Salty air blasted Mystique's face as she entered the town of Salis, a knapsack slung over her back. She scrunched her face and sneezed while a breeze mingled the ocean with the land. Beside her, Lumina rested on top of Nivan's head, his hair dishevelled and frizzed slightly.

In front of the two kids, the town of Salis sprawled wooden houses built on stilts to leave the grassy hills and sandy slopes intact. A stone path which started at the gates slowly morphed into wooden planks as the path guided anyone within the town out towards the large field of sand and complex docks. Mystique raised a hand above her forehead and stared out squinting to see if the docks stretched past the horizon. Several large ships rested out in the open ocean, their sails lowered.

"Do you think the person who ordered shoes is on one of those boats?" Mystique asked, now using her hand as a pretend telescope over her eye.

"While a pirate adventure sounds great Misty, the person we're looking for lives in one of these houses." Nivan lifted his chin into the air, almost knocking Lumina off his head.

Nivan began to walk into town, his eyes glanced at plaques and signs as they walked through Salis. "Hey Misty," Nivan pointed at a sign. "Can you read this sign?"

Mystique pouted, "no. Not yet."

"When are you starting lessons?" Nivan asked, a smirk on his face.

"Mother said she found a tutor. I'm supposed to start sometime during the fall harvest." Mystique ran her fingers across the sign.

"You know that's now right?" Nivan looked at Mystique, Lumina still sat in his hair.

"Is it?" Mystique tilted her head. "You're just teasing me aren't you?"

"There's been posters all over Castle Town about the Harvest feast." Nivan paused, "even if you can't read the posters have really colorful images."

Mystique pushed Nivan, "come on I'm too busy delivering shoes to notice those posters and you know it!"

Nivan's smirk grew wider, "well if you're going to be like that. I might as well race you to where we need to go."

Mystique laughed, "I always win those games."

Nivan stuck out his tongue before he began to run away from Mystique. "Except this time you don't know where to go," he yelled.

"Hey!" Mystique yelled as she darted after Nivan. She quickly passed him on the street, leaving small clouds of sand behind her as she ran. Few people were around as Mystique flew through the streets with ease. The occasional resident of Salis, fishing gear in tow, walked casually by. Eventually Mystique reached a house at the end of the road and turned around, a triumphant look spread across her face. "See, I still beat you," Mystique said. She gazed at the empty street in front of her, Nivan nowhere in sight.

Mystique sucked in air and darted back down the street and again past the few Salis residents she had already passed. She ducked down a side path and ran up and down the length of the street only to find nothing more than a few more Salis residents. A sighed squeezed itself out of her lungs as she observed the large beach and the gentle waves of the ocean in front of her. She closed her eyes and took in several deep breaths before she ran back the way she came and back on to the main street.

By this point, the few residents of Salis outside stopped and watched Mystique as she raced up and down, her skirt widely dancing against the sand. After the fifth street, Mystique came back to the original street that she raced Nivan, and screamed up into the air. One of the residents cautiously walked up to her and knelt down so that he was eye level with her. The Salis man was thin and broad shouldered, with definition to his arms. His hair was hidden under a red bandana.

"Do you need help, miss?" The man asked.

"I'm looking for a blonde boy with a fairy on his head," Mystique stared at the tattoo that curved around the man's arm.

"A blonde boy with a fairy? Like those old fairy tales?" The man chuckled.

"I guess," Mystique answered. "His name is Nivan, he's supposed to help me deliver these shoes." Mystique dropped the bag onto the ground.

The man looked down at the sack, confused. "If you're delivering something there should be an address on the package right?"

"I can't read."

"Oh," the man paused. He lifted the package up to his face and observed the elegant writing scrawled on the box. "Lucky for you I can." The man chuckled. "And lucky for you I know exactly where you need to go." The man stood up, he held the package as he began to walk down the road.

Mystique looked around at the other residents of Salis who went back to their own activities. She shrugged her shoulders and followed slowly behind the man. He walked back towards the sign where Nivan had started the race, and turned in a completely different direction than the one Mystique had originally followed Nivan. She frowned as the man walked off of the wooden path and onto the sandy beach. Sand filled Mystique's boots, rough and crunchy, as they walked.

On the horizon, a building residing on its own dock appeared. The building itself was half submerged into the water, and a tall ladder escaped towards a balcony several stories higher than the roof. Something clicked in Mystique's memories as she followed the man up the stairs and in front of the entrance to the building. Nivan stood in front of the door, his head stared upwards at the dozens of seagulls as they circled the building. Mystique walked up to Nivan silently, and swiftly kicked him in the calf. The Salis man watched as Nivan crumpled to one knee as Mystique shouted at him. The glowing green orb on Nivan's head cackled.

"I should hand this package back to you, miss," the Salis man said, his eyes looking back towards town.

Mystique looked up from her shouting and smiled, "thank you for helping me Mr…?"

"It's Gonzo." Gonzo placed the package on the ground and smiled.

"That's a cool name!" Mystique grabbed the package. She smiled warmly towards Gonzo, but instead of a warm smile back, Gonzo stood frozen as he looked past Mystique and at the door.

"Why is there screaming on my porch!" An old voice attempted to shout. "Gonzo? Gonzo, why did you bring strange children to my house?"

Mystique turned around to see an old man, his face like a skull covered with only a blue hat and his goatee, in the doorway. "We're here to deliver you shoes sir."

The old man shuffled into the sunlight, his white lab coat and his entire body almost flew away in the wind. "You must be from Luriken's Shoes. My brother has been raving about his shoes ever since he got them. Why don't you three come inside before the seagulls decide that your package is lunch." The old man laughed before he hobbled back inside his house.

Hesitantly, Mystique and Nivan followed with Gonzo slowly behind. Inside the house, half of the room was a giant tank of water connected to the ocean. Fish swam freely in and out of the enclosure while other fish decorated the cold stone walls of the room. A long table with many instruments and even more fish occupied a corner near a closed door. The old man pressed his hand against the tank glass and sighed.

"You know, for being my grandson Gonzo, you should visit me more." The old man observed several fish as they somersaulted in the water.

Mystique glanced up at Gonzo curiously, while Nivan's eyes wandered towards the table of fish.

Gonzo looked away towards the long table. "Works been busy gramps, sorry."

"How are your parents?" The old man asked.

"Uh," Gonzo glanced at Mystique and Nivan. "They're doing good, good as anyone can at this time really. Gramps, you have guests besides me you know."

"Right," the old man turned towards Mystique and Nivan. "You can place the package anywhere you'd like, so long as it doesn't get wet."

Mystique dropped the package on the ground immediately in front of her. "Do you study the water levels like Mr. Delirio?" She glanced at a slow round fish as it drifted into the enclosure.

"Are you really that curious child?" The old man raised an eyebrow. "I tend to not get too many people interested in my work besides my own brother."

Mystique glanced between the skeletal and pale old man and Gonzo's muscular and tan body. She tilted her head as she thought. "Well what you're doing helps out Hyrule right?"

"The ocean is much bigger than a lake, with many other countries that share it with us. While I normally spend my days studying fish and how to harness them effectively as a stable food source without depleting it from its environment, recently other things have gotten in the way of my research." The old man glanced back at Gonzo. "And I wish my grandkids nor my own children would risk going out into the ocean right now."

"It's a risk we have to take if we want to feed everyone," Gonzo refused to look at the old man and instead stared at Lumina as she lazily bobbed above Nivan's head.

"And several boats have already capsized with no survivors." The old man crossed his arms.

"Uhm," Mystique's voice squeaked as she interrupted. "What's going on?"

"There's a monster in these waters," the old man answered. "I had read about such a creature in notes from a far away land, but it appears it has found our shores."

"Like a shark?" Mystique prodded.

"No, sharks are harmless. I'm sure you met Ruto." The old man guffawed. "What I'm talking about is a creature named Gyorg. All of my time recently has been spent learning how to track and destroy it before it hurts more people from Salis."

"What far away land did Gyorg come from Mr.?" Mystique tilted her head. "Would they have a way to destroy it if you talked to them?"

"Call me Babbel." Babbel laughed a dry laugh. "It comes from a land called Termina. It would take too much time to travel there just to ask a few questions. Plus the ocean is too risky to travel anyways."

"Isn't there a land route to Termina?" Nivan added in.

"That would take even longer." Babbel said. "Time is too important to waste and—"

A loud knock came from the door. "Babbel open up," a voice shouted from the other side of the door.

The old man shuffled over to the door and cracked it open. A tan and muscular woman kicked it open the rest of the way and strode into the room. She wore her red hair in a tight ponytail with a purple bandanna wrapped around her skull. Large gold hoops hung out of her ears and a scimitar clung to her waist.

"Hammada, why are you here." Babbel closed the door.

"I'm here to see how far you've gotten in your research, so that we can go kill it." Hammada turned towards Gonzo. "Why are you here?"

"I was helping these kids with a shoe delivery," Gonzo placed his hand behind his head.

"That's nice," Hammada glanced back at Mystique and Nivan. Gold eyeshadow was coated around her green eyes. "Were you going to tell Babbel of your plan Gonzo?"

"What plan?!" Babbel shouted.

"He's going to help my crew kill Gyorg." Hammada smirked. "He is a trained pirate after all."

"He's a what!" Mystique said, excitement scrambled into her voice.

"Uh, Misty," Nivan started to talk.

"Don't remind me of my daughter-in-law Hammada," Babbel glared at Hammada.

"I think she's great Babbel," Hammada glared back.

"She used to be your captain so of course you think that." Babbel shouted.

"Uh," Nivan started to speak again.

"Do you have any more research on how to stop Gyorg or what old man!" Hammada shouted.

Gonzo looked over towards the tank, "...guys?"

"Research takes time Hammada I've already told you that. Hyrule wasn't built in a day, and maybe you pirates need to learn some patience." Babbel said.

"We've given you plenty of time. It's come to a point that people's lives are being lost and we don't catch enough fish to sell outside of Salis. Soon we won't catch enough fish to feed even ourselves." Hammada shook her head, her ponytail swayed.

"Guys." Nivan said as he looked between Mystique, Gonzo, and the tank.

"Guys," Gonzo repeated.

"If we get into too much trouble, surely Castle Town will send us aid." Babbel ignored them all.

"Do you think that the King of Hyrule will really want to waste resources on a bunch of pirates and people who aren't actually Hylian?" Hammada lifted her bandanna and pointed at her rounded ear. "Maybe they'll help you old man, but they won't help me or your grandkids."

"Hammada!" Gonzo shouted.

"What!" Hammada screamed at Gonzo.

He looked at her, his face solemn as he pointed towards the tank. Hammada turned around and came face to face with a large fish, its fangs hung out jaggedly from its jaws. The beast swayed its body as it observed the people on the other side of the glass. Its fins stuck out sharp and crooked, every movement from the fish made the fins seemingly cut through the water like razors. The monster's giant green eyes stared directly at Hammada, its mouth open and closed several times as it floated.

"What!" Hammada screamed at the tank.

Mystique and Nivan stared up at the fish, unsure how it had even fit into the enclosure. They both watched as smaller versions of the monster swam around it like a protective shield.

"...Gyorg?" Babbel opened his mouth as he looked at Gyorg behind the tank glass. "How did it sneak up on us like that."

"It's been swimming this way for a bit," Nivan answered. "No one wanted to listen to me."

"I can't believe that this monster just waltzed in here to give us the perfect opportunity to strike." Hammada grinned. She ran over and grabbed one of the spears off of the wall and jumped up on top of a bookcase. Hammada jumped from furniture to furniture until she stood at the top of the tank, the spear pointed towards Gyorg.

"Hammada wait!" Gonzo and Babbel both shouted.

Hammada lunged the spear into the water and at Gyorg. The monster didn't move a muscle as the spear delicately bounced off of its scales and drifted to the bottom of the tank. Hammada stared down at Gyorg, horrified.

"What…" Hammada whispered.

The monster, its eyes glazed over, opened and closed its mouth without a care in the world for the spear or the baffled woman at the top of the tank. Hammada cursed a few times under her breath as Gyorg did nothing but absentmindedly exist in front of her.

"Guess I'll have to use a bit more fire power then," Hammada clasped her hands together and began to chant.

"Hammada stop!" Gonzo yelled.

"Don't blow up my lab!" Babbel added in.

Nivan instinctively grabbed Mystique and dragged her towards the door as they watched a large glowing fiery orb grow between Hammada's hands. As the orb grew to be the size of her chest, she thrusted it into the water towards the fish. A bright light exploded in front of the tank which caused everyone to shield their eyes. After a few moments, everyone looked back at the tank to see a completely unharmed Gyorg. Hammada screamed.

Instead of floating mindlessly, Gyorg began to shudder inside the tank, its jaws snapped several times as it shimmied its tail.

"Hammada!" Gonzo screamed. "Hammada move right now."

Hammada glanced down at Gonzo, and it only took those few seconds for Gyorg to launch its tail into the air, and slapped Hammada off of the tank and into the wall with a loud thud.

Gonzo ran over to Hammada, her body crumpled between the floor and the wall, a few fish surrounded her. Babbel shuffled over and began to hang the fish back on the wall. Hammada groaned as she clutched her chest.

"I think… I broke a rib or two." Hammada muttered. "That stupid ugly fish shouldn't have survived that."

"But it did," Babbel added dryly. "Which is why I think you should wait till my research is done."

"Personally, I think your research is pointless old man." Hammada coughed and cringed from the pain.

"You don't know that," Babbel glared down at her. "What do you even know."

"I know enough stories," Hammada said. "I know the bedtime stories my ma told me, and the ones her ma told her. I know that back when the pirates lived in Termina and were the Gerudo pirates, that Gyorg caused mayhem there too. The only reason Gyrog stopped there was because a young lad in green with a fairy slayed it. And that, that is all you will find in your research. Our current captain was hopeful that you'd find something else, but let's face it. You won't."

"That is a fairy tale Hammada." Babbel scoffed. "Science does not condone to the will of a little fairy boy in a green dress and hat. There will be other more logical ways to defeat Gyorg."

"You just saw that monster survive an energy ball completely unharmed. Tell me what else could possibly destroy it other than a little boy in green." Hammada glanced over at Nivan, Lumina floated around his head. "Why not have the blonde boy with the fairy take a crack at Gyorg. Maybe that will solve all our problems."

"What?" Gonzo and Babbel looked back at Nivan who still had Mystique braced behind him, his eyes still stared at the tank.

"Surely that isn't the child of legend." Babbel rolled his eyes, "one that child doesn't even exist probably and two if he did why would he be delivering me shoes."

"He does have a fairy though." Gonzo added.

Nivan glared over towards Babbel, Gonzo, and Hammada. "You guys do know that Gyorg already left, right?"

"What?!" Babbel and Hammada diverted their attention towards the now empty fish tank. Both of them sighed and shook their heads.

Babbel shuffled over to a drawer, pulled out a pouch and handed it to Mystique. "I should pay you for the shoes after all of that Miss Luriken."

"Thank you Mr. Babbel." Mystique placed the pouch inside her apron pocket. "We should be heading back to Castle Town before the gate closes."

"You won't make it in time on foot." Babbel stated. "But, I can have Gonzo take one of my son's horses and bring you back in plenty of time." Babbel turned to look at Gonzo. "Right Gonzo?"

Gonzo lifted Hammada up off the ground. "Sure, I should probably bring Hammada to a Castle Town doctor then too."

"Ask him for two horses then." Babbel said.


Out on Hyrule field, the two horses galloped swiftly over patches of dirt and grass, they swerved on and off the dirt roads to avoid other travelers. On one horse rode Gonzo, Mystique, and Nivan. On the other horse, a tan and dark haired muscular man held Hammada. Without any time wasted, the group reached the northern gate to Castle Town with plenty of sunlight still left in the sky. Before they headed into town, they dismounted off of the horses and led them delicately into the crowds inside the gates.

"Thank you for your help Senza," Gonzo smiled.

"Dude, we're brothers, why wouldn't I?" Senza laughed back, Hammada cringed as her body jostled with his laughter.

"I dunno, you can be a bit finicky with requests." Gonzo shrugged.

"True. I also know ma would have kicked my ass if I told her I refused to help out the great Hammada." Senza laughed again.

"If you're going to keep shaking me like a jar of pickled fish let Gonzo carry me," Hammada groaned.

"You heard the lady," Senza placed Hammada into Gonzo's arms. "Which means I now have a free arm to go flirt with some pretty Hylians at a bar." Senza winked before he disappeared with his horse into the crowd.

Gonzo chuckled before he glanced between his horse, Hammada, Mystique, and Nivan. "Hey would one of you mind riding on my horse with Hammada while I bring her to the doctor.

Mystique's face beamed. "I'll keep riding the horse!" She paused. "But only if you tell me his name."

"This horse is called Niko. Senza's horse is named Mako. How's that?" Gonzo lifted Mystique onto the horse and placed her behind Hammada. Carefully, Gonzo began to weave himself and Niko through the always crowded streets of Castle Town.

From on top of the horse, Mystique noticed how many older Hylian men had started to lose their hair, and how many of them weren't as tall as she thought they were. She saw that Gorons had little hairstyles made out of rocks, and that on top of most windows there was a layer of grime and dust. It was only a short ride though, as the doctor's office was located in the northeast quadrant of Castle Town, in the middle of a busy street and not down some poorly lit alley.

Gonzo tied the horse to a pole outside of the office and placed both Mystique and Hammada onto the street. He bowed towards Mystique and Nivan before he entered the doctor's office, Hammada under his shoulder.

"Hey Nivan," Mystique looked up at the sky. "I think I know why so many rich Hylians wear wigs now."

"Why's that Misty?"

"They're all secretly bald." Mystique let out a tiny laugh.

"Wow look at you, a real philosopher." Lumina butted in.

"You've been quiet all day," Mystique said as they started to walk home.

"I don't have much input in family dramas," Lumina said sarcastically.

"Do you know anything about that Gyorg thing?" Mystique asked.

"I've never been to Termina last time I checked." Lumina yawned. "Goddesses above I think Nivan's stupid poe soul is taking away my beauty sleep."

"Want me to hide it in a drawer or something?" Nivan said.

"No, I'll probably still know it's there. Why did you even buy that stupid thing." Lumina now rested on Mystique's head.

"Because I wanted it, why else?" Nivan shrugged.

"Did you see the creature that was selling it?!" Lumina shouted. "Mystique did you go into the creepy monster parts tent."

"Nope." Mystique said.

Nivan sighed. "You're right he was a bit off, but he probably appreciated the sale."

"I don't think monsters care about sales kid." Lumina jeered. "But whatever floats your boat."


The next morning Mystique awoke to her mother outside of her bedroom door. Mrs. Luriken eyed her daughter's outfit, her light blue dress and apron, up and down while shaking her head,

"What is it mother?" Mystique asked.

"Remind me to get you a nicer outfit soon." Mrs. Luriken gestured for Mystique to follow her downstairs.

"What's wrong with my outfit mother?"

"It's fine. It's just old and a little worn. Your tutor will probably expect you to wear nicer garments today." Mrs. Luriken walked into the kitchen.

"Today?"

"Yes, today is your first day of tutoring. " Mrs. Luriken placed a plate of eggs and toast down on the table and sat down in front of another plate of eggs and toast.

Mystique sat down and poked at her food. "Where is father and Nivan?"

"Your father is already working, and Nivan just left to go train with the fairy." Mrs. Luriken took a sip of tea.

"Her name is Lumina." Mystique said, eggs in her mouth.

"Thank the Goddess it isn't Navi." Mrs. Luriken paused, "and don't speak with your mouth full."

Mystique swallowed. "Why not Navi?"

Mrs. Luriken sighed. "Navi is the fairy from that bed time story your father used to read to you. About the hero Link who saved Hyrule through time travel."

"People keep comparing Nivan to that guy," Mystique said with uncertainty in her voice.

"Do they?" Mrs. Luriken raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah Hudde, Fiona, Raul, and Link did. And then Mr. Deliro's brother Babbel and his grandson Gonzo also made a comment about it." Mystique took a large bite out of her toast.

"It's probably because the fairy, I mean Lumina, is glued to his side."

"Yeah, that's because a fairy is more useful for fighting than delivering mail is what she said."

"Technically Lumina would be able to help you read signs so she is useful for mail delivery."

"She said I should be educated." Mystique took another bite of toast.

Mrs. Luriken frowned. "Great, so even your new friend has opinions on that."

"It's okay mother, a bunch of Castle Town kids don't know how to read." Mystique smiled cheerfully.

"That's not reassuring." Mrs. Luriken sighed. "Technically everyone here should be literature at the very least, but things change depending on who is king and whether there is war on the horizon."

"Has Hyrule ever fought Termina mother?" Mystique asked.

"No," Mrs. Luriken paused. "Where did you hear about Termina Mystique."

"Mr. Babbel mentioned it to me when he was talking about the monster fish Gyorg attacking Salis." Mystique took a swig of juice.

"The… the what?" Mrs. Luriken squinted her eyes towards her daughter.

"Gyorg the monster fish from Termina that the hero and his fairy slayed long ago." Mystique tilted her head.

Many emotions flickered across Mrs. Luriken's face as she processed what Mystique had said out loud. "I bet our lovely King Suehprom Patroclus Hyrule is doing his best to fix that for the town of Salis."

"I don't think he knows about it, mother." Mystique said innocently.

Mrs. Luriken took a long sip of her tea, long enough that the bell above the store door jingled, and Impa walked into the dining room with a book bag wrapped in her arms. Impa about to say something, stopped as she watched Mrs. Luriken continue to take her long sip of tea.

"Good morning Mystique." Impa said. "Are you ready for me to take you to your tutor?"

"Why are you taking me to my class Ms. Impa?" Mystique asked.

"It is what your mother Cerise and I agreed upon." Impa handed the book bag to Mystique. "I got you a present that will be useful in your studies."

Mystique held up the bag and looked inside to see a bottle of ink, a feather, charcoal wrapped in parchment paper, and two leather journals with the Hylian crest on them. On the bag itself, a red eye with a teardrop was painted on the side. "Thank you Ms. Impa." Mystique smiled.

"We should probably get going if you're all set." Impa glanced over at Mrs. Luriken.

"Actually, Impa would you mind if I tag along. I need to pick a few things up near the castle today."

Impa stared at Cerise's concern-speckled face and silently nodded towards her. Without another word, the three ventured off and into the streets of Castle Town.

At the entrance to the Castle Courtyard. Mrs. Luriken stood and watched as Impa guided Mystique down the stone hallway lined with hedges and decorative fountains. When their two figures became only silhouettes as they entered the castle, Cerise Luriken walked over to one of the hedges and opened a secret door.

When entering Hyrule Castle for the first time, Mystique noticed how empty the hallways truly were. For a place so large and grande within Castle Town, it felt hollow inside. Through the winding paths of the labyrinth hallways with pristine carpets and elegant chandeliers, Impa and Mystique only passed a handful of people. The people they passed either wore bonnets and royal blue dresses, soldier uniforms, or scurried by with scrolls sprawling out of their hands. In a wing of the castle where Mystique had no idea where she really was, Impa pushed open a metal door.

Inside the room a short woman with her white hair piled into a gigantic bun squished her face against a table covered in scrolls. Behind her, a blackboard with nonsense scribbled all over it took up the majority of the long and tall wall of the room. A ladder was perched in the corner, a cup of chalk balanced on the top rung. Another wall in the room was made completely out of windows. Mystique could see more towers and the outside of hallways, and wondered what was on the ground below.

Impa strided into the room and cleared her throat. The white haired woman's head darted up, her large round glasses balanced peculiarly on her face as she stared up at Impa.

"Your new student is here for her lesson Pom." Impa gestured towards Mystique who still stood in the doorway.

"Oh, uhm, I must have lost track of time with my research." Pom straightened her glasses on her face. "We agreed on one hour lessons with Cerise right?"

"Correct. I'll be back in an hour to bring Mystique home." Impa bowed towards Pom, locks of her hair fell out from her braid and drifted into her face. She straightened her back and swiftly exited the room, leaving Mystique alone with Pom.

Pom cleared her throat. "Do you want to take a seat?"

Mystique glanced around at all of the chairs covered in quills and scrolls. A few of the chairs had glasses and strange glowing pieces of metal on them. "Where?" Mystique asked.

Pom walked over to one of the chairs, glanced down at the notes on the scrolls and casually flung them across the room. She pulled over a small table covered in more scrolls, and gestured for Mystique to sit. Without another word Mystique obliged. Pom grabbed a piece of chalk off of her big desk and walked over to a clean spot on the blackboard. She began to write glyphs for a few moments before she turned around.

"What did I just write?" She asked.

"Uh," Mystique stared at the glyphs, each one of them different. "They all look different."

"It's the basic Hylian alphabet." Pom tapped her chalk on the wall. "It's the basic building blocks to our current modernized language. There is also an alphabet for ancient Hylian, but we won't get to that for a very long time."

"Will I need ancient Hylian to be a good mail delivery person?"

Pom turned to write more on the board, but quickly turned around and stared mouth agape at Mystique. "To be a what?"

"A mail delivery person."

Pom's voice increased with each word she said. "And not a scholar for the royal family. Or even a secret agent for the royal family? You are technically a Sheikah are you not?"

Mystique tilted her head. "I'm a what?"

"A Sheikah." Pom shook her head and reached for a mirror. She brought it over and shoved it into Mystique's face. "Your eyes are red dear."

"So are my mother's eyes." Mystique answered into the mirror, her red eyes stared back.

Pom removed the mirror, her red eyes glared back through her glasses. "Your mother is a part of the Sheikah clan. How do you not know this?"

"No one told me." Mystique shrugged her shoulders.

"For the love of Hylia." Pom grumbled while she paced in front of the desk. "How could Cerise be so irresponsible as to not tell you about your own heritage. Am I supposed to teach you everything about yourself even though you are not my child?"

"Ms. Pom, are we going to get back to the alphabet?"

"How much do you know about the Sheikah Mystique."

"Nothing."

Pom opened and closed her mouth for a moment as words escaped her. "Unbelievable." She shook her head again. "The sheikah are a tribe of people blessed and trusted by the goddess Hylia to protect the people of Hyrule and follow through on the divine mission to aid the hero and the Hylia incarnate herself when the time rises. We are a people with access to advanced knowledge and technology. A people with the ability to be as swift as night and control the shadows to ward them away. This is what you are a part of. This is your history."

Mystique listened, her mind processed the words as they floated in the room above her head. "So if the Sheikah are here to protect the people of Hyrule, and be swift as the night. Wouldn't me delivering letters be helping aid the people of Hyrule and my speed can help me deliver mail faster?"

Pom's eyes went wide, her glasses slid slightly down her face. "I should have given you credit earlier. You may not know much, but you have a solid head on your shoulders."

"Can I learn about the alphabet now Ms. Pom?" Mystique took out one of the notebooks and placed it on the table.

Pom frowned before she chuckled and went over to the board. With her piece of chalk in hand, she tapped towards the first symbol.

"This is the start to the Hylian alphabet…" Pom droned.


Everytime Cerise wandered through the castle hallways she thought she heard the pitter patter of tiny footsteps and the shouts of children. Yet, every corner she turned was desolate and empty. The door to the library was cracked ajar when Cerise came upon the overly simplistic door. The paintings which bordered the door showed wide expansive fields of Hyrule from other times, something that always stood out amongst the hundreds of portraits scattered throughout the castle.

As always, Queen Kasandra Tacita of Hyrule sat at one of the large tables surrounded by manuscripts. Impa floated between the shelves within the shadows. Cerise closed the door gently behind her as she entered the musty room.

"Is this where your errands took you today?" Impa responded from the shadows.

"I didn't want Mystique to know that I was coming here," Cerise glanced behind herself.

"And why is that?" Kassandra did not glance up from her texts as she spoke.

"As her mother, I have the right to keep her out of this mess."

"I've heard being a mailman can be pretty dangerous too." Impa smirked from the shadows.

"Cerise… your daughter wants to deliver mail?" Kassandra looked up quizzically.

"And that's her choice." Cerise stated.

"I think that she would make an excellent sheikah," Impa placed her hand on the table.

"That's not why I am here." Cerise took a few steps forward. She hesitated as she glanced between looks from Impa and the Queen. "Well it does involve my daughter, but not her specifically."

"And what would that be." Kassanda gently placed the book down on the table.

"My daughter saw Gyorg is Salis recently."

"Excuse me?" Impa slammed her other hand onto the table. "Your daughter has now seen two beings of darkness!"

"She seems to have impeccable timing, yes." Cerise sighed. "But more importantly is that there is now another being of darkness popping up. Another monster for the hero we cannot locate to slay."

"My task team has interviewed every family who named their child Link in Castletown with no luck." Impa stated, a slight pinch of frustration in her voice.

"It was nice of you to search Castletown for our hero," Kassandra began to speak, her voice suddenly a little hoarse. "But every scripture of the hero has him come from a rural town."

"Which is why I have other members of the Sheikah royal service searching those towns." Impa reported.

"Do we have any update on finding any of the sages at least?" Cerise asked.

Kassanda coughed into her sleeve for several moments. "Unfortunately no. Dario has not had time to look since working with Tyto to eliminate his Volvagia problem. Queen Rutamina is hesitant to start her search and the kokori haven't returned a single message."

"So that's zero out of six sages." Impa added in.

"And the darkness gets closer every single day." Kassanda scrubs something off of the manuscript in front of her. "This would be easier if the King supported this mission and we could search for the sages and the hero more publicly."

"Hopefully we find what we are looking for before he regrets his decision." Impa said, her voice filled with bitterness. She glanced over towards the clock hidden near one of the bookcases. "Cerise, you should head home, I have to go get Mystique from her lesson."

Cerise nodded and walked out of the library through the normal door. Impa, in usual fashion, exited through one of the many hidden pathways woven within the architecture of the castle. With the library to herself, Queen Kasandra Tacita of Hyrule began to write:

It is Autumn when I write this. I have just received reports of two creatures of darkness now freely roaming the land of Hyrule. Volvagia the great Goron eater and Gyrog the monstrous fish from other lands also plagued by darkness. I have yet to report to Impa or any of the Sheikah royal guard, that Queen Rutamina has potentially found another being of darkness frozen within the Zora ice caverns. I pray that it does not break free of its frozen prison to wreak havoc on the Zora people.

My husband, King Suehprom Patroclus of Hyrule is still ignorant of the growing concerns of his land. If the city of Salis is plagued by Gyorg I suspect the town's mayor, or even the captain of the 'pirates' pay visit to him for assistance. If he would not give aid to our good friend Dario, I doubt he would bat an eye at the coastal town of Salis, despite it being our biggest import of fish. If the city were to suffer, there could potentially be a food shortage as Lake Hylia cannot supply the same volume of fish.

Finally, my dear Zelda. She seems hesitant with her future of saving us from darkness, and having her ready is a task upon itself to take care of. The training sessions between me, her, and Paige have gone neutral at best. From articles I have read of past princesses, many of them did not have their mother to guide them at all. I am blessed to be a part, even if small, within her training. I would like to take the girls, along with Impa, to the sacred springs located across Hyrule before winter. But, with the Harvest Festival here already, it might have to wait until Spring. I will convince Impa to take us at least to Din's spring as near Death Mountain is warm year round. Maybe we can even visit the Sage of Fire's Garden while there… I hear it is quite lovely.