Thanks to: Riku Uzumaki, c0nceal, ILove2HearULaugh, Freefan1412, and all the unknown readers who have stuck with this and all that jazz, and none of y'all are here to read this so let's just get on with the story.

It appeared to be a universal fact that anyone with shady intentions always had to hide underground, along with some form of unpleasant substance: lava, mud, etc. Most of the time, a stench was included as well.

It was no exception with this case: in the Market Town sewers with the questionable sludge no one wanted to identify.

Link had a small argument going on in the back of his mind: half of him wanted to save his clogging nose from the smell and breathe through his mouth; the other half really didn't want to have to taste it. It had been going on ever since he'd stepped foot in here, but that debate was not his biggest concern.

His biggest concern was the four handwritten lines on a crumpled piece of paper in his pocket:

Three Shadows sighted in Market Town

Low-level mage alongside

Tracked down to the Edge

They have Smith

Who Smith was, Link had no idea, but the mention of shadows and a mage led him to one conclusion: a Mage-Marker. If one was here in Market Town, there was only a matter of time before he found out Avaraleen was actually alive and through him, Zamur. This was a threat that needed to be eliminated before things got out of hand (again) and so he had no hesitation of descending into the sewers to find this mage.

However, his plan had hit a small snag in the form of his companion/guide: Lyka.

"The western part of the sewers are very popular among the Domain," she had said back in the hidden office of the Nest. The two of them were looking down at a map she'd placed on the desk. "It offers a lot quick get-a-ways and hideouts for those who know where to look." She ran her finger along the left edge of the parchment. "But the Edge is considered the worst area of all. No one really controls that area and it holds the worse sort of criminals. You have to be really desperate with deep pockets to employ anyone from there. To be honest, I've been waiting for someone from Zamur's camp to set up there."

Link looked down at the map. "About how big is the Edge?"

"Technically, about a mile long." Lyka's mouth twisted into a grimace as she pulled out a smaller piece of folded parchment from a locked drawer. "But with all the tunnels people have carved out over the years, it's a maze down there. I won't tell you what we had to pay to get a rough sketch of a map for that area."

Link looked down as Lyka smoothed out the parchment. Rough sketch was an accurate description as it was only comprised of basic shapes with very few details marked on it. There appeared to be a central passage leading through the center with smaller ones branching off at random. These smaller ones twisted every which way and intersected until the entire area appeared to be more tunnel than underground, with dead-ends everywhere. This place was definitely a maze.

Lyka pointed to where a series of dead ends where connected by one passage. "If I were part of Zamur's camp, this is where I'd hide as these are the closest to the exit leading out of time. The trick is getting there without running into anything, or anyone, particularly nasty."

Link frowned as he studied the map. If he was looking at it right, just off the main passage was a smaller one that connected to the one with all the dead ends without twisting too much. And considering that the whole area was about a mile long, it shouldn't take him too long to get there. Fighting the Mage-Marker was going to be a different story.

"Alright then," he said, reaching for the map. "I'll grab my sword and head on in-hey!"

Lyka had pulled the map away. "One of the conditions of us getting this was we were never to copy this. Ever." Folding it, she returned the map to its drawer and locked it again. "So I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not." Link shook his head. There was noway he'd risk the wrath of Crow by bringing her into danger. "You're staying here."

Lyka straightened and put a hand on her hip. "Yes I am. As good as you are, I highly doubt you would be able to find your way there. I know that part of the Edge from when I was a runner and I can read the thieves' signs that maybe there. Also, the Smith doesn't know you, so he might not come with you if you got there despite what you say, but he does know me."

Link sighed and looked away, thinking quickly. As much as he really didn't want Crow's, and most likely Avaraleen's, anger, Lyka had raised a valid point, and he really couldn't see a way around it. He turned back to look her straight in the eye. "Fine, you can come, but at the first sign of trouble I want you to get out of there. I don't want Crow or Phoenix after me if you get hurt. We get in, get the Smith, and get out. Deal?"

Lyka smiled. "Deal, as long as we don't mention this to anyone. I have a good feeling Phoenix will kill you if she got wind of you doing this, but you're the only one I know who can handle a Mage-Marker."

Link scratched the back of his head ruefully. He hadn't thought of that. "Meet me in the stables in five minutes."

Now the two of them were stealthy searching the area Lyka believed the Mage-Marker was hiding. There were about a dozen areas to check, and so far the first four had been mercifully empty. The only good thing about where they were now was that there was no more questionable sludge around. Apparently even evil mages avoided it if they could.

Lyka led the way, holding a tiny lantern casting the barest minimum of light. Every now and then she would pause to take a closer look at faint scratches on the wall, often feeling them with the tips of her fingers. Link couldn't make out what the scratches meant, but as long as Lyka appeared to know what they meant, he followed her. He held the Master Sword at the ready, a dark cloth covering its distinctive hilt.

Five more empty caves later, Lyka traced something on the wall and let out a tiny gasp before clapping a hand over her mouth. Link opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but she signaled him to be quiet and backtrack to the last location. "He's in the next one," she whispered shakily when they got there. "I'm sure of it." She dried her palms on the dark pants she'd changed into before entering the sewers.

Link frowned. "What makes you say that?" he asked, keeping his voice on the same level as hers.

She nodded back where they'd been just moments before. "There was a fresh mark on the wall there: a warning sign. There's something deadly up ahead, and I'm willing to bet anything our Mage-Marker is there."

Link nodded as he listened to her. Something told him that their quarry was there, but now his sensible side was screaming at him. Here he was, in a dark sewer, probably about twenty feet away from a mage whose power came from shadows. Oh, and he couldn't see in pitch darkness. Even with the Master Sword, this was going to be tricky. In hindsight, charging in here with the odds stacked against him was a not a good idea. How to do this without Avaraleen finding out...

"You both failed miserably if you were attempting to handle this without anyone noticing." Both Link and Lyka jumped and turned to see Avaraleen glaring at them. She had no lantern of her own, but the faint light of theirs caught her deep frown, emphasized heavily by her dark red eyes. "What in the name of the Three were you two thinking?" she hissed in a barely audible voice.

Link glanced down at the ground for a brief moment before deciding the truth would be the best course of action. "We got a message that a Mage-Marker was around here and had someone known as the Smith."

One of Avaraleen's eyebrows twitched upwards a fraction as she glared at the two of them for a full minute before turning in the direction of the mage's hiding place while muttering darkly under her breath. "I won't fault you two for doing something I shouldn't be doing, but since we're all here, might as well finish the job. What all do you know?"

"We think the mage's in the next cave over, but we don't know for sure," Lyka whispered in a rush. "Someone's put up a warning sign right before the curve leading to the entrance, so the rest of the Edge knows and is leaving this part empty. We backtracked here when I found the mark."

Avaraleen nodded. "You're right, he's there. I can sense his power." She closed her eyes briefly. "He doesn't have any Markers around yet, but, if I'm reading this correctly, he's really annoyed. I'm going to guess Smith is awake and is talking his ear off."

Link furrowed his brow. "If he's talking, why can't we hear him?"

"Standard sound-dampening wards. He can throw a party in there and no one would be the wiser." Avaraleen had a mischievous grin. "Which means no one will hear what's about to happen."

Link hefted the Master Sword so the flat of the blade rested on his shoulder. "So what's the plan?"

"What I'm thinking is a double diversion. Link, you'll go in first and draw his attention and whatever Markers he might conjure. Just worry about the Markers as the mage is mine. Lyka, once the two of us have his entire attention, get Smith out of there. We'll meet at that storehouse the Nest owns, agreed?" Link and Lyka nodded. "Good, but both of you are forgetting one thing: you can't see in the dark. Thankfully, I can help with that." Avaraleen motioned for Link to stand in front of her as she place her left hand over his eyes. At first, all Link could see was darkness, but then there came a sensation of something pressing against his eyes for a split second before it faded. Suddenly he could see the details of Avaraleen's palm. For some reason, it looked faintly red.

"Link, I'm about to pull my hand away," he heard Avaraleen say. "Lyka is behind you with the lantern. Do not look at her as that could cause you to go blind. Understand?" Link nodded, and the hand disappeared.

His entire vision had changed. Before, he could only see a tiny fraction of the cave they were currently in, and with very little detail. Now, he could see all of it, but the walls were not the muddy brown he'd seen from the lantern. They were various shades of grey, absolutely colorless. In his peripheral vision, he could see streaks of white coming from behind him. He turn to see what they were only to have someone roughly shove him back around.

"I told you not to look behind you," he heard Avaraleen growl. "Just stand there for a moment." There came a small gasp from Lyka, and then the white streaks disappeared. Link turned around and saw Lyka looking at her surroundings with a bewildered look. Their eyes met for a moment and both recoiled at the same time. While everything else was in shades of grey, her eyes were now a dark crimson. Judging by her reaction, his were now the same.

"I've temporally adjusted your sight to that of a Sheikah," Avaraleen said, drawing their attention as she stowed the now unlit lantern in her pouch. Her eyes were much darker, but her hair was much redder. "It'll go away once you get near sunlight, but now you can see what's around you."

"Is there a reason why red is the only color I see?" Link asked, looking down at his green tunic. The field green cloth looked so dark, it could be black.

"Best way to explain it, it's the dimmest light a person can see." Avaraleen shrugged. "There's a much more complicated one that might go right over your heads, so don't worry about it. Just know that you can see right now, but avoid any bright lights, as that has blinded a few people in the past." She pulled out what appeared to be a coiled length of chain. "You two ready?"

Link took a deep breath and tightened the grip on the Master Sword before he nodded and advanced back towards the passage. His new vision let him see much farther than before, and in greater detail. He now could see the mark Lyka had seen before etched into the wall at a point where the wall curved into the passage. Around the bend would be the lair of the Mage-Marker, and, to be honest, Link felt rather calm at the moment. Maybe he was starting to get used to all of this...

First impression of the mage: he was an idiot. He had his back squarely to entrance, with no visible guards or Markers, and he had the back of his chosen cavern fairly well lit, which was hurting Link's new sight. He didn't even have a knife on him. Dressed in the same black robes Blaknor had, this one looked every inch a mage who relied solely on his power to deal with conflicts. However, he could easily be hiding a number of weapons in those robes or he really could be a fast working, competent mage. Not to mention there could be invisible traps or something just as nasty hiding in the shadows.

The mage had his entire attention fixed on the figure sitting before him. Hands and feet bound, the little man had bushy dark hair and beard and wore stained leather clothing. Goggles rested on his forehead, but they kept slipping down as he talked. Despite his conditions, he had a large grin on his face and gestured wildly with his bound hands, when he wasn't pushing his goggles back up. The sound dampening spells were doing their job well, as Link couldn't hear anything going on in there.

Link glanced around the cavern, assessing space and footing, as he ghosted forward, making as little sound as possible. The Master Sword was held in a two-handed grip to his left, ready to cleave anything that would appeared. About ten steps in, he must have passed over some invisible line as he could now hear the little man talking a mile a minute.

"-is theoretically possible, but the way you're putting it is. As good as I am, I'm no mage so I really can't do it. I'm just a tinkerer. I have to work with a mage if any of my designs require magic. Anything that requires just straight magic," he threw his hands up as he blew out an exasperated breath. "No can do. Like I said, I'm just a simple tink-"

"ENOUGH!" Evidently the mage had had enough as he advanced on his captive. "You will do well to remain silent or you will discover how well you can speak without your tongue!" He growled as the little man closed his mouth with a childish hmph. "Why is it that I, a feared mage of the Interlopers, am saddled with the undignified duty of bringing a peasant nobody to our camp?"

Link decided to answer him. "Because you are an idiot." He smiled as the mage whirled around in shock, his mouth agape. "Seriously, if this is the fortifications of a 'feared mage of the Interlopers,'" he mocked the condescending tone the mage had used before, "then I quiver with anticipation to hear what you think of all of your comrades who've never returned from their missions."

The mage blinked once before extinguishing the candles with a snap of his fingers. "Who are you?" he said in what he must have thought was a commanding tone. To Link, he sounded like a spoiled three-year-old, but he had to give him points for trying, and he'd had a good strategy to put out all the lights to hinder his opponent.

Unfortunately, he must not have thought of a back-up plan against those who could see in the dark. With Link's new night vision, the loss of the candlelight was a good thing as he could know see the trio of short shadows creeping towards him. A single, almost casual, swipe with the Master Sword disintegrated the Markers into wisps of shadow. "I'm on your organization's very long list of people who really don't like you," he replied.

The mage laughed at this. It would have been fairly creepy if Link couldn't see exactly where he was. Instead, it was just plain annoying. "Ah, I see, just as I see you must be very foolhardy to come here alone."

"Whoever said he was alone?" Link kept his eyes on the mage just in case he was about to summon more Markers as something flickered at the edge of his vision. Another Marker, this one twice as big as the previous three, loomed up before him. This one was a bit quicker and showed a bit more fight. Link traded a few blows with it before an opening appeared and he sliced its head off its shoulders, reducing it to black smoke. Glancing around, he noticed the little man was gone and Lyka was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully those two had made it out of the Edge safely.

Turning to where he'd last seen the mage, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of Avaraleen standing over the mage, who was lying on the ground with the chain she'd been holding earlier wrapped around his body. One length ran around his neck before it ended. Avaraleen held this end while one foot set square between his shoulder blades kept him on the ground.

"Now we can do this one of two ways," she said casually, as though they were having a conversation over dinner. "One, you will tell everything you know about what Zamur is up to and I will make sure you'll die painless. Two, I turn you over to our fellow Sheikah along with my knowledge of that death curse you have on you and let them get the information out of you. Your choice."

The mage spat and cursed. "You have no such power. You cannot stop any curses from Lord Zamur."

Link rolled his eyes. Lord Zamur? Talk about delusions of grandeur.

The corner of Avaraleen's mouth curled up. "You're right. I can't stop it, but I can slow it down so the pain will last twice as long, and I know he makes his curses painful. So," she leaned in closer, "what's is it going to be?"

The mage coughed as he struggled to get free, but a firm yank on the chain stopped him. "Never. I will not betray my master. He will rid this land of those who would oppose our magic and together the Interlopers will rule all!"

Now Avaraleen rolled her eyes. "Oh for crying out loud," she muttered before kneeling so her knee was pressed against his back. "Listen to me, Interloper, and listen well. The days of your precious master are numbered, and when they have ended, there will come a reckoning against him that has not been seen in centuries. Should you not wish to share in it, you will tell me all you know. Otherwise, you will share his fate. Choose your next words wisely."

The eyes of the mage widen and he swallowed visibly. Link glanced between him and Avaraleen. The formal way she had just spoken reminded him of how they'd first met, and he had this feeling she was using her powers a very subtle amount. Quietly, he urged the mage to start talking as he really didn't think Avaraleen's limited patience could be tested any longer.

After a solid minute of silence, the mage cleared his throat. "There you are wrong, shadow dogs. For all your barking and growls, you will not convince me to betray Lord Zamur. The only knowledge I will give you this that of demise." He began to laugh until he choked and shook violently. Avaraleen leapt away, disgust written on her face.

"Suicide curse," she spat as the body continued to twitch. "Apparently he was one of Zamur's more loyal followers if he's willing to take his own life."

Link eyed the body as it now lay mercifully still, his stomach a little queasy. "I thought you said earlier that you could slow down death curses." He shuddered as he recalled his fight with his own all those months ago in the Lost Woods.

She nodded. "I can, if they were cast by someone else. Magic always leaves traces, but if a mage casts a spell on himself, it is impossible for another to distinguish that spell from their personal magic. Suicide curses fall into that category, so I didn't see this coming." She held a hand out towards the body. "You'll want to look away, I'm about to burn that."

Link did so and dancing white streaks flared from behind. Half a minute later, they disappeared. He turned back to see no trace of the body. Not even a scorch mark marred the ground. Looking up at Avaraleen, she shrugged.

"I don't leave evidence I don't want found." She jerked her head back towards the tunnel. "Let's get out of here before someone wanders in here."

Leaving the Edge took less time than getting in, especially with Avaraleen in the lead. She didn't stop to read signs on the walls as Lyka had done, but rather strode through the passages as though she had the ultimate right to be there. Once, a man sauntered out of one, a smug grin on his face, but one look from Avaraleen had his face blanch and run back up the way they came, the dim candle he'd been using falling to the ground.

Link paused to watch him run away before catching up to Avaraleen. "What was that about?" he asked.

"For criminals, the mere sight of Sheikah is never a good thing." She paused when the path began to slope upwards. "Seeing them around their hideouts in what can be considered one of the worst places in the entire kingdoms is cause for panic. Sheikah only come here when on a mission and those are the 'kill first, ask questions later' sort, and no one in their right mind, especially down here, would want to get in their way." She glanced back in the general direction of where the man had gone. "He won't mention us to anyone. Those down here have learned to let them do what they came and not mention it if they want to live to see another day."

Link frowned. "But you're the only Sheikah here," he pointed out.

Avaraleen inclined her head. "Right now, you look like one, and therefore, to everyone who sees you, you are. But don't worry: I won't let anyone know you were impersonating an active Sheikah. Nayru knows I've done it several times."

His frowned deepened as he recalled what all she had told him back in the cabin in the Lost Woods. "But I thought you'd passed the test."

"I did, but there's the simple fact that I ran off before I was 'officially' recognized by the Council." She curled two fingers on the word as she glanced up the passage. "No official recognition, no official orders, ergo, everything I do is illegal regardless of what good I do." She shrugged "I've gotten used to it over the years," she added before he could ask another question. "Thank the Three for the gift-wrap clause. Makes the paperwork so much easier."

All of this was going way over Link's head, but he decided to change the subject before he got confused anymore. "So, what are we waiting on?"

"There's a cloud about to move over the sun." She flashed him a sympathetic smile. "Any light right now can hurt you with your temporary new sight, so I'm waiting to give the least amount of discomfort."

"Oh." Link rubbed his eyes as he glanced around. While being able to see in near-dark was very helpful, the lack of color was very unnerving. "Thanks."

Avaraleen shrugged. "No problem." She peered up the passage again and nodded. Turning around to face Link, she held out her hand. "Now's our chance. Take my hand and keep your eyes on your boots. This will hurt for a little while, but don't look up until you can see the color again. Okay?"

Link nodded and put his hand in hers before looking down at the toes of his boots. A small part of him hoped Avaraleen wouldn't accidentally have him run into anything, but most of him was concentrating on making sure he didn't trip over his own feet. The edges of his vision turned a lighter shade of grey as they slowly walked up the passage. He squinted as the brightness began to hurt his eyes until the sensation of pressure came back for a second. When it passed, he could see the brown sludge coated on his darker brown boots and the green of his tunic.

He glanced up and pulled his hand away from Avaraleen's as he found the light didn't hurt his eyes anymore. "I'm back to normal," he said.

She glanced back at him before looking up at the sun. "Good, because we need to run if we're going to keep this from those who don't need to know."

Link adjusted his baldric. "Lead the way."

It would be sad to admit that he had a hard time keeping up with her had she not been the daughter of two races known for speed. That being said, he did fairly well as he never lost sight of her as she led him to a dilapidated warehouse situated by the river. Then again, she was probably making sure she didn't lose him. Once he caught up with her, she knocked twice on the sagging door before pushing it open and going inside, Link not far behind.

Lyka held a pair of daggers in her hands as she stood protectively before the little man, but she relaxed as she saw Avaraleen and Link come into view. "What took you so long?" she asked as her daggers disappeared into her sleeves.

Link could hear Avaraleen growl he followed her to the other two. "Chance to get information didn't work out the way I'd thought."

Lyka grimaced as she crossed her arms. "Well, that's never good." She gestured at the little man. "At least we got the Smith back."

The man looked up at this from what he was tinkering with in his lap. "Like I wanted to go where he wanted," he said. "Wherever that was." He squinted at Link. "Well, I haven't seen you before, but as you're still alive in the company of these two ladies, you must be of a good sort. They call me the Smith." He stuck out a hand.

Link took it. "Link." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Avaraleen smiling slightly, as though hearing an old joke.

The Smith's eyes widened more than one would think possible. "So you're that one!" he all but shouted. "Din fry my hide, I've been wanting to meet you for a while, lad!"

The dull clinks of rupees drew their attention to Avaraleen and Lyka as the older dropped two reds and a yellow into the younger's hand. "I heard him call on Nayru last time," Avaraleen remarked.

Lyka shrugged as she pocketed the crystals. "You weren't around when he found out you were back. That's when he used Farore."

Chuckling, the Smith slapped Link on the knee. "I always call on the Goddesses in turn, so some folk who don't see me regular make bets on who I'll call next." He tsked at Avaraleen. "You should've known better than to bet again lil' Lyka here, Phoenix."

Avaraleen scowled at Lyka, but there was little malice in it. "She's rubbing off on me, what can I say?"

Lyka didn't say anything and looked at the ground, her face turning red.

Still chuckling, the Smith rose to his feet. "Now, now, that's enough out of both of you, unless you want me to do the same." He walked over to where an old table stood in a corner. "Come on over here lad. There's something I want to show you."

Link glanced over at Avaraleen. "Do you think we qualify as lads?" she said with a raised eyebrow as she gestured at herself and Lyka.

He walked over to the table to see an interesting yet weird looking object resting on it. About a foot long overall, a cylinder of blue metal made up most of the length, with a thin chain wrapped tightly around the middle. A large arrowhead protruded at one end with a handle at the other. "What is this?" he asked.

"That, lad, is my latest invention: the hook-shot." The Smith beamed proudly, as though it was his own child. "Based it off of the idea of the claw-shots your predecessor is said to once have, though it's a shame no one can find them. What I wouldn't give to get a chance to study some of his tools." His eyes misted over for a few moments as he blankly stared at the wall, obviously lost in thought, but then he shook his head to return to the present. "Anyways, word has it that you've been dungeon-crawling through the various temples along with some Terminan in order to keep out them Interlopers, right?"

Link struggled to keep a neutral expression as he glanced over at Avaraleen. Somehow the local gossip had gotten close to what was really going on. "Something like that."

"Eh, don't worry. I'm not the sort who needs to know all the details." The Smith waved a hand carelessly towards the hook-shot. "I only like making stuff that's useful to folks." He pick it up and held it out towards Link. "Take a look at this beauty."

Gingerly, Link held it by the handle as the Smith walked him through how it worked. The arrowhead was attached to the chain while sitting on a tightly coiled spring. On the inside of the handle was an indention right about where his forefinger curled around. This was the trigger: the right amount of pressure would release the spring and launch the arrowhead towards his target, dragging its end of the chain. As the chain was uncoiling, it would be rotating the bar it was coiled around, which would wind up another spring. When the point hit the target or the chain reach its end (whichever came first), the second spring would cause the bar to spin back the opposite direction, rewinding the chain to pull the handle and the point back together. Depending on what the point was attached determined whether he would stay on the ground or go flying in the air. Once the two halves reconnected, the point would release whatever it had been aimed at.

"Now that point can only hit wood or softer material," the Smith said, "but it should do just fine against some monsters. Save yourself some arrows that way."

"Wait, what?" Link looked over at him, very confused. "Are you giving this to me?"

The Smith gave him a "nah-duh" look. "You saved Hyrule once, supposedly are still cleaning it up, and you took time out of your schedule to come save my hide. Consider this my thanks. 'Sides, I have a feeling you're going need it soon."

"Oh, heh, it was no problem." Link glanced over at Avaraleen, who nodded assuredly. "So I just aim this at wood?"

"Wood and vines are the best anchors. Dirt's a bit hit or miss." The Smith shrugged. "I think that's the medium's problem. Anyway," he pushed Link's arm up so the hook-shot was aimed in the general direction of a crossbeam, "just aim and fire away."

His eyes narrowed in concentration, Link centered his aim on the beam and pulled the trigger. A loud thock launched the point to embed it into the wood. Link had a moment to marvel at his aim before the chain recoiled and he went flying towards the point. The two halves connected and the point released, dropping him unceremoniously on his rear.

Lying on his back, he took a moment to comprehend what all had happened before raising the hook-shot to regard it with a raised eyebrow. "I'm going to need to practice with this thing," he remarked.

Peals of laughter had him turn to see both Avaraleen and Lyka doubled over with laughter as the Smith came towards him with a grin. "I think so," he said as he offered Link a hand.

Link let the little man help pull him to his feet while glaring at the two women. "Am I ever going to live this down?" he asked.

The Smith shrugged. "Practice with that and see who's laughing when you can pickpocket at a distance."

Link gave him a mischievous smile as he examined his newest piece of equipment. "That's not a bad idea."

Avaraleen immediately stopped laughing. "Oh, no you don't, young man. You're not to learn any more bad habits than you already know."

Glancing over at her, Link gave her his best pleading look. "What if they're monsters?"

Avaraleen glowered at him. "Monsters are fine, just no people." Though she turned away from him, he could still here her mutter to Lyka: "I hate it when men used that puppy-eyed look! There's hardly any defense against it!" Lyka merely shrugged in reply.

Looking back at the Smith, Link asked, "Was I supposed to hear any of that?"

The Smith shrugged. "From my limited experience with women, it might be better to act like you didn't," he said quietly. "Might, now. When it comes to women, I'm quite certain men will never know everything about them." He clapped him on the shoulder. "But don't you worry about any of that now. You're young, and you've got bigger fish to fry in the future."

"Excuse me." Everyone turned to see a boy of about twelve standing at the door, a bag slung over his shoulder. He pulled out a sealed scroll. "I'm supposed to deliver this to give this to Lyka."

Lyka came forward and took the scroll, dropping a blue rupee in the boy's hand. He tapped his forehead with his knuckle and scampered out just before Lyka broke the seal. Scanning the contents, she passed the scroll to Avaraleen.

"It's from Crow," the older woman said, flashing a look towards the Smith.

The Smith grunted. "I'll take my leave then." He shook hands with Link. "Make sure you practice with that hook-shot, and have fun storming your next dungeon!" He nodded to Avaraleen, gave a hug to Lyka, and strolled out of the warehouse.

Avaraleen came closer. "Word just came from Azure. Shadows have been seen near Lake Hylia, but Azure only has 'an idea of an idea,' his words, not mine, of how to get the three of you into the Water Temple." She looked down at the scroll. "He wants me to join him there as soon as possible."

Link blinked. "They're moving fast."

Avaraleen shrugged. "I'm actually not that surprised. We've proven twice so far that we can beat them in head to head confrontation without me, so most likely he's changed tactics of going for the pure magicks as quick as he can. One thing I now can say: Link, they will be focused on you. They were looking for something in your room and I highly doubt they found it." She began chewing her lower lip. "My guess is that they were trying to find any written instructions I might have left on how all of this is supposed to work. As if I was ever that stupid, but it never hurts to check." With a sigh, she pulled out her black scarf and wrapped over the lower half of her face and yanked up her hood. "Well, I'm off. Lyka, get a message to Ichor and Ella that I'm gone and will contact them when Azure and I finally figure out how to get everyone into the Water Temple. Link, stay out of sight, but be ready to ride out at a moment's notice. None of you better get into any trouble or so help, I will find you and tear it out of your hide." With that, she disappeared out the door.

Link exchanged a shrug and well-that's-what-she's-like glance with Lyka before heading for the door. "Seems like you're getting all the fun stuff," he remarked as the two of them walked out at a more sedate pace.

Lyka scoffed and shook her head. "If by 'fun' you mean running around the castle as a maid delivering secret messages while trying to avoid everyone in the castle that thinks I'm a real maid and having me do various chores, then yes."

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad," Link replied with a smile.

The smile faded when she glared him in a manner eerily similar to Avaraleen. "Yes it is. There is a reason why no one wants to do the laundry there."

ooo0ooo

Because no one wants to deal with that earl's underwear ever again.

Staying alert for that one chief maid, Lyka carried a basket of mending under her arm as she casually wandered towards the part of the castle where visiting dignitaries where housed. There were several gardens in that direction and it was not uncommon for maids to be sewing outside on days like this, as long as they cleared out before a lot of nobles showed up.

Lyka had lost count of how many messages she had deliver to various people in the castle over the years, and with the amount of work she had been pressed into doing her, she should probably demand a maid's pay every time she set foot in this huge marble pile called Hyrule Castle. Working in a tavern that was also an inn had taught her how much cleaning a building needs when a lot of people flow through it regularly, but it was ridiculous when this snub-nosed brat of some noble demanded the already gleaming floors of her quarters be scrubbed again because someone split the crumbs of a pastry there. Considering there was a plate of the same pastries very near the offending crumbs and this particular guest was a common headache for the rest of the staff, no one hard really tried to find the one responsible for releasing a harmless grass snake in her room.

Smiling slightly at the memory, Lyka rounded a corner and almost immediately ducked behind a suit of armor. Lord Dotour and Ichor stood in the middle of the empty passageway, having a very heated argument in low tones. Purposely spilling some of the mending on the ground to give her an excuse for crouching behind a suit of armor, Lyka resisted the urge to peer out to watch them and contented herself with just listening.

"-don't need to be going along with this, Ikana," Dotour hissed.

Ichor grumbled deep in his chest. "This is much bigger than the two of us. Zamur controls all Interlopers. Should he fall, the rest will can be hunted down or vanish altogether."

"Oh really?" Dotour must be crossing arms now. "Then tell me what is it exactly that you and that boy are doing traipsing all over Hyrule."

"We are hunting important mages of the Interlopers. The exact details do not concern you."

"I beg your pardon, but this does concern me! As the head of the highest House in Termina-!"

"You are obligated to ensure the safety of your people. That is why you pressed me to come when I should be guarding the Stone Tower."

"A desolate ruin. I don't know what your people are so afraid of."

Another low grumble. "Be glad of that, but know this: I have sworn to protect my people, and if that means 'traipsing around Hyrule with that boy' as you put it, then I will do so. I trust Link with my life." There came a pause. "Which is more than I can say about you." Heavy footsteps echoed towards Lyka as Ichor walked away from Dotour.

Quickly, Lyka scrambled around her, messing up the mending she'd spilled earlier while looking as though she was trying to pick it all up. She glanced up as Ichor stormed past and bit her lip. Ichor looked to be in a foul mood and definitely not wanting to hear about Avaraleen leaving town. However, she had to give him the message, and the less people who knew, the better.

Shoving all the mending back into the basket, she braced it on her hip and sighed before rising to her feet. She had only taken a single step, though, when someone asked, "Haven't I seen you before?"

Lyka whirled around, one of her wrist daggers half-hidden in her hand. Behind her stood a tiny figure wrapped in a brown shawl-like robe. The eyes glowed from the dark hood and in one hand the figure held a knife larger than hers. All in all, the figure was very imposing, making Lyka want to back away slowly, but somehow, she seemed to know this person. "Do we have a mutual friend who's always wearing green?" she countered, thinking the mention of Link would be a safe bet.

"Perhaps." The figure made no move to put away the dagger. "Does he have an acquaintance with a certain priestess who is highly protective of him?"

Lyka hesitated for a moment. While no one outside of the Council knew Avaraleen was even still alive, even the acknowledgment of someone unknown to the public keeping an eye on Link could give the other side a hint that all was not as it seemed to be. "Maybe."

The figure was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You were the girl in red at the Spring Ball. The one who brought the Dodongo skin."

A flash of recognition shot through Lyka, and she eased up a little. "And you are Ichor's shadow."

Again the figure (Ella, if Lyka remembered correctly) nodded and both sheathed their daggers at the same time. Ella glanced around nervously. "We need to speak where there are fewer ears."

Lyka saw an entrance to a servant's passage and nodded towards it. "Follow me." She paused and turned to face Ella. "Unless you need to stay near your charge?"

Glancing down where Ichor had just gone, Ella shook her head. "With that expression, he's either going to a practice court or a tavern, and the only protection that will be needed will be for those that might annoy him. He will be fine."

Lyka glanced down the hall herself. "If that's the case, I hope he goes down to the Nest. There's always some idiots that need to be thrown out, and he might get a free drink if he does."

Ella laughed and followed Lyka as the Hylian lead the way to one of the most secluded spots in the entire castle. Very few people ever went there, and it was easy to see anyone coming within earshot. As far as she knew, this was just another ornamental part of the castle that was just there to make an unused place pretty.

She had been warned against assuming anything, and this came back to bite her when she rounded the last corner and saw none other than Princess Zelda herself sitting on a bench in the middle of the garden. Lyka froze and backed up quickly, Ella running into her, but following suit when Lyka made a shooing motion. They moved to go back the way they came, but a fully armed and masked Shiekah stood in their path. Lyka flinched. "Oh sweet shiitake mushrooms and snake-skins," she breathed, combining two of Avaraleen's favorite phrases.

The Sheikah blinked once. "Where did you learn that phrase?" he demanded.

Lyka swallowed nervously. She had to play this right or more than just her neck would be on the line. "From a friend," she replied icily, propping a hand on her hip.

The Sheikah flicked his eyes towards Ella before returning his crimson gaze to Lyka. "Would this friend happen to be a certain priestess?"

It was all Lyka could do not to blink or roll her eyes in annoyance. Is that becoming a code phrase now? "Maybe."

"Aren? Is something the matter?" Now she had to bite her lip from cursing out loud as Princess Zelda came up behind them. This is so not my day, she grumbled silently.

Turning, she curtsied (though for the love of Nayru, she still couldn't keep herself from wobbling slightly) to the princess, keeping her gaze to the ground. She was going to cling to her cover as a maid as long as possible. "Your highness." She peered through her lashes to see the princess frowning in concentration.

"You were the young lady with Link at the Spring Ball," Zelda stated. "A friend of the priestess."

For a moment, Lyka remained silent, thinking quickly. According to Avaraleen, Zelda had a part to play in this quest thing, therefore knowing what was going on, and her current Sheikah guards had once been Avaraleen's before her "death." Coming to a decision, she dropped her maid demeanor and looked the princess in the eye. "Yep, that was me."

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good." She turned to Ella. "And you must be Ichor's guardian, Ella of the Garo, yes?" She smiled as Ella nodded. "Well, then, what brings you to my private garden?"

Private garden?! Oh, you really know how to pick them. Lyka grimaced apologetically and gestured at Ella. "I need to pass on some information and this was the most secure spot I knew of. I didn't know this was yours."

Zelda slumped. Sure, there might be a more politically correct term, but when a girl slumped, she slumped. "Oh, I understand," she said in a small voice.

Lyka felt like she had just been kicked in the stomach. There was disappointment in Zelda's eyes, as though she knew once again she was not allowed to know something concerned with what she was involved in. Everyone who had their ear to the ground around here knew of the demands the Interlopers had given the King, and how the Princess was practically under house-arrest. Zelda was not allowed to do anything about the situation she'd be thrust into save what she could through other people. Though this had to be terrifying for anyone in this situation, it also had to be extremely boring if one couldn't do anything productive.

An idea came to Lyka, but she glanced over at Ella, one eyebrow raised a tiny fraction. This was dependent on the Garo as she was the reason why the two of them were here in the first place. Ella was motionless for a few moments, but then she nodded.

"How would you like to know how things are outside the walls?" Ella asked.

ooo0ooo

The tavern side of the Crow's Nest was packed, and it was hardly eight in the evening. Link sat at a table half-hidden in a dark corner, drinking cider and watching the mass of people milling all over the place. Most of the house gamblers' tables were filled and were among the noisiest as the men there praised their gain, cursed bad luck, and yelled at the top of their lungs for more drinks. Serving girls in their black dresses weaved in and out of the mass with practiced ease, smacking away hands that strayed too close for comfort. Everyone and then, a flash of steel had to emphasize the point, and once a large man threw a pair bodily out the door.

All in all, a typical night at the Nest.

"Need a refill, hon?" Link looked up at Marlene, a rather curvy brunette. He had to keep his gaze firmly on the table as she leaned in closer. "Or would you like something a little stronger?"

Link glanced down at his tankard and saw it was still mostly full. "No, thanks. I'm good."

She pouted and gave his arm a squeeze. "Well, you holler if you need anything, sugar."

Link snorted when she was out of earshot and took a swig of cider. Evidently men his age were supposed ignorant of a lot of things. Too bad for her, he'd gathered quite a few favors among his former squad-mates covering watch-shifts for them while they snuck into town.

Taking another swig, he about choked when he saw Ichor walk through the door. What was he doing here? Did something happen at the castle? Surreptitiously, he signaled a nearby serving girl and quietly asked her to send Ichor his way. A moment later, the Terminan all but fell into an empty chair next to Link.

"Are there any swamps nearby that none go to?" he growled in a low voice.

Link raised an eyebrow. This kind of question could only mean one thing. "Whose body are you trying to hide?"

"A certain diplomatic noble." Ichor signaled for a serving girl and asked for ale.

Link waited for her to leave before asking, "Dotour?"

Another low growl confirmed it. "He believes our 'jaunts throughout the countryside' are a waste of time and energy on my behalf as none of this is my concern."

Link drank deep from his tankard to hide his face. Dotour had a point: what Avaraleen was up to concern only Hyrule. Ichor was only along really as extra muscle to ensure Link himself survived. This really didn't concern the youngest son of Ikana royalty. "What do you think?" he asked quielty.

Ichor crossed his arms. "While what you and the priestess are doing does not concern me and mine, what does concern us is the true leader of the Interlopers. Termina has enough trouble without the Interlopers returning. When I became a warrior in full, I swore to protect my people. I was the one to initially confront the Interlopers. I am here to ensure they do not return. Every temple we go through rids Zamur of one of his mages. The time will come when we will confront him and bring down his cult, freeing both of our peoples from his shadow and ourselves from this particular duty. Until then, we are bound by honor to finish what we have begun."

Link set his tankard down and stared into its depths for a few moment. Ichor had said some pretty profound things, many, if not all, of which Link felt strongly about himself. This was indeed a fight only they could finish, as Ichor had been the only one to confront Majora in Termina, and Link was still slightly haunted with the fact his entire squad had been destroyed by Karamus. If they couldn't finish this, then who could?

Taking another drink, Link glanced sidelong at Ichor and decided to change subjects, slightly. "Did you get the message from the priestess?"

Scowling, Ichor shook his head before taking a swig of ale. "I believe I saw her messenger, but I, ah, was not in a fit mood to hear anything until I had torn something apart." He chuckled darkly. "I own one of the practice courts several new practice logs."

Link shrugged. "Don't say anything, and everyone will blame the Sheikah. It's not the first time someone will find nothing to practice with because they've had a bad day. Anyways, the priestess has gone ahead to help out an aquatic friend in regards to us getting into our next fun-filled adventure. She's to contact us when it's time."

Ichor grunted. "In other words, don't unpack all the way." He drained the rest of his tankard and set it down with a bang. "Well, shall we drink away our sorrows of overbearing nobles?" He flashed a predator's grin. "Word has is around the castle that one general of yours is still determined to have you back under his command."

Link groaned, once again thankful he was not at the castle and having to deal with Logan. "One of these days he will get the hint that I'm not under his command at this time. In fact, I'll probably never be under his command after this." At Ichor's questioning look, Link continued, "I'm thinking of leaving the army and going back home to the ranch."

To his surprise, Ichor nodded. "An adventure such as this is enough for anyone. But let us take our minds off these dark thoughts and drink away our annoyances of over-bearing nobles!" He turned and roared out for more drinks.

When they came, the two of them raised their tankards. "Begone, ye noble annoyances!"

"If I say that as well, can I join you?" Link and Ichor looked up to see a young man standing at their table. Link frowned: this newcomer looked familiar, but his clothes, though they were plain and sturdy, were well-made, and the sword half-concealed at his hip with his cloak said he had money.

"Do we know you?" Link asked, allowing a warning edge enter his voice. No one ever knew exactly who you'd might meet in this place.

"In a manner. We saw each other at the Spring Ball." The stranger shifted, and Link caught a glimpse of a burnt-orange insignia on his shoulder.

"Sir Fernald." Link inclined his head and glanced over at Ichor. The Terminian was scowling slightly, not knowing exactly how to deal with this newcomer.

"I'm not here to figure out what you all are up to, as I believe you've got enough blue-blooded idiots trying without my help," Fernald stated bluntly. "I'm just here to drink away my own noble annoyances."

Glancing again towards Ichor, Link shrugged, and then Ichor nodded and pushed out a chair with his foot. "Come then and tell us your grievances."

Fernald grimaced as he took the offered seat. "Long story short: there's this girl I like, but trying to court her has gotten so near impossible, I'm tempted to join you two in your dungeon-diving."

"How is that going to help you?" Link had to ask. He could say from first-hand experience: dungeon-diving was not fun.

Fernald accepted a tankard from a serving girl and took a deep drink. "Practice for when I just want to see her," he said darkly, keeping his gaze on the table.

"Who is this particular girl?" Ichor inquired. "She must be a rare jewel for one to need to practice just to see."

Fernald turned red. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he muttered.

Link leaned forward. "And you're talking to two guys whose stories would only be topped by some of the Sheikah, so spill."

Fernald took another swig from his tankard and mumbled something that was lost in all the background noise.

"Sorry, didn't catch that," Link said with a grin, leaning forward. Ichor also leaned in on his elbows.

Fernald sighed. "Princess Zelda," he repeated just a hair louder.

Link sat back, eyebrow raised. "Really?"

"Not for the reasons you're thinking," Fernald replied quickly. He looked up to meet both Link's and Ichor's gazes. "I have no interest in lording over everyone like the rest of them. I've heard enough about the council from my father to stay away from there for as long as possible. No, I'm trying to court the Princess because unlike the vast majority of girls her age, she actually thinks for herself beyond fashion and whatever else is involved with that. She cares for people and isn't afraid to speak her mind." He sighed and dropped his head in his hands. "But thanks to our lovely Interloper friends, I can't do more than send some very pathetic love notes like the rest of the idiots who just want the throne and fancy crown."

"And I thought my luck with girls was bad," Link muttered quietly, and then nearly smacked himself when the other two glanced at him. Obviously they'd heard him. "None of your business," he said firmly.

"Uh huh." Fernald leaned back with a wicked glint in his eye. "Sure. We'll get back to you later. Anyways, I'm just here to get away from rest of the lovesick idiots who are currently attempting to write a petition to the King to have them form a guard of knights to guard the Princess."

Link snickered, remembering the Avaraleen testing her new "bodyguards." "Evidently your friends do not know about her current bodyguards."

"Oh, they know about them, they just think they can do a better job than a pair of highly trained Shiekah. Like I said, they're idiots." Fernald shook his head. "You have to understand: no one outside the Royal Family trusts the Shiekah, and even then there have been rumors that even they don't trust their own secret force. My opinion is this: I stay out of their way, they stay out of mine." He took a swig. "Worked out so far. So...what's your girl problem?"

Link just happened to be in the middle of a huge gulp. The question caught him off guard and he choked, nearly spitting his cider back into his tankard. "What?" he managed to gasp after a few minutes.

Fernald raised his eyebrow. "We heard your comment about your luck with girls earlier." He gestured to himself and Ichor, the big man nodding in agreement. "I've told you my problem. What's yours?"

Sensing he was not going to get out of this so easily, Link decided to give as little information as possible. "Over-protective father."

"Over-protective as in he's watching you every time you're near her or he's sharpened his sword in front of you when he first met you?" Link shot him a glance and Fernald raised his hands. "Actually happened once, swear to Nayru."

Link folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Over-protective as in he'll make me disappear if I hurt her in anyway, and he never had to say that out loud."

"Ooo, tough luck there." Fernald turned to Ichor. "What about you, Champion? Have a girl back home?" As Ichor remained silent, Fernald leaned in closer. "Come on, we shared ours. Surely there's one back home, even if she's down right annoying."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Ichor. We shared our secrets."

Ichor grunted. "It is very...delicate with me. My love and I go back many years, but...there are complications between my family and hers. It is not something I wish to talk about."

Fernald hmmed. "Is she worth it though?"

Ichor glowered at him. "Is yours?"

"Yes." Fernald raised his tankard. "To the women we love and the circumstances that prevent us from getting anywhere with them."

"Cheers." All three drank drained their tankards, slammed them down, and turned as one to call out for more.

For the first time in his life, Link felt comfortable. Sure, he had friends in the Army and Royal Guard, but ever since he'd left home almost three years ago, his closest friend was Chaser, and there were some situations when venting out to a horse just wasn't enough. Lately, Ichor had gone from a companion ensuring he stayed alive to practically trust-worthy comrade. As they all began swapping war stories, Link began to get the same feeling from Fernald.

While the majority of the military had been focused on the border between the desert and Hyrule Field, the young knight had been high in command of a small force near the southern border. A band of brigades had attempted to take opportunity of the war to raid the unaffected areas. As Fernald's family owned an estate in the area, his knowledge of the land had been crucial in routing out the brigands and minimizing the damage in the area. His efforts had been recognized by the King, although he said it hadn't been necessary since he'd been little more than a wood's guide in the whole thing.

"I just did what I normally do when I'm home," Fernald finished, setting down his tankard. "Father has me keep an eye out around the nearby villages while delivering what supplies Mother sends with me."

"Sounds like your parents are different," Link commented. Catching the look on Fernald's face, he added, "In a good way. You normally don't hear about nobles like that."

"Yeah, well, my family has a history of not following social norms." Fernald shrugged. "We dare to care about our people because we believe we have been born to privilege and with that comes obligations. Or so goes the family motto." He took a deep drink. "My philosophy is this: I do my duties, you do yours, and we'll all get along just fine don't care about riches or power or any of that. I'm content with what I have, with the exception of one thing, which is our mutual problem."

"I'll drink to that again," Ichor half-roared, raising his fourth tankard. They all laughed and once again drained their tankards simultaneously.

""Scuse me, sir." Link turned to see one of the stable boys standing at his elbow, looking a little worried. "There's something up with your horse. 'E's been stomping at the floor and snorting for the past few minutes. Ain't nothing we can do to calm 'im down, and to be frank, ain't no one want to go near him."

Link frowned. "Something's up with Chaser," he said to the others, "I'll be back in a few."

Following the boy back out to the stables, he heard the commotion before he saw it: a regular thumping sound punctuated by angry snorts. Once inside, he saw Chaser glaring at the floor of his stall, ears pinned back, teeth bared, intent on pounding something into oblivion. Another stable boy stood just outside the stall, shaking his head. Catching sight of Link, he threw up his hands. "I ain't sure what's 'e's up to, sir. T'ain't no snake as far as I can tell."

Link flipped the boys a blue rupee apiece. "I'll take it from here. Thanks." He waited for the two of them to leave before slowly approaching the stallion. "Hey there, Chaser. Take it easy, boy. I'm pretty sure you killed it by now. Easy now, just calm down."

The stallion's frenzied movements slowed, and the ears came up as he heard his master's voice. Breathing heavily, he looked up from the floor and nickered. Still moving slowly, Link pulled out a carrot and held it out in his palm. Chaser sniffed his hand for a moment before gently taking the carrot. Link heaved a sigh; had Chaser snatched the carrot or ignored it completely, he would've known something was still wrong. As such, Chaser had dealt with the problem and had simply been caught up in the moment.

Running his hand along the long muzzle, Link came close enough to see the stall floor. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, but the light was limited to a lantern set on a pole outside. No one wanted to risk any type of flame near the stable. Still keeping his hand on Chaser's muzzle, Link entered the stall himself. It didn't appear as though someone had tried to climb the ladder or anything like that. As a last resort, he picked up Chaser's front hooves one by one, but found nothing.

"What was going on here, Chaser?" he asked quietly, rubbing the stallion's ears. He sighed. "If only you could talk." Chaser snorted and butted his head against Link's chest. "Yes, yes, I love you too. Cart horse." He slapped the muscular neck a few times before he left the stall. As usual, his shirt was now covered in horsehair, and a streak of black dirt crossed his palm. And I was wondering why a horse was my only friend.

ooo0ooo

If only Chaser could talk indeed.

The stallion stomped the ground once more for good measure as he watched his master leave. He was sure his master-friend had no idea what he had just pounded into the ground. In fact, he didn't know himself, and that frightened him. It was no fire-blood snake or no-friend-human or foul-smell-monster. Well, the scent was like foul-smell-monster, but foul-smell-monsters were at least knee-high to him. This...thing, while it had a similar scent, had been on the ground like a fire-blood snake and looked like a shadow.

It had been heading for the branches master-friend told him to guard against no-friend-humans. Although it had not gone past the point master-friend had told him to guard against, master-friend had never been mad at him for destroying foul-smell-monsters. As this thing stayed close to the ground, the best way to deal with it was to stomp it until he could no longer see or smell it.

It wasn't until master-friend appeared that Chaser realized the foul-smell-monster-shadow was gone, pounded into the ground under his hooves. Master-friend couldn't see what had happen, but master-friend was a good hunter. He would know to watch his back when Chaser wasn't around to help protect him. He need not worry about master-friend.

Now just where did that salty-sweet-mare go?

ooo0ooo

Five days later, Link, Ichor, and Ella arrived at a small cottage on the shores of Lake Hylia late in the afternoon. An elderly female Zora sat outside by the door, shelling beans into a bowl at her feet, a bemused smile on her face. From the other side of the door came muffled shouts of a familiar voice.

"Oh, how very elegant. I am always so amazed at your ability to present your flattery with such grace." A pause, and then the voice came back. "Why, how dare you insinuate that, you-? I am not!"

"Hello, dears," the Zora said, giving the three of them a warm smile. "I suppose you are here to see your friends inside. Well, they've at that for the past, oh, must be at least four days now. I'm surprised anything got done, but what can you say? Some people work under the strangest circumstances." She sighed. "Ah well. One of life's mysteries, eh? Come, lend me a hand and we'll see if we can get them to stop arguing like an old married couple."

Link exchanged a smirk between Ichor and Ella before the three of them dismounted. They were definitely at the right place. After tethering Chaser and Steady to a pole nearby, Link helped the Zora to her feet as Ichor took charge of the bushel of beans and Ella picked up the bowl of shelled beans. The four of them walked inside the cottage to find a very strange sight.

The cottage itself was simple, reminding Link very much of Avaraleen's former residence in the Lost Woods, but a deep pool had been built beside the wall nearest the lake. Avaraleen herself was nowhere to be seen, but her boots, belt, and various weapons were lying near the edge. Azure also stood there, hands on his hips. He spared the newcomers single glance before returning his glare back into the depths of the pool and flinched. "Will you stop that!" he shouted.

Link shot a look at the Zora he was helping. She was still smiling and shook her head ruefully. "I warned you," she said. Utterly confused, he helped her to a chair before peering into the pool himself.

Avaraleen was sitting with her legs crossed at the bottom of the pool, eyes closed. One hand was clenched before her in a tight fist while the other was above her head, moving rapidly in motions Link recognized as Sheikah hand signals. He only knew some from the two-week Sheikah training he got in basic, but judging by Azure's reactions, she was insulting him.

Link rolled his eyes at the scene. "Did you call us here for a reason, or is now not a good time?" he called.

Avaraleen didn't even open her eyes, but her free hand stopped in mid-motion for a second before forming two signals he did know, disregard last, standby, and then dropped down to her side.

Link shook his head. If she had been doing that the entire time, it was indeed amazing she'd gotten anything done, but something had been done, otherwise she wouldn't have called all of them here. The question then was: what was going to enable three air-breathing humans to dungeon crawl through a temple situated in the underwater heart of Lake Hylia? Speaking of which, how was she able to? There was no stream of bubbles coming from her mouth. In fact, she didn't appear to be moving at all. Maybe she had accomplished something here despite the heated conversations that had apparently been going on the entire time.

Avaraleen remained at the bottom of the pool for two more minutes before she pushed off the bottom and came to the surface. Link reached out a hand to help her out, but she shook her head. "Hang on a moment," she said, looking around. "Oh for the love of Nayru, Azure, what did you do with that bucket?"

If Zoras had eyebrows, Azure's would've flown off his forehead. "Oh, now it is MY fault when YOU misplace things?"

"Azure!" Avaraleen's eyes narrowed dangerously as she swam over to the edge and propped one arm the other she kept below the surface. "This is not the time to be arguing. There's an Interloper mage on the other side of this lake and she's brought something with her that I have no idea what it is, which, to be completely honest, extremely worries me. I left that bucket near my boots. Now where is it?"

Azure opened his mouth to retort, but the elderly Zora cleared her throat. "It's by the fireplace, Azure, where you left it when you were gathering the seaweed this morning." She shook her head as Azure retrieved the bucket. "But I still do not understand what it is you are sensing, Avaraleen, as the only wrongness I can feel comes from that Interloper. However, I do understand you are more sensitive to the ebb and flow of all magicks."

"I know, Ayi, but it just the fact that I don't even have a clue of what it is what worries me." Avaraleen chewed on her lower lip as she glanced over at Link, Ichor, and Ella. "I'll apologize for being rather short, but things have been hectic since came here. I'll explain what I can over dinner." Azure handed her the bucket, which she pushed under the water to fill it with water as she dropped whatever she's been holding in her hand inside. She set the bucket on the edge of the pool before accepting Link's offer of helping her out of the pool.

"How long have you been in there?" Link asked, seeing her soaked hair and clothing.

"Practically the entire time," Avaraleen replied, wringing out her hair as steam rose off her clothes. "It's not that bad once you're used to it."

"Uh huh, and how are we to get used to it?" Link gestured at himself and the other air-breathing beings in the area.

Avaraleen gave her trademark wry smile. "With Plan B...or am I actually on Plan H? I've lost track."

Ichor gave a low chuckle. "And just how many plans do you have in store?"

"Enough to be a few steps ahead of the opposition," Avaraleen said, tying back her now-dry hair. "I hope," she added quietly.

There came an awkward silence in the room for a few moments, but then the silence was broken by Ayi. "Let us eat now, and discuss what is to be done."

Ten minutes later, the six of them settle around a table laden with baked fish and what appeared to be a seaweed salad. Link and Ichor exchanged an apprehensive glance, Ella remained expression, but the other three dug into the meal with no reservations. With a tiny shrug, Link tried a bite of the seaweed and decided he was going to stick with the fish. "So what's the situation here?" he asked after a majority of them had finished eating.

Avaraleen put her fork down. "Phorma got here about the same time as me, but not once has she made a move towards the temple. However, she didn't come alone, and whatever she brought with her is what's waiting for you inside."

"But you don't know what it is," Link clarified.

Avaraleen nodded. "It's made of magic, but it's not natural." Her eyes closed. "It feels...divine, in essence, but.. There's something wrong, somehow there is a strain of demonic in the core. Ah, it feels familiar, but I just can't-"

"Avaraleen!" Link, Ayi, and Azure cried out.

Her eyes shot open. 'What?"

"Your nose is bleeding," Ella replied, nodding towards her.

Link watched with concern as Avaraleen looked at the smear of blood she'd wiped from her upper lip and sighed. Although Link knew little about magic, it was obvious to him whatever she'd been doing lately had been taking a toll on her.

Ayi confirmed this. "You've been pushing yourself too far. There is only so much your body can withstand."

"Yes, I know." Avaraleen leaned back, crossing her arms. "But we're on a time schedule. Zamur said he was to strike at Midsummer, but I wouldn't put it past him to actually strike sooner."

"But I thought he needed the pure magicks for whatever he's doing?" Link asked. "And so far, we have two of them with a third almost guaranteed."

"And I wouldn't put it past him to have several contingency plans on stand-by," Avaraleen retorted, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth. "Besides, everything I've heard points to him basing this off of demonic magic. The more corrupt a source is, the better for him, hence why he's racing us. All he really needs is your sword and the Princess." She shook her head. "But let me worry about that. Right now, you four need to focus on the Water Temple tomorrow." Retrieving the bucket, she set it on the table and fished something out. Link caught a glimpse of gold before it dissolved away.

Avaraleen cursed. "Well, looks like we're doing it that way." Shaking the water off her hand, she looked over at Link, Ichor, and Ella. "I'm afraid I haven't been quite successful this time around. Azure managed to get ahold of a handful of golden Zora scales. Normally these scales allow Hylians to dive deeper than they normally can. I've managed to enchant these so they'll allow to breathe underwater. However, there is one major flaw I couldn't fix. The scales will only work underwater. Any exposure to air will destroy them. I'm sorry, but it's the best I could do now."

"It is better than what we had before," Ella said. "We must just exercise a bit more caution in there."

Azure cleared his throat. "Not more than usual. Unlike the other temples, the Water Temple does not have many monsters, but I fear this is because Zamur has sent this...thing here."

"If he only sent one thing there, we better be on our guard," Link said. "He wouldn't send in one monster if it was the usual stupid sort. This one's smart. We won't be hunting it, it'll be hunting us." Catching the questioning glances shot his way, he shrugged. "Call it a gut feeling."

"Link is right," Ichor grunted. "He sends an army of stupid creatures, he sends one smart one."

Azure sighed. "So this will be a game of cat-and-mouse, as you Hylians say."

"No, Azure." Avaraleen was replacing all her weapons on her person. "With Zamur, it's cat and cat."

Author's Note: And I make my deadline by a day! Yeah, I know, I've been taking forever on this, but I blame an extreme case of writer's block and the fact that the Water Temple is the next chapter. Insert scream here. To show you how bad it was, one of my friends had been watching me work on this all semester, and he flat out asked, "Will you have this chapter done by next semester?" Yeah, it's been that bad.

But hey, now it's done, and I can look forward to my summer reading while subconsciously figuring out how the heck I'm going to do this water-logged temple. Yes, I expect there to be a sleuth of water-related puns in it, if I don't get bogged down...again. Okay I'll stop.

However, as I have taken quite a while to get this out, I will give y'all a sneak peek, the opening lines of the next chapter:

"Uh-oh."

"Not it."

"What?"

"If he's saying 'uh-oh' because we need another key that's at the bottom of this Goddess-forsaken temple, I'm not going."

Do with it what you will, but if I bring back any painful memories, I'm sorry. Maybe.

Okay, I'm just going to stop now and hopefully get a jump start on the next, before that Lakeside Scientist kicks me out of his home again. Like I'm weird. He's the one with the sharked caged at the bottom of that pool. Well, that's all for now, so until next time, dragoness of storm, out! See ya!