Zelda tries to research a way to bring the people absorbed back.

Of course, Zelda immediately set her mind to bringing back her friend, and everyone else. For the next month, the Princess gave her chancellor the rule of the kingdom, while she set her formidable mind to solving this problem. She poured over ancient text after worn tome, and even tried looking at more recent works of magical inquiry, until finally she hit upon the solution. Using a spell long thought forgotten, the Princess used her magical power to form a clone of herself. She stood there, panting and sweaty, not having left her study except to bath, eat, and use the restroom, and looked at an exact copy of herself, down to the robe she was wearing. The clone was not mindless, either. It looked back at her with the same intelligence she possessed. "So, it worked then? Good," her double said, looking at herself. "Everything seems normal, so what do I do now?"

Zelda told the clone, "Use the powers of the shell to turn into Link. We'll see how that works." Her clone nodded and took the shell from the desk, concentrated, and her body began to shift. Her shoulders widened, her thin frame thickening with athletic muscle. Her hair grew shorted, and her face lost the feminine softness it had once had. Soft hands became calloused, curves disappeared into masculine form, and in front of Zelda stood the Hero of Light, in his original clothing. "Well, how do you feel?"

"Quite odd," her copy replied. The voice was Link's but the style of speech was definitely hers. "Being a man is very...different."

It took all of Zelda's composure to not roll her eyes at what was essentially herself. "Remember the plan? Use the shell to take on Link's memories, personality, and skills."

That seemed to knock the Link looking person in front of her out of a reverie, and she concentrated, then told Zelda that it worked. It certainly sounded more like Link, and the way he held himself had changed as well. Still, he told Zelda, he remembered being her, and still considered himself her for the most part. Was he going to be Link forever?

Sadly, Zelda nodded. "Its the only way. We're going to have to do the same for all the other missing people too. I know its tough, but we're royalty, we do what we must.