They made it to Rito stable not too long after their unfortunate encounter with the Lynel. After dismounting the vehicle she took the Sheikah Slate from Link and began to examine its map. Her attire was a state currently, covered in mud completely. She needed to find someplace to bathe. She saw a pool of water marked on the map not too far from their location. "I will go to Mount.." She paused, reading the name of the mountain, the one which had been named after her father. "Mount Rhoam.." She stated quietly before clearing her throat. "I will ascend the mountain and clean myself off, you can wait here until I'm back." She knew she was quite possibly coming off as rude, she wasn't entirely pleased right now, causing her to become a little blunt. "Zelda I don't think that it is wise to-" She sighed softly and dropped her hands to her sides. "Link, I will be fine, I assure you that." He rolled his eyes, he knew he wouldn't win this argument it seemed. "If you aren't back within half an hour I'm coming to check on you." She nodded at that before placing the Slate on her hip should she require it.
It didn't take her very long to scale the mountain and arrive at the small body of water. She began by washing her clothing and removing the stains from it, once she was satisfied that they were clean she left them off to the side before stepping into the water to clean any mud off of herself. It was rather refreshing, the rain from earlier had brought with it quite a bit of heat, most likely because the winds had been blowing from the north east, which would mean that the water vapour would have contained some of the heat. She stayed in the water for about ten minutes, enjoying it while she could but staying conscious of time as to not worry Link. She contemplated briefly on her luck, she had been given the opportunity to live a life with him that she never deemed possible. Even without the threat of Calamity Ganon, she had been a princess, having a quiet life with him would have always been impossible. For now she could enjoy that until she decided to either take the throne back or go down a different path.
Once she was finished she left the pool and allowed the sun to dry her off for a few minutes. When she felt dry she reached for her clothing. It was still a little damp but the time had allowed it to dry significantly. She placed the clothing on before beginning to descend the mountain. As she neared the bottom she saw Link making his way up. "I told you that I'd be fine." She smiled lightly, at which he nodded. It was apparent that he had bene worrying, for his face still seemed rather troubled. "So you did, though that doesn't mean I won't help but fear the worst." She knew that he felt protective of her, so much had happened, and she didn't wish to lose him either, though protecting him was something she was currently incapable of doing.
"Shall we make our way to the village then?" She inquired as they continued their way down the mountain. She glanced over at the large spire where the village resided, it was quite majestic, despite having faced hardships. It wasn't as elegant as it once had been, there used to be settlement perched on the surrounding spires, which used to be taller, she guessed Vah Medoh must have used them for target practice whilst under Ganon's control. "Yes I suppose we should." Was the boy's response. She felt him take her hand, which brought comfort and a joy which only he could make her feel. "Excellent." She beamed before they began crossing the bridges leading to the village.
Upon arriving at the village, Zelda could hear music being played. It reminded her of the music which used to be played in the castle, she even believed she had heard this song before, being played by a musician which she had known briefly in the past. She pulled herself from the past as a White Rito strolled up to them. "You must be the Princess." She glanced at Link who had a small smile on his face. "It's good to see you in one piece, Link, and it's good to see that you managed to rescue the Princess." Link nodded lightly before introducing them. "Teba this is Zelda and Zelda this is Teba." She smiled politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you Teba, I believe you and Link are friends?" The Rito nodded gently. "Anyone who can avenge my uncle is a friend to me." She nodded softly, she didn't recall Revali ever saying he had siblings, he was certainly rather closed off in the past. "I'd suggest you meet with the chief, he'd likely be looking for you if he knew of your existence." She nodded softly, that was their intention after all. "Thank you, it's been quite a pleasure Teba." The Rito nodded before grabbing a bow from a nearby wall and proceeding to fly out an open space out towards Hebra mountain. "May we locate the source of that music first?" She asked curiously, Link smiled knowingly as he nodded at her request. "I have a feeling you'll like the musician." She raised an eyebrow, the musician was likely another friend of his.
As the ascended the village they neared closer to the source of the music until they made their way out onto a platform, where a singular Rito was standing and playing the familiar tune. He paused as he heard footsteps. "I sense a Hylian in my presence.." The figure said softly before turning around, a large smile on his face. "It's wonderful to see you once more, Link. And, is this, by chance, the Princess?" She glanced at Link before she nodded. "I am the Princess, yes." She gave the Rito a smile before he spoke once more. "My name is Kass, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you." Kass seemed rather confident like Revali had been, but he seemed more friendly and open. "Who taught you to play?" She inquired softly, wondering if her assumptions were possibly correct. "My late teacher, he was a Sheikah musician, he used to play in the castle." She nodded silently, before speaking once more. "Was his name Alf Watkins by any chance?" She asked softly, he had been somewhat of a friend before Link had came along. "Indeed he was.. I have information about him but I fear I should not say." She frowned slightly, wondering what it was that the musician had to say. "My teacher used to have feelings for you actually." She nodded softly, that was certainly news to her. "I never had any idea, although I don't think knowing would have helped much.." She glanced at Link. "Link, is there something you need to tell me?" Kass inquired light-heartedly. "Zelda and I fell in love a century ago, and just recently our love returned." Kass chuckled lightly to himself. "I figured as much, and I must say that you two fit each other quite well." Zelda noticed Link smile and she did the same. "Thank you, I'm glad that you approve, though I don't think I'd do much about it if you didn't." Link had replied, she agreed with that statement. No matter what anyone thought, she wouldn't give him up for the world.
After some time they left the Rito to continue his music in peace, Zelda glanced at Link for a moment as they left the platform. "What's the chief's name?" She inquired softly, she didn't want to mess up anything with a leader, she had already possible done that whilst under the influence. "Kaneli, I'm not sure how long he has been the chief but I'd say it wasn't long after the Calamity first arrived that he became their leader. She nodded softly, most of the current leaders seemed rather elderly, Dorephan was well over 200 years old by now, and Bludo was certainly on the older side too. It didn't take them long until they arrived at the hut which belonged to the Chief. He was a rather large Rito, and he appeared rather wise. "Champion descendant.. it is good to meet with you again." The Rito seemed tired, though she figured that was simply due to his age. "And is this the descendant of the Princess?" Zelda was slightly puzzled by that, glancing at Link, wondering why they were being referred to as descendants. "Actually Chief Kaneli, Link and I are not descendants." Kaneli nodded thoughtfully, as though he had suspected as such. "I figured it was unlikely for Link to be a descendant, the sword is never attached to one bloodline.." She nodded softly at that, she'd raid stories which stated that the sword was bound to a spirit and not a line of ancestry.
"In that case, it is good to see that you two have avenged the kingdom, and I am glad that you two avenged the long lost Rito." Zelda nodded softly, she knew that the Rito still admired Revali, even though he was absent now. "Revali was rather skilled, it is a shame that he had to lose his life in battle." She responded, wishing to respect the death of the Rito. "I realise that you and Revali had a little feud between you two then, correct, Champion?" Zelda glanced at Link who nodded slowly. "We did have some time where things between us were tense, but in the end we set our differences aside for the greater good." The chief nodded softly, though he seemed somewhat surprised that the Hylian and the Rito had become peaceful towards each other. "Well, you two should likely run along, I'm in need of some sleep." Zelda nodded respectfully and the two turned to leave promptly to allow the chief to gain his rest.
Getting up to the Divine Beast proved to be difficult for the two. Link had little issue with climbing, but Zelda seemed quite apprehensive about climbing it. "I suppose we can wait for Teba, he can help you get up." He suggested, which seemed to be a good solution. "I guess that would work, what about you?" He shrugged and glanced at the pillar. "I'll just climb I suppose." She nodded softly at that. "Well as long as you're careful." He gave her a nod before feeling a rush of wind whiz past them. Link watched as Teba landed in front of them. "Everything go alright with the chief?" The Rito asked. "Everything was fine, though he needed to get some sleep." Link replied before glancing at Zelda. "Actually, could you do us a favour?" "Of course, what is it?" Zelda stepped towards the Rito a little. "I was wondering if you would assist me in getting up to Vah Medoh." Link allowed the two to speak as he began preparing himself for the climb ahead.
Some moments later he felt the wind rush again as the Rito leaped into the air, carrying Zelda along with him. He smiled a little at the sight, hoping she was enjoying the ride. He then began to climb the monument, he hoped it wouldn't take him very long to climb, but he was also aware that it would still take time. He reached about a quarter of the way before Teba flew down to him. "Hop on, there's no point in you wasting your time and energy." Link agreed that such was good idea, so he hopped off of the rock before landing on the Rito's back before they launched into the sky.
"Took your time I see." Zelda was smiling triumphantly as they reached the top, he hopped off of Teba's back before turning to face the bird. "Will that be all?" Link glanced at Zelda before nodding, they wouldn't have much trouble getting down, as long as they landed in the water. "Yes, we'll be fine from here." The Rito nodded before flying back down towards the village. "But how are we supposed to get down?" Link turned around to face Zelda before smiling knowingly. "You'll see soon enough." She sighed softly before looking at the Divine Beast. "Let's get inside." He nodded gently before walking up to the machine. "We will need to do some climbing to get inside, I only hope that the Monk's room isn't going to be vertical."
After some climbing, Link's hand pressed on something which pushed inwards. Moments later a door, much like the one found in the Shrine of Resurrection, opened, as pillars retracted into the floor and ceiling to create an opening. "Well I'm glad that they enjoy keeping their secrets." Zelda huffed, Link chuckled lightly before making his way inside, Zelda doing the same. There was a terminal here, one which he hadn't seen before. "I suppose since the main terminal is now horizontal they used this to access the chamber." He stated as he walked up to the terminal. He took the Sheikah Slate out before placing it against the surface. The ground beneath them shifted slightly before they began to descend downwards. Before long they arrived at the bottom where there was another dark room with a box at the end of it. "Here we go again." Zelda stated quietly before they entered the chamber.
Link steadily approached the glowing box which contained one of the peaceful monks. He ascended the small staircase before reaching out and tapping the transparent surface. It glowed brightly before shattering and fading away. "I am Vah Medoh, the keeper of this sacred machine. You both are aware of the task you must complete, I cannot yet tell you what this task will be. You must be careful, there's a lot you don't yet know. Us Sheikah, we have a long and mysterious past, one which is not without its dark times. This will be revealed to you in time, but you must hurry. The sooner that you two know, the better." The Monk began fading away like the rest had, the pair exchanged somewhat worried glances. Link turned back to the box, but it was empty now. The room lit up and Link slowly descended the stairs.
"A.. dark past?" Link turned as Zelda spoke, as far as either of them had known, the Sheikah had always been relatively peaceful and protective of the Kingdom, he couldn't see why they would have been capable of having a dark past. "I don't get it either." He responded softly, Zelda looked down slightly. "I fear that whatever this is, may be worse than we originally assumed." Link knew that such a statement could be correct, had it been straightforward, they would likely have been told straightaway of what it was that they needed to do, but it seemed as though they were building up to something. "I suggest we get to the Gerudo Desert as soon as possible." The male suggested, Zelda looked up before nodding silently. They both turned around and promptly exited the Divine Beast.
"Now.. how are we going to get down?" Zelda glanced nervously at Link. Link was rather glad that this opportunity had arisen, it would hopefully ease the tension for now. "Well.. as I once said, do you trust me?" Zelda narrowed her eyes. "Link, you know that I-" She paused as she came to the realisation of what he was referring to, shaking her head she slowly began taking a few steps backwards. "Link, no. Don't you dare!-" It was too late, he had grabbed her and pulled her off the edge, and they were hurtling down towards the water now. At first Zelda had been struggling from his grasp until she realised it was easier to stay with him. He felt her cling onto him tightly for the duration of the fall until they landed in the water.
They both emerged a few moments later, Zelda didn't look so pleased. Link was laughing due to the rush of adrenaline. "It's not funny! We could've been killed!" He took a hold of her hand and began helping her back to shore. "How are we going to get back up now, hmm?" Zelda clearly wasn't a bit pleased. "You'll see." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the currently folded paraglider. "Hold onto me." He stated softly as he began to unfold the contraption. He felt Zelda's arms latch onto him as he swam the rest of the way over to an air stream which would take them skywards. He opened out the paraglider and they shot up into the air. A scream escaped Zelda's lips as they continued upwards. Within about a minute they were back on solid ground.
As they got to their feet, Link laughed once more at Zelda's reaction. "I actually hate you so much." She proclaimed angrily, attempting to wring the water from her hair. "You have to admit, it was somewhat fun." Link started, she glared at him before slowly walking up towards him. She took a hold of his shirt and pulled him close to her, their faces inches apart. "You know what is fun?" She whispered softly, he shrugged lightly. "This!" She responded before pushing back, allowing him to fall back down into the water far below.