I really hope you guys enjoyed it, also i'm really sorry that it took a while so thanks for being so patient. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
"...I...I know about you and Aunt Purah's last confrontation with Mother."
Impa stared at her Granddaughter with her eyes slightly widened. 'How could she have known about that? If she's bringing it up now then…' "Oh...I see." Impa had always dreaded this day, she had felt guilty for how things were left years ago.
It broke her heart to hear her own daughter's fate, she may have been too stubborn to listen to reason but she knew well enough to realize that it still wouldn't have changed her fate all those years ago. It only made her heart ache even more, remembering that their last conversation was one mainly filled with anger.
It was then her clear responsibility to protect her only other family left. However she had let her emotions consume her at times for the sake of Paya's safety. So much so that Impa restricted Paya from ever leaving the village, even though it made her unhappy. Back in her training days, she would always love going out in the wild with her Mother, she had such an excited look and passion for exploring the outside world, despite all the dangers.
It wasn't enough that she lost her Mother but now she also grew to fear the outside world due to her and her Grandmothers paranoia.
"...How long have you known?" Impa's heart beat increased, waiting for her answer. "I've known since the beginning. I was...on the stairs when it happened"
...
Flashback: 4 years ago
"Assume your battle stance!" Mizuki spoke.
Both Paya and her Mother were in a secluded field, far from Kakariko Village. Paya was standing across from her Mother.
They were at a large field near a cliff side with a large body of water beneath them. Close to them were a set of statues that was scattered all across Hyrule and even a shrine.
Mizuki was wearing a standard Sheikah uniform, one that can be seen being worn by any resident of Kakariko village. Paya was wearing a simple training uniform, with a white sleeveless shirt, white baggy pants, long black socks and brown sandals.
Paya had just finished from her underwater training that had her trying to swim as quickly as a fish. Currently she was supposed to begin basic sparing with her Mother.
Paya took a basic fighting stance while holding a wooden Kodachi. She was shaking. It took a lot for her to be able to practice against her Mother. She was able to practice against dummies but she was still shaken up whenever she was up against a person.
Mizuki quickly charged at her daughter, also holding a wooden Kodachi. Mizuki quickly slashed at Paya. Paya instinctively dodged however Mizuki only continued to slash, just barely missing the strands of Paya's hair.
"Merely dodging would only put up against a wall!" Mizuki got sidestepped towards Paya's left, causing Paya to quickly move away from her but resulting in her losing her footing. "Hurry and retaliate!" Mizuki yelled right before swiping her weapon and hitting Paya's cheek.
"Ugh!" Before Paya could be launched too far Mizuki grabbed her shirt and threw back to her original position. Paya grabbed her cheek as she was panting.
Mizuki got a little closer only to stop and spread her arms wide. "Go ahead and run towards me! I won't attack." Mizuki yelled at her daughter. Paya was hesitant to follow though, she knew that her Mother wouldn't lie about not attacking but also knew that she couldn't keep up with her Mother dodging.
"Don't overthink! Control your breathing and approach me!" Paya flinched and stared at her Mother with wide eyes. She quickly controlled her breathing and took a step forward. With a moment of bravery, Paya ran towards her Mother with her Kodachi in front of her. "HAAA!"
'Come on don't slow down.' Mizuki thought. True to her worries, Paya began to slow down and her face started to look fearful. Mizuki had scowled, seeing this over and over again frustrated her to no end. Right as Paya got close enough, Mizuki grabbed her wrist and pinned her down to the ground.
"Ack!" Paya looked back at her Mother with teary eyes, "I thought you said wouldn't attack!" Paya said with a crack in her voice.
Mizuki sighed as she let go of Paya. "Yes I know...I'm sorry tadpole." Mizuki got up and faced away from her. "We'll take a break." Mizuki walked away getting close to their horses.
"W-wait! I...I can keep going!...we...we don't have to stop now…" Paya hesitantly said, fearing that she'd disappointed her Mother yet again. Mizuki looked behind her only to see Paya looking down on the ground. "*Sigh* If you don't want to fight then just say so and don't waste either of our time." Mizuki then continued to walk away.
'Damn...maybe that was going too far. I need to work on this teaching thing'
Paya only stared at her Mothers back. Of course she would be disappointed, why can't she just fight back! She has so much depending on her in the future. If she can't protect the things and the people that are important to her, how could she ever look at herself. She had to prove to her Mother that her training wasn't for nothing! It was either now or never!
"HAAAA!" Before Mizuki could look back, she was so caught off guard that Paya managed to land a hit on her back.
After regaining her footing, Mizuki looked back to see Paya continually trying to land a hit on her with teary eyes. 'Come on tadpole, what are you doing?' Mizuki was then quickly brought out of her thoughts when Paya quickly left her line of sight and used the backside of her weapon to make her Mother lose her footing.
'Woah! She knows more than I anticipated!' right as Mizuki stood up right, she was surprised to see Paya had managed to make her way behind her and kicked the back of her knee. "Hey that's enough-" Mizuki was then hit in the face by the hilt Paya's Kodachi.
Instincts kicked in for Mizuki, she grabbed the Kodachi and elbowed Paya in the stomach. Fortanly before the hit landed, Paya let go of her weapon and covered her abdomen, although this didn't stop her from being flown a few feet away, as well losing her grip on her weapon.
As soon as Paya landed she looked to see her Mother charging at her quickly. She was on the defensive and put her arms up, ready to counter. However her Mother just forcefully grabbed Paya by her arm, absolutely shattering threw her defenses.
"...Agh...ah." Paya grunted in the slight pain she felt from her Mother tightening her grip on her arm. "I said that's enough." Mizuki then let go of Paya's hand. "You keep letting your emotions take you over, as usual, but that was just being plain stupid." Paya only looked down as she was being reprimed for her mistake. "Just...please tell me...are you okay?" Mizuki asked worriedly.
Paya hated this. Even when finally overcoming her fear, she's still finding ways to disappoint her Mother. Why can't Mother be proud that she was able to attack? Instead she has to waste time to worry about her.
"Paya please, look at me." Mizuki put a hand on Paya's shoulder and used her other hand to lift Paya's head to look at her.
Paya tried to hold back her frustration. However despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop herself from looking like she was about to burst down crying.
"I just want to be like you and Grandmother!" Paya yelled. Mizuki furrowed her brows slightly. However inwardly she gasped from shock by her sudden outburst.
Unknown to them, a good distance from them among the tall grass, there was a small portion that looked very dried out, almost dead. It shook as if it heard Paya's outburst
"I...I know I'm not as strong as you want me to be! But I still want to fight!" Mizuki was unsure what to say, although admittedly she knows what Paya is experiencing.
'I never thought I'd hear such familiar words I said to my own Mother. Well…not exactly but close enough.'
"Paya-" Paya only continued, "I want to be able to protect you and the village!"
"I just can't stand how much people have suffered and died because of the Calamity, I always hear about how you, Grandmother and even our ancestors have made Hyrule safer." This was all of the emotions Paya had tried to keep to herself. But now that she started to express her grief, she couldn't just stay quiet now. "So many people I used to know have already perished trying to keep the Village as safe as it is. I know i'm not as strong as you are, but after hearing about your adventures all over Hyrule, I want to be strong enough to keep my home safe. Just please don't be DISAPPOINTED IN ME!" Mizuki was left shocked and her mouth agaped from what she heard.
Mizuki did all she could do and hugged Paya tightly. "Paya please listen to me." Mizuki quickly felt Paya relax slightly in her embrace. "I could never-"
"AGHH!" As quickly as she heard it, Mizuki's eyes widened and felt her daughter's body practically go limp. She looked at Paya only to see her looking drowsy and her eyes half closed.
Right before Paya slipped into unconsciousness, all she could hear was her Mother yelling her name.
"Paya…" Mizuki said worriedly. "Paya! PAYA!" she said much louder.
...
"...Huh…" When Paya woke up, she was surprised to see a ceiling. She was back home. Paya rose up and saw a damp towel fall from her forehead. 'What happened…?' she thought to herself. Paya tried to get off her bed but then hissed in pain, she was shocked to see her right leg wrapped in bandage.
She struggled to get off her bed, but was eventually successful after a few minutes of trying. As she got up she limped to leave her bedroom, in an effort to find her Mother.
The door was left slightly open, she peaked out to see the hallway empty. Her room was at the end of the hallway, right beside her Mothers. As she walked down the hallway she passed a window that displayed a view of her backyard, it was mostly empty and fraily large. The only other noteworthy thing being a small and simple sparing area and two wooden swords next to it.
Looking out she also noticed that the time of day seemed to be the middle of the afternoon. Around the same time when they were far away training together. This gave her an uneasy feeling. She shook her head and continued her search for her Mother in their house.
It was a house that was larger than other homes in Kakariko village. When Paya was much younger she and her Mother lived with her Grandmother. But when Paya decided to train like her Mother did, she was very eager to have a home built for them in order to have more room to have training equipment, Sheikah history books and technique guides, all while also having a secure place to train. It was also built at a secluded part of the village, not visible to anyone in or outside the village, it was also fairly difficult to not get lost when you don't know where you're going.
Paya continued to walk down the hallway passing by a room full of weapons. As she passed by she had a brief flashback of her Mother teaching her how to care for a weapon. Continuing to walk, she then passed by a large room that was full of books and scrolls, she remembers studying all night and falling asleep on her desk and then waking up in her bed.
She was slowed down when reaching the top of the stairs and hearing a familiar voice. She slowly and carefully made her way down the steps and tried to see who her Mother was talking to.
"Listin Mizuki, it's too dangerous for Paya to continue her training." Hearing this made Paya immediately stopped, this was her Aunt Purah. Why was she here? Why did she say that she needs to stop her training? Her questions made her get closer but not close enough to be seen.
She was left completely dumbfounded after hearing the praise she was receiving from her Mother, her words were so genuine and full of pride. The way she was defending her.
...all of her words...they gave her a new feeling...something that her Mother says every warrior should have...Pride in herself.
All of this nearly brought her to tears. Her Mother really has a lot of faith in her.
"PAYA DOESN'T LIKE FIGHTING!" Hearing her Grandmothers yell like that made her flinch. She also nearly yelped if she didn't cover her mouth with her hand.
Her statements, she didn't want to believe it but it held some truth to it. Despite her feelings she continued to train because of the burden she would carry once she's grown up or if her Grandmother were to pass away.
The more she heard, the more she started to feel sick, all of her words made her think back to when they were outside the village. She already was nearly attacked by a wild wolf when she froze on the spot as it snuck up behind her. 'No..it's not true…'
Her legs felt weaker when she heard that her death would nearly be certain if she hesitates. 'But Mother said she'll be there to protect me...right? At least until I can protect myself'
Paya wanted to believe that her Mother would be there to protect her until she was ready to protect the village but then she winced from the pain coming from her leg. She wanted to deny it but she couldn't, just looking at her leg was an example of being put in danger, she has no idea what happened to her or even her Mother when she passed out.
"She stops training over my dead body." Paya was shocked to hear this, she always heard her Mother and Grandmother argue about the methods her Mother used or her condition when returning home. Hearing them fight like this was sickening, and it was all because of her.
At the same moment when she heard the door slam, Paya quietly, yet painfully ran upstairs towards her room.
Quickly going inside her room Paya fell hard on her bed, mainly due to the strain on her leg. She covered herself with her blanket, she tried to calm herself and think about the words of her Mother that made her feel such pride. However, the voices of her Great Aunt Purah and Grandmother gradually started to cloud her mind.
More time had passed than she realised, and Paya eventually fell asleep. All throughout the night she had nightmares of the village being burned in front of her. She even saw the faces of former residents and travelers of the Village who've passed away, most of them were recent as well. The most horrifying images that would be burned into her memory were seeing her family on the ground, lifeless.
Right before Paya awoke she heard footsteps behind her, looking back she saw an unrecognizable man holding a sword and shield.
With his bright eyes gave Paya a piercing glare, it was getting closer to her. Standing before her raised his blade above her, before his blade could strike her, Paya's eyes snapped open and she had a cold sweat.
Paya slowly rose from her bed and saw her Grandmother sitting beside her bed.
"Paya dear, are you okay?" Impa asked worriedly after noticing how pale Paya's face was.
"O-oh yes Grandmother, i'm sorry I had a nightmare." Paya answered. "I see, how's your leg?" Impa asked, shifting her focus. Paya realized her leg injury from earlier. Lifting up her blanket, Paya noticed her leg bandage was newly wrapped. "It's fine, I don't feel anything."
"I'm relieved to hear." Impa then placed hand onto Paya's forehead, "it seems that your fever has gone down as well." After removing her hand, Impa looked down towards her hands.
To Paya it looked like her Grandmother was very sad and even afraid to an extent. This was an expression that was very foregin for Paya to see.
To the village, her Grandmother always gave off a very stoic and brave face, something that the villagers hope and feel at ease. However she would also give a very comforting aura that helped the village thrive. Towards her family however, she was much more expressive with her emotions and was not afraid to show her emotions, she'd even seen her cry when reminiscing about the past.
This was different, it really made Paya feel much more uneasy, unsure how to handle this situation. "Grandmother are you well? You just seem to have something on your mind."
Impa let out a light chuckle in response. "You know, you should really be more concerned about yourself. I ask about your leg and say something about a fever, yet you're more worried about me. Hmm somehow i'm not surprised by that." Paya looked down with a slight blush.
After taking a deep breath, Impa looked at Paya, both of them simatainalsy preparing for what's about to be said.
"Paya there's something that happened last night." Paya was immediately left speechless when seeing her Grandmother's tears began to build up in her eyes.
"I'm sorry Paya, i'm so sorry."
Grandmother was crying...how? How could this have happened.
…
Impa just sat there staring at Paya, a part of her wanted to reprime her for getting off hre bed with a leg injury. But she couldn't overlook how she must've made Paya feel responsible for how things were left with her own daughter, given how Paya was the subject of the argument.
"Paya i'm sorry for- '' though it didn't feel right, Paya interrupted her Grandmother before she could apologize. "No Grandmother, you don't need to apologize. Thinking back, you were right about my main flaw. I was only really able to strike at anyone under special circumstances, really your words were sort of a wake up call for me."
Impa was once again surprised by what she heard, when imagining this moment she'd always believed that Paya would be angry with her, not only because she wanted Paya to stop what she'd spent, at that time, 9 years doing, but also of how protective of a bubble she'd kept Paya in for a long time.
"But why aren't you angry?" Hearing this made Paya confused. Angry? Angry about what? "Even if you believed what I said, I wrongfully made your life so full of fear after that. My paranoia made you paranoid as well."
"Grandmother no, I know you were only concerned for my safety. If anything, I'm also to blame for being afraid. I simply let my own fear consume me. It was my biggest regret to cease my training when Mother passed away. Especially after what she said of me."
There was no way for Impa to respond. Paya just said that she regrets not training, even when accepting her flaw. She wanted to continue fighting, not for herself but to protect her home. "Paya…"
Paya held Impa's hand close to hers. "Grandmother, I've given it a lot of thought and if you're okay with it, I want to continue where I left off. I want to protect you and my home." Paya said with a small smile
Impa's eyes widened, it was surprising to hear this but it was also something to be expected. Paya always was someone who wanted to stand up for and protect others but just didn't have the courage or strength to do so.
"Paya, I don't want to force you to stop, especially if it's something you really want to do. but I can't say that i'm okay with you putting yourself in danger." Paya lowered hands with slight disappointment.
"*sigh* Paya, you're grown up now and I also can't keep you safe forever. However I really want you to understand just how much more dangerous Hyrule has become in recent years."
"...I understand your worries and I know the kind of risk that will come with it." Paya took a deep breath. She remembered the words that her mother spoke all those years ago. "I can say with full confidence, I have the strength capable of protecting my home."
Impa was still not at ease, she was talking about being one of the only other warriors in Kakariko.
Over the years the number of warriors of Kakariko have dwindled since the Calamity. Mainly due to the fact the most warriors were at or near Hyrule castle when the Calamity struck. Kakariko's warriors had drastically dropped when Mizuki passed. That meant if Paya were to be in a fight, she would surely be on her own and be outnumbered.
Although she had to admit it, Impa felt a hint of pride hearing the confidence that radiated from her words.
"Paya, like I said, I can't force you not to do this, but all I ask is that you think about this a little bit more. Hyrule is a dangerous place now. Not everyone can be trusted or be depended on."
Paya, despite her feelings towards the subject, was left to think about it a bit more. She was really sure that she wanted and could protect the village. But things were getting much too dangerous, with the Yiga, monsters and the Calamity's ever growing power.
In comparison to it all, her contribution to the village seemed...so small...
Impa did realize that her own doubt would simply leave Paya uncertain about her choice. 'Maybe it's that doubt that would throw her off.' As bad of taste it left in her mouth, Impa knew the choice Paya would make. She couldn't change it.
After all, what Paya didn't know was sometimes she was, at times as stubborn as her Mother when it came to doing what she felt was right.
Impa had to give some words of encouragement so that Paya didn't think she didn't believe in her.
"You know, from what I heard from Mipha and Links family, you're kinda like him in a way." this caused Paya to look at her Grandmother with a confused look.
"All those years ago, Link and I helped save Hateno Village from a monster attack. I was injured in the battle so Link invited me into his home where I met his family." Paya paid very close attention, she was very intrigued to hear more about Master Link. "While Link helped his sister, I talked with his Grandfather and he thanked me for me and the other champions for being friends with Link." Impa momentarily paused but then continued. "He couldn't help but go on about how when Link was younger, Link was terrified about having to kill monsters. Apparently he even froze against a Chuchu when he, his Father and a few friends from Hyrules army were out hunting, all while his sister was exploring a bit of the forest."
Impa paused to look at Paya. she wasn't surprised to see that Paya's eyes were wide. "Yes I know, I didn't believe it when I first heard it. But we all start somewhere. Later after his Father saved him, he was reprimed for putting himself in danger. Since they were so close from their home, Link decided to go home with his sister." Paya was very saddened to hear how Master Link also dealt with the struggles of disappointing someone close to them.
"However right as Link was about to retrieve his sister, their attention was caught when they heard the young girl scream." Now Paya's heart sank, she was terrified of what she could possibly hear next. "The knights look to see Link's sister was face to face with a blue bokoblin. Everyone was even more shocked when Link grabbed the nearest sword and ran towards the beast at incredible speeds. The knights were so impressed by his sudden display of skill and bravery that they suggested he'd join the Hylian army. You probably already know just how amazing a knight he became."
Paya was left astonished to hear how Master Link joined the Hylian army, what amazed her even more was that someone like Master Link wasn't brave all his life.
"Even someone like Link had his humble beginnings, much like you have your flaws. Link overcame his weaknesses and I know you can too."
Paya blushed at the unexpected encouragement from her Grandmother. "Th-thank you Grandmother, I know you're worried but I'll try my best to make you proud."
'I know you will.' Impa held Paya's hand tightly. "Just please don't go and fight when you're not ready."
"I swear, I'll train hard and protect you and my home." Paya said with a smile.
This was so much easier on both of them than Impa thought, she'd always believed that Paya would be furious with her. Once again she had underestimated her kindness and forgiving nature, after this conversation she even underestimated her fighting sprite. She knows that Mizuki is looking down on Paya with a very proud look. And looking down on her with a smug look, probably thinking 'I told you so.'
"It's pretty late now, you should go to bed now if you want to get up early."
"Oh yes, your right." Paya got up and walked towards the steps. Before she walked up the stairs she said, "Oh if Master Link shows up, could you thank him once more for me?"
Impa noticed a small blush on her face when she asked, "Yes, of course I will. Afterall I should thank him as well."
"Thank you." Paya then went upstairs. *Sigh* 'Link, I wonder what you're up to now.'
…
Link stood in front of the heirloom after fighting the blademaster. 'Damn, that took longer than I thought.' At the corner of his eye, he noticed that Dorian rushed towards him.
After learning he was a former Yiga member, he had to stop himself from reacting from instinct when he got close.
"Master Link! That was an amazing duel! Your movements! Your skills! That blademaster stood no chance!"
Link didn't say anything. He only stared at him. That was enough to tell him the kind of questions he had.
"I'm sure thinking about if what the blademaster said was true. He's right. I was...a member of the Yiga clan…" Dorian then explained everything about how he leaked information of the hairloom, the village and even his arrival to the village. As well as attempts to cut ties with the Yiga clan after meeting his wife and being blessed with two children.
"Master Link...I know this is a selfish request but...can you keep what happened here a secret. Please don't let my children lose their father." Dorian said with his voice cracking at the last part.
"It's fine, I know you're not a bad person. So I wont say anything" Dorian sighed in relief. "However I can't always be here to protect the village from attacks like this. You have a bigger responsibility now to protect the village and your family from these kinds of enemies. If you fail it will surely cost the life of someone."
Dorian looked down in shame. "Yes I'm well aware of that. I swear on my life that no one else will perish while I'm still breathing. Thank you for your cooperation, Master Link."
"Now let's return the heirloom to its rightful place." Dorian said. He expected Master Link to grab the heirloom until he noticed that Master Link was knelt down with a hand on top of it, just starting at the heirloom.
'Everyone was so worried about this...but the pedestal. If it works then…' Link was seriously contemplating what to do next.
On one hand, Paya's heart broke over this thing, on the other hand...
Also recently I've been thinking of adding these little segments at the end of chapters as something fun to read. It's mostly gonna be flashbacks or just some small stuff I either couldn't fit in or forgot about or just thought of. You could consider some of these to be canon to the stories, but there are gonna be some that I'll just have too much fun. If you're a black clover fan then think of them like Petit clover (clover clips). Anyways see you next time.
