“It... I...” Faji started.

“Don’t,” another Knight said, and clapped him on the shoulder. They shook hands for each other’s support.

YOU MONSTER! Zelda growled.

What? Lily asked innocently.

YOU KILLED HIM!

That was part of the plan. Now you -- or I rather -- get to be Queen. Do you see now how the Triforce of Power works? Otherwise, it would have taken at least a week to get where we are now!

I can’t be Queen... I have to be twenty-five.

You haven’t really looked in the mirror lately, have you, Princess?

What do you mean?

You sure do look twenty-five, Zelda.

What are you talking about? I’m eighteen.

Nonsense! Anyone that looked at you would say you weren’t a day under twenty.

Zelda ran away in tears to her room. Link immediately went to follow, but he was stopped by a stone-faced Knight, who pulled on his tunic. When Link looked back to see who was hindering his progress, his eyes met the other Knight’s. He shook his head, a silent command to just let Zelda go, and Link stopped trying to move.

Zelda, meanwhile, ran through the halls and back to her room, slamming the door and locking it behind her. Since Lily was in control, she easily turned off the tears as quickly as she had started them. She found Zelda’s vanity mirror and peered into it.

“See?”

Zelda looked at herself... and Lily was right. She looked a little bit older. And how that she mentioned it, her father looked older, and so did the servants and Link and Faji... but not Impa.

“But you’re going to be Queen anyway, dear,” came Zelda’s voice. “Hyrule has no leader, and the people are going to need someone to look up to. I mean, summer’s started early, there’s a drought, people are dying... What are you going to do?”

Zelda, from within, began to speak to Lily, but as soon as she attempted, she was silenced.

I--

“Nothing! That’s what you’re going to do! It’ll be a while before anyone realizes what’s going on... if they realize what’s going on. Right now, summer’s a little early, yet strong. Fall will come early too, but when it gets here, Hyrule will be so happy it’s not hot anymore, she won’t bother to realize that it should only be the beginning of summer. In another week or so after that, winter. Harsh and cold. No one makes it out alive, either. So, you see, your father was just one of the first to go...”

Stop it! Stop talking! Just... stop...

Lily didn’t respond, but thoroughly enjoyed listening to Zelda’s crying.

Zelda, on the inside, was hurting horribly. She was a prisoner in her own body, unable to do the simplest of things, like smile when she wanted to, or now, cry. Dozens of her people were dead from the heat, least of the casualties her father. She, and she alone, knew what was going to happen to her country, and was unable to stop it... or at least find a way to postpone it. She couldn’t even call for help. There had to be a way to have someone find out what was going on... but how... and who?

Just then, there was a soft knocking on the locked door.

“Zelda?”

Lily took over her role as Princess and managed a phony sob before granting the guest entrance. It was Impa.

“Zelda, you know that we have to talk.”

“I know,” said Zelda. Lily had lived long enough to see several changes of the Crown, and was aware she was about to be coronated.
Impa took Zelda’s hand, which she gently held in her own as she led the Princess back to the Knights, standing at perfect attention outside of the King’s bedroom. Even Link was staring straight ahead.

“Do you want to go in and... see him?” Impa asked.

Zelda simply nodded.

Attendants were still fussing over the King, as was a doctor. The entire room bowed before Zelda, as she tried to keep an expression of sadness and shock. Zelda slowly approached the bedside, and touched the King’s arm, in the same place she had at dinner just a few nights ago.

On the outside, Zelda appeared to be brave. Though her features showed sadness, her body language suggested that she didn’t want to cry, that she just wanted the excitement to stop, which was truth. Lily, quite good at acting, felt no attachment to the King, who appeared quite gray in death... as her parents had, and loved ones around her. She was satisfied and beamed on the inside. Zelda, on the inside, was a wreck.

Stop crying! What are you trying to do, drown yourself?

Zelda briefly dug her nails into the King’s flesh, before turning to Impa.

“I’m ready,” she said, without any expression in her voice.

Impa attributed it all to anger.

“Come on, then,” she said slowly. “You should change.”

Impa and Zelda left the King’s bedside, and servants and the doctor continued to fuss. As they walked down the hall, Zelda looked back towards the door. Link could have sworn he saw a slight smile grace her lips.

***

Later that evening, Zelda sat on her throne, still trying to keep her expression as stony as possible. In her left hand, she held a scepter, and draped over her shoulders was the beautiful red cloak she often wore. In addition, she was wearing a cold ice-blue dress, matching her feelings, with a not-so-constricting bodice, dropped waist and skirts a mile wide. Her hair was loose and wild. She, as always, contrasted with the dank backdrop of the torchlit castle, seemingly casting her own.

Under normal circumstances, this picture would have led Link to conjure some impure thoughts (then shake himself back to reality, wondering how he could slip off into such fantasies), but today was different. It wasn’t only due to the death of the King, but Zelda just seemed “off” in general. He expected she would have been flustered, not cold. He wanted to comfort her, like a friend would, but she was... distant, detached from everything.

While getting ready for her part in the ceremony, Impa passed Link, who was peering into the hall through a crack in the double doors. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he whirled around, surprised to find that it was only Impa behind him. She urged him to stand with the rest of the Knights, as the coronation was about to commence.

A lone, solemn trumpet filled the hall with music. The air grew heavy with its sad melody, and a procession began for the coronation. Those present, and not in the ceremony rose to their feet as a double line of dignitaries approached the throne.

This is it! Lily thought excitedly. Zelda scowled as best as she could.

As the dignitaries took their seats, the Knights, wearing bright red and gold uniforms, marched in, two at a time. When a pair of them reached the end of the long corridor in the hall, he faced the middle, and placed his hand on his sword. This process repeated until the hall was lined with Hyrulian Knights, varying in size, shape, race, and, in Link’s case, handedness. As the final two Knights took their places, Impa and one of the non-elemental Hylian Sages walked, very slowly, in the aisle flanked by Knights and stood before Zelda, stopping just at the bottom of the steps before the throne.

“Knights, present arms!”

The sound of at least twenty swords simultaneously being unsheathed and held high was the only sound to follow the echoing voice.

After a pause, when the echoing finally died away, the Sage began to read aloud from the Book of Mudora. It was a rather long passage, and occasionally lapsed into Ancient Hylian. After the sage had finished, a troupe of actors began to reenact scenes in Hyrulian history, ending with the coronation of the first King of Hyrule. They showed how the Goddesses instructed the Crown to be passed down, and ended by displaying the page in the Book of Mudora where those events were recorded.

The actors took their seats and Impa climbed the steps. Zelda bowed her head and Impa held Zelda’s crown high above, for all to see. She then began to speak.

“In the name of Din, may you become one of the most powerful leaders of Hyrule. In the name of Nayru, may you have the wisdom to lead your country right. And in the name of Farore, may you have the courage to do so.”

Impa leaned over the Princess and placed a crown atop Zelda’s bowed head. She raised her head, and the newly crowned Queen and looked about. A far-off Knight shouted a command.

“Hail, Her Royal Highness, Queen Zelda of Hyrule!”

“Hail, Her Royal Highness, Queen Zelda of Hyrule!” the remaining Knights shouted. They seemed to raise their swords even higher over their heads, in similar fashion as when then Princess Zelda left on her trip to Labrynna. Zelda rose and, after the Sage and Impa stepped out of the way, slowly passed through the double line, under the canopy of presented arms, servants trailing her to straighten her skirts and cloak. Nobles and other dignitaries from neighboring countries applauded and welcomed the new Queen into their circle. Zelda, under Lily’s control, waved to them all and smiled wide.

***

The next day was the funeral for the King. It was still unbearably hot, and the long and drawn out Rites of Death didn’t help much for the suffering Hyrulians. Even though they were covered by the shade of the trees in the Royal Garden, the sun found a way to poke through the trees and beat down on their shoulders and heads. Commoners, unfortunately, suffered the most. The funeral was open for all to attend, but the commoners had to listen from outside, where there was no shade, and see what they could from peering around the shoulders and heads of others. Only nobles were allowed inside the castle’s gates to see and hear up close.

The Knights were gathered in a perfect circle about King Harkinian’s grave, with the newly crowned Queen Zelda at her fallen father’s feet. Impa stood, somber-faced, head bowed, next to her. The same sage from the previous day’s coronation stood at the King’s head, reading aloud several verses from the Book of Mudora once again. Following him, each Knight gave a short eulogy, and Impa finally delivered a proper one, having known the King all of his life. Zelda remained quiet. Upon the completion of all the speeches, flowers were placed on the gravesite and one by one, the commoners were allowed entrance to the castle and the gravesite to do so as well. Once they placed their flowers on the grave, they were quickly escorted out once more. Slowly, the throng dispersed, the Knights marched away and Zelda was left alone with her father. She looked at the casket for a minute; it was covered in all sorts of plantlife. She smiled evilly before placing her flower -- a dry, withered rose, still with its thorns, and a fresh lily, full of life -- on his grave, and walked away.

***

Over the coming weeks, not days as Lily originally intended, Hyrule grew warmer and warmer, killing off dozens of acres of land and citizens. With every death that was reported, she'd cheer, causing Zelda, still trapped inside, greater agony. The rising death toll was Lily's main reason for extending the summer, but soon she got bored, and decided to go ahead with the fall. When the summer ended, the remaining Hyrulians prayed to their respective sets of deities for mercy and to thank them for sparing their individual lives.

Link, on a day off from training, ambled around the market. It was a seemingly normal day for Indian summer (other than the fact that the calendar said it should only be the beginning of summer), with mild temperatures, and a breeze to cool the late afternoon air. His knee had been bothering him for the past couple of weeks in the worst way. It would start to lock and stiffen, often, when doing the simplest, least stressful of things; even walking. He'd heard of the other Knights complaining of stiff, battle-weary joints, but this certainly couldn't have been happening to him. He was still a young man. It did seem as though they were all achier recently.... Link was trying to find some bandages he could wrap his knee with, as all of the ones he had were quickly becoming tattered from overuse.

There was an old man, once a very reliable prophet in the middle of the square, rambling to himself incoherently in the middle of the Hyrule Castle Town Market. Shoppers ignored him now, though some commented on how he'd lost his mind and plummeted to the doldrums of insanity.

"The end of the year means the end of Hyrule!" the old man shouted suddenly. Several people turned to look at him, startled by the sudden noise. Others stood in front of their children in a protective fashion. Still others ignored the man completely, but continued to shop at a much quicker pace. Link was in none of the categories, and he soon found himself, led by his curious nature, approaching the man.

"Excuse me," Link started.

"The days get shorter as do the lengths of our lives! You know it true!" the man continued, not hearing Link.

Link tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," he said again, a little louder this time.

The old man whirled around. He had a big beard and once soft green eyes turned icy blue. Link knew this man; he'd met him on several of his travels before, but the old man did not seem to know who Link was and he continued his rant.

"The end is coming! We all grow old! We all grow weary! Look at yourselves and see the truth! Look at each other and--"

Suddenly, he stopped, and started again differently. His voice dropped.

"You... you there," the old man whispered, as though Link was several yards away. He reached his hands out so that they cupped the air around Link's face. Link instinctively took a step backward but didn't dare move any more.

"You know what to do, don't you?" His mind seemed to have come back to him all at once. Link looked around, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Link," he continued in his whisper, "like the rest of us, you grow old. Your time is short. You know it; you've felt it. You must find the source of these happenings, where the grass is young. It was not the Goddesses that are punishing us, for we were good. Please, before it's too late..."

Link stood there, still as stone, staring at the man whose hands still wanted to cradle his chin. The man's eyes grew out of focus, and he also stood motionless, still with his hands in the air. He listed a bit from side to side, as though he were a statue. Then he spoke.

"Look at each other and see we are wasting away!" His voice was loud again, his speech slurred and incoherent. He continued muttering. He was lost again.

Link turned away for a moment to continue to search for his bandages.

A scream.

Link drew his sword and whirled in the direction of the yell. The old man had both his hands gripping his forehead tightly. He looked to be in excruciating pain.

"Link... hurry," the old man panted as he slowly held out his hand. "The Queen shall grow cold... Take..."

And he fell.

He was dead.

The gathered throng gasped.

Link dropped his sword and shield and ran to the old man's side. He held his fingers to the man's neck, trying to feel for a pulse. There was none. Link hung his head in defeat.

As he was looking down, the old man's left hand caught Link's eye. It was still folded in a tight fist as though it were clutching something.

Come to think of it, Link thought, he told me to take something, he continued, unfolding the man's wrinkled hand. Though the old man's hands were wrapped tightly around it, Link managed to pry it loose.

It was a pendant. Link noticed instantly that it was almost identical to the one Zelda frequently wore, except this had elaborate engravings on it, one of a lily and one of the Sheikah Eye. This pendant was also silver. Link wondered what it could have meant. He pocketed it anyway, with a new determination welled up in him to find out what was causing all this harm to Hyrule.

As he began to stand up from the old man's side, Link's knee gave out again. This time, a sharp pain accompanied it. Link howled, dropped to the floor and grabbed his still-bent knee, rolling on the ground writhing in agony. The 18-year-old kid with the bum knee, so much so that he presently was unable to walk, was Hyrule's only hope.

May the Goddesses have mercy on her, for she doesn't stand a chance.