Chapter 17: The Shrine
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After a quick breakfast, the Princess joined Purah and several others of the Sheikah tribe walking up a grassy ridge to the 'new' shrine they had discovered.
"We've got the first set of doors opened, but there's another set beyond," one man was explaining. "Behind the first set, we found a pedestal similar to those on the outside of other shrines."
"But unlike the other shrines," Purah cut in, "the pedestal began glowing as we approached. Somehow, although the other shrines remain dormant, this one is still functioning - at least, to a degree."
"And the studies that you and I did at the castle, examining ancient records containing the Sheikah Slate, implied that the Slate could be used to activate shrines," the Princess added excitedly, a nervous, excited smile springing to her face. She slipped the ancient device from her belt and examined it carefully.
Link forced his attention away from their conversation. I'm not here as a scientist - I'm a guard, he reminded himself, scanning the stand of pines at the ridge's crest for any sign of a trap or assassin. Intriguing though the Princess' studies were, now was not the time nor place for Link to delve deeper into them.
They passed a small overhang where a small table and bookshelf had been set up. Two scientists hovered over the table, comparing sketches they had made - sketches of the interior of a narrow hall with constellations engraved on the sides and strange lamps embedded in the walls. The shrine? he wondered. What they've discovered so far, or what they hope to -
He cut off the thought with a slight twinge of frustration, shaking his head and returning his attention to their surroundings. The higher they climbed, the more they could see of the Great Plateau and even the world beyond. The Forest of Spirits was a fluffy green blanket beneath them, and the Gerudo Highlands in the distance seemed like some sort of layered cake with white frosting, while Death Mountain in the far north looked just as ominous and unforgiving as ever, belying the cheerful nature of its inhabitants.
When they reached the end of the ridge, where it ended in a sharp cliff, the Sheikah scientists huddled closer to the mountainside it jutted out from. There, in the shadow of the pines, Link could see the entrance to a dark cave, its opening lined with the same style of circular carvings that decorated the guardians and shrines he'd seen. Inside there was nothing but darkness, and a faint blue glow.
The Sheikah quickly lit the torches they had brought with them, scraping spark from flintstones to light the oil-soaked cloths wrapped around green wood. A stocky Sheikah woman handed one to Link with a suspicious glare; he took the weapon and tried not to be offended.
"There's a small drop once we get inside," Purah called over her shoulder, striding confidently into the cave. "We've set up a ladder, but… Hey, Knight!" She whirled around and snapped her fingers in Link's direction. "Jump down there and hold everyone's torches while they climb down! Got it?"
His cheeks flushed as he stepped silently forward. Not exactly my job, he thought with a grimace, walking past her with one last glance in the Princess' direction and hopping lightly down the uneven outcropping, landing in a crouch. "Send the Princess down first," he said, trying and failing to keep the gruffness from his voice. It hurt that the Princess would turn Purah - who otherwise seemed like a pleasant person to be around - against him the way she had.
The Princess all but leapt down the ladder, excitement gleaming in her eyes as she stared down the cavern, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waited for the others to climb down as well. Link stayed close by her, feeling a hint of uneasiness with the darkness and the closeness of the cavern walls around them. His heart pulsed a little harder. Bad things happen in the dark. Evil, violent things.
Once everyone had gathered, Purah led them onwards, deeper into the cave. Link couldn't see the faint blue glow anymore; it wasn't strong enough to outshine the burning glare of their torches. The flames illuminated raised constellations littering the walls, just like the ones on the sketches outside.
They descended a small staircase, the steps made of a strange material that sounded like neither stone nor wood beneath Link's boots. They were shiny, but not so much so that he could see his reflection in them, and in places they were buried beneath pale sand.
At the bottom of the steps, Purah turned to the Princess with a wide grin. "This was where the door once was," she beamed, gesturing to the archway above their heads, once again decorated with swirling circular designs. "I wish you could've seen it - as soon as we drew near, panels slid upwards into the ceiling and then just disappeared. It was incredible!"
"The sketches were certainly intriguing," Zelda smiled, but there was longing in her eyes, and Link could tell she regretted not being there to see it firsthand.
With a giggle Purah hurried through the archway into yet another long, cavernous room. Link recognized it at once from the sketches being compiled outside; strange lamps, three on each side and each capped with a strange transparent bulb, protruded from the walls, which bore more mysterious constellations. Past the lamps, squat pillars coated in the ubiquitous swirling designs rose from floor to ceiling. The floor itself was no longer flat but lumpy and uneven, covered in a more symmetrical arrangement of swirling patterns, gently sloping upwards at the end of the hall to meet another, smaller, archway, similar in appearance to the first. But the way through was blocked by a series of vertical panels engraved with Sheikah runes
"Here! Over here!" Purah snatched the Princess' wrist and all but dragged her from the back of the room, away from the strange door, back the way they had come. Link thought for a moment she was trying to leave the shrine altogether, but then he noticed the pedestal just barely hidden off to the side of the first archway.
It was shaped a bit like an upside-down vase with a flat, slanted base (or top, in this case). Link wasn't surprised to see both the circular designs around its sides and constellations forming a ring around the top. But he was stunned when the pedestal began to glow, the constellations lighting up orange and a series of rings in the center, one orange and one blue, like an eye, flaring into existence.
The Princess gasped, jumping back, her eyes wide. Link could almost hear the rapid rhythm of her heart. The scientists around them pressed nearer, and the stillness of the cave was broken by a flurry of charcoal and quill pens scratching against parchment.
"The Slate, Zel! The Slate!" Purah whispered urgently, twisting her fingers in a flurry of delight.
With shaking hands the Princess slipped the Sheikah Slate from her belt and placed it on the pedestal's slanted surface. The Slate chirped, ancient text flitting across its surface; the scientists all leaned close, murmuring with delight, fervently copying down the symbols.
"It's… asking for an access code," the Princess breathed, turning to face Purah with delight. "It's working!"
"This is incredible!" Purah cheered, jumping up and thrusting her fist skyward. "An access code… What kind? Letters or numbers?"
The Princess' joy faded, a crease appearing between her brows. "A sound argument could be made for either," she frowned, turning back to the Slate and examining it closely.
Purah leaned over her shoulder and squinted for several moments. Then she gasped. "Inton, come closer! Look at this - the word they used for code! It has another meaning - it has another meaning, right?"
And older man, bald and with age spots splotching his skin, shuffled closer, pushing small spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "Hmmm… yes. In this conjugation, it refers to a phrase."
"A phrase," the Princess echoed softly. Her eyes went wide. "Purah, the records mentioning a medical facility on the Great Plateau - where are they? Do we have them here?"
"Back at the main cabin," the Sheikah woman responded eagerly. "You're thinking this might be it?"
The Princess nodded, grinning widely. "And that this access phrase might be contained in those records, or other records about the healing methods of that time."
"Well, let's get to it, then!" Purah sang. "Back to camp, everyone! Search the records for possible phrases; make a list and we'll return here once we have enough gathered. This is very big - let's not waste any time!"
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It happened for the first time late that night, as the Princess sat wrapped in a blanket lying on her stomach with her head and shoulders poking out from behind her tent flaps, reading one of the ancient Sheikah records by the light of the lamp Link had acquired for the two of them.
"So many possibilities," she murmured, jotting down several runes in her own notebook.
Link glanced at her, not thinking much of it, and returned his focus to the darkness around them. She was much too distracting, with her burning eyes gleaming with determination and her golden hair spread messily across her shoulders…
Focus! he chided himself, shoving all thoughts of the Princess from his mind.
But then she spoke once more. "I wonder if it was some sort of… motto."
Link swallowed tightly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Are you… talking to me again? He felt suddenly torn between hope and guilt; although he longed for her to feel less unhappy around him, he regretted that it was against his oath to respond.
"You know - like the Royal Guard's creed, 'A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.' Something like that."
Link moistened his lips anxiously. A direct reference to the Royal Guard - she had to be talking to him. He half-turned towards her, his heart leaping for a moment as he once more took in the sight of her. Zelda, the scholar, not Zelda, the Princess - he was witnessing her true self emerge, and it was… beautiful.
"I've taken note of recurring words and phrases," she hummed. "But… none of them seem like mottos or proverbial sayings or anything like that - they're just advice. 'Listen to the patient,' 'Do what you know to be correct,' that sort of thing."
Link's heart hammered faster. His doubts were swiftly fading away; for whatever reason, the Princess had decided to stop ignoring him. And - and she was speaking to him cordially, just as she would speak to Purah, or… or one of her other friends…
Sweat broke out on his brow. He had longed for this ever since receiving the assignment to be her guard. She… she wants to befriend me? Is that what this is?
He couldn't help a small smile from crawling across his lips. No longer alone… we can find strength in each other - perhaps she can help me, and I her, as we struggle with our burdens…
The Princess snorted. "Wouldn't Purah just love this one," she muttered with a slight mischievous chuckle. "'Old age is the greatest blessing life offers.' She's terrified of aging!"
Link mustered his courage. "Is she?"
The Princess looked up sharply, and in her eyes he saw something that made his blood freeze - surprise, and a hint of anger. "Sir Link, this does not concern you," she muttered, pulling the lamp closer to her and wiggling further back into her tent so that only her head was exposed.
She wasn't talking to me. She never was - she barely even realized I was there. She was just… musing aloud. He had heard that it helped some people think, hearing their thoughts vocalized; apparently the Princess was no different.
Nonetheless, it stung. Especially in the wake of the hope that had so buoyed his soul, this defeat was… crushing. His shoulders sagged and his eyes burned as he pressed his lips tightly together, and he quickly looked away from her, forcing a mask of impassiveness back over his features.
Fool, he scolded himself angrily. Even if she did want to talk with me, the King would probably cut out my tongue if I responded.
Besides… she's an intellectual, and I just… kill things. I can barely read and write - why would she be interested in anything I had to say?
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The days passed in a very similar fashion. After a community meal with all of the other scientists, Link followed the Princess and her companions up to the new Shrine where new observations were made, sketches were double- and triple-checked, passages from old records were compared against the actual structure in front of them, and possible access phrases were tested in both archaic Hylian and the ancient Sheikah language, and then crossed out.
At around noon, most of the scientists, the Princess included, headed back to the main camp for a midday meal. Afterwards they gathered in the cabin, poring over records of the ancient times, jotting down notes and discussing possible phrases.
"This is the closest we've ever been to accessing a Shrine," Purah fretted. "We've got to be close; I can feel it!"
Following the evening meal, everyone returned to their own tents, and the Princess studied late into the night until she fell asleep with quill in hand and an ancient book as a pillow. Link could imagine himself carrying her into her tent and laying her down in her bedroll, but the intimacy of the gesture - and her possible reaction come morning - frightened him away from doing so.
Until the end of the week, when a monsoon storm drenched the Plateau in the early hours of morning. Then, at last, Link carefully crouched down and rolled her over onto her back before sliding his hands beneath her knees and shoulders. As quickly as he could, forcing his mind to stay as blank as a fresh sheet of parchment, he shouldered his way into her tent and gently set her down on her bedroll, dropping a blanket over and all but dashing back out into the downpour.
Goddesses willing, it won't rain at night again, he thought, his mouth painfully dry and his heart threatening to burst from his chest. He didn't think he would be able to ignore, a second time, how it felt to hold her so close to him.
The Princess seemed to experience a sort of academic shift at the dawn of the second week. She sent a request for the books and records of the Sheikah detailing the battle against the Calamity instead of the shrines and other technological advancements of the time.
"So what are you thinking?" Purah asked, sitting across the table in the main cabin when the books arrived and the Princess practically tore into them. It was late at night; she had been studying with Purah that evening instead of retiring to her own tent.
"I only just remembered," the Princess said breathlessly, her eyes scanning over the ancient pages. "Something the leader of the Sheikah Tribe told me the first time we met. She spoke of the faith of our ancestors, of their determination in the face of hopelessness. They didn't know if the shrines or Divine Beasts or guardians would work, but they pressed on with their ideas anyway…"
"That's all well and good," Purah huffed with an uncharacteristic scowl. "What's that got to do with this?"
"Lost causes," the Princess answered with a sardonic grin. "If this is the medical facility, as we think it is, then it has incredible power. Enough power to fix a lost cause - someone so far gone that they would otherwise have been left for dead. They didn't know how their battle with the Calamity would end up and knew that they needed a way to preserve the Goddess' chosen should the worst befall them."
"I'm still confused," Purah grumped. "How does that help?" The Princess raised an eyebrow, and the little Sheikah scientist squirmed. "Okay, okay! I'm just… irked that something my little sister did could possibly help us here, in my field."
Zelda blinked. "Your…? You mean to say that Impa is your sister?"
"Right," Purah harrumphed. "I'll be she didn't say a thing about that. Ashamed of me because I'm not responsible enough for her."
The Princess smirked teasingly. "Ah, I see. Well, I hate to put a cloud over your mood, but I believe your sister may have just given us the access phrase." She jabbed her finger at a line of ancient Sheikah text beneath an illustration of the hero of old joining hands with his Princess, the two of them together wielding the Master Sword, with the Triforce in the background.
Purah hurried around to the other side of the table and peered over the Princess' shoulder. "'To… to fight a lost cause'," she murmured, and then groaned, dramatically slapping a hand to her forehead. "Of course that's what it would be," she growled. "Little sister's favorite quote, day in and day out, ever since she was five…"
"Are you quite finished?" the Princess grinned. Her smile faltered a bit, and her delight was quickly replaced with uncertainty. "Does it… make sense? Do you think this could be it?"
"Regretfully, yes," Purah sighed. "In the medical field, it makes perfect sense. If you're a healer, you're bound to come across lost causes in your lifetime, but you're still duty-bound at least to try. And what you said about the shrine, about how this particular shrine was probably made to fight the most dire of lost causes - that is, losing the only two people capable of truly defeating the Calamity - that makes sense, too. It just… it chafes!"
"I wouldn't dream of telling Impa," the Princess assured her, a smile swiftly returning to her lips. "Shall we wait until morning and try it with the others, or should we go now?"
Purah grinned evilly. "Definitely now. I at least want the satisfaction of seeing everyone's faces when they wake up and we tell them we cracked it right in the middle of the night when they were all asleep. Ha!" She cackled, snatching her notebook and carefully copying down the ancient runes. Then she grabbed Zelda's hand and the two of them ran, giggling quietly like children concocting mischief, through the tents. Link followed, biting back a smile in spite of himself, but that smile quickly faded when he heard a faint scuffling sound and a poorly-muffled curse. Instantly on edge, he turned around, scanning the shadows, but nothing moved; nothing breathed.
He took a breath to call out, demand that whoever was there show themselves, but Purah cut in before he could say a word. "Hey! Sir Link or whatever! Would you be so kind as to pick up the pace a little? It's kind of dark and we'd appreciate the light from your torch!"
Link hesitated, before eventually deciding it would be best to stay close to his Princess should anything happen. He turned and jogged back towards the two women ahead of him, feeling an uncomfortable prickling at the back of his neck as they headed up the hill.
The dark night made the blackness of the cave seem even blacker; it was with no small amount of trepidation that Link followed the Princess and Purah inside, the whispers and howls and croaks of the forest outside abruptly cut off by ominous silence.
The pedestal's lights seemed to pulse faintly as they neared. The Princes set the Sheikah Slate down and it chirped, runes flickering across its surface. She and Purah were suddenly silent with anticipation as she traced runes across its smooth screen, copying the text from the book she had flipped through.
Link held his breath. The runes glittered orange for a moment on the Slate's surface before flashing blue and fading away. A new string of text appeared.
The Princess squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Purah as the two of them danced up and down in excitement. A low grinding sound growled through the chamber and the vertical slabs beneath the archway on the opposite wall began to rise upwards. Pale blue lighting on the ceiling faded to life, rendering Link's torch useless; the constellations and lamps adorning the walls lit up with a brief flash, blue and orange.
With barely a thought to consider, the two women dashed into the next room, and Link followed, ready to reach for the Master Sword should any threat present itself.
But the room was almost entirely empty. A strange mass of what looked like synthetic tree roots hung down from the ceiling, converging into a sort of downward-facing protrusion with a tip shaped vaguely like a flower. Beneath it was a bed, or a basin, or a combination of both. Link tensed, seeing it; a shiver passed through his frame. He felt almost as if they had walked into someone's tomb, and it was painfully uncomfortable.
"Not much here," the Princess decided, walking slowly around. She gestured at the root-like stalactite hanging down from the ceiling. "I would think that perhaps this is where the shrine's power is stored…"
"There's another pedestal here, too," Purah noted, tilting her head as she examined it. "It's almost like the ones we found beneath the Guidance Stones, but… without the Stones."
"Perhaps the Sheikah Slate was… perhaps data is stored inside of the pedestal?" the Princess mused, hurrying over.
"The others weren't like that," Purah protested. "They simply acted as holders for the Sheikah Slate while it downloaded new information. We'd have to find some sort of evidence, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to check, right?"
The Princess nodded eagerly and carefully placed the Sheikah Slate within its slot. Link leaned closer to watch, but his attention was instead caught by the faint sound of footsteps coming from the entrance to the cave. He stiffened, turning. We were… followed?
His neck was prickling again. Frowning, he propped up the torch carefully against the wall, and slowly walked into the shrine's first room. He caught a glimpse of movement from the darkness ahead and swiftly, silently, darted forward and pressed himself against the same wall that had first hidden the access pedestal from his view.
Unaware, the intruder walked through the archway, looking around in awe. It was a man, a Sheikah, dressed in the traditional robes of his tribe. And the Yiga were once entirely comprised of Sheikah outcasts.
He lunged forward, grabbing the man by the scruff of his neck and pushing him forcefully against the wall. The man shrieked in terror, struggling, but when Link pressed his hunting knife against the back of his neck he went still.
"Talk fast," Link growled, doing his best to sound intimidating. "Who are you? Who sent you?"
The man whimpered. "I - I d-don't - I'm n-not a threat!" he stammered, clearly terrified. "Please - please don't k-k-kill me!"
"Who are you?" Link demanded again. "Answer the question!"
"I'm nobody!" the man whimpered. "N-nobody, n-nobody, I p-p-promise! N-not a threat!"
"And your allegiance?" Link said, keeping his voice fierce but inwardly feeling a twinge of guilt for frightening the man so thoroughly. "Who sent you?"
"What's going on?" Drawn by the commotion, the Princess hurried into the outer room, Purah at her heels. Her eyes widened. "Filo?"
"You know him?" Link asked without moving his knife.
"He's the court bard!" the Princess exclaimed, sounding angry now. "Release him!"
"The Yiga can take the form of familiar people," Link protested. "Besides which he was following us in the middle of the night and I haven't seen him here until now."
"I just arrived!" Filo protested weakly. "Just this evening! And - and I heard you talking, Princess, and w-wanted to write a song about this m-m-moment of great discovery; I w-was so sure you were right…"
"Can you prove you're telling the truth?" Link growled. Filo trembled violently.
"Which song did you sing for me for my last birthday?" the Princess asked quickly, her gaze soft. Link felt a brief stab of pain, wishing for a brief moment that she would look at him with such care and concern.
The Sheikah man relaxed slightly. "The Ballad of the Silent Princess," he murmured. "You were the first ever to hear it performed…"
"Sir Link, he's not an imposter," the Princess said firmly. "An assassin wouldn't know any of that. I spent the day alone save for my father and a few attendants and Filo."
Link bit his lip, the guilt burning stronger in his gut. "My apologies," he muttered, stepping back and sheathing his knife.
"Is my neck bleeding?" Filo asked weakly.
The Princess shot Link a glare that made him want to throw himself into Death Mountain's maw before hurrying over to the bard and examining his neck. "No; it's just a little red. You'll be fine."
The Sheikah man sighed in relief, casting Link a nervous glance as he turned around. "Then - then I believe I shall take my leave of you until the morrow," he said, his voice still quivering a little. "I, er… good evening."
With one final fearful glance in Link's direction, he sprinted away, bolting up the ladder and dashing off into the night.
\-==/\==-/
Guest Reviews
Chicwa88: Thank you! I'm so glad you thought so; it was very fun to write! As for the King, there were a couple reasons; the first was, as Link was thinking, that Zelda would be haunted daily by the sight of the Temple of Time. The other was that since so many of the Sheikah scientists requested Zelda's presence as they studied the Great Plateau, it would have damaged relations with the Sheikah tribe if he refused. Thank you so much again! ( :
LowTwilight (Guest): Thank you! Unfortunately it'll get worse for him before it gets better, but eventually things will be alright! I'm so happy I could help! You too! ( :