A gentle waterfall trickles into a woodland stream, which reflects the full moon like a mirror. Two cloaked figures; one in crimson and the other in lilac; emerge from the shadows of the trees. They shed their cloaks as they eagerly sprint towards the fresh water.
The first is a man; short and slim, with beady crimson eyes and dirty-blonde hair, held up by a purple bandanna. This is Zelda's Royal Adviser Ningan; both Impa's successor and her flesh and blood.
The second is a woman, tall with a platinum-blonde ponytail flowing down her back. A long-lost descendant of the Sheikah tribe, Ningan found her in the port town of Oblimos serving under a priest she claimed was her father. Once he learned of their shared heritage, he sought to return her to her rightful homeland of Hyrule.
She kneels at the water's edge and removes her shoes to ease her blisters. Ningan squats beside her and cups his hands to drink.
"I needed that..." he finishes gulping and wipes his mouth. "How long have we been travelling now? Five days? A week?"
"About six days." Imogen corrects him.
He grabs an empty bottle from the satchel draped over his shoulder and fills it with fresh water. She opens her own satchel and retrieves a dark-blue leather-bound book bearing the Eye of Truth on the cover.
While her companion continues to drink, Imogen casts a few runes onto the grass into a circle. She then plants a Deku Stick into the centre and mutters an incantation: a navigation spell to help them find direction. The stick falls to the ground, pointing like the needle of a compass to the darkened forest ahead.
"The spell says that the Engrove Gardens should be right over there." she follows the Deku Stick with her finger. "Ningan, are you sure you want to go alone? I will gladly accompany you..."
"Thank you, Imogen, but that won't be necessary." Ningan declines her offer politely as he rises to his feet. "This man is not a threat of any sorts. He is an old friend. Why do you stay here and bathe in privacy instead?"
"Be safe, Ningan." Imogen calls as her companion strides daringly into the dense cluster of trees.
Ningan wanders through the damp undergrowth on his toes, so as not to disturb any of the wildlife he knew lurked in the treetops overhead. In his right hand, his trusty dagger, sharpened to a point which no vine could withstand. In his left hand, a letter written on a crisp golden parchment:
Dear Ningan,
I miss you more than words can say. It has been two years since our last meeting. I understand we departed on bad terms, but I ask that you meet me one last time; at the Spring of Wishes.
Love your loyal friend.
The rich parchment was a tradition of the Royal Family of Hyrule, and only those linked to them would be able to obtain such an item. The Spring of Wishes referred to a hallowed spot deep within the sanctuary of Engrove Botanical Gardens, which lay at the heart of the continent.
Ningan had visited this place over two years ago with his fellow colleagues at the Royal Council of Hyrule, before the group had disbanded. He recalls the tall stone archway that rises between the trees, tangled in vines. Etched into the stone are the words Engrove Gardens: Eden On Earth.
Beyond these gates is a sanctuary of nature; a time capsule unaffected by the troubles of the outside world. The combined sensation of history and magic tingles his nerve-ends as he treads the mossy path. It twists and turns beneath trees of all breeds; some thick and sturdy, others flimsy and thin.
A warm breeze blusters fallen leaves across the gravel; they crunch beneath his purposeful footsteps. The path gives way to a clearing; Ningan pushes the branches aside, and happens upon his destination…