The Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Choices of the Heart ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

A/N: Thank you to Cov3rt Snip3r for the review. I'm really glad you like my story! Oh, and I do plan on having a sequel (possibly multiple). Hope you continue to enjoy the story!!

Chapter 4:

Link turned the handle, but it did not move. “I think it's locked,” he whispered.

Zelda turned to Malon. “Is there a key?” she asked.

Malon nodded. “He always kept it in his pocket though,” she said.

“So basically, we have no way of getting in,” Link moaned.

Zelda shook her head, and began fidgeting with her hair. From her hair, she withdrew a pin. “We can just pick the lock,” she said. She opened the pin and stuck it into the keyhole of the door, pressing her ear close to the lock as she moved the pin around inside. She heard a faint click and took out the pin. “Now it should open.”

Link tried the handle again, and this time the door swung slowly open. “Neat!” he exclaimed. “Where'd you learn how to do that?”

“Impa used to lock my bedroom door when I was little so I couldn't sneak out, so I would use hairpins to pick the locks,” Zelda explained.

“Come on, let's go in,” Malon said.

Link peered into the room. It was small, and set up exactly as Malon had described it. A desk sat in the middle of the room, and an easel beside it. Paintings covered the walls. The orb of light floating in front of her, Zelda went to the desk and began to open the drawers, examining their contents. While she did this, Link went to the back wall, looking at the paintings.

Malon could feel her breath beginning to come in short gasps as she stepped into the room she remembered so well. She walked up to the easel, staring at it. It was empty, holding no paintings or canvas. Joining Link at the wall, she began looking at the paintings. Her own face stared back at her from the canvases, sending a shiver down her back. She walked along the wall, unable to take her eyes away from the paintings of herself. As she reached the end of the wall, she gave a small cry, and stepped back.

Link and Zelda jumped as Malon cried out, and turned to look at her. She stood, her arms wrapped protectively around her body, staring at the wall with a look of terror on her face. The other two ran up to her.

Zelda placed her hands on Malon's shoulders. “Malon, what's wrong?” she asked.

“Zelda,” Link choked, stepping back, his eyes transfixed on the wall before him.

Zelda looked up at the wall, and her eyes grew wide. Like all the others, the painting portrayed Malon, but unlike the rest, a second person joined her this time. Link's figure stood beside her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, his other hand holding a dagger which had been plunged into Malon's heart, staining the front of her dress with blood.

“Oh goddesses,” Zelda breathed, staring with horror at the painting. Her hands were still on Malon's shoulders, supporting the girl who had now gone limp, her face white as death.

“Link, let's get out of here,” Zelda said to the boy, whose face had turned equally white. He looked sickly.

Link nodded, and together, Link stumbling slightly, they supported Malon out of the room and to the door, which Zelda hurriedly unlocked and opened, peering outside to make sure the coast was clear. The guards did not seem to have returned from their wild goose chase, and she nodded to Link that it was all right to come out. Still supporting Malon, they stepped into the clear night air of Hyrule Castletown and carried Malon to a bench nearby, laying her on it.

Remembering what Impa had taught her, Zelda pressed her fingers on Malon's wrist, checking for a pulse. Malon's skin felt cold and clammy, and her pulse seemed weak and slow. While Zelda did this, Link collapsed on the bench beside her, his face still chalk white, staring up at the dark sky. Images flowed through his head, of his sword stabbed through Malon's heart, of him plunging a dagger through her chest. Was he really destined to kill his best friend?

“Link,” Zelda said softly. “I know what you're thinking, but don't. If anything, this just proves more so that Ladarius is only trying to mess with your head.”

Slowly, Link pulled his mind away from the images and turned his face to look at Zelda. “How can you be so sure?” he asked. “What if I really am going to…” he broke off, unable to bring himself to say the last two words.

Zelda shook her head firmly, and rested her hand on Link's arm. “You won't,” she said. “I know you won't.”

Link looked unconvinced, but he nodded and turned his eyes to Malon lying beside him. “Is she okay?”

Zelda also looked at the redhead girl, her body lying unmoving on the bench. “I don't know,” she replied. “We need to get her to a doctor. Do you think you can help me carry her back to the gate? One of the guards will help us take her to the castle, and Impa can take care of her.”

Link nodded, and pushed himself to a standing position. Zelda noted gladly that he seemed to be feeling a little better. She also rose to her feet, and together, they lifted Malon's arms onto their shoulders and began the slow, tedious journey to the gate. When they arrived however, the gate's sentinel had still not returned, and no other guards were anywhere to be seen.

Link and Zelda looked at each other, then back at the empty gate. “Do you think they're still looking for me?” Link asked.

Zelda frowned. “I don't know. Doesn't it seem like an awfully long time to be searching for one person? I'd think they would alert someone else and return to their posts if they really thought there was a threat.”

“What do we do then? Should we wait here?”

Zelda thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “We should probably hurry and get her to the castle. I'm worried there might be something seriously wrong with her.”

“Okay,” Link agreed. “Let's go.”

The travel down the path to Hyrule Castle seemed to take an eternity to the two young teenagers as they half-dragged half-carried Malon's limp body across the ground. The entire way, they met with no guards, and everything seemed unnaturally still and quiet. The two shuddered, their eyes darting around the darkness, as though something were about to leap out at them.

When at last they reached the castle, their circumstances only seemed to worsen. The drawbridge was shut tight and unguarded, and they had no way of getting in through the courtyard with an unconscious girl in tow. They looked around, trying to find a way to get inside, when a voice suddenly yelled, “There she is! The Princess is over here!” and a soldier came running towards them from the courtyard side of the castle, closely followed by two others. The first grabbed Zelda, pulling her aside and causing Link to collapse under the sudden full weight of Malon's body. The other two pointed their spears at Link and Malon.

“Wait!” Zelda cried, struggling to free her arm from the guard's grasp. “They're with me! It's all right!”

The two guards glanced at Zelda, then turned their focus back on the other two. “I'm sorry Your Highness, but for the present we must take extreme precautions, for the safety of the Royal Family?”

“What are you talking about?” Zelda demanded. “Please, my friend, the girl, she's hurt. She needs medical attention!”

His brow furrowing, one of the guards knelt down, examining Malon's limp body. He held her wrist, feeling for her pulse, then stood back up, turning to the guard who still held Zelda's arm. “She's right,” he said. “Take her inside; we'll handle the boy.”

The first guard nodded, releasing Zelda's arm and walking over to pick up the unconscious girl. He yelled something at the castle, and the drawbridge slowly let down, allowing him to carry Malon inside.

Meanwhile, the two remaining guards turned to Zelda, keeping their spears pointed closely at Link's vitals. “Princess, we need you to come with us,” said the one who had checked Malon's pulse.

Zelda nodded, and followed as the two guards marched Link inside the castle. “What has happened?” she asked.

The guard glanced back at her, his face grim. “Something very unpleasant,” he replied vaguely. “We've been searching the castle all over for you. His Majesty and Lady Impa are worried sick over you.”

“What's going on?” Link asked.

The second guard jabbed Link with his spear, causing him to yelp. “Quiet,” the guard ordered. Link glared at him.

“You'll find out soon enough,” the first guard said. “We're almost there.”

Sure enough, as the guard finished this last sentence, they rounded a corner to find a large group of people, servants and guards alike, crowded in a group around something on the floor. Looks of horror and frightened curiosity plastered across their faces, and some of them looked as though they were about to be sick.

“Zelda!” a man's voice bellowed, and the king pushed through the back of the crowd to grasp his daughter in a tight hug. “Where have you been, young lady?” he demanded, releasing her and pushing her back to look at her sternly.

Before Zelda could answer the question, King Daphnes caught sight of the two guards still pointing their spears at Link, who looked very irritated. “So, you again,” Daphnes said. His tone was stern and angry, but turned to the guards and said, “It's all right. You can release him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards said, removing their spears and bowing.

Link opened his mouth to say something smart, but his relief was shortened by the king's harsh gaze. He felt the sudden urge to take several steps away, and with some effort managed not to do so. He looked fearfully into Daphnes' stern gray eyes.

“Daddy, what's going on?” Zelda asked, intervening before her father could begin lecturing the youth in front of him.

Daphnes turned to his daughter, and his face became one of troubled concern. “I'm not sure it's something you should see,” he said slowly.

“It's all right, Daddy. I can handle it,” the princess said.

His face still one of concern, Daphnes searched his daughter's face, then nodded. He turned to the guards who stood surrounding whatever it was Daphnes had not wanted Zelda to see. “Let them see,” he told the guards, indicating to the two children.

The guards bowed and stood aside. Link and Zelda exchanged glances, then together they walked up to the circle, and peered down at the floor. Zelda shrieked, and stepped back hastily, her hand going to her mouth, while Link stared at the spot in shock and horror. Regaining herself, Zelda crept back to Link's side, looking sickly as she stared at the place on the floor.

A woman's body, beaten, bruised and bloody, lay on the floor in a pool of dark blood. Blood spattered the walls and floor several feet around her, and spread out on the floor beside her was a canvas, held down on the floor by the woman's gray, lifeless head. A bloody paintbrush lay beside the canvas, and written in blood upon it were the words “Heed this warning, foolish children. Do not attempt to meddle any further.”

Zelda's hand crept to her mouth once again as she read the words, and her eyes widened with horror. Slowly, she turned to stare at her father.

Daphnes looked at his daughter's frightened, horrified face. “Do you know what it means?” he asked.

Zelda stared at him for another moment, then slowly shook her head. “I don't,” she lied.

“Then what were you three doing outside of the castle tonight?” Daphnes inquired.

“We wanted to see what the castle looked like at night, so we decided to sneak out,” Zelda replied.

“I know her,” Link said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“What?” Zelda asked, turning to him. Her eyes slid of their own accord to the woman's body, and she quickly looked away again.

“I know her,” Link said again. “She was cleaning your father's room the other night. Her name was Elaine.”

Zelda stared at the boy, her eyes filled with shock and pity, unsure of what to say.

“She was close to our age,” Link continued. “She came to work in the castle because her family was too poor to support themselves.”

Zelda went to place a hand on Link's arm. “Link, that's—“

Link turned on her so fast she almost cried out and stepped back a little. Link's eyes held hers, and his intense, wild gaze frightened her. “He knows,” he said. “He's going to go after anyone we have a connection to. You were right; he'll mess with our heads until there's nothing left. This is all our fault.”

“Link, be quiet!” Zelda said.

“Zelda, what is he talking about?” Daphnes asked.

Zelda turned to the king. “Father, he must be in shock, he's talking nonsense. He needs to be taken to where Malon was taken.”

Daphnes frowned deeply. His daughter only called him father when she was lying about something very important. He glanced at the boy. Whatever was going on, he would let it wait for now. Zelda was right about one thing. The boy definitely needed to be treated, and she probably did as well. He nodded. “We'll take him to Impa,” he told her.

Zelda nodded and grabbed Link's arm, leading him after her father. She sent one last shuddering look at the bloody scene.

---

“Honestly! You bring me two children who have gone into shock, one of them a quite serious state! You're lucky I'm a healer!” Impa exclaimed, as she knelt down beside Malon's body, which had turned a faint blue in color. Impa lifted Malon's head and poured a little red potion down her throat. Impa stood up, surveying the two children who had been brought to her. Malon lay on the bed, the blankets covering her body, and Link lay on the floor, also covered in blankets. Pillows had been placed under both of their legs, raising them slightly.

Impa turned to Zelda, her hands on her hips and a stern, expectant look on her face. “Zelda, what were you three doing tonight?” she asked.

Zelda stared pointedly at a corner of the bed. “Nothing,” she replied.

“Zelda, I know you're lying,” Impa began, but King Daphnes placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Let it go for now,” he said.

Impa appeared hesitant, but nodded. “Zelda, you should go to your rooms,” she said. “Don't worry about these two; I'll take care of them.”

Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but a stern look from both her father and her nursemaid stopped her, and she nodded obediently. “Fine. Good night,” she said, turning to exit the room.

“Good night,” Impa and Daphnes called back as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Zelda crossed the corridors to her own room, her mind moving a mile a minute as she walked. She was worried about Link and Malon. Neither of them looked too good at all, though at least Link seemed to be better off than Malon. Zelda frowned; she knew Impa would take care of them as she had said, but she couldn't help worrying. What worried her even more though, was that her father and Impa both seemed to suspect that whatever they had been up to tonight had been somehow connected the terrible scene from earlier. She was afraid of how her father would react once he found out, though she was certain he would not be happy.

These thoughts scurrying back and forth through her mind, Zelda went to her room, climbed into bed, and lay awake for several hours, thinking.

---

Dawn came all too quickly for the princess of Hyrule. She awoke early in the morning, and forced herself to open her eyes and crawl out of bed. Washing and dressing herself, she crept into the corridor, keeping her eyes peeled for her father or Impa. She wanted to avoid both of them if at all possible. She wondered for a moment whether it would be safe to visit Link and Malon, or if Impa might still be with them. She decided she would visit them anyway, and just make sure to check that Impa wasn't there before she went in.

Zelda hurried through the corridors on her way to the room where Link and Malon rested. As she reached the door, it opened, freezing her mid-step. Ren stepped out of the room and caught sight of Zelda as she relaxed slightly. He closed the door softly behind him and walked over to her.

“Zelda,” he said. “I've been talking to your father. What happened last night?”

Zelda looked away from him quickly. She should have known he would talk to her father. Now he was going to try to get it out of her as well. She hesitated, trying to think of a decent lie.

“Is it really that bad?” Ren asked, noting her hesitation and raising his eyebrows slightly.

“It's not bad!” Zelda replied hastily, too late realizing what she had said. She fumbled. “I mean, it's just that I'm afraid Daddy might misunderstand.”

Ren smiled knowingly. “All right, I'll tell you what. You tell me, and I promise not to tell your father, okay?”

Zelda considered this. Finally, she decided to agree with this proposal. If she lied, Ren would know anyway. Nodding, she began the story of the recent events, and everything that had happened the previous night.

Ren frowned as she told him about the painter L.R., Lanarius, and the phantom Link had met in the dungeon. At last she concluded her story with the incidents of the night before. “It sounds pretty dangerous,” Ren said when Zelda had finished. “I don't think I like it. Zelda, are you sure you should be messing around with someone like that?”

“We have to,” Zelda replied. “Besides, it's not like Link and I haven't faced things like this before.”

Ren nodded. She had told him about the fight against Ganondorf, and sending Link back in time. “Still,” he said. “With what happened last night, it might just be better to leave things alone. I don't want to see you get hurt.”

Zelda shook her head. “This is something I have to do. I could never forgive myself otherwise, if something happened to Link or Malon.”

Ren studied her. At last, he nodded. “Well, since you seem set on it, I suppose I'll help you out.”

Zelda looked up, her face brightening. “You will?”

He smiled. “I have no choice, I guess.”

“Yay!” Zelda cried, throwing her arms around him. “Thank you, Ren!”

---

Slowly, Malon opened her eyes, feeling as though she had just held her breath underwater for twenty minutes. Her head pounded painfully as she sat up, taking in her surroundings. She lay in a large, comfortable bed in an unfamiliar room. Thick curtains had been drawn over the windows, blocking out the light and darkening the room. She slowly slid her feet off the bed and stood up cautiously. Her legs wobbled slightly beneath her, but she managed to keep her balance and walk to the other side of the bed, where she nearly stepped on something spread across the floor.

Peering at the thing more closely, she realized that it was Link, asleep with his limbs sprawled out everywhere and blankets wrapped in odd ways around his body. As Malon stared at him, he snored loudly, causing her to laugh softly. Unfortunately, laughing seemed to make the pounding in her head ten times worse, and she stopped abruptly.

She looked around the room again, trying to determine where she was. Where had she been last night? She cringed as memories of the previous night came pouring back to her, and had to stumble back to the bed and sit down on it. She leaned her head in her eyes, closing her eyes shut tightly. She could feel her heart speeding up, and her breathing started to come faster. Last night she had looked at that painting, and afterwards she couldn't seem to remember anything. Had she lost consciousness? She glanced at the room once more. It looked like the sort of room that only a very wealthy person would have; she must be in the castle.

As she thought, a sudden moaning came from the floor at her feet. Startled, Malon looked down. The moaning was coming from Link, whose face mirrored one of terror. Malon stood up, slowly coming toward him, worried. She knelt down beside him.

He must be having a nightmare, she thought. Should I wake him?

Link began to writhe, his body moving wildly. Suddenly, he cried out and jerked awake, his body shooting automatically into a sitting position. Malon startled slightly as his white face shot up at her. He stared at her, and his eyes seemed to widen in horror. “No!” he shouted, jerking away from her.

Malon fell back on the floor, staring at him in shock and confusion as he backed away from her.

“S-stay away from me!” Link cried, his face stricken. He turned and clumsily wrenched the door open, stumbling into the hallway and running off, not bothering to shut the door behind him.

Malon stared after him, feeling hurt and bewildered as to why Link had been so terrified to be near her. Had his nightmare been about her? She stood up and walked over to the open door, peering into the corridor. Link was nowhere to be seen.

---

Link ran through the corridors, not bothering to pay attention to where he went, or caring. He couldn't stay near Malon anymore. Ploy to destroy his mind or not, he couldn't take the risk of actually doing anything like that to her. Not to Malon, his best friend. He stopped in the middle of a corridor and leaned his hands on his knees, huffing loudly.

Only then did he stop to look around, realizing he had no idea where he was. He turned around and walked back down the corridor, but when he came to a fork could not remember which way he had come from.

“Great, now what,” he muttered.

He pondered over the two corridors for a moment, and finally decided on the one to the right. The hall continued on for several minutes. Link looked around. Unlike most of the other corridors, no paintings or decorations hung on the walls, and as he went on, the lamps slowly began to fade away until the only light was provided by torches. A cold draft blew on him from the end of the hallway, and Link had the feeling he knew where he was. It would probably be smart to turn around now, but something drew him forward, and he found himself continuing to the dungeon door.

The door was unlocked, perhaps because some careless guard had forgotten to lock it, or because they simply no longer saw the purpose of locking it. With some effort, he pulled the heavy door open, and crept inside. The dungeon was exactly how he remembered it—cold, dark, and damp. He walked down the short stairway. He could barely see inside the dark dungeon, and he wished he had thought to grab a torch.

Link sidled across the floor, peering around as his eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light. The cell where he had been imprisoned stood wide open, as though someone had been inside recently. Link's better judgment told him to leave now, but for some reason his mind seemed to be very foggy, and he walked into the cell and to the back left corner. A skull lay on the floor, the tattered, decaying remains of a blue hood wrapped around it. Something glinted, from what light he did not know, on the floor beside the skull. Kneeling down beside it, he squinted at the object.

It was a pendant, made of some sort of blue, glass-like substance, and bearing some sort of strange symbol. Link picked it up, and dropped it immediately, fresh drops of blood beading up from a cut on his finger where he had touched the pendant. A drop of blood dripped onto the pendant, and it sizzled and disappeared, as though the substance had soaked it up.

Link suddenly felt woozy. He leaned his head in his hands as a dizzy spell swept over him, waiting for the dark spots in front of his eyes to clear up.

---

Malon debated about going into the corridors and trying to find Link. The castle was immense, and she didn't know her way around it at all, but she was worried by Link's behavior. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot. The next time she saw him, she was going to make sure he regretted making her worry so much, and if she had to beat it out of him, he was going to tell her why he had acted that way.

Her brow creased as something crossed her mind. Did it have to do with that painting? Her heart squeezed painfully at the remembrance of the disturbing image, and she clenched her eyes shut to ward off the uncomfortable feeling.

As Malon stood there with her eyes shut, Zelda peeked into the room, and when she saw Malon awake, burst inside. “Guess what!” she cried, causing Malon to jump and nearly lose her balance. “Ren said he would help us find Ladarius! Hey, where's Link?” the princess faltered in her statement, looking around the room for the teenage boy.

“He ran off. I don't know where he went,” Malon said.

“He ran off? Why?” Zelda asked.

“He was having some sort of nightmare, and then he screamed at me to stay away, and ran off,” Malon explained.

Zelda's face fell. “Oh. I think I know why,” she said softly. She looked up at Malon cautiously. “I don't know if I should tell you this, but I think you need to know.”

“Know what?” Malon asked, feeling scared by Zelda's serious look.

Zelda hesitated for a moment, then told Malon about Link's dream. Malon's face turned white. “He's been having dreams like that?” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “For how long?”

“He told me about it a couple of days ago. It was before we went to that house,” Zelda said.

Walking backwards, Malon sat down on the bed, while Zelda stood awkwardly, waiting for her to say something. “Well, I guess that explains why he was acting that way,” Malon said.

“Malon, I didn't want to tell Link this, but I'm afraid that dream might actually be some sort of prediction of the future, especially after everything that's just happened,” Zelda said, carefully avoiding telling Malon about the bloody scene she and Link had seen the night before. “I think it might be a good idea for you and Link to stay far away from each other, just in case. Link, and Ren, and I will keep trying to find Ladarius, and if we need your help, I can have Ren come ask you, but I think you should just stay away from all of this.”

Malon bit her lip. The last thing she wanted was to back off, and leave Link wide open for Zelda, and she really wanted to help with the Ladarius situation, but Zelda was right. Things were too dangerous for her to keep getting involved, and she definitely didn't want to be killed, especially not by Link. Silently, she nodded.

“I'm really sorry, Malon, but it's for your safety, and for Link's,” Zelda said.

Malon nodded. “It's okay. I understand.”

“Come on, I'll go find someone to escort you out.”

---

Link leaned his hands against the wall, breathing hard as he coughed out the last bits of blood he had just vomited up. He leaned back on his knees, trying to catch his breath. What was happening to him? Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to get away from that cell. Why had he even come there?

Using the wall as support, he stumbled do his feet, and walked unsteadily out of the cell, keeping his hands against the walls as he stumbled to the stairs and out of the dungeon. He didn't bother to close the door, but continued slowly down the dim corridor.

An eternity later he reached the fork from earlier, and took the corridor he should have gone down in the first place. A sound reached his ears, and he disregarded it at first, until he realized someone was calling his name. He looked up from staring at the floor in front of him, and tried to open his mouth to call back, but found he was too weak.

Footsteps sounded down the corridor near him, and a figure rounded the corner. “Oh, goddesses! Link!” a girl's voice cried, running towards him.

Zelda caught Link's arms as he almost lost his balance, doing her best to hold him steady as they walked slowly down the corridor. “Link, what happened to you? What were you doing?” Zelda gasped, her eyes searching over him fearfully and lingering on the blood splattered on his chin.

Link could not reply, and Zelda frowned worriedly. “Come on, we'll go find Impa,” she said.

They stumbled down the hall until they came upon one of the guards, who took Link from Zelda and brought him to Impa. The Sheikah fussed over Link even more than she had before, and Zelda sat in a chair, watching him with worry and waiting for a chance to talk with him alone.

Once Impa was satisfied that she had done all she could for Link, and had ordered him to stay in bed and not to get up until she said it was okay, she finally left the room. Link and Zelda sat in silence, Link pouting about being put on bed rest, and Zelda fumbling with the hem of her dress.

“Link, what happened to you?” Zelda asked.

Link turned to her, and told her what had happened, starting with the recurring nightmare and his experience with Malon, and ending with what had happened in the dungeon.

“Link, I don't like what happened with that pendant. What if it was some dark item Ladarius used? Why did you even go down there?” Zelda said.

“I told you, I wasn't thinking straight. It was like my mind was all foggy or something,” Link said. “What about that skull? I thought we'd decided Ladarius wasn't actually dead?”

Zelda shook her head. “I don't know. Maybe it was some sort of illusion. Oh, I told Ren what we've been doing, and he said he'll help us.”

“Oh, that's good,” Link said. “I think we need all the help we can get.”

“And also, about your dream. I told Malon it was best if you two stayed away from each other until we have all of this figured out,” Zelda told him cautiously. “I think it's for the best, for both of you.”

Link nodded. “Yeah. I agree.”

Zelda nodded as well. “I'll let you rest now,” she said, standing up.

Link stuck out his tongue, and resumed pouting as Zelda left the room.

---

“Your Highness, when will you allow me to ask Zelda what's been going on?” Impa said, staring at the King of Hyrule with her stern red eyes.

Daphnes surveyed Impa from his desk. “She'll tell us on her own time. For now, I trust my daughter's judgment.”

“She's only a child,” Impa said.

“Impa, you've told me yourself a hundred times how wise Zelda is. And she is no longer a child,” Daphnes replied.

Impa sighed. “You're right,” she said. “I guess I just don't like that she's keeping secrets from me. She's never done that before.”

The king smiled. “At least not that you know of. Don't worry, she'll tell us eventually.”

Impa smiled as well. “I'd better go check on Link, now.”

Daphnes chuckled and shook his head. “That boy seems to have a knack for getting into himself into bad situations.”