"Link,” Impa said, startled. “What’s the matter?”
Link’s eyes found Zelda’s and she was able to hold his gaze a while before he stuttered.
“I... um,” he tried to look away and at Impa to speak, but he was drawn back to Zelda. She didn’t blink, rather, she stared at him, hard and fast.
“Uhh, it--it’s really not that important,” Link said, Zelda still holding his gaze, trying to duck out of the doorway.
“It’s has to be, Link, if you came in here like that,” Zelda said, emphasizing his name, as though speaking it for the first time.
“It’s really not, though,” Link continued. Then he thought of an idea.
“I actually just came in to ask Impa to escort her to dinner. I’ve never escorted her before, and I thought that I should, for once,” he said, finally escaping Zelda’s hold.
“Oh, how flattering, Impa,” Zelda said, looking up at her.
Impa hesitated a moment before answering.
“Yes, indeed. Thank you, Link, you may escort me to dinner this evening.”
She shot him a look of distrust and questioning, studying him for any body language. She knew he had an ulterior motive for the dinner invitation, and she wanted to know what. Link’s eyes flashed her back a message that now wasn’t the time to speak of what he wanted, but that escorting was.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Lady Impa,” Link said, bowing. “Now, if you gentlewomen shall excuse me, I have more practice and other Knightly matters to attend to before supper.”
Impa smiled and Zelda said nothing.
“Fare well,” Link continued, and left Impa’s room, closing the door.
Zelda spoke first.
“What’s he going on about?”
“Probably exactly what he said,” Impa replied.
“Practice and training. Maybe he’s also going out in the Town.”
“Oh,” Zelda said, and they both fell silent.
Impa fought all possible urges to think to herself, since she knew Zelda could pick up on them, and continued brushing Zelda’s hair, concentrating too hard on her locks. Zelda wouldn’t have heard Impa, though, because she was holding yet another argument with Lily.
He suspects something! Zelda said.
Don’t be a fool, Lily answered. That little boy? He’s nothing.
That’s what you think, Zelda said.
Why?
I don’t have to tell you.
No, that’s right, you don’t have to tell me. I can find out for myself.
No matter what you find out, you’ll have him underestimated.
If you honestly believe that, then you underestimate me, my dear.
Later that evening, once dressed for dinner, Link found himself approaching Impa’s room. He’d taken the long way and passed by Zelda’s room, and found that Faji was taking her downstairs. Link laughed to himself. Zelda was a pebble in comparison to Faji’s boulder-like stature. He knocked on the door to Impa’s room and turned to see Faji leading the Princess down the hallway. He didn’t notice when Impa’s door flew open and she grabbed him inside.
“You’re right,” Impa said breathlessly.
Link just cocked a brow.
“About Zelda... something’s not all there. She didn’t remember anything that happened on the island, and seemingly nothing before that.”
“That’s what I was going to tell you, Impa! But you wouldn’t--”
“Shh!” Impa hissed. “We have to go to dinner right this moment, but we can finish this conversation along the way.”
Link simply nodded in agreement.
They entered the hallway, in step, about the same height. Impa carried a grand fan with her, and held it up to her face when she wanted to speak.
“So what were you going to say?”
“I saw Zelda come in through the window last night,” Link said through gritted teeth. “It was just after I left you and said good night.”
“Which window did she come in through?”
“North side.”
Servants continued to duck out of their way and bow and curtsey as the pair continued down the long hallway.
“Hmm, the side least guarded. Keep an eye on her then, Link. I will too. Something’s definitely not right.”
They arrived to the dining hall with the usual music, most of the other Knights already in their seats, and as Link was sitting down, he noticed Zelda and an annoyed-looking Faji enter the room. What was going on? Zelda and Faji left for dinner far before he and Impa did. Faji never looked so upset the other times he led Zelda to dinner, either, Link noticed. He turned to voice his observations to Impa, but she was currently engaged in conversation with another Knight and Link certainly did not want to disturb them.
The back of Link’s left hand started to get warm, but he dismissed the feeling, and rubbed his hand unconsciously. He watched as Faji pulled out Zelda’s chair. She looked nervous again. Was she going to speak of her trip to Labrynna? She certainly hadn’t last night and Link was anxious to hear details, more elaborate than the ones the Princess volunteered the day before. Zelda looked down at her hands for a moment, which were folded neatly in her lap, then her eyes narrowed as she scanned the table.
Faji plopped down not too far from Link, and was heard to say something along the line of “That took forever, the long way. It was like she hadn’t ever seen the castle before.” He was, however, cut off.
The blaring trumpet fanfare rang out again through the dining hall, announcing the arrival of the King, as it did every single day. A hush fell over the table, and Link sat up and straightened himself.
King Harkinian III seated himself and dinner began.
About halfway through, the King initiated the conversation Link wanted to hear so much about.
“So, Daughter, how was your trip? Have you made much progress?”
Zelda had a mouthful of peas and chewed them quickly before speaking.
“Oh, um, it was horrible. I had to get the Seeds myself, and we left then. They’re probably still fighting.”
“Who was fighting?” the King queried. A slight note of anger rose in his voice.
Impa remained silent and let Zelda continue telling the story.
“The Tokay were. Amongst themselves. About the negotiations.”
“Have they finished?” the King asked.
“As far as I know, no.”
Link’s hand had been growing warmer throughout this exchange, but it wasn’t enough to draw his conscious attention -- yet. He continued to rub his hand as though he had an itch.
Likewise, Zelda’s hand was burning, but it had long since held her. She continued to look about the table rather nervously until her eyes fell on Link. She watched him rub his hand for a moment before speaking to him.
“Sir Link, is something the matter with your hand?”
“Huh?”
Zelda snapped Link out of his trance. He was paying attention to the conversation, but only slightly, since he had already heard this part. It wasn’t exactly thrilling to hear. But he did notice Zelda’s question, and reflexively looked at his hand. His Triforce was glowing.
“No, Highness, nothing is wrong,” Link said slowly, and looking up. “In fact, I’d like to hear more of your story of Labrynna. It’s been a long time since I was there last.”
Link’s hand hadn’t glowed around Zelda in years. Their Triforces had just gotten used to being near each other, Link supposed. So why was it glowing now? The only time their Triforces would even consider reacting was if one of them was lost, or if the Triforce of Power showed up. Yet, Zelda was sitting there, and no one else. What was going on?!
It’s him, isn’t it, Zelda?
I’m not saying a word!
That night, Link found himself in Impa’s room again.
“Your Triforce was glowing?” Impa asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t know whether to be skeptical or serious.
“Yes,” Link said for the fourth time. “It was glowing. Zelda knew it, too. I bet hers was and it tipped her off.”
“And that tipped you?”
“Well, of course. She said something was wrong with my hand, so I looked. I didn’t even realize I was fiddling with it.”
“Where is Zelda, anyway? She’s practically disappeared since...”
Link and Impa just looked at each other, suddenly realizing no one was watching the Princess.
In the run down shack on the edge of the Field, Lily was once again concocting. She took a chance by going out so early in the evening, but now was an optimal time to do her work.
What now? Zelda asked impatiently. What foul magic are you up to?
“I’m simply manipulating the world,” Lily answered in Zelda’s voice.
I don’t understand why you’d want to do this. You’re a Sheikah! Don’t you believe in order?
“Yes, I do,” Lily answered. “That’s why my plan is so beautiful. Everything is going to age as normal. Seasons will change, time will pass, everyone will grow old and die. However, it will just happen faster.”
You’re going to make time speed up?
“In the simplest of terms, yes.”
But you’ll die, too, there’s a fault!
“No, I won’t!” Lily said confidently. “Don’t you remember last night, sweetheart? That thick, soupy mess? ‘This is so nothing happens to me,’ recall? And nothing will happen to any other Sheikah. We shall be strong again.”
With that, Lily changed to her true form, and the Princess ceased to be for a few moments.
Lily stirred whatever she was mixing and began to chant in ancient Hylian, the language of all Hyrulians before the races split. She wasn’t old enough to remember her mother having taught her some, but a book she found in the library, having taken advantage of Zelda’s knowledge, made it that much easier. Zelda also knew how to read ancient Hylian.
“Jil-naaaaah quooooo miyyyyy fahhhhh-nak geeeee-pe-lub-iiiiid id,” she sang. She repeated herself and continued in a different line.
"Fooooot-nim shuuuuur’pe taaaaav ziiiiiwh!”
Zelda listened in a mixture of awe and disgust. It sounded like a bastardized version of the Song of Time.
A thin purple haze rose from Lily’s mixture. She waved her hands so that they formed a circle, and the mist followed her, forming an orb floating before her. Lily began to chant and the orb steadily increased in size. Soon, it rose through the roof and Lily stepped outside to control it. Bigger and bigger it grew, until it encompassed the house, the Field, then all of Hyrule. Everything was purple. Lily kept chanting until she felt the orb control her physical limits... and she knew then that she had made the orb as large as she could. That was when she let go, and the mist settled. Lily smiled to herself.
What did you just do?
“I aged Hyrule. Expect some significant changes in the morning.”
Of course, Zelda had just enough time to return to her room, lie on her bed and crack open a book, as Link and Impa came bursting through her door. Zelda didn’t even appear startled; she simply looked at them. Link and Impa, in turn, looked at each other, then back at Zelda before cautiously leaving the room. She wasn’t leaving much space for them to catch her.
The next day was dreadfully hot. It was abnormal for a Hylian spring, which was usually full of mild temperatures for a few months. Everyone felt the change, as though early spring had suddenly changed to late spring, or early summer. Not everyone, however, was taking the change well. King Harkinian was feeling ill.
He started the morning perfectly fine. He ate breakfast and attended to a few kingly matters, but it wasn’t long before the heat started to take its toll on him. Not being one for hot weather in even the summertime, Harkinian paled and passed out walking through the castle halls. The Knights were concerned, since this was a new reaction, as were many of the castle servants, but Zelda, oddly enough, seemed cheerful and high-spirited, as if happy to see an early summer. While her father lay in bed with a few sheets and open windows, growing sicker by the minute, Zelda spent more time in the library, as though stricken with the urge to reread all of her favorite books. Impa and Link were at the King’s side, serving as both guards and companions to Harkinian III, who was currently sleeping.
“He’s not looking too well,” Impa said sadly.
Link kept a stony face.
“He’s flushed and sweating, but shivering at the same time. It’s...” her voice trailed off and shook her head.
Link was sweating horribly himself, and his hair started to turn brown and stick to his face. He didn’t want to look at the shell of the King that lay before him, but he couldn’t look away either.
“The heat,” Link said unemotionally.
Impa looked at him.
“The heat made him this way. Hopefully, this is a freak occurrence and we cool down over the next few days. Even still... sometimes not even summer is this bad."
Impa looked at Link, then Harkinian, then Link again before speaking.
“As if we went directly into the heart of summer from the beginning of spring. It’s never happened before.”
Link, of course, knew it never happened before.
The next few days were agonizing. Against Link’s wishes, it didn’t cool down. It only became increasingly warmer. By the third day of the heatwave, there had been several deaths in Hyrule, and many more people were sick. Plants were dying, animals were going unwatered. Hyrule was suffering. The King was still sick, and taking a turn for the worse. Chills shook him constantly, though his body temperature was dangerously high. When he was awake, he felt nauseous, dizzy, angry and confused, almost delirious at times. He even looked far older than he was, and everyone attributed his appearance to his sickness. During the afternoon, the Knights were gathered outside mustering, with Zelda and Impa in the Courtyard conversing. A flustered maidservant ran through the halls of Hyrule Castle.
Her first stop, since it was closer, was to the Knights. She was scolded for interrupting, but received an apology when she told them of the King’s condition. She found Impa and Zelda, and they ran immediately to his chambers. Impa was the only one permitted to enter, since she could heal, leaving Zelda and the Knights to wait outside in painful anxiety.
"He’s stopped sweating,” was the muffled voice of the maid that came through the door. Obviously, it was not a good sign.
They tried moving the King into a cool bath to get some water back to his overly dry skin, but nothing seemed to ease his suffering. Somehow, he seemed most comfortable lying down with a cold cloth draped across his forehead. Pillows were placed under his feet, and Impa tried her best to calm the King, and speak soothing words. It seemed to be working.
Suddenly, King Harkinian started to convulse. The shiver had completely claimed his body; his breathing and heart started to race and the shaking became violent. His body jerked up and down off of the bed, and increased in intensity. It was unnerving to watch and when it appeared that the convulsions couldn’t get any worse -- they stopped -- just as suddenly as they began. The King was still, well, dry, but felt cooler to the touch. His chest visibly rose and fell once, but not again afterwards. His heart stopped beating. A collective gasp held the room as Impa and the attendants realized what happened. Impa decided she would be the brave soul to deliver the news. She didn’t want to face the waiting Knights, but she knew she had to tell them; word would be out soon enough anyway.
The door to the King’s chambers opened and a sullen Impa poked her head out. The Knights immediately stood and waited patiently for what she was going to say.
“I’m afraid I have some horrible news,” Impa said in a soft panic, stepping out into the hallway where the men and the Princess were gathered, deliberately finding her feet so not to see the expressions of worry across each face.
“King Harkinian III...” there was an awful, tense pause. “...is no more.”
The Knights could only stare in disbelief and Zelda started to cry.