• Link sighed. It had been three years since he had completed his quest to save Hyrule from Ganondorf. Three years since Midna had returned to her own land and had destroyed the Mirror of Twilight. He didn’t regret his accomplishment. He had saved the children of Ordon Village and made plenty of new friends and acquaintances along the way. He had also picked up several useful items to help him along the way, but now he had little need for them.

    Hyrule had been at peace, and shortly after returning home to Ordon, Link had received a letter from Princess Zelda inviting him to act as her bodyguard. Not that she needed it. Zelda was a skilled fighter and was the only other human who had become friends with Midna. He and she had participated in the battle against Ganondorf together.

    Link had accepted her invitation, and over the years, he and Zelda had become good friends. He looked over his shoulder at her. She sat on her throne and appeared just as bored as he felt. He smiled when she glanced at him and shifted himself slightly, his royal armor that he had acquired from the Castle Town Malo Mart clinking against itself. The sound echoed softly in the nearly empty throne room. The silence was disturbing and awkward.

    Link sighed again when a soldier threw open the heavy doors and burst into the room. “Princess Zelda! Princess Zelda!” he shouted as quickly as his short breaths would allow.
    Zelda stood and eyed the soldier curiously. “What is it?” she asked, not the least bit concerned. “What’s the matter? If there is another minor disturbance in Castle Town I’d rather not hear of it.”

    Link, too, eyed the soldier. There had been a few issues in town lately that were hardly worth getting the two of them involved in. The soldiers were quite pathetic, actually. Link remembered the few times he had run through Castle Town in his wolf form, and how he had been surrounded by the guards. He chuckled at the fact that they all fled like frightened children when he barked at them.

    The soldier straightened up. “No, your Highness.” he replied much more formally. “Researchers in the Gerudo Desert have reported sightings of strange, black monsters. They were said to have appeared from a stone slab in the Mirror Chamber above Arbiter’s Grounds..

    Zelda’s expression and tone became much more serious now. “What?” she demanded. “That cannot be! There haven’t been any Shadow Beasts in Hyrule in three years!” She stopped, realizing that her tone had become loud and demanding and so adjusted it. “It is not possible that any creatures from Twili could be in Hyrule.” she said calmly.

    The soldier gave her a confused look. “’Twili’ Miss?” he repeated.

    Zelda remembered that she and Link were only two of the few people who knew of the existence of Twili. “Oh,” she said. “I apologize. I will send for someone to investigate it as soon as I understand a few things. Until then, you’re dismissed.”

    The soldier nodded and turned on his heel. Then he walked out.

    Zelda and Link looked at each other, very confused.

    “How can this be?” Zelda asked. “Ganondorf and Zant have been vanquished, and Midna destroyed the Mirror of Twilight. There is no other pathway from Hyrule into Twili, so how…?”

    Link shook his head, unable to think of an explanation.

    Zelda pondered the question as well. “Unless…” she began. After another moment of pondering her eyes went wide and she stared at Link. “The Sages!” she exclaimed.

    Link’s eyes went wide as well. He and she had know that the Sages had been up to some sort of magical activity for the past few weeks, but of what it was about, they did not know.

    Zelda spun on her heel and hurried off, Link following quickly behind her. “Link,” she said. “Gather your things. You and I are going to Arbiter‘s Grounds.”