In a meeting hall, Impa presented the various models and features, how they worked, and what they would need. Zelda was the only other one in the room who understood most of it, and her brother had zoned out the minute Impa took out yet another diagram of the same component, while her parents were trying to understand by asking questions, but just confusing themselves more. Zelda tried her best to explain in layman's terms, but there were very few layman's terms that worked in a field as novel and complex as Sheikah Technology.

The high and low of it was, the inventor Impa had been working on miraculous machines ever since she'd been given the go ahead by the Royal Scientific Committee some six years ago. The most impressive of her inventions could birth components with just code and magic, and with those parts she could make robots and communication devices.

Zelda's birthday party had done a large job of moving public opinion in favor of the technology, and now Impa was receiving the resources to turn her Guardians and Slates out at a large scale. The Divine Beasts would be on an entirely different scale.

She didn't often sit in on her parents meetings, as unlike her older brother, they held less practical applications for her. Because of the aim of Impa's technology, and her own involvement in development, Zelda was usually invited to discussions about said technology. That being said, budget and resources were hardly her area of expertise.

"With the rate we're going it's not so much a need of more money," Impa said, "but more material."

"You do realize that material will cost money, right?" Zelda's mom asked, "And now that our darling princess has decided to go public with these Divine Beasts, we need something at a reasonable time scale."

"I realize that, but this material is just waiting in the earth. Once we find it it won't be hard to extract or move it," Impa said, "It's the finding it that could lead to problems…"

"How can transport not be an issue, you've said you need tons of it?" her mom pressed.

"The Sheikah Slate is also capable of transporting non-organic material. I've been working on the organic material, but… it is considerably less stable. No one is willing to help me either."

Zelda could only wonder why.

"Ideally," Impa continued, "It would be a small team of only a few people. The area where this material seems to be located in the largest amounts is treacherous, so you'd need a local to do it, but he'd also need to be trained in the technology."

"What is the region?" her father asked.

"Hebra. A Rito would be ideal… but I'm hesitant to give this duty to them."

"On what grounds?" her brother asked. He was staunchly against the prejudices that sprung up from time to time. She admired his sense of justice, but in this case it was misplaced.

"Oh, it's just that I don't want to have to reconfigure the screen to be pressure sensitive to talons, it would mess with the internal workings and I just figured out heat sensitivity which is more accurate and–"

"The hero is from Hebra," Zelda found herself saying, "he grew up there."

"Did he!?" the scientist asked enthusiastically. She'd wanted to test both her and the hero and their triforces, but Zelda had refused. She allowed herself to be studied during practice, and for her to create practices for her, but she refused to show her the triforce straight out. It was both because she didn't exactly know how to call to it, and that it was not healthy for someone to covet it. For the Hero it was because it was clear he had no conscious control over his triforce and that he didn't know how to say no. Both things made Zelda want to protect him from being exploited, as good natured as Impa's exploitation would be.

Her parents eyed her oddly. They knew of her special bond with him, and her, honestly, preferential treatment of him. To imply he be sent to a hostile place like Hebra probably seemed like cruelty to them.

Truthfully, she could tell how he missed his home, even if most thought it was a frozen wasteland. His eyes would light up when he spoke about how the snow would glisten and the yellow of the sky at night during a storm. He said it was different to the one winter he spent in the castle. He was adapting as fast as he could, but it was still terribly slow. She was the only person who could get him to talk comfortably (as to people of importance he would answer questions, but he was still so unused to human interaction.)

Maybe this quest could bring him comfort.

"It would be a worthy quest for our hero," her brother said, "How long would it take?"

Her brother, while 20 already and old enough to not want much to do with a 15 year old, also had somewhat of a friendly relationship with the hero. Zelda and him were quite close as well, so it was more him being nice to her friends, than a true friendship.

"For one man with my technology…" Impa thought for a while, "Seven years."

"We'll let you have more! Money isn't that much of an issue," her father said, "We will need the help of these machines to subdue Ganon, and he is due to attack within the decade!"

"You didn't let me finish! Link is a strong and clever boy, and the Goddess's chosen Hero. I think he will only take 5 years to complete this mission, and two years is more than enough time to complete the Guardians and Divine Beasts."

A few more things were decided, and Zelda was tasked with finding the Hero to ask him to complete the quest. She would've questioned why she was the one being sent on the task, but honestly she didn't mind. It was a good excuse to stretch her legs and he was good company. She suspected he still had a bit of a crush on her, but that was slowly fading into a more comfortable friendship. Or at least that's what she thought was happening.

As she strolled through the castle, she tried to imagine where he was then. It was an unofficial game they would play, and she had yet to lose. It had to do with her power she was sure, as though it was subtle, she did still have the triforce of wisdom.

He felt somewhere high up, and it was on a hunch that she started climbing the stairs to an old tower. The stairs were many and steep and three quarters of the way up she took a small rest. Finally, at the top she saw him sitting in the window, legs hanging off the ledge like there wasn't a hundred foot drop.

The room was bare except for a chest. She would've thought that was strange, but the castle held stranger things. "Hero," she greeted.

He sat up straighter at the sound of her voice and turned his head to look at her as if to ask how she found him.

"How can you stand such heights?" she asked.

He glanced down like he'd forgotten where he was sitting. "I do have a sail cloth," he said.

"Sail cloth?" she asked. The word sounded familiar, but she wasn't sure she knew what he was talking about.

He swung his feet around so he was facing her totally and pulled out a cloth from his belt. "My teacher gave this one to me when I was young. It was made with my younger self in mind though… so I think I might be getting too big for it."

"You are starting to shoot up," she agreed. A year ago he'd only come up to her chin, now he was level with her nose. "I could work on it, I'm sure Impa would have new materials to make it with, and I'm pretty good with sewing and crafting if I do say so myself."

"Well…" he started, not finishing his thought.

Zelda then remembered what she had practically volunteered him for. "Link, do you miss Hebra?"

He only looked confused. She thought of another way to ask him.

"As you know, there is a certain Sheikah scientist who has created these wonderful machines she calls Guardians," she started, "The only problem we have now is getting enough of what they're made of. It's a rare material that can only be found in high quantities in the Hebra mountains. Impa has calibrated the Sheikah Slate to be able to track these amounts and teleport them back here to the castle, but as of now we are limited to the one slate. Hebra mountains are treacherous to outsiders and so a large party or a small party would have equal chances of success. Thus and so forth, I suggested you, as I know you know the area and are more capable than any other."

He looked at her owlishly, but didn't say anything.

"I also was under the impression you were…" how should she put it... "missing home. The castle is quite different from the mountains."

He nodded. "So I would take the slate and go and find this material?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "Impa predicted it would take you five years to collect it all."

He looked down at his hands. "Do you want me to go?"

He sounded very young at that moment, and Zelda wondered if he should be around people for growing up, or if he needed the freedom of the Hebra mountains. The imploring look in his eyes when he glanced up told her what she needed to say to make herself clear.

"I will miss you, but it won't be like we will be able to meet as much in the coming years. I will be traveling too. My loving parents decided I need to take responsibility for my grand reveal."

He smiled at her words. Honestly he'd been part of the reason she had made the announcement so strongly. She wasn't in a place to support him the way she was sure she needed to, and it would take more than just 5 years of training to get her power to where it needed to be. No, the Divine Beasts were needed to allow them to have the edge they needed.

"I will go to Hebra and help," he decided finally, "And you will become the queen we all need."

She chuckled lightly at that. He looked at her with a worried expression, and she explained before he could become too frightened. "I'm the second child Link, Goddesses willing I will never be Queen. My brother will become king when my parents die, and then he will probably name my children his heirs."

"Wait, why would your children be his heirs?"

"My brother more than likely will never marry, or at least never marry someone who can give him children." Zelda didn't know why she was telling him this, but either way she knew she could trust him. "This was causing him anxiety, but I told him I did want children and the royal line could continue through me."

"Does that mean you'll be getting married soon?" he asked.

It was a bit of a leap in logic, but Zelda supposed she could be considered old for not even having an engagement, for royalty, at least. Her parents had been engaged since they were both children. "I won't be getting married until after we defeat Ganon, there just would be no time or resources for a proper wedding, not to mention I haven't been asked yet. I'm a bit luckier I suppose, because as the spare I have more freedom with certain aspects of my life." He seemed relieved, but still apprehensive. "Here, I'll promise I won't get married unless you can make it." She held out her pinky finger. He took it and they shook, a small smile on his face. "But really, Ganon is a much bigger issue than my personal life."

He muttered something and let go of her pinky. "I look forward to the sail cloth," he said clearer.

"I hope it will live up to your expectations. Will you need any other gear?"

"I can pick that up myself."

"You would know best."

There was a moment of them just staring at each other when Zelda was gripped with the fact after he left they would not have these easy moments any more. In the short year, she had grown fond of her young hero and would miss him. But duty was duty, and what she said before of her own life growing busy was true. "Well, I suppose we should go track down Impa then," she said.

He nodded and let her lead the way.

…

It was the day he was to set off for Hebra mountains, and it was a solemn occasion. They announced his quest like it was an honor, which in a way it was. He was growing up, but she feared not fast enough, for even though he was only two years her junior, his face still had baby fat, and his voice was still deepening. More often than not it was the higher pitched boy's voice.

Still, even as a boy he was a capable warrior, and it wasn't through just luck that he'd defeated the ice witch of Hebra. He was well prepared, and he knew how to survive the mountains. Besides that, the Sheikah Slate had a communication device to send basic messages to the terminal in the castle, so it wasn't like she wouldn't know if he was alive or dead.

Zelda stood straight, alongside the rest of the royal family. They were all dressed smartly in royal blues, crowns and all. Her curly hair was braided back and pinned to fight the summer heat. She could see her brother sweating under his collar, and poor LInk was also surely sweating under his chainmail. She knew in his pack he had the sail cloth she'd created.

He'd seemed so pleased with it, she couldn't help but be pleased as well. It was a handsome thing of silver and blues, she'd chosen them to match the flower colloquially known as the silent princess, but as she'd handed it to him she noticed it matched his eyes as well.

She forced herself to smile as they said their fair wells. They would meet again, she tried to say with her eyes. They had to fight Ganon after all. He was to be her sword and shield while she would form the would meet again and he would be grown enough to handle all that could be thrown at him.

He remained stoic as ever, and left with his horse after a respectful bow. Zelda set her own face and prepared for her duties.