The door to Prince Lincoln's room was a thick oak like the rest of the doors in the castle, and Zelda was grateful for the heavy wood as she collapsed against it. The conversation with the King had Zelda shaken, and she found herself questioning how on earth she was to move forward after the Prince had all but stated she wasn't strong enough for her responsibilities. But then...neither was he, it seemed.

Zelda forced herself to breathe, her fingertips dancing along the tip of her thumbs. What was the next step? The Prince couldn't use the sword, she couldn't use her magic...what were they supposed to do?

Good breathing is the key to any magic, Old Jennings' voice rang in her mind, and not just the kind we do with our Core!

A surge of homesickness swarmed over Zelda at the memory of her old Foraging mentor, and Zelda felt a thump form in her throat. Jennings had guided Zelda during the beginning stages of Zelda realizing her power, and her family had been nothing but supportive-until her father had been called to war, and their money was sparse. Old Jennings was gentle and patient with Zelda, and she was forever grateful to him during those early years. But then he too had passed away, and Zelda was left to discover the finer points of Foraging from the books and scrolls in his cellar while still trying to make sure her little brother Zakarias was staying out of trouble. Then Zelda's mother died when she was 15, and Zak ran away from home shortly thereafter.

Zelda winced at the memory and closed her eyes, trying to direct her attention to her breath. In for 2, out for 4. In for 2, out for 4. Zelda felt her fluttering heartbeat settle back to normal, and her mind and body settled into a comfortable numbness. This was the state that Old Jennings assured her would bring out the best of her Foraging, and she found herself instinctively reaching out with her senses, trying to feel for usable energy around her. If she could get her magic working again, then that would solve one of the problems concerning the prophecy. There was a flickering warmth from the torches in the hallway and a firm strength from the stones beneath her feet. Ignoring the strength from the ground, Zelda Gathered in the warmth from the torches, the heat settling peacefully in her core.

Surprised, Zelda opened her eyes at the familiar sensation. Kinetic Venna said I wouldn't be able to do that, she mused, but I guess my body's adjusting.

Curious, Zelda raised a hand and tried to Release a fire in her palm. A warm flame burst into life from the center of her palm, and Zelda felt a quick surge of relief, followed by a spurt of joy. Her magic wasn't broken after all!

"Mage Zelda?"

Zelda glanced up, her flame dancing merrily in her hand. Master Mahko was striding toward her, his pastel leather wrappings fluttering from his arms

"Hello, Master Mahko." Zelda closed her hand and extinguished the little fire, bowing quickly to the Sheikah master.

"The King sent for me. He said Prince Lincoln's been acting out?"

Zelda's heart clenched momentarily at the memory of the earlier incident, but she soothed it gently, breathing deeply and rubbing her fingers across her thumbs. "I'm not sure I'm the one to speak for the Prince, Master. I understand he's waiting for you, though."

Master Mahko nodded, his face amused. "Will you join us? The things we will discuss pertain to you as well."

Zelda hesitated. "I-I'm not sure that would help the Prince, sir. He's a bit...uncomfortable around me."

Mahko laughed, and Zelda shifted uneasily at the sound. "So I've heard. Then you should await me here. I won't be a minute."

Zelda nodded and moved to one side of the door, letting the Sheikah Master step forward. He knocked and quickly stepped inside.

Zelda listened curiously at the door for a moment, but there were no scuffling of feet or clanging of metal that indicated violence, and she could just pick out the murmuring of voices through the thick wood. Feeling another surge of relief, Zelda sat cross legged on the ground next to the door, trying to get herself to relax. She sought out with her senses again, finding little pockets of energy spread throughout the castle. There was, of course, the playful warmth of the sunshine on the stone benches and pillars and the light outside. Then there was the thick, almost humid archaic energy that surrounded Kinetic Venna's study. That's what Kinetic Magic feels like, Zelda noted to herself, before letting her focus shift back to the rest of the castle. There was the sharp, dangerous energy from the weapons in the armory, and the sturdy, strong force from the stones of the castle itself.

Then Zelda settled upon the peaceful, familiar energy of the dusty, ancient tomes in the library, and she felt her mind starting to lull. The comforting energy from the books filled Zelda's mind, and she suddenly felt the weariness of the day enclose itself around her. Was it just this morning that she'd left for the Lost Woods? Zelda felt her head nod and her mind slow. Then her thoughts grew peacefully blank as she slipped into slumber.

Zelda awoke with a start as she felt a thick cloth settle around her shoulders. She opened her eyes and sat up quickly.

"Forgive me," Mahko apologized, drawing away. "I feared you would catch a chill." He was clutching his heavy grey cloak, and Zelda realized he had been in the process of covering her with it.

"Oh, t-thanks," Zelda yawned, rubbing her eyes. "I must've dozed off." Then she frowned, seeing the darkness in the hallway. "How late is it?

"Quite late, I'm afraid." Master Mahko smiled wryly. "Although if you were to retire, I would recommend doing so in the chambers the King has provided for you. They're right next door to the Kinetic, as I understand."

"The King gave me rooms?" Zelda's heart lifted, and she rose quickly to her feet. "That's generous of him."

"He does expect you to protect his son, hero." Mahko tucked his cloak under one arm and held out a hand. "Might I show you the way?"

"No, that's all right, I know where Kinetic Venna's rooms are." Zelda ducked her head in a quick curtsy. "I'm sure you're tired as well, Master."

Master Mahko chuckled, and Zelda smiled in return.

"But before I go, what was it the King wanted to discuss with the Prince?"

Mahko waved a hand negligently. "Nothing that can't wait until you've had a good night's sleep. Let's chat tomorrow, yes?"

"Of course." Zelda bowed again. "Good night, Master Mahko."

"Good night, Mage Zelda."

Zelda tore her eyes away from Master Mahko's eyes that looked almost black in the flickering torchlight and headed for Kinetic Venna's rooms in the upper half of the castle. Her mind was still muddled with sleep, and Zelda was grateful for the comfortable blankness in her thoughts as she quickly Gathered and Released a small fire in her hand. She could see in the long stone hallways thanks to the torches, but Zelda always felt safer with her own magic. And now that it was working like it always had, Zelda was only so happy to use it as much as she could. Happily, she followed the hallway out to the gardens, passing under a large stone gateway into the grassy courtyard. Zelda paused for a moment, feeling a gentle night breeze tug at her hair, and she glanced up curiously. The courtyard was open to the sky, and Zelda could see the full moon casting a warm glow across the courtyard. There were pale lilac flowers that seemed to shimmer as the wind rustled through them. Zelda inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and feeling around in the soft moonlight.

Then the light behind Zelda's eyes disappeared, and she opened her eyes quickly. Darkness had swarmed into the courtyard like an inky blanket, and everything around Zelda was suddenly cast into shadow. The lilac flowers grew dark, and the stone turned a chalky black. Surprised, Zelda glanced up at the moon, wondering if a heavy cloud had simply passed in front of the moon. But the full moon was still glowing in the cloudless sky.

Zelda felt a tugging sense of deja vu, like she'd been here before, looking up at the moon in the darkness. But she'd never been to the castle before today, so why would...

A jet black shadow bubbled up from beneath a bench and flew across the ground, heading right at Zelda. It slithered across the stone floor of the courtyard like a wraith, an undulating mass of darkness as it streaked toward the young mage. Zelda's skin crawled, and she flung her little fire toward the shadow desperately, quickly Gathering in more fire from the torches on either side of her. The shadow rose out of the ground and expanded, suddenly becoming three dimensional as the light hit it, swallowing the fire up into itself almost easily.

Zelda gulped, and her stomach dropped like a stone. What kind of shadow swallows fire? Quickly, she tried Releasing a direct shaft of light rather than heat and fire at the darkness, but the shadow again seemed to open up and gather the light into itself, smothering it with blackness.

The shadow slithered beneath Zelda's feet, and she felt a chill as it skirted underneath her-but was that her own fear responding, or was it actually the shadow? Zelda's fear tripled, and it felt like there was something pressing on her lungs. What was she supposed to do if the thing didn't shy from light? What in Hyrule was happening?

"Stop it!" Zelda gasped, not sure if she was talking to the shadow or to her own mind. "I can do this!"

The shadow did not stop; in fact, it flitted faster down the hallway, seemingly undisturbed by the brighter torchlight of the interior of the castle. Zelda hiked up her skirt and chased after it. Desperately, Zelda sought for something, anything in the castle that could aid her in..in fighting a shadow. She reached out to the stones beneath her feet, Gathering up strength into her core. Then, her heart pounding as the Shadow flung itself down a stairway, she tried to let the energy flow out of her in a quick release, and tried to pick up the pace. But nothing happened, and Zelda tripped over her own feet, tumbling down the stairs to land painfully on her hands and knees.

"No no no, I was doing fine!" Zelda cried out, tears springing to her eyes. "Why now?"

The shadow was still flying down the hallway, until it pooled in front of a door-Prince Lincoln's door.

"No!" Zelda yelled, scrambling to her feet and running toward the Prince's room. She flung open the door just as the shadow oozed in at her feet. Sluggishly, it seeped across the stone floor toward the bed where the Prince was stirring in his sleep.

Zelda opened her mouth to awaken Prince Lincoln, but she hesitated. If she could dispel this shadow creature, then she could prove to the Prince and everyone else that she was stronger than she seemed. And that she was capable of fulfilling the responsibilities pushed upon her.

The shadow billowed around the bed, slowly curling toward the Master Sword that lay propped up against the headboard. Zelda took a deep breath and tried to remember the thick, ancient energy that surrounded Kinetic Venna's tower. If Foraging wouldn't work, then maybe Kinetic Magic would. The Chosen One had all three magics for a reason, right? Zelda raised a hand and focused on the shadow that was currently swirling around the bed frame. If she could just tug it back a little...

Zelda imagined her thick, red cord and tried to coil it around the shadow. But the shadow seemed to writhe every time she tried to focus on it, tendrils slipping away from within the reach of Zelda's mind. She furrowed her brow and imagined a net instead, one that was thickly woven and didn't allow any light-or darkness-to escape. Carefully, she gathered the shadow inside and tried to lift it away from the bedframe.

But as soon as she tightened her grip and pulled the shadow aside, it seemed to flare and enlarge itself, billowing out of the net in Zelda's mind. A wave of exhaustion rushed over Zelda as her net seemed to shatter.

"No!" Zelda yelled, and she heard the bed rustle as the Prince must have awoken. The shadow pooled on the floor, larger than before, and it seemed to dive directly into the Master Sword. The handle flashed black like coal-just for a second. Then the shadow seemed to suck itself into the Master Sword until it was gone. It happened so quickly that Zelda wasn't even sure what she'd seen, and as she tried to blink the exhaustion from her eyes to see more clearly, light from the moon flooded into the room immediately, as if a barrier had suddenly been broken. Prince Lincoln rolled from his bed, unsheathing a dagger as he went.

"Who's there?" He called out, his voice carrying a note of warning. His sandy blond hair was tousled from sleep, and Zelda dimly noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I-it's me," she stammered. "Forgive me, your highness, but I-I chased a shadow into your room, and then it went straight for the sword and then I thought it was going for you-"

"Mage Zelda?" the Prince stared at her with wide eyes. For a moment, his blue eyes seemed to darken, and his whole eye filled in with blackness. Then he scowled at her, and his eyes were an icy blue once again. "What are you doing here?"

"There was a shadow," Zelda repeated, rubbing her fingers across her thumbs anxiously. "Outside. I followed it here, but I-I couldn't stop it. It went right for the Master Sword."

Lincoln stiffened, his dagger clattering to the floor. "It-it went for the Sword?"

Zelda nodded hurriedly. "I'm not sure what happened after that, but it's gone now."

Link spun back toward the bed and lunged for the Master Sword that was lying propped up against his bedside. He yanked it out of its scabbard and scanned the Sword quickly. Zelda thought she heard a jumbling of notes that sounded eerily familiar, but they faded quickly, especially when the Prince resheathed the blade and slung it over his shoulder.

"What do you mean, you're not sure what happened after that?"

"Well-" Zelda broke off as the Prince's door burst open, and Impa rushed into the room, followed closely by several other Sheikah.

"Link, we came as soon as we heard the noise. What's-Mage Zelda?" Impa sounded surprised. "You're here too. What happened?"

"I'm-I'm not sure."

"She comes barging into my room in the middle of the night and won't even tell me what's going on," Prince Lincoln growled.

The exhaustion and stress that was knotted in Zelda's heart hardened, and she suddenly felt like lashing out. "Do you think I'm enjoying this any more than you are?" Zelda snapped back. "I was finally going to get some sleep after Mahko left, and-"

"Mahko?" Link repeated, his eyes narrowing. "That was hours ago!"

"Then why did he-"

"Zelda," Impa cut in, laying a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Zelda nodded, her heart still racing. "Of course, Impa. But can we sit down?"

Link was pacing. He couldn't bring himself to sit down, as Zelda and Impa had. Zelda was seated by the fireplace, her legs pulled up underneath her. He didn't even try to take the anger out of his words as he spoke to the Mage. "So the castle went dark, a shadow appeared and headed for my room, and then it just went into the Master Sword? You didn't even try to stop it?"

"Of course I did!" Zelda scoffed, her expression darkening. "I tried to attack it with light and then with Kinetic Magic, but I couldn't do it." Then she looked hesitantly at Impa. "Kinetic Magic seemed to almost make it worse, and it really took out a lot of my energy. I didn't think Kinetic Magic was so tiring."

"Ask Venna about it later," Impa said shortly from her position at the straight-backed chair at Link's desk. "What happened exactly when the shadow went into the Master Sword? Can you describe it?"
Zelda gazed into the fireplace, her eyes softening. She reached her right hand toward the fire, and a small tongue of flame danced between her fingers. The commonplace way that she used her magic made Link's blood boil, and he looked back toward the window.

"It happened so fast," Zelda said softly, and Link glanced back at her briefly. Her auburn braid was still disheveled, and her eyes were glassy with exhaustion. "I saw the shadow get bigger after it broke free from me, and then it just...shot into the sword. Then the handle turned black, and the light came back in."

Impa exhaled slowly. "Then that's it. The Sword's been corrupted."

Zelda's face paled, and her eyes jerked up to Impa. "Wait, that was the malice? The shadow?"

Impa nodded. "I'm afraid so. Although..." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously."...the castle has been shielded from malice since the last Zelda cleaned it out several thousands of years ago. It should have been impossible for any malice to make its way inside the castle. Something must have happened to break the barrier."

Link snorted, jerking his head toward Zelda. "I can think of something."

Zelda glared back at Link. "So can I." She turned her back on Link and spoke to Impa. "What do you mean, something must have happened? What could've done it?"

Impa shook her head, concerned. "I wish I could say. Legends speak of travelers carrying malice in the shadows and folds of a cloak, but-"

"A cloak?" Link grunted. "Everyone wears cloaks around here. This castle is freezing."

"Master Mahko offered me his cloak when he was leaving the Prince's room," Zelda said quietly. "I didn't take it. He also offered to walk me to my room."

"Master Mahko wasn't wearing a cloak when he came to visit me. It wasn't even dark yet."

"What did you talk about, Link?" Impa's tone was careful, almost guarded.

Link shrugged. "The Master Sword, mostly. We, uh, practiced a bit."

"So you pulled it out of the scabbard?"

Link nodded warily. "Should I not have?"

Impa rubbed a hand over her eyes. "It doesn't matter now. If Master Mahko was carrying malice under his cloak, that would've been the perfect opportunity."

"But he didn't have a cloak until later," Zelda said slowly. "But why didn't he just attack when he was there?"

"Hold on, we're just going to accept that Master Mahko is a traitor?" Link interjected, stopping in his pacing to look at Impa in indignation. "Just because he was wearing a cloak that he tried to give to Zelda?"

Zelda shrugged helplessly, and Ima shot Link a sharp look.

"If his cloak was filled with malice, that would've been the perfect opportunity to apprehend both the sword and the Mage of prophecy. Seeing that malice did, in fact, make it into the castle and possess the sword, that makes him a prime suspect." Impa turned to Zelda, who still sat by the fire. "Did you see anything else, Zelda? Anything else suspicious?

Zelda made a face. "His eyes looked black, but that may have been just a trick of the light."

Impa sat up a little straighter, her eyes widening. "No. Sheikahn eyes always glow, even in the dark. But...there wasn't anything else off about him?
Zelda shook her head slowly, clutching her arms tighter.

Impa sighed in relief, running a hand wearily over her eyes. "Then it's likely he himself was possessed by malice at the time, if that is what you saw. That would be consistent with what we understand about malice. If he wasn't possessed until tonight, that would explain why he didn't attack until then."

Link nodded in satisfaction. "I knew he was innocent. There were way too many opportunities for him to attack before tonight for him to be a full-blown traitor."

"I'll have to report him to the King regardless at this point." Impa shook her head tiredly.

"So Malice-Mahko summoned the malice into the castle, and it went straight for Link?
Zelda asked.

"The Master Sword," Link corrected.

Impa nodded. "It appears that it successfully possessed the Sword and the Prince, yes."

Link took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his hands into fists. The thought of him being possessed by the malice frankly terrified him, but it wouldn't do him any good to admit that to Impa-and especially not to Zelda. "I think you're both crazy," he said finally. "If the Sword really did get corrupted, then I'd turn evil. I feel fine."

"Not necessarily, Link," Impa said grimly. "It could be a process, something that happens over time."

Link felt sick. He imagined his eyes going dark as he charged around the castle wielding the coal-black Master Sword and repressed a shudder.

"Then there's still time to save him, right?" Zelda blurted out, "If it's a process, then we can find something to reverse everything and cast out the malice!"

"I'm not sure it's that simple, Hero," Impa said dubiously. "This is nothing that's ever happened before in Hyrule's history. The heroes of the past have always managed to protect the Master Sword from malice. It's never actually been corrupted."

"There must be a way," Zelda insisted, jumping to her feet. "Legends don't know everything. The goddess must have accounted for this somehow. We just have to find something that's stronger than malice."

Impa pursed her lips and leaned back in her chair. "With all due respect, hero, allegedly the only power that's stronger than malice is yours."

Zelda wilted slightly, biting her lip. Then she straightened, and her eyes burned with determination. "Then I'll get stronger. There's got to be more experts in all three types of magic out there that I can learn from. I won't fail again."

Impa nodded approvingly, but Link frowned. "Sorry, did I hear you right? Our only chance now is that Zelda somehow figures out how her magic works so she can save me from something that's not even a...big deal?" His throat closed up on his last two words, but he pushed his fear back down. Don't show fear, he berated himself. Warriors don't show fear.

Zelda turned on him, her eyes blazing. "A big deal? You call getting possessed by malice not a big deal?"

"I'm not possessed by malice! I would know!"

"Oh, so you're just normally this belligerent?"
"Knock it off, both of you," Impa said sharply, jumping up from the desk and moving to stand in between the Prince and the Mage. "This isn't the time for any of these childish arguments. We have more important problems to discuss."

Link crossed his arms tightly. "Aren't there any other options here? I'm not going to rely on some mage to-"

"Some mage?" Zelda flared.

"Hero!" Impa barked. Then she turned to Link. "Link, I don't think there's much else we can do, to be frank. Sheikah legend only goes so far."

"What about the sacred flames?" A soft voice from the doorway spoke up.

Impa spun around, her hands going to her kodachis, but Zelda raced forward.

"Your highness! What are you doing here?"

Aryll clutched a blanket around her shoulders, and her hair was caught in a tight braid that ran down her back. She shrugged wearily. "Link and I share a wall. It hasn't been quiet in here for most of the night."

Impa bowed quickly, relaxing from her combat position. "Forgive us for waking you, your highness."

Aryll shrugged again. "Figured I should know what's going on." Then she turned to Link, her eyes serious. "You should seek out the dragons, Link. The sacred flame might be able to cleanse the sword."

"The...dragons?" Link frowned in confusion.

Impa exhaled slowly. "There's no evidence the dragons exist, much less have the sacred flame of the goddess."

"Wait," Zelda said, her brow furrowing in thought. "Are these the dragons that helped consecrate the Master Sword in the first place?"

Aryll nodded eagerly, her eyes bright. "You remembered!"

"Don't tell me this is another of the Link legends," Link said, his lip curling in disgust.

Aryll rolled her eyes. "Oh, grow up, big brother. If there's a chance it'll work, then we both know you'll take it, regardless of the odds or the consequences."

Link's face darkened, and he opened his mouth to reply, but Impa grasped his arm.

"Thank you for your input, your highness," Impa said smoothly, squeezing Link's upper arm. "But I believe we must let the King decide what we do next. Which option Link and Zelda will take will depend on his Majesty."

Link glanced at Zelda across the room, and he was surprised to see anger flit across her features. Then she caught his gaze, and her face colored slightly.

Looks like I'm not the only one who chafes under orders, Link realized with a start.

Heyy I'm alive

Here's the inciting incident! Hope it's going well, I know I'm enjoying it!