This was a fun one to write. Enjoy!
Vah Rudania came to a stop near the Bridge of Eldin.
"You truly have gotten quite skilled at controlling Vah Rudania. I am overjoyed you have taken your duty so seriously. At least Hyrule won't have to worry about you when Calamity Ganon returns," Zelda complimented.
"Why thank you, princess. I'll try my best to beat that guy into the ground," Daruk replied, embarrassed. He helped her off and Link walked over.
"We really must be off. Will we see you tonight?" Zelda asked.
"Uh huh, sure will," Daruk said, nodding. Zelda nodded back and began walking back towards Goron City. Daruk gave Link a back-breaking slap on the back and returned to his Divine Beast. Link chuckled and followed Zelda.
"I hope to ask the Boss about Dinraal tonight. Hopefully he may know where to find him," the princess said as Link approached.
"Possibly," Link said, then hesitated. He considered telling Zelda about Pit's recommendation, then decided against it. She would ask how he knew and then he'd have to reveal Pit. Something told him Zelda would start berating Pit for answers about her powers. The two arrived in Goron City and the Boss literally rolled towards them.
"Princess, perfect timing. We just finished preparing the feast. Join us," he said, beaming.
"Of course, thank you again," Zelda said, nodding. The princess went with the Goron and Link continued to follow hungrily. They entered the Boss's home and looked upon the feast the Gorons had created. The table had two seats with Rock Roast piled next to them, and the other two had steaks and some warm tea. Links mouth began to water as he smelled the steak and he eagerly took his seat. Zelda, rolling her eyes, also sat and thanked the Boss once again. Soon after, Daruk arrived and he and the Boss sat down. After a quick prayer to Hylia, the four dug into their meals. Daruk and Link began a conversation about the increasing monster attacks.
"Boss, I've been meaning to ask you, have you heard of Dinraal?" Zelda asked politely.
"Why yes, many legends have begun surrounding that particular beast. Why?" he replied.
"I'm searching for the Spring of Wisdom, in hopes to unlock my power. I was hoping that maybe you had heard about it or its attendant, Dinraal," the princess said, not meeting his eyes.
"Hmm, sorry to disappoint you, but we've got no idea where to find the Spring," the Boss replied with a slight frown.
"That's a shame. Do you know where Dinraal could be found?" Zelda asked, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.
"Well, we've had a lot of travelers say they saw a dragon out at the Deplian Badlands. But be warned, it's called the badlands for a reason. Also, we Gorons have explored that area and have seen no springs. Sorry we couldn't be more help," he replied sternly.
"Do not worry, it is not your fault. I best be going. Thank you for the wonderful night," Zelda said, standing up and preparing to leave. Link, realizing what was happening, quickly finished his steak and joined her.
"Take care Boss, good luck Daruk," Link said, waving to the two of them. He quickly caught up with the princess and asked, "So, where to now?" Zelda let out a sigh and replied, "I do not know. If the Gorons here do not even know about Dinraal, I do not expect many others will." Struck with inspiration, Link answered, "A while back, I heard about a lot of sightings near Tanagar Canyon. I'm not sure if it was about Dinraal or not but isn't it worth a shot?"
"I suppose. Tomorrow morning we shall set out towards Tanagar Canyon," the princess replied, smiling. While they talked, the two had been absent-mindedly walking towards the inn. The two stayed the night and then, after a quick breakfast, they continued their journey.
Link and Zelda retrieved their horses from Woodland Stable and went along the path towards Hyrule Castle.
"Link, I would rather not go to the castle. Could we take the back route?" Zelda asked tentatively.
"Uh, okay. That area is rather mountainous but it should be okay," Link agreed, rubbing his chin. "We'll just have to be cautious." The knight and his princess carefully guided their horses through the rocky terrain, avoiding the steep peaks. As they approached a valley, their horses began acting up.
"Woah, calm down. What's wrong?" Link said, trying to tame his horse.
"Um, Link, you might want to come see this," Zelda's voice called from ahead. He rushed forward and his eyes widened. Ahead of him, sleeping soundly, was a giant blue Hinox.
"What is something like this doing so close to the castle?!" Zelda hissed, glaring at the monster.
"I'm not sure, but we should get rid of it, or at least warn Castle Town. Though it is in our way. Maybe I could just--" Link said, pulling out the Master Sword.
"Are you sure that is a wise idea? Those creatures are not pushovers, they're powerful," the princess warned Link, looking appalled.
"If we leave it here, it could attack Hyrule Castle. We wouldn't have to worry about Calamity Ganon then, because we'd already be scattered. It's my job to protect this kingdom and I'm not putting it off," Link replied, preparing his advance. Zelda rolled her eyes and watched him rush down the hill. The knight crept up to the slumbering cyclops, being careful not to make a sound. He loosed an arrow straight at the beast. The arrow struck just below its chin. The beast let out a startled yell and glared at the Hylian. He charged forward, throwing a nearby tree. It flew towards Link and he dove out of the way, barely avoiding the log. Zelda looked on in horror as Link switched between dodging and firing arrows at the cyclops. One arrow struck the beast in the eye and he slumped down, yowling in pain. Now it was Link's turn to go on the offensive. He rushed in and began slashing at the beast with the Master Sword. Recovering from the hit, the Hinox swatted Link away like a fly. He flew backward, his bow breaking upon impact while the Master Sword clattered away. His sword arm exploded in pain. Muffling a yelp, Link looked up and saw the Hinox towering over him. The Hinox's fist flew down toward the knight. Fortunately, Link raised his shield just in time to block the punch. He parried the hand and grabbed towards the collection of swords and shields around the giant's neck. Grasping the hilt of one, he slashed at its eye and the Hinox stumbled backward, screaming in pain. It collapsed on its back and dissolved into a cloud of purple flakes. Breathing hard, Link sat up and collected his sword. Zelda ran down, their horses in tow.
"You really should be more careful. Don't pick fights that you can't win. Reckless," she muttered under her breath.
"Hey, I won," Link replied, slightly annoyed.
"That is besides the point. Don't be reckless," Zelda scolded, sternly glaring at him. "It's safer to go with a parol rather than on your own." Link looked away, avoiding her stares.
"Fine, guess we should get going. Come along," Zelda said, beginning to ride off. The two rode for only a couple minutes, calming down, when the princess suddenly jumped off her horse and ran forward. Link dismounted and went to see what had gotten Zelda so excited.
Link found her excitedly taking picture after picture on her Sheikah Slate. Looking through the lense, he realized she was taking snapshots of wild flowers. He crouched down next to her and looked on, slightly bored.
"There's one! Oh! And another! The flowers we have in Hyrule aren't just beautiful...They're also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things," she said, taking several pictures. Looking closely at the slate, Zelda noticed a beautiful, blue, star-shaped flower with white on the tips. She set down the pad and slowly moved forward.
"This one here is called the silent princess. It's a rare, endangered species." Link drew closer, both him and Zelda on their hands and knees.
"Despite our efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically yet," she continued, looking back at him. "The princess can only thrive out here in the wild." As she said this, she reached over and almost touched an unbloomed bulb. She drew her hand back and sat up straight.
"All that we can hope…" she said, bringing her hand close to her chest, "is that the species will be strong enough to prosper, on its own." The two fell into silence. Should I reach out to comfort her? She seems kinda sad, Link thought as he began moving his hand forward. Zelda let out a sudden gasp, making Link jump slightly. She crawled forward and grabbed something.
"Is that what I think it is?! Look at this!" she exclaimed, turning around, "I don't believe it, but I actually caught one!" She moved closer to the stunned knight, holding her closed hands in front of him.
"This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances," she said, more excited than Link had ever seen her.
"Ta-da!" Zelda said, as she opened up her hands to reveal a frog. She pushed the small creature close to Link's face so he could see it better. Link stared at her incredulously as she continued, "Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities. We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness...you'd be a perfect candidate for the study!" Do you actually expect me to eat that?! Can we at least cook it first?! I'm not eating a living frog! Also, I'M NOT EATING A FROG! Link thought. Unexpectedly, she thrust her hands forward with the frog still in them.
"Go on! Taste it!" she yelled happily. Link made noises of disgust, surprised she was actually trying to make him eat it, while the small creature made ribbiting sounds.
"Um, princess. Let's think about this, okay?! Um, you said under the proper circumstances, right? Are these the proper circumstances?!" Link yelled, while backing away from the frog.
"Well, we don't know what those proper circumstances are. Trial and error is the only way to go. Now at least try it!" Zelda said moving closer.
"But it's still alive! Do you expect me to eat a living, breathing creature?!" Link shot back, moving away faster.
"Maybe those are the proper circumstances!" she returned, standing up.
Link fell on his back and Zelda took her chance. She moved in and said, "As princess, I order you to eat this frog."
"My job is being your protector, how does this apply to my job?!" Link said, scrambling away.
"If the Calamity returns, we might need those effects. So eat it!" Zelda said. Giving up, Link stretched out his hand. Satisfied, Zelda carefully placed the frog in his hands expecting him to eat it. As carefully as he could, Link lightly tossed the frog a few yards away. It scurried off into the brush.
"Link! How could you?! That could have helped us against the Calamity!" Zelda screamed, only half joking with him.
"Worth it," the knight plainly stated, still on the ground. Link tried to get up, but winced when he had to use his sword arm. Zelda helped him up and said, "Well, we've wasted enough time as it is. Why don't we just stay here and continue tomorrow?"
"Sounds good," Link replied, getting a bow out of his horse's bag. "I'll go try and get some food." He went off to go hunt for some goats. Zelda looked on and began wandering around the field. Hmm, I might as well make myself useful, she thought, picking up some stray branches. The princess had seen Link do this many times, and she remembered the process. She crossed over and jumped off a small cliff. Gathering a ring of stones, she set the twigs in a mountain formation and lit it. Soon she had started a roaring campfire. As she finished, Link walked over with a goat over his shoulders.
"Oh, you already set up the fire. Nice," Link said, slightly surprised.
"I had nothing better to do, so I made myself useful," Zelda replied simply, looking at the dead animal Link was holding.
"Okay, I'll prepare this," he said, gesturing towards the carcass over his shoulders. "If you want, you can set up your blanket." Zelda nodded and walked off towards the tree in the field. Soon, night fell and the two ate their dinner.
"Rest, you'll need your strength if we're going to meet Dinraal tomorrow," Link instructed, sitting down against the tree. Zelda agreed and slept, her knight keeping watch for the night. Link settled in, gazing off. Crickets sang, the wind blew, and there was the occasional ribbit. Link's ears perked, awaiting any oncoming threat. When a small creature landed on his head, he started and grabbed at it. In his hand was a familiar little frog. Confused, Link stared back at it, when another sound reached his ears. "Eat the frog, Link. Eat it!" The sound was barely a whisper, floating on the wind. Recognizing the voice, Link hissed, "Pit!?" The angel appeared a bit farther along the field. Link walked over and glared at boy, dropping the frog in him. Pit laughed, letting the frog return to the Wild.
"Ha, ha," Link mocked, playfully swatting at the angel. "So, what brings you out tonight? Or are you just here to make fun of me?"
"Yeah, basically. Like I said, bor--" Pit cut himself off, a blank expression crossing his face. He looked over towards the mountains, squinting.
"Um? You okay?" Link asked, following the angel's eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Just had a feeling," Pit murmured, still gazing off into the distance.
"Okay…" the knight said slowly. "What kind of feeling?"
"A God's power. Hmmm," the angel replied.
"Gods? Like, Hylia?" Link asked, his interest piqued.
"No. Something…older," Pit said slowly. Suddenly, a creature started appearing in the horizon, its long, slender body becoming clearer each second. A fiery aura wrapped around the creature as it flew low over Tanagar Canyon. Its ram-like horns shone a brilliant orange that traveled down the many ridges along its back. Flame swirled around it as it continued its divine path.
"Is-- is that Dinraal?" Link asked, staring intently at the creature.
"Yeah, yeah it is. I guess Din did get Palutena's message," Pit asked, equally surprised. "I'm gonna go say hi. I recommend you wake Zelda." Link nodded and rose, jogging back towards Zelda.
"Also, before I go, get that arm checked out. It's pretty clear it's bothering you," Pit advised. With that, he took off towards the dragon. Link gently shook Zelda, carefully waking her up. She blinked awake, glaring at Link.
"What is it?" she asked, annoyed at being woken up.
"Come on, I found Dinraal," Link said, holding out his arm. Surprise flashed on Zelda's face and she grasped his arm. At this, Link let out a audible hiss of pain and fell on his knee. Shocked, the princess released his arm and helped him up. Blood began seeping out of the wound again, staining his sleeve red.
"It's getting worse isn't it? In the morning, let's go to Mipha, she should be able to patch you right up," Zelda suggested, looking at him concerningly.
"Fine, but Dinraal won't be here for long. It's now or never," Link said, leading her to the highest point. He pointed towards Hebra peak and Zelda let out a gasp. The dragon was still flying, heading farther southwest. The princess kneeled and began to pray, hoping with all her might for the power of the Gods.
Okay so I should probably mention that when I was writing this, I didn't know there was a Royal Ancient Tech Lab near this location. As always, please review and I hope you enjoyed. More chapters are on their way.