Link simply stared. He wasn't sure what to say, or even how to react. The strange figure before him continued to smile. After several minutes of silence, Link finally found his voice again.

"Doggy?" he echoed.

The woman's smile stretched even wider.

"Yes, doggy," she said silkily, "You're my doggy, you see. And you have to come with me."

"Who are you?" Link demanded.

The woman spread her arms, "I'm your new master. But doggy must stop talking now. We have things to do. Doggy must do his duty."

"Stop calling me that! I'm not a dog!" Link snapped, losing his patience, "And you're definitely not my master. Explain to me what you're on about!"

Link hardly had time to finish his sentence before the stranger's hands suddenly clamped on his wrist and began hauling him down the alleyway. He was surprised by the woman's sheer strength; it took him considerable effort to free himself again.

"Let go!" Link said, yanking his arm loose and putting several paces between himself and the stranger, whose sanity he was beginning to doubt.

The woman narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, a frown spreading over her face.

"Doggy's not cooperating," she said, as though talking to herself, "Doggy doesn't understand."

"So explain it to me!" Link insisted again.

The woman's eyes were almost slits now. She still said nothing. Link sighed heavily.

"Please, just tell me your name," he implored quietly.

The woman suddenly smiled, "You want to know my name? Doggy might know my name if he follows me."

Link groaned. The stranger continued to smile.

"Doggy doesn't understand. Doggy doesn't know the things I know. Doggy doesn't know the prophecy."

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"Prophecy?" Link echoed, his curiosity piqued, "What do you mean?"

"Blue eyes," the woman said, her eyes gleaming with an ecstatic light, "Doggy has blue eyes. The prophecy tells of blue eyes. Blue eyes will save us. Blue eyes is a strong warrior. The doggy has blue eyes..."

She suddenly shook her head, as if trying to clear it. Her eyes met Link's and held them.

"I need doggy's help. Won't doggy help me? Won't doggy help his princess? Doggy's princess needs him too..."

"The princess?" Link gasped.

She had his full attention now.

"I am a friend of your princess, your Zelda. She likes me. We help each other. We have a common goal. We have a common problem. The darkness is our problem. The darkness spreads. But I know how to get rid of it."

Link sprang forward, grabbing the stranger by her shoulders and giving her a firm shake, "You know? Tell me. You have to tell me!"

Instead of replying, the woman fixed him with a fierce glare. He took the hint and let go of her at once. Her expression relaxed.

"That's better. Doggy should remember his place. He is beneath his princess. And he is beneath me. I am as much of royal blood as his princess. Remember, doggy."

"Please," Link tried again, "Tell me your name."

"The only name you need to know is the name of the man you must destroy. That man is everything I despise. You must never forget his name. He is the one who brings the darkness. He took...he took my..."

She stopped short. A strange light burned in her ruby eyes. But it wasn't hate. It was fear. For some reason, it shook Link to his core.

"Zant."

There was a sudden chill in the air as she spoke the name of her enemy. Link felt an ill foreboding as he heard it. He knew as soon as it left the woman's lips, it held an incredibly dark meaning, especially to the one who spoke it.

"What did he take from you?"

Link hardly recognized his own voice. It was barely a whisper. In the light of the moon, he caught the glint of tears in the stranger's eyes. They rolled over the pale skin on her cheek, leaving a stain.

She opened her mouth, replying in a low murmur, "Everything."

The pain in her eyes was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared. It was replaced by a proud defiance. Had it not been for the tear-stains on her face, Link might have thought he had never actually seen her crying.

She raised her head, her voice steady as she spoke, "Here you have the princess of twilight standing before you, throneless and utterly desolate. That's why I am in your land. I come from a whole other realm; I do not belong here. But the prophecy foretold that my kingdom would fall. That it fell to the rule of that idiot, who could have guessed? But it fell nonetheless. The prophecy foretold of a blue-eyed beast that would save my realm of twilight. I met with the princess of this realm and told her of the prophecy. So she commissioned me to find that blue-eyed beast. So I did. I found doggy. And doggy must come see his princess, and she will tell him all."

Link stared speechlessly. Slowly, he nodded. Without further prompting, he started off toward the castle.