The Shadow opened his eyes to the ceiling of the room at the inn and was surprised to discover that he had apparently not had any dreams at all. He sat up and threw off the covers to find that the small limb for the purpose of relieving himself was not flaccid this morning. It was hard for no particular reason he could see, jutting out insistently and demanding attention. Smooth and velvety to the touch, it had felt pleasant the other day in the wash cave but right now was decidedly less so. The need for relief was urgent, pulling him up and out of the soft-as-advertised bed.
He shoved his feet into his boots, aided by the steadily-brightening sky, and went to take care of business. The unexpected stiffness in the odd appendage made the tedious task vastly more irritating; he was caught off guard by the first drops not landing anywhere near where he'd anticipated and absolutely did not let out a tiny, startled "Ah!" before correcting his aim. He tried to push it so that it pointed down at first, but that was unpleasant so he spread his legs and leaned forward a bit awkwardly, feeling ridiculous but finally hitting the target.
He heard Navi giggle and rolled his eyes. "Fuck off. 'S not like there's an instruction manual for this thing. What's the matter with it?"
She shrugged. "Sometimes that just happens— often upon waking, from what I understand. Not really the best one to ask, though, since I don't have one." She snickered. "But wait until you hear what else it does."
"I don't know, this might be handy; I bet it can crush annoying Companion Fairies."
Her tiny shout of laughter echoed in the small room. "A sort of reverse death by snu-snu. Shadow snu-snu. Perfect!" which set her off again for some reason.
"You make no sense. I'm reasonably sure some of those aren't even words."
"That's interesting, considering it's a Gerudo term," she mused.
He rolled his eyes and finished up, then went about cleaning up and getting back to his room to grab the rest of his things. Once inside with the door closed, however he hesitated, curiosity overwhelming him. "Navi?"
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me… what it's called?" He felt his cheeks burning.
"What what's— oh." And now she was blushing, too. Great.
"Sorry. I just… don't have anyone else? I mean, I could ask Anly, I suppose; he's my friend." There was that warm feeling again, deep in the Shadow's chest. "But he's not exactly here."
"No, it's all right. I understand. I must admit, I'm a little baffled by the sort of knowledge Ganondorf failed to give you, and if I ever see him I'm going to have a word or seven with him about it, but, um. Well." And what followed was the most awkward conversation the Shadow would possibly ever have but it was also highly informative, offering him both the technical terms along with more common, colloquial names. She also told him many of them served the dual purpose of insults. (He'd known the word dick already, but only that it meant jerk.)
Then he asked about her anatomy, and that of females in general, and how intercourse worked and began an entirely different, possibly-even-more-mortifying-but-still-incredibly-informative conversation that lasted until the dawn had fully shaken off the night.
The helpful little Sprite finally declared she was tired of hearing his stomach rumble in hunger and hid herself— her cheeks were stained red as apples and he was sure his mirrored them from the feel of it (well, not red, he thought)— while he headed downstairs to check out of his room, head stuffed full of new information.
Ollie was still semi-asleep at the desk when the Shadow went to turn in his room key; he startled awake as the Shadow approached. "Ohhhh," Ollie said around a yawn. "Is it m-morning?"
The Shadow pointedly looked out the window at the obvious not-nightness, the rain having finally ceased sometime pre-dawn. "Yes."
"And you slept well, din'choo?" The attendant yawned so widely that something in his jaw popped, loudly and concerningly, eyes briefly widening in reaction before slowly reverting to their previous, half-mast state, thus missing the Shadow's nod.
Seeing Ollie drooping again, the Shadow simply set his room key on the polished wooden surface and turned toward the door. Soft snores reached him as he closed it and let himself out into the world.
"You're not Link." The voice from his immediate left startled him. Leaning against the building insouciantly was a young woman, her Sheikah-red eyes inquisitive but guarded, white hair shining in the morning light. On her right side, she was armed with a wicked-looking kodachi; her left sported a short spike of a dagger.
"Not quite."
She cocked her head at him. "Word is, you defeated the Stone Talus."
He nodded. "I did."
"What do you call yourself?"
"Shadow Link."
She nodded as if the answer had been expected. "We expected Link here days ago; I don't suppose you've seen him?"
"He's dead."
"You're positive?"
"Absolutely certain."
Her head tilted slightly again. "Did you kill him?" Her voice held a mild curiosity and something else… sorrow? She wasn't angry, at least. He wasn't sure why that made him feel a little lighter in some unidentifiable way.
"Yes." He saw no point in lying.
Her eyes narrowed a fraction, right hand coming to rest on the hilt of the kodachi. "Are you a danger to anyone here?"
"No," he frowned. "I came to tell you that you can rebuild the bridge now."
Her posture eased minutely. "Then you have our thanks for that." She stepped away from the wall and took her hand off the hilt of her blade to extend her right arm to him the way Anly had done.
As the Shadow reached out and grasped her forearm, her other hand came up to touch the skin of his hand on her arm, just below the Power Bracelet. He felt inordinately pinned by her unflinching gaze. Her eyes widened for a heartbeat before her expression cleared, relaxing into an almost-smile. "You're telling the truth."
He nodded once as they shook, puzzled at the certainty in her tone. "Just like that?"
"My family can tell a lie with a touch; it's one of the reasons we've been advisors to the royal family of Hyrule for generations." She looked down, possibly to study the band around his wrist and the markings engraved on it.
"Makes sense." He saw the moment she noticed the Mark on the back of his hand because her entire being paused for a moment, reassessing, shifting paradigms.
"You have a Mark like Princess Zelda's. But it's facing the other way."
He thought that was fairly obvious, so he just raised an eyebrow.
"You've been Chosen." She sounded satisfied for some reason. "You have taken Link's place."
He sighed. "I said 'no', but so far, no one cares."
She smirked. "I see. How did you get here with the bridge out?"
"Glider."
"How are you planning to get back?"
He held up his left wrist. "Hookshot."
"Neat." Her eyes sparkled. "And the Stalhorse you rode in on?"
"That's a longer story, and I haven't had any coffee or breakfast yet."
Her face finally relaxed into a welcoming smile. She was quite lovely, he noted absently. "I'm Impa; my grandmother is the village elder. Will you come speak with her? It is nearly time for the morning meal; you're welcome to eat with us if you've no other plans."
He nodded again and she turned to lead the way down the steps and across the village square. The scent of rain still clung to the air and puddles dotted the ground, though the morning sun was bright and unruly in his eyes, peeking over the trailing edge of a dark bank of clouds still making its slow way out of the visible sky. As they walked, Impa chattered genially. "I've known Link for a few years now, ever since the knights' graduation ceremony at the castle. I don't know that I'd have called us friends, but we were always friendly enough, considering he hardly ever said anything after he was Chosen— to anyone but Zelda, not just me. He and the princess were good friends, they knew each other as children— oh! She'll be so upset," she worried aloud. "Link was her best friend besides me, and as far as I know, she's the only one he spoke to. I'll have to head there soon and break it to her gently."
"He didn't speak to anyone else?" The Shadow recalled Anly saying the previous Hero had been a quiet guy, but had he not ever spoken to the stablemaster or Impa? It made the Shadow wonder.
"Not that I'm aware of. I know he would talk to the princess in her private chambers, though. His reasons for not speaking to anyone else are his own," she said sagely.
The Shadow couldn't argue with that. "Why were you expecting him?"
"Kakariko isn't just a pretty farming village." Her tone said she would not be elaborating further just now. They passed an older Sheikah man in front of an easel, whom Impa greeted as Pikango. He held a paint palette in one hand and a brush in the other, which he waved absently at them as they approached the guarded gate. Off to the left sat five stone frogs with offering plates before them, each creature painted with a red symbol that resembled a leaf and bright red apples resting on the plates in front of two. Impa led him up the long steps of the central building in Kakariko Village which, he noticed as he drew closer, was surrounded by water like a miniature moat. The guard eyed him as he passed, but said nothing and didn't move, so he nodded in greeting as he'd seen Impa do.
The door opened on silent hinges and allowed them into the sparsely-furnished interior which nonetheless held an inexplicable feeling of comfort.
Before the hearth sat the oldest woman the Shadow had ever seen. Every speck of visible skin was leathery and creased in at least three directions, and her face held no expression but old. Her eyes, however, followed his every movement as sharply as an eagle's as Impa led him to a stop in front of the stooped figure sitting cross-legged and sandwiched between a large pillow and an even larger hat. Her voice, when it came, was paper-thin but held an underlying strength and unexpected audacity.
"Ooh, how unusual. Is it my birthday?"
Impa snorted and shook her head. "No, Grandma Impa. This is Shadow Link."
"Oh, good. For a minute there I thought I was channelling Granny again. What in Hylia's name is the Shadow doing here?" She, too, sounded more interested than worried.
"He defeated the Stone Talus and came to tell us that we could begin reconstructing the bridge."
"Mhm. And where is not-Shadow Link? Link-Link?" But from her tone, it was obvious she already knew.
The Shadow was tired of being spoken around as if he were an actual shadow. "He's dead. Are you seriously both named Impa?"
"The firstborn female of every generation in our family is named Impa so there is one on hand for every cycle of the Hero's Destiny," the elder explained. "Only once in ten thousand years was the eldest daughter not named Impa, and in that cycle the Hero fell and Hyrule was lost to darkness for an age. Some say a new timeline emerged then but, to be fair, some also say that Hyrule was sealed under a great sea and here we are," she motioned around them, presumably in case anyone'd missed the fact that they were not underwater. "My own Grandmother Impa fought beside the last Link and Zelda against Ganondorf's army in the great battle. And as we Sheikah tend to live longer lives than the average Hylian, you happen to have caught us when there are three— Daughter Impa is the advisor to King Rhoam and lives at Hyrule Castle."
"Family gatherings must be chaotic," he thought aloud.
Young Impa barked out a laugh. "Indubitably."
The elder's wizened head tilted slightly as she focused her disconcerting gaze on him. "So Link is dead and Farore has Chosen you as the new Hero, eh? Well, that's a twist, for sure."
"Mercenary," he asserted.
Those crinkly eyes pierced him as surely as a blade and her voice held a definite edge. "I can see the Mark, boy." She raised a knobby, steady hand to point at him. "Old I may be, but I haven't lost my wits yet," she said, tone as sharp as her gaze. "It is foolish to try to run from Destiny. You bear Farore's Mark; it is you who will defeat the gathering evil and save Hyrule. You are the Hero."
"Repeating it doesn't make it any more true," he pointed out.
"And denying it doesn't make it any less so," Impa-the-elder countered. "I daresay it will not be long now. Evil spreads across Hyrule daily; the seal has clearly broken and Ganondorf's minions proliferate. This must be the same Ganondorf, as my daughter and I did not have our own Hero cycles; Link and Zelda are both the age of young Impa there, and the ones before them died of old age long before I was born. Grandmother always said that seal wouldn't hold." He imagined the laser eyes of the Guardians Navi had told him about were probably less destructive than those of this not-frail old woman by a magnitude of several of whatever is used to measure that sort of thing. "If you shirk the Destiny thrust upon you, all will be lost." The Shadow huffed out a frustrated sigh, mind again flitting to Anly and Ardin.
The younger Impa's head tracked between the two of them, lips set in a smirk. "You told me you pose no danger to anyone here," she reminded for the old woman's benefit.
He nodded. "I was made to 'kill Link, the Chosen Hero of Hyrule'. I have done that; I have no desire to kill anyone else."
"Mhm. That is impressive; no other Shadow has managed it, as far as we know, so bravo for that. And what are you doing now?" Impa-the-elder asked.
"I thought I'd head to Hateno, see the house he lived in," he shrugged. "It's empty and I need a place to stay. It works out."
"You have been Chosen," she insisted.
"I didn't ask for that. And I flat-out told her 'no'."
"And yet you are still destroying the monsters."
"I get paid. I'm a mercenary." He felt like he was in the middle of an argument. One he'd had before. And he was not faring well.
"Sure, sure," she waved aside his protest, obviously unimpressed. "How much?"
"For what?"
"To save Hyrule, of course; do try and keep up, Mister Mercenary." He got the distinct impression she was mocking him.
"Uh… like, the whole thing?"
"Yes, yes, how much is it worth to you?"
"I... don't know how to answer that," he frowned.
"Well, how much have you been getting? How much for the Talus?" Impa-the-younger asked.
"Uh, well, I haven't gotten paid in money so much as a whole bunch of useful items. I mean, the Bokoblin and Moblin camps along the river gave up plenty of rupees, I suppose." He didn't miss the look that passed between them. "And then there were all the gems the Talus left behind— Look, I don't know that I have the arithmetic skills required to figure out what you're asking me but I've been doing pretty well for myself, I think, considering I've been alive just a handful of days and I didn't ask for any of this and to be honest, I'd appreciate it if you eased up off my back about it."
He heard the younger Impa gasp, most likely preparing to verbally lay into him but the elder cut her off mid-huff with a hearty laugh. "Oh, and he's spunky, too. Are you sure it's not my birthday, Impa?" Her crinkled eyes blatantly raked the Shadow from head to toe and— did she wink at him?
He looked at the younger woman. "Is she okay?" he asked, subtly trying to point to his head.
Great, now both Impas were laughing at him. He sighed.
"All right," Impa-the-elder declared. "Enough shop talk for now; I'm too old for this much nonsense before breakfast. Let's eat!" She clapped her hands once.
As if she'd said some magic spell, the table was suddenly laden with more food than the Shadow'd seen in his short life: eggs and pancakes and sausages and bacon and a whole bowl of different exotic fruits and some sort of bready things that he had no idea about other than they looked delicious. "What the—"
"You act like that wasn't there the whole time," Impa-the-younger said with absolute sincerity and a sparkle in her eye the size of the sun.
"You're fucking with me right now," he guessed without trying to sound like he was guessing.
"How scandalous. That's for after breakfast, young man," the elder said, and then winked at him again. Down, woman.
"Oh my gods." The Shadow closed his eyes and hung his head for a moment before allowing a snort of laughter to escape, and then a follow-up huff. When he raised his head, both women were looking at him with twin expressions of surprised awe. "What?"
"I didn't know you could do that," the elder said, gesturing to his whole body. Ah, he must've lightened again. "Then again," she continued, head cocked, "the Shadow normally loses, so possibly it's never happened before."
"I'm told it's when I have a good experience," he shrugged.
"That's kind of poetic," Impa-the-younger put in.
"Told by whom?" the sharp-as-a-tack elder asked as she piled her plate with sausage and bacon and nothing younger woman shook her head and took a little bit of everything, adding some fruit to her grandmother's plate over the other woman's grumbles.
"Oh. Uh," the Shadow paused, caught mid-reach as he went for a pancake.
"Oh, that was me," Navi said as she popped out to hover next to his ear. He frowned; she'd always made herself scarce around others before.
"Navi!" The elder Impa's face lit up, smile bright enough to throw shadows across the room. "Ha ha! It's wonderful to see you again! How have you been?"
"Impa!" Navi flitted gleefully around the old woman's head, landing on the table in front of her after a few moments. "My, how you've grown!" She cackled at herself delightedly. "I have been well. I visited my cousins, Tatl and Tael, in Termina for a while, but, well, they're exhausting." The Shadow snorted. "Quiet, you."
"Wait," he asked the elder, brow furrowing. "How can you know Navi? You said your grandmother's was the last cycle." The younger Impa daintily plowed through all the food on her plate and went for seconds, head bobbing between the three of them but staying a tad longer on the Fairy, smirk pulling up one cheek as she ate and listened.
"It was," Old Impa confirmed. "But Navi came to visit us sometimes when I was little. I always found her fascinating. And she told amazing stories of other lands and realms and creatures." She held out her wrinkled, gnarled hand as though for a sparrow, and the Shadow was shocked to see the Fairy land gracefully on it, then dim and brighten her glow alternately. That was maddening enough, but then the glow around her turned red before blinking back to blue and his jaw dropped.
"I knew it! You little shit!" He felt a burning low in his chest… what was that?
"Spare me your indignation," she unwittingly supplied. "We barely knew each other a few days ago. It would have been unwise to show you all my tricks so early in our association." She sparkled reassuringly at him, then came to sit next to his hand on the table.
"I should stab you with this knife," he said, picking up the object.
"Did you look at that before you picked it up?"
It was rounded on one side and flat on the other and not at all sharp. A fucking butter knife. He pointed it at her, anyway. "Don't lie to me."
She twinkled and landed on his Marked hand, patting it tinily. "I didn't lie, I just… messed with you. But you have my word."
"You just told me yesterday that you're not supposed to talk to anyone but me."
"I won't lie from now on, then. And I did say 'generally'."
"Yeah."
"What did we miss?" Young Impa asked.
"Oh, it's a game we play. He can't kill me, but it makes him happy to try sometimes when I piss him off."
The young Sheikah raised an eyebrow at him. "What happened to 'no desire to kill anyone else'?"
"It's situational," he shrugged. "I'm pretty sure she pisses me off on purpose."
She snorted. "I see."
Breakfast resumed after that and ended without further incident. Young Impa and the Shadow listened raptly as Navi and the elder caught up and the Shadow learned that there were more realms and lands than he'd previously thought. Navi provided some truly fascinating details about Termina, Hytopia, Holodrum, Labrynna, the Sacred Realm, the Twilight Realm, the Dark World, Lorule— which apparently had its own Triforce— and the tiny Minish World where the Picori resided. "I feel like a giant there; it's amazing!" Navi laughed.
When everyone had had their fill, the old woman again pinned the Shadow with her gaze. "Young man. How is it that you were spotted riding a Stalhorse?"
"Old woman, how is it that everyone knows about that?" He heard an odd sound from Young Impa and turned to see that she'd unwisely tried to snort her tea and was trying unsuccessfully to wipe it from her face and also everywhere in front of her.
"This is a small village, so the only thing that travels faster than good gossip is bad news," Old Impa deadpanned, earning a tinkling laugh from Navi and a confirming nod from the younger Impa who was pouring herself a new cup.
"Oh, and it's a great story, too," Navi began, launching into it with animated glee. "The Goddess had no sooner summoned me than this one drew his sword and smacked me to the ground..." She told the events in such a manner that even the Shadow found himself entertained. By the time she'd caught the Impas up to the Shadow destroying the Talus, both of the Sheikah women were grinning widely and looking at him with open fascination.
The younger version shook it off first. "I would love to see Epona; she sounds amazing, and I never got to meet her… y'know— before." Then she sobered in both tone and demeanor. "But I should head to Hyrule Castle as soon as possible and let Zelda know…" she trailed off momentarily, glancing at the Shadow, "what has happened."
He shrugged and shook his head. "I can't feel bad about that; it was literally the only reason Ganondorf made me, and I fulfilled my mission."
"No, I know that," Young Impa placated, then turned to her grandmother. "I'll get ready to leave as soon as we're done here, so write down any messages and gather any packages you need delivered and I'll take them with me."
The Shadow was confused. "How will you get to the castle with the bridge out?"
"I have a glider, too, and it's actually faster to take the road west out of town and glide down. With a fair wind, I can make it most of the way to Riverside or Wetland Stable, but most often it's just enough to bridge the gap in the road."
He nodded, impressed. "I think I'll head out, as well, then."
"Before you go," Old Impa suggested, "it would surely be beneficial for you to head up into the hills to the north of town and see Cotera. This village was built under her watchful eye and protective power."
"I'd rather not."
"You really should," the old woman pressed while her youthful counterpart nodded along. "It is the reason we had expected Link here in the first place. But before you go up the hill, you should visit the Goddess Statue next to the inn."
"I've rather had my fill of goddesses for the moment."
"It's only a model."
"Nevertheless."
"Indeed."
He sighed. "Pushy."
"Stubborn," she retorted.
"Fair," he agreed, then grinned as she cackled and her face split into a wide smile of her own.
Impa-the-younger snorted and shook her head. "I should go prepare to leave." She turned to the Shadow. "Safe travels, Shadow Link. We'll meet again; quite soon, I'm sure." She waited for his nod, then waved quickly and turned to run up the stairs to what were presumably the living spaces on the second floor.
As the Shadow's attention returned to the elder Impa, he was only mildly surprised to see the table between them had cleared itself as mysteriously as it had provided the feast, nothing but the floral centerpiece still cheerily adorning the middle. But the old woman's attention was not on him.
"Navi."
The Sprite immediately zoomed to within arm's reach of the elder, hovering at a comfortable height for conversation. "Yes, Impa?"
"I don't need to tell you what the stakes are; you know them well." She waited for Navi's nod. "This cycle is already playing out differently than any other. Be on your guard," she cautioned, looking at the Shadow once more. "The Hero must not fall again."
"Constant vigilance! Yes, Impa. I understand," she sparkled reassuringly.
"May fortune favor you and the Goddesses smile upon you, Link of the Shadows," the elder held out her arm to him, shaking once after he'd reached out and grasped it. "Safe travels."
The Shadow nodded, thanking her, and took his leave.
The late-morning sun was doing its best to bake away the dampness the previous day's rain had left in its wake as the Shadow emerged from the House of Too Many Impas. Closing the door behind him, he turned to realize just how high he was in relation to the rest of the picturesque valley, the elevation giving him a rather nice view of both the bustling village and surrounding hills and waterfalls. It was very… green, he noticed, nearly every available space filled with trees and plants of various types. Almost directly across and at a level with him was the break in the mountains which hid the road that had brought him here the night before, grassy switchbacks providing a scenic alternative to the more direct route the rain had held him to. To the left were several buildings the purposes of which he couldn't discern without closer inspection; to the right lay the inn and several other unknown buildings.
Directly across the square from him, at ground level, stood the Goddess Statue the elder had insisted he visit, on a tiny island at the mouth of the river. Torches burned in an elegant arc behind it, a wooden footbridge spanned the calm water to give access. He made his way down the steps into the village square and hesitated as he remembered the little frog statues. The guard at the gate nodded to him without prompting, obviously having deemed his presence acceptable since he'd treated with the village elder and the guard had not been summoned to toss him out.
The Shadow looked around and found a few apple trees, one conveniently placed directly beside the path to the Goddess Statue. He crossed the square and plucked three low-hanging apples, then returned to set them on the empty offering plates, guard watching him out of the corner of his eye. He'd no sooner placed the last apple than the wooden maracas sounded and the little Korok poofed into visibility. "Ya-ha-ha! You found me!"
"Sure did; it's like you guys are everywhere. Give me the thing," the Shadow said, holding out his hand. The guard frowned, looking around in confusion.
The Korok gave up its little nugget, which the Shadow stashed in his pack as the guard looked in puzzlement between the Shadow and the line of frog statues, hand twitching as though he had to refrain from raising it to scratch his head. The Shadow remembered the first Korok being surprised the Shadow could see him; perhaps they were like the dragons in that way. It was surreal seeing things others couldn't, he thought, raising his hand awkwardly at the guard again before turning his attention to the statue.
Crossing the footbridge to it, he noticed the water to either side was decorated with patches of lily pads and lilies, adding to the air of peace. Drawing close, he halted, simply looking at it for a few moments. It appeared ancient, the stone streaked with weather and pockmarked from erosion, both wings showing cracks but still intact. Wildflowers bloomed in the small patch of grass at its base. He cocked his head at it, not entirely sure how to proceed. How did one rouse stone? Knock?
His hand was twitching, reaching out to do just that when Navi's quiet cough from behind his left ear stopped him.
"Pray to her."
He frowned. "Pray to who?"
"The Goddess."
He frowned harder. "Which one? I know three of them."
"Oh, no, these statues are for Hylia."
He paused for a moment, thinking. "Didn't Farore say she's alive? Lives in the castle as the princess? What's the point of praying to someone that's alive?"
"Well, the Goddess lives within Zelda, yes. However, Hylia has not yet awakened."
"So… this is going to do that? Wake her up?"
"No."
He gusted out a sigh. "Then, again— and hear me out, here— what is the point?"
"Have a little faith."
"Kinda feels like more bullshit."
"Probably won't work if you pray in anger."
"Fuck off."
"Okay," she agreed, then wisely hid herself.
The Shadow sighed again, closing his eyes and spending a few minutes just listening to the water gently lick at the rock and the wind dance with the leaves in the trees. It really was quite peaceful, he decided. When he opened his eyes again, he felt more relaxed and settled.
"Um. Hylia. Goddess Hylia?"
"Chosen Hero of Farore, I can offer you great power."
The Shadow frowned. "Ohhkay? I'm not really sure that's what I came here for, but I guess I wouldn't turn it down?"
"Seek out Cotera."
The Shadow waited for a few moments, but nothing further came. "Is that it? Impa already told me that."
"Go, and bring peace to Hyrule."
"Come on."
"Go, and bring peace to Hyrule."
"So helpful," he grumbled as he turned and walked away from the statue, Navi's soft laughter tinkling on the breeze. He let the road take him back to the north side of town where a grassy path led up the cliffside to the demarcation of the outer edge of town where the path curved to the east before it almost immediately diverged into a high or low route. As the Shadow paused to contemplate, he noticed movement and turned his head fully to get a better view.
Up from the tall grass popped a rabbit that, the longer he looked at it, resembled less a rabbit and more an owl without wings. The creature was a glowing, ethereal blue, and it also had two tall, golden antler-like appendages that more closely resembled leaves than anything else.
Navi appeared next to his shoulder. "Oh!" she whispered excitedly. "It's a Blupee!"
"What?" He instinctively whispered, too.
"Throw a bomb or shoot an arrow at it."
"A bomb?" Wouldn't that destroy it? Was it not for dinner later?
"Or an arrow, or a rock, the hookshot— just hit it with something!"
"All right! Fuck." It felt odd to have an argument quietly. He drew his Lynel bow and nocked an arrow, taking quick aim and firing.
His shot was true, striking the creature right between the eyes. To his immense surprise, however, it merely jumped in the air while a handful of green, blue, and red rupees came from… somewhere on its body to bounce away in the grass.
As the not-rabbit bounced away, the Shadow picked up the rupees, storing them in his wallet. He also found his arrow, looking as though it had never been shot, lying in the grass right where the creature had been.
"Wait, I shoot it and it gives me money?"
"Yes. And the more you shoot them before they can flee, the more they give."
He nodded thoughtfully, turning his attention back to the path. It was lined with trees and the farther he went, the quieter his surroundings became until he rounded a tree and saw a golden glow coming from a clearing ahead. As he neared it, he could swear he heard a faint music on the breeze— something calming and comforting and somehow familiar, though completely different from what had played at the Spring of the Horse God. Navi hummed along with the melody, tinkling in harmony.
Through the trees, the Shadow could see another large, open flower like in Malayna's Spring. This one seemed brighter, however, likely due to the golden sparkles rising from the water's surface as opposed to the purple of the Horse God. Around the base grew flowers and fresh produce he'd be able to pick and take with him, if he wanted.
The music crescendoed minutely as he neared, seeming to come from the pool at the center of the flower rather than all around. He climbed the steps to look down into fathomless depths, the edges of the pool mysteriously cycling between a red, gold, and silver glow.
He stood for a few moments, allowing the music to calm him as he watched, entranced, the sparkles dancing both in the air and reflected off the water. "Hello?"
Immediately, the surface of the water began to bubble and churn. An enormous female not-quite-paper white hand gripped the edge of the pool to his left, then its twin to his right before a gigantic blonde woman emerged, somehow as dry as the Shadow even as droplets rained off her.
"Hahhhh! Oh, what a feeling! That first breath of fresh air after an eternity of decay… It's just so intoxicating." Her deep grey eyes widened in delight as they focused on him. "Welcome, Shadow Link and Navi. I am the Great Fairy Cotera, Guardian Spirit of these lands. I will soothe your wounds and comfort your weariness."
With no further warning, her mammoth hand snatched him from where he stood and plunged him into the pool. She and Navi both laughed gaily as he spluttered, wrenching himself to try and get free until he noticed he was already back on the steps at the edge of the pool, as warm and dry as if nothing had happened.
"Many trials lie in your path to a great battle, one which will either save Hyrule or doom it," the Great Fairy said, the smile dropping from her face and mystical eyes narrowing at him. "Your mind and heart have not yet accepted the path before you, though your strength and courage are impressive and your trust in your skills is a great asset. In praise of your efforts thus far, acknowledgement of the blessing the Goddess Farore has laid upon you, and in an attempt to help ensure your victory, I will give you this blessing."
She straightened, reaching down into the water to bring up a pink-glowing jar and hand it to him. He accepted it with a nod, holding it up to see… a Fairy?
The Shadow's eyebrows shot up as he looked from the Great Fairy to his Companion Fairy to the captive Fairy. What the fuck was going on here?
"These Fairies are not like your Companion Fairy, and neither of those are like me. These are merely vessels of power; you may think of them akin to bugs." He took a closer look and saw that the pink Fairy was, indeed, not at all like Navi. It was more like a glowing, four-winged beetle. He frowned in confusion.
Cotera laughed again. "I believe Din was in charge of naming things."
"That explains it."
"Indeed. These Fairies will restore some of your health, should you find yourself grievously wounded. Or each one can revive you once should you perish." Well, that was a sobering thought. "Anytime you are weary of battle, please come back to visit me."
And then she was gone, the surface of the water as smooth as glass, peaceful music restored to the glen.
"Well, that was abrupt."
"She doesn't get out much, so her social skills are understandably lacking."
"You'll have that."
The Shadow considered his options; it was the middle of the day, so he was on foot, regardless. He could either climb the tall peak of Bonooru's Stand to the south and glide probably all the way back to Dueling Peaks or he could retrace his steps through Kakariko and stick to his original plan of crossing the lake using his hookshot.
Navi accompanied him as he set off to the south, twinkling animatedly as they went.
Author's note: I'd like to take this time to remind anyone reading as we go that this is a true WIP (meaning that I'm literally writing each chapter as it's posted; I don't have any done ahead) and, as such, may change slightly without notice. This chapter, for instance, originally had a different interaction between the Shadow and Navi where he now points a butter knife at her. It came off as abusive on a re-read, so I went back and changed it.
Anyway, thanks for the follows and faves! Reviews are always welcome, too; I'd love to hear what you think! :)
