A/N:

This one didn't take as long as I expected.

Well, this is the start of a part that I've been dying to get to!

Anyways, warnings for a few instances of language, a brief reference to self-harm, and some sexual implications. That's a new one.

Enjoy!

Link stared at the ceiling. His bed was warm, sunlight streamed in through his window, and not a single light in his room was turned on. It was early in the morning; that silent voice in his mind whispered that it was 6:27. It would be a cloudy day, although there would be no rain. Link sat up in bed and waited a few moments until the messages faded.

The morning was still; he could dimly hear Linebeck working in his workshop. Link could hear Ghirahim snoring in his room, could hear Midna doing what he assumed was sorting books, and spotted Damien outside through the window. He looked to be simply enjoying the morning.

Link laid back down on his bed. Took a few deep breaths. Wiggled his fingers. It was the day of the ball. The day of reckoning, he supposed. An amusing way to put it, but it worked. He pushed himself back up into a sitting position and slid off his bed. He dressed slowly and inspected the scabbard of the Master Sword before belting it on across his back. He opened and closed his bedroom door slowly, wincing at every creak of the hinges, and made his way downstairs.

Link passed by the empty kitchen and noted that Midna's iron-toed boots were left by the front door. She obviously wouldn't wear them for the ball but would have to somehow bring them for the attack. He strode down the dim hallway and pondered what he would wear.

Ghirahim had been practicing more and more with his magic and learned how to summon and un-summon articles of clothing. All he showed them was his cloak appearing and reappearing, so Link wasn't entirely sure what he would wear. Midna, on the other hand, had bought some on-sale clothes from the city and didn't give Linebeck time to say 'no' when she explained that she wanted him to improve them. She'd also given him some papers which Link assumed included doodles of a design.

As for himself, Link was almost certain he would be wearing something akin to the traditional hero's garb. Linebeck would be busier than ever, working on Link's armor, equipment improvements, and then Midna and Link's clothes. It was hard to tell what he and Damien would wear, but they didn't seem to be too concerned about it. For all Link knew, they already had something planned.

He knocked on the door to Linebeck's workshop and stepped back. It took a few moments, but Linebeck eventually opened the door and gave Link a tired look. "I'm busy."

"Just wanted to say good morning. How much longer until my armor is done?"

Linebeck shrugged. "I've finished making it, but it needs more time. I've got it hooked up to that tablet- the one that we can use to track you. Y'know, with that little tracker I made back in Zora's Domain."

"Why-"

"The armor is meant to only be used by you. Connecting it to your tracker makes that easy, but it's also using similar technology to what my prosthetics use."

Link frowned, and Linebeck groaned. "We've been over this. I even demonstrated it. That technology makes it so that only I can remove my prosthetics. I'm going to use the same tech for your armor, a bit modified so that only you can put it on or take it off. Got it?" Linebeck rubbed the back of his head and glanced over his shoulder. "I'm still busy, like I said. I'll be done by noon, though; I promised Damien that I'd get some rest at that point."

"What's Damien doing? He's just standing outside. Isn't he getting ready?"

Linebeck shook his head. "No, we're both ready. Just taking the day off. When Midna gets up, let her know I'm almost done with her stuff." He backed up, started to close the door, then stopped. "Check on Rusty's food and water, would you? I forgot to check it this morning."

Link poured a small cup of water into Rusty's bowl. The lizard looked like he was snoozing on a flat little rock, but opened his eyes when Link refilled his food bowl. Once both bowls were filled, Link set the enclosure's top back on and settled down into the desk chair. He watched the lizard shift and peer over at his food and water and crawled off the rock. Link smiled to himself.

"You're the first one who met me, I guess," Link mused, watching the lizard eat his food. "Well, the first one in this group. I'm sure other lizards and bugs might've come across me under all that scrap." He chuckled under his breath. "Like you care. You're just a little lizard, after all. You don't know about anything that's been going on."

Obviously, Rusty didn't respond.

Midna stared down at the tea in her mug. She'd made it only a few minutes ago, and it was still warm; plain green tea, nothing special. Damien had picked some up at the city when he'd last visited it. She took a sip of it, glancing up at what Linebeck was tinkering with.

The tables against the walls were crammed with finished or half-built machines and robots, most of which had probably never been out of the room. Linebeck had brushed aside a pile of Sheikah-material items to make space for Midna to sit on one of the tables. She had no place to set her tea, though. "So. What are you working on?"

"Well, I've finished Link's armor and your clothes, so I'm putting the final touches on the stuff that Damien and I have decided on."

Midna leaned over, getting a glimpse of what looked like a pair of tuxedos. "Going all out, huh?"

"Nope, 'going all out' will be for the wedding. The ball invitation had a short but strict dress code, remember? We've got to look nice and all of that. This is kinda just the baseline. The plan is to wear these for the ball and change back into our normal clothes when we get ready to execute the plan."

Midna took a sip of her tea. "Hm. I assume you two are gonna view this as some date."

Linebeck nodded. "Just in case. Might as well enjoy ourselves." He paused in what he was doing, setting his sewing needle down. "You like what I made for you, right? That silver thread was hard to buy."

"Oh, it looks great. Don't worry. What's Link going to wear?"

"Modified version of the usual hero's tunic. I've changed up the design a bit so that Link might like it better. The stupid-looking hat is optional." Linebeck grinned back at Midna. "But I'm sure we can coerce him into wearing it."

Midna scratched at her mug. Linebeck's smile was humorous and easygoing, and he seemed to be waiting for a response. There was no usual smugness or edge of sarcasm or a hint of thinning patience. He was just giving her a genuine smile, waiting for a reaction to his joking around. She smiled back but could tell that it was a sad smile. "You seem like you're doing a lot better than you've been doing in... well, a while."

Linebeck blinked. His smile faltered. "You mean in roughly 200 years?"

"Shut up. But you're right. I think the last time you were genuinely joking around was when you were still a kid. Or, well, around seventeen." Midna dropped her gaze back down to her tea. "Then again, I don't know what you're like around Damien. I think it's ironic that its only after you've gotten a detailed explanation of your trauma that you've started to seem more like your old self."

Twirling the sewing needle in one hand, Linebeck frowned to himself. "Well, yeah. I have closure. All of the people who hurt me are dead, one of them killed by my hand. I've... had a harder time sleeping and being comfortable on my own, but... I remember more about you guys and I have more happy memories. Mostly with you guys. I have a lot of time to myself. I'm introspective. At times." He grinned again. "Besides, things are shaping up. This whole battle is coming to an end, and I'm happy I got to help you guys get to this point."

"That's good." Midna took a long drink of her tea, and Linebeck went back to sewing something on one of the tuxedos. "So. You want more help with covering up your wrist?"

Linebeck hesitated in his work. "Yeah. Until I can find out a way to get rid of the scars forever. I could maybe ask a healer or find some way to do it organically. For now, covering it up with makeup seems to be a good method."

A knock at the door made both of them flinch, and Ghirahim entered the room without invitation. "Oh, here you two are."

"You knocked without even knowing we were in here?" Linebeck set his needle aside and picked up a small pair of scissors. "What do you want?"

Ghirahim shrugged. "Just looking for you. We should get going in a bit; we could have lunch in the city."

"That's not a bad idea. Just give us about an hour and a half, alright? Then we should be good to go. Linebeck's still busy, and I promised to help him."

"Ah. Ok." Ghirahim leaned against the door frame and watched Linebeck continue his work. "Making suits for you and Damien?"

"Yeah."

"It looks nice."

"Thanks. What have you been doing?"

"Thinking. You know, when I first told Link our ages, I think I said that Midna and I 'take care of you'. That wording, I'm pretty sure."

Linebeck scowled. "You worded it like I'm some kid who needs supervision."

Midna shrugged. "Let's not forget those times when you wander into gambling dens without letting us know."

"I'm a goddamn adult! I don't need to let you know where I am at all times!"

"I tell you guys when every I'm going to check out a library or visit my friends. Ghirahim tells us when he's leaving for a tournament or to see his friends. You always just disappear and usually get into trouble."

Linebeck crossed his arms and glared at both of them in turn. "Fine! I'll start telling you guys where I go! But seriously, this is hardly fair. I didn't need to run what I did by you guys when I was younger."

"You were climbing out of windows with bed sheets and avoiding other people like the plague. When you did start interacting with us, Ghirahim was usually with you, or you would actually let us know where you were going. End of conversation; just give us a quick heads-up."

"I'll leave a written note," Linebeck growled. He sighed and set his tools down. "There. I'm done. I need Midna to teach me something, so we'll meet up with you guys when we're good to go. Tell Link his clothes are finished. The hat is optional, but he needs to bring it either way."

The city was nearly completely empty. The place they chose for lunch was owned by a member of the Yiga, and everyone else there was somehow involved in the Yiga. Damien did most of the talking, recognizing the shop owner and striking up a friendly conversation while the others ordered their food. Linebeck occasionally made a few comments in the conversation, leaving Link, Midna, and Ghirahim to come up with their own topic of discussion.

"...We've all, um, decided who to bring along for the ball, right?" Link quietly drummed his fingers on the table. "I mean, Linebeck's bringing Damien, we know that, and I'm bringing along a Zora named Ralis- He's part of my group tonight. I- I hope everyone in our groups will be able to go. Security around the castle will be really tight."

"We should hope that security inside the castle will be much looser," Ghirahim mused. "After all, we'll need to slip away, and we'll need to stash our stuff around the castle rooms and halls, too. Somehow, without drawing suspicion, someone will need to check that."

"I can ask Zelda," Midna decided. "But we don't know if she'll lie... Either way, we need to be careful."

"I'm sure someone will find a way to figure it out," Link sighed.

The ball began as the sun dipped below the horizon. The line outside the castle was quiet, and Link felt his heart hammering anxiously in his chest. They'd stuffed their normal clothes and equipment into a few bags which had been taken by a small group of Yiga to hide in the castle- most of the Sheikah were watching people funnel into the castle, so before the party was the best time to hide something in the halls.

Zelda was nowhere to be seen while the groups were led into the castle. Link was separated from the others, stuck with Ralis, who looked just as nervous as Link felt. Still, they looked the part; Link in an embellished version of the hero's tunic, Ralis in typical Zora formal wear.

He could see the others in the line; Ghirahim in a red and black suit, reminiscent of the design of his cloak, standing beside a shorter Yiga with what looked like long purple hair. They were talking. Midna wore a cloak and dress covered in Twili-inspired designs, black as night with light blue coloring and small silver dots that looked like miniature stars. She had her fiery orange hair down, a stark contrast to her clothing. The Yiga man standing by her in a plan suit looked bland next to her. Further along the line, Link could spot Linebeck and Damien standing by each other, Linebeck in a blue suit, Damien in red, glancing up at the Sheikah guards on the castle walls. Based off how they moved, they seemed to be joking with each other.

The halls of the castle were brightly lit, and it looked as though everything had been vigorously cleaned. The guests were led through the halls by a large group of Sheikah, and Link noted that everyone was clumped together so they could be watched. Hopefully, security would loosen once they got to the ballroom.

Link recognized the room instantly. Of course, he was familiar with just about the entire castle, but the ballroom specifically caught his attention.

It wasn't linked to anything groundbreaking, or anything traumatic or otherwise highly important. It had been empty most of the time he and the others had been living in the castle 200 years ago. In fact, the four of them had been the only ones who spent much time in it.

Since the large, marble-floored room had no windows and each of the four sets of large doors led out into a hallway, it had been impossible for anyone to spy on them. Link recalled playing around in the ballroom with the others; playing tag, teaching each other how to dance, talking about their days- it had been a sort of haven if they needed time to themselves.

It felt oddly wrong to see so many people now milling around in the ballroom, even if it was finally being used for what it had been created for. Link shook his head. They hadn't spent that much time in the ballroom; the doors had been locked most of the time, anyways. Ralis stuck close to Link- he was a young Zora, and had joined Link's team due to his healing skills and levelheadedness. But he was too young to be left without a supervisor during a royal ball. As people wandered the room, looking at the tables of food and giving the small orchestra in the corner interested looks, Link murmured to Ralis, "Try and stay close to someone with the Yiga."

"I will, don't worry."

Link smiled. Ralis was on the younger side, but he was courageous and smart. A good ally with good potential.

It didn't take long to meet up with the others; Link found Midna first, and Ghirahim spotted them soon after, and they had to go and fetch Linebeck and Damien, who weren't paying any attention. "You guys are here for a mission, remember?" Ghirahim hissed once they were all grouped up. The three Yiga that had been brought along looked out of place while the five of them huddled together. "At least try and remember that, got it?"

Linebeck rolled his eyes. "The mission doesn't start until two in the morning, remember? Thank the gods that Damien was wrong that that this party goes from ten to three, not eight to four. An 8-hour party is some stupid shit. Either way, we've got plenty of time to enjoy ourselves before everything has to start." He glanced around the ballroom, then back at Ghirahim. "Don't tell me we have to spend this entire party agonizing over the plan. Damien and I made these suits with the intention of having a good time in them, you know."

"You're free to have a good time," Ghirahim tersely replied. "Just don't forget why we're here." He straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. "At a glance, we all look like we're just wearing our normal clothes, maybe with something over them. Damien is the exception, though I guess red is the usual Yiga color."

"Go ahead, tell everyone here about our plans," Damien growled.

"Please. Most people here are Yiga."

"What about those who aren't?" hissed Midna. "Just shut your mouth about this and enjoy the party until the time comes! Keep talking about it, and the more likely the wrong person will overhear." She glanced around nervously. "Let's just wait for everything to start."

As she finished her sentence, the entire room went silent when someone tapped a glass with a spoon. Zelda had pulled a chair aside and was standing on it; a bit out of place for a royal ball, but it got everyone's attention. She lowered her glass and beamed at the crowd. "It's so good to see you all! This has been an odd year, or, well, an odd past few months, but I'd say things will turn themselves around soon. I'm sure you're all familiar with those old legends of a hero of courage."

Link felt his face warm once he realized that a few people had started to glance at him and the sword strapped to his back. They'd figured they'd bring the sword to show Zelda, but he now realized it would bring quite a lot of attention to him from everyone else. The tunic wouldn't help, either. He looked up at Zelda, dressed in a surprisingly simple embroidered dress, and tried not to scowl when she held out a hand to him.

Everyone turned to look at him. Zelda grinned. "Please welcome Link, our era's hero! The one who will topple the Yiga rebels, the wielder of the Master Sword. Congratulations on finding the sword, by the way. Impressive, truly." The crowd of people began to clap, but Link's eyes remained locked on Zelda until the clapping died down. "Now, then. Thank you all for coming, once again. You are free to do as you please, so long as it is within the boundaries of the party. Despite our new powerful ally, the Yiga still remain a threat, and sticking together is the best way to ensure that we all stay safe."

A few feet away, Damien stifled a harsh laugh.

"The Sheikah will be at the perimeter of the rooms, and you may feel free to ask them for help, so long as they are free and willing to help. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me. However, this is a party! Enjoy yourselves!" With that, Zelda hopped off the chair, and the orchestra in the corner of the room began to softly play. The crowd shifted around and began to talk with one another, moving to the dining tables or finding friends to speak with. Link quickly walked after his friends, who were following the group towards the tables.

Ghirahim stood at the end of one of the tables, and Link joined him while the others peered at the food. "...I'll bet they spent days getting this ready," the demon grunted. "I mean, there were around 75 people initially invited, and it looks like at least half brought a friend. There's a lot of alcohol here, too." He reached and grabbed a bottle of wine, peering at the label. "This is expensive stuff. Want a glass?"

Link blinked. "Oh. Uh, sure. I don't think I can get drunk, anyways."

Ghirahim nodded and tugged the cork out. Link found some glasses further down the table and brought them over. While pouring, Ghirahim mused, "If we're lucky, the Sheikah will be too busy getting plastered for them to notice a few of us slipping out." His eyes flicked up. "I mean, a few of them are already drinking."

With a frown, Link added, "You've got to make sure not to do the same."

"I won't," Ghirahim cheerily reassured him, setting the bottle of wine aside after filling his glass almost to the brim. "But Linebeck's right, we might as well have some fun for the time being. I can take the edge off for a bit, Midna can... do whatever she wants, maybe spend some time with Mipha, you can get some attention, and Linebeck and Damien are probably going to get handsy in a closet somewhere. Who knows? We've got a few hours to screw around before we need to get serious."

"Who's the guy you brought for the party?"

Ghirahim took a sip of his wine. "His name's Vaati, he's a friend of mine. Runs a magic shop in the city; sells low-level tomes and magic crystals. He's a self-educated wind mage, which means he can conjure up a small breeze if he'd like."

"Who did Midna bring along?"

"Dunno. Some dude named Shad. I hear he's a scholar of some kind, but I really don't care. How about we get some food? This stuff looks good. Especially that roast over there."

A number of plates were stacked up at their end of the table; Link took a pair and handed one to Ghirahim. "Well, it seems like we're sticking together tonight. Let's find somewhere to sit down."

They each took a side of the table, doing their best to move past the other guests who were getting their own food. Ghirahim went for nothing but meat, while Link took small samples of everything until his plate could no longer fit anything more. They came across Midna, who had found Mipha and was now having a conversation with her. The pair of them moved out of Link's way without properly acknowledging him. Still, he quietly greeted them. Linebeck and Damien were joking with each other again when Link and Ghirahim came across them.

"Ok, ok, ok. The... glasses twink is Yiga, right?"

"Yes, that's who Midna brought."

"Oh, right. Ok... how about... the white Rito. Him, over there."

"Teba? Yeah. He's Yiga. Revali brought him."

"Are you guessing who's Yiga and who's not?" asked Link, frowning at the two of them. He paused, then peered at their suits before they responded. "Uh, I dunno If I said this earlier, but I like your suits. I like the... c-cobalt with the gold seams, and the crimson with the silver. You guys match, in a sort of juxtaposition way."

Linebeck smiled, setting his hands on his hips. "Thanks. And yeah, that's the game we're playing. I'm winning."

"You're winning because you're the only one actually playing." Damien beamed up at Linebeck, then gave Link a smaller smile. "I know everyone in the Yiga, so I'm the scorekeeper here. And, yeah, these suits do look really nice. Your tunic isn't half bad, either! Linebeck did a good job with it. No hat?"

"It looks stupid."

"It's traditional!" Linebeck protested, although his shocked expression didn't quite reach his eyes, and the corners of his mouth kept twitching. "You son of a bitch, the hat is important!"

Link rolled his eyes. "I brought the hat; I'm just not going to wear it."

"You wound me," Linebeck dramatically sighed, but he fell apart a moment later, giggling into Damien's shoulder.

"You're in a good mood," Damien brightly chirped, wrapping an arm around Linebeck's shoulders. "I thought you hated parties."

"Oh, I do, I just think this is funny, with the context and everything." Linebeck straightened up, running his hands through his hair. "Especially since they let me in, even though I haven't properly brushed my hair for a few days."

"You smell nice, though. Did you take a shower this the morning?"

"Well, yeah. Before everyone else woke up. You smell nice, too, but I don't remember if you've bathed since we took a bath a few days ago."

"I took a shower yesterday, don't worry."

Link grimaced at them. "Talking to you two is impossible."

With a scoff, Linebeck said, "You didn't say much of anything. Not our problem. Go have fun with Ghirahim or something."

Link stuck his tongue out at the two of them and left them to their devices. Ghirahim gave him a questioning look, and Link only shrugged.

They found a table near the edge of the room; so far, the party was a collection of people getting food or standing around and talking. Link poked at his own food, a collection of samples from everything on the first table. "This seems like a boring party. Nothing's happening."

"It's been twenty minutes at best." Ghirahim leaned back in his chair. "I'm pretty sure that these royal balls are used to discuss political shit. I mean, royalty and nobility are clumped together, the highly skilled guests are talking with each other, I wouldn't be surprised if Zelda tried to talk to us and further get us on her side." He glanced off to the side and scowled. "Well. Speak of the devil." Link turned his head and had to hold back a frown as he saw Zelda approaching them.

She smiled at the two of them, and Link was grateful that she didn't try to take a chair. Instead, she stood by the table. "I'm so glad that you decided to come. I assumed all of you would be sitting together. Did something happen after you got the Master Sword? Or have you all just chosen to give each other space."

"Everyone's just spending time how they want, we don't always move around as a unit," Link responded, trying not to sound irritated. "If anything, things are a bit better after we've gotten the sword. I haven't tested it out much, but I'm certain that it works."

Zelda raised her eyebrows. "Certain? How could you know that without having tested it or seen it tested?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw Ghirahim give him a stern look. If they let anything leak about getting their memories back, they were dead. "It's just a hunch. I should hope it works. Why wouldn't it?"

"Ah, fair point. Where did you get that scabbard? I'd heard that the sword's original scabbard had been lost along with the hero 200 years ago, and yet here it is, on your back."

"It was in the temple, with the sword." Link then shrugged. "Magic is funny. Maybe the hero made it to the temple in time to stash the scabbard along with the sword. Besides, if the scabbard was lost when the hero died, then what about the Master Sword?"

This made Zelda purse her lips. For a moment, seething rage flashed in her eyes. Then she smiled thinly. "Fair point. Well, I know it's only been a few days, but how do the two of you like the sword? I personally find it to be very beautiful. I assume you've sparred with it at least once. How is it?"

"It- it does look very nice," Link managed. "We sparred a few times, so I can say that it is also very well balanced and weighs perfectly. The blade is still sharp and all that, like it was recently forged, so I'd say it's perfect."

"For now, it's just a sword," Ghirahim mumbled. "Not much to say until we really see it in action." He shifted in his seat, took a sip of his wine, then looked around the room. Midna and Mipha were no longer standing together, Midna now talking with a group of people, Mipha with the other Yiga guests. Linebeck and Damien were most likely getting food for themselves. Ghirahim looked back up at Zelda. "Is that all? We... don't have much to offer you, we're just some swordsmen with amnesia. One of which is a robot. Is that going to remain a secret?"

"I'm still considering that. Learning that the chosen hero is a robot can be a shock."

"I think that decision should be mine," Link protested. "I'm the robot, and I'll tell people what I am if I want. I don't want you telling everyone or keeping it a secret without my permission."

Zelda's eyes became steely, then she smiled again. "That's fair. By the way, I have a sort of proposition for you. How would you like to be the leader of the Sheikah in our battle against the Yiga?"

"...You're acting friendlier than you did when we first met."

"You've proven yourselves well. I was skeptical at first, but now I see that the four of you have done well." Zelda paused, glanced over her shoulder, and added, "Well, five of you, as it seems that Fletcher has been added to your little group. He is Lancrester's... partner, right? They seem to be together whenever I have the Sheikah check on you two."

"You can use their first names," Link seethed, letting his anger boil over.

"Yeah, are you homophobic or something? That why you've refused to use their first names?"

Ghirahim's comment successfully kept Link from fully boiling over, instead making him focus on trying not to laugh as Zelda raised an eyebrow. "I don't appreciate that comment. I'm trying to be formal; the only reason I don't do it with Midna or you two is because you have no recorded last names." Zelda sighed. "Now. Link. Will you agree to lead the Sheikah? If not, you're still free to order them around as we fight against the Yiga. We do need you to kill Ganondorf and stop his plans."

She sounded sincere, almost like she was begging. Link shifted. He knew the truth; he remembered what had happened, remembered that the woman standing in front of him was long dead, her body being used by a shadow, a servant of Demise trying to find an opportunity to steal the rest of the pieces of the Triforce and shatter it along with the Master Sword.

But if he let that slip, everything was over. They needed to keep up the lie until the plan was ready, until they knew that enough Sheikah were out of the way in order for their plan to go smoothly. Link smiled. "I'm sorry if we've come off as a bit rude. I'll consider it. Give me more time to practice with this sword, and maybe I'll have a definite answer."

"I'll wait for you to make a decision, then. Enjoy the party."

Ghirahim flipped her off the moment she turned her back. Link speared what he assumed to be some kind of meat wrapped in leaves- probably cabbage- with is fork and ate it. He swallowed and grimaced, catching Ghirahim's interest. "I really hope she didn't help with the food," Link finally muttered. "'Cuz it seems like it's all going to be good."

With a short laugh, Ghirahim picked up his utensils and began cutting his own food into smaller portions. "Well, either way, they're feeding their worst enemies without realizing, so who really wins?"

Midna poured herself some wine. She had been mildly surprised to find that, yes, there were Hylian nobles that lived in the city, and, yes, they were all as snobby as nobles in books. They all apparently lived close to Hyrule Castle and ruled over specific sections of the city, which was, as far as Midna was concerned, protocol that was just a relic from the past, slowly rusting away before it finally turned to dust.

Basically, they did nothing and yet profited and believed themselves to be deserving of every rupee. If they'd approached Linebeck and talked about how they 'worked so hard' and 'bled for every rupee', he probably would've attacked them like a rabid cat. After he bragged about his own engineering skills, of course.

Midna took a sip of her wine. The most probable scenario was that he would brag about his engineering and about how much profit he makes from his machines, and then would be set off by hearing about the nobles earning money just by revising rules and bossing people around. Linebeck had always wanted to go treasure hunting, to get rich by finding a chest of rupees or high-value relics- even that was more deserving of the wealth it brought than whatever the hell the nobles did.

Link and Ghirahim were animatedly talking about something at one of the smaller tables. A guest at the party- non-Yiga- walked up and asked Link a question; Link drew his sword and let the stranger get a look at it. He seemed popular in a good way. Good for him.

On a normal day in the city, Midna would get a few funny looks, but people eventually got used to her as she was known for being a skilled spear and magic user along with being friends with Ghirahim and Linebeck. But those nobles didn't seem to be used to mingling with the commonfolk, and a Twili woman was apparently something exotic. They didn't care about her; all of their questions had been about the Twili and whether or not she was a real Twili. It took pretending like she'd seen some friends to get them to leave her alone. They were now talking to Revali and Ashei.

Midna quickly drained her glass and set it down on the table. She needed to talk to Zelda and find out what security was like.

The queen was idly wandering around the ballroom, not talking to anyone, nor looking to. Still, Midna strode over to her. "...Your majesty." She waited until Zelda looked over at her. "I... have to thank you for inviting me and my friends. It's an honor to be at this ball."

Zelda smiled warmly. "Well, of course. You're a friend of the current hero and have done much to help him. Not to mention, you're the only Twili in Hyrule; a powerful magic-user, and I'd very much like to have you as my friend moving forward. I apologize for those nobles earlier."

With a nod, Midna surveyed the room. She saw more Sheikah than she expected, a few at each door and others walking around. "...Do you ever worry that the Yiga will infiltrate the castle? I mean, they besieged the city for a while, right? Is that still going on?" She left out the lack of citizens and reminded herself to keep quiet about her memories. "I mean, it looks like you've got a lot of Sheikah stationed in this room specifically, plus a lot on the walls outside."

Zelda shrugged. She took a sip of her wine, eyeing the Sheikah. "I've got a few patrols going up and down the castle halls, nothing drastic. The rest are searching for the Yiga. Those damned rebels have dwindled their numbers since that battle in the Gerudo Desert, but I'm hoping that you and your friends can bring an end to this conflict."

"Don't worry, we'll get started on that once this ball is over. So the security is on the weaker side tonight?"

Zelda scoffed. "Hardly. If my patrols catch anyone, they're not getting away. The area surrounding the ballroom is heavily guarded; no Yiga scum will be able to get to this party."

Midna would've laughed right in Zelda's face if she still didn't need to keep everything secret. "Well, that's good. Are we free to explore the castle?"

"Oh, no. That's not very safe with all of the Yiga around. Besides, the library is taken up by a few scholars. They've decided to research ways to get to the Twili realm, even though it's futile, really. They say the old portal was destroyed by a member of Twili royalty for some reason, and Twili royalty are the only ones strong enough to create another. Of course, I hear they need specific items, but that's clearly beside the point. Perhaps a member of the Twili royalty will create a new portal soon. Perhaps then you can figure out why you're here now."

A chill went down Midna's spine. She thought back to her time as a child, brought up as the princess and eventual queen of the Twilight realm, and she recalled, clear as day, being told that only Twili royalty could destroy or create a Mirror of Twilight, a portal between the light and dark realms. Finally, Midna stiffly nodded. "T-that's interesting. Thank you for telling me, it feels a bit... safer in here, knowing that no Yiga can get in. I... hope you enjoy the ball." She gave Zelda what she hoped was a pleasant smile and walked away.

The first people that she spotted were Linebeck and Damien, so she decided to walk right over to them. As usual, they were talking to each other, practically ignoring the food they'd gotten for themselves. Midna took a chair from the nearby tables and pulled it up to theirs. They both halted their conversation and peered over at Midna. She crossed her arms on the table. "What? You two look like a pair of gossiping middle school kids. You've been all kinds of talkative today."

"I dunno about Linebeck, but I know that I'm excited about all of this," Damien brightly admitted. "All of this is almost over! And we get to be at a party before the end beings. Once we execute tonight's plan, the rest should be easy, right? Anyways, you talked with Zelda, right? Any idea how bad the security is?"

"Sounds pretty lax," Midna sighed. She leaned back and grinned to herself. "Zelda's got no idea what's going on. She's just got Sheikah patrolling the halls, so I think we're free to wander as long as we're careful and stealthy. I wish we could have someone scout it out and test everything, but if we all slip away, we'll be noticed."

"We can figure something out," Linebeck offered, reclining in his own chair and throwing an arm around Damien's shoulders. "I'm dying to get out of here. Too many people; I can still feel my skin prickling after bumping into too many other guests. Wouldn't hurt to try and see if we can sneak into some off-limits place, y'know?"

"That... sounds like a fantastic idea. And you guys can just teleport out of there if you get caught, right?" Midna gave Damien a strained smile. "Right? You brought those Yiga paper amulets, just in case?"

Damien waved a hand. "I did, don't worry. Go enjoy yourself! If you stick around with us, you're just going to end up as a third wheel." As if to further prove his point, he turned and kissed Linebeck on the cheek.

"Have fun," Midna grunted, getting out of her chair. "And good luck figuring out how shitty the security is."

"We will," Linebeck called after her, grinning. "Wonder what she's going to do for the rest of this party. Nothing much has happened yet. The music's alright; that little Sheikah orchestra isn't half bad." He moved closer to Damien, leaning his head on his shoulder. "Actually, that reminds me, you know that duet we worked on in Rito Village, right? It's a duet I'd worked on 200 years ago. Want to keep working on it after this? It's a really nice duet... I listened to recordings of it when I first found it, and I think you play it really well." Linebeck sighed. "We haven't had much time to practice a duet, huh?"

"Rito Village has the best instruments," Damien mused. "I've been thinking about making my own clarinet, but I'll obviously need metal and cork and all of that. I think I could find someone in Rito Village to help." He picked up his fork and idly picked at his food, stirring the stew he'd decided to try. "Might as well have dinner. If we're going to leave, we should do it closer to the end of the party."

"Leaving at one in the morning is a good time, then. We'd have an hour before we need to do the plan. I can have Bellum let me know when it's one in the morning, he's got a similar internal clock to Link."

Across the ballroom, the orchestra switched songs and one of the sets of doors opened; Zelda began announcing that the guests were free to move into the next room. "What's going on now?" Linebeck muttered.

"On the itinerary, there was mentioned to be a few different events. The actual, formal dance is supposed to be at 11, then at 12 some kinda little fighting demonstration- everyone here enjoys a good fighting spectacle, there's a reason the coliseum's done so well- 1 should have... more speeches from Zelda, 2 is opening the library, and everyone should be out by three." Damien leaned forward and tried a bit of his stew. "Oh, this is good. Wanna try it?"

"Sure, sure- oh, son of a bitch." Linebeck scowled, and Damien followed his gaze, over at Zelda, finished talking and now walking their way.

Damien stiffened when Zelda stopped near them, smiling at Linebeck. He relaxed once he got the idea that she didn't care much about him. "Hello. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure that you would accept my invitation, but I'm glad that you did."

Linebeck stared up at her with a blank expression. "What do you want? You don't seem to see me as a friend, since we're not on first name basis."

"I'm merely trying to be polite. Oh, and, hello to you as well, Fletcher." Damien flinched. "Now, then, this isn't just a friendly little chat I want. I have a proposition for you, Lancrester."

"A... proposition."

Zelda nodded. "I'll admit, compared to the others in your little group, you haven't stood out much to me; while the others fight against monsters and lead the way, you've simply supported them through your engineering. You're not much of a threat to anyone. However, I now see that you can be a great asset for our cause. Put simply, you're a high skilled engineer, more capable than our trained Sheikah. Why and how you've surpassed their level of mastery without any formal training remains a mystery, but I do know that if you were to be killed or otherwise die, all of Hyrule would suffer. I've read through the files on every item you've publicly shown, and you have a rare creativity to you. You can instruct the current Sheikah and introduce all of Hyrule to the rest of your ideas and creations. My proposition is this; I would like you to become the royal engineer and work with the Sheikah and I to improve Hyrule."

Linebeck froze. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Damien give him a stunned and slightly fearful look. A small part of him wanted to agree. Being the royal engineer sounded like one hell of an opportunity, perhaps his only chance to regain what he'd lost 200 years ago and even help his friends more effectively.

But he still wanted Zelda dead, even while he pondered the offer.

The part about her desperately needing him alive lingered in his mind.

Linebeck shook his head. "I... appreciate your offer, but I can't agree just yet. I-I'm still figuring stuff out. I'll definitely consider it, but not now. I mean, my friends still need me, other things are changing, I don't want to suddenly have a massive change in job and responsibilities. You... really need me alive?"

"Oh, yes. I believe that you're more valuable than you might think. Well, consider my offer, since it still stands. Don't get yourself killed." Zelda gave him one more fake pleasant smile and walked away.

"She acts more like a robot than Link does," Damien grumbled. "Do you think she knows that you have your memories back?"

"There's no way she could know," Linebeck whispered. "But the shadow does know that I managed to somehow bring Link back from the dead and move his consciousness into a robotic body, so I bet that would be a valuable skill for the Sheikah."

"How did you manage that, anyways?"

"Good question. I remember Midna saying that I have a small bit of my own magical potential, so maybe I unconsciously tapped into that potential while bringing Link back." Linebeck sighed, crossing his arms. "Well, let's just enjoy the party for now."

Link and Ghirahim sampled as much food as they could, eventually resorting to trying sips of every kinds of alcohol at the party, and even ended up taking part in the midnight fighting demonstration. Midna even took part, nearly winning, but losing her match against Link. She gave him a small smile and wished him luck in the last part of the fighting.

Zelda was his last opponent, and their battle was less of a fight and more of a show; she went easy on him and he caught on the moment she started doing impractical twirls.

Ghirahim crossed his arms with a thin smile, watching the fight that now looked like a dance of blades. The party up until then had been tame, just switching between dancing and talking. He glanced wryly around. Most of the Sheikah looked tipsy at best, a few looking outright drunk. However, some of the older-looking members looked perfectly focused and clear-headed. The job would probably be easier, but if a great number of the Sheikah weren't even at the party, then only a small amount would be unable to fight.

"Do you think we'd get in trouble for putting our feet on the tables?" Linebeck shifted in his seat, peering around. "Goddesses, I'm glad that Zelda won't be planning more parties after this. Royal balls are more boring than I expected. No wonder Midna suggested I ignore them 200 years ago."

"What time is it? It should almost be 1, right?" Damien picked at what remained on his plate, finally choosing to eat some of the remaining potatoes. He idly waved his fork around until he swallowed. "I mean, we could leave now. There's not much to do right now."

"Bellum says it's one in the morning now," Linebeck muttered after a few moments. He peered around the room, at all of the exits, then said, "Let's ditch this place and make out in some closet somewhere."

"Good idea."

Ghirahim poured himself a glass of wine. He took a sip of it, listening back to the fighting, and spotting Linebeck and Damien making their way to one of the exits. He watched them carefully open the doors, slip out, and shut them without a sound. Ghirahim sighed and downed the rest of his wine. Hopefully they could give them all a good idea of what the security looked like once the plan began.

He set his glass down on the table just as Midna walked over. She sighed and set her hands on her hips. "Well, we've got about an hour before the plan begins. Now what?"

"I think Linebeck and Damien are going to check out the security; they just left."

"Oh, good. Link and Zelda have everyone distracted so I suppose now was probably the best time to do that." She glared over her shoulder at the crowd. "Should we start letting the other Yiga know?"

"That's a good idea, might as well start. We could try and sneak out while everyone is distracted again, maybe while Zelda is talking." Ghirahim turned and frowned. "I don't see why we can't just kill her now. I mean, she's right here."

"The people don't know who she is yet," Midna responded. "They just know her as the queen. Most of the Yiga don't even know that it's really just a shadow. We need to trick her into admitting the truth. We can try and get a recording to do so. Linebeck's made recording devices and I'm sure Link can repeat things he'd heard. We can corner her and trick her into admitting everything, then we can spread word and then finally kill her."

"Oh, wow. That's a good idea, actually. Or maybe we could get the confession, kill her, and then spread the word."

Two in the morning rolled around as Zelda allowed every guest access to the library, and nearly all of the Yiga guests snuck out of the party. Link snuck out last, checking to make sure that Zelda and the Sheikah were distracted by the movement from the ballroom and to the library. He shut the ballroom doors behind them, and rejoined Midna and Ghirahim as they rushed to the agreed-upon meeting spot.

Already there was Linebeck and Damien, hastily changing into their regular clothes, hiding their party clothes in the duffel bags hidden behind some shelves. Link grabbed his bag and began changing, while Ghirahim and Midna waited a moment to watch for Sheikah patrols.

"No need to keep an eye out," Linebeck quietly told them, buttoning up his shirt. "Even if there were some patrols this far from the ballroom, they aren't going to hear us."

"Are you sure?" Midna asked, making a mental note of Damien and Linebeck's messy hair. Their hair wasn't that messy when they were in the ballroom, right? "You guys checked for patrols, right?"

"Yeah, there's a really low chance they're gonna notice us," Damien added. He tugged his Yiga gauntlets on and muttered, "I mean, they weren't even guarding around Zelda's room."

Midna blinked. "You guys went over to Zelda's room?"

Linebeck nodded with a thin smile. "Yeah, and we never got noticed. We were being a bit loud, too. Zelda's got a big closet, by the way. It's nice."

Damien and Linebeck exchanged a brief glance and the dots connected in Midna's mind. "Did you- did you two fuck in Zelda's closet!?"

"We didn't fuck," Linebeck retorted, trying to ignore her furious glare. "We were making out. And then we checked out the security around the areas we're meeting up in. We'll be fine."

Still, Midna growled, "You guys know that that's a bit disrespectful to the dead, right? Making out in a dead woman's closet? Oh, for Hylia's sake- you two made out in my dead girlfriend's closet!"

Damien frowned. "Dead girlfriend's-"

Linebeck glanced his way. "Midna and Zelda dated 200 years ago. Either way, we need to get ready, remember?"

"He's got a point," Ghirahim grunted. "We can argue about this later." He clipped his saber to his belt and snuck a glance up at Linebeck. "You're comfortable enough to make out with someone?"

"Fully clothed, with a man I trust more than myself, yeah."

Ghirahim nodded thoughtfully and Midna groaned. Link straightened up. "I'm done. I'll go and meet up with my group, okay?"

Linebeck beckoned for Link to move closer. Link took a few steps in his direction; Linebeck set a hand on Link's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck," he muttered, patting Link on the same shoulder. "See you on the other side, yeah?"

"Y-yeah." Link gave a short nod and ran off.

There wasn't a single patrol of Sheikah on the way to Link's Yiga group. They were waiting for him down in the alchemy lab, ready with their weapons and the small bombs. Link did a quick headcount, asked each of the members to give him a brief rundown of their skills, and they waited a bit longer before setting off. The Sheikah labs were on the lowest floor of the castle, and the hallway leading down to that floor in the alchemy room was thin and dark.

"If we run into any Sheikah, dispatch them," Link whispered. He was wearing his Sheikah-material greaves and gauntlets and decided to stay in the tunic that Linebeck had made for him. He had no idea if Midna and Ghirahim's groups were ready, and he had no idea if Linebeck and Damien were good to go. "We'll get there, set the bombs, and leave before detonating, alright? Be careful and stay within the group."

The Master Sword seemed to heat up. It warmed his back for a few moments, then went cold again. Link shuddered as they traveled further down the hall. He finally had a chance to finish what he started 200 years ago- the four of them could finally redeem themselves and their failure.

Provided that they all survived.