The guards in Hyrule Castle wear uniforms reminiscent of the classic hero’s tunic, probably a relic of the Hero of Winds’ bond with Tetra. The guards outside let Link past, although they comment Link’s a little younger than normal for an engineer. Inside, the guard watching the staircase to the throne room, where the ceremony is supposed to take place, doesn’t listen to Link at all and tells him to go away. The matter is cleared up when Chancellor Cole, an evil leprechaun with two top hats worn on the sides of his head, shows up. He’s also bemused by Link’s youth, and doesn’t think much of the ceremony because the Spirit Tracks are disappearing, but he has the guard move out of the way so that Link can get to his ceremony.
Cole is much less helpful during the actual ceremony, objecting when Link looks up at Zelda as she stands in front of him, and interrupting the ceremony to tell her to get a move on, which actually seems counterproductive. Anyway, Zelda presents Link with the royal engineer certificate; Link promptly abandons decorum to strike the Item Get pose, which Cole surprisingly lets go without comment. Zelda also passes him a note, tells him to read it later, and warns him about Cole. As Cole leaves, he tells Link to “go polish [his] train or something,” ending with an evil grin and saying the train will be useless soon.
Zelda’s note asks Link to come visit her in her room as soon as he can, and gives him a route which will let him avoid being seen by the guards. Following the instructions, Link finds his way to Zelda’s room and finds her playing a pan flute. She greets him, then explains why she needs his help: As Cole said, the Spirit Tracks are disappearing, and she suspects that something has happened at the Tower of Spirits to cause it. So, she wants him to take her there so she can investigate. There’s supposed to be a sage at the Tower who can help her.
Of course, it’s not so simple. Chancellor Cole doesn’t want Zelda investigating so he forbids her to leave the palace under the pretense of protecting her. So Link needs to sneak Zelda out of the castle first. To help with this, she gives him a guard recruit uniform – i.e., the classic green tunic – as a disguise. The stealth escort mission is actually pretty fun, with the player controlling Link’s movements but able to have Zelda wait behind or follow a route they draw. Link can be spotted, and can talk to guards to draw their attention away from where Zelda’s walking. The only frustration is trying to quickly get to a safe spot can leave Zelda behind to be spotted.
Sneaking Zelda out of the castle delayed Link’s return to the train station, but Alfonzo sort of understands when he sees Zelda there. Alfonzo used to be in the castle guard and a renowned swordsman, but he’s retired and now he’s just an engineer. However, Zelda wants his help in case something happens at the Tower of Spirits, and he can’t refuse her. The train is barely out of the station when the track it was on disappears, and Link manages to keep the train from toppling over. Alfonzo points toward the Tower of Spirits, which is surrounded by dark clouds and lightning and eventually just sort of falls apart. The foundation and entrance are left intact, but the higher levels have broken off and end up floating above the base. Above the ruined tower, black smoke billows from a portal, and one stream of it comes out in the form of a demonic black train that buzzes over Link and Zelda’s heads.
Cole shows up to confront Zelda, and reveals that he’s a demon of some sort – the purpose of the hats was to hide his horns. (They don’t look big enough to actually do the job.) Zelda’s trip forced him to accelerate his timetable, but he seems relieved to no longer have to pretend to be human. He’s joined by Byrne, a man in black with a large clawed hand, and says now that the tracks are gone, all he needs is something from Zelda. Alfonzo tries to protect her, but Byrne outmatches him, and swats Link out of the way when he tries to stand in his way. Then Cole zaps Zelda; a ball of light leaves her body and flies off to Hyrule Castle. Link tries to get up, but can only watch helplessly as Byrne carries Zelda’s body off before he passes out.
Next: Let’s try that again, shall we?
