The stable girl had been right about the horse. Epona was fast. Much faster than Arion. On top of that, Epona seemed to be intelligent and well-trained. With very little input from Link, the horse knew how to navigate through Hyrule Field. The terrain was far from rough, especially compared to many other places Link had been throughout his journey, but the horse knew when to follow the road and when to stray from it, when to hop over small obstacles and when to avoid them, and when to steer clear of distant monsters before Link had even noticed them.

If Linkle were here, she would say this was the reincarnation of the Hero of Twilight's horse.

Link's hand went to the coral earring that hung from his ear, reminding himself that his encounter with the previous Hero's spirit hadn't just been an invention of his delirium.

If meeting him was possible, then maybe there truly is something about this horse.

Link still didn't believe he was the actual Hero. It had to be his sister. But, if the gods were using him to carry out their will in some strange roundabout way, then maybe they wanted him to deliver Epona to his sister for some reason.

I don't mind being the gods' errand boy as long as I get to see my sister again.

With any luck, by the time Link got to the City of Hyrule, Linkle would have already slain the demon, and their toughest trials would be over. He doubted Linkle would ever want to return to their life in Hateno, but he had long since accepted that, even before she was confirmed to be the Hero. However, even if they continued to make a living as adventurers, surely it would be safer to do so once the demon who was organizing the monsters in the kingdom was slain.

In order to save time, Link went off the road in order to head straight north, cutting through Windvane Meadow between Hyrule Garrison and Mabe Village. There was a gentle incline that needed to be climbed as they traveled through the plains, but it presented no difficulty for Epona. However, once they were about halfway across the meadow, Epona began to freak out, neighing wildly and shaking her head.

"What is it?" Link asked with concern. There was nothing dangerous in front of them, and nothing coming from the sides. Twisting around to look behind him, Link spotted another person following them on horseback. He did not find it that unusual. In other parts of Hyrule, most people stuck to the roads when traveling through the wilds, but cutting through a section of Hyrule Field was safer than it would've been in other parts of the kingdom. "Hey, hey, relax. It's probably nothing." Link channeled his sister's animal handling skills as he attempted to calm the horse down, gently petting Epona's mane. However, it did not seem to work.

Looking over his shoulder again, he saw the other horse rider had gotten closer. That was odd enough, given how fast Epona seemed to be. But then, as they got even closer, Link recognized his pursuer was not human at all, nor was it even riding a horse. The person following him was all one creature, with a face and body that could only be a monster's.

"Shit," Link said aloud, drawing his shield and his boomerang. "Keep going, girl. Head for the road," he told his horse. At that point, he was too far from both the garrison and the village, so changing course would not have made much of a difference.

As they rode, the thundering of hooves got louder and louder. Epona whinnied madly once more, and Link checked behind him. His eyes went wide as he saw the pursuing monster draw a bow. When the creature let go of the bowstring, three projectiles were launched from it, each of them crackling with lightning as they soared through the sky.

"Oh, f-" Link tugged on Epona's reins, trying to steer her on a path that would avoid the incoming arrows. He managed to do so successfully. One of the arrows hit the ground to his right, the other to his left, and the other further off, all of them making the sound of a thunderstrike when they hit the ground.

Link looked behind himself once more. The monster was closer now, and it again aimed its bow. When it loosed three more arrows, Link reflexively threw his boomerang, willing it with all his mental might to do what he wanted. He wasn't sure if doing that actually accomplished anything, but he felt like it did. The magic boomerang seemed to obey his will, slicing each of the monster's arrows out of the air, seemingly unaffected by the electricity.

When he caught the boomerang again, Link had another idea. With any luck, he'd be able to put the bow out of commission for good. The monster was closer than ever before now, and it was preparing to pull back its bow once more. From this range, Link doubted he'd be able to avoid the attack. So, he threw his boomerang again. This time, it sliced clean through the enemy's bowstring. The monster grunted in anger as the arrows it had nocked scattered and fell to the ground.

With the enemy's bow effectively neutralized, Link felt a little safer. He gripped Epona's reins tightly and patted her mane affectionately. "We're doing great, girl. Just keep going."

As they continued, Link could hear the sound of the monster's hooves getting closer and closer, until eventually, it came into view to his right. There was some distance between them, but for a moment, the monster and Epona were neck and neck. Viewing the monster up close now, Link could see it had the body of a horse, but rather than a horse's head, it had an entire humanoid upper body sticking out of its front. The creature wore little armor, so Linkle could see it was rippling with muscle. Although its upper body was humanoid, the head resembled that of a horned lion, complete with a wild mane encircling its face. Much of the creature's body was covered in silver fur with violet stripes, except its mane, tail, and hooves were solid black. And it was massive, too. Rather than being the size of a human on horseback, it looked to be at least four and a half meters tall.

It's a Lynel.

Link had heard tales of these creatures. Many adventurers claimed they were the strongest monsters they'd ever hunted. Just from looking at one up close, it was easy to see why.

The Lynel locked eyes with Link, staring at him as if imposing a challenge. The lion-horse monster placed the damaged bow on its back, then pulled out a long spear. Link feared it would attack immediately, but instead, it sped ahead of him. The monster's actions confused Link, so he pulled Epona's reins, telling his horse to stop.

Hopefully it will run past us and that will be the end of it.

The Lynel ran a few meters, then stopped and turned to face them, clearly still ready for a fight.

The young adventurer breathed heavily, terrified by the prospect of fighting such a creature without his sister's help. "I don't know if you can understand me, but I'm not looking to fight you," he called out from atop his horse. "I haven't had the easiest journey here, and I'm just trying to get back to my sister."

"Your sister tried to kill the Sage of Time," the Lynel spoke. His voice was deep, and his words were accented and deliberate.

"What?" was Link's immediate response, pure confusion washing over him. He moved his head back and forth, trying to wrap his head around that statement. "I don't know anything about that," Link told the monster honestly. "And what's it matter to you anyway?"

The Lynel gripped his spear tightly, cracking his knuckles. "That woman's life does not matter to me. But we owe her a debt, so this is a matter of honor."

"I didn't do anything," Link insisted, not understanding why the monster's grievance would need to be taken up with him.

"Are you and your sister not allies?" the Lynel asked.

"We are," Link replied. "But-"

"Then we are enemies." The lion-horse raised his spear. "Draw your weapon, warrior."

Link's mind raced. Staring at the hulking behemoth in front of him, he could come up with no scenario in which he would manage to beat this monster in a fair fight. If he was going to win, he was going to have to do something unexpected, and he was going to have to do it fast.

Leaning forward, he took a second to pet Epona's mane. Link foresaw a high likelihood that the monster would attempt to kill the horse in order to weaken his position, so when the time came, he hoped Epona would know what to do.

I would hate to get her killed so soon after taking her from her home.

With that, Link raised his sword as the Lynel requested. His opponent seemed to take that as the signal to begin. The Lynel nodded, then unleashed the most powerful roar Link had heard since his encounter with the dragon back in Eldin.

When the Lynel charged, Link kept his sword raised, but only as a diversion. While his opponent was focused on his main weapon, he threw his boomerang with an underhand toss using his right hand. The magic item flew directly into the Lynel's eye. The beast roared again, in pain this time, and swung his weapon wildly.

Epona seemed to instinctively know how to move to get out of the way, and neither the horse nor Link were hit by the monster's spear. The horse and the monster circled around each other briefly, before Epona came around to the Lynel's side.

Here goes nothing.

Link stood atop his saddle and leaped onto the Lynel's back, which was not an easy feat given the creature's size. The Lynel began bucking immediately, requiring Link to hold on tightly. He figured he would only have one shot at this, so he tried to make it fast. Spotting the quiver of electrified arrows on the monster's back, Link jammed his sword straight through it.

The attack had the intended effect. Not only did Link manage to stab through the monster's upper torso, but he set off the shock arrows in the quiver, sending lightning coursing through the Lynel's body with a thunderous crackle. The bad news, however, was that Link felt the electricity travel up his sword and into his arm, electrocuting himself in the process. As if thrown back by an explosion, Link was hurled off of the monster's back, landing with a thud in the grass below.

A little dazed from the fall, Link lifted himself onto his hands and knees. The Lynel appeared severely injured. He was bleeding profusely, and his movements were stilted. Link hoped that would be the end of it. Even though the monster wasn't dead, it didn't appear to be in any condition to fight. However, the Lynel reached behind his back, gripped Link's sword by the handle, and pulled it out of him, grunting at the pain. He turned towards Link and angrily chucked it at him, forcing Link to roll out of the way. Apparently far from finished, the Lynel opened his mouth wide and inhaled. Link could see flames welling up inside the creature's throat, reminding him once again of the dragon he'd encountered.

Oh, fuck.

The sound of a horse whinnying signaled the return of Epona. Acting quickly, Link grabbed his sword off of the ground and leaped atop his horse as she passed by him, just in time to avoid the massive fireball exhaled by the Lynel. The horse took Link in a circle around the lion-horse as the creature spit four more fireballs at them, leaving a trail of singed grass in its wake each time. However, Epona was always just fast enough to avoid the flames.

After exhaling so much fire, and still bleeding from his stab wound, the Lynel soon appeared exhausted. He slumped forward, clutching his wound, breathing heavily. Even Epona could recognize that now was the time to strike once again. With little direction from Link, his horse charged straight at the monster. Link thrust his sword between the Lynel's eyes, piercing him through the head as he rode by. That finally did it. The creature gave one last earth-shaking roar, then fell over on his side.

Link took Epona back over to the monster's body and hopped down to the ground. For a moment, he couldn't believe what he'd managed to do. Even with the Moblins and Bigblins he'd fought, this Lynel was probably the largest and most dangerous creature he'd ever slain, and Linkle wasn't even there this time. Looking down at his hands, Link examined them, idly wondering if the mark of the Triforce would appear. It did not, however, and he soon shook his head.

It's not me. It's gotta be Linkle.

Kneeling down in the grass, Link pried his sword from the monster's skull and retrieved his boomerang from the monster's eye, wiping the blood off of both items. Link didn't know which parts of a Lynel would be valuable to sell, but he saw the creature had two differently-shaped horns, each of which seemed like a deadly weapon in its own right. He thought he might be able to fashion a better weapon than his current sword from one of them, or possibly sell them. So, he cut the Lynel's horns off and stored them in one of his carrying bags.

At the very least, these'll make a great souvenir for Linkle.

He also examined the creature's weapons. The spear was much too large for him to wield properly, but he could definitely sell it for a decent price. The bow was closer to the size of a Hylian-made longbow, but it looked like it could be usable once he got the string repaired. So, he collected both of the Lynel's weapons as well.

With that, Link decided he'd wasted enough time. He climbed back onto his horse and continued on his way.

I'm coming, sister.

The rest of Link's ride to Hyrule City was relatively uneventful. Epona got him there in very good time, and he rode up to the city's southern gate, ready to resume the search for his sister.

When he arrived, Link found the gate was under much heavier guard than he'd expected. He'd entered through the eastern gate the last time he was there, and that had been close to the Blood Moon. But even then, the security hadn't been nearly as heavy as it was currently. A fence had been set up in a semi-circular area around the gate. Link was stopped by a guard at the fence, and several other guards came over to assess him.

"That's quite a weapon you've got there," the guard commented, noticing the gigantic spear Link had strapped to Epona's side.

"I got it off a Lynel," Link explained. "Can I go inside?"

"A Lynel?" one of the other guards asked. "You killed one?"

"Yes," Link confirmed. "Can I go in, please?"

"You're in a hurry, huh?" The first guard remarked. "What's your business in the city?"

"We're in a bit of a lockdown, you see," another one explained. "Can't get in or out without a good reason."

"I'm trying to find my sister. She's the Hero." Link had considered leaving out that piece of information, but he hoped being a relative of someone important would help speed things along.

All of the guards look surprised.

"Truly?"

"I've seen her. He does look like her."

"He can slay a Lynel. Must run in the family."

"What's your name, brother of the Hero?" the first guard asked.

"Link of Hateno." He reached into his bag and retrieved his travel papers, presenting them to the guards. "My sister is here, then?" One of the guards had mentioned seeing her, so he hoped that meant she was still there and still alive.

"The Hero is still in the castle," one of the guards answered. "She recently slew the traitorous Toren Remoth when he attempted a coup in which Prince Percival was murdered. That's why we're still in lockdown."

Link breathed a sigh of relief.

Well. Sounds like she's been keeping busy.

"Fetch the commander," one guard ordered another. "See if we can let the Hero's brother inside."

This unexpected delay was making Link impatient, but he resigned himself to waiting for the guards to sort things out. He'd been tracking his sister for days; he could wait another few minutes.

Eventually, more guards returned, led by the knight who served as their commanding officer. Link once again had to introduce himself and present his papers, and luckily, the commander seemed to believe his story.

"Alright, tell you what. Stamp him through." The commander handed Link's papers to one of his subordinates, who stamped them a few times with a seal before handing them back to Link. "You four, escort this young man to the castle gates, and have someone there convey his message to the Hero. If she vouches for him, they can let him in."

"Yes, sir," several of the guards agreed, saluting.

"Thank you, sir," Link said politely, glad that things were finally moving along.

"Right, then. Open the gates!" By the commander's orders, the gates to the city were opened, and Link was escorted inside.

The city did not look the same as Link had remembered it. Even though it had been quite some time since the Blood Moon, several buildings he passed by were covered by scaffolding, still undergoing serious repairs. Other buildings simply lay in ruins, with no effort put into repairing them as of yet. The streets were still crowded, but only to the level Link was used to seeing in his home city, rather than the excessively bustling crowds he'd seen the last time he visited. There were more town guards on duty than there'd been before as well.

The only time people seemed to take notice of Link was when he entered through the gates with his escort. Since the city was in lockdown, passersby were probably curious as to why someone was being let in. A few others along the way seemed to notice the Lynel weapons he had on him. Link wondered if they thought he was an adventurer returning from a quest, and the weapons were his trophies or the proof that he'd completed his job. But beyond a passing curiosity, no one took great interest in him or his escort.

When he arrived at the bridge that led over the moat to the castle, Link was asked to dismount before he was questioned by the guards. Just like the soldiers who were guarding the city gate, the ones guarding the entrance to the castle grounds were following the same sort of lockdown procedure, and he ordinarily would not have been let in. However, the guards escorting him were able to vouch for him, and a messenger was sent to convey the news of Link's arrival to his sister.

At this point, Link was getting tired of waiting.

This must be how Linkle feels all the time.

Nonetheless, he remained at the far end of the bridge, waiting with anticipation for his sister to appear beyond the gate. And eventually, she did.

Link perked up when he spotted something moving fast down a pathway in the distance, kicking up a dust cloud along the way. Linkle was coming down to the gate herself, her Pegasus Boots allowing her to move too fast for any escort to keep up with her.

"Look!"

"Whoa, it's the Hero."

"She's as fast as the stories say."

Many of the others within earshot took notice of her as well. Some murmured to their companions, while others cheered at the sight of her.

When Linkle arrived at the gate, she did not even wait for it to open. She used her hookshot to pull herself up on top of it. Once atop the wall, she peered down over the edge, searching for her brother.

"Elle!" Link stepped onto the bridge, standing some distance away from the guards in hopes of making himself more conspicuous as he waved his hands to get her attention.

She soon spotted him. "Brother!" she cried out. Linkle hopped over the parapet, rolling when she landed, only to start sprinting across the bridge as soon as she righted herself. Link ran forward to meet her, but he only made it a few steps before she collided with him, throwing herself into a hug and knocking Link onto his back. "Brother!" she shouted again, before rapidly peppering his face with kisses.

"Elle. Elle! Elle!" Link laughed from his position on the ground. He felt the most tremendous sense of relief washing over him. His sister was alive, and he was finally back with her.

After a moment, Linkle sat back on her knees, smiling broadly and sniffling with tears of joy. "I knew you'd find me."

"All thanks to your note," Link commended, climbing to his feet and helping Linkle onto hers. He noticed a number of large scratch marks across her face and neck. They appeared to be healing, but they were still plainly visible. "What happened to your face?" he asked, gently brushing his fingertips across one of the scratch marks on her cheek. "And your hand?" With surprise, Link took his sister's right hand in his and held it up, examining the burn scars he'd just noticed.

Linkle chuckled, pulling her hand away and rubbing her cheek. "Yeah, well, you should see the other guy." Glancing behind her brother, she noticed the unattended horse with the Lynel spear hanging off of it. "Is that yours?" she asked, pointing towards Epona.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I got the horse in Gatepost. The spear I got off a Lynel. Got its horns, too. And its bow. I gotta fix the bowstring, though. And I'm thinking I might make a weapon out of one of the horns."

"Whoa!" Linkle looked amazed. "You slew a Lynel? That's impressive, brother!"

The compliment meant even more coming from a monster hunting enthusiast like his sister. Link smiled in appreciation. "Thanks. I hear you've been busy as well."

Linkle gasped, as if just remembering a whole bunch of things. "Oh, you missed a lot, brother. Come on," she said, reaching out to take her brother's hand. "I'll introduce you to the princesses!"

"Good idea," Link replied, letting her lead the way. "I have a lot I need to tell them, too."

As they passed by the gate, Linkle spoke to one of the guards. "Hey, could you bring my brother's horse to the stables, please?" she asked, gesturing over her shoulder.

"Yes, of course, Hero."

Link was happy to see his sister was right at home on the grounds of Hyrule Castle. He'd heard for years about how it was her dream to be there someday. Now she got to live that dream, along with being the Hero.

It's gotta be her.

That thought reminded Link of something. A few minutes after they'd passed the gate, Link stopped on the pathway his sister had been leading him along. "Hey, hold up a second." There wasn't anyone else around that he could see, other than some guards atop the walls far off in the distance, so they had some privacy now.

"Hm? What?" Linkle asked.

"I got something for you." Link removed the coral earring from his ear and held it out for her. "Here."

"Whoa, it's beautiful!" she said excitedly, taking it into her hand and holding it up in front of her face. "It's shaped like a fish hook. Kinda like the Hero of Twilight's."

"It is the Hero of Twilight's," Link confirmed.

Linkle looked amazed. "Is it another key?"

"No. I don't think so, anyway."

His sister brushed her braid out of the way and slipped the earring into her right earlobe, then turned her head to show it off. "How's it look?"

"It suits you."

"Course it does." Linkle smiled and let her braid fall back into place. "Where'd you get it, anyhow?"

"...From the Hero of Twilight."

A range of emotions crossed Linkle's face. Surprise, confusion, awe - and then suddenly, panic. "Wait, you didn't travel through time, did you?"

"...The hell? No. I don't think so, anyway. I think he was a spirit." Link furrowed his brow. "Wait, the Lynel said you tried to kill the Sage of Time. Did you travel through time?"

"The Lynel told you that?" Linkle looked just as confused as he was. "But, no. I went back to the Temple of Time to tell Sage Lucrezia that the ocarinas had been switched. Turns out she let the monsters switch them, because she's working with them. She tried to abduct me because another Hero in the past broke the timeline or something."

It took Link a few moments to process all of that. "...You really have been busy while we've been split up."

Linkle laughed. "You have no idea."

Link was nervous when he and his sister were escorted into the audience chamber. He'd gotten a little bit of experience being in the homes of nobility back when he'd visited Governor Kochi's palace, but Hyrule Castle felt very different. Everything about it was older and grander. He'd also met one princess before, but she was a child. Now he was going to meet the two elder princesses, one of which would likely be made queen very soon. He idly wondered if he was underdressed for the occasion, but his sister did not seem to be dressed any differently than she normally was.

The audience chamber wasn't a large one. It appeared as though it was meant for council meetings or some such, but the main tables and chairs had been moved to the perimeter of the room. Two thrones had been placed at the far end of the room, across from the entrance. The princesses sat upon the thrones, eyes set upon the siblings as they entered. The older one looked uncannily similar to Governor Kochi, although she was probably a couple decades younger. The other princess was more similar in appearance to Princess Seraphina, but she looked to be about Link's age. Both were dressed in finely-made dresses, regal circlets, and expensive jewelry.

In addition to the princesses, several royal guards were stationed in the room, both those in ceremonial attire and full armor. The one standing beside Princess Sophitia wore no armor, and she had distinctly rounded ears. The one beside Princess Victorique was a Sheikah, which made Link nervous.

Once they stood before the princesses, Linkle got down on one knee and bowed her head, so Link mimicked her actions.

"Your highnesses, I present to you my brother, Link," his sister announced in a respectful manner, still keeping her head down.

"Rise," Princess Victorique told them, and so they stood.

"It is an honor to meet you, brother of the Hero," Princess Sophitia said to Link. "I am Princess Zelda Sophitia Hyrule."

"And I am Princess Zelda Victorique Hyrule."

Link noticed neither of them indicated which one was intended to be queen, although he had to assume it was the elder one.

"I am told you have news for us from Hateno?" Sophitia asked.

"Yes, your highness." Link wasn't sure how far back to begin. He figured Linkle had probably told them everything she knew, and there was no need to mention his encounter with the Hero of Twilight, so he decided to start with his arrival back in Hateno. "After my sister and I were separated at sea, I was rescued by another passing ship that brought me back to Hateno. There, I paid a visit to the palace and met with Governor Kochi. Princess Seraphina happened to be there as well."

"What?" While the elder princess's face betrayed only a hint of surprise, Princess Sophitia displayed her feelings openly. "Our younger sister is in Hateno?"

"Not currently," Link corrected. "Me, Princess Seraphina, and Governor Kochi traveled to Gatepost together. I left ahead of them, but they intend to come here next."

Princess Seraphina leaned back into her throne, hand over her heart as she sighed in relief. Link recognized that level of alleviation.

She thought her sister was dead.

He was glad to have been able to deliver good news.

"When will my aunt and sister be arriving?" Princess Victorique inquired.

"I do not know exactly. They had some business near Gatepost first," Link informed them.

"What business is that?" Victorique continued to question.

Link thought back to what he knew of the situation. Truth be told, he was quite distracted by his need to reunite with his sister, but he had an understanding of the governor's goals. "Your aunt wished to meet with the queen of the Gerudo," he explained. "She had the man who murdered the Gerudo princess in custody. She intended to make peace with the Gerudo by handing the murderer over to their queen."

This certainly caught the elder princess's interest. "That is exceptional news. Do you perchance know the identity of the culprit?"

Link shook his head. "I don't know his name, but I know he's a Sheikah." As he spoke, he could not help but glance in the direction of the Sheikah bodyguard standing beside Princess Victorique. The white-haired woman shared a look with her charge, but Link did not know what they were thinking.

"Your highness."

Link was startled by the sound of a woman's voice suddenly coming from behind him. When he spun around, he found himself staring at a familiar face - or rather, a familiar mask. It was Impa Shiho, the Sheikah woman who had once interrogated him back when he'd been held captive in Old Kakariko. She was still wearing that same white mask with the large red and yellow eye emblazoned upon it. Reflexively, Link put his right arm in front of his sister and pushed her with him as he moved backwards, drawing his sword with his left hand. Four other Sheikah appeared from nowhere, stepping in front of Shiho with their Sheikah-style swords drawn. Much confusion resulted from their actions, with many throughout the room gasping, muttering, or drawing their own weapons.

"No, Link!" his sister cried, grabbing his arm. "It's okay. We thought she was a traitor, too, but she helped us."

"What?" Link was confused, but he did not lower his sword.

"Guards," Princess Victorique spoke up. "Separate them. And block the exit. We must sort this out."

"Yes, Princess." Several guards moved in from the sides of the room, forming a line in between Link and the Sheikah newcomers.

"Your highness," Shiho spoke, her voice muffled by her mask. "Why does this peasant raise his blade at me?"

"You tell us," the Sheikah woman beside Victorique answered for her, stepping in front of the princess.

"Link," the younger princess joined in. "Please, explain your actions. Why does the sight of this woman frighten you."

"I-" Link felt all eyes on him. He must have been the only one who knew, as the news could not have made its way to the capital yet. "She's the traitor! She and her mother. The Sheikah assassin murdered the Gerudo princess by their command."

"Lies," the masked woman replied coldly.

Princess Victorique raised a hand, as if to silence her. "How do you know this, young hero?"

"The assassin told us himself," Link explained.

"And you believe the word of a child killer?" Shiho asked. She turned to the other Sheikah woman. "I have proven my loyalty countless times, sister. Are you truly going to entertain these wild fantasies again?"

Sister?

The other Impa held out her curved spear. "Perhaps," she said. "Young hero, have you any evidence that the killer did not speak falsely?"

It only took Link a moment to remember the other important detail Sheik had shared with him. "Yes. Her mask. The assassin said it reads minds. Take it from her. Then you'll know."

"Ridiculous." Shiho stepped forward.

Linkle raised her shield and stood in front of her brother, even though there was already a line of royal guards defending them.

"I will not suffer these outlandish tales," Shiho went on. "No such mask exists in this world."

The masked woman's sister shouldered her spear, then calmly walked past Link and Linkle. The royal guards parted momentarily to allow her to pass by them, but the Sheikah ninjas guarding Shiho would not budge. Nevertheless, the Sheikah woman held out her hand. "Give me the mask, Onee-sama."

There was silence for a moment. No one could see the masked woman's face, but it was clear she was hesitating. "Sister, this is-"

"If the boy speaks falsely, then there would be no harm in doing as I say, correct?" the other Impa pressed on. "You can finally clear our family's name. Just do as I ask."

The unblinking eye of the mask stared at the hand in front of her, but Shiho said nothing. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke. Shiho and her four companions vanished. But, just as soon as they had gone, they reappeared. A magical barrier became visible as the fleeing Sheikah seemingly collided with it, preventing their escape.

The two princesses sat upon their thrones with their hands raised, projecting the barrier with their magic. "Guards," Princess Victorique spoke. "Place Impa Shiho and her conspirators under arrest."

The four ninjas formed a circle around Shiho, holding out their blades, clearly not ready to surrender. As the guards moved in to surround them, the other Impa sister again approached with her hand held out.

"The mask," she repeated.

After a moment of hesitation, Shiho removed her mask, revealing a face extremely similar to her sister's, but with different tattoos. However, she did not hand over the mask. "I am sorry, sister," she said, speaking solemnly. "I tried to keep you out of it. Mother wanted me to order you to kill Princess Victorique, but I swore I would do it myself. I did not want your soul to be condemned along with ours."

"Onee-sama, what are you talking about?" her sister asked angrily.

"I am sorry," Shiho repeated. Standing tall, she put the mask back on. It suddenly clamped onto her face, making a disgusting, bone-cracking sound. Her body stiffened, as if crying out in silent agony.

"Onee-sama!"

A violet portal opened beneath Shiho's feet, and she sank down into it, disappearing from sight. The ninjas surrounding her leaped away from the portal, then began attacking the knights who'd attempted to arrest them. Link grabbed Linkle by the shoulder and pulled her back along with him, wanting to get away from the fighting. The Impa bodyguard stepped forward to examine the portal in the floor, but the swirling violet vortex suddenly expanded in size.

Then, something massive emerged from the portal. Link's first impression was that it was the decaying corpse of a giant, as it had features similar to that of a ReDead. However, it had no real head. Flaps of skin folded open to reveal a giant red eye emerging from where its neck should have been - an eye that resembled the one on Shiho's mask.

The Headless Demon!

This must have been the horrific creature that had attacked the city during the Blood Moon and killed the previous Goddess of Light, just as Princess Seraphina had described. Emerging from the portal, the demon's body demolished the wall and ceiling surrounding her, raining rubble onto the crowd below. Much of the debris was blocked by another barrier projected by the princesses, but Link could see cracks developing.

The demon groaned, despite having no visible mouth. She remained with only the upper half of her body sticking out through the portal, and she lifted her arms. The demon's hands were severed at the wrists, yet they floated in front of her arm stubs and moved as though they were attached nonetheless. Bringing her severed hands downwards, the demon slammed her palms down onto the floor, shattering it as easily as she had shattered the wall and ceiling.

The occupants of the room plummeted to the floor below. The princesses, unable to keep up their concentration, were forced to let their barrier dissipate. Several of the guards, as well as Shiho's own allies, were crushed by the falling debris.

"Elle!" Link called in between coughs, unable to see through the dust cloud that filled the room he'd fallen into.

"Brother!" Linkle called back.

Suddenly, Link could see a bright light shining through the dust cloud. He moved toward it until the form of his sister became clear. She was holding the Master Sword out in front of herself as if it were a torch, and it grew brighter the closer she got to him.

The demon groaned once more from up above. As the smoke began to clear, the massive creature lowered itself down from the ceiling, hanging upside-down from the portal. The room filled with the sounds of panic. Some fled, others rallied in the direction of the princesses. Link could see the Zelda sisters behind him. Both were covered in dust and looked a little dazed. Some of their guards clustered closely around them, but Link didn't know how much any of them could do to protect the princesses in this situation.

As she approached, the demon spread her arms, then moved to close them in a clapping motion. The princesses managed to raise another barrier in time to prevent them from being crushed, but the barrier shattered upon impact. However, the demon groaned in pain, and her severed hands wobbled in the air, pulling back briefly.

"She can be hurt," Link pointed out. "Elle, you take that hand. I'll take this one."

"Right." Linkle nodded in the affirmative. She was clearly desperate to defend the princesses, but Link was more worried about himself and his sister.

I came so far to get back to her. We didn't go through all of this just to die here.

Link drew his boomerang and tossed it at the demon's right hand. The boomerang glimmered as it spun through the air, and it sliced a clean cut through the demon's hand, spilling dark-colored blood before returning to him.

Over at the demon's left hand, Linkle sprinted across the debris-covered carpet and leaped forward, plunging the Master Sword into Shiho's sickly violet flesh. While both siblings' attacks seemed to harm the demon, she merely groaned slightly. Shiho responded to Linkle's attack with a half-hearted slap. Linkle raised her shield, and a small barrier erected by Princess Sophitia appeared in front of her as well, but it was not enough to stop Linkle from being flung across the battlefield.

"Elle!" Link reacted quickly, rushing to his sister's side. She was not dead, but her eyes were closed.

With Princess Sophitia momentarily distracted, the demon's right hand came down upon her. However, before it struck, her sister pelted the hand with a volley of fireballs, which threw it off course enough to slam into the ground beside them. It was a small victory, but it was short-lived, as the demon's left hand soon came back. It slammed into the ground right on top of Princess Victorique, crushing her and her guards in an instant.

"Sister!" the younger princess shrieked.

"Elle, you have to get up!" Link urged, knowing the battle was quickly going south. Her eyes flickered open, which gave him a new burst of hope. "Come on, get up," he repeated. When he placed his hand on hers, both of their hands gripped the Master Sword at the same time, and it erupted with such a bright light that even the demon shrank back to shield her great red eye.

Link and his sister met each other's gaze. He couldn't know for sure, but the sword's reaction seemed to suggest something, and it seemed as though Linkle sensed it, too.

"Together, right?" Linkle said.

"Together." Link pulled his sister to her feet. To make it easier to run, he let go of the Master Sword, letting Linkle keep control of it. Link knew Linkle would be faster than him with her Pegasus Boots on, so he ran straight towards the demon's eye, setting the pace while his sister ran at his side.

The demon seemed to recover from her temporary blindness. The strange, flower-like structure shielding her eye receded, and the red searchlight of her gaze fell upon the approaching heroes. Link knew she would attempt to swipe at them with her remaining good hand, so he turned and threw his boomerang at it, hoping that would be enough. The boomerang hit the demon's hand, but he could see it did very little. Luckily, another barrier appeared, this one surrounding the monstrous hand to keep it in place. Link could see Princess Sophitia in the distance, summoning the barrier with a look of vengeful determination on her face.

This is our one chance.

When they reached the demon, Linkle lifted the Master Sword into the air with her left hand, and Link curled his right hand around the handle as well. Together, they plunged the sacred weapon into the demon's eye. In an instant, the creature groaned in agony, and another brilliant light burst forth from the wound. The demon thrashed about, and the siblings were thrown back. They hit the ground with a thud.

Link tried to recover quickly, expecting the fight to continue, but it did not. The demon shrank back, rising upwards towards its portal. Inky black smoke poured down from her, as if her entire body was leaking a dark magical essence. The portal above them closed, and when the demon finished dissipating, the lifeless, mangled body of Impa Shiho fell to the ground.

Cautiously climbing to his feet, Link approached the Sheikah woman's body. It was twisted in a grotesque manner, and blood was pooling around her head. Her mask still covered her face, but there was a visible hole through it.

Is she still alive? Is the mask still dangerous?

Link quickly reached for the mask, but as soon as he tried to remove it, the mask broke in two. Upon removing half of the mask, he uncovered enough of Shiho's face to see the stab wound had not only affected the mask. It was as if the Master Sword had been plunged through her head rather than the demon's eye.

At the other end of the hall, Link could see his sister had returned to Princess Sophitia's side. The young royal knelt over the body of her elder sister, audibly weeping. Linkle and the princess's round-eared bodyguard each stood with a hand on her shoulder in comfort. The severity of what had happened suddenly hit him.

She's just lost a sister.

Link looked down at the broken half of Shiho's mask that he held in his hand, realizing another pair of sisters had just been killed as well - one at the hand of the other.

Just what the hell is this evil thing?