There was something wrong about this castle.
The certainty of that grew and grew inside the heart of the Hero of Time until he was convinced: this wasn't at all what he'd been told. Every rumor he'd tracked down, every map or journal he'd uncovered--all had declared this castle (its name long forgotten) was absolutely, positively abandoned.

And so he'd come prepared, as a Hero always should. He carried with him the tools to undo living statues, to find secret passageways and of course to solve ancient puzzles. For the rest his sword and shield would do.
But his bombs remained safely nestled in their pouch, his looking-glass didn't have so much as a smudged fingerprint on it, and he hadn't even touched a moving block or stood on a pressure plate. Instead Link had been forced to battle through several groups of slavering monsters, each more troublesome than the last. Instead he'd had to collect keys from locked chests and even defeat an ancient monster, the very same that now lay shriveling on the floor. He didn't like looking at it: the thing was all eyes and chitinous legs. He'd fought spiders before, but they always made him queasy. None of the fights had been simple, but he'd been unwilling to back down. Still was.

His armor showed some of the signs of his struggles: a couple claws had torn through the cloth over his shoulder but were turned away by the chain mail underneath. The corner of one of his sleeves was singed, and a small scratch on his temple had dripped a few drops of his blood before clotting. Despite the exertion of the fight he was breathing easy, blond hair unmatted, and he walked gracefully even with all he carried. His piercing blue eyes traced over the boss's room, looking for anything to examine before opening the last door. When he was satisfied he continued.

The castle was supposed to house great treasure and mystical items, but Link was beginning to guess the rumors were a little outdated. He didn't really know what to expect when he opened the final, giant door, but it wasn't the sight that greeted him. The door swung open and a flash of pink met his eyes: Link reached for his sword but faltered and finally dropped his hand--and his jaw.

"Princess...?"