When Link asked Astir to bring him and Zelda back the morning after they left, Queen Ysabel was still abed, getting some much-needed sleep, so Astir hurried to the Council room, pulling a robe on over his nightshirt and calling for Hadrian and Addison to join him.

They converged on the Council room a few minutes later and shut themselves inside. They were all eager to see the Master Sword for themselves, but instead, all they received was a supremely irate Link.

"Who the hell has my sword!?" Link railed, as soon as he teleported in. "And how in the ever-living hell did he get it out of the stone!?"

"Your s-sword?" Astir stuttered. "You mean the Master Sword?"

"Yes! It's gone!"

The king paled.

"Who has it?" Link demanded again. Then he kicked the leg of the huge Council table, causing it to shudder with an echo that reverberated in the room and made everyone jump. Only Zelda, who stood behind him, looking perfectly calm and unalarmed, seemed unfazed by his display of temper. She could probably count on one hand the number of times she had seen Link actually lose his temper, but the worst time of all had also involved the Master Sword.

"Who has it?" he shouted.

Astir shook his head, a little afraid. Although Link looked to be half his size, he suddenly seemed terribly dangerous. Astir had never doubted any of the stories he had read about Link and Zelda's adventures, but he could only truly appreciate, at that moment, how two such diminutive people could have fought so many demon lords. There was a power clearly present in Link that far exceeded any outward appearance. And Zelda, even just standing there, casually observing, was clearly radiating the same power. If she felt the need to, she could just as assuredly tear the Council room asunder, the same as Link.

"I don't know," Astir whispered.

"What do you mean you don't know!?" Link shouted.

"I don't know!" the king replied defensively. "I have never touched it! I've never even seen it!"

"That sword answers only to me; it's mine," Link said hotly. "There's no one on this earth who should be able to take it out of its stone except me."

"Well, I might be able to," Zelda interjected.

Link glanced back at her, his tone moderating somewhat. "Well, maybe."

"It does answer to me."

"Yes, but you haven't been here to take it out."

"True."

"What about one of your descendants?" Astir asked, hoping to be helpful and turn aside Link's wrath. "If it answers to both of you, would it not answer to your descendants?

But Link was already shaking his head. "That's not what activates it; it has nothing to do with blood. I can wield it because it was made specifically for me; no matter what body I'm in, it recognizes my soul and it answers me. It also worked for Zelda when we were on our quest, but that's presumably because she made it. There should be no one else that it answers to."

"Wait… what do you mean she made it?" the king asked, looking confused.

Link glanced at Zelda, wondering if he should say. But she looked unsure; were their origins supposed to be a secret? At this point, did it matter?

Finally, Link turned back to the king. "Zelda is the Goddess Hylia—or was, before she gave up her immortality. She created both the sword and me."

Astir was thunderstruck. As if his ancestors were not already legendary enough, Link was saying that Zelda was an actual goddess?

"Hylia?" he managed to squeak out.

"Surely you know that all Hylians are descended from Hylia," Link said with some impatience.

"Descended? I thought we were created by her?"

"No. I was created by her. You're descended from us."

"I . . . don't understand. You lived a long time ago, but it wasn't that long ago."

"We're talking many, many lifetimes ago, when the world was still new and Hylia was in charge of it. She created me to defend the world. We fell in love, had children, and that's where Hylians come from. And that's why she and I had so many children in this most recent lifetime: it was our job to repopulate the Hylian race before it went extinct completely. We can only reincarnate in Hylian forms; never as humans or any other race. Only Hylians are partially-divine; only Hylian forms can contain our divine souls."

Astir was so overwhelmed by this information, he couldn't begin to process it. He barely managed to stagger back and fall limply into a chair.

He suddenly wished he had not used the Soul Scepter. He had told Ysabel it was dangerous and was not to be used by people such as themselves. And he had been right. He had no idea that he was actually calling forth gods when he used it—one of whom seemed to be on the warpath at the moment because someone stole his holy sword.

For the love of his only child and Ysabel, he had risked the lives of everyone in the kingdom—possibly the world. Would Link and Zelda tear up everything looking for the Master Sword? Would they start executing people until someone confessed? What if it was taken centuries ago? Would they wipe out everyone before they were satisfied that no one alive had it or knew where it was?

"Hey."

Astir didn't respond. Someone patted him on the cheek. "Hey," the voice said again.

"Now look what you've done," a woman's voice, nearby, accused. "You've scared the shit out of him."

"I didn't mean to," the man's voice said, sounding contrite.

"You always said people were scared of me being angry, but you have no idea what you're like when you're angry."

Astir blinked, forcing his eyes to focus. Link and Zelda were both leaning in, watching him carefully.

He jerked back a little bit, wishing he could put more distance between himself and them.

"F-forgive me, Your Worshipfulness," he whispered. "Forgive me."

Link sighed and hung his head.

Zelda straightened up. "Now you've done it," she accused, crossing her arms.

"Mea culpa," Link said. He sighed again, then looked up at Astir's fear-struck eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"You don't have to apologize to me, Your Worshipfulness."

Link stood. "Don't with the titles," he said, waving his hand. "I was never a god."

"And I gave up my divinity a very long time ago," Zelda said. "I have no powers beyond that of an ordinary woman."

"We're both ordinary people," Link agreed. "We're subject to pain and sorrow and losing our tempers, the same as any other person."

Astir had never thought them ordinary people, even before he met them. But he didn't dare contradict them.

"I suppose we will have to add the mystery of the missing Master Sword to the mystery of who took your baby and for what purpose," Link said with a clearly heavy heart.

"Could the two things be connected?" Addison hesitantly asked.

Link shook his head. "It's definitely not possible for a human to wield my sword."

"But someone took it from its stone. . . . Unless they broke the stone to get it out?"

"No, the resting stone was still there. Everything looked as it should."

"Except that the woods were different," Zelda pointed out.

"Yes. The woods knew the sword was not there. Wherever it is, it's nowhere in the Lost Woods."

No one had enough courage to ask for an explanation of how a forest could know whether a sword was in it or not.

"What will you do now?" Addison finally dared to ask.

"That's the question, isn't it?" Link replied. He pulled out a chair and sat down. He put his elbows on the table and rested his face in his hands. It was difficult to tell whether he was weary or grieving.

He was silent for a few moments, then lifted his head. "Zelda and I crossed the Endless Ocean before. But only I made it through the storms; she was driven back to our shores. If we go out again, without the Master Sword to create an opening in the squall line, we have no guarantee that either of us will make it through. Your ship might be torn apart, as ours was, any crew aboard killed, and Zelda and I may die as well and our bodies be lost to the deep. Then you would be completely on your own; there would be no way for us to come back again to help you."

There was silence in the room as his words sank in.

"It's a risk we are willing to take, because we're living only to help you in this one thing, but it's an all-or-nothing risk. There will likely not be a second chance."

Astir finally looked at Addison. "What do you think?"

"I think I would like some more time to think about it, Your Majesty," he said, chewing on his lip. "It's not a decision to be made lightly."

"When you only have one arrow, you need to be sure of your shot," Hadrian added.

Astir looked at Link and Zelda. "Do you need anything while we think this over?"

"I wouldn't say no a proper breakfast," Link said.

"I'll have some brought to you," Astir said, before ringing for a servant.

Link and Zelda were lying on top of the covers on the bed in a guest room, relaxing. Their lack of sleep the night before, coupled with a hot, hearty breakfast, made them both rather sleepy. But they couldn't quiet their minds enough to take a nap.

"I still can't fathom how someone could have taken my sword from the stone," Link said, for what had to be the dozenth time.

"I can't either."

"And how did we not know that it had happened? Why didn't we see it?"

"That would seem to indicate that it's been taken since we got here . . . or when the baby was taken. Whatever magic they used to conceal taking the baby could have been used to conceal taking the sword as well."

"Yes, but we're back to how? Who but me—or maybe you—could pull the sword?"

"Is it possible that because it knew you were coming, it was loose in the stone, ready to be pulled?"

"No. You know it has a consciousness. It recognizes me. And even I can't take it from the stone if it's not time for it to wake up."

"That's what I'm saying: maybe it was already awake."

"All the more reason why it shouldn't allow someone who wasn't me to draw it."

Zelda sighed. "Well, I don't think we're going to be able to find an answer to this. Worse, we have no leads as to where it could have gone." Before they had left the Lost Woods, Link had carefully searched the ground around the dais, but he had found no footprints in the grass, other than their own. Either a ghost had taken the sword right before they got there, or it had been taken so long before, the ground no longer bore any sign of the thief's passing.

"I feel . . . naked,"Link suddenly declared.

Zelda turned to look at him. "You have your old sword," she pointed out. "You carried that for many more years of your life than you carried the Master Sword."

"Yes, but . . . the Master Sword is mine. You made it for me. And it knows me. It . . . it would be like someone stealing your dog from you—a dog you'd had with you since you were a boy—a dog that knows what you're thinking and is always with you, taking care of you. And then someone gives you another dog and expects it to take the place of the one taken from you. It's not the same thing. They're not interchangeable."

Zelda remembered how distraught Link had been when he had found the Master Sword broken when they were on their quest. His analogy of a beloved dog was probably not far off the mark. He spoke about it as if it was a living companion, and he had a sort of unspoken understanding with it—not unlike how he and Zelda could understand each other without saying anything. Certainly it was something he treasured above almost all other things.

They were interrupted a moment later by a knock on the door.

Link sat up on the side of the bed. "Come in."

Astir, Addison, and Hadrian came into the room, careful to shut the door behind them. Although Link and Zelda had moved around the castle a little since their arrival, no one other than these three men, plus Ysabel and the knights present at their resurrection, knew who they really were. To any guards or servants, they were no more than guests. And with the infant prince missing, there were many strangers at court, all trying to lend their aid. Link and Zelda's presence blended into the background with everyone else.

Astir sat down at the nearby table where Link and Zelda's breakfast dishes still lay; they had not yet bothered to ring for a maid to clear them away. "I told Ysabel what happened."

Link sucked in his breath. "I warned you—" he started to say.

"Yes, I know. But I didn't have a choice; she woke up demanding an update."

"How bad is she?" Zelda asked quietly, moving to sit up beside Link.

"She's stronger than you think," Hadrian said with a note of stubborn pride in his voice.

"She is that," Astir nodded. "She was not nearly as disturbed by the news as we were. She mentioned that there is a renowned scholar in Meridor who is famous for his study of the ocean. She said if anyone knew a way to cross the ocean, he would."

Astir didn't mention Ysabel's other words, which is that if he didn't know a way to cross, then they should just cross it themselves. She seemed rather flippant about the risk to their lives—although it was unclear if that was because she thought they couldn't lose, or because she was willing to risk anyone and everyone to get her child back. Still, Astir did not think it prudent to act so callously towards deities.

Link glanced at Zelda questioningly. "I don't see why it would hurt to ask," she said. "All it costs us is a little bit of time."

"That's something we're short on," Link pointed out.

"But it won't matter at all if one of us can't make it to the western shore."

"True enough." Link looked back to Astir. "We'll give it a shot."

Addison stepped up and handed them an envelope. "His name is Regan and he lives in the capital. That's all we know, but he shouldn't be hard to find. I've explained everything in this letter."

He took a purse from his belt and handed it to Link as well. "If he requires payment for his services."

"If he needs more than that," Astir said, "tell him to send me the bill." He looked at them seriously. "There is no amount too great to get back my son. I will bankrupt the treasury, if I have to."

Link nodded. The purse was heavy with coin—likely all in gold. Surely it would be enough to buy them the information they needed—if such information existed.