When Zelda came back into the Grotto, the scene that met her was the same as the scene she had left. The Tokay were still being... well... less than swift, and Impa still had her head on the table. Zelda sat at the table, and gently poked Impa in her side.

"Seeds!" Impa shouted, but the Tokay still paid her no mind.

"Excuse me," Zelda started, in a commanding tone. She opened her hand and there were several Scent Seeds in her palm. "I think we're done here Impa."

"Seeds!" Impa shouted again, this time awake.

"Exactly, and we need to know when the next boat to the Labrynnan mainland is," Zelda said.

The Tokay continued their bickering amongst themselves.

Impa sighed and stood up.

"Come on, Zelda, let's go. We can catch the boat ourselves and if not, we'll stay the night here... again."

It sounded as though it was something Impa simply did not want to do.

Impa led the way back to the northern shore, Zelda trailing just a few steps behind. It was a silent trip back, mostly because Zelda was fighting with Lily.

What are you doing here?! Zelda cried. Get out!

No, Lily answered. I have to use you.

What are you talking about?

Don't you know, child? Your people are the ones that put me in danger... yet you have what I need.

What...?

The Triforce of Wisdom! With it, I can access volumes of knowledge that would have otherwise taken me years to find.

What are you going to do?

It's simple, really. I'm going to take everything you know... and kill it. You're going to be helpless as you watch everything around you wither and die. And when I'm finished, you're going to go as well, the quickest of them all!

...

Dumbstruck? I'm not surprised.

"Zelda, hurry, we're going to make the boat if you move a little quicker!" Impa called, trying to flag down the rower.

"Hey! Stop! We need to get back to Labrynna!"

You don't have to tell me twice to hurry back, Lily's voice said inside Zelda's head.

Zelda and Impa climbed into the boat.

That night they arrived in Hyrule.

***

The next morning, the Knights held a muster in the front yard. They were marching parallel to the castle's boundaries when the carriage carrying Impa and Zelda pulled up. When one of the watchmen spied the carriage from the tower, he gave an alert. Within a heartbeat, the yard was full of souls scurrying about madly, while the Knights lined the way to the main doors, presenting arms. This time, Link was among the first to find his spot, so as not to get another elbowing from Faji. Today, his bruise was a very dark purple, almost black, but tunic and chainmail covered it.

The King stepped forth from the castle to greet his daughter, and her nurse. Zelda came out of the carriage first, and this time, Link bit his lip and clamped his eyes shut so not to catch a glimpse of the Princess. Impa followed close behind Zelda. Once they were inside the castle, and the fanfare played out, the Knights fell back in and continued their muster. Link couldn't stop thinking about Zelda in the dress, and received another elbowing (not from Faji, thank Din) for continuing straight ahead when given the order to flank.

Zelda went out to the courtyard unaided. Of course, Zelda led the way, but Lily was in control. Poor Zelda was at Lily's mercy, and even with Zelda's power, she was helpless in her own body. Once outside, Zelda stopped to pick some herbs and flowers. They were part of Phase Two. Somewhere in the middle of the Princess' flower picking, Link came out to the yard to the fountain to get his head wet.

"Hi Zelda," Link said, surprised she hadn't changed yet, but cheerful nonetheless. "How was Crescent Island?"

Zelda jumped in surprise and dropped half of what she'd picked.

"Um, not good. But we did get seeds," she answered, picking some up.

"Well, that's good. We didn't expect you back so soon."

"We didn't have to stay for long." Her expression changed and turned darker. "It was pretty easy to get what I -- we wanted."

Inwardly, Lily cursed herself for not being more careful.

This time, it was Link that didn't pick up on the flub.

"So we have the Tokay on our side, then?"

"Oh, no," Zelda said. "They didn't want to help."

"So then how did you get the seeds?"

"I took them," came the truthful answer.

Link paused and furrowed his eyebrows. Something wasn't right. Zelda wouldn't ever just up and take something from someone unwilling to help her out.

"Alright then," Link said slowly. "I'm tired from the muster, so I'm going to go relax in my room. I'll be there for a while, so if you need anything..."

Zelda smiled.

"Sure," she said.

Link hesitated again. He took one last look at Zelda, still smiling and clutching her plants, and left. He wasn't going to his room, though. He was going to Impa's. Something was really wrong. She didn't use her princess-y tone once.

***

That night, Zelda crept about the castle. Guards were on duty, both stationary and roaming, but Lily's superior stalking abilities allowed her to leave the castle undetected. Armed only with a dagger, Zelda easily made her way across Hyrule Field, with the Stalchilds as a minor annoyance. Around midnight, she made it to an abandoned house just on the outskirts of the kingdom. She gathered supplies from around her one-room shack and began mixing it all together.

"Just a few leaves of this, but a POUND of cucco eggs... unreal."

What are you doing? Zelda asked from inside her head.

"Starting the second part," came her voice.

What second part?

"I thought we went over this already," she snapped. "But this is so nothing happens to me."

What's going to happen to everyone else?

"How many times do I have to tell you? They're going to die!"

You can't do that!

"Why? A bunch of Hyrulians ruined whatever chance of a life I had. Why shouldn't I return the favor? And don't think you're going to stop me, Princess. Just because you're the one I've chosen to possess doesn't mean you're any stronger. In fact, you've become weaker, since you're reduced to only a voice in your head!"

The Princess stayed quiet and defeated.

At that moment, Lily finished her concoction, a thick, soupy liquid, and drank it all at once. She cleaned up her supplies and headed back to the castle.

"That's all for now, until tomorrow."

What happens tomorrow?

"Oh, you'll see, Zelda. It's not like you have a choice."

***

It was well into the night, but Link was still talking with Impa about his suspicions of Zelda's actions.

"Oh, Nayru! I just saw your arm! It's so purple, what happened?"

"Faji elbowed me two days ago because I wasn't front and because I was late for sending you off."

"Oh gosh, he's so rough... and it doesn't help that he's a Goron... wait, why were you late?"

"I slept in."

"I told you we were leaving! Something should have clicked in your head."

"How often does that happen, Impa, really?"

"Good point."

"I kept kicking myself about it. Anyway, something's just not right, Impa. I don't know what it is yet, but I can feel it," he said.

"She's fine, Link," Impa said for at least the hundredth time that night, and rolling her eyes. "There was nothing wrong with her on the way home."

"Well maybe something happened after she got here, or something about the island made her act differently. She didn't eat any of those Scent Seeds, did she?"

"Goddesses, Link, I was with her the whole time! And no, she didn't eat any. I'm certain she wasn't that hungry."

"It still bothers me. Something's off," Link said, his eyebrows arching into worry.

"If I promise to keep my eyes open for something, will you go to bed? It's nearly 1 in the morning!"

"Yes, but you have to promise, and let me know straight away if you see anything!"

"You worry too much about her, you know?"

Link blushed slightly.

"Uh, no, I didn't know that," he said, trying to hide the quickly rising color in his cheeks.

Impa folded her arms and let out a wizened "hmm." She didn't make any further comments on that matter.

"Fine, Link, I promise I'll look out for something. But I'm not going to try and trap her into something you want!"

"I didn't ask you to."

"I don't think you'd mind."

He blushed again.

"Good night, Link," Impa said, stifling a yawn. "You're probably going to need some sleep."

"Good night," Link said, as he left Impa's room, closing the door behind himself. He stuck his hands in his pockets and hung his head as he walked slowly back to his room. Something really was wrong with Zelda, he knew it, but he wasn't sure how he'd go about proving it.

He walked past Zelda's room and stopped when he heard a noise. Instinctively, his hand went for the sword at his hip. He drew it and pushed in the door just a bit, to see a small sliver of the bedroom. The moon lit a path across the floor, and there was a small nightstand on the side, but that was about all Link could see. Suddenly, something altered the light and a shadow fell on the floor. Link jumped around to change his view, and was surprised with what he saw.

Zelda was climbing in through her bedroom window.



A/N: Near LaGuardia Airport in New York, these trees grow with little yellow berries on them. In his infinite wisdom, my boyfriend decided to see what was inside of them two summers ago (2002). A PUTRID smell wafted when the berry exploded and covered his hands in a thick, yellowish-white goop. Since then, we've obviously learned to stay away from the "Scent Seeds" and are at a loss in figuring out how Link ever dealt with them. XD