Zelda leaned against the wall on the walkway in the castle. It was part of the more ruined sections of the castle after the Calamity struck, but in a way, she found solace among the destruction. It was a reminder of what went wrong and eventually how it all went right. So many people came together to save Hyrule and prevent the disaster that Terrako foretold. She still hadn't rebuilt the little one but surely it would forgive her waiting just a bit longer so they could investigate into these strange blips. Perhaps Terrako would be helpful for this sort of situation, but there still weren't enough parts just yet.

"Princess," Impa announced her arrival as she teleported in a rain of papers.

Zelda turned to greet her friend warmly. "Welcome back."

"The vine has been delivered to the lab and I have a Sheikah watching over Rito Village," Impa reported. "But enough about that. You look worried and concerned."

"I'm fine," Zelda insisted.

Impa stared at her flatly. "You don't come here except to think."

The princess sighed. "Well you caught me. I'm really worried about yesterday."

"About that spat between Revali and Master Kohga?" Impa leaned against the wall next to Zelda, looking out across the damaged hallway and tower. The repairs still hadn't finished in the castle, tending to the central towers first before reaching the outer sections where they now stood.

Zelda nodded.

"Well so far, there's been no signs of Yiga at all near Rito Village," Impa informed her. "The Sheikah I sent has been sending regular reports and there's just nothing. There were signs of battle, but it could just be monsters in the area too. I know Revali is quick to make assumptions, much like when we went to meet him about Vah Medoh, but this is a bit much even for him. I'm not sure he fabricated what he saw, but I feel like he jumped to a conclusion a bit too quickly. He's making mountains out of bokoblin forts."

Zelda nodded again. "I think you're right. He so fervently wants to protect Rito Village, he seems to be seeing false enemies. But after Calamity Ganon, I can't blame him either. There are times where I catch a Guardian in the corner of my eye and worry it will come to life. I know Ganon isn't here to do that, but it still scratches at the back of my mind."

Impa peered over the wall at the dormant and broken Guardians on the walkways below. She couldn't deny that she'd looked at them sideways a few times. It was even worse when she'd spot Robbie dragging a part home to the lab. "Thankfully we don't have to worry about that anymore." Hopefully.

"I'm just worried about the vine now," Zelda admitted, "and about Revali and Master Kohga quarreling."

"Well Robbie and Purah can handle the vine," Impa said with certainty. "Now those two? That's a bit out of my skill set. I'm not exactly the best diplomat here. I'd rather get in their faces."

Zelda turned around, leaning against the wall in thought. "I can understand Revali's point of view, the desire to protect his home without cost, but it's like you said. Perhaps he is blowing this out of proportion and given time, he'll calm down once again. I am still worried about Master Kohga."

"How so?"

"Well," Zelda replied, "I get the feeling he's still hurting inside a great deal. The Yiga value loyalty and Astor betrayed them and stole so much. And half his clan and Sooga are both lost. Everything has been flipped upside down for him over the past year since he joined us."

"He seems to be handling the new, non-Ganon-worshipping path pretty well," Impa pointed out.

"True," Zelda nodded. "Unlike what Revali implied, I don't think that Master Kohga has regretted joining us or plans to betray Hyrule. From what I hear from Urbosa and a number of settlements here in Central Hyrule, the Yiga are actually quite helpful. The trades with us have been quite fruitful as well."

Impa peered at Zelda. "I can see that worry knitting into your brow again."

Zelda smiled with that worrisome expression. "You are right, Impa. I am worried more about Master Kohga himself. Aside from the loss of half his clan, he's doing this all without his right hand. I'm not sure how close they were, but from his detailed information at Fort Hateno when he joined us, I could hear a pain in his voice."

She turned, facing Impa and placing a hand on the Sheikah's shoulder. "It's that same sort of pain I would feel if I lost you. You're not just my advisor, Impa, you're my closest friend. I would be devastated if Astor had stolen your life force or you had died to Calamity Ganon."

This time Impa was the one knitting worry in her brow. "It's not like you'd be alone, Princess. You have Link at your side."

"That's different," Zelda insisted. "I care for him deeply, but I also care for you as my dearest friend. I know I can always confide in you and you don't hesitate to tell me when I'm being silly or too hard on myself. I'd have that same sadness in my voice if I had to deal with losing you."

"I didn't really think about Master Kohga and Sooga being that close, but now that you mention it," Impa tapped a finger on her chin. "Master Kohga has been doing accounting work when I see him and I've caught him stopping mid sentence a few times like he was going to call on someone but didn't. He still hasn't chosen a replacement either."

"I wish we could do something for him, support him as our ally," Zelda pondered. "Perhaps we could get him an accountant."

"Already promised him one," Impa confessed. "And well… I had heard the Yiga were searching for their fallen, particularly those who had been sacrificed by Astor. The Yiga have a lot of rituals that probably came from our shared ancestor but we likely gave up at some point in time. They likely wanted to perform some sort of burial rites. So I asked a few Sheikah to help out informally and search for Sooga in particular."

"You searched for Sooga?" Zelda asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Impa nodded. "I searched too, but we found nothing. No swords, no mask, nothing. Either Astor completely destroyed any traces of him or he managed to survive the blow through the midsection and flee, falling somewhere we just haven't found. There was the thought that maybe the Yiga found him first, but I haven't really brought it up to Master Kohga yet. It's been months since we called off the search and I still haven't found a way to bring it up."

Zelda knit her brow again. "I feel bad dragging him into this new situation."

"He could've said 'no' when I asked him," Impa pointed out. "But instead agreed to it and went himself to investigate. I think there's something out there deep in the desert that has him concerned too. That blip was at the edge of the map, way outside of any known settlement. It was the only place he could've gone to investigate that involved a lot of sand."

"What could be out there?" Zelda pondered. "I was pretty sure the storms were too difficult to get deep into the desert."

"They are as far as I know," Impa confirmed. "But it's possible there's some secret far out there. The Yiga have kept a lot of the history we Sheikah have abandoned. I don't think it's anything malicious but it's probably something historically significant he wanted to protect. And that's what worries me more. That thorny vine was out there. It must've been after something. But what?"

Something quickly grabbed Impa's attention. It was the sound of a fight in the distance, the feeling of a sudden attack. "An attack? We should leave, Princess." She grasped Zelda's wrist.

Zelda shook off Impa's grip. "No, we don't need to run anymore. Whatever it is, we can handle it."

Impa paused for a moment before shaking her head. "Of course you're right, Princess. After everything we've been through, I'm not sure why I went into evacuation mode right away."

Zelda patted her friend on the shoulder. "Together, we'll overcome whatever this threat is."

"Right," Impa nodded. Between the two of them, they could face a lot of danger, but it was that danger that had her worried. It was the thorny vines and who or whatever might be behind them.