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  "I am nothing like you," the hero said rigidly, clenching his fists at his sides. "I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play with me, but I refuse to play it with you.

  Hyrule will never be yours. I'll make sure of that."

  The Queen of Shadows merely smiled in amusement upon hearing his firm resolve, knowing that already everything was going according to her intricate plans. "Oh, Link…"

  Verona said with a triumphant grin, shaking her head knowingly as her staff appeared in her hand once more, its tip glowing violet as she prepared to take her leave.

  "Can't you see? Hyrule is already mine… And soon, you will be too…"

  With another icy laugh, the dark queen lifted her staff up as its violet glow surrounded her, before she disappeared from the scene entirely, her laughter still echoing

  throughout the clearing and her words still resounding inside of the hero's mind.

  Link was both deeply disturbed and very confused by Verona's words and actions to say the least. Their entire conversation had him at a complete loss as he tried to

  figure out what his foe's intentions were, but in absolute vain. The Queen of Shadows was indeed a tricky, cunning opponent in her very personality, as well as her

  strategy. And yet, the hero knew that, even despite how benevolent and convincing she seemed to be, he could not believe a word she had said. She was his enemy, the

  one who had imprisoned Zelda, cursed him and Midna, and wanted to take Hyrule by force, and because of those dark ambitions, Verona was certainly evil.

  Right?

  Darkness seemed to cover almost every inch of the kingdom, spreading out across it like a thick blanket, hiding away the heavy sheet of snow upon the ground, which

  had stopped falling from the black heavens long ago. Of course, while this darkness was invasive, it wasn't unquenchable, as the many lanterns lining the now cold and

  empty streets of Castle Town proved. Ever since the unending night had spread out across the land, the frightened people had all taken to their homes, especially upon

  hearing tell of what had happened from those who had been lucky enough to escape from the coronation ball. Those who had not been so fortunate had been captured

  by Verona's shadow beasts and imprisoned within the castle dungeons. The castle gates had been locked up tight from the inside, not that any souls had even dared to try

  and break in. Though many were concerned about the fate of their new queen, their fear of the mysterious Queen of Shadows outweighing such concerns. Many had

  thought to evacuate Castle Town altogether, but most decided against it, since the shadow beasts had not even showed any signs of attacking.

  The people's hesitation to flee from the danger that was looming right over their heads worried Zelda greatly as she looked down upon the dim lights glowing from the city

  from her high prison. It was only fitting that Verona would lock her away inside of the same tower that Zant had imprisoned her inside at the beginning of the Twilight

  Invasion. It was almost as if the Queen of Shadows knew that she had spent so many sleepless, miserable nights inside this dark, lonely chamber, mourning over her lost

  kingdom and the unknowing spirits within it, spirits who had been her citizens caught up in an eternal Twilight. Zelda absolutely loathed this room and its cold stone walls,

  wishing that Verona had locked her away inside of the dungeons instead, as any place would have been better than this. Of course, the Hylian queen was no stranger to

  loneliness, but it was unbearable now, especially after everything that had happened during the past week.

  What a cruel twist of fate it was that on the very night that Zelda was crowned queen, her kingdom was ripped from her yet again. Now, there would be no proving to her

  people that she was a capable, caring monarch; after all, what kind of ruler lets their land slip through their fingers not once, but twice? When Zant conquered Hyrule,

  Zelda knew that she had been naive and unprepared. She had never seen an attack coming, and so when one had happened, she hadn't the slightest idea of what to do

  to put a stop to it. And yet, after the Twilight Invasion had ended, the young queen believed that she had learned from her past mistakes, that the wisdom gained from

  what had happened before would guide her on into the future. She had been careful never to expect the best, nor to anticipate that things would always go her way. But

  even despite such practices, she had still fallen short when her kingdom had needed her to stand tall. She had even been forewarned about Verona's oncoming attack, and

  yet she had still been unable to do anything to prevent it. But even aside from watching Hyrule fall into darkness and disarray once more, Zelda's greatest shame came

  from the fact that she had been forced to stand by, unable to do anything at all, while it happened. If anything at all, she should have taken Midna's advice and postponed

  her coronation once more, at least until it was certain that the situation was taken care of enough for it to happen. She had been to hesitant, too cautious, and because

  of her foolishness and fear, all of Hyrule now had to suffer yet again.

  The Hylian queen let out a long, sad sigh as she closed her eyes and shook her head, unable to stare down at the empty town miles below her any longer. A cold draft

  came in from the closed wide window before her, sending shivers down her spine as she pulled her dark robe around her even more. Her glistening golden coronation

  gown had been long-discarded by her own choosing, cast off into nothing more than a dully glittering heap in the corner of the room and replaced with her long, black,

  hooded cloak that she had worn in mourning of her kingdom during the Twilight Invasion. It only made sense to wear it now of course; after all, much like the splendor of

  her gown, the splendor and mirth that had filled Hyrule leading up to the coronation had now been replaced with a climate of anxiety and unspoken terror. The queen

  longed to give her poor subjects even a few mere words of comfort, to let them know that all would eventually be well and peaceful again, but even she was not certain

  of that hope herself.

  "He will return…" Zelda whispered to herself once more, saying what had become her mantra ever since she had been imprisoned almost two days ago now. "He will…" It

  was almost something of a prayer to the goddesses though, a plead that they would protect Link wherever he was and bring him back to her, so that they could take on

  this threat together. In addition to the danger hanging over Hyrule, the queen was also quite worried for the hero and the Twilight Princess as well, especially since Verona

  had dealt with the two of them the most harshly. In fact, out of everyone who had been present during the Queen of Shadow's first strike, Link had been the only one

  who had gotten hurt, and that fact made Zelda feel all the more guilty, especially since she had wanted nothing more than to help him. She wished she knew if he was still

  hurt or not. She wished that she knew where he was now. She wished that she could go to his aid. She wished that Hyrule was not in the plight it was currently in. She

  wished that she had not failed her kingdom and her hero like she had.

  With a heavy sigh, a tear of frustration slipped down her cheek as Zelda realized that she was wishing far too much.

  "It's quite a sight to see, isn't it?" a familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind the Hylian queen, sending yet another chill down her spine. With a startled gasp, Zelda spun

  around to see the Queen of Shadows herself standing in the open doorway of the chamber, a sinister, yet satisfied grin on her face. The Hylian queen took an instinctual

  step back, until her back was right against the cold glass of the window, but she dared not move, lest her adversary plan on attacking her then and there.

  "Greetings, your majesty," Verona said with a mock bo
w before she began to step forward, her footsteps echoing crisply throughout the large room. "Enjoying the view?

  Eternal midnight certainly suits Hyrule, if I do say so myself…"

  After a brief moment or two, Zelda forced herself to summon her nerve and courage as she stood up straight once more, making her posture every bit as authoritative

  and commanding as Verona's was. "This darkness goes completely against Hyrule's natural laws," the Hylia queen said as firmly as she could. "Lift it immediately."

  The Queen of Shadows raised an eyebrow upon leaving this, but her grin did not fade. "I'm afraid I can't," she said unapologetically. "The daylight of your kingdom is a bit

  too much for even me to handle right now, so it looks like nighttime is here to stay, at least for a little while longer…"

  "If the light of my land is too much for you, then why do you not simply return from whence you came?" Zelda asked challengingly. "Hyrule is not merely yours to take as

  you please."

  "I hold to a different philosophy than you do, your highness," Verona said, placing her hands on her hips. "I believe that you can take anything you want, so long as you

  have enough power to do so…"

  "And I suppose that tearing down anyone who stands in your way also fits into your philosophy as well?" the Hylian queen asked bitterly, referring to what the dark queen

  had done to Link and Midna earlier.

  The Queen of Shadow's grin widened at this and she nodded shamelessly. "I suppose it does…" she mused, her crimson and yellow eye catching the dim light from the

  poor blaze glowing in the fireplace of the room. "Both you and your people would be wise to understand that as early as possible… That means less bloodshed for all of

  us…"

  Zelda clenched her fists at her sides in fury, appalled at what she was hearing. "How dare you!" she exclaimed boldly, unable to contain her anger at the woman who had

  stolen her kingdom from her. "How dare you come here and threaten these poor people, who are still recovering from the terrors they faced but a few mere months ago!

  You may believe that your power is what makes you stronger than them, but I can promise you this: if you lay a finger on any one of my people with the intention of

  harming them, then I will ensure that you will receive every bit of it back tenfold!"

  Verona's smile vanished for a moment upon hearing just how serious the Hylia queen was, before her expression leveled out into a small, calm grin once more. "Such

  devotion…" she said thoughtfully, holding her hands behind her back. "I believe that sheer dedication will serve us both well…"

  Zelda was admittedly confused as to what she meant, but she was not about to give her foe the satisfaction of knowing that. And so, she decided to go a different route

  instead. "Where are they?" she asked, her tone still cold and firm.

  "Who?" Verona asked, giving her a knowing grin.

  "Link and Midna," the Hylian queen said, looking her enemy directly in the eyes as she banished all fear. "What did you really do to them?"

  "I already told you, Zelda," the Queen of Shadows said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I sent them away…"

  "You're lying," Zelda accused, resolving to be as unrelenting as possible.

  "I can assure that I'm not," Verona said, her tone actually quite sincere. "I cast them both out of the castle and then they ran off together into the woods to try and lift

  the curse I placed on him. And that, your highness, is the honest truth."

  The Hylian queen gave her a long, suspicious glance, which the Queen of Shadows merely answered with a nod of confirmation, one that Zelda hesitantly decided to buy.

  "And… they succeeded?" she ventured out of sheer curiosity, even though she knew it was foolish to do so.

  Verona shook her head, her expression unconcerned and unreadable. "Not quite," she replied vaguely. "But fear not, your highness. Your hero is no longer a beast and he

  no longer carries the shard that I embedded into his heart earlier. In fact, if I could guess, I'd say he's most likely on his way here even as we speak…"

  Zelda frowned in unavoidable confusion upon hearing this news, wondering why in the world Verona would take her shard out of Link, which was what the Queen of

  Shadows seemed to be implying happened. But at the same time, a small rush of hope filled her as she realized that the hero was indeed on his way, but she dared not let

  that hope show, lest her foe crush it completely. "You sound like you want him to come and challenge you," the Hylian queen inferred as emotionless as she could, though

  the thought terrified her. "You wish to kill him, no doubt."

  "Actually, quite the contrary…" Verona said evenly. "The hero will be of much more use to me alive than dead…You, on the other hand… I can't say the same thing for…"

  Zelda glared coldly at her, not believing that she didn't intend to bring harm upon Link for a second. "If he is coming, then he will defeat you," she said faithfully. "He has

  faced worse than you. And if you think that he will not bring you down, that we will not bring you down, you are seriously underestimating us both."

  "Oh, now that is where you're wrong, your highness," the Queen of Shadows said as she stepped even closer to the Hylian queen, until they were but a few feet away. "I

  don't underestimate either of you whatsoever. I know exactly what your kind is capable of… I know just how much good you both have done… And… just how much evil

  you could do… After all, history has a cruel tendency of repeating itself…"

  Completely bewildered by her cryptic words, Zelda could no longer keep her curiosity and worry hidden. "What… What are you talking about…?" she asked with a careful

  frown, part of her not wanting to know, but another part of her craving to.

  "Very good question…" Verona said, her sly smile returning. "I'm glad that you've come to realize that I have not come here to merely gloat over you, your highness. I do

  have business with you after all…"

  "Do no ignore the question," the Hylian queen said rather demandingly. "What did you mean a moment ago?"

  The Queen of Shadows was silent for a moment, taking a long glance at the darkness outside of the window before finally speaking. "It's almost sad, really," she started,

  her tone somehow both mocking and reflecting. "How little you and your people know of your own history… How easily you have all forgotten about the not so long ago

  past… But unlike you Hyrulians, my people have not lost track of our roots, our legends… And there is one legend that I hold closest to my heart from my people, one that

  has inspired me from the moment I heard it… One that gave me hope, even when I had none…"

  As she spoke of this unknown legend, Verona's tone seemed to turn almost vulnerable and meek for a brief moment, before she quickly caught herself and became

  formal and haughty once more, turning away from the Hylian queen completely. "Around five hundred years ago, there lived a Twili woman, a great and powerful figure

  known as the Sorceress of Shadow…" she said as she began to recount her favorite legend. "She was mighty and strong, but her ambition was feared by her own people,

  and that fear turned to hatred. And so, she rightly deserted them and she found her way here, to Hyrule. Her sole desire was to have the golden power of the Triforce as

  her own, to use its great power to conquer all, even the golden goddesses themselves! And yet, even after she claimed the Triforce and brought Hyrule to its knees, she

  was still somehow brought to an end herself, and I can assume that you are able to guess who it was that brought that end about…" A hint of disgust and ire lingered in

  her tone as she finished, giving her a cross look that demanded an answer, though Zelda, who didn't exactly follow what she was trying to imply, merely shook her head in

  confusion i
n response.

  With an exasperated sigh, the Queen of Shadows, held her hand out as a spark of magic lit over it for a brief moment, before a large painting appeared floating beside her,

  one that the Hylian queen instantly recognized as the one hanging in her bedroom. Zelda had no idea how Verona had gotten her hands on it, but after only a moment of

  seeing the Queen of Shadow giving a hateful glare to the two figures depicted in the center of the image, she soon understood exactly what she had meant.

  The Hylian queen gasped in absolute shock upon realizing this revelation, wondering how she had not realized it before. "The Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny…"

  she whispered in awe as she stared at the painting, keeping her eyes locked and her and Link's ancestors. It only made sense of course; after all, they had lived during the

  same time period that Verona had spoken of, but no one in Hyrule, including the royal family itself, had knowledge of this battle. If it truly did happen at all, it certainly must

  have been a great and violent struggle, and yet it was one that the hero and the princess had prevailed in nonetheless, even despite the odds apparently stacked against

  them they had somehow won. And yet, it was immediately clear that this victory enraged the Queen of Shadows, though the Hylian queen did not know why.

  "Correct…" Verona snarled as she made the painting vanish into thin air. "It was none other than you and your hero's ancestors who bested the Sorceress of Shadow…

  But, before she died at the blade of the Hero of Time, she uttered a little… curse, if you will… A curse that would ensure that her struggle and crusade would not end so

  easily, and that it would not be in vain… She vowed that her descendants would one day rise up and avenge her, following in her path and succeeding where she had failed

  by taking Hyrule and taking down those with Blood of the Goddess and the Spirit of the Hero once and for all! And, your highness, I bet that this will be an easy guess for

  you as to who that descendant is…"

  Zelda merely glared at the Queen of Shadows harshly, who simply grinned triumphantly at her, both of them knowing that there was no point in stating the obvious. "It