Zelda's brows furrowed as she thought. Her go to Hyrule Castle? Sure Impa was headed there later on in the day, but as the leader of the Sheikah it was expected that she make an occasional show there. Zelda has only left Kakariko Village when on missions, but has never once been even close enough to even see anything besides the silhouette of the castle and its surrounding city on the horizon. Besides, what could she even do there? Wouldn't it be better if she stayed in Kakariko in Impa's stead, helping the others prepare for whatever was coming their way?

Impa was already up and going back and forth between the rooms of their home, moving with a swift, urgent purpose. The stern woman eyed the young girl, who was still sitting on the wooden floor in utter shock from everything that has just unfolded. Zelda took a deep breath and began to follow Impa's lead. Obviously she had something planned.

"Don't be afraid to pack heavily. Bring everything you can think you would have a small chance of needing. Weapons, medical supplies, your books on magic, dresses and gloves. Everything," Impa directed. Zelda would have cringed at the idea of practically preparing for war, if it weren't for the last direction that caught her off guard.

"Dresses and gloves?" She questioned.

"You are going to the castle and will meet royalty. As a representative of the Sheikah, you need to present well," Impa informed. Again, Zelda paused in thought. She personally knows that Impa did not own a dress herself. In fact, the thought of even seeing her wear one, borrowed or not, made Zelda uncomfortable. All of the Sheikah people wore flexible clothing and light armor, as it was better to fight in, and Impa was no exception to this unwritten rule. While the Sheikah did own other clothing, such as formal wear, it was very rarely worn. With everything that had just happened, Zelda was still surprised by this request. She suspected she needed to get used to surprises, and quickly.

The blonde made her way to her bedroom to begin gathering the necessary equipment. The room was simple, mainly composed of wooden furnishings that matched the walls and floors of the house. What she lacked in decoration was made up for in the massive amount of books she had. Colorful spines filled the bookshelf in neat rows. Books were stacked high on her writing desk and even more were stacked on the floor beside it. A bright green book sat on the small bedside table, the page Zelda stopped reading at marked by a bright blue tassel. She glanced through the named of books quickly, making sure to pull each one she felt pertinent in some form. These important books consisted of the books on magic Impa had suggested earlier and the few the pair could gather on Hyrule's ancient history and legends. After collecting everything she needed from her room, Zelda grabbed various cases and bags to begin packing it all away.

As she did, she grabbed something that caught her attention. It was a decently sized brown satchel that could easily be tied around your belt to your hip or to a horse's saddle. She immediately recognized it as one of her early magical projects. When she was younger and still testing her magical abilities, the girl had found a spell to create a bag with an infinite amount of space. According to the book, the magic bag would shrink any object the user puts in it while still making the bag appear feel like it has no weight in it. When you needed an item from the bag, the user just had to put their hand inside and will it to come. In theory, Zelda would be able to fit everything she had needed to pack into this bag and carry it into the castle in one hand. However, she never tested the object with anything besides stacks of paper she had before forgetting about the project and moving on to other things. Curiously, she reached her hand into the bag and thought hard about the paper. When she pulled it back, she was satisfied to see several sheets of cream paper now in her grasp. She added it to the pile of things to pack, wanting to test the object further before putting more in it.

When Zelda exited her room, she found most of what else she needed already scattered along the room by Impa. Food rations lay out on the small kitchen table, potions were sprawled across the countertop, and variously sized bandage wraps sat on the chair. An array of weapons were put on the floor, including two sets of bows with a loaded quiver each, Zelda's favorite rapier, Impa's large broadsword, and many different sets of knives. Impa was in the kitchen area, carefully organizing the objects into various bags and cases. Zelda began to make her way over to help when Impa spoke up again.

"All of your personal items accounted for?" Zelda nodded. "Good. I'm alright here. Begin preparing two horses and a cart. Take your horse and whichever other horse that is available to keep up with him." Impa didn't look up the whole time she gave her orders, though it wasn't like she really had to. The Sheikah leader had a frighteningly commanding presence and a voice that easily carried through a room. Zelda always believed she could direct the entire Hyrulian army through just a flick of her wrist. Her demeanor coupled with her heroism made it no surprise that she was a respected leader throughout Hyrule.

Zelda made her way over to the stables, still enveloped deeply in thought. So deeply, in fact, she almost ran into someone. It was a boy, named Mozak, whom she was friends. He was a few years younger than her, with bright red hair and youthful features that made him look even younger than that.

"Everything alright? You seem a little… out of it," Mozak said, his head tilted slightly to the right.

"Yes of course. I'm just thinking," Zelda lied, coolly.

Mozak chucked. "You're always thinking. I would have completely run out of thoughts if I did as much thinking as you did. Sure you don't need help with anything, though?"

"Actually, if you aren't busy, can you help me tack up Deit and another horse to a cart? Impa asked me to prepare them for our trip to Hyrule Castle."

Zelda began to continue to walk to the stables when Mozak just looked at her in shock. "What was that? You're going to the capital as well? I thought it was just Impa?"

Zelda shrugged, feigning innocence. "I'm not really sure why either. She just told me this."

"Well aren't you lucky. You'll have to tell me all about it when you get back. I bet they have really great food," mused Mozak as they made their way over.

Zelda immediately approached a distinctive palomino horse, Deit. He neighed with delight when she neared him. Deit was her own personal horse, which was quite an oddity among the Sheikah people. For the most part, the horses were owned by the tribe as a whole, so they could be easily used by anyone who may need them at the time. This particular horse was stubborn and hard to handle, but when Zelda worked with him he was calm and willing to please. It was for this reason that no one else really liked to deal with him, making her the sole owner.

The pair was able to get a cart prepared for departure quickly and after Impa had made sure everything was packed and secured, they two Sheikah women were off. The ride had begun in complete silence. Zelda could only continue to think about the coming events. What would she even do in Hyrule Castle? Where her visions even correct? No, she thought, they definitely were correct. Eventually, she just couldn't stand the unknown of what she was going to be doing anymore.

"What am I even going to say to them?" She spoke up.

"I want you to tell the Prince and his court what you saw and what needs to be done about it," Impa said, simply. To Zelda, it felt anything but.

"Me? Direct people? With all due respect, isn't that more so what you should do?" Zelda asked, hesitant about the idea.

"Zelda, truth be told, I was going to Hyrule Castle today partly for regular business, but also to inform the court that I had chosen you as my successor," Impa began. Zelda's head turned toward her guardian in shock. "The court likes to hear about who they should expect as the new leader of the surrounding communities before full power is transferred. For the Goron and Zora races, the transfer of power is more predictable as it runs between families. For us, it's quite obviously different. Though I'm not sure why they feel they should approve of the next leader, it's not as if they could change my mind."

Zelda's mind was reeling. All this information was almost too much to gather in one day. "You want to name me your successor?"

"But of course. You're the most skilled fighter in your age class. Not to mention, a stellar set of leadership skills and manners due to your upbringing," Impa chuckled lightly at her own joke. "You also possess the Triforce of Wisdom. It is a true sign of a hero and leader to be gifted such a power by the Goddesses. You will make a fine Sheikah leader."

Zelda was truly honored to hear this, coming from both her guardian and leader, but she felt the last part ring a bit hollow in her ears. A sign of a hero. A sign now she feared meant she was destined to fight a great evil. The idea made her shiver. Just because she was supposed to be a hero, would that make her a good leader as well? She wasn't so sure.

Thankfully for the slightly on edge Zelda, the rest of the long trip to Hyrule Capital went on without any hiccups. They road on easily as Impa instructed her newly named successor on important names and ranks she should know that she would have been taught in the coming weeks had her vision not come to her. Zelda, true to her gifted Triforce, took in all the information she was given and began planning her interactions carefully. However, that planning went to waste as she felt a cold wave wash over her as soon as they had passed through the castle gates onto the grounds.

"Impa…" she paused, quickly thinking of a new plan. "Don't tell anyone I have a piece of the Triforce."

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"There's something wrong here. I don't know what it is, exactly, but I can feel it." A breeze shifted the air around her, bringing a warmth with it that reminded her once again of her vision. Of the bright gold and faint green. "I rather not put anyone in danger if they know I'm a holder offhand. Just like in Kakariko."

Impa nodded. "This is a perfect demonstration of why I chose you as successor. We'll get through this."