Chapter 9 - A Second Chance?
Summary: Some ancient history gives Link an idea.
What happened next may seem obvious in hindsight, but up until now I honestly never thought of it.
I think the first hint of the idea occurred to me during one of my memory recovery trips around Zora's Domain. I used to stop sometimes and re-read the various monuments scattered around the Domain that told the history of the Zora people. The memorial titled History of the Zora, Part 5 told the story of the Zora princess Ruto who was said to have become a Sage and together with the Princess of Hyrule and the Hero of that era helped fight the evil of their time period. And here in our time, there was a Zora princess who, sadly, had also become a spirit and together with the Princess of Hyrule and the Hero of our era helped fight the evil of our time. And Vah Ruta was even named after Princess Ruto.
I thought the Princess Ruto story was an interesting parallel to the situation today, and I became interested in her history. I wondered where I could learn more about it. Perhaps the Hyrule Castle library?
I had another meeting with Zelda scheduled one morning and, as usual, she suggested we take a short ride together around Hyrule Plain. I had learned by now that these meetings with me were one way she managed to get away from the more tedious aspects of her work, and a chance for some fresh air. She spoke a bit about the latest reconstruction work. Then she asked about me.
"What are you planning to do next, Link?" she asked as we rode slowly through Hyrule Field. "Are you ready to return to Hyrule Castle? We could always use your help and I miss your companionship sometimes."
"No, I don't think I'm ready for that, Zelda. I have recently become interested in the legend of Princess Ruto," I said. "I was hoping the castle library would have some information."
"So, you are still trying to recover memories," she sighed. "I was hoping you had found some closure by now and were ready to move on. It's been almost two years now."
She sounded disappointed in me, and I said nothing as we continued to ride.
"I assume you aren't seeing anyone? Aren't you lonely? Are you even trying to meet someone? I thought maybe you and Paya would grow closer. It was obvious she had a major crush on you. Being as blind as you are I guess you didn't notice she kept staring at you and trying to stand next to you at the coronation reception. But that was almost two years ago. I hope for her sake she's gotten over you by now. I would be happy to introduce you to someone else, though I am in the same situation you are to some extent. All my old friends, such as I was able to keep in the midst of my prayers and sacred duties, are long gone now."
"No, thank you, Zelda," I said. "I know you aren't pleased to hear it, but I have gotten more and more interested in my relationship with Mipha."
I actually understated my feelings to avoid getting her even more upset. By now I was hopelessly in love with Mipha and wished I could be with her somehow, not as a spirit but alive. I said hopelessly.
"I am speaking as a friend now, and frankly I am getting seriously worried about you," said Zelda. "You are not acting sensibly. I can understand you wanting closure, and I realize that Mipha loved you. But what is the point of pursuing this further? Creating or restoring feelings for her now is hopeless and will only make you feel worse. Stop doing this to yourself. Why are you doing this? Do you feel guilty about what happened? Is this your way of punishing yourself?"
"I don't know, Zelda," I said. "Do I feel guilty? Not guilty exactly, but bitter. I know Mipha loved me and was a good friend from childhood. She was always there for me since I was small and she wanted to be there for me when I fought Ganon using Ruta to weaken him. I wonder what she was thinking as she raced to Ruta that day? That we would finally defeat Ganon and she could be with me? Or that it was a hopeless mission since she never got to tell you how to access your power and the best she could do was buy us some time? She used to heal the Zora guards when they were injured. Her whole life she was looking out for others. But when she needed someone to look out for her, no one came. She died alone. If I was with her I could have saved her. I know my mission was to protect you and I couldn't be in two places at once. And in the end you saved me rather than the other way around. But my blood boils when I think of kind sweet Mipha killed by that disgusting Waterblight creature. It makes we want to resurrect it so I can slash it to oblivion all over again. And I don't blame you for keeping me from her. You didn't know. None of us did. So, as I said, bitter but not guilty."
"But don't you see that's not healthy?" said Zelda. "I felt guilty for the failure of our whole plan. The deaths of my father and all the Champions and the hundreds of valiant soldiers who fought to the end and the hundreds more innocent people who perished needlessly. But blaming myself accomplished nothing. I had to move on, and so do you."
"But my situation is different," I said. "Because I can't remember things, moving on seems like the coward's way out to me. I don't fully know what I'm moving on from. Could you have moved on from the catastrophe that happened if you didn't know all you do? Maybe I am being obsessive. It may not be sensible but that's how I feel."
Zelda was quiet. Maybe I had made my point and she was thinking about it.
"Anyway, I want to learn more about what happened in a somewhat similar situation long ago with Princess Ruto. I am hoping your library has some information," I said.
"I studied that in history class," said Zelda. "I'm not sure what you can learn from that, but of course you are welcome to use our library for anything you want. Just remember what I am saying to you as a friend. Please try to move on."
With that, we rode back together and said goodbye.
I headed to the library next. I knew from a visit there before our victory that the room had suffered considerable damage and also knew that by now it had been repaired. It turned out that most of the books in the library were still in reasonably good condition and had just needed to be organized and put back on shelves. I guess Lizalfos weren't known for their literacy and had pretty much ignored the books. So, I visited the restored library and inquired about any information they might have concerning the legends surrounding Princess Ruto and the Hero.
It turned out not very much existed. But there was one account that proved very worthwhile for me. It told of Princess Ruto giving the Link of that era the Zora Sapphire, one of three sacred jewels he needed to travel in time. He needed it for his quest, but Princess Ruto considered it an engagement present. That must have been their equivalent of the Zora armor of today.
What happened next was a bit confusing. One version of the story, and the one consistent with the Zora monument, had Ruto becoming a Sage and no longer being part of this world. But then the story got more interesting and started giving me ideas. The Link of that period was referred to in the legend as the Hero of Time. He was called that because he traveled back and forth in time for seven years. In his original timeline, he and the Sages battled Ganondorf and finally destroyed him. But there was another timeline triggered by Link and Zelda's actions. And in that timeline, Ganondorf's treachery was caught before he could accomplish his evil intent. He was arrested, imprisoned, and when he was unable to be executed, he was banished to the Twilight Realm. He eventually returned to cause havoc as told in the stories about the Hero of Twilight.
But that wasn't the point. The point was that Link had changed things for the better for Hyrule through time travel. And if it had been done once why couldn't it be done again?
But was time travel still possible anymore? There was a Temple of Time but could anyone make it serve its original purpose? I was excited thinking about the possibility, not only for myself but for all of Hyrule. Could I go back in time and prevent Ganon's destruction just like the Hero of Time had?
The only one who might know about such things was Dr. Purah. I left the library and headed back to my Hateno Village house. Then I sent a message to Dr. Purah asking if I could meet with her to discuss something of importance. Two days later I received her reply. She could meet with me tomorrow, later in the morning.
I went over and over what I wanted to say to her in my head. I knew she was always very busy and I would have only a limited opportunity to interest her in my idea. I had trouble falling asleep that night. But I finally did.
Next morning, I awoke to a thunderstorm. It was too early to get up. I lay in bed for a while thinking back over everything. Finally, I got up and looked at the Champions Inauguration picture on the wall.
"Mipha, if your spirit can hear me, don't give up. Maybe our dreams still can come true," I said.
