Summary: Impa's husband, Kalan, deals with an incident in Kakariko Village. Dark Link takes over leadership of the Yiga Clan and begins planning for Ganon's revival and Hyrule's overthrow.

It was early evening in Kakariko Village as Impa's husband Kalan knelt before the small statue of Hylia in the village center, finished his prayer, then rose and turned to go home. As he approached his house, one of his fellow Sheikah stopped him.

"Hello, Master Kalan, we haven't spoken in a while," said Harlon. "Nice evening for a stroll. How are things with you and the family?"

"Fine, Harlon," said Kalan. "And you?"

"Keeping busy," said Harlon. "Congratulations on your son Palan completing his Kaishi trial. Doing it on the first try like that is always impressive."

"Well, I know how dedicated he was, and he trained very hard for it," said Kalan. "Impa and I are both very proud of him."

"Speaking of Palan, I haven't seen him around in some time," said Harlon. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything's fine," said Kalan. "He's doing a bit of traveling. Impa and I both encouraged him to see as much of Hyrule as he could while he's still young and has no family of his own to worry about."

"Yes, that's excellent advice. Hyrule is well worth seeing," said Kalan. "Well, say hello to him for me and offer him my late congratulations. He still keeps in touch with you, right?"

"Yes, of course. We just had a message from him," said Kalan. "I'll let him know you asked for him. Good night, Harlon."

"Good night, Master Kalan," said Harlon.

Kalan turned to go, then turned back around to see Harlon making his way up the hill toward his house, which was close to the small Swift Carrot field. Kalan felt curious about Harlon now, and his behavior had raised his suspicions. Harlon was known as a loner in the village and usually kept to himself. He was not the type to socialize, tending to speak to people only when spoken to. His behavior tonight was uncharacteristic, and he had expressed a good deal of interest in Palan. That especially bothered Kalan.

So, Kalan turned and carefully followed Harlon at a distance. And his suspicions were partly confirmed when Harlon paused at the foot of the path that led to the old Sheikah Shrine, looked around, then continued up the hill. He was clearly not going home, though it was possible there was still an innocent explanation.

Kalan followed carefully and watched Harlon go past the shrine, then take the path that veered to the right and away from the Great Fairy Fountain. Sunset Fireflies glowed near the trees as Kalan followed and saw Harlon halt, look around once more, then proceed over the narrow wooden bridge that spanned the small pond. Then Harlon stopped and stood by a rock outcropping near the old pedestal. Kalan slowly approached, then called out when he was close by.

"Hello again, Harlon," Kalan said as he approached him.

Harlon jumped in surprise, then recovered his composure.

"Hello? Oh, it's you, Master Kalan! I was just taking some air before bed," said Harlon. "I enjoy coming here. It's a peaceful spot, restful, and helps me relax. What brings you here?"

"I was taking a walk as well," said Kalan. "Then I saw you head this way and thought perhaps some company would be nice. This is certainly a peaceful spot, secluded and out of the way."

Harlon was silent, as was Kalan, and the only sound was the occasional hoot of an owl. The tension was palpable, as Kalan suspected Harlon was waiting for someone and could not afford to let Kalan catch him in the act. Harlon fidgeted a bit, but Kalan pretended to take no notice. Then suddenly, Harlon drew a knife and lunged at Kalan. But Kalan expected that and already had a knife in his hand that he had kept concealed. He stabbed Harlon in the heart, ending the fight almost before it began. Harlon's lifeless body slumped to the ground, and Kalan dragged it out of sight. Then Kalan covered his head with his hood and hid behind a tree.

It was about half an hour later that he heard footsteps and saw someone in a dark outfit approach from the direction of the Pierre Plateau to the east. The person approached slowly and cautiously, peering about as he walked. The stranger actually passed by the tree behind which Kalan was hiding, then stood near the pedestal.

Kalan could see this must be a member of the Yiga Clan come to meet with Harlon. Now he had a decision to make. He could do nothing, of course, and let the Yiga Clan member simply leave, wondering what had happened to his rendezvous. He could battle this person and hopefully kill him. Or he could attempt to play along with the situation. From his experience working within the Yiga Clan, he knew their recognition signs. He decided to take the bold approach and meet with this person.

"I'm over here," said Kalan as he walked from behind the tree and gave the Yiga Clan recognition sign.

The stranger drew his sickle-shaped weapon.

"Who are you?" he said.

"I work with your contact," said Kalan. "He could not get away tonight without arousing suspicion and sent me in his place."

"Then you would know who my contact is, of course?" said the stranger.

"Yes, Harlon," said Kalan.

"And you would know what the organization has been up to lately," said the stranger.

"Yes, harvesting Luminous Stones," said Kalan. "Look, we need to hurry, or I will be missed. I took a chance filling in for Harlon tonight."

"Very well," said the stranger, putting away his weapon. "What have you learned about this Linpa person?"

"Not much," said Kalan. "It was hard to start inquiring about him without arousing suspicion."

"But he exists, and he came from here, right?" said the stranger.

"Oh, yes, that part is definitely true," said Kalan. "I can confirm that."

"All right," said the stranger. "We just wanted some assurance of that. He's a new recruit and said he came from here, left the village when he was a boy after his parents were killed. Anything else that might be of interest or use to us?"

"Nothing that Harlon told me," said Kalan. "I had to take his place on short notice. We did not have time to discuss very much."

"Very well," said the stranger. "Here's our payment. You can work out your cut with Harlon. Same time and place next month, or signal us if you have something for us sooner. I'm off."

The stranger handed Kalan a Silver Rupee, then made his way back the way he had come. Kalan waited until the stranger was out of sight, then breathed a sigh of relief. He made his way back to the village, then approached the two guards at the entrance to the house he and Impa lived in.

"Harlon's body is just past the pond southeast of the Great Fairy Fountain," said Kalan. "Get some help and bring his body to the cemetery. We can have a service for him tomorrow morning."

"Yes, at once, Master Kalan," said one of the guards.

Kalan made his way inside, and Impa was waiting for him.

"Where were you, and what happened?" said Impa.

"Quite busy, actually. I found out Harlon has been working as a spy for the Yiga Clan," said Kalan. "I caught him waiting for his contact, and he pulled his knife on me. I had to kill him. I met with his contact and claimed to be filling in for Harlon."

"That was a bit reckless, wasn't it?" said Impa.

"I thought it worth the risk, and I had my knife ready," said Kalan. "I didn't expect to learn much. Spies for their organization are expected to supply information, not receive it. But my subterfuge may have paid off. Harlon's contact was asking about Linpa, and I confirmed his existence. Who knows what Harlon would have told him? The fact Harlon was asking about Palan makes me think he suspected something."

"Well, it's done, and as you say, probably for the best," said Impa. "I'm glad you're unhurt. What made you suspect Harlon in the first place?"

"You know how introverted Harlon usually is," said Kalan. "Tonight he is suddenly sociable and asking a lot of questions about Palan. It struck me as out of character, so I followed him. Sure enough, he was hanging out by the old pedestal waiting for his Yiga Clan contact to arrive."

"That was good work, but we must continue to be on our guard. Harlon may not be the only spy we have here," said Impa.

"Agreed," said Kalan.

It was the next morning at Hyrule Castle when a little boy called out.

"I'll get him, sweetheart," said Randall as he got out of bed and picked up Horwell, then hugged him.

"You just want to cuddle, don't you?" Randall asked his son as he picked him up.

"Dada, Dada," said Horwell.

Horwell carried him to their bed, and Princess Zelda took him in her arms.

"How is my little boy?" said Princess Zelda as she hugged and kissed him.

"Mama, Mama," said Horwell as he hugged his mother.

"At least he's impartial," laughed Randall. "He's so cute, sweetheart. He really does have your beautiful eyes."

"We can cuddle for a while," said Princess Zelda as she hugged Horwell again.

"I'll be happy to take him whenever you have to go," said Randall.

"I'm sure you will be, dear," laughed Princess Zelda. "But, you'll have plenty of time with him later this morning."

It was a bit later that morning when Queen Zelda and Princess Zelda spoke with Link by Tab. Link was in his house by Mikau Lake while the rest of the family was outside.

"So, that's all the news, Link, and I'm sorry it's not good," said Queen Zelda. "The Yiga Clan has resurrected your dark counterpart. No one is sure how they were able to do this, but I have it on good authority that it's true. And this may well tie into what we learned from the document Purah and her team uncovered."

"This is all so hard to believe, Zelda," said Link. "Are you sure your source is reliable?"

"Yes, very reliable," said Queen Zelda. "I'm sorry I can't share who the source is with you, Link, but I promised to reveal it only to my older daughter here, and I need to keep my word. You know that I trust you, implicitly."

"Yes, I know you do, Zelda, and I understand the situation you're in," said Link. "But I'll be ready for him when the time comes. And I hope I won't need my daughter's help this time."

"There's no shame in a daughter helping you, Link," said Zelda as she smiled at her own daughter. "Clearly, some evil is afoot. I have to go, but we shall speak again soon, and give my love to your family."

Zelda ended the call, then sat for a moment.

"You're keeping up to date on everything, sweetheart?" said Queen Zelda.

"Yes, Mother, definitely," said Princess Zelda. "I am ready to do whatever is necessary. I understand we owe it to our people."

"Yes, we do," said Queen Zelda. "But I am still hoping you won't have to do anything and that you can enjoy your time with Horwell and Randall."

"And I hope so too, Mother," said Princess Zelda. "But I am the Princess of Hyrule, and I know what that means. I am not afraid. You trained me well, Mother."

"You're a wonderful daughter," said Queen Zelda as she reached out, and they embraced.

After the call ended, Link left his house by Mikau Lake and went outside, where Mipha was watching Tara playing with the rest of the family in the lake.

"What's wrong?" said Mipha as soon as she saw Link's face.

"Remind me to never gamble with you," laughed Link. "Am I that obvious?"

"Sweetheart, I've known you almost your whole life," said Mipha, taking his hand. "I can read your moods. Now, what did Zelda have to say?"

"Somehow, Dark Link's son resurrected my old nemesis, his father," said Link. "Zelda wanted to warn me to be on my guard. I think that the warning should extend to our whole family. Dark Link likes to operate at night, so perhaps we should adopt a family curfew."

"They resurrected him? They must have access to some powerful dark magic," said Mipha. "A curfew makes sense, though, and we can discuss it with them. Is there anything else I can do?"

"I don't think so, at least not yet," said Link. "Anyway, Zelda thinks Dark Link is not just after me but has bigger fish to fry."

"That's a terrible expression, but I get your drift," said Mipha. "We say he hungers for bigger fish. I'll speak to Father and Sidon about increasing our security in any case."

"Good idea. And oh, by the way, Zelda is planning a conference call with everyone for the victory anniversary," said Link. "She thinks it unwise for all of us to meet in person."

"I agree. Come on, let's swim with the family and get your mind off things for a while," said Mipha as she pulled him into the water.

After playing for a while, Tara pulled Astra up the waterfall, and they rested on the rock there while the rest of the family stayed below.

"Astra, maybe someday, could you visit us where Mommy grew up?" said Tara.

"Do you like it there?" Astra asked.

"They have bigger waves to play in," said Tara. "And there are some beautiful areas with colorful flowers you don't see here. We also have beautiful underwater coral gardens, though I'm not sure you can visit those."

"I'd like to visit there with you someday," said Astra. "I'll ask my mother about it. You like it here too, don't you?"

"Of course! I especially like it here for the people," said Tara. "Daddy's family is so much fun! I like it there for the places we can visit, though, of course, I love Aunt Faray."

"It does sound like an interesting place to visit," said Astra. "But there is a lot of Hyrule I'm sure you haven't seen yet, Tara. So, you may yet come to like it here more when you do."

"That's true. Come on, I'll take you down the waterfall," said Tara, holding out her hand.

Tara held Astra's hand, and then they dove off the waterfall together, laughing all the way down.

"Well, you two look like you had fun," said Tila as Tara and Astra regrouped with the rest of the family.

"Come here, cutie," said Mila as she reached out and gave Tara a hug. "You've been spending time with everyone but me. It's my turn for some hugs."

Tara and Mila embraced, and then everyone sat down for a picnic lunch.

Meanwhile, deep below the Thyphlo Ruins, Dark Link was addressing a meeting of all his Yiga Clan followers.

Today we take the first steps toward the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hyrule, the kingdom that sought to overthrow us. My son here has done an excellent job rebuilding the organization, but now it is time for me to reclaim my position as your leader. I have learned from past mistakes and know how to avoid them. I can assure you that we will be victorious. But we need to plan our road to conquest carefully and execute it flawlessly. It will be up to each of you to do your part and fulfill the mission assigned to you. Every assignment is critically important and has a purpose, though you may not fully understand it. Our plan is like a well-made machine where every part of the mechanism is necessary for the whole to work. We cannot afford any mistakes. So, your skills need to be as sharp as ever, and you should train until they are. If you do your part, I can assure you that victory will be ours, and we will all find favor with our master. Hail to Ganon!

All assembled shouted "Hail to Ganon" together, and then the meeting disbanded.

After the meeting ended, Dark Link sat down with his son and Captain Kaplan to discuss his plans in more detail.

"I have been reviewing all we have learned since I was last here. I believe there should be two major parts to our plan," explained Dark Link. "One part is Ganon's resurrection. That will involve three groups who will journey to the ancient labyrinths and light the vessels with the flame of ancient energy, and one group to kidnap Zelda or her daughter."

"Queen Zelda has two daughters," said Shadow Link.

"For the spell to work, they must be seventeen or older," said Dark Link. "My understanding is her second daughter is still too young."

"Yes, that's true," said Shadow Link. "Excuse the interruption."

"The second part of the plan," continued Dark Link, "consists of assuring that the Divine Beasts, and Link, will be unable to oppose Ganon when the time comes. It will spread us thin, but I envision six teams. There will be one team for each of the Divine Beast pilots from the Gerudo, Gorons, Rito, Zoras, and North Hyrule Zoras, as well as one team for Link. I plan to be on the latter team."

"North Hyrule Zoras?" said Shadow Link. "I don't know, Father. I recommend we keep clear of them. They are closely aligned with some very sophisticated Sheikah whose technology is quite advanced."

"I am only concerned about keeping their two Divine Beasts out of the battle," said Dark Link. "I know how we can do that without directly involving those traitorous Sheikah."

"How?" said Shadow Link.

"By preventing their pilots from reaching their Divine Beasts, of course," said Dark Link. "Last time Ganon strove to take over the Divine Beasts and turn them against Hyrule. That plan was thwarted. Our plan this time is to attack their weak point, the pilots. We don't need the Divine Beasts on our side. We just need to make sure they are not on their side, especially the North Hyrule ones."

"I see," said Shadow Link.

"But do we even know for sure North Hyrule would come to Hyrule's aid?" asked Captain Kaplan. "The people of North Hyrule have kept pretty separate over the years, as far as I can tell."

"They will come to their aid now if we allow it," said Shadow Link. "They united with Hyrule oh, about fifteen years ago. Their ruler swore loyalty to the Hyrule Royal Family back then."

"So, as I said, we will have to prevent their intervention," said Dark Link. "You know who the North Hyrule Divine Beast pilots are, right?"

"Yes, their Queen and her younger sister," said Shadow Link. "But I still say we dare not go to North Hyrule. Their technology may detect us. They were the ones who defeated my invisibility plan."

"We may not need to go there. We just need to find the right opportunity, and plan this carefully," said Dark Link. "Do we know who the other Divine Beast pilots are, current and past if living?"

"Yes, we have all that information," said Captain Kaplan.

"So, our plan is to kill the past and present Divine Beast pilots while we work to resurrect Ganon?" said Shadow Link. "If so, we can always try to kill the pilots as the opportunity arises. We don't have to wait for the whole plan to be put in motion, right?"