To your surprise, that got them moving, listening to you as an alarm bell rang out and more of them poured from nearby buildings. They were gathering torches and weapons and heading out onto the road when an explosion rocked through the forest.

You turned in the saddle, nearly falling again as Raina whinnied and reared, but the guard holding her reins got her back under control. You paid the beast no attention, your focus entirely on the green burst of light shining upward from the trees.

“Link…”

You knew it was him. Breath caught in your throat, heart hammering in your chest, there was no doubt.

The light faded into darkness. You turned on the guard holding the reins.

“I have to go!”

The Hylian shook his head, eyes wide.

“I can’t do that, my lady.”

You made a noise of frustration and kicked your heels into Raina’s side, and the horse tossed her head and nearly got loose from the guard, but he held on tight. Another pair of hands grabbed you, and you screamed, “No, let go!” as they dragged you from the saddle.

But they didn’t, and you had no choice but to be forcibly escorted from the gate and toward the towering castle. It was late enough that all the shops were closed, but Hylians still gathered at the commotion even as they whispered in confusion amongst themselves.

You didn’t know what had happened to Link, if he was alive or dead, and all you wanted to do was squirm out of your captor’s grip and run away. Not back to Tarrey Town, no, but perhaps Zora’s Domain. Or better yet, somewhere far away where no one knew you.

But the thought of leaving now, when Link’s fate was still unknown, left a twist of something unpleasant in your stomach. So you moved forward, one foot in front of another, fear making each step unbearably difficult.

The castle rested on a hill, heavily fortified on all sides, and protected by a large moat. Walking up to the royal structure took longer than you thought, and only when you drew closer did you realize it was so much larger than anything you could imagine. Even the Zora’s palace had been modest compared to the size of Hyrule Castle.

You were led inside a huge archway bordered by massive doors. The interior was vaulted stone ceilings and plush crimson runners, glittering golden candle fixtures along the walls or hanging from the ceiling. There was a woman there to greet you, a large book in her arms and distress coloring her pale cheeks. Her attire was royal blue and gold, her tunic and trousers of shimmery, rich material. At first glance she appeared Hylian, but you recognized the long white hair and tall stature of a Sheikah.

You blinked, frowning slightly. You’d never met a Sheikah before. Heard of them, yes, but how did you know with such certainty what she was? The red symbol inked onto her forehead was familiar too, similar to the one on your dagger, but the Champion had reacted negatively to the symbol and said it was of the Yiga Clan.

“Captain Pyrus!” she called as she shuffled closer. “What has happened?! I hear the alarm sounded from the east gate!”

“Lady Paya,” one of the guards said, stepping forward with a slight bow. “We have word that three Stalnoxes were approaching the gate, but we believe Master Link has thwarted the attack. We are searching for him now.”

“Stalnox?” A hand moved to her throat, her maroon eyes wide. “That can’t be, surely. It’s been years since they’ve been last seen—who relayed this message to you?”

The guard captain stepped back and nodded to you, his brows pulled into a critical line.

“Master Link was nowhere in sight, but she appeared at the gate with a warning and his horse.” He turned to the Sheikah, expression now unsure. “There was… something else. A flash of green light from the forest. I’ve never seen anything like it, but my men will take the appropriate precautions—“

The Sheikah had gone bloodless as soon as he’d said the words “green light.”

“You must find Link immediately,” she whispered, and then cleared her throat, raising her voice. “Find him and bring him back to the castle, no matter what state he’s in.”

“Y-yes, Lady Paya.” Confused by her words, the captain still obeyed, turning away with a bow and taking most of his men with him, leaving you alone with two of them and the Sheikah.

The Sheikah looked after the captain, expression tense and worried, before she finally turned her gaze on you.

“Well. Uh, hello there. My name is Paya, and you’re Blue, right?”

You uncomfortably shifted on your feet but nodded. She smiled in relief, which was the last thing you expected.

“Link sent word of your coming.” Her smile fell, her hands nervously clutching at her book. “Suffice it to say, you were supposed to arrive together with no monsters barring your way. This is troubling, very troubling. Oh, dear. You must be exhausted. Please, allow me to show you to your quarters—“

“Not until they’ve found Link.”

You surprised yourself, and judging by her rapid blinking, the Sheikah too.

“I’m sure they will find him soon. He’ll be all right.” She offered a small smile. “I’ve known him to survive more dire situations than a few Stalnoxes. Come along, let’s get you to a room and you can wash up in time for… for Link’s arrival.”

The catch in her throat betrayed her anxiety, but she pushed forward, both physically by leading you down the grand hallway, and by smiling even as the gesture  was strained.

“You’re going to love it here in the castle. It’s a lot different from my village, and I never thought I would learn the layout. I got lost constantly, so much that I was sure Zelda—I mean, the princess, would retract her offer to make me her royal advisor. But no, the princess is a lovely person, I can’t wait for you to meet her. Oh, those clothes you’re wearing—are those Zora-made? They look like it. Did you meet Prince Sidon? He’s quite… quite something, isn’t he?”

You didn’t respond, you suspected an answer wasn’t necessary and was proven right when she continued to talk. It was quite fascinating the way the Sheikah’s expression and subject matter changed so rapidly, and the bright blush on her face was something to behold. Were all people of this land so chatty? You’d thought Link was overfriendly, and Sidon was simply charming, but now you were beginning to think they were all like this.

Your thoughts lingered on the Champion, and your stomach twisted with dread. The not-knowing if he was alive or dead, it was… oddly upsetting. He would be fine, wouldn’t he? If he had single-handedly defeated the Calamity, surely some monsters risen from the dirt wouldn’t be a challenge.

Assuaging yourself did nothing, and your stomach continued to churn as your hands wrung the sleeves of your cloak. Finally, you arrived at a wooden door after climbing several sets of steps and walking down another hall, this one smaller and less grandiose. A guard opened the door for you, and beyond it laid a modest but comfortable-looking bedroom.

“There’s an attached bathroom, as well as a full-length bathtub,” the royal advisor said. “I can call on a servant to draw up a bath for you—“

“I can do it myself.”

You hadn’t meant to be so short with her, but you wanted to be alone. No more chatty royal advisors; you needed to think.

“Oh, yes, of course.” She blushed again, giving a small bow of her head as she held the book tight to her chest. You didn’t know what it was, but she’s scribbled various notes in it as she had talked. “If you need anything, there will be guard right outside your door. Sir Thim, if you would be so kind as to stay with our guest.”

“As you wish, Lady Paya,” one of them responded as he stepped to the side of the door. You grit your jaw but said nothing. One guard wouldn’t be too much of a hindrance.

“Excellent,” she said cheerily, sounding more like a chipper bird than a person. “Make yourself comfortable, and I will return as soon as I am able to make sure you’ve settled in and to… to give you an update on the situation.”

She made no mention of Link and when he would be back. You didn’t like this. You didn’t like any of it.

But you fixed your expression into a flat one and thanked her for her hospitality. It seemed to please her, and once she left and you were securely inside your room, you released a heavy breath. Dropping your pack on the bed, you began a quick and immediate search of the room.

There were only two exits: the door, which currently had a knight standing in front of it, and the window, shaped much like a rectangular door itself except for the patterns of wood that crisscrossed the panes.

Tugging and pulling at the lock mechanism, you managed to get it open and peek your head through. The outside ledge was precarious, but you’d been in more dangerous spots before while fleeing from the Tarrey Town guards. The trick was to take it slow, test your footholds before placing your full weight on them, and never, ever look down.

You hoisted yourself out of the window, listening to your own advice and briefly testing each ledge before you put your foot down. The wind tugged at your clothing and hair as you cautiously made your way to the floor below, eyeing a dark window that hopefully meant it was unoccupied. You didn’t need to scale the whole castle, only get far enough from the room that it was unlikely you would stumble on another guard.

You made it to the darkened window only to find it was locked. Gritting your teeth, you searched this side of the wall and spotted an open window two floors below. Breathing as steadily as you could, refusing to think about what happened if you lost your grip because that would only make your palms sweat, you made your way inch by excruciating inch until you slipped through the open window.

The room was cozy, and despite the fact it was light by candelabras, it was empty. Slanted writing desks and rows of bookshelves lined with tomes of various sizes and colors, you could only guess you were in some kind of study parlor. It was too small to be a library, or at least that was your assumption since everything about this place was about being too large and too rich. Surely a royal library would reflect that.

You found the door that led to the hallway, the soft Zora boots aiding you in being nearly silent. The corridor was clear as far as you could tell, and you walked quickly down them, not sure which way to go but always trying to aim toward the ground level. If you could find a way out, or possibly eavesdrop over the guards—

The back of your neck prickled, and you rubbed it, startled. Chills ran down your body, an unpleasant sensation that left you glancing around in paranoid swiftness. There was nothing there, but a moment later, voices wafted up from a nearby hallway.

You edged toward it keeping carefully close to the walls, and when you looked around the corner your breath was trapped in your throat.

A group of guards were coming inside from one of the side doors, and they were carrying something between them on a stretcher. There was a quick flash of blond hair, a dark cloak, and then a hand slipped down from where it was laying on the taut fabric.

Link’s right hand, the one normally covered with a glove, was completely bare. And it glowed a bright, sickly green.