-Sheikah Clan, Kanyou-

The Sheikah, Zant, looked into the door window. Within he could make out the prisoner sitting on her bed by the moonlight. She had a scroll in her hands, reading by flickering candlelight. The girl's eyes flickered up just long enough to notice him, before returning to her reading.

'Zelda is dead.'

Zant asked, "Anything?"

"No change. She eats, drinks, takes to the pot at regular intervals, and doesn't talk to visitors." The Sheikah guard adjusted in his seat. He had been there since morning. Zant left the man to his tedium.

'Zelda is dead.'

Zant passed by several rooms. Not all were occupied but all had a purpose. Meditation, fasting, interrogation, brainwashing, martial arts, storage for ancient artifacts of great power, libraries upon libraries of knowledge hidden from the world, passages to places all around the capital, and more. The underground was massive, including entire caverns where they were trained to be at home in darkness.

Zant ascended from the cavern through a panel to the Sheikah estate. The mansion was extensive, and the land given to the Sheikah made up an entire district of the capital city, larger than most noble families but still dwarfed by the holdings of the royal family, royal harem, and chancellors.

'Zelda is dead.'

Zant nodded to the other Sheikah as he passed, before stopping before a set of guards at a specially marked door. "I am expected," Zant said. He was expected, but the guards still made the Shadowmaster aware of his presence.

"You may enter." They said.

Zant entered silently. Ahead of him was a desk with a large window behind it, and on both sides of the room were bookcases filled with scrolls. A few attendants had small desks of their own and worked next to the bookcases doing documentation work. In the center of the room was the young Sheikah, 'Solitare', if Zant remembered correctly. It was not the person's real name. This was to be expected. 'Zant' wasn't his real name either.

Zant didn't know his name. He was brainwashed near the beginning and given a new name and identity. It was this way with all Sheikah. The process was not permanent, as pieces would fall back into place over the years, but it was most notable among the younger members. The Shadowmaster was among the eldest of the order and in time had regained a good portion of her memories. The Shadowmaster would no doubt retire one day soon since it was considered a Sheikah 'death' to remember too much. To be Sheikah was to be devoid of self-identity.

The day a Sheikah remembered their birth name, they ceased to be Sheikah.

At the main desk sat the Shadowmaster, Lady Impa.

"Zant," Impa greeted. "How did the mission go?" Zant gave a glance to Solitare. As if reading his thoughts, Shadowmaster said, "Solitare can stay. Go ahead with your report."

Zant gave a brief bow before speaking. "Chancellor Ryo Fui has given Prince Kyou reasonable excuses to stay out of the capital. On the surface, he is examining the economic impact of his project, which is a worthy report in its own right, but beneath notice, he has sent his main vessels around Qin gathering rebels against Prince Kyou. My initial estimates lead the rebel army may reach up to a hundred thousand."

Impa nodded. Zant stood in silence as Impa considered the brief report. "One-hundred thousand isn't enough to conquer the capital. Ryo will use his loyalists to boost it at least two-fold. Then he might be able to manage provided Kyou doesn't gain enough support in time. Solitare was just finishing her report: Prince Kyou is trying to stabilize the foundation of his rule with Princess Zelda's death. Since he has committed the crime of king slaying, the lords and noble houses will move in fear either to his side or to his opponent."

"King slaying?" Solitare asked. "Aren't the kings at war?"

"The seven kingdoms are at war, but there is still a code of honor to be upheld," Impa explained. "It is easily understood to fight to defend your home, and if you have a reason, it can be explained why you would invade someone. But to outright kill or assassinate a fellow king makes the other king's worry about what you would do to them. Kingslayers cannot be trusted. For a kingslayer there is no truce, there is no temporary alliance, and there is no peace. Entire alliances are born in history just to destroy kingslayers."

"Ooooh!" Solitare breathed.

Impa continued, "Thankfully, Kyou's focus has been split by the message that his betrothed was captured and is held hostage to the east."

Zant frowned at this.

"You have something you wish to say, Zant?"

"Isn't our responsibility to the royal family at the expense of all else?"

"Yes?"

"Even our identity, our honor?"

"Yes," Impa replied. "Your point?"

"Zelda is dead," Zant said. "That is my point."

"And you think we should be siding with Prince Kyou?"

Zant hesitated briefly and bowed. "Please do not take my confusion for disrespect. He IS a royal family, Shadowmaster. As shadows, we have no place to set our own identity or policy on the world. We are but tools. Yet... I cannot but shake the feeling we are becoming needlessly involved in politics. It is against everything that makes us what we are, is it not?"

Solitare looked nervously between Zant and Impa. She knew what Zant was saying. It fit well within the mindset of a Sheikah, and his question was valid. But how would Impa react to being questioned?

Impa looked back not appearing insulted or disrespected. She smiled. "It is an honest question, Zant. I respect it. Do not think you insult me. You are right: We are tools. We have been servants to the royal family at the expense of all others, including ourselves. That part I agree with. However, you must come to understand that we are involved in politics. I am the Sheikah representative in the palace, among other things, so there is no avoiding it."

"I understand," Zant said after a moment of thought. "But then why are we fighting Prince Kyou? Whether he is right or wrong is not up to us. We have no guilt in serving him, as shadows have no guilt. Let the nations judge him. It is not our place."

"A question that is harder to answer..." Impa replied vaguely. "In truth, there are two answers to the question. The first answer is this: For us to support him as tools are to make a political statement he is right. So to say 'it is not up to us' doesn't work in court. I am not saying you are wrong, but it is not so easily black and white. The second answer: is hidden. My second answer validates us, but it is one I cannot give today."

"But-"

"It is part of being Sheikah that we hold secrets. That includes each other." Impa cut him off. "I am sorry, Zant. You are a high ranking member of the clan, but the second reason why we are resisting Prince Kyou is an answer I cannot give. Not yet."

"Then how am I supposed to validate my actions within myself?" Zant hissed in aggravation. His fists clenched. "How can I bear the inner mask and cast my guilt to it, when I find myself fighting the mask?"

"With patience," Impa replied. "If all goes well, you will come to understand. For now, be patient."

The answer did not satisfy him, but he sensed it would be all he would get. Impa motioned for him to leave, and told him to rest from his travels. Stiffly he bowed, turned, and left.

Solitare let out the breath he had been holding. "Is he well?"

"He will be. He is just... zealous." Impa replied. "It is a good thing to have. I would rather have a zealous man than a lazy one, but his energy needs to be tempered at times."

-Mountains west of Qin-

"Everyone hold!" A soldier whispered.

Zelda halted in her steps. Elder trotted over in the form of a wooden centaur. Link stopped with one foot still in the air and wobbled all over trying to keep his balance. Matsubi shoved him over. Link fell into a tumble of leaves.

Zelda approached the soldier who had yelled out and gazed where the man pointed. Her eyes briefly widened at the sight. She had seen many things in her life, but this... it was new but at the same time, not a surprise. She was already familiar with how far people will go to hurt each other and hate.

Putting heads on wooden spears planted into the ground was new to her.

Link gasped at the sight, as well as a few of the soldiers. The rest took the sight in respectful silence.

"Wh-what happened?" Link whispered.

"These men died and had their heads placed to inspire fear," Zelda replied.

Zelda looked coolly into the empty eye sockets of the dead. Were they men who would have sided with her or were they with Kyou? Were they neutral in this conflict? What kind of lives did they lead? Were they cruel or kind? Did they sign up to defend their homes and family, or to reap fortune and glory? She wished to know, but the dead could not explain. They were little more than empty husks now, utterly devoid of life, hope, and individuality. Soon they would be as the dust she walked on.

Zelda scanned the land beyond the stakes and saw nothing striking of it. The land beyond climbed higher and higher up the mountain until eventually, it would be all but impossible to travel without a proper path. She assumed so because she couldn't see far and the path had been getting steadily steeper. She did not know the lay of the land, while clearly, the occupants of this mountain did. If she wanted proof of Majora's existence, she found it. At this point, every step she took was into the jaws of death. Death, mutilation, evisceration, incineration, and all manners of death awaited her. Being a woman she could also expect to be raped, either to the point of death or as a slave lower than cattle.

The prospect didn't scare her as much as she felt it should.

"Before we continue... I feel I must explain everything." Zelda called for the soldiers to gather. "A year ago I became the heir apparent. Before that day no one had heard of me, so as one can imagine my appearance was a surprise... and was met with hostility. Kyou and I had a brief clash in which he stepped back quietly, and I started my reign. I was the heir apparent, however, I had nothing. I was a student for the last year in politics amidst a world of daggers and alpha wolves. Compared to them I was a fangless pup. My only protection was Chancellor Ryo, while a clear opposite was Prince Kyou with Chancellor Ketsu. Ryo's strength kept the two in check... but as of late Chancellor Ryo has been away working on a project. In his absence rumors of rebellion arose, and believing it to be Kyou rising against me, my loyal ministers and I planned for my escape. We found a girl who looked and sounded exactly like me, and so we made a switch. The plan was to hide and wait for the Sheikah to meet with me at the Fae's home should Kyou make his move."

Zelda stopped and let what she had said soak in. Elder took it in calm silence. The soldiers were shocked, and after a moment, ashamed as it reminded them of the rebellion they had been pulled into.

Matsubi whispered, "Amazing... I had no idea it was like that at the capital. I had heard the princess was some old lady known as the Ice Witch who had taken the throne from the prince through witchcraft."

Zelda scoffed, "Of course that's the rumor... What happened was I was hidden away since I was young, and Chancellor Ryo had me rescued. My ascendancy was directed by the king just before his death so it was not witchcraft, though it does not surprise me Kyou claims it was."

Link took it all in silence, oddly enough. Zelda expected him to be loud and with some kind of emotional mood swing. He was emotionally unstable in his mourning, swinging wildly from playing with children and laughing to punching her in the face in a fit of rage just after stabbing himself. She understood it but had no patience for it when now was the time for rational thought. So ultimately his thoughtful silence was appreciated.

Rather than speak, his thoughts were conveyed in his changing expressions and stance. At first, he was indifferent to what she said, but as Zelda explained, he went from agitated, to shocked, to some form of understanding. Whether it was understanding about the kind of world Zelda lived in, or where Midna had entered; she could not tell.

Zelda felt it was more important they understand and be firmly on her side than rushing into unknown territory with them unaware of the larger picture.

"When you say a world of daggers and alpha wolves..." Link whispered. "What do you mean?"

Zelda hummed to herself in thought. "A court is akin to a man throwing meat to the dogs. Some dogs will wag their tails and follow faithfully. Others will bite and tear their kin to get to the meat. Some will see that the man holds the man and will kill him to get the meat in his hand. The worst..." Zelda's composure darkened. "Will see no difference between the meat thrown, his kin, and the man. It is all meat to him."

As Link heard this, he realized he had assumed a lot about the girl and saw Zelda from a slightly new light. He was right in that she was cold and distrustful and treated him like dirt, that hadn't changed, but he came to realize there was a reason for it. She probably had no allies or friends in this world... and if her brother started a civil war to kill her... what kind of family did she have?

'I had no idea...' Link thought. 'If someone can't learn to trust their own family, who can they trust?'

Then another thought struck Link. Of everyone, only the Fae, princess, and himself were not tired by the endless hiking for days. The princess was keeping up with him easily. Also now that he thought about it, she had lifted him off the ground with one hand before, and she had beheaded the mercenary with one motion of her sword.

There was more to her than what she was saying. Her time in politics sounded like hell to him, but politics, a warzone of minds, wouldn't give her strength and endurance or the scars.

Seeing them all collectively gulp, Zelda continued, "Now... as you all noticed, everything has gone as we predicted. Kyou made a grab for the throne, killed dozens of ministers and officials, hundreds of regular folk, and came after my body double. I do not know particulars, but Midna fled to her old home where I was... most likely leading Kyou's army straight there. With Kyou having made his move, I made my way to the Fae village the Sheikah had told me of."

"In your tongue, they are called 'groves.' But continue." Elder inserted politely.

"Fae grove. My apologies. I ran into all of you, and you know most of the rest." Zelda explained further. "My allies, the Sheikah, did not show themselves. Chancellor Ryo will have heard very soon after that Kyou had taken the throne, and he WILL siege the capital to take it for himself. Kyou, or at least Ketsu, will rally support to entrench themselves in the capital before Ryo arrives. At this moment those two are the only pieces on the board. It will take some adapting, but I want to take advantage of it. As I said before, my predecessor, King Shorlin, befriended the Sheikah, the Fae, and the Majora. The Sheikah have stayed loyal to me, although their usefulness right now is beyond me, and the Fae have chosen to follow me in return for protection and security... one should easily be able to see where this is going."

"You are hoping to claim the Majora's allegiance." Matsuda guessed. Zelda nodded.

"If one considers the Sheikah to be Qin's worst kept secret, and the Fae are nothing more than a myth, then the Majora are even more hidden than both... Even I have no idea what we will encounter. Are they civilized? Difficult to believe when their form of welcoming strangers is heads on pikes. Are they alive? Either they are, or a new group has moved in because these heads are fresh."

"I don't like how you can tell how fresh a head is..." Link covered his mouth, trying not to throw up. Zelda ignored him.

"I tell you all this because there is a very real chance that we will die just by being here, but this is the only hand left to me. You have spared my life from before, so I will spare yours. Leave and I will forget you ever participated in the rebellion. However, if you choose to follow me from this point on, and we come out alive: I will make sure you are rewarded."

Zelda sighed. She had spoken for a great deal of time and was short of breath. She was not used to monologues. Now she would sit and wait. Whether they followed or left was up to them. She was honest in her statements, partially because she expected she wouldn't live through this day. It was perhaps her last day on earth... and it was odd how little she felt about it. To her, everything was simply rational logic necessary for a future queen. It may clash with the fact that she was scared before, but now it was different. She would die having done her best. Something was satisfying about that. If she died, then that's that.

Whether anyone followed her or not, Zelda would continue to either her death or her victory.

Two soldiers left, but the others stayed.

Matsubi said, "My princess, I will stay with you as your loyal servant."

"What is the nature of that loyalty? Is this loyalty recompense for past sins?" Zelda inquired.

"Despite what you may think, I had not committed any actions while in the rebellion. I was assigned to patrol the outer edges and watch for so-called rebels."

"I see." Zelda believed him. He had a kindness and honor about him that told her he might have refused had the situation come. "Then what is it you ask of me as a reward should you live through this?"

"Merely the chance to prove myself, and my family."

Zelda shut her eyes and chuckled. "You will have that chance, Matsubi." She looked to Link. "I see you are still here, so your quest continues. What would you have as a reward?"

"I want to be a general." Link said. "Can you make me one or something?"

"Hey! There is only so much impudence I can take!" Matsubi barked. "You think you can ask such a thing from the princess!? You can't just be a general by asking! You have to earn your way up, and even then it's pointless! Slaves are not allowed in the army, and you aren't a member of any house!"

"I get it! I get it! Get off!" Link defended himself. "So I can work my way up to being a general if you free me and give me a house or something?"

"Yes," Zelda replied.

"There you go." Link smiled. "Freedom, house, riches, all that. That's it."

Zelda raised an eyebrow at his impudence, but she saw he wasn't trying to be flippant, merely simple. He was right in that he would need those things to join the army. Everyone in the country who was a productive member of society was a member of some household. It was through those households that soldiers were recruited. Matsubi wanted to strangle the boy, but Zelda waved him off.

"Help me finish this, and I will see it done," Zelda answered.

"Great!" Link smiled. He extended his hand for her to shake. Zelda stared at it.

"Uh... you shake it. Seals deals." Link explained.

"I know that!" Zelda snapped. She huffed. "A slave of all things thinks it can shake hands with a princess?"

"Well... yeah?" Link answered. He looked at her curiously. He gulped as he saw her icy gaze on him. Link lowered his hand. "Right... no touchy."

Zelda turned her back on him and focused on everyone else. One by one she learned what they wanted and put it to memory. For a few, it was money or a bit of land, but for most, it was remarkably simple. They just wanted to be with their family. She didn't expect it and was amazed for a moment. Their simple desires to be home at peace were so innocent it was hard to believe.

"I will see what I can do." Was all Zelda could promise in the end. "But thank you, all of you. It is a minor comfort that if I die, others will die with me." Zelda started up the path Elder directed, but everyone was still a moment. A collective chill went down their spines.

"That's not comforting at all." Link whimpered. The others nodded in agreement.

"She most likely meant 'I won't die alone...'," Matsubi whispered. "I hope."