"Welcome back my Lord," a hooded figure welcomed him as he stepped out from the portal and returned to the realm of light. Zant was gratified to see the mirror chamber already shrouded in Twilight; his lieutenants had been busy while he was away.
"Attend me," he ordered, and the sorcerer bowed deep as he passed.
"As you will it," came the sibilant croon from beneath the hood. "Our occupation of Hyrule Castle Town is complete, the city has surrendered in its entirety, and any dissenters have been driven out or captured."
"Any sign that Midna was here?" Zant felt safe to discuss his former beloved in the presence of his sorcerers, his most trusted and intimate inner circle of servants.
"We have searched, discreetly, as you ordered. If the traitor hides anywhere in Castle Town she will be discovered soon. No citizen would risk themselves to shelter her."
"Good. Wherever she hides, I know very well what she intends, and her plans will not succeed."
"Your power far exceeds the old royal line, Lord. Her efforts mean nothing."
"Indeed," Zant agreed, "but the Fused Shadows still carry great power, power not to be willingly handed over to our enemy if it can be helped."
"The old scholars kept these relics guarded well. Midna is cursed, her magic diminished. How could she hope to defeat the guardians and claim the relics for herself?"
"Not alone. I expect she seeks the aid of a light dweller. I have been given a vision from our god while I reposed."
"A vision, Lord?"
"We have much work to do. I have learned of another, an enemy wholly distinct from our runaway princess."
"Who is this enemy, my king? My brothers and I will destroy him, all you need do is command us."
"I would not risk you, none of you, until we are certain what kind of threat he poses." Zant had presented no illusions to his personal elites when appointing them as both the king's guard and chief servants. The Nine were well-versed in the ancient magic of the Tribe of Shadows, and second only to himself in raw power and skill. If the blue-eyed warrior from his vision was indeed powerful enough to defeat him, and indeed his bloodline must have been mighty to have sealed away a god, then it would not be prudent to risk losing some of his greatest assets.
"How would you have us address this threat?" the sorcerer asked and Zant pondered the question. His shadow beasts were busy at the moment, the army sweeping over Hyrule to snuff out the light of the Spirits that held the darkness at bay, and to his knowledge one of those Spirits was native to Ordona Province. But again he found himself hesitant to send them. Lesser shadow beasts were dull and stupid creatures, only able to comprehend the most basic of orders without assistance, and they were clumsy and weak compared to their longer-lived brethren. If he wasted the bulk of his newly transformed auxiliaries, he would weaken his own position for the Royalists back home to take advantage of.
But if he sent a platoon of greater shadow beasts he risked losing those valuable assets as well. Keeping the kingdom as proving to have many more variables than taking it had been, and Zant decided that he would hold and wait for further information before making his decision on how to address the Spirit of the Hero.
"I will deal with him in time," he avoided the question, and his sorcerer wisely did not press the matter. Though they were the closes thing to friends that Zant had, he would not hesitate to punish insolence, and his god's favor was far more potent than any magic spell. Each of the the Nine understood this, and that bit of common sense helped make them just that much more indispensable in Zant's eyes.
The pair of them walked silence throughout the ruins of the old prison, the place where his ancestors had suffered and died as the Hylians tortured them. It felt good to exact retribution for the sins of the past, and Zant would have enjoyed seeing the defiant Princess Zelda ground into nothing under the torments of this place had she not opted for the easy way out. For generations the Twili had suffered here, and generations more in their exile. All because they had dared dabble in magicks that the cowardly Hylians had deemed too volatile, too dangerous. Now he lloked at what remained of that once-proud race, and his hate was tempered with a sort of contemptuous pity. The scions of that ancient people were so far removed from the prowess of their ancestors that he doubted if even a single one could find it in them to cast the most basic spell. It was a tragedy, really, the lengths to which his old enemies had degraded, but Zant was a pragmatic enough conqueror to seize every advantage that came his way.
He had continued to walk as he pondered, his sorcerer doggedly trailing behind him waiting for his liege to speak, and Zant waited just a little longer before giving any orders. Having one of the strongest court wizards in the entire Twilight realm waiting on his command after years of being overlooked was a pleasure that words could not adequately describe. Once upon a time a man like this one would have seen Zant as an inferior, a humble and powerless steward fit only to wait on the royal family, but that was before. Now, with his god by his side, or rather on his insides, Zant was the one looking down on them. It felt good to be king.
He had ascended the steps leading up to the precipice of the coliseum where the Mirror of Twilight was housed, and now he looked out at the coarse grey desert that surrounded them on all sides. It was a cruel place, this desert, one of the many that stretched out from the edge of the valley and kept the blessed kingdom safe from invaders. A swollen, bloody sun hung low in the darkened sky, its once-pure light diluted by the fog of Twilight that blanketed the land and would soon spread even further to expand the Twili Empire. Here and there Zant could see the harsh desert winds throwing up whirling dervishes of sand, but it was what he saw erected just outside the prison gates that piqued his interest.
"This camp was not here when we assembled the armies," he remarked, and the sorcerer leaned around his shoulder to get a good look at what Zant referred to.
"Ah," came the reply, "they came shortly after you retired to our home realm. Their leader was seeking you."
"And no one of you thought to tell me of this?" Zant was unpleasantly surprised.
"You gave instructions not to disturb you, Lord," the sorcerer reminded him placatingly. "These beasts seemed hardly worth your attention while you attended to matters of state."
"Keep nothing from me," Zant advised the sorcerer, "You will not find me so pleasant when my wrath is kindled."
"A thousand apologies, Lord," the sorcerer dropped to his knees, head bowed, tone implying the deepest regret and adoration. Zant's secret doubts regarding this one's loyalties were subdued for now.
"Take me to the leader of these people," he instructed, "I will address them myself."
"Shall I assemble your elite guard?"
"I do not believe we will have need of all of you. Your brothers' tasks remain vital to our success. These interlopers will either bow to our supremacy or be destroyed."
So it was that Zant found himself approaching the ramshackle camp, his shoes slipping on the sands as he did his utmost to keep his balance and not make a fool of himself. The entire settlement was hastily assembled, with all the grace and skill that was to be expected of subhumans. With that in mind, Zant was somewhat impressed by the efficiency of the damp's defenses and the attention of the monstrous soldiers as he and his auxiliaries approached.
They were not human, as he had expected, but something lesser than human; monsters with enough intelligence and cunning to mimic human structures and tactics and tools. Stumpy legs and overly long arms gave them a mismatched appearance, while their beady little red eyes watched with interest and some nervousness as he approached. Many upon the clumsily built watchtowers scattered across the camp nocked arrows to their short bows and eyed him warily.
"I am Zant," Zant spoke with an easy dignity, "Your leader has requested audience with me."
A shape came shambling up to the camp gates, and Zant guessed that this was the leaser in question of these beasts. He was a massive thing, with great muscled arms and strong, sturdy legs that supported its prodigious belly. Dark green skin was marred with pocks and scars from a thousand savage battles, and in his hand he held easily a massive axe with a double-bit. He sauntered up to Zant, and the King of the Twilight met the gaze of this thing without flinching.
"I am King Bulblin," he spoke at last, and Zant was surprised at the eloquence of the creature's voice. Unlike the rest of his minions, who seemed far more animal than man, this one spoke fluently and with no accent to speak of. For whatever reason, something Zant could not fathom, this bulblin had been taught proper language.
"You roam in my lands now, Bulblin," Zant said, refusing to demean himself by referring to this obese slod as a king. "What is it you desire?"
King Bulbin smiled, his fat face splitting into an elated grin. "You have given battle to Hyrule, slaughtered their strongest warriors. We have seen this."
"And?" Zant was beginning to see what this Bulblin leader was looking to propose and if he was correct then this would be a fortunate stroke of luck.
"My warriors and I follow the strongest side. Hyrule has grown weak, and ripe for the taking, and you have plucked her of all her fruits. Grant us your favor, conquering king, and we will fight for you."
"…I will consider your offer," Zant told the monsters, already forming a plan to test the loyalty of what appeared to be his newest allies.
"My warriors are capable enough. We seek out death in battle and contests of strength. Let us test ourselves against your enemies."
Zant felt a smile creep across his features from ear to hear; this was exactly what he had barely dared to hope for. No need to risk his own troops scoutning out Ordona if these foolish savages could do it for him.
"I would gladly accept your pledge of service, warrior, but trust is essential. You cannot expect to have full control of your army, not until we have tested your loyalty…