Sorry for yet another late update! I hope all of you are well and healthy, and that your summer is lovely. Please enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!

Chapter Fourteen: Out of the Nest

Impa didn't think she could do it.

The old, doubtful woman mentally swallowed her words as she watched her great granddaughter fix on her warrior attire. Every spec of lint was gone, and no wrinkles could be seen. Paya pulls up her boots, making sure it was nice and tight, without any threat of coming off. Her uniform now took the shape of her body entirely, showing every detail of her newly muscular body. Her calves were massive, which gave her the trouble of putting on her shows, and her hands were rough and ornate with callouses.

Impa still couldn't take it in. As Paya fixes the ribbon for her braided hair, she turns around and jumps to see her great grandmother standing in the doorway of her bedroom. "Grannie! You scared the spirits out of me!"

"I'm sorry, m'dear," Impa hums genuinely, "I just wanted to check up on you. Today is finally the day, and I figured you'd be nervous."

After many grueling days and sleepless nights, Paya was now ready to resume her training at Rito Village. She'll be making the journey by foot, accompanied by a few other Sheikah warriors. This way, she will be able to practice how to get out of sticky situations without a horse or reliance on the daytime. A very daring thing to do for someone who has never been outside of the village, but Paya did not refuse. She did incredibly well during her rushed training, considering the threat of Ganon is already here.

Paya nods sheepishly, toying with one of her kunai, "I'm not quite sure I could be anything but nervous. This day came sooner than what I would have liked…" She puts the kunai away to make sure the wrapping around her hands were nice and tight.

"The Sheikah warriors around the village say you're more than ready," Impa admits quietly. She never thought she'd ever see the day where that shy young lady would then walk around the village proudly, her back straight and her head held high. It felt like with each step, Paya was shaking the world. The more fascinating part was she had not a clue about it.

"But what if I'm not ready?" Paya's words leave her lips weakly. She slowly walks over to take a seat on her bed, her hands anxiously clawing her knees. Impa slowly makes her way to Paya, and joins her on the bed.

She lets out a deep, shaky breath before putting her hand over Paya's. "No matter how much we work, we will never be ready for anything," Impa says forwardly. "This life… it's unpredictable, no matter how much we try to foresee it. The only thing we can do is try."

Paya looks back at her grandmother, feeling slightly uplifted by her words. She places her other hand on Impa's, feeling how the years have changed her. "Was it hard? When you first became a Sheikah warrior…"

Impa thinks for a moment, her face expressionless. But then she smiles warmly before returning her gaze towards Paya. "Because Purah decided to be a scholar, I had to work a bit harder than the other warriors. Our family is highly regarded, you know. I had a legacy to keep up with, and Purah couldn't help me with this one, as she has with all my other troubles growing up. A few missions here and there, and next thing you know, I became a Royal Advisor."

Paya widens her eyes, even more impressed by her grandmother than before, "you were a Royal Advisor?"

"Don't you listen to the stories I tell you, girl?" Impa snaps. Paya looks away, slightly embarrassed but Impa brings her back with a smile. "When the Queen and her Knight came to lift my spirits up, she also told me I was no longer a candidate for the Royal Advisor. 'You are the Royal Advisor now,' she said to me."

"You've done so much, Grannie," Paya says breathlessly, "you're our tribe leader, and you were the Royal Advisor. You've worked so hard to protect our village, and the Hylian Kingdom."

Impa shrugs, taking the compliments as humbly as she could, "we Sheikah believe in the preservation of life. I would give my life if it meant to save a lot more. The light we hold is the strongest weapon in the world, you must never forget that." With her other hand, Impa reaches over to pat Paya's chest. "If you're ever scared or feel lost, remember that your heart will always guide you."

Paya lets out a shaky sigh, looking distantly at her room, and the life she'll be leaving behind temporarily. "I always believed that I'll only ever be a caretaker. I never imagined that I could be… like you."

Impa looks at her with a frown, "it's my fault to have made you think you would never amount to more than that. I was so worried about you after losing your parents that I never encouraged or installed the idea of becoming a Sheikah warrior or researcher. I unintentionally forced you to stay in the village, and that is something I constantly think about, and regret."

"But I chose this!" Paya insists. "I chose to stay here and take care of you. I knew all I had to do was talk to any of the Sheikah warriors to become one, but I didn't because I wanted to stay here, with you."

Impa smiles at the young girl and shakes, "you don't have to try and take away the guilt, my dear. You may have made your choice, but I influenced it, even if by a bit." Paya didn't seem satisfied by her words, as a pout remained on her lips. But Impa kept smiling, "I don't give it much thought anymore, now that you've gone ahead and became a Sheikah warrior."

"Are you sure you will be okay without me?" Paya asks genuinely, "I'm not very eager with the idea of leaving you unattended."

Impa scoffs, "you think this village is going to leave me unattended? If I ever see the day I'm left unattended, Cado will probably have all his Cuccos stay in his coop!"

The two women share a laugh, hand in hand as they spend their last few minutes together. Impa wasn't too ecstatic for Paya to be so far for a temporary time, but it would be the start to Paya's independence and complete freedom of thought. Paya is kind, and precious, and knows how to take care of others. But she must also learn to be on her own, fending for herself as well as learning more about who she is or wants to be.

"The point is," Impa begins in a more serious tone, "you don't need to worry so much about me anymore. Focus on you, and be as much help to the Hero as you can be. We're entering another dark time, but this time feels particularly… worrisome."

Paya looks at her quizzically, "what do you mean, Grannie?"

"It's very peculiar for Ganon to have come back so quickly," Impa admits, "to tell you the truth, I'm actually quite nervous about it this time."

"How come?"

"Well, he's never done it this way," Impa notes, "Ganon has always just taken over the castle right away, and send monsters to torture our land, and everyone living in it. But now… he's contaminating the forests with what seems to be Malice venom."

Paya could feel herself pale up a bit, "is that… is that bad?"

"It's unusual," Impa admits, "but it's nothing Purah can't figure out. Paya, please know that we're on the stronger side of the fight." Impa smiles genuinely. "We have a love for one another that Ganon will never understand, or feel. As long as we keep one another in our hearts, nothing can stop us from defeating the evil that tries to destroy us."

Paya turns and quickly wraps her arms around her great grandmother. Impa jumps from the sudden action, but quickly mimics her, embracing the young, and new Sheikah Warrior. "I'm going to help save Hyrule, Grannie. I will give it my all to make sure of that, and to come back home to you when I'm all done."

"That's my girl," Impa whispers, "that's my girl…"

Meanwhile…

"Link, we have to go back! Turn us around immediately- that is an order!"

The Hero's ears were terrorized by the wailing cries and requests of the Queen. Zelda did not stop begging and pleading to go back to Zora's Domain to ensure they were okay. They were already miles away, and making their way towards Goron City, but Zelda was persistent. Punches that felt like soft jabs were being decorated all over Link's back by Zelda's fists. Eventually, when the group found another stable to settle in, Link met with what he thought was the end of Zelda's pleading and 'attacking.'

But by her repressed face, he knew she wasn't done quite yet with him. "Tie our horse," Link hums to one of the Hylian soldiers, offering him the reins of the horse. He then offers Zelda his arm, as to keep up with his personal knight formalities. She aggressively takes his arm and allows him to guide her a little bit away from the stable. It was a bit chilly, as he felt Zelda shiver slightly. He walks her towards a tree, allowing her to lean on it from an angle so the wind wouldn't hit her. It was then when they were settled by that tree, Link felt the guilt he was long denying.

Zelda stands before him with tears in her eyes, a few escaping to drag themselves down her face. Those beautiful emerald eyes were suddenly vulnerable, and full of rage. "Why didn't we go back?" Zelda cries in her broken voice.

Link winces, never wanting to experience Zelda when she's hurt or as upset as she is now. "Zelda, I-"

"Sidon needed us, and you kept going!" Zelda scolds, holding onto the tree to keep herself from hitting Link. "My duty is to protect everyone, and you just… you just kept going! You didn't once turn back!" Link decides to remain quiet to allow Zelda to say all she wants. Piccolo also felt bad for her, as it mewls sadly in Link's ear. "I have let everyone down once, and I swore never to fail again. And you stood in my way, Link! What is the matter with you? When I give you an order, you're to do so with no objections!"

Her face then fell, and she became more sad rather than angry. She brings her hands into her view and slowly curls them into loose fists. "I already don't have my power…" Zelda says in a hush tone, "I can't afford to mess up any more…and we just left Sidon and King Dorephan to fend for themselves…"

Her words are then followed by sobs, the kind that Link has heard and endured long ago. He watches as she weakly wipes her face with the back of her hands, only creating more tears. Link then bucks up the courage to be honest with her. "Zelda, I only have two duties in this world," Link begins quietly, "one was given to me by prophecy, and the other by King Rhoam. I hold myself up to his request more than the other." He keeps his lips curt, "to Hylia, I owe her to save the Kingdom of Hyrule from the evil that is Ganon. But the duty I prioritize is to protect you with everything I have. Protecting you goes above everything else to me."

"But Prince Sidon, and our friends-" Zelda cries out, but Link quickly puts his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.

"You must put your trust in Prince Sidon the way you did when asking him to be the next pilot for Vah Ruta," Link says warmly. "If you can trust him as a pilot, you must trust him to protect his own kingdom."

"But he wasn't given enough time," Zelda says quietly, her voice shaking, "what if he can't do it? What if Zora's Domain has fallen and we could have been the difference?"

Link shakes his head, "Prince Sidon is strong. He would never let his Domain down… he promised to protect his people, and he isn't someone who breaks his promise."

"But this is Ganon," Zelda persists, "he, and the other kingdoms haven't faced him before!"

"I didn't have plans to be the one to face Ganon myself, but there's a first for everything!" Link reasons with her. She could feel his head shake slightly just by mentioning the disgraceful evil that has tormented their world. "We must trust Sidon, and everyone to do their part in saving the land we share. You have to do your part, too."

Zelda looks at him quizzically, "wh-what do you mean? I don't have a part anymore really… I don't have the Triforce…"

"Just because you don't have that power, doesn't mean you don't have power," Link says quietly. He slides his hands down from her shoulders, to her elbows, to hold onto her forearms. He presses his forehead to hers, feeling the power in his hands beginning to tingle. "Zelda, you are the smartest person I know… besides Purah." Zelda giggles at his words. "I know it might not seem like it, but you're the strongest one out of all of us."

Zelda nudges his forehead slightly with hers, "you're talking nonsense…"

"It's true," Link insists, his eyes narrowing on hers, "you're the Queen of Hyrule. You've assumed the responsibility of being the leader of Hyrule. You're in charge of reparations, of helping villages repair, and readapt to normal life. You've brought back peace to our land, and the comfort that comes with it. Your words and your actions are dangerous because they can make people who don't want to walk, run."

"But you're the one who wields the sword that seals the darkness," Zelda says, her eyes falling to the ground.

"But you're the light that convinced me that I could when I thought I couldn't," Link argues. Zelda's eyes widen at his words, unable to fathom how profound Link has become. "If you didn't save me that day, Ganon would have taken us both, and Hyrule would suffer from darkness forever." Zelda's run out of tears to cry. "Before we left the Domain, I wanted to go back up there and fight, too. But when I stopped and turned around, I saw Prince Sidon. He raised his trident to me, and that's when I knew all was going to be well."

Zelda smiles warmly, wiggling her arms for Link to let go of her. She then snatches his hands into her own and gives them a squeeze, "maybe you're right. I should start focusing on how to unlock Vah Rudania's powers when we go to Goron City. I wonder who will be the pilot…" Suddenly being reminded, Zelda lets go of Link and checks the Sheikah Slate. She taps at the screen to reveal a few messages from Purah. "Oh my Goddesses, I completely forgot that Purah sent me something the other day!"

Zelda quickly scims it, reading the light blue Hylian text quickly but effectively. Link, able to read but not quite sure what Purah means, looks to Zelda with a lost expression. "What does this mean for us?"

Zelda puts the Sheikah Slate back against her thigh as she jumps into Link's arms happily. "Link, it's wonderful news! It means that we can use the Guardians as we originally planned a century ago! They will fight on our side rather than Ganons!" Link returns the hug, more joyful that his Queen was smiling again than the news Purah has provided.

"That's good to hear," Link admits softly. He lets go of her and glances back at the stable. "Let's get back inside. You're going to freeze out here if we stay any longer."

"I wouldn't freeze," Zelda says confidently, "because you're here to keep me warm." Link feels his cheeks go hot from this, but he's immediately turned to stone when Zelda resumes to talk. "But we can't go back now- we must find a Guardian and test out Purah's theory!"

Deadpanned, Link grabs her by the shoulders once more and turns her around to walk her towards the direction of the stable. "Let's do that another time."

"What?" Zelda glances back. "Why?"

"My stomach is more important than going out and hugging a Guardian right now," Link admits without embarrassment. His words are then complemented by the loud rumbling of his stomach. "I smelled pumpkin soup when we first arrived, and I would like to have a bowl… or maybe two."

Zelda laughs before looking back at Piccolo. "Would you like something to eat as well, Piccolo?"

The Blupee nods before jumping out of Link's hoodie to lay down on Zelda's head. Link wanted to die right then and there, as he tried to pull Piccolo off of Zelda's head. But Piccolo was fast, and just kept moving around her body without hurting her or getting in her face. Zelda could only keep laughing, stopping Link from trying to catch Piccolo and staring at her lovingly.

Link still isn't sure if they will win this time. He isn't sure if all his friends will make it out after it's all over. He isn't sure if he will make it out alive. But when he looks at her, and listens to her laughter, and the ends of her lips reach from ear to ear, he knows he has to win this battle. Not for Hyrule, nor for him, but for her. Because to see her enjoy life the way she is now, at this very moment, is worth whatever pain he must bring and endure.

"Link!" She calls out to him. He refocuses, and looks at how ahead she was. Piccolo was snuggling comfortably in her arms. Her pearly whites came out in her wide smile. "Hurry up before the soup runs out!"

Link nods, reaching her before joining her back inside the warm stable, where they were greeted by others already indulging in the hot meal.