"Are you sure I can't go into the water with you?"

Zelda glanced over her shoulder and nodded. She strictly remembered how the book explained it was only for the person who had the hidden power deep within to step into the water in front of the Statue of Hylia to pray for the awakening. No one else could accompany them into the water; which meant he would have to stay behind, faced away from her while this happened.

With a sheepish expression, Link gave her a shrug before turning around, planting the Master Sword on the ground; looking like the Captain of the Guards would do every time he stood by the Royals in the throne room. He hoped this would work so they could focus on training more, but then again— who knew what it would take in order to make the power awaken; no one had ever heard about them before. If Zelda had it— then he didn't doubt it would show up easily, after all she could do anything she could put her mind to— she was a scholar despite King Rhoam's wishes.

Zelda sighed deeply as she placed on foot in the cold water and shuddered before she got in completely, the water coming up to her waist as she moved slowly towards the statue until she was close enough. Clasping her hands together, she closed her eyes and began to mutter underneath her breath so Link wouldn't hear.

This had to be just between her and Hylia's statue of Power.

"I come seeking help… regarding this power that has been handed down over time… Prayer will awaken my power to seal Ganon away…" she mumbled, closing her eyes, hoping to hear an answer. "Or so I've been told all my life… and yet…Grandmother heard them— the voices from the spirit realm."

Nothing came in reply much to her dismay, but perhaps the reply wouldn't come until after she finished her prayer. Either way, she hoped something would come to help her awaken the power she desperately needed.

"Mother said her own power would develop within me. But I don't hear…or feel anything! Father has told me time and time again… He always says, 'Quit wasting your time playing at being a scholar!' Curse you…" she grumbled as she opened her eyes, her voice was shaking slightly.

Link's grip on his sword tightened as he narrowed his eyes. Is King Rhoam serious? She's a wonderful scholar! She's helping us with her knowledge that comes with her choices, he thought bitterly. He would have to speak with the King once they got back home to Hyrule Castle.

"I've spent every day of my life dedicated to praying! I've pleaded to the spirits tied to the ancient gods… and still the holy powers have proven deaf to my devotion. Please just tell me… What is it…? What's wrong with me?!"

Link gritted his teeth in pure anger as he heard that last sentence. Nothing was wrong with her— she was perfect. This was something she barely knew about herself until Impa and Purah told her about it during the welcoming Ceremony of the Champions. He had to convince her nothing was wrong with her until she believed him; and he just wanted to make sure she believed she could awaken this power with ease.

Gazing over his shoulder, he watched as she wiped at her eyes before starting all over again and he swallowed thickly as he tore his gaze away. She was in a white dress like the book suggested and this hurt to know she thought there was something wrong with her— no one should ever think like that.

"Please… just tell me…" Zelda whimpered softly. "What's wrong with me!?"

"Nothing," Link blurted out, turning around, placing the sword away. Zelda jumped as she spun around to meet his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you! Stop suggesting there's something wrong with you— you shouldn't be saying that."

Zelda stiffened. "You shouldn't… you weren't suppose to—"

"To hell what I should be doing!" he spat out, narrowing his eyes as he jumped into the water, moving towards her, grabbing her hand. "You're saying something is wrong with you when there isn't."

"Then why hasn't it awakened and why haven't I been able to hear the voices?" she hissed out in challenge.

Link rolled his eyes. "It's not always that way for everyone!"

Zelda wanted to fight back but she knew he was right. It wouldn't be the same for everyone who lived through this. She was going to have to look for another way to awaken this power she had. The Spring of Power clearly didn't help her which meant somewhere else would have to do— and hopefully would have better results.

She sighed heavily as she moved away from him, climbing out of the water to reach for her adventuring clothes. Link looked up at the statue while she changed, giving off his own prayer that could help her through this hardship because out of everyone; she deserved happiness.

In his eyes, Zelda didn't have it easy.

Anyone with eyes could see how much she was struggling to meet King Rhoam's expectations and soon enough the King would have to see he couldn't force so much upon her shoulders. If he didn't lower them, he would surely realize how much he was pushing his daughter away from him as if the fights weren't much of a sign.

When she called out his name, he turned back to see her dressed in her usual attire and he hurried to follow her out of the Spring. The maze was easy for them to figure out as they walked. Outlaw and Storm were tied to a tree outside of the maze so they wouldn't wander off and they knew no one would steal them— it would be basically a death sentence if they were stolen.

Everyone could easily find the thief because of Storm's pure white coat and mane.

The horses were happy to see them, and Link silently climbed onto Outlaw's saddle as he watched Zelda kick Storm's side to get her into a slow pace. He wanted to apologize for interrupting the prayer— it wasn't fair but he had to do something; he hated seeing her so sad.

But how could he apologize if she wouldn't think about giving him a chance? He sighed; they only seemed to be going back and forth between getting along and fighting every second they got.

It was so strange.

"Zelda," he softly said as Outlaw matched Storm's pace perfectly. "Look— I want to apologize for interrupting but the way you said there was something wrong with you made me so pissed."

Zelda swallowed thickly as she readjusted her grip. "Really? It made you that mad?

"Of course," Link nodded. "There's nothing wrong with you in my eyes. You just take all the time you need— you at your own pace. Ignore what everyone else says about it, okay? It'll awaken when it awakens."

"Oh…" Zelda mumbled before smiling softly. "It's okay, Link. I was… I guess I was just upset by the lack of reply."

Link took a deep breath. "There's other places."

She couldn't help but agree. She didn't have a choice but to agree. "You're right— there's another place. Let's go see if Impa knows any whereabouts. She must know somewhere else— we can't go to Mount. Lanayru; I'm not old enough but until then, Impa must know another place."

Link nodded as he thought about Kakariko; all the Sheikahs lived there. Once upon a time, others also lived within the village but they all cleared out for the Sheikahs to take over. Since then, everyone else has taken over different villages. Not once did complaints come from the different villages since Kakariko was an ally and proved useful to all races— though some of the Yiga were once Sheikahs.

"Alright," he agreed. "But we should be on the lookout for any Yigas. If we already ran into one— I have no doubt they'll try again."

Zelda couldn't help but laugh. "That we can both agree on."

With a smile on his face, the pair kept their sights on the path ahead while chatting. As soon as they reached Kakariko, they would hopefully get some more information about the whereabouts of where the Power could awaken.

…

Kakariko was a silent, quiet, village. It was practically hidden by the wild life and it harbored a Great Fairy Fountain deep within the forest that laid past a Shrine that had always been there but unresponsive; no one could ever open the Shrine and Impa didn't dare to try with the Sheikah Slate Purah had given her.

All the Sheikahs wore the same outfits; suited to their genders. There was also the well-known Stealth outfit they were known to wear during their own missions concerning the Yiga Clan. It was fitted into a known olden era.

The biggest house was for Impa and it was clear by the Sheikah guards at her house that she wasn't going to be killed with them on guard. Everyone else was trained to protect themselves with their well-known techniques that could kill anyone on the spot— even monsters that could spawn out of nowhere. Their village was hidden enough to be away from the watchful eye as well.

When a Sheikah decided to join the Yiga Clan, they were exiled formally from the village, ordered to never step foot in Kakariko again. The village was dubbed a safe haven for the royals because the Sheikahs would fight and give up their lives for them; which is why Zelda spent a good amount of time with them as a child growing up and sometimes, Link would join her too before Julia's passing occurred.

Most scholars would come from the Sheikahs as well. Purah was one pure example of this along with Robbie. The two were practically the Pride and Joy of the Sheikahs with Impa at the top— which was why the scholars had guards with them whenever they traveled across the land; no one could trust the outside world.

Especially with the Yiga on the run.

As Link and Zelda walked into the village, Outlaw and Storm had trotted off to a nearby Sheikah who whistled out for them— promising them apples. The Hylians smiled as they headed directly to Impa's household before being stopped by the guards outside, who placed their arms out in clear order for them to not get any closer.

"Halt!" they hissed out, narrowing their eyes. "Lady Impa is not expecting any visitors."

Zelda frowned. "I have the right to visit Lady Impa as I please— I'm the Princess of Hyrule. This is concerning Champion Business."

Link stood straight behind her as he eyed them, searching for any signs of hostility towards them. "Let us through. The Princess needs to speak with Lady Impa right away. We can't waste much time," he added.

"And who are you?" hissed one of the guards.

"The Hylian Champion; Appointed Knight; and Wielder of the Master Sword," Link smugly smirked at their looks. "Let us through."

"Lady Impa has requested to be alone," the second guard said. "We cannot let any visitors go through."

"Oh, let 'em go through!" a new voice broke through with slight annoyance, but there was a hint of playfulness behind it. Everyone knew that voice.

The guards' eyes widened. "Lady Purah!"

Purah grinned widely as she swung her arms around the teenagers, smirking widely as she eyed them. "Yup! In the flesh— now, let us through. They're with me and we need to see my sister; plus, I gotta bug her about something myself."

The guards sighed as they nodded, moving away so they could enter. They couldn't say no to Purah— Impa would have their heads. With a wink, Purah pushed the Hylians along as she made sure the guards went back to their work before heading inside the house herself to see Impa sitting directly on the make-shift throne of the Sheikahs, speaking with someone next to her.

The older sister visibly huffed at the appearance of her brother-in-law. She always disliked the man. He took the fun out of everything, and he wasn't the nicest person to her but he couldn't complain that she didn't bring her own shed of light to the Sheikahs.

When the man saw her; he also frowned.

But Impa's mood brightened as she saw her older sister and the two Hylians she didn't expect to see.

"Purah, Link, Princess Zelda!" Impa greeted them as she stood to hug her sister before turning to the Hylains. "Welcome to Kakariko. What can I do for you?"

Zelda took a deep breath, hoping for the best. "We were hoping you had some information concerning the hidden power. We already tried the Spring of Power, and we can't get to Mount. Lanayru just yet… do you happen to know anywhere else that could possibly help awaken it?"

Purah thought for a moment. "There's always the Spring of Courage."

"The Spring of Courage?" Link piped up, arching an eyebrow. "Do you happen to know where it is? I know it exists but… I don't know where."

"Easy!" Purah grinned. "It's located in the West Necluda region."

Link scratched his head, sharing a look with Zelda before meeting Purah's eyes again with a sheepish smile. "Yeah… gotta me more."

Purah rolled her eyes. "Impa," she said, turning to her sister. "We should give them a Sheikah Slate to help them. I have an extra one with me that I was hoping to give to you, but it can always go to them instead. Robbie is working on another one."

"Are you sure?" asked Impa, eyes wide. "You said it yourself— the Sheikah Slates are something the Sheikahs should only have; you didn't trust anyone else with them."

"Yeah but they're going to get lost," Purah noted. "I can trust them! Princess Zelda should be able to figure it out with ease and I can always help them."

Impa sighed as she nodded, signaling her agreement with her sister. Purah grinned as she took the extra slate out from her satchel, handing it over to the princess, explaining it all as she helped point out everything. Zelda smiled happily as she clicked on the map icon to get a view of the entire Kingdom and when Link took a glance, his stomach sank with realization.

The Kingdom was huge!

"... and with this you can mark where you want to go," Purah finished up as she marked the Spring of Courage for them. "You'll find the Spring of Courage here. If you have any other questions you can come find me and Robbie at the lab."

Zelda nodded her thanks. "Thank you, Purah. This will be proved to be quite helpful."

Link gave Purah a grin. "So, we just follow this and we should be brought to the Spring of Courage?"

"Yes," Purah answered.

Impa gave her own smile as she watched. "Is there anything else you need? You can always ask me anything."

"Yeah," Link blurted out. "Who's he?"

Purah frowned as she rolled her eyes. "The very person who shouldn't have married my sister— he doesn't even come close to someone I approve of because he sucks the fun out of everything!"

Impa smacked her sister's shoulder. "He's my husband."

The man in question rolled his eyes as he stepped up, holding out his hand but only Link shook his hand in reply. "Name's Oktekh. It's nice to meet you two," he greeted politely, ignoring his sister-in-law's comments.

Zelda nodded, clearly not a fan. "A pleasure. Link, we should be off."

"Right, yeah," Link agreed, turning on his heels to follow the princess before stopping to look at the sisters. "Thanks, Purah, Impa!"

The pair nodded as they watched the pair take off. As soon as they were gone, Purah turned to chew out Oktekh like always for making them uncomfortable.

…

As soon as they were on the road, Link took one glance at Zelda before knowing they shared the same thought on Impa's husband; I don't like him.

"Well… Impa's husband is…" Link cleared his throat, "— interesting."

"I don't like him," Zelda blurted out as she kept her eyes on the road before sparing a glance back to her Appointed Knight. "What does Impa see in him anyways? Purah has the right idea not to like him."

Link shrugged. "Well, it's Impa's choice and she clearly loves him."

It was clear the head Sheikah had love in her eyes whenever she met Oktekh's eyes and it was very much given right back when he looked at her so they couldn't complain so much about him. Even if Purah didn't approve of it, it was clear she cared for her sister's happiness and put up with the man.

Deep down, Link hoped to have a relationship similar to that of Impa's and Oktekh's love— nothing but pure devotion and happiness.

"Y'know…" Link trailed off as Outlaw matched Storm's pace again. "I hope to love someone like they do each other— just pure devotion and happiness. Like we can overcome anything."

Zelda smiled softly. "Yes, I did notice the tone of their love too."

Link shifted slightly as he tried to think of something to say. "I have to ask— growing up, did… did you ever like someone in that way? Did anyone ever get past the friendship feelings?"

Zelda froze slightly before relaxing. "Not really. Anyone I liked I soon realized was just purely platonically. Even with suitors, none stood out nor caught my attention enough for me to act upon it."

"Ah," Link replied, feeling slightly hopeful.

"Did you?"

"No," he shook his head, deciding to keep away from mentioning his own feelings at the moment. "No one stood out to me growing up— in fact, I don't think I ever had a crush growing up."

Nodding wordlessly, Zelda snuck a glance up towards the sky to see how the sun was getting ready to set upon the mountain and she sighed heavily as she glanced around; there was no place to set up a fire— they would need to find somewhere else before anything.

"Let's find a place to set up camp for the night," she ordered. "The sun is getting ready to set."

Link nodded as he began to search. "You got it, Zelda."

They wouldn't revisit this conversation until much later. It would end differently than it did now, but it for the better or worse was still unknown.