Ravio stood before the door that led downstairs to the Servants' Quarters, his hood down once again as he nervously pushed open the door and began walking down the stone staircase.

He had only been gone for a few months from Lorule while hiding away in Hyrule, waiting for Yuga to come to Hyrule to begin capturing the Seven Sages and the Princess of Hyrule, and waiting for the perfect opportunity to start the Hero of Hyrule on his destiny.

Link was so much younger than him, as was Zelda, so when he had first seen Link, he thought it'd be best to masquerade as a young teenage merchant instead of a full-grown adult, though he felt even more like a creep when did so.

Link didn't speak much, but Ravio was used to reading facial expressions and determining one's feelings on that alone, as Hilda didn't like to talk much, though it was mainly from the increasing pressure from Lorule's impending doom.

The only time he had ever seen her so happy was when he had first kissed her, and everything that had happened after.

His face went red as he reflected on that night, he could still feel Hilda's lips on his own, and the feeling of her skin against his as they embraced each other.

Ravio was afraid to admit to himself that he was in love with his future Queen then, but now, he wasn't so sure he should even bring it up ever again.

Hilda's heart was shattered when he had left her alone, as did Ravio's, as he had sobbed for hours once he had found somewhere safe to hide in Hyrule.

Hilda could never trust him again, and he wouldn't blame her, because he broke her heart.

Ravio quickly shook his head to bring his thoughts back to his current situation, as he had to confront his mother about him leaving as well.

She had encouraged him to leave, to save Hilda, to save Lorule, but that didn't change that she had been left alone in a crumbling kingdom, without knowing whether her son was alive or not.

The guilt from leaving behind the people he most cared about weighed heavily on his heart as he approached the bottom of the staircase, arriving at the second wooden door that laid between him and what could possibly be another confrontation, and another cold shoulder.

As he walked down the hallway, he noticed it was eerily empty, no servants scurrying around or talking with each other like it was before he had left.

"So much has changed in such little time. Have I changed too?" Ravio thought to himself, before he saw a door at the far end of the hallway slightly propped open.

He looked at it with confusion before hurrying to it, his boots hitting the stone floor so hard that if anyone was in the Servants' Quarters, they would hear him approach.

He pushed open the door to see that it led into the laundry room, where he could see all of the servants that were huddled together in the far corner, all quickly looking up and seeing Ravio standing in the doorway.

All of their expressions immediately changed simultaneously to one of shock.

"Ravio?" They all shouted at once, and Ravio scanned the room to see one face staring at him that had a look of relief.

His mother.

Myra saw the face of her son standing before her, wearing her deceased husband's robes, his face and hands covered in cuts and scars, presumably from living in the wilderness while in Hyrule.

She immediately stood up and ran to her son, hugging him tightly as she felt tears running down her face, her body shaking with her sobs, as Ravio hugged his mother back, tears welling up in his eyes as well.

"I'm so happy you're home, my dearest child." Myra said, as she finally pulled away from Ravio, tears in her eyes but a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry I took so long getting home, but you would not believe how long it took me to find someone willing enough to go after a crazy court jester who can turn people into paintings." He said with a smile, and his mother laughed.

"I'm just happy that you're home safely. You are not allowed to leave this kingdom again for a while, young man." Myra said, and Ravio laughed nervously.

"Mom, I'm an adult, I don't need to be watched over all the time, but I promise I won't leave again. By the way, why are you all hiding here?" Ravio asked, directing the last question at the servants still huddled in the corner.

Jack, the designated leader, stood up from where he was sitting with his wife, and Ravio could have sworn that he had aged years in the months Ravio had been gone.

"Since you left, the Princess and that crazy magician she's been working with have been hellbent on an unknown project, though Myra told us on the promise we wouldn't tell the Princess that it was to steal Hyrule's Triforce, and she told us that it was why you left. That Yuga guy has also been trying to find you and murder you as well for treason, so I guess it's a good thing you fled. Where did you go anyway? No one survives outside the castle." Jack asked, and Ravio smiled and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I've been in Hyrule for the past few months, trying to find someone who would be willing to help with stopping Yuga and...and Hilda too. I finally found someone, a young apprentice learning to be a blacksmith named Link, though admittedly, he was terrible at making weapons." He said, laughing at the memory, before clearing his throat and continuing.

"I had to pose as a merchant with weapons that I had managed to find all across Hyrule in treasure dungeons, leaving behind whatever Rupees I had left instead as an award. I then sold them to the Hero to use in the various dungeons here in our own kingdom, reviving the Sages and bringing them together to retrieve the Triforce of Courage from deep within the confines of the Chamber of Sages. I knew this was a part of Hilda's plan, so I helped Link along in becoming stronger, before coming back here." He said, and Jack looked at him, confused.

"Well, we hid down here because the Princess said 'We are having dangerous guests here soon, you are all to stay down here until I send someone to tell you it is safe.' We've been down here since last night. Was that dangerous guest that Link kid you're talking about?" He asked, and Ravio nodded.

"He's a good person, but incredibly dangerous. He destroyed Yuga, and I managed to make it back here to Lorule with a little magic I managed to snag from a dungeon in Hyrule, just enough to make it through one of the fissures that connected Lorule and Hyrule. I guess I can tell you that it's safe to come out now, but something else happened." He said, and all of the servants looked at him in surprise.

"Something else happened? What is it?" One of the younger servants asked, and Ravio smiled happily as he spoke again.

"Lorule's Triforce has been restored. It's safe to leave the castle now."

All of the servants stared at him in shock, and immediately Jack looked at him suspiciously.

"Are you sure that is true? What if it only looks safe until we actually leave the castle, then we're all attacked by monsters or thieves?" He asked, and Ravio was about to answer, before they heard someone else approach.

"It's true, you are all free to leave this castle as you please."

Ravio turned to see Hilda standing in the doorway, having changed from her traditional dress into simple brown pants, boots, fingerless gloves, and a purple shirt with a small purple cloak around her, though she still wore her crown.

"Everything is as Ravio as said, the Triforce has been repaired, and I can start beginning reparations to the castle and the kingdom, but I will not force you to stay any longer. It is safe to roam, but if you are unsure, you are welcome to stay in the castle as long as you'd like, and I will continue to protect you. But also, I would like to apologize for my reckless actions that have put you all in danger, and I am grateful that you all are not hurt." She said, and all of the servants either bowed or curtsied to Hilda, as did Ravio.

"We thank you for your hospitality, Princess, and we accept your apology. Thank you for saving us." Jack said, and Hilda's mouth curled into a slight smile, as she bowed back.

"It is my sole duty to take care of my people, but I must go now. Ravio, could you walk with me? I have some things I need to speak to you about." She said, before leaving the room, and Ravio turned to look at his mother.

"I won't be too long, I promise. I'll be at our room tonight, okay, Mom?" Ravio asked, and Myra nodded, a smile on her face.

"Of course, dear, go with the Princess. I'll make sure that the room is spotless by the time you get back."

Ravio nodded, before quickly following after Hilda, which was difficult to do in his robes, though Hilda had no problem as she was no longer wearing a long dress.

The two walked up the stairs and began walking throughout the castle, and Ravio could feel the blazing sun upon him that was streaming through the windows.

He had gotten used to the sun in Hyrule, but Hilda hadn't had the time to adjust as she drew up the hood of her cloak to shade her eyes.

Ravio then lifted up the hem of his robe and walked faster to catch up with her as they went back into another windowless corridor of the castle until they finally reached the outside of Hilda's chambers.

Hilda opened the door and motioned for Ravio to follow her, though as he did, he could feel his heart sinking into his chest as he remembered the last time he had been here.

The room looked almost the same as it did before he had left, except for the fact that the fire had been put out, and sunlight was also streaming through the windows.

"Ravio, please take a seat. I need to talk to you about something urgent." Hilda said, and Ravio sat down on the wooden chair Hilda had pointed at, as she sat across from him on her bed.

"What's wrong, Princess? I thought you would be happy now that Lorule is saved." Ravio said, and Hilda sighed.

"I can't get what Tempus said out of my head. I took Yuga's magic as my own, but she also said 'seek out the hidden kingdom in the dimension between dimensions.' What do you think she means by that?" She asked, and Ravio thought for a moment.

"I've been thinking about it since you told me on the bridge, and I think I might have a slight idea on what she may mean by that, if you want to hear it." He said, and Hilda gestured for him to continue.

"Please, I would love to hear your thinking." She said, and he nodded.

"You and I both know that Lorule is only a small dimension, and that for some odd reason, we are a mirror dimension to Hyrule, which was why Lorule and Hyrule were able to be connected so easily with magic. Do you remember the legend about the hidden kingdom that we found in the library, and we originally thought it was talking about Hyrule?" He asked, and Hilda nodded.

"Of course, but after we discovered that Hyrule was actually a pretty well-known kingdom throughout all of the dimensions, we decided that the legend of the hidden kingdom was just that, a legend. Why are you bringing it up now?" She asked, as Ravio dug around and pulled out a small book from inside a pocket inside his robes.

"I got this book while I was visiting the library in Hyrule Castle, since it's open to everyone, and apparently, the legend of the hidden kingdom exists there as well, except it has more information on what it is." He said, as he flipped open the book to a page close to the middle of the book, and began to read aloud.

"The hidden kingdom has been a story that has been told since the very first war for the Triforce in Hyrule began. A traitorous faction of soldiers, sorcerers, and civilians fled to the far reaches of the kingdom, where the sorcerers created a path out of magic to the Realm of Gateways, where the Head Sorcerer created a tear in the Realm and from there, created an entirely new dimension between dimensions where traitors fleeing their war-torn kingdoms could hide in a kingdom built on peace." He said, before closing the book and placing it back into his pocket.

Hilda thought for a moment, before she stood up and summoned her staff into her hands, the tetrahedron Triforce glowing with a rainbow color that flickered as if it was a flame.

"If that is the case, we know Yuga was able to create portals to different areas within Lorule, but perhaps now that it is combined with my magic, I could create a portal to the hidden kingdom using the combined magic in this staff, provided this kingdom actually exists. However, I would need to be in a place of strong magic, but there isn't anywhere like that here in Lorule." She said, and Ravio thought for a moment, when an idea popped into his head.

"Maybe there isn't a place like this here in Lorule, but perhaps there is in Hyrule. I'm sure if we asked politely, Princess Zelda would allow us safe passage into Hyrule, especially if it is for protecting our kingdom. Perhaps we could even make an alliance with Hyrule in the future." He said, and Hilda thought for a moment, worry eating away at her.

Hilda and Zelda had only met once, when Hilda was in her most desperate state that she was willing to attack the Princess of Hyrule to gain the Triforce to restore Lorule, before Ravio had suddenly returned and brought her back to her senses.

Though Zelda and Link had departed from Lorule on good terms with Hilda and Ravio only yesterday, Hilda was unsure of whether or not she should ask for assistance from them so soon after what had happened.

"Perhaps we should wait for things to simmer down for a bit, and focus on making reparations to the castle and the rest of the kingdom, and make sure that Lorule will be absolutely safe before I leave. What do you think?" Hilda asked, and Ravio thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Perhaps it'd be best to wait a week or two and focus on fixing Lorule before we go deal with this crisis. However, we need to have constant protection on the Triforce for right now, before we decide what the best course of action would be to do with it to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Do you agree, Princess?" He asked, and Hilda nodded.

"Whatever guards we have left in the castle will be kept on duty for guarding the Triforce. Tomorrow, you and I will be going to the Dark Palace and retrieving the rest of our soldiers. Link set them free from the mind control, but they are most likely still hiding there to stay alive." She said, and Ravio shivered at the thought of it.

The Dark Palace was not a safe place for anyone, and only recently had it become less dangerous when Link had destroyed the monster that had been controlling most of Lorule Castle's soldiers.

About a year ago, Ravio had gone with Hilda and Yuga on one of their scope missions to the Dark Palace, and the place was definitely creepy, with the fact that they had to maneuver through a maze without getting caught because Yuga's magic had a damper put on it when he was within the maze walls, which he did not appreciate.

The Dark Palace used to be the second palace for the Lorulean Royal Family in the event that Lorule Castle fell, but after the Triforce had been destroyed, the entire Palace had become abandoned as all the servants that had been working there either managed to escape to Lorule Castle, or were eaten by monsters.

No torches had been lit at all within the castle, so Hilda had to create light from her magic, which was difficult considering her magic was dark magic, meant to absorb all light, but she managed.

Ravio brought himself back to the present when he looked at Hilda, who suddenly was looking extremely nervous.

"Hilda? Is everything okay?" Ravio asked, and Hilda jolted from her thoughts before nodding quickly, though Ravio could see the nervous smile on her face.

"Yes, I'm fine, just tired, you know? It's been a long few days, and I really just want to get some rest." She said, and Ravio nodded.

"Of course, I need to be getting back downstairs to my mother anyway. Good night, Princess."

Ravio bowed and left Hilda's bedchambers, gently closing the door behind him, as Hilda flopped on her bed, burying her face in her hands, before looking up at the ceiling.

"If only things weren't so complicated right now, then I could tell you how I feel about you, Ravio. I guess it can wait until later on when things have calmed down." She said, as she hugged herself tightly, her hair splayed out all around her.

"I can't tell you that I love you, even though I love you so much, Ravio Kiro. Perhaps, one day, you will return my feelings." Hilda murmured, before burying her face into her pillow, eager to just have the day end.