Chapter 1

In Which Mipha Makes a Decision

I stumbled into Zora's Domain, still dazed. By some miracle, my feet had made their way here from the Lost Woods. I wasn't sure how, but I did know why. I needed Mipha. I needed her to lay her hands on me, to tell me everything was going to be alright, to help me figure out what to do next.

"Link! Link! Link!" I was accosted by a trio of young Zoras.

"It's been so long, Link! I bet I can beat you in a swordfight now!" said Bazz.

"Fight!" said Rivan.

"Come on, Link!" begged Gaddison.

Normally I would have loved nothing more than to cross training blades with the bunch, even though I was so much taller than them now. Today, though, I could barely focus. It felt like someone else was in my head, piloting my body. There was me, Link the Man, who had practically grown up on these luminous stone walkways. And there was this Other Link, Link the Hero, who had experienced other Domains, in other eras. I kept getting flashes of them, the way one hears snippets of conversation from the next room while sleeping.

I tried to shake the young Zora off, but they were insistent. Fortunately Mipha was not far behind.

"Run along now, darlings, Link will play with you later." She looked at me with eyes full of concern, instantly aware that something was wrong.

"Would you like to go somewhere private to talk?" she asked. I nodded.

We made our way up to the East Reservoir Dam, and watched the enormous Sheikah artifact swim placidly in the lake below. As we walked through the Domain, the flashes continued. Zora trapped under the ice, Zora shrouded in darkness. Was I bringing them doom, or salvation?

"The Sheikah call it a 'Divine Beast,'" Mipha said. "They think it will help in the fight against Calamity Ganon. Princess Zelda is visiting in a few days, apparently they've found a way to control the Beast. The Zora must select one amongst ourselves to pilot it."

We stood there for a long time. Mipha was well used to my long silences, but I could tell even she was getting anxious as the time dragged on and on. I took a deep breath, let it out. Another deep breath in, and threw my head back, letting it out slowly. The words stuck in my throat. Where was this coming from? I'd never had this much trouble talking to Mipha.

I paced up and down the crest of the dam in frustrated silence.

"Link… are you quite alright? Did something happen?"

I stopped pacing. I tried to look at her, but couldn't make myself focus on her worried, copper-colored eyes. I just shook my head.

"Aryll said you slipped away from Goponga without a word. She thought you had gone back to Hateno, except you left Selene. Where did you go?"

"The Lost Woods."

She let the silence lay, again, waiting for me to elaborate. But her curiosity got the better of her eventually, and she asked, "The Lost Woods? Why?"

I unslung the Sword from my back. The Koroks had gifted me an ornate gilded sheath for it, and it glimmered in the evening sun. I held it out to her, pulling it from the sheath far enough to show the Royal Crest embossed on its blade. She reached forward, tentatively, but shrunk back before making contact with the grip.

"The Zora have a legend. Once, all of Zora's Domain was trapped under a spell of darkness. They say that the spell was finally broken by a hero foretold, bearing a mythical sword. The story goes, that sword has been lying in in the deepest wood, waiting for the Hero to be born again to wield the Sword that Seals the Darkness."

She looked up at me, eyes full of wonder. I still couldn't bear to return her gaze. Would she see that it was not the same Link looking back at her, and shrink away? Instead, I focused on the swing of her headdress. I don't know if I'd ever truly looked at it before. The symbol of Nayru hung down both sides of her head, emblazoned with sapphires. I flashed to another Zora Princess, with a different symbol of Nayru. Her home had been hidden behind the same triangle emblem emblazoned on my Sword, along with a statement of fealty to the Royal Family of Hyrule. I knew what I needed to do.

…..

I stood at the gate of the Abbey, high on the Great Plateau, arguing with a Sheikah and a Royal Guardsman. I had to shout to be heard over the clanking and creaking of the Sheikah artifacts, rambling around on arachnoid legs. The Sheikah had set up some sort of testing area up here on the plateau.

"Let him in," an authoritative voice called behind me. I turned to see Impa striding up.

"I'm sorry, your Ladyship, but no one except Sheikah and members of the Guard are allowed to bear weapons in the presence of the Royal Family," said the Sheikah guard. I had dropped my knife, my bow, and my shield, but I refused to be parted from the Sword. A susurrus of whispers emanated from it, as if it knew it was getting closer to the blood of Hylia.

"And this one was never a member of the Royal Guard. The Lord Commander won't be happy to see him," said the Guardsman with disdain.

"The King will want to see this weapon," insisted Impa. "Let him in. I will accompany him. I take full responsibility."

"As you say, my lady."

The guards stepped away from the door. Impa drew up level with me, looking me up and down. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she said quietly, and started inside. I followed. I heard raised voices coming from within.

"You're wasting time!" the King shouted. "You were supposed to give your devotions at the Temple of Time and meet me at the East Post two days ago, Zelda!"

I knew that, having shown up to the East Post myself in search of the Royal party, and being redirected here.

"You were the one who sent me to Kakariko to learn the Sheikah arts in the first place!" Zelda retorted. "Can't you see the value of the ancient technology in the fight against the Calamity? Or have you let whispering voices in the Court poison your mind against the Sheikah?"

"You don't have the luxury of frittering away your days on curiosities and baubles. Once the Champions have all been installed in their Divine Beasts, I want you to forget about all of this."

"We have plenty of time! The fortune teller said, the reemergence of the Sword that Seals the Darkness would portend the return of Ganon. No one has seen the sword in thousands of years. If there's no sword, then there's no problem."

Impa and I pushed through the doors, abruptly cutting off the conversation. There was an awkward beat of silence as Rhoam looked at me, looked at my father, looked back at me. A vein in my father's temple twitched irregularly as he locked his eyes on mine.

Rhoam cleared his throat. "Link, my boy. Quite brave of you to show your face here, after the stunt you pulled. Some might call it insolent."

"Lady Impa," my father barked, stepping forward. "I well realize the Plateau is under Sheikah command," he said, the last two words dripping with disdain. He was almost certainly one of those anti-Sheikah whisperers Zelda had referred to. "But I must protest at letting an armed man into the King's presence. Whether he is my son or no, he is not a member of the guard."

I ignored both of them, my focus only on the Princess. I unsheathed the Sword, balancing it flat across both hands as I dropped into a bow. My father had started forward with alarm as I drew the sword out, which made Link the Man chuckle inwardly. He couldn't defeat me in normal circumstances, what hope did he have with a magic Sword in my hand? Link the Hero, however, had no time for such pettiness, and he knew the right words to say in this situation.

"Princess Zelda, honored of Hylia. The specter of evil rises in Hyrule once again. The Goddesses in their Divine wisdom have chosen me to wield the sacred blade. Allow me the honor of serving you, that we may throw back the Great Calamity, as our forebears have in ages past."

Silence, but for the small choking noises Zelda was making in the back of her throat. I stayed there with my head bowed, Sword uplifted.

"Zelda." the King's voice was a low warning. "Remember your duty."

Impa moved to her side, gripping her under her elbow as if to steady her. The Sheikah woman whispered something into the Princess' ear, which seemed to give her strength.

Her hand reached out for the sword and hovered there for a long moment. Finally, her fingers wrapped around the grip. The insistent whispers now raised into a joyous chorus as she tightened her hand.

"I pray thee, Bearer of the Sacred Blade, remain by my side, protecting me against all foes, and standing against the darkness," she whispered hoarsely. She tapped me on each shoulder. "Arise, Sir Link."

I stood, and Zelda returned the Sword to me, now humming with energy. I bowed again to her, and turned to bow to the King.

He let out a loud belly laugh, and grabbed me in another bone-crushing, body shaking handshake.

"What did I tell you, my boy, I said you'd be back! Perhaps I ought not have… well anyway, that's all water under the bridge now. He clapped my father on the back. "If only the Goddesses had given me such a son!"

Zelda stormed out with a frustrated cry.

"The Princess understands her destiny. She just needs some time to accept this. I will speak with her," Impa said, following on her heels.

All that Sheikah tech careening around outside made me nervous. I'd seen what they could do, and I didn't like the idea of the Princess out there, exposed. I excused myself and headed outside as well. I found Zelda and Impa standing with another young Sheikah woman. They were talking to an eccentric-looking young man, perched on top of one of the artifacts. He wore a pair of specialized goggles that made him look a bit like an insect, and gesticulated wildly as he talked. Cautiously, I drew closer.

"While Purah has been working on that control module we dug up, I've been working on these beauties," the man shouted. "Not to worry, Your Highness! I'll have all of these Guardians dancing a jig for you by your next visit!"

Guardian, yes. That was the word. It slipped into place in my head as if I had known it all along. Robbie slapped the Guardian hard, on the side of its bell-like "head." It let out a series of ominous, blaring tones, and started spinning at an alarming rate. The Sheikah man flew off the top like a stone from a sling.

"Robbie!" cried the young woman, who I assumed was Purah. She ran to him.

The Guardian began to glow with that eerie pink light, blasting in random directions. Impa and I each had the Princess under the elbows and hidden behind a stack of crates in a heartbeat, but we still needed to get it under control.

A memory popped into my head. A memory? Could something really be called a memory if it hadn't happened to me? Nevertheless, it was as clear as day. Ten thousand years ago, another young man had stood on this very plateau and faced the same rampaging automaton. I remembered raising a shield in defiance, pushing out against that blast of light and fire from its menacing eye.

I cast about, looking for something I could use to deflect the beams back at my foe. Leaned up against the crates was– a pot lid. A fucking pot lid. Hylia curse it all.

I grabbed it, and leapt over the stack of crates just as the Guardian's head spun back towards me. It locked on, fired, and I parried. The beam bounced off my sad little shield and hit the creature right in the eye. Several screws and gears flew out of its shell as it collapsed in a smoking heap.

"Ho ho!" cried the King, as he stepped out of the Abbey. "What a show! There really couldn't be anyone better to protect Our Princess!"

Zelda jumped up to face me in a fury. "You didn't have to destroy it! Robbie would have gotten it under control! This was priceless, ancient technology, and now look at it! Ruined!" She stomped off to join the Sheikah, who were still tending to Robbie.

Rhoam looked at me, almost apologetically. "Maybe Impa has a point, Zelda does need a little time to get used to the idea. I had wanted to appoint a personal knight for her as soon as possible, but if we've waited this long, there's no reason we couldn't wait until her birthday celebrations in a few weeks. The pilots of the Divine Beasts will be coming to the castle for their inauguration ceremony, we could invest you then as well. Do the thing properly, and all that!"

I knew this of course, as Mipha had told me that the Royals were next headed to the Domain to officially request that she accept the pilot's duties.

"At any rate," Rhoam continued, "I'm sure you have affairs to set in order before taking up your post. There will be special clothing for the Champions– we'll drop it in Goponga with that talented sister of yours. Zelda did spin and weave it herself, but she's not much of a seamstress. Just don't disappear on us again, young man, or I really will have your head on a spike, ho ho!" He laughed, as if he were joking, but I don't think he was.

I gave the King my solemn promise that I would return to the Castle before the moon turned, and took my leave.

…

Aryll pinned the brilliant blue tunic against my torso with a bit more venom then was strictly necessary.

"I thought I'd finally gotten my brother back," she spat. "But you closed yourself off again, and you're heading right back into that viper's nest at the Castle. Can't you just tell me what happened?" she pleaded. "I want to understand."

I gritted my teeth, unable to speak. This was the third time this had happened – first with Mipha in the Domain, next with Ilia when I had briefly returned to Hateno. Ilia had begged to know why I had been gone so long, and why was I leaving so soon? She stood at my door, fists clenched in frustration, while I packed up my few belongings.

"You said you would be gone for two days, but you've been gone almost two weeks. You're just leaving again? I thought… I thought we…why?"

All I was able to tell her is that I was going to be gone for a long time, I didn't know how long, and asked that she keep an eye on the house for me. Without another word, I'd stepped past her and turned to the road back towards Goponga.

Now that I was here, again I found myself at a loss for words. I didn't know what to say, didn't know how to explain. This was my little sister, my partner in crime, the only person besides Mipha who really knew me. What was I supposed to tell her? Hylia herself chose me to save the world and gave me a talking Sword and also I can see the memories of every Hero that ever lived. She would think I had lost my mind. Maybe I had. I had been nearly silent for so many years. To protect her– or so I'd thought. Now, mind littered with the detritus of other Links, I was retreating back into that silence. I began to wonder how much it had really been to protect myself.

I saw a small girl, plucked from her home by a monstrous bird. Ganon's creature. That girl's name had been Aryll, too. I couldn't let the same thing happen to mine. I averted my eyes, and told her this was just something I had to do. I had no other choice.

Aryll wiped bitter tears from her face. "Give me a few days to finish this. I'll make a gambeson and bracers for you, it will be more comfortable than staying in chainmail all the time, anyway. Come by the house for dinner, Kumi would love to fuss over you, I'm sure."

As we started to walk out of the wool storehouse, a Rito postman touched down and knocked on the door.

"Your Grace," he said, extending an envelope to Aryll. He was missing several wing feathers and had a bloody gash along one side.

"Goddess bless!" Aryll exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"I come from Zora's Domain, Your Grace. A Lynel has taken control of the Uplands and I only made a narrow escape."

I started in alarm, envisioning the delicate stonework of the Domain smashed by a Lynel's club, an arrow erupting through – no, I couldn't even bear that thought, pushed it down. Without a word, I was out the door and running across the river to the Domain, Aryll calling fruitlessly behind me.

…

The same scene as when I stumbled in from the Lost Woods a few days ago. Excited children, concerned Mipha. She said she was glad I had made it up safely, that there was a Lynel in the Uplands that had been causing trouble. It had last been seen on Ploymus Mountain. I nodded, that being exactly why I was here, and strode off towards the mountain.

"I've been so worried, of course," MIpha said. "The children love to dive off of the peak into the reservoir. What if one of them encounters that Lynel?"

The thought just encouraged me to charge up the mountain even faster. Mipha had a hard time keeping up on dry land. She dove into Mikau Lake and skimmed up the waterfalls. She found me again at the top of the lake.

"Link! You can't possibly think of taking that beast on all by yourself!"

I brushed her off, told her to just let me handle it.

"Link! Wait! Let's go back to the Domain! We can get reinforcements!"

I kept climbing, paying her no heed. She dived now into Lulu Lake, coming up at the top of its waterfall.

"Link, please! Let me help you at least!"

I hurried up the rest of the slope. This was much too close to the monster, and she was making far too much noise. In a panic, I shouted at her to go back. She started to argue with me again when the shock arrow sizzled down and landed right between her feet. We both looked up to see the monstrous creature, standing with bow at the ready. I grabbed Mipha by the shoulders and tossed her bodily behind a boulder.

I pulled my own bow out and ran forward. It charged at me, crouched low, and I waited until I could see the pupils of its malevolent eyes. The arrow hit it right in the forehead and stopped its advance. This worked once, would it work again? I hopped up on the Lynel's back and started slashing.

It took a few cycles of shooting and slashing to subdue the beast.

Push into your strike and pivot! I heard the Sword say. Link the Hero knew the move well, it felt like muscle memory. I finished off the Lynel with a brilliant spinning attack.

"Oh Link! Bravo!" Mipha cried as she ran towards me. She gripped my arm. "And not a scratch on you, remarkable!"

We started down the slope back towards the Domain, but she didn't let go of my arm. It was unlike her to be this clingy, but maybe her emotions were still high after the close call with the Lynel.

"So Princess Zelda knows you bear the Sword that Seals the Darkness? She mentioned it during her visit."

I nodded. She knew, as much as she might like to pretend she didn't, I thought.

"I'm so proud of you, Link," she said, and by her tone of voice, I knew she meant it. "I know the Goddesses have made the right choice. I will do anything in my power to help you, I swear it. If I could ask one favor?"

I nodded. I'd do anything she asked, of course.

"Speak with my father? He's hesitant to allow me to pilot the Divine Beast. I know he means well, he just wants to keep me safe. But the best thing I can do to keep the entire Domain safe is to help you banish the Calamity. And we can do so much more with that Divine Beast than just fight! The machinery is incredible, we could practically move mountains with it."

Inwardly, I agreed with Dorephan. I imagined the blue energy coursing through the Divine Beast, replaced by the ghastly pink. A beast on the rampage like one of the Guardians, on a unfathomably greater scale. But I know Mipha did not ask for these things lightly, so I told her I would try.

We made our way down, back to the Domain. As we crossed the bridge, Sidon attached himself to my leg and couldn't be persuaded to let go by any promises of sweets or threats of early bedtime. I stumped up the stairs to King Dorephan's receiving chamber with him still clinging to me like a remora on a shark. I bowed as low as I could without toppling over onto the poor child.

"Ah, Link, my son!" Dorephan rumbled. His voice seemed to shake the air in my very lungs. "Please, please, stand at ease. We have missed you in the Domain these years you've been away at the Citadel. You look well, how fast you Hylians grow! It feels like just yesterday when you were here with your dear mother, barely taller than Sidon is now. Oh! Spirit of Jabun, Sidon, what are you doing?" Dorephan had finally taken notice of his son. "Let go, little one, come here to Papa."

Finally, Sidon relented, toddling over to where Dorephan sat. He flashed me a brilliant, toothy smile, and sat down in the small pool around the throne, splashing and humming happily.

"First of all, please let me congratulate your sister on her marriage and ascension to her title. My apologies for not making the wedding in person. These old legs aren't what they used to be on dry land!" He splish-splashed his legs in the pool, comically small in relation to his enormous body. "We look forward to seeing her more as the ambassador, I understand the post is to be made official at this next court season? Not that we really need to make it official, as often as she and my daughter talk!" He chuckled. "Now then, Mipha tells me you have been busy these last few months. Let's see that sword of yours."

I unsheathed the Sword, holding it up above my head for the Zora King to get a closer look.

"Link just slew the Lynel on Ploymus Mountain single-handedly with that sword," Mipha interjected. "It was a stunning display of swordsmanship. The Goddesses could not have chosen anyone better as their Champion."

Dorephan hummed approvingly. "Taking on a Lynel, hmmm? That's no small feat. The Zora thank you– I know we will all sleep easier with that beast dispatched. We must think of a reward for your bravery. I know Lady Dhuoda would be proud of the brave young man you've become, Nayru rest her."

"Father, if I may…" Mipha started tentatively. "Perhaps… perhaps Zora armor would be a fitting gift for Link."

Dorephan's thoughtful rumble shook the stones under my feet. "Armor? That would be quite a singular gift indeed." He gave Mipha a piercing look. "Let's discuss this at another time, dear girl."

A look passed between them that I didn't quite understand. I didn't need armor, really, Aryll had made a good start on the stiffened linen gambeson, patterned with the orange and green of Goponga. Anything more robust could be obtained from the Castle armorer. Honestly I didn't feel comfortable accepting a gift at all. I would have done the same for anyone. However, I didn't want to be rude or offend them by rejecting the offer, so I stayed silent.

"While it is on my mind, Link… this business of Champions. As I'm sure you know, Princess Zelda has asked my Mipha to pilot the Divine Beast, the one they are calling Vah Ruta."

"The only correct response, of course, is that the Zora take no part in the wars of Hylians! Let the Hylian Princess ride the creature if she is so eager," called a voice from behind me. Muzu, a ray-finned Zora with a spine stooped by age, approached the throne.

"This is not just a Hylian war, Muzu," said Mipha. Her voice was sweet and calm, but I could tell by the slight shake in it that she was angry. "All of Hyrule is threatened by Calamity Ganon."

"Your highness," Muzu bowed to Dorephan. "I have served you and your family faithfully these many years. I have come to love the Princess as my own. I hope you will now heed my counsel, do not allow this!"

"I understand your fears, truly I do. But I am no longer a child, learning at your feet. It is my duty, as future sovereign, to protect this land with all powers at my disposal. And I won't be alone. Link will be fighting alongside me!"

"I could not ask for a better man to join you in battle, Mipha, to be sure. Link!" Dorephan belted out my name so authoritatively it made me jump. "What say you?"

I shuffled my feet nervously. Link the Man wouldn't have wanted Aryll in this position, although she was not the warrior that Mipha was. I didn't understand this Sheikah technology and I didn't trust that we could really control it. Link the Hero, on the other hand, remembered a different Zora princess, haloed by light in that otherworldly realm of the Goddesses. Was this Mipha's destiny as well? If so, was it my place to discourage her? What did they want me to say? Finally, keeping my eyes cast down on the ground, I said, "the Goddesses have given us all tasks to complete, whether we would will them or no."

"Hardly an answer!" Muzu sneered.

"And if Mipha accepts this task? Do you swear to protect her and keep her from harm?" asked Dorephan.

I nodded decisively. "I love Mipha as dearly as my own sister. I will do everything in my power to keep her safe."

"I will think on this. Link, you have my leave, as I know you are expected at the Castle in a few days. Mipha, you shall have my answer in the morning. Go now, and may the Goddess light your path."