. A cloth might work, but how would she explain it? Her mind was whirling, dismissing one unlikely reason after another as she quickly rinsed out the cloth she'd been using earlier. Her hair clung to the wet material as she tried to secure it over her face, the ends of the rag sticking together and making it impossible to tie.

Instead of giving into the temptation to throw the cloth on the floor in a fit of panic-fueled anger, Zelda took a deep and calming breath. Panicking now wouldn't help anyone and Link would certainly see through any of the ridiculous excuses that had run through her mind so far. In what instances did normal people wear masks?

Images of the Sheikah immediately came to mind, the traditional grab worn by their researchers, advisors and guards alike. Neither Symin, nor Purah, had been wearing the mask when she'd seen them earlier, but she was sure they had a few in their possession. Perhaps she could borrow one?

The memory of Link waking her in the stable the morning after sealing Ganon away rose in her mind, the lower half of his face obscured by a dark blue mask. It seemed she wouldn't have to trek back up the hill to borrow one after all.

It didn't take her long to find the item, tying it securely over her face. The slight pressure against her cheek was uncomfortable but far preferable to risking the material sliding down to reveal the bruise beneath. She loosely wrapped the white scarf with it around her neck, hiding the marks left by Link's fingers.

The mask itself provided its own reason for being worn, the simple feel of it against her skin offering a sense of anonymity she'd never before experienced. Having been raised as a princess and viewed as a failure, the judgmental eyes of the court was something she'd grown accustomed to at a young age. The sense of being able to disappear into a crowd was almost liberating in its foreignness, despite the fact very few alive would know her now.

What was important was that Link would not question her desire for anonymity while trying to figure out where her life would go from here. With one crisis adverted, she turned her attention to the next: what to tell Link about the incident. That would be far trickier, and likely require keeping him away from Symin and Purah both for the foreseeable future.

Zelda started pacing as she considered her options. The space around the table soon proved too confining so she decided to step outside, hoping the fresh air would help clear her mind.

The dark horizon contrasted sharply with the dying light of day, the first star not yet visible in the sky. A soft breeze ruffled her hair as she walked around the house, catching sight of the tub Link had been using earlier. While she may not know anything about cleaning or the upkeep of armor, she did know that metal and water equaled rust.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell of decay wafting from the tub, intending to pull the pieces out of the water at least. They were lighter than they looked, reminding Zelda of the Guardian parts the Sheikah had been studying 100 years ago. The design was certainly reminiscent of that era and she wondered if Link had created the armor himself or found a blacksmith to forge it using scavenged parts.

Her musings were interrupted as her finger came into contact with something other than water as she idly traced over the upraised whirls on the armor. The contact burned, prompting her to snatch her hand away and inspect the affected area. A smudge of black was all she saw before the sacred power inside of her surged forth, lighting the tip of her finger brightly in the twilight. It only lasted for a second before fading, taking both the black smudge and the pain with it.

Zelda stared at her finger, trying to understand what had just happened. She brought the piece she was still holding closer to her face, searching for whatever was on Link's armor that made her powers react like that.

The last vestiges of light were rapidly fading, allowing Zelda to see the otherwise unnoticeable glow along almost every crevasse and seam in the armor. The aura from the substance was so faint one would miss it unless they really focused, but the evil contained within was unmistakable. Although a far cry from the Calamity itself, the Malice left in its wake was plenty potent on its own and just as easily recognizable. The stench of decay should have been her first clue.

Zelda briefly wondered why Link's armor had seemingly been covered in it at some point before remembering when he had last worn it. Malice was a byproduct of Ganon's presence, either intentional or otherwise, and she'd kept him contained to the castle for the last century. The castle, and possibly Castle Town, was likely overflowing with Malice. By this point, Link would have probably had to wade through a lot of it simply to reach Ganon. She rubbed her fingertip, wincing as she imagined what that would have been like. Perhaps it was good that he didn't remember storming the castle.

A knock from the front of the house drew her attention and she dropped the piece of armor back in the basin before stepping around the corner. Purah was standing at the door, a lantern in her hand and an unreadable expression on her face. She turned as Zelda came into view, giving the blonde a slight bow.

"Good evening, princess," she greeted, her eyes lingering on the mask. "I trust you are well?"

"Yes, thank you," Zelda replied, wary of the sudden formality. Snippets of memories rose in her mind of similar situations, meaningless pleasantries before being reprimanded, and she felt her spine stiffen.

"And Link?" Purah continued, her voice carefully neutral.

"Much better now that his injuries have been treated," Zelda answered, her eyes darting to the window.

Purah followed her gaze. "I assume he's not back to his senses yet?" she asked.

"No," Zelda admitted, dropping her eyes as she clasped her hands in front of her. "Symin...told you what happened." It was not a question.

"He did," Purah answered.

"And?"

"And I came to make sure you were both alright," she replied. "The lab has certainly seen better days and Symin himself is sporting several impressive-looking bruises."

Zelda's shoulders fell slightly, ashamed she hadn't even given a single thought to the aged researcher's injuries. "How is he?" she asked.

"He's fine. Ancient tech can be pretty fickle, as you might remember, and we've had some pretty spectacular failures. A few bruises pale in comparison," she explained, waving away the princess' concerns. "He seemed to think he offended you, though. Said you stormed out in a huff?"

"I simply thanked him for his assistance and apologized for the inconvenience," Zelda replied stiffly, steel replacing her spine once more.

Purah regarded her with an unreadable expression for a long moment. Zelda bore the scrutiny impassively. The director finally broke the stalemate with a sigh. "He was just trying to help," she said gently.

"I know," Zelda agreed with a nod. "In the only way he knew how."

"He wasn't wrong," Purah stated, giving her peculiar look.

"He wasn't right, either."

Purah sighed again. It was clear Zelda was still too worked up to see reason. Given the lack of destructive sounds from inside the house, she decided to let it alone for the moment. "In any case the berserker rage Symin described, and the inability to distinguish friend from foe, sounds like Link may have been infected by Malice."

"Infected by Malice?" Zelda repeated, her mind immediately going to the armor in the washtub.

Purah nodded. "Just coming into contact with Malice is enough to do it. I used to hear about these cases all the time after the Great Calamity- farmers turning on their families, soldiers attacking their comrades. It caused quite the panic before they figured out the cause- and how to heal the afflicted."

Zelda visibly perked up at the last part. "There is a cure?" she asked.

"Local legend claims a scale from the protector spirit of Mt. Lanayru is some sort of magical cure-all. While I can't verify that, I do know it's able to rid those infected by Malice of the madness it causes," the director explained. "Used to be able to find them around the Spring of Wisdom, though no one's needed to go up there to look for the last few decades." She shrugged, glancing back at the house. "Heading up there might be a fool's errand, especially with the monsters everywhere, but I think the Goddess might be willing to help out her chosen in this instance, considering everything he's done."

"So we must once again journey to the spring," Zelda mused. It did not feel like mere coincidence that their last trip up Mt Lanayru had ended with Calamity Ganon's appearance 100 years ago. Returning now to the Spring of Wisdom to rid Link of Ganon's corruption once and for all seemed like a sign from the Goddess that the nightmare was finally over.

"That's my advice. Unfortunately, there's no direct path from here to there. You'll need to head back to the Dueling Peaks stable and follow the road north," Purah continued, glancing in the direction of Mt Lanayru before realizing it couldn't be seen from so far down the mountain. "The road to Kakariko, at least, is probably traveled enough to pose little danger, but I can't say for the Lanayru Promenade or beyond."

Zelda vaguely remembered the road taking them through Kakariko when they traveled to the spring so long ago, though they hadn't passed through the Dueling Peaks. Was there really only the one road? "Nothing Link can't handle, I'm sure."

"Probably not," the director agreed slowly. "However, after today's events, you must realize he may not feel comfortable traveling with you."

"I refuse to let him go alone."

"Even if he asks you to stay behind?"

"He won't."

Purah almost rolled her eyes, realizing arguments of logic were an exercise in futility at this point. "It's possible that neither of you have to go, if Impa has anything to say about it," she pointed out. "If you refuse to leave Link's side, she'll likely send some able-bodied men to the spring in your stead. You two both deserve a break after everything you've done."

"Impa...?" Zelda repeated, her lips creasing in a small smile. She had been afraid to hope that her friend and confidant was still alive after all these years, though part of her feared how the years may have changed the now-aged Sheikah. She shook her head to clear it of such distracting thoughts. Helping Link was what she needed to focus on now. "Thank you for your suggestions, they've been most helpful. Will you be able to make it home all right?"

Purah raised an eyebrow at the not-so-subtle dismissal but held her tongue. The princess clearly had a lot to think about and plan, as she likely wanted to head out at first light. "I'm not yet so old that I can't walk up a hill," the director said with a wry smile. "We'll continue working on clearing the road to the Great Plateau while you're gone. The spring may hold the cure for Link, but there are other areas of historical significance sealed away up there. Sleep well and don't hesitate to ask if you need anything."

"I will, thank you. Good night," Zelda returned, nodding in response to the director's parting bow. She watched the older woman step onto the bridge, the lantern's light dancing across the wooden planks. She sighed, turning away and looking up at the stars. Her mind was no clearer than when she'd stepped outside earlier, though the news from Purah was most welcome indeed. She could probably forgo the details of his most recent episode by distracting Link with news of the cure, but for how long?

To Be Continued

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