Ravio sat beside Hilda's bed in her chambers within Lorule Castle, his face in his hands as his Princess lay unconscious next to him, only a thin sheet laying upon her, while a cooling cloth lay on her forehead.

Ravio and the Lorulean Royal Guard had only just returned from the Dark Palace's Maze a few hours before, Ravio carrying Hilda in his arms as desperately called out for help.

A few servants had taken Hilda up to her chambers, while a few more appeared to show the now returned Royal Guard to where they could stay and get changed, leaving Ravio alone in the foyer, before he rushed upstairs after Hilda.

All that seemed so distant as Ravio looked at Hilda as she lay peacefully on her bed, though Ravio could see the sweat on her body, as her body heat from using her temporarily purified magic had spiked tremendously.

Her staff lay against the wall across the room, having gone back to its normal glowing color, but Ravio could still picture the sight of Hilda holding aloft her glowing white staff, her own eyes glowing white as tears flowed out of them, the glowing cracks that had surrounded her eyes before she collapsed into his arms.

The doors to Hilda's chambers opened, as Celestia walked in through the door, while two more servants wheeled in behind her with a tub full of ice and water.

"Wait, what's that for?" Ravio asked, jumping up from the chair he was sitting in beside Hilda's bed, while Celestia walked over and peeled off the thin sheet covered Hilda, revealing her in only thin white bandages wrapped around her breasts and the lower area of her body, just below her stomach.

"The Princess's body temperature has barely lowered in the past few hours, and the only reason she isn't dead is that her magic is keeping her alive, but only barely. We need to get her body temperature back down, and this is the only option we have." Celestia said, rolling up her sleeves as her and the other two servants lifted Hilda up from her bed and placed her into the tub of ice and water.

Celestia then took out another cloth and replaced the one already on her head with the new one, and making sure she was placed comfortably in the tub, before straightening back up, as the two servants left.

"Celestia, is Hilda going to survive this?" Ravio asked, and the woman sighed, rubbing her forehead before looking up at Ravio.

"I do not know. The use of pure untainted magic hasn't been used by anyone in the royal lineage in centuries, and even before our Triforce was shattered, only the strongest Queens of Lorule could handle that much raw magic at one time. If you hadn't brought her back from her mind, she would've been burned alive." She said, and Ravio looked worriedly at Hilda, as she still lay quietly in the tub.

"Is it my fault that she went to those extreme measures? She never would have been able to purify her magic if it hadn't been from the magic I had stored in my body, and she never would've tried it if I hadn't left her here alone." He asked, and Celestia smiled sadly, patting Ravio on the shoulder.

"You did the right thing leaving Lorule and seeking help from Hyrule. Hilda was too far in her own mind and that snake Yuga was manipulating her at every step of the way. She wouldn't have listened to reason even if you had tried to confront her, and Hyrule and Lorule would have been destroyed, and she along with many others would have been killed. You saved so many lives by leaving." She said, and Ravio smiled sadly.

"Then why do I feel so...empty? I left my Princess behind with a mad man, and for what? For her to almost die when I'm there with her? I'm a terrible servant." He said, and Celestia chuckled, as she pocketed the rag in her hand.

"Perhaps a servant isn't what you're meant to be for the rest of your life. Perhaps you are meant to be the next King of Lorule."

Ravio turned red, but before he could defend himself, Celestia had already left the chambers and closed the doors, leaving him alone with Hilda.

He moved the chair next to the tub where Hilda lay, and he sat back down.

Hilda's face was still flushed from the heat, though Ravio could see that the tub was finally starting to cool her down slightly, as her expression turned to more of a peaceful one compared to her previous expression of discomfort.

He began to think about what Celestia had said, with him being the next King of Lorule, and he would've been lying if he said he hadn't thought about it before.

He and Hilda had always had a close bond since the day they had first met, and had only grown closer since then over the years, much to the dismay of Hilda's father, King Aldus.

The night that Ravio had spent with Hilda, embracing her in his arms as he kissed her lips, his hands tracing over her hips, her pulling him back to her if he pulled away to give him another kiss, had given him hope for the future, that there would be a future with her.

However, after he had heard her conversation with Yuga to steal Hyrule's Triforce to save Lorule, had made him realize that the future he could've had with her was no longer possible and that he had to leave immediately.

He had left her behind with no trace that he ever was there at all to flee to another kingdom, and the guilt had torn him apart, just as her grief had finally torn her apart.

Now that he was home in Lorule with Hilda once again, after confronting her to keep from attacking Zelda and Link, their kingdom and Hyrule were safe, but at the cost that he would never be able to be with her again.

It was a small price to pay for the safety of two kingdoms, but to Ravio, it felt like he had just lost his entire world, and now, here his Princess lay, barely on this side of life, and all he could do was watch as she suffered.

Ravio saw Hilda's hand dangling out of the side of the tub, and he carefully took her hand in his, sighing in relief when the touch of her skin didn't feel like his hand was going to be burned off.

He looked at his own bandaged hand, the one that had been clutching so tightly onto Hilda's while she was screaming in pain, holding onto him for dear life.

He had been running on adrenaline when he and the Guard had rushed Hilda back to Lorule Castle, but when Celestia had settled Hilda into her bed, she saw that Ravio's hand had been burnt, and had immediately forced him to wait in Hilda's room while she went to get some medicine for burns.

The pain was only a dull throbbing now, though Ravio couldn't imagine how must it hurt to have magical fire coursing throughout your body, burning you alive from the inside.

Ravio was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Hilda had slowly opened her eyes and was looking at him.

"Ravio...?" She mumbled, and he turned to see Hilda with her eyes open, her face now less flushed, as she shakily held out a hand to him.

"Hilda! Oh, thank goodness you're awake! How are you feeling?" He asked, and Hilda smiled weakly.

"I felt like I was on fire before, but now, I suppose I feel a little less on fire. Was it Celestia's idea to place me in a tub of ice?" She asked, and Ravio laughed as he nodded.

"Yes, she felt it was the only way to bring back down your body temperature to one that wouldn't fry your brain if you didn't have magic, but I don't think you'll reach that for another few days." He said, and Hilda sighed, leaning back into the tub of ice as she stared up at the ceiling.

"I suppose it serves me right for attempting to use Goddess magic when it wasn't meant to be used." She said, holding up her hand, as a small tendril of black magic appeared from her palm, before disappearing.

"Goddess magic? Is that what that glowing white magic you were using before was called? Where'd you learn about that?" Ravio asked, and Hilda thought for a moment.

"I read about it in a book once that long ago, the Queen of Lorule was able to harness the magic of the Goddesses, but that was before the Triforce was destroyed and all magic either vanished or was corrupted, and before then, it took years of training before the Queen was able to harness magic with that much raw power, and there was still the risk of burning alive if too much was used. I used Goddess magic with only a temporary purification spell after crude training with dark magic. It's a miracle I'm even alive."

Ravio sighed, as he took ahold of Hilda's hand into his own, as she looked at him in surprise.

"Hilda, you're only alive because your magic kept you alive until we put you in the tub. Promise me that you won't ever try and attempt Goddess magic again. Lorule can't lose you as its leader, especially now. I can't lose you." He said, and Hilda smiled sadly, squeezing his hand in comfort.

"I promise I won't try and attempt Goddess magic again. I'm just glad that you and the Royal Guard all made it out alive. I can't lose any more of my citizens, and I certainly can't lose you. Not again."

Ravio was about to respond when they heard the tweeting of a bird down the hallway, and Ravio was about to stand up, before the chamber doors burst open, a harried servant running through with Sheerow squawking after her.

"Sheerow, stop attacking her!" Ravio shouted, and the small bird appeared to glare at the servant, before flying back to Ravio's side, a letter in his claws, as the servant bowed her head in apology.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness and Ravio, I had no idea this bird belonged to you. I will take my leave now." She said, bowing herself out of the room and closing the doors.

Sheerow dropped the letter into Ravio's hands, before flying off to Hilda's wardrobe in the corner, ducking his head under his wing as he went to sleep.

Ravio turned the letter over to open it and saw the golden seal of the Hylian Triforce that sealed the letter shut, as he pried the seal open and pulled out the letter.

"What is that?" Hilda asked, and Ravio opened the letter.

"It's Princess Zelda's response to my letter asking for permission to enter Hyrule." He said as he began to read it aloud.

Dear Ravio,

This is Princess Zelda of Hyrule, though I'm sure you knew that already. This prophecy that you have told me about is very worrying, and we cannot risk anything more happening to our kingdoms. I cannot transport you to Hyrule myself, but I do give you permission to cross over to Hyrule and come to Hyrule Castle, where I will tell you more whatever I can. When you arrive at Hyrule Castle, please present the enclosed card to the guard at the gate, and he will escort you to the Throne Room. I hope to see you soon so that we may avert this crisis.

Sincerely,
Princess Zelda Hylania of Hyrule

A card fell out from the envelope, made with the official royal stationary of Princess Zelda, writing written out neatly on the card.

I, Princess Zelda Hylania of Hyrule, allow Princess Hilda Lorania of Lorule and Ravio Kiro of Lorule passage to Hyrule and to be immediately escorted to the Throne Room.

Ravio smiled as he pocketed the card, while Hilda sighed in relief, laying back in the tub.

"Oh, thank goodness. I don't know what we would have done if Zelda hadn't given us permission to enter Hyrule, but I won't be fit to create any magical portals strong enough to reach Hyrule until I'm fully recovered, which will take a few days at least." She said, and Ravio nodded in agreement.

"That is probably for the best, but for now, get some rest. Sheerow will be in here with you if you need anything, and I'll be back in the morning to check up on you. Sleep well, Princess."

Ravio stood up from his chair and left the room, opening and closing the doors behind him, leaving Hilda alone in the tub of ice while Sheerow slept in the corner, and she sighed.

"Good night, Ravio."

                                          ~~~

"Repeat the attack! You didn't aim with enough force! If you spare anyone, they will stab you in the back! Again!"

Two soldiers were sparring with one another, one with a sword, the other with a spear, as an instructor walked around them, bellowing orders and attacks.

A man dressed in royal finery and wearing the crown of a prince walked from the castle where he had just left to the training guards where soldiers were hard at work training.

The military instructor turned to see the prince walking up to where he was standing, and groaned before straightening up, hands behind his back, as the prince stood beside him.

"Good afternoon, Sir Jackel. How are my soldiers holding up?" The prince asked, and the instructor snorted.

"There is still much training to be done before we are ready to conquer any kingdoms, Your Highness." He said, and the prince smiled.

"Is that so? Then I suppose we'll have to keep working our soldiers harder then, hm?" He remarked as the soldier with the spear jabbed at his sparring partner, before the soldier with the sword bat the spear out of his hands.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, perhaps our men are not ready to conquer any kingdoms yet?" The instructor said as the prince laughed.

"Oh, this isn't just about conquering kingdoms. This is about conquering annoying princesses who believe that just the tiniest bit of magic will help them win any battle. Breaking the princesses that rule those kingdoms is our first step to eventually ruling over them." He said, and the instructor looked at him in disgust, before immediately masking his expression.

"So what do you suggest I do to train them so that we don't waste any necessary resources?" The instructor asked, and the prince shrugged.

"Give them one day to themselves to relax, and encourage evening spars. I will not have my first new kingdom to conquer be a failure, is that understood?" The prince asked, and the instructor bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"Yes, Your Highness. Do you have ideas about which kingdom we should go for first? I hear that one kingdom by the name of Hyrule has an extremely powerful Triforce, along with a weak Princess who has the weakest grip on magic that anyone has seen in centuries." He said, and the prince chuckled, brushing his hair back.

"We needn't worry about Hyrule just yet. Another kingdom has recently piqued my interest." The prince said, and the instructor looked at him strangely.

"What kingdom would that be, Your Highness?" He asked, and the prince chuckled, before his face settled into a smirk.

"Lorule."

~~~

"Hilda?"

Hilda was sitting at her vanity, applying the last of her lipstick when she heard her name being called from the other side of the doors.

"Come in."

The doors opened, and Hilda turned to see Ravio walking in, wearing his new robes and tunic combination, a rucksack slung over his shoulder, and he stopped in his tracks when he saw Hilda.

She was wearing the same clothes she was wearing when they had ventured to the Maze outside the Dark Palace, but she had also put on her makeup she wore with her dress when appearing as the official Princess of Lorule.

"Hilda, are you ready to go?" Ravio asked, averting his eyes away from her so he wouldn't start blushing, and Hilda nodded, standing up from her vanity, and picked up her staff.

A week had passed since Hilda had almost burnt herself alive by using Goddess magic, so her staff had cooled down to where she could touch it again, as she herself had cooled down enough to where she was no longer feverish or sick.

"Yes, I'm ready. We need to go up to the Sacred Realm now before the stroke of midnight. My magic will be strongest at midnight, strong enough to make a portal to Hyrule. Let's go."

Hilda walked out of her chambers, Ravio following after her, as they rushed up the stairs to the Sacred Realm.

The Sacred Realm was atop Lorule Castle, and no one was allowed up there unless they had express permission from a member of the Royal Family, or they were a member of the Royal Family.

Neither of them had been up to the Sacred Realm since the Triforce had been first restored, so it lay untouched on its pedestal.

Hilda had posted Guards to keep watch for any intruders who would try and make a wish on the Triforce, so two Guards were standing watch as Hilda and Ravio arrived at the top of the spiral staircase that led to the Sacred Realm.

"Good evening, Your Majesty. Are there any orders you would like us to pass on to the Princess Regent before you leave?" One of the guards asked, and Hilda had to stifle a laugh.

Hilda had placed Celestia in charge of handling the castle while she was gone, since there wasn't really anyone else she trusted with the task.

She had placed Sir Garrys as Celestia's guard, who had eagerly accepted after he was reunited with his wife, a servant who had thought her husband died when he was abducted by the beast at the Dark Palace.

"No, I do not have any orders, but my orders for guarding the Triforce remain the same: No one is allowed to see the Triforce, and if anyone attempts to come up here for any reason, you are to detain them and hold them for questioning until I return. Is that understood?" She asked, and the Guard bowed his head.

"Yes, I will see that it is taken care of, Your Highness." He said, opening the door that led to the Sacred Realm, while the second guard stepped from his post and led the way to the Triforce, Hilda and Ravio following behind him.

The guard stepped off to the side, while Hilda and Ravio continued until they reached the Triforce's pedestal, where the sacred treasure lay softly glowing, giving off a bit of warmth.

Hilda looked up the sky, to see the moon almost completely above them, as she took a deep breath in and readied her staff.

"With the help of the Triforce, I should be able to create a portal with my staff strong enough to reach Hyrule. If not, we'll have to do a few dimension jumps on the way there, so let's hope that anywhere we land will be safe, okay?" She said, and Ravio nodded nervously.

"Hopefully we'll be able to reach Hyrule in one dimension jump, considering you have the combined magic of the two strongest mages in all of Lorule." He said, and Hilda smiled weakly.

"Let's hope that all of those variables will help, now take my hand. We need to be in direct contact before I can transport us." She said, and Ravio nodded, as he took her hand, suppressing his sigh of relief that her hand wasn't burning anymore.

Hilda's staff suddenly glowed brighter, and she smiled as she held it out in front of her, and used the tip of the staff to trace a glowing circle around her and Ravio.

As soon as she completed, the circle glowed brighter, with some of the golden light from the Triforce seeping into the magical circle that made it glow even brighter.

"Are you ready?" Hilda asked, and Ravio hesitantly nodded.

She smiled at him once again, before slamming the bottom of her staff onto the stone floor within the circle, causing the circle to engulf them in colorful flames, before they disappeared completely, leaving no trace they were ever there.

Author's Note: The Queen and the Hero will be going on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time until I am able to complete more chapters. I apologize for the wait, but I hope that you will continue to enjoy the story!