Summary: Lapha realizes too late what troubled her. Link shares Astra's possible future role with Zelda and later Mipha. Sopha's double mounts an intriguing defense at her trial.

Frightened Hyrule Bass scattered to the shoreline as three Zoras, Mipha, Tila, and Lapha, swam rapidly toward the Applean Forest, about a kilometer away from where they dove into the Hylia River. But the fish could rest easy because the Zoras were not hunting for food at the moment. Instead, they were racing to where Link and Astra had been sailing, fearing they were in danger. Link had not been answering his Tab, and Mipha regretted now having let Link sail alone with Astra. She had meant well, wanting to give them both some private time to bond further. But if anything happened to Link, she would never forgive herself.

When the three of them arrived, they saw the sailboat Link had used pulled partway onto the shore. Looking toward the forest, they could make out someone lying on the ground, apparently injured. But Link appeared to be unharmed as he stood holding Astra in his arms. All three Zoras left the water and rushed forward, and as they did so, they could make out that the injured person on the ground was Sopha, and all three wondered how that was possible. Tila made her way directly to Sopha while Mipha and Lapha rushed to Link and Astra.

"You're both unhurt?" said Mipha anxiously.

"Yes, Astra and I are both fine. Only Sopha there is hurt," said Link as he held Astra in his arms and nodded toward the figure of Sopha lying on the ground.

"Uncle Link asked me to tell you he loves you, Aunt Mipha," said Astra.

Mipha glanced questioningly at Link.

"Oh, um, thanks for remembering, sweetheart," said Link hugging Astra. "I was, um, worried I might not have a chance to tell Aunt Mipha that myself, but now I can."

"I see," said Mipha. "It was that close a call?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it was," said Link looking down. "But perhaps you wouldn't mind healing Sopha's wound? It's still bleeding."

Mipha glanced over at Sopha, holding a cloth over her leg.

"You know, I've healed countless people over the years, Link, but this is the first time I find it so distasteful," said Mipha. "However, I was blessed with this gift to help all who needed it, and I won't change who I am now, no matter how repugnant the task is to me."

Mipha approached Sopha, knelt, and wordlessly began healing her wound. Meanwhile, Tila was standing by Sopha as Mipha treated her. Seeing her father was fine, Lapha joined Tila.

"Sopha, how did you get here, and what are you doing here?" said Tila.

Sopha remained quiet.

Tila then pulled out her Tab and contacted her sister, Queen Faray, while Mipha finished healing Sopha's wound.

"Thank you," said Sopha to Mipha.

Mipha didn't answer, but returned to Link's side, upon which Link put Astra down, then Mipha and Link embraced and kissed.

"Thank Hylia, you are alright," said Mipha as she held him close. He patted her gently on the back.

"I am, sweetheart, and it is indeed thanks to Hylia," said Link. "I'll explain later."

Meanwhile, Tila finished her conversation with Faray and then addressed the group.

"It's bizarre, but Faray says Sopha is still in North Hyrule. She has placed her in custody until we sort all this out," said Tila. "What's going on, Sopha?"

And then the thought finally came to Lapha.

"I got it! Sopha duplicated herself!" said Lapha. "When Mila mentioned Dark Link, I knew something stirred in my mind about a double, but the conclusion eluded me. The Shrine of Transformation cannot make a different race from a stored blueprint. It needs a living person to transform like that, and at the end of the process, there would still be only one person. But it can make the same person, a duplicate, from the stored blueprint. Of course, the Sheikah in charge would never allow that to happen. They must have been coerced in some manner while Sopha was Queen."

"And having a duplicate enabled one of them to escape custody and try to kill me," said Link.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Sopha?" said Tila. "Assuming you are Sopha."

Sopha stood up now.

"Yes, I am the real Sopha," said Sopha. "My duplicate is back in North Hyrule."

"How could you do this? How could you try to harm my family, our family now? Are you still suffering from the effects of those cursed jewels?" said Tila.

Sopha didn't answer.

"Well, that solves the mystery of who clicked us near Lurelin Village," said Mipha.

"Yes, and who left footprints on Tenoko Island," said Link. "She must have been hiding out in Hyrule since our son's wedding."

Tila's two Zora security guards arrived next and stood on each side of Sopha, and soon afterward, young Link and two Hyrule guards arrived on horseback.

"Princess Astra, are you unharmed?" said young Link, dismounting and running over to her.

"Yes, Cousin Link or Captain Link," said Astra.

"You alright, too, Dad?" said young Link.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Link. "Only Sopha was hurt while trying to kill me."

"Sopha? I would have thought that Sopha being here was impossible. If she escaped, I don't understand why no one notified us," said young Link.

"She made a double of herself to take her place," said Lapha. "No one knew she escaped. I can explain it to you later."

"Alright," said young Link. "By the way, the two guards assigned to you, Dad, are fine, just thrown into the water. We passed them on the way here. I need to inform Her Majesty that Astra is safe."

Young Link stepped aside and made a call on his Tab. They could hear his side of the conversation.

"Your Majesty, Astra is fine," said young Link.

"Yes, Link is fine as well, only the culprit Sopha was injured," said young Link. "Yes, the same Sopha, and we are still trying to understand how that could happen."

"Yes, and I will, Your Majesty," said young Link.

Then the call ended.

"I need to return to North Hyrule with Sopha in custody so she can face justice," said Tila.

"Are you sure she should not be held for a trial here?" said young Link. "Whatever crime has been committed occurred here."

"As a member of our royal family, I believe diplomatic courtesy would dictate Sopha be tried in our kingdom," said Tila. "Besides, we need to investigate what role her double played in all this. Since their actions must constitute a joint conspiracy, we should deal with both of them together."

"Very well, that makes sense," said young Link. "I won't pretend to know the niceties of diplomatic custom. If I'm wrong, I'm sure we can straighten it out. I know I will need to stay here and write up my report. I obviously did a terrible job of protecting Princess Astra."

"Don't blame yourself, son," said Link. "Even if you had doubled the guards with us, they would have had difficulty coping with Sopha in the water. I'm the one who should have been more alert and noticed someone attacked the guards assigned to us. Don't forget I still hold the rank of Captain in the Royal Guards, as Her Majesty never rescinded my commission. So, I was the one personally responsible for protecting Astra in this case."

"And I should have realized what must have happened sooner," said Lapha. "So, you could just as well criticize Dr. Purah or me for not thinking of it."

"Don't feel bad, sweetheart," said Tila taking her husband's arm. "This was something completely unexpected, and no harm came of it in the end. But I should go now. I promise I will return to be with you as soon as I can. And I love you."

"I love you, too," said young Link. "And hurry back."

They embraced and kissed.

"Let's go," said Tila nodding to her two guards and Sopha. "There is a fast ship on the way to meet us."

The four of them were soon swimming to where they planned to catch a boat back to North Hyrule.

"Come, let's get you safely home," said Link taking Astra's hand. "You've certainly had a birthday that I don't think you will ever forget!"

"It was a real-life adventure, Uncle Link," said Astra.

"I'll keep you company and swim alongside," said Lapha. "You may need a push now and then."

"I'll stay in the water as well," said Mipha. "The boat is a little crowded for three."

Mipha, Link, Lapha, and Astra made their way back to the sailboat, and Link and Astra boarded.

With the aid of the wind and an occasional timely push, they sailed back to the park where the family was waiting. After Link docked the boat, Astra ran to her parents.

"My darling little girl, are you alright?" said Queen Zelda as she hugged Astra.

"I'm your darling big girl," said Astra. "And I'm fine."

"I need a hug, too, sweetheart," said Rudin. "We were all worried about you."

"And I want a hug too," said Princess Zelda, who hugged Astra in turn.

Queen Zelda indicated with a nod that Princess Zelda should take Astra away so she could discuss what happened with Link.

"Now, let's sit over here and tell me all about what happened, so Mother and Father can speak with Uncle Link," said Princess Zelda taking Astra's hand.

"It was scary, Zel," said Astra. "And for once, I get to tell you a story."

Princess Zelda and Astra walked a short distance away, then sat down, leaving the others to talk.

"What happened, Link?" said Queen Zelda.

Link repeated everything that had happened, leaving out only the part about the sword speaking to Astra.

"So, Astra was able to strike Sopha while she was distracted," said Queen Zelda. "Thankfully, as a member of the Hyrule Royal Family, Astra was able to hold the sword that seals the darkness. And all those bedtime adventure stories Zelda told her must have helped too, influencing her to act so bravely."

"That might have had something to do with it," said Link.

Zelda looked sharply at Link as his tone was unusual, but she continued.

"Thank Hylia, no one was hurt," said Queen Zelda. "So, there is some arcane Sheikah technology at work in all this, the Transformation Shrine."

"Yes, no doubt coerced somehow when Sopha was queen," said Link. "It must have happened over ten years ago, and they were able to conceal their duplicate identities all this time."

"That is so difficult to believe," said Rudin. "Are we sure no one else in North Hyrule is in league with her? Can we trust them?"

"As far as I know, there is no evidence of anyone else helping her," said Link. "And people had looked for such evidence when Lapha and Dr. Purah discovered the suspicious shrine log entry. Her youngest sister, Tila, was investigated earlier with no evidence of any wrongdoing."

After some further conversation, Link asked if he could have a private word with Zelda. They walked together a short distance away from the others, and Link spoke up.

"I wanted to clarify something with you about what happened," said Link. "Yes, Astra struck Sopha with my sword while Sopha was distracted with me. But no, it wasn't just because of her bedtime stories. The sword that seals the darkness spoke to her and told her what to do."

"What!?" exclaimed Zelda staring at Link as her hands flew to her mouth. "Astra said that? And you know for a fact that is true?"

"Yes, she even overheard a brief remark the sword made to me saying it was not her time yet," said Link.

"Not her time yet? Oh, no, not my darling, Astra! That can't be," said Zelda.

"I'm sorry, but I heard it, Zelda," said Link.

"No offense, Link, but yours is not the kind of life I wanted for her, a life preparing to confront evil," said Zelda. "Why her, Link? In all of Hyrule's history, the hero has never been a royal daughter. How can the sword choose my daughter for this burden?"

"Only Hylia knows," said Link. "There must be some compelling reason the Goddess needs it to be her. But you know I will help in any way I can, Zelda. We both want Astra to be ready when and if the time ever comes."

"Yes, of course," said Queen Zelda, still obviously distracted by what Link had told her and its implications. "But I cannot believe this, Link! I simply cannot believe this! All these years, I have been urging my now nineteen-year-old daughter to be ready to do her part if ever the time comes, but always hoping it never would. I suppose it has been an obsession with me, and I know Zelda resented me for wanting her to grow up so fast. But now it seems my younger daughter may be called upon to play a role in protecting Hyrule. Why, Link? Have we failed somehow? I wanted Hyrule to be safe for our children."

"No, none of us failed, Zelda. We did all we could," said Link. "But in any case, we must take things as they come. Life must go on."

Zelda turned to Link, her green eyes looking into his.

"Yes, life must go on, but I'm frightened Link," said Zelda. "This tells me there may be some threat to Hyrule in our children's lifetime. I had hoped we had destroyed any danger to Hyrule for many years to come. Perhaps my sealing power was not as strong as it should have been if I had learned it from my mother instead of later on. I've always worried about that."

"Who can say, Zelda?" said Link. "It seemed to me your sealing power did everything expected of it, and both you and your older daughter still have that power. We also still control the Divine Beasts, and we have the technology of North Hyrule on our side now. I still feel capable of doing my part if needed. I think we are better prepared now than last time, and we should take some comfort in that."

"I suppose you're right, but you don't know how much this weighs on my heart, Link," said Zelda. "We always seem better prepared for what happened in the past, but not for surprises. My father feared something would happen again, wanting to make sure we were well prepared. That was that whole 'trial of the hero' ordeal he and Revali felt you needed to pass fourteen years ago. I thought my father was getting old and overly paranoid, a reaction to what nearly happened. But maybe he was right all along to worry."

"Without any specific knowledge, it's hard to say, Zelda," said Link. "But Astra should receive swordsmanship and archery training, and I think she'll take to that anyway."

"Yes, she always liked to pretend she was the hero," said Zelda. "It feels like a terrible case of being careful what you wish for. What should we tell her?"

"I don't know at this point," said Link. "Just tell her it may be important for her to be skilled in combat someday. We all want her to enjoy her childhood in the meantime."

"Yes, all right," said Queen Zelda. "Do you and Mipha want to spend the night here? It's getting late, and saying you had a difficult day seems like the understatement of the year."

"Probably," said Link. "I'm fine with it, and I'll see how Mipha feels. Is there anything else, Zelda?"

"No, that's all for now," said Zelda. "Thank you for telling me, though I'm sure Astra will probably tell her sister all about it. Let's all meet for breakfast tomorrow."

Link and Zelda rejoined Mipha and the others.

"Shall we stay the night?" said Link to Mipha. "It is getting late, and we should talk. If so, we can meet with Zelda for breakfast. Speaking of which, do you want to have dinner in Castle Town?"

"We can stay the night," said Mipha. "I Tabbed Mila and Midon to tell them what happened and that you were fine. I sense there is more to what happened than you let on, and I don't feel in the mood to eat out. There is still some buffet food left, so let's grab a light dinner here, and then we can talk. I haven't gotten over what happened to you, and the fact it was so sudden and unexpected."

Meanwhile, Tila and Sopha had arrived back in North Hyrule and went directly to the throne room where Faray and Sopha Clone were both waiting, the latter under guard.

"Now that we are all here, will either of you tell me what this is all about?" said Faray. "You can remain silent and save your defense for your trial before the council if you prefer. But some show of cooperation would be appreciated. First of all, do you both agree on who is the real Sopha and who is the duplicate?"

"I am the real Sopha," said Sopha. "And I would like to point out that no one ended up being hurt except for me."

"I agree with her," said Sopha Clone. "And I would like to point out that I had no idea what her plan was. She never confided in me, and for the most part, after she created me, I was a reluctant participant. She threatened me if anyone found out about my existence."

"The first part is true," said Sopha. "We do tend not to trust each other. The rest is nonsense. She knew what she was doing."

"You could have come to me, whatever I call you," said Faray. "But it's getting late, and I can see this will be complicated to work out. Save your defense for your trial before the council. You will both be held on conspiracy charges and Sopha on attempted murder as well. Guards, please take them to separate quarters, and I want them fully guarded from this moment on. I will convene a council meeting as soon as possible, hopefully, tomorrow."

The guards led the two of them away.

"So, tell me what happened, Tila?" said Faray.

"As you see, Sopha had a duplicate of herself made a bit over ten years ago, which enabled her to escape during the trip to my wedding," said Tila. "She tried to kill my father-in-law, and only the intervention of the young Hylian Princess Astra prevented it."

"I see. I'm so sorry, Tila," said Faray. "I know this must hurt. I can only say I'm glad no harm came of it. The fact those two were able to conceal this from us for over ten years shocks me. Sopha is much cleverer and much more devious than I realized."

"I want nothing more to do with Sopha or her double," said Tila. "How many times did we have a meal with her, and who knows which one of them it was? I can see how she is never going to recover from her obsessions, and I don't see how I can ever trust her again."

"I won't trust her again either," said Faray. "And that goes for both of them. Now get some rest, Ti. It's been a long day for you, and a shocking one for both of us."

"I'll Tab my husband goodnight and then soak out," said Tila. "Link feels he let their Royal Family down because of this, that he didn't protect the little Hylian princess as well as he could. I should be there with him to comfort him and tell him not to feel that way. Instead, I'm here with two traitors. I feel so sick at heart about Sopha's betrayal of us."

Tila left and Tabbed Link goodnight.

Meanwhile, back in Hyrule Castle in their room, Link explained to Mipha all that happened.

"So, Hylia must have brought Astra here for more than simply my feelings for her," said Link. "There must be some other reason. And Zelda and I are both worried about what that could be."

"As am I as well now," said Mipha. "It seems we should continue making sure we prepare the next generation for the unexpected. But I'm tired, and we should get some rest. This is the same room we've been staying in at the Castle all these years. It holds some fond memories. And speaking of holding, holding you in my arms tonight will help me feel better and put this stressful day behind me. Tomorrow is another day."

"Yes, sweetheart, tomorrow is another day," said Link as they embraced, and then he kissed her gently on the cheek. "And I love you more than ever with each passing day."