Link and Zelda were thankful they splurged on warm clothing in Kakariko Village. After leaving Hateno Village, the biting cold hit quickly as they neared the base of Mount Lanayru. Forest land with spacious trees dotted the base of the mountain, and they tried to stick to the walking path that was getting increasingly difficult to see once the ground was covered in snow.
There weren't a lot of enemies besides wolves in the sparse forest, which the two of them were able to easily avoid by using their bows and arrows. They had a great collection of raw meat stored away in the Sheikah slate by the time they reached the base of the mountain, and Zelda found plentiful Chillshrooms for making elixirs and Burn Balm. To Zelda's surprise, Link began walking ahead of her, but he was still holding her hand behind him. They often walked that way a century ago, but something had silently changed between them in the present day.
"Link, is there a reason why you're walking ahead of me?"
"I don't really know, Ari. Instinct, maybe? I feel like I need to protect you. I need to be ready for anything." He had his shield out, and her heart soared. Maybe his memories will return soon. He's beginning to act like he used to.
They reached the base of Mt. Lanayru by the late afternoon with the sun shining between the clouds and reflecting the pristine snow-covered ground. Zelda had to squint in an attempt to keep her eyes from watering, but she soon felt real tears forming in the corners of her eyes as her heart ached with pain. I remember this place all too well.
Zelda recalled and relived the sorrow that plagued her a century ago while they ascended the steep mountain path. She stared at the ancient steps carved into the ground, remembering each one of them clearly from her dreadful walk down Mt. Lanayru a hundred years ago, staring at each of them with every step, her head bowed low in defeat. At that time she felt like nothing but a failure, a feeling that still haunted her sleeping and waking hours and hid in the back of her mind. If only her power had awakened sooner, she could have saved not only Link from his fate, but her father and her friends, too. Her ache for all who had died at the hands of Calamity Ganon, especially the Champions who were among those she loved most, threatened to overtake her emotions as they started climbing the ancient steps. Quiet tears rolled down her cheeks as she walked behind Link, trying not to alert him to her turmoil. Link was so different now, in a good way. She loved how talkative and expressive he was.
The Link she knew and loved a century ago was a man of few words, but in a rare moment, he verbally reassured her that she was not a failure and patiently held her close at the Spring of Wisdom. It was where he first told her he loved her with his words, something she already knew in her heart, but the sound of his voice telling her made her soul sing with joy. The memory brought a smile to her face through her quiet tears as she trudged along the path behind her beloved. Her memories of the Spring of Wisdom weren't all bad.
"Ari, are you all right?" Zelda startled at his sudden question. Link was staring at her and had just noticed her tearful green eyes. She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Link…this is just another area of Hyrule that holds painful memories for me, but it also holds beautiful memories that I cherish. My heart is torn."
Link stopped walking and turned around, clasping her hands and kissing the backs of them. "I wish I could take your pain away, Ari. Please let me know if you need to stop. We don't have to rush up the mountain."
"Link! Watch out!" Their moment was interrupted by a large white Ice Chuchu slowly sliding toward them like a slimy, round white slug with beady red and yellow eyes. Zelda immediately drew her bow and shot an arrow at its white body, piercing the squishy flesh of the enemy and sending a dangerous blizzard straight for Link. Zelda pushed him out of the way just in time, but the ice hit her, instantly freezing her in a block of ice like the frozen Yiga at Dueling Peaks..
"Ari! No!" Link immediately equipped his Flameblade, holding it next to her for extra heat as she struggled to wriggle free from the ice. After what seemed like an eternity to him, she shattered the ice, shivering violently and unable to speak.
Link immediately removed his Warm Doublet and a Spicy Fruit and Mushroom Mix he cooked in Hateno Village from the inventory, placing the Warm Doublet over her and feeding her the healing snack. She could finally talk.
"Thank you, Link."
"You're welcome, my love. I'm so glad you're okay. And…you saved me again." He hasn't called me "his love" in this century yet. Hylia, help me!. His eyes were full of love for her, gazing at her with his irresistible aqua blues as he held her close for warmth. She planted a quick, sweet kiss on his lips, not daring to go farther. She couldn't.
Zelda picked up the white chuchu jelly, holding it close to the slate as it vanished from her hand. "That will be good for making some Frost Balm. I wish I would have thought of making some before we came up here."
"It's okay, Ari. I have plenty of warm meals in the inventory, and I know you made a few Spicy Elixirs if we need them." He kissed her on the cheek.
"I'm feeling much better now. We should probably move on."
They continued up the mountain, destroying the many enemies that guarded the old mountain path. Several Ice Lizalfos attempted to camouflage themselves as they approached,, but Zelda spotted them first and destroyed them instantly with fire arrows.
They came to a ridge dotted with several ore deposits, and Link hit them with a sledgehammer. He collected several Luminous Stones, handing one to Zelda.
"A beautiful stone for an even more beautiful woman." He grinned at her as she blushed wordlessly, surprised at the gesture. I really love this new Link.
"Link, I'm sorry I'm being so distant with you. I'm still trying to work through a lot of things that happened to me."
"Ari, you don't have to apologize. I'm here for you, and I'll never push you into anything. We can take this as slow as you need."
She smiled at him, but after he turned around and began walking ahead of her, another tear rolled down her cheek. She loved him so much, and she wanted nothing more than to express it, but Hylia's and Impa's warnings were loud in her mind after reliving the events of Blatchery Plain. She couldn't risk losing him again. The pain in her heart was gnawing at her.
Suddenly an Ice Lizalfos sprang up in front of them, holding one of the largest weapons Link had seen so far. "Get behind me, Ari! Now!" She did, and he raised his shield, avoiding the barrage of ice bombs it was hurling their way. Link still had his Flameblade equipped and hit it once, killing it instantly.
"Whoa! What just happened? They usually take several hits to defeat!"
"Ice enemies instantly die by fire, Link. It's a good little trick to remember." She grinned at him.
"You still amaze me with how much you know. I guess it makes sense if you've been all across Hyrule," he said with a grin back at her.
Link picked up the Knight's Claymore dropped by the Lizalfos and put it in his weapons inventory. The sun was beginning to set, settling the already cold environment into a freezing one, and he enjoyed the warmth emanating from the blade on his back as he walked. With Zelda behind him, she also gained some benefit from its heat.
They were nearing the top of the mountain when Link suddenly heard a familiar squeak.
"Oh no, Ari! Keese!"
She whipped her head around to the source of the noise, and three white frosty bat-like one-eyed Keese were headed their way.
"Don't touch them! They'll freeze you!" Zelda warned. Link immediately drew his Flameblade again and destroyed them all in a single hit, picking up their dropped wings and eyes.
It was nearly dark by the time they reached the Spring of Wisdom near the top of the mountain, and they both gasped at the sight that greeted their vision. The spring was completely dry, and a giant, long thin purple and black dragon sat curled around the stone platforms behind the statue of the Goddess.
Zelda nearly cried at the sight of her. "Naydra…what happened to you?" she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her. The dragon looked pained, tossing its head from side to side, covered in black Malice just as Nebb had described. Two large yellow-orange eyes with large black slits for pupils sat atop her body, one on her side and one on her head. Multiple smaller eyes were spread throughout the rest of her curled up, visibly pained form.
"What are we supposed to do, Ari?" Link asked.
A voice that Zelda could not hear addressed Link, and he put a finger to his lips, quickly whispering. "The Goddess is speaking!" Pain instantly filled Zelda's heart, remembering their separation while she followed Hylia's plan. The pain of separation was nearly worse than before when she hadn't heard Hylia's voice at all.
"You have done well to find your way to this spring. The one you see before you is the attendant to the Spring of Wisdom. This is Naydra, the blue spirit of Lanayru, also known as the dragon goddess. She is a servant of mine and has watched over this land for ages, unknown to the world of man. However, the dreaded Malice unleashed by Calamity Ganon has possessed her body and reduced her to this state, shrouding her in Eyes of Malice. The Spring of Wisdom has run dry over time due to the great evil power that stakes its hold upon her. For you who have received the Spirit Orbs and the one who travels alongside you, free Naydra from this Malice and you will replenish the spring! Show me what your power can achieve!"
"Ari, the Goddess says we're supposed to destroy the Eyes of Malice, and the spring will replenish! Getting rid of those eyes should be easy if we use arrows!"
"Yes, Link, that seems like the best approach. Aim for one of the bigger ones!"
Link drew his bow and a normal arrow, and he waited for a moment when the dragon stopped tossing her head. His arrow hit the first giant reptilian eye on Naydra's face as the dragon sat curled up in front of them. As soon as the eye was destroyed, Naydra immediately took flight.
"Link, look! There's another Eye of Malice on her tail, and another on her belly! We're going to have to destroy the rest while she's flying!" Zelda shouted. Link was not certain of his abilities to hit moving targets yet, despite his improvements from Zelda teaching him.
"Ari, how about you get those other big eyes? I'm not very confident I'll be able to hit them."
"Sure, but watch how I do it. You have to focus on a single point in your vision that your target will cross, and release your arrow at the right time before it crosses that point."
"Ari, wait, there are some updrafts. Let's ride the paraglider to the top of the mountain so we can get a better shot. She's climbing!"
Zelda took hold of the paraglider with Link and rode it together, riding the wind and following Naydra as they ascended higher up the mountain. They landed on top of the highest peak of Mt. Lanayru. Zelda immediately took aim at the circling dragon, watching Naydra fly around the top of the mountain around them. She waited for the exact right time, and released her arrow. It found the second large eye that was on her side with ease, and the Eye of Malice and much of the tarry black goo vanished immediately from her body.
"No! Where is she going?" Link shouted. Naydra was flying away from them, heading down the mountain again. Zelda was already aiming another arrow at her tail, and it found the third Eye of Malice easily, destroying the eye with a quick shot before she was too far away.
"I don't know Link, but we have to find her! There's one more! Let's use your paraglider again!"
Using the paraglider, they followed Naydra down off the peak and watched as she came to rest behind the statue at the Spring of Wisdom again below them. Link drew his bow, and he shot the last eye on her belly while he was in midair as time slowed around him, making it easier for him to aim.
"Link! We did it!" Zelda shouted after their feet found the ground near the Spring.
Naydra roared a great bellow as bright rays of light blue light cascaded from her body. A beautiful sea green, turquoise, and purple dragon appeared before them, and they could only silently stare in wonder as Naydra lay curled around the stone platform that held the Goddess statue.
"Whoa. Ari, she's incredible!"
"Yes, she is absolutely beautiful!"
"Especially without all that Malice on her!" Link replied.
"Link! Look! The Spring of Wisdom is flowing again!"
They walked closer to the Goddess statue, and again the voice of Hylia addressed Link. "Thanks to your efforts, Naydra the dragon goddess has been freed from the grips of a great evil power, known in your world as Calamity Ganon. The Spring of Wisdom has been replenished. Now you must pierce the body of Naydra, and that will fully release her from the dark evil that mars this land!"
Link took aim with an arrow.
"Link! What are you doing?" Zelda asked, alarmed.
"The Goddess spoke to me again. I have to hit her with an arrow to fully release her from Ganon!"
He let his arrow go, piercing her side. They watched as two sparkling turquoise and white scales landed on the ground in front of them. Naydra immediately took flight, ascending to the starry heavens, and they watched in awe as a foggy white portal made of clouds in the sky opened, revealing a hidden entrance to the Goddess Realm. Naydra entered the portal, her tail undulating as if waving goodbye while she disappeared, and the rift quickly closed with a great thunderclap.
The voice of Hylia addressed Link once more. "You must offer Naydra's scale to the Spring of Wisdom."
Link ran to pick up the scales, handing one to Zelda. He was surprised at how cold to the touch it was. "I have to drop mine in the water. You can keep the second one!" He plopped one into her hand, and she watched as Link stepped onto the stone bridge of the Spring. He stepped forward and dropped it into the water.
The ground began to rumble in front of them as a stone door behind the Goddess statue opened, revealing a hidden shrine inside.
"There's a shrine here? Are you kidding? I'll be right back, Ari!" Zelda smiled at him and waved as he entered the shrine, emerging just a couple of minutes later. He was finished with the shrine much faster than usual, and Link ran toward her.
"It was a blessing shrine! There was no trial, and I got a Frost Spear and a Spirit Orb for freeing Naydra!"
"That's great, Link! There are two more dragons and springs in Hyrule, too. Farosh, the one I already told you about, is at the Spring of Courage, and Dinraal is at the Spring of Power in the Eldin region!"
"I wonder if there are any hidden shrines for them, too! We'll have to go dragon hunting! Put it on my bucket list!"
Zelda giggled, and she ran closer to him as he ran to her and they embraced, and the two of them sat in front of the replenished waters of the Spring of Wisdom. Zelda thought of how he once held her close here, when she was in despair over her sleeping Triforce power. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his shoulder as they rested together in silence.
After a while, Zelda sat up. "Link, can you get my paper map out of the inventory? I'm wondering where we need to go to get to Zora's Domain from here."
She studied the map, growing concerned. She pulled up the scope on the Sheikah slate, gazing through it for a while before speaking. "It looks like we'll have to backtrack a little to get around the cliffs surrounding Zora's Domain. In the moonlight I can see heavy rainfall in the distance, so we won't be able to scale the sides of the cliffs. I'm thinking it may be best to teleport back to the shrine in Kakariko Village. It may actually save us some time."
"I trust you, Ari. I am so glad you're with me. We make such a great team."
"Yes we do, Link."
She selected the travel gate of the shrine near Kakariko Village, and blue rays of light enveloped them as they shared another sweet kiss.